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Resources on Homework & Studying for Parents

Share these web resources on your teacher web page or copy the printables to encourage parent involvement and help them know how best to support their students.
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Kids Homework Hub Grade 1 to 7 - Scholastic, Inc.- 7995
Includes printable Acrobat files This resource requires Flash Students, teachers and parents will find helpful information for getting organized, taking notes, writing and plagiarism, test taking tips, and research. Be sure to check out the special sections for teachers and parents. Flash and Acrobat Reader are needed for some sections of the site. Get them from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
For younger students, share the site with parents (such as to help first graders study spelling words). For upper elementary and middle school, introduce the site on a projector or interactive whiteboard at the start of the year or as you start major projects. Whether you teach regular ed or learning support, these tips will help your students be better organized and use their study time wisely. Include this link on your teacher web page and ask students to try out different strategies as they study for tests or complete long-term assignments. You might even give points on the test or project for a student reflection telling you which study strategy they tried and how it worked for him/her.

Getting the Most Out of Homework Grade 3 to 12 - National Education Association- 6225
During parent conference time, the topic of homework inevitably surfaces, and parents are anxious for advice on how to help their children get the most out of assignments and projects. This online resource provides many useful tips on helping children develop good study habits and a positive attitude toward the learning process.


Back to School Tips Grade 1 to 8 - American Academy of Pediatrics- 5289
Parents of elementary and middle school students will be delighted with this helpful collection of ideas for successfully entering a new school year. Backpack safety, study habits, television use, and homework and study habits are just a few of the topics discussed. Recommend this site to parents at back-to-school night.


Study Skills and Strategies Grade 2 to 12 - TeachersandFamilies: By Lisa Kilanowski-Press, M.S., CAS- 6949
This article on the importance of study skills and ways to encourage children to develop good study habits is especially useful for parents. There are sections on time management, encouraging your child, organization, study tools, and more. The skills apply to all students and would be especially helpful for learning support students even earlier in their academic careers.

In the Classroom:
Share this link with parents at open house or conferences. Publish it in your classroom newsletter or on your teacher web page. You might even print out one section at a time as a series of mini-help sheets for parents. Middle school students could use it in class as a discussion starter to help themselves develop independence with their school work.

podOmatic Grade 1 to 12 - podOmatic- 8094
This resource requires Flash TeachersFirst Edge Entry: for moderately adventurous technology users. Create simple audio podcasts using this online tool and the free space they provide. Simply put, this tool lets you create and place sound recordings online for people to listen to and/or download from a web site. The site itself is a "web 2.0," social networking style site, so some schools may have it blocked. Ask about unblocking just YOUR teacher account so you can have students access it from school.

What can it do? You can record sound directly with the microphone built or plugged into your computer and make it available for people to listen to online or download to their MP3 player. See and hear a sample we made for you. Some possible uses: You record your homework assignments or directions; students create "you are there" recordings as "eyewitnesses" to historical or current events; students create advertisements for concepts studied in class (Buy Dynamic DNA!); students write and record their own stories; language students or beginning readers record their fluency with reading passages; allow parents to hear their child's progress reading aloud,etc.

In the Classroom:
Skills needed: Join site (free), attach a mike or use a built-in computer mike, create the podcast by clicking a record button,(you may have to tell your computer to "allow" nonsecure items over and over), carefully select or SKIP many sharing mechanisms for safety's sake, limit any identifiable information with the podcasts, choose a background for your podcast page, share the link only with your students and parents. If you have students record podcasts as assignments, you may need multiple accounts because the free accounts have limited file space. An elementary teacher might have enough space for 25 students to keep a limited number of products, depending upon length. The site will tell you how much space each podcast takes and how much you have left.

Helping Your Student Get the Most out of Homework Grade 1 to 8 - National PTA- 1640

In the Classroom:
A Q&A for parents on the purposes, expectations, and problems that can arise with homework.

Helping Your Child with Homework Grade 1 to 6 - U.S. Department of Education- 1457

In the Classroom:
This site offers tips for parents from the Department of Education.

How Parents and Families can help their Children do better in School Grade 1 to 8 - U.S. Department of Education- 1212

In the Classroom:
This site offers tips for parents from the Department of Education.

Helping Your Child Series Grade K to 8 - US Department of Education- 6865
Includes printable Acrobat files Encourage parents to become involved with their children's education using these helpful, downloadable booklets on helping your child with science, history, math, reading, homework, early adolescence, preschool, general success in school, and being a responsible citizen. Some are geared for elementary only and others extend through middle school. Most are also available in Spanish versions, as well. Download as a pdf (Acrobat file) or Word document. You can order copies, but it may be easier and faster to simply print your own.

In the Classroom:
Hand these booklets out at back to school night, open house, or conferences. Encourage parents to become involved supportively. Remember that you need Acrobat Reader to open pdf files.Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

Kid's Health Grade 3 to 12 - The Nemours Foundation's Center for Children's Health Media- 7422
Includes lesson plan This resource requires Flash Divided into parts for parents, younger children, and teenagers, Kid's Health presents health issues in an attractive, frank, and appealing format. The younger kid's section features a daily health question, homework help, a "Big Question" section, hot topics, and health concerns presented from the point of view of the child. In addition, some of the pages are available in Spanish. Other sections include health issues for grown ups and a glossary, the latter of which is available in Spanish. Video clips include health-related topics featuring well-known athletes. The teen section provides answers to multiple teen questions about health including sexual issues, drug and alcohol concerns, food and fitness, your body, your mind, and hot topics. The parents' section has regular health topics about raising a child. Requires Flash.

In the Classroom:
Health teachers will want to share this site on their teacher web page or in class as part of sex ed units and study of disease. Younger students wondering about illnesses such as cancer will also be able to find good information, written at a level they can understand.

This site contains open discussion of topics. We suggest that you preview it to be sure it is in compliance with your school's policies. Some portions discuss topics that will cause great giggles among less mature students, so preview and set the tone before trungin students loose.

Biography Maker Grade 6 to 12 - Bellingham Public Schools- 8862
This site, sponsored by a school district in Washington state, helps students create succinct, exciting biographies. By walking through the steps of questioning, learning, synthesis, and story-telling, students will benefit from the sound writing advice. A simple site, it is still worthy of introducing to your students. The famous six traits of writing help students polish their papers to perfection. As the site says, this site provides the information, but the student must provide the 'steam' to make it work well.

In the Classroom:
All material at this site is copyrighted, so it must be viewed online. An interactive whiteboard would be an asset in reviewing the steps. Then have students work at a classroom computer cluster, on laptops, in a lab, or even as homework. The directions are clear enough that a parent can even help. Put the link on your teacher web page for easy access outside of class. Consider using a wiki as the space for students to compose and share their biographies, whether part of English class or as a social studies or famous scientist research project. Learning support teachers and those who do not ordinarily include "writing skills" as part of their science or content-area class will like the definitive structure to guide success in biography-writing.

