BP#11_2009103_web20_tool_classroomtools

Classroomtools.net provides free customizable flash templates to embed into blogs, wikis, and websites. There is no no sign-up, no password, no charge......(Russel)

There are 17 templates that are available for teachers to use. They range from fill in the blank to interactive games. While playing around on this site I came across several template that I plan to use in my classroom. The first one is the Venn Diagram. I plan to use this to teach compare and contrast. As second graders, my students have a hard time understanding how to use this particular reading strategy. Our school is using the Houghton Mifflin's reading series. My class is reading a story call Henry and Mudge and the Starry Night. This particular story compares and contrasts Henry and Mudge and Henry's mom and dad. It is my plan to model how to use the template by comparing and contrasting Henry and Mudge. Then, they are to compare and contrast Henry's mom and dad independently. This will show me if they have actually grasped the concept of using a Venn Diagram to compare things.

The other tool I liked was the virtual book. The virtual book can be used by dragging and dropping text into the book's template. I have the option of going on the web and finding stories from the reading series, copying it and dropping it into the template to create a book that can be read online. I can use it to teach poetry. My students can interact with the poem by highlighting the rhyming words. I like that my students need only to click the bottom right hand corner of the page to turn it. It is totally awesome.

There is one more tool I would like to mention, and that is the game creator. You can create your own educational game. I play to create games to teach about phonics, nouns, antonyms, synonyms and other areas in which my students are weak. I hope you will go and take a look at this site. It is very useful.

picture from www.classroomtools.net