Create Your Own Story Book Online

StoryJumper is a site that gives parents, kids, and authors a fun set of intuitive tools for writing and illustrating kids stories.

It's easy -- just click on the "create" button and choose the type of story you want to make. From their, you'll be taken into our StoryCreator tool and on your way. Click away -- there's nothing you can break here! You can also watch a short video that demonstrates how the tools work.

StoryJumper is a great way for teachers to jump start Creative Writing lesson plans:

Promote writing & literacy
Rich, colorful art library
Flexible platformsto
It's free

Artists Readers

Thanks to Educational Software Blog fos sharing this site.

Storyline Online is an online, streaming video program that features members of the Screen Actors Guild reading award-winning children's books. You can choose from dozens of stories that range in topic and theme. Each book includes accompanying activities and lesson ideas.

Visit the New-and-Improved ReadWriteThink.org

To visit the new website and other resources :

Check out the new ReadWriteThink tip sheet for 13 must-see (and use) features of the new site Visit ReadWriteThink today and you'll find everything you need for tomorrow's lesson plan!

Free Audio Books

Thanks to Educational Software Blog, for sharing this resource.



Article written by Lauren Grossberg

AudioOwl is a great resource for free high quality audio books. Audio books, like the ones found on this site, can serve as a great free resource for all teachers and students, especially with students who are not visual learners. Because students can hear actual language as a story is read aloud, audio books are a great way for them to get interested in storytelling. They are also helpful for teachers of struggling readers or those who are not fluent in English.

On this site, you will find books of over forty categories! You can search for a specific book, author or key phrase. It even allows for previewing of the book before downloading so you can hear the reader's voice. Because the books are in public domain, they are free for everyone to share and download!

There are also featured books on the main page that are the displayed because they have been recently popular with downloads. I previewed several of the books. The recordings are very clear and easy to follow along with. Some books are even offered in different languages.

When you do decide to download a book, you can either add it to your iTunes as a podcast or you can download it to your computer, which gives you an MP3 file for each chapter.

Teachers would find AudioOwl useful for story time with a classroom or using it to practice reading along with their students. Instead of listening to their teacher, children might also find it a nice change to listen to a story read to them by someone else. Whether you want to entertain your class with a good story, or engage them with a new reader, AudioOwl will get the job done.

d

Math,Reading and Science Test Practise

Thanks to Larry Ferlazzo for this site!

My Testbook.com, is a 100% free website were teachers can have access to math, reading and science online test for students to practice. You can create your own classroom account. Also, it has printable worksheets and a worksheet generator tool for creating additional ones.

Reading Logs

Reading Logs gives students a better way to track reading, create vocabulary cards and
practice spelling. Learning material is uploaded by teachers and is accessed online
by students in their class.

Teachers upload reading goals, vocabulary words and spelling lists.

Students and parents will receive instructions along with login information to access the class material.

Students can then login and access the material at anytime. They can visit to practice spelling and vocabulary words or to study other uploaded material. Students can also complete assignments and update their reading logs online. When finished, assignments can be submitted online or printed and handed in during class.

creates an ideal learning environment for children ages 5 to 12. Homework and study material is uploaded by your child’s teacher and is available online next to helpful learning tools. With this organized online system, there will be no more worrying about misplaced or forgotten homework. Your child only needs to login to access homework assignments and to benefit from the learning tools.

Pinki Dinki Doo

Shared by Langwitches Blog

Pinki Dinki Doo is an interactive website you can explore with your younger students. There is a section for games, videos, printables and story podcasts where kids can create their own story and at the end they can print out as a small booklet.

Just One More Book!

Just One More Book is a thrice-weekly podcast which promotes and celebrates literacy and great children’s books.

Through this podcast and its website, we are building a lively, interactive community linking children’s book authors, illustrators, readers (children, parents, educators and librarians) and publishers.

Episodes range in length from 5 to 30 minutes and can be played directly from their web page or downloaded to an iPod for listening on the go.

Their goal is to link children with great books and help create happy memories for children and the adults that read to them…and to have fun!

21rst Century Reading

I read a post about Freedom of Read in the Infinite Thinking Machine Blog written by Lucie deLaBruere were she talks about the limiting of children's access to 21st century reading and the importance of technology integration into the classroom during literacy time.

"When I suggest strategies for integrating technology into classroom literacy time, some teachers question whether these strategies would be "approved" activities. Many of the research based materials were developed around teaching students to read using print media. We need literacy specialists offering professional development in schools to also include strategies that integrate reading digital media."

Luci also mentioned a reading specialist Julie Coiro, her website on Literacy, Information and Technology in Education (LITE) is a training and support for teachers integrating technology in their curriculum's. I think her website is just wonderful even though its from the year 2000 but I think it could be an interesting guide for those teachers just starting with technology.

She recommends to

''Try allowing the computer stations in your room to be a
choice during sustained silent reading time. Here are a few sites to get you
started.''

1. 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.

2. http://www.starfall.com/n/level-c/fiction-nonfiction/play.htm?fGive
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.

3. 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.

4. 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 entertaining website.

5. 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_ProjectOr
how about having your students record themselves reading aloud and contribute to
the project itself.

Engage your students to be 21rst century readers!

Into the Book

Into the Book is a reading comprehension resource for K-4 students and teachers. They focus on eight research-based strategies: Using Prior Knowledge, Making Connections, Questioning, Visualizing, Inferring, Summarizing, Evaluating and Synthesizing. Behind the Lesson provides teachers with information and teaching resources for each strategy.

Explore the Web site for lesson plans, video and audio clips, downloads, and more.

The Eco Zoo

The Eco Zoo is a recent creation by creative agency McCann Erickson. A flash designed website that shows each character with its own pop-up book which really comes to life as you navigate and view each page.

I think for students from K-2 grades is a great website to show and learn how the animals from the Eco Zoo live.