Resources

Mike's Favorite Resources for Teachers

Click the titles to access the resources

5 Clue Challenge

All over the world, people live in diverse regions, climates, and biomes with different animals, plants, and interesting nuances. On this site, you'll find short videos, full TV show episodes that include virtual field trips, and a way to play on Amazon Alexa. In each challenge, teachers and students give 5 clues to guess a location, animal, or famous person. Your students' mission is to do research to figure out the answer to their riddle in as few clues as possible. It's a great way to learn about new people and places.

Flip the System Author Interviews

The chapter authors in Flip the System US: How Teachers Can Transform Education and Save Democracy are some of the most outstanding educators in the world. On this page are interviews where they expand on their chapters and share their expertise and inspiration with you.

Global Edu-Composting Project

This global project allows students from around the globe the opportunity to learn the benefits of composting and to develop a composting program for their school. Most importantly, it makes it easy for classes to connect and share their learning - giving all participants the chance to get a global perspective and develop a shared humanity. Resources are provided for teachers and students, and the timeline is flexible to ensure teachers can fit the project into their curriculum.

Science Hikes with Mr. Soskil

As a science teacher, when I lace up my hiking boots and hit the trails, I often find myself wishing that my students were able to have the same learning experiences that I am. When the COVID-19 Pandemic forced learning to go virtual, I knew it was time to start recording videos. Since my traveling became limited to hikes where I could socially distance, I decided to start a new video series where I taught elementary science concepts while I was on the trails. I'll be using these videos with my students this year, but I'm making them available to anyone else who finds them useful.

Happy trails!

TeachSDGs

To help reach our goal of actively supporting and enhancing the work of the United Nations' efforts within K-12 classrooms, TeachSDGs contributes to the in the following ways:

We connect with global educators dedicated to responding to a call to action within education to meet the Sustainable Development Goals.
We point to open and accessible resources, lessons plans, and global projects directly aligned to the Sustainable Development Goals.
We advance the work of the UN in relation to education through advocacy and outreach to inform K-12 and higher education stakeholders, defined as educators, students, parents, and community members.

Drawing with Mr. J

Drawing with Mr. J is a new video series from WOSU Classroom that helps kids in grades K–5 learn social and emotional skills through brief and engaging drawing challenges. All you need is something to draw with and something to draw on!

Each video comes complete with a standards-aligned companion guide containing activities and resources for educators and parents. The videos can be worked into a variety of lesson plans, be used as a morning warm-up or a way to check-in with students after lunch or other transition times.

TED Resources for Teachers

Resources for using TED Talks and TEDEd as a classroom resource and as a professional learning tool.

Virtual Field Trips

Virtual Field Trips are opportunities to take your students to places in the world that they might not be able to visit in person. These places can include museums, national parks, and other cultural sites. They can also include visits to learn from authors, scientists, and people who are applying your curricula in the workplace. Have a look at this curated list of great VFTs.

Go2Science

Website and resource (paid) made by teachers and scientists to empower PreK-2 teachers to make the world a better place, one curious mind at a time. Go2Science empowers kids to stay curious and become critical and empathetic thinkers. We integrate language arts and math with science to maximize student engagement and learning.

At the PreK-2 level, immediately getting the right answer is less important than developing thinking and questioning skills. Children learn best when they feel involved, connected, and care deeply about a topic.

Climate Action Project

The Climate Action Project brings a six-week climate change program to up to 10 million students in more than 130 countries, drawing on expertise from scientists, policymakers, and activists from organizations like NASA, the World Wildlife Fund, and the United Nations. The project is open-ended, encourages cross-country collaboration, and is focused on solutions.

World's Largest Lesson

We promote use of the Sustainable Development Goals in learning so that children can contribute to a better future for all. From citizenship and justice to climate change and the environment, inspire children to make a difference!

Global School Play Day

The grassroots effort created by educators in support of unstructured playtime for students around the world. February 4, 2015, was the first annual Global School Play Day for students in schools around the world. In year one, over 65,000 students participated! Over 177,000 students took part in 2016. In 2017, over 283,000 kids celebrated Global School Play Day. In 2018, over 385,000 students from 58 nations participated. In 2019, just the 5th year of the event, 535,690 from 72 nations played. In 2020, 563,283 students from 75 Nations.