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StudentNewsDaily is an independent website and is not affiliated with any group or parent organization. Your donations make a great impact on our ability to keep this site up and running.

Donations to StudentNewsDaily are tax deductible and greatly appreciated.

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Current events articles for teachers and students - Make sense of current events with free online resources for teachers.

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ELA, Science, and Social Science

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DOGO News - Kids news articles! Kids current events; plus kids news on science, sports, and more!

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DOGO News has fun articles for kids on current events, science, sports, and more! There are also lots of stories, pictures, videos, games and the DOGO news map for kids! Add your comments, read reviews of cool websites, and more!

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Science News features daily news articles, feature stories, reviews and more in all disciplines of science, as well as Science News magazine archives back to 1924.

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www.smithsonianmag.com needs to review the security of your connection before proceeding.

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CNN 10 is a daily news show for students over 13 and other viewers who want to learn about current events and global issues in 10 minutes or less.

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New Tech Aims to Drive Down Costs of Hydrogen Fuel

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a new technique for extracting hydrogen gas from liquid carriers which is faster, less expensive and more energy efficient than previous approaches.

>> Read the Full Article

Multiple Habitats Need Protecting to Save UK Bumblebees, Finds 10-Year Citizen Science Study

The study identified types of habitat that could be targeted for bumblebee conservation.

>> Read the Full Article

Greenhouse Gas Pollution Trapped 49% More Heat in 2021 Than in 1990, NOAA Finds

Greenhouse gas pollution caused by human activities trapped 49% more heat in the atmosphere in 2021 than they did in 1990, according to NOAA scientists.

>> Read the Full Article

Beat The Summer Heat

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension experts give tips on avoiding heat stress, exhaustion and heatstroke.

>> Read the Full Article

Organic Farming or Flower Strips – Which Is Better for Bees?

Research team including Göttingen University assess the efficiency of agri-environmental measures from different perspectives

>> Read the Full Article

New Measurements From Northern Sweden Show Less Methane Emissions Than Feared

It is widely understood that thawing permafrost can lead to significant amounts of methane being released.

>> Read the Full Article

IAP Released Two Climate Datasets Related to Central Asia

As one of the climate change hot spots, central Asia witnessed a significant warming in the past and is very likely to experience more heatwaves and drought events in the future.

>> Read the Full Article

Watching Corals Breathe

Researchers develop a new method to simultaneously measure flow and oxygen.

>> Read the Full Article

California Shellfish Farmers Adapt to Climate Change

SDSU and Oregon State University researchers probe growers’ strategies for keeping the sustainable industry resilient as oceans turn more acidic.

>> Read the Full Article

PFAS Chemicals Do Not Last Forever

The use of sulfite and iodide under ultraviolet light can destroy PFAS in water in a few hours

>> Read the Full Article

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Environmental News Network - Top Stories

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A global perspective on environmental issues. Our mission is to inform, educate, enable and create a platform for global environmental action.

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Tending Nature is a documentary series that explores how land has provided for Native peoples | PBS LearningMedia

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Tending Nature explores how land has provided for Native peoples and how tribal groups have actively shaped and tended the land although many environments are now threatened. The series explores this relationship and possible solutions by integrating traditional knowledge from tribal groups with Western science.

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The Living Soil Beneath Our Feet | Habitat Earth | PBS LearningMedia

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Travel underground for an up-close look at the ants, amoebas, and bacteria that maintain healthy soil. Glimpse this microscopic world and learn about the symbiotic relationship between fungi and tree roots.

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Annotated research papers and accompanying teacher materials.

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Annotated research papers and accompanying teaching materials

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Field Research with Cameras: Undercover in the Jungle

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Field Research with Cameras: Undercover in the Jungle

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Field Research with Cameras | Undercover in the Jungle | PBS LearningMedia

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Follow a team of naturalists on a mission to capture wildlife behavior in the Amazon Basin of Ecuador. In this video from NATURE: Undercover in the Jungle, scientists use a network of more than 50 remotely operated cameras. The cameras were placed at different levels and habitats of the forest in order to observe a variety of animal interactions. Learn about the work of naturalists, and how cameras can be a useful tool to help gain a better understanding of nature. Support materials include discussion questions, and a scientific observation activity.
For more resources from NATURE, check out the collection page.

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Customize 14,217+ Science Templates Online - Canva

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Browse our collection of Science templates and create a stunning design - even if you’re not a designer. Free to personalize.

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Document Analysis by the National Archives

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Document Analysis by the National Archives

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"Document analysis is the first step in working with primary sources. Teach your students to think through primary source documents for contextual understanding and to extract information to make informed judgments.

Use these worksheets — for photos, written documents, artifacts, posters, maps, cartoons, videos, and sound recordings — to teach your students the process of document analysis."

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Español
Document analysis is the first step in working with primary sources. Teach your students to think through primary source documents for contextual understanding and to extract information to make informed judgments.
Follow this progression:
Use these worksheets - for photos, written documents, artifacts, posters, maps, cartoons, videos, and sound recordings - to teach your students the process of document analysis.

Don't stop with document analysis though. Analysis is just the foundation. Move on to activities in which students use the primary sources as historical evidence, like on DocsTeach.org.

