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Speechwriting - Karen Finney & Lou Giansante
Grades
5 to 8
1 Favorites
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This is a great site to introduce kids to speechwriting. While it is really geared to the middle school level, there are some great ideas for walking all levels of ...more
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This is a great site to introduce kids to speechwriting. While it is really geared to the middle school level, there are some great ideas for walking all levels of students through the process step-by-step . If you have never taught speechwriting, this helps the kids see that writing a speech is not like writing an essay.
Be aware: a Scholastic Word Wizard box appears on the screen, click the minus sign to shrink the box. Then drag the box to the top of the screen. It will still be there, but it shouldn't interfere with your reading of the text. This site requires Real Player. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
Be aware: a Scholastic Word Wizard box appears on the screen, click the minus sign to shrink the box. Then drag the box to the top of the screen. It will still be there, but it shouldn't interfere with your reading of the text. This site requires Real Player. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
In the Classroom
If you have students who need word support (spelling or vocabulary), the Word Wizard Box might be helpful. This is also a site that students could work on in a writing lab as they develop their own speeches with teacher supervision. Because the pages are sequential and refer back to each other, they can work at their own pace. Have students tape their speeches and share the videos on YouTube or TeacherTube (explained here).You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Webquest - Nikkie Aube
Grades
5 to 8
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This engaging, standards based webquest enables students to put themselves in the same time and place as the characters of this historical fiction novel to gain a better understanding...more
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This engaging, standards based webquest enables students to put themselves in the same time and place as the characters of this historical fiction novel to gain a better understanding of life for the African Americans during the 1930s, while reading Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. The integrated language arts tasks take students through the process of analyzing the characters and their motivation for reacting the way they do. Easy to use rubrics are provided for evaluating students' work.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
As you plan to teach the novel, include this well-organized webquest as part of the ongoing and post reading learning activities. Use it in its entirety or choose parts to meet your time frame and purpose. Attention is given to all aspects of literacy: reading, critical thinking, writing, infusion of technology, and presentation. Both individual tasks and group work is involved. Students are active participants, and everything they need to increase their appreciation for this literary work is available to them, including vocabulary, clear instructions, and links for further information and details. You may want to find some additional research links for students to use to replace the links no longer active. You may want to share the project with social studies teachers for a joint effort and shared time. Introduce it on your classroom whiteboard or projector, and then make sure that you have scheduled time in the computer lab or with a class set of laptops. Students can jazz up their multi-media presentations by creating an online book using Bookemon, reviewed here, or a podcast by using podOmatic, reviewed here. Be sure to make them directly available from your class webpage to share with colleagues and parents.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Louisa May Alcott - University of Virginia
Grades
4 to 6
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This site was developed by the Univ. of Virginia. It includes information about the author as well as her books. Included are chapter summaries of Little Women and the complete ...more
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This site was developed by the Univ. of Virginia. It includes information about the author as well as her books. Included are chapter summaries of Little Women and the complete text. This is an excellent site for students of Louisa May Alcott. The entire text is included chapter by chapter.
In the Classroom
Teachers will find this an excellent resource for a unit on Little Women.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Norton Topic Online
Grades
9 to 12
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Though archived, this Web companion to the Norton Anthology of English Literature is still accessible and is an entertaining and revealing resource for understanding the society and...more
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Though archived, this Web companion to the Norton Anthology of English Literature is still accessible and is an entertaining and revealing resource for understanding the society and culture behind the literature! Texts and contexts, discussion questions, Web resources, and illustrations are provided for each era of English literature from the Middle Ages to the Twentieth Century; a review section includes online multiple-choice quizzes. Audio readings in Old English and Middle English provide a unique opportunity for students to hear and experience the evolution of the English language. Definitely a content-rich but high level Language Arts resource. RealPlayer required.
