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WordsLiive - Sage Salvo
Grades
7 to 12
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WordsLiive is a lesson building tool that combines anchor texts with literary concepts and matching popular music videos. Follow the steps to build a lesson - final lessons include...more
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WordsLiive is a lesson building tool that combines anchor texts with literary concepts and matching popular music videos. Follow the steps to build a lesson - final lessons include teaching notes, slides, and standards-aligned assessments. Begin building your lesson with a classroom text or literary concepts. Use the search feature to find titles and authors. When complete, save to your account and access the finished product at any time. Lessons build into prepared slides to share on your interactive whiteboard. WordsLiive uses the "clean" version of included songs and music by removing questionable language. Some videos still include suggestive content, be sure to preview all videos and song lyrics found in lessons you create.
tag(s): literary devices (13), vocabulary (314)
In the Classroom
Use WordsLiive to build engaging literature lessons that appeal to students through the use of music they enjoy. After creating and sharing a lesson, use it as a model for students to find their own examples of literary features found in music and poetry. Upon completion of your unit, make a class book featuring music matched to literacy concepts using Book Creator, reviewed here. Book Creator allows students to combine their books for a class book. It includes many tools for creating online digital books that include images, videos, and more. Consider working together with your school's music teacher to create a cross-curricular unit featuring music and literacy concepts.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Woo! Kids Activities - woojr.com
Grades
K to 6
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Find crafts, activities, and printables for kids at Woo! Search for materials by holiday, age group, or by using the keyword search bar. Resources just for teachers include lesson plans,...more
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Find crafts, activities, and printables for kids at Woo! Search for materials by holiday, age group, or by using the keyword search bar. Resources just for teachers include lesson plans, templates, and poetry starters. Be sure to check out the recipe section for snack ideas and kid-friendly meal suggestions. This site does include some distracting advertisements.
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This site includes advertising.
tag(s): holidays (136), poetry (221), preK (284), worksheets (62)
In the Classroom
Use Woo! as a starting point for lesson ideas and activities, then go beyond worksheets to challenge your students. Ask your students to create their own templates and review materials using Google Documents. Incorporate game-play into your lessons using Bamboozle, reviewed here. Baamboozle is a quick and easy game creation tool that creates multiple types of games for two teams. Incorporate questions into videos using Playposit, reviewed here. Students and teachers can comment and add responses directly into this video resource.
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WordClouds - wordclouds.com
Grades
2 to 12
4 Favorites
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WordClouds generates custom word clouds using your text. Create using their "wizard" with step-by-step directions to add documents or text and personalize features. Another option is...more
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WordClouds generates custom word clouds using your text. Create using their "wizard" with step-by-step directions to add documents or text and personalize features. Another option is to use the dashboard at the top of the page to add and customize the look of your word cloud. Choose colors, type of display, and font. The most frequent words appear larger and darker. When finished, select file to save in your choice of format or share online.
tag(s): editing (75), proofreading (25), speech (87), vocabulary (314), word choice (28), word clouds (11)
In the Classroom
WordClouds is a terrific visual tool to share on an interactive whiteboard or with a projector. Paste in a passage or URL for a political speech to visualize the politician's "message." Analyze advertising propaganda by visualizing the language used in TV or print ads. Create word clouds of historical texts of inauguration speeches as time capsules of the issues of the day. Use this site as a way to help students see and memorize text, especially visual learners. Use it also when writing poetry or reading passages of great literature to "see" themes and motifs of repeated words and images. Have students paste in their own writing to spot repeated (and monotonous) language when teaching lessons on word choice. Students will be surprised to see what words appear to be dominant. ESL and ELL students will eagerly use this site since word order will no longer be a problem for them. Have students work in groups to create word posters of vocabulary words with related meanings, such as different ways to say "walk" or "said" and decorate your classroom with these visual reminders of the richness of language.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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USA Gold - Scholastic and USA Gold Pencils
Grades
K to 6
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Celebrate poetry with quick and easy ideas found at the Writing Activity Library from USA Gold and Scholastic. Also, watch for contests and new writing activities added throughout the...more
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Celebrate poetry with quick and easy ideas found at the Writing Activity Library from USA Gold and Scholastic. Also, watch for contests and new writing activities added throughout the year. Choose the Teacher's Guide for a printable with lesson ideas for students in grades 1-6 that promote poetry writing skills and vocabulary development.