The first few times you ask students to work with primary sources, and whenever you have not worked with primary sources recently, model careful document analysis using the worksheets. Point out that the steps are the same each time, for every type of primary source:

1. Meet the document.

2. Observe its parts.

3. Try to make sense of it.

4. Use it as historical evidence.

Once students have become familiar with using the worksheets, direct them to analyze documents as a class or in groups without the worksheets, vocalizing the four steps as they go.

Eventually, students will internalize the procedure and be able to go through these four steps on their own every time they encounter a primary source document. Remind students to practice this same careful analysis with every primary source they see.

Worksheet for Understanding Perspective in Primary Sources - For All Students and Document Types

This tool helps students identify perspective in primary sources and understand how backgrounds, beliefs, and experiences shape point of view.

Former Worksheets

These worksheets were revised in February, 2017. Please let us know if you have feedback. If you prefer the previous version of the worksheets, you can download them below.

Materials created by the National Archives and Records Administration are in the public domain.

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Español Document analysis is the first step in working with primary sources. Teach your students to think through primary source documents for contextual understanding and to extract information to make informed judgments. Use these worksheets - for photos, written documents, artifacts, posters, maps, cartoons, videos, and sound recordings - to teach your students the process of document analysis.

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Sponsored by the National Archives

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Access thousands of primary sources - letters, photographs, speeches, posters, maps, videos, and other document types - spanning the course of American history. We're always adding more!

Borrow from an ever-expanding collection of document-based activities created by the National Archives, and teachers around the world. Copy and modify activities for your students.

Create your own activities using the online tools. It's as simple as: (1) selecting a tool, (2) choosing your primary sources, and (3) customizing instructions. Learn more >

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Access thousands of primary sources - letters, photographs, speeches, posters, maps, videos, and other document types - spanning the course of American history. We're always adding more! Borrow from an ever-expanding collection of document-based activities created by the National Archives, and teachers around the world. Copy and modify activities for your students.

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This section of the website is designed to enhance social studies curriculums by providing teachers with brief video clips of C-SPAN programming. You will find the clips separated into categories commonly studied in social studies curriculums. Each clip contains a brief summary, key vocabulary terms, and related discussion questions.

Bell ringers can be used to start class, as an in-class activity, or as a homework assignment to introduce a new topic. You can further explore a topic by using one of the activities on our C-SPAN Classroom Deliberations page with your students. However you use them, Bell Ringers will connect your students with real world examples of civics in action.

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This section of the website is designed to enhance social studies curriculums by providing teachers with brief video clips of C-SPAN programming. You will find the clips separated into categories commonly studied in social studies curriculums. Each clip contains a brief summary, key vocabulary terms, and related discussion questions.

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"Locate primary sources, including images, objects, media, and texts. Annotations by scholars contextualize sources."

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Browse Primary Sources | World History Commons

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Locate primary sources, including images, objects, media, and texts. Annotations by scholars contextualize sources.

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Protests and Riots in American History | An Educator’s Guide to Expanding Narratives about American History & Culture | PBS LearningMedia

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What distinguishes a riot from a protest? This resource set examines politically driven actions throughout history and invites conversation about when an event is deemed a protest, rally, uprising or riot, based on who is protesting and against what or whom.

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"A free online resource, featuring millions of pages of books and magazines from the histories of film, broadcasting, and recorded sound."

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Turn your Lantern searches into graphs and discover trends in media history.

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"New history videos released every week. Developed in partnership with The New York Historical Society, Smithsonian National Museum of American History, iCivics, White House Historical Association, American Battlefield Trust, the International Spy Museum and more"

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New history videos released every week. Developed in partnership with The New York Historical Society, Smithsonian National Museum of American History, iCivics, White House Historical Association, American Battlefield Trust, the International Spy Museum and more

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New history videos released every week. Developed in partnership with The New York Historical Society, Smithsonian National Museum of American History, iCivics, White House Historical Association, American Battlefield Trust, the International Spy Museum and more

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"Search millions of photographs from the LIFE photo archive, stretching from the 1750s to today. Most were never published and are now available for the first time through the joint work of LIFE and Google."

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Search millions of photographs from the LIFE photo archive, stretching from the 1750s to today. Most were never published and are now available for the first time through the joint work of LIFE and Google.

Search tip

Add "source:life" to any Google image search and search only the LIFE photo archive. For example: computer source:life

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Search millions of photographs from the LIFE photo archive, stretching from the 1750s to today. Most were never published and are now available for the first time through the joint work of LIFE and Google. Add "source:life" to any Google image search and search only the LIFE photo archive.

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Previously known as SHEG

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Your browser does not support the video tag.

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Blending images and writing prompts

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‣ A K1-k12 online teaching tool for literacy skills

‣ Easy to use, creative, interactive, and FREE 24/7

‣ Unique and Inspiring; using photography and keywords

‣ Global appeal & usage with multiple subjects

‣ High-quality, safe content for sharing

‣ Appropriate for all demographics

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‣ A K1-k12 online teaching tool for literacy skills ‣ Easy to use, creative, interactive, and FREE 24/7 ‣ Unique and Inspiring; using photography and keywords ‣ Global appeal & usage with multiple subjects ‣ High-quality, safe content for sharing ‣ Appropriate for all demographics

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"It’s Lit! is a series of smart, funny video essays about our favorite books and why we love to read. Hosted by Lindsay Ellis and Princess Weekes, the series delves into topics like the evolution of YA, how science fiction mirrors our own anxieties, and why the book is sometimes just a bit better than the movie."

