Search Database

By Subject Area: Language Arts

Jump to:

  • Organizations: Competitions

    Meridian Stories
    Meridian Stories is a Maine-based non-profit founded in 2011. Every year, Meridian Stories offers 20 digital storytelling competitions in Language Arts, Mathematics, Science and History for teams of students in middle and high schools. Schools register for the program by paying an annual subscription rate that provides access to all 20 challenges and the capacity to compete with other schools in the Meridian community. Teams work collaboratively over a three to four week period to complete their media production and upload them to the Meridian site. While Meridian Stories is designed for use by the whole school, the local programs for the Gifted and Talented community of students have been its biggest advocates.
    National Storytelling Festival
    Events surrounding the National Storytelling Festival include the "Stories Work" workshop series, the "National Story Night" annual benefit concert to support the NSN Grants Program, and the Storytelling Festival, produced by the International Storytelling Center.
    North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad (NACLO)
    The North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad (NACLO) is a contest in which high-school students solve linguistic puzzles. In solving the problems, students learn about the diversity and consistency of language, while exercising logic skills. No prior knowledge of linguistics or second languages is necessary. Professionals in linguistics, computational linguistics and language technologies use dozens of languages to create engaging problems that represent cutting edge issues in their fields. The competition has attracted top students to study and work in those same fields. This high school olympiad in linguistics and computational linguistics leads up to the International Linguistics Olympiad (ILO).

  • Organizations: International

    Diverbo
    Diverbo Pueblo Ingles Teens allows students between the ages of 13 and 17 to teach English in Spain. There is no cost for teens to attend, other than the cost of travel to the location.
    The Lukeion Project
    The Lukeion Project specializes in the Classical world offering college-preparatory courses in Classical Latin, Classical Greek, Classical Literature in translation, Greek & Roman History, Mythology, Word Roots, English Grammar and Classical Archaeology to learners around the globe through live, online classes (these are not recordings, chat rooms, or do-it-yourself distance learning).

  • Organizations: Local

    Okasan and Me Inc.
    This organization offers a Gifted and Talented Children's Program that is in alignment with state standards in San Jose, Los Angeles and Honolulu. While knowledge of the Japanese language is not necessary for the program, Japanese terminology is incorporated into computerized RobotoTRONICS where children use their imagination to create computerized action robots. The program addresses the creative and emotional well being of the gifted child, providing a supportive network for parents.

  • Organizations: National

    Davidson Fellows Scholarships
    The Davidson Fellows scholarship program recognizes outstanding achievements of profoundly gifted young people who have developed their talents by contributing a significant piece of work in one of these submission areas: Mathematics, Science, Technology, Music, Literature, Philosophy or Outside the Box. For eligibility and deadline information, please visit the Davidson Fellows website.
    NaNoWriMo's Young Writers Program
    National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is a writing event that happens every November where the challenge is to complete an entire novel in just 30 days. Participants begin writing November 1 and finish by November 30. The Young Writers Program (YWP) allows 17-and-under participants to set reasonable, yet challenging, individual word-count goals.
    University of Minnesota - Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquistition (CARLA), (Minneapolis, MN)
    CARLA offers lessons and classroom tasks for teachers of French, German and Spanish. A virtual assessment center helps teachers develop proficiency-oriented instruction and performance measures. Their database tells where (in North America) students may study less commonly taught languages.
    Youth Communication
    This organization provides teenagers a communication outlet for addressing important issues in their lives. It helps them develop their reading, writing, thinking, and reflection skills by: training teens in journalism, publishing a number of teen-written publications and providing a public forum. There are a number of resources for educators related to reading and writing, and many of the articles are gifted-related.
    Youth Speaks
    Youth Speaks is one of the top youth poetry, spoken word and creative writing programs in the country. It provides teens an excellent opportunity to share and compare their writing; some of their events include poetry slams, festivals and reading slams. Other features include a free after-school workshop, press resources, and a merchandise section. An underlying mission of Youth Speaks is to give teens the tools they need to apply their voices in creating social change.