In the Classroom
Use the multiple choice quizzes in each section as review tools for students before an assessment. Students cam complete them in learning centers that are designed to help them study, or in a competitive manner in cooperative learning groups. Be sure to post the site on your teacher wiki or webpage, allowing students to study from the quizzes and summaries both in and out of the classroom. 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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Epic! For Educators - Suren Markosian and Kevin Donahue
Grades
K to 6
8 Favorites
1 Comments
Epic! offers thousands of high-quality free books for educators teaching grades K-7. Create an account using your education email to begin. Add up to 30 student profiles to your account...more
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Epic! offers thousands of high-quality free books for educators teaching grades K-7. Create an account using your education email to begin. Add up to 30 student profiles to your account to receive personalized recommendations based on reading ability and interests. Students can freely access books on any device, but only during the school day. Educators receive feedback including time spent reading, page flips, and books read. Students earn badges and rewards as they reach milestones. Resources include classroom posters, lesson plans, teacher tips, presentations, and letters to parents in PDF format. Find educational videos by Smithsonian, Blue Wonders, Animal Wonders, and Encyclopedia Britannica. Epic! also offers titles in Spanish. Tutorial videos reside on YouTube as do some of the educational videos. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Create your free educator account and share with students as part of your reading activities. Adjust reading preferences and profiles as students increase skills or change interest in reading materials. Be sure to share with parents to use at home. What a wonderful, engaging way to keep students accountable for reading at home and for remote learning.
This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
Comments
Wendy, OK, Grades: 2 - 4
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In Focus - Tate Gallery
Grades
8 to 12
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This unique online gallery provides in-depth commentary on artistic works, artists and subjects. Of particular note is the exhibit of American landscape painting from 1820-1880 which...more
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This unique online gallery provides in-depth commentary on artistic works, artists and subjects. Of particular note is the exhibit of American landscape painting from 1820-1880 which draws connections between the paintings in the collection and the literature that inspired them. Another impressive feature is the i-Map Project which provides an interactive, multimedia exploration of the works, ideas and innovations of Matisse and Picasso.
In the Classroom
Use the learning tools within each subheading to scour for ideas on how to use these resources in your classroom. The learning guides typically have lesson plans, games and classroom activities accompanying the textual information. Be sure to save the site as a favorite to allow for easy reference later on.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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PolitiFact: Sorting out the truth in politics - St. Petersburg Times
Grades
6 to 12
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Politicians are legendary for their ability to "spin" or manipulate the facts in their own favor. This site seeks to cut through the jargon and the partisan spin to evaluate ...more
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Politicians are legendary for their ability to "spin" or manipulate the facts in their own favor. This site seeks to cut through the jargon and the partisan spin to evaluate statements made by politicians, using their "Truth-o-Meter." Although the interface is light-hearted (using a scale that runs from True, Barely True, False, and "Pants on Fire"), the facts are well researched and presented.
In the Classroom
This site is a great resource for students researching politicians and their viewpoints. If you're sponsoring a class debate, keep the site handy for each side to check the assertions of their opponents. When students have questions about the content of political advertising, for example, refer them here to find out more. As an assignment, consider having the class pick a political ad, and using the information on this site, write about how the creator of the ad selected the facts that would best portray the viewpoint of the candidate. They could share their critique on a class wiki or on a classroom bulletin board. Have groups create a "mythbuster" political poster on Genially, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Phishing Quiz - Google
Grades
6 to 12
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Do you know when you're being phished? Can you spot fake information? Take this quiz to find out your ability to judge real from fake online content. Begin by creating ...more
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Do you know when you're being phished? Can you spot fake information? Take this quiz to find out your ability to judge real from fake online content. Begin by creating a fake name and email, then proceed through a series of eight questions to determine phishing vs. legitimate content. After selecting an answer, the quiz explains to viewers how to validate content based on links found in emails, documents, and more.
In the Classroom
Use this quiz as an introduction to any online safety lessons or unit. Complete the quiz together as a class on your interactive whiteboard or have students take the quiz on their own. If students complete the quiz individually, compile statistics on individual questions and percentage correct on the overall quiz. Use your statistics to modify technology use by creating a simple infographic and chart using Venngage, reviewed here. Discuss the questions that gave students the most difficulty and use that as a starting point for further lessons. Augment classroom technology by having students share their knowledge of online safety through podcasts using Buzzsprout, reviewed here. Use Buzzsprout to schedule and share podcasts through weekly "chapters" that include links to further information.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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TrackStar - 4Teachers.org
Grades
2 to 12
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Find scavenger hunts, treasure hunts, webquests, or extend learning using Trackstar. To make a track, think of a descriptive title, and write a description. Select from creating a Resource...more
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Find scavenger hunts, treasure hunts, webquests, or extend learning using Trackstar. To make a track, think of a descriptive title, and write a description. Select from creating a Resource list, Worksheet, Extended learning, or Demo. Collect up to 15 websites (know the page title and URL) and create annotations or directions. Viewing the track in frames will have the titles of pages in the left menu bar. Click on the title and the text of the page appears in the center. Any links that are on the page in the center will open in a new tab. Search ready-made Tracks to get an idea of how they work. Viewing tracks in Chrome is possible, but this tool does not seem to work with Chrome to create tracks.
