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Learning to Give - Points of Light Institute
Grades
K to 12
1 Favorites
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The goal of this site is to educate youth about philanthropy and giving their time and knowledge for the global good. To do this, they offer over 1400 free lesson ...more
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The goal of this site is to educate youth about philanthropy and giving their time and knowledge for the global good. To do this, they offer over 1400 free lesson plans for teachers, parents, and community leaders. Lessons are coded to state standards and can be searched by grade level, keyword, subject, or academic or philanthropy standard. Some lessons are geared toward private or religious schools and are clearly labeled as such. Lessons include the subject, key concepts, vocabulary, objectives, required materials, approximate time, procedures, extensions, handouts, and more. An example of a grade 3-5 lesson would be Cool Kids Compost, which explores responsible use of resources by gathering data about lunchroom waste. Don't let the concept of philanthropy keep you from exploring the site; there are many great classroom lessons available for all subjects.
tag(s): african american (129), animal homes (54), animals (277), charactered (86), charts and graphs (181), colonial america (95), communities (40), data (205), diversity (55), ecology (116), environment (249), heroes (22), money (112), recycling (47)
In the Classroom
Use this site as a resource for all subjects; search for a subject and browse the resources. Share with other teachers in your building or district, including teachers of the arts. Get your students involved! Challenge cooperative learning groups to create a multimedia presentation using one of many TeachersFirst Edge tools reviewed here discussing one of the topics at this site. Some tool suggestions are (click on the tool name to access the review): Canva Infographic Maker, Lucidpress, Powtoon, and MoocNote.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Project Based Learning for the 21st Century - Buck Institute for Education
Grades
K to 12
1 Favorites
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Looking for more information on Project Based Learning (PBL)? Find videos, information, and examples on this site. Though some material on this site is for sale, there are plenty of...more
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Looking for more information on Project Based Learning (PBL)? Find videos, information, and examples on this site. Though some material on this site is for sale, there are plenty of free materials. Read about PBL, watch videos, or download word or PDF documents found under the Tools section. Sign up to participate in the forum for more interaction with the content and other educators using PBL. Be sure to check out the tweets on the bottom of the front page for great ideas and links to use.
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tag(s): assessment (143), Project Based Learning (28), Research (87)
In the Classroom
Use these ideas in any subject area classroom. Aspects of PBL can be used in introductory activities or whole units. Use driving questions to stimulate student curiosity to know more about how curriculum applies to their lives. Use this PBL framework to give students freedom to research aspects of the content or problem of personal interest. Be sure to view the resources to adequately plan for a successful unit project that incorporates 21st century skills utilizing engaging activities and content.
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Victorian Christmas - TeachersFirst
Grades
4 to 8
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This collection introduces Victorian Christmas customs and offers several activities which students can complete to show their understanding of Christmas celebrations from over a century...more
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This collection introduces Victorian Christmas customs and offers several activities which students can complete to show their understanding of Christmas celebrations from over a century ago.
In the Classroom
Save this site as a favorite on your desktop and use it to add supplementary activities to your classroom before Winter Break. Many of the sites can be used as webquests, classroom activities or Learning centers. This could be a great way to mix the holidays into content, comparing today's celebrations to those of the 19th century.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Make a Victorian Cornucopia - TeachersFirst
Grades
3 to 10
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This simple lesson activity gives instructions for making a Victorian "cornucopia" Christmas ornament filled with candy or other treats. This Victorian tradition dates back to the 19th...more
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This simple lesson activity gives instructions for making a Victorian "cornucopia" Christmas ornament filled with candy or other treats. This Victorian tradition dates back to the 19th century. The printable pattern is included. See more Victorian Christmas activities on the TeachersFirst Victorian Christmas page.
