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Six Traits of Writing - Kim's Korner 4 Teacher Talk

Grades
1 to 12
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This website offers information about the Six Traits of Writing. The site provides links to lesson plans, rubrics, parent tips, writing prompts, posters, and detailed information about...more
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This website offers information about the Six Traits of Writing. The site provides links to lesson plans, rubrics, parent tips, writing prompts, posters, and detailed information about each of the six traits. Although this website tends to be geared towards elementary and/or middle school grades, all teachers could glean something from this extensive, no-frills site.

In the Classroom

Be sure you mention this site in your blog, class website, and class newsletter for easy explanation of the Six Traits model. Make a set of posters and put them into clear sleeves for each student. When put into a three-ring notebook, students can save quick writes and samples throughout the year by placing them into the appropriate section.

Use this free website to help your students prepare for standardized writing tests. Team up with the science or social studies teacher and have students use the Six Trait Writing "across the curriculum" as they write essays or stories for other content areas.
 This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.

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PocketMod - PocketMod.com

Grades
K to 12
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This VERY simple tool lets you or your students make simple, folded small booklets that fit in a pocket. You choose what will appear on each page: from blank space ...more
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This VERY simple tool lets you or your students make simple, folded small booklets that fit in a pocket. You choose what will appear on each page: from blank space to lines to calendars or checklists. Then print the single sheet (and run copies!) for a student "organizer" useful for homework assignments, long-term project deadlines, checklists, even student-made study guides. Students use the booklets the old fashioned way: by WRITING in them; but the clever, customizable format lets you teach organizational skills in a way that works.

See a sample PocketMod checklist, notes, and calendar booklet (with a separate page of folding directions) and one made from a PDF of the Pennsylvania Science and Technology Standards, converted using the free downloadable software.
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In the Classroom

Go to PocketMod and follow the simple drag-and-drop visual screen to create the PocketMod from their many organizer options. Print and fold (NO Acrobat Reader required). More skilled users should consider downloading the free "PDF to PocketMod" converter that will take any pdf document and format it to the small, foldable format. If you have handouts in pdf format or can make them from your scanner/copier, you can make ANYTHING into a PocketMod. The converter assumes you have Acrobat Reader.

Have students design their own study guides before a chapter test or maintain a project checklist to be submitted along with the completed project to build better organizational skills. Warning: Students will quickly learn that PocketMod is a great way to make CHEAT SHEETS. Be forewarned of student cleverness!
 This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.

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Copyright and Fair Use Resources - TeachersFirst

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1 to 12
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Understanding copyright is essential for students living in today's digital world. Copyright protects original creative works, allowing the creators to control how their material is...more
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Understanding copyright is essential for students living in today's digital world. Copyright protects original creative works, allowing the creators to control how their material is used and shared. In the classroom, respecting copyright shows students why intellectual property rights and using content ethically matter. By teaching copyright principles, educators prepare students with the necessary knowledge for future courses, careers, and participation in our copyright-respecting world. This collection provided valuable resources for teaching students and staff the basics of copyright. The resources allow for discussions around plagiarism, piracy, and Internet ethics. It includes guidelines on fair use, how to credit sources appropriately, and updated copyright laws and policies.

In the Classroom

Use these resources to model and teach ethical use of electronic media or to find copyright-safe raw materials for student projects. Be sure to share these resources with students for them to access any time they have a project to do.

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Drew's Script-O-Rama Movie Scripts - Drew

Grades
5 to 12
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For complete scripts of hundreds of movies, check here. Many have stage directions and producer/director notes as well as actual actor/actress parts. There is no charge for downloading,...more
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For complete scripts of hundreds of movies, check here. Many have stage directions and producer/director notes as well as actual actor/actress parts. There is no charge for downloading, and the site works fairly quickly.Teach script-writing or use the scripts to help your ESL students understand films they will be watching.

In the Classroom

As part of your film-study class or a lit class, ask students to analyze the differences between dialog written in prose and in script form. What does the script do that a book passage cannot? If you do teach film, this site is a MUST link from your teacher web page.