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Skip to Main Content

It's Lit! is a series of smart, funny video essays from PBS Digital Studios. More More

It's Lit! is a series of smart, funny video essays from PBS Digital Studios about our favorite books and why we love to read. Hosted by Lindsay Ellis, the series delves into topics like the evolution of YA, how science fiction mirrors our own anxieties, and why the book is sometimes just a _bit_ better than the movie.

Made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Support for PBS.org provided by:

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It's Lit! is a series of smart, funny video essays from PBS Digital Studios about our favorite books and why we love to read. Hosted by Lindsay Ellis, the series delves into topics like the evolution of YA, how science fiction mirrors our own anxieties, and why the book is sometimes just a _bit_ better than the movie.

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MLA Style Center | MLA Style Center, the only authorized Web site on MLA style, provides free resources on research, writing, and documentation.

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MLA Style Center, the only authorized Web site on MLA style, provides free resources on research, writing, and documentation.

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Archive of Recorded Poetry and Literature

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Archive of Recorded Poetry and Literature

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Listen to audio-recorded readings of former Consultants in Poetry Elizabeth Bishop, Gwendolyn Brooks and Robert Frost; Nobel Laureates Mario Vargas Llosa and Czeslaw Milosz, and renowned writers such as Ray Bradbury, Margaret Atwood, and Kurt Vonnegut read from their work at the Library of Congress.

The Archive of Recorded Poetry and Literature at the Library of Congress dates back to 1943, when Allen Tate was Consultant in Poetry. It contains nearly two thousand recordings-of poets and prose writers participating in literary events at the Library's Capitol Hill campus as well as sessions at the Library's Recording Laboratory.

Most of these recordings are captured on magnetic tape reels, and only accessible at the Library itself. In digitizing the archive and presenting it online, the Library hopes to greatly broaden its use and value. The material featured on this online presentation represents a sample of this collection. The site will continue to provide additional items from this archive on a monthly basis over the next several years.

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About this Collection | Archive of Recorded Poetry and Literature | Digital Collections | Library of Congress

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Listen to audio-recorded readings of former Consultants in Poetry Elizabeth Bishop, Gwendolyn Brooks and Robert Frost; Nobel Laureates Mario Vargas Llosa and Czeslaw Milosz, and renowned writers such as Ray Bradbury, Margaret Atwood, and Kurt Vonnegut read from their work at the Library of Congress.

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For five years I’ve read classic novels of American life, and stories deeply embedded in the many regional places of the United States, with the intent of placing them—literally—on a map.

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Have you ever tasted an Arab taco?

When was the Arab taco invented?

What is shawarma?

Find it out

How are currency exchange rates determined?

What was the gold standard?

Which type of currency exchange rate system does the U.S. use?

Find it out
Which of the following is usually NOT a factor in determining currency exchange rates?

Test your knowledge

How can I use Wonderopolis?

What are the parts of a Wonder?

How do writers make a Wonder?

Find it out
Based on information from the Wonder, what was Lou Castro known for when he was alive?

Test your knowledge

What is an okapi?

Where do okapis live?

What do okapis eat?

Find it out

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Where the Wonders of Learning Never Cease | Wonderopolis

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Where the Wonders of Learning Never Cease

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Vocabulary Game for Students

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Knoword is the game-based learning platform that makes teaching easier and learning vocabulary almost too fun for words.

Effective teaching tools

The definitive vocabulary game for teachers
Knoword for teachers

Teaching can be challenging, and it's not always easy to create lesson plans that keep students engaged. That's where Knoword comes in. It turns learning words, terms, and definitions into a game that's not only fun and intuitive, but also completely customizable by teachers. Choose from thousands of pre-made word packs, or create your own. With Knoword, you'll have a powerful tool to help your students build their vocabulary skills while having fun!

Trusted by these educators

Word quizzes & course review

Packs and packs of fun

Knoword packs are like sets of interactive flash cards. Whether you're teaching biology terms, names of historical figures, capital cities, or movie titles, there's a pack for that. And if there isn't one, it's just as easy to create custom packs for your students to play and expand their vocabulary.

Browse packs

Browse packs by category

Study sets for every subject

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Find out how Knoword helps teachers create custom vocabulary exercises that help students learn while having fun. Knoword is the leading classroom word game.

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A great blog just for teachers.

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Graphic Organizers for Reading and Writing

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Graphic Organizers for Reading and Writing

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Our Favorite Graphic Organizers for Teaching Reading and Writing

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A logical fallacy is a flaw in reasoning. Logical fallacies are like tricks or illusions of thought, and they're often very sneakily used by politicians and the media to fool people. Don't be fooled! This website has been designed to help you identify and call out dodgy logic wherever it may raise its ugly, incoherent head.

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Mapping

We strive to map Indigenous territories, treaties, and languages across the world in a way that goes beyond colonial ways of thinking in order to better represent how Indigenous people want to see themselves.

