Web Resources for Literacy Teachers
Created by
Michael McKenna
Georgia Southern University
mmckenna@gasou.edu
Children's Literature
Internet School Library Media Center.
A beautifully designed site with links to author sites, awards, commercial
publishers, organizations, special education, core content subjects, technology,
and more. Housed at James Madison University and administered by
Inez Ramsey. http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/
The Children’s Literature Web Guide.
An attempt to gather together and categorize 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 involved in the book world. http://www.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/index.html
Children's Literature Activities
for the Classroom. This site offers teachers the opportunity to retrieve
literature by grade level. Lesson plans are provided, along with
other links to be used when teaching with trade books. I did notice
that when several book titles were clicked on, the link was unavailable.
The following stories are some that I browsed through when checking out
this useful site: The Grouchy Ladybug; A River Ran Wild; Sarah, Plain and
Tall (this one offers printable worksheets); and Island of the Blue Dolphins.
http://members.aol.com/Mgoudie/ChildrensLit.html
Educational Publishers and Software
Distributors Directory. Alphabetized links to most publishers, including
information about author visits and publisher associations. http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/commerc.htm
TeachingBooks.net. Combines many
great features: multimedia components, discussion guides to more than 1,000
books, author study, links to children's literature sites. http://www.teachingbooks.net
SmartWriters.com. (Launched
April 1, 2002) Variety of resources for writers and educators alike: searchable
book review database and author/illustrator school visits directory. http://www.SmartWriters.com
Carol Hurst. This site is
now sponsored by Teaching PreK-8. It is a collection of reviews of
children's literature and ways to use children's literature in the classroom.
Features literature-related activities across many subjects and themes.
In addition to author studies and book reviews, the site also contains
a great deal of professional information. Direct links for ordering
literature. http://www.carolhurst.com
Jim Trelease. Though a bit
commercial, this site, by the read-aloud master, offers some unusual links
(e.g., parenting, publishers, author sites, "kid-safe" sites) and other
features. Worth a visit. http://www.trelease-on-reading.com
Vandergrift's Children's Literature
Page. Great site for children's literature, created by Kay E. Vandergrift
of Rutgers University. [Contributed by Susan Knell] http://scils.rutgers.edu/%7Ekvander/ChildrenLit/index.html
Children’s Book Awards
Choices. Lists books having
received one of the following distinctions: Children's Choice, Young Adults'
Choice, or Teachers' Choices. In my experience, these books are more
likely to connect with young people than Newbery or Caldecott Award winners.
Deep-link within the IRA site: http://www.ira.org/choices/
University of Calgary’s Awards Links.
Links to most major children’s book awards, including many of the specific
links that follow in this section. Canadian, British, New Zealand,
and Australian awards too. http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/awards.html
Newbery Medal. Operated by
the American Library Association. Extensive information on current
and past winners, honor books, history of the award, selection process.
http://www.ala.org/alsc/newbery.html
Caldecott Medal. Extensive information
on current and past winners, honor books, history of the award, selection
process. Operated by the American Library Association. http://www.ala.org/alsc/caldecott.html
Coretta Scott King Award.
This award “honors African American authors and illustrators for outstanding
contributions to children's and young adult literature that promote understanding
and appreciation of the culture and contribution of all people to
the realization of the American Dream.” Offers information on the
history of the award, criteria and selection, its present and past winners.
Operated by the Amer. Library Asso. http://www.ala.org/srrt/csking/
Hans Christian Andersen Medal.
Established in 1956 by the International Board on Books for Young People.
Currently awarded every two years to one author and one illustrator in
recognition of his or her entire body of work. http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/ibby.html
Phoenix Award. Given each
year by the Children’s Literature Association to an English-language book
that was first published twenty years earlier but that did not receive
a major award at the time of its publication. http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/phoenix.html
Georgia Children’s Book Awards.
