Art
Safari
http://artsafari.moma.org/
This site prompts kids to explore paintings and sculptures from the
Museum of Modern Art. A series of questions guides children to write
about what they see. Then, kids are encouraged create and submit their
own art.
BellSouth's Digital Storyteller
http://www.knowitall.org/bellsouthdigitalstoryteller/
The BellSouth Digital Storyteller project is an opportunity for
students to learn history first hand by interviewing veterans from WWII
and Korea. After selecting a topic from the History Curriculum
Standards, students identify veterans who have actually experienced the
event(s) they are studying. Using video technology, the students
interview the veterans, capture footage, edit the story, and record a
living memory. During this process, the students put learning into
practice while developing communication, research, and technology
skills.
Between
the Lions Stories (PBS)
http://pbskids.org/lions/stories.html
Between the Lions consists of Stories, Games, Things to Print, Songs,
ideas in Parents & Teachers, a site Map, Newsletter, and
Recommended Books. There are at least 70 stories that you can read and
watch online. Each story links to related games. You can also print the
story. Parents & Teachers includes more information about each
episode and its curriculum, and features over 300 literacy tips. You
can also use the Episode guide to view a brief summary of the episode
and then select the appropriate story based on desired learning goals
(http://pbskids.org/lions/about/episodes.html). Between the Lions is
produced by WGBH Boston and Sirius Thinking, Ltd., in association with
Mississippi Public Broadcasting.
Merlot
http://www.merlot.org
Think of Merlot as a Blue Web'n for higher education students, faculty
and staff. Enter the Tasting Room to understand how Merlot was
developed and how the peer review system works. Then, either browse or
search to find the resources you want. A great tool for locating good
sites.
Merriam-Webster's
WWWebster Dictionary
http://www.m-w.com/home.htm
Look up a definition, pronunciation, etymology, spelling, or usage
point in the on-line version of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate
Dictionary, Tenth Edition. A thesaurus can be queried for similar
words, hypertext cross references are available, misspellings return
suggested spellings, and there are hypertext links to illustrations.
Includes links to the Word of the Day and transcripts of the Word for
the Wise radio program. (
Teaching
Tolerance
http://www.splcenter.org/center/tt/teach.jsp
A project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, Teaching
Tolerance
encourages people from all walks of life to "fight hate and promote
tolerance." For educators, there are curriculum packages that can be
ordered at no cost, as well online lesson ideas. For Kids has online
activities and games that promote multiculturalism and tolerance.
The F.
Scott Fitzgerald Centennial Homepage
http://www.sc.edu/fitzgerald/index.html
Elegant graphics and a wealth of information make this a valuable Web
site for students and scholars of Fitzgerald. Explore the exhaustive
bibliographies, interesting quotations, facts, and comments. To quote:
"This celebration of F. Scott Fitzgerald is designed to elevate the
awareness of one of America's greatest writers and to coordinate all
events in 1996 commemorating the 100th anniversary of his birth. The
Web Site celebrates his writings, his life, and his relationships with
other writers of the 20th century.
The Kid's
Philosophy Slam
http://www.philosophyslam.org/
The Kids Philsophy Slam is a program designed to make philosophy
accessible and fun for students of all ages and abilities. This site
encourages students to think for themselves and allows them to express
their ideas in a variety of formats, such as writing, drawing,
painting, or poetry. This contest is for grade levels K-12 and has a
special division for special education students.
The
Library of Congress: Webcasts [Real Player]
http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/index.php
Over the past six years, the Library of Congress has documented several
hundred of the talks, discussions, and conferences that have taken
place under its leadership. On this site, visitors have access to all
of these talks in their entirety, along with webcasts from the National
Book Festival. Visitors can scan through a complete list of all 303
webcasts, or browse a thematic list that organizes the talks into areas
such as religion, government, and education.
The Moonlit Road
http://www.themoonlitroad.com
Take a walk down The Moonlit Road if you want to read or listen to
interesting folktales presented at a state-of-the-art Website. Producer
Craig Dominey and his team have taken a simple concept and created a
quality contribution to the Web community. Beginning with compelling
stories of the American South, then adding RealAudio versions read by
celebrated stoytellers and appealing graphics, The Moonlit Road can be
a satisfying detour for young children and lifelong learners alike.
This is a good site.
Academy
of American Poets
http://www.poets.org/
The Academy of American Poets has put together a superb site that
includes, among other features, a listening booth where you can hear
poems read by their authors, a number of interesting historic and
thematic exhibits, and a list of featured poets.
American Centuries: Views from New England
http://www.memorialhall.mass.edu/
American Centuries features a digital collection of approximately 1,800
objects from Memorial Hall Museum and Library of Deerfield, MA.
Teachers will want to access the excellent curricula for Elementary or
Middle School students. Activities include transcribing primary sources
and training young eyes to observe artifacts of the past.
American Writers
http://www.americanwriters.org/
Created by the cable network C-SPAN to accompany its series of the same
name, this website gives information about the featured author, and
links to lessons and activities. From the main page (left column),
choose classroom. You can either register, or view the lessons as a
visitor. In the middle column for resources, you have access to
Teachers Resources or Study the Source, which gives questions for
critical analysis.
Celebrating Sondheim
http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/exploring/mt/sondheim/artsedge.html
Looking for ways to movement, multiculturalism and logical/mathematical
intelligence in lessons? Look to the teaching resources at this
ArtsEdge website for Into the Woods, Jr., Sondheim's Into the Woods,
and Dancing in the Park with Friends.
Color, Contrast & Dimension in News Design
http://www.poynter.org/special/colorproject/colorproject/color.html
The Poynter Institute, a school for journalists, future journalists and
teachers of journalists, has created an online tutorial to help
designers with the complexities of color and its use in print and
online. Imbedded in the tutorial are page design exercises, which let
the learner experiment with the use of color in magazines, newspapers,
and websites. This tutorial would be a great addition to journalism and
web-design classes. Jounalism teachers will also want to check out
Poynter's High school Journalism Guide at http://www.poynter.org/centerpiece/highschool/index.htm.