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Native Land is a resource to learn more about Indigenous territories, languages, lands, and ways of life. We welcome you to our site.

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illustrate to educate politics "united states" technology science education school debates "political parties" democrat republican important ideologies histo...

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Hello! Welcome to Illustrate to Educate. This is the perfect place to watch simple and objective videos on topics that matter! Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHvGJ-eAV8krPgqofo65WYQ/join At Illustrate to Educate, it is my goal to make unbiased videos that are easy to understand with colorful illustrations and diagrams to clear up confusing concepts and events.

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Step-by-step

We make it easy to learn how to make anything, one step at a time. From the stovetop to the workshop, you are sure to be inspired by the awesome projects that are shared everyday.

Made By You

Instructables are created by you. No matter who you are, we all have secret skills to share. Come join our community of curious makers, innovators, teachers, and life long learners who love to share what they make.

A Happy Place

Making things makes people happy. We can't prove it, but we know it to be true. Find your happy place, and join one of the friendliest online communities anywhere.

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Instructables is a community for people who like to make things. Come explore, share, and make your next project with us!

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"What do you want to do when you grow up?" It's a huge question-and one that leaves many high school students feeling overwhelmed. In fact, a recent survey found that only 51% of students feel prepared for life after high school ¹. Whether they're wondering what they're good at, what they enjoy, or even what their parents expect, it can all feel like a lot to figure out.

That's why the Teach Britannica team has developed a brand-new series of High School Career Exploration lesson minis. These bite-sized resources are designed to inspire students, build confidence, and help them take clear, actionable steps toward their future-all while making career exploration feel a little less daunting.

Teach Britannica is our open-access resource hub created by educators for educators. Its high-quality materials are designed to save you time, streamline lesson planning, and engage students, like those looking into career planning!

Helping Students Spark Career Interest

These Teach Britannica lessons align with the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National Standards for Career Development, making it easy for school counselors to incorporate any or all of the lessons into their programs. These ASCA standards aim to equip students with the skills, knowledge, and mindset needed for a smooth transition from school to the workforce-and that's exactly the kind of support Britannica Education strives to provide.

Here's a snippet of what you'll find over in Teach Britannica:

Know Yourself, Know Your Path

ASCA Standards Met:

C:A1.3 Develop an awareness of personal abilities, skills, interests and motivations

C:B1.2 Identify personal skills, interests and abilities and relate them to current career choice

C:C1.3 Identify personal preferences and interests influencing career choice and success

Overview: In this lesson mini, students explore their strengths, skills, and interests through fun and interactive assessment tools. They will connect their personal traits to potential career paths and gain valuable insight into their strengths and areas for growth by interviewing their peers.
Activities:

1. Skills & Strengths Self-Assessment - Take an engaging quiz or survey to discover personal skills, passions, and interests.

2. Values Vision Board - Create a digital or physical vision board that represents core values, lifestyle goals, and dream careers, helping to visualize what success looks like.

3. Peer Strengths Interview - Pair up with a classmate to interview each other about your skills and strengths. Find a fresh outlook on your abilities by sharing feedback and insights with others.

4. Personal Growth Journal - Reflect on the discoveries made during the activities and write a journal entry connecting them to possible career paths or future goals.

Mapping Your Future Career

ASCA Standards Met:

C:A1.1 Develop skills to locate, evaluate and interpret career information

C:A1.2 Learn about the variety of traditional and nontraditional occupations

C:B1.7 Describe traditional and nontraditional career choices and how they relate to career choice

C:B1.8 Understand how changing economic and societal needs influence employment trends and future training

Overview: In this lesson mini, students will dive into researching different careers, exploring both traditional and emerging paths. They'll investigate how today's job market is changing and growing-and what that means for their future work. The lesson will also cover job market trends, salaries, and in-demand skills, key insights for finding success.
Activities:

1. Researching Careers - Dive into researching different careers, exploring both traditional and new career paths. Look at how today's job market is changing and what that means for future careers.

2. Workplace Trends Exploration - Work in small groups to explore current workplace trends. Then, present your findings to the class about how these trends might affect jobs in the future.

3. Career Path Interview - Interview someone working in a career that interests you. Learn what their job is really like, what skills they need, and how they got there.

4. Future Jobs Project - In teams, research new and emerging careers. After, create a presentation on jobs that might exist 10 years from now and what they could look like.

Supercharge Career Strategy

Plus, you can find even more practical career prep lesson minis in Teach Britannica, such as:

Notice the trend? These resources guide students through the career discovery process step by step-starting with self-exploration, moving into career research, and ending with practical skill development. This approach makes career planning feel manageable, actionable, and exciting!

And here's the best part: "What do you want to be when you grow up?" doesn't have to have a final answer! Career paths evolve, and Teach Britannica helps students develop the tools to navigate those changes with confidence.

¹Walton Family Foundation-Gallup. Voices of Gen Z Study: Year 2 Annual Survey Report. 2024.

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Half of High Schoolers Feel Unprepared for Life After Graduation-Let's Change That! " Britannica

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Teach Britannica has developed a new series of High School Career Exploration lesson minis designed to inspire students and build confidence.

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Free Video Activities for Class TODAY

Save yourself some time and frustration. Get 14 activities you can copy and assign to your students right away in our Teaching with TEACHFLIX ebook !

