Shakey’s Place is a fascinating 3-D Shakespeare and Globe Theater research and collaboration site to help you and your students interpret the literary works of William Shakespeare. Readers of Shakespeare work hard, so now have some much-deserved fun for a change. Start with the biography and then move on to the summary, photographs, link to the full text, and further information about each of his plays and sonnets. Special features include notes, study questions, quizzes, lists of Internet resources for students and teachers, and even a list of Shakespeare festivals throughout the country, just in case you are looking for a great field trip. You will find many impressive ideas and discover some new applications for what you already know by visiting Shakey’s Place. Some of the activities are original and some are links from other sites. Note that this Thinkquest entry is created by high school students and has won many awards!
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Teacher's First Edge Review: for moderately adventurous technology users. This animation tool will help create a slide show with pizzazz. Add personal sounds, videos, and other media to create the next level of slide show for you classes. This tool is great for PC-based schools without access to other free video or multimedia creation software. The limitation of this site is the free portion limits enhanced slide shows to be only thirty seconds in length. However, a typical thirty second video requires twelve images which is a reasonable number for projects with middle and high school level students. The education version has some advantages: Use Animoto with all students simultaneously in class. Download created videos and share among other students in the class. There is also an upcoming feature of an Animoto application for iPhones. Here is a sample Animoto created by our review team:
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60 Second Recap introduces students to literature in one-minute video bites. Most are YouTube video clips. Before you decide that this is what's wrong with education today, take a look. Each book in the 60 Second Recap library (classics like Lord of the Flies, Frankenstein, Brave New World, Hamlet and Jane Eyre) is summarized with a one minute "teaser," an overview, a look at the cast, the plot, the theme, motifs, symbols--all the elements we would want students to pay attention to when encountering a new work of literature. There is also a general section on the analysis of literature, and a "Pick of the Week" which introduces students to a more contemporary book for leisure reading. The site is still in development and more works of literature are being added. Since many of the videos are hosted on YouTube, you may need to view them at home due to school filtering. Use a tool such as Vixy, reviewed here, so download and bring videos to school “on a stick.”
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Grab your student’s attention by creating subtitles over old video clips from Bombay. Using humor, teachers can demonstrate how to punctuate dialog and how body language and intonation enhance communication. There are several movie clips from which to choose. The subtitles can appear as text, or be turned into speech. It is also possible to record your own voiceover. Their second site, Bombay TV 2, lets the viewer drag and drop scenes to create their own unique video sequence. All videos are published on-line and come with an embed code and web address. Teachers and students can share videos by embedding them on websites, by email, or social bookmarks.
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As part of their extensive site for vocabulary, roots, and more, Vocabulary.com has added a themed area about music and the fine arts. Find interactive vocabulary activities using music-related (not limited to music) vocabulary words. You will also find printable crosswords, fill in the blanks and more, all using the same 18 theme words. This and other "themes" available on the site will make vocabulary development fun.
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The topics available range from Islamic Art to The American Civil War, with many more. The NGA Classroom has lessons for an a wide variety subjects using art as the springboard. The online lesson collections can be searched by curriculum, topic or artist. Each collection includes a vast array of resources including detailed lesson plans, student activities, printable worksheets, bios/resources and a glossary. Teachers can use all or part of the materials and a time frame for each section is given. A detailed summary of the materials provided is given so that teachers can assess the lessons before beginning. This will help determine if the materials provided meet the educational objectives desired.
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KitZu offers teachers and students a cache of copyright-safe and ready-to use "raw materials" for specific curriculum topics. As the site explains, "For students, this becomes the construction paper of the 21st century --allowing them to create reports and projects filled with rich, immersive media for communicating their vision of whatever subjects they chose." Developed by the Orange County Department of Education (CA), KitZu offers collections of free media resources revolving around themes. Photos, background music, narratives, video, and text are some of the possible items found in the kits. KitZu invites authentic assessment as measured by the products students produce from using KitZu resources. As students, teachers or organizations build their own resources, new kits can be uploaded (see right side link for contributor information to KitZu). Search for topics by grade level or by subject. Click on the appropriate links on the left side. You will appreciate the fact that downloadable items are copyright-friendly and include all the necessary information to give appropriate credit to the sources (see the pdf file in each zipped folder). The pdf file also includes California standards related to the topic. Offerings are especially rich in science and social studies, but include arts topics and literature/language arts collections. There are even 11 collections for math topics (at the time of this review).
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If you teach theatre, acting, or history, this site is a smorgasbord of information. The home page features "today in theatre history" and a featured topic. The index of topics shows origins of theatre, ancient and medieval theatre, and then theatre by country (American, Irish, Russian, French, etc.). Clicking on one of those takes you to a page with category choices-- Plays and Playwrights, or Actors-- and a list of links to specific articles that are academic, but interesting and very readable.

