Professional Learning

Curriculum

Academic Earth connects you to scholars

Academic Earth offers Internet users access to university lectures from the world's top professors. Subjects cover a wide range of academic topics, including Advanced Placement test preparation, math, literature, history and economics. Materials include video lectures, quizzes and readings. For more information, visit www.academicearth.org.

Afterschool Alliance

One in four American youth are alone and unsupervised in the hours following the school day. After-school programs can help those students and their families by providing care and inspiring learning. The Afterschool Alliance offers information, ideas and links to local programs at www.afterschoolalliance.org/.

American Bar Association offers law, justice resources

The American Bar Association offers resources on law and the justice system for educators and youth. The ABA's Division of Public Education has online profiles of key U.S. Supreme Court cases, lesson plans, Law Day resources and information about law-related current events. For more information, visit www.abanet.org/publiced/.

American Chemical Society provides kits and more

Would you like your students to learn about how chemical reactions can solve world problems? The American Chemical Society offers free chemistry kits, lesson plans, and other resources for teachers of grades 4-8. The activity kits contain enough materials for classrooms of 12 to 32 students working in groups of four. Kits and shipping are free, but kids can only be shipped to continental U.S. school addresses. The website also has chemistry learning resources for students in grades 9-12. Visit acswebcontent.acs.org/iyckit.

American Geological Institute celebrates Earth Science Week

The American Geological Institute wants to promote earth sciences and to encourage earth stewardship. The AGI is sponsoring Earth Sciences Week from Oct. 11-17 to encourage students, teachers and others to take part in earth-science activities. The observance includes activities, events, contests and curriculum materials. Visit www.earthsciweek.org for more information.

Artsonia, an online art museum

DaVinci. Monet. O'Keeffe. They're all renowned artists with work featured in museums around the world. Now your students can join them with Artsonia. Artsonia is an online museum devoted to showcasing student work for all grade levels. Create online art portfolios for your students and get lesson plans ideas as well. For more information, visit www.artsonia.com.

Autism Speaks

Autism is affecting more and more classrooms in Missouri, so classroom teachers, administrators and other school personnel might be interested in seeking an understanding of the disorder. Autism Speaks provides overviews of autism spectrum disorders and other tools for understanding autism. A recent addition, the Talking to Parents About Autism kit, helps early-childhood educators discuss the topic with parents. For more information, visit www.autismspeaks.org.

Ben's Guide to U.S. Government for Kids

Educational site covering governmental and historical topics divided into sections for K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12th grades. Visit bensguide.gpo.gov.

Best Evidence offers program reviews

How can teachers assess the effectiveness of curricula and other instructional programs? The Best Evidence Encyclopedia seeks to offer teachers help with reviews of programs for students in grades K-12. The encyclopedia is a free Web site created by the Johns Hopkins University College of Education. Visit www.bestevidence.org.

Bookshare makes books accessible

Schools and qualified students can get free access to Bookshare's downloadable books for people with disabilities. Books and reading tools are available in DAISY or Braille Refreshable Format. Bookshare offers free memberships to U.S. schools and qualified students. For more information, visit www.bookshare.org.

Bring agriculture to your classroom

Agriculture plays a role in American history, culture, environment and heritage and you shouldn't miss out on opportunities to incorporate it into your classroom. The USDA's Agriculture in the Classroom project offers a Web site with lesson plans, teacher resources, an electronic magazine and information about agriculture in each state. For more information, visit www.agclassroom.org.

Bring the blues into your school

The blues is an original American art form that comes directly from the African-American oral tradition. This musical form developed as a way to communicate African-American life and the pain of living in the days of Jim Crow laws. The Blues Foundation offers Blues in the Schools, a collection of resources to help educators bring this musical genre to their students. Resources include lesson plans, ideas for school assemblies and a listing of blues educators. For more information, visit www.blues.org/bits.

Classroom2Classroom

Build your classroom library, or sell what you no longer need, with help from Classroom2Classroom. The website provides an online marketplace for teachers and parents to buy and sell books. Materials can be bought or sold individually, or bundled by theme, grade level or reading standard. Visit www.classroom2classroom.com.

