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Photovisi - Photovisi
Grades
K to 12
3 Favorites
0 Comments
Create instant collages of photos using this free site. Choose a collage style and upload photos from your desktop or import from a flickr photo stream read about Flickr, ...more
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Create instant collages of photos using this free site. Choose a collage style and upload photos from your desktop or import from a flickr photo stream read about Flickr, here.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Select pictures from your computer or Flickr photo stream. Choosing a collage type is important and users will need to already have an idea of the number and orientation of the pictures in order to choose the right collage. Download your collage easily. An additional link to purchase items with your collage is also found on this site.Students can use the collage picture as part of a presentation to the class in order to guide their discussion. This would be great to use on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Use this to create a picture collage in order to get students thinking or brainstorming about a topic or unit of study.
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Public Domain Clip Art Blog - sookietex
Grades
K to 12
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Use this searchable blog to locate images within the public domain for you to use on web sites, in multimedia projects, and more. The site provides complete source information on ...more
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Use this searchable blog to locate images within the public domain for you to use on web sites, in multimedia projects, and more. The site provides complete source information on each image, as well as its rationale for treating the image as "public domain." Public Domain images are not subject to copyright restrictions, so you may use them in places that do not qualify for "Fair Use," such as on open web sites, blogs, etc. Though we are not legal experts and this review should in no way be deemed to be legal advice, our editors found that the evidence of public domain seems credible on this site. The site does include extensive advertising and links to non-education topics and blogs, the collection is very useful for teachers of any level or subject. Note: Because of extensive advertising and links, teachers should spell out specific consequences for following these non-educational links and may want to limit use of this site by students to times when you can monitor directly.
In the Classroom
Find images to illustrate curriculum topics, such as historical photos and cultural images. Include them in activities on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Art teachers can use images freely to illustrate design concepts. Create montages of images from eras in history, a culture, or scientific concepts to give visual learners a way to remember new content. "Harvest" images for students to use in their own projects, saving them on a local drive or computer (copying these images is OK!). Have students select an image as an inspiration for a writing assignment or blog post. Upload images to Google Drawings, reviewed here, and have students critique or explain it orally in a world language, science, or social studies class. Google Drawings allows you to annotate an image with links to videos, text, websites, and more. Not familiar with Google Drawings? Watch an archived OK2Ask session to learn how to use: OK2Ask Google Drawings, here. Have student groups use these copyright-safe images (with credit, of course) in their online Bookemon books, reviewed here, about a curriculum concept.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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In Town - Linguascope.com
Grades
2 to 8
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CLICK IMMEDIATELY on "Free Preview" for the only free portion of this site. This humorous preview section of a larger, paying, site has beginning level vocabulary. Students pick which...more
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CLICK IMMEDIATELY on "Free Preview" for the only free portion of this site. This humorous preview section of a larger, paying, site has beginning level vocabulary. Students pick which activity they want to try after listening and seeing the basic vocabulary. Activities include dictation, writing vocabulary words in response to the pictures, hangman, matching, etc. Teachers or students are able to print some of the activities. This site also include beginner Spanish, French, Italian, and German - all perfect for beginning level world language classes. This site is also useful for ESL and ELL students. Click for a complete, 8-page list of all the vocabulary covered. Unit tests are also provided. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
In the Classroom
Send your Spanish, French, German, and Italian beginning level students to this site for review and practice. ESL and ELL students will benefit from the practice. Be sure to list this site in your class newsletter or on your class website, so students can practice at home.
This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
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Kids Book Club Book - Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp
Grades
2 to 12
2 Favorites
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This site, a companion to a print book, focuses on ideas and activities for book clubs, including short summaries of books, recipes, and activities paired up with featured books. ...more
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This site, a companion to a print book, focuses on ideas and activities for book clubs, including short summaries of books, recipes, and activities paired up with featured books. Books included are of many levels and genres, all of high interest for children. Children's authors write some of the book reviews; book club members are welcome to list their book club, book descriptions, and activities on the site as well. Links include an author section with a comprehensive list of authors who will speak to your book clubs by phone and authors and illustrators willing to visit your school.
