8th Grade

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Truman Library: Idealogical Foundations of the Cold War

— The Truman Library

8-11 0 favorites 0 promising practices https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/library/online-collections/ideological-foundations-of-cold-war Last updated: Fri, 08/27/2021 - 11:50 share

How It Works

The Presidential Library of Harry S. Truman offers an extensive archive of resources to help us understand the idealogical foundations of the Cold War era. The Cold War shaped much of the history of the second half of the twentieth century, particularly in the Western world. Included are a chronology of the era, photographs, oral histories (text based), profiles of important figures, primary documents, and lesson plans. The lesson plans were developed by a group of teachers who attended a summer institute at the Truman Library and can be downloaded as either Word documents or PowerPoint presentations. The documents can be viewed online or downloaded in a printable format.

In the Classroom

While much of what you find here will be useful for your own lesson planning, the photograph archive will be useful for images related to the Cold War era. Some of the documents could be printed and used for small group discussions or analysis. Consider referring students who are doing research for a National History Day project to this resource. Challenge students to research the information shared at this site and create blogs as Cold War personalities. If you are beginning the process of integrating technology, have students create blogs sharing their learning and understanding using Tumblr, <a href="/single.cfm?id=12747">reviewed here</a>.

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Tag(s): primary sources, europe, russia, cold war,

A-Z Animals

— Millie Bond

1-8 0 favorites 0 promising practices http://www.a-z-animals.com/ Last updated: Fri, 08/27/2021 - 11:50 share

How It Works

A-Z Animals is an online animal encyclopedia and much more! Browse through the large list of animals in several different ways. Sort by alphabetical listing, Scientific names, group, location, endangered animals, pictures, or favorites. Each selection contains beautiful images and extensive information including basic facts, habitat, and behavior. Click the "listen" icon near the top of the page to listen to all text on each page (read by a synthesized voice). Print each page in PDF format using the Print link also located on a tab near the top of the page. In addition to the animal encyclopedia, explore the large selection of reference articles including many topics such as habitat, life cycle, and evolution. Other great features of this site include online quizzes and games. This site is one you will want to explorer and save! The site was created in the UK, so some of the pronunciations and spellings may differ from those in American English.

In the Classroom

Be sure to include this site on your class web page for students to access both in and outside of class for further exploration during and after your animal or biodiversity unit. Explore information about the Animal of the Day. Create a link on classroom computers for students to explore on their own. Print animal pages for use in classroom reading centers or for Guided Reading instruction. This site is perfect for use with Special Education and ESL/ELL students in upper elementary and above-- if their listening vocabulary is strong enough. Provide headphones and allow them to listen to information from any page. Have cooperative learning groups use information from this site to create online books using a tool such as Bookemon, <a href="/single.cfm?id=10404">reviewed here</a>. Have students create online posters individually or together as a class using a tool such as Web Poster Wizard, <a href="/single.cfm?id=7332">reviewed here</a>, or PicLits, <a href="/single.cfm?id=9822">reviewed here</a>.

Technology Heads-up!
  • Find interactive ABC's, colors, etc.
  • Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a.
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Tag(s): habitats, animals, animal homes, biodiversity, evolution,

Bees: A Honey of an Idea

— Canada Agriculture and Food Museum

2-8 0 favorites 0 promising practices http://www.bees.techno-science.ca/english/bees/default.php Last updated: Fri, 08/27/2021 - 11:50 share

How It Works

Learn about the fascinating world of bees with this beautiful and comprehensive site. Begin your exploration as you choose from different categories such as What is a Bee?, Pollination, Life in a Hive, or The Beekeper. The entire site is also available in French. Explore each topic as you view images and descriptions of the life of bees. Find the Glossary link near the top of each page to view a selection of vocabulary words and definitions. Be sure to view the Activities page including recipes, crafts, printable activities, and an image gallery.

In the Classroom

Be sure to share this site during any unit on insects or careers. As news stories tell us about the rapid demise of honeybees and the resulting danger to our food supply, step back to see what bees are all about. Allow older students to explore on their own. Younger students will benefit from viewing and reading together on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Have students create an annotated image including text boxes and related links using a tool such as Thinglink, <a href="/single.cfm?id=13216">reviewed here</a>. Have students use Fakebook (<a href="/single.cfm?id=14197">reviewed here</a>) to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about a week in the life of a beekeeper. Use the glossary as a resource for differentiated spelling lists each week. French teachers may want to use this site as a reading experience!

