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40 Interesting Ways to Use QR Codes in the Classroom - Tom Barrett
Grades
3 to 12
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Find ideas for using QR codes in the classroom. This slideshow is a must-see to get many unique ideas for using QR codes. Examples include adding QR codes to worksheets ...more
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Find ideas for using QR codes in the classroom. This slideshow is a must-see to get many unique ideas for using QR codes. Examples include adding QR codes to worksheets for students to check answers or to go to a video explanation for completing the worksheet. Another idea: print a QR code on a sticker and place into textbooks for students to access additional content. Add to displays or bulletin boards to make them interactive. There are many great ideas shared on this site. It is definitely worth a visit for anyone using or wanting to use QR codes in their classroom. Of course, you do need to have devices that can read the QR codes; smart phones and iTouches work well.
In the Classroom
Choose one of the ideas suggested in the slideshow as a starting point for using QR codes. Try additional ideas one at a time. Share the slideshow with other teachers and split up the ideas for each to become an "expert" in one of the strategies. Share your experiences as you learn together. Challenge your students to dream up other uses for the codes. As a service project, students could create a QR code school "tour" or add QR codes for students to use while waiting in the cafeteria line to access nutrition information about today's menu.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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401 Prompts for Argumentative/Persuasive writing - New York Times
Grades
7 to 12
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Find the updated link "401 prompts from the New York Times" (NYT) Learning Network's Student Opinion feature. Discover a multitude of topics of interest to teens and students will have...more
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Find the updated link "401 prompts from the New York Times" (NYT) Learning Network's Student Opinion feature. Discover a multitude of topics of interest to teens and students will have an opinion about at least a few of them! However, their opinion is not all they are supposed to give. To submit, teens will need to have evidence-based, concise editorials much like the ones the NYT publishes daily. Once submitted the NYT and the Center for News Literacy at Stony Brook University will use a rubric to select winners, and then publish those on The Learning Network. We suggest obtaining parental permission before submitting anything. If interested, you can also find a link for 650 prompts for narative and personal writing.
In the Classroom
English/writing, social studies, and current events teachers are sure to find something here for their students to write about. Introduce a few of the prompts and the winning student editorials using an interactive whiteboard or projector to get students interested. Have students define what concise means and what it should mean in their writing. Point out the good writing habits of the student winners. Students should read the NYT's article(s) that give information about the topic of the prompt(s). At this time, you could have students choose a topic, or you could select several from which students could choose. You could also use one prompt a day as an opener or closer quick write. Another idea would be to have students respond on a class blog to the prompts and then make comments on each other's opinions. Haven't started blogging yet? Check out TeachersFirst's Blog Basics.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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4teachers.org - ALTEC.org
Grades
K to 12
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At 4teachers.org find resources to help infuse and develop your classroom technology with online tools and resources for teachers and students. Discover ways to integrate technology...more
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At 4teachers.org find resources to help infuse and develop your classroom technology with online tools and resources for teachers and students. Discover ways to integrate technology with teacher success stories, technology assessment, resources in Spanish, and technology use policies and safety. Educator's resources include: explore assessment, technology planning, special needs, assistive technology, grant resources, and bilingual tutorials.
You will also find links to make your own rubrics (or adapt others), adapt or create problem-based checklists, find Webquests or Thinkquests, find tools for students to write persuasively, and you can view online lessons or create your own. Those are just a few of the resources you'll find at 4teachers.org. Enjoy 4teachers video channel to see tutorials and educational videos. You might also consider joining in a weekly teacher blog on structured topics and see the featured site of the week.
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You will also find links to make your own rubrics (or adapt others), adapt or create problem-based checklists, find Webquests or Thinkquests, find tools for students to write persuasively, and you can view online lessons or create your own. Those are just a few of the resources you'll find at 4teachers.org. Enjoy 4teachers video channel to see tutorials and educational videos. You might also consider joining in a weekly teacher blog on structured topics and see the featured site of the week.
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In the Classroom
This site is a great site to begin with basic understanding of technology in education. Tutorials explain many of the basics educators must have. Ready to use lessons, rubrics, and calendar resources are easily available. This is also a great site for Spanish resources. Share with colleagues to help boost your technology savvy classroom!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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5 Father's Day Ideas for Elementary Students - HMH
Grades
K to 8
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Find a variety of Father's Day activities and lesson plans, including a list of books featuring fathers. These are intended for K-5 students but can easily be adapted for students ...more
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Find a variety of Father's Day activities and lesson plans, including a list of books featuring fathers. These are intended for K-5 students but can easily be adapted for students up to grade 8.