In the Classroom
Find food ideas and activities to promote reading on this site! Mention this site to your school librarian for use with school book clubs. FCS teachers may want to coordinate some of the recipes with books featured in language arts class. Parents would appreciate the link on your teacher web page or newsletter so they can encourage reading at home. Your school parent organization can find great ideas, as well. Make this link part of your family literacy treasury.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler: Cooperative Activities - Cspace
Grades
4 to 8
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CSpace presents a group of 5 activities that will promote group learning and foster creative research. This lesson plan, based on E. L. Konigsburg's novel about two children's adventures...more
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CSpace presents a group of 5 activities that will promote group learning and foster creative research. This lesson plan, based on E. L. Konigsburg's novel about two children's adventures in the Metropolitan Museum, offers students a chance to gather information about the museum itself, the renaissance, and travel.
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the free lesson activities and group discussion questions on this site!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Hero's Journey - ReadWriteThink
Grades
4 to 12
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This resource from ReadWriteThink is an interactive guide to the structure of myths and mythology and the hero's journey. The site offers ideas on telling mythological stories, and...more
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This resource from ReadWriteThink is an interactive guide to the structure of myths and mythology and the hero's journey. The site offers ideas on telling mythological stories, and it illustrates how the structures of these ancient stories have been adapted over the centuries. Using this interacrtive, students can plan out a hero's journey of their own.
In the Classroom
Introduce this activity with a projector or on an interactive whiteboard to show students how to navigate the site. Pair weaker readers with a stronger one and have student pairs read the information Have students create blogs sharing their learning and understanding using Telegra.ph, reviewed here. Students could then copy over the plan they have for their own hero's journey in their blog. With Telegra.ph you just click on an icon to upload images from your computer, add a YouTube or Vimeo, or Twitter links. Once students have finished writing the journey, have them publish it for their parents and peers using a tool like Ourboox, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Literary Bash - Cara Bafile
Grades
3 to 12
1 Favorites
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This website provides a lesson plan that was designed to use around Halloween. There are objectives, assessments, and standards provided. This lesson is all about throwing a "literary...more
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This website provides a lesson plan that was designed to use around Halloween. There are objectives, assessments, and standards provided. This lesson is all about throwing a "literary bash" in honor of your class's favorite piece of literature (Harry Potter is used an example). This activity is an excellent alternative to a traditional Halloween party.
In the Classroom
Use this lesson plan, and tailor it to fit your unit in almost any content area - math, english, history, science, etc. Though this lesson was intended just for Language Arts classes, most content areas also have books or common themes that this could apply to. Use this lesson plan after a test or towards the end of the year when students might need a break from the traditional classroom routines. This is a great way to make sure students get some substance of a "break" while keeping it academic! Be sure to save this as a favorite on your classroom computer to allow for easy reference later on.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Citation Maker - Secondary - Oregon School Library Information System
Grades
6 to 12
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Secondary students will appreciate this user-friendly bibliography helper. They still have to do the work of collecting all of the necessary information, but after entering it into...more
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Secondary students will appreciate this user-friendly bibliography helper. They still have to do the work of collecting all of the necessary information, but after entering it into the site, a citation with correct MLA format and punctuation is created for them. The citations can then be copied and pasted into a word processing document.
In the Classroom
Have a student demonstrate how to use this tool on a projector or interactive whiteboard. Share this link on your class web page for easy use any time students have a research project. Model ethical use of resources by using it yourself to cite sources on handouts, etc.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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iRubric - Reazon Systems, Inc.
Grades
K to 12
4 Favorites
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Create your own rubric for multimedia and other projects or search the gallery from many that already exist for all grade levels. (Also use the gallery to get great ...more
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Create your own rubric for multimedia and other projects or search the gallery from many that already exist for all grade levels. (Also use the gallery to get great project ideas!) Search the type of rubric or project to find a related rubric. Use the buttons at the bottom to preview, edit (customize and save your own version from existing ones), or copy. Share by URL or embed code in a wiki, blog, or site. Keep bookmarked rubrics in your account on the site. Create free personal or group accounts (for educators). Create classes, join educator groups, and more.