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Tag(s): insects,

Noodle

— Noodle

8-11 0 favorites 0 promising practices http://www.noodle.com/colleges Last updated: Fri, 08/27/2021 - 11:50 share

How It Works

Combine an intangible product like a college education, an overload of data, and anxiety about choice, and you have the perfect niche for a website which claims to simplify it all for you. Noodle is one of the newest websites of this kind. But Noodle’s difference is that it is a hybrid: part search engine and part college curating platform. Rather than creating its own content about each of the more than 3000 post secondary institutions in the US, Noodle pulls its content from a collection of existing sources: the colleges’ own websites, general education sites, and other college search sites. It’s no coincidence that Noodle’s CEO is also the founder of The Princeton Review. The beauty of Noodle’s platform is that it collects information from the student who has set up a personal profile, and then tailors the search based on the student profile. Profiles can be established using Facebook login information, which is often problematic for in-school use. It can also be established using an email address. Once the student has entered his or her personal information, (including test scores, GPA, and family income information), Noodle suggests the student’s chances of admission to a given college and has tailored information about college costs taking into consideration the likelihood of receiving available financial aid.

In the Classroom

Noodle certainly deserves to be among the college search sites bookmarked on any high school college counseling center’s resource list. Other educators who focus on college and career readiness will also find Noodle a good resource to recommend. Noodle works best when combined with an individual student profile, so students will need to establish their own accounts and then come back to that account for ongoing research. Noodle promises that it will not sell student information from those individual profiles. However, Noodle can also provide a quick overview of any college simply by searching on the college name or from preset categories without establishing an individual account.

Technology Heads-up!
  • Find interactive ABC's, colors, etc.
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Tag(s): college,

Love My Science

— lovemyscience.com

2-8 0 favorites 0 promising practices http://www.lovemyscience.com/ Last updated: Fri, 08/27/2021 - 11:50 share

How It Works

Find safe and exciting science experiments using everyday items at Love My Science. Choose from many experiments (sorted by category) for complete directions. Choose the Fun section of the site for games. Note that some games require email registration. Explore Science Facts to find useful information to help with understanding Science. One of the best parts of the Love My Science site is the extensive Science Glossary included with definitions from <i>absorbent</i> through <i>zero error.</i> Another wonderful section is the Gallery that includes a growing display of science-related images.

In the Classroom

If you want to remove distracting advertisements, use a tool such as Readability Test Tool, <a href="/single.cfm?id=13219">reviewed here</a>. Bookmark Love My Science for use throughout the year as a resource for quick and easy science experiments. Challenge cooperative learning groups to create videos using Typito, <a href="/single.cfm?id=18298">reviewed here</a>, demonstrating experiments and share them on a site such as TeacherTube <a href="/single.cfm?id=9419">reviewed here</a>. Share ideas found on this site with parents to try at home with their student.

Technology Heads-up!
  • Find interactive ABC's, colors, etc.
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Tag(s): science fairs, forensics, colors, light, plants, experiments, dictionaries, images, magnetism, density, electricity, rocks, soil, water,

Honest Slogans - What People Really Think

— Cliff Dickens

8-11 0 favorites 0 promising practices http://www.honestslogans.com/ Last updated: Fri, 08/27/2021 - 11:50 share

How It Works

Honest Slogans takes company slogans, adds a little twist, and creates new advertising images. These new slogans poke fun using a company’s own logo and brands. Scroll through the many pages to view images similar to the company’s advertising but with a slightly different punch line that tells what people really think about the product. For example, see the Hallmark Cards logo stating "When you care enough to give a card mass-produced by a corporation." Each slogan includes a link for viewing notes shared by others. <i>Please take caution in sharing these with students as they are unmoderated. Not all topics are appropriate for students (for example, alcohol)</i>.

In the Classroom

Use Honest Slogans as part of a truth in advertising lesson. Share examples with students and have them create their own Honest Slogans for different brands. Use this site as the inspiration for creating new book covers for classic literature or as an introduction to a social studies chapter or math unit. Create "honest" ads in a new language in your world language class. The ideas are endless! Use an online poster creator, such as Padlet, <a href="/single.cfm?id=10007">reviewed here</a>, to create and display finished products.

Technology Heads-up!
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Tag(s): media literacy, advertising,

1-100 Factored Poster

— Richard Evan Schwartz

3-8 0 favorites 0 promising practices http://www.math.brown.edu/~res/PosterPrimes/post5.png Last updated: Fri, 08/27/2021 - 11:50 share

How It Works

This bright and colorful poster illustrates the concept of factoring numbers through the use of cartoon characters. Each block representing a prime number has some feature relating to the prime such as number of sides on the head. Others have blocks representing composite numbers. Some of the lower numbers are represented with eyeballs. Each number is different and leads to more exploration. Unfortunately, the author did not provide easy ways to navigate among the various pages associated with this poster, so we share them here. Be sure to visit <a href="http://www.math.brown.edu/~res/PosterPrimes/exp.html">here</a&gt; for a complete explanation of the poster. View smaller portions of this poster by visiting <a href="http://www.math.brown.edu/~res/PosterPrimes/post1.png">this link for #1-30</a>, or <a href="http://www.math.brown.edu/~res/PosterPrimes/post2.png">this link for #31-60</a> or <a href="http://www.math.brown.edu/~res/PosterPrimes/post3.png">this link for #61-90</a>.

