Fakebook

Looking for an alternative way for students to write about a character in the book they are reading or a historical figure? Wanting a fun activity for back to school getting to know each other? Try FAKEBOOK from classtools.net. Fakebook is an educational tool, with no connection to the social networking site.

After navigating to the site, you will be instructed to enter the name of your character. An image appears, but students can substitute an image from their computer. In the “about” section, the student adds key information such as likes, dislikes, family, where the character was born, places they have visited, etc. There is also a place to add friends of the character.

Just click and add a name, date and post. These can be hyperlinked to YouTube or Vimeo. You can also add comments and “liked by.” At any time you can stop, save, and return to your work.

Click here to be redirected to the Fakebook website, another great tool from classtools.net.

Comic Creator

Do you have kids that enjoy comics or graphic novels? Perhaps they would be interested in creating their own! Although there are many comic creators onlne, including several free ones, one of the really simple ones to use is Comic Creator.

Comic Creator is a product of readwritethink, a website developed by the International Literacy Association and the National Council of Teachers of English, with support from the Verizon Foundation. Their products are always free for classroomteachers and include good documentation with teaching ideas. Comic Creator is no exception.

This is an easy way for students to respond to their reading. Although simple to use and quick to master, there are limitations in the variety available on this site. More elaborate projects will likely require another cartoon creator. The interface is very easy to work with, asking questions and allowing students to complete simple 1,2,3, or 6 block comic frames. When students are finished they can print their work. Printing or making screenshots of their work is important, as there is not a way to save within the program. Starting a new cartoon erases their work.

Click here to check out this quick and easy Comic Creato

Canva

There are many ways your students can use Canva for a quick and professional-looking project after reading. The site is very intuitive and free! After logging in, students select the type of project they want to complete. Infographic timelines, book covers, bookmarks, ads, and posters are just a few of the options which work well for completed books.

The website is EXTREMELY easy to work with and works the same for all types of projects. After selecting the type of activity, students can select and edit a pre-loaded template, or create their own. There are many backgrounds to choose from and a quick click of the button changes the color. Clicking and dragging gives many font options–or select a font, size, and color from the drop-down at the top of the page. On the toolbar located to the left of the screen, click on elements and students can type a key word into the search bar and photos and illustrations, many of which are free, will appear. Typing the word dinosaur produced these free images with more available by scrolling.

When students have completed their projects they can share them with the teacher via email from the site. There is also an option to save (JPEG, PNG, or PDF) or print. I have had students create bookmarks then write short summaries on the back, create book covers and write blurbs for the inside flap, or create CD covers and songlists applicable for the book and justify their choices. Canva provides a quick way to culminate an independent reading unit–with great products students will be proud to display on bulletin boards or in portfoios.

Canva is a great free resource. Click here to be redirected to the site.

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Looking for ideas and alternatives for independent reading? Check out these resources from my TPT Store, Reading Specialty.

Click here to be redirected to this resource.