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Kids Open Dictionary Builder - K12 Open Ed
Grades
2 to 12
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Kids Open Dictionary allows your students to 'use' this free dictionary, and it encourages your students to 'write' definitions as well. This wiki site invites you to edit and create...more
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Kids Open Dictionary allows your students to 'use' this free dictionary, and it encourages your students to 'write' definitions as well. This wiki site invites you to edit and create the dictionary. You may also use the Glossary tool to customize your terms for specific purposes. Choose multi-presentation modes for presenting your glossary. It's for kids, so it's safe. Their editors approve all postings before they go online. The sign up is quick. Check your school's acceptable use policy on student usage of internet sites that require a login. Registration does require an email. Rather than using your personal email, create a free Gmail account to use for memberships. If you plan to have students register individually, you may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. If you plan to have students register individually, you may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how to set up GMail subaccounts to use for any online membership service.
tag(s): dictionaries (49)
In the Classroom
Imagine the sense of accomplishment your class will feel if you allow them to submit definitions to this site. They become the Merriam Websters in your own classroom. Definitions don't need to be perfect as the online community will continually edit them. One drawback at the present time is that not all words have definitions. This site is still "under construction" and being built upon daily. Classes can get in on the ground floor in providing definitions for these incomplete areas. Assign cooperative learning groups to explore various vocabulary words in social studies, science, math, music, or art class. Have the groups add their new vocabulary words into the "Kids Open Dictionary." You may find the usefulness of this site in the generating of definitions for now. (This will be a moot point as the dictionary becomes filled.) As you study dictionary skills, work as a class on your interactive whiteboard to write definitions together and discuss the format of dictionary entries.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Tickets to Fresh Adventures - FoodPlay Productions, LLC
Grades
K to 3
2 Favorites
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FoodPlay is a website (PDF file) that focuses on teaching good nutritional habits to young children. Through Tickets to Fresh Adventures, students can take a hands-on approach to learning...more
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FoodPlay is a website (PDF file) that focuses on teaching good nutritional habits to young children. Through Tickets to Fresh Adventures, students can take a hands-on approach to learning the benefits of good nutrition. The printable PDF file provides 14 easy-to-prepare, kid-friendly, healthy snacks on ticket-style recipe cards. Instructions for making the snacks are located on the reverse side of each card. Print and laminate the colorful tickets for easy distribution.
tag(s): cooking (34), myplate (15), nutrition (136), preK (322)
In the Classroom
Create a "Recipe of the Day" using the Tickets for Fresh Adventure. Share the recipes on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Or print and laminate the recipes and create a learning center. Break students into small groups and have them create the dish together. Integrate language arts into the fun by including a "Food Journal" to record student thoughts and observations regarding the process of making the dish, the difficulty level and if they would make it again. How about creating a class wiki. Even if students are too young to type themselves, you could highlight the activity for the students and parents to see both in and out of the classroom (with student input, of course). Use the site ChooseMyPlate to identify the food groups that are used in each recipe. Videotape each group making one of the recipes and use as a class presentation for various skills such as following directions and sequencing. Share the videos on a site such as Teacher Tube. Teach across the curriculum by adding the math concepts of measurement to the lessons. Be sure to list this site on your class webpage so students (and parents) can try some of these tasty treats at home.
This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
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Teams - Microsoft
Grades
K to 12
3 Favorites
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Every teen and college student knows Teams, the free tool for making calls from computer to computer anywhere in the world. By downloading and installing free software and setting up...more
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Every teen and college student knows Teams, the free tool for making calls from computer to computer anywhere in the world. By downloading and installing free software and setting up a free account, you can talk and/or make a video call to a similarly equipped computer elsewhere in the world for free. Teams uses a lot of "bandwidth," so is not suitable for very slow networks. It may also be slow at high-traffic times on a good network. Some patience and pretesting are required before you can be sure it will work for your needs. Connect to classrooms, experts, authors, virtual special speakers, or interview subjects using Skype.