Cyber Newseum
http://www.newseum.org/cybernewseum/html/index.htm
The Cyber Newseum, the only interactive museum of news, highlights
several exhibitions in their online exhibit area. War Stories tells
what it is like to a war correspondent, with interview clips from
correspondents from World War II, the Korean conflict, Vietnam, Desert
Storm, and other international conflicts. Holocaust, the Untold Story
examines the role of the press during WWII. The Pulitzer Prize winning
political cartoons of 1999 by David Horsey are highlighted. Students
can also learn about the roles that the media and news technology
played in the space race.
http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/treasure/
This site offers "everything you could possibly want to know about
Treasure Island. Find out about the author, the characters of the book,
tropical islands, pirates, buried treasure and lots more! On top of
this you can contribute by sending in your reviews of the book and
descriptions of dastardly pirates." Beautiful!
Aardvark's
English Forum
http://www.englishforum.com/
Created for teaching English in the UK, this site has a variety of
online resources for the English language learner. The student section
has good links to many interactive exercises.
Absolute
Whootie:
Stories to Grow By
http://www.storiestogrowby.com
This collection of stories and tales from around the world includes a
lesson plan and simple questions for each story. You can search the
stories or see a complete list with descriptions, age range, and time
required to read the story. Children are invited to illustrate selected
stories and share their answers to end-of-story questions.
American Experience: A Midwife's Tale (PBS)
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/mwt/index.html
In 1785 Martha Ballard began the diary that she would keep for the next
27 years, until her death. At a time when fewer than half the women in
America were literate, Ballard faithfully recorded the weather, her
daily household tasks, her midwifery duties, and countless incidents
that reveal the turmoil of a new nation. Historian Laurel Thatcher
Ulrich discusses the importance of Martha Ballard's diary and what it
reveals about 17th century America and women's roles at that time.
Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book of the same name by Laurel
Thatcher Ulrich, "A Midwife's Tale," Teaching Activities may be adapted
in the absence of the for-fee film. See also Do History at
http://dohistory.org/ for related materials.
American Folklore
http://www.americanfolklore.net/
This site makes folktales from different U.S. states easy to find.
Contains retellings of American folktales, Native American myths and
legends, tall tales, weather folklore and ghost stories from each and
every one of the 50 United States. You can read about all sorts of
famous characters like Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, Jesse James, Davy
Crockett, Daniel Boone, and many more. The target audiences are
storytellers, teachers, folklore fans and students needing state
folklore for school projects. Does not support keyword search; but does
have categories and a story index
(http://www.americanfolklore.net/sindex.html). The site is updated
regularly. Created by Sandra E. Schlosser.
American Journalism Review
http://www.ajr.org/
The American Journalism Review comes out six times a year. The print
magazine is available here for the general public in an electronic
format, and contains articles ranging from the changing media landscape
in the United States and to discussions about whether newsrooms should
use the names of illegal immigrants in their reporting on various
events. Visitors can browse the archives of this publication all the
way back to 1991.
An Inquirer's Guide To The Universe
http://www.fi.edu/planets/planets.html
This site hosts a helpful list of current space science resources and
ideas for how they could be used in learning activities. For example,
students can explore the links, use the space story studio to post an
original story, and look at other stories in the space story portfolio.
Bananafish (J.D. Salinger Home page)
http://www.salinger.org/
What really kills me, if you want to know the truth, about Stephen
Foskett's homespun page on J.D. Salinger, is that he doesn't spin you
some yarn about how Salinger should come out of hiding. Chrissakes,
only phonies are even innerested in the autobiographical
crud.
Foskett and his Webby friends chew the fat about the books, the missing
stories, The lost stories, magazine appearances, biographies and
criticism, rumored appearances, and A bit of JDS online.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations
http://www.columbia.edu/acis/bartleby/bartlett/
An online version of this classic from the Bartleby Project allows
rapid searching for quotes. This on-line version is even better than
the actual tome.
Beast Within: An Interdisciplinary Unit
http://www.cyberlearning-world.com/nhhs/html/beast.htm
This multidiscipline unit involves a study of the darker side
of human nature as explored by the literature and history of 20th
century man. The 9th grade US Government course calls for an
examination of authoritarian government as compared with a democratic
system. To achieve this goal, we examine the human rights abuses of
such regimes as Nazi Germany, Iraq under Saddam Hussein, Cuba under
Fidel Castro, and China under the Communist Party.
Bembo's Zoo
http://www.bemboszoo.com/
A flashy site (Flash plugin required) for artists and creative
thinkers. Turn your high school computer lab students loose trying to
figure out how they did it. Beginning animators may get some wonderful
ideas, all surrounding the basic alphabet.
Book Adventure
http://www.bookadventure.org/
This website houses a free motivational reading program for children in
grades K-8. Reviews help children pick a book to read, either from a
library or bookstore. After the book is read, children can take a quiz
online, with the incentive or rewards after quizzes are completed.
Parents can monitor their child's activities and find resources for
reading challenges in their families. Teachers can access the articles
that may help them increase parental involvement. This website was
developed by Sylvan Learning Centers.
Booklist
http://www.ala.org/booklist/index.html
American Library Association's Booklist magazine of reviews is now
online and includes Reviews of Books for Adults, Reviews of Books for
Youth, Reviews of Audiovisual Media, Reviews of Reference Materials,
Booklist Editors' Choice '95, Best Books Lists, and more.
Calliope, Muse of Eloquence
http://fayette.k12.in.us/~cbeard/calliope
To better understand certain words in the English language, knowledge
of Greek, Roman and Norse mythology can help. Calliope integrates
worksheets and interactive quizzes to help students explore the roots
of words found in mythology, and expand their personal vocabulary.
Charlotte's Web
http://www2.lhric.org/pocantico/charlotte/index.htm
If your students love the book, Charlotte's Web, this site provides
creative supplemental resources, a mystery quotes quiz, trivia
crossword puzzles, and links to other Charlotte's Web sites. Created by
Mrs. Taverna's 1998-1999 Second Grade, at Pocantico Hills School in
Sleepy Hollow, New York.