tag(s): narrative (19), poetry (221), vocabulary development (119)
In the Classroom
Share this site with an interactive whiteboard or projector, then provide resources at a learning center for poetry writing. Encourage students to submit entries to contests when available! Have students or groups brainstorm ideas for poems using Padlet, reviewed here. The Padlet application creates free online bulletin boards. After creating poetry, have students create a word cloud of their poem using a tool such as Wordle, reviewed here, or Word It Out, reviewed here. Create a class poetry book using Ourboox, reviewed here. Ourboox creates beautiful page-flipping digital books in minutes, and you can embed video, music, animation, games, maps and more.
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Conquer Common Core - Scholastic Inc
Grades
K to 12
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See these free Common Core resources and materials, sample lesson plans, and book lists to help you implement the Common Core Standards with success! English Language Arts, Math, Social...more
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See these free Common Core resources and materials, sample lesson plans, and book lists to help you implement the Common Core Standards with success! English Language Arts, Math, Social Studies, and Science lesson plans span K-12. Detailed plans include teaching nonfiction within integrated content areas. Find detailed book lists by grade level, literature titles, or professional development areas. News and Resources include articles describing a variety of concerns teachers face in today's classroom including, using one iPad in a classroom, reaching every reader, math Common Core tips, and much more. Get answers to some frequently asked questions involving Common Core. Get back to the basics of Common Core through the explanatory sites. Expert videos highlight important aspects of using Common Core Standards. The Editor's Corner gives full units that span the range of the grades with titles such as War Stories, Poetry; Explore the Power of Words, and Life, Death, and Stories in Between. Still have a burning question? Submit your question and get an emailed response. Join the conversation with educators discussing different aspects of Common Core. A parent Common Core Area uses the Common Core Basics, News and Resources, and a list of books to use by grade level. The videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable. You could always view the videos at home and bring them to class "on a stick" to share. Use a tool such as ClipGrab, reviewed here, to download the videos from YouTube.
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tag(s): assessment (117), commoncore (89), questioning (36), test prep (95), writing (363)
In the Classroom
Bookmark this site on your computer! Find answers to all of your questions with resources to challenge your students. Share in your professional learning communities with a different area each meeting. Document your professional development growth for your evaluation. Need to explain Common Core to parents? Begin here!
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Incredibox - So Far So Good
Grades
K to 12
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Create your own unique musical compositions with Incredibox. Express your inner musician with this simple way of creating personal musical masterpieces. Choose from one of the four...more
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Create your own unique musical compositions with Incredibox. Express your inner musician with this simple way of creating personal musical masterpieces. Choose from one of the four versions, version 4 is more recent, and easier to use and understand. Simply drag and drop to add beats, melodies, a chorus, and special effects to create a musical creation. When finished add clothing and hats to characters and bring your entire composition to life! Available on the web and as an iOS app.
