ConnectEng
Newsletter of Web English Teacher

September 13, 2009

|Sites to check out| |Just for fun|

Sites to check out

Bookworm
Bookworm Magazine publishes the stories, poems, essays and artwork of kids ages six through fifteen.

Classroom Strategies for Adolescent Literacy (grades 4-12)
A list of teaching strategies for before, during, and after reading. A column to the right indicates whether the strategy supports vocabulary, comprehension, or writing. If there's one you haven't heard of, click on it for a thorough explanation.

Google Lit Trips
Google Lit Trips has just moved their site. Since we will have to update our bookmarks, this gives me a good chance to mention the site again. In a Google Lit Trip, students use the resources of Google Earth to broaden their understanding of the impact of place in a novel or play. Most of the Lit Trips are written by teachers to further student learning, but some are written by students in response to their reading. Lit Trips are written for students in all grade levels, from Make Way for Ducklings to Blood Meridian.

The Educators' Royal Treatment
Educator Ken Royal has established a "teachers' blog of blogs," a variety of voices speaking on educational matters and offering useful links for all age levels. (I blog there weekly on teaching with Moodle.)

A Month of Writing Prompts
Writing prompts based on historical events with a suggestion for creative or analytical writing.

Research and Documentation Online
This site helps students document sources correctly. It includes tips for evaluating online sources, a summary of the 2009 MLA changes, and papers demonstrating the correct format.

Silly Chicken by Rukhsana Khan
This 8-page guide for grades K-2 includes cross-curricular activities and student handouts. Adobe Reader is required for access.

Just for Fun

12 brilliant 404 pages
A 404 page comes up when your browser takes you to a page that doesn't exist. Usually they are plain white pages with black text that announces a dead end. At this site, however, are some 404 pages done with style, with wit, and with sympathy for the hapless visitor. (My favorite is the one with the ninja.) Others are listed in the comments section.

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Pray for peace.

Carla Beard
Web English Teacher
http://www.webenglishteacher.com
Twitter: @webenglishteach

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