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EasyDefine - Prabbav Jain
Grades
4 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): vocabulary development (111), word study (58), vocabulary (260), synonyms (20), dictionaries (40), study aid (171)
In the Classroom
You must know where you are saving downloads on your computer to save the list as a document. Pay attention and name files with meaningful file names, such as "chapter17vocab." Enter your list with one term per line or separated by commas, etc. Click on advanced options to add other options to the search: number or alphabetize the definition results, maximum definitions, and hiding parts of speech.Create definitions easily for word lists in any subject area. Have students enter a series of similar words to see variations in connotations. For example, enter various words that mean "fat" and discover the variability in positive and negative connotations. Follow up with a ranking or sorting activity with the same words on interactive whiteboard to build word choice options. Have students generate individualized reading vocabulary lists for content are reading chapters or literature. Click on the synonyms tab to find related words. Save as a document for easy sharing in groups. Advise students to collect definitions and compare to those they write in their own words. As with any other reference, students should be cautioned to be sure these are accurate definitions needed for the context in which they are studying the words.
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The Biography Maker - Jamie McKenzie and the Bellingham Public Schools.
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): questioning (37), writing (301)
In the Classroom
All material at this site is copyrighted, so it must be viewed online. For students who do best with step-by-step instructions, this site is a gem! You might have one group research authors from a particular country while others do artists, musicians, scientists, etc. A class report from each of these groups would do a good job of encapsulating a country or area of the world within any given time period. Teachers seeking independent projects for students who "test out" of a unit can assign this site's step-by-step instructions as a meaningful alternate activity.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Aspects of the Antebellum Christmas - Tim Crumrin
Grades
7 to 9In the Classroom
Use this website as a resource during a unit on Christmas, or while looking at the differences in American life before and after the Civil War. Extend learning and challenge students to create a Venn diagram using an online tool like 2 and 3 Circle Interactive Venn Diagrams, reviewed here, and then writing about their learning and understanding using Telegra.ph, reviewed here. With Telegra.ph you just click on an icon to upload images from your computer, add a YouTube or Vimeo, or X (formerly Twitter) links. This blog creator requires no registration.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Poetry 4 Kids - Kenn Nesbitts
Grades
4 to 8In the Classroom
Ask your students to choose a favorite poem from this site and use it as a model for their own poem. Have them pay attention to the rhythm and rhyme of the poem they like. Create a class book of poems using Book Creator, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Bartleby.com
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): literature (215)
In the Classroom
Include this site on your teacher web page for students and parents to access as a reference.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Traci's List: 10 Unusual Sources for Research Papers - Traci Gardner
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): interviews (18), advertising (24)
In the Classroom
An interesting way to teach this kind of research to your students would be to assign one topic to a class and have different students or groups of students investigate the different research ideas. This could serve as a model when assigning individual work for students later in the semester. Encourage students to think "outside the box" when looking for new and supportive information for their theses. Share this list on your teacher webpage as a reference for students to access outside of class, as well.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Lightning Bug - Martin Jorgensen
Grades
4 to 12In 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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100 People - 100 People Foundation and VIF
Grades
6 to 12There are two lesson plans for this site. The first one, "World Portrait" is where students survey and select 100 people to represent their community and the world's population. There are also suggestions for how a class might select one person. The plan is download-able and has ideas that include criteria for the people who are nominated, discussion topics and activities, questions for the community profile, a questionnaire for the people nominated, an image release form, just to name a few. Student results are to be captured in film, photography, music and text. The other lesson plan on this site is titled "100 People Under the Sun." In order to download this lesson you must register, it is free, but you will have to log in when viewing the plan. With this lesson "...students will develop key leadership skills to help raise their community's awareness of its energy use, as well as its motivation to advance sustainable approaches."
tag(s): statistics (126), population (49)
In the Classroom
This project is the perfect opportunity to collaborate with others in your building! Math students could complete a school and community survey (which could tie in with 2010 U.S. census). Social Studies students could interpret data collected in the survey (also could be tied into the 2010 census) and extrapolate parameters for nominations. Language Arts students would finalize the nominations and develop the essays. Technology, yearbook, and art classes can draw the portraits or produce them digitally, create a video for submission to 100 People project, and your more advanced technology students can create a website for content display. WebNode, reviewed here, or a wiki would be great tools to use for the website! Not familiar with wikis? Check out the TeachersFirst's Wiki Walk-Through.Of course, you don't have to collaborate with others. This unit would work well in any world culture class at any level, or even in language arts when studying multicultural literature and settings. Here's another idea: Many of us have seen the video Did You Know? Predicting Future Statistics>. The beginning states "If you are one in a million in China there are 1,300 people just like you." But it also gives statistics like "During the course of this presentation 60 babies will be born in the U.S., 244 babies will be born in China, and 351 babies will be born in India..." You can use your and your student's ideas to come up with your own statistics. Something like how many people will be working and sleeping between the hours of midnight and 6:00 A.M. in the U.S., China, and India (or any other country you wish to include). Use this to lead to discussions of time zones and all sorts of other peripheral ideas and decisions students will have to think about.
