Archives: Resources

This post from the United Kingdom goes more in-depth on why math is important. Whether your students aspire to study sociology, psychology, physics, biology or even economics, math … learn more

Ever wonder why traffic jams appear when there is no accident or other apparent cause? The Mathematical Society in Japan used a test track to replicate traffic jams … learn more

According to most student’s perceptions, math is just the use of complicated formulas and calculations which won’t be ever applied in real life. But, math is the universal … learn more

What would happen if the typical math problems we learned in High School were actually used in real life? A great parody, with some real life lessons at … learn more

An “on-line” version of Zoombinis rendered as a series of YouTube videos. Play “full screen” so you can access the “go here next” links in the lower left … learn more

Zoombinis in the Classroom Zoombinis, with twelve math-based logic puzzles, each with four levels of difficulty, can help address and reinforce computational thinking skills such as: Problem decomposition: Breaking … learn more

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics “As we continue our journey following a year of disruption, we have an opportunity to rethink and reimagine PK–12 mathematics education to … learn more

Science Gems in Math covers 23 topics–something for most everyone.

Math Cats has a wide range of on-line activities and project ideas for ages 5 and up.

MathStudio brings unprecedented math power to your web browser or mobile device. Capable of doing everything from basic expressions to solving quadratic equations to graphing to data analysis … learn more

Word Problems (Grades 5-12) is a collection of traditional “story” problems, wrapped in a “hip” context–a motivator for students who ask, “Why do we study this math stuff?”

Seeing Math combines content modules in algebra with professional development for sustained learning environments. Various applets can be used to customize the modules. All of the content is … learn more

Math Playground is filled with free (Grades 1-6) online math games, logic puzzles, step-by-step instructional videos, math practice, and a variety of problem-solving activities. Some of the logic … learn more

Cut-the-knot, an award-winning site, explores geometry, algebra, and special topics like probability. The best aspect of this site is the reflective perspective of its developer and his dose … learn more

While not well covered today, while Europe was in the middle of the Dark Ages, mathematics flourished in Islamic areas including Africa and the Middle East. During this … learn more

Part of the Museum of the History of Science in Florence, Italy, this site is a virtual copy exhibits dedicated to Galileo Galilei. You can view recreations of … learn more

This site is as an easy-to-use summary of the major mathematicians and the developments of mathematical thought over the centuries. The author, Luke Mastin, introduces some of the … learn more

The life and times of Galileo is explored in-depth at the Rice University site. Of particular interest is the information about his own laboratory and instruments. Maps, timelines … learn more

Inspired by Hemingway’s short story, SMITH magazine launched online in 2006. They challenged readers and famous writers alike to submit their own six-word memoirs for a contest. People … learn more

Scholastic has sponsored art and writing contests for nearly 80 years. Yearly competitions are initiated in the fall.

Six Word Memoirs is the idea of expressing a complete story in only 6 words. Here’s Ms. Gemeinhart’s Senior English Class’ take on it. Publishing on YouTube or … learn more

The NewMoon ‘zine and magazine is written and edited by girls, mostly in middle school, and overseen by adult mediators. The subscription price is reasonable. Topics respond to … learn more

Nothing is worse than finding that perfect font, then finding out that it cannot be licensed or the costs are prohibitive. Google has indexed over 800 open source … learn more

WhatTheFont is another site to help you identify the font’s name. If you have an image of the font, you can upload it and WHatTheFont will try to … learn more

Nothing is more frustrating than seeing the perfect font for an article or headline, and then not being able to identify it. This site uses a series of … learn more

To include flowcharts, graphs and other visual representations use Diagrams.net. It is free, open source software that can be used on-line (or downloaded onto your computer). It can … learn more

The Teachers and Writers Collaborative predates the era of Web publishing. Based in NYC, it sponsors in-residence workshops. While not necessarily pertinent to the virtual world, the Collaborative … learn more

Nicole Kaffel has assembled an easy to follow step-by-step guide that will guide your students through the digital storytelling process. You may use different software, but the steps … learn more

Richard Byrne has compiled this free eBook as an inspiration and guide to teachers. Ten teachers talk about their and their students experiences, everything from Keeping History Alive … learn more

NEH also sponsors a number of summer workshops for teachers, such as the Irish famine, Mozart, American literature and the German occupation of France during WWII.

The National Endowment for the Humanities has a grant program for integrating technology into teaching literature and the fine arts.

For information about obtaining performance rights consult Dramatists Play Service. And check out their “PlayFinder”, an extensive list of contemporary plays with cast and staging requirements.

