Teacher Talk-: April 2009

Friday 24 April 2009

new Behind the News Website (v5)

Introducing the new Behind the News Website (v5) which will be going live on Tuesday.
In preparation, please be aware that accessing all teacher information will be done via your new Teacher Page . We will no longer have teacher related items on the home page. On the Teacher Page you will be able to:

* Download the Transcript, Activity Worksheets, Discussion Questions and more from the "weekly resources" section
* Subscribe/Unsubscribe to this email newsletter.
* View the stories that are coming up next week (identical to the below information)
* Read the latest news from BtN that relates to teachers

Tuesday 21 April 2009

DEAR time or SSR time or SQUIRT time

Try allowing the computers in your class room to be a choice during DEAR time. Here are a few sites to get you started.
http://storylineonline.net/
The Screen Actors Guild Foundation reads stories aloud to children. This site includes videos,related activities and downloadable activities guide. What a great listening center activity.
http://www.starfall.com/n/level-c/fiction-non fiction/play.htm?f
Give students access to some online fiction and nonfiction books with pictures for younger readers to read online from Starfall- a site full of reading resources targeted for early readers.
http://www.roythezebra.com/

Roy the Zebra.com includes guided reading stories, interactive whiteboard reading activities, literacy lessons, and resources that have been developed to help emerging readers learn to read.
http://www.biguniverse.com/
Big Universe is a web community devoted to beautiful children's picture books. READ hundreds of offerings from today's best children's book publishers, CREATE e-books with the help of an easy-to-use Author Tool, and CONNECT with other Big Universe members to share your creations and to learn what books they have read, created, or recommend. Parents, teachers, kids, authors, and others can share and learn while they enjoy this educational and entertainin

g website.

Literactive.com - Literactive.com provides interactive and downloadable reading material for children in pre-school to first grade. The website offers guided leveled readers, learning activities, worksheets, and also electronic poetry and picture books.

http://www.gutenberg.org/
Have you tried giving students print and audio access to books in the public domain?Project Gutenberg is the first and largest single collection of free electronic books, or eBooks. Look for Huckleberry Finn, Alice in Wonderland, Sherlock Holmes… and many many more. For sites that offer audio versions of some of these books check out:
http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Gutenberg:The_Audio_Books_Project

LeadingtoReading.org - LeadingtoReading.org is a site that provides free books and resources to children and families.

Or how about having your students record themselves reading aloud and contribute to the project itself. ( adapted from the Infinite Thinking Machine blog)