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Equinox, Eclipse, & Space Vocabulary - Myvocabulary.com
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): vocabulary (260), space (249), solar system (126)
In the Classroom
Use this site to enhance your astronomy lessons. The word bank could easily be used as vocabulary words for students to research on their own. Share the word puzzles on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Have students attempt to create their own word puzzles about an astronomy topic that your class is studying. Use an online puzzle creation tool such as Just Crosswords reviewed here or Puzzlemaker, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Common Craft - Lee Lefeever
Grades
K to 12tag(s): tutorials (51), wikis (15), blogs (80), media literacy (140), movies (51)
In the Classroom
Start by looking at any video that catches your eye, but don't be afraid to search for other topics that have you wondering. You will definitely want to make this channel a Favorite to find information to keep you informed. Share it on your teacher web page to help out your parents, too! Create an account to add as favorites and subscribe to the channel to inform you when new videos are added.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Sparknotes - King Lear
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): king lear (3), shakespeare (98)
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Lessons From Literature - NCTE, Family Violence Protection Fund
Grades
9 to 12In the Classroom
Read these materials carefully to learn how to introduce lesson plans that focus on relationship abuse. As with all sensitive issues, be sure you are within school policies in holding discussions, perhaps by involving the school counselor or health teachers, as well. Share this site with your counseling staff and psychologists. Create a class wiki to discuss this and other "hot topics." Obviously, students should not share specific personal experiences, but create more of a "what to do" type of wiki. Not sure what a wiki is? Check out the TeachersFirst's Wiki Walk-Through.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Pics4Learning - Tech4Learning,Inc.
Grades
2 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): images (274), creative commons (29)
In the Classroom
Use images from this site with any classroom activities, including research papers, blogs, and multimedia presentations. Have students create a simple infographic using images from this site using Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here, or Venngage,reviewed here. Include images from Pics4Learning when creating screencast explanations. Use a tool like Free Screen Recorder Online, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Witty Comics - WittyComics.com
Grades
K to 12tag(s): comics and cartoons (67), communication (128), summarizing (30)
In the Classroom
Create dialogues that introduce new content topics in your classroom. Students can use this "witty" tool to introduce topics from research or to practice a speech to be given in class. Use comics to create a dialogue discussing misconceptions in the content and a discussion of the actual facts to dispel the misunderstandings. To view more comic creator tools and ideas view this collection. Some suggested comic creators are Canva Comic Strip Templates, reviewed here, ToonyTool, reviewed here, Make Beliefs Comix, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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I Am the Words and Pictures I Create - TeachersFirst
Grades
4 to 6tag(s): communities (37), creative writing (121), expository writing (25)
In the Classroom
Use this model of write/collaborate/share for any writing project and to build relationships across grade levels.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Shmoop Literature - Ellen Siminoff, et. al.
Grades
9 to 12While actually signing up (which is free) gives you the ability to "clip" files and keep them in a folder, you can access the majority of the information without signing up. Registration does require an email address. Tip: rather than using your personal or work 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. Here is a blog post that tells how to set up GMail subaccounts to use for any online membership service.
tag(s): literature (215), poetry (195)
In the Classroom
Because the style of writing is informal, this is a great site to use for those difficult to explain qualities such as tone and writing style with students. Visit the site together and discuss some of the "brain snacks," experience some of the short video clips on your interactive whiteboard or projector, or talk about the constructive use of a site like this without plagiarizing.Share one of the slide shows on a projector or interactive whiteboard as you introduce a unit or allow students to use portions of the slide shows as part of their own presentations on a specific author or literature topic.
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Letters About Literature - Center for the Book: Library of Congress
Grades
2 to 12tag(s): authors (116), letter writing (15), literature (215), writing (301)
In the Classroom
Have your class read some of the award-winning letters from other years on the overhead projector, interactive whiteboard, or projector. Talk about what the winning characteristics are. Share the suggestions the site makes to encourage your writers to use clear and metaphorical language. Use this site to teach your students proper letter-writing skills. Check with your administration to see what their guidelines are for submitting contest entries, particularly regarding the submission of students' names and addresses. The site is quite flexible about those types of requirements. Have the class share their letters and create a "referral" library for students looking for outside reading materials. Have your international students share letters about international writers to encourage broader reading interests. Why not use the letters to create a class online book of letters, using a tool such as Bookemon, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Sparknotes - Taming of the Shrew
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): shakespeare (98)
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Biology - Insects - myvocabulary.com
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): vocabulary (260), insects (64)
In the Classroom
Share the puzzles on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Have students work with a partner to try out the puzzles on their own. Have students (or groups) create their own word puzzles to share as a class challenge as a student-run interactive whiteboard activity or share them on a class wiki.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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African-American Culture Through the Use of Children's Literature - Yale University
Grades
2 to 4tag(s): poetry (195), short stories (17)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the free lesson plans and activities hosted on this site! Be sure to save this site as a favorite to allow for easy reference later on.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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