BONUS: You'll get FREE teaching ideas in your inbox every week.

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TEACHFLIX - A curated collection of videos for the classroom.

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Free Video Activities for Class TODAY Save yourself some time and frustration. Get 14 activities you can copy and assign to your students right away in our Teaching with TEACHFLIX ebook ! BONUS: You'll get FREE teaching ideas in your inbox every week.

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Norman Rockwell's Museum Virtual Field Trips

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Norman Rockwell's Museum Virtual Field Trips

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We are thrilled to have created our virtual museum that collect related images, photography, video, audio and history relating to the Museum’s collection.

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Diverse BookFinder | Identify & Explore Multicultural Picture Books

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Are you looking for multicultural children’s books? We’ve got you covered! You can search our circulating collection of picture books (2002-present), explore our quick lists, then borrow our books from your own library through interlibrary loan. We believe that too many children are left out of main…

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See Ms. Ledford for free access to all of these great books!

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Open eBooks has elementary, middle, and high school collections. See some of our most popular titles below.

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Find new stories that will transport you to fantastic places, or dive deeper into stories close to home that you won't forget.

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Open eBooks | Books for Free. Read for Fun.

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Open eBooks gives access to 1000s of free ebooks for K-12 students from participating schools. Find out how to get started.

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Here's what's happened over the last 28 days. More recent changes.

About the Project

Open Library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published. More

Just like Wikipedia, you can contribute new information or corrections to the catalog. You can browse by subjects, authors or lists members have created. If you love books, why not help build a library?

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Open Library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published. Read, borrow, and discover more than 3M books for free.

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Smithsonian

Learning Lab

Discover the digital education platform that connects people to Smithsonian objects, resources, and stories.

Collections by Grade

Explore some of our most popular Learning Lab Collections. Use them as a springboard to continue your exploration of the many collections available on the site.

Talk with Me!
Learn about your community and neighborhood. In this Toolkit, leaners explore different homes, shops, and people in your neighborhood and have fun with related activities.

Talk with Me Toolkits provide you with chances to talk with your children to improve thinking, vocabulary, and language development. Talking with your child is great-and research shows that the quality of words children hear matters more than how much you talk.

Talk with Me Toolkits give you ideas to begin conversations that are organized around a theme. The Toolkits feature videos, photographs, paintings, and artworks along with questions to talk about with your child. At the end of each toolkit there are more activities to do and books to read together. Go through this toolkit with your child and see how many topics there are to talk about!
This toolkit was adapted with a grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services.

Links to third-party websites and videos are included in this Toolkit for informational purposes only. They do not indicate the Smithsonian's endorsement, sponsorship of, or affiliation with the third party or content of the linked site, including any advertisements that might be posted.

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Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

What inspires you? Get to know Alma Thomas, (b. Columbus, Georgia; lived and worked in Washington, DC, 1891-1978), an American artist and educator known for her signature painting style using bright colors and patterns inspired by nature. She became a full-time artist late in her life. Born in a time of horses and buggies, she lived through big advancements in technology, such as the space race and moon landing. Her art was inspired by the nature she saw outside her home studio, and awe for the exploration of our vast universe.
Get To Know Alma Thomas Use it in the classroom to teach:
is part of the Hirshhorn KIDS About the Artist series. About the Artist biographies are designed for kids under age 12. Modern and contemporary artists' lives reflect recent human history and events. Sharing these life stories and artworks can help kids see their own potential and better understand the world and their place in it. It is our goal to inspire future generations of artists, makers, and creative problem solvers-sharing artists stories is one way Hirshhorn KIDS realize this goal.
Art classroom: Color Theory, Pattern

Language Arts classroom: Biography

Social Studies classroom: 20th century

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National Museum of American History

In this playlist you will learn about how three of the first presidents shaped the executive branch of the United States government.

Start by clicking on the first tile in the upper left hand corner. Then move through the playlist by clicking on the ">" symbol at the bottom of the page. Look for the information and paperclip icons to provide more information about selected resources. There are 34 tiles in this collection.

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Educator Programs

Cultivating Learning is a professional development series where Smithsonian educators model teaching techniques for using digital museum resources to support student learning. This year's series celebrates America at 250. Programs are free and accessible to anyone.

Wednesday, April 15, 4:00 PM EST

Join Phoebe Sherman of the National Postal Museum to explore how postage stamps can be used in the classroom to encourage civic awareness and engagement. We'll examine how stamps can spark curiosity and deepen understanding of civics, American history, national identity, and commemoration by using thinking routines that focus on both subject matter and artistic design. You'll see how these approaches come to life with students and leave with classroom-ready resources and fresh ideas for incorporating postage stamps into your teaching practice.

Watch

Wednesday, May 20, 4:00 PM EST

Join Nyssa Buning of the National Museum of American History's Spark!Lab and Carol O'Donnell of the Smithsonian Science Education Center to explore strategies for cultivating an inventive mindset in your students. We'll discuss the history of STEAM innovation in America and try an open-ended invention challenge that uses object-based learning techniques to encourage creative problem solving and support curiosity and perseverance, skills essential to inventors throughout history. You'll leave with a set of facilitation tools to support students as they develop their own inventive identity and become future problem-solvers. You'll also receive access to a newly released e-book from the Smithsonian Science Education Center, STEAM Innovation: Celebrating Our Nation's 250 Years.

