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Online Classroom Activities... |
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There is a vast array of web sites available on the Internet designed specifically to support the teaching of Language Arts. Time is the only limitation to what you can discover online. The following list represents some of the best web sites for the educational setting which support activities that utilize technology purposefully and offer dynamic ways to enhance student learning experiences. |
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Language Arts:
Grades K-2
Created by Gwendolyn E. Christman Copyright 11/6/00 University of New England Some sites and supporting activities modified from Classroom Connect
Grades K-2 Web Resources:
Grandpa's Poetry - http://www.night.net/tucker/
Grandpa Tucker's Rhymes & Tales is a wonderful site for sharing poetry, stories, and songs with your students. Have them visit the poetry section and read aloud some of the entries. Students can then illustrate a character in a poem and describe what they look like.
Ika's Stories - http://www.ika.com/stories/menu.html
Read a story from Ika's collection to the class. Have them tell why they found the storied fun to listen to. Have them tell their reading buddy a funny story they've created and draw a picture to go with their story.
A wonderful collections of stories and reading activities for students. After reading The Amazing Spectacular Ordinary Bottle, have your students visit the writing center and submit their own story for others to read.
Have your students visit the Little Explorers Alphabet Book online. On a handout have them identify a word that starts with 4 varying letters and draw a picture of the word. Have them spell out the name of the word below.
Pig Tales - http://www.shol.com/agita/pigs.htm
Read the story of the three little pigs, then click on the wolf's version of what happened. Have your class discuss which story they think is true.
Tales of Wonder - http://members.nbci.com/darsie/tales/index.html
Have students select a tale from another land to read or listen to. They should then draw 4 pictures that help tell the story and write a few words under each. Have then share the tale they read with their reading buddy using the pictures for recall.
Rhyme Time - http://www.enchantedlearning.com/Rhymes.html
Students should select several rhymes to read. Ask them to pay attention to how the pictures relate to the words. Then ask them to write down a rhyme, song or poem they know and use pictures to help tell the story.
Let students create customized stories to celebrate their birthday. Go to the Dinosaur Birthday Party link and enter text in the boxes provided. Hit submit and print the story out to share with the class.
Join Theodore the Tugboat on two different adventures. Readers get to steer the story plot by selecting what Theodore should do at the end of each page. A great interactive reading activity.
With the Flash plug in, your students can hear the story of June the Prune as they follow along with the words. Follow up on story line by asking students to draft a list of bathtub rules that June might follow.
DreamBox StoryBox - http://www.dreambox.com/storybox/storybox.shtml
The story of BlueBear is perfect for emergent readers. Read the story online and then have them read the tale of Little Red Hen. Help them identify similiarities between the characters.
Puzzle Center - http://www.apte.com/puzzles/
At this puzzle center students can play many different types of puzzles such as crossword puzzles, word search, word scramble, secret code and word shape match. You can also create puzzles for your students to play. The puzzles are designed around themes such as weather, the senses, plants and community safety.
The ABC Game - http://www.primarygames.com/ABC%20Game/start.htm
Students can practice matching letters to words at this fun interactive site. Visit the home site - Primary Games for other Language Arts adventures.
Grades 3-5 Web Resources:
An online, interactive rhyming dictionary. Have students use this interactive tool to find rhyming words that describe themselves that they can use to create autobiographical poems.
Everyone loves Mad Libs! Now your students can craft their own Wacky Tales online. A creative and fun way to teach the parts of speech.
Use this week's vocabulary terms to create fun, online word search puzzles. Have students use vocabulary from a class novel to generate a theme puzzle.
Hiyah.com - http://www.hiyah.com/library.html
A wonderful site that lets the emergent reader follow along with these narrated versions of their favorite tales.
Book Reviews - http://www.worldreading.org/
Have your students become professional book reviewers. Read student created reviews online, discuss the components of a review and then have your class write their own review to publish online.
Mystery Words - http://www.members.home.net/teachwell/mystpage.htm
Read clues and try to guess the mystery word. Or have your class compose their own set of clues and post their mystery online for other students to solve. A great vocabulary building exercise!
About the Author - http://www.ipl.org/youth/AskAuthor/
Read biographies of popular children authors at this Internet Public Library site. Have students generate interview questions for their favorite author and submit them to the author via email.