In the Classroom
Try this easy activity during a Christmas 'Round the World unit or as part of a study of the Victorian Era. Have students take digital pictures of the steps and include them on your class web page or wiki (with captions!) so others can try the activity at home. Older students could enhance their learning by posting the photos with and explanation using a portfolio tool such as Seesaw. Seesaw also offers tools for incorporating blogs. Alternatively, students could transform their learning by annotating images taken of their activities with text, URL's, or videos using ThingLink. Make cornucopias as gifts for a visit to a local nursing home or children's home so the activity becomes a service project.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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A Victorian Christmas - Malcolm Warrington
Grades
4 to 8
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Give students a taste of the Victorian celebration with this site showing greeting cards from the Victorian era, and explaining the Victorian origins of many of today's Christmas traditions....more
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Give students a taste of the Victorian celebration with this site showing greeting cards from the Victorian era, and explaining the Victorian origins of many of today's Christmas traditions. We wish the images were bigger, but this is a nicely designed introduction to Victorian celebrations.
In the Classroom
Use this website during a unit on Christmas or Victorian history. Enhance learning and allow ENL/ELL students to try using Text to Speech Reader, reviewed here, which will allow these students to follow the highlighted text as the article or passage is read to them. Consider extending learning by having students create their own online Victorian "albums" using a tool such as Smilebox, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Video: Social Media in Plain English - Common Craft
Grades
K to 12
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What is social media? This video takes you on a journey to "Scoopville," a fictitious town used to demonstrate the many "flavors" of social media. The video is short (3:25-minutes)...more
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What is social media? This video takes you on a journey to "Scoopville," a fictitious town used to demonstrate the many "flavors" of social media. The video is short (3:25-minutes) and very easy to follow. Highlighted are blogs, podcasts, and videos. This site requires you to be a paying member to embed or download the video. However, you can still see the transcript for the video. Despite a paid membership model, Common Craft still offers this video for free. If you wish to share this with a group, they will need to view it on individual/partner computers (or IOS devices) or on a projector that has a zoom function to enlarge a selected area of the screen.
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tag(s): blogs (79), podcasts (166), social media (62)
In the Classroom
If you are looking to learn more about various social media, check out this short video. Learn more about the "flavors" you could use in your own classoom. For research projects have students create a blog, wiki, or even a podcast and compare the pros/cons of each regarding communication and safety. Create podcasts using a tool such as podOmatic, explained here. If you use "centers" in your classroom, put the video on a "center" computer, do a "right click" on the video, select "save as" and save to the "center" computer.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Travel - National Geographic - National Geographic
Grades
1 to 12
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National Geographic's travel guides for most major cities. ...more
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National Geographic's travel guides for most major cities.
tag(s): cities (14), virtual field trips (142)
In the Classroom
Ask students to choose a city to investigate. Start their investigation with this site and then have them use a resource like Data USA. Have students create blogs sharing they learned about their city of choice 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 Twitter links. This blog creator requires no registration.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Webquest 101 - TeachersFirst
Grades
1 to 12
6 Favorites
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Newly revised, TeachersFirst's extensive tutorial explains what a webquest is, why it can be useful in the classroom, and how to create your own webquest on a topic of your ...more
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Newly revised, TeachersFirst's extensive tutorial explains what a webquest is, why it can be useful in the classroom, and how to create your own webquest on a topic of your choosing. Don't miss the section on url detective work and evaluating which sites are best for your students. Fid handy ways to collect resources for webquests and hints for checking reading levels and more. There are lots of examples, tool suggestions, and links to our ever-growing collection of sample webquests.
In the Classroom
Mark this in your Favorites as a professional reference. You may even want to assign students to create their own webquests following these guidelines. If you mentor new teachers, share this resource when they are designing their first web-based projects.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Select and Speak - Google Chrome
Grades
1 to 12
2 Favorites
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Select and Speak (formerly (Speakit) is an easy to install, free program that converts written text on web pages into spoken words within the Chrome web browser. At the time ...more
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Select and Speak (formerly (Speakit) is an easy to install, free program that converts written text on web pages into spoken words within the Chrome web browser. At the time of this review, it works exclusively on Google Chrome. You can use this extension in many different languages. All you do is highlight the text, and it reads it aloud. The tool works only on website text, not documents, etc. This extension uses text to speech service and might not be accessible to those whose computers prevent download/installation of software. There are some errors in the program they are still fixing.