Register

Wednesday, June 17, 4:00 PM EST

As America turns 250 in 2026, young people are writing its next chapter. Join a group of educators who apply interdisciplinary approaches to learning to engage young people in civic dialogue tied to their communities.

Register

What will you find in the Smithsonian Learning Lab?

Resources

Millions of Smithsonian digital images, recordings, texts, and videos in history, art and culture, and the sciences

Collections

Thousands of examples of resources organized and structured for teaching and learning by educators and subject experts

Resources

Millions of Smithsonian digital images, recordings, texts, and videos in history, art and culture, and the sciences

Collections

Thousands of examples of resources organized and structured for teaching and learning by educators and subject experts

Browse individual resources by type

Browse model collections on different topics

Tips

Tips

Create collections of resources to engage learners, or freely adapt ones already made by Learning Lab users like you.

Use Learning Lab tools to customize and enhance your collections.

Browse ready-to-use model collections by educational use

Browse ready-to-use model collections by learning strategy or theme

Tips

Tips

Subscribe to our Bright Ideas newsletter

To learn more about the Smithsonian Learning Lab and to read about strategies, approaches, new features, and more, subscribe to the Bright Ideas newsletter. We'll be sending out a new issue every few weeks.

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Smithsonian Learning Lab: Discover, Create, Share

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Smithsonian Learning Lab Discover the digital education platform that connects people to Smithsonian objects, resources, and stories. Explore some of our most popular Learning Lab Collections. Use them as a springboard to continue your exploration of the many collections available on the site. Talk with Me! Learn about your community and neighborhood.

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Bring TED-Ed Student Talks to Your School

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Transform your classroom with TED-Ed! Discover hundreds of animated lessons, create customized lessons, and inspire your students to share their big ideas.

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Activities for students and lesson plan ideas based on Times articles, photos, videos and graphs.

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FREE Digital Escape Rooms

We hope you and your students enjoy these FREE digital escape rooms! Below you will find links to each escape room along with the locks, answers and explanations.

If you and your students are new to digital escape rooms it might be fun to try one out as a class so that you can experience it together. After that, you can assign these escape rooms to your students in groups or individually by giving them the direct link to the digital escape room (they don't need a special copy). Click on the images for links to the escape rooms.

Here are couple of tips to help you and your students feel successful:

Take a look at what lock combinations you are looking for first.

Share the link to the escape room with students, but don't share this teacher pack!

Click everywhere, clues could be hidden inside of text, hyperlinked in an image or multiple links could be hidden inside of an interactive slide or picture.

Don't give up. It's supposed to be challenging! Those answers are there for you in case you need to give little hints though.

Watch this quick video overview of our Halloween Haunt Digital Escape Room to see what a digital escape room looks like.

You will notice that many of these escape rooms are created with Google and Microsoft tools. Some school/districts block Google sites created outside of their domain. However, the escape rooms created with Microsoft tools seem to work.

Still have questions? Take a look at our digital escape rooms FAQs page for answers to our most common questions and if you still have questions email Karly at social@ditchthattextbook.com.

🚀 Take learning to a whole NEW level 🚀

with the Getting Started with Digital Escape Rooms Online Course!

You'll get:
🔐 Video tutorials to guide you in getting started

🔐 PDF guides to help you plan

🔐 LOTS of example escape room ideas you can use as inspiration

🔐 25 digital escape rooms with lock combinations and companion resources in a downloadable PDF

🔐 A step-by-step companion website with templates to help you and your students create your own digital escape rooms

🔐 A resource locker FILLED with BONUS resources

Digital Escape Room Teacher Pack

Digital escape rooms bring the excitement of hunting for clues and the joy of solving puzzles right to your student's devices. Here are over 40 digital escape rooms to try plus resources for creating them yourself!

Upcoming Speaking

There are no upcoming events.

©2024 Ditch That Textbook by Matt Miller.

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FREE Digital Escape RoomsWe hope you and your students enjoy these FREE digital escape rooms! Below you will find links to each escape room along

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Engage with National Geographic Explorers and transform learning experiences through live events, free maps, videos, interactives, and other resources.

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PBS LearningMedia | Teaching Resources For Students And Teachers

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Inspire your students with thousands of free teaching resources including videos, lesson plans, and games aligned to state and national standards.

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Make sure you create accounts as teachers so you get the free educational experience. Your students know how to use Canva, too!

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Canva is a free-to-use online graphic design tool. Use it to create social media posts, presentations, posters, videos, logos and more.

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Padlet is what these resources are displayed from. Teacher accounts available-- see Ms. Ledford

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Have students create their own digital and interactive eBook. See Ms. Ledford for premium teacher accounts.

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Resources for teachers - Book Creator app

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Browse through the most extensive library of Book Creator resources on the web. Ideal for teachers using the app in their classroom.

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Brought to you by RetroReport

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Use the Internet to Check the Internet - Retro Report

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Retro Report is an independent, nonprofit newsroom creating trusted documentary videos and classroom resources.

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Real world examples taken from real social media content. This is harder than it looks!

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A troll is a fake social media account, often created to spread misleading information.