ClassWish helps schools, classes with supplies

Do you have all of the supplies you need in your classroom? How much do you spend of your own money on school supplies? What's on your wish list? ClassWish allows teachers to attract financial support from businesses and other organizations that could help fulfill their supply needs. For more information, visit www.classwish.org.

Critical Exposure

Critical Exposure seeks to help students advocate for excellence and equity in public education through the use of photography and documentary skills. The program trains students as documentary photographers to bring the reality of public education programs and facilities to policymakers and citizens. The program has worked in four U.S. cities and is identifying urban, suburban and rural communities for expansion. For more information, visit www.criticalexposure.org.

C-Span in the classroom

Educators enrolled in C-SPAN's free membership service receive an array of classroom resources — such as lesson plans, ideas for student activities and quizzes created by fellow teachers. Other benefits include taping and viewing rights on C-SPAN-produced programming for use in the classroom and eligibility to apply for teacher fellowships and C-SPAN archives grants.Visit www.c-spanclassroom.org/.

Curriki

Share curriculum and other teaching materials at Curriki, a free resource for educators. Curriki offers lesson plans, curriculum, electronic textbooks and other materials free as well as the opportunity to network with educators from around the world. Visit www.curriki.org.

CyberSmart offers bullying curriculum

Make your students CyberSmart! The National Cyber Security Network has developed a free curriculum to help schools prevent cyberbullying. CyberSmart combines best-practices from the fields of information security, school-violence prevention and character education into one package. The K-12 curriculum package contains lesson plans, worksheets, activities, resources for parents and more. The program is aligned with National Educational Technology Standards. For more information, visit cybersmart.org.

Delta Dental Health Theatre

Take your students to the land of smiles with the Delta Dental Health Theatre. The theatre, in St. Louis, offers presentations for pre-schools and elementary schools to teach students about oral health. Presentations and activities are keyed to Missouri Grade Level Expectations for health education, and Show Me Health physical education standards. There is a $1 admission charge, but scholarships are available. Children who attend also receive a Healthy Smile Kit with dental tools. For more information, visit visit www.ddhtstl.org/.

Discovery Education

This site features lesson plans and activities, discussion guides and classroom activities to complement the Discovery Channel’s educational television shows and various online educator references.Visit www.discoveryeducation.com.

EcoLibrary teaches students about the natural world

Don't just tell students about scientific concepts, show them. EcoLibrary offers hundreds of annotated photographs that illustrate lessons in ecology, conservation biology and the environment. Introduce your students to the vegetation of the Sonora Desert or the swamps of Madagascar without leaving your classroom. Some photos are available as 360-degree panoramas complete with sound effects. Maps, diagrams and interactive exercises are expected soon. Resources are free to use for non-commercial and educational purposes. Visit www.ecolibrary.org/.

Education World

Education World offers educators the opportunity to connect their students with professionals and career options. It is ripe with curriculum ideas and lesson plans on a wide variety of subjects. Visit www.education-world.com.

ESL Cafe

Dave's ESL Cafe provides information, resources and networking for ESL teachers. For more information, visit www.eslcafe.com/.

eThemes

An online database of content-rich, age-appropriate resources organized around specific themes. These resources are created for educators to use in their classrooms. eThemes is a service of the eMINTS National Center. eThemes resources are created and maintained by University of Missouri-Columbia College of Education staff and graduate students from the School of Information Science and Learning Technologies. Visit www.emints.org/ethemes/.

Exploratorium

This is the online version of the Exploratorium, a museum of science, art and human perception. Excellent lesson plans and science fair ideas. Visit www.exploratorium.edu.

Facebook offers safety page for educators

Facebook offers a safety resource page for educators. The page includes information everything from cyberbullying to privacy settings and complaining about harassment. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/safety.

Farm Bureau offers WebQuests

The Missouri Farm Bureau wants to take your students on a WebQuest to broaden their knowledge of agriculture. Online programs for grades K-12 offer insight on topics such as egg development, the Dust Bowl, nutrition and forestry. There is also a section geared to English-Language Learners. For more information, visit www.mofb.org/WebQuest.aspx/.