Scribd Grade 9 to 12 - Trip Adler , Jared Friedman, Tikhon Bernstam - 8605
TeachersFirst Edge tool: for moderately adventurous technology users. This online file storage and sharing space allows you to upload Word documents, Excel files, pdfs, PowerPoint files, and other formats and keep them in a place where others (or just you) can access them. Scribed provides tools to convert between file types, for example to make a Word document into a pdf (readable in Acrobat Reader on most computers)or even to convert it into a SOUND file (MP3). The sound conversion apparently takes some time, as our editors found when uploading a sample. The default set-up makes files public when you upload, so you are , in effect, "publishing" them to the web, but you also have options to make them "private," i.e. limited access via a private URL for that document, or to make them only available to a certain "group." You can create or join groups, as well. Our editors made a sample that is "private," but available via this link. The site uses FLASH, so be sure you have the plug-in.

In the Classroom:
Skills needed: Join (free). Email address is optional. Determine whether you have the copyright to the file(s) you wish to upload. You may ONLY upload files to which you hold the rights. Locate files on your computer and upload them. (Read FAQ for file types that are permissible). Choose options for that file: tags, private/public, etc. Create groups, such as for your class or group projects. Determine rights of the groups---who uploads? Who administers the group? You can also bulk upload. There is also a "collections" feature within your account, possible for different types of work, different student authors, etc. If you have a class log, click "more options" at the left of a document display to copy code and embed the actual Scribd file in your blog---a SAFE way to share it without sending students to Scribd.

How would you use this? As a productivity tool for yourself, you can make all your own files available from any computer, so you will never say, "I left it on my desktop at home." This is handy for itinerant teachers or forgetful students. Having pdf versions of handouts available with a few clicks makes it easy to share them with students via email or links on your teacher web page. As an instructional tool, you will first need to manage some safety issues. Scribd is a site for the general public, a]so the texts available can have objectionable subject matter. "Browsing" Scribd is not an option for the classroom unless they launch a Squeaky-clean education version. If more mature students want to maintain (and even share) a writing portfolio to accompany college applications or simply document their growth as a writer over time, this tool is great, It will even save "versions" of documents to show writing process. There are some other ideas in our sample document. For safety reasons, we recommend a written Scibd policy for your classroom requiring parent permission for using the site, maintaining limited access for class members of selected "collaborators," such as a partner class from another school, and strict NO BROWSING, NO COMMENTING , NO JOINING GROUPS unless they are known to the teacher. The simplest way to control this is to have all students use ONE account (that you can monitor) and create individual collections or "tag" their work with their initials or some other unique identifier. This would allow everyone to "keep" work there, so you can open drafts on a whiteboard, access writings from a few months ago for comparison side-by-side, etc.

A "possible uses" list: Share handouts or study guides (yours or student-made) Share permission forms, lab report formats, assignments, calendars, project rubrics and details, science fair documents, collaborative writing or group projects. Create an online literary magazine "dropbox." Encourage student responsibility by suggesting they maintain their own file repository on Scribd so they ALWAYS have their homework. Help students "hear" their own drafts read aloud (if the audio conversion works quickly enough). Share all lab data from a science experiment so students have a large data set to analyze. Then share their lab reports. Have students "turn in" any assignment to your group (if you and their parents think they are trustworthy on the site alone). The list goes on and on...

Scholastic News Online Grade 3 to 8 - Scholastic, Inc.- 7685
Includes lesson plan Resource aligns to standards This resource requires Flash This free site offers daily news on current events along with in-depth special reports, polls to participate in, games and quizzes on a variety of topics. Scholastic News Online can be used alone or as an extension of the Scholastic Classroom Magazines. Be sure to visit the Homework Hub for information students (and teachers) can use for getting organized, taking notes, writing and plagiarism, test taking tips, and research. Parent section offers tips for discussing current events with their child. Flash is needed for some games and videos. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Put a link on your teacher web page for parents and students to access it at home or in study times at school. Preview the site to determine which news stories best suit your curriculum and the age of your students. Younger classes may need help reading some of the articles: use a projector so the news story can be read aloud as students follow along. Take a class vote after viewing the Vote Now! Poll and graph the class results. After posting the class vote, compare the class results with the results of the poll on the site.

Middle School Homework Tips Grade 5 to 9 - TeachersAndFamilies- 7580
This site provides homework tips for middle school students. Highlights include organization, avoiding procrastination and more.

In the Classroom:
This article may be a useful reference for some of your parents. Share the link on your teacher web page, at conferences, or in a newsletter or note sent home.

Six Traits of Writing Grade 1 to 12 - Kim's Korner 4 Teacher Talk- 9040
Includes printable Acrobat files Includes lesson plan This website offers information about the Six Traits of Writing. The site provides links to lesson plans, rubrics, parent tips, writing prompts, posters, and detailed information about each of the six traits. Although this website tends to be geared towards elementary and/or middle school grades, all teachers could glean something from this extensive, no-frills site.

In the Classroom:
Be sure you mention this site in your blog, class website, and class newsletter for easy explanation of the Six Traits model. Make a set of posters and put them into clear sleeves for each student. When put into a three-ring notebook, students can save quick writes and samples throughout the year by placing them into the appropriate section.

Use this free website to help your students prepare for standardized writing tests. Team up with the science or social studies teacher and have students use the Six Trait Writing "across the curriculum" as they write essays or stories for other content areas.

Learning Style Inventory Grade 5 to 12 - Brett Bixler- 8587
This visually "plain vanilla" learning style inventory, created by an instructional designer at Penn State, is simple enough to use in a middle or high school classroom without explaining elaborate personality traits and indexes to preteens and young adults. (There is one unfortunate mention of smoking, since the inventory was designed for college students. You may want to point it out and make an active disclaimer. about not promoting smoking!). This free, simplified inventory is short enough to complete and discuss during one class period. NOTE: the results of the invnetory come up in a small pop-up window. Make sure your pop-up blocker is not preventing you from seeing them. The Google and Yahoo toolbars block pop-ups! In Internet Explorer, you can temporarily turn off the blocker by RIGHT-clicking on the narrow yellow bar that appears at the top of the web page window.

In the Classroom:
Regular ed and learning support teachers from middle school up will want to share this resource with students and parents to help students find the most effective ways to study and retain knowledge. Include the link on your teacher web page (with a note about the unfortunate mention of smoking!) or plan a start-of-the year in-class time to help students get off on the right foot. Even teachers of gifted (whose students are notorious for inconsistent study methods because they have not "needed" to study) will find this resource helpful when students "hit the wall" in challenging courses. As part of a study skills unit, have students self-assess and create a single database of the class members' learning styles and subject strengths so they can find peer-tutors during study halls.

Physical Processes - Light Grade 3 to 5 - Birmingham Grid for Learning- 8583
Includes lesson plan Give students a hands-on experience as they investigate the properties of light. Complete the practical experiments that range from growing seeds to making a pinhole camera to learn about reflection, absorption and shadows. The site provides downloadable worksheets and teacher notes that are ready to print and copy. A few British terms are used in this site.

In the Classroom:
Share the activity handouts with students and parents to try as a whole-class experiment or an at-home enrichment activity while you are studying plants and/or light.

Science Fair Project Resource Guide Grade 4 to 12 - The Internet Public Library- 8452
This site provides a good introduction to science fairs to help teachers, students and parents. There are separate sections of information on getting started, choosing a topic, completing the project, displaying the project and the Scientific Method. The section and links on Scientific Method are quite useful, even if your school does not do a science fair.