tag(s): virtual field trips (141), webcams (19)
In the Classroom
Download and install the Teams software. If you are not allowed to install software on school computers, ask to have a single laptop available that is Teams-capable, so you can borrow it. Alternatively, explain to your principal that you are planning a series of Teams visits in your classroom, and your techies will install it there. A single teacher-controlled Team call works in most school settings. Anything you can do by telephone or video call, you can do on a projector with your entire class. Connect the computer to a projector or whiteboard for the entire class to see if you are using video. (The video may be fuzzy, but good enough to follow a person's face.) Use Teams to talk to authors (check out their websites or this blog for contact information). Have students write questions in advance. Use your contacts, web page "contact us" emails, and parent contacts to find others willing to Teams call into your classroom. Interview scientists or government officials, deployed military personnel, or classes far away in a different culture or language. Younger students can compare weather, family life, community events, and more.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Kate's Book Blog: Authors Who Skype with Book Clubs - Kate Messner
Grades
K to 12
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Find authors willing to pay a "virtual visit" to your classroom or school library from this list of author names collected by author Kate Messner. She explains that these authors ...more
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Find authors willing to pay a "virtual visit" to your classroom or school library from this list of author names collected by author Kate Messner. She explains that these authors "offer free 20-minute Skype chats with book clubs that have read one of their books!" Longer visits are usually for a fee. The author list is sorted by age group, and each name links to the author's web site for more information. If you are not familiar with Skype, all you need is a computer with the free, downloadable Skype software, speakers, and a microphone. If you have a webcam, you may be able to make your visit a two-way video chat. See tech tips below.
tag(s): literature (214)
In the Classroom
Plan a series of author visits or one special virtual visit to motivate your club or class to read! Have students prepare questions in advance and maybe even dress as a favorite character if you plan to use video. Make the best of your short visit by refining questions in advance and having everything ready to run with no wasted time. Have students step up to the microphone quietly and smoothly to ask their questions.Since authors book up easily and may not respond quickly to email, you should plan well in advance to arrange such a visit.
Some technical tips: Share the Skype screen on a projector or whiteboard so more students can see it. Be sure to turn up your speakers and connect a microphone (even a cheap one) to the computer handling the Skype call. Pretest your visit by having a virtual visit from a friend outside of the school, loading Skype and using the same equipment you plan to use for the real visit. You may need to request that the school unblock Skype for your use during a specific time frame, since many schools do not allow such a "pull" on the network without special permission. Once you have a successful test, make a diagram of what you did so you will remember and can share with other teachers. Once you master the set-up, you can do it over and over! Need to learn more about Skype? Read TeachersFirst's review here. Learn other ideas for using Skype in your classroom
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Lightning Bug - Martin Jorgensen
Grades
4 to 12
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The title graphic on this site tells it all: "Your writing partner, helping you write a story from beginning to The End." Intended for young writers to be able to ...more
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The title graphic on this site tells it all: "Your writing partner, helping you write a story from beginning to The End." Intended for young writers to be able to use on their own, this site includes ideas and exercises to find story ideas, develop the story, improve it, finish it, and share it in writing contests or publications. The notebook paper "look" adds appeal to pages that might otherwise be text-heavy, and the tone is supportive but not condescending. There are teacher resources, including printables for writing exercises, and extensive links and ideas for the classroom. Don't miss the writing prompts in the teaching resource area under "Dozens of writing ideas for the classroom." You can also find tips on setting up writing centers in your classroom and lesson plans for teaching story writing. The quick links in the footer of the home page provide a good overview of the site's extensive topics. Note: the site does have a small book sales area and links to both X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook. These are likely to be blocked by your school web filter and are not essential for use of the site. If students use the site from home, their use of these social tools to learn more about writing and writers should be in accordance with their parents' permission and the tools' age policies.
In the Classroom
Share this site both in and out of class as a place where story writers can stretch, refresh, and improve. Many of the writing lessons and activities are also well-suited to interactive whiteboards or projectors. You can plan an entire story-writing unit or simply improve on certain aspects of writing here. Share the link on your class web page for students to access when they are stumped for writing ideas. Steer your motivated writers to explore this site on their own or assign small groups to become specialists on one of the writing exercises and then teach it to the class or blog about it. Use the ideas from this site for students to write cooperative stories using a wiki or a tool such as Primary Pad, reviewed here. Encourage young writers to submit entries in writing contests listed here or to explore the site further during summer and holiday breaks.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Audio Pal - Oddcast
Grades
1 to 12
13 Favorites
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Use this free site to create audio files easily for use in or out of the class. Record your own voice using phone or microphone, upload an audio file, or ...more
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Use this free site to create audio files easily for use in or out of the class. Record your own voice using phone or microphone, upload an audio file, or create audio from text to speech. Choose different voices, use the playback options, and update audio at anytime. Use your email to receive a link to your new audio file.
