Language+Arts+Resources

=**Language Arts Resources**=

**Peace Corps: Coverdell World Wise Schools ([])**

 * Engaging site offering "classroom resources based on Peace Corps Volunteer experiences;" lesson plans center on a variety of content areas and, for ELA, conform to the Language Arts Standards, from the Mid-Continent Regional Education Laboratory's (McREL) Standards Database and Technology Standards, from the International Society for Technology in Education.


 * Resources available through this site include lesson plans & personal stories from Peace Corps Volunteers, multimedia including educational videos and podcasts, service learning and enrichment projects, and best of all, all resources conform to national standards and the Understanding by Design curriculum framework, complete with essential questions and enduring understandings.


 * I use this site frequently as a real-world resource for whatever topic we are covering in my 9th grade ELA classes.

//__Rating__: 5 Stars in all areas!!!//

**Language Arts Lesson Plans, Language Arts Ideas, and Language Arts Activities by Hot Chalk**

 * Hot Chalk is a free website and resource center for K-12 teachers, schools, parents, and students. Founded in 2004, the site offers quite a few diffferent services and is avaliable to anyone with internet service. Although you are not required to register to use the lesson plans, the registration process is easy; you simply need to create a user name, provide a valid email address, and provide your first and last name. Once you recieve the confirmation email, you're ready to explore the many uses of Hot Chalk and can sign up for their more advanced programs! While the founder of Hot Chalk could not be determined through web surces, the current CEO and chairman of Hotchalk is Edward Fields and the Mydesk educational portal editorial team is compiled from a panel of highly qualified individuals whose expertise are in the field of education. Their backgrounds and affiliations can be found at the Mydesk educational portal link [|Mydesk educational portal link] ([]).


 * Hot Chalk offers various services including a library of lesson plans and web resources created by other educators, a free online gradebook program, a free email account and newsletter, blogs organized by content area, and a host of digital resources designed and hosted by other educators and renowned affiliations including PBS and National Geographic. (For more information regarding [|What is Hot Chalk]?, select the //What is Hot Chalk?// link from the left-hand column from the lesson plan page. Also, look under the [|Teachers] tab ([]) for more specific information about particular classroom options!)


 * This particular link will lead Language Arts teachers to a webpage of classroom resources and lesson plans for Language Arts. The resources are categorized according to topic Reading Comprehension, Drama & Speech, Poetry, Parts of Speech, Reading-Story Elements, Reading Comprehension, etc) and are listed in alphabetical order so resources and lesson plans are easy to search and locate. (and can also be searched according to grade level.


 * Overall, the Hot Chalk lesson plan page is extremely useful for beginning educators, as well as educators looking for new ideas and formats for teaching web-based or classroom-based instruction. Most lesson plans come with resources and are easy to incorporate within a classroom setting. The site is easy to navigate and searches are completed with little to no difficulty. Another benefit of the Hot Chalk site is that it provides collaboration between educators and offers blogs, editorials, and a

//__Ratings__// Content: 4 Stars (Standards are not provided for the lesson plans) Speed: 5 Stars Ease of Reading: 3 Stars(Advertisements cover the cost of the site, so therefore some may think the advertisements are distracting) Navigation: 4 Stars Timely: Unknown N/A

**Teacher Hub** [|(http://www.teachhub.com/]**)** 

 * This is a comprehensive, free teacher site created by and for educators. It offers a wide range of resources, news, recommendations, and an on-line book store. They offer information on professional development, stimulus money, educational websites, teacher blogs and discussion, humor, a weekly teacher spotlight, and book recommendations for students and teachers.


 * An unique feature is the daily added YouTube Writing prompts. The short videos cover all content areas and grade levels and provide questions that elicit discussion. They also provide free sample printables that focus on modern hot topics available for all grades and subjects. For example, one story for language arts was titled //Kutcher’s Net Defense// . The writing prompt to follow asked students to “think critically about the pros and cons of new communication technology.”
 * Here is a sample of writing prompt: 

"It is 2050 and another new technology has been introduced called “TELEPATHIC TWITTERING”. With this technology, one can communicate their thoughts to others through their mind. What you are thinking can be sent to whomever you care to “Think” it to. //Problem //: This technology still has some bugs and not all messages go to the right person and sometimes messages you don’t want to send are sent. List five (5) pros and cons regarding this new technology…particularly as it applies to messages being sent to the wrong person! " The site is user friendly. It includes a search engine and accessible tabs on the home page. Another bonus: advertisements do not distract. __//Ratings//__ Content: 5 Stars Speed: 5 Stars Ease of Reading: 5 Stars Navigation: 4 Stars

**Folger Shakespeare Library** ([])
[|Folger Shakespeare Library] //__Ratings:__// Content: 5 Stars Speed: 5 Stars Ease of Reading: 5 Stars Navigation: 4 Stars Timely: 5 Stars
 * This website is an excellent resource for students and educators alike. While the library itself is based in Washington D.C., you can utilize many of the Shakespearean resources the library offers including a virtual digital library, an informative list of Shakespeare primary sources, lesson plans, and even provides study guides composed of a “synopsis, interactive activities, and discussion questions” for the Bard’s many plays, prose, and poems!
 * Also, if you’re interested, you have the opportunity to peruse educational programs and theater events that would bring Shakespeare to your students or examine virtual workshops being offered by the Folger Library.
 * An additional benefit of this site is the Teacher’s Lounge, which is a forum where teachers can communicate, banter, and share lesson ideas and plans.

