Are You Looking for Non-fiction Material for Students to Read?

Jazz up your lessons with some great non-fiction articles for your students to read! Check out the suggestions below to incorporate in your classroom:

• DOGOnews - the leading source for current events, news and non-fictional content for ELA, Science, and Social Studies. Thousands of news articles and original content added daily for students, teachers, and schools. Other DOGO media includes DOGObooks, DOGOmovies, IDOGO, and DOGOteachers
  
• Newsela - has an app or website to access nonfiction in any subject. Many articles are from sources like the Associated Press, Washington Post, and Scientific American. They have material in five reading levels to engage K-12 students in high-interest nonfiction, current events, primary sources, speeches, biographies, and historical news. I love how you can filter your search by choosing grade level and also by reading skills. There are 8 different reading skills that you can filter: 
     
            1) What the Text Says
            2) Central Idea
            3) People, Events & Ideas
            4) Word Meaning & Choice
            5) Text Structure
            6) Point of View/Purpose
            7) Multimedia
            8) Arguments & Claims
  
• TweenTribune - News from Smithsonian for K-12 teachers. Locate news articles and assign stories with a single click through digital devices. They have a "Monday Morning Ready" newsletter as prep for the week ahead if you want to incorporate easy weekly lesson plans. TweenTribune also has Weekly Videos that answer questions from Smithsonian experts.
  
• Kids Discover Online -  Award-winning library of science and social studies material on any device, at any time. Free sign-up to get started. Kids Discover has been around for over 25 years and now is online! Go to the Resources tab to read from their blog, or on infographics, or their Quick Reads section. Of course, there is also a Kids Discover app for devices!
  
• KidsHealth - Most visited site on the Web for information about health, behavior, and development from before  birth through the teen years. Really 4 sites in one, having sections for parents, kids, teens, and educators. KidsHealth is more than just the facts about health. It provides families with perspective, advice, and comfort about a wide range of physical, emotional, and behavioral issues that affect children and teens.
  
• NASA Stories- go here to get current articles about NASA events and the current missions or launches in progress.  Check out the archived stories and all the different tab categories. There is a whole section for students, as well as a NASA Kids' Club with games to play to learn more about NASA.

Read More [...]

Posted in articles, current events, devices, educator, games, health, news, newspaper, non-fiction, online, parents, Reading, resources, science, skills, Smithsonian, Social Studies, students

Are You a Digitally Competent Teacher?

Check out this infographic to discover if you are a digitally competent teacher. If you fall short, use the summer to improve your personal development. Stay tune for some sites to access to help you gain some new technology skills or improve on those you have.


Find more education infographics on e-Learning Infographics

Read More [...]

Posted in attitude, commicator, digital citizen, digital. characteristics, infographic, integrate, life, privacy, skills, teacher

Reading Strategies for Students

Not sure why I have been running across so many ELAR resources lately, but if you're one of those teachers, you are getting your students ready for the upcoming STARR exams. This site may help your students brush up on their reading skills. Ever heard of Into the Book by Wisconsin Media Lab? Even though it is based on Wisconsin standards, I know other states can benefit from their excellent resource. What I like about this site, it has three sections: Student website, Teacher website, and a Professional learning website, so there's something for everyone! Students are free to create a login if they wish, or they can bypass it. Students can work through the skills as they read and interact with the stories. At the end of an activity, there are songs connected to the skill and you can email your answers or print them. Here are the strategies that are covered on this site:

1. Summarizing
2. Visualizing
3. Questioning
4. Evaluating
5. Prior Knowledge
6. Synthesizing
7. Making Connections
8. Inferring
9. Strategies All Together

Read More [...]

Posted in ELA, ELAR, evaluate, infer, make connections, prior knowledge, questions, Reading, skills, standards, STARR, strategies, summary, visualizing, Wisconsin

Reading: Historical Fiction Smart Notebook Lesson

Today, I ran across this great resource on the Smart Exchange. I don't know about you, but even if you do not have a Smart Board, you can view the awesome lessons for ideas to create and modify your own lessons on other applications or devices. We just need to be creative in our thinking. This a digital lesson on historical fiction to introduce and teach reading skills, vocabulary, and guide students' comprehension. You have to be a member of the exchange to download the lessons, but  not to view them.  Boom Town

Read More [...]

Posted in Boom Town, Guided Reading, historical fiction, Reading, skills, smart Exchange, strategies

Kindergarten Readiness and the Gifted Child

Kindergarten, here we come!

I have two grand-daughters who will begin Kindergarten this August. Like many parents, you work hard to prepare your children to handle many things in life. This will be an exciting phase in their life! We are hoping that Kindergarten is ready for these young ladies. I ran across this article about Kindergarten Readiness and the Gifted Child. There are links given access their skills and also ones to prepare them for Kindergarten. Hope you enjoy this article too! Kindergarten Readiness and the Gifted Child    I also ran across this form that a Kindergarten teacher has her new parents fill out as she welcomes them for a new school year. This form says a lot about what she has in store for her students. Wow! She mentions blogging, Twitter, Skype, YouTube, wiki, and more. We have some awesome teachers out there! May we take from others and get inspired to try something new this year. 

Read More [...]

Posted in grandchildren, kindergarten, preparation, readiness, skills

Texas in Motion: Bike Safety

 

Texas in Motion is a suite of digital learning tools for 4th - 6th grade, created with funding from the Safe Routes to School program of the Texas Department of Transportation. Texas in Motion satisfies the TEKS for Technology Applications, Texas History, and Contemporary Social Issues combined with key bicycle safety skills and education. Join the fun with Jenny's Neighborhood and dodge obstacles as you practice your bike safety. See Texas in Motion Flyer for more information.

Read More [...]

Posted in Digital Learning, game, skills, Technology Applications, TEKs, Texas Bike Safety, texas history, TexasinMotion, Transportation

ScootPad

 Just ran across this great website for Math and Reading practice in grades K-5. What's great is that it is FREE! That my friend, is good news for schools with limited budgets. We are always looking for engaging ways for students to practice skills. Check this out and let me know what you think. Their motto is: Practice, Learn, Succeed

Read More [...]

Posted in interactive, scootpad, skills, website

20 Technology Skills that Every Educator Should Have | Digital Learning Environments

20 Technology Skills that Every Educator Should Have | Digital Learning Environments

I thought this might be a great summer challenge for teachers. Choose a few to learn this summer as a goal before beginning the next school year. I will admit that I am lacking on #15 LOL!

Read More [...]

Posted in Challenge, DLE, educator, Goals, skills