reading, writing, & 'rithmetic

From the people at Reading Rockets, a group funded by the U.S. Department of Education, comes this webpage called 103 Things To Do Before/During/After Reading. From improv to writing epilogues, this list has imaginative and fun ways for your students to show their understanding where reading is concerned. I especially like "Rosencrantz and Gildenstern" and "Write Out." Bookmark the entire list at http://www.readingrockets.org/article.php?ID=445.

Writing seems to be a big focus of grade level meetings with all of us reading different books on the subject. Access this site for lists of picture books that can serve as models for elements of writing like good beginnings, focus, voice, sentence fluency, and others. Using Picture Books to Teach Narrative and Six Trait Writing at http://geocities.com/oberry1790/narrativebibliography.htm

Just when you think the Web cannot become any more amazing, along comes a site like this. The National Library of Virtual Manipulatives offers educators online versions of the math manipulatives we have in our classrooms. There are graphs, base ten blocks, geoboards, pattern beads, puzzles - and that's just in one of the sections! Math concepts include number and operations, algebra, geometry, measurement, and data analysis and probability. The site's divided into PreK-2, 3-5, and beyond. This blurb doesn't do the site justice - be certain to visit! Virtual Manuipulatives can be viewed and utilized at http://matti.usu.edu/nlvm/nav/vlibrary.html

locally produced

There are a few things that have lately been put online by or for Newfound teachers. Since this blog is supposed to be a site for inspiration, they are this post's offerings...

Heads up fifth grade teachers! Here's a page of links for the study of the American Revolution. Joyce and I are working with her class as each child conducts research on a personality from the time period and writes a report. The students are then going to dress themselves as the person and talk about his or her life and contribution to the war while being videotaped. Links for the American Revolution is at http://www.newfound.k12.nh.us/bes/rev_war.htm. I can add to it if you post additional sites in the comments section below.

Christmas week I did a quick but meaningful literacy project teaming with BHVS's Melissa and NHCS's Stefanie. We presented the classes with Powerpoint slides of the lines of a Christmas poem, then the children interpreted the piece through class discussion. On their own, each child illustrated a line of the poem. Illustrations were then scanned (or photographed!) and inserted into each slide. Saved as a webpage, it was ready to go online and out to the public as a global holiday message from the children. The hardest part of this project was connecting with the author to get the okay to publish her copyrighted work (thank you, Ms. Watson!). View the projects while they're still online. A Christmas Wish Upon a Star: the NHCS version here and the BHVS one here. Thanks to both ladies and their classes for such thoughtful work!