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Medieval Times Reality Adventure - Joan Weathers- 6th grade teacher

Grades
5 to 8
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This extensive webquest on life in Medieval times includes all facets of life and provides multiple challenges to students to research, assimilate information, write, analyze and evaluate....more
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This extensive webquest on life in Medieval times includes all facets of life and provides multiple challenges to students to research, assimilate information, write, analyze and evaluate. The final group task (after multiple individual steps) is to analyze a problem from Medieval times and provide a suggested solution. The list of resources to use is extensive, and stduetns are also directed to infrmation about evaluating web-based srouces BEFORE they start the task. Although there is no actual Teacher Page, there is a listing of resources teachers might use and an invitaiton to submit further ideas via email.

In the Classroom

Review the process carefully to see if you need to adapt it in your situation. The teacher who designed this uses clips from a film (Ever After) and specific software packages (Inspiration, Publisher). There are certainly alternate ways to accomplish the same tasks if you do not have access to these exact resources. If you do not have as much time, you may want to use some portion of this webquest with your students. It is well-packaged for use in toto, if you wish!

One alternative would be having students turn in work via Google Docs, reviewed here, allowing for easy feedback from the teacher and no messy papers to grade.

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English Question Words - Kenneth Beare

Grades
1 to 12
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Use this explanation of how to form questions in English to help your ESL/ELL students with basic skille they need in class and elsewhere. Be sure to show them where ...more
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Use this explanation of how to form questions in English to help your ESL/ELL students with basic skille they need in class and elsewhere. Be sure to show them where to click for pages 2 and 3 so they can practice forming questions.

In the Classroom

Marke this one in the Favroites on your classroom computer. You may even want to make a special folder with your ESL/ELL student's name within the Favorites so he/she can find sites to help with grammar practice. Younger students might enjoy working on these sites with a study buddy.

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Free Short Stories For Low Intermediate ESL Learners - eslfast.com

Grades
8 to 12
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This site offers a list of short stories for ESL/ELL learners. Students can read the story, listen to the story, review the story, click on vocabulary words to access an ...more
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This site offers a list of short stories for ESL/ELL learners. Students can read the story, listen to the story, review the story, click on vocabulary words to access an online dictionary, and more. There is also a link to an online dictionary for other new words not featured in the vocabulary section at the top of the page. Many of the stories offer two listening speeds (slow and normal). Although the advertisements are a bit distracting, this website does offer a high number of ESL/ELL stories on a variety of topics. The subject matter of many stories is not appropriate for younger students. Preview!

In the Classroom

The reading and listening activities are easy for students to work on independently because of the listening option. Special ed teachers may also have students who will benefit from the listening practice. Don't forget to provide the headphones. Provide this link on your class website or newsletter, so the families of ENL/ELL students can read (or listen) to the stories together.

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Library Presentations - Free Club Web

Grades
K to 5
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This website provides free PowerPoint presentations on various topics relating to library use and research skills. Some of the specific topics include Marc Brown, dictionary definitions,...more
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This website provides free PowerPoint presentations on various topics relating to library use and research skills. Some of the specific topics include Marc Brown, dictionary definitions, Dewey decimal system, tall tales, and others. Specific subjects include Science, Math, Social Studies, interactive games, and other resources. You may need PowerPoint software on your computer to view these files, depending upon how the site creators saved them. This site has heavy advertising at the top of the landing page. Scroll down to find the presentations.
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In the Classroom

Get your interactive whiteboard or projector ready and use these wonderful FREE resources in your classroom or library/media center. If you are planning to assign a research project or book reports, these shows may help prepare your elementary students. The site includes a disclaimer asking to be notified if users find any unauthorized, copyrighted material. TeachersFirst recommends that you NOT download copies but instead use them online, just in case.