In the Classroom:
As you study scientific method, use the science fair examples as exercises for students to identify independent and dependent variables for the various projects. Give students the links to "find" experiments and analyze them with a partner or do this analysis as a class, sharing the project ideas on a projector or interactive whiteboard. The whiteboard tools would allow you to color code and highlight the various steps of scientific method consistently to help learning support students.

Include this site on your teacher web page for students and parents to access as a reference. Consider directing students and parents to particular links within this site that apply to the science fair students are participating in.

Web Wise Kids Grade 6 to 12 - Web Wise Kids- 8268
Includes printable Acrobat files Although this site sells its programs to help parents and children stay safe on the Internet, the sections for Teens and Parents contain valuable information and tools. In addition to examples of how scary and intrusive unsafe use of the Internet can be, the pages for parents and teens offer Safety Tips and a downloadable Internet Safety Plan. This site requires Real Player or QuickTime and Adobe Acrobat. Get them from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Share the parent information on your teacher web page or in a classroom newsletter, especially if you ask students to use the Internet for homework assignments. It is easy to avoid the advertising or donation areas of the site and use the important information.

Books for Parents Grade K to 12 - TeachersAndFamilies- 7654
This website offers a variety of books for parents (about parenting topics). Some topics include gifted students, helping your child manage stress, money management for kids, homework tips, sleeping guides and more.

In the Classroom:
This article may be a useful reference for some of your parents. Share the link on your teacher web page, at conferences, or in a newsletter or note sent home.

Backpack Basics Grade K to 6 - TeachersAndFamilies- 7581
This site provides a chart for students in grades 1, 3 and 5. The chart describes what should be expected of students at each grade level in reference to unloading their backpack, homework time and reloading their backpack.

In the Classroom:
This article may be a useful reference for some of your parents. Share the link on your teacher web page, at open house, or in a newsletter or note sent home.

Homework High Grade 5 to 11 - Channel 4- 6400
Students – ages 11 to 16 - can solicit the help of a virtual librarian on this British site that offers an "Ask Jeeves" style of homework assistance. A teacher-monitored live advice session is offered during evening hours (U.K. time - roughly 2pm-5pm Eastern time).

In the Classroom:
While this site does not have all of the answers, and the search method can be a bit awkward (correct spelling is a must!), it is still useful as a resource to point students in the right direction when they need more information about a topic. Bookmark this site on your classroom computer or suggest that parents make it available to their children as an at-home reference.

Misunderstood Minds Grade 1 to 12 - PBS- 2819
This site, a companion to the PBS program of the same name, uses five case studies to help parents, teachers, and students understand the challenges associated with learning and developmental disabilities in children and adults. It includes several simulations that can give users a sense of how someone with a particular disability perceives the world.

In the Classroom:
Any teacher who works with special education students could benefit from this one.

Appropriate School-Based Accommodations and Interventions Grade 1 to 12 - - 1797
Here is a comprehensive listing of accommodations and interventions in the classroom for ADD/LD students. Includes information on student work areas, student transitions, lesson plans/assignments, homework adaptations, testing considerations, student motivation and parent involvement.


Helping Your Child Learn Math Grade 1 to 6 - U.S. Department of Education- 1453

In the Classroom:
This site offers tips for parents from the Department of Education.

Helping Your Child Learn Science Grade 1 to 6 - U.S. Department of Education- 1452

In the Classroom:
This site offers tips for parents from the Department of Education.

Helping Your Child Learn History Grade 1 to 6 - U.S. Department of Education- 1451

In the Classroom:
This site offers tips for parents from the Department of Education.

Helping Your Child Learn Geography Grade 1 to 6 - U.S. Department of Education- 1450

In the Classroom:
This site offers tips for parents from the Department of Education.

Helping Your Child Learn to Write Well Grade 1 to 8 - U.S. Department of Education- 1215

In the Classroom:
This site offers tips for parents from the Department of Education.

Help Your Child Improve in Test Taking Grade 1 to 8 - U.S. Department of Education- 1214

In the Classroom:
This site offers tips for parents from the Department of Education.

The Explorers' Graveyard Grade 3 to 6 - TeachersFirst- 177
Includes lesson plan Combine writing, an explorers' study, and fall celebrations using this activity which asks students to compose an epitaph for an explorer of their choice. Writing and art opportunities abound, and the end product makes a great display for parent-teacher conferences.


EServer Grade 9 to 12 - - 18
The EServer (originally founded as the English Server) is a cooperative which has been publishing humanities materials since 1990. It currently offers over thirty-five thousand works. A few of its many general topic categories include: 18th Century Studies, Cultural Theory, Recipes, Literacy and Education, Marx and Engels, and Rhetoric. This is a comprehensive and rich site well worth a look.

In the Classroom:
Include this site on your teacher web page for students and parents to access as an extensive reading resource.

Kidlink Grade 3 to 12 - Kidlink- 8885
Includes lesson plan This website provides an online connection to students from various areas of the world. There are links provided for students, families, and teachers. The website is available in various languages - English, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, and Portuguese. Students can share stories, artwork, and more. The educational content includes life planning skills (careers), social studies (geography, government, history, etc.), writing, and many other academic areas. Free registration is required for each student and teacher. All content is monitored by volunteer moderators. What a fabulous resource to use in geography or language arts class. This website doesn't just teach students about countries throughout the world, but also allows students to interact with students of various cultures as they write and respond to each other in this safe environment.

In the Classroom:
Students need not have their own email to use this site. Kidlink explains that they are permitted to use the teacher's email address (which allows you to monitor their activities, as well). You might want to use your "extra" email account. Set up accounts for your students to communicate in your world language class or as part of your study of other continents. With younger students, you may want to communicate as a whole-class activity, composing on a projector or interactive whiteboard.

If your school policies limit your ability to use such a site, see the FAQ information and ready-to-go presentation explaining Kidlink. Share it with your principal and parents. ALWAYS get written parent permission when sharing student work/ideas online.

Elementary Homework Tips Grade K to 6 - TeachersAndFamilies- 7579
This site provides homework tips for elementary students. Highlights include prioritizing, guiding - but not correcting, establishing a routine and more.

In the Classroom:
This article may be a useful reference for some of your parents. Share the link on your teacher web page or in a newsletter or note sent home.

Project Poster Grade 2 to 12 - 4Teachers.org- 7332
Use this terrific online tool for your students to create posters or short reports in a poster format. The teacher sets up an account (for free), and follows simple directions so students can upload images and write about their project or pictures. The site even includes management tools so you can keep separate classes of students and see their work by class. Students can share the URL for their posters with grandparents or parents to show off their good work!

In the Classroom:
Plan to spend some time reading through the direcdtions and trying out this tool before you assign it to students.

Students will need to know how to locate and upload a file for an image (such as a digital picture) to place it in their poster. If you allow them to use images from the web, the tool asks them to give information on their image source, as well (hooray for ethical use of the Internet!). If you use digital pictures of students, be SURE that you do NOT use full names on the site. You should get parent permission for uploading any student images, even if anonymous.

Some uses for this simple tool: book reports (take a digital photo of the book cover), biographical posters of famous people (images from the web), "all about me" posters, posters about community members such as veterans of World War II whom students interview and photograph, author posters, fictitious character studies, science posters on processes or terms with accompanying digital pictures to illustrate, etc. The possibilities are endless. Once students know the tool, they can use it over and over.

