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NewsHour Extra Lesson Plan: What is the Role of Civil Disobedience - PBS
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
Encouraging students to think of disobedience (of any kind) as a positive force for change will delight some students and confuse and trouble others. Depending upon their age and their intellectual and moral development, teachers should be prepared for these varied reactions. Although there is brief mention in the lesson plan of Cindy Sheehan, the anti-war protestor, there is no discussion of other contemporary issues related to terrorism, freedom versus security, or privacy. Teachers should also be prepared to have these topics enter the discussion. The historical quotes would make good bulletin board fodder or discussion (either verbal or written) prompts. Maybe try one on your class blog!You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Classroom Jeopardy - superteachtools.com
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Use this great resource to create Jeopardy games for any content area. This resource is perfect for use on an interactive whiteboard or projector with a student emcee. Use for vocabulary/terms, identifying parts of anything, and reviewing for any curriculum topic. Use as an opener to a unit to determine what students already know. Play as a review game to assist learning for all students. Encourage students to create the clues and answers to their own Jeopardy review games as a creative way to review and reinforce. Learning support teachers may want to have students create review games together.You or your students can copy and paste the HTML code for any game on your web page, wiki, or blog for easy access to any Flash Jeopardy Game.
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India - Country Studies - Library of Congress
Grades
8 to 12In the Classroom
Teachers will find these summaries useful for their comprehensive scope, which frequently includes historical and cultural background information. Much of the content is 5 or more years old, so these pages are best used for historical or background information.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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A Class Divided - Frontline/PBS-WGBH Educational Foundation
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
Help your students understand why Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated and raise their awareness of discrimination and the struggle for civil rights by involving them in active viewing of A Class Divided projected on your classroom interactive whiteboard or projector. You can view the film in its entirety, or in separate chapters followed by the Discussion Questions. You may want to give students a specific task to do during the film. For example, you might ask them to listen for a particular issue or the answers to a set of questions, or take notes in preparation for one of the post-viewing activities. As a way to accomplish this and enhance learning in your classroom use playposit, reviewed here. Replay the video or pause for discussion whenever you choose with playposit for focused, in depth exploration. Depending on your students' background knowledge and grade level, you may want to review or introduce some of the basic tenets of the United States Constitution that provide the legal grounding for equality and protection of individual rights. Explain that there are examples in American history when individuals' rights were denied and that many civil rights activists were arrested for either challenging, demonstrating, or breaking rules that they thought were unfair. Pose some of the questions for written assignments and discussion. This is a perfect lesson for Black History Month! Divide the class into groups to brainstorm situations that exist today within our own communities, and how they would feel and deal with it if they were the subjects. Students can easily create mind maps, replacing paper and pen, by using free tools from Teachersfirst, such as TUZZit, reviewed here. Have students choose words from songs to explore themes of freedom and equality, using Stories Behind the Songs, reviewed here. High school students could extend this to a reading and study of the final chapter of "One America in the 21st Century," the 1998 report of President Bill Clinton's Initiative on Race, which lists 10 things that every American should do to promote racial reconciliation. Ask students to add anything they think is missing and make a commitment to continue the crusade to end discrimination.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Frontline - The Invasion of Iraq - PBS
Grades
10 to 12In the Classroom
Take advantage of the free lesson plans and classroom activities on this site! They incorporate the material on the site as well as the current events in the War of Iraq. This is a great resource for a US government or World History class.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Livebinders - Livebinders, Inc.
