Favorite Go To Sites

Every teacher has their favorite sites that they always go to for ideas. I have several sites that I have to visit every few days for great ideas. Beth Newingham's website and Busy Teachers Cafe have always been my top favorites. My favorite blog is Mrs. Randall's Learning Library. Super Teacher worksheets is always a go to place when I need a quick assessment.  Try some of these sites out. It is amazing that some of their favorites are repeated over and over. This is just a small sample of what I have bookmarked on my computer. Have fun exploring and find your favorite sites. I would love to share more but we would be here for forever. Enjoy!
http://randalllearninglibrary.blogspot.com/
http://hill.troy.k12.mi.us/staff/bnewingham/myweb3/
http://www.busyteacherscafe.com/
http://www.superteacherworksheets.com/
http://www.kellyskindergarten.com/
http://www.mrsgoldsclass.com/teacherwebsites.htm
http://mrsstahlheber.com/foreducators/TeacherResources/resources.html
http://www.mrsmhoward.com/teachers_only.cfm?subpage=566731
http://www.mce.k12tn.net/units/units_with_books.htm
http://www.teachers.cr.k12.de.us/~galgano/dibel2.htm
http://www.jbonzer.com./apluswebsites.html
http://www.internet4classrooms.com/index.htm

Literacy Stations

Now is the time of year when your work stations should be up and running in your classroom. I am always trying to find ways to make my stations for interesting and run smoother. There are so many different ways to set up stations. The two most popular are following the Daily 5 or Fountas Pinnell Ballanced Literacy Stations. They both are very similar but the daily five mostly focuses on Reading To Self, Reading with Others, Listening to Reading, Writing about Reading, and Word Work. I love finding new and wonderful sites to get ideas from. Here are some to try! Check out Jbonzer.com for her Daily 5 bookmarks and posters! Have fun and don't forget to search for literacy centers or workstations for your grade level. There is a wealth of information out there just waiting to be found! :)

http://hill.troy.k12.mi.us/staff/bnewingham/myweb3/literacy_centers%20final.htm
http://www.jbonzer.com/readingmain.html
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/38302/#resources
http://www6.swlauriersb.qc.ca/crestview/ls/Teacher/Teacher_Literacy_Centers.htm
http://www.mrsnelsonsclass.com/mrsnelsonsclass/teacherresources/centers/literacycenters/12literacycenters.aspx
http://www.ourclassweb.com/sites_for_teachers_learning_centers_language.htm

Task Cards for Workstations

One thing that I love to find on the web are task cards to use in my workstations. They are simply just cards with activities on them but they can be used over and over. Just laminate them and put them in baggies or on a ring binder. There are tons of task cards out there. Just type in a subject and put task cards in the search. You will be amazed at what you can find. As always make sure to proof read them because we all make mistakes. Task cards a simple cost effective activity that can challenge your students while you are working with your small groups. Here are some of the task cards sites that I have found.There are so many out there so have fun searching!

http://cape.k12.mo.us/blanchard/hicks/task_cards.htm
http://www.ourclassweb.com/sites_for_teachers_learning_centers_task_cards.htm
http://www.ourclassweb.com/center_activities/mcdavid_fiction_task_cards.pdf
http://www.vickymoore2.com/for.cfm?subpage=407146
http://www.myteacherpages.com/webpages/mrsfox/downloadfiles.cfm?subpage=514035

Reading Series Sites

All book publishers have a wealth of information out there. Go to your publishers site and see what all that they have to offer. My publisher is Macmillan. There treasures site has great activities for students. http://treasures.macmillanmh.com/national   Don't forget to search and see what else is out there too. There are numerous sites out there to help add some creativity to make our jobs more effective. One wonderful site that I have found to add to our Treasures series is http://www.stageforlearning.com/corner.asp. This is a great site made by a group of teachers. The teacher downloads go with all of our basal stories. This includes power points for vocabulary and story elements. You can also print off vocabulary cards and review sheets. Another great site is from another school system is http://intranet.cr.k12.ia.us/curriculum/elementary/reading/ . This site includes activities for all areas including vocabulary power points, vocabulary picture and definition cards. This site also includes "I Can Statements" for grade level skills and rubrics. No matter what your reading series is, remember to search out there for the wealth of activities that you can find to make your lessons more effective. Have Fun!

Teaching Comprehension

There are many wonderful sites for teaching comprehension. One new site that I have found useful is http://www.readworks.org/ On this site you can choose your grade level and what skills that you want to teach. The lessons are written in a format of teacher direct, guided practice, and independent practice. What sites have you found useful for teaching comprehension?

Where do I find that?

As a busy teacher trying to find new and interesting activities is always time consuming. I hope to make searching easier. We are all a huge wealth of knowledge. Lets put our minds together and make our classrooms more effective and fun!