In the Classroom
To save rubrics and modify existing ones, educators must create an account. Find great project ideas, rubric examples and criteria. Build on the expertise of others to create excellent rubrics. Consider creating categories and using the advice of students to help identify criteria that is important to the project. You might even want to create differentiated rubrics to match multiple intelligences, learning styles, or varied ability levels. With such easy adaptations, you can start alter different versions very easily.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Snowflake Bentley - Jericho Historical Society
Grades
3 to 8
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This site offers many links to information about Snowflake Bentley and other resources for studying snow crystals. Wilson (Snowflake) A. Bentley is credited with the discovery that...more
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This site offers many links to information about Snowflake Bentley and other resources for studying snow crystals. Wilson (Snowflake) A. Bentley is credited with the discovery that no two snowflakes are alike. His research and studies on snowflakes were conducted in the small Vermont town of Jericho. Snowflake pioneered the science of photographing snow crystals by attaching a microscope to his camera. The most in-depth section of the site offers resources to learn more about snowflakes such as an educational unit on snowflakes, computer recreations of snowflakes and math sites studying patterns and symmetry.
In the Classroom
Use this site as the starting point for individual or group projects about famous pioneers, weather research, or famous characters from books. This site is a perfect addition to any winter activities. Have cooperative learning groups investigate a specific section of this site and share their findings on your class wiki. Not comfortable with wikis? Have no wiki worries - check out the TeachersFirst's Wiki Walk-Through.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Easy Prompter - Michael Drob
Grades
4 to 12
3 Favorites
0 Comments
Ever think that you could look more professional if you used a teleprompter just like the President? Try this free version then! Simply copy and paste your text into the ...more
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Ever think that you could look more professional if you used a teleprompter just like the President? Try this free version then! Simply copy and paste your text into the field, highlight words if desired, and then click "Start prompt." Click play on the next screen to start the prompter. Speed up or slow down the speed of the prompter using the "+" or "-" buttons. The size of the prompter text can also be increased easily. Users must be able to copy and past text from one application to another. Player controls look much like standard video player controls. Follow the demo to watch how it is used or take a few moments to play with it. Close the site, and the information in the prompter is lost.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Use this site to feed information used in group or individual presentations to the class. Set this up on another computer when recording video and audio recordings. Why use this site? Information fed through the prompter can be read at a steady and consistent pace. Teachers promoting oral reading fluency can make practice more engaging by having students pretend they are newscasters. If you advise the school announcement crew, try this handy tool to make them sound and look more professional.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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African American Women Writers of the 19th Century - NY Public Library
Grades
6 to 12
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The New York Public Library developed this collection of works by nineteenth century female African American writers. The resources include fiction, poetry, essays, and more; all are...more
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The New York Public Library developed this collection of works by nineteenth century female African American writers. The resources include fiction, poetry, essays, and more; all are formatted in an easy-to-use on-screen display. Those who teach American literature will find this an interesting supplemental resource.
In the Classroom
Use the poems by Phyllis Wheatley to complement a lesson on supporters of the American Revolution. Wheatley is often a studied character in American History, and her poems often confront American Independence and slavery. Share the poems with students at the end of a lesson, and have them analyze as a class what she is trying to say about either subject. Enhance student learning with a digital classroom discussion (where everyone gets a chance to contribute) using YoTeach, reviewed here, or by digital journal writing using Penzu, reviewed here, or edublog, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Bab.la - bab.la
Grades
K to 12
1 Favorites
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Need to translate words or phrases into another language? Use this free and easy to use site for translations in various languages (Spanish, Chinese, Turkish, Russian, Romanian, Portuguese,...more
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Need to translate words or phrases into another language? Use this free and easy to use site for translations in various languages (Spanish, Chinese, Turkish, Russian, Romanian, Portuguese, Polish, Korean, Japanese, Italian, Hindi, German, and French). View dictionaries that exist between languages, hear audio of the translations, take quizzes, or try language games. Students can play language activities such as hangman, scrambled words, memorize, or match it, as well. Customize each game by clicking "change" next to the "settings." Choose different languages, ease of play, and categories of words.
In the Classroom
Use this translator for understanding foreign words or how words compare between different languages. Use this in a world cultures class when looking at other cultures and to learn or use basics of their language. Have students create online books defining newly discovered words (in other languages). Use an online book making tool such as Bookemon reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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ESL Lessons and Help - Karin M. Cintron
Grades
4 to 12
2 Favorites
0 Comments
Originally written for ESL students to practice language skills, these interactive quizzes are very useful for allowing all levels of students to test their skills online in a nonthreatening...more
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Originally written for ESL students to practice language skills, these interactive quizzes are very useful for allowing all levels of students to test their skills online in a nonthreatening way. These interactive quizzes seem to touch on all bases from business English to grammar to vocabulary (including idioms), making them great for either pretesting, practice or review. They also allow the teacher to individualize what students need from a variety of choices.
