8th Grade

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English literature: Lord of the Flies

— BBC

8-11 0 favorites 0 promising practices http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/english_literature/proselordflies/ Last updated: Fri, 08/27/2021 - 11:49 share

How It Works

<i>Though this site is archived, the links still work</i>. This site gives us context, plot, characters, themes, and a model essay question and answer for the novel <i>Lord of the Flies</i>. While the context is quite short (Golding’s biography is all of 4 sentences!), it gives insight into some of the meaning that Golding himself took from war and his own time as a teacher. The brief plot summaries are just enough to remind students of what each chapter is about-- all the detail is in the novel. Characters and themes are presented with interactive questions and self-quizzes that students can use to review or quiz themselves. One language note: to "revise" material in the UK is the same as to "review" it in the U.S. One "revises" before a test.

In the Classroom

This is a great supplementary site for pre-reading or for reviewing. An especially nice extra is the inclusion of a sample essay question and answer. It sets up the question to be answered in a five-paragraph theme and offers possible topic sentences as an outline for writing that theme. Using the sample on a projector or interactive whiteboard is a good way to help students learn how to structure their own essay answers. Have students share and critique essays on the projector or interactive whiteboard.

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Tag(s): literature,

Air Data

— United States Environmental Protection Agency

8-11 0 favorites 0 promising practices http://www.epa.gov/airdata/ Last updated: Fri, 08/27/2021 - 11:49 share

How It Works

This website allows students to view the air quality of any state in the USA. Choose a region of the US, a state, or a specific zip code. The site provides a detailed information sheet (Air Data Report). The website allows you to choose several states (or regions) to compare and analyze the data. Visit the <i>Air Data Home Page</i> to learn about the various features and information available at this website.

In the Classroom

What a fabulous authentic instruction tool for any science class studying air quality or pollution. Why not divide the students into groups to investigate a specific pollutant or to compare different regions of the United States. Use this tool to enable students to generate data, analyze the data, research trends, create a plan of action to improve air quality, investigate surrounding landforms, or other lesson ideas.

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Tag(s): pollution, environment, data, air,

English Renaissance Drama

— Anniina Jokinen

8-11 0 favorites 0 promising practices http://www.luminarium.org/renlit/rendrama.htm Last updated: Fri, 08/27/2021 - 11:49 share

How It Works

Students know something about Shakespeare, but they tend to think he was the only playwright of his day. This site helps them realize that he was only one of many in the Elizabethan period and that there was a Tudor period before and a Jacobean period after him. This is an exhaustive, albeit entertaining, and authoritative look at English drama as it moved from the Middle Ages through the Renaissance. The articles are written by professors and they all contain links with explanations for all the referenced allusions. While rather encyclopedic in nature, having all the resources in one place is extraordinarily handy for the teacher of this period.

In the Classroom

Have students "become" one of the rival playwrights after researching the times and the playwright might be interesting. Perhaps students could do a panel discussion or write a blog entry as their “playwright.” Don’t miss the <i> Introduction </i> section to get valuable information about the theaters and the staging conventions of the time.

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Tag(s): elizabethan, renaissance, elizabethan, renaissance,

Vocabulary: Applying Knowledge of Context Clues

— Scholastic

8-11 0 favorites 0 promising practices http://teacher.scholastic.com/writeit/PDF/master_class_marquez.pdf Last updated: Fri, 08/27/2021 - 11:49 share

How It Works

This vocabulary lesson focuses on the work of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. By introducing the lesson with an entrancing poster that gives lots of info about Marquez very painlessly, students are intrigued to go further. As they begin to read a selection from <i> Living to Tell the Tale </i>, Marquez’ autobiography, difficult words appear in red. Along the sides of the pages appear more intriguing questions and important information about the writer. After reading a short selection, students are given an exercise which tests their ability to use context clues. This website requires Adobe Acrobat. You can get it from the <a href="/tools.cfm ">TeachersFirst Toolbox page.</a>.