**English Language Arts ([])**

 * Site description: The ELA website is a free website for K-12 teachers—which does not require you to sign in or give your e-mail. This website delivers tools for reading, writing, and thinking. If you are a Language Arts teacher this site will save you time and give you great ideas for your classroom.


 * Resource description: All of the resources are in PDF or Word and are easy to save and print. You will find resource guides (reading, writing, thinking, listening, speaking), reading strategies from annotating text to a writer’s craft seminar. The site also offers completed rubrics for such topics as: expository writing, persuasive writing, reflective writing, and many more. I have only briefly touched on the amount of content this page has to offer.


 * I have used this site in my classroom. I find this site to be helpful—I no longer have to create my own reading strategy handouts. The resource guides have made my writing lessons better. The only drawback to the site is not all of the links on the home page work, but once you move into another page all the links work fine.

__Ratings:__ Content: 5 Stars Speed: 5 Stars Ease of Reading: 5 Stars Navigation: 4 Stars Timely: 5 Stars

Guys Read ( __[])__
 * The //Guys Read// website began as a way to help pull boys into reading. It includes research supporting the need for this non-profit literacy initiative founded by Jon Scieszka.


 * The site offers book recommendations //for// boys //from// boys. A search engine allows users to quickly locate information on a book. If readers do not know what to read, generous lists of books are offered under various genres.


 * Groups of boys can start their own “guys read field office” on-line and rate books they have read. Guys can join a blog about books and interact with other guys around the globe.


 * The goal of the site is to help boys find books they are interested in and see reading as an acceptable masculine activity.


 * When I have shown this website to boys in my classroom, the graphics hook them in and soon they are searching for books.

// __Rating__ // Content: 5 Stars Speed: 5 Stars Ease of Read: 5 Stars Timely: 5 Stars Navigation: 5 Stars
 * I have found boys would much rather listen to their peers than to their teachers about "good books."

Web English Teacher ([|http://webenglishteacher.com])
[|**Web English Teacher**] **(**webenglishteacher.com) is a great resource site for any educator searching for websites, lesson plans, ideas, assessments, and other such resources. Created by an educator of almost 35 years named Carla Beard, the site is easy to navigate and clearly takes some of the leg work out of scavenging the net for the perfect resource. While it will still take you some time to examine all of your options, the Web English teacher makes life a bit simpler!
 * The Web English Teacher site offers an organized list of links and webpages about all aspects of an English and/or Language Arts curriculum. Users can search topics and find a list of sites about book report ideas, mythology, grammar, drama, literacy, study guides, and many more options.
 * However, this site goes above and beyond by also providing links and devoting separate pages to websites and lesson plans for ELL students, AP and IB students, and even Young Adult Literature
 * Looking to enhance and deepen your understanding of education? With the click of a mouse, you can peruse a list of professional resource websites and recommended texts and works that have already been compiled by the Web English teacher.
 * Lastly, if communicating with colleagues and fellow educators is a must-have for you, the Web English Teacher also offers a “Chalkdust Blog” forum to meet these needs.

//__Ratings:__// Content: 5 Stars Speed: 5 Stars Ease of Reading: 5 Stars Navigation: 5 Stars Timely: 3 Stars (You will still need to have plenty of time to review and select the sources that best fit your needs)

**Outta Ray's Head** ( __[])__
Outta Ray's Head

__Ratings__ Content: 5 Stars Speed: 5 Stars Ease of Reading:5 Stars Navigation: 5 Stars Timely: 4 Stars
 * This is a great site for lesson plans for all levels of English. Literature, Poetry, Writing, Library are the categories and under each category are various lesson plan ideas as well as links to handouts, answer keys, online materials and ways to contact the teacher who posted the lesson. Numerous teachers contribute to the site and there are some great ideas! Most of the lesson plans include a time frame, objectives,standards and materials needed.

**Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)** ([|http://owl.english.purdue.edu/)]

 * This website, provided by Purdue University, provides educators and their students hundreds of resources pertaining to writing and teaching writing, research, grammar and mechanics, style guides, ESL (English as a Second Language), and job search and professional writing. This is not only extremely easy to navigate due to the search bar, but also provides tabs indicating suggested resources as well as the most popular resources. Podcasts are also provided through Boilercasts on topics such as rhetoric, prewriting, logos, ethos, and pathos, as well as types of media. Owl News, which is an online newsletter accessed through the link, allows educators to recieve updates on the inconstant formatting expectations in both MLA and APA formats, new additions or projected additions to the website, as well as feature stories.

