8th Grade

8

Mr. Bird’s Calc Page

— Sean Bird

8-11 0 favorites 0 promising practices https://sites.google.com/site/birdclasses/ap-calc-bc Last updated: Fri, 08/27/2021 - 11:49 share

How It Works

This site provides many handy resources and tidbits to help with Calculus 1. Although the site is deceptively simplistic in its look, there is a great deal of information hidden within the links. Advice includes reminders for taking the AP Calculus exam such as 10 Reminders About the Calculator and Top 10 Student Errors. Other interesting downloads are the Word Documents with Calculus Songs. These documents have the words to 33 songs related to Calculus, such as Separation of Variables to the tune of Itsy, Bitsy, Spider. There is even a calculus video! Other links are to Stuff You Must Know Cold (including quizzes), PowerPoints for Calculus Review, and Smart Notebook Files (including a link to the viewer).

In the Classroom

Use the Calculus Songs as warm-ups for class time and have students create their own songs. Share the video on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Challenge students to create their own top 10 lists to share with the class. Use the AP review quizzes to help students study for the exam. Print the Calculus study cards for students to use for review. Challenge students to create calculus flashcards using a tool such as Flashcard Stash, <a href="/single.cfm?id=12465"> reviewed here</a>. Teachers looking for new ideas to spice up their calc class will find terrific possibilities on this teacher-created site.

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  • 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): calculators, test prep, songs,

Math Continuum

— Learn Alberta

2-8 0 favorites 0 promising practices http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/mec/html/index.html Last updated: Fri, 08/27/2021 - 11:49 share

How It Works

This site contains many visual explanations of Math topics including interactive practice activities. Each explanation begins with a definition of the topic (such as adding or subtracting fractions), then moves on to practicing the skill with the interactive pieces. Practice activities at the end of each topic are very visually appealing and will appeal to most students. One of the most useful portions of the site is the glossary which contains definitions of many Math terms along with examples of the terms in use.

In the Classroom

This site would be useful for students to practice skills already learned; however, the explanations are not in-depth enough for beginning to learn concepts. Create a link on classroom computers or in the computer lab to use as practice. Use the glossary as a resource on your interactive whiteboard or projector when definitions are needed for math terms. Provide a link on your class website or blog to the glossary for students to access at home. Display the site on your interactive whiteboard, choose a subject such as adding/subtracting fractions, then click the link titled "topic" and choose the final item in the sequence - in this instance it is an activity called The Small Flood. These activities are perfect for whole-class practice in each subject.

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Tag(s): fractions, integers, charts and graphs, puzzles, statistics, graphing,

Deviant Art Muro

— Scott Jarkoff, Matthew Stephens, and Angelo Shift

8-11 0 favorites 0 promising practices http://muro.deviantart.com/ Last updated: Fri, 08/27/2021 - 11:49 share

How It Works

Create graphic murals on the computer. DeviantART muro’s drawing tool runs in a web browser. It will introduce students to a slightly more complex art making process. DeviantART muro has six free drawing tools, color wheels, erasers, fill bucket, eyedropper, and cropping features. This drawing site also provides various tool sizes, allows for opacity adjustments, and color gradation. There are also wonderful online tutorials that range from how to use Photoshop to advanced 3D modeling.

In the Classroom

Some previous experience with layer base design software editing is beneficial but not completely necessary. The DeviantART muro drawing tools have a higher level of sophistication, and yet are intuitive to use. There are filters and layering options within the free version. It is possible to import photographs or scanned images into various layers. Save individual files or export student work as a web page. Unfortunately, the export process does not result in a useful file format. Consider having students take a screen shot of their work instead. Clicking the devaintART logo will take students to the public art space. Here the general public has the ability to submit imagery. Although students will not be able to comment or post without an account, they can view submissions easily.rn<br><br>rnIntroduce this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Then have students explore this site independently or in small groups. Use this site as the starting point for individual or group projects. The mural format lends itself to the drafting of school murals or stage backdrops. Consider using this long online drawing space to tell visual stories or map out a character’s or historical figure’s journey through time. Post a link on your class website to DeviantART muro for access outside of school. rn<br><br>rnAlthough users can access the muro creator without signing up for an account, high school students may want to participate in the deviantARTs free social networking site. This may be the personal learning network for juniors and seniors in high school considering a career in the arts are looking for. Students age 16 and older will benefit from an online profile account where they can create personal galleries, develop fans, and find collaborators for projects from across the globe. High school students considering jobs in graphic design, animation, film, illustration, or computer arts can build a professional portfolio to submit to employers, art schools, or potential clients. Users will also benefit from the deviantART critique section that provides constructive criticism from viewers beyond their immediate brick and mortar school. Students will need to create an account in order to use these services. If your students submit their own content (according to school policies, of course), take the time to teach safe ways to submit, commentary etiquette, and the potential for cruelty or rude behavior by anonymous viewers. You may want to monitor the discussion boards for a week or two before deciding if they are appropriate for your school situation.

