Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Using the famous 1938 broadcast of H.G. Wells "War of the Words" as a foundation, this standards-based lesson plan introduces students to the art of creating vivid audio broadcasts and dramatizations. After analyzing the effect an audio composer can have on listeners, students are asked to create a list of criteria for effective storytelling and create a dramatization of a selected scene from a recent reading.

Create online sticky type bulletin boards to view from any online device using lino. Click to try it first without even joining. The "Give it a shot!" button has a "How to" canvas has stickies explaining how to use lino. Join and create your own canvases to share stickies, reminders, files, and more. Change sticky colors from the menu in the upper right hand corner or use the easy editing tools that appear when the sticky is selected. Use the icons at the bottom of each sticky note to "peel them off," share, edit, and more. Create a group from your lino page to share and collaborate on canvases. You can also share canvases publicly so anyone with the URL can participate. This is a device-agnostic tool, available on the web but also available for free as both an Android and iOS app. Use it from any device or move between several devices and still access your work. App and web versions vary slightly.

While this site would require some supervision, the variety makes it very attractive to the writing teacher. It has prompts that are pictures, others that are quotes, still others that give first and last lines, or simply words-- either real or made up. The categories given in the right hand column range from adopt-a-plot to year-long mystery. Both students as writers and teachers as instructors are limited only by their imaginations! Check out the site first as some schools may block what appears to be a blog site, but really is something quite different.

This site provides a detailed list of writing idea generators, what ifs, and more! If you have reluctant writers, students with writer's block, or just need to change things up a bit, this site will fit the bill. The site is visually bland but content-rich, mixing the unlikely with the unusual to build mental flexibility and help spark students' creativity. There are six categories of Story Inspiration: Envisioner, Quick Story Idea Generator, Quick Story Theme Generator, Romance Story Generator, Story Generator, Symbolitron, What-if-inator, and Writing Challenge Generator. An example of an "envisioner" story is "A fusion of the story of the little Dutch boy and the story of Romeo and Juliet that concerns a group of manicurists." The site also includes a TON of links to other writing "generators" - everything from Fantasy Novels to an Adventure Generator. Other ideas include character generators, song challenge, and villain plot generators as well as others. Clicking on one will give you a choice of generating anywhere from 1-50 results and you have the option to print them as well.

Be aware: there are some "social" features of this site (see the Community links. This site also includes some advertisements.

Looking for a quiz tool that is better than all the rest? Quizizz is a free tool. It works on any device: web browser, iOS, Android and Chrome apps. You can access hundreds of ready-made learning quizzes or create your own. Join as a teacher, pick a quiz, and use the code for a virtual room to give to your students. Alternatively, you can create your own quiz on Quizizz, even importing questions from excel/CSV files with just a click of a button. Students use the code to enter and submit a nickname, code name, or numerical name (students do not have to register). Quizizz now has to be marked as trusted by an administrator to be able to use it with your Google Classroom account, even if you have been using it. With Google Classroom, students can join by signing in with their Google Account with just one click. Even better, if you assign a Quizizz through Google Classroom, all your data gets updated in your Classroom dashboard. You will get notifications when students complete assignments and their responses and grades show. Teachers can choose to make their quizzes public or private. Embed images with your questions. Check or uncheck the settings, including music. You can even duplicate an existing quiz to save into My Quizizz. A created Quizizz can have randomized or non-randomized questions.

Don't miss the memes that are displayed when students answer a question; these are sure to be a hit with students. You can also customize your Quizizz by creating your own Memes. Use images of the school mascot, students' pets, or favorite game characters to create a set of ten or more memes. Click the My Memes from the top menu, then the plus symbol. You are now ready to start. Be sure to Click "Start Game" after students have entered the code. Send the game link to students (or other teachers to use with their classes) by email, website, or social media. Set time limits of 30 seconds to 5 minutes for students to answer each question. This allows more time for more complex questions. Students earn points for speed and accuracy. Unlike other sites, both teacher and students can see the questions, answers, and the leaderboard throughout the quiz. Most other tools require the teacher to project the answers and leaderboard on a whiteboard. The leaderboard can be turned OFF in this tool as well. And, what is the best part of this tool? Two separate classes can play together using this tool. Quizizz works on any web-enabled device, including smartphones and tablets, and has an iOS app.