In the Classroom
Create an Internet activity that is useful for students and allows them to work independently or with a partner in class or at home. Demonstrate on an interactive whiteboard or projector how to use the track. Be sure to put the URL for the track on your class website. This tool would be great for flipping your classroom. Students could read and view the sites at home and come to class with their work and their questions ready for a discussion. Create a bank of resources for each content unit within your subject or classroom. Use for web treasure hunts to learn or introduce any topic within your content area. Use for directed research. Search the ready-made tracks by subject, grade level, theme, track number, etc. to find one to use with your class. Collect links to informational texts for students to read "closely" a la CCSS. Students or student groups can create Trackstars of the resources they use for a project. Use with faculty and staff to showcase a variety of tools for professional development. Create Tracks you can share with other teachers in your building or district. If you would like to know more about webquests see TeachersFirst Webquest 101Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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EnglishPage.com - Language Dynamics
Grades
4 to 10
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Structured for English language learners, this site is also good for those studying some of the finer points of English grammar and vocabulary. Clicking on the links on the left ...more
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Structured for English language learners, this site is also good for those studying some of the finer points of English grammar and vocabulary. Clicking on the links on the left will take you to the part of the site devoted to each of these things: vocabulary, verb tenses, conditionals, modals, gerunds, prepositions, irregular verbs, and more. Each of the pages has many interactive exercises for students to work at their own pace.
In the Classroom
Many of these exercises are great for practice or review for students since they can do them independently at their own speed. The mini-grammar tutorials are good reviews for short lessons that you have already taught ("sit-set," who-whom-whose," etc.). Some of these lessons would make good activating strategies to get the class involved in those "ho-hum," but oh-so-necessary grammar lessons. This might be a good site to list on your class website, for students to practice both in and out of the classroom.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Create a Hero Trophy - Swati Mody-Thirteen Ed Online
Grades
6 to 8
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Are you looking for an idea to spark the beginning or culmination of your school year? Perhaps you favor jump starting with a timeless theme that lends itself throughout the ...more
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Are you looking for an idea to spark the beginning or culmination of your school year? Perhaps you favor jump starting with a timeless theme that lends itself throughout the entire year. This hero unit is complete with ongoing lesson plans, links, printable handouts, activities, and projects for students to research and write about the lives of some famous American heroes. They will examine the qualities that make or made these people heroes and how the time period they lived in influenced their images as heroes. After reading about some famous heroes, students will take a look at some lesser-known heroes as well. They will reflect on critical thinking questions, such as how those heroes are different from the heroes that students admire and respect today. National standards for English/Language Arts, History, and Technology are included.
In the Classroom
This hero unit includes endless ideas, from comparing and contrasting real life heroes with fictional superheroes. Have your students try an online Venn diagram tool.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Hypergrammar - University of Ottawa
Grades
6 to 12
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This venerable site from the University of Ottawa won't win any design awards, but it's a very thorough treatment of grammar, parts of speech, sentence structure, and related grammatical...more
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This venerable site from the University of Ottawa won't win any design awards, but it's a very thorough treatment of grammar, parts of speech, sentence structure, and related grammatical issues. Designed primarily for one-on-one use, there are lots of very usable features, making it a good place for students to look when they're "stuck" on a grammatical issue.
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Judy Blume's Home Base
Grades
3 to 9
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Appropriate for all levels, elementary through adult! - This is the homepage of well-known author, Judy Blume. It is a treasure chest for Judy Blume fans! The site includes writing...more
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Appropriate for all levels, elementary through adult! - This is the homepage of well-known author, Judy Blume. It is a treasure chest for Judy Blume fans! The site includes writing tips, bio and photos, messages from Judy, book information, and a kid's page. Blume has a section focused on writing, and even offers advice for young writers who want to make a career out of it! Highly recommended site for all!