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): graphic design, design, photography, drawing, painting,

Better Explained Archives

— Kalid Azad

8-11 0 favorites 0 promising practices https://betterexplained.com/archives/ Last updated: Fri, 08/27/2021 - 11:49 share

How It Works

The main idea of the site is that one needs to understand math; it is not just learned or memorized, and the explanations form the basis of understanding. Topics include Mental Math shortcuts, discovering pi, different bases, and much more. The founder of this site stated: "I want to share hard-won "a ha!" moments in clear and simple language. Even Math shortcuts are fun, I promise." Many of the explanations aren’t quite as "clear and simple" as students may like; however, there are a great number of topics explored on the site and they are worth the time to break apart and discuss as a class.

In the Classroom

Use this site as an anticipatory set or "activator" to introduce a unit or lesson on a projector or interactive whiteboard. Choose the appropriate topic, explore the explanation as a class, and then ask students to provide an explanation in their own words. Transform learning by challenging students to create their own multimedia presentation of one of the topics presented on the site using one of the many TeachersFirst Edge tools <a href="/content/edge.cfm?c=18">reviewed here</a>. Some tool suggestions are (click on the tool name to access the review): <a href="/single.cfm?id=18378">Adobe Spark for Education</a>, <a href="/single.cfm?id=11150">Kizoa</a>, and <a href="/single.cfm?id=18458">Synth</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.
  • 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): problem solving, mental math, pi, statistics, exponents, pythagorean theorem, vectors, square roots, number sense,

Yummy Math

— Brian Marks

4-8 0 favorites 0 promising practices http://www.yummymath.com/index.php Last updated: Fri, 08/27/2021 - 11:49 share

How It Works

Yummy Math shares mathematics problems and scenarios based on things happening in the world today. In January, some of the topics related to the NFL playoffs. Yummy Math lists activities chronologically as well as by mathematics topic. Topics include Algebra, Number Sense, Geometry, Food Math, Sports, and many more. The site is sure to be highly motivational for students as they complete math problems based on items of current interest such as the Super Bowl, American Idol, and American candy sales. Most problems contain a printable word or pdf document with questions. Some also include video or audio clips. Especially helpful is the Contents link which provides an alphabetical listing of all activities on the site.

In the Classroom

Make math relevant to any student. Assign weekly problems from the site for homework or daily classwork. Ask students to create new problems to be solved by classmates using the topic of the week or local topics of interest. Have students make a multimedia presentation using one of the many TeachersFirst Edge tools <a href="/content/edge.cfm?c=18">reviewed here</a>. Some tool suggestions are (click on the tool name to access the review): <a href="/single.cfm?id=18378">Adobe Spark for Education</a>, <a href="/single.cfm?id=17166">Zeetings</a>, <a href="/single.cfm?id=17424">Animatron</a>, <a href="/single.cfm?id=18291">Renderforest</a>, and <a href="/single.cfm?id=18390">Beautiful.AI</a>. Use the archives to find problems available from previous months.

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): number sense, problem solving, puzzles, sports,

eSkeletons

— University of Texas

8-11 0 favorites 0 promising practices http://www.eskeletons.org/ Last updated: Fri, 08/27/2021 - 11:49 share

How It Works

Use eSkeletons to understand human anatomy. View the bones of human and non-human primates using this interactive tool. Select the human skeleton to start the anatomical study. Mouseover the skeleton to select a specific bone to look closer. View various planes for different frames of reference. Click on morphology, origins, insertions, and articulations for more information. View a QuickTime movie for a 3D view of that specific skeletal part. Click on the Comparative Anatomy tab to view common bones between various organisms and planes of view. Use the Taxonomic Tree tab to determine the relationship between the various primates.

In the Classroom

Introduce this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Then have students explore this site independently or in small groups. Use to discuss many topics including evolution. Determine relatedness by using the Taxonomic Tree as well as common bones and other features of the primates. Use as an introduction to anatomy or dissection. This is a great find for gifted students (logic or unusual topics, for example or a site where students can do more in-depth investigation related to a "standard" curriculum topic)! Have students complete a multimedia project related to one of the concepts discussed at this site. Rather than a traditional report, have students create magazine covers that mimic the real thing using the Magazine Cover Maker <a href="/single.cfm?id=10011">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.
  • 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): dissection, evolution, human body,

Chalkbored

— Jeremy Schneider

8-11 0 favorites 0 promising practices http://www.chalkbored.com/lessons/chemistry-11.htm Last updated: Fri, 08/27/2021 - 11:49 share

How It Works

"Chalkbored" is an amazingly free resource for eleventh and twelfth grade chemistry classes. Lessons are organized into units such as Matter and Chemical Bonding, Chemical Reactions, and Hydrocarbons and Energy. There is an easy to follow key for what is offered with each lesson. PowerPoint presentations, printable worksheets, and accompanying experiments. This would be great for a beginner teacher of high school chemistry or for an experienced professional who would like to try out different things. Please be aware that this website is written by one author who has some strong beliefs about/against traditional education. However, the content of the website is far valuable and it certainly is worth taking a look.