In the Classroom
Before school concludes, introduce this site to the class and let them know the link will be on your class website to share with their families after school is out. Try suggesting something interactive for the students to create besides the paper craft. For example, have students create online books about their fathers using Bookemon, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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5 Minute Mystery - Mystery Competition, LLC
Grades
4 to 12
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This mystery reading game helps increase reading comprehension and critical thinking skills in an innovative way. The basic game is free. You can sign up to have two mysteries a ...more
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This mystery reading game helps increase reading comprehension and critical thinking skills in an innovative way. The basic game is free. You can sign up to have two mysteries a week sent to you, or you can use their archive. There is an indepth "How to Play" section, on the top menu bar, where you can read the instructions. After reading a mystery you select the correct sentences that are clues, and select a character that the clue either exonerates or implicates. Points are awarded for each clue you get correct. You can set up a leaque or several leagues to track students' performance and progress.
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This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Use your projector or interactive whiteboard to show your students the directions for getting points by selecting the correct clues and solving the mystery. To begin with, as a class, read a mystery and discuss what the clues might be and whether they implicate or exonerate each suspect. Once the students have volunteered their ideas for which sentences are clues, submit them to see the score. The program will highlight the answers you should have had, if you got any wrong. Model for your students a discussion about why those are the correct answers and why the ones they submitted weren't. Eventually they can have this discussion by themselves in small groups. Those of you with multiple classes will want to create a league for each class.Eventually you can have small groups of students compete against each other by creating leagues. Have your students come to consensus about the clue sentences and who the real perpetrator is by voting using Tricider, reviewed here, or Vevox, reviewed here.
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50 Mini-Lessons for Teaching Student Research Skills - Kathleen Morris
Grades
5 to 12
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This PDF provides quick and useful tips for teaching research skills to students from the middle primary grades through high school. The author offers a variety of topics, including...more
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This PDF provides quick and useful tips for teaching research skills to students from the middle primary grades through high school. The author offers a variety of topics, including searching, clarifying, and citing sources, and then gives ideas for activities to teach the skill. The information on the site is concise and to the point, making it perfect for use as a resource in all classrooms.
In the Classroom
Bookmark this page to use as a reference when teaching research skills. Consider using this site as a beginning outline of research skills to teach throughout the year then divide each topic into a unit for planning purposes. Use digital tools to reinforce and enhance the lessons. For example, when using the ideas for teaching how to clarify questions, begin with choosing a topic idea. It states to write as many questions as you can for an idea such as koalas. Gather student ideas on your whiteboard, then create a word cloud using Wordsift, reviewed here, to highlight recurring ideas and thoughts. Use this information as a starting point for research, and ask students to share online information into Padlet, reviewed here. Ask older students to use Fiskkit, reviewed here, as a collaborative tool for sharing and discussing online articles. Fiskkit includes tools for sharing online articles and adding highlights and notes with others. Upon completion of research projects, ask students to share their learning using a multimedia presentation tool like Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, reviewed here. Have students include original work, images, videos, and more to share their research projects.
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50th Anniversary of JFK Assassination - Associated Press
Grades
7 to 12
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It's said that a picture is worth a thousand words. This site from the Associated Press brings together a large collection of photographs related to the assassination of John F. ...more
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It's said that a picture is worth a thousand words. This site from the Associated Press brings together a large collection of photographs related to the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The photos are copyrighted, and therefore carry a watermark, but they do represent a good cross section of the photos taken by journalists of the events surrounding the assassination.
In the Classroom
This site represents a good "quick access" point for photos related to the JFK assassination. Use them to illustrate a discussion of the event, or consider asking students to analyze the perspective presented in the photos. What is the photo communicating? How have these photos influenced the way we remember this important event? Students might be asked to compare the photographic "evidence" that was part of the investigation of this crime with the resources that are available today when a similar incident occurs. For example, how is this documentation different from that which was used to identify the Boston Marathon bombing suspects? In English class, use the photos as prompts for students to write informational texts about the Kennedy Assassination in journalistic or historic styles. Since there is such fascination with the Kennedy assassination, you could use this as a chance to discuss purpose and audience, writing to spin the same information several ways.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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550 Narrative Prompts - NY Times - New York Times
Grades
6 to 12
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Find 500 Prompts for Narrative and Personal writing from the New York Times (NYT) Learning Network categorized by topics including Childhood Memories, Music, Movies, Theater and Television,...more
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Find 500 Prompts for Narrative and Personal writing from the New York Times (NYT) Learning Network categorized by topics including Childhood Memories, Music, Movies, Theater and Television, Overcoming Adversity, Morality and Religion, and too many more to mention here. Each prompt is based on an article in the NYT. Click the prompt to go the article.