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
How money-savvy are you? The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis offers educator resources for teaching about money, banking, economics, personal finance and the Federal Reserve. Offerings include podcasts, webinars, online courses, activity books and teachers' guides geared at all grade levels. The St. Louis Fed will also offer professional development for teachers that will include graduate credit and Federal Reserve Bank Certification. For more information, visit www.stlouisfed.org/education_resources.

Federal Resources for Educational Excellence

More than 30 federal agencies have teamed up to make federally supported teaching and learning resources easier to find. Information is divided by subjects consisting of arts & music, health & physical education, history & social studies, language arts, math, science and special collections. Visit www.free.ed.gov.

Fuel Our Future Now

Fuel Our Future Now offers K-12 curriculum opportunities for science, math, engineering and technology. This resource, sponsored by Discovery Education, Progressive Automotive and X-Prize, offers curriculum resources based on energy efficiency, vehicle design and alternative fuels. Visit www.fuelourfuturenow.com.

Fuel Up to Play 60

Fuel Up to Play 60 encourages students to commit to eating healthy and getting 60 minutes of physical activity a day. The program encourages challenges, resources and grants for participating schools. For more information, visit www.fueluptoplay60.com/.

Global School Net

Clearinghouse for online education projects, teacher resources and games, with a focus on international issues and diplomacy. Visit www.globalschoolnet.org.

Global Youth Service Day: Free materials

Teachers can download and order free materials for Global Youth Service Day. Posters, tool-kits, curriculum guides and other materials are available to help plan participation in the day, which is the largest service day event in the world. The event runs in April each year, and emphasizes projects that involve helping the homeless and senior citizens, neighborhood enhancement and the environment, among other things. Visit High Five newspaper-based curriculum for middle school

The Newspaper Association of America's High Five curriculum seeks to address student achievement. The program emphasizes reading, writing, journalism, linguistics, grammar and visual literacy. Daily newspapers function as the curriculum's textbooks, and all other materials are appropriate for middle school students. The three-unit program may be downloaded for free, and is supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. For more information, visit www.naafoundation.org/Curriculum/NIE/High-Five.aspx.

Howard Hughes Medical Institute offers free materials

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute offers science DVDs, CD-ROMs, publications and other materials for free. Topics include health, genetics, the human body, plants, animals and more. Many DVDs are available with English and Spanish subtitles. Some materials are available as PDF downloads. Allow for a four- to six-week delivery. For more information, visit www.hhmi.org/catalog/.

Identity Theft Resource Center

The Identity Theft Resource Center provides resources and information for consumers, identity-theft victims, and teenagers. Find out what you can do to protect yourself and your students from this devastating crime, and what to do if it happens to you. Visit www.idtheftcenter.org.

Intel offers resources for educators

The Intel Education Initiative offers resources and tools for K-12 teachers. Offerings include tools to map cause-effect relationships, making hypotheses and ordering and prioritizing items on a list. There are also collections of technology projects from classrooms around the world, lessons about the computer manufacturing process and lessons on technology literacy. For more information, visit www.intel.com/education.

Introduce Thoreau to high school students

Introduce your high school students to Walden: The Ballad of Thoreau. The story chronicles the last two days that Henry David Thoreau spent at his Walden Pond cabin, including a visit from Ralph Waldo Emerson. Scripts are available for a 70-minute stage play, or a radio play, free of royalties. If you don't want to organize a production, lesson plans are included for streaming an online version of the play into your classroom. Visit www.waldenplay.com.

Learner.org offers professional development

Learner.org is a broad-ranging website that offers online professional development for K-12 teachers in numerous academic subjects. The site combines video presentations with print and other online materials to advance excellent teaching. Some materials are also suitable for student use. For more information, visit www.learner.org.

Missouri Heritage Project

The Missouri Heritage Project includes links, lesson plans, a discussion board and video units for teachers on Missouri history, geography, Lewis and Clark and much more. This site complements the video series, "Finding Missouri: Our History & Heritage." Visit dese.mo.gov/moheritage/.

