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Graphic Organizers - This site allows you to print twelve different graphic organizers.  Many are very familiar, but there are a few new ones.

Departments of Education - This site contains links to the Departments of Education in all fifty states and District of Columbia.

Schoolhouse - Encarta lesson plans for all subject areas along with links to other education sites. Also includes an online challenge game by Encarta.

Education World - Has links to all curriculum areas. Also has lesson plans and information on whatever current holiday is around the corner.

Teacher.Net - This site includes many educational links, including lesson plans, catalogs, new software and many more.

Quia - This site allows you to construct online tests and quizzes.

Teacher Tools - This is a good site for various resources.  Included are: forms and letters, lesson plans, curriculum sites, freebies, and many more.

Mighty Good Mentors - Make the most of mentors whether you're a student teacher, an educator in need of new ideas, or just want to share your best practices.  Also include "TeacherTalk" forum to pick up and share lesson plans, manangement techniques, and standards-based ideas.

www.edhelper.com - worksheets on just about every subject

www.eduplace.com - excellent – graphic organizers, outline maps, etc

www.themoonlitroad.com - scary stories, mysteries

www.mysterynet.com - mysteries online

www.rubistar.com - create your rubrics here

www.teachnet.com/ho-to/décor/bboards/index.html - bulletin board ideas

www.teachnet.com

www.teachingindeas.co.uk - time fillers, games

http://phrases.shu.ac.ok/index.html - good ideas for “bell ringers”, etc.

http://www.chompchomp.com/menu.htm - interactive grammar

The New Comprehension Curriculum - This is the state department's site with information to the GLE's
 

                                                                    

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Center for Research on English Learning and Achievement -- A wealth of research on effective strategies to teach reading and writing to all middle grades students. CELA is based at SUNY-Albany. The complete texts of most reports are available on-line. Explore!

ASK ERIC Language Arts Lesson Plans - Lots of well-documented lessons.

Lesson Ideas in Language Arts -- A grab bag of ideas

Language Arts for Middle Schoolers -- Lots of language arts teaching ideas gathered by a Michigan middle grades teacher.
A Year of 7th Grade English -- The opening paragraph describes what you'll find at *A Year of Teaching 7th Grade English*: "As we begin to explore Holly Handlin's teaching practices, it is important to first think about Holly herself and her ideas on teaching and learning. Then we look at the learning and teaching environment she has created for her students and herself. Explore Handlin's room, hear what her students had to say, and find out why Holly designed it the way she did ... Then see how Handlin set up the year and then go to work with her students!" The page will lead you to Handlin's "World Fair" project where students create an imaginary world and participate in a judged demonstration of their work (the site even includes the judge's scoring guide).

Jack Whitehead's Action Research page -- English education professor shares action research projects of his graduate students. Includes a handbook for student teachers and others who are just beginning to experiment with action research methods.

EdHelper - 

Carol Hurst's Children's Literature Site -- A treasure trove of reviews, curriculum ideas, and activities. Reviews are organized by title, author, type of book, and grade level. Some featured books get "the full treatment" -- discussion points, activities, and related books and websites.

"Whole Language is a philosophy, not an instructional method"-- A college professor asks why we can't all be reasonable about phonics, whole language, and reading instruction. Also see "The Reading Wars."

ERIC Clearinghouse  -- The ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading, English, and Communication has many resources for language arts teachers.

My Reference Desk -- A site designed to link you to a world of reference books and documents.

Teachers Talking About Science Fiction - An e-mail discussion among middle school teachers about ways to use science fiction in English and science classes.

Create Your Own Newspaper - Kids can write and produce a newspaper on their own. Selected by Electronic Learning magazine as a Top 10 site in 1996.

American Verse Project - Searchable archive of pre-1920 American poetry.

Academy of American Poets - English teachers can direct students to this major poetry site sponsored by the where students can listen to poems read by their authors and browse historic and thematic exhibits.
Authors  - Resources on many American and international authors.

Aesop's Fables Online Exhibit -- Aesop's Fables have been online as e-texts for quite a while , but the clean and quick interface of this exhibit make it highly usable. Browse through the 638 fables, conduct a word search or view a Java timeline panorama if you have Java in your browser. Blue Web'n suggests using the site as a support for looking at key themes. "Teachers could use the site to enhance discussions on literary themes, and students could access appropriate fables as introductions to essays."

Encyclopeida Mythica -- Delve into more than a dozen world mythologies at this excellent, easy-to-use site.

Vocabulary University -- Students can earn a "vocabulary degree" at this site which uses puzzles to expand word knowledge and prepare for the GED, SSAT, SAT and ACT. Self-paced.

The Complete Works of Shakespeare -- A comprehensive resource for English teachers, students, and fans of the Bard. Includes a discussion area, listings of Internet resources, play listings, etc.

CyberGuides -- These teacher-developed CyberGuides are "supplementary units of instruction based on core works of literature, designed for students to use the World Wide Web." Each guide contains a student and teacher edition, objectives, a task, a Web-infused process, and an evaluation rubric. Most guides have students create a product after thay have reviewed Web resources.

The Children's Literature Web Guide -- A very useful starting point for those looking for more information about best books lists, authors' websites, and reviews of what's on the Internet related to children's literature (including the middle years).


Electronic Books and Manuscripts

Samizdat -- Information on the latest on-line books in the public domain.

Gutenberg Project -- This repository of copyright-free material plans to have 10,000 texts on the Internet by 2001. Collection includes complete texts of ancient and modern writings.

Project Bartleby -- This Columbia University project scrupulously checks and edits each book it places on the Web. Focus on literary works, e.g. W.E.B. DuBois' The Souls of Black Folk; Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass.