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Common Craft - Common Craft Productions

Grades
K to 12
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This is a TeachersFirst Edge Entry for ANYONE who wants to know more about new technologies. No special skills needed. Watch and learn. If you are embarrassed to say that ...more
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This is a TeachersFirst Edge Entry for ANYONE who wants to know more about new technologies. No special skills needed. Watch and learn. If you are embarrassed to say that you don't know what all the "new web 2.0" terms are all about, this one 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 anyone 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? Fear not. This site has incredible popularity because there are LOADS of people quietly questioning -- just like you. To view the video clips FREE, click on "Video Library" and the topic that you wish to view. Despite a paid membership model, Common Craft still offers the videos for free, but it does have a watermark saying, "For evaluation only." If you wish to share this with a group, they will need to view it on individual/partner computers (or IOS devices) or on a projector that has a zoom function to enlarge a selected area of the screen.
This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Start by looking at "Most Viewed" and "Most Popular Right Now," but don't be afraid to search for other topics that have you wondering. You will definitely want to make this site a Favorite and tag is as "professional" information to keep you informed. Share it on your teacher web page to help out your parents, too!

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Dr. Seuss Resources - TeachersFirst

Grades
K to 12
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This collection of reviewed resources is terrific on Dr. Seuss' birthday in March or to find resources to share via your teacher web page. There is information for ALL grade ...more
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This collection of reviewed resources is terrific on Dr. Seuss' birthday in March or to find resources to share via your teacher web page. There is information for ALL grade levels, and the subjects include everything from reading to history to science to math! Many of the sites are interactive, some include lesson plans, and others are great for research!

In the Classroom

Why not find some special projects and activities for March 2? Whatever subject and grade you teach, you are sure to find something useful here.

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Many Things.org Daily - Charles I. Kelly & Lawrence E. Kelly

Grades
4 to 12
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Part of "Interesting Things for ESL Students," this unadorned site changes daily and provides common slang (near the top of the page), idioms, or proverbs and definitions plus daily...more
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Part of "Interesting Things for ESL Students," this unadorned site changes daily and provides common slang (near the top of the page), idioms, or proverbs and definitions plus daily grammar quizzes. It also features an audio broadcast of a simplified news release backed up with archives (Click on links below Listening). Also available is a multilingual translating dictionary and access to three top search engines.

In the Classroom

Use this to beef up vocabulary, to explore culture through idioms and proverbs, and for listening and discussion practice in response to news reports. Great to fill in 5 - 10 minutes at the beginning or end of classes! For the regular classroom teacher, this may provide an alternate way for ESL students to "study" current events. Be sure to mark it in Favorites on your classroom computer for these students to access (or place a shortcut on the desktop). Note: you need speakers for the audio!

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Beacon Learning Center: Student Web Lessons - Beacon Learning Center

Grades
K to 12
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This website, funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, provides an enormous collection of "web lessons" (interactives) for all grade levels. There are lessons in language...more
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This website, funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, provides an enormous collection of "web lessons" (interactives) for all grade levels. There are lessons in language arts, math, science, social studies, and health. There are too many lesson plans to count - and all are projector, laptop, or whiteboard-ready. Just to give you an idea of some of these unique lessons, some of the titles include "Where is Japan?", "Walrus World", "Piece of Pie", "Medians", "Fence Me In", and "Critter Craze". On the main page, a brief description is provided for each lesson plan. Click Teacher Solutions > Lesson Plans to search by subject or grade level.

In the Classroom

If you want ready-to-go lessons guaranteed to work well on your interactive whiteboard, this collection is a winner. You simply open the activity on the whiteboard and have students tap and drag their way through as you talk with the class. (Invite your most "active" student to be "Vanna White" for a great behavior management solution). Many lessons would work well on laptops or on a computer cluster center, as well.

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Shakespeare Resources - TeachersFirst

Grades
7 to 12
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Shakespeare resources abound on the web. These original and reviewed resources are an attempt to collect information on the works most commonly encountered in a K-12 curriculum, using...more
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Shakespeare resources abound on the web. These original and reviewed resources are an attempt to collect information on the works most commonly encountered in a K-12 curriculum, using materials geared to high school and introductory college level students. In addition, TeachersFirst has included links to related sources dealing with the English monarchy and life and customs in Elizabethan England. TeachersFirst's original Shakespeare lessons and activities appear at the top of the list.

