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Current events articles are a great choice for informational text. Students can learn all about news stories and practice reading skills at the same time. If you have a class full of students reading at different levels you'll definitely want to check out Newsela. This fantastic site contains brand new articles everyday. The best part is that you can change the Lexile level of each article by clicking on the one that's right for your students. You can share the same article at a few different levels with each of your reading groups.

Ever heard of an Exquisite Corpse? It's not what you might think. An Exquisite Corpse is an old game in which people write a phrase on a sheet of paper, fold it over to conceal part of it and pass it on to the next player to do the same. The game ends when someone finishes the story, which is then read aloud. Our "Exquisite Corpse Adventure" works this way: Jon Scieszka, the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, has written the first episode, which is "pieced together out of so many parts that it is not possible to describe them all here, so go ahead and just start reading!" He has passed it on to a cast of celebrated writers and illustrators, who must eventually bring the story to an end. Every two weeks, there will be a new episode and a new illustration. The story will conclude a year from now.

"This is a new version of the original 50+ Web 2.0 Ways to Tell a Story that was created in 2007. As of Oct 24, 2010 5:18 pm there are 65 Ways! If you are a person that likes watching DVD extras or seeing "The Making of..." I have a story for you, the History of 50+Ways... In this new version, I have made more places for you to directly add to the site, including your own story examples, sources of media, and advice for others you might be interested in a tool you used. See How to Contribute for more details."

"Buzzwords are frequently used in news media. These are words that do not typically occur in everyday speech, but are common among newscasters, talking heads, and pundits on cable news."

Students flip the chips to make words containing prefixes or suffixes. They then have to drag the new word into the story in the space that makes the most sense.

Sixteen games containing characters from the show Martha Speaks that introduce new vocabulary through play, presenting words in proper context and providing definitions. Parents and teachers can print a list of the vocabulary words used in each game for further discussion.

"Welcome to my story ideas web site. If you want to write short stories but are stuck for ideas then you've come to the right place. Here you will find various idea generators that will provide you with as much, or as little, help as you need. There are plenty of ideas for short stories - from first lines and titles, to fully outlined characters or scenarios. A new addition is the twist in the tale generator to help with those surprise endings. Novel writers will find these ideas useful as well. There's also a random generator which will give you three words to try to spark your imagination into life. If you prefer visual prompts try the image generator. In the library you'll find books to help generate story ideas, get rid of writer's block and help with the creative writing process. Have fun and get writing!"

"Reading Bear teaches children to read by introducing phonics principles painlessly and systematically, while teaching new vocabulary. We are planning 50 presentations."

"Imagine your whole class in the pages of a book together...NOW IT'S POSSIBLE WITH SUBTEXT, A NEW IPAD READING APP FOR SCHOOLS. Subtext makes it easy to interact with your students in the pages of digital books. You can post and answer questions, link to relevant Web content and create assignments and quizzes-all right in the text. Better yet, your students can share ideas and work together to make connections as they read. Think of it as anywhere, anytime classroom reading guided by you."

"In our new survey, WeAreTeachers discovered how classroom libraries are changing as well as what must-have books teachers are using year after year."

"Communication skills are critical for today's students. Reading, writing and the ability to tell a story set the stage for success. The Hub, a new TV destination dedicated to bringing kids and families together, is partnering with Discovery Education to support teachers in this important endeavor. Here you'll find inspiration to engage and inspire your budding writers. Meet the artists, editors and writers that bring good stories to life-and watch your students' communication skills soar!"

News for tweens, kids and students

"Welcome to Guys Read, a web-based literacy program for boys. Our mission is to help boys become self-motivated, lifelong readers. Research shows that boys are having trouble reading, and that boys are getting worse at reading. No one is quite sure why. Some of the reasons are biological. Some of the reasons are sociological. But the good news is that research also shows that boys will read - if they are given reading that interests them. So the biggest part of this site is the collection of book titles below. These are books that guys have told us they like. Our idea is to help guys become readers by helping them find texts they want to read."

The old Graphic Organizer page that was linked off the district's internal website. Please consider editing this page to add new resources and remove any that are outdated or no longer appropriate.

"Figment is a community where you can share your writing, connect with other readers, and discover new stories and authors. Whatever you're into, from sonnets to mysteries, from sci-fi stories to cell phone novels, you can find it all here."

"Book Drum's remarkable range of interactive content is particularly valuable to students and teachers, with over twenty A-level/GCSE set texts already profiled, including Wuthering Heights, The Bell Jar, Frankenstein, Wide Sargasso Sea, and To Kill a Mockingbird. Teachers can create new profiles as class projects, encouraging students to dig deeper into a book with Book Drum's fun, easy-to-use online interface."

"Knoword is a game of quick thinking, smart decisions and great words. When you begin, you will be given one randomly generated dictionary definition along with the first letter of its corresponding word. You must fill in the rest of the word to experience a gain in points and an added time bonus. You will start off with one minute before the game ends, and every word is an opportunity to extend your time. If you're ever stuck on a word, just hit the skip button and a new puzzle will present itself."

Words are more difficult vocabulary. Most appropriate for MS & HS students, although a great challenge for advanced intermediate readers!

a free speed reader, using a new patent pending method that can convert text into meaningful phrases, without requiring linguistic analysis. These phrases are displayed in sequence to instantly speed your reading.

New publications on adolescent literacy issues