In the Classroom
This website is an excellent addition to any teacher introducing a creative writing project. Include this link on your class website (or wiki) for students to examine both in and out of the classroom. Recommend the site for any who seem to be having writer's block or need a bit of inspiration. Like Judy, start with a writers notebook, engaging students by using Google Keep, reviewed here, to jot down their ideas about characters, setting, dialogue, etc. Google Keep can be accessed from any device.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Games to Learn English - Owen Dwyer
Grades
K to 8
9 Favorites
0 Comments
Games to Learn English is a collection of games for ENL/ELL students or any student learning the basics of English and/or reading. Created for students of English language learners,...more
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Games to Learn English is a collection of games for ENL/ELL students or any student learning the basics of English and/or reading. Created for students of English language learners, the many activities focus on developing vocabulary, comprehension, grammar, word order, and spelling skills. Choose from interactives such as Fast Hands and Concentration to begin. Each activity includes directions for play and scoring explanations, and most have playing speed options.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Although created for English language learners, this is an excellent site to develop vocabulary (and computer skills) for younger students. It also helps with speech/language vocabulary development and grammar reinforcement for special ed. Share this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Complete the activities as a class with a student operating the board. Create a link on classroom computers and challenge students to increase their speed in completing games.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Shmoop: Picture This - Shmoop
Grades
6 to 12
1 Favorites
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Shmoop has done it again by adding slideshows to their literature, civics, and history sections! With "Picture This," you can add visual interest and engage visual leaeners in your...more
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Shmoop has done it again by adding slideshows to their literature, civics, and history sections! With "Picture This," you can add visual interest and engage visual leaeners in your history, civics or literature units. What's more, you can copy and paste the HTML for the slide show onto your own web page. There are slide shows for every unit in civics and history, and for 40 of the literature units. You will know if the literature unit has a slide show by looking in the menu bar at the top for "new photos." View photos of the presidents, The Civil War, Hamlet, and much more.
In the Classroom
Give students some background knowledge before they start reading for a unit. Put the slideshow on your own site so the captions don't show. Then use your projector or interactive whiteboard to show the images to the students while they jot down what they observe and infer about each image. Once the students have finished, have a class discussion based on what they observed and what this says about the topic. Then click on "full size." This will take you to Shmoop to see what the captions say about the picture. At this point you can click on one of the orange tabs at the top to read the summary for the topic, view a timeline, etc.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Beyond R. L. Stine: Read-Aloud Books and Group Activities for Fifth Graders - Yale University
Grades
4 to 6
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This eight-book unit for reading aloud is sure to "hook" fifth graders into new and different books. ...more
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This eight-book unit for reading aloud is sure to "hook" fifth graders into new and different books.
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Arounder - VRWAY Communication
Grades
K to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Step onto the Brooklyn Bridge, travel all the way to Shanghai, marvel at the detailed 360 panoramic views of cities from around the world on this site. Locations in over ...more
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Step onto the Brooklyn Bridge, travel all the way to Shanghai, marvel at the detailed 360 panoramic views of cities from around the world on this site. Locations in over 70 European cities, North/South America, Asia, the Pacific, and even the Moon and Mars are yours to explore through maps, detailed photographs, and location highlights. The highlights from each city include: museums, stores, works of art, cathedrals, and cultural attractions. City highlights include city tours with accompanying satellite views from Google Earth. After choosing the city highlight, explore a 360 panoramic view.
In the Classroom
Arounder adds an extra resource to make your studies come alive. Extend math with real life math problems involving distances, planning routes, costs of tours are illustrated on this site. Try language arts activities to teach setting using world travel. Enrich discussions in ESL/ELL or world language classes by sharing the detailed visual image on a projector or interactive whiteboard. Challenge gifted students to plan a world highlights trip or around the world in 80 days adventure!
This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
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Poetry Collection from eMule
Grades
6 to 12
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Here's an on-line, full text collection of poetry from dozens of authors. Search by author or title and retrieve the entire text, ready to use. Very handy for language arts ...more
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Here's an on-line, full text collection of poetry from dozens of authors. Search by author or title and retrieve the entire text, ready to use. Very handy for language arts students who cannot find a particular poem in the anthology they're using.