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tag(s): listening (117), text to speech (23)
In the Classroom
Use Select and Speak as your teacher's helper. Be sure to test it out on classroom computers and devices before using it with students. During research or computer explorations, allow students to use this read aloud feature. Honor the students who heavily rely on hearing as their preferred form of comprehending material. In lower grades, research on computers now becomes an easier task. This extension is perfect for ENL/ELL or learning support students to help with vocabulary development, comprehension, fluency, and repetitions.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Quilting Techniques: Math Lesson Plans - Quilting Assistant
Grades
2 to 12
1 Favorites
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The primary purpose of this site is to offer information and techniques for quilters; it also offers 3 lesson plans that can be used in elementary, middle, or high school ...more
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The primary purpose of this site is to offer information and techniques for quilters; it also offers 3 lesson plans that can be used in elementary, middle, or high school classrooms. The elementary lesson focuses on learning fractions through dividing up quilt squares, including basic and advanced activities. The middle school lesson focuses on proportions. The high school activity is based on polynomials. These would be fun activities for students to apply these math concepts through hands-on activities.
tag(s): angles (52), fractions (178), polynomials (21), symmetry (30)
In the Classroom
During Black History Month or when learning about Western expansion or colonial days, students may enjoy making quilts from fabric or paper and learning about the different patterns used in quilt-making. Introduce this activity and have students label the different fractional amounts in the quilt squares. Practice adding fractions by writing the equations generated by making different quilt squares. Hang completed quilts in the classroom or hallway for an interesting display of work with fractions and proportion.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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EconEdLink
Grades
1 to 12
3 Favorites
0 Comments
Created with input from the National Council on Economics Education, this site offers an eclectic set of lessons, most of which require some web access. They range from the introduction...more
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Created with input from the National Council on Economics Education, this site offers an eclectic set of lessons, most of which require some web access. They range from the introduction of simple concepts for elementary students to studies of economic forecasting for older students.
tag(s): consumers (16)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the free digital lesson plans offered by this website. Useful for any economics class, regardless of age. The site includes standard criteria and images, which are helpful in preparing the lesson for class use.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Facts for Features: Thanksgiving Day 2017 - U.S. Census Bureau
Grades
3 to 12
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The Census Bureau offers lots of Thanksgiving statistics, from the total weight of all the turkeys raised in the US to the total amount of food consumed on Thanksgiving. You ...more
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The Census Bureau offers lots of Thanksgiving statistics, from the total weight of all the turkeys raised in the US to the total amount of food consumed on Thanksgiving. You can plan a huge party with this one!
tag(s): holidays (280), thanksgiving (24)
In the Classroom
Choose a statistic your students can estimate then use this site to help develop estimation and number sense--all in a holiday spirit. Gobble, Gobble! Perhaps create an infographic using Piktochart AI Inforgrapic Generator, reviewed here to display your favorite data. An interesting question to ask: what other data would you like to learn from the U.S. census the next time they do one?Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Chocolate- All About Chocolate - Field Museum
Grades
4 to 8
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Suitable for Halloween, Valentine's, or any chocolate-covered holiday, All About Chocolate offers basics about how chocolate is made and an excellent collection of lessons in the "Educator's...more
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Suitable for Halloween, Valentine's, or any chocolate-covered holiday, All About Chocolate offers basics about how chocolate is made and an excellent collection of lessons in the "Educator's Resources" area (click at the right). Lessons delve into the South American cultures and environments in which the cacao bean grows. Students can explore chocolate's impact on the economies and environment of these countries, and can also examine chocolate's ancient cultural connections. Sweet!
tag(s): chocolate (3), halloween (46), south america (80)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the free lesson plans hosted on this site! Save this site as a favorite to allow for easy retrieval - a creative source for a cultural geography, history or earth science classroom! Use Google Earth, reviewed here, to explore the regions where chocolate grows and find photos to bring these locations to life on your projector or interactive whiteboard. Make natural resources a tasty lesson.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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PuzzleMaker - Discovery
Grades
1 to 9
6 Favorites
0 Comments
Here's every parent or teacher's dream: a site that helps you make your own puzzles, word games, and math puzzlers. There is a selection of almost a dozen different formats, ...more
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Here's every parent or teacher's dream: a site that helps you make your own puzzles, word games, and math puzzlers. There is a selection of almost a dozen different formats, each of which can be customized to meet your specific needs. Choose the puzzle type you want from the drop-down menu. Both adults and learners can create games!
