Useful Information In and Out of the Classroom 11/6/15

Here are some interesting sites that I’ve found this week, thanks to my PLN. As a teacher, I feel we have to keep up to date concerning research in our field and current issues in the education system. I hope some of these inspire you, inform you, and even have you asking questions. Thank you for coming by and visiting!

Note: Each resource is labeled with a level and subject area to make it easier to use.

Levels:  E: Elementary; M: Middle; H: High; G: General, all levels; SN: Special Needs; T: Teachers

Subject Areas: LA: Language Arts, English, Reading, Writing; M: Math; S: Science; Health; SS: Social Studies, Current Events; FA: Fine Arts; Music, Art, Drama; FL: Foreign Language; PE: Physical Ed; C: Career; A: All

Write About This – “Write About This is a visual writing prompt & creation platform perfect for classrooms and families! With endless ways to respond and the ability to craft custom photo prompts, it will kick-start any writing activity.” (L:E,M; SA:LA)

Zoom In - Zoom In is a free, Web-based platform that helps students build literacy and historical thinking skills through “deep dives” into primary and secondary sources. Zoom In’s online learning environment features 18 content-rich U.S. history units that supplement your regular instruction and help you use technology to support students’ mastery of both content and skills required by the new, higher standards: Reading documents closely and critically, Identifying author's point of view and purpose, Engaging in higher-order, text-based discussions, Writing explanatory and argumentative essays grounded in evidence.” (L:G; SA:SS)

Movie Text – “Another earth-shattering template from ClassTools.net!  This new generator scrolls your text into the infinity of space! Ideas for using it in the classroom: Provide students with an initial reading at the start / end of a lesson in an engaging way, Display a class / group list at the end of a lesson in the form of 'movie credits', Give initial instructions as a starter or plenary exercise, Provide prompts for creative writing, Provide a list of questions/keywords, and award points for students who answer/define each one as it appears. To customise your own version, click the 'edit' button at the bottom left of the screen.” (L:G; SA:A)

Student Discovery Sets – “The new Library of Congress Student Discovery Sets bring together historical artifacts and one-of-a-kind documents on a wide range of topics, from history to science to literature. Interactive tools let students zoom in, draw to highlight details, and conduct open-ended primary source analysis. Full teaching resources are available for each set.” (L:G; SA:SS)

NASA eClips Collection – “NASA eClips™ are short, relevant educational video segments. These videos inspire and engage students, helping them see real world connections.”  (L:G; SA:S)

Original photo by Pat Hensley