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tag(s): musical instruments (52), rhythm (21)
In the Classroom
Use Incredibox as a great warm-up activity for a choir, band, or any sort of music appreciation class. As part of music class lessons, discuss the different elements in compositions. Use in any class as background music for podcasts, movies, PowerPoints, or blogs. Highlight and honor the musical geniuses in your classroom with this easy tool. Allow your learning support students instant success while challenging gifted students to create the perfect piece. Use in writing class to create mood. Play a composition as background while reading poetry or doing artwork. Help students memorize mnemonics by accompanying them with an audio track a la rap. Use music tracks as a writing prompt and enjoy the fun.Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes Interaction w general public/ public galleries with unmoderated content
Includes social features, such as "friends," comments, ratings by others
Products can be shared by URL
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PBS Newshour Extra - PBS NewsHour Productions LLC
Grades
7 to 12
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Find news and resources for grades 7-12 at PBS Newshour Extra. Search the site by Subject Area, Videos, Arts and Media, Science, and more. Explore news articles written for students...more
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Find news and resources for grades 7-12 at PBS Newshour Extra. Search the site by Subject Area, Videos, Arts and Media, Science, and more. Explore news articles written for students with the background and context needed to understand complex topics. The Daily Videos are ad-free and have related stories along the right side of the page. Read the current events news stories and follow the Extra Twitter feed. Don't miss the many free lesson plans including current events, American history, health, government, holidays, and more. Lesson plans are all aligned to the Common Core standards. Lesson plan topics vary from "Personal reflections on the poetry of Maya Angelou" to "Selma to Montgomery: An introduction to the 1965 marches" and countless others! Look for the Student Voices and Student Reporting Labs for those who would like to be published or to help a local PBS station produce the news.
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This site includes advertising.
tag(s): civil rights (121), elections (73), holocaust (41), memorial day (13), news (258), poetry (221), video (272), women (96)
In the Classroom
Watch the news together on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Allow students to watch independently on laptops or at a learning station. Use any video or article as a current events writing prompt. Challenge students to create blog posts about them. If you are beginning the process of integrating technology, have students create blogs sharing their learning and understanding using Pen.io, reviewed here. This blog creator requires no registration. Don't forget the many free lesson plans (already aligned to Common Core standards). Click on the Lesson Plans link to explore the countless topics available (Poetry, Veterans, Elections, Ebola, Civil Rights, and more). For articles and videos about conflicts and tension, you might want to have your students engage in a debate using a tool such as Virtual Debate, reviewed here, which has online examples and resources for conducting virtual debates. Keep your class up-to-date on the news using this site. Provide this link on your class website for students (and families) to access both in and out of your classroom.
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Ed on the Web for Owls - Maggie Humphreys and Les Snowdon.
Grades
2 to 6
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Ed on the Web is an online reading club for children ages 7 to 12. Every month features recently published books with reviews, reading activities, and author interviews. Scroll down...more
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Ed on the Web is an online reading club for children ages 7 to 12. Every month features recently published books with reviews, reading activities, and author interviews. Scroll down to Edtime Stories to explore Edventures of Ed and the Magic Computer, Meet the Boggles, the HippopotaPuss, and many more intriguing characters. Inside Ed's Word Zone, explore poetry, spelling, a storywriter, vocabulary builders, and word searches. The Ed Files include interactive teaching and learning in English, Math and Science. Try the quizzes in different categories: Countries, Environment, History, Food, Music and Theater, and Ed's Quiz of the Month. In the art room, design bookmarks, "edcards", or color in pages of Ed relaxing. Note: spelling on this site is from the UK!
tag(s): guided reading (47), independent reading (127), literacy (105), reading lists (78)
In the Classroom
Imagine the excitement of featuring new books on your interactive whiteboard or projector every month with your students. Use the suggested reading activities during learning centers. Begin a lesson on book reviews and bring it to an all-new level. Investigate and share the archives of reviewed books when students ask what they should read next. Start following Ed in his Edventures and rewrite them with Ed visiting new places your students want him to visit. Also share the games and author interviews, or visit the art room. Start your own class blog with children suggesting their favorite book in a book review format. Link the blog on your class website so families can follow the class favorites. Haven't started blogging yet? Check out TeachersFirst's Blog Basics. Have students create their own reading activities as part of a formative or summative assessment. Challenge students to pair a nonfiction book with the book featured.
