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WordClouds - wordclouds.com
Grades
2 to 12tag(s): editing (89), proofreading (17), speech (66), vocabulary (251), word choice (12), word clouds (12)
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. ENL 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.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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550 Narrative Prompts - NY Times - New York Times
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): creative writing (123), writers workshop (30), writing (309), writing prompts (55)
In the Classroom
These prompts are not just for language arts teachers. Science and Social Studies teachers will find many prompts to use in Beliefs, Politics and Current Events, and other categories. Digital storytelling incorporates many Common Core Standards and is a possibility in any classroom. To incorporate digital storytelling into your class use a tool like Visme, reviewed here, or challenge students to create a Found Poem from the news article using Word Mover, reviewed here.Take advantage of the many ideas on this site for a class blog and student bloggers. Create a link to the list on classroom computers for student use when looking for blog suggestions. After writing about several different prompts, challenge students to choose one and create a short story or poem. Want to learn more about blogs? Check out TeachersFirst's Blog Basics.
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Grammarly - Max Lytvyn and Alex Shevchenko
Grades
K to 12tag(s): editing (89), grammar (139), Microsoft (55), proofreading (17), spelling (93), writing (309)
In the Classroom
Use this visual revision program with your students who are ready to refine and improve their writing. Have students copy and paste writing projects into the text editor for a final check for spelling and grammar mistakes after making their last revisions. Continued use of Grammarly helps students correct writing on their own after seeing common errors in their writing. Never send out a newsletter or post to your web page with spelling or grammar errors again! Use Grammarly to spell check and suggest corrections for any published writing projects. Although Grammarly offers premium accounts, the free features provide a robust set of tools for use in all classroom situations. Add the browser extension to class computers for students to click on an unknown word when reading on the web.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Playbuzz - Shaul Olmert and Tom Pachys
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): flash cards (44), polls and surveys (43), quiz (62), trivia (16)
In the Classroom
Share Playbuzz with students to create interactive classroom content. Have students create polls for favorite characters in books, use the Video Snaps tool to share significant portions of a video, or use Flip Cards in place of traditional flash cards. Create interactive content for your classroom lessons including trivia to introduce new lessons or create a Gallery Quiz to match images to clues. The possibilities are as unlimited as your imagination and those of your students!Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes Interaction w general public/ public galleries with unmoderated content
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Products can be embedded
Products can be shared by URL
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project
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Simplenote - automattic.com
Grades
K to 12tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (129), organizational skills (89)
In the Classroom
Use Simplenote for all notes and ideas in all aspects of your busy life. Keep your file system with you all of the time! Instruct students in the use of Simplenote for notetaking needs. Share outlines and study guides with students. All members can collaborate and add thoughts. Offer as a way to improve organizational skills.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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EasyWrite - Deekshith Allamaneni
Grades
K to 12tag(s): digital storytelling (166), editing (89), multilingual (82), process writing (34), vocabulary (251), writers workshop (30), writing (309)
In the Classroom
Have students use EasyWrite to retell difficult text in an easy to understand way. Retell Shakespeare passages in simple English or breakdown complicated directions into simple terms. EasyWrite is perfect for use with ENL/ESL or special education students. Choose any complex or difficult text and break it into simpler terms for easier understanding. Do this by adding a free browser extension to classroom computers and devices. Use a tool such as Grammarly (at the time of this review worked for Chrome, Safari, Edge, and FireFox), reviewed here., or After the Deadline, reviewed here. Turn the theory of EasyWrite upside down - have students paste their writing projects into EasyWrite. If there are only a few highlighted words, have them develop more interesting and complex writing passages. Have students take a screenshot of their original work to include with a final draft.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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picjumbo - Viktor Hanacek
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): creative commons (28), images (266), photography (135)
In the Classroom
