Informational Text Resources on the Web

In the Common Core State Standards, you see a discussion about introducing more informational text to students.  In the 4th grade, for example, you should see 50% literacy and 50% information.  The percentage of information increases in the higher grade levels.  Informational text can include science and social studies textbooks, but there is so much more out there teachers can use in the classroom.

These are just a few of the resources out there teachers of all grade levels (and subject areas) can use to increase the informational text in the classroom.

Read Works - www.readworks.org

Read Works is a free resource (account required) that provides teachers with a variety of reading passages. You can search the passages according to grade, lexile level, and skill. (Just to name a few.) The passages contain comprehension questions in multiple choice and open response format.

 

If you want more than a passage, you can explore Read Works' growing list of skill units and novel studies. The novel studies are paired with other text for integration of non-fiction and fiction.


NEWS ELA - www.newsela.com

NEWSELA allows teachers to discuss current events with their class and yet staying within the Lexile level range of the students.  For example, the article about Baghdad's music and ballet school can be printed in 650L, 900L, 1010L, 1040L, and max.  This allows the various reading levels to experience the information without feeling frustrated.

                                  

Like Read Works, NEWS ELA does require an account and the material is correlated to the CCSS.

News-O-Matic - press4kids.com

News-O-Matic is a daily newsletter you can have sent to your inbox. Each newsletter contains short, current events articles.  Each article comes with four comprehension questions and is correlated to one CCSS. You can also download News-O-Matic onto your iOS and Android device, but there is a fee.  The daily email digest is free.

TweenTribune - www.tweentribune.com

The Tween Tribune is part of the Smithsonian, and like NEWS ELA is a collect of current events articles students can read on or near their reading level. Tween Tribune is for grades 5-8.  Grades K-4 can access TT Junior and grades 9-12 can access Teen Tribune. Students can log into their respective site (after a teacher account is created and parent permission is given) to access assigned articles, make comments, and complete quizzes.

These are just a few of the resources out there for teachers who are in search of informational text.  What site is your go-to resource?  Share your favorites here!

The Importance of the Keyword

Yesterday morning, I had the opportunity to work with a group of 4th graders start their research on various civil leaders. The students came to me with their questions and were ready to find the answers.

The first group was researching Abraham Lincoln, so I asked them what would be a good keyword to start off with, and they said (of course) Abraham Lincoln.

 

We looked at their first question, which was where/when was Abraham Lincoln born, and the students began to look around the screen for the answer. The keyword they selected wasn't good enough. So we brainstormed and the students decided to use Abraham Lincoln and the word born.

 

The students were amazed to see the information they needed just appear on the screen. We continued searching and exploring various keyword combinations.  The basic information was easy to locate, birthdate, birth place, and family. Things like personality traits and life obstacles were not so easy. Thankful this was not a one day lesson! 

One of my goals was for the students to gain a better understanding of just how important keywords can be when you are looking up information online. So why is this important? Without the right keywords, you may never find the information you need. Students need to learn how to take a large amounts of information and sort through it to find just what they need.  Had the students stuck with the first search "Abraham Lincoln", we would have had a too much information to sort through.

If your personal searching skills are lacking, don't worry there is a great collections of resources for you to use with your students (and yourself).

Google's Search Education

Google provides great resources to teachers to use in the classroom! Be sure to click on the Lesson Plans and Activities area. These lessons are great for all grade levels and can be taught over multiple sessions if needed.

Teaching Channel

Do a search for "research skills". You will find a variety of videos that show how teachers are facilitating activities with students on things like keyword selection and website selection.

Read*Write*Think
You can find some great lessons and activities within the International Reading Association's website Read*Write*Think. Be sure to search the learning objective "inquiry/research".

These are not the only three resources, but they are a great place to start!

Do you use a great resource on keyword searches? If so, share it with us!

CE14 ~ Digital Storytelling

Students love to share their stories. As they enter the classrooms on Monday morning, they are eager to share with their classmates and teachers what happened over the weekend.

Storytelling does not have to only occur in a verbal fashion.  That is where technology comes in!  Digital Storytelling is telling a story with a digital tool.  It can be a simple as recording your voice or a little more in-depth, like making a stop motion movie.

Here are some great digital resources your students (and you) can use to create digital stories.