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Poetry Writing with Jack Prelutsky - Scholastic
Grades
2 to 8
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Write a poem using Jack Prelutsky's guidance and tips for writing and editing poetry. Gain confidence and success with writing poetry. When finished, post your poem online! ...more
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Write a poem using Jack Prelutsky's guidance and tips for writing and editing poetry. Gain confidence and success with writing poetry. When finished, post your poem online!
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tag(s): poetry (221)
In the Classroom
Start your language arts lesson with Jack Prelutsky by reading the poem "Louder Than a Clap of Thunder," featured in this lesson. If you have access to his books, put them out on desks/tables and have students look through and read a poem out loud for their group. After this introduction, read the poem for the lesson again and have students try to write their own "Prelutsky-like" poem. Once students finalize their poems, offer a variety of ways to present their poems through drama or using Prezi, reviewed here, or through a digital story using Bookemon, reviewed here,. Add the poems to your class website or blog.
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Booktrack Classroom - Peter Thiel
Grades
1 to 12
7 Favorites
0 Comments
Make reading a multimedia experience that today's students expect. Booktrack adds movie style soundtracks to favorite stories and books. You can add your own sound effects and music...more
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Make reading a multimedia experience that today's students expect. Booktrack adds movie style soundtracks to favorite stories and books. You can add your own sound effects and music to the stories and books you love, too. There are thousands of titles already available, both classic and contemporary; these include novels, poetry, and short stories that are in the public domain. Find them by clicking "Free to Use" and scrolling down a bit. Creation is possible on your PC or MAC; read and listen only on the iOS and Android mobile apps. There are several ready-to-go lessons at elementary, middle, and high school levels. When using on a computer, BookTrack works best in Chrome and may not function at all in some browsers. Watch the short tutorials to learn how to create a book with a soundtrack.
tag(s): book lists (131), book reports (37), DAT device agnostic tool (177), ebooks (39), guided reading (47), independent reading (127), reading comprehension (127), reading lists (78)
In the Classroom
Click "Teachers" and scroll to the bottom of the home page to find free lessons. Work together with your music teacher to find classical music selections that make great background music. Have students choose a story and create a "read aloud" with music and sound effects. Challenge students to capture the feel or tone of current events articles, science articles, or poems they have created. Use music and sound effects to enhance historical events or battles in social science. At the end of literature circles, have students select the best events in a story and put music and sound effects together with them. Watch the short tutorials to create your class and to create a book with a soundtrack. FanFiction users may want to put sound effects or music to their own writing. In the library/media center, share BookTracks to interest students in some of your "old" books!Edge Features:
Includes an education-only area for teachers and students
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Includes teacher tools for registering and/or monitoring students
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Kids Gardening - National Gardening Association
Grades
3 to 8
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Get involved with gardening throughout the community using ideas from Kids Gardening! Explore news articles discussing different types of gardening, gardens in schools, and new ideas...more
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Get involved with gardening throughout the community using ideas from Kids Gardening! Explore news articles discussing different types of gardening, gardens in schools, and new ideas for successful gardening. Choose from the Family Gardening or School Gardening sections for how-to guides, lessons, projects. Learn how to make the most of "gardening moments." Be sure to take some time to explore this site for many useful ideas for indoor and outdoor gardening projects.
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This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
If you aren't lucky enough to have outdoor gardening space, take advantage of ideas offered for indoor gardens such as terrariums and container gardening. Be sure to check out the extensive lesson library to search by theme, standards, season, and more. Use the Growing Poems ideas from the site as part of your poetry or plant unit. After starting your garden project, have students create an annotated image of their plants including text boxes and related links using a tool such as Photocat, reviewed here. Be sure to check out the Grants & Fundraising link for information on raising money for your classroom or school garden!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Writers Speak to Kids - NBC Learn
Grades
K to 8
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Learn about the craft and techniques of writing straight from real authors in this series of videos at NBC Learn. Choose from 17 short videos, each less than 5 minutes, ...more
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Learn about the craft and techniques of writing straight from real authors in this series of videos at NBC Learn. Choose from 17 short videos, each less than 5 minutes, focusing on a specific craft such as writing poetry, sources for inspiration, and the writing process. Each video includes a transcript of the author's conversation. The authors write popular books for a variety of age ranges.
