Resources for Writing Prompts:
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This collection of reviewed resources includes many types of writing prompts, both visual and verbal, to inspire writing. Whether you want students to try their hand at poetry or informational writing, there are ideas here to help. Make this collection available for students to find their own inspiration for open-ended, creative writing assignments. Teachers can also use this list to find 2-3 possible choices for a targeted writing assignment. Student choice is key in helping student voice come through in their writing.
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Creative Writing Exercises for Children - J G Web Publishing
Grades
K to 2
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Creative Writing Exercises for Children is a wonderful, free resource for creating writing prompts for elementary school-aged children. The site is easy to use and has features such...more
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Creative Writing Exercises for Children is a wonderful, free resource for creating writing prompts for elementary school-aged children. The site is easy to use and has features such as a story title creator, character creator, story starters, random words, and much more! Children (or teachers!) that might be having trouble thinking of writing content will be able to get started on their stories in no time!
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In the Classroom
There are many ways elementary school teachers could use this resource in the classroom. The Story Title Ideas page creates a title using "the" and chooses an adjective and noun for you. Teachers could also use this feature to teach parts of speech by creating simple sentences where students can label the parts of speech. A second Story Title 2 page generates a story title. Students can press the orange "press here" button until they find a topic that sparks their interest. A fun way to practice writing sentences can be found on the 'Make Up a Sentence' page. Three words are generated, challenging students to write a sentence using all three words. 'Make Up a Sentence' would be an engaging way to begin a writing lesson. Replace paper and pen writing journals, and enhance learning by asking students to write their prompts and ideas in an online blog making it a writing journal. Use a tool like Seesaw, reviewed here. Using an online writing journal, students can finish up at home, and parents can view their writing. Seesaw offers tools for creating portfolios.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Imagine Forest - Imagine Forest
Grades
K to 6
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Imagine Forest offers tools to create and publish stories from anywhere. Start by creating your free account to access the many resources found on the site. Begin writing right away...more
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Imagine Forest offers tools to create and publish stories from anywhere. Start by creating your free account to access the many resources found on the site. Begin writing right away by uploading one of your own images or find inspiration by exploring the site. Scroll to the bottom menu to find a Teacher's Guide. Choose the Challenges link to earn points through writing challenges. Choose the Free Resources link to create your own storybook using an image provided by Imagine Forest or uploading your own. Other activities include options like Fill in the blank stories, Character Creator, and a Rhyming Dictionary.
In the Classroom
Imagine Forest is a must-have resource for elementary teachers of writing. Even your most reluctant writers will enjoy activities included on the site. Share how to use the site on your interactive whiteboard or with a projector then allow students to explore on their own. Challenge students to set daily goals using activities found in challenges. Publish and share student work to create your own classroom library of student-created books. Ask students to create books for any content area studied during class, be sure to upload and include images taken during activities for students to use in their books. Create a classroom chart for students to share accomplishments like badges and points earned while using the site.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Fake Text Message - iFakeTextMessage.com
Grades
2 to 12
2 Favorites
0 Comments
Fake Text Message is a tool to create images that appear to be screenshots of text messages. Use the editing tools to include a name, a series of messages, show ...more
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Fake Text Message is a tool to create images that appear to be screenshots of text messages. Use the editing tools to include a name, a series of messages, show time, battery life, and more. When finished editing, choose the link to create your image then share it using social media links or download to your computer.
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In the Classroom
Use Fake Text Message to bring lessons to students through their digital world. Ask students to create made-up text messages between book characters or world leaders during a crisis. In math, have students create a conversation discussing methods for solving a difficult problem. Take advantage of the editing tools such as battery life and signal strength indicator to demonstrate urgency in different situations. Have students include images of text messages created into a Google document as part of a written report. Use a text sequence as a prompt for creative writing. Take your text messages to a different level and have students create podcasts incorporating text messages using a tool like Podcast Generator, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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A Year of Picture Prompts - New York Times
Grades
5 to 12
3 Favorites
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Do you need some ideas for writing projects? The New York Times offers a school year of prompts and images as inspiration for writing across many genres. Scroll through the ...more
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Do you need some ideas for writing projects? The New York Times offers a school year of prompts and images as inspiration for writing across many genres. Scroll through the site to find categories for images based on the form of writing encouraged for students. Also, a lesson idea bank inspires using pictures and writing in the classroom.