tag(s): communication (122), speech (66), text to speech (23)
In the Classroom
If using a phone, understanding calling plans and additional charges is needed. You must know how to use embed codes to place audio files within your blog, wiki, or website. No login is required! Simply click the "Get Yours It's Free" button. Choose the method to create the audio and preview and edit the file. Enter your email address to receive a link to your file. Click on the link to grab widgets. Copy the code and place in your blog or website.The tool does not show which work is attributable to which student. You may want to require that students mark their contributions in order to get credit. Consider using a class email account set up for this purpose. Be sure students understand the appropriate use of this email account.
Classroom use: Use this service to record audio of passages used in class, homework assignments, and other written material. Young students can practice reading aloud at this site (and listen to themselves), showing improvement in fluency as the year goes on. Have students use this site in place of a traditional book report. Have cooperative learning groups create a news broadcast and share it using this site. Use this site with ESL/ELL students just learning the English language. Use this site in world language classes for students to hear and learn the pronunciations. Place the embed code in a site that students can access outside of class for review, identifying directions, and listening to text. Speech and language teachers can use this tool to record student articulation and demonstrate progress through the year.
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The Differentiator - Ian Byrd
Grades
K to 12
8 Favorites
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Differentiating activities for all learners has become easier with this tool. Use this free Bloom's Taxonomy tool, created by an educator, to develop great objectives for differentiated...more
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Differentiating activities for all learners has become easier with this tool. Use this free Bloom's Taxonomy tool, created by an educator, to develop great objectives for differentiated instruction. Move through developing your goal on this site by choosing a level of Bloom's Taxonomy and a thinking skill. Then move on to your content, resources, finished product expected, and what kind of grouping you want. These are all tabs at the top of the page. Watch the sentence at the top of the screen change as you create your objective.
tag(s): blooms taxonomy (7), critical thinking (179), differentiation (97), newbies (9)
In the Classroom
As an example, use a verb from Bloom' taxonomy such as "evaluate." Click on the part of the sentence at the top, in parenthesis, to enter your content such as "patterns of environmental issues." Choose the resource you want students to use, the product you want them to make, and the number of students in a group by clicking on the tabs. Example objective: Students will evaluate the patterns of environmental issues using websites to create a news report in groups of two. Save your objective by copying and pasting it into any document or online tool. The Differentiator will give you many project ideas that you may not have thought of yourself, and serves as a welcome reminder of different activities and expectations you can use in your classroom. Take a look at this site at the beginning of the school year or when creating a new unit (or project). Find new ways to differentiate for your gifted students using this creative and powerful tool. If your gifted students test out of your current math lessons, use this site to find new material to challenge their minds. This site is deceptively quick and simple, but it could be very useful when writing detailed, powerful lesson plans.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Wordnik - Wordnik
Grades
K to 12
1 Favorites
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Use Wordnik (merged with the former wordie.org) to find definitions, examples, pronunciations, and more about words. Many examples of the word used in context will help you better understand...more
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Use Wordnik (merged with the former wordie.org) to find definitions, examples, pronunciations, and more about words. Many examples of the word used in context will help you better understand the definitions. No need to register (even though there is an opportunity to sign up), as searching for words does not require a log in. Simply enter your word and click "find a word" or click one of the random offerings on the home page. Several examples, definitions, and other dictionary entries appear, including recent X (formerly Twitter) posts using the word, statistics on its use, and even Flickr photos related to this word. Click on links across the top or scroll down for "related words," "pronunciations," "examples," and "etymology." Under pronunciations, play an audio file to learn how to pronounce the word.
Important note: As with many dictionaries, students will be able to find words that are not appropriate for the classroom. A quick check of the web browser's History will tell you what they have been looking up should you notice a bit too much "interest" in looking up words! Wordnik does add an exclamation point graphic next to inappropriate (swear) words.
