Online Tools That Support Literacy: A Hotlist

Sandra Hornig
Technology in Motion

 

Alabama's Own Resources

 

APTPlus's Discovery Streaming  

Locate videos, images, writing prompts aligned to standards

 

Alabama Virtual Library         

Group of online databases containing magazine, journal, encyclopedia, and newspaper articles for research; maps; interactive activities in certain databases

 

ALEX

Web portal providing AL courses of study; lesson plans; links to websites; a personal web space; and opportunities for professional development

 

The Reading Genie

Dr. Bruce Murray, Auburn University, provides links to lessons, research, materials

 

 

Lesson Plans, Reference Materials, and Online Tools

 

ReadWriteThink            

Best practices and resources for reading and language arts instruction; many interactive activities; reviewed web resources

 

Thinkfinity    

Locate interactive materials; use Student Materials Index to find tools related to your subject

 

International Reading Association
Supports literacy professionals through a wide range of resources, advocacy efforts, volunteerism, and professional development activities

 

Get Ready to Read        

A program of the National Center for Learning Disabilities; online games; activity cards; literacy checklists for home, the classroom, child care

 

Reading Resources from Gail Lovely      

Links to reading resources for struggling readers, reading in the content area, etc.

 

BBC Learning English  

Links for teachers and students, including free online texts, articles and advice

 

Professor Garfield

Interactive online environment for children between kindergarten and 8th grade; many activities use the cartoon Garfield by Jim Davis to support reading

 

Into the Book

A reading comprehension resource for K-4 students and teachers; interactive materials;10-minute professional development videos; lesson plans, video and audio clips, downloads

 

Online Literacy Resources

Many literacy resources sorted by topic

 

TEAMS Educational Resources      

Links to quality sites for reading, language arts, and other subjects        

Patti’s Electronic Classroom

 

Flashlight Reader

Online club; interactive; beginning through advanced-level readers; games, activities, author chats, and slideshows; teacher and parent support

 

Reading Lady       

Find books, Readers Theatre’s scripts; information on author studies, guided reading, poetry

 

Reading A-Z         

Printable books and lesson plans to teach guided reading, phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, and reading comprehension; subscribe (fee) to have access to all materials

 

Scholastic.com     

Lessons, activities, tools for teachers; games, tools for kids

 

PBS Kids   

Stories and games; featuring characters such as Arthur, Barney, Clifford, Maya & Miguel

 

Reading Comprehension Worksheets       

Includes original stories, poems, essays, and articles; most appropriate for upper elementary through middle school years

 

Reading Resources K-5
Alabama's own Cameron McKinley offers links to a plethora of reading resources

 

Word Game Boards

Design your own game boards with PowerPoint and Word

 

 

Graphic Organizers

 

Graphic Organizers

A variety of graphic organizers to copy and print for the classroom

 

 

Writing

 

Intel Education: Technology Literacy
Entire plan developed by Chicago Public Schools, adapted for the Intel site; opportunities for authentic research, writing, and communication; embed technology literacy in the core curriculum for students ages 11-15

 

The Biography Maker   

A tool to assist students in writing biographies; leads the student from first idea to final product

 

Writing Fix: prompts, lessons, and resources for writing classrooms

Writing prompts, lessons, writing workshops

 

Can Teach-English/Language Arts

Writing prompts and journal topics

 

Wacky Web Tales         

Geared for grades 3 and above; students complete a wacky story by filling in the parts of speech blanks

 

Better Book Report Ideas from Education World

25 book report ideas for students and teachers

 

PowerPoint Presentations on Grammar

PPT presentations to assist with teaching grammar; offered by Capital Community College Foundation as part of their Guide to Grammar and Writing

 

Don't Use Said
Animation encouraging writers to use words other than said when writing dialogue

 

Make Beliefs Comix
Students create their own comic strips; promoting writing skills

 

 

Word Development

 

Dolch Kit   

Learn how one teacher organizes a Dolch kit; games; links to other Dolch sites 

 

Merriam Webster's Word Central

Build your own dictionary; daily buzzword; games; teacher resources

 

RhymeZone Rhyming Dictionary and Thesaurus 

Type a word and find its rhymes, synonyms, definitions

 

Bartleby.com                  

Columbia Encyclopedia, American Heritage Dictionary, Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, American Heritage Book of English Usage, Columbia World of Quotations, Simpson's Contemporary Quotations, Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, Oxford Shakespeare, Gray's Anatomy, Strunk's Elements of Style, World Factbook, Columbia Gazetteer.

 

 

Literature & Authors

 

Virtual Author Visits in Your Library or Classroom

The mission of the Skype an Author Network is to provide K-12 teachers and librarians with a way to connect authors, books, and young readers through virtual visits.

 

This Goodly Land     

Explore Alabama's diverse literary works. Find Alabama authors, student resources, teacher resources, and more

 

Children’s Storybooks Online           

Although the site has advertisements, there are stories to both read and hear; riddles; mazes; coloring book

 

Online Children’s Stories        

Links to reading sites

 

Children's Authors and Illustrators on the Web

Links to author sites

 

Absolutely Whootie: Stories to Grow By

Elementary & middle school; stories from around world plus activities

 

American Folklore         

Retellings of American folktales, Native American myths and legends, Tall Tales, weather folklore and ghost stories from each of the 50 states. Read about famous characters such as Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, Jesse James, Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone and many more.

 

SurLaLune Fairy Tale Pages

Fairy tales; discussion board; annotations of fairy tales

 

Wendy's World of Stories for Children    

A collection of links to fables, folktales, fairy tales, campfire stories

 

International Children’s Digital Library  

The mission of the ICDL is to select, collect, digitize, and organize children's materials in their original languages and to create appropriate technologies for access and use by children 3-13 years old

 

 

 

Strategies for Teaching Reading

 

Reading Rockets: Reading Comprehension & Language Arts Teaching Strategies for Kids

Reading strategies, lessons, and activities; many Reading Rockets' programs available for download as either a video or audio podcast, such as Meet the Author, Meet the Expert

 

The Knowledge Loom: The Practices

Promising practices related to vocabulary development and understanding text structures; information on supporting literacy in four content areas

 

Literacy Matters

"The goal of the Literacy Matters project is to improve the literacy development of middle grades and secondary school students, especially those students who are struggling to succeed."; information and valuable resources to support the teacher in promoting literacy in the content area

 

Web-based Visual Aids for Literacy Instructors
A list of Web sites where you can find videos, printable games, self-guided learning activities, photos and more that you can use with students or that students can interact with online

 

 

Readability Levels

 

Fry's Readability Graph and Directions for Use from Kathy Schrock

The Fry Graph along with directions for using the graph

 

The Lexile Framework for Reading

Find a scale for matching reader ability and text difficulty; parents may use the site to find books for their children.

 

 

 

Professional Development

 

International Reading Association: Podcasts

Podcasts on research-based, classroom-tested teaching ideas

 

Into the Book

A reading comprehension resource for K-4 students and teachers; interactive materials;10-minute professional development videos; lesson plans, video and audio clips, downloads

 

 

Student Publishing

 

Student Publishing

A list of sites maintained by Patti Greenleaf of the Amphitheater Public School District

 

Scholastic.com: Teachers: Write It: Publish Your work

Scholastic's showcase of student work; explore Critics' Picks for the best of the best, or read all the published work in a particular genre

 

Lulu.com

Student may create stories and self-publish; cost involved in publishing

 

Titatok: Imagine a Story

Student may create stories and self-publish; cost involved in publishing