I stubbled upon this site through my research and I think it is amazing. Not only was I able to find great resources for English teachers, but there are resources and links for all subject areas. I think this site is great for all teachers to use especially since it is focused around providing examples of worksheets, lesson plans, rubrics, etc. for all grade levels k-12. This site is very easy to navigate as well. It provides tabs on the home page that bring you to its different resources including: lesson plans, printables, rubrics, subjects, themes, tips, tools, and worksheets. I think this site is good for examples for new teachers. They can see what creative worksheets look like and how to collaborate ideas to make an engaging assignment for their students.
The thing I liked most about this site is it caters directly to teachers today. For example, there is a link for 'teacher time-savers.' This gives examples for quick 5-minute lessons. These are perfect for when class did not go as prepared and you have only a little time left to use. Also, this site stays up to date on technology as it has a link for readily available webquests. I found another interesting link to our class through this site's examples of how to use word walls for each grade level. Anything you can think of, this site has it! Finally, this site is a great resource for the integration of technology in the classroom. It allows teachers to stay informed about how technology can improve the content of their classroom and engage students on a different level. By using it's search bar, you can find hundreds of links to helpful articles and services that teachers use in the classroom today. I thorougly enjoyed exploring this site and will definitely use it in the future. Check it out!
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Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
Teaching English with Technology
This is a free website, and it offers multiple types of technological resources specifically designed for English teachers. It includes categories in poetry, prose, commonly taught books etc, but it also incorporates ESL and EFL resources, which are extremely useful. When you click on one of these categories, the site lists various authors or sources for information relevant to teaching English with technology. For example, when you click on the commonly taught books category, the website produces a list of books traditionally taught in high school classrooms (the problem here is that it is a pretty limited list of only forty book choices). Next, when you click on the book for your class, the website provides a list of links that teachers have posted, which include lesson plans, movie clips, and/or documentaries that help facilitate teaching the book choice.
Aside from giving example lesson plans for English categories, it also includes links for other teaching websites that the authors found effective, interesting blog articles, and “wiki” entries to supplement the material that they provide on Teaching English with Technology. The most useful aspect of this website is the large number of links that it provides because if you do not find it on their website, you can find it on another one that they provide. I also found that the grammar category was extremely useful because I think that it will be difficult to come up with interesting lesson plans for grammar, and this website provides good ideas and techniques.
pbs.org
I absolutely love pbs.org because it has a vast archive of videos, documentaries, and television shows to supplement almost any topic you could ever want to teach. Just type a topic into the search bar at the top right side of the page and prepare to be amazed. I was exploring the home page, and I happened across a section specifically for educators that had some pretty awesome resources for teaching Shakespeare in the classroom. The link to the Shakespeare page is: http://www.pbs.org/shakespeare/educators/lessonplans.html. On this page, a team of educators has shared some lesson plans and activities that can be used alone in the classroom, or that can be supplemented with the PBS series, “In Search of Shakespeare.” The page also contains a link to this series, which is broken up into segments that could be useful for showing in the classroom.
There are several categories of lesson plans offered—several directions a teacher could go. One is called “Teaching Shakespeare with Technology,” which has several ideas for teaching Shakespeare using online resources, including a WebQuest for Othello. Another examines the different film adaptations of Shakespeare, while others emphasize performance or Shakespeare’s language. There are also several resources for teaching Shakespeare with primary sources.
One good thing about the lesson plans is that they include an estimate for how much time they will take, links to the resources you will need, as well as which standards they meet. Most of them also include links to additional online resources you could use to supplement the lesson. They are practical, thorough and very easy to follow.
I was very impressed at the breadth and depth the website offers for a multitude of subjects, as well as how easy it was to find something practical, useful, and engaging. It is a great starting place for finding lessons that incorporate technology into the classroom. I recommend this site for any educator.
There are several categories of lesson plans offered—several directions a teacher could go. One is called “Teaching Shakespeare with Technology,” which has several ideas for teaching Shakespeare using online resources, including a WebQuest for Othello. Another examines the different film adaptations of Shakespeare, while others emphasize performance or Shakespeare’s language. There are also several resources for teaching Shakespeare with primary sources.
One good thing about the lesson plans is that they include an estimate for how much time they will take, links to the resources you will need, as well as which standards they meet. Most of them also include links to additional online resources you could use to supplement the lesson. They are practical, thorough and very easy to follow.
