Links - You'll find some websites that I use frequently for planning lessons, discovering new learning activities and my overall professional development.
KIS Grade 4 - This is actually my own class blog. This is my first step into blog design and interactive classrooms. I designed this site for my fourth grade bi-lingual homeroom class. I used this website to make learning resources available to students and to open up a forum for weekly journal responses. Student interest was high and I pleased with the overall results.
Edutopia - "We pursue our mission through two primary sets of activities: identifying, describing, and promoting effective models and innovations in K-12 education by producing video and other digital media; and developing research to identify and evaluate rigorous practices for learners, educators and schools."
This is an incredibly useful site. I use this website primarily for guidance on my overall practice.
Read Works- "Read Works provides research-based units, lessons, and authentic, leveled non-fiction and literary passages directly to educators online, for free to be shared broadly."
This is a great place to find literary and informational texts. The greatest strength of this website is it's search engine. You can search for reading passages based on lexile level, grade level, genre and subject.
Learn Zillion -This site has been a great resource for me as I've learned how to implement the Common Core National Standards into my lessons. They have some really great material for the ELA curriculum, particularly about teaching students how do close readings of texts.
Engage NY - For those teachers who learn by imitation, this is a great place to visit. New York State has published an entire English Language Arts curriculum, in great detail. I have really appreciated this site as I make my transition into secondary education because I was unsure of the scope and sequence of the curriculum. Here I've found an excellent example and it has been a great resource.