One of the nicest features on the site is the "Script Archive," which gives access to full-length plays, one-act plays, 10-minute plays, and monologues. This is a fabulous source for theatre and speech teachers alike.

Be aware: this is a commercial site, so there are links to purchase books, but it is more subtle than most sites, and all the links are freely given without a need to register. There are also advertisements, preview for appropriateness <.b> before sharing with your class, as these ads change without notice.
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Filled with a variety of essential language art skills, this site is a super teaching opportunity to be followed by students working on their own. With 42 lessons ranging from “Differentiating between who/whom" to “Writing Sonnets” to "Crafting Your Character's Dialogue in Your Screenplay," there is plenty to suit your particular class needs. You are able to write replies (comments), however an email address is required. Registration is not required for any other part of this site.

This site does offer the option of signing up for RSS feeds. There are some unobtrusive advertisements at the site.
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This lesson plan set uses a Latino story teller whose stories to promote tolerance and embrace diversity. Short MP3 extracts are provided, which can be heard on Windows Media Player or your computer’s chosen audio program. At the time of this review, some of the MP3 tracks include “My Own Rhythms,” “Why Do You Want To Go To College,” “Bridge Between Worlds,” and many others. With a complete lesson plans accompanying the story sections, this resource is ready to use in a variety of situations. Other lesson plan topics on ths site include : Feathers of the Wind: A Jewish-American Story, A More Perfect Union, Hidden Memory: Japanese American Internment, and several others. New lesson plans and story excerpts appear often. This site requires Windows Media Player (or similar MP3 audio player) and Adobe Acrobat. You can get them from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
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This student-generated website won a Thinkquest competition in 2006. It is rather delightful since it is presented from a student point of view. It offers perspectives on Hamlet and Much Ado About Nothing, and includes summaries, a biography, costumes, Shakespeare's influence on his time, and a cute take on Hamlet called “To Make a Hamlet, You Have to Break a Few Legs.” There is also a quiz related to Shakespeare and his writings.
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This site features interactive ESL and ELL lessons to go with popular movies and TV commercials. The activity formats include matching and cloze passages. The lessons are divided by "Easier," "More Challenging," or "Most Challenging." Two types of lessons include vocabulary previews and "fill-in-the-blank cloze" of the movie dialog which appears while the movie or TV clip is playing. The site is growing, with more commercials and films appearing regularly.

There is also a supplementary section in WORD which contains discussion questions for the movies. Some of the clips require QuickTime and/or Flash. You can get both from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
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With today's students plugged into their MP3 players, this site offers a great way to attract students. It has posted podcasts (visit the “Chop Bard” link) that explain Shakespeare in a way that students will find appealing and more realistic than reading it alone or aloud in class. Several of the podcasts are geared specifically to Romeo and Juliet, a play often read in 9th grade which makes it familiar and an easy listen for students. The site includes a list of the chronology of plays as well as a timeline of Shakespeare's life. A section of the page also has "Interactive Shakespeare" which is really just a funny little Shakespeare picture. Clicking on it gives students a simple explanation of iambic pentameter and a measured beat of how it works.

A caution that there is language slightly bawdy in the podcasts, so preview them first. However, listening to the "Chop Bard" either as a class or as individual students, gives students a lift and a laugh, creating a link with Shakespeare that they have never experienced. This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