In the Classroom

Mark this collection in your favorites for teacher planning or share it during your unit on Shakespeare, his plays, or his sonnets.

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World of Teaching

Grades
K to 12
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This website provides numerous teacher-created PowerPoints. Some of the presentations are excellent, while others are just mediocre. The range of topics goes from astronomy, to history,...more
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This website provides numerous teacher-created PowerPoints. Some of the presentations are excellent, while others are just mediocre. The range of topics goes from astronomy, to history, to French and much, much more! There is something good here for every classroom. You MUST have PowerPoint software (not free) to be able to download and edit the shows.

In the Classroom

Use the small blue buttons to find your subject(s). This site is great for finding/sharing an interactive whiteboard activity or projected lesson. Since the PowerPoint shoes are editable, you may want to customize the shows you find. The grade equivalents are listed in the British system: KS1=ages 5-7; KS2=ages 7-11;KS3= ages 11-14;KS4= ages 14-16, A Level=ages 16-18.

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Cat-in-the-Hat - abcteach

Grades
K to 2
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Use this blank, printable "Cat in the Hat" template for a drawing or writing activity to celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday on March 2. ...more
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Use this blank, printable "Cat in the Hat" template for a drawing or writing activity to celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday on March 2.

In the Classroom

Have students write "Seuss" poems on the Hats. Create a class book of "Seuss" poetry. Have students draw a Seuss picture illustrating a scene from one of their favorite Seuss books.

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Citebite Bookmarklet - Abstract Factory

Grades
K to 12
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Imagine being able to give students (or parents) an exact link to a specific quote within a web page. Why would you want to? Perhaps you want to send students ...more
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Imagine being able to give students (or parents) an exact link to a specific quote within a web page. Why would you want to? Perhaps you want to send students to a certain paragraph for an activity: for reading comprehension, for reading a specific portion of text, or even for highlighting a literary device within a text or poem. Students will no longer waste time, announcing, "I can't find it!" or return to school saying they couldn't do the homework! Use for FireFox, Safari, and Internet Explorer browsers.

In the Classroom

Tool can be used in less than 30 seconds. Open TWO windows in Internet Explorer or any web browser. One should be open to citebite; the other to the web page you wish to reference. On that web page, locate and "highlight" the exact passage of text you want to "send" people to see. Copy/paste the passage into the quotation box at Citebite (copy, then change windows). Return to the target web page and copy/paste its actual URL into Citebite. Click "Make Citebite." Copy/paste the new url, indicated after "Your citebite link is:" Note: if the original quote is within a FLASH presentation, it will not copy/paste or generate a Citebite. See this example of a Citebite link to a tip about TeachersFirst Edge tools.

Have your middle and high school students do a web page "credibility critique" on their potential sources by using Citebite before they start a research project. They can highlight passages as proof of credibility -- or lack thereof -- and give you the Citebite links. They will love this easy way to reference a specific portion of a page. You will love the ease of finding it. If you give them a Word document table as a web site evaluation rubric, they can paste the Citebites there, with their comments in the neighboring cell!

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Quizlet: The End of Flashcards - Brainflare: Andrew Sutherland

Grades
3 to 12
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This easy to understand web and mobile app tool allows you or your students to enter vocabulary terms and definitions to create electronic flashcards and quizzes to enhance word study...more
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This easy to understand web and mobile app tool allows you or your students to enter vocabulary terms and definitions to create electronic flashcards and quizzes to enhance word study in any language or a content area. Students may choose to create study sets, electronic tests, or the networking page allows them to interact and learn with others who have the same words. Teachers or students can create groups to share word lists. Use this tool from any device or move between several devices and still access your work. The iOS and Android apps practice tests can be multiple choice, true/false, or written questions. Turn on "Instant Feedback" (new feature for the apps) that will give real-time feedback on right/wrong answers as you go; or wait and get your score at the end. As wonderful as this technology is, the coolest thing about Quizlet might be in its history--its creator was a high school student who tells his inspiring story and shares his blog through links at this site.
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In the Classroom

Membership asks for an email. Email allows you to notify others that you want to share a word list or activity with them. If students cannot have their own email accounts, consider using a "class set" of Gmail subaccounts, explained here, this tells how to configure Gmail subaccounts to use for any online membership service. This would provide anonymous interaction within your class. KEEP A LIST of students usernames (non-identifying) and passwords, incase they forget them! If you already use Google Classroom with your students, it only takes a few minutes to get them set up with a Quizlet Class.