Each of the following 8 profiles include a brief selection of posts from a single social media account. You decide if each is an authentic account or a professional troll. After each profile, you'll review the signs that can help you determine if it's a troll or not.

Click Profile 1 to get started, or visit the sections below to learn more.

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Welcome to the Spot the Troll Disinformation Quiz

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Each of the following 8 profiles include a brief selection of posts from a single social media account. You decide if each is an authentic account or a professional troll. After each profile, you'll review the signs that can help you determine if it's a troll or not.

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Compiled by Mike Caufield, a leading expert in teaching of lateral reading

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Web Literacy for Student Fact-Checkers - Simple Book Publishing

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Web Literacy for Student Fact-Checkers by Michael A. Caulfield is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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See where popular and not so popular news outlets tend to lean-- from the far right to the far left-- all in a visual format.

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-42.0-30.0-18.0-12.0-6.00.06.012.018.030.042.0Most Extreme LeftHyper-Partisan LeftStrong LeftSkews LeftMiddle or Balanced BiasSkews RightStrong RightHyper-Partisan RightMost Extreme Right0.08.016.024.032.040.048.056.064.0ContainsInaccurate /Fabricated InfoContainsMisleading InfoSelective orIncomplete /Unfair PersuasionOpinion or WideVariation inReliabilityAnalysis or WideVariation inReliabilityMix of FactReporting andAnalysis orSimple FactReportingThorough FactReporting orFact-DenseAnalysisOriginal FactReporting, HighEffort* Audience Size is provided by Comscore Media Metrix® Multi-Platform and represents an unduplicated measure of digital audiences across desktop and mobile devices.Comscore audience size is visible on a limited number of sources on this free version. Use of Comscore data is subject to theirTerms of UseandProduct Terms. To see Comscore audience data for all available news sources, learn aboutupgrading to ProMedia Bias Chart® Licensed Copy. Copyright © Ad Fontes Media, Inc 2025

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"Students are confused about how to evaluate online information. We all are. The COR curriculum provides free lessons and assessments that help you teach students to evaluate online information that affects them, their communities, and the world."

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Free lessons and assessments that help you teach students to evaluate online information that affects them, their communities, and the world.

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Credibility Challenge Activity from the Annenberg Foundation.

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The Credibility Challenge - Annenberg Classroom

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The Internet can be a rich and valuable source of information - and an even richer source of misinformation. Sorting out the valuable claims from the worthless ones is tricky, since at first glance a Web site written by an expert can look a lot like one written by your next-door neighbor.

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Checkology-- Media Literacy student platform-- district approved for Eng & Social Science

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Checkology-- Media Literacy student platform-- district approved for Eng & Social Science

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Checkology is a free e-learning platform with engaging, authoritative lessons on subjects like news media bias, misinformation, conspiratorial thinking and more. Learners develop the ability to identify credible information, seek out reliable sources and apply critical thinking skills to separate fact-based content from falsehoods.

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Explores the credibility of news stories around the nation that have gone viral. Great at providing examples of misinformation.

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RumorGuard from the News Literacy Project

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Helping you determine the credibility of info found online

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"News literacy is the ability to determine the credibility of news and other information and to recognize the standards of fact-based journalism to know what to trust, share and act on.

The News Literacy Project, a nonpartisan education nonprofit founded in 2008, is building a national movement to create systemic change in American education to ensure all students are skilled in news literacy before they graduate high school, giving them the knowledge and ability to participate in civic society as well-informed, critical thinkers."

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The News Literacy Project works with educators and journalists to give students the skills they need to discern fact from fiction and to know what to trust.

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Online brain games for teachers and students. No accounts necessary.

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A fun place for quick brain boosts, daily laughs, and engaging challenges!

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Student Ready Resources for "literally anything"... books, Texts, PDFs, YouTube Links, Vocabulary, etc.

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"PBS News Hour Classroom helps teachers and students identify the who, what, when, where, and why it matters of news stories" Great resource for exploring current events.

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PBS News Hour Classroom | PBS LearningMedia

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PBS News Hour Classroom helps teachers and students identify the who, what, when, where, and why-it-matters of news stories. In partnership with PBS LearningMedia, we are proud to bring you Daily News Lessons, which take the best of the PBS News Hour and pairs it with discussion questions, lesson plans, and stories developed specifically for students.

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Google's AI Gemini latest feature-- Gems

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Google's AI Gemini latest feature-- Gems

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Gems are customized and saved prompts that you can use with Gemini (Google's version of ChatGPT) Great time saver for lesson plans!

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Using Gemini “Gems” to write lesson plans

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Gemini Gems can speed up and personalize the responses you get from the Gemini chat bot. Here’s how to get access and create your first Gem!

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Hexagon templates and lesson plans provided. Use for review sessions, group work, formative assessments, project based learning, literature analysis, science connections, history webs, and more.

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Hexagonal thinking: Creating connections in the classroom

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If you’re looking for a way to get your students to make meaningful connections and have deep, thoughtful discussions, then hexagonal thinking might just

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Creative 100 Days of School Project Ideas - Class Tech Tips

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Inspire creativity and critical thinking with nine tech-friendly 100 Days of School project ideas for your K-12 classroom.