Ning in Education Grade 7 to 12 - Ning- 9415
Recently added Teacher's First Edge Review: for thoroughly adventurous or organized technology users. Ning is a tool for creating social networks. Though that may be a scary term to parents and a concept prohibited in your school, this education initiative from Ning provides advertising-free, private spaces for classroom use in K-12. Because of concerns over COPPA (federal legislation protecting children on the web), Ning specifies that the tool is for ages 13 and up. Users outside the U.S. do not need to worry about this law. There are related blog posts and debate about whether the law applies if you configure your Ning a certain way, but TeachersFirst cannot recommend circumventing the law. A Ning provides an online space for forums (threaded discussions), blogs, “friends,” groups, personal spaces for members, and more. As the administrator of your Ning, you can control the actual set-up. Assuming you can access the Ning URL at school, this tool can provide a PRIVATE online space for your classes or teaching team as an electronic home for use in and out of school.

In the Classroom:
Skills needed: Before you start, make sure your specific Ning URL will not be blocked by filtering on the school network. See some of the tips from the Edge team . Join Ning and set up a network, including name, URL, and description. Be sure to choose Private to limit viewing of your network to those you INVITE to join. Drag your desired features to create your Ning layout. You can always change it later. Make appearance choices. Create a “master key” (and for heaven’s sake WRITE IT DOWN somewhere secure – not on a sticky note at your classroom computer). Customize at will, but right away you will want to follow Steve Hargadon’s blog entry with detailed directions to remove the ads from your Ning for education space. The ad-free offer began in November 2007 and may not continue forever, so do it now!

Safety/security concerns: Since the Ning tool establishes profiles for each member; you will want to customize the profile settings to stay in accordance with your school policies. You will probably not want students to be able to set up groups, since they might make them “private” and lock you out. You can also change the questions they are asked as part of their profiles. The simplest way to set up student accounts may be through a teacher Gmail account with subaccounts. You could then create the accounts and passwords on your own or have students enter the information. Even though your space is private, we recommend asking for parent permission mostly to be sure that they are aware of this positive use of social networking and all the lessons about Internet safety that can grow from its use in class. A modified version of the Blogging agreement offered by TeachersFirst would work (a word doc).

Possible uses: A class social network has limitless possibilities. Engage students in discussions on current events, independent reading, literature, and more. Create groups for students to work on projects and use the space as a forum to work out tasks, scheduling, and file sharing. Get creative and ask students to play the role of a historical figure on a social network across time: Ben Franklin networks with Harry Truman to argue about the atomic bomb. Use the Ning as a forum for any simulated or real task. Invite parents to join to give their points of view on upcoming elections. Include the principal or superintendent in your class discussions of students’ rights as you study the Constitution. Your students themselves will suggest ways to use this all-too-familiar tool from their world. Imagine the “profiles” they could create as characters from fiction or inventors from history! Steve Hargadon, creator of this Ning in Education initiative invites participants to join a Ning for teachers who are using this tool. We hope you will tell them where you heard about it and send them over to check out (and suggest) more tools at the TeachersFirst Edge.

MapSkip Grade 4 to 12 - MapSkip.com- 9374
Recently added This resource requires Flash Teacher's First EDGE Review: for slightly adventurous technology users. This online tool allows you to see various cities and countries throughout the world. The site features placemarkers added by users to interactive Google Maps including stories, photos, videos, and comments and ratings from other users. Visit Reston, Virginia (west of Washington, DC) for a sample placemarker full of teaching ideas left by our review team “captain.” Mapskip allows you to zoom in and out (using the arrows) and scroll across the map in any cardinal direction. You can view the entire world, or individual cities. Red hands are used to represent placemarkers created by users. The Mapskip blog is written by the MapSkip staff to explain new features and tools. Registered members are able to comment on any updates there, as well. The videos require Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Skills Needed: Register (requires email and activation from confirmation email). Manipulate the map as you would on Google Maps (zoom, drag, etc). Click to add a new placemarker, enter a "story, title, and upload pictures and video. You need to know how to locate and upload files. You can also edit your profile, view places created by you or any author you choose to "follow" and more. You can "rate" placemarkers left by others, as well. Why not add a few stars to the one for this review?



Safety/Security Concerns: Membership requires an email address and user name. Use your “memberships” (extra) email account for such memberships, so you don’t clutter your mailbox. If you want students to use the tool but they are not allowed to access email at school, create a free teacher Gmail account with up to 20 sub-accounts for your students Here is a blog post that tells how. Be sure students don't use their actual names or provide their location as part of their registration. Since this site has photos, videos, and stories submitted by members, always be sure to preview what you wish to share in class. The site has a link to click if anything appears inappropriate. At the time of this review, this website and its contents appear very useful and appropriate for intermediate and secondary students. Be sure to check your district's acceptable use policy before you submit anything to a website. Use fictitious names for your students and be sure to get parental permission if photos, videos, or any student work are included. Since others can read, rate, and comment on any entry you or your students make, you will want to discuss ethical behavior and help students build a “think skin” to outside criticism.

Possible Uses: Even without joining, you can share your PREVIEWED Mapskip entries created by others on an interactive whiteboard or projector as you study faraway places. Create Mapskip entries about historical sites in your local area, including images taken with digital cameras, artifacts from your local historical society, links to newspaper articles, or video interviews of older residents telling about old times. As you study community or landforms in your elementary class, ‘mapskip” them with annotations of your local map, showing examples of landforms and local community landmarks with digital pictures. Allow older students to use the site independently or in small groups. Mapskips are ideal as a product for individual research projects. In world language classes, plotting a trip or writing an imaginary story of their dreamed trip to Spain or Mexico. Take your students on a trip to the native countries where the language is spoken.

zwebquest Grade 2 to 12 - Zafer Unal, PhD- 9368
Have you been pining to include pertinent webquests in your curriculum? This site allows you to view already created webquests and/or use their online tool to create your own webquest without HTML code or web editor software. This site walks you through a tutorial on creating your own webquest for the parameters YOU want. The tutorial includes planning, building, and getting your webquest published. Best of all-- it is free. This site also includes ready-made webquests in nearly every subject area (math, art, music, social studies, science, etc.) submitted by others like you. There are webquests for all grade level. The webquests are free to use and many include reviews by other educators. An easy to follow webquest matrix is available, with all of the subjects and grade levels. You are also able to do a webquest search for a specific topic. Nearly all of the webquests are in English, but a few are in other languages. Note: the quality of webquests is completely determined by others using the site to create webquests, so PREVIEW before using any webquest in class.

In the Classroom:
Search the multitude of webquests that are “ready to go” at this site. If you are looking for a more personal touch, you can create your own webquest for each class, tailored to what you want to cover or want students to research. This site also provides a place to post a personal portfolio of your work (if you choose to include any student work, you must have written permission to do so from the student and his or her parent). You might also want students to create webquests as final products of group research projects. Be sure to provide a meaningful rubric for the essential features.