Bibliomania -- British site has full text of over 40 classic novels.

The On-line Books Page -- Searchable list of over 3,000 English language texts on the Internet.

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Visit MiddleWeb's Reading Workshop Project

And see the reading discussions at the MiddleWeb Listserv


Teaching Struggling Middle School Readers -- "Teaching Readers Who Struggle: A Pragmatic Middle School Framework" by Gwynne Ellen Ash suggests a practical framework for reading instruction focused on the needs of learners aged 11 to 14. Five practices -- daily oral or shared reading, guided reading in flexible groups, word study, self-selected extended reading and writing, and explicit comprehension strategy instruction -- form the basis of the framework. Based on research with middle school teachers, and a synthesis of successful tutoring programs and critical literacy theories. (From the International Reading Association's "Reading Online" collection, March 2002)

A Page Full of Reading Lesson Plans -- Submitted by teachers to the Teachers.Net website.

Read-Aloud Ideas for the Middle Grades -- Will middle schoolers sit still for teacher read-alouds? Novels or picture books? What strategies do teachers use to make this a fun and enriching experience? Which books do students like best? The MiddleWeb Listserv's veteran read-aloud'ers share tips with each other and with you, and we include links to favorite books and resources.

Getting started with Literature Circles  -- This resource provides a lots of information for teachers who are just getting started with literature circles or want to refine them. Developed by the co-author of "Getting Started with Literature Circles" and related books. Includes ideas for the middle grades. Also see this posting about literature circles at the Teacher's Desk, in which a teacher describes the basics of literature circles, which has small groups of students reading a book together and following a structured discussion format.

Indigenous People's Literature -- A compilation of writings and information about indigenous peoples from around the world. The collection includes legends, poetry, quotes, biographies, important documents, and much more. This is an extensive site that will take a while to go through. The majority of the collection is on indigenous peoples of North America and includes a lot of information about the peoples of Mexico and Canada. Be sure to check out biographies of Great Leaders, the Famous Documents, Stories, Famous Quotes, Poetry, and Writers and Speakers sections of the site. (Education World A+ site)

Aaron Shepard's Storytelling Page -- This literature site is targeted at people interested in the art of storytelling. Aaron Shepard, a well-known children's author, offers online versions of his picture books adapted for storytelling. He also has an informative section for storytellers, including beginner's tips, articles, and a bibliography of story collections. (Education World review)

The Moonlit Road -- Take a walk down The Moonlit Road if you want to read or listen to interesting folktales presented at a state-of-the-art Website. Begins with compelling stories of the American South, then adds RealAudio versions read by celebrated stoytellers and appealing graphics. Good example of how artistically presented sites can also be user-friendly and quick-loading. (from Blue Web'n review.)

African American Women Writers of the 19th Century -- An online collection of 52 full-text works. Users can browse the books by author, title, or literature type (fiction, poetry, biography and autobiography, and essays). Each work is (unfortunately) presented in a rather cramped frame, navigated with a table of contents on the left side. The site also includes a helpful introductory essay,technical notes, a discussion of editorial methods, a citation list, and an internal search engine. (Web Scout review)

Kids Love a Mystery -- Developed in cooperation with the Mystery Writers of America, this site includes mysteries for kids, lesson plans for teachers, and a discussion of Bloom's Taxonomy for skeptics.

The Reading Wars -- A page of resources at MiddleWeb.


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Using Rubrics in Middle Grades Writing
In "The Effects of Instructional Rubrics on Learning to Write," researcher Heidi Goodrich Andrade applies her considerable expertise in the areas of assessment and rubric development to examine the impact of instructional rubrics on eighth grade students' writing and on their knowledge of the qualities of effective writing. Includes seven different writing rubrics and examples of student work. (Current Issues in Education: Vol. 4, No. 4, 2001)

English Online Writer's Window -- Writers up to age seventeen are encouraged "to share their work and help each other improve their writing." Published works are categorized by age range and genre. Categories include short stories, poetry, research papers, book reviews, television reviews and movie reviews. There are also five continuous stories students can add to. (Blue Web'n review.)

Stone Soup -- Excellent 25-year old magazine written and illustrated by kids 8-13.

KidPub -- Allows kids to read and publish stories. More than 25,000 stories from all over the world. Schools can establish writing projects. Be sure to read the "frequently asked questions" page. No age limits are stated, but most stories are submitted by students in grades K-8. This is a free service, offered by a computer programmer and his two daughters.

Research Paper -- The "Research Paper" site offers "topics, ideas, and assistance for school related research projects," including an "idea directory" divided into subject areas. This is not one of those sites that supplies pre-written term papers. Aso see the excellent handouts created by the Purdue University OWL (Online Writing Lab).

"The Neverending Tale" --A free choose-your-own-path writing medium that can be used for both creative and expository writing. All you need is an Internet connection and a Web browser to join in. Supported by a U.S. Department of Education grant.

World Wide Words -- A rich resource for lovers of words. You can find out past history of common words, catch the latest creations used in the press, or check usage. Teachers might use as a resource for getting students to see the changing nature of the words around them.

The Biography Maker -- How do you write a good biography? These online lessons explain what a biography should be and walk student writers through questioning, learning, synthesis, and story-telling. Includes embedded links to relevant Internet resources and tips for effective writing.

Exemplary Writing Lessons -- You'll find several exemplary lessons in this list of language arts activities at the ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading, English, and Communication.

"Ideas about Teaching Writing" -- From a writer and a teacher of writing -- Holly Holland, an editor for the National Middle School Association, and Corrie Rosetti, a language arts teacher in Clarkston, WA answer a parent's question about writing.
 

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