ELA RESOURCES

Reading 2.0- Free e-books online, booktalks online, series and sequels, reading suggestions, and many other web based reading resources. Scroll down the central column to see and access the page links. 
Alternatives to traditional book reports
  1. Tools for creating book trailers, literature maps, multimedia collages
  2. More ideas from our Summer Reading website
  3. Create a fake Facebook page for a character with:
ReadWriteThinkLots of free interactive tools here for use in literacy instruction.  The only drawback is that the results can't be saved, so students have to finish in one session. (For some of the the graphic organizers you might do better using Inspiration, which we have on the school computers.  See the many curriculum-related Inspiration templates under File - Open template.)Try BoomWriter - it's free!
  1. The teacher selects or produces his or her own story start, and the students let their imagination and writing skills take over.
  2. One chapter at a time, the students write, read, and then vote on the submissions they like the most. The winning chapter is then added to the story and the process continues.
  3. The teacher determines the total number of chapters to be completed, and when the competition is over a new book is ready to be published.
Word Tamer - another interactive writing toolWord Tamer is a neat site for learning the process of developing characters, settings, and plots in creative writing. Word Tamer is set up as an interactive journey through a carnival of literary devices. As students move through the carnival they develop characters, develop a setting, and develop a plot for their stories. At each stop in the Word Tamer carnival students can print out the words they have written. Along the way there are videos to help students understand the roles of characters, settings, and plot development in crafting a good story.
From the Free Technology for Teachers Blog