I was very impressed at the breadth and depth the website offers for a multitude of subjects, as well as how easy it was to find something practical, useful, and engaging. It is a great starting place for finding lessons that incorporate technology into the classroom. I recommend this site for any educator.
discoveryeducation.com is THE BEST!!!
The best teacher resource I discovered when I was student teaching two years ago was http://www.discoveryeducation.com/, also known as United Streaming. That's because many do not know that there is much more to this website than the United Streaming videos. This website was introduced to me by a veteran teacher of 15 plus years, who was teaching in the 4th grade classroom of one of my resource students in a primary school in Southern Illinois. I went to this teacher looking for suggestions on how to make my 3rd-5th grade, self-contained and resource room more interactive and technologically integrated, as she had a substantial amount of new technology and hands on manipulatives.
I found this website to be useful in that setting, in a high school setting teaching juniors and seniors, and currently in a middle school setting. I have used discoveryeducation.com in large inclusive classrooms with students at varying levels of learning and in small groups of students, with as little as two. This website has lesson plans, videos, blackline masters, interactive games, and ready-to-use resources for every academic subject, including foreign languages.
The website is also easily accessible and teacher-friendly. It provides tabs and folders that makes it easy for me to organize My Content, resources that I would use during instruction, My Builder Tools, which I would use to build quizzes, writing prompts, and assignments to assess or enhance that instruction, and My Classrooms where I can set up activities for an entire class in the computer lab or for individual students doing enrichment or enhancement activities. This website has an abundant amount of other classroom enhancing resources that you can search through. The resources are standards based and the information is reliable. In addition to these classroom enhancing resources, there are also those designated toward your career. There is a specific tab for Professional Development, where they offer information that guides you toward becoming more proficient in the field.
The only negative aspect to this website, is the fee charged. This may be an obstacle in a district or school that does not have a subscription, however, I can see many principals and administrators being easily swayed in the direction of purchasing it. Again, this website was useful to me during student teaching and it has been increasingly useful since then. I intend to continue to use this in my classroom, even as it is constantly changing; so is the face of and new uses for discoveryeducation.com.
Scholastic For New Teachers
Resources, Tools, and Tips for New Teachers
In the past, I have used Scholastic.com for ideas for lesson plans. This specific site for new teachers allows inexperienced people to access tools for classroom management, student activities, suggested books to use in the classroom and lesson plans for all grade levels. Also, there are many links for surviving obstacles like getting students to complete their homework and game plans for tests–standardized and unit tests. Most importantly for new teachers, there is a support system with links on how to teach effectively, organize the classroom, communicating with families and colleagues, and growing as a teacher and furthering your career.
One interesting lesson plan followed the trail of Iditarod, an Alaskan dog race across mountains and rough terrain for 6th-8th graders. Scholastic provided a seven-day lesson plan that a teacher could easily follow and use DR-TA and other reading comprehension and writing techniques. In addition, there are various links in the lesson plan to worksheets and how-to activities. At the end, there is a list of NCTE, IRA, and technology standards that the lesson meets for each subject area (math, science, English, etc). Plus, there is a rubric for the teacher to assess the students. This website really goes into detail and everything is very beneficial. I don't think the creators could possibly leave anything out!
For high school students, Scholastic provided an interesting lesson plan on censorship. There are links to multiple lesson plans to cover writing position papers with outlines and how to write a solid paper and presentations. The site also presents various books that might spark interest in the students. However, I would recommend reading the books before distributing them to a class.
Overall, I believe this site would be really beneficial to new and old teachers. I have already bookmarked it to reference it in the future!
In the past, I have used Scholastic.com for ideas for lesson plans. This specific site for new teachers allows inexperienced people to access tools for classroom management, student activities, suggested books to use in the classroom and lesson plans for all grade levels. Also, there are many links for surviving obstacles like getting students to complete their homework and game plans for tests–standardized and unit tests. Most importantly for new teachers, there is a support system with links on how to teach effectively, organize the classroom, communicating with families and colleagues, and growing as a teacher and furthering your career.
