There are many times when our students have finished their work and we want them to stay busy. I'm sure the students have plenty of sites they can go onto to entertain themselves but are they appropriate? Here is a list of sites I've come across in the past few weeks that I wanted to share.
Vocabulary
BeanBeanBean
BeanBeanBean is not ONLY a vocabulary site, it also quizzes students on general knowledge. The TLDR? You answer questions, and they donate Beans (or food). Click the link here to read how it works. There are options for general knowledge vocabulary, math (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division), science (periodic table, cell structures or functions), geography, and language. The site gives you a goal to achieve. If you fail your mission, you lose your beans. If you get to the goal, you have the option to "bank" the beans or continue on. It is fun and addicting!
Free Rice
Reading
MyShakespeare
The MyShakespeare website takes popular Shakespeare plays (Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, The Taming of the Shrew, and A Midsummer Night's Dream) and gives media-rich, full-text editions that allow for more student engagement and comprehension. Students can listen to the play read aloud, have difficult words defined, and watch videos that go along with each act. There are even scene summaries available. The site is simple and easy to use, even without an account!
How Stuff Works
The How Stuff Works website was started in 1998. This award-winning site includes citations and dates for all their articles (read about the authenticity of their work here). Teachers can share interesting articles or have students search for topics that interest them to read. Main topics include, but are not limited to, health, science, home & garden, auto, tech, culture, and money. Of course, there are advertisements on the pages, but the articles themselves are rich with information and cover a wide variety of topics. I can't imagine someone finding something that wouldn't interest them!
Virtual Libraries
Have you ever made your own virtual library? Many teachers have used their Bitmoji to create a room where students can click on images to take them to pre-determined sites (videos, reading pages, or even games!). If you are unsure of how to do this, I can help! Check out this very helpful video from Larissa Aradj on YouTube. https://youtu.be/EwC3rBC6Kk8
You may be wondering why this is in a post about Vocabulary and ELA. Well, there are SO many online resources for teachers to share with students. One of my favorites (and students, too!) is a book read-aloud on YouTube. Below, you will find a Padlet of book options for students in many different categories. Some of the categories include the 4 C's, digital citizenship, kindness, leadership, and social-emotional learning. It was put together by Steve Wick, an amazing Tech Coordinator and Science Teacher in Illinois. This is meant to give you ideas for creating your virtual room.
https://padlet.com/steve_wick/qabgwgoz6ea5
Storyline Online
Directly from their website:The SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s Daytime Emmy®-nominated and award-winning children’s literacy website, Storyline Online®, streams videos featuring celebrated actors reading children’s books alongside creatively produced illustrations. Readers include Oprah Winfrey, Chris Pine, Kristen Bell, Rita Moreno, Viola Davis, Jaime Camil, Kevin Costner, Lily Tomlin, Sarah Silverman, Betty White, Wanda Sykes and dozens more.
NewsELA
Another great resource for articles to share for students is NewsELA. You can link your virtual library to articles within this website and the site automatically adjusts the article to the student's reading level. How awesome is that? Students will each get the same basic concept but at a level that is appropriate for them.
Knoword
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