Chaucer Metapage
http://www.unc.edu/depts/chaucer/index.html
For teachers and students trying to understand Chaucer, or for those
trying to get a feel for life in 14th and 15th Century England, visit
this site to read about Chaucer's work, hear the work read aloud, and
figure out the meanings of Olde English words found in his work.
Children's Literature Activities for the Classroom
http://www.marcias-lesson-links.com/
This site features hundreds of links to children's literature activity
and lesson sites.
Children's Literature Web Guide
http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/
David K. Brown of the University of Calgary has done a fine job pulling
together this hotlist site. The care that he's put into the interface
and commentary make this a useful starting point for those looking for
more information about best books lists, authors' websites, and reviews
of what's on the Internet related to children's literature.
Complete Works of Shakespeare
http://the-tech.mit.edu/Shakespeare/works.html
This comprehensive resource for English teachers, students and
Shakespeare enthusiasts includes a Shakespeare discussion area,
Shakespeare Internet resources, chronological and alphabetical listing
of plays, familiar quotations, and glossary.
Cyber English Syllaweb
http://mbhs.bergtraum.k12.ny.us/cybereng/log.html
Here are some online English assignments that use technologies as tools
and topics. The site includes a booklist
of literature with technology themes. Created by English teacher Ted
Nellen.
Daily Grammar
http://www.dailygrammar.com/
Generously posted by veteran English teacher Bill Johanson from Canyon
View Junior High, Daily Grammar provides simple and clear lessons on
the basics of English grammar. Set up in modules of five examples and a
follow-up quiz, the simplicity of the approach and the explanations
make this a great site for students to use themselves when they feel
they need self-paced remediation or enrichment.
http://tlc.discovery.com/convergence/extremesurvival/extremesurvival.html
This site, created by The Learning Channel, can be used as both a
resource and as a 'jumping off place' for assignments in subject areas
such as writing and reading. For example, students can read survival
stories from around the world and then write and share their own story.
This site presents interesting and engaging accounts of escape and
survival. Students can also have fun with a survival quiz.
Fake Out! The Definition Guessing Game
http://www.eduplace.com/dictionary/
In this game, kids guess and submit word definitions. Part of Houghton
Mifflin's
Global
Connections: Putting World Events in Context
http://www.pbs.org/globalconnections
Global Connections: Putting World Events in Context, produced by public
broadcasting station WGBH, is a new Web site designed to provide the
background information needed to understand events occurring in the
Middle East. Users can view this site either through a timeline
containing events that span the past 100 years or by looking at single
themes such as economics or religion. This site was designed
particularly for educators and contains lesson plans, activities, and
connecting questions which pose higher-level inquiries.
Graphic Design
from the 1920's and 1930's
http://www.travelbrochuregraphics.com
Trying to set the scene for the writings of F. Scott Fitzgerald or the
rise of Adolph Hitler? This is an online gallery created to share a
collection of 1920s and 1930s travel-related ephemera (printed matter
of passing interest).
Great American Speeches
http://www.pbs.org/greatspeeches/
Eighty years worth of great speeches are captured here, as well as some
interesting exercises for students of speech and American History. The
Critics Corner features Richard Nixon's Checkers' Speech, as well as
background information, and links within the speech to explain the
context of specific words or terms used in the speech. If you watch
excerpts of Presidential speeches on tape, you should have students try
Could You Be A Politician, where they get a chance to read from a mock
teleprompter while looking honest, sincere, and trustworthy. Some
trick! Several more activities to liven high school and college
classrooms.
Guide to Grammar and Writing
http://ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/
The home page consists of several headings. Each heading has an
extensive dropdown menu of items. Headings include: Words &
Sentences; Paragraphs; Essays & Research Papers; Ask Grammar,
Quizzes, Search Devices; and Peripherals & PowerPoints. The
INDEX
is huge and includes references to both the Guide to Grammar and
Writing and Principles of Composition. It does not include references
to the Interactive Quizzes or to the Grammarlogs (posted responses to
ASK GRAMMAR queries). Frequently Asked Questions page and the Guide's
Search Engine will also help you find help on grammatical issues, tips
on composition, and advice on English usage. The Guide to Grammar and
Writing is sponsored by the Capital Community College Foundation.
Have a Cow, Dude!
http://www.10acresbackyard.com/
At this site, find out more about milk production and the life of a
dairy cow. Check out "The Girls" (milk producing cows), pick one that
catches your fancy, and register to receive updates by mail, or check
back to the website to see how your cow is doing (if she's had a calf
or was a top milk producer.)
English Online
http://english.unitecnology.ac.nz/
This site is a vast professional development resource for teachers of
English in New Zealand and worldwide. Educators will find over 150
fully resourced and downloadable teaching units, professional readings,
selected links and discussion forums.
ESL Cyber Listening Lab
http://www.esl-lab.com/
This website provides a multimedia experience for those seeking to
learn the English language. The focus on the site is most definitely on
developing users' listening skills, and it provides dozens of helpful
audio features that quizzes students on topics such as renting an
apartment, understanding credit cards, and making doctor's
appointments. Along with these more practical skills, another section
of quizzes deals with subjects that students might encounter in other
situations, such as the TOEFL or more advanced conversations.
Hero's Journey
http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/smc/journey/
The purpose of this web site is to create an environment where anyone
can create a story using the mythical hero structure described by
Joseph Campbell. The site includes an extensive reference section,
ideas and examples, and a "StoryTool" for creating original Hero's
Journey stories. Hero's Journey is a project of the Maricopa Center for
Learning & Instruction (MCLI) and the South Mountain Community
College Storytelling Institute.
Jake
and the
Migration of the Monarch
http://www.monarchpublishers.com
Monarch Publishers' author and artist (public school board members)
website features their new children's book Jake and the Migration of
the Monarch. It is a wonderful story about a young boy and his loving
mother, exploring the marvels of the monarch butterfly migration. Their
website is full of fun activities for children, wonderful music and
songs, beautiful artwork. Very educational and includes teacher and
parent guides for art, music, science, math, drama, dance, social
studies, Spanish, and language arts
http://promo.net./pg/
THE collection of electronic texts. A good starting point for students
to create their own hypertext version of the classics. (If you want to
view/download novels or plays, make sure you have plenty of memory
allotted to your browser.)