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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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6+1 Trait Writing Lesson Plans - Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory
Grades
1 to 12
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This site provides several professional learning resources related to the 6+1 Trait Writing Model. Scroll down past the "Services" to find the resources offered. Some options, such...more
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This site provides several professional learning resources related to the 6+1 Trait Writing Model. Scroll down past the "Services" to find the resources offered. Some options, such as the rubrics, require users to complete a free registration form to access the information. Rubrics are available in two versions - one for grades K-2 the other for grades 3-12. Next, follow the link to the Trait Definitions to view a summary of each of the six traits. An additional resource includes a 45-minute video of a training session on using text sets to increase student writing skills.
In the Classroom
Use this site as a starting point to understanding the 6+1 Writing Traits Model or as a refresher on your previous understanding. For more in-depth knowledge, be sure to visit the FAQ section on this site to find answers to many common questions related to implementing and understanding this writing model. As you introduce this writing model to students, share curated examples using the column features of Wakelet, reviewed here, or Padlet, reviewed here. Create a column for each of the seven traits and share highlighted examples of the use of the featured trait. As students create text to share, use the same method to share their work in each category. Ask students to share their work in a writing portfolio created with Seesaw, reviewed here. Include a self-reflection work of writing for students to reflect and share their growth in writing.
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60 Second Recap - DimSum Media
Grades
9 to 12
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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....more
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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.
In the Classroom
These short film clips are perfect for introducing lessons with a quick attention-grabbing recap. The clips preview material that you can discuss more in depth as you analyze the works in question, and provide a useful review for students throughout the unit. It may be tempting to treat them like all the other on-line cheats for students who don't actually want to read the book, but these are more likely to help focus attention and clarify main points. They would also be good for less-able readers as a way to increase interest in the classics. The clips are perfect for your interactive whiteboard or projector. As a special challenge, assign students to create their own 60 second recaps of works they have read and share them on TeacherTube reviewed here or SchoolTube reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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60 second Shakespeare - BBC
Grades
9 to 12
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Although this page has been archived and is no longer updated, most links are functional. This is a fabulous site for the Shakespeare teacher or simply the Shakespeare fan. It...more
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Although this page has been archived and is no longer updated, most links are functional. This is a fabulous site for the Shakespeare teacher or simply the Shakespeare fan. It includes all of Willie's most famous plays done up in student-friendly and attractive, attention-getting form. The challenge is for students to develop their own '60-second' bit of Shakespeare. The site includes examples of different formats and offers everything from teacher lesson plans to "master classes" in teaching students how to do things such as audios, films, and photo slideshows as well as the more common newspaper articles and acting classes. The site also allows viewers to "vote" on their favorite renditions. This website requires Windows Media Player or Real Player. You can get either from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..
In the Classroom
Since you can even submit your 60-second Shakespeare piece to the site for posting, this can be a real challenge to classes in competition. Have each class design its own 60-second program. They can use the ones already posted for inspiration. If you choose, you can use plans already posted by Paul Sibson, an IT teaching instructor, or you can pick and choose which ones you want students to attempt (or make better!). Make sure you have written parent permission before submitting student work and are within school policies. If policies prohibit posting on the BBC site, create a private wiki of your own within your school.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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7 Things All New Teachers Need to Know - Adam Gordon/USC Rossier School of Education
Grades
K to 12
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Although fairly short and simple, this article offers advice to brand new teachers as they begin their first day of school. These practical tips provide common sense information for...more
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Although fairly short and simple, this article offers advice to brand new teachers as they begin their first day of school. These practical tips provide common sense information for helping to ease jitters for the new school year and beyond.
In the Classroom
Share with all teachers, not just new teachers, as part of back to school planning and activities. Create your own list of advice for new teachers in your school and district. Share with student teachers as a starting point for discussing how to handle different situations they will face as new teachers.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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826 Digital - 826 National
Grades
K to 12
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826 Digital provides materials and support that encourage students in the power of writing. By providing tools to educators that offer new approaches to writing, this foundation works...more
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826 Digital provides materials and support that encourage students in the power of writing. By providing tools to educators that offer new approaches to writing, this foundation works toward giving all students access to quality writing instruction. Create your free account to find mini-lesson Sparks, topic and genre-focused lessons, and larger projects based on topics or themes. View the Writing Gallery to find a large selection of student writing examples. Save materials located on the site to your Google Drive, Pinterest, or download a PDF document to your computer. After creating an account, use the filters within each type of content to find activities sorted by grade level or type of writing.
