Shawn Lees-Carr
Instructional Elective (1 of 4)
Lesson Plans
SLM 521
Why Reinvent the Wheel?
The following websites contain
ideas, resources and lessons that can be used by secondary English teachers
looking for inspiration on Sunday nights.
HINT: You may want to set up your
own delicious account to create a handy reference list anywhere! http://delicious.com/
Web
English Teacher
http://www.webenglishteacher.com/index.html
A plethora of categories is
represented on this site. Resources for teaching the English curriculum, from
web quests to puzzles to lesson plans. Built by a teacher for
teachers.
Accessed: June 17, 2009
University of Michigan Debate Topics
http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/hsdebate.html
High school debate topics: each
topic contains a possible question, links to many
different informational documents, organizations, etc. all connected to topic.
A nice all-in-one package that could help promote
differentiation within the class.
Accessed: June 17, 2009
Write Space Resources
http://sitemaker.umich.edu/slwynn/english_language_and_composition_ap_resources
This goes right to the AP literature
site, but on the left is a great menu of other resources. Each page contains a
great list of links to resources related to the topic. The AP page has links to
sample questions, teacher syllabi, reading guides, etc. Seeing what AP teachers
expected helped me increase my rigor.
Accessed June 17, 2009
ReadWriteThink
http://www.readwritethink.org/index.asp
Like the site says, it contains many
different ideas, resources, organizers, units, etc. related to reading, writing
and thinking. Sponsored by the International Reading
Association and the National Council of Teachers of English. Use the
grand band search tool to find age-appropriate lessons.
Accessed: June 17, 2009
New York Times Learning Network
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/index.html
The New York Times ( please don’t go under!) contains many relevant, real
lesson plans that incorporate newspaper articles, photographs, graphs, etc.
Each lesson contains the resources or links to resources. Side menu also
contains vocabulary of the day, test prep question of the day, etc.
Accessed June 17, 2009
Education World
http://www.education-world.com/
Education World is like a mall of
educational resources. It contains topics about everything. Although there is
breathe in information, there is not the depth. You may just find a little
about what you are looking for. Not always best for true secondary lessons, but
there are many tools, puzzles, activities, etc. Best to go in
the Subject area to look for ideas.
Accessed June 17, 2009
TeAchnology
TeAchnology has many free resources, from lesson plans to rubric
makers. Some of the higher-end products require a membership, but there is
still a lot of play around with in the free section. You just have to look
around a bit. Lessons are submitted by other teachers.
Accessed June 17, 2009
EdSITEment
http://edsitement.neh.gov/tab_lesson.asp?subjectArea=4
National Endowment for the Arts
sponsors this site, which contains connections to many different content areas,
which can helpful for building integration lessons. Use the different search
tools to narrow down age range, topics, etc. Limited search
categories. For example, writing is basically lumped under “essay.”
Accessed: June 17, 2009
National Geographic
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/g912.html
National Geographic xpeditions (and the entire National G site) can be useful
for studying about setting and its impact on people. Pictures, maps, timelines,
etc. help expand resources beyond the traditional print media. Could also
provide writing ideas, and information for persuasive
units.
Accessed: June 17, 2009
Digital Storytelling and Reforming Powerpoint
http://informationfluency.wikispaces.com/Digital+Storytelling+and+Reforming+PowerPoint?f=print
When bad things happen to
presentations. Funny examples
and presentations about how not to do boring presentations. Very good addition for students who insist that their power point
won’t be boring.