__Ratings:__ Content: 5 stars Speed: 5 stars Ease of Reading: 4 stars Navigation: 4 stars Timely: 5 stars

The University of Chicago Writing Program ([])

 * Site description: This site is for the dyed-in-the-wool grammarian to the aspiring grammarian or for those seeking writing assistance. This page is “an annotated collection of grammar and writing resources from around the web”. The grammar page is just one page of a much larger site set up by the University of Chicago—the rest of the site is dedicated to the Chicago University and the writing courses they offer. The website is free and does not require an e-mail to enter.
 * Resource description: The grammar page is made up of links and descriptions to other valuable grammar pages. This website has already done all of the heavy lifting by compiling all the free grammar resources you can use. The page is divided into several categories: Advice on grammar, Quick guides—with examples, Theasuruses(sic) & dictionaries, Grammar Myth—top ten lists, Classic style guides—from Strunk and White to Grammar Girl, Science & Technical writing guides, and English for non-native speakers. All of the linked pages give a definition and example of every term discussed.
 * Usage: This site is exceptionally easy to use. I have used this site in the classroom for a student resource. The Chicago University Grammar page is a good supplement for the classroom. This is a must see website if you teach grammar or if the subject of grammar interests you. If you are like me and looking to improve your writing and you students’ writing, this grammar page is an excellent place to start.

__Ratings__ Content: 5 Stars Speed: 5 Stars Ease of Reading: 5 Stars Navigation: 5 Stars Timely: N/A


 * Site description: If you teach writing or AP Literature and Composition, AP Language and Composition, or debate, you need to see this website. This site is dedicated to help students generate solid argument while avoiding fallacy pitfalls. With persuasive writing becoming the go to essay for the SAT, ACT, AP, and college entrance, this site will help prepare your students to meet this challenge.
 * Resource description: This site has a comprehensive list of fallacies. The fallacies are listed by their Latin names with an English translation. The list ranges from Ad Hominem to Weasel Wording. Each fallacy is followed by an easy to understand definition with an example. The site also has a sixteen other websites that deal with writing and logical fallacies.
 * Usage: I require my students to write arguments and present them in my AP Lit. and AP Lang. classes. The Fallacious Arguments page has been an excellent resource in my classroom. The students are writing stronger arguments and avoiding logical pitfalls—which gives their writing a level of maturity.

__Ratings__ Content: 5 Stars Speed: 5 Stars Ease of Reading: 5 Stars Navigation: 5 Stars Timely: 5 Stars (updated examples)

The Educator's Reference Desk ([])

 * Site description - This link will take you to the lesson plan tab of the Educator's Reference Desk website, where you will find 16 categories of Language Arts lesson plans. Once you click on one of the categories, you will be taken lesson plans that are divided by grade level.
 * Resource description - The lesson plans are in a similar format and easy to read. The plans include the name of the teacher submitting the plan, endorsement, overview, purpose, objectives, resources and materials as well as activities/procedures. Some of the lesson plans also provide assessments.
 * Usage - I have used a few of the plans from this site and they have been successful in the classroom. The one thing that I am not crazy about on the site is not all of the plans include a PDF or Word document of worksheets and assessments.

__Ratings:__ Content: 4.5 -5 Speed: 5 Ease of Reading: 5 Navigation: 5 Timely: 5

__Ratings:__ Content: 5 Speed: 5 Ease of Reading: 4 Navigation: 3.5 (see note above) Timely: 5
 * Daily Grammar (http://www.dailygrammar.com)**
 * Site description: An overall excellent reference for any teacher wishing to improve students grammar usage. Created by Mr. Bill Johanson, who has over thirty years of experience teaching in English at both the junior high and high school levels, essential grammar rules are broken down into daily lessons with weekly quizzes covering everthing from basic parts of speech to gerunds, infinitives, and complex mechanics issues.
 * Resource description: Public school teachers have permission to duplicate and use the lessons in their classrooms (provided they maintain copyright information). Besides these reproducable lessons, teachers can also take advantage of daily lessons via blog (one lesson each day and a quiz on Saturday), and the site also offers the lessons in workbook format, either hardcopy or e-book version, for purchase.
 * Usage - I have used these lessons each year to help first assess students' knowledge of grammar and then to provide specific instruction in weak areas. Because the lessons are concise, I find this is a great resource for differentiated instruction material for grammar. By the time most students make it to my classroom, their understanding of grammar ranges widely from those who do not know the eight parts of speech to those who just need help understanding when to use a colon and when to use a semi-colon, so having the lessons already created saves me tons of time.
 * Note: The homepage is a little busy with advertisements, so if you want to go straight to the lessons, just click on the lesson archives button on the left hand side bar.