Does your state recognize children’s literature that has been selected
by local educators or children? Do a search and find out! http://www.coe.uga.edu/gachildlit/awards/index.html
Books and E-Books
The Intersect Digital Library.
Features an extensive "library of 'supported text' books incorporating
resources and study strategies that help students learn more from what
they read." Contains not only online texts with various support features
but lesson plans and help for creating your own supported texts.
This is Lynne Anderson-Inman's superb site at the University of Oregon.
Be sure to note the Diary of Opal Whiteley. http://intersect.uoregon.edu
Project Gutenberg. Thousands
of public domain online texts of famous works. “Fine literature digitally
re-published.” http://promo.net/pg/
Internet Public Library. The
IPL offers the full texts of many classics. Children’s literature,
mostly in the public domain, is also included. Many interesting features
for kids. http://www.ipl.org
The English Server. This site
is housed at the University of Washington. Makes available many literary
texts online, as well as literary commentary. "Literacy and Education"
link is useful. http://www.eserver.org
Reading A-Z. Offers downloadable
books for guided reading and phonics. Each book has lesson plans and worksheets
and the benchmark books have running record forms. http://www.readinga-z.com
Hiyah.com. Online classic
stories read aloud by well-known performers while text is displayed.
Contains a featured story of the week and a few archived titles. http://www.hiyah.com/
Fable Library. Offers a number
of engaging, downloadable fables (new ones, not the classics), mostly at
beginning reading levels. Also contains a "Make Your Own Fable" feature,
enabling children to create their own fables and submit them to the site.
http://www.fablevision.com/place/library/index.html
Barahona Center for the Study of
Books in Spanish for Children and Adolescents. Contains a searchable
database of "more than 6,000 in print books that deserve to be read by
Spanish-speaking children and adolescents (or those who wish to learn Spanish)."
Headings and descriptions are bilingual. Updated weekly. Sponsored
by California State University, San Marcos. http://www.csusm.edu/csb/intro_eng.html
The Velveteen Rabbit. Online
version of this classic. (Text only.) http://www.writepage.com/velvet.htm
IPL Youth Division. A large
number of picture books, stories and poetry online, some in Spanish and
French. Offers author links too. Operated by the Internet
Public Library. http://www.ipl.org/cgi-bin/youth/youth.out.pl?sub=rzn0000
Aesop's Fables. Collection
of online texts, including not only Aesop's fables but some from other
sources as well. Some have audio versions available. Life of
Aesop and information about the fable genre. http://www.AesopFables.com/
The Real Mother Goose. Complete
online texts of the rhymes. Introduction by May Hill Arbuthnot.
Beautifully illustrated. http://trmg.designwest.com/
Miscellaneous Teacher Resources
Gallileo Internet Resources.
Links to many other sources, including ERIC, USDOE, lesson plans, materials,
more. Operated by Univ, System of Ga. Board of Regents. http://www.usg.edu/galileo/internet/education/education.html
Internet4Classrooms. A a collaborative
project developed by Susan Brooks and Bill Byles, this site contains a
multitude of resources for educators at all grade levels. Includes
online texts. http://www.internet4classrooms.com/lang.htm
ABC Teach. This colorful and
easy-to-browse website is one of my favorites. I recommend it to
any educator or parent looking for useful and creative materials and ideas.
It offers month-to-month teaching themes, a rain forest unit, printable
Dolch lists, literature materials (e.g., Charlotte's Web), portfolio resources,
book report forms, graphic organizers, and many, many more. http://www.abcteach.com
School Express. Contains free
worksheets, free units, free math online activities, free stories online,
award maker, spell maker, funtime, and many other activities. http://www.schoolexpress.com
Public Broadcasting System.
Many kid activities related to characters they are familiar with, such
as The Big Red Dog, Bert, Ernie etc. There are also many interactive
writing activities. Included are links to other PBS sites. http://www.pbs.net
Georgia Learning Connections.