If you register, you can add notes to each entry for future use, report typos, and enter information about words. You can also create personal wordlists and more.
As a "social" word tool, Wordnik, is a site for any technology user and could serve as a vocabulary hub for your individual students to become wordaholics by sharing, exploring, commenting, and more -- all about words!
Important note: As with many dictionaries, students will be able to find words that are not appropriate for the classroom. A quick check of the web browser's History will tell you what they have been looking up should you notice a bit too much "interest" in looking up words! Wordnik does add an exclamation point graphic next to inappropriate (swear) words.
If you register, you can add notes to each entry for future use, report typos, and enter information about words. You can also create personal wordlists and more.
As a "social" word tool, Wordnik, is a site for any technology user and could serve as a vocabulary hub for your individual students to become wordaholics by sharing, exploring, commenting, and more -- all about words!
tag(s): dictionaries (49), pronunciation (33), vocabulary (251)
In the Classroom
Use wordnik when students are stumped with definitions or uses of a word. Demonstrate how context clues can help readers understand meanings. Increase vocabulary by finding words that are giving students problems during a lesson and assigning those words to be examined by students. Use wordnik to find words of the day. Students can use wordnik to find examples of the word and create technology or conventional displays of information. Have students create online posters displaying their new vocabulary words. Encourage ESL/ELL students and those with weaker vocabulary to use Wordnik often, possibly creating personal word lists, recording pronunciations, or sharing words with each other (see safety concerns). Use an online poster creator, such as Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, reviewed here. Another technology infused idea: create an online glossary book as a class (or in cooperative learning groups) using a tool such as Bookemon, reviewed here.Since the general public can share, make comments, etc, on this site, use this opportunity to discuss netiquette of commenting, and other appropriate behavior on "social" sites before allowing students to establish accounts. Spell out consequences and be sure you know the usernames and passwords your students use. Less mature students may be very tempted by the opportunities to play with "bad" words or record their voices.
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Science News Explores - Society for Science and the Public
Grades
3 to 12
6 Favorites
0 Comments
Kid-friendly science articles to intrigue all ages fill this freshly-redesigned site. Browse menus for illustrated news articles on "Inventions & Innovations," "Space," "Culture," "Body...more
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Kid-friendly science articles to intrigue all ages fill this freshly-redesigned site. Browse menus for illustrated news articles on "Inventions & Innovations," "Space," "Culture," "Body & Brain" or "Technology." A featured articles and "in the news" items make a big splash across the top of the home page to draw interest. Many articles list "POWER WORDS" at the end, highlighting terms and definitions used within that article. The page layouts and whitespace make the online articles uncluttered and legible. The site has reorganized into a structure that roughly parallels school curriculum, so it is even easier to find articles connected to specific science areas.
tag(s): agriculture (54), animals (275), computers (115), dinosaurs (48), engineering (141), environment (252), news (223), nutrition (136), weather (175)
In the Classroom
Use Science News for Kids as a great reading and reporting assignment. Weaker readers will need a reading buddy for some of the more challenging article. Classes in lower grades will want to read the articles together. A quick check on one article using Juicy Studio's Readability test, reviewed here, provided an approximate grade level of 6.5. Check articles before assigning to elementary students. Students can find an article of interest to read, summarize, and report to the class as part of a Science in My World unit or regular science current events activity. Have students create commercials about their topics. Video and share using a site such as SchoolTube, reviewed here. Students can use these news articles to find additional relevant information on the internet. Students may find these topics to be great independent study topics. Teach reading comprehension using these factual articles on your interactive whiteboard, asking students to highlight key words and generate a "main idea" sentence using them. Articles offer ideal practice for informational reading questions on high-stakes reading tests.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Bab.la - bab.la
Grades
K to 12
2 Favorites
0 Comments
Need to translate words or phrases into another language? Use this free and easy to use site for translations in various languages (Spanish, Chinese, Turkish, Russian, Romanian, Portuguese,...more
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Need to translate words or phrases into another language? Use this free and easy to use site for translations in various languages (Spanish, Chinese, Turkish, Russian, Romanian, Portuguese, Polish, Korean, Japanese, Italian, Hindi, German, and French). View dictionaries that exist between languages, hear audio of the translations, take quizzes, or try language games. Students can play language activities such as hangman, scrambled words, memorize, or match it, as well. Customize each game by clicking "change" next to the "settings." Choose different languages, ease of play, and categories of words.