tag(s): crosswords (22), puzzles (167)
In the Classroom
Create your puzzles by following the simple directions. These can be used both online and in print form. You or your students can create games for use on an interactive whiteboard (students highlight the answers in different colors). Have students create their own to challenge classmates! If you have kinesthetic learners or those with weak fine motor skills who have trouble with pencils, the whiteboard is a real help. Make it a center. Build a class collection of student-made games and puzzles for use over and over. Tip: If you take a screenshot of a word search or print it to a pdf, you can save it electronically. Screenshots: Prtscrn key on a Windows machine, then PASTE into a document; Command+shift+4 on a Mac; press both buttons at once on an iPad to save a screenshot to the camera roll.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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A Listening Doll - Joyce Payne
Grades
3 to 5
1 Favorites
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The Kennedy Center's "A Listening Doll" lesson introduces students to the clay sculpture traditions of the Pueblo People of New Mexico. Through discussion of storyteller dolls, hands-on...more
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The Kennedy Center's "A Listening Doll" lesson introduces students to the clay sculpture traditions of the Pueblo People of New Mexico. Through discussion of storyteller dolls, hands-on clay modeling, and guided reflection, students learn about cultural context and artistic principles. The resource includes a comprehensive teacher's guide, a step-by-step lesson plan, background information on Pueblo traditions, and suggestions for classroom discussions and reflections. Teachers can easily integrate these materials to support a culturally responsive, creative arts experience.
tag(s): crafts (110), native americans (127), stories and storytelling (77)
In the Classroom
Guide students in using clay (or Model Magic) to sculpt their own "listening doll." Emphasize body posture (arms open, attentive face) to reflect active listening. Use step,''?'by,''?'step modeling techniques included in the lesson plan. Have them take pictures and write short stories to include in a class presentation using Google Slides reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The National Baseball Hall of Fame - National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc
Grades
4 to 12
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The National Baseball Hall of Fame offers lots of information on famous players and the history of the game. It's a great starting point for students interested in baseball's impact...more
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The National Baseball Hall of Fame offers lots of information on famous players and the history of the game. It's a great starting point for students interested in baseball's impact on American culture, especially in the early 20th century. Visit the Sights and Sounds, link to view videos, hear authentic news clips and interviews, and more.
tag(s): 20th century (169), baseball (28)
In the Classroom
Share the videos, interviews, and more on your interactive whiteboard or projector. As baseball season begins, have cooperative learning groups explore different elements of this site. Have the groups prepare a multi-media production. Perhaps a video clip of their own!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Thinkport - Maryland Public Television and John Hopkins University
Grades
2 to 12
3 Favorites
0 Comments
This site provides sample student activities and "how to" instructions for students to create timelines, museums, pattern makers, and more. Explore the tools to give students ownership...more
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This site provides sample student activities and "how to" instructions for students to create timelines, museums, pattern makers, and more. Explore the tools to give students ownership over their learning. Create your own activities or use the sample activities given with each tool. Use the Timeline Builder to easily create a simple but customizable timeline. Examine text for better understanding with the Annotate It! tool. Build spatial sense with the Pattern Builder that combines art and geometry in a fun to use tool. Create your own Museum is a great learning tool to decide what to showcase in any type of museum. Besure to check out the Learning Resources tab at the top for great digital activities for all ages!