Rings of Passion -
explore five universal emotions in world art
http://cgi.pbs.org/ringsofpassion/
What makes this Web site so useful to teachers and students is the way
its images prompt students to compare and contrast. Dividing artworks
by theme (awe, love, anguish, joy, triumph) shows commonality of
spirit. Once you look at the expertly chosen images (by J. Carter Brown
of the National Gallery), however, you see a multicultural
interpretation of the theme. Those who have found interdisciplinary
activities and units rewarding because of all the connections students
make have a friend in Rings of Passion. Another fine PBS arts site, it
combines evocative images, insightful text, and a handy way to jump
students into higher level thinking. Finally, if you act quickly, you
can even curate
your own online exhibit.
Roget's Thesaurus
http://www.thesaurus.com/
This site has a nice interface & arranges words according to
the
ideas represented as in a printed Roget's.
Skillswise
(BBC)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/
Skillswise aims to help adults improve their reading, writing and maths
skills. Factsheets, worksheets, quizzes and games to help improve
skills. Includes a teacher page
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/tutors/) and an alphabetic listing of
all content (http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/help/using/a-z.shtml).
Clean interface. Also includes lesson plans
http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/tutors/lessonplans/), tracking tools,
and a relatively robust Message Board (http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/mbsw).
Aligned to UK standards.
Storyline Online (BookPALS)
http://www.bookpals.net/storyline/index.html
The Screen Actors Guild Foundation is proud to bring you Storyline
Online, an on-line streaming video program featuring SAG members
reading childrens books aloud. As of 2004, there were 10 stories
available.
Super Science Fair Projects
http://www.super-science-fair-projects.com
Super Science Fair Projects guides middle school, jr. high and high
school students through the intricacies of science fair projects; also
includes a parents guide and a teacher's resource page. With the aid of
a timeline and step-by-step outline, the student is guided through the
process of showing how to keep a science log, choose a category and
topic, research a project, complete all six steps of the
scientific method, write a project report and abstract, make a display
board and give an oral presentation of the project. Students learn how
judges evaluate a project. A click on the "Secret Files" links to
projects, topics, ideas and experiments as well as additional
resources.
The
Online Journalism Review
http://ojr.usc.edu/
The Online Journalism Review is a Web-based journal produced at the
Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern
California. This site covers a full range of journalistic issues in all
media, but with a particular emphasis on the Internet. A great resource
for Journalism students at high schools or colleges. OJR's Guide to
Online Reporter Resources is a great place to start students that want
to do journalism research online.
The Reading Matrix
http://www.readingmatrix.com/
The Reading Matrix, was designed to create a place where both teachers
and other interested persons could come together to find resources
about reading and writing. Most of the resources are geared towards the
language needs of ESL and international students, but there is really
something for everyone. The Archives are a good place to start, as
users will have the opportunity to look through subject-oriented
resources for English-language learners that range from dictionaries,
grammar quizzes, and speaking and listening practice.
TV411
http://www.tv411.org/index.shtml
Not just for adults! TV411: tune in to learning, is based on a
television series for adults who want to strengthen their basic
reading, writing, and math skills . The "Improve Your" menu consists of
Flash-based tutorials produced by The Adult Literacy Media Alliance
(ALMA). This section contains practical things such as Parts
of a
Newspaper, Reading Maps, Filling Out a Job Application, Writing a
Complaint Letter, Finding New Ways to Say Something, What Makes a
Compound Word?, Words with Multiple Meanings, How to Set Up a Budget,
Using Percentages, Explore Nutrition with Your Child, Time Management,
and lots more life skills!
Vintage Books Reading Group Center
http://www.randomhouse.com/vintage/read/
"Reading groups are a popular way for book lovers to get together to
talk about books. Groups are formed in a variety of ways--through
bookstores, organizations, and also privately with friends. Vintage
Books has designed Reading Group Guides to enhance a group's reading
and discussion of a book. They include a description of each book,
questions, discussion topics, author biography, and sometimes a note
from the author to assist the group in having a stimulating and
interesting discussion." Most of the works are contemporary fiction
best suited to adult groups or Advanced Placement English students.
Visual Thesaurus
http://www.visualthesaurus.com/desktop/index.jsp
The Visual Thesaurus is an intersting way to explore English language
synonyms. Words show up as a "spatial map of linguistic associations,"
with clickable words that encourage you to follow threads. The site
uses Java and works best on newer systems.
Aesop's
Fables Online Exhibit
AesopFables.com
John R. Long has created a Website that will be valuable to a variety
of people. Although Aesop's Fables have been online as e-texts for
quite a while (i.e., even before 1994), the clean and quick interface
of this Aesop's Fables Online Exhibit make it an enjoyable site to
visit. Long has gone beyond HTML so that you can browse through the
650+ fables and fairy tales here-in (it includes many by Ambrose
Bierce) or conduct a word search (or even view a java timeline
panorama). This is a fine example of the more powerful contribution a
skilled Net citizen can make. One way to integrate this Website is as a
support for looking at key themes. For example, a search of the word
"truth" turned up The
Apes and the Two Travelers, a short and clear morality play
on the
cost of telling the truth. Teachers could use the site to enhance
discussions on literary themes, students could access appropriate
fables as introductions to essays, and parents could add the wisdom of
these tales to those inevitable discussions on morality.
Carol
Hurst's Children's Literature Site
http://www.carolhurst.com/
Teachers and librarians will appreciate this rich collection of
reviews, curriculum ideas, and activities. Reviews are organized by
title, author, type of book, and grade level, and educators can also
look for ideas based on curriculum areas or themes. There's plenty here
to help educators integrate literature into their curriculum.
In Search of Stellaluna's Family
http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/chavez/batquest/batquest.html
In this WebQuest, third graders research bats and write a letter to
Stellaluna telling her why she is so special. 3rd Grade teacher Danice
Von Feldt developed this WebQuest in both Spanish and English, and the
site includes a simple evaluation rubric and extension activities.