tag(s): authors (120), creative writing (169), descriptive writing (41), poetry (221), process writing (46)
In the Classroom
This site is perfect for use as an anticipatory set or "activator" to introduce a unit or lesson on a projector or interactive whiteboard. Look for authors of favorite read-alouds you use in your classroom and share their videos. Make a shortcut to this site on classroom computers and use it as a learning center. View an author's video then share their books in your classroom reading center or as an author of the month. Have students create an annotated image including text boxes and related links using a tool such as Thinglink, reviewed here to explain their own writing process.
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Common Core Connections: The Power of Poetry - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 6
2 Favorites
0 Comments
Discover ways to incorporate poetry as part of your implementation of Common Core in your elementary reading and literature curriculum. If you have set poetry aside for "informational...more
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Discover ways to incorporate poetry as part of your implementation of Common Core in your elementary reading and literature curriculum. If you have set poetry aside for "informational texts," this article explains how you CAN use poetry to address CCSS for close reading, key ideas and details, range of reading, and for the foundation skills of reading fluency. And poetry can still be just plain fun . The article includes lesson ideas and resources to give poetry a place in your curriculum.
tag(s): commoncore (89), poetry (221)
In the Classroom
Mark this as a favorite for planning your poetry lessons to run regularly throughout the school year or as a special unit during National Poetry Month (April). Share it with your colleagues to plan a schoolwide poetry event or simply to reassure them that poetry did not "disappear" with Common Core.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Tes Teach - Blendspace - Blendspace
Grades
K to 12
20 Favorites
1 Comments
Blendspace has been incorporated into Tes! Create an interactive online lesson or collection with this free tool. Type in your lesson topic and select from suggested resources. Your...more
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Blendspace has been incorporated into Tes! Create an interactive online lesson or collection with this free tool. Type in your lesson topic and select from suggested resources. Your resources will appear in a grid on their screen. Upload Office files, PDFs, images, embed codes for videos, YouTube, and Internet links. This tool also can connect with your Google Drive or Dropbox account. Simply share the link for your finished space with anyone to view. Search for items to add right within the application. There is no need to use another browser window/tab to find the resources. Also, find lessons created by other teachers for you to use. Some of these are free, but not all. Watch the available minute-and-a-half video to get started. The introduction video is housed on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, the video may not be viewable. You could always view the video at home and bring it to class "on a stick" to share. Use a tool such as Freemake Video Converter, reviewed here, to download the video from YouTube. There are Chrome and iOS apps for this tool.
tag(s): book reports (37), creativity (119), professional development (160), social networking (108)
In the Classroom
Use this tool to keep all your lessons and digital content in one place! Create Internet scavenger hunts and webquests or challenge collections for students to explore and learn. Insert your directions as text in one of the grid boxes. Add the text on top of other material in the grid box. Create lessons about various type of energy or rocks, systems in the body or types of tissues, categories of foods, environmental issues, books of various themes or genre, seasons, parts of speech, civilizations, etc. Use with faculty and staff to showcase a variety of tools for professional development. View the gallery of items created by other educators on the front page of the site and click the Be Inspired to see more listed by categories . Have student groups create curated collections on a topic or even collect poetry and images on a specific theme.Comments
david, TX, Grades: 9 - 12
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Thinking With Type - Ellen Lupton
Grades
6 to 12
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Thinking with Type offers a classroom companion to the book Thinking with Type: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, and Students. The book (and site) contain...more
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Thinking with Type offers a classroom companion to the book Thinking with Type: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, and Students. The book (and site) contain more information about type than you ever knew existed!. Resources include lectures, project ideas, handouts, and more to use for teaching not just with the book but also as a resource for anyone that uses type. Choose the letter category to view information such as size, scale, type families, and font formats. Explore line spacing, alignment, and tracking within the text portion of the site. Discover different grids such as single and multi-column grids. Be sure to check out the section for teachers loaded with information, exercises, projects, and demos.