Web 2.0

Animoto is a resource you can find online as well as on iOS devices.  Animoto allows the user to create videos by adding images, video, sound, and text. They do have pricing options, but free is good!  Free allows the students to create a 30 second movie.  Here is an example of an Animoto movie. Animoto is a great way to allow students to showcase information gathered from a mini research session.

Little Bird Tales and StoryBird are two web resources students can use to create digital books.  Little Bird Tales allows the students to add their own voice to the story as well as their own art work using the drawing pad. This is great for younger students who may not have strong keyboarding skills. Little Bird Tales has a free and premium teacher account. StoryBird is another great digital book creation website. This site has the most amazing artwork the students can select from to create their story. StoryBird also offers a free class account. This is a great resource students can use to create a variety of stories just any topic/subject.


iPad/iPhone
There are some great apps out there that allow you to create digital stories.  You have to find the one that meets the needs of your students, but enjoy exploring while you do!

ScreenChomp is one of those apps that can go into the hands of Kindergarten and older!  ScreenChomp is a free app created by TechSmith Labs. ScreenChomp allows you to record your voice while working in the white space area. Here is a recent blog about ScreenChomp and how it connected to ISTE*S and CCSS.

Sock Puppets is another one of the those, any age can use apps.  Sock Puppets does have a free, but does contain in-app purchases.  The free version gives you the ability to record a 30 second movie. Don't think of this as a limitation. Think of it as a planning tool.  Students must plan a 30 second something in order to use this app. This is great for mini student generated lessons and presenting shorter research topics. The movies can be shared via Facebook and YouTube.  The best part is listening to the movie -- the voices sound hilarious and will get the attention of your students.


 Here is a previous blog post about how students (and teachers) can record what they are doing.

These are not the only digital storytelling options.  Below are two more great resources you can use to learn more about the topic!

Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything - Digital Storytelling
National Writing Project - Digital Storytelling with Teacher Consultants

CE14 ~ Web 2.0

Web 2.0 resources are the tools we use to do more than just read information on the Internet. Web 2.0 tools allow us highlight, evaluate, collaborate, modify, generate -- web 2.0 tools allow us to interact with and manipulate the information.

Web 2.0 tools are popping up everyday and that can become quite overwhelming. Over time, certain tools will become your favorite and you will gravitate to those, but don't let that stop you from exploring the new ones too!

You can access my previous blog post about Web 2.0 tools here.

Here are some great resources to check out to learn more about Web 2.0 tools:

~ Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything - Online Tools and Web 2.0 Applications
~ Discovery Education Web 2.0 Tools
~ 35 Best Web 2.0 Classroom Tools

Some of my favorite Web 2.0 tools (at the moment) include:

~ Popplet
~ Evernote
~ Twitter

www.popplet.com

Popplet is a tool that I enjoy showing K-6 teachers. Popplet can be accessed on the web and on the iPad. They offer both free and paid versions.  Students are given a blank slate to create a graphic organizer/thinking map/bubble map -- whatever you call it. These maps can include text, images, YouTube videos, and drawings. The bubbles or Popples can be moved, outline color adjusted, and connected to other Popples.

What makes this resource even better is the ability to share the Popplet with someone else and collaborate on the same Popplet.

Here is my recent blog post about Popplet and digital writing.

www.evernote.com

I am becoming more and more of a fan of Evernote. I do use Google Apps, alot, and so I need to find my balance between the two programs.

Evernote provides a free and premium service. I am currently using free and it works great for me.  Evernote allows you to store just about anything in virtual notebooks. You can store typed notes, photos, web articles you have clipped, and then be able to search through all of it!

I can't do Evernote justice, but if you check out these sites you can learn (and fall in love) with Evernote.

~ Free Tech 4 Teachers - A Free Complete Guide to Evernote
~ The Ultimate Simplified Guide to the Use of Evernote in Education

You can also find some other Evernote resources here on one of my blog posts last year.

www.twitter.com

Oh Twitter, how awesome you are!  Twitter is just one of those tools that can make the world and all of its experts more in reach. Twitter has allowed me to connect with some many great edtech leaders and share what I have learned with others.

Enough about Twitter for right now though.. we will save that for another blog post!

What is your favorite Web 2.0 tool?