tag(s): chinese (38), italian (32), japan (62), japanese (53), korea (21), portuguese (21), russia (33), russian (25)
In the Classroom
Use this translator for understanding foreign words or how words compare between different languages. Use this in a world cultures class when looking at other cultures and to learn or use basics of their language. Have students create online books defining newly discovered words (in other languages). Use an online book making tool such as Bookemon.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Bubbabrain - Bubbabrain
Grades
K to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Looking for interactive review activities for your subject area? Use Bubbabrain's vast array of activities created for many levels and subjects. Registration is not required to play....more
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Looking for interactive review activities for your subject area? Use Bubbabrain's vast array of activities created for many levels and subjects. Registration is not required to play. When Game ID is checked (this is the automatic default for the site,) you choose a level ranging from Elementary to College (be sure to click the circle in the appropriate grade level) and then choose a subject area from the drop down box at your level. Subject areas vary by grade level and may include: telling time, government, family and consumer science, world languages, sociology, technology, and countless others.
Click the "Go" button to start your activity. Click on the correct answer to the question and then a new question appears. Prompts to try again appear if the answer is wrong and a percent right appears on your screen as you progress. Click on the teacher's link in the upper right hand corner for more information on becoming registered. Once registered, teachers can create their own games for the site. Your teacher ID can be entered by students to access created games.
tag(s): psychology (60), sociology (24), time (94)
In the Classroom
Use these activities for review of concepts or terminology with your class on specific topics/subjects. Wish there were a review game for a missing topic? Request a teacher ID, and have groups of students create the questions. Enter the information for the game and students can review by playing their game or one created by another group. Share the student-created games on your interactive whiteboard or projector.These games would be great to both help students review and help them figure out what kind of study methods work best for them.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Bookshare: Books without Barriers - Bookshare
Grades
2 to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
This site allows FREE access to a number of books, newspapers, and magazines, all using adaptive technology. After a free registration (available to participants with documented limited...more
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This site allows FREE access to a number of books, newspapers, and magazines, all using adaptive technology. After a free registration (available to participants with documented limited vision), members can download books, textbooks, and newspapers in a compressed, encrypted file. They then read the material using adaptive technology, typically software that reads the book aloud (text-to-speech) and/or displays the text of the book on a computer screen, or Braille access devices, such as refreshable Braille displays. The advantage to this site is that it offers newer books and other written materials than many other online digital libraries. Besides written items, a number of videos are available which assist or focus on typical Bookshare users, many featuring them as success stories. A special page of information for teachers with limited vision students includes information such as other resources, reading lists, and handouts.
tag(s): digital reading (18), disabilities (37), vision (41)
In the Classroom
If you have students with limited vision or certain specific qualifying learning disabilities in your class, be sure to save this useful resource in your favorites. List this link on your class website or wiki or email it to parents of these children. If possible, share this site with those teachers working with students with limited vision and qualifying disabilities.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Teaching with Historic Places - National Park Service
Grades
4 to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Do you have trouble finding suitable sites to teach state history for YOUR state? This site includes more than 130 "ready to go" lesson plans organized by state. You can ...more
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Do you have trouble finding suitable sites to teach state history for YOUR state? This site includes more than 130 "ready to go" lesson plans organized by state. You can also view the collection by states, social studies standards, U.S. History standards, specific skills, time period, or topic. This resource was pulled together by the National Park service. The specific topics vary from America's Space Program to Skagway: Gateway to the Klondike to Brown v. Board of Education to The Trail of Tears to Pearl Harbor to Lewis and Clark to the construction of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and countless others. Check out what it highlights for your state.