tag(s): museums (55), patterns (77), reading comprehension (146), timelines (60), writing (306)
In the Classroom
Use these tools for any subject area and for any content. Be sure to look at the sample activities that are great to use as is or can stimulate thinking into your own projects. Use the timeline as an introduction to the first year by discussing their summer activities, major events in a students life, inventions or technology that made a difference in their life, events in their favorite book, and more. To understand content in perspective, create a timeline to be sure students understand why some events happen at particular times. For example, our understanding about biology greatly changes after the invention of the microscope. A great sample activity to Create your own Museum is the celebration of neighborhoods which can create a greater understanding about different people. Create a museum for each different kind of biome that showcases what would be found there. Create a museum for a time period in history but created by a specific group of people. View each of the museums and note the differences in what is portrayed using the lens of that various segment of the population. Create writings or blog posts portraying the differences in the museums and why these differences exist. Even young students can make a simple timeline of their own life of the life cycle of a butterfly to build the concept of linear representation of time.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Classroom Jeopardy - superteachtools.com
Grades
K to 12
17 Favorites
0 Comments
Looking for an easy to use free jeopardy game? Look no further than this site. Download the application for free or create the activity to be played online. View and ...more
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Looking for an easy to use free jeopardy game? Look no further than this site. Download the application for free or create the activity to be played online. View and try activities already created online. If you like your project you can save it to a folder on your computer. There is a short video in the "How To" section that will walk you through the process of making, saving, and playing a Flash Jeopardy game. Those of you who have used the PowerPoint Jeopardy will find this flash version much less time consuming to create and to recreate new Jeopardy games.
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tag(s): grammar review (34), matching (9)
In the Classroom
Use this great resource to create Jeopardy games for any content area. This resource is perfect for use on an interactive whiteboard or projector with a student emcee. Use for vocabulary/terms, identifying parts of anything, and reviewing for any curriculum topic. Use as an opener to a unit to determine what students already know. Play as a review game to assist learning for all students. Encourage students to create the clues and answers to their own Jeopardy review games as a creative way to review and reinforce. Learning support teachers may want to have students create review games together.You or your students can copy and paste the HTML code for any game on your web page, wiki, or blog for easy access to any Flash Jeopardy Game.
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REFORMA - UCLA
Grades
4 to 12
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This site is a resource for those interested in building Spanish resources in libraries and helping Hispanics discover and use libraries. REFORMA contains listings of Hispanic sources...more
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This site is a resource for those interested in building Spanish resources in libraries and helping Hispanics discover and use libraries. REFORMA contains listings of Hispanic sources and information, and was developed at UCLA. From the top menu under Resources and Publications click Information for libraries and librarians serving Latinos & Spanish - speaking communities to find many useful resources for your school library and your classroom.
tag(s): communities (40), hispanic (53), service projects (17), spanish (111)
In the Classroom
Familiarize students with this site and what the REFORMA goals are: The goals of REFORMA include: Development of Spanish-language and Latino-oriented library collections, Recruitment of bilingual, multicultural library personnel, Promotion of public awareness of libraries and librarianship among Latinos, Advocacy on behalf of the information needs of the Latino community, and Liaison to other professional organizations. Then have them investigate your school library and local libraries to see if they meet those goals. If some of the goals are not being met, there is an opportunity for community service.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Bookemon - Bookemon, Inc.
Grades
K to 12
47 Favorites
1 Comments
Write your own original books, add images and artwork as illustrations, and read your published books in an interactive, online form. There is no fee for the online publication and...more
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Write your own original books, add images and artwork as illustrations, and read your published books in an interactive, online form. There is no fee for the online publication and sharing. This is the ultimate in "digital storytelling." Take advantage of the free apps that make Bookemon even easier to use with any device! Use Bookemon Reader to READ books you created in Bookemon or Bookemon edCenter (available for both iOS and Android). BookPress for iOS devices only allows you to CREATE books from scratch, including using photos from your iPad/iPhone. InstaPress (for iOS only) offers options to create books from documents, PDFs, etc., for sharing on mobile devices as e-books. http://www.bookemon.com/book_Here is an example of a book created by the TeachersFirst Edge editors. Once you set up a free membership on this site, students (or teachers) can choose to create from scratch or use the provided templates. You can also create a book starter of your own as an example, so students can follow the prompts you have created. The book creator allows you to upload your own images and to create books from a Word document or PowerPoint file you have already made. EdCenter users can collaborate on books.