One interesting lesson plan followed the trail of Iditarod, an Alaskan dog race across mountains and rough terrain for 6th-8th graders. Scholastic provided a seven-day lesson plan that a teacher could easily follow and use DR-TA and other reading comprehension and writing techniques. In addition, there are various links in the lesson plan to worksheets and how-to activities. At the end, there is a list of NCTE, IRA, and technology standards that the lesson meets for each subject area (math, science, English, etc). Plus, there is a rubric for the teacher to assess the students. This website really goes into detail and everything is very beneficial. I don't think the creators could possibly leave anything out!
For high school students, Scholastic provided an interesting lesson plan on censorship. There are links to multiple lesson plans to cover writing position papers with outlines and how to write a solid paper and presentations. The site also presents various books that might spark interest in the students. However, I would recommend reading the books before distributing them to a class.
Overall, I believe this site would be really beneficial to new and old teachers. I have already bookmarked it to reference it in the future!
Web English Teacher
Webenglishteacher.com is a great, free website primarily for middle and high school English teachers with many resources on pretty much every subject. It offers many lesson plans dealing with reading, writing, and researching. It themes a certain subject as its main page but the side bar contains tons of different categories. The main page I have recently previewed was a plethora of ideas on how to introduce biographies. It gives teachers tons of ideas on how to present, teach, and write biographies. This is extremely helpful for teachers who may not be knowledgeable on a certain subject. This website is also a great resource for any teacher who may get stuck with a certain subject and wants to creatively engage their students.
On the side bar of this website are many other subjects that all English teachers will be teaching at one point. Some of these include book reports, grammar, journalism, drama, and poetry. These are only a few of the many topics listed. The great thing about these topics being addressed is that all of the lesson ideas and plans are posted by real English teachers who have used these assignments in their own classrooms. Many of these lesson plans include great writing assignments for the students to engage in. Each tab offers at least ten different ideas for how to teach and interact with students during certain lessons. Some even post reviews on how a certain lesson went which is extremely helpful.
Even though this website is very simple it is always going to be useful to have a resource to reference to when a teacher gets stuck coming up with new ideas or strategies. All teachers are going to need help during some period of their career. If we all get together and think creatively, like many have done on webenglishteacher.com, our jobs will become a little less stressful. I will definetly use this in my own classroom as a new teacher because of the options it offers. There are so many ideas and concepts posted by other teachers that I have grown to trust this website as reliable. I highly recommend this website for any teacher, new or experienced, who just wants some good ideas to introduce in their classrooms. Please check it out for yourself!
On the side bar of this website are many other subjects that all English teachers will be teaching at one point. Some of these include book reports, grammar, journalism, drama, and poetry. These are only a few of the many topics listed. The great thing about these topics being addressed is that all of the lesson ideas and plans are posted by real English teachers who have used these assignments in their own classrooms. Many of these lesson plans include great writing assignments for the students to engage in. Each tab offers at least ten different ideas for how to teach and interact with students during certain lessons. Some even post reviews on how a certain lesson went which is extremely helpful.
Even though this website is very simple it is always going to be useful to have a resource to reference to when a teacher gets stuck coming up with new ideas or strategies. All teachers are going to need help during some period of their career. If we all get together and think creatively, like many have done on webenglishteacher.com, our jobs will become a little less stressful. I will definetly use this in my own classroom as a new teacher because of the options it offers. There are so many ideas and concepts posted by other teachers that I have grown to trust this website as reliable. I highly recommend this website for any teacher, new or experienced, who just wants some good ideas to introduce in their classrooms. Please check it out for yourself!
SCHOLASTIC.COM
Scholastic.com is a pretty neat resource not only for teachers, but for parents, students, administrators, and yes, even librarians. For the sake of this assignment I am only going to focus on the teaching resources, but feel free to peruse the site www.scholastic.com.
The first thing that caught my attention was the list of numerous lesson plans categorized by grade level, subject area, and month of the year. Listed under “popular themes for the school year,” there are lesson themes suitable for each month of the year. For example, March would be an ideal month to talk about Women’s History (as it is women’s history month), St. Patrick’s Day, Springtime & Life Cycles, Nutrition (March is also nutrition month--supposedly), Dr Seuss’s Birthday, and etc. Aside from this very extensive list of lesson plans, some other resources I would take advantage of are “shop $1 paperbacks,” and “10,000 free printable worksheets and graphic organizers.”
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