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Lesson and Curriculum Planning: New Teachers (SC)

General

Common Core

Elementary

Foreign Languages

Inquiry-based Pedagogy

Language Arts

More Language Arts resources can be found above in the General section.

Math

Science

Social Studies

STEAM

Interactive STEAM Sites for Students

Coding

Codecademy | Free courses and tutorials to learn how to code.

Scratch | This is a free download available from MIT that teaches patrons to code using
“code blocks” similar to Legos. Students can use Scratch to code their own interactive stories, animations, and games. In the process, they learn to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively — essential skills for everyone in today’s society.

Independent Practice 

BoomWriter | Way for students to collaborate on story creation, ideas, and even projects in a free, web-based tool.

How to Smile | Creative math and science activities.

Khan Academy | Free non-profit resource with access to online classes for children through adults. Topics offered include: Math, Science/Engineering, Computing, Arts/Humanities, Economics/Finance, Test Prep, College/Careers.

Kinetic City | Science games for students in grades 3-5.

Typing Club | Free, web-based, touch-typing program. Allows you to log-in to save progress.

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STEAM Lesson Planning Resources

Common Sense Education Resources | This non-profit organization’s site features resources to help expand and refine digital literacy for K-12 students. Along with reviews, as well as ratings for various types of media including films, this resource features useful toolkits about media literacy, as well as social-emotional intelligence, and EdTech reviews for programs that can be used in the classroom.

Engineer Girl | This guide introduces girls in grades 9-12 to young women engineers and highlights careers. A section for parent and counselors furnishes background in engineering to better advise students. The site has a link to a companion site for girls in grades 5-8.

Exploratorium | Provides interactives, web features, activities, programs, and events for K-12.

NASA for Educators | Lesson plans, teacher guides, classroom activities, video clips, games, posters, and more for teachers and students in grades K-4, 5-8, 9-12, and higher education.

PBS STEM Resources | Lessons for K-12 in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math as well as professional development for teachers.

SF MoMA Teacher Resources | Articles you can select and read with students, video interviews, project ideas and an entire section dedicated to STEAM.

Smithsonian for Educators | A wealth of digital tools support inquiry-based learning and active engagement to spark creativity and curiosity.

STEAM Education Resources List | Blog resource of collected STEAM lesson plans.

STEM Activities & Games | Interactive activities to be used or referenced by curriculum developers.

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Media Creation and Digital Storytelling

Adobe Capture | Free app from Adobe that allows users to trace and manipulate images.

Assembly | App that makes graphic design accessible to a variety of users.

Audacity | Free, open source, cross-platform audio software.

Gimp | Free and open-source image editor; similar to Adobe Photoshop.

Lightworks | The free version of Lightworks video editor has a lot of great features, with the option to upgrade to a paid version with even more capabilities.

MySimpleShow | Free presentation software for use by teachers and/or students.

Piktochart | Add oomph to info with sleek infographic tool for creating media and presentations.

Prezi | Stylish presentation creator with a unique 3D zooming effect.

Soundation | This is a free online recording studio that you can use anywhere. Students can collaborate on a piece of music and not even be in the same room. Compose, record and produce in one spot.

SumoPaint | This image editor stores your projects in the cloud and allows you to share
them with other artists.

WeVideo | This cloud based video editor requires nothing more than setting up an account. Users can access their projects from any internet connection and patrons do not need to store projects on library drives.

Video Spin | Another free video editor, Video Spin does not have many advanced features, but makes it easy to quickly edit and create mashup videos.

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Tech Resources for Classroom Management

ClassDojo | Handy behavior management and messaging tool helps recognize, reward students. Comes with a free mobile app.

Kahoot! | Kahoot! is a game-based learning platform, free for teachers of awesome and classroom superheroes. Play, learn, have fun and celebrate together!