CE14 ~ Day 1

stockmedia.cc

Although I haven't personally heard it in a while, I think "You are only as strong as your weakest link" is a phrase that administrators and educators can relate to. The ASCD theme for October 1-10, Educator Observations, fits in with this phrase.  When conducting classroom observations, administrators can see the strengths and weaknesses of their faculty and staff. This information is vital for improving student and school performance. Several states are implementing teacher observation procedures and evaluation forms, but this shouldn't stop you from conducting evaluations and observations your school and staff need to grow. In my district, for example, administrators use a short observation forms when they conduct classroom checks through out the day.  These short observation forms were created using a Google Form. This allows the administrator to keep a live, running document of the observations conducted.

stockmedia.cc

Are you a connected educator? Better yet, how do you know if you are a connected educator? Connected educators are connected to the world around them. Connected educators use social media to connect with others, collaborate on projects and learning opportunities, and construct new connections within their current teaching tools and resources. Connected educators share their knowledge with others. Connected educators blog, tweet, pin, and present what they know and learn so that others can do the same.

The Connected Educators website provides a list of books that will spark your excitement about being a connected educator.

resources:
http://www.ascd.org/news-media/Press-Room/News-Releases/2014-connected-educator-month.aspx
http://connectededucators.org/

Connected Educators Month

http://stockmedia.cc/

So, I am challenging myself to become a more connected educator this month. I also want to help other educators become more connected with the world around them.

Since I am blessed with the opportunity to work with teachers and administrators, I plan to use ASCD and Connected Educators resources as my guide through out this month. My goal is to use take the time this month to share resources, thoughts, and ideas for teachers and administrators. I also want to grow professionally during this month, learning from and connecting with other edtech leaders around the world.

I hope you will join me on my journey to becoming a more connected educator!

ISTE - day 1 & day 2 take aways

It is that time of year again - ISTE! Its the time when ed techies from around the world come together to learn, grow, share, and connect with each other.  I have been fortunate to attend my 2nd ISTE conference.

So, with day 2 coming to a close (and day 3 just around the corner), I wanted to take a moment to get my thoughts about day 1 and day 2 out there.  Maybe you have the same thoughts. Maybe yours are completely different.  Either way, its a great start for a conversation on day 3.

Day 1 take aways:

~I was able to mark something off of my bucket list - present at ISTE.  Its amazing how slow 5 minutes can be when you are standing in front of A LOT of people!  Being part of the first Ignite Session was an honor and so powerful. I had the opportunity to share my passion and excitement for the Aaron Jones Family Interactive Center.
~The Bloggers Cafe is a great place .. period!  Last year, I was intimidated of the Bloggers Cafe and thinking back I should not have been. This year I embraced the Bloggers Cafe and had the opportunity to catch up with ed tech friends I connect with on Twitter and make new connections/friends.

Day 2 take aways:

~There are some words that come to mind in a big way when I look over my notes, images, and the ever scrolling #ISTE2014 Twitter feed. Those words (for me) are:

connect
create ..and share
collaborate
cultivate

CONNECT - If you want to grow and learn, you need to find people and groups that will help you out. By connecting with others that have the same passion or interests, you can learn about different perspectives on a topic which will in turn help you grow and expand your knowledge and understanding. Connecting also shows you that you are not alone. There is no excuse for leaving ISTE without making at least one new connection!

CREATE - I have yet to see a session about how to create awesome worksheets. When I say create, I mean something beyond a multiple choice test. Create a video. Create a blog post. Create a visual for a project you do.  When you create, then you next step (hopefully) is to share what you created.  Don't be afraid to share.  In one session, I believe Adam Bellow's, he said to share and don't worry if its perfect or complete, just share.  Someone will find what you have to say interesting and relevant.  Don't assume everyone already knows what you have to create and share.

COLLABORATE - This goes along with connect.  I get excited when I see a group of teachers in an area connecting and collaborating on an idea to make something happen.  Find someone who gets excited about the same thing as you and collaborate on making whatever that thing is happen.

CULTIVATE - We need to work towards cultivating thinkers in the classroom. This includes students and teachers. Does the classroom allow for students to just learn from you say or do they have the opportunity to think and explore for themselves. Are you cultivating future leaders or followers? The session on the Genius Hour and 20% time was such a great "you can do this .. so go did it" moment.

I am excited for day 3 of ISTE. I will enter the day knowing I will learn, grow, and meet others just like me!