In the Classroom
Save this website to your favorites or link from your class web page. These inspirational ideas are perfect for journals, quick writes, or to develop into a full story or essay. There are plenty of unusual ideas to give even your most reluctant writer or artist an inspirational nudge. ESL/ELL students can be motivated easily with picture prompts. Share these prompts with your gifted students for some "out of the box" writing ideas. Keep these creative ideas in your "emergency" lesson plan folder for substitutes, or for your own spontaneous writing needs. Extend student learning and challenge them to share writing aloud in a podcast format using a site such as Buzzsprout, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Write the World - David Weinstein
Grades
8 to 12
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Write the World provides an online space to practice writing, earn badges, get feedback, join and create public or private groups, find prompts, rubrics, and resources for all genres....more
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Write the World provides an online space to practice writing, earn badges, get feedback, join and create public or private groups, find prompts, rubrics, and resources for all genres. Oh, and they have monthly competitions where the winner receives $100, and the runner-up and best peer-reviewer receive $50. Sign up with a Google or Facebook account or email, answer a few questions and start exploring. This tool is for students over the age of 13.
In the Classroom
Create an innovative, exciting revision experience for students to edit each other's writing and engage in the peer review process by using Write the World. Use this tool to encourage students to do their best writing, proofread, and learn how to tactfully and meaningfully comment on others' writing. Use ideas, prompts, and competitions from this site as a starting point for any writing project. Share this site with other teachers as a professional development activity. Check essays online, monitor progress, and even make suggestions for revisions to provide feedback along the way to drive strong proofreading and editing skills. Students need writing practice across the curriculum. Some ideas for your students to write about are: current events, biographies, or explanations about curriculum topics.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 Slidestory, 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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On Blast Blog - Matt Banner
Grades
6 to 12
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Are you running out of ideas for keeping your blog and student blogs fresh? This article from On Blast Blog says it has 151 suggestions to keep your blog interesting ...more
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Are you running out of ideas for keeping your blog and student blogs fresh? This article from On Blast Blog says it has 151 suggestions to keep your blog interesting and encourage readers to return over and over. Scroll down the page a little bit past the links to get to the list of ideas beginning with #1 - Start a Contest. Continue down the page to view the many varied suggestions for improving blogs. The author didn't stop with 151 suggestions - there were 161 at the time of this review! Don't forget to click around to read Everything You Need to Know Before Starting a Blog, How to Write a Perfect Blog Post, and more.
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In the Classroom
Take advantage of the many ideas on this site for your class blog and student bloggers. These ideas are not just for bloggers; there are many solid suggestions for different types of writing that would be useful. Create a link to the list on classroom computers for student use when looking for blog suggestions. Want to learn more about blogs? Read more about blogs at TeachersFirst Blog Basics for the Classroom.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Blog About - Impact
Grades
5 to 12
1 Favorites
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Blog About is a blog title generator and a nifty tool to generate writing ideas with specific content. Click the refresh button to view different writing topics or add your ...more
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Blog About is a blog title generator and a nifty tool to generate writing ideas with specific content. Click the refresh button to view different writing topics or add your own to the provided blank. Then choose the "Next" button to narrow your topic to specific points. Use the refresh button (heart) to view different ideas for focusing on the subject. Be sure to check out the "writer's block?" link on the right side of the page to access a page to doodle your thoughts and download when finished. Don't be thrown off by the "business" prompts; keep clicking and you'll get to prompts about challenges, opinions, improvement, and plenty more.
In the Classroom
Use Blog About to come up with a list of topics for your class blog or student blogs. Try the generator to come up with ideas for creative writing assignments, student research projects, or student reading responses. This is an excellent tool for students who say they don't know what to write about. Math and science students can use Blog About to help them narrow their focus on curriculum concepts by doing some research for the prompts that come up. If you are beginning the process of integrating technology, have students create blogs sharing their learning and understanding using Telegra.ph, reviewed here. This blog creator requires no registration.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Promptuarium - Joanne Shepherd
Grades
6 to 12
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Promptuarium is the creator's "little stockroom of goodies" for writers. Find resources in categories of writing, dialogue, picture prompts, and a character bank. Narrow down selections...more
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Promptuarium is the creator's "little stockroom of goodies" for writers. Find resources in categories of writing, dialogue, picture prompts, and a character bank. Narrow down selections by scrolling down the page and using the Categories links on the right to find ideas for different genres such as fantasy and science fiction.
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 using an interactive whiteboard or projector to get students interested. 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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301 Prompts for Argumentative/Persuasive writing - New York Times
Grades
7 to 12
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Find 301 prompts from the New York Times (NYT) Learning Network's Student Opinion feature. Find a multitude of topics of interest to teens and they will have an opinion about ...more
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Find 301 prompts from the New York Times (NYT) Learning Network's Student Opinion feature. Find a multitude of topics of interest to teens and they 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.