  • Printed Materials: Books

    A Teacher's Guide to Using the Common Core State Standards With Gifted and Advanced Learners in the English/Language Arts
    Written by authors Claire E. Hughes-Lynch, Todd Kettler Ph.D., Elizabeth Shaunessy-Dedrick Ph.D., Joyce VanTassel-Baska Ed.D., this book provides teachers and administrators a blueprint for differentiating the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for English Language Arts for gifted and advanced students through the use of acceleration, depth, complexity, and creativity within and across grade levels. It illustrates the differences between learning experiences for typical and advanced students based on the same standard and provides an array of examples across five of the information text and literary text standards while integrating the other aspects of language arts teaching and learning. The book highlights implementation features, such as classroom management and assessment of student work, that allow teachers to make data-based decisions about instruction for particular students. It also offers guidance to teachers on reading selections for advanced learners at all grade levels.
    Bob Books!
    The Bob Books are tiny sets of 4" x 5" books, perfect for little fingers. The series builds early reading skills incrementally starting with the beginning phonics sounds and uses a logical, structured method that has children reading right away. Part of the draw of these books is that young children can say they read the "whole book," thus increasing confidence. Clever and engaging black and white line illustrations are used (a child might even enjoy coloring them). The clever and humorous drawings help maintain attention.
    Building Thinking Skills Book 1: Critical Thinking Skills for Reading, Writing, Math, and Science
    This workbook contains activities in verbal and figural similarities, and differences, sequences, classifications, and analogies. Skills addressed include reading comprehension; describing shapes, things, and words; following directions; antonyms and synonyms; several types of analogy; deductive reasoning; parts of a whole; mapping and directionality; logical connectives; spelling and vocabulary; overlapping classes; pattern folding; tracking, rotation, and reflection; mental manipulation of two-dimensional objects.
    Challenging Units for Gifted Learners: Teaching the Way Gifted Students Think - Language Arts
    This book is part of the "Challenging Units for Gifted Students" series designed to help teachers provide the stimulating curricula that will nurture this potential in school. This book includes units that ask students to develop strong personalities for their main characters while writing mysteries, to study Freud's psychoanalytic theory and then analyze a classic novel using what they've learned, to focus on writing from a specific point of view, and to increase their appreciation for poetry by studying famous poets.
    Cryptography: The Science of Secret Writing
    This book focuses on encrypting and deciphering texts and includes several methods of cryptography, such as transcription, substitution, transposition, and lots more. Historical events are included for these purposes along with codes that were really used.
    Descriptive Mysteries: Critical Thinking Activities to Improve Writing Skills
    This is a workbook to improve writing and communication skills. Builds skills in descriptive vocabulary, directionality, compare and contrast, classification, organization, similarities and differences.
    Differentiated Instruction for the Middle School Language Arts Teacher: Activities and Strategies for an Inclusive Classroom
    Written by Joan D'Amico and Kate Gallaway, this book offers teachers strategies on how to design and deliver instruction, measure success and get students to work together. Features ready to use language arts activitites that are tied to core curriculum standards.
    Differentiating Instruction With Menus for the Inclusive Classroom: Language Arts
    This book provides numerous types of leveled menus that lower and on-level elementary-aged students can use to demonstrate learning through a method of their choice. Menus with similar formats but geared towards varying ability levels allow teachers to differentiate easily.
    Engaging Readers & Writers with Inquiry: Promoting Deep Understandings in Language Arts and the Content Areas with Guiding Questions
    Jeffrey Wilhelm helps educators implement inquiry in the classroom with this book which leads teachers in using research-based techniques to meet mandated content-area standards while engaging students in productive, meaningful learning experiences.
    English from the Roots Up (Book Series)
    By Joegil K. Lundquist, the English from the Roots Up book series explores a simple, multi-sensory teaching system for the etymologies of the English language, focusing on Greek and Latin roots. Much of the program uses colored, bordered cards, which may either be made by the student or teacher, or purchased separately for use with the program. All teaching tips are included for instruction in 63 Latin root words and 37 Greek root words. The word roots can be mixed and matched to make new words.
    Everyday Words from Classic Origins: A Language Activity Workbook
    This workbook is great for homeschoolers. It helps students master the Latin and Greek roots by providing sequenced activities, practice sets and reviews. A separate response key is also provided. It has over 275 word bases, including the variations. For example, FAC (FIC), FACT (FECT) (FY) all mean "to do, to make." Each lesson has five sections: "Touching Base", "Branching Out", "Words in Progress", "Words in Action" and "Word of Interest". After every 3 lessons, there are review activities and practice sets. There is also a list of Latin and Greek prefixes and suffixes in the back of the workbook.
    Everything You Need To Know (Book Series)
    Written by Anne Zeman and Kate Kelly, this book series includes titles such as Everything You Need To Know about American History; about World History; about Geography; about Math Homework; about English; and many more.
    Falling into Theory: Conflicting Views on Reading Literature
    This textbook discusses the three major questions: why we read, what we read, and how we interpret. The author lays out the major debates currently taking place within English departments and selections including: new historicism, feminism and gender studies, reader-response criticism, ethical criticism, and postcolonial and cultural studies.
    Five in a Row
    The three volumes of the Five in a Row curriculum provide 55 lesson plans covering social studies, language, art, applied math and science. Designed for a homeschool setting, these lessons would also be appropriate in a conventional school. Although the original Five in a Row was designed for children ages 4 to 8, families of profoundly gifted children will find these guides more appropriate for the preschool years. The accompanying Five in a Row website offers sample lessons, an online newsletter, and curriculum user discussion boards.
    Handle Associates Writing Skills Workbook
    Designed by an educator who has taught grammar and writing from middle school through the first year of college, this workbook emphasizes practice. It contains six separate topics: parts of speech, sentence structure, word usage, case, agreement, and style. Each page presents a brief lesson followed by related exercises. It has been widely field-tested as practical and effective.
    If You're Trying to Teach Kids How to Write . . . You've Gotta Have This Book!
    This book by Majorie Frank is a resource writing book for teachers, or homeschool parents, etc. who are trying to teach children how to write. It contains activities to inspire young writers to write, revise and edit. There are many ideas on assessing student growth.
    Improse: Activites That Promote Creativity, "Gooder Grammar" and Better Punctuation
    Make grammar fun by using this book from Brad Newton. Thirty creative, improvisational activities are included to help kids learn grammar, punctuation, critical thinking and problem solving. Children in grades 2-10 will enjoy Newton's approach for developing foundational language skills.
    It's Greek to Me! Brush Up Your Classics
    Collection of word origins and an entertaining primer on classical times. This book contains English idioms and maxims, and their origins from classical history, literature, philosophy and drama. Begins with Homer and ends with 2nd century A.D.
    Language Arts for Gifted Students
    This collection of articles from Gifted Child Today (compiled by Susan K. Johnsen and James Kendrick) were selected specifically for the teacher who is searching for ways to serve students who are gifted in English/language arts.
    Learn-To-Read Treasure Hunts: 50 Skill-Building Games for Beginning Readers and Their Parents
    Imagine a treasure hunt that encourages your kids to start reading. From the author of Games for Reading, this book is a learning aid for beginning readers and their parents. Featuring 50 treasure hunt games, this book provides weeks of family fun, and enables busy parents to help their kids become better readers. As kids sharpen their reading skills, the treasure hunts become progressively more difficult.
    Life of Fred book series
    This is a series of math and language arts books in which each text is written in the style of a novel with a humorous story line. Each section tells part of the life of Fred Gauss and how, in the course of his life, he encounters the need for math and language arts. Written by Dr. Stanley Schmidt with the intent to make the subjects come alive, the series covers grade levels beginning in Kindergarten and expanding all the way to college-level material.
    McGuffey's Eclectic Primer, Revised Edition
    A reprint of the nineteenth century classic reading primer. Still by far the best self study book for new readers. The use of pictures and review sections reinforce the learning and make it easy for kids to progress.
    Michael Clay Thompson (MCT) Language Arts Book Series
    Books about grammar, vocabulary, writing, poetics, practice and literature by Michael Clay Thompson can be found on the Royal Fireworks Press website. These exciting and demanding books are phenomenally successful, both as stand-alones and as part of a longer-term, progressive English language arts curriculum. Student books and teacher manuals are available for each strand of the curriculum, and there are some special home edition or parent manuals.
    Nitty-Gritty Grammar, A Not-So-Serious Guide to Clear Communication
    This book is written by two women obsessed with grammatical errors. The book covers just about every imaginable error that could happen in grammar in a funny, lighthearted manner. The authors even compare punctuation marks to traffic signals (a period is a stop sign, a comma a flashing yellow light). The books crowning glory is the nearly 30 cartoons on the subject of grammar that are sure to delight anyone while at the same time learning grammar rules.
    Passport to Learn: Projects to Challenge High-Potential Learners
    Designed for gifted students in grades 4-8 as an around-the-world adventure, the activities in this book by Jacqueline Melin emphasize creativity, problem solving, inquiry, and critical thinking in the fields of math, language arts, leadership skills, social studies, and science. Projects include writing a fairy tale using jargon and cliches, studying and composing wartime songs, designing a Martian space colony, and inventing secret codes using binary, octal, and hexadecimal systems. Bonus miles are logged as each project is completed, encouraging self-directed students to focus and develop their independent study skills.
    Poetry for Young People Series - Multiple Authors
    This series is meant to introduce young people to great poets like Whitman, Poe, Kipling, Shakespeare, Browning and Dickinson. Each book has about 25 poems or excerpts, vividly illustrated, with annotations to explain certain terminology, as well as the historic context. The rhythms and rhymes are meant to spark the imagination of children, and make an inviting portal into great poetry.
    Quotation Quizzlers: Puzzling Your Way Through Famous Quotations
    For ages 9-12, this book will make you feel like you've stepped into the mind of someone famous (and have fun) while using deductive reasoning to solve unique and challenging puzzles. Fifty Quizzlers pit right brain against left brain in a struggle to decipher famous (and not so famous) quotations. In addition to the 50 Quizzlers, this book contains biographies of all the figures quoted. Explore the motivating thoughts of some of the world’s most inspired minds.
    Reading Strands
    This book by Dave Marks provides parents and educators ideas for discussing fiction with their children. The goal of this book is to help parents teach their children to enjoy reading.
    Reflect and Write: 300 Poems and Photographs to Inspire Writing
    This book combines dynamic images with original poems written by students at the junior and senior high school levels, teachers, and other writers nationwide. Additionally, each page contains keywords, as well as popular quotations by well-known authors, designed to inspire critical thinking. This book encourages students to read, relate to, and respond to modern verse and inspiring photographs both verbally and in writing.
    Richard Lederer's Verbivore
    Richard Lederer, the Verbivore, is the author of more than 30 books about language, history, and humor, including his best-selling Anguished English series. Dr. Lederer's syndicated column, "Looking at Language," appears in newspapers and magazines throughout the United States. He has been named International Punster of the Year and Toastmasters International's Golden Gavel winner.
    Seize the Story: A Handbook for Teens Who Like to Write
    In Seize the Story: A Handbook for Teens Who Like to Write, Victoria Hanley, award-winning author of young adult fiction, spills the secrets for bringing action, adventure, humor, and drama to stories. All of the elements of fiction, from creating believable dialogue to exciting plots, are laid out clearly and illustrated with examples taken straight from story excerpts by excellent writers. The book is packed with writing exercises designed to encourage teens to tell the stories that are theirs alone.
    Shakespeare Can Be Fun, Book Series
    Lois Burdett transforms Shakespeare's complex verse into a format readily understood by children. There are wonderful drawings and anecdotes created by her Grade 2 and 3 students in Stratford, Ontario where she has taught Shakespeare for over two decades. Series includes: A Child's Portrait of Shakespeare; Macbeth: For Kids; Romeo and Juliet: For Kids; The Tempest: For Kids; Twelfth Night: For Kids; and, A Midsummer Night's dream: For Kids.
    Simply Grammar
    This book by Karen Andreola features an oral approach to teaching the basics of English grammar. This approach is particularly attractive to families homeschooling gifted children, since gifted children often have an aversion to written drill and practice activities. While the books are designed for students in the 4th through 8th grades, the grammar program can be conducted with children of a variety of age levels at once; students may accelerate in the program as fast as they are able to master the material.
    Some of My Best Friends Are Books: Guiding Gifted Readers from Pre-School to High School
    This book by Judith Wynn Halsted, M.S. offers a list of recommended books for gifted students from preschool through high school. The author describes how to use books as bibliotherapy to provide support, guidance, and insight. This is an in valuable resource for parents looking for books to recommend to gifted readers not only to enjoy, but also to gain perspective on themselves and others. Click here to read a review of this book.
    The Mother Tongue: English and How it Got That Way
    This book mines the rich ore of English. It covers the history of English, origins of rules of grammar, and vagaries of the language. There are chapters on spelling and Americanisms, wordplay, pronunciation, word origins, names, usage and dialects.
    Using the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts With Gifted and Advanced Learners
    This book provides teachers and administrators examples and strategies to implement the new Common Core State Standards (CCSS) with advanced learners at all stages of development in K–12 schools. The book describes—and demonstrates with specific examples from the CCSS—what effective differentiated activities in English language arts look like for top learners.
    VerbalAdvantage (Student Edition)
    The Verbal Advantage Student Edition was specifically developed to help junior high and high school students and is also great for adults who are well on their way to learning English as a second language. There are 16 lessons, two per audio unit, which introduce new vocabulary words using fun, dramatized stories, typical English paragraphs, and unique "top twenty" word categories.
    Vocabulary from Classical Roots
    This is a workbook series offering five levels of vocabulary studies. The publisher describes the layout: "Lessons begin with a Latin phrase frequently used in English and contain 11-15 words, plus: phonetic pronunciation; parts of speech and multiple definitions; illustrative sentences with culturally varied literary, historical, or geographical references; derivations of words; related forms of the same word; familiar words based on the same root; challenge words based on the same root; pictorial illustrations of varying style and mood, including humor; exercises on synonyms, antonyms, analogies, sentence completions, and usage; vocabulary in context in paragraph form."
    Vocabulary Ladders: Climbing Toward Language Skills Success
    A valuable resource for students, this book by Philip Steinbacher, helps students learn to love vocabulary lessons. Students are taught to recognize, define, comprehend and use these words in their everyday lives.
    What's Your Opinion?: An Interactive Discovery-Based Language Arts Unit for High-Ability Learners
    This book, What's Your Opinion?: An Interactive Discovery-Based Language Arts Unit for High-Ability Learners, uses debate to extend students' abilities to analyze and interpret informational texts, strengthen students' reading strategies and fluency, and help students develop persuasive speaking and writing skills.
    Winston Grammar Kit and Workbooks
    This multi-sensory grammar teaching program provides full instruction in the fundamentals of English grammar for the elementary and early middle school grade levels. Particularly recommended for twice-exceptional gifted children, especially those with dyslexia and other language learning disabilities. Advanced Winston Grammar kit is available for the junior high and high school grades.
    Word Roots
    Word Roots are workbooks for ages 8 through adulthood. By teaching students to recognize the prefixes, roots, and suffixes that can reveal a word's meaning, students expand their vocabulary, as well as their comprehension and spelling skills. Wonderful for warm-ups or word-of-the-day exercises, each activity introduces Greek or Latin roots, then builds understanding with English counterparts.
    Wordly Wise (Book Series)
    These books teach vocabulary by giving students words to read in context, to write in sentences, and to recognize their meaning in exercises.
    More than 3,000 different vocabulary words are introduced and taught in a series of nine books of increasing difficulties. Words are drawn from literature, textbooks, and SAT-I vocabulary lists.
    Words Their Way: Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary, and Spelling Instruction
    This is a comprehensive curriculum guide for developmental word study. This phenomenon in word study has always been extremely popular for its developmental approach and hands-on methods for teaching children phonics, vocabulary, and spelling skills. The revision offers a new laser sharp focus on assessment, organization for word study, research, and teacher-friendly word sorts and games.
    Working With Gifted English Language Learners (The Practical Strategies Series in Gifted Education)
    Author Michael S. Matthews, Ph.D. introduces educators to the complexities and challenges of providing appropriate educational experiences for gifted English Language Learners. This unique, comprehensive book guides educators toward identifying gifted students in this population, including a look at nonverbal and Spanish-language testing, and gives advice for integrating these students into any gifted program.
    Writing Fabulous Sentences and Paragraphs
    This workbook helps elementary age writers refine their sentence and paragraph writing. It contains reproducible pages, which provide practice in the basic components of writing including excercises to help students write more complex sentences, use figurative language, organize writing and thoughts, and more.

  • Schools & Programs: College Affiliated

    Gifted & Talented Education (GATE), The Honors College at Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI)
    The various Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) programs offered through Michigan State University (MSU) are dedicated to promoting differentiated educational programs for students in grades 7-12. Mathematics Science and Technology (MST) is a two-week residential program for academically talented students. CHAMP is a regional program for students highly gifted in mathematics. ISHALL is an accelerated, intensive two-year course in literature and language designed to meet the curricular goals and merit standards of high school English, grades 7-10, in two years. Plus, there is also a dual enrollment program, a Michigan-Shiga Exchange program, a CSI Forensic Science program and several others listed on the website.

  • Schools & Programs: Independent

    Athena's Advanced Academy
    Athena's Advanced Academy offers a wide variety of fast-paced, exciting online classes for a community of gifted students learning at elementary through lower high school levels. Parents have the freedom to place their children into appropriate classes defined by abilities, not ages. Athena’s provides live webinars for most classes, moderated discussion boards, and activities promoting online peer interaction.
    St. John's College (Annapolis, MD/Santa Fe, NM)
    St. John's College is a private, liberal arts college with two U.S. campuses: one in Annapolis, Maryland, and one in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Since 1937, it has followed a distinctive curriculum, the Great Books Program, based on discussion of works from the Western canon of philosophical, religious, historical, mathematical, scientific, and literary works. The school also is receptive to early college students.

  • Summer Programs: International

    Great Books Summer Program (Multiple Locations)

    Great Books Summer Program is a pre-college experience for bright young readers, debaters, and writers in middle and high school. Students develop close reading and critical thinking skills and engage in college-level seminars grounded in lively Socratic discussion. With sessions on the campuses of Amherst, Northwestern, Stanford, Oxford, Edinburgh, and Beijing as well as dedicated Writer’s Workshop weeks and a new Tall Ship Adventure, Great Books provides a wide variety of summer opportunities for the avid young reader, debater, or writer in your life!

  • Summer Programs: Northwestern Region

    Read, Write & Type! Learning System
    The Read, Write & Type!™ Learning System provides systematic instruction with engaging games and lively graphics to help children learn to read. As children progress through the 40-lesson adventure, they become empowered to tackle the new words they encounter both in their reading and writing. But most of all, Read, Write & Type!™ is fun and easy to use.
    Reader Rabbit Second Grade
    This CD tests math and language abilities in a fun setting of rescuing Reader Rabbit in a castle. There is also hand-eye coordination games as well.

  • Summer Programs: Southern Region

    Duke University (Durham, NC) - Creative Writers' Workshop
    Grades 10 & 11; 2 weeks; residential. Open to advanced students who wish to refine their writing in a particular genre.

  • Websites & Other Media: Commercial

    Englishpage.com
    This site gives personalized English instruction to students of all ages using the parents' curriculum of choice. A full English program (reading, literature, composition, language and research, and communications) is taught via e-mail and fax. Students begin at their ability level and are guided towards excellence in the above areas. There are links for dictionaries, thesauruses, and grammar databases.
    IXL Learning - Mathematics & Language Arts
    IXL is a fee-based website that provides comprehensive, standards-aligned math and language arts practice for K–12. Students can take on challenges that help them master the skills necessary to perform up to their state’s standards. The website offers unlimited problems and over 1,000 topics, ranging from Pre-K through 12th grade. The website also offers a reports component that teachers and parents can use to monitor student progress.
    K5 Learning
    This is a online math and reading enrichment program for kindergarten through fifth grade allowing students to work independently with more than 3,000 lessons. Their philosophy about gifted students as stated on their website is that gifted children should work at their skill level, not grade level. It is recommended that gifted students complete thefree online reading and math assessments. Then, each student is placed in the lessons according to their skills, not their grade levels. A gifted child may be placed several grades ahead in particular skill areas.
    The K5 material is typically suitable for gifted kids in a younger age range (pre-k to grade 3/4).
    LeapFrog and LeapPad
    Interactive toys that teach children basic skills, this mixed media line of learning tools uses printed books and electronic gadgetry to help early readers. They have a read aloud feature for children who are still developing reading vocabulary.
    Pieces of Learning
    Pieces of Learning staff, with expertise in Differentiation, Standards-Based Teaching Activities, Assessment, Underachievement, and Gifted and Talented Education, publish supplemental Activity Books to improve student thinking and questioning skills, encourage creativity in the language arts, promote critical thinking in math and science, explore character education, present research skills and provide enrichment in social studies. Teacher Resource book topics include differentiation, assessment, achievement, motivation, and teaching strategies.
    Scholastic
    This site is home to Scholastic, the global children’s publishing and media company, whose mission is instilling the love of reading and learning for lifelong pleasure in all children. Scholastic creates quality products and services that educate, entertain and motivate children and help enlarge their understanding of the world around them.
    Stevenson Learning Skills
    This company publishes the Stevenson Language Skills Program, Stevenson's Essential Grammar, Stevenson's Cursive Writing and other materials for teaching basic skills to both regular and learning disabled students. They use techniques like mnemonics (memory aids) and multi-sensory instruction. The materials accommodate dyslexia, attention deficits, phonological processing difficulties, memory weakness and sequencing confusion.
    The Critical Thinking Company
    The Critical Thinking Company's products help students achieve better grades and higher test scores through critical thinking exercises in reading, writing, math and science lessons. Students carefully analyze what they are learning, producing deeper understanding. Over time, students who practice critical thinking learn to apply it throughout their education and life.
    Word Masters Challenge
    The WordMasters Challenge is a fun and mind-stretching classroom competition for Language Arts students in grades 3 - 12.
    Wordwise Instruction
    This website promotes individual and group classes in composition, critical thinking, creative writing, and literary analysis offered by Amanda Yskamp, who has taught gifted students through such programs as Johns Hopkins' Center for Talented Youth and Northwestern's Gifted Learning Links for many years. These classes are designed to help students of all levels and interests become better readers and writers. She also coaches students through the college application process.