A great site for lesson plans, regular and special education information,
and teaching strategies across the curriculum. http://www.glc.k12.ga.us
Apple Learning Interchange. A great
site for lesson plans, regular and special education information, and teaching
strategies across the curriculum. http://www.ali.apple.com
NEA. Home page of the National
Education Association. Many links to resources and information for
teachers. Try the "Readacross" link for materials, lesson plans,
and more. http://www.nea.org
Preschool by Stormie. Provides
preschool teachers with monthly thematic activities. Stormie suggests
a shape, colors, number, letters, gross motor focus, fine motor focus,
nursery rhyme, water table activity, and mini-georgraphic/multicultural
idea per month. http://www.preschoolbystormie.com
The Perpetual Preschool. Offers
teachers month-by-month ideas for various activities, plus teaching tips
(e.g., about behavior management, home visits, etc.), seasonal themes,
"Teacher 2 Teacher" (where teachers correspond online), and learning center
ideas. http://www.perpetualpreschool.com
California Reading and Language
Arts Resources. Although focused on the needs of California teachers,
this site contains many useful links of interest to all literacy educators,
including research, resources, standards, and associations. http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/reading.html
Enchanted Learning. Offers
background information and free printable materials and pictures on a variety
of common topics (e.g., butterflies, dinosaurs, states, Antarctica, rainforests).
http://www.EnchantedLearning.com/Home.html
Early Reading-Technology Project.
Offers free downloadable leveled e-books (with audio) at four levels.
Sponsored by the California Technology Assistance Project (CTAP). http://www.ertp.santacruz.k12.ca.us/stories/download.htm
Federal Resources for Educational
Excellence (FREE!). Offers hundreds of educational resources
supported by by U.S. Federal government agencies in various subjects including
the arts, educational technology, foreign languages, health and safety,
language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, etc. http://www.ed.gov/free
Between the Lions. This site
is tied to the PBS series of the same name. It features over 200
games and stories based on the series, divided into 30 web sites, one for
each episode. Each site follows the same phonics/whole language curriculum
as the series. http://www.pbskids.org/lions
CyberGuides. These are activities
and lesson plans centered around popular children’s literature, grades
K-12. Prepared through S.C.O.R.E. (Schools of California Online Resources
in Education) http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/cyberguide.html
Kathy Schrock. Kathy Shrock’s
Guide for Educators is a categorized list of sites on the Internet found
useful for enhancing curriculum and teachers' professional growth.
A brach of DiscoverySchool.com. http://discoveryschool.com/schrockguide/index.html
Library in the Sky. Contains
over 10,000 links to some of the best educational resources on the Internet,
The Library in the Sky guides teachers, students, parents, librarians,
and members of the community on their journeys through cyberspace. http://www.nwrel.org/sky
The Muppets. Lyrics of Muppet
songs, puppetry home page. Also includes a link to Sesame Street
Lyrics Archive. http://home.nc.rr.com/muppetsongs/
Song Lyrics.com. Check out
the lyrics to those songs your teens are listening to! (Plus many
others.). Linked to Google as a search engine. http://www.songlyrics.com/songlyrics/
Campfire Sing-Along Page.
Contains an alphabetical listing of campfire song lyrics. http://www.achilles.net/~cco/dir-cam.htm
Education World. This site
claims a searchable database of 500,000 resources. Links include:
Lesson Planning, News/Eye on School, Curriculum, Books in Education, Administrators,
Education Site Reviews, Financial Planning. Sponsored by American
Fidelity Assurance Company. http://www.education-world.com/
Alphabet Superhighway. The
Alphabet Superhighway is a resource for teachers to find materials and
ideas for teaching almost any part of the elementary or secondary curriculum;
it is a place for students to browse for ideas and materials for reports
and for in depth information on topics of interest, for classes to build
exhibits on problem based projects, for challenges, and for fun. http://www.ash.udel.edu/ash/index.html
KnowNet. A collection
of lesson ideas for Spelling, Writing, English, Reading, and Vocabulary,
especially for grades 5 and 6. http://www.knownet.net/users/Ackley/lessons.html
Classroom Connect. Online
form of a publication designed as “the K-12 educators’ practical guide
to using the Internet in the classroom.” Loads of resources. http://www.classroom.com
New York Times. Presents a
daily article from the New York Times, complete with classroom activities,
plus this date in history, a crossword puzzle, and a current events quiz.
