Julie's Top Picks for Literacy Development
What an impoverished life I led as a teacher in pre-Internet days. Or so it seems whenever I discover a stellar website. Sure, back in the 1970s and 1980s we had plenty of professional books and journals, but they couldn't compare to the richness of the resources currently available to us. Although some websites reflect the ideas of people at large organizations like the Smithsonian, others represent a labor of love; they were created by unique individuals who wish to amplify their work by connecting with like-minded educators all over the world. Like the perfect (if elusive!) little black dress, these websites can serve you well. Taken as a whole, they may forever transform your teaching.

Literacy

• Edutopia Online, offered by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, focuses on many of today's most pressing educational issues. The articles, movies, and interviews help to impart a vision of innovative teaching and expanding definitions of literacy.
  www.glef.org
• At Cyber English, teacher Ted Nellen describes his journey as a teacher who uses digital tools to enhance his English classroom. You'll find a wealth of ideas for older students from "Mentoring and the Internet" to learning about the strategies other teachers have had success with.
  www.tnellen.com/cybereng
• Between the Lions, a website that offers stories, games, and songs to enrich the educational television program of the same name, is one of the most imaginative sites around. Beginning readers never had it so good!
  pbskids.org/lions
• Writing in journals can be an effective way for students to learn about the world well beyond the Language Arts Classroom. Teachers at eThemes show you how to use journals as a way to reflect on content area topics, including math.
  www.emints.org/ethemes/resources/S00001060.shtml
• ePals Book Club makes it easy to offer your students a chance to discuss books with peers all over the world. At the same time, you can share tips with their teachers.
  www.epals.com/projects/book_club
• Outta Ray's Head, developed by high school teacher Ray Saitz, offers excellent lesson plans and handouts for classic literature such as The Great Gatsby and The Grapes of Wrath.
  home.cogeco.ca/~rayser3/
• Bartleby.com calls itself "The Preeminent Internet Publisher of literature, reference, and verse." And so it is. At this powerhouse of a site, you and your students will discover more books, verse, and notable quotations than you could absorb in a lifetime. An added bonus is the daily biographical sketch of an author—Ernest Hemingway as of today's writing (June 21), born in 1899.
  www.bartleby.com
• The Smithsonian National Zoological Park, in Washington, D.C., can expand students' vocabularies by engaging them in explorations about all sorts of animals from seals and sea lions to the zoo's famous pandas. Be sure to scope out the resources for teachers.
  natzoo.si.edu/default.cfm
• Teachers in the middle grades know that sometimes they get short shrift when it comes to their needs in teaching adolescents. That's what makes MiddleWeb, a site that focuses on all things related to middle school, a standout. Read middle school diaries in the form of "blogs" (Web logs), and consider adding your two cents to a discussion.
  www.middleweb.com
• How can you help older students write compelling research papers? High school librarian, Holly Samuels, at the Cambridge Rindge and Latin Scool in Cambridge, MA, has created a Research Guide for students. Full of practical advice and a tip sheet," Ms. Samuels offers encouragement at every stage of research-from selecting a topic to evaluating one's own work.
  www.crlsresearchguide.org

• For a perfect escape from the real world, visit the Musée du Louvre in Paris. What does this have to do with literacy, you may ask? Well, when we talk about twenty-first century literacy skills, visual literacy is key. You and your students can discuss symbolism, allegorical themes, and many other subjects evoked by the arts.
  See www.paris.org/Musees/Louvre
with text in English.
• EdSitement is an especially intriguing site in that it takes a broad sweep across the humanities. The spotlight is on Chaucer and Dante, as of this writing, with many links to background material and original texts.
  See edsitement.neh.gov/
with text in English.
• To research classics old and new, visit these websites.
• Newbery Medal and Honor www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/newbhon.html
• Cadecott Medal http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/literaryawds/caldecottmedal/caldecottmedal.htm
• Coretta Scott King Award www.ala.org/ala/srrt/corettascottking/corettascott.htm
• For learning about poets and listening to their works read aloud, it's hard to beat poets.org. Use the searchable database to locate your favorites from Rita Dove to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
  See www.poets.org
with text in English.

Fun & Games with Language

• Go to Giggle Poetry for Fill-in-the-blank poems, school poems, poetry contests, and more.
  www.gigglepoetry.com
• Fans of the Public Broadcasting Station will want to visit PBS Kids. Here they'll find links related to their favorite educational TV shows-from Arthur to Zoom. And speaking of Zoom, when kids choose this link, they can take a survey, learn about the cast, visit behind the scenes, play games, and more. www.pbskids.org
• Enjoy wacky poems at Seussville, all by the inimitable Dr. Seuss.
  www.seussville.com
• Remember the children's book Flat Stanley, in which the main character becomes as flat as a piece of paper that can be folded up into an envelope and mailed anywhere in the world? The Flat Stanley Project, developed by third-grade teacher Dale Hubert, from London, Ontario, takes this character and his predicament one step further. Using the Flat Stanley theme, students in over 30 countries (as of this writing), draw upon their journals to exchange information about where they live.
  To apply, see flatstanley.enoreo.on.ca