Category: For Teachers

Investigating the First Thanksgiving

Kelly Tenkely1 Comment on Investigating the First Thanksgiving2579 views

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What it is: Investigating the First Thanksgiving is a fun interactive where kids are the historians.  Students explore all the clues to learn about the first thanksgiving (really a harvest festival).  This site provides great primary source material for kids to sort through.  First they explore a section called Fact vs. Myth where they match pictures and descriptions.  Each section includes an expert video that talks students through the section and explains a little about the first Thanksgiving.  In the next section, students explore the Wampanoag people and learn about their different celebrations and traditions throughout the year.  Then, students visit an English Colonist village and learn more about life for the pilgrims.  Students can then learn about the events that happened prior to 1621 and what led up to the harvest celebration.  The timeline in this section clearly shows what events were happening from the colonists point of view and what events were happening from the Wampanoag point of view. Finally, students can share what they have learned on a virtual informational poster where they can type the text of the poster.  Students can print their completed poster at the end.


How to integrate Investigating the First Thanksgiving into the classroom: Investigating the first Thanksgiving is an outstanding activity that involves students and makes them the historian.  Use this site to teach students the history of Thanksgiving but also how history changes.  This site does a great job of teaching students the difference between “the past” and “history”.  It makes the distinction that the past is always true but history (the way we interpret the past) can change based on additional information and resources.  You can go through the Investigating the First Thanksgiving interactive as a class on the interactive whiteboard, inviting student “historians” to come up and help guide the class through the activities.  Or as a center or individually on classroom or lab computers.  Finish the posters together as a class, filling in information, or each students can complete the final project.  If you do complete as a class, give a copy of the final to each student.


Tips: There is a great teacher guide that accompanies this site and offers great ideas for using the interactive in the classroom.

Leave a comment and share how you are using Investigating the First Thanksgiving  in your classroom.

The Differentiator

Kelly Tenkely4 Comments on The Differentiator2374 views

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What it is: This is a neat tool for teachers.  The Differentiator is based on “A Taxonomy of Learning, Teaching, and Assessing: A Revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives”.  The Differentiator helps to guide you as you create learning activities and lessons for the various learning needs in your classroom.  First choose a thinking skill from one of six categories (remember, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, or creating).  Next, pick a way to to differentiate the content.  Then, you will choose a resource that students will use.  Select a product for students to create it can be visual, constructed, oral, multimedia, or written.  Finally choose the group size.  As you choose items for each category a learning objective sentence will be created.


How to integrate The Differentiator into the classroom: The Differentiator is a great tool to focus your learning goals.  It helps you to quickly and succinctly create objectives for the different learning styles in your classroom.  Not only does this help to focus your lessons, it can also help students to direct their learning.  Students who understand what learning goals they are working toward, and how they will get there, will be more successful.


Tips: There is a great little informational tutorial video that you can access by clicking on the “Need Help?” button in the top right corner of the site.


Leave a comment and share how you are using The Differentiator in your classroom.

One Minute Countdown

Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment on One Minute Countdown1463 views

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What it is: Another great tool from Triptico, One Minute Countdown is a simple web tool that acts as a countdown timer for the classroom.  The countdown is perfect for using at a center on classroom computers or on an interactive whiteboard/projector.


How to integrate One Minute Countdown into the classroom: I find it difficult to give students adequate thinking time after asking a question.  Usually as teachers, we call on the first hand that shoots up.  This can be a hindrance for students who require a little longer to process and think about the question asked.  Use the One Minute Countdown to pace yourself and give students built in time to think.  The One Minute Countdown Timer can also be used for classroom games, or as motivation to move quickly during transitions (see if your students can beat the clock).


Tips: You can choose whether or not you want a sound to play when the countdown has finished.


Leave a comment and share how you are using One Minute Countdown in your classroom.

Block Poster

Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment on Block Poster22239 views

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What it is: Block Poster is a neat site that I learned about on Twitter. Block Poster lets you choose any image, choose how many sheets of paper wide you would like your poster to be, and then creates a pdf file of your new image that is blown up.  The result is a massive pixel poster to hang on a bulletin board or the walls of your classroom.


How to integrate Block Poster into the classroom: It can be difficult to find good technology posters that relate to my classroom.  I was thrilled when I learned about Block Poster.  Any image can be turned into a poster that can be printed on any printer!  So cool!  Create posters with unique messages for your classroom, posters that include the names of your students, or motivational posters.  I am currently creating a Wordle message for my classroom that will be made into a poster using Block Poster…I’m pretty excited about it!


Tips: The smaller the image is to begin with, the more pixellated the full size poster will be.  This can be a neat look!


Leave a comment and share how you are using Block Poster in your classroom.

ZuiTube

Kelly Tenkely1 Comment on ZuiTube10658 views

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What it is: KidZui is a site I have written about in the past.  The KidZui network has added some sites to the network that I just learned about.  ZuiTube is a kid friendly You Tube portal.  It is the largest collection of kid friendly videos online.  New videos are added to ZuiTube daily.  All videos are approved by parents and teachers before being posted on ZuiTube.  Students can watch educational videos, funny videos, movies and movie clips, silly songs, and music.  There is also a special section on ZuiTube just for videos related to Thanksgiving.  The Thanksgiving collection includes everything from the Turkey Dance to videos about Native Americans and Pilgrims.

How to integrate ZuiTube into the classroom: ZuiTube videos can be used as an introduction to new teaching (on nearly any subject), to add some humor to the classroom, or to reinforce teaching.  Videos are a wonderful way for students to make connections to new learning.  I have found a video that correlates with nearly every part of our curriculum.  I even found a great Berenstein Bears video for character education…gotta love that!  With all the snow we get in Colorado, there are bound to be some indoor recess days for the kids.  ZuiTube is a safe place to find kid friendly videos that students will enjoy while they are staying dry and warm inside.