Missouri Writing Project Network/National Writing Project

The Missouri Writing Project Network is a consortium of the state's National Writing Project affiliates. Missouri's five member projects conduct summer institutes and in-services to help students improve their writing and teachers improve their teaching of writing. For more information, visit www.missouriwestern.edu/mwpn/.

Monticello Digital Classroom

Take your students to Monticello and the days of Thomas Jefferson with the Monticello Digital Classroom. The classroom offers lesson plans, activities, image galleries and more. Teachers can also use the digital classroom to create assignments for their own classes. For more information, visit classroom.monticello.org

National Environmental Education Week has year-round lessons

The National Environmental Education Foundation offers lesson plans, maps, blogs and other resources to help teachers bring environmental learning into their classrooms. The foundation is also sponsoring National Environmental Education Week from April 11-17 with the goal of encouraging environmental stewardship among students. In 2010, organizers have adopted the theme Be Water and Energy Wise. For more information, visit eeweek.org.

National Geographic

Lesson plans, maps, professional development opportunities for teachers, and more. Visit www.nationalgeographic.com/education/.

National Lab Day

National Lab Day seeks to build collaborations between educators, students and volunteers to bring discovery-based science experiences to the K-12 level. National Lab Day takes place in May, but the effort is year-round. Educators from around the U.S. can post projects they hope to do with their students and that are in need of funding, or volunteers from the scientific community; or projects that have been completed. The website also offers lesson plans and other educator resources. For more information, visit www.nationallabday.org.

National Science Digital Library

The National Science Digital Library offers resources, professional development and information organized to fit the needs of K-12 teachers and media specialists. Web seminars, newsletters and other tools address all science topics. nsdl.org/resources_for/.

National World War I Museum
The museum at Liberty Memorial in Kansas City is the only museum in the U.S. dedicated to the Great War. The testimonies of World War I veterans provide the narrative of the conflict, bolstered by films, artifacts and gallery exhibits. The museum offers school visits and other resources for educators. Visit www.theworldwar.org.

Natural High DVDs fight alcohol and drug use

The Natural High DVD series offers parents and teachers an avenue to break the ice with young people in conversations about drugs and alcohol. In addition to the hard-hitting videos, discussion guides, worksheets, newsletters and other resources are available. The company's Web site offers sample videos. The latest video, Natural High 4, was sent to middle schools for free, but copies of it and previous videos are available for purchase for $20. Sample clips are also available. The website also offers an online film series, contests and other resources.www.naturalhigh.org.

PBS offers "Don't Buy it Guide"

A PBS guide suggests ideas for incorporating media education in your curriculum to help students better understand media messages, learn to distinguish between reality and fantasy, analyze advertisements and build critical thinking. Visit pbskids.org/dontbuyit/teachersguide.html.

PBS TeacherSource

Use TeacherSource to scan PBS programming and online lesson plans for relevant ties to your curriculum. You can search by subject, topic, grade level and standard. The site's "Standards Match" will show you what state and national standards are met by each lesson plan. TeacherSource also offers TeacherLine, online professional development courses in a wide range of topics. Visit www.pbs.org/teachersource/.

People to People International connects your classroom to the world

People to People International's School and Classroom Program matches U.S. teachers and students with others from around the world. Students foster international and cultural understanding with pen-pal exchanges and other interactions. The program is open to any K-12 classrooms. Registration is open every year from July through October. For more information, visit www.ptpi.org/programs/SchoolClass.aspx.

Raise money with cell-phone recycling

Rapidly improving technology also creates technology waste, but that can turn into a fundraising opportunity for your school. ECO-CELL collects used cell phones, batteries and accessories in exchange for up to $15 per phone, regardless of condition. ECO-CELL offers free shipping, newsletters, collection materials and fundraising materials. A portion of workable phones collected will be given to patients leaving hospitals for use in emergency 911 calls. For more information, visit www.eco-cell.org.

Recycle Forward means technology for your classroom

Classrooms and schools can improve their technology by getting cash from recycling used electronics and ink cartridges. Recycle Forward, from Digital Wish and Cartridges for Kids, offers money to teachers, schools and other organizations that collect and recycle these items. For more information, visit www.digitalwish.com/dw/digitalwish/recycle_forward?p=overview.