tag(s): cities (16), inventors and inventions (89), landmarks (20), maps (223), states (129)
In the Classroom
Search for your state and see what this site has to offer. Looking for a specific topic (i.e. Civil War or Pearl Harbor), search using topics. Take advantage of these ready to go lesson plans. Infuse your lessons with technology by creating a class wiki about the lesson/topic being discussed. Maybe make a wiki guidebook to your state. Not comfortable with wikis? Have no wiki worries - check out the TeachersFirst's Wiki Walk-Through. Save this site in your favorites, and check back as you plan throughout the year.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Gateway to the Classics - Baldwin Online Children's Project
Grades
2 to 12
4 Favorites
0 Comments
This site has an amazing collection of digitized stories and books (over 10,000 stories) arranged by title and author. Not only are the texts of the stories found here, but ...more
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This site has an amazing collection of digitized stories and books (over 10,000 stories) arranged by title and author. Not only are the texts of the stories found here, but other relevant parts of the work, including maps and graphics, appear as well. The stories are arranged in alphabetical order on one page, making them easy to read quickly.
tag(s): authors (114)
In the Classroom
If you are looking for favorite classic stories to use in your classroom, try here. Make a list of those you would like for students to read online with the URLs here. Include this site on your flyer that goes home promoting summer reading. Or list the link on your class website or wiki. ENL/ESL students will appreciate having a ready source for extra reading. Rather than the "same old" book reports, have students create multimedia presentations! How about comparing two pivotal literature characters using on interactive Venn Diagram, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Supalogo - Supalogo
Grades
3 to 12
2 Favorites
0 Comments
Need to create a quick logo? This logo generator is fast, easy, and free to use. No registration is required. Enter your text and click "options" to customize your logo. ...more
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Need to create a quick logo? This logo generator is fast, easy, and free to use. No registration is required. Enter your text and click "options" to customize your logo. Options include a list of fonts, two gradient colors, and one outline color, and text sizes. View your logo before downloading as a png image or generating an embed code. You will need to know how to navigate finding images saved on a computer or using embed codes with various sites or blogs. Here is an example created by the TeachersFirst editorial team:
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tag(s): graphic design (50), noregistration (74)
In the Classroom
Students can create custom logos for class blogs or site. Logos can also be created for use with multimedia projects and presentations. Have groups design logos for their project or for your class, then use them throughout the year to promote pride of ownership in class projects and accomplishments. During the first week of school, have students design "personal" logos that tell about themselves and include them on your class web page. Demonstrate this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Then have students try out the site on their own.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Find a Book - lexile.com
Grades
1 to 12
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This site allows teachers and students to go through four simple steps to find a book that has a lexile rating. The steps include entering a lexile range (if unknown: ...more
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This site allows teachers and students to go through four simple steps to find a book that has a lexile rating. The steps include entering a lexile range (if unknown: enter grade level and ease of reading), interests (similar to a keyword search), search of all items that come up, and list-making.
One disadvantage of the site is that you can only enter a keyword when you get to the third step. After a book list based on interests appears, then you can search by keyword to make the search zero in on specifics. When teachers or students select books for a reading list, they can then click to see the complete list of books they have selected. Clicking on a book title leads to another screen, but it does not contain a book summary; instead, it has a list of other keywords for the book along with other book data.
One disadvantage of the site is that you can only enter a keyword when you get to the third step. After a book list based on interests appears, then you can search by keyword to make the search zero in on specifics. When teachers or students select books for a reading list, they can then click to see the complete list of books they have selected. Clicking on a book title leads to another screen, but it does not contain a book summary; instead, it has a list of other keywords for the book along with other book data.
tag(s): book lists (161), independent reading (83), reading lists (76)
In the Classroom
This site is great for teachers searching for books at specific lexile levels. Learning support and ESL/ELL teachers can find books to accompany units in content area classes but on the correct lexile level. Students can also use the site by entering their grade levels and what kind of readers they are. Use this site to differentiate the learning experience for all levels of students. Rather than having students complete traditional book reports, why not have them complete a multimedia project? Provide some choices such as a podcast, using PodoMatic (reviewed here), interactive venn diagram comparing characters (reviewed here), or online book using Bookemon (reviewed here).Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Nursery Rhymes - Lyrics and Origins
Grades
K to 8
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The origins of nursery rhymes are directly linked to historical and political events throughout history. "Nursery Rhymes - Lyrics and Origins" provides the lyrics, meanings, and backgrounds...more
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The origins of nursery rhymes are directly linked to historical and political events throughout history. "Nursery Rhymes - Lyrics and Origins" provides the lyrics, meanings, and backgrounds of many classic nursery rhymes. Take students on a walk through history with such childhood nursery rhymes as Mary, Mary Quite Contrary, The Grand Old Duke of York, and London Bridge. Students will be astonished to learn the true meanings behind the words they have repeated so many times. This site also includes the origins of Mother Goose and a large variety of famous speeches and quotes that provide a wealth of research for students. Be sure to check the history of some of the rhymes prior to sharing with students as some are not age appropriate for youngsters. This site does include some rather distracting advertisements.