You can now email student reports to parents (even send the student reports to multiple/all parents at once), the main navigation bar has moved from the top to the left, and there is a search bar that you can access on all pages, and now you can search both your quizzes and your reports. Quizizz is now available in Spanish and will soon be adding other languages. Don't miss their new Jungle theme with music, backgrounds, and GIFs... oh my!

Read Write Think has another winner with an interactive "Persuasion Map" that helps students use persuasive language to make an argument by walking them through the process with their own words. They can print the map, or work online. Clicking on the interactive tool, students enter their name and title (keep the title short). Students can then work back and forth with main points and reasons to support them. They can preview, print, or make changes to their map at any time. To make changes, you must click the "back button" in the top left corner. The page also has a lengthy list of lessons facilitated by the persuasion map; however, it can be used with any persuasive topic. Note: the tool does NOT save their work! Be sure to have them print before ending their session, even if they are not done. At the time of this review, the save feature only worked in an RWT file.

Though this page has been archived, and it is no longer updated, the links for the poems are still working. Poetry is a tough nut for the best of teachers. This British site offers engaging, highly visual presentations of poetry that will draw even the most poem-phobic students into the presentation. There are many options from which to choose, and the variety of presentation styles will help ensure that there is something for everyone. Language arts teachers will find this one well worth the effort. The audio requires Real Player, and a few activities require Shockwave.

Use this very simple site to create a test that's accessible on the Internet. Create an automatically graded test easily and for free! You can even include audio and video if you have an HTML embed code. Registration is not required to use or to take the created tests. Simply click "Create a test," enter the test name, and create a password. Note: Be sure to remember the password somewhere because it is not possible to recover it. Read the directions on the Test Control Panel to adjust settings, add questions, and publish the test. Bookmark the URL of the finished test you make so you can find it later. After publishing, copy and paste the URL of the test into a wiki, blog, or site, for student access. View reports when students are done with the test.

This site takes any quotation or poem and creates a "word cloud" (graphical display) of the words in a passage of text. Paste in any passage or the URL for any blog entry or web page (including newspapers online) to create a word cloud of the text. This resource is currently free while in beta and intends to keep it free for NON PROFIT only. Enhance basic word clouds by using this site to create clouds in various shapes, use mouse rollover options, use font effects, and more. Elevate your word clouds into an art form. Once registered, change your password by clicking on the profile tab and entering your changes. Before creating a word cloud, agree to their terms that includes only using appropriate content. Copy and paste series of words or use the URL of a page where the words can be found. Choose a shape such as a heart, cloud, or geometric patterns. Choose a font as well as other options, and then click "Build the Cloud." Preview your cloud before saving.

Home page for the state's department of education.

Bestsellers is a credible, academic resource that utilizes innovative internet based features that appeal to today's youth culture, discussing best selling literature. Do you want to assign a book whose title will grab your students' attention just by the mere mention of it, like the books found on Oprah's Picks and other most read lists? Have you steered away from those books because of the lack of teaching resources, such as study guides and questions? Bestsellers, part of the larger Shmoop site written by Ph.D. and Masters students at Stanford, Harvard, UC Berkeley (and other top universities), does all of that and more. Students and teachers can access lively learning guides organized by summaries, themes, quotes, study questions, character analysis, and links to best of the web options. The pages are written in a clever, witty voice designed to appeal to students and teachers, not at all like the familiar style found in most book synopsis and reviews, and all the information is properly cited. The only complaint you might have is the limited number of books to choose from, but don't worry; books are continually being added, so check back often. Since books for both younger and older audiences share this site, you may want to preview what your students can find for other age groups.

"Bestsellers" is free to use. Additionally, there is an option to create a free account which allows the advantage of using the tools like the online dictionary, "Stickies," and sharing on social networks. Creating an account requires an email address. You may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. If you plan to have students register individually, you may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how to set up GMail subaccounts to use for any online membership service.