The site loads slowly at certain high-traffic times. Be patient.
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If you are looking for a new way to involve students in literature, this is a great idea. This site offers a two-day plan for students to create dramatic monologues for different characters in Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. The lesson does require that students research sources for authenticity and suggests that students work in groups to come up with the monologues. The lesson includes standards, extension activities, vocabulary words (with audio) and links to other resources. This site requires Media Player. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
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This is a great interactive site that takes students on a trip back in time to ancient Greece. They will study the theatres, the players, the playwrights, and the plays. As a culminating activity students have the opportunity to “stage” their own tragedy using an interactive tool (SLOW to load, so be patient!).
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If you are looking for an interactive site that combines music with theatre and culture, this is a good one. Incorporating the "page to the stage" idea, the site allows students to read about the main character and background and then listen to the blues with an introduction by Scot Reese, the director of the play. Students can see clips of the actual play, too. Another section deals with the music and includes a history and a walkthrough to the present. Don’t miss the interactive map! This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
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Don’t let the simple appearance fool you! This site is a smorgasbord of interactive lessons on history, English, and music. Wonderful for the Humanities teacher, it allows teachers of any of those subjects to pick and choose what best fits their plans. Some examples of topics include archaeology, ancient Rome, South American Empires, ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, letter writing, gorgeous grammar, common spelling errors, the Renaissance, the Middle Ages, poetry, the theatre, film, composers, and at least twenty other topics. The site declares itself "student self-directed (self-explanatory)." The links are functional, the graphics are attractive, and, while some of the activities are simple and straightforward, many of them take students into analysis and synthesis without them even realizing they are thinking on higher levels and producing work with more depth. Many of the activities require Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
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This creative site offers "how to" videos on a WIDE variety of topics. Anyone is able to view the videos, but you must be a member (which is free) to comment on the videos, grade the videos, or submit your own "how to" video. Topics vary; some are appropriate for the classroom - others are definitely NOT appropriate. Some of the general topics that may be useful in the middle school or high school classroom include: alcohol, autos, motorcycles, and planes, business and money, computers and programming, diet and health, education (which features a variety of science experiments and more), film and theater, language (English, Chinese, Hungarian, Russian, Finnish, sign language, Polish, and countless others), music and instruments, travel, and several other topics. Within each of these general topics, there are thousands of specific "how to" videos.

Membership is free and has many perks. You are able to comment and/or grade the video clips or even submit your own video. Registration does require some personal information: a username, password, email address, and date of birth. ALL USERS MUST BE OVER 13-years of age! Check with your administrator about allowing the students to register for this site using fictitious names. You may wish to set up a class registration instead of entering true data into the registration site. Another option is to 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. Here is a blog post that tells how to set up GMail subaccounts to use for any online membership service.

Warning: not all videos are suitable for the classroom. Be sure to preview what you wish to share. If you choose to allow your older students to navigate this site on their own (for research or a class project), be sure to set boundaries on which videos to watch, consequences for going elsewhere, and WATCH CAREFULLY! Some videos explain "how to" do things that are unsafe or inappropriate for school-ages audiences. Wonder How To does include unobtrusive advertisements. This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
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This great site gives serious Shakespeare students something to dig their teeth into. Of particular interest is a full-length, documentary video titled "Shakespeare and the Spanish Connection." The documentary links Spanish and Elizabethan theatres in style of performance, architecture, and background. From the homepage, you can look at galleries (basically online picture albums) of Shakespearean productions from the 16th to the 20th centuries. Clicking on the "Videos" tab will enable you watch short excerpts of plays performed in various venues including open air theatres. Due to the academic nature of the presentations, this is probably best used with upperclassmen or gifted students who have some familiarity with the Elizabethan Renaissance and Shakespeare. The videos require Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
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Come to Humane High School to learn all about animal protection, service projects to protect the animals, puppy mills, cruelty to animals, caring for pets, animals in entertainment, and other sensitive topics. This site features video clips (warning: preview before sharing, some are rather graphic), a FREE online course for students, student activity guides, printable PDF pages on HOT topics, and service learning ideas (in the areas of art, business/marketing, drama, language arts, health, physical education, life skills, math, music, science, social studies, technology, world languages, ESL, and ELL). There is also information about the legislative process of protecting animals. This site is geared towards grades 6 through 12. The link Mission: Humane provides even MORE ways to GET INVOLVED!

The Mission: Humane projects have recently won the prestigious Harris Wofford service award from Youth Service America. The projects are provided and easy to understand in a step-by-step format. Be aware: this site does include a Community link that has message boards, registration, and sign-in options (which are not required to use this site), and some other collaborative features. Be sure to watch students carefully if you allow them to navigate this site independently. This site requires Flash and Adobe Acrobat. You can get both from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
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