Remind 101

Remind 101 lets teachers text students and parents in a safe and free program. Students never see teachers' phone numbers, and teachers never see their students' numbers. Manage messages for up to 10 classes, making it easy to send reminders for field trips, assignments and more. Visit remind101.com.

Save the Sleeve

Healthy habits can help you and your students stay healthy throughout the year, and healthy habits don't include wiping your nose on your sleeve. Save the Sleeve offers games, stories and facts about germs, how they spread and how to not spread them. For more information, visit www.savethesleeve.com.

Scholastic wants to prevent the summer slide

The Scholastic Summer Challenge wants students to keep reading over their summer vacation from school. Research has shown that students who don't read during summer break are more likely to score lower on reading tests when school starts again. The Summer Reading Challenge encourages students to read at least four books over the summer. The challenge, which begins April 30, offers materials for parents and educators including curriculum ideas and reading lists. For more information, visit www.scholastic.com/summerreading/.

SEN Teacher offers special-needs resources

SEN Teacher offers free worksheets and other resources to teachers of students with special needs and learning disabilities. Visit www.senteacher.org.

Smarthistory brings art history to you

Art history textbooks are usually large, heavy and expensive. Smarthistory.org seeks to provide the same information in a format that is easier to handle and less expensive, developed by two art historians. Explore works of art by era, genre, artist, media and other criteria. Visit smarthistory.org.

Smithsonian can be brought to your students

The Smithsonian Institution may be too far for a field trip, but Smithsonian Education offers resources on a variety of subjects for K-12 educators. Materials, lesson plans and activities can be narrowed for grade level and geared to state standards. Offerings include new online history tours, which offer explorations of multiple cultures without leaving the classroom. The site also offers professional development through online conferences. For more information, visit www.smithsonianeducation.org/.

Special Education Resources on the Internet

A clearinghouse of links to information about all aspects of special education. Visit www.seriweb.com.

Student Television Network

Is the next Anderson Cooper or Christiane Amanpour in your classroom? Help them get their first big break with the Student Television Network. STN supports the educational components of broadcast journalism, video production, film making and media convergence by allowing students and teachers to network with industry professionals. Programs include contests, awards programs and more. Visit studenttelevision.com.

SuccessLink

Lesson plans for a variety of subjects, teacher tips and general information for Missouri teachers. Visit www.successlink.org.

Teachers.net

This interactive site hosts 45 different teacher chatrooms and discussion forums on education-related subjects. It also provides a variety of resources from lesson plans and web technology tips to classroom supply providers and job listings. Visit teachers.net.

TeachUNICEF encourages global citizenship

The United Nations Children's Fund has launched a new set of lesson plans designed to raise student awareness of world issues. TeachUNICEF offers a series of lessons for students in grades 6-12 with three-day units that develop critical-thinking skills and cover the root causes of poverty and other problems facing children. Lessons also seek to develop critical-thinking skills. For more information, visit www.teachunicef.org.

The Air and Water Cycle for Kids

This site provides a clear and interesting description of how our water cycle works from evaporation to precipitation. In addition, several links are included with more insight into our water cycle. Visit The Air and Water Cycle for Kids.

Water-Cycle resources from Air-n-Water

Water is everywhere: our bodies, the air, the rivers, the oceans. Learn more about this amazing substance and the cycle of water through the resources here. This includes lesson plans, water-cycle diagrams and more. Visit www.air-n-water.com/water-cycle.htm.

Web English Teacher

Web English Teacher offers a comprehensive site of resources for K-12 English teachers. Offerings include writing prompts, projects, grammar materials and more. Visit www.webenglishteacher.com/.

Youth Empowerment Project of the Ozarks

The Youth Empowerment Project of the Ozarks, YEP, wants to create a new generation of philanthropists. YEP encourages the young people of the region to improve their communities through service, education, fundraising and more. The project consists of local chapters supported by the Community Foundation of the Ozarks. For more information on YEP and how to start a chapter in your school, visit www.yepozarks.org/.