Children of World War II Grade 1 to 5 - BBC- 9333
This resource requires Flash Come along with Vera (your child guide), and learn about life during World War II in England. This historically rich website offers students a peek into various aspects of life from 1939-1945. Learn about wartime homes, rationing of food and other items, read letters from evacuated children, and much more. There are a few interactive activities (such as Rationing of Food). The Research Room includes photos, posters, letters, documents, radio clips, and sound . Don't miss the Teachers and Parents link complete with lesson plans, standards, printable pages, activity ideas, and more. What a fabulous way to introduce elementary and middle school students to this critical time in world history. Although the site focuses on life in England, all of the material is suitable for discussion on United States involvement in World War II and how things changed both at home and abroad. Some of the sound clips require RealPlayer or Flash. You can get both the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
If your class is learning about World War II, this site is a must-see! Share the website on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Have students try their hand at the rationing activity and see how much of their food could be purchased. Integrate language arts into the lesson by having students write letters to Vera asking her questions they might have about her life and times. Or have them write a “blog post” as Vera would have. If you study the Diary of Anne Frank, even with slightly older students, compare the experiences of Anne’s family and those of a British family during the “blitz.” Take the interactive tour of the wartime house and have students compare how their own homes are similar or different from Vera's wartime house.

Pest World For Kids Grade K to 5 - National Pest Management Association- 9298
Includes printable Acrobat files Includes lesson plan This resource requires Flash Students learn about biology, ecology, health, and the environment through the studies of pests. Lesson Plans are divided into younger and older elementary students. Younger students' lesson plans include "Intro to Pests" and "Totally Termites." Older students include inquiry based activities such as "Termitology" and "Before They Were Pests." The site includes games and documents. Click on "Amazing Pests" to learn fun pest facts and view a dictionary of pests. View "Threats and Prevention" to learn about the damage that pests can cause and ways to prevent infestation and damage. Play fun Learning Games such as "Name That Pest," "The Pest Rangers," and "Archibald's Adventures." The audio is sure to get student attention.

Note: Students can also send a pest card by entering a recipient's name and email address as well as their own name and email address. Many district's have policies prohibiting students from using a personal email address. Additionally, they can sign up for newsletters which require parent authorization for those under 13. Please check your district's policy concerning student email and Acceptable Use Policy Activities can be seen online and also downloaded as an Adobe PDF document. Perhaps you want to sign up as a teacher and share the email with your class on a bulletin board.This Site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Use what students already know about pests to bring complex concepts such as social behavior and needs of organisms into focus. Students can use the site and create tip sheets for managing pests. Use multimedia programs such as PowerPoint and others to create these as a digital storytelling project. Students can also play the interactive games and write a story about life as a pest. Focus on the adaptations of pests to determine where they live and what other pests they are related to.

Pixton Grade 4 to 12 - Goodinson Design Inc.- 9280
Recently added This resource requires Flash Teacher's First Edge Review: for slightly adventurous technology users. At this site, students can create, share, and "remix" comics. The "remix" link allows students to add their own twist to ready-made comics. Students can read comics created by others and also make comments on them. Other highlights of the site include a featured author and blog. This free version of Pixton will be followed with a fee-based version for schools (with teacher and student registration levels and safety tools) in 2009, but the free version will remain available. See an example created by the TeachersFirst Edge team. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Skills Needed: Register and watch “trailers” or play with the simple tools to choose a situation (template), color, graphics and symbols. Then enter dialog. Make changes with simple tools alongside each block of your comic. Save your work to come back later or you may "publish" right away. You have a choice about whether others are allowed to “remix” your work. You also have the option to edit work or embed it in a website, blog or wiki. Comics can also be shared by URL (copy it from the address bar) or sent via email.

Safety/Security Concerns: Registration requires an email address. You may want to create your own Gmail account with sub-accounts for students (by sub-account code name or number) within your classes. You are able to create up to twenty sub-accounts on Gmail. Here is a blog post that tells how. There are some safeguards in place to be sure students use appropriate language and actions. It would be wise to preview whatever you wish to share with your students, however, since the general public can create comics with their own ideas. Students should submit their work without identifiable names and location, according to your school policy, perhaps using their newly-assigned Gmail address and account (monitored by you, since you own the master account). You will also want written parent permission before allowing students to create comics that can be seen online.

Possible Uses: Use comics to write summaries of current events, responses to reading assignments, expressions of teen problems, and creative works of humor. With younger students, use an interactive whiteboard or projector to create a class comic on a current topic of study, such as the life cycle of the frog or ways to conserve energy. Use this site to integrate an art and writing lesson. Why not have students create comics to demonstrate a concept in science or social studies, rather than a traditional paper/pencil quiz? World language teachers and ESL/ELL teachers will love the chance for students to demonstrate written language skills in the “context” of their comic situations.

Play the News Game Grade 9 to 12 - Impact Games- 9278
This resource requires Flash In this current events activity, students (or all members of your class working together) choose current news events and assume character roles. After viewing the latest hot event in the particular news item and reading some background, students (or your class) assume one of the characters' roles. They must make decisions, consult advisers, hone predictions, and make choices to steer tomorrow's news today. They can come back later to compare their predictions to what happened with the situation in the real news. Thus current events are no longer isolated factoids but become dynamic processes. News topics vary greatly and can include violence and other ugliness happening in the world today. Preview carefully before recommending a game to students, depending on the standards of your school community. Some topics include actual violence occurring in the world. Topics cover world news, U.S. politics, technology, and even entertainment. At one time, there are up to 20 news "games" going on. Players can see what other players have decided. Some games are closed; that is, their decisions are final. Members (your class as a whole?) also gain rank and opinion rating depending on how active they are on the website and how their opinions compare to those of the mainstream. As of this review, this site is still in "beta." This site requires Flash 9 or newer. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

To use many features of the site, you must create a membership (requires email). There are many "social" features within the site that make it a potential safety issue if all students are allowed to use it on their own. See ideas for handling these concerns below.

In the Classroom:
Try this site as a regular part of your secondary discussions on current events or choose selected "games" that connect with your current curriculum topic. For example, explore stories from African nations as you study world cultures in Africa.

Classroom teachers will want to start by conducting this activity using a whole-class account (use your "extra" email account to create a single account, monitored by you). Use the game to facilitate discussion and build students' global citizenship by allowing them to make choices and see the results. Be sure to talk about the line between fantasy and reality: which parts of these games have actually happened and which are part of the "game" hypotheses. Include the link on your teacher web page for students to access both in and out of class if you believe they are ready to handle it on their own. Check your school policies on allowing students to participate in online decision making and sharing, and obtain written parent permission before individual students are allowed to log on. As an alternative for students who may not have permission, you can pose some of the same questions and provide newspaper and news magazine articles for background. But you know which tool your students will prefer!

Inspired Beginners Spanish Podcast Grade 5 to 12 - Ben Curtis and Marina Diez - 9178
Includes printable Acrobat files This language-rich website features podcasts spoken using British English. The podcasts review the previous episode, explain new English vocabulary, discuss the subject in English, and then present the Spanish language podcast. The subjects are of high interest for students. The name is somewhat of a misnomer, though, since people with no knowledge of Spanish might be a bit overwhelmed by the language used. Unfortunately, accompanying worksheets with complete transcripts are not free, and there is no text available elsewhere. There are a few other free worksheets available under the About link (see resources). Listening options include listening on your computer, iPod, or mp3 player as podcasts.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This site includes tools for blog users to interact (in English or Spanish). Any visitor can comment on the posts and podcasts or participate in Forums. There is also a link to a sister blog on Spanish culture. Check your school policies on students posting comments, etc. to the web and whether they are permitted to do so anonymously and/or with name or initials.

