Ideas from a Reading Specialist–Current blogs consist of free online sites and programs for a reading classroom.
The Great Seal of the US, Mount Rushmore, the US Capitol, History of Hot Air Balloons, Don’t Ask–Don’t Tell, Stonehenge, Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Equinox and Solstice all have related events in history this week. Use the event in history to teach your class important background information. Keep a section of the board (or […]
Ford Pardons Nixon, Elvis Presley, History of the Rickshaw, 9/11, Lascaux Caves,Walter Reed, the Star Spangled Banner, Sandra Day O’Connor If you are not familiar with the idea behind the Day In History resource, please check out my earlier blog post. Today’s post features the 7 topics listed above. Each is based upon an event […]
Titanic, V-J Day, Frederick Douglas, Little Rock Desegregation, Voyager I, Princess Diana, Panama Canal Background: As a classroom teacher at the high school level working with struggling readers, I found many of them were missing BASIC background information. Discussing current events or events which had occurred in history helped my students fill this enormous gap. […]
If you have been teaching for a while, you probably remember the computer game, Oregon Trail. This game takes a different view and gives students the perspective of Indigenous communities that were impacted by the allotment acts. The game was developed by the Indian Land Tenure Foundation, Michigan State University’s Games for Entertainment and Learning […]
Brown University Free Program connects the news and students If you have been reading this blog for a while, you are probably aware I am a huge fan of using current events and events in history in the classroom. Providing students with opportunities to develop background knowledge or find out about current events allows them […]
Looking for suggestions as your students head out on summer break? Check out these ideas for your students! Looking for ideas for your classroom for next year? Add archived blog posts from www.readingspecialty.com to your summer reading and see if there are free online resources you would like for the coming school year.S Read a […]
Today’s blog is a quick look at “Mind Over Media: Analyzing Contemporary Propaganda.” The target audience appears to be high school and although utilizing the resource may require a small amount of prep work by the teacher, it is a good place to start for this important skill. I would NOT recommend this with younger […]
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 […]
Kenn Nesbitt was the Children’s Poet Laureate from 2013-2015. He has written humorous poetry for children including the book Revenge of the Lunch Ladies. His website Poetry4kids.com is a great resource for a poetry unit! From the HOME screen, clicking on Funny Poems brings a menu of many of Kenn’s poems. Students and teachers have […]
The website indicates DOGO Media is a “network empowering kids to engage with digitial media in a fun, safe, and social environment. It states DOGO translates to young or small in Swahili, but there is nothing small about this free website. (Note all information in this review is about their FREE resources. Check the website […]
I belong to a book club and at the end of each meeting we sit around and search for the book for the next month. People bring suggestions, we check recommended lists, and invariably someone opens their phone and searches Goodreads. This great, free resource can be effective for the classroom too! After signing up […]
Hip Hop History Using hip hop to explain history, Emcee Hero-D has an amazing resource for teachers! Not only does he use informative and upbeat lyrics, but he adds images which will engage your students. This is a great source for middle through college students or just someone wanting to learn more about history. Click […]
Math Math riddles from PrimaryGames provides thoughtful and challenging problem solving. Click here to be directed to the game. Spelling Practice spelling with this free online activity using winter words. Memory Christmas Game Play the traditional memory game with a Christmas theme. Click here to download this game. Interactive Logic Puzzle Logical thinking puzzles are […]
If you are searching for FREE online literacy materials for grades 3-12, check out commonlit.org. This resource contains research-based resources which are teacher designed and aligned to the Common Core. The site is easy to use for both students and teachers. A quick survey of the library shows nearly 1500 articles. The search and filter […]
Sometimes a book is just too much. Perhaps a student forgot their book and they don’t want to start a new one. They need something to read for today. Looking for an interesting article for a mini-lesson? These 5 online sources might provide you with the answer. Check out these free online resources for reading […]
Most teachers are familiar with Newsela. Another alternative current event website for high schools is Student News Daily. This is a non-profit organization which is provides daily news articles followed by comprehension and critical thinking questions. Another website with categories for K-4, 5-6, 7-8, and 9-12 is Smithsonian TweenTribune. Student News Daily There are six categories of articles. Daily […]
Quizizz allows teachers to present, review, and assess students at all grade levels in a self-paced online environment. It contains a library of teacher created public quizzes or teachers can create their own. Students enjoy and stay engaged while using Quizizz. To create a quiz, teachers select create a quiz, enter a name, language, an […]
The Google Cultural Institute was started in 2011 and was formally the Google Arts Project. The purpose is to make institution and exhibit content available digitally. The mission is to “make important cultural material available and accessible to everyone and to digitally preserve it to educate and inspire future generations.” It features high-resolution photography of […]