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Goal Setting Worksheet Ideas for Any Time of Year - Class Tech Tips

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Help students set meaningful goals with these tips and goal setting worksheet ideas! Discover tips for customizing and tools to get started.

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"You can use this simple protocol as a bell ringer or exit ticket. It has three parts:

Now: Something they've learned recently
Then: Something they learned not too long ago
Way Back: Something they learned a while ago

The teacher can choose the topics, or the students can. The topics can all be related to something students are learning right now, or they can be completely separate. Students recall three things in each category."

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You can use this simple protocol as a bell ringer or exit ticket. It has three parts: Now: Something they’ve learned recentlyThen: Something they learned

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Spotify Wrapped-style learning: Free template + class activities

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It’s that special time at the end of the year that your students anticipate excitedly ...Winter break? Christmas? New Year’s Eve?Please. 🤦🏻‍♂️It’s the

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Short, simple articles written about science related topics. Great for getting students familiar with topics before broader research projects.

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Want to know why giant ships can float, how your earbuds make music, what graphene is, or how windows can clean themselves? You've come to the right place! Here you'll find simple explanations you can really understand-hurrah!

Hard stuff... made simple!

Explain that Stuff is an online book written by science writer Chris Woodford (author of many popular science books for adults and children). It includes over 400 easy-to-understand articles, richly illustrated with over 4000 photos, artworks, and animations, covering how things work, cutting-edge science, cool gadgets, and computers. We take the "pain" from explain and the "tough" out of stuff! There's more information on this website than in your average expensive science book, it's continually updated, and it's completely free to use! Explain that Stuff also helps to support curriculum learning (conventional STEM education and home-schooling).

How to use this site

There are five simple ways to find what you want:

1. A-Z index: Browse articles by name.

2. Timeline: Find inventions by date.

3. Random: Discover something new.

4. Search: Use the search engine.

5. Teaching guide: Browse study topics.

What's hot in October 2023?

Our simple introductions explain the science behind the headlines. In the news now...

What's new?

Some of our latest articles...

From atoms and cells to nuclear power plants and the human brain, the scope of science is truly amazing. But what exactly is the scientific method... and why is it still our best hope for making sense of the world?

Most popular

These are some more of our classic, ever-popular articles:

What else is on our site?

The articles on our site are divided up into broad topical areas, listed below. We've also given you a rough idea of the kind of questions you're going to find answers to in each section:

Who uses this site?

In the ~17 years we've been online (2006-2023), pages from this site have been viewed over 140 million times in total. Our articles have been cited by dozens of books and over 2000 academic papers and patents. We've received over 4000 user feedback forms in the last decade and 92% gave us four or five stars out of five-a weighted average of 4.6-but there's always plenty of room to do better. We hope you find this site useful too!

Follow us on your favorite sites!

Now you've found us, don't lose us. Why not join our friendly Facebook page, where we post cool science and technology news? You'll find our photos on Flickr and we're also on Pinterest.

Tell your friends

If you've enjoyed this website, please kindly tell your friends about us on your favorite social sites.

Press CTRL + D to bookmark this page for later, or email the link to a friend.

Privacy and cookies

Our website serves advertisements to pay its running costs. The advertisers we work with use a technical mechanism called cookies (small files stored on your computer) to help them serve relevant and useful advertisements that they think are likely to appeal to you, but you can opt in or out of these cookies at any time. The web domain explainthatstuff.com does not collect, store, sell, or share any personal information and has no plans ever to do so in the future. However, in line with the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), you may still send us a "Do Not Sell My Personal Information" request if you'd like to. For more details, please see our privacy policy.
This page last updated: October 20, 2023.
Please do NOT copy our articles onto blogs and other websites

Articles from this website are registered at the US Copyright Office. Copying or otherwise using registered works without permission, removing this or other copyright notices, and/or infringing related rights could make you liable to severe civil or criminal penalties.

Text on this website is copyright © Chris Woodford with copyright dates as noted in each individual article. All rights reserved. Full copyright notice and terms of use.

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Explain that stuff! Science and technology made simple

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A collection of FREE, easy-to-understand science, technology, and how-it-works articles for the whole family!

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Retro Report - A documentary news organization dedicated to examining stories after their headlines fade (new design) - Retro Report

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We're an independent, non-profit newsroom creating trusted documentary videos and classroom resources.

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Mission US: Learn about events in history through these interactive "missions"

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Play Mission Us

1848 the antebellum era

Flight to Freedom

Teach mission us

Mission US includes extensive teaching materials for each mission. The educator guides feature:

What people are saying about Mission US

About mission us

Mission US is an award-winning educational media project that immerses young people in transformational moments from U.S. history.

Developed for use by middle school students in the classroom and beyond, Mission US is a deeply-researched, award-winning educational media project with proven positive impact on history learning. To date, more than three million registered users across the country have played and learned from Mission US.

Mission US is committed to teaching complicated and sensitive topics in American history. We recommend that teachers/parents preview game content to make sure it is appropriate for their students/children.

Go to about

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Play Mission Us 1848 the antebellum era Teach mission us Mission US includes extensive teaching materials for each mission. The educator guides feature: What people are saying about Mission US About mission us Mission US is an award-winning educational media project that immerses young people in transformational moments from U.S.