This site requires Quicktime. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
This site is a treasure trove for Spanish teachers. It also provides a way for your ESL and ELL students to share their language and culture as the focus of a lesson, perhaps as you study other cultures. Have the ESL or ELL students and native English speakers work on understanding podcasts together. They can discuss what they understood and what they did not. You might have your Spanish speakers write out the dialogue and vocabulary selections, but be sure to have a knowledgeable adult check the Spanish before using it with your students.

To alleviate safety concerns, you might want to create a simple class policy (e.g. initials only) and obtain parent permission before inviting your class to participate in the blog, since you will not be able to monitor their submissions. The site does moderate to prevent "bad" comments from appearing online, but you do not control this moderation. ALL blog comments require an email address (kept hidden). If safety and school policy concerns limit student access, use the site as a whole-class activity and selectively choose portions for students to use. You can assign DIRECT links to podcasts by right-clicking the "Audio: download" link and copying the URL that shows in "Properties," ex. http://media.libsyn.com/media/learnrealspanish/nisbeginners20_el_kindle.mp3. Students can RIGHT-click >Save target as to download and load podcast files to their mp3 players or simply keep to listen over and over at a computer.

Junie B. Jones Grade 1 to 5 - Random House- 9148
Includes printable Acrobat files This resource requires Flash Cool Junie B. Jones activities abound at this fun site. Just click on the activities link to access the official scrapbook, joke book, quizzes, diplomas, crafts, and much more. To learn more about Barbara Park, the creator/author of Junie B. Jones, click on her biography. Of course, you’ll want to begin your site tour by reading Junie’s letter on the first link. Download a free Junie B. Jones screensaver to show your support of this famous character. This site requires Flash and Adobe Acrobat. Get both from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Have a Junie B. Jones Day and enjoy doing the many activities suggested at the site. Recruit a parent to round up the craft materials.Along with book reports, have a Junie “Show and Tell” of creative items to celebrate this famous character. Send a Junie e-card to invite other classes, via the link on the Activities page. Share this link on your teacher web page to promote independent reading, as well.

Virtual Microscope Grade 6 to 12 - Imaging Tech Group/NASA- 9132
Open the microscopic world of science to your students with NASA’s virtual microscope. The free software (Win, OSX, Linux) comes with access to over 90 multi-dimensional, high-resolution image datasets, training animations, and videos that teach the basics of microscopy. Students can explore and annotate pre-prepared images as if they were using real instruments in real-time. This resource-rich site is one of NASA's career outreach programs and offers loads of information for students and teachers. Subscribe to the RSS feed to be alerted as new data is added every week. This website requires Java and Quick-Time. You can get both from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Consider having the entire science department request the download and installation of this exciting free software. If you are the lone science teacher, ask your principal to request installation of the software on computers of your choice. Be sure to download the datasets in advance, as file sizes are large. Use a projector or interactive whiteboard to show the microscope view for whole-class discussion. Load the software on student computers for small-group activities.

Be sure to provide this link on your teacher web page. Parents can install the software at home for homework assignments.

Kids Online.net Grade K to 6 - Mike Barnard- 9059
This resource requires Flash Check out the many educational pages at this totally free site. It is easy to navigate with the left hand column ready to click. You will find a dictionary of computer terms, lessons on the parts of a computer, web building, and more. Use the site search engine to explore the learning possibilities, including cool math, science, and social studies fun. There are many additional resources, too: “World Places,” “Arcade,” “Story Time,” and many more. There are activities about computers and technology, L.A., math, science, social studies, and others. Several welcome student contributions. Many of the activities require FLASH. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Doing a report on a foreign country? Check out the World Places to see if an entry has been submitted from a foreign student. If not, perhaps a student in your class can submit one for an unreported country. Use this site as an opportunity to discuss the question of WHO wrote the material. If it is written by a student, should we treat it as “trustworthy” as we do an encyclopedia or web site with adult authors and “credentials?” This accessible site gives you an opportunity to discuss reliability of web sources in a way your elementary students can understand, since students are invited to submit content.

Many of the activities are perfect for an interactive whiteboard or projector.

Some notes of caution: You will not want to turn your students loose at this site since there is a chat room link. (Chat room, called Kid's Club, requires sign-in and password, though.) Also, do not confuse this site with www.kids-online.COM (another online chat room portal for children and not affiliated with this educational site). You should also obtain written parent permission before allowing students to submit their work to for online publication.

Room 108 Grade K to 4 - John Rickey- 9058
Includes lesson plan This resource requires Flash It’s worth your time to explore some of the over 400 pages of educational activities for primary children linked from this site, created by a first grade teacher, John Rickey. No fees or passwords are required. Activities, games, and stories engage the young viewer with hours of learning fun. Make sure you open the activities into a new window tab, as many of them do not automatically do this for you (RIGHT-click on each link and choose “Open in new window”). This makes finding “Home” much easier. There are interactive stories and other L.A. activities, music, science, math, social studies, puzzles, art, and more. There are items “for sale,” but you need not even look there. This site has something for everyone. This site requires Flash and Java. Get them from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Check out the “Free Stuff for Teachers” section for free downloads of graphic organizers and other printables. Math teachers, don’t miss all the electronic flash cards available. Don’t miss the oodles of science experiments and social studies projects to go along with your standards. Many of these activities are perfect companions for your interactive whiteboard or projector. Activities would also well on individual computers or as learning centers for cooperative learning groups.

Be sure to include a link to this website in your class newsletter and teacher webpage for students and parents to find at-home practice help. Have students write a "game review" of portions they find and like; then post the reviews on your teacher web page, as well.

Book Hive Zinger Tales Grade K to 6 - Charlotte Mechlenburg Public Library- 9018
This resource requires Flash Storytelling comes alive at Zinger Tales. Listen to actual recordings of well-known tales by some of America's most famous storytellers. The rich language and expressions will captivate your students. Some examples of the stories include Why Dogs Chase Cats, The Three Bears and Goldilocks, The Cracked Pot , and numerous others. This website requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Find the text for the stories featured at this site (or find text for any tall tale or oral history). Have students read the text multiple times to become familiar with the story. Watch and listen to the stories as a class on an interactive whiteboard or projection screen. Or have students use individual computers and listen to the stories of their choice. Don’t forget the headphones! Learning support teachers will like this option to let folk tales spark the imagination of their weaker readers. Study storytelling techniques from this site. When students are comfortable with 'their' favorite story, record your own classroom storytelling podcast. Or burn a CD to as a gift to parents or fundraiser for a classroom project.

Flashcard DB (Database) Grade K to 12 - Jeff- 8953
This resource requires Flash Check out this easy-to-use flashcard site useful for any subject area. The Leitner System of efficiently learning facts through flashcards makes learning a breeze. This online version actually graphs the results of a study session so you can see progress. The sign-up for this free tool is ultra-quick and requires no email address. The set-up is quite user friendly. Within a few minutes of accessing this site, you have personalized flashcards to help with learning. Another cool feature: when you give your card sets the same ‘tag,’ you automatically have the ability to study those multiple sets together. After the study session, you will see the study stats for just those card sets. Flashcards couldn’t be easier!