Keep 'em Guessing - http://www.eduplace.com/fakeout/
Practice vocabulary building and word descriptions with the exciting online "Fake Out" game. Students can create their own definitions for a "Fake Out" term and submit them to the site.
Word of the Day - http://www.wordsmith.org:80/awad/index.html
Build a class of professional wordsmiths! Subscribe to the Word of the Day site and have a different student each day check your email for the daily word. Watch for the theme of the week.
Crayon News (Current Events) - http://crayon.net/using/how.html
Publish your own newspaper online. In groups have students form their own publishing company and then click away to go to press. Team members can search the AP Wire, major national and world publications, as well as local papers.
Authors & Illustrators on the Web - Have your students research their favorite children's author or illustrator at either of these two kid-friendly sites:
The Authors Corner - http://www.carr.org/authco/other-au.htmChildren's Literature Web Guide - http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/authors.html
Grades 6-8 Web Resources:
Students can solve these interactive root word puzzles and then create their own to submit to the site.
Root Builder 2 - http://www.vocabulary.com/wordcity.html
Another cool activity that helps students build vocabulary and knowledge of root words.
Words in Context - http://www.mcs.net/~kvj/spizz.html
Students learn new and unusual vocabulary words through their use in top news stories. Defitions are provided as are their use in context. Have students follow up by reading a story in the daily news, identifying an unusual word, then creating a multiple choice question to test their classmates on context.
Head to the Cafeteria for the daily buzzword, students find a term, definitions and can even hear pronunciation with a plug-in. Take the Word Wiz Quiz to test understanding. The archives are a great place for students to build their vocabularies.
A great site for students to test their language skills with a variety of puzzles and brain twisters. Skill level can be preset to meet most needs. Once students have mastered a few of the Brain tickler's challenges, have them create their own word challenges for classmates.
Incredible 3D visual thesaurus that illustrates the relationship between words. Click on the main page to get going then play around with various views. To search for a word enter in white search box and hit enter. An amazing tool for word searches.
Wacky Web Tales - http://www.eduplace.com/tales/
Everyone loves Mad Libs! Now your students can craft their own Wacky Tales online. A creative and fun way to teach the parts of speech.
Join other young writers on line to craft the direction these stories will take. A creative, interactive approach to writing instruction. Have your class start their own neverending story and email to other classrooms in your school or beyond.
Young Writer's Club - http://www.cs.bilkent.edu.tr/~david/derya/films.htm
Here is the chance for your students to be film critics. After discussing films and reviewing the writing of popular critics, ask your students to craft a critique of a film they have recently seen. Once edited and proof- read they can submit their work and view it online.
Oral History - http://www.stg.brown.edu/projects/WWII_Women/tocCS.html
Students can read the oral history of other students' family members online . A great tool to teach students how to conduct an oral history. Plan your own community oral history web project using your students' own family histories to learn about your town.
Biography - http://www.biography.com/
Use this wonderful resource site to help your students learn how to write a biography. Have them select and then brainstorm a list of interview questions they'd like to ask the figure if they could. Then ask them to reseach their person using Biography and try to answer their interview questions. When all information is gather, have students act out the interview and record the session.
Poetry Pals - http://www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/5165/index1.html
Teach poetry writing to your students by sharing the work of hundreds of other students around the world. Use samples at the site as models for your students. Then ask your students to craft their own piece to post at the site and share their writing with the world.
Survival Skills - http://www.adventuresports.com/asap/product/mpi/basics.htm
Enrich your survival literature unit by having students research survival tips at this wonderful site and publishing their own survival guide. Incorporates reading, research, writing, and word processing in one great activity.
Letter to the Editor - http://www.yahooligans.com/Arts_and_Entertainment/News/Newspapers/
Students can practice their persuasive writing by researching a current issue in the news that they care about. Use this site to access newspapers around the world. Have them study the writing of real editor's to get a feel for the genre. Once they've composed their own piece, submit it and see what happens.
Grades 9-12 Web Resources:
Vocabulary...
A Word A Day - http://www.wordsmith.org:80/awad/index.htmlBuild a class of professional wordsmiths! Subscribe to the Word of the Day site and have a different student each day check your email for the daily word. Watch for the theme of the week.
The Word Page - http://users.aol.com/jomnet/words.html
Another site full of terms perfect for vocabulary building and preparing for the SATs.