In the Classroom

This resource would be wonderful for an online chemistry course. The PowerPoint presentations could be uploaded and shared with students. The students could view them on their own time, taking time to properly digest the information. In a traditional classroom setting, pick and choose some presentations to share with your students. Try an associated lab in chemistry. The module is meant to make science easier on the paperwork end of things and more engaging with the hands-on activities.

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): elements, experiments, periodic table, printables,

The Plant List

— theplantlist.org

8-11 0 favorites 0 promising practices http://www.theplantlist.org/about/ Last updated: Fri, 08/27/2021 - 11:49 share

How It Works

Confused about Botany? It is no wonder with 375,000 plant species that are known by over a million different names! <i>The Plant List</i> has an aim to change this. Click Browse along the top navigation bar. Choose from the major grouping of plants including Flowering Plants, Conifers, Ferns, and Mosses. Search using Family and genus names as well. Use this site to confirm names of species. Links to databases that contain specific information about the species is linked to each page.

In the Classroom

Use this site to determine the similarities and differences in the various plant groupings. Encourage teams of students to browse the sites and linked databases to determine how plants are identified. Brainstorm the findings in class to identify the classification schemes. Create conventional or multimedia representations of the various classification groups or a flowchart of classification. Try using one of the many TeachersFirst Edge tools <a href="/content/edge.cfm?c=16">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.
  • 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): plants, classification,

Open Source Shakespeare

— Eric Johnson, Bernini Communications LLC

8-11 0 favorites 0 promising practices http://www.opensourceshakespeare.org/ Last updated: Fri, 08/27/2021 - 11:49 share

How It Works

Open Source Shakespeare is not just another ordinary collection of the complete works of William Shakespeare. You can use an advanced search, read the plays, and look up words in the "concordance." It is a comprehensive, free electronic bookshelf built with flexibility, user-friendliness, and powerful search functions that easily enables scholars, casual readers, or Shakespeare lovers to read the plays, poems, and sonnets. At the same time look up terms, phrases, quotations, passages, or search for answers to questions about characters, acts, or scenes in an infinite number of ways. This is an incredibly ambitious online project that provides quick, easy access and enables you to retrieve, store, and print. The simple appearance also makes the site functional on any mobile device, such as iPads, without concerns about Flash or other non-mobile features.

In the Classroom

Use this inclusive resource as you prepare to teach any of Shakespeare’s classics. By making a direct link available from your class web page, you are opening the door for your students to have easy access and help when preparing for AP tests and other exams, as well as an ongoing method to guide independent reading and understanding for the many complexities in Shakespeare’s literary works. The electronic text enables you to project it on your whiteboard, perhaps for a class reading where you could assign students parts to read aloud, or for students to highlight and "mark-up" evidence of literary techniques, or to critique or interact with the words in a variety of ways. One neat feature is that you can choose to place any two sonnets on a single page to view them side by side. This opens a world of opportunity for comparing and contrasting. You may want to use a Venn Diagram tool, <a href="/single.cfm?id=9843">reviewed here</a>. Mark this collection in your favorites to use for planning during any of your units on Shakespeare. In a class where textbooks might be in short supply, or if there is a piece that you want to draw everyone’s attention to, this is an excellent site to ensure everyone has access, just as long as they have internet access.

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): OER, literature, plays, shakespeare, sonnets,

Celestia

— Celestia Development Team

8-11 0 favorites 0 promising practices https://celestia.space/ Last updated: Fri, 08/27/2021 - 11:49 share

How It Works

This free software offers real time views of outer space, and you can select where you want to view. It has zoom capabilities, settings for labels, and a neat demo of what the software can do. Not for the casual user, this interactive download requires some practice. This is not the type of tool to put in the hands of students and just say, "play," unless the students are advanced. One caution with downloads such as these: be sure to have administrative access or permission to install on computers. If it cannot be installed on student computers, then it could still be used with the your computer and an interactive whiteboard.

In the Classroom

Use this software first on the interactive whiteboard for students. While multiple activities are going on in the classroom, have students visit the whiteboard as just one station. The first time students are exposed to the program, they may be a little overwhelmed. Use a student tech team to help orient others to this tool.rn<br><br>rnHave students watch the demo provided. Then have them create their own space tours using an interactive poster tool such as Web Poster Wizard (<a href="/single.cfm?id=7332">reviewed here</a>). This would be a nice alternative to a brochure on traveling to different planets.

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): planets, sun, stars, space, geology, solar system,
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