Use this site to search for photos for presentations, projects, or research. Take advantage of this opportunity to discuss proper use and sharing of online images and information. For ENL/ESL students or speech/language, use the pictures for them to create their own visual dictionary. World language teachers can also challenge students to use images to illustrate vocabulary or accompany writing. Use photos for writing prompts or even to create descriptive sentences. Have one student describe the picture as another sketches the image. Now compare the described image to the real image.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Labeley - Labeley.com
Grades
K to 12tag(s): digital storytelling (166), editing (89), images (266)
In the Classroom
Have students create images in Labeley to add to book reports and multimedia projects. Have students upload a picture of themselves doing their favorite activity and label it with amusing text or a favorite quote (or song lyrics?). Have them upload images that represent their interests and character traits using 4 Free Photos, reviewed here, from the public domain. Of course, proper credit must be given. Create a picture for a character from a story and add text descriptions of character traits. For other uses, have students practice new words in a world language class by labeling and identifying images in that language. Create writing prompts using several annotated images. Have students create annotated images to explain key terms in science class.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Toppsta - Georgina Atwell
Grades
K to 12tag(s): book lists (161), independent reading (83), preK (322), reading lists (76)
In the Classroom
Share this site with students as a resource for finding books for independent reading. Include a link on your class website or blog for access at home. Present a new book each week to students on your interactive whiteboard or share your wishlist with your school's media center to include with book orders. After reading reviews, enhance student learning by having students create a video sharing their own book reviews. Use Adobe Creative Cloud Express Video Maker, reviewed here, for this video project. Have students or groups share their own book suggestions using Dotstorming, reviewed here. Dotstorming creates free online bulletin boards.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Libib - Javod Khalaj
Grades
K to 12tag(s): book lists (161), DAT device agnostic tool (129), preK (322)
In the Classroom
Libib is perfect for organizing and cataloging your classroom book collection. Use the tag features to organize your collection by genres, subject, authors, or any way you need. Tag books for specific students or reading levels. Post a link on your web page and share Libib with your students as a way for them to give opinions on current books and movies.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Financial Literacy Resources - KQED Education
Grades
9 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): financial literacy (93)
In the Classroom
Discover the many ready-to-go, free resources that go with these free lesson plans for use with all students, not just English language learners. Include this site on your class web page for students and parents to access as a reference when discussing financial issues at home. Use the calculators found on the site as part of any financial unit or as a math problem solving lesson. Oh, and by-the-way, students will also practice listening, reading, writing, and speaking skills!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Animatron - Dmitry Skavish
Grades
K to 12tag(s): animation (61), movies (52), multimedia (62), slides (37)
In the Classroom
Challenge older students to create their own Animatrons. Students can use Animatron to share their ideas or to "prototype" an idea. Students can create videos to show math processes, explanations of complex concepts, review new learning, teach others, explain scientific processes, tell stories, or present research. Flip your classroom using Animatron presentations. Use Animatron to create teacher-authored animations for students in ANY grade. Animatron is an excellent way to present new information or ideas for discussion. It is an easy way to prepare information for the class when a substitute is coming. Share Animatron creations on your website or blog for students to review at home. Use an Animatron video on the first day of school to explain class rules or give an exciting introduction to the year ahead. Use Animatron to create movies or presentations for back-to-school night or conference nights to display on your interactive whiteboard or with a projector. Teacher-librarians can ask students to create Animatron book reviews to share kiosk style in the library/media center.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Kindle Direct Publishing - Amazon Kindle
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): digital storytelling (166), ebooks (49)
In the Classroom
If your class uses Kindles, the possibilities are endless. Publish interactive short books for all content areas and set the price to free. Students can then download and view books on their devices. Put together groups of student projects to create a complete book for all to use when reviewing material at the end of any unit. Share with gifted students for creating a book as an in-depth investigation into any area of the curriculum.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
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Requires download/installation of software
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Noplag - Noplag LLC
Grades
4 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): copyright (42), evaluating sources (45), plagiarism (33), writing (309)
In the Classroom