tag(s): nursery rhymes (10), rhymes (24)
In the Classroom
Assign a nursery rhyme to each student or small group. Have them thoroughly research the rhyme and its meaning. Have students come together to present the rhyme and their findings through dramatic role play or by presenting it in a "modern" day manner. With a little creative freedom, it could get interesting! Looking for some multimedia ideas? Have cooperative learning groups create online books using a tool such as Bookemon, reviewed here. Or challenge students to create podcasts sharing what they learned about the nursery rhymes. Use a site such as PodOmatic (reviewed here).Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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AllMyFaves - AllMyFaves
Grades
4 to 12
4 Favorites
0 Comments
Not sure what sites exist for your topic? Start here and find sites listed by icon for Art, Encyclopedia, History, Languages, Science, Writing skills, Music, and numerous other topics....more
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Not sure what sites exist for your topic? Start here and find sites listed by icon for Art, Encyclopedia, History, Languages, Science, Writing skills, Music, and numerous other topics. Whether you are searching for research information, enrichment, or tutorials - check out this site. Notice that TeachersFirst is among the "faves" for teaching!
tag(s): dictionaries (49), literature (214)
In the Classroom
Why search for these sites, when the links can all be found in one place? Use this site in combination with TeachersFirst's rich reviews. Students can use these links as a springboard to research and projects. Be sure to save this site in your personal favorites! There is a lot to explore. List this site on your class website and/or wiki for students to access both in and out of the classroom.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Story Rhyme - storyrhyme.com
Grades
K to 6
1 Favorites
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This site offers favorite classics as well as site-original stories for classes or families to read together. Accompanying the stories are engaging activities as well. Craft projects,...more
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This site offers favorite classics as well as site-original stories for classes or families to read together. Accompanying the stories are engaging activities as well. Craft projects, suggestions of places to go, and related activities like hangman and vocabulary matching all follow the literary/literacy theme of the site. Movie, book, and show recommendations complete the offerings on the website.The activities would also be great review tools, whether students use them a a learning center in school or outside off the class wiki or webpage.
tag(s): literature (214), vocabulary (251)
In the Classroom
Share this site on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Assign your students some of these stories to read to use as models for their own creative writing. Try the online spelling bee and ask your students to compare that to the live version! Have students read their own creative stories on a podcast. Use a tool such as PodOmatic, reviewed here, or upload illustrations and read the story on ThingLink, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Festisite - IntenCT
Grades
4 to 12
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This site contains a plethora of user-generated poems, tools for making poetry writing simple, opportunities to make comments on the poetry of others and also to submit one's own poetry....more
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This site contains a plethora of user-generated poems, tools for making poetry writing simple, opportunities to make comments on the poetry of others and also to submit one's own poetry. Students and teachers can search for poems by looking at those that have come in most recently, or by searching by categories, called "Tags." To search using this option, you must click on the "poems" tab at the top of the site. Be sure to know your school's policy on having students submit their work before allowing your students to share their poetry. Avid poetry lovers can also subscribe to poetry feeds using this site.
In the Classroom
Use this site to show your students that anyone can become a poet when they balk at reading poetry. Share some of the poetry on your projector or interactive whiteboard. Read some of your required poems and then look at the "Tags" and ask your students to decide where poetry written by others should be placed. Go on to ask them if they can think of other Tags to add. Since many of the poems here have holiday themes, use this as a quick activity before a holiday or to encourage students to reflect on family holiday traditions. ESL/ELL students will not have to worry so much about their grammar when embarking on poetry writing! They'll love to be thought creative. If you are permitted to "publish" your students' poetry, why not go one step further and have them narrate a picture using the words from their poem at a site such as ThingLink reviewed here. Or have students share their poems using a podcasting site such as PodOmatic (reviewed here).Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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