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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Nautilus - Nautilus
Grades
9 to 12
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Explore science through fascinating articles in this episodic monthly magazine. Although you can subscribe for a fee, you can also check out past and current issues online for free....more
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Explore science through fascinating articles in this episodic monthly magazine. Although you can subscribe for a fee, you can also check out past and current issues online for free. As they describe themselves, "We deliver big-picture science by reporting on a single monthly topic from multiple perspectives." The combined perspectives include, "the sciences, culture and philosophy into a single story told by the world's leading thinkers and writers." Each Thursday the site publishes a new "chapter" of that month's thematic issue. Past issue themes include Creativity, Illusions, Genius, Big Bangs, and more. Expect to be fascinated by the many angles. You will want to talk and share about what you learn!
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In the Classroom
Share these articles as part of a broad discussion of the role of science in our world, such as during a unit on scientists or careers. Share Nautilus with your gifted or science-focused students to spark interests in scientific fields that are new to them. Assign gifted students to select an article and research it further when they have tested out of regular curriculum. They can share their discoveries as a multimedia presentation or write a blog post about them. Use articles from the magazine as fodder for class debates in English class or pull excerpts to use as writing prompts for informational or expository writing. The reading levels are high school and up, so be sure to partner weaker readers with a more capable reader if using this for class assignments. Check specific reading levels of an article by pasting its url into the Juicy Studio Readability Test, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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WriteAbout - John Spencer, Brad Wilson, and Bob Armbrister
Grades
K to 12
4 Favorites
1 Comments
WriteAbout offers storytelling tools for all levels of writers along with social publishing features for classrooms. Choose from visual catalysts (prompts) filtered by grade level,...more
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WriteAbout offers storytelling tools for all levels of writers along with social publishing features for classrooms. Choose from visual catalysts (prompts) filtered by grade level, keyword, or category to find writing ideas. Create teacher and student accounts for posting, commenting, and authoring. Be sure to check out the Record Voice feature to add a personal touch or accompany text. Use features within WriteAbout to share work privately or publicly. Free accounts include unlimited student and teacher commenting, unlimited groups, and privacy and moderation tools. Add up to 40 accounts with up to five posts included per student. Be sure to watch the video for an overview of all features offered.
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In the Classroom
Create a WriteAbout account for you and your students. Take advantage of the rich library of images and writing prompts for use throughout the school year. Find examples of writing in WriteAbout to share with students for peer review and discussion of writing skills. Ask students to work together in pairs to write stories and share a personal message using the Record Voice feature.Comments
Great way to find writing topics and diverse peer groups that share similar interests.Patricia, NJ, Grades: 6 - 12
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Your Life on Earth - BBC
Grades
6 to 12
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We know our own lifetimes are but a tiny hiccup in the long history of the Earth. But what HAS happened since we were born? The BBC will tell you. ...more
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We know our own lifetimes are but a tiny hiccup in the long history of the Earth. But what HAS happened since we were born? The BBC will tell you. Simply enter your date of birth (using the day/month/year format) and some other information (you can choose either metric or Imperial/US measurement), and a wonderful series of charts appears! How many times has your heart beat? How old would you be on Venus? How has the Earth changed since you were born? How has humankind changed the Earth since you were born? How many volcanoes have erupted? What's happened to the sea levels? How many endangered species have become extinct? This site is created by the BBC (United Kingdom). American English speakers may notice some slights spelling differences. It is best viewed in Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer 10 and above.
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In the Classroom
Look at the various metrics based on your age to gain perspective on many science and history topics. Look at the impact of human behavior on the environment or at the "big picture" of what one human can do in a lifetime. Consider comparing the changes on Earth based on a student's age versus a teacher's age (if you're brave enough to tell!). You can also dial back the clock 100 years, but choose times in modern history for the comparison. Don't forget to use the dropdown menus on each chart for more information. For example, pick any planet to see how old you'd be there. Small groups of students could discuss and analyze different components of the site and present their findings to the larger class. Include this in math class as a way to apply multiplication formulas or conversions. Use observations on this site to spark blog posts of evidence-based writing. Have students make visual representations of their life on Earth as an infographic. To learn more about infographics in the classroom, see TeachersFirst's Now I See!.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Q&A Wiki - wiki.answers.com
Grades
8 to 12
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0 Comments
Ask and answer any question with the Q&A Wiki. This site is a classic example of using the "wisdom (or not-so-wisdom) of the crowd." Using the Wiki format, user-contributors amend ...more
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Ask and answer any question with the Q&A Wiki. This site is a classic example of using the "wisdom (or not-so-wisdom) of the crowd." Using the Wiki format, user-contributors amend answers with an improved response if desired. Type a question in the search bar or search and browse through different sections such as food, health, or politics. Find basic "how to" information and directions for questions asked by others. Registration isn't required to search and browse the site. However, registration using email or social networking links allows users to post and answer questions. At the time of this review, there were no offensive topics. However, not all topics are "classroom-appropriate."
