Tag Archives: language arts

Teach Students to Use the Power of Images with Worlde, Creatly, and Statworld

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Scott

The other day a student stood in the middle of my classroom holding his cellphone at arm’s length, pointing it at the white board. I was about to tell him to put it away, but then I realized what he was doing and it gave me pause to think…he was “taking notes” by snapping a digital picture of what I had written on the board.  So I wondered, what if I asked him to use those images in his next essay?  Isn’t this a way to integrate technology into the language arts curriculum—taking digital pictures and using them with text? But really, when is the last time you asked your students to include images in their essays?  Probably never, right?  When students include pictures, it’s usually to adorn the cover of the essay beneath one of those annoying plastic report covers.  But consider how many images the average student encounters … Continue reading →

Posted in Informational Texts, Lesson Plans, Reading, Technology Integration, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Broaden Students’ Cultural Perspectives with Project Gutenberg

Posted on October 30, 2011 by Scott

Common Core Standard six of “Reading: Craft and Structure” provides an important opportunity to expose our students to different perspectives from cultures other than their own.  This standard also gives us a great reason to explore some of the thousands of free texts that Project Gutenberg has to offer including many collections of short stories which can be downloaded to just about any digital device from an e-reader, a pc or laptop to a smartphone or tablet. 6. Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world literature. I found some excellent collections of short stories grouped by nationality and by topic.  You must scroll to the bottom of the short stories bookshelf page, to see “Other” collections grouped by themes.  With Halloween coming right up, I’m working on organizing a few … Continue reading →

Posted in American Literature, Classical Literature, Common Core Standards, Lesson Plans, World Literature | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Common Core Reading Standard #4—Vocabulary in Context

Posted on August 24, 2011 by Scott

This week is my last one before returning to the classroom on Monday.  I have to be honest, thinking about the first day of school still makes me really queasy even after eleven years.  Of course, I do plan to continue this series of posts about the Common Core through the fall.  This week we begin with “Craft and Structure.” 4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language of a court opinion differs from that of a newspaper). So this standard is all about vocabulary and author word choice, teaching students how to understand meanings in context and how to analyze diction. Usually for this blog I focus only on free resources for integrating technology, but Academic Merit’s Literary Companion is … Continue reading →

Posted in Common Core Standards, Reading, Vocabulary | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Writing about Theme with iWrite

Posted on August 7, 2011 by Scott

Continuing with our exploration of the Common Core, this week I’ve discovered a useful website for the second standard under “Key Ideas and Details.” Standard 2: Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text. This standard is a broad one but also a very important one as it focuses on analysis which is among those higher order thinking skills so important to students becoming independent learners.  It is unlikely you could (or should) cover this standard with one lesson.  Students need multiple opportunities to learn about and meet this standard. iwrite from Great Source (Haughton, Mifflin, Harcourt) offers a lot of useful material online for both teachers and students exploring not only central ideas with writing but also … Continue reading →

Posted in Common Core Standards, Lesson Plans, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bubble This and Dabble That…Free Brainstorming Tools Online

Posted on June 12, 2011 by Scott

I’ve been working away at my last regular class for my M.A. in English at NAU…just the capstone class after this and I’ll have my Master’s degree! This week, I had to put together an extensive brainstorm map of ideas related to a specific problem and it got me thinking about and searching for good online tools for brainstorming and mind mapping. I found a few I like that I think you might also want to try. The one I used for my class is called BubbleUs, and if you set up an account, it is free. I like that it is simple to get started, colorful, and easy to export when you’re done by saving / exporting an image of your project. If you want something a little more complex with extra features such as the ability to add pictures and drawings to your brainstorm, check out Dabbleboard, where … Continue reading →

Posted in Presenting, Uncategorized, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Free Audio and Video Files of Famous Speeches at American Rhetoric.com

Posted on May 9, 2011 by Scott

With so much literature, grammar, writing, and vocabulary to cover in our curriculum these days, it’s easy to overlook the importance of oral language in our classrooms.  Consider also how reluctant many students already are about “getting up in front of the class,” and it’s easy to put off teaching about speeches and oral presentations.   But with evermore rapid advancements of technology and the internet, listening and speaking skills are becoming increasingly important.  The authors of the Common Core State Standards put it this way: “New technologies have broadened and expanded the role that speaking and listening play in acquiring and sharing knowledge and have tightened their link to other forms of communication. The Internet has accelerated the speed at which connections between speaking, listening, reading, and writing can be made, requiring that students be ready to use these modalities nearly simultaneously.” Looking for tools useful in focusing on verbal … Continue reading →

Posted in American Literature, Audio, Classical Literature, Lesson Plans, Listening, Presenting, Speaking, Video | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Next Year Don’t Forget Harper Lee’s Birthday…Use Calendar Activities to Remind You

Posted on May 1, 2011 by Scott

Have you ever realized on a Friday that the previous Monday was a special day like your favorite author’s birthday?  Or, have you ever figured out on the first day of May that April was National Poetry Month?  I have a difficult enough time keeping track of my family’s birthdays and anniversaries, so this happens to me a lot.  I always seem to overlook dates of particular literary importance until long after adding an activity or lesson to my class would have had any special importance.  I’ve often wished I had some kind of reminder for when events of literary significance are approaching so that I can plan lessons and activities for the occasion. That’s why I find the “Calendar Activities” at Read, Write, Think very useful.  This application can be arranged by grade level, learning objectives, themes, and activity types.  For Language Arts teachers, the “Authors & Texts” and … Continue reading →

Posted in Lesson Plans | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Big Myth: Engaging Study of Myths of the World

Posted on April 17, 2011 by Scott

When I look to integrate technology into the classroom, I try to find resources that go beyond simple input/output applications.  Too many “interactive” sites really just present basic information in a flashy way.  Then there are those gems that not only help teachers engage students, but also equip them with lessons that involve real problem solving and cooperative, student-centered learning.  The Big Myth is a great example of this kind of technology for the 21st century classroom. This award-winning site gets your attention quickly because the Flash animation and sound are interesting and the site is fun to navigate by clicking points on a global map to learn about various culture and creation myths of the world.  However, the real value of The Big Myth is in its teacher’s section which has very useful guides, lesson plans, and activities. These aren’t simply, fill-in-the-blank worksheets but meaningful lesson plan materials designed … Continue reading →

Posted in Classical Literature, Lesson Plans | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Quizlet can be a Simple Way to Get Students Collaborating Online

Posted on March 20, 2011 by Scott

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills cites the ability to work collaboratively among some very important skills students will need in order to be ready for the careers of the 21st century.  However, as school district budgets shrink and as our classroom rosters grow, finding opportunities to have our students collaborate can be difficult.  Sometimes, when a class is quite large, setting kids to work in groups creates an exhausting job for the teacher keeping them all productive and on task. So here’s a simple way to include some collaborative studying while at the same time integrating a basic media literacy element with your next vocabulary unit: Have students create vocabulary note-cards at Quizlet.com and then share them using the “Create a Group” function.  All you have to do is create an account, choose the “My Groups” tab, and “create your own” group.  Once your group is complete, you can … Continue reading →

Posted in Lesson Plans, Vocabulary | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Jack London Collection Online

Posted on February 20, 2011 by Scott

Jack London died of kidney disease when he was only 40, but during his short life he was an unusually prolific writer.  When he died in 1916, he left behind everything from the adventure novels for which he is most known, to journalism, essays, and letters.  The Sonoma State University Library has gathered and organized much about this important American author in the Jack London Online Collection.  This site includes an audio book version of The Call of the Wild, a radio drama, a searchable collection of images of him, his family, and friends, and a sizeable assortment of primary documents including letters, postcards, certificates, bookplates, and much more. The Jack London Online Collection has many useful applications for those who teach Jack London or for those doing research.  The site is very well-organized, offering materials by format—audio files, documents, images, etc. as well as sections on “What’s New,” a … Continue reading →

Posted in American Literature, Audio, Lesson Plans, Reading | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment