As a Developmental Writing Instructor at Gateway, I often find myself struggling to find age appropriate materials to use with my students. Too often I find materials with the skill level appropriate language is accompanied with “kiddie” pictures and exercise topics.
Fortunately, WebEnglish Teacher has an array of resources that are not necessarily “kiddie” oriented. Especially when dealing with writing prompts, sample essays and grammar explanations. The materials truly span K – 16.
I also like how there is an entire section devoted as “just for fun”. This section provides English games, activities and writing prompts to emotionally engage the learner and allow him or her to look past the “ugh, I have to WRITE?” whine that we deal with on a regular basis.
The last section of the website is Professional Resources. This section brings all the best online resources to you in one easily searchable area. It also helps you with classroom management, dealing with parents, and support groups.
I know that I will many of these resources. One section of the resource has pooled some of the more thought provoking videos that exist on Youtube, Teachertube, etc. I had already been toying with the idea of using Youtube videos as my “journal” prompts in class. This resource will help me cut out hours of my own searching to find the best ones.
Overall, I am very happy with the resource and I plan to share it with others at Gateway.
Hello! I love how you are giving your students a chance to correct their paragraphs before turning them in. I think students always put more effort into assignments when they have a change to go back and fix their mistakes. I planned writing last year for my first grade team. We used the writing workshop format. My 6 year olds were writing whole pages on a daily basis when they exited first grade. It was great!
ReplyDeleteI really like that you plan to use YouTube as your journal prompts. It certainly is a different spin than just a prompt written on a board. Watching a video clip and reflecting will be much more engaging. Utilizing a resource that has the thought provoking videos listed will definitely benefit you while planning and implementing your lessons.
ReplyDeleteGlenn Gray wrote...
ReplyDeleteI like the flashy, quick display of stats. This would definitey catch the attention of my students. One thing I would caution students about is that not all stats are correct and to make sure the stats are supported by accredited resources.