  • Websites & Other Media: For Educators

    The Great Books Foundation
    The Great Books Foundation offers people of all ages an exciting way to read and discuss outstanding works of literature. As a nonprofit educational organization, the foundation publishes reading series for children and adults, and conducts training in the shared inquiry method throughout the U.S. and abroad.

  • Websites & Other Media: For Fun

    ALFunStuff.com
    This website allows students to choose between thousands of free printable logic puzzles with grids and educational games such as crosswords puzzles, wordsearches, codeword puzzles, sudokus and more. Most of the free typing games are available in eight different languages.
    Alice in Wonderland Interactive Adventure
    This site is devoted to Lewis Carroll's two famous Alice books: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. There are numerous games, activities and quizzes.
    Bethump'd with Words - Discovery Edition
    Bethump'd with Words® tests strategic skills and knowledge of everyday words, including many from the lingo of today's youth.
    Bookopolis
    Bookopolis is a kid-friendly social network and book discovery website that lets young readers connect with their friends to share their favorite books and find new ones. Students can create their own virtual bookshelves; share book ratings, reviews and reports; explore personalized book recommendations; and earn points and awards.
    Bookworm
    This game consists of reading short passages from famous books aloud, then having your partner answer trivia questions about what they just heard. Excellent for improving reading comprehension and memory skills.
    Dr. Brain Series
    A series of computer games that teach different subjects. The series includes The Castle of Dr. Brain, The Island of Dr. Brain, The Lost Mind of Dr. Brain, Dr. Brain's IQ Adventure, Action Reaction, Puzzleopolis, Mindventure, and The Time Warp of Dr. Brain. Subjects covered range from math to antonyms and synonyms, logic and reasoning, astronomy, weights and measures.