Teach students about plagiarism and how to avoid it; it is a critical skill in all the content areas. Noplag is an easy place to introduce the concepts and have students check their writing without registering. Demonstrate how to use the tool to the whole class using a projector or interactive whiteboard. Have students register for additional options. Emphasize to students that they have the ability and the obligation to check their work for honesty.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Airtable - Emmett Nicholas, Howie Liu, Andrew Ofstad
Grades
K to 12tag(s): bookmarks (34), collaboration (112), curation (25), DAT device agnostic tool (129)
In the Classroom
Use Airtable to collaborate on lessons with other teachers, both local and across the world. Share with students to use when collaborating on projects or to create study guides. Use the provided templates to catalog your books or share study guides with students.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Thought Plan - Max Schmitt
Grades
K to 12tag(s): gifted (63), organizational skills (89)
In the Classroom
Use Thought Plan to plan and organize your yearly schedule. All students will appreciate having an online time management account, but learning support students and disorganized gifted students need one. This is also a great tool for ESL/ELL students to help learn organization skills with very simple features. You may want to model using this online tool to help middle and high school students learn personal organization. Share this site the first week of school to get students started on the right foot! Make a demo account for a mythical student and organize his/her daily schedule together so students can see how it works. Share the steps on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Alternately, this idea will work with group projects where students need to learn to manage their project time.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Pear Deck (formerly Edulastic) - Snapwiz
Grades
K to 12tag(s): assessment (144), commoncore (61)
In the Classroom
Create and use short quizzes to track mastery of concepts by all students in your class. Use this site to pretest gifted students. If the gifted students already know the material, allow them to advance to another topic. The quick feedback allows greater opportunity to focus on students who need additional help. Use Edulastic to monitor your teaching of Common Core Standards as well as focusing on student proficiency of content. Since student registration is via email, for young students consider using a "class set" of Gmail subaccounts, explained here; this tells how to configure Gmail subaccounts to use for any online membership service. Using Gmail subaccounts will provide anonymous interaction within your class.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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HTML 5 Crossword Generator - Class Tools
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): crosswords (21), puzzles (163)
In the Classroom
Create puzzles for any subject or topic for review or introduction to new materials. Allow students to create puzzles for other students to solve. Add a puzzle to the classroom newsletter or blog to create interest. Share puzzles on an interactive whiteboard for students to solve together.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Symbaloo - Learning Paths - Symbaloo
Grades
K to 12tag(s): bookmarks (34), curation (25), DAT device agnostic tool (129), game based learning (304), gamification (93), multilingual (82), personalized learning (13), playlists (8), Teacher Utilities (214)
In the Classroom
You will want to use Symbaloo Learning Paths for a variety of classroom instruction! Create lesson plans to differentiate learning and assign based on student needs and interests. Embed a lesson on your class website for students to complete at home. Using this site lets you create a clear, concise learning path for any lesson. Share it on an interactive whiteboard with students as you follow through any learning path. Be sure to also include a link to the lesson on your class website for students to use throughout the unit and for review. Use Symbaloo Lesson Plans to enrich independent learning for advanced students or to remediate students needing additional help. This site is perfect for use with multilingual students - include links to resources in their native language and activities, or add tools for practicing English. There are too many uses for Symbaloo Lesson Plans to include here. Be sure to take the time to learn how to create and use this wonderful tool with your students!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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TypeDrummer - Kyle Stetz
Grades
K to 12tag(s): back to school (50), musical instruments (60), rhythm (22), sound (74)
In the Classroom
Catch your students' attention and type a short message to students on TypeDrummer to read as they enter the class. Create and share TypeDrummer messages on your class web page - suggestions might be reminders of due dates of upcoming tests, tips on completing homework assignments, or the daily school lunch menu. Allow students to create a TypeDrummer message as part of a presentation including the title and a summary of the presentation content. Create a list of instructions to share with students. Use TypeDrummer as part of your Back to School activities, have each student type their name and a sentence about themselves. Spice up lessons and have students type their answers using TypeDrummer.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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