In the Classroom:
Facts, spelling words, vocabulary, definitions, you name it -— all can easily be typed into this flashcard format for any subject. Plan to tag sets for related material so they can be grouped. For example: tag all geography terms "geography" and all words from the same science chapter using the chapter number or topic. You can use multiple tags, too! In the computer lab, using a projector or interactive whiteboard, walk your students through making their own sets of flashcards. Students or parents can then access their electronic cards at home or anywhere. No email address is needed to sign-up for this free service. Include the link to your sets on your web page for students to study before tests.

Asterpix Grade 6 to 12 - Asterpix, Inc. - 8940
TeachersFirst Edge entry: For slightly adventurous technology users. This site is useful to create an interactive video (hypervideo) through the use of hyperlinking. Just like hyperlinks in a document, create hot links to notes, websites, and other material you link to from parts of the video. The links appear as little circles (hotspot markers) that are clicked to reveal the information you "attach." Add more information to your video for students to access during the playback. Easy-to-follow directions and quick tours to get you started. When the video is done, you can generate and embed a code in your blog or website. Video can also be emailed. Quicktime and FLASH are required. Get them from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Skills needed: Site is free, but you must join to create your own videos. Videos must originate from YouTube or TeacherTube (see editorial comment below). You can always upload your own originals to one of these sites, if you wish to annotate a video you shot for use in class, such as a science demo. Paste the YouTube url into the search function, click on a part of the video you want to label, and add notes to, or link to a website. No special skills needed. A teenager or techno-comfortable teacher will figure this one out in one minute. The only challenge is determining what notes and links to use. Keep a second window open to copy and paste website addresses quickly. Watch the demos for quick learning of how to use this application.

Safety concern: some featured videos available on the site's home page, especially those under "Entertainment," may not be appropriate for school viewing. If your school does not have an actively-enforced student acceptable use policy with specific consequences for accessing inappropriate content, you may want to avoid this page or generate such an agreement for student and parent signatures before allowing students open access to Asterpix. You can always create products of your own and share them directly by URL or by embedding them in your blog.

Does your school block YouTube? Try creating a video using an original from TeacherTube instead. Or follow your school's technology policy to request unblocking of specific YouTube video URLs that are directly related to curriculum.

Editorial comment: Be sure to SHARE the completed examples (and student-made products) with administrators and school decision-makers to demonstrate why school policies should permit such powerful opportunities for teaching and learning. Perhaps you can advocate, at the least, quicker unblocking of specific videos (24 hours or less?) for classroom use or permission for teachers to unblock on a per-computer basis. Your efforts to respect policies while pro-actively advocating for appropriate change will benefit all teachers and students.

Possible uses for annotated videos: Use a video and have students add information to check their understanding, such as to label the actions they observe during a chemistry demo and add links to web pages that explain the underlying concepts. Create teacher-made videos to share individually or on a projector with students of ALL ages to illustrate and annotate concepts that are especially challenging or simply to help students visualize the connections between the words they read or hear and the real world examples. Shoot on-site video at the zoo or at a pond study site, then add annotations later. Use videos already available, but add the explanations using the terminology from your curriculum and allow student so access then for review or extra help. Secondary students will love using Asterpix themselves and will give a new dimension to presentations they create. Teachers can use the interactive video for extra tutorial work, explanations of topics, etc. The possibilities are endless!

See user comments on this resource. -
Beacon Street Girls Grade 4 to 7 - B*tween Productions, Inc.- 8912
This resource requires Flash For those teachers, school counselors, and parents looking for a safe place for "tween" girls to feel acceptance - check out this website based on the Beacon Street Girls. This website offers interactive games, details about Beacon Street Girls books, and other ways to connect with girls from around the world. You will have to steer clear of some advertising content. Some of the activities require FLASH. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Counselors working with small groups of girls may want to include this as an activity option or discussion starter in their meetings. Teachers who find that girls' interpersonal behavior is interfering with classwork, especially in middle school, may also find that this site can provide a positive activity during study halls and even provide some writing ideas for girls' journals.

CommerceWOW!Zone Grade 2 to 12 - Commerce Bank- 8853
Includes printable Acrobat files Includes lesson plan This resource requires Flash You, too, will say “Wow!” when your students explore this financial literacy site. There is a free membership offered, and it takes only a moment to register. Written to meet National Council of Teachers of Mathematics standards, CommerceWOW!Zone provides children and teens with a better understanding of the value and usage of money. This interactive tool targets two audiences: elementary-aged and teens. The under-12 group follows the adventures of Penny Arcade and her friends as they learn about money through videos and exciting, interactive games. Teens can play a virtual stock market game where they receive $50,000 in fantasy money every month to "invest" in the real stock market. Teens compete with other players in this educational, fun experience.

In the Classroom:
This Commerce Bank site provides oodles of lesson plans to make your financial units come alive. Many of the activities would work well initially on a projector or whiteboard with follow-up activities on partner or individual computers. This site is a MUST when you reach the "Time and Money" portion of your math curriculum or talk about money in your elementary social studies class. Be sure to include the link on your teacher web page for parents to participate, as well. The site even provides guest speakers for classrooms and assembly visits to teach financial issues (Florida, Washington, DC, and Northeast areas only). Your class may want to become Junior Bankers and earn a badge, so check out the Junior Banker game section. High school business and economics teachers will love this one, too!

Browser Books Grade K to 1 - Kathy Cassidy- 8807
This resource requires Flash Have you ever needed a second reading teacher in your primary classroom? You will come close when you visit this site. Browser Books’ name says it all. Your students will choose from a list of books to read. Click on the arrow at the bottom right on each page, and the page turns to the next. You won’t need to answer, “What’s this word?” when your students read these online books. Click on each word and hear it read aloud. Students will love the kid-friendly faces in each book. Books are leveled from pre-Kindergarten to first grade. The Moosejaw, Canada web creator of this site deserves the awards she has garnered.

In the Classroom:
Your students will find the easy navigation at this site a bonus. Give them a laptop to read these books in their cozy reading spot (with headphones), or choral read with the entire classroom or group using an interactive whiteboard. Individualized reading opportunities abound using these books. For computer savvy parents, assign this as extra homework reading. They will not complain about this homework assignment.

I was wondering Grade 5 to 10 - National Science Academies- 8728
This resource requires Flash This site encourages young women (especially middle school age) to become scientists by celebrating the lives and contributions of 10 female scientists, sharing hands-on, "sharable" science activities and including games that make science fun. Book suggestions and amazing links associated with the women scientists' fields complete the offerings of this site designed to dispel the myth that girls can't do science.

In the Classroom:
The topics range from robots to subatomic particles, from biology to astronomy to social science. Use this site as a jumping off point to for scientist biographies and study of science careers in a variety of areas. Many of the links make excellent curriculum resources, as well. Be sure to make this site available from your teacher web page and encourage students to try some of the hands-on activities at home. Most are designed to be "social events" where students can invite friends to join in. Mention this to parents, as well, so they can encourage their young scientists with science parties!

