Great collection of nonfiction ebooks from National Geographic Explorer. They are free and can be read independently or read aloud with text help. Great for the SMARTBoard!
It begins with a story start.
A story start is the first chapter of the book. The rest of the story is up to you. The story start could be written by a professional writer, a teacher, you or your classmates, or maybe even a celebrity!
You write your version of Chapter 2.
Take the story where you like. The only limits are your imagination and a word count. At the same time, other BoomWriters will be writing their own version of what happens next.
Submit your entry.
When you're done (and before the deadline), you submit your entry for review. If it's accepted, you'll get points and BoomDollars. You'll use BoomDollars to purchase accessories for your Boomer avatar.
Vote, Vote, Vote!
You and the other BoomWriters vote on the entry you think is the best. Of course you can't vote for you own entry, and you won't know whose entry it is you're voting for. You may be able to vote more than once, which is good, as voting also earns you points and BoomDollars.
Did you win?
If so, then your entry becomes the official Chapter 2 of the book. If not, don't worry because there will be many more chances for you to win.
It's a book!
The competitions continue until the book is finished. Then, *Boom!* you're a published author! The end result? A real book that you, your friends, family, and the whole world can buy. Imagine that, a book with your name in it that you helped write.
"At its core, the six-word memoir teaches us to be concise but also introspective. Try describing yourself in six words. Not easy, right? So, for English teachers, the six-word memoir is a great way to get students to focus on getting a point across in as few words as possible. Students have to choose words precisely since they can't waste any. The six-word memoir teaches all of us writers a critical skill: words are valuable and have meaning -- don't waste them. "
"On April 3, 1988, the Los Angeles Times Magazine published a 25-year look ahead to 2013. This year, USC professor Jerry Lockenour is using the series of articles in a graduate engineering class he teaches."
Great chance to use this authentic text for some deeper discussion and critical thinking...Maybe take a look forward another 25 years from now? What will our world look like then?
"About a year and a half ago, a few of my colleagues and I had our students begin blogging about their independent reading. Some students finished four posts a year. Some students finished ten. Some more. Below are my top ten takeaways from our students' blogging experience."
"This is a world full of stories where YOU are the Storymaker and can choose all sorts of ways to tell your tale. Here you can create your own story, share it with friends and visit the gallery to see what other Storymakers have made"
"Select one of the passages listed below. Complete the passage by selecting the words that best fit the context of the passage. Press the 'Check My Answers!' button when you are done to see how you did!"
In this online activity, children first select one of nine word endings. They then begin making words by choosing beginnings, including single letters of the alphabet and letter blends like cl-. When children form a word, they get the satisfaction of seeing it deposited into the word bank. When they're finished, they can print their word bank. Adobe Flash is required. (Grade 1)
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.
"Represent your country in the Olympics! You not only have to be strong, but you have to be smart to win. Play "It's Greek to Me" and learn about Greek influences on the English language. "
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.