Scholastic's Harry Potter page
http://www.scholastic.com/harrypotter/index.htm
This summer, I noticed that Harry Potter was a New York Bestseller
(unprecedented for a children's book), and I ordered a copy to read to
my 6-year old. Though my child usually has little patience with long
chapter books, Harry won us over, and we're now reading book number
three. Though the real thrill is in reading the book, Scholastic's site
shares author information, discussion guides, and a reading circle
SparkNotes
http://www.thespark.com/sparknotes/
Created by Harvard University students and alumni, SparkNotes isa
collection of free online study guides to approximately 100 literature
classics Each SparkNote contains sections on context, characters,
overall summary, chapter-by-chapter summary and commentary, study
questions, and a message board for collaborative learning.
Home of the Macbeth and Hamlet Pages
http://www.falconedlink.com/falcon/
These pages were a homespun creation of Rodger Burnich (a teacher at
Westhill High School in Stamford, Connecticut) and summarize in a
contemporary, chatty translation the five acts of these two Shakespeare
classics. There are the occasional typos and some Shakespeareans will
take issue with some of Burnich's readings, but the pages could be a
helpful guide to new readers of the plays. With this resource, teachers
might give students the activity of doing another "translation" into
the lingo of "surf dudes," "valley girls," or "hip hoppers."
Internet Classics Archive
http://classics.mit.edu/index.html
This site features 441 works of classical literature by 59 authors,
including Aesop, Aeschylus, Homer, Ovid and Plato. Visitors can read
classic works in their entirety, participate in discussions of the
works and bone up on the authors themselves.
Justin's Drama and
Theatre Links
http://www.theatrelinks.com/
Justin Cash of Australia has created a mammoth directory of theatre
links including: history, practitioners, genres, styles, online plays,
playwrights, classroom resources, education institutions, arts
organizations, set/lighting/costume designs and more. As with any
hotlist, teachers of younger students should always check links for
suitability before having students access them.
Knowing
Poe
(Maryland Public Television)
http://knowingpoe.thinkport.org/
The Literature, Life, and Times of Edgar Allan Poe... In Baltimore and
Beyond. Through the activities on this site, you can introduce learners
(or, be introduced, yourself) to the literature, life, and times of one
of America's foremost writers.
(http://knowingpoe.thinkport.org/classconn/)
Learning Vocabulary Can Be Fun
http://www.vocabulary.co.il
Interactive games with multi-level and multi-subject choices to help
students learn vocabulary words. Over 100 topics with 4,500+ words.
Games include: Hangman, Word Search, Language Match Game, Vocabulary
Quiz. A "homegrown site" created and maintained by Jacob Richman.
Requires Flash
Lewis Carroll Scrapbook (Library of Congress)
http://international.loc.gov/intldl/carrollhtml/lchome.html
The Lewis Carroll Scrapbook at the Library of Congress is an original
scrapbook that was kept by Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. Better known as
Lewis Carroll, the Victorian-era children's author of Alice's
Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking-Glass (1871),
Dodgson was a lecturer in mathematics at the University of
Oxford. A timeline, authored by Edward Wakeling,
former chairman of the Lewis Carroll Society, helps to place materials
found in the scrapbook in their proper context. Search by Keyword,
Author. Title, Subject; or simply browse page by page through the
Scrapbook.
Lil' Fingers Storybooks
http://www.lilfingers.com/
Lil' Fingers is a storybook site for toddler age children with games,
storybooks and coloring pages. Our FREE toddler stories, activities and
holiday sections are designed with bright colors and big buttons for
little fingers to click on. Our content is designed with young children
in mind using large buttons for little fingers; animation, bright
colors; quick loading pages; and short stories. Created and maintained
by David Lumerman.
Literacy Volunteer Connection
http://www.literacyvolunteer.com
This site has great resources for any type of literacy program you may
be involved in, whether for adults or children. Find materials to
present to parents about the importance of reading. Articles include
All about Reading, Literacy at Home, and a host of other articles with
tips for literacy tutors. Second Lanugage Literacy focuses on resources
for naitve Spanish speakers.
Little Planet Times
http://littleplanettimes.com/
"Dateline, Little Planet. Yesterday, in the meadow at the edge of the
Old Forest, two friends were pulled apart just before they were going
to fight. And what the two friends were ready to fight over was ..."
You'll have to visit this site to find out what made Porky and Dorky so
mad. This original web site encourages kids to read and write with The
Little Planet Times, a newspaper created by and for kids. Top stories
creatively present monthly themes, like conflict resolution.
Mark Twain from The Mining Company
http://marktwain.miningco.com/
This site includes links to online resources by and about Mark Twain,
plus weekly feature articles, an events calendar, and more.
Mind's Eye Monster
Exchange
http://www.monsterexchange.org/
Take your students on an amazing journey of imagination! In this
project, a student in one classroom draws a monster, writes a detailed
description of the creation, then e-mails the composition to a student
in another classroom. Next, the student who receives the description
draws the monster based on the description. Then both the original and
the duplicate drawings are posted in the Mind's Eye Monster Galleries
for comparison.
Mondo Times
http://www.mondotimes.com/
Mondo Times is a web site devoted to mass media around the world. This
service provides access to over 13,000 media outlets available online,
organized by location and topic. Links to media in every country can be
found in the left column on the main page.
Mr. William Shakespeare and the Internet
http://daphne.palomar.edu/shakespeare/
Shakespeare has been dead nearly 400 years, but thanks (in part) to Web
sites like this, his popularity has never been greater. Created by
Terry Gray, "Mr. William Shakespeare" is an annotated, scholarly guide
to William Shakespeare, his works, life, and times. Features of this
outstanding site are a Shakespearean Timeline, Works (synopses of
plays, study guides, canons and more), Criticism, Critical Resources, a
bibliography, and even a Shakespeare Biography Quiz.
My Hero
http://myhero.com/
MY HERO illuminates the "unsung" heroes in the cities, towns, and
countries where we live. Submit a description of your hero or browse
other submissions.