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In the Classroom
Share the Q&A Wiki with students on your interactive whiteboard (or projector) and explore answers to classroom questions. Post a question, and challenge students to share their response. Use choices of questions from this site as writing prompts for informational writing. Have students find good (and not-so-good) examples of how-to responses as they learn to write their own step by step directions. Challenge students to explore the site to find incorrect or incomplete answers to questions and use this as part of a lesson on evaluating Internet sources. How can you decide whether the information is accurate? Provide this link on your class website for students (and families) to use together.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Highlighting Our History: American Revolution Read-alouds PLUS for the Common Core - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 6
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This "Read-alouds PLUS" article will show you how you can infuse social studies content, specifically the Revolutionary Period, using the power of daily read-alouds. Practice Common...more
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This "Read-alouds PLUS" article will show you how you can infuse social studies content, specifically the Revolutionary Period, using the power of daily read-alouds. Practice Common Core Standards for the English Language Arts while helping your students understand our history and heritage. If you fear that social studies has taken a back seat to tested content, be sure to share this collection with your students. The article includes book suggestions as well as discussion questions and writing activities connected to CCSS Standards. Don't miss our other articles on implementing Common Core in elementary. Some of the book selections may not be ones that your students can read on their own, but they will work well as read-alouds in your social students curriculum.
In the Classroom
Mark this article in your Favorites and take the book suggestions with you to the school library (or search for interlibrary loans). Consider using this as part of a "Then and Now" or "Past and Present" focus in kindergarten or first grade, or with middle elementary students as part of a unit related to the Revolutionary War. Take a look at the suggestions for connecting the read-alouds to CCSS-aligned writing prompts or for short, focused research projects to include as follow-up.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Content Idea Generator - Portent
Grades
8 to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
If writer's block has you down, the Content Idea Generator will get you off and running. Enter a subject in the box and click the arrow to get an interesting ...more
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If writer's block has you down, the Content Idea Generator will get you off and running. Enter a subject in the box and click the arrow to get an interesting story title related to your subject. Click the arrow again and again to view further ideas. Bubble boxes around words in the title offer suggestions for creating an interesting title such as "make it controversial or surprising." Please pretest with the words you plan to enter before you share. Some suggestions may not be appropriate for the classroom. Also, be aware that any word can be inputted into the subject box and used in the title (no filters or moderator). So use caution allowing less mature students to type in their own subjects.
In the Classroom
Share this site on your class website or blog for student use in creative writing. View together on your interactive whiteboard or projector to demonstrate brainstorming for ideas (with words you have pretested). To manage the "risk," the teacher could open it on your own tablet or laptop and have students tell you a word to enter. You could read the results to them orally.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Fake iPhone Text - fakeiphonetext.com
Grades
2 to 12
6 Favorites
0 Comments
Fake iPhone text is a tool to create fake screenshots of a series of iPhone text messages. Enter your conversation including name and message. Click the link "Create" to view ...more
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Fake iPhone text is a tool to create fake screenshots of a series of iPhone text messages. Enter your conversation including name and message. Click the link "Create" to view the picture. Take a screenshot or copy the URL to share.
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In the Classroom
Have students create texts between two characters from a book or two famous people. Create short poetry in text message form. Provide some opening text and ask students to write their ideas for the other person's answers. Use a text sequence as a prompt for creative writing. Have students practice creating a short dialogue or questions and answers. Create a fake text of a conversation and have students use inference skills to determine what happened before and after the conversation. Teach proper texting etiquette and digital citizenship using this tool. Use a fake text on your interactive whiteboard (or projector) to display word definitions in a new way. Create fake texts of homework or project reminders and post them on your class wiki or web page. Make fake text book promotions to share on the dust jackets.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Highlighting Our History: Colonial Times Read-alouds PLUS for the Common Core - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 6
1 Favorites
0 Comments
This "Read-alouds PLUS" article will show you how you can leverage the power of daily read-alouds in your elementary classroom to practice some Common Core Standards for the English...more
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This "Read-alouds PLUS" article will show you how you can leverage the power of daily read-alouds in your elementary classroom to practice some Common Core Standards for the English Language Arts while infusing some social studies content, specifically the early colonial period. If you fear that social studies has taken a back seat to tested content or that students may be losing a sense of our history and heritage, this is a way to fortify your students' knowledge of early American history and heritage together with their skills in reading and writing. The article includes book suggestions as well as discussion questions and writing activities connected to CCSS Standards. Don't miss our other articles on implementing Common Core in elementary. The book suggestions are not necessarily ones your students would read on their own, but nestle in well as read-alouds in social studies curriculum across elementary grades.