In the Classroom

This is a great way to get students interested in reading Marquez and also interested in reading biographies and autobiographies of great writers. Be sure to print out the poster and hang it where students can see it. Use your interactive whiteboard or projection screen to share this website with your students. Then, ask them to pick the quote from this short selection that means the most to them and have them explain why in a short writing exercise.rnrn

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Tag(s): vocabulary, vocabulary development, vocabulary, vocabulary development,

Cinco de Mayo Study Guide

— The History Channel

3-8 0 favorites 0 promising practices http://www.history.com/images/media/pdf/cincodemayoSG.pdf Last updated: Fri, 08/27/2021 - 11:49 share

How It Works

This PDF file offers a traditional (but reliable) look at Cinco de Mayo, beyond the food and fun! Learn about the historical impact of the holiday and its significance to Mexicans (and folks from other countries, as well). This pdf is set up as a study guide. It includes historical information, curriculum links (history, world cultures, and social studies), vocabulary words, discussion questions, extension activities, map challenges, related literature, and websites for additional information.

In the Classroom

This site is ready to use in class. Have cooperative learning groups debate the discussion questions. Better yet, turn the discussion questions into a class wiki, allowing students to input their thoughts on the wiki. Have students write a journal entry (as a blog) highlighting one of the discussion questions or from the perspective of someone living during the 1800s. If you are beginning the process of integrating technology, have students replace pen and paper and create blogs sharing their learning and understanding using Penzu, <a href="/single.cfm?id=11465">reviewed here</a>. If you are teaching younger students and looking for an easy way to integrate technology and check for understanding, challenge your students to create a blog using Edublog, <a href="/single.cfm?id=13449">reviewed here</a>. Share maps of Mexico on your interactive whiteboard or projector. The Extension Activity calls for students to create and label a map. MapStory, <a href="/single.cfm?id=14652">reviewed here</a>, would be the perfect tool for redefining student learning since you can have images, text, and video in the annotation, and it has a timeline feature. Have cooperative learning groups create commercials enhancing and highlighting what they have learned (be sure they include some new vocabulary words) or transform learning by having students create a video advertisement for your class’s Cinco de Mayo celebration. Use a tool like Typito, <a href="/single.cfm?id=18298">reviewed here</a> .

Technology Heads-up!
  • Find interactive ABC's, colors, etc.
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Tag(s): mexico, cinco de mayo,

Self-study Grammar Quizzes

— Internet TESL Journal/ teacher contrbutors

5-8 0 favorites 0 promising practices http://a4esl.org/q/h/grammar.html Last updated: Fri, 08/27/2021 - 11:49 share

How It Works

This website offers various interactive quizzes all related to grammar. Although written for ESL/ELL students, this is a good practice site for middle school students who have trouble remembering grammar basics. All of the quizzes are interactive, with the answers underneath each question for immediate feedback. It encompasses a wide range of grammar-related rules, everything from "a or an" to "active-passive voice." This would make a good review or independent study site.

In the Classroom

Choose which of these quizzes would most benefit your students and make the links available from your teacher web page for them to access the quizzes quickly. As students work independently on them, you can do individual support and final testing with them as they finish each section. The "Other Quizzes" section offers some challenging quizzes that ask students to identify sentence problems and various other questions. <br> <br> Why not use an interactive whiteboard or projector to share the more challenging quizzes with your class. Divide the class into teams, project the questions on the screen, and see which team can answer the most questions correctly. This is great review before standardized testing.

Technology Heads-up!
  • Find interactive ABC's, colors, etc.
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Tag(s): grammar, punctuation, grammar, punctuation,

The Virtual Autopsy

— University of Leicester

8-11 0 favorites 0 promising practices http://www.le.ac.uk/pathology/teach/va/titlpag1.html Last updated: Fri, 08/27/2021 - 11:49 share

How It Works

This intriguing website gives students a front row seat to anatomy and physiology. The website provides 18 virtual autopsy cases. Each case includes a presentation about the case, history of the patient, and results of examinations performed on the patient. The cases each offer students an interactive human body. Students can click on various body parts to learn more about the health of each of the systems of the body (central nervous system, respiratory system, endocrine system, gastrointestinal track, cardiovascular system, reticulo-endothelial system, genito-urinary system, musculoskeletal system, and general external appearance). Once students have investigated the case, they are asked to identify the cause of death (the website provides 5+ possibilities for each case). If the students guess the cause of death incorrectly, they receive clues.