Didaskalia offers background information and photos of the use of ancient Greek and Roman theater.

joy2learn’s mission – to improve public education by creating and providing high quality, cross curricular, arts content to schools free of charge – matters Multiple research studies demonstrate … learn more

The California County Superintendents Arts Initiative focuses on theater,dance, music and visual arts.

If you are a fan of PBS’ Great Performances, look at their web site for links and background. Excerpts can be heard, too.

Here’s an introduction to opera for young children — the story of Little Red Riding Hood in 10 minutes. Check with your lour local opera company for programs … learn more

The Educational Theater Association introduces both teachers and students to theater programs on the Web. It is aimed primarily at the secondary level. A monthly magazine and links … learn more

You may not be in the same room right now, but your students can still perform together. Here’s an example of a dance number from High School Musical … learn more

H. Jon Benjamin and Jesse Benjamin created this animated adaptation of the famed McSweeney’s Internet Tendency piece, In Which I Fix My Girlfriend’s Grandparents’ WiFi and Am Hailed … learn more

This group from Copenhagen, Denmark shows what you can do with a few recycled items. Turn your students loose and see what sort of instruments they can come … learn more

If movies were written by our children… “Kid Snippets” is a weekly comedy series, in which adults act out stories written and narrated by children. In this episode, … learn more

StoryCorps’ mission is to preserve and share humanity’s stories in order to build connections between people and create a better world. At the same time, they are creating … learn more

StoryCenter creates spaces for transforming lives and communities, through the acts of listening to and sharing stories. Since 1993, they have partnered with organizations around the world on … learn more

MERLOT is a curated collection of free and open online teaching, learning, and faculty development services contributed and used by an international education community.

PBS’ 4 part series about the roots of American music contains links for a deeper explore of this subject. It contains some rare resources from the Library of … learn more

The Children’s Music Web showcases material, created by and for children. It includes everything from “Pickleberry Pie” to “Rug Bugs”.

This resource from the National Association for Music Education contains current information, news, tips, lessons, and networking opportunities you need as a music educator.

MakeMusic (with a special price for schools) helps teachers create lessons for vocal or instrumental ensembles and tools for site reading and singing. Useful for teaching instrumental or … learn more

Using a newspaper picture of birds sitting on telephone wires, Jarbas Agnelli was inspired to try making a song out of it. The results speak for themselves. Have … learn more

The site offers artistic, biographical, and contact information, along with upcoming performances of composers, conductors, performers, and ensembles. The directory also contains information on professional organizations and educators … learn more

Appropriate for older students, Audiotool is a free yet powerful online music production studio right you can access with a browser. It provides virtual versions of pro audio … learn more

Virtual Drums lets you play a wide variety of virtual drum sets right from your web browser. Virtual Drumming includes free drumming lessons, games, drum sheet music and … learn more

The Piano Education Page is a one-stop resource for teachers, students, parents of students, and fans of the piano with over 1000 pages of family-friendly information, upgraded regularly. … learn more

KMel Robotics created a team of flying hexrotor copters that create music in ways never seen before. Worth viewing “full screen”.

Pan flutes are easy to make, takes only minutes, and cheap – drinking straws and some tape. Figuring out how to hold your lips just right to get … learn more

Children’s Songs is another site providing both lyrics and playable MIDI music files. The actual number of songs which can be played via the computer is extensive. For … learn more

Physics and music have been related for millennia. The art and science of music acoustics are presented here, in musician-friendly format.

Fundamentals of matter and force. Particle Adventure demonstrates the connections between music and physics.

Jazz at PBS was created to accompany Ken Burns’ 10 part history of jazz. In addition to rich biographies with artists playing, site visitors can visit the Jazz … learn more

The Jazz Hall of Fame is jam-packed with Big Band and Jazz history, music samples, headlines etc. It is very comprehensive.

Our Education programs empower all listeners and creators to make their own connections to orchestral music. From games that introduce preschoolers to musical basics to activities that inspire … learn more

What happens when Mozart and James Bond collide? In addition to being great fun, Igudesman & Joo show how combining two styles or eras of music can lead … learn more

PRS plays classical music (post copyright). You can research composers, download MIDI files, and find instructional tips.

The Science of Music within the Exploratorium site answers questions like how opera singers can hold their breath so long and what music kitchen objects can generate. Graphically … learn more

Judy & David’s Fun Zone has everything musical for younger students, from sound clips to music themed coloring pages to a very complete song book.