This great interactive site takes students on a trip back in time to ancient Greece. They will study the theatres, the players, the playwrights, and the plays. There is a lot here to explore. Please note that the "Stage your own Tragedy" is no longer working, as it requires Flash.

This fabulous website about wolves and habitats in Yellowstone allows participants to "live" as a wolf, raise their young, explore the wilderness, go hunting, and survive. Students can work alone or with partners, as they learn about wolves in the wild. Students can consult biologists, write original stories, create drawings, and more. This is the first episode; future installments are expected in late 2008. Students and/or teachers must register (free)to use the program. We recommend using a single class/teacher registration or parent/student written agreements for student registrations in order to prevent inappropriate postings "clever" students might make on the community discussion boards. There are also detailed lesson plans (click on Wolf Info > classroom activities). The lesson plans include national science standards.

Students can strengthen their vocabulary in preparation for the SATs with this collection of word challenges. Based on Latin and Greek derivatives, these diagnostic tests and quizzes include a self-correcting component, making them ideal for independent practice.

Writing biographies is a staple of English and history classes. This site takes students through the process in a way that will make reading them more palatable. It will also help students delve deeper into a person's life , making it memorable for them. Divided into four groups (Questioning, Learning, Synthesis, and Storytelling), it helps students understand how to take facts and apply them to a real live person. It wraps up with the six effective traits of writing, reminding students that biography writing shouldn't just be a recitation of facts. The "learning" section does link students to Yahoo encyclopedias and Google (with search hints included), so be aware of that feature. This site serves as a guide for writing a biography of anyone (including students themselves).

The title graphic on this site tells it all: "Your writing partner, helping you write a story from beginning to The End." Intended for young writers to be able to use on their own, this site includes ideas and exercises to find story ideas, develop the story, improve it, finish it, and share it in writing contests or publications. The notebook paper "look" adds appeal to pages that might otherwise be text-heavy, and the tone is supportive but not condescending. There are teacher resources, including printables for writing exercises, and extensive links and ideas for the classroom. Don't miss the writing prompts in the teaching resource area under "Dozens of writing ideas for the classroom." You can also find tips on setting up writing centers in your classroom and lesson plans for teaching story writing. The quick links in the footer of the home page provide a good overview of the site's extensive topics. Note: the site does have a small book sales area and links to both Twitter and Facebook. These are likely to be blocked by your school web filter and are not essential for use of the site. If students use the site from home, their use of these social tools to learn more about writing and writers should be in accordance with their parents' permission and the tools' age policies.

No special skills needed. Just watch and learn. Embarrassed to say you don't know what all the "new web 2.0" terms are all about? This is for you (and probably for your students' parents, as well). Common Craft uses a very simple, visual method of explaining all the latest technologies so that everyone can understand, using short video clips narrated by a positive and respectful voice. The next time you hear someone talking about RSS feeds or some other new doo-dad, stop here first so you will know what they are talking about. Did you think you were the only one who did not know? Don't be overwhelmed. This site has incredible popularity because there are LOADS of people quietly questioning -- just like you. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.

Create definition lists easily and completely. Simply enter the terms, and click "generate" to create a list of words with definitions. View synonyms, download as a document, or email your list to others. Be aware: there are no filters on this definition site, so ANY word (appropriate or not) can easily be searched by students. Use under teacher supervision with students likely to enter inappropriate terms for immature reactions.
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Looking for some "quick and easy" writing prompts, check out this list! While this site has multiple offers for you buy books (and some other unobtrusive advertisements) on writing, the key is the list of 329 numerals. Rolling your mouse over each number gives a different writing prompt-- some very simple, some more thoughtful, and several downright challenging. They are all rather unique which makes student writing and response more interesting and offer more variety for you.

Pics4Learning offers free, safe images for educational use. Find pictures using the search feature or by choosing from the categories listed on the home page. Download selected images quickly using the included links to download to computers or Google Drive. Although it isn't required, each image also includes the citation for attributing work to the source.
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