This year is off to a great start, knock on wood. So far I adore my students, all 102 of them. They have been well, a good group of kids. Notice I said so far! I am currently working with a student teacher for the first time. I also have a pre-practicum student one day a week. Yesterday, I got an email from another teacher in training who stumbled upon this blog ( Whoo Hooo!). The signs are all telling me to share my knowledge, so I thought I would take this time to offer some sage advice for new teachers, veteran teachers and teachers in training. Yeah I snickered as I typed that last sentence too. It is more like some must have websites for the Social Studies Teacher. Ryan, Kyle and Jacob this is for you.
1. Rewordify.com
What it is
This is a website that allows you to simplify text that is difficult to read. It has many features that allow you to create modified text for students. Teachers can create many different types of activities including cloze readings, vocabulary lists with or without definitions and quizzes.
Why I Like it
This website is great for taking difficult to read primary source documents and making them student friendly. I also like it because I can use it to differentiate text and scaffold lessons for the Special Education and English Language Learners.
2. Newsela.com
What it is
This is a repository of articles on different topics. The articles are not limited to just Social Studies. There are articles in Science and Literature as well.
Why I Like it
Despite the fact that when I first learned of this website I thought it was pronounced newsela and not News E-L-A, I really enjoy using it. I can find articles that cover many topics from US History and World history to current events. The articles also come in a variety of levels, so I can print the same article at different reading levels allowing me to differentiate in the classroom.
3. CNN Student News
What it is
This is a daily broadcast of the news designed for middle and high school students. The news is about ten minutes long and anchor Carl Azuz is engaging and can be very punny with some of his stories.
Why I Like it
This is a quick and easy way to expose students to current events. It has sparked some interesting discussions in class.
4. Kahoot
What it is
This is a website that allows you to create a game show like atmosphere in your classroom. You create a little healthy competition in class as students vie to answer questions first. This does require that each student or a group of students has a tablet, phone or computer to participate. You won't believe how much students will beg to play again.
Why I Like it
I like this website as a way to review information in class. This takes some prep ahead of time to create a multiple choice question. After the students have completed the kahoot, I can download the information on how each student answered and use it to inform my instruction.
On another note Polleverywhere.com is a similar type of interactive website and just as fun. Here you can create open ended questions as well as multiple choice. Students' answers are projected on the board. The only thing missing is the game like atmosphere.
5. Pinterest
What it is
This is an online bulletin board that allows you to "pin" ideas and save them. Pinners can create a variety of different boards to save ideas and concepts that they would like to use at a later date.
Why I Like it
This is a great way to stay on top of teaching practices. Teachers share lessons, organizational tips, ideas, strategies and a variety of activities on their boards. I use it as a starting point for new lessons. I can take the ideas and use them as is or modify the idea to meet my needs for my classroom.
I would love to hear from you. What are your must have websites for your class.
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