Number one: Teachers.net. Specifically, the special education teacher chatboard As a college student to more experienced teacher, I always found help and insight to issues on this chat board. I find the best ideas and resources come from other teachers and parents.
Number two: Yahoo & Google. Specifically the yahoo news and google news sections. It is easy to find relevant, interesting, motivating material that can be adapted to different objectives. Instant, low prep, easy, literacy based, lesson plans! For example:
*Teacher reads news story, students journal their thoughts & responses
*Teacher reads news story, students pick out main points and summarize
*Teacher gives news stories to pairs, they read & report back.
*Teacher gives out news story, guided practice on a specific reading strategy (predicting, skimming, questioning, etc.)
*Students get on web and choose a news story to do one one of the above strategies.
*Students give speeches/present their news story
*Students complete or design graphic organizer for news story.
*Students can edit their writing and/or discuss thier findings.
The lesson plan list goes on & on....!
I have found I can meet the needs of different levels of readers using yahoo & google news stories, but another resource is http://literacynet.org/cnnsf/archives.html. It features abridged news articles for students with lower reading levels.
Number Three: http://www.teachers-direct.co.uk/resources/wordsearches/ I am picky. There are a million free wordsearch/crossword puzzle makers out there. This one is my favorite because of the ease of use and the quality of the finished product. I also like that you can create online interactive wordsearches that are paper-free. My students love word searches! I use them to introduce new vocabulary/topics. They are great to have on hand to keep students busy, especially to keep those student busy while waiting for others to finish. They also come in handy when that 45 min. lesson plan only takes 30 minutes!
Number two: Yahoo & Google. Specifically the yahoo news and google news sections. It is easy to find relevant, interesting, motivating material that can be adapted to different objectives. Instant, low prep, easy, literacy based, lesson plans! For example:
*Teacher reads news story, students journal their thoughts & responses
*Teacher reads news story, students pick out main points and summarize
*Teacher gives news stories to pairs, they read & report back.
*Teacher gives out news story, guided practice on a specific reading strategy (predicting, skimming, questioning, etc.)
*Students get on web and choose a news story to do one one of the above strategies.
*Students give speeches/present their news story
*Students complete or design graphic organizer for news story.
*Students can edit their writing and/or discuss thier findings.
The lesson plan list goes on & on....!
I have found I can meet the needs of different levels of readers using yahoo & google news stories, but another resource is http://literacynet.org/cnnsf/archives.html. It features abridged news articles for students with lower reading levels.
Number Three: http://www.teachers-direct.co.uk/resources/wordsearches/ I am picky. There are a million free wordsearch/crossword puzzle makers out there. This one is my favorite because of the ease of use and the quality of the finished product. I also like that you can create online interactive wordsearches that are paper-free. My students love word searches! I use them to introduce new vocabulary/topics. They are great to have on hand to keep students busy, especially to keep those student busy while waiting for others to finish. They also come in handy when that 45 min. lesson plan only takes 30 minutes!
I hope these are helpful. Please send more questions & comments!