Narnia.com
http://www.narnia.com/
Visit Narnia, the land created by C.S. Lewis in his seven book series,
The Chronicles of Narnia. Created by HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.,
the site includes interactive maps, illustrations, and character
sketches. Readers can take a short quiz after reading each of the first
six books (offline). The Illustrating Narnia section contains
information about various illustrators of the books, from Pauline
Baynes to Chris Van Allsburg.
On Line English Grammar
http://www.edunet.com/english/grammar/index.html
This Website provides definitions and examples on the parts of speech.
The pages are well designed and load time is good. This could be a good
supplement or even key resource if you are teaching grammar and/or
English as a Second Language and don't have adequate materials.
Open Court Resources.com
http://www.opencourtresources.com
Hundreds of free teacher created resources aligned with the Open Court
Reading program.
PlainTrain:
Plain Language Online Training
http://www.web.net/~plain/PlainTrain
Have you ever looked at a student's written work and thought "What is
this student trying to say?" "Plain language is an approach to
communication that begins with the needs of the reader." This website
explains how to identify the reader, organize ideas, use appropriate
words, create simple sentences, and build effective paragraphs. Testing
written work is considered a necessity.
Press Freedom Survey 2000
http://www.freedomhouse.org/pfs2000/
How free is the press in countries around the world? Why should you
care? Part of information literacy is to know the veracity of the
source of information. If newspapers or other media you access on the
web are controlled by their government, you should know that. Consult
the map on the main page to get a quick view of free, partly free, and
not free media countries. Access reports from the individual countries
to get a more detailed picture. Freedomhouse is a non-profit,
non-partisan organization that has compiled these reports since 1972.
Project Bartleby (Columbia University)
http://www.cc.columbia.edu/acis/bartleby/
Home of great literary Websites on such people as Emily Dickinson, W.
E. B. Du Bois, Robert Frost, John Keats, Herman Melville, Edna St.
Vincent Millay, and Gertrude Stein, this site includes full text of
writings for these authors.
Quote Search
http://www.starlingtech.com/quotes/
A great online search engine for fun and clever quotations. A search
for "love" turned up 16 quotations, among them this from former Vice
President Dan Quayle: "I love California, I practically grew up in
Phoenix."
Renaissance Secrets
http://www.open2.net/renaissance2/doing/doing.html
A joint offering of the BBC and Open University, this website explores
four mysteries from a historian's point of view. Although built to
support a television series on the BBC, teachers can use this site to
explore conspiracy, medicine and inventions in Renaissance Europe. Use
this site to trigger a discussion of overlooked careers and standards
in historical research. (
Robert Frost - The Complete Works to December 1920
http://www.columbia.edu/acis/bartleby/frost/
Another great Project Bartleby site from Columbia University, this Web
site offers the full text of Frost's classic early works: A Boy's Will,
North of Boston, Mountain Interval, and additional poems. AU format
audio files are downloadable for such classics as "After Apple-picking"
and "Birches."
Roget's Thesaurus Search Form
http://humanities.uchicago.edu/forms_unrest/ROGET.html
This hypertext thesaurus interface provides point-and-click client
access to Roget's on the Web.
Shape Books
http://www.shapebooks.com/
Shape Books allow kids, parents and teachers to make shape books, skill
books, poems, notes and more. Pick a shape, type in your words and
print.
Teach With Movies
http://www.teachwithmovies.org
AtE times, movies are appropriate teaching tools. This site gives you
some discussion questionsE (and perhaps essay topics) for more than 200
movies. Search by keyword or browse theE alphabetically, by culture, or
by character development issues. Descriptions includeE benefits,
possible problems or issues raised by the movie, and background. Check
out the list of Movies Not Recommended as Teaching Tools.
The Atlantic Monthly Poetry Pages
http://www.theatlantic.com/atlantic/atlweb/poetry/poetpage.htm
These pages are "a new multimedia feature devoted to poets and poetry,
both classic and contemporary. This area will be updated regularly,
with new readings by poets featured in each issue of the magazine, as
well as poetry and essays from The Atlantic's archive." This is a great
resource to expose people to a collection of the current definition of
great poetry.
The Concord Review
http://www.tcr.org/
Read exemplary essays by high school students of history. This Web site
is an online representation of the quarterly journal The Concord
Review. Twenty complete essays (averaging 5000 words) are posted here.
They could serve as models for the Advanced Placement or International
Baccalaureate crowd or as resource material for students writing on
similar topics.
The Legacy
Project
http://www.legacy-project.org/index.html
Explore the relationship between tragedy, war, genocide, and the visual
arts. This very powerful site is meant for only mature students of the
arts and history, dealing with the topic of loss in cultures around the
world.
The Official Roald Dahl Website
http://www.roalddahl.com
This creative site (Flash required), created by the Roald Dahl
Foundation) is not for the feint of bandwidth (use this only on a
network connection, otherwise you might be waiting a long time for the
site to load). Roald Dahl was a very creative children's author and
this site brings to life classics such as Willie Wonka and the
Chocolate Factory, Mathilda, and James and the Giant Peach. Teachers
will enjoy the lessons and classroom activities available for download.
The activity on Collecting Words lists as examples the words Dahl
collected for beautiful and angry or rude or nasty, and asks students
to collect words for big, rich and funny.
The World of Beatrix Potter
http://www.peterrabbit.co.uk
Step into the world of Beatrix Potter and all of her characters. This
graphic/audio intense site features fun online activities and reading
for children.
Vandergrift's Children's Literature Page
http://scils.rutgers.edu/%7Ekvander/ChildrenLit/index.html
This site informs those who care about children and their literature
about the best and the latest on the constellation of topics that will
enable them to bring the literature and children together most
successfully.
Vocabulary University
http://www.vocabulary.com
This site offers "free vocabulary puzzles to enhance vocabulary
mastery. Exercises are endorsed by teachers to enrich classroom
curriculum and to help prepare for the SSAT, GED, SAT and ACT."