In the Classroom

What an excellent way to excite your students about learning the science of anatomy and physiology! Get out your interactive whiteboards to share a case as you talk about the process of inquiry. Or have cooperative learning groups explore different investigations. Use teacher discretion as to whether your students can maturely handle illustrations of the human body.rnrnBe sure to read the "How to Use This Website" link for additional ideas.rnrn

Technology Heads-up!
  • Find interactive ABC's, colors, etc.
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Tag(s): human body, human body,

Powerpoint Palooza

— Susan M. Pojer

8-11 0 favorites 0 promising practices http://pptpalooza.net/ Last updated: Fri, 08/27/2021 - 11:49 share

How It Works

Sometimes you oversleep. Sometimes you just need to add a little extra "punch" to a tried-and-true lesson. Maybe you just got an interactive whiteboard and haven’t had time to create a lot of visual resources to use with it. Maybe you just want a fresh perspective. This site contains nearly 200 PowerPoint slide shows focused on history lessons, particularly at the upper levels or Advanced Placement level.

In the Classroom

Download a PowerPoint presentation relevant to an upcoming set of lessons and use it as a starting point for your own version, or use the presentation as-is. The teacher who has created most of these, Susan M. Pojer, grants full permission to use these resources as long as she is credited as the original author. Some of the lessons have sound files, and they all have the usual PowerPoint bells and whistles. Of course, we don’t want to commit "assault with a deadly bullet point" day after day, but these presentations may be just what you need in a pinch, or may give you a new way of looking at a stale lesson plan. Ready, set, download! <br> <br>An alternative would be to give the PowerPoint file to your students (in small groups) and ask them to transform it into an interactive learning tool for their peers: add questions, feedback, more images, etc. so the show becomes a student-created tutorial on the topic of your lesson or unit. Of course, students will be graded on the accuracy of their information as well as their creativity. Think of it as inverse teaching. Prepare a rubric before you start or use our http://www.teachersfirst.com <a href="/lessons/rubrics/">Rubrics to the Rescue</a> to find one that shares your expectations with the class.

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Time of Remembrance

— Elk Grove Unified School District

8-11 0 favorites 0 promising practices http://blogs.egusd.net/tor/tor-talks/ Last updated: Fri, 08/27/2021 - 11:49 share

How It Works

An admirable effort by a California school district to honor Japanese Americans who were discriminated against and sent to internment camps during World War II, this site contains a wealth of information for those doing research on this difficult chapter of American history. Although this site would be most useful for either teachers or students doing in-depth research on the topic, there are some more generally helpful gems here. Along with the wonderful interviews with people who were directly affected by discrimination, there are video clips and photographs that would be helpful in illustrating this time to students.

In the Classroom

There are lesson plans (tied to California standards) and good resource lists for students and teachers. Skip the "guided tour" of the website, however, unless you are very new at using the Internet. Share this resource as one of several when studying civil rights, discrimination, and the U.S. Constitution in theory and practice. Have students create products to compare the internment camps to similar acts in history or create a presentation on the constitutional violations of such camps. Or include this as part of a study of the decades of the twentieth century.

Technology Heads-up!
  • Find interactive ABC's, colors, etc.
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Tag(s): world war 2, japanese, japan, california,

Renaissance Pleasure Faire Costuming

— Renaissance Entertainment Productions

8-11 0 favorites 0 promising practices http://www.renfaire.com/Costume/index.html Last updated: Fri, 08/27/2021 - 11:49 share

How It Works

If you are teaching anything related to the Renaissance time period, this is a nifty site for studying costuming of the period. It gives detailed information on the materials, colors, and types of clothing worn in the Elizabethan era.

In the Classroom

Whether working in theatre, art, or family & consumer science, this site works as a resource and a template for students to create authentic costuming. Using what is described; students can create their own designs of costumes for peasants through noblemen from headwear to footwear. There is a glossary of terms for proper identification. Students might want to design the clothing for Hamlet or Romeo & Juliet, using the language and information given on this site.

Technology Heads-up!
  • Find interactive ABC's, colors, etc.
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Tag(s): renaissance, renaissance,
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