Quizlet has a very thorough "Help Center" to get the idea of how the site works. Save your "sets" and decide whether you want them to be entirely public, just for you personally, or shared with a "group." The new version of "study sets" allows you to scan your notes with your phone or tablet and create study sets designed for your specific needs. You can now highlight main ideas, underline key concepts and bold important study terms to create custom content. Create your own groups for each class or subject. Be sure to note the fact that you can upload vocabulary lists by copy/pasting from various formats--- a time real saver! Use this tool easily in your BYOD classroom since all students will be able to access it for free, no matter what device they have.

Content and English teachers may set up their personal network of users. Pretest your gifted students and allow them to "test out" of material they already know. Learning support teachers will want their students to create their own Quizlet sets and help learn them in the process! Teachers may create your own sets of words, or let students do the work for themselves and each other. Use the interactive whiteboard for quick flashcard or electronic testing using your sets. World language and ESL/ELL teachers will find many word sets already built and ready to use at this site. If you team teach with others at your grade level, take turns making the online Quizlets to accompany your science or social studies chapters. Be SURE to share this tool on your teacher web page for students to use at home.

Be sure to see the classroom quiz game for groups, Quizlet Live (from the creator of Quizlet), reviewed here.

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Spelling Bee - Interactives - Annenberg Media

Grades
1 to 12
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Are you looking for a new way to integrate spelling into your lesson plans? This helpful website offers interactive spelling challenges for grades 1-12. Students type in their names,...more
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Are you looking for a new way to integrate spelling into your lesson plans? This helpful website offers interactive spelling challenges for grades 1-12. Students type in their names, and are directed to short stories. The stories are cloze passages, i.e. have blanks for missing words. The website will read the stories to the students, or the students can read the stories themselves. There is also an option to click on the speaker sign next to the blank, to hear the word that needs to be spelled.

In the Classroom

What a fabulous language arts resource - integrating reading, listening, and spelling skills. Project the stories on an interactive whiteboard or screen and have students take turns reading the story aloud to the class. Then have the students record their spelling words at their seats. Once you have gone through the entire short story, ask students to share how they spelled each word. Take a class poll to determine the correct spelling and have students take turns typing the "winning" word into the blank space. Or have teams take turns at the interactive whiteboard, trying to get the best possible score and "defeat" the other groups' scores. You will see some arguments, no doubt!

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Scratch - Lifelong Kindergarten Group, MIT Media Lab

Grades
1 to 12
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Want to get in touch with your inner child? Get Scratch! Warning: The use of this application is quite fun and engaging! Scratch is a downloadable program that creates interactive ...more
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Want to get in touch with your inner child? Get Scratch! Warning: The use of this application is quite fun and engaging! Scratch is a downloadable program that creates interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art. This application can be used for bringing simple ideas and projects to life. It has great use as a paint program without using the animations. Download/install files are available for Mac or PC. Menu tabs include an Idea tab where you will find a Getting Started Tutorial, Activity Guides, Coding Cards, and Starter Projects. FAQs and support pages are also available for help in using the application.

Material created can only be viewed within the program. Drawings are not saved as a JPG or pic file. However, a "snapshot" of the screen can be created by using these keys in Mac: apple, shift, and 4 and click/drag to surround the portion to save. In PC use: control/print screen. These snapshots can be uploaded or used as a picture in other applications.

