TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Jul 9, 2023
Here are this week's features. Clicking the tags in the description area of each listing will present a list of other resources with this topic. | Click here to return to the Featured Sites Archive
Josh Funk Books - Stuff for Kids - Josh Funk
Grades
K to 3tag(s): authors (183), songs (87), printables (52), preK (423),
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the many resources shared on Josh Funk's site to introduce young readers to his books using these engaging activities. Consider sharing this site on your interactive whiteboard with students before sharing the link, as navigation might be difficult for some students. Make it easy for students to find the different activities using Symbaloo, reviewed here, to add links to the different features. Take your Symbaloo a step further, using color backgrounds to help students easily find items by the type of activity. For example, use a yellow background for all video links and a blue background for songs. Extend student learning after reading Josh Funk's books by asking them to write book reviews. Search Read Write Think, reviewed here, to find age-appropriate templates and printables for student use. Extend learning further by asking students to create digital books using WriteReader, reviewed here. WriteReader is ideal for use with young students due to the many supportive features built-in, including audio recording, safe image search, and areas for student writing with an area for adding conventional spelling below.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Dr. Maya Angelou\'s Official Website - Official Website of Dr.Maya Angelou
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): authors (183),
In the Classroom
Explore the Biography and Celebrate 95 Years section to project photos that span Maya Angelou's lifetime of 86 years, and feature short videos on your projector or interactive whiteboard to inspire students with interviews about her work and vision, and moments that have punctuated and reveal the grace, dignity, and eloquence that are the hallmarks of her incredible work and life journey.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The World of Beverly Cleary - Beverly Cleary
Grades
1 to 7tag(s): authors (183),
In the Classroom
Your class may want to send Ms. Cleary an old-fashioned snail mail letter, using her address at the bottom of her biography page. Instructions on how to have a successful Ramona party is at the bottom of the Fun and Games page. Have your students choose famous Cleary characters and compete answering the Trivia questions also found at Fun and Games. Include this page as a link from your teacher web page for students to access outside of class or when writing book reports.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Jack London Online Collection - Roy Tennant and Dr. Clarice Stasz
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): authors (183),
In the Classroom
If you teach Jack London or any of the related literature (Service poetry, etc), this is a GREAT source to take students. Again, it is a safe and reliable source with a variety of areas to expand upon. I do like the fact that it reminds students to cite their information and tells them how to do it!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Judy Blume\'s Home Base - Judy Blume
Grades
5 to 9tag(s): book lists (219), reading lists (134), authors (183),
In the Classroom
Share the link on your teacher web page as a resource to promote independent reading or author study. Enhance learning by asking students to share what they read - the tirle, a summary, and a rating of the book using Flip, reviewed here. Have students watch their classmates' Flips to find a new book to read and leave a comment about the book or the presentation.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Madeleine L\'Engle - Crossroads, Ltd.
Grades
4 to 9tag(s): literature (387), authors (183),
In the Classroom
You can use this site with students for different group projects since it takes off in many different directions that would allow groups to come back and share what they find, perhaps as a presentation using Flip, reviewed here on a projector or perhaps in a non-electronic author exhibit.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Interviews With Children\'s Book Authors and Illustrators - Reading Rockets/ WETA
Grades
2 to 8tag(s): authors (183), interviews (25), rockets (19),
In the Classroom
Grab a projector and bring the author right into your classroom, or turn down the lights and listen to what she has to say before you start reading. You can also create a shortcut to this page right on the computer desktop and allow students to "visit with" them as a center in your classroom. One great student writing prompt: Which author is most like you? Maybe even ask students to write about their own writing process on your class blog after sharing some of the interviews. A good resource for a class blog is edublogs, reviewed here. Libarians may want to set up a kiosk with this web site opened for children when they come in. They will LOVE this site!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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African American Women Writers of the 19th Century - NY Public Library
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): women (203), poetry (377), authors (183), african american (210), africa (273),
In the Classroom
Use the poems by Phyllis Wheatley to complement a lesson on supporters of the American Revolution. Wheatley is often a studied character in American History, and her poems often confront American Independence and slavery. Share the poems with students at the end of a lesson, and have them analyze as a class what she is trying to say about either subject. Enhance student learning with a digital classroom discussion (where everyone gets a chance to contribute) using YoTeach, reviewed here, or by digital journal writing using Penzu, reviewed here, or edublog, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Jane Austen
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): literature (387), authors (183),
In the Classroom
Though Jane Austen wrote only six novels, there are enough to give your students a choice. Allow students to read the book of their choice individually, in pairs, or small groups. Have them choose the book they want to read by going through the book titles and reading the first couple of pages for the books; there are actually two pages for each chapter in the books, but reading the first pages for two or three chapters should be enough to pique their interest in one of the books. After the students have read their books have them put together a presentation using Sway, reviewed here. Allow them to choose the format with which they wish to present the book to their classmates, they can choose an interactive poster, brochure, newsletter, and others.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Isabel Allende
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): authors (183), literature (387),
In the Classroom
This site is perfect for literature circles! There are many books from which to choose and each one has a summary and excerpt. After reading some of the summaries, have student literature groups choose the book they want to read and present to the class. For the presentations, give the students a choice of multimedia tools using a resource such as Genially, reviewed here. Students can choose to present their book using interactive images, infographics, charts, and more; they can insert maps, surveys, video, and audio.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Langston Hughes: Artist and Historian - Yale University
Grades
6 to 8tag(s): poetry (377),
In the Classroom
Using the Narrative and create a guided reading activity using vocabulary, keywords, and phrases with Read Ahead, reviewed here. In pairs or small groups, have students read the short biography about Langston Huges and Jim Crow laws. Read Ahead is perfect for introducing any reading passages to struggling readers, special education students, and ENL/ELL learners. After using this lesson, extend student learning by having them further reseach and present to their classmates some of the events mentioned in the narrative. Ask them to choose a product for their presentation from Genially, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Roald Dahl Web Site
Grades
2 to 6tag(s): book lists (219), authors (183), reading lists (134),
In the Classroom
Take advantage of Roald Dahls lesson plans to delight your primary and Pre-K students while they are learning! There are so many entertaining learning activities that you may want to review the story later in the year and use the literacy activities as review and reinforcement, tool.Comments
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Eric Carle - Official web site
Grades
1 to 2tag(s): authors (183), book lists (219), reading lists (134),
In the Classroom
Everyone loves Eric Carle books, so take a look at this site to see what other books of his should be the next read for your classroom! This is a great site for those learners who are new to English in your classroom or for the World Languages teachers. You could set up centers to listen to The Very Hungery Caterpillar in various languages and in English.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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