In the Classroom
Mark this article in your Favorites and take the book suggestions with you to the library (or search for interlibrary loans) to help "fit" social studies into your read-alouds, making every minute count! Consider using them as part of a "Then and Now" or "Past and Present" focus in kindergarten or first grade, or with middle elementary students as part of a unit related to early settlements or the thirteen colonies. Be sure to look at the suggestions for connecting the read-alouds to CCSS-aligned writing prompts or for short, focused research projects to include as follow-up.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Creating Community and Getting Inspired with Blog Hops and Events - Krista Stevens/WordPress
Grades
4 to 12
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Discover blog ideas galore from the "friendly writers" at Wordpress, especially these ideas for connecting your blog with other bloggers via special events, such as "blog hops." A blog...more
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Discover blog ideas galore from the "friendly writers" at Wordpress, especially these ideas for connecting your blog with other bloggers via special events, such as "blog hops." A blog hop is simply a response to the same prompt during a fixed time frame, with links to the other bloggers' responses so you can "hop" to read the many takes on the topic from the original post or prompt. Share writing around a common theme, image, quote, or topic by checking out the offerings compiled here. Note that this collection is intended for the general blogging public (not schools), so some topics may not be school-appropriate. On the other hand, making contact with "real world" people blogging about how they write, do photography, stay fit, and more. Click on the link to the updated list of blogging events to find inspiration and connection, sorted by general areas of interest. Don't miss the detailed information about how to Start and/or Participate in a Blog Hop.
In the Classroom
In its simplest use, this is a place to find and READ blogs on curriculum-related topics. You can also find questions and prompts for your students to write about offline. Never again will you need to hunt for writing prompts or ways to connect your science or social studies students with the outside world. Of course this is a time to discuss proper netiquette and digital citizenship/safety for interacting with "strangers." If you do not yet have a class or student blogs, you might want to begin with Blog Basics for the Classroom. Be SURE you get parent permission. If your students have blogs, use these ideas as a model for your own weekly or biweekly blog hops on curriculum topics. Since your math students need to write about their problem solving strategies for Common Core, why not make it more fun with a blog hop? Trying to fire up interest in local history? Pose a blog hop prompt asking which local landmark could be replaced with a shopping mall. Looking for students to support arguments with evidence? Spark an environmental question for a blog hop. Browse some of the special topic blog events for discussions related to your current curriculum. For example, connect your plant study unit with gardeners' blogging events. If you teach gifted students, this is the ideal way to connect your students (even reluctant writers) with an outside world that will raise their level of writing and thinking. If you can connect with other teachers who have gifted students, perhaps via the #gtchat Twitter chat, you can set up a regular connection among students in several locations.. in science, social studies, math, or writing classes. Your gifted ones may pull in other blogging classmates, as well!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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OECD Data Lab - Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Grades
8 to 12
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Discover graphical displays of statistics about education, death, employment outlook, migration, income distribution, and more. The best way to understand our world and to educate people...more
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Discover graphical displays of statistics about education, death, employment outlook, migration, income distribution, and more. The best way to understand our world and to educate people is to know what is happening in the many aspects of our lives. Hover over a graph to view an abstract of the data used for the graph. Each graph is interactive. Choosing various countries or other parameters changes the graph. Click on the "Create Your Own" button on most of these graphs to enter your own data for viewing and comparison. Compare your graph to others and share. Graphs even showcase gender differences in responses. The Better Life Index is a great place to start.
In the Classroom
Start with the OECD Better Life Index that brings together many factors to numerically rank countries by happiness or well-being. Assign this graph as a "Make Your Own," with students rating the topics (or more importantly, asking their parents or grandparents). Compare their results and look at gender differences. Students can brainstorm reasons for gender differences or ranking of topics in importance. Compare the United States to other countries. Allow class time to look at other data found on this site and brainstorm how these are connected. Connect the data to curriculum being discussed in class: economic policies, wars, global problems with food and agriculture, social norms, and more. Connect the information to headlines from around the world, both past and present. Encourage students to write an essay, opinion piece, or elevator pitch on one aspect or social issue that is important to change. What a great example of argument and evidence as required by Common Core! This assignment can also be delivered as a podcast, video, or part of a news segment the class creates. Use a site such as PodOmatic (reviewed here) to create podcasts. Try creating a video and share it using TeacherTube reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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