In the Classroom

Be sure to "play" with this program before you present it to students; or, you could have computer savy students in your class pair up with not so savy students to investigate together. There are many tabs, folders; and icons to investigate. You (or students) could click Create and in the center pane, click on the tutorial. To begin your creation follow the steps in the tutorial. Once you have the idea, choose your own features from the menu on the left, and on the bottom right are two more menus; Look for the cat icon and the backdrops. Different colors, pens, and materials can be used to create the background or an image can be brought in from your computer. Objects in Scratch are called a Sprite and can be added in by choosing the folders below the screen. By clicking the script tab, blocks can be moved in to create motion, add sounds (even record your own message), and change the look of the Sprite. Blocks are linked on to each other to create a series of events. A control block dragged to the top of the blocks control which key starts the event. Advanced options include adding variables and other controls.

Be sure to check with your Technology Department, as many districts require authorization to download or install new applications. Projects can be shared online; however an account is required.

Work is saved to the computer itself and only shared online via an account. To avoid problems concerning content made by outsiders or issues with sharing, save the work locally and either create your own gallery on a supervised class website/wiki or set up a single account where you share the "best" projects online via your own log-in. Remind students of the school's Acceptable Use Policy and consequences of violations, if you do allow them to join/share. Images used should adhere to all copyright rules. Use pictures taken in class or those with Creative Commons licensing (and provide attribution!).

Practical tips: Students quickly catch on to this program when allowed to play and easily see what they can make from it. Provide a simple assignment with defined rules/tasks to learn the tools. Younger students may familiarize themselves more easily working with a partner. Have students use a storyboard to write down what they will do/draw/say in their creation in order to keep tabs on what students and their creations.

Possible uses: For the lower grades, Scratch provides unlimited possibilities. Use as a new way to show vocabulary usage. Use the paint program to add information to a picture from your class field trip or science experiment. Use Scratch to help in storytelling a concept in a new and unique way, such as how rocks are formed. In the upper grades, use Scratch to show complex material in a new way. For example, students can draw DNA and show replication, etc. through their drawings and storytelling. Draw the different movements of landforms in plate tectonics. Draw or illustrate solutions to Math problems.

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TeacherTube - Teacher Tube, LLC

Grades
K to 12
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Move over YouTube! Teachers now have their own place to learn and to teach: TeacherTube.com. Since this site is designed specifically for education, there is not as much concern about...more
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Move over YouTube! Teachers now have their own place to learn and to teach: TeacherTube.com. Since this site is designed specifically for education, there is not as much concern about "public" contributions and appropriateness for school! Teachers will find videos suitable for classroom instruction, such as Ben Franklin chatting with a group of students, or there are also professional videos ideal for staff training (such as Classroom Strategies for Differentiated Instruction). Search and view videos or click on the subject area that interests you, and then click on a video to view. To leave comments, save your favorites, or upload your own video, you will need to register. It's all free. Obviously, this isn't a site for students; however, there are many educational videos suitable for all subject areas that you could share with your students. If your school blocks streaming video sites, consider accessing this site and choosing videos at home, or they may not be viewable.

In the Classroom

If you are looking for a specific topic, save time and use the search option If you wish to add comments or upload your own Teachertube video, you must register as a user at the site. Create and save your edited videos where you can find them on your computer. (Windows Movie Maker or iMovie are great, free tools for video). Then upload to TeacherTube. You will also receive comments on your uploaded videos. If the teacher is the one uploading, the only potential concerns include posting videos with identifiable information or images about your students, school, or class. Check your school policies about posting pictures of your school. If you post student videos, obtain written parent permission to post student work, again within school policies. Any student visible in a video should also have parent permission in accordance with school policies. The most common classroom use would be viewing many videos that match curriculum content. Rap math, visit Anne Frank's historical locations, or view a grammar lesson--these are just a sampling of videos that you may want to use to enhance your curriculum lessons. Use your interactive whiteboard or projector to share the videos with the class. Use the site's videos as an anticipatory set to a new unit or lesson on a specific topic. Have your students create their own TeacherTube video together as a class on any lesson/topic that you are teaching. Have a contest for the best videos and upload the winners to the site (within school policies, of course). Once the class has videos hosted at TeacherTube, you can also embed them in your class bog or wiki for easy sharing with those in your extended online "community."

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