Tips: I often have parents asking me what they can do at home to keep their kids safe online.  KidZui is an excellent recommendation, the parent reports are a great way to keep parents involved in their children’s online activities.

Leave a comment and share how you are using ZuiTube in your classroom.

BBC Primary History World War 2

Kelly Tenkely1 Comment on BBC Primary History World War 27130 views

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What it is: The BBC has so many incredible technology resources and websites for students.  Today I learned about the BBC Primary History World War 2 website.  I am really impressed with the wealth of information on this site, but also the age group it is targeted at: primary students.  So much of the time, history websites (especially on WWII) are geared toward older students.  This site is very kid friendly in its verbiage, images, and content.  This is a great site to explore with your class to learn more about World War II.  Students will learn about the world at war, evacuations, wartime homes, food and shopping, the war time efforts, children at war, air raids, daily life, growing up during wartime, and the end of the war. Each section has easy-to-understand information and pictures.  Students can also be a historical detective with a World War II time capsule game.  The teacher section has an amazing collection of related worksheets, activities, and links that can be used with the site.

How to integrate BBC Primary History World War 2 into the classroom: I am so impressed with the content presented on this site.  It is easy enough for young students to gain an understanding of World War II. This would be an excellent website to share and explore with your whole class with a projector or interactive whiteboard.  Read the facts and discuss the stories together while browsing through the primary resource photographs. Encourage students to imagine what it would have been like to be a student during the war.  After you have viewed the site as a class, students can explore more on their own in a computer lab setting or on classroom computers.  Allow the students to play the time capsule game to reinforce the skills they are learning.

Tips: This site could take several class periods or days to explore.  The additional activities are wonderful, students can do everything from exploring a war time shelter to learning about rationing by shopping for a meal in 1943.  I so wish that I had learned history this way!!

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using BBC Primary History World War 2  in your classroom.

Create Your Own Storybook with Learn Direct

Kelly Tenkely3 Comments on Create Your Own Storybook with Learn Direct15910 views

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What it is: Kids can be the star in these online storybooks with Learn Direct. Students can type in their name and be a character in the book.  On each page their are options for customizing the story.  Students can adjust pictures and certain sentences in throughout the story.   After students have customized the book it can be read online, saved as a pdf or printed out.  These fun interactive stories will make reading time fun for your beginning readers (kindergarten through 2nd grade).  Learn Direct also features a fun little virtual world where students can play word and reading games.  Students have to solve word puzzles to navigate through the world.

How to integrate Create Your Own Storybook with Learn Direct into the classroom: These online stories are a lot of fun.  The ability to customize them will make them a winner in the classroom.  Use the Storybook with an interactive whiteboard and have students take turns customizing the story.  Set up the Storybook on classroom computers as a center activity during literacy or reading time.  Students can save or print out the books to share with others or take home.  The word games in the virtual world would be fun to play and solve as a whole class with the interactive whiteboard or play in pairs on classroom computers as a center.

Tips: There are some great tips and resources for parents about reading with their kids on the Learn Direct site.  Check out the Scared of Words? page and then pass it on to your parents.

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Create Your Own Storybook with Learn Direct  in your classroom.

Free Clip Art by Phillip Martin

Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment on Free Clip Art by Phillip Martin2211 views

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What it is: You really can’t beat free clip art and this collection of clip art beats all I have seen for the classroom.  Phillip Martin has created a great educational collection of free clip art for classroom use.  Great features: it is easy to use (when you click on a subject or topic you are taken straight to the clip art selection, this is not true of most free clip art sites), there are no advertisements flashing and taking you to other clip art sites, all of the clip art is perfect for educational use, and the clip art is really great quality.  This is seriously one to bookmark right now!

How to integrate Free Clip Art by Phillip Martin into the classroom: This clip art is ideal for educational use, there are so many great images that would liven up any worksheet, blog, class website, newsletter, slide show, flipchart, notebook, or classroom wall. The clip art would make creating a bulletin board a snap.

Tips: If you Phillip Martin (who created the clip art) has the following on his website: I would like to relocate to New York City. So, I’m asking for some networking here. You’ve seen the art. Do you know a private school that needs an art teacher ? Or, I could turn to publishing with Children’s books, magazines, literature or for museums, UNECSO or the UN. Or I could paint murals in hospitals or private nurseries. I’m open to suggestions. Are you connected?

If you can help him out please do!

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Free Clip Art by Phillip Martin  in your classroom.

Simple Timer

Kelly Tenkely1 Comment on Simple Timer2180 views

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What it is: Simple Timer is just what you would expect based on the name, a simple timer (imagine that).  The timer can be projected or used with an interactive whiteboard during classroom activities or work time.  There is a timer and a count down feature.  To time an even just click the ‘start’ button, you can pause and restart the timer at any time.  To set a countdown timer, just set the time you would like the timer to countdown from and click the start button.

How to integrate Simple Timer into the classroom: Simple Timer can be used in a variety of ways.  I like using timers with my students as a motivator.  For example, “Let’s see how quickly and quietly we can put everything away and line up.” Each time you line up you can try to beat the previous time.  I add 10 seconds if someone is talking.  This is also a great way to make tasks manageable for students who struggle with focus. If they can see a visual of how much time is left with one activity it is much easier for them to continue through to the next activity.

Tips: If you have a student who has trouble staying on task, put them next to a classroom computer with their own timer or countdown clock.  This way you can set it for shorter intervals for that student.  Each time they have made it to the count down they can stand up and stretch before beginning the next activity.

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Simple Timer in your classroom.