Way Back: Family Ties Grade 4 to 8 - WGBH for PBS- 8701
This resource requires Flash Doing a unit on Family Ties or family history? Download the Family Tree Maker (or use the online vesion) so you can record your family’s roots. Or, read about the Still family who has one of the longest running family reunions in America. Take the interactive quiz about “Keeping in Touch,” communication avenues through our history.

In the Classroom:
Make sure your students use the downloadable family tree maker, since the online version erases data when you click off the site. Check out the Teachers and Parents section for more family ties activities. This site could also be an effective adjunct to literature study of books about family. You might even want to create family trees of characters from books students are reading or famous families from history in a biography unit.

Weather Report Grade 1 to 2 - BBC- 8494
Resource aligns to standards This resource requires Flash This interactive web activity challenges students to match weather symbols to various locations in Great Britain based on the weather forecast. Although this website was created by the BBC and uses cities within Great Britain, it could be useful in any classroom that is studying the weather or making a weather chart for morning meeting time. The entire activity requires Flash, get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.. Be sure to visit the Teachers/Parents link to view general standards for this interactive game.

In the Classroom:
Utilize an interactive whiteboard and take your class to Great Britain to learn about the weather. Then create a weather calendar on the desktop of your classroom computer and have a different student each day drag the symbol for that day's weather into the box for that date!

Fingerplays for Young Children Grade K to 3 - Songs for Teaching- 8465
This subsection of the Songs for Teaching site has excellent chants and other childhood favorite songs which get children moving, speaking, and rhyming. Words to the fingerplays and songs are copyable, and many contain Quicktime sound excerpt files as well (enough to get you going with the song, though not the complete song). A few even have pictures of someone going through the motions of the song or rhyme. A link to Songs for Early Childhood allows users to see even more action songs. There are even songs to go with class content, such as Martin Luther King, Jr. Your kinesthetic learners will retain the concepts in these songs. ESL and speech/language students will respond to the music; it aids with articulation, accent development, and memory. This site requires Quicktime. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Share this link on your teacher web page and/or in a parent newsletter so that parents can use it at home too! Don't forget to turn up your speakers if you are using the music in class. If your class responds very well to using songs, you might try writing lyrics together about something you are studying -- using one of these familiar tunes.

Braingle: Brain Teasers, Puzzles, Riddles and More Grade 3 to 12 - Braingle- 8429
This resource requires Flash Exercise your gray matter by solving one of the 12,000 'braingles' at this site. It purports to be the largest collection of puzzles, riddles, mind games, etc, on the Internet. Once you explore the site, you trust their word. The site is mobile phone and wii-friendly. Don't miss the section with SAT vocab (in Mentalrobics). There are articles on study skills and strategies such as clearing your mind before studying, "chunking" when reading, or various strategies to memorize material. Engage students into math and reading exercises through the endless riddles and puzzles at this site. They won't even be aware they are 'reading' or 'solving math.'

In the Classroom:
Start class with a "warm-up" brain teaser. Or include this link on your teacher web page (with a caution about parental supervision for younger ones). Site creators claim the entire site is family-friendly, safe for classroom use. Portions of the site require membership, and the membership level that displays ads is free. You may want to set up a CLASS account and use it under controlled circumstances since there are forums and chat rooms, however. Or ask your tech folks to block the portion of the site that includes "community" in the URL (http://www.braingle.com/community/) to avoid having to deal with forums, chat rooms, etc.(If you are lucky enough to have such helpful tech support, make them cookies once in awhile!)

My Wonderful World Grade 3 to 12 - National Geographic Education Foundation- 8384
This resource requires Flash This website is all about our Wonderful World - Geography! There is something here for everyone (students, teachers, and parents). The website provides information, quizzes, interactive games, and more than can be mentioned. The interactive maps will make the study of world cultures far more engaging and "real" as your students navigate on their own. The site draws together resources that National Geographic had separately and add links to other good interactive sources. You truly have to explore this website to understand all of the material available. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Start out by checking the teachers' link. Get your interactive whiteboards ready for the games and activities, and be sure to share the link on your teacher web page for serious global involvement.

VoiceThread Grade K to 12 - VoiceThread- 8315
This resource requires Flash TeachersFirst Edge entry: for moderately adventurous technology users. Voicethread allows you to upload images (from your digital camera, scanner, or even paint program), then allow students to record their own comments and/or narration about the images. TeachersFirst is providing the link to the VoiceThread home page but suggests that you first read this forum post about FREE Pro level memberships being offered for classroom teachers now that Voicethread is out of beta. You can click to go to the home page from there. VoiceThread explains how to set up a classroom account and has some ideas for classroom use, as well. Some uses we suggest: elementary classes can create or take pictures, then ask each child to talk about the images. After a field trip, you can assign groups of students to explain the digital pictures you take and how they relate to curriculum topics. In art class, students can critique works of their own or of fellow students. In language arts classes, students can scan and comment on writing pieces as part of a reflective phase of the writing process. Or post an image as a prewriting activity and allow students to respond orally in an idea-generating phase. In social studies, have students provide a picture of a grandparent then narrate what they learned about that grandparent from interviewing him/her. This would work well for local history projects (pictures of local sites) or war veteran stories, as well. Speech/language, ESL/ELL or early childhood teachers will use this tool to promote vocabulary development and oral expression.

Of course, you should be sure that you have the RIGHTS to the images you upload. Fair Use does not apply when you put an image on the web! This site requires FLASH.

In the Classroom:
Skills needed: join the site (free) and set up student identities. TeachersFirst does not recommend using actual pictures of the children. Let them draw a picture or take a digital picture of an object that somehow represents them (middle schoolers will love that idea!). Use first names only. You need to know how to locate and upload saved pictures. You WILL need a microphone, either plugged into your computer or built in. They can be purchased for less than $10 at a discount or electronics store. TeachersFirst recommends that you explain the VoiceThread projects via a note sent home and get parent permission to post student work to the web, even anonymously. Then invite parents to share in the results (The VoiceThread classroom page tells you more about this).

Woodlands Homework Help for Primary Kids Grade K to 5 - Woodlands Junior School- 8289
This resource requires Flash Wow - this resource is amazing! This website provides numerous activities and/or games for extra practice in literacy, math, science, history, geography, art, and religion. Some examples of the specific activities include, "Saving the Environment", "Fraction Monkeys", and "Ancient Egypt". The site provides a huge amount of topics and a wide range of activities. Many of the activities are interactive and require FLASH. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.. Note: The site is British, so beware of spelling differences!

In the Classroom:
This website would be an excellent resource to use with an interactive whiteboard. You may also want to provide this link on your teacher web page for parents to use at home. Nearly all subject areas (and topics) are included. Do yourself a favor - and utilize this excellent resource! Learning support teachers will love the opportunities for their students to get extra practice.

Foreign Languages Grade 1 to 6 - South Carolina ETV and ITV- 8238
Includes lesson plan This Website is designed to meet the needs of schools that would like to offer foreign languages but have no language. It serves as an introductory-level course in French, German, or Spanish. Each 10-15 minute lesson presents many words, with emphasis on the spoken word rather than the written word. Teachers of gifted may have students who want to learn a language as independent study using this site. This site requires Adobe Acrobat Reader and Windows Media Player. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Share the videos as a whole-class lesson on a projector. You will need speakers for the audio