After you save and publish the work, share the URL so people can read the entire book online, either among an audience of "just my friends" or publicly. They also offer the embed code to place your books on a class or school web page, wiki, or blog. The easiest option is to copy the address of the new window displaying the interactive book. There is an option to have the book printed for a fee, but this is not required. You can also read books created by others (if they make them public). Use the fully public option to create learning materials for classes that can be accessed year to year for at-home review or reading practice.
This site requires a simple registration. Teachers can set up an edCenter for their school or class in accordance with school policies. See more detailed suggestions "In the Classroom" below and in our sample book! Newer mobile device options include iPads and more for viewing your books.
This site includes advertising.
This site requires a simple registration. Teachers can set up an edCenter for their school or class in accordance with school policies. See more detailed suggestions "In the Classroom" below and in our sample book! Newer mobile device options include iPads and more for viewing your books.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): creative writing (124), digital storytelling (167), writing (306)
In the Classroom
SKIP the profile and friends areas to get to the book creator to play with the tools a bit. Before you get too involved, create an edCenter to minimize advertising and create books in your own teacher-friendly class environment. Use the edCenter to register students and establish privacy settings for your class. No student emails are required. On the Create Books page, choose to use a blank book, start from a file, or use a template. Choose "school" to see projects from other classes or a sample created by you or a student team working in advance, along with you. Explore ready-made themes (seasonal, topical, etc.) or use "open theme." Choose book dimensions (match the layout shape to any uploaded files, such as PowerPoint slides). Enter settings and description of your book (editable later), including who is allowed to "see" it: everyone, just friends, or private. Again, choose a "theme" - more of a category where Bookemon will list your completed book. A logical option is "school." Experiment with tools to upload files (within file limits), add images, add text, etc. Written help is offered as you go, but there is no video demo. SAVE often. Turn margins on to avoid chopping content. To share the book, you must "publish" it (i.e., finalize). Once published, locate the book under "My Books" and use options to share (by email--and see the URL to copy from there), "Make a new edition" to create a new version--also useful for treating the original as a template for later books. Post to Other Sites offers embed codes. The BEST option is to click the book COVER, which opens a new window without ads or "stuff," and copy the ADDRESS of that window to paste into email, etc. You can also mark that clean window view as a Favorite on a classroom computer. Use your edCenter settings to manage social networking features. This will avoid the "public" Bookemon features, such as opportunities to share address books and to use social tools like Facebook to share your books. Teacher-controlled edCenter accounts are probably the easiest option for managing within school policies. With younger students, have them begin their work in PowerPoint, then upload for whole-class books. See an example, created by the TeachersFirst Edge editors. The example is full of ideas for classroom use from kindergarten to high school, including science concept tales, poetry books, general writing, math problem-solving, and more. ANY grade can use this tool, depending on the level of teacher direction. (By the way, the correct answer to the problem in the sample book is c. 27.) Another idea: have students create personalized books for their parents or grandparents for special occasions (Mother's Day, Father's Day, or Grandparents' Day). Use the mobile device features available in your BYOD classroom to create and share books, PDFs, and more. Tip: Use this site for a guided introduction to social networking as a class, an excellent teaching opportunity for digital citizenship in the context of a project.This is one of the best creative tools for gifted students to go above and beyond the regular curriculum. Don't let the "juvenile" appearance fool you. Even older students can write and include images to create and share books of any length. Any independent research or writing project can become an interactive book. Even advanced science experiments and lab reports can be shared online using this tool. Once you have one book, you can use that as a template for others. Inspire your gifted students to create a literary magazine or even a personal online "portfolio" of writing, artwork, or photography presented in interactive book form.
Edge Features:
Includes an education-only area for teachers and students
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 (NO email)
Premium version (not free) includes additional features or storage
Products can be shared by URL
Includes teacher tools for registering and/or monitoring students
Comments
This is one of my all time favorite creative tools. Very versatile. Great for making "buddy books" or for teacher-created learning "books." Make one as a whole class to summarize a science unit in primary grades. I even use it personally to make fee online "gifts" for children I know. I did purchase one print version, and it looked great.Thinking, PA, Grades: 5 - 10
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