In the Classroom
Incorporate these free writing materials for use in all grades for both long-term and short-term writing activities. Each activity includes instructions and handouts for student work. Use the Sparks activities as prompts at writing centers or for homework. Consider using a tool such as Duck Soup, reviewed here, to convert the PDF student activities into a grade-able sheet activity. Use Duck Soup's tools to create activities in your Google Classroom that offer options for students to retry work and set question values. As students produce their final work, share it by creating individual or class ebooks using Book Creator, reviewed here. In addition to sharing their written text, ask your authors to create audio recordings to include with their work.
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A Book and A Hug - Barb Langridge
Grades
K to 12
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This well-designed website has books for 8 levels of readers from picture books to adult-level subjects in 17 general categories. Search using the advanced search function or browse...more
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This well-designed website has books for 8 levels of readers from picture books to adult-level subjects in 17 general categories. Search using the advanced search function or browse through the favorites. Look for fiction or non-fiction, parts of series, and best of all books for reluctant readers. All books feature a summary and also an illustration taken from the book. The descriptions of the books are very enticing and often include quotes from the text.
In the Classroom
This is a great source for finding and showing students how to find independent reading. Introduce this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Since students often ask for books like Harry Potter, for example, put this link on your class web page. Show students how to click on the keywords once they find a category they like. When students ask for another book in the same series, this is a great place to start looking. Allowing reluctant readers to search and find their own book is a way to build investment in their reading future. Encourage students to write their own reviews of favorite books not found here. Use the site for a lesson in citing sources and punctuating quotations.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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A Christmas Carol - GradeSaver
Grades
6 to 12
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Supplement a unit on Dickens and the Victorian novel with this site that focuses on A Christmas Carol. Highlights include brief overviews of the major themes, discussions of the ...more
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Supplement a unit on Dickens and the Victorian novel with this site that focuses on A Christmas Carol. Highlights include brief overviews of the major themes, discussions of the characters, biographical information about the author, summaries and analyses of each stave, and links to related resources. Use the interactive quizzes as a review after reading the novella or viewing a film adaptation in class.
In the Classroom
Though the top of the page says "Buy the Study Guide" you can access a lot of it on this site. Engage students by showing them the 5+ minute animation of A Christmas Carol listed in the left menu. Give the students background information using "About the Study Guide." You may want to use Read Ahead, reviewed here, with this article as a guided reading activity for younger students. Read Ahead is perfect for introducing any reading passage to struggling readers, special education students, and ENL/ESL learners. Often showing segments of the film adaptation before and after the reading of several staves, will help with student comprehension. Have students compare and contrast the film and the written staves online using 2 and 3 Circle Interactive Venn Diagrams, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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A Class Divided - Frontline/PBS-WGBH Educational Foundation
Grades
6 to 12
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This is one of the most requested programs for effectively conveying the reality of discrimination, what it feels like, and how it can change a person. Frontline, the PBS news-magazine...more
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This is one of the most requested programs for effectively conveying the reality of discrimination, what it feels like, and how it can change a person. Frontline, the PBS news-magazine show, produced this gripping piece that tackles the controversy, complexity, and consequences of discrimination that have shaped our society. This film and collection of activities are based on the 1970 documentary of the daring lesson that teacher Jane Elliott taught her third-grade class to give them a firsthand experience in the meaning of discrimination, immediately following the assassination of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. The film shows what she taught the children and the impact that lesson had on their lives. It includes three major segments: the footage of the original documentary of Jane Elliott's third-graders, (approximately 20 minutes), the reunion of those third-graders 14 years later who talk about the effect her lesson has had on their lives, (approximately 7 minutes), and also Elliott teaching her lesson to adult employees of Iowa's prison system and how their reactions to her exercise were similar to those of the children, (approximately 20 minutes). A Teachers' Guide, found here as well as an abundance of supplementary materials that allow students to wrestle with realistic ideas, are available on this site.