In the Classroom
Assign individual or mini-lesson practice on laptops or a computer cluster in your classroom after grading writing assignments or while studying grammar. Learning support and ESL teachers will also like the extra practice options to help students with grammar skills and idioms. Since there is no "scoring" function, you may want students to raise hands and SHOW you how they did as they complete activities.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Kennedy Center Digital Resources - Formerly ArtsEdge - Kennedy Center
Grades
K to 12
1 Favorites
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This site, created by the Kennedy Center, offers a wealth of interactive lesson plans for grades K-12 dealing with a variety of topics, all with an "arts" spin. Search by ...more
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This site, created by the Kennedy Center, offers a wealth of interactive lesson plans for grades K-12 dealing with a variety of topics, all with an "arts" spin. Search by subject, keyword, or grade level (K-4, 5-8, or 9-12). Some examples of topics include Native Americans, Civil War, Shakespeare, myths, melodrama, adjectives, monsters, baseball, and countless others! Be sure to check out the category "Our Best Resources Organized by Subject." After that click on the the top menu for Education and get even more resources. There are many interactive lessons: some with video, audio, or slideshows. The lessons provide an estimate of time required and complete, step-by-step instructions. There are printables included with some of the lessons.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Search this site for a topic that you are teaching in your class. Share the lesson on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Better yet, make the video or slideshow a learning station for students to watch in small groups. This site is so wonderful and HUGE, that after students are one with the resources you have for them, you may want to allow them to explore on independently or in small groups for a specific interest of theirs.
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The Problem site
Grades
K to 12
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Play interesting word, math, and other activities with this free site. Membership is not required though members receive additional benefits. Find an interesting challenge to try. On...more
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Play interesting word, math, and other activities with this free site. Membership is not required though members receive additional benefits. Find an interesting challenge to try. On its page, click to play the game, read the directions for play, bookmark the specific game, or generate a link for embedding in a website, wiki, or blog. Printable game worksheets that can be customized can also be found on this site. Some of the specific topics include magic squares, attributions, hangman, strategy games, and more.
Note: Ads appear along the side and students should be cautioned in clicking on these ads. This site requires Flash and Adobe Acrobat. Get both from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
Note: Ads appear along the side and students should be cautioned in clicking on these ads. This site requires Flash and Adobe Acrobat. Get both from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
In the Classroom
Share this eclectic site on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Use these activities for problem solving drills and interest in words or numbers. Use this site for review. List the link on your class website for students to practice both in and out of the classroom. This is a great find for gifted students!
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Gridcosm - SITO
Grades
6 to 12
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Create and collaborate with artists around the web using this online image montage and poetry tool. Each image is an ongoing compilation of other images, arranged in a grid. Add ...more
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Create and collaborate with artists around the web using this online image montage and poetry tool. Each image is an ongoing compilation of other images, arranged in a grid. Add your own images and poetry or simply browse those made by others. Contributors join for free. The images often have surreal appearances and more avant-garde poetry. This site could be a dicussion starter in an art or creative writing class or a study in the diverse uses of web 2.0 collaboration in a computer class.
In the Classroom
Share selected images on a projector as writing prompts or to open a "what is art" discussion. You could also use the images simply as examples of montages before a hands-on project, though this approach misses the clickable depths of each image. Teachers should be aware that this site does not limit image content, so some nudity may occasionally appear in the images. Check you art program's guidleines for such images and/or maintain teacher control over which ones are shown in class, if this will be a problem in your shcool.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Lit Tunes - Corndancer
Grades
5 to 12
3 Favorites
0 Comments
Wow! Wow! At this site you will find lesson plans that connect grammar, literature, and music. Use music to teach students about sentence structure, plot elements, basic grammar, literary...more
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Wow! Wow! At this site you will find lesson plans that connect grammar, literature, and music. Use music to teach students about sentence structure, plot elements, basic grammar, literary terms, and much more. You'll also find a database of hundreds of contemporary and classical literature titles connected to contemporary music. Click on "Connection" on the left to find music for every major work you will ever want to teach.