How many times does the chorus repeat in your favorite song? Repetition in music isn’t just a feature of Western pop songs; it’s a global phenomenon. Why? Elizabeth … learn more

Music Theory, started by Ricci Adams while a HS Senior, has over twenty-five lessons and several on-line trainers and utilities. The site, more appropriate for older students, includes … learn more

Rhythmweb hosts sound files, among other resources in percussion, from around the world.

… by a 12 year old. A lighthearted, if not so helpful guide created by an unqualified individual. Enjoy! The video was assembled by Julian Cianciolo, who also … learn more

Wynita Harmon, elementary art teacher in Plano, TX, shows how your students can make nature-inspired art. Students can find natural items and create art with them or sketch … learn more

“Art takes nature as its model.” – Aristotle Jean Van’t Hul has assembled lots (and lots!) of interesting nature art activities for kids. Everything from drawing leaves to … learn more

Marghanita Hughes perspective on how nature and art can foster a deep love for the natural world. Nature art can be infused beautifully into all other subjects in … learn more

Draw3D is a simple site but fun, and includes on-line drawing lessons. Created by Mark Kistler, Public Television’s favorite drawing teacher.

There are a lot of online resources available where you can change, enhance and make funny photo editing without knowing and program like Photoshop. Here is a collection … learn more

Silk is hard to describe. It’s called an on-line interactive generative artwork. The easiest way to explain it is to just go to the site and start drawing … learn more

Similar to Tim’s Vermeer’s trick, this simple to make project can help your students, allowing them to easily draw something from their phone screen. The materials are usually … learn more

This tutorial from Jk Alombro shows you the steps to turn a photograph into an anime character. While using Photoshop, you should be able to replicate this method … learn more

Using only some toilet paper rolls and some non-toxic paint, you can make awesome creatures for Halloween decorations. Chances are you already have the materials you need in … learn more

Here’s an example of combining art and photography into something special. Variations on this project include using your school mascot, images cut out of magazines, or photographs of … learn more

The move Tim’s Vermeer shows how Tim Jenison duplicated Vermeer’s painting style using a mirror to monitor parts of the picture. By placing a small, fixed mirror above … learn more

Your students can create paper wallets from a normal piece of paper, with minimal cutting and one piece of tape. It creates a durable, seamless, useable, write-onable, minimalist … learn more

American Art at the Smithsonian offers am impressive collection of teacher guides, resources and videos. The guides are identified with corresponding standards and grade levels, and most are … learn more

A glimpse into the world of Impressionistic painters combines art history and composition in painting.

The National Gallery of Art in Washington DC illustrates major achievements in painting, sculpture, decorative arts and works on paper from the Middle Ages to the present. Learn … learn more

A team of students from Carnegie Mellon University’s Entertainment Technology Center developed this First Person Puzzle game built around Forced Perspective. This is a demo of the technology … learn more

Inside Art complements Pintura — only at this site students actually find themselves inside a painting and solve a mystery to exit.

Pintura is designed as a mystery site at which students learn techniques, such as brushstrokes, by comparing an old painting-artist unknown-discovered in an attic with masterworks to determine … learn more

In this video from MAKE: television, Reuben Margolin, a Bay Area visionary and longtime maker, creates totally singular techno-kinetic wave sculptures. Using everything from wood to cardboard to … learn more

The Getty Museum turns traditional art education upside down. Rather than introducing themes and ideas through art history and then applying those concepts to art-making activities, the curriculum … learn more

The World’s Smallest Political Quiz (10 questions) lets students deduce their inclinations and, more importantly, let them start to understand what the labels – Liberal, Conservative, Libertarian, Statist … learn more

For raw data and learning about polling questions and procedures, check out Polling Report.

Ballotpedia is a non-partisan, online encyclopedia of American politics. They provide objective information about politics, influencers, and present & past elections. The cover not only national politics, but … learn more

The National Endowment for the Humanities has assembled 426 different lesson plans covering everything from A Raisin in the Sun and Common Sense to Angkor Wat and What … learn more

Since 1975, Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has produced independent analyses of budgetary and economic issues to support the Congressional budget process. Each year, this nonpartisan agency produces dozens … learn more

NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) hosts and provides public access to one of the most significant archives for environmental data on Earth. Through the Center for … learn more

The Federal Election Commission not only provides help for political candidates and committees, but tracks campaign contributions and expenditures and publishes that information here. Historical data is available, … learn more

Data.gov is the home of the U.S. Government’s open data. Here you and your students will find the data, tools, and resources to conduct research, design data visualizations, … learn more

USA.gov is the federal government’s online guide to government information and services. Pick the topic and you can get information on it here. USA.gov provides a portal to … learn more