In the Classroom
Help your students understand why Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated and raise their awareness of discrimination and the struggle for civil rights by involving them in active viewing of A Class Divided projected on your classroom interactive whiteboard or projector. You can view the film in its entirety, or in separate chapters followed by the Discussion Questions. You may want to give students a specific task to do during the film. For example, you might ask them to listen for a particular issue or the answers to a set of questions, or take notes in preparation for one of the post-viewing activities. As a way to accomplish this and enhance learning in your classroom use playposit, reviewed here. Replay the video or pause for discussion whenever you choose with playposit for focused, in depth exploration. Depending on your students' background knowledge and grade level, you may want to review or introduce some of the basic tenets of the United States Constitution that provide the legal grounding for equality and protection of individual rights. Explain that there are examples in American history when individuals' rights were denied and that many civil rights activists were arrested for either challenging, demonstrating, or breaking rules that they thought were unfair. Pose some of the questions for written assignments and discussion. This is a perfect lesson for Black History Month! Divide the class into groups to brainstorm situations that exist today within our own communities, and how they would feel and deal with it if they were the subjects. Students can easily create mind maps, replacing paper and pen, by using free tools from Teachersfirst, such as TUZZit, reviewed here. Have students choose words from songs to explore themes of freedom and equality, using Stories Behind the Songs, reviewed here. High school students could extend this to a reading and study of the final chapter of "One America in the 21st Century," the 1998 report of President Bill Clinton's Initiative on Race, which lists 10 things that every American should do to promote racial reconciliation. Ask students to add anything they think is missing and make a commitment to continue the crusade to end discrimination.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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A Close Look at Close Reading - Santa Ana Unified School District
Grades
2 to 12
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A Close Look at Close Reading has a printable toolkit describing the Purpose of Close Reading - Suggested Strategies, Key Terms, and Visual Tools or Materials. Included are suggestions...more
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A Close Look at Close Reading has a printable toolkit describing the Purpose of Close Reading - Suggested Strategies, Key Terms, and Visual Tools or Materials. Included are suggestions for organizers and examples for selecting and using questioning in text. One helpful section discusses how to choose appropriate text for close reading and explains that text with simple story lines and vocabulary aren't best suited for this strategy.
In the Classroom
Print and use this packet for use to supplement current reading instruction. Share with other teachers in your grade level or building as a resource for choosing text and effective questioning skills.
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A Compendium of Common Knowledge
Grades
9 to 12
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Here's a site with more information than you'll ever need on the details and intricacies of Elizabethan life. Some of the content is scholarly; other elements are less so. Highly ...more
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Here's a site with more information than you'll ever need on the details and intricacies of Elizabethan life. Some of the content is scholarly; other elements are less so. Highly useful nonetheless.
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A Family Farm Album: The Photographs of Frank Sadorus - Illinois State Museum
Grades
3 to 12
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Take a journey through the life of Frank Sadoras. This site has a wonderful collection of photographs and biographical documents that chronicles Frank's life growing up on a farm in...more
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Take a journey through the life of Frank Sadoras. This site has a wonderful collection of photographs and biographical documents that chronicles Frank's life growing up on a farm in Illinois from 1898-1912. By using this site, you and your students will get a view of what life was like growing up on a farm as well as the photographic techniques Frank used to take his photos.
In the Classroom
This site is a good site to use if you want to introduce more primary sources into your teaching. There is an extensive activities and resource section that covers the topics of photography, history, farming and genealogy. In addition, the PDF entitled the Turning Point would be a good resource to use in a lesson on narrative writing. Share the photos in art (or photography) class on your projector or interactive whiteboard. Have students create blog entries from the perspective of Frank Sadorus. Use the pictures for creative writing exercises. Why not have a photo of the week and have students write a short piece on the class wiki about what they feel the picture represents, what is happening in the photo, what the animal or person was doing/thinking in the photo, or whatever else is applicable in your class. Do you want to learn more about wikis? Check out the TeachersFirst's Wiki Walk-Through.
This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
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A Google a Day - Google
Grades
4 to 12
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Here you will find a new question each day for your students to practice their web search skills. Some are as simple as "How many cubits tall is the ...more
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Here you will find a new question each day for your students to practice their web search skills. Some are as simple as "How many cubits tall is the structure that houses the ZIP code 10118?" and others are more complicated, such as "If you were a ferry passenger traveling from Continental Europe to the country with twice as many sheep as people, in what town would you most likely dock?" What a discussion starter for key words to use in THAT search! There is also an archive of questions you can get to by clicking on the colored numbers below the question of the day.
In the Classroom
Use this after presenting some of the lessons from "Google Web Search for Educators" reviewed here. Once you've been through several of those lessons, why not use "A Google a Day" for a beginning of the class warm up or an end of the class exit activity. Once you've done this for a while, you might want to switch things up and have students write their own questions (related to curriculum, of course) to challenge their classmates.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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