Grades
2 to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Once an account is created, add the bookmarklet to your browser bar for quick access. Check with your IT department to have the ability to download bookmarklets on your computer. Knowledge of embed codes are required to manage Livebinders in other sites. To get a better idea of Livebinder basics, watch the 90 second video tour before you "play."Click on "start a blank binder," enter a description, tags, category, and mark it private or public. Click yes to "use Google search to fill a binder" to find plenty of information fast. Your new binder will instantly be filled with a new tab for each site matching your search term. After entering "climate change," a new Livebinder was created with tabs that matched research I had previously spent a lot of time to find. Now it can be instantly shared. Click on "edit menu" in the upper right of your binder to change description, title, etc. as well as fonts, tabs, and other details. To share, click on share this binder along the bottom right to share by email, Facebook, Twitter, or embedding via link or embed code. Embed your Livebinder in a blog, wiki, or other site or provide the link for access by others.
Safety/Security: Users must be 13 years of age to create an account. Teachers can create an account and share Livebinders for student use at any age. Create a class account with a global login and password. Students use the same login to access the Livebinder and create tabs on various topics. As each collaborator would not be known, ask students to add initials to tabs they create so you know the source. Check your school policies on whether student work may be displayed online and what information is permitted, then enforce that policy with your students.
Create a Livebinder to assemble information and requirements for a student project. Make the Livebinder the actual ASSIGNMENT sheet. Use a new tab in the binder for each type of resource or topic of information. In English classes, use to offer spelling, writing, or grammar hints for students. Create a binder for specific sports teams that showcase team accolades, resources for increasing skills, or to create snack lists and travel information. Create a Livebinder for groups of students to plan or report on vacation plans, learn about cultures or countries, or maintain information for student projects. Students can use Livebinders to assemble information for group projects that can be discussed with the teacher to track progress. Consider creating a binder for assignments for students that focus on the use of information versus just the searching for the information. Any content or subject area can be easily managed by creating a Livebinder for student learning. Create an art or music gallery easily with a Livebinder. Use each tab of a Livebinder for each cell part necessary for the functioning of a cell. Create tabs in a binder for each battle or campaign in a specific war. Create a tab for each candidate in a specific election. Have students or student groups (13 and over) create Livebinder "tours" or annotated collections on a topic such as the pros and cons of organic foods, a cultural tour of a country, or applications of geometry in architecture. Of course their student-written annotations and commentary will be key to make these collections into meaningful products. They might even create tasks and questions for other students to try to learn about the topic.
If you are simply looking for a way to share technology-infused project assignments with students from grade 2 and up, a teacher-made Livebinder is an easy way to do it, and you can share the assignment with parents and learning support teachers by simply providing the URL.
Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes Interaction w general public/ public galleries with unmoderated content
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Products can be embedded
Products can be shared by URL
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project
Includes teacher tools for registering and/or monitoring students
Comments
I've used LIveBinder successfully at the 3rd/4th grade level to share web pages with students on specific subjects and topics. My students went back to the binders to read more, even when that unit was finished. I also create and fill binders as I am planning and gathering webpages as I plan my units.Linda, IL, Grades: 3 - 4
Takes some getting used to, instructions not as clear as they could be, but very helpful for sharing lots of resources that share a common theme.Frances, CT, Grades: 6 - 8
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Multiple Choice Quizzes - SchoolHistory
Grades
8 to 12In the Classroom
Use this site to review students on important scanning many units of history. Save this site as a learning center or station, and allow students to use it in the days proceeding an assessment. Teachers can also print out some of the quizzes and use them to assess students background knowledge when entering a new unit.Be sure to post these on your teacher wiki or webpage too, allowing students to review before a major assessment - both in and out of the classroom.
