The Best of New Literacies for New Times, Chapter One
- Although overwhelming in its breadth, this site is excellent for accessing primary documents. I think it would be especially useful in creating jackdaws: this letter from Woodie Guthrie would pair nicely with the children’s book This Land Is Your Land by Woodie Guthrie, along with maps from the era. Uses for these primary sources are countless and extend across the curriculum – viewing pictures of children from the Civil War can be applied beyond social studies. The lesson plans provided are helpful, but it’s even better when utilized as a springboard for new ideas.
- Here are math activities categorized by grade. The activities would work extremely well in math centers. They provide immediate feedback, which is invaluable, and provide authentic tasks – like skip counting by 2’s with pairs of socks or boots.
- I could spend hours on this site. Wow! I’ve toyed with a lot of different strategies for engaging students with books (almost everything on here) but I’ve come across so many more! I simply cannot wait to create a character life box. And that’s just the homepage! The side navigation links have so much to offer as well, like traditional and modern video clips of Aesop’s fables.
- This is really cool for emergent literacy. Students can choose short stories that focus on the letter sound they’re learning, but unlike a book, they can click on a word and the website stretches/sounds the letters out (modeling for the child) and then blends the sounds together to form the word. It teaches students the strategy necessary to tackle unfamiliar words.