In the Classroom
Use this site as a resource for students during a unit on poetry. This could be a great tool for students searching for a poem to fit their needs, whether it be for a recitation activity, report, or analysis. Using a broader search engine allows them more options than would a printed anthology within the classroom.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Anne Frank House - The Anne Frank Stichting
Grades
5 to 12
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The Anne Frank House has been a museum since 1960. The history of the former hiding place where the Frank family and four other Jews lived in secrecy comes alive ...more
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The Anne Frank House has been a museum since 1960. The history of the former hiding place where the Frank family and four other Jews lived in secrecy comes alive on this website. Starting with 1940 photographs of the building known as Opekta factory, see and learn how the office space was transformed into the Secret Annex where Anne Frank hid for more than two years until the betrayal and arrest by the Nazis. Find out about the four employees who risked their lives to make the hiding possible. The rooms of the Secret Annex have been preserved in their authentic state and salvaged documents and objects belonging to the eight people in hiding are on display. Three short films are included on the website to place the significance of this personal story in a historical context. See Anne Frank's hiding place in 3D and meet the people that helped those hidden inside. After clicking on the secret bookcase, you will be taken behind the scenes of the house to see how Anne and others lived in the communal room, the front office, the attic and more. View the painstaking ways that were taken to keep them safe, and by looking at the space where Anne ate, slept, and hung her pictures.
In the Classroom
Use your interactive whiteboard or projector to take your class on a virtual field trip to Amsterdam to visit the Secret Annex where they can realize what it was actually like for Anne Frank's family and four others to live inside a hidden space, with the constant fear of being discovered by the Nazis. Help the words in Anne's diary come alive by showing what the outside and inside of the building looked like, by viewing the painstaking ways that were taken to keep them safe, and by looking at the space where Anne ate, slept, and hung her pictures. Students will be more likely to relate to Anne as a real person, instead of a fictional character, and admire her optimism, courage, and resiliency. Use this to initiate journal entries for students to reflect on how they would handle two years of hiding and sharing a small space with others, as well as what they would do to remain positive, or use the online exhibit to shed some light on a dark period in history and to strengthen the personal account of the hiding period and the deportation to the camps. Assign class members to read about one of the house members or helpers to research, then have them write a diary (or blog entry) from that person's point of view. Assign teams to debate who was the most important member of the household or if this situation could take place in today's society. Not comfortable with wikis? Have no wiki worries - check out the TeachersFirst's Wiki Walk-Through.Have groups compare two people they learned about using a tool such as the Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram (reviewed here). Create a class wiki for students to share their journal articles and respond to others.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Penzu - Alexander Mimran and Michael Lawlor
Grades
4 to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Penzu offers a FREE service to write journals or diaries online with exceptional privacy options. As an added benefit, you can add images or your own artwork as illustrations. There...more
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Penzu offers a FREE service to write journals or diaries online with exceptional privacy options. As an added benefit, you can add images or your own artwork as illustrations. There is a very short demo video on the home page. On Penzu you can keep everything completely private or share selective posts by email or URL. Perhaps share selections on a class wiki page? Don't have a wiki? See the TeachersFirst Wiki Walk-Through for practical management and safety tips for a class wiki. Note: Premium service is available, but this review is for the free version.
In the Classroom
A class journaling program has limitless possibilities. Engage students in discussions using a topic from current events, current social issues, independent reading, literature, and more. Any class using a journal can use Penzu. For example, science lab write ups or the problem of the week in math. Penzu can even be used for homework. Just think, no more lugging heavy boxes full of notebooks around! In language arts have students journal daily and harvest from their musings and ideas to create a short story or a poem. They can even use Penzu to develop their brainstorms and rough draft. For social studies classes, students can write posts and ideas about famous people or daily life in a time period being studied, then create a "diary" for the famous person in Bookemon, reviewed here or a poster using Genially, reviewed here about daily life. For either of these ideas, once they are ready to present a final project have them hare with their peers and others and possibly add other media. See more ideas for student blogging/journaling at TeachersFirst's Blogging Basics for the Classroom. Share journals with parents as appropriate by URL. Be sure to respect student privacy before sharing.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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