tag(s): descriptive writing (41), graphic design (38)
In the Classroom
This site is an excellent resource for web design and graphic design classes. Share portions of this site on your interactive whiteboard (or projector) for lessons in type basics, typeface history, and more. Use some of the project ideas (see Extras: Tools for Teachers) to have students create poetry posters for poetry month using artistic type and their own words. Have students explore the site and create a simple infographic sharing their findings using Easel.ly, reviewed here or Venngage reviewed here.
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Creativity Games - Ryan Chadwick
Grades
5 to 12
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Creativity Games offers challenges, games, and puzzles to encourage creative thinking. Find new activities each week such as random word identification, code breakers, or creative challenges....more
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Creativity Games offers challenges, games, and puzzles to encourage creative thinking. Find new activities each week such as random word identification, code breakers, or creative challenges. Choose the Random Word Generator link to generate a set of random words to use in creative writing, or choose a preset creativity game from the drop-down box provided. Read several great creative writing tips in the creative writing prompts section of the site. This site also features blog entries on a variety of topics related to creativity and education.
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This site includes advertising.
tag(s): creative writing (169), creativity (119), logic (244), poetry (221), puzzles (204), substitutes (17), writing prompts (92)
In the Classroom
Use any of the challenges on this site as a brain warm-up as students trickle into class or before the homeroom bell rings. Display the Random Word Generator on your interactive word (or projector). Choose a link to provide a set of random words to use in poetry or creative writing assignments. Use logic games to warm up brains in math class. Assign weekly games for students to complete in free time or for use with gifted students. Read through the creative writing tips together as a class then add you own ideas. Post your ideas in your classroom using an online poster creator, such as Padlet, (reviewed here). Teacher-librarians can post a weekly brain challenge to inspire students who visit the media center. Any teacher will want to include this link on your class web page for students to access from home or during study periods. Substitutes will want to mak this one in favorites to always have something ready to go when the lesson plans go missing!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Telescopic Text - Joe Davis
Grades
2 to 12
12 Favorites
0 Comments
Looking to write with more detail and description? Telescopic Text is a humorous way to demonstrate the art of elaboration. Type a short simple sentence (or line of poetry). Click ...more
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Looking to write with more detail and description? Telescopic Text is a humorous way to demonstrate the art of elaboration. Type a short simple sentence (or line of poetry). Click on a word or phrase and add a little bit more detail. Through this site, you will learn how to identify words or phrases to expand on, creating passages that are more meaningful. Once the sentence (or more likely a paragraph) is complete, replay the writing process. The text can be either "unfolded" (opened up) or "folded" (narrowed down). It is just as easy to reverse the writing process. Start with a long piece of text, and practice how to eliminate words or phrases. This site presents the writing process as a lighthearted play of words. Telescopic Text is an opportunity to generate writing ideas. There is a published library with a few examples posted that are for teacher use. Anyone can write his or her own text without having to register. Register to be able to save, manage, and publish your writing! Be sure to check out the "How to Use" portion of the site for a complete explanation.
tag(s): descriptive writing (41), elaboration (2), paragraph writing (17), parts of speech (67), sentences (49)
In the Classroom
Use this site to support a mini-lesson about word choice, meaning, elaboration, or the importance of using detail and description. It would also be a way to build imagery into a poetry writing lesson. Project this site onto an interactive whiteboard or projector for whole class or small group exploration. Use the examples already posted or create your own to demonstrate how the tool works. After the mini-lesson, have students work in small groups to create a telescopic text (or poem) of their own. This website lends itself to a powerful mini-lesson or to craft lessons that will really "stick".Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Love Your Dog - Janet and Rick Wall
Grades
K to 12
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Enter the world of canine love. Find information on dogs, training, choosing a name, breed information, and more about raising a puppy/dog. Much of the information includes short video...more
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Enter the world of canine love. Find information on dogs, training, choosing a name, breed information, and more about raising a puppy/dog. Much of the information includes short video clips. You will also find poetry, book lists, and lesson plans to accompany books about dogs. Some of the books included: Because of Winn Dixie, Call of the Wild, Old Yellar, The Incredible Journey, Where the Red Fern Grows, Shiloh, Love that Dog, Sounder, and White Fang . Some of the videos require the QuickTime plug-in.