In the Classroom

Share this online poster on your projector or interactive whiteboard during discussions of factoring numbers or composite and prime numbers. Use this poster for a fun math center! Have students find each factor or prime number representation in the cartoon characters. Challenge students to create and draw their own factoring poster then use the posters for a colorful classroom display. This is a great way to "draw in" your visual-spatial kids in math class.

Technology Heads-up!
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Tag(s): number sense, prime numbers, factors,

CurriConnects Booklist: Weather, Climate, and Earth’s Atmosphere

— TeachersFirst

-8 0 favorites 0 promising practices http://www.teachersfirst.com/content/booklist-titles.cfm?id=25 Last updated: Fri, 08/27/2021 - 11:50 share

How It Works

Brace yourself for the weather in these books about storm phenomena, weather disasters, climate change, and weather’s causes and effects. These non-fiction selections offer possible informational texts to practice Common Core science literacy skills and experience with "close reading." The interest levels for this list are predominantly elementary and middle school but include selections for more able readers. CurriConnects thematic book lists include ISBN numbers for ordering or searching, interest grade levels, ESL levels and Lexiles’’’’’’’’’’’’’® to match student independent reading levels to challenge, not frustrate. For more on text complexity and Lexiles’’’’’’’’’’’®, see <a href="/single.cfm?id=9704">this information</a> from the Lexile Framework. Don’t miss other <a href="/content/curriconnects.cfm">CurriConnects themes</a> being added regularly. If your library does not have the books, try interlibrary loan!

In the Classroom

Encourage students to select from this list for independent reading to support your unit on disasters, weather, or the Earth’s atmosphere. Share it with your school library/media specialist or public library, as well, for them to "pull" books in support of your science units. Extend the experience by having students create visual presentations of the concepts they learn. If you’re a novice to using technology in your classroom, or you have young students, you may want to use a tool such as Fotor, <a href="/single.cfm?id=14369">reviewed here</a>. For more experienced technology users try an online simple web page using WebNode, <a href="/single.cfm?id=15467">reviewed here</a>, or a brochure, newsletter or poster using Sway, <a href="/single.cfm?id=16373">reviewed here</a>. You could also look for a different tool for creation and sharing from this TeachersFirst Edge list of <a href="/content/edge.cfm?c=18">reviewed presentation tools </a>.

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Tag(s): earth, climate, weather, book lists, atmosphere, independent reading,

ParrMr

— Mr. Parr

3-8 0 favorites 0 promising practices https://www.youtube.com/user/ParrMr?feature=watch Last updated: Fri, 08/27/2021 - 11:50 share

How It Works

Explore this rich collection of clever YouTube videos of songs with on-screen lyrics to learn important science concepts! Be sure to check out some pretty clever songs including The Rock Cycle, Chemical Compounds in Cells, and the DNA song. The lyrics to the song are shown below the video on each YouTube page to easily copy and paste for students to follow along. Even if your students roll their eyes at the videos/songs, the concepts (and tunes) will definitely stick in their minds! If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.

In the Classroom

Play songs on an Interactive Whiteboard or Projector for the entire class. Embed videos on your teacher page for review by students. Use these songs as an introduction to units. After viewing a video, brainstorm to identify words students know or are not familiar with. Copy the lyrics into a document and, as you discuss the material in class, encourage students to annotate the lyrics with notes about the content. Be sure to play the video often throughout the unit to reconnect with material. Challenge your more musical students to team up with a class poet to write your own songs-- for extra credit and extra fun! They could use Soundtrap, <a href="/single.cfm?id=16359">reviewed here</a>, for this musical endeavor.

Technology Heads-up!
  • Find interactive ABC's, colors, etc.
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  • Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a.
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Tag(s): atoms, water cycle, rock cycle, molecules, dna, cells, human body, climate, weather, moon, energy, motion, animals, matter,

Open Yale Courses

— Yale University

8-11 0 favorites 0 promising practices http://oyc.yale.edu/ Last updated: Fri, 08/27/2021 - 11:50 share

How It Works

Open Yale Courses offers free (non-credit) introductory courses taught by teachers and scholars at Yale University. Open access allows participants to view videos, download transcripts, and receive all related course materials at any time. Choose from courses in topics ranging from English, History, African-American Studies, Languages, and many more. They offer countless topics: Art History, Psychology, various languages and literatures (Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian), Chemistry, American History, and many more.

In the Classroom

This is an excellent resource for gifted students as well as students interested in viewing high quality college level course material. Browse through topics of interest for your AP or IB classroom and use selected videos for viewing on your interactive whiteboard (or projector). Share a link on your class webpage for students to view at home. Teachers of gifted may want to suggest that students form small cohorts to explore one of the course of particular interest to them. Music and art history teachers will find rich materials to include in their high school courses, as well.

Technology Heads-up!
  • Find interactive ABC's, colors, etc.
  • Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a.
  • Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a.
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Tag(s): psychology, sociology, african american, space, engineering, greeks, greece, evolution, ecology, financial literacy, business, poetry, novels, atmosphere, ecosystems, civil war, american revolution, france, romans, religions, art history,
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