  • Websites & Other Media: Informational

    Book Adventure
    This site offers a free reading incentive program encourage kids in grades K-8 to read. With the help of Rex Reader and Bailey Bookmark, kids have more than 4,000 popular and acclaimed titles.
    Children's Literature Web Guide
    The Children's Literature Web Guide is a website that gathers together and categorizes the growing number of Internet resources related to books for children and young adults. Much of the information that you can find through these pages is provided by others: fans, schools, libraries, and commercial enterprises in the book world.
    Daily Grammar
    Daily Grammar is a fun, convenient way to learn grammar. By simplifying complex grammar subjects, Daily Grammar is a great instructional tool for all ages and skill levels. By practicing language rules, any person able to read will be able to master English grammar.
    Database of Award-Winning Children's Literature
    The Database of Award-Winning Children's Literature (DAWCL) has more than 162 English-language awards and over 15,000 records. The user should be a librarian or a teacher intervening for a child-reader, although anyone may make use of it to find the best in children's literature including parents, book store personnel, and children and young adults.
    ECCE ROMANI
    ECCE ROMANI is an online Resource for students interestes in studying Latin.
    EDSITEment
    This free curriculum website provides educators with lesson plans and web links for the humanities, including: arts and culture; literature and language arts; foreign languages; and, history and social studies. This site is a valuable resource for educators looking for creative ways to better teach the humanities. This educational partnership brings online humanities resources from some of the world's great museums, libraries, cultural institutions, and universities directly to the classroom.
    Electronic Teaching Assistance Program (eTAP)
    eTAP is a non-profit education corp., whose purpose is to provide K-12 curriculum for the core subjects of Mathematics, English, Science, and History on the world wide Internet. The instructional material is designed to assist students, teachers and parents. The Lessons can be used for students’ instruction and for parents and teachers as an aid to help their children and students.
    Forvo - pronunciation guide
    Forvo is the largest pronunciation guide in the world. Ever wondered how a word is pronounced? Ask for that word or name, and another user will pronounce it.
    Free Vocabulary Words for Test Preparation
    This website contains 5000 collegiate words with brief definitions designed to help you communicate effectively, be more persuasive, and even score higher on the SAT, GRE and other tests. An audio CD is also available for purchase.
    GiftedSources.com
    This website provides links to a number of gifted websites, including a listing of professional associations and news publications. There is also a listing of specific subject matter links on such topics as math, science and social studies.
    Merriam-Webster Word Games and Quizzes
    This website allows visitors to play a classic word game every day or visit our archive to play games you missed during the past two months.
    New York Foundation for the Arts - Source
    This site for the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) has the nation's most extensive database of awards, services and publications for artists of all disciplines. NYFA Source identifies more than 2,700 awards, 2,100 services, 800 publications for artists in the disciplines of dance, music, folk/traditional, theater, performance art, visual, design, media and literary arts.
    Nobelprize.org
    This site is an introduction to past and present Nobel Laureates with articles written by Laureates, biographies, autobiographical essays and photos and video footage. Fascinating information into the lives of these accomplished intellectuals.
    ReadWriteThink
    In association with MarcoPolo, the International Reading Association (IRA), the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), and the Verizon Foundation, this website can be used as an effective language arts and reading resource for both teachers and students. This site is full of Internet-based content, including: a database of K-12 lesson plans, an index of student reading materials and a large database of English web resources.
    Shakespeare for Kids: Activities for Children and Families
    This website has everything Shakespeare for kids, including: Shakespeare challenges, scripts for kids, word games, fun facts, coloring and puzzles, information about Queen Elizabeth, and exhibits at the Folger Shakespeare Library. Hosted by the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC.
    Verbling
    This websites allows speakers of different langauges to practice their language abilities with each other through video chat. Currently offering Spanish and English, the website plans to incorporate other languages in the future.

  • Websites & Other Media: Learning Tools

    Didax Educational Resources - Kathy Richardson
    This website offers learning tools in language arts, character education, and math developed by Kathy Richardson, one of America's leading elementary math educators.
    Fast ForWord
    Fast ForWord programs are based on years of scientific research on how the brain learns, and use patented technologies to build oral language and learning skills in a highly efficient, structured way. Fast ForWord exercises help students master the sounds, structures, and patterns of oral language, giving them the tools to develop an automatic mastery of the fundamental skills that they will need in all aspects of learning.
    Future School Online Learning Systems
    Using a three-step study program, the Future School Online Learning Systems specialize in the subject areas of Math and English using a customizable study plan where parents and students can receive instant feedback. Their interactive online mathematics course assists students with all areas of mathematics: from basic concepts including numbers, shapes and time through to advanced theory in algebra, trigonometry, calculus and more. Students can study at a level appropriate to their abilities and progress at their own speed.
    Open Culture
    Open Culture compiles free cultural and educational media resources for public use. Some resources include over 950 free online courses, 550 free audio books, 600 free eBooks, free language learning resources, and more.
    Reader Rabbit Kindergarten Series
    The Reader Rabbit Kindergarten Series is a group of interactive computer adventures in which the child is tasked with accomplishing a "big-picture" effort (rebuilding a carnival, cleaning up a park, etc.) by performing a series of educational tasks such as spelling, math, and sorting. The software is designed to advance your child when they master a task, but also properly review areas where more work is needed. It makes learning fun through humorous but challenging exercises.
    Scootpad
    Tailor learning for individual students through Scootpad, which offers complete coverage of common core standards math and language arts in grades K-8.
    SpellingCity.com
    SpellingCity is an online spelling program that makes practicing for spelling tests fun.