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CIA World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
Provide this resource as a link on your teacher web page or in class for supporting data to be used in discussions or debates. In math classes, use the data to create and compare graphical representations of real-world data. In geography classes, use the information to draw connections between physical features of a nation and its economy. World language classes can compare the various nations that speak the language they are studying.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Discover Peru
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
This would be a great resource for a beginning Spanish or World History class. Open this site on the interactive whiteboard or projector to introduce to students one of the many countries that predominantly speaks spanish, or plays a role in World History. This would be a great resource for students working on presentations or research projects.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Virtual Freedom Shrine - National Exchange Club
Grades
7 to 12In the Classroom
Have each student in your class research one of these documents or speeches. Challenge students to create a multi-media presentation: PowerPoint, blog, wiki, or video. Share these documents around Martin Luther King's birthday or President's Day.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Muslims and Westerners - The Great Divide - Pew Trusts
Grades
9 to 12In the Classroom
Try using this report as a resource for examining the problem of reconciling realities with perceptions, and the role of governments and social systems in keeping these tensions in check.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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A Biography of America - CPB/Annenberg
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
The possibilities for this site are virtually limitless. Open the site on the interactive whiteboard or projector and select one of the many topics that is applicable to your unit. Teachers can play the video for students to review material, use the map to provide something for visual learners can connect to, or use the time-line to guide student learning. This is really an amazing tool for teachers trying to utilize technology in the classroom!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Medici - Godfathers of the Renaissance - PBS
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
Use the interactive timeline in your classroom on your interactive whiteboard or projector to give students more context about the Renaissance. The site provides some valuable information about the Medici family, who were an important influence on the Renaissance.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Google for Education - Google
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Even those familiar with the Google tools will find information and uses they did not know about. Consider posting a link to your class web page for students to access. Your students are also valuable resources. Be sure to point out students who are able to use tools in unique ways that other students can learn from.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Smithsonian Global Sound - Smithsonian Institution
Grades
1 to 12In the Classroom
Search this site for songs to supplement your unit in a US or World history class. This teacher was able to find a song about the suffrage movement, and was able to teach the beliefs of suffrage through student analysis of the lyrics and tone. Be sure to search - there are literally tons of songs that can be used for a variety of curriculum.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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March on Washington Lesson - PBS Newshour
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
These lesson plans are ready to use and easy to follow! The extension activities offer some excellent higher order thinking questions. After sharing video footage with your students, why not project one of the extension activities on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Enhance learning by having students create a blog with Telegra.ph, reviewed here to answer the questions in the extension activities. With Telegra.ph you just click on an icon to upload images from your computer, add a YouTube or Vimeo, or Twitter links. This blog creator requires no registration.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Online NewsHour Extra: Video Clipboard - Archives - PBS
Grades
6 to 12Tip: rather than using your personal or work email, create a free Gmail account to use for memberships. If you plan to have students register individually, you may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how to set up GMail subaccounts to use for any online membership service.
In the Classroom
Share these video blogs with your students on an interactive whiteboard or projector as you discuss current events and related issues. Share this link on your class web page as an option for weekly current events articles you require from students. Take advantage of the free resources (quotes, warm up questions, discussion questions, printables, and other resources). If you teach reading or are working to help learning support students build comprehension, you will find terrific passages for teaching comprehension, inferencing, summarizing, and more, all with meaningful news stories as the focus. If your school's Acceptable Use Policy allows, have students post their own comments to the video blogs. Another idea: have your students create their own wiki about current events in local and/or national news. Invite students to create their own multimedia packages using video clips and their own text to explain an issue and its history.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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National Council for Economics Education - National Council for Economics Education
Grades
3 to 12In the Classroom
If ever in need of an activity to explain a difficult concept, use this site to help students further explore it. Look at the site before hand and search for a lesson, which can be done by standard, a particularly useful tool. Take advantage of the free activities and plans this site provides!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Brazil - Country Studies - Library of Congress
Grades
8 to 12In the Classroom
Teachers will find these summaries useful for their comprehensive scope, which frequently includes historical and cultural background information. Much of the content is 5 or more years old, so these pages are best used for historical or background information.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Credit 101 - Federal Trade Commission
Grades
8 to 12In the Classroom
Use this as part of a unit on managing finances or applied math, or when studying computer hacking and identity theft. Have students work with a partner to create a computer spreadsheet, including formulas, to compare the total price of certain purchases using credit and cash, including various interest rates, for specific items they select out of the newspaper or online ads.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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