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tag(s): animals (320)
In the Classroom
Use as a comprehensive resource site for career day, with detailed information on dog care and careers. Use the videos on your projector or interactive whiteboard as a way to illustrate a "how to" report. Capture the hearts of your reluctant readers with dog stories and engaging lesson plans. Write poetry and join the dog lovers' community. Use as resource information for science projects. Explore the role of therapy dogs in your career exploration. Use as an example for detailed reports on animals for your class. Have students make their own multimedia presentation using one of the many TeachersFirst Edge tools reviewed here.
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TV411 - Writing - Education Development Center, Inc.
Grades
8 to 12
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Find entertaining videos, web lessons, and printable downloads to support learning about writing. This site was originally intended for adults working toward a GED or equivalent, but...more
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Find entertaining videos, web lessons, and printable downloads to support learning about writing. This site was originally intended for adults working toward a GED or equivalent, but has much to offer all secondary students. There are activities for creative and personal writing, writing for work, and the GED. Each video includes a short description of contents; then just click to view the video. Topics include poetry, revisions, the writing process, setting tone, sentence fragments, and many others. Most videos are approximately 3 minutes long and include links to related web lessons and print downloads.
tag(s): creative writing (169), descriptive writing (41), grammar (210), grammar review (41), letter writing (18), poetry (221), writing (363)
In the Classroom
View videos on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Use this site as part of any writing unit or on an as-needed basis to address classroom deficiencies in particular areas. Have students complete the web lessons on their own during computer center time. Create links to particular videos on your class website or blog for students to view at home. Check out the Teachers portion of the site to find activities for specific skills along with ideas for using the videos in the classroom. Challenge students to create a talking avatar using a photo or other image (legally permitted to be reproduced). The avatars can be used to provide suggestions on improving specific writing skills such as run-on sentences, proper use of commas, etc. Use a site such as SuperLame, reviewed here. Share the "blabs" as peer help on your class wiki.
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Thirty Something and Fabulous: Using Marzano Question Stems in a High School Classroom - Stacy
Grades
6 to 12
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Stacy at "Thirty Something and Fabulous" has taken Marzano's rework of Bloom's Taxonomy and created questions that "address all the literary elements as well as purpose and style" for...more
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Stacy at "Thirty Something and Fabulous" has taken Marzano's rework of Bloom's Taxonomy and created questions that "address all the literary elements as well as purpose and style" for all levels and categories on the taxonomy. Use these questions with any type of reading. They are downloadable (with credit) from her blog. With Common Core and its emphasis on critical thinking and reading nonfiction, these questions are helpful. This review is for the May 17, 2012 blog entry only. TeachersFirst feels this blog post was valuable for teaching. The remainder of the blog is off topic and not a part of this review.
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tag(s): blooms taxonomy (7), critical thinking (118), independent reading (127), literature (267), reading strategies (54), thinking skills (14)
In the Classroom
If you like to compare fiction or poetry with nonfiction, you can choose a few of these questions for students to answer for both pieces. Then ask students to compare which answers are similar and different for both pieces, and why that happens. If you would like to start pairing fiction with nonfiction you can start by using a site such as Earth Care reviewed here. You will find a link for Focus on Books that has lessons for The Lorax, Diary of a Worm, and several others.If your students write in reading journals, you may want to assign a few of these questions as prompts for reflection. Challenge your students to think of additional writing prompts following this same pattern.
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