Also offers online software and e-mail access to reporters. http://www.nytimes.com/learning
Teaching with Folklore. Resources
page for teaching folklore (myths, legends, tales, fables, religious
lore). Developed by Gary Holzgang, a teacher at Hemmingford Elementary
School, New Frontiers School Board, Quebec. Offers lesson plans, resources,
search function, contact information, more. http://www.qesn.meq.gouv.qc.ca/folklore/index.htm
Aaron Shepard’s Home Page.
Devoted to reader’s theater. Includes advice on creating classroom
scripts from children’s literature and also a number of downloadable scripts
ready to use. Also offers contact information and a means of
sharing scripts. http://www.aaronshep.com/rt
KinderKorner. Great site for
early childhood teachers, created by Victoria Smith! It is packed
with resources, plus she shows pictures of how she gets her classroom ready
for the beginning of school. [Contributed by Susan Knell] http://www.kinderkorner.com
Reading Rockets. Gives lots
of information for both parents and teachers. Operated by WETA, a
PBS station in Maryland. [Contributed by Susan Knell] http://www.readingrockets.org
Nancy Keane's Booktalks. Good
site for ideas and tips about giving booktalks. [Contributed by Susan Knell]
http://www.nancykeane.com/booktalks
Florida Literacy and Reading Excellence
(FlaRE). Professional development site focusing on best practice.
Excellent online resources and background information. Connected
with Florida's federal Reading Excellence and Reading First initiatives
and operated by the University of Central Florida. http://ucfed.ucf.edu/flare/indexhome.htm
TeacherFiles.com. Offers free
clip art, plus " innovative lessons and resources for teachers."
A creative site operated by Virginia teacher Shayni Tokarczyk. http://www.teacherfiles.com/index.html
Reading Rainbow. There are
two key sites associated with this popular series. Both offer descriptions
and suggested activities by title. http://www.canlearn.com/READINGR/rr-alt.html
and http://gpn.unl.edu/rainbow/
Struggling Readers and Exceptional
Students
International Dyslexia Association
(IDA). The "oldest learning disabilities organization in the nation, founded
in 1949." Offers resources, information, and research for educators,
parents, and others. Useful links.
http://www.interdys.org/index.jsp
AVKO Dyslexia Research Foundation.
Offers resourses and commercial products. Somewhat out of the mainstream.
A related site is http://www.spelling.org.
http://www.avko.org
Council for Exceptional Children.
Homepage for the CEC, this internet site provides teachers with a valuable
resources for their exceptional students.
http://www.cec.sped.org/
LD OnLine. Provides information
and suggestions for parents, teachers, and students. Useful links
and activity section. A great site for lesson plans, regular and special
education information, and teaching strategies across the curriculum.
http://www.ldonline.org
Reading Processes and Strategies
SEDL. Southwest Educational
Development Laboratory's site, organized by area of reading (e.g., decoding,
comprehension, letter knowledge, etc.). Contains a great deal of
background on each area.
http://www.sedl.org/reading/framework/
Reading/Literacy Resources for Present
and Future Teachers. This marvelous site, constructed by David Lund
at the Southern Utah University, offers useful links to nearly every dimension
of literacy (e.g., fluency, content literacy, diversity, comprehension,
assessment). Links to articles, printable materials, and key sites.
Frequently updated.
http://www.suu.edu/faculty/lundd/readingsite/readingresources/
ReadingQuest. Raymond Jones' site
containing explanations of key strategies for teaching vocabulary and comprehension.
The strategies are universal and well validated but the examples here have
a social studies context. Included are semantic feature analