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Tux Paint - Bill Kendrick
Grades
K to 6
1 Favorites
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Are school budget cuts cramping your style? Then look at this award winning, FREE drawing application! Tux Paint is an "open source" drawing software for young students (preK - grade...more
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Are school budget cuts cramping your style? Then look at this award winning, FREE drawing application! Tux Paint is an "open source" drawing software for young students (preK - grade 6) and is available to the public at no cost. If you are familiar with Kid Pix, you will feel right at home with Tux Paint. The design is straightforward, and easy to navigate. The center of the screen serves as a large canvas with drawing tools on either side. Beneath the screen is a color palette. A cute penguin cartoon character directs students through the program and provides helpful tips. Some of the features include a large, kid friendly mouse pointer, brushes, stamps, sounds, erasers, letters, numbers, "magic effects," and an undo/redo option. Save artwork directly onto a slide finder page without having to create a file name.
The installation is quick and easy even for older computers. First, download the application itself, and then the stamp collection. The number of stamps and the variety of images is amazing! Feel free to install Tux Paint on as many computers as you wish. Tux Paint will work on a variety of operating platforms such as Windows, OS X 10.3, and Linux. The "Tux Paint Configuration" tool is a separate file found on the "Tux Paint" download page. Having the controls in a different location makes it difficult for students to adjust the settings. Simply open the Tux Paint Configuration file and a main control panel will come up. From here, the supervising adult can control the screen size, sound, mouse, print settings, and save functions. Adjust the settings and simplify the program for younger children. Choose from approximately 80 different languages to run Tux Paint.
tag(s): creativity (91), drawing (60), painting (55), preK (258)
In the Classroom
Introduce this fabulous site on your projector or interactive whiteboard. Have students take turns trying the program. Include a link to Tux Paint on your class website and encourage families to download Tux Paint onto their family computer. Elementary teachers will enjoy all the options Tux Paint provides for image making. Classroom teachers can have students draw a response to a class glyph, illustrate stories, label scientific images, write and illustrate word problems or create self-portraits. You will need headphones or speakers for the audio portions of this site. Dazzle parents at Open House or Back to School Night with a viewing of the slide show presentation or looping animation of student work. Save student work as a JPG and export images into a multimedia presentation with narration using My Storybook, reviewed here. Ask older students to design and submit new stamps to Tux Paint. Explain to them the premise behind Open Source software and how to participate in collaborative software development. Tux Paint is also a great way to teach young students how to control a mouse, type, drag, and cut or paste imagery. Stuck for lesson ideas on how to use Tux Paint, just ask the students!You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Caldecott Winners - American Library Association
Grades
K to 10
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This site is the definitive list for yearly Caldecott Medal winners in the field of art and illustration in children's literature. Besides the list of the new winners and the ...more
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This site is the definitive list for yearly Caldecott Medal winners in the field of art and illustration in children's literature. Besides the list of the new winners and the accompanying honor books, the site provides access to previous winners from 1938 onward. Information about the Caldecott award appears in a side panel with links to other important medals in this field, including the Newbery (for excellence in children's literature).
tag(s): book lists (162)
In the Classroom
Save this site on your classroom favorite's on your computer to assist students in finding books to read and sample illustrations for art class and students' own stories. This is a great link to provide on your class website for students to access at home. Within the classroom, have students choose a former Caldecott winner to read and create a multimedia presentation. Use a tool such as bubbl.us (reviewed here) to create and share concept maps about the books.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Neil Gaiman's Mouse Circus - HarperCollins
Grades
4 to 10
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Not only did Neil Gaiman's book Coraline become a movie in 2009, but his book The Graveyard Book, won the Newbery Medal at the same time. Explore the world of ...more
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Not only did Neil Gaiman's book Coraline become a movie in 2009, but his book The Graveyard Book, won the Newbery Medal at the same time. Explore the world of Nobody Owens, the main character in The Graveyard Book. But, if you want to know more about Nobody's creator, definitely explore this site. Listen to Neil read from his award-winning book. Read interviews to learn more about this fascinating man. Print posters, enjoy wallpapers, and play games based upon Gaiman's work. Enjoy video and audio of his books by clicking on "Extras."
tag(s): literature (218), posters (42)
In the Classroom
If you are doing an author study, this site is loaded with information about this award-winning author. Compare the movie version of Coraline with the book using Venn Diagrams. Why not try online Venn Diagrams, using a site such as "Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagrams," reviewed here. Compare and contrast this Newbery book with other recent Newbery books. Print posters of his books for an eerie Gaiman bulletin board at Halloween. Use an online poster creator, such as Padlet, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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National Book Awards - National Book Foundation
Grades
6 to 12
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The National Book Awards, presented each November, reward the best books each year in several categories, including Young Adult. Find the definitive list of all the winners through...more
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The National Book Awards, presented each November, reward the best books each year in several categories, including Young Adult. Find the definitive list of all the winners through the years here. While visiting this site, read the multitude of interviews of famous young adult authors who have been nominated for this award in the past. If your students do author studies, this site is a necessary stop for them.
tag(s): interviews (14), literature (218)
In the Classroom
Use this site to learn about new literature to use with your students. Share the video clips on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Have students complete author studies and create an interactive presentation: an online book using Bookemon reviewed here, a PowerPoint, or a wiki including all of the author studies.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Lesson Plan: Billy Goats Gruff - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 0
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This lesson for early literacy skills and creating a book is part of a collection of lesson plans featuring multi-sensory approaches to help all learners, including special needs students...more
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This lesson for early literacy skills and creating a book is part of a collection of lesson plans featuring multi-sensory approaches to help all learners, including special needs students who benefit from multiple experiences with concepts. The plans focuses on consistency, repetitiveness, tactile and visual reinforcement--great for children with special needs. The original lesson plans were written by award-winning teacher Nora Coyle of Colorado, a KOAA-TV "Teachers First" Award winner. The staff of TeachersFirst has incorporated technology options, tips, and templates appropriate for younger students into the lesson plan to add yet another way for your students to experience and interact with new concepts.
Many of these ideas and templates can be adapted for use with almost any subject or concepts, to differentiate for different learning styles. The lesson includes national standards.
Many of these ideas and templates can be adapted for use with almost any subject or concepts, to differentiate for different learning styles. The lesson includes national standards.
tag(s): literacy (110)
In the Classroom
Experienced and new teachers alike will find this example helpful in designing multi-sensory, technology-infused lessons.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Neil Gaiman - Harper Collins
Grades
6 to 12
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Neil Gaiman offers readings and videos of many of his novels and stories on this site along with essays, interviews (including one of his daughter interviewing him) and detailed answers...more
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Neil Gaiman offers readings and videos of many of his novels and stories on this site along with essays, interviews (including one of his daughter interviewing him) and detailed answers about details of his writings organized by title (see FAQs). Additional features include a blog, "Where's Neil?", biographic and award details, and press releases.
tag(s): comics and cartoons (54), novels (31), short stories (18)
In the Classroom
Share this site with reluctant readers as a way to interest them in reading more stories and comics about kids like themselves. If you keep a list of author sites for independent reading and book reports, add this one to the list! Tag it "author."Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Polar Express Teacher's Guide - Houghton Mifflin
Grades
2 to 6
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Use these creative ideas to explore this award-winning children's book with your students. Upper and lower-grade lessons are included, along with an analysis of the story-line structure,...more
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Use these creative ideas to explore this award-winning children's book with your students. Upper and lower-grade lessons are included, along with an analysis of the story-line structure, and guiding questions for generating rich discussions in class.
tag(s): polar (11)
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Americas Award for Children and Young Adult Literature - CLASP
Grades
3 to 12
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Here's a collection of outstanding books by Hispanic authors and/or about Hispanic themes for children and young people. Teachers and librarians may find this list helpful in selecting...more
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Here's a collection of outstanding books by Hispanic authors and/or about Hispanic themes for children and young people. Teachers and librarians may find this list helpful in selecting appropriate or attractive titles for their students. Click the title to see a description; some will have a classroom unit with reading levels and standards. Not only are the yearly winners listed here, but you can search by several categories such as Immigration, Civil Rights , Artists, Musicians, and Writers, various Latino countries, and several others. Clicking the category will produce a PDF you can take to the library or send home to parents.
tag(s): book lists (162), hispanic (28), reading lists (79), spanish (105)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the free unit plans and classroom activities within the "resources" section of the page. Explore through these resources to find one to add a multicultural perspective to your history or language arts class. Be sure to save the site as a favorite to allow for easy reference later on.
This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
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Holes Lesson Unit - Reading Is Fundamental
Grades
4 to 8
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This RIF lesson is an entire unit based on Louis Sachar's award-winning book Holes. The unit includes a Scholastice Study Guide, puzzles, as well as other worksheets in PDF format....more
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This RIF lesson is an entire unit based on Louis Sachar's award-winning book Holes. The unit includes a Scholastice Study Guide, puzzles, as well as other worksheets in PDF format.
tag(s): guided reading (33)
In the Classroom
Start with the Study Guide (download well ahead of time) and pick and choose what you want to use from the activities starting on page 58. Find ready to print puzzles and other activities by going back to the RIF page for Holes. To engage students and enhance learning ask students to make a summarizing comic every few chapters using Make Beliefs Comix, reviewed here. It would be best to work as a class for the first chapter you summarize and use Printable Comic Strip Templates, reviewed here, as a rough draft before creating the Make Beliefs Comix.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Examining Island of the Blue Dolphins through a Literary Lens - Scholastic
Grades
4 to 6
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Created by teacher Scholastic this resourse is a complete interdisciplinary unit. The Unit includes thought provoking questions on topics relevant to the award winning book by Scott...more
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Created by teacher Scholastic this resourse is a complete interdisciplinary unit. The Unit includes thought provoking questions on topics relevant to the award winning book by Scott O'Dell and today's students. This unit has a glossary (vocabulary) and questions to guide students for each chapter. After completing the lessons teacher's can use a rubric created for this unit as a final assessment. Teachers will find the lessons are detailed and clearly written. Student's may find the suggested extension activities both interesting and challenging.
tag(s): scott odell (2)
In the Classroom
If you are beginning the process of integrating technology, this unit has two simple, interactive tools for your students to use. In addition, have students create blogs (exchange writing in a paper journal) sharing their learning and understanding using Weebly, reviewed here. If you are teaching younger students and looking for an easy way to integrate technology and check for understanding, replace pencil and paper and challenge your students to create a blog using Seesaw, reviewed here.
This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
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Recommended Literature - California Department of Education
Grades
1 to 12
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This page from the California Department of Education offers a fully searchable database of literature for K-12 students. Available search criteria include age, language, awards, and...more
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This page from the California Department of Education offers a fully searchable database of literature for K-12 students. Available search criteria include age, language, awards, and a variety of topical keywords. Each book listing includes a short synopsis.
tag(s): literature (218), reading lists (79)
In the Classroom
Teachers will find this a great tool for locating books appropriate to particular topics or student interests, especially in multi-lingual classroomsAdd your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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American Library Association Newbery Medal Page - Amer. Library Assoc.
Grades
1 to 12
2 Favorites
0 Comments
This site is the definitive list source for yearly Newbery Medal winners in the field of children's literature. Besides the list of the yearly winners and the accompanying honor books,...more
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This site is the definitive list source for yearly Newbery Medal winners in the field of children's literature. Besides the list of the yearly winners and the accompanying honor books, the site provides access to previous winners dating back to the 1920's. Information about the Newbery award is in the left sidebar along with links to other important children's book medals, including the Caldecott (for illustration and other art).
tag(s): book lists (162), reading lists (79)
In the Classroom
Use this list to help your students choose some new literature to read. Provide this link on your class website for students and parents to use to find quality literature. Consider starting your own class wiki with student-made interactive book posters on favorite Newbery winners and honor books using a tool like Canva, reviewd here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Random House Books for Young People: Teacher's Resource Center - Random House
Grades
1 to 8
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Lots of interesting materials here! Teacher's resources are organized by many categories-- alphabetical, thematic, and award winners. An especially interesting listing is one for reluctant...more
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Lots of interesting materials here! Teacher's resources are organized by many categories-- alphabetical, thematic, and award winners. An especially interesting listing is one for reluctant readers. Links to Children's Book Council, American Library, Children's Literature Web and others make this a good stop to shop.
tag(s): reading lists (79)
In the Classroom
Use this site to obtain reading lists, book guides, and recommendations for read-aloud books for the classroom. Make sure to check for updates, as the site gets new lists continuously.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Aaron Shepard - Aaron Shepard
Grades
1 to 8
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Author's On Line homepage for Aaron Shepard is a site that provides lots of info and resources for using reader's theater in conjunction with plays, manuscripts, and folktales; appropriate...more
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Author's On Line homepage for Aaron Shepard is a site that provides lots of info and resources for using reader's theater in conjunction with plays, manuscripts, and folktales; appropriate for all elementary grade levels. On this page you'll find loads of resources and treats (printable posters, music etc.) for teachers, librarians, storytellers, children's writers, parents, and young people -- all from award-winning children's author Aaron Shepard. His specialty is retold folktales. You'll also find information on Aaron, his books, and his author visits. Other offerings include worksheets, examples of scripting sheets you can use or learn to do it yourself, tips for using RT, and links to other references. You can search among the many materials available by genre, country, historical period, theme, etc.
tag(s): folktales (34), plays (27), readers theater (10), stories and storytelling (42), writing (317)
In the Classroom
Click on Aaron's RT Page to find scripts for plays and tales you can use in the classroom. Use this website to find hints on how to dramatize the literature or folklore you're studying in the classroom. ESL students will find using Reader's Theater particularly helpful as they can read, speak, and listen to the materials and have more chances at comprehension. Similarly, students who are visual or oral learners will benefit from the multi-sensory presentations.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Katherine Paterson
Grades
4 to 8
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This is the official homepage of award-winning author Katherine Paterson, author of Bridge to Terabithia. (Newberry 1978). Site includes an annotated booklist, frequently asked questions,...more
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This is the official homepage of award-winning author Katherine Paterson, author of Bridge to Terabithia. (Newberry 1978). Site includes an annotated booklist, frequently asked questions, audio of songs from stage productions of some of her books and links to Amazon.com to purchase titles. Although she is a well-loved and respected author, this site is a bit disappointing - lacking lessons, activities, or other enhancements.
tag(s): authors (105)
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