Voice of the Shuttle: Web Page for Humanities Research
http://vos.ucsb.edu/
This comprehensive hotlist includes general humanities resources,
anthropology, archaeology, architecture, area & regional
studies,
art, classical studies, history, legal studies, linguistics,
literature, minority studies, music & dance, philosophy,
photography, politics & government, religious studies, science,
technology, culture, technology of writing, women's studies, gender
theory, & more. Includes links to teaching resources.
Webtime Stories
http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/webtime/
Webtime Stories is an annotated hotlist of online stories, book and
author resources, and online activites for people who love children's
literature.
Weedpatch Camp
http://www.weedpatchcamp.com/
This site is a wonderful 'companion' to John Steinbeck's Grapes of
Wrath. While writing the book, John Steinbeck visited Bakersfield,
California and based his book on Arvin Federal Government Camp which he
portrayed as "Weedpatch Camp." This site includes history and
pictures of the camp as well as personal reminiscences and music of the
time.
Where Do Languages Come From?
http://www.exploratorium.edu/exploring/language/
The Exploratorium produced this series of exercises to demonstrate
similarities and differences between words of several languages. Great
for tying geography lessons into language arts curriculum. These
activities, like Be a Word Historian, are created to be completed
either online or offline.
Where's That From?
http://www.intuitive.com/origins/
The site introduction explains "In this game you'll be presented with
10 randomly selected word origin or word definition puzzles to solve;
in each case the word or phrase is highlighted in bold, and a number of
possible explanations for its origin will be presented. You need to
choose the correct answer to score a point for that question. Beware:
the false answers will often also seem quite plausible, and some of the
true answers are hard to believe, but we have documentation!" - The
terms used tend to be more interesting than the usual Greek and Roman
roots routine, but we found ourselves guessing, more than making
educated guesses.
Who Dunnit?
http://www.cyberbee.com/whodunnit/crime.html
Learn to be a sleuth by exploring the world of the forensic scientist.
Elementary and Middle School students can learn to take fingerprints,
analyze unidentified powders, and other techniques to solve "The Case
of the Barefoot Burglar."
William Shakespeare's Hamlet
http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/lausd/resources/shakespeare/hamletmain.html
Designed for use with 12th grade English classes, this unit by teacher
Joel Littauer provides students with practice in analyzing
Shakespeare's drama, Hamlet, as well as discussing major characters and
the impact the protagonist has on the minor characters. Includes a
teacher's guide and relevant Web links.
World Wide Words
http://www.worldwidewords.org/
Michael Quinion must never sleep. He has developed a rich resource for
lovers of words at this site, where you can find out past history of
common words, catch the latest creations used in the press, or check
usage. Divided into categories like "The Word Hoard," "Articles," and
"Newsworthy Words," the site is a playground of our evolving language.
What makes it even better is that there's a fun bloke named Michael
ready to play with you. Teachers might use this as a resource for
getting students to see the changing nature of the words around them.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/books/features/recent.htm
Chapter One service makes first chapters, tables of contents, and other
excerpts of books (including Newberry) on selected special interest
topics available for browsing. Browse free -- there is no obligation to
buy -- or you can order on-line.
AFRO-Americ@ Kids Zone
http://www.afro.com/children/children.html
Numerous games, short myths, brain teasers for the younger set. Not all
specific to African American culture; but fun nevertheless. Also
includes brief information on some countries on the content of Africa.
Very attractive and colorful. Some activities require Shockwave and/or
Flash.
American Verse Project
http://www.hti.umich.edu/english/amverse/
The University of Michigan Humanities Text Initiative has taken on the
task of posting American poetry from the 19th Century. Emphasis is
placed on accuracy of the texts. The list of posted authors is
currently small, but those that are listed comprise some of the key
voices (William Cullen Bryant, Emily Dickinson, Paul Laurence Dunbar,
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Edna St. Vincent Millay,). Once fully developed,
this Web site will be a prized reference for teachers and scholars of
American literature.
Anagram Hall of Fame
http://www.wordsmith.org/anagram/hof.html
Another simple but fun page that can spice up a language arts
classroom. Anagrams are words made from the rearranged letters of other
words, for example: Information Superhighway = Yow! Hi ho, I'm surfing
Arpanet!
Anthology of Middle English Literature (1350-1485)
http://www.luminarium.org/medlit/
This elegant site features the selected works of Medieval authors
including Geoffrey Chaucer and William Langland. You can read The
Canterbury Tales in its entirely, listen to audio excerpts,
read
famous quotes, learn about Chaucer's life, and more.
Banned Books On-line
http://digital.library.upenn.edu/books/banned-books.html
Headings such as "Unfit for Schools and Minors" and "Suppressed or
Censored by Legal Authorities" provide links to online texts as well as
other censorship resources.
BearTime
http://www.BearTime.com/
Stories, links, pictures of two adventurous teddy bears, John and El.
Obviously, the folks who wrote these stories have a lot of love for the
bears...they travel with them to different locales across the U.S. The
proof is in the photos illustrating the tales. This website includes a
coloring section (on paper, not the computer) and an invitation to send
in a scanned photo of your bear (new bear pals for John and El).
Candlelight Stories
http://www.candlelightstories.com
This site offers illustrated stories, games, animations and information
for kids, teachers, writers, illustrators and families. Professional
services such as messaging and resume posting are available. People can
get their stories and art published on Candlelight.
Diamond Ranch
http://www.cowboyhalloffame.org/diamondr/index.html
This site by the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum contains
colorful characters and a variety of activities for young children
including songs, games, reading and coloring. Cowboy Jack and Dusty
Trails teach and entertain as children enjoy a visual ride through the
museum and interact with cowboys from the Diamond R Ranch to learn the
code cowboys live by....honesty, integrity and plain hard work.
Eating Disorders - A WebQuest for 7th and 8th Grade
http://www.mathrocks.net/webquests/ED_Webquest/index.htm
This webquest for middle school students opens with a scenario where a
student has died from an eating disorder. The task at hand is to get a
better understanding of the different types of eating disorders, their
causes and their symptoms, and to then share that information with
other middle school students. This webquest provides a good opportunity
for students to work in teams and to then share important knowledge
with their peers.
EducETH Reading List
http://educeth.ethz.ch/english/readinglist/
This reading list covers books that can be read with upper secondary
classes. Each book and author includes well-organized hotlinks,
comments by teachers and students, and more.
ElectraGuide
http://www.ozline.com/electraguide/
This website began as an experiment in using JavaScript to prompt
student achievement. It doesn't pretend to be a full introduction to
writing persuasive essays. ElectraGuide is a tool that helps students:
find a topic, create a thesis, and generate an outline. Choose
Topic-O-Rama if you weren't assigned a topic or don't have a good one
in mind. If you already have a topic, try Thesis Builder to help you
create the most important sentence in your persuasive essay. Once
you've got a thesis statement, use the Outliner option in Thesis
Builder to generate the framework for your essay. Click links at the
top of the page to begin.
Electric Postcard
http://postcards.www.media.mit.edu/Postcards/Welcome.html
Use this web site to "send" someone a virtual picture postcard,
complete with a customized message.
Favorite Teenage Angst Books
http://www.grouchy.com/angst/
A collection of brief book reviews of young adult novels, " You know
the kind . . . about teenagers who feel awkward, about nerds who
triumph over snobs, about first kisses, about hating school and
fighting with your parents, about acne. "
Fluency Through
Fables
http://www.comenius.com/fables/
Each month, The Comenius Group provides a fable ("The Donkey and the
Grasshopper," "The Tortoise and the Hare") and a variety of exercises
(Vocabulary Matching Exercises, True or False Comprehension Exercises,
Vocabulary Completion Exercises, Written Discussion Exercises) to
assist students of English.
Franklin Institute Literature Hotlist
http://sln.fi.edu/tfi/hotlists/literature.html
This hotlist is heavy on children's literature.
Nobel Channel
http://www.nobelchannel.com
Based on Nobel Prize achievements, this site offers resources and
historical references with compelling interactive media. Included is an
Interactive Learning Studio of lesson plans based on the Nobel Prize
themes: Peace, Physics, Chemistry, and Literature. Exercises contain
multimedia elements, references, resources, and Teacher Bulletin
Boards.
)
On Assignment
http://mac1.ocps.k12.fl.us/sch/edo/asgn.html
This weekly web-based assignment is designed to demonstrate how
technology can be integrated with curriculum . Geared toward elementary
students, the simple activities tackle a variety of topics and include
pre-thinking and post-thinking questions and extensions.
Phonics Link
http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/Phonics_Link/phonics.html
Phonics Link was created to help elementary educators stay informed
about the newest research, resources and classroom ideas in phoneme
awareness and phonics. Teachers are invited to respond with lesson
plans, questions and comments about book club selections.
Platitudes with Attitudes
http://www.millennium.scps.k12.fl.us/staffpages/ShawR/platitude/
Platitudes with Attitudes get students to examine local sayings and
then to "prove them" using the scientific method. A unique blend of
history, language arts and science! Basically you: 1) assign or have
students choose sayings; 2) research the etymology of their sayings; 3)
use the scientific method to either prove or disprove the saying; 4)
post a web page showing students work. Comes complete with lessons,
discussion board, chats, Education Standards, and updates.
Richard Lederer's Verbivore Page
http://pw1.netcom.com/~rlederer/index.htm
Sir Richard, nobleman of student blooper fame, has a Web site at which
he welcomes visitors: "Welcome to the web site woven for wordaholics,
logolepts, and verbivores. Carnivores eat meat; herbivores eat plants
and vegetables; verbivores devour words. If you are heels over head (as
well as head over heels) in love with words, tarry here awhile to graze
or, perhaps, feast on the English language. Ours is the only language
in which you drive in a parkway and park in a driveway and night falls
but never breaks and day breaks but never falls." Find some fun teasers
for English classes and more Blooper histories.
)
Snigglets Page
http://www.ithaca.edu/shp/shp99/rknight1/humor/sniglets.txt
This low tech text only page carries a huge collection of "sniglets" --
"Any word [or combination of words] that doesn't appear in the
dictionary, but should." Perhaps an example will illustrate better:
TILE COMET (tyl kom' it)n. - "Any streamer of toilet paper attached to
your heel as you emerge from a public restroom." This page could be a
great springboard/fun with language activity.
Something Fishy
http://www.siec.k12.in.us/~west/proj/owl
Get your feet wet with this ocean resource that integrates Edward
Lear's book, "The Owl and the Pussycat," with Internet activities for
K-3 students. Includes links to other online resources.
The Positive Press - Good News Everyday
http://www.positivepress.com/
Sponsored by the nonprofit Athens Institute, this Website offers links
to other online news sources (Washington Post, CNN, LA Times, Newsday,
etc.). The difference is captured in their title: only articles that
highlight positive acts, information, or stories get featured. You can
use these stories to compare and contrast to "normal" news purveyors.
The Science Poetry Center
http://www.mcn.org/ed/cur/cw/Science_Poetry/Poetry.html
This page is a place for students to post their own science poetry
(having to do with Nature or Natural Science, including Life, Earth,
Physical and Environmental Science topics).
Wild World of Words
http://www.ash.udel.edu/ash/challenge/word.html
This site offers a set of Web-based word puzzles for a variety of
skills and levels.
)
Windows to the Future
http://www.mcn.org/ed/cur/ssp/men/
Designed and implemented by Mendocino teachers, this Integrated
Language Arts and Technology course merges vocational education,
college preparatory education, collaborative teaching, and learning.
Unique features include intergenerational modeling of continuous
learning, student empowerment, specialization, and technology to
overcome rural isolation.
Word Play
http://www.wolinskyweb.net/word.htm
Word Play links to fun word sites that could be used for enrichment,
recreation, or reference.
World Treasures (National Library of Australia)
http://www.nla.gov.au/worldtreasures/
Have students explore the contributions of world cultures in this
online exhibit. Lessons in the teacher's section supports the online
materials. Each treasure lists the museum that houses it; an
interesting supplemental activity would have students uncover how
foreign museums ended up with another culture's treasure.