Bartlett's Quotations - http://www.bartleby.com/99/index.html
Search for your favorite quote or find what a loved author has said.
Visual Thesaurus - http://www.plumbdesign.com/thesaurus/
Incredible 3D visual thesaurus that illustrates the relationship between words. Click on the main page to get going then play around with various views. To search for a word enter in white search box and hit enter. An amazing tool for word searches.
Writing...
On-line English Grammar - http://www.edunet.com/english/grammar/index.cfmStudents can hone their writing skills by reaquainting themselves with the rules of grammar. Have a specific problem? Check out the English Grammar Clinic which answer specific grammar questions for students.
Paradigm Online Writing Assistant -http://www.powa.org/
An interactive site which contains advice on writing techniques, organization, editing, and source documentation. Check out one of the many activities to help writers get started writing.
The Screenwriters/Playwright's Page - http://www.teleport.com/~cdeemer/scrwriter.html
Access it all - screenwriting software, writing resources, contact information, and other hints for the would be writer.
Poetry...
Electronic Poetry Center - http://wings.buffalo.edu/epc/Find the works of hundreds of contemporary poets published here. There is also a live poetry QRC channel where students can listen to recitations by the author. Discuss how contmeporary poetry has changed both structurally and thematically.
Maya Angleou Resources- http://ucaswww.mcm.uc.edu/worldfest/about.html
All thing Maya Angleou can be found here...biographical information, interviews, poetry, and even audio files of her reciting her work.
On the Pulse of Morning - http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~mmaynard/Maya/rock.html
A copy of Maya Angelou reciting her work at the Inaugural Address for President Clinton.
Robert Frost Collection - http://www.pro-net.co.uk/home/catalyst/RF/poem3.html
A comprehensive list of Frost's work.
Edgar Allan Poe - http://www.literature.org/authors/poe-edgar-allan/
Suppliment your Poe projects with the web. Audio files available at several sites.
Literature...
19th Century American Women Writers Web - http://www.unl.edu/legacy/19cwww/19cwww.htmlStudy the works of 19th century women writers and contrast their style to women writers of today.
The Cinderella Project -http://www-dept.usm.edu/~engdept/cinderella/cinderella.html
Students can study numerous version of this classic story and host a lively debate on why the story has changed so over time.
Myths and Legends - http://www-dept.usm.edu/~engdept/cinderella/cinderella.html
A great site for finding all things myth and legend based including archives, collections, and essays from around the world.
Galaxy Literature - http://www.galaxy.com/galaxy/Humanities/Literature.html
An extensive directory with links to author biographies, articles, books, collections, etc.
Science Fiction Guides - http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~brians/science_fiction/Science_Fiction_Guides.html
Have students read through reviews of the sci-fi novels they've read for class. Then ask them to decide which novel most accurately reflects life today and defend their decisions.
Drama...
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare - http://tech-two.mit.edu/Shakespeare/Access a copy of everythng Shakespeare ever wrote at this comprehensive site dedicated to his work. A great place to investigate the debate over whether or not Will really wrote the works we credit him with.
The Globe - http://www.rdg.ac.uk/globe/
Visit the Globe Theatre online. Students can research the contruction, its use, funding, history, and reopening. After thorough research, have your class download the stage plans and build a scale model of Shakepeare's theatrical home.
Interview with Alison Stine - http://www.inkspot.com/young/articles/stine.html
Read this interview of a succesful 18 year old playwright. Use as a motivator for your students screen play assignment.
The Possible Dream - http://www.inkspot.com/young/articles/dream.html
A Sweet Valley High author shares her thoughts with students.
Speeches...
Access a host of historical speeches online at the following sites to assist your students with their public speaking skills:The History Channel - http://www.historychannel.com/
The Bartleby Archive - http://www.bartleby.com/
Truman Speeches - http://www.whistlestop.org/truman_speeches.htm
Frederick Douglass - http://douglass.speech.nwu.edu/doug_a10.htm
Historical Documents - http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/history/
Mark Twain Speeches - http://marktwain.miningco.com/arts/marktwain/library/speeches/bl_contents.htm
Speech & Transcript Center - http://gwis2.circ.gwu.edu/~gprice/speech.htm
Presidential Rhetoric - http://www.tamu.edu/scom/pres/archive.html
Inaugural Addresses - http://www.bartleby.com/124/index.html