In the Classroom
Use the list to find literature you can use in your classroom. You may want to choose short stories or poems and their music so students will get the idea of how music and literature can fit together. Then have students choose appropriate contemporary music for an independent reading novel presentation or report. Have students figure out how they would divide up the book into sections. Then select a piece of (school appropriate) music that they think captures the feel or tone of each section. They record the pieces and possibly do voice-overs explaining what is happening in the novel during the piece of music and why they felt this piece of music fits the section of the novel. As a choice, students could use "podOmatic" to create podcasts, reviewed here. Or have students create ThingLink, reviewed here. Be sure to PLAY the music out loud as the student is talking. If you want students to "mix" or create music with their own computer, check out Soundtrap, reviewed here. You may wish to take that a bit further and challenge students to record a song using a tool such as UJAM, reviewed here, where you simply record your voice (even talking and not singing!). UJAM is free and synchronizes your voice and its speed to a variety of different background music options.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Find a Book - lexile.com
Grades
1 to 12
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This site allows teachers and students to go through four simple steps to find a book that has a lexile rating. The steps include entering a lexile range (if unknown: ...more
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This site allows teachers and students to go through four simple steps to find a book that has a lexile rating. The steps include entering a lexile range (if unknown: enter grade level and ease of reading), interests (similar to a keyword search), search of all items that come up, and list-making.
One disadvantage of the site is that you can only enter a keyword when you get to the third step. After a book list based on interests appears, then you can search by keyword to make the search zero in on specifics. When teachers or students select books for a reading list, they can then click to see the complete list of books they have selected. Clicking on a book title leads to another screen, but it does not contain a book summary; instead, it has a list of other keywords for the book along with other book data.
One disadvantage of the site is that you can only enter a keyword when you get to the third step. After a book list based on interests appears, then you can search by keyword to make the search zero in on specifics. When teachers or students select books for a reading list, they can then click to see the complete list of books they have selected. Clicking on a book title leads to another screen, but it does not contain a book summary; instead, it has a list of other keywords for the book along with other book data.
In the Classroom
This site is great for teachers searching for books at specific lexile levels. Learning support and ESL/ELL teachers can find books to accompany units in content area classes but on the correct lexile level. Students can also use the site by entering their grade levels and what kind of readers they are. Use this site to differentiate the learning experience for all levels of students. Rather than having students complete traditional book reports, why not have them complete a multimedia project? Provide some choices such as a podcast, using PodoMatic (reviewed here), interactive venn diagram comparing characters (reviewed here), or online book using Bookemon (reviewed here).Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Big Huge Thesaurus - Big Huge Labs
Grades
1 to 12
6 Favorites
0 Comments
This simple-looking online thesaurus is actually MUCH more than a quick-look-up. You can find synonyms, antonyms, similar words, and rhymes for any word you enter. A click on any of...more
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This simple-looking online thesaurus is actually MUCH more than a quick-look-up. You can find synonyms, antonyms, similar words, and rhymes for any word you enter. A click on any of the words offered provides the same information for THAT word, sending you on word-paths through the English language. Innocent-looking links at the top of the page also provide hundreds of prompts for blog posts and stories, with enough choices to inspire any writer. Don't let the boring white background and plain-text presentation fool you. This tool has magic powers to make words interesting to almost anyone. The database of words used to generate this thesaurus comes from "the Princeton University WordNet database, the Carnegie Mellon Pronouncing Dictionary, and suggestions from thousands of people on the internet just like you." See a special note to teachers below regarding student behavior!
In the Classroom
Keep this link handy among the resources on your class web page or wiki, and be sure to bring it up on your screen or interactive whiteboard to remind students of the rich tools it offers as you teach grammar, revision, poetry, essay-writing, or even letter and resume writing. With primary grades, share the rhyming words to help teach spelling and phonics! As students share in revising a passage or writing a poem on the interactive whiteboard, have this thesaurus available on another window to model their search for just the right word. Encourage students to look up any new vocabulary or terminology at the start of new science or social studies units so they can gain a broader "sense" of the words themselves through a constellation of synonyms and related words. Help students refine vocabulary by having them rank the various synonyms offered for a certain word, deciding which has the most positive or negative connotations. Offer the writing prompts for student journal or blog posts or creative stories. ESL/ELL students can explore new words with this tool, even practicing the rhyming sounds and noticing their varied spellings. Check out the Big Huge Labs educator account. Easily pre-register students to avoid creating logins, view and download their creations, and view the site advertisement free. You will find information about the Educator Account here.NOTE: If students enter an inappropriate word, they WILL find classroom-inappropriate terms. As with use of any reference, your students need to know your classroom's consequences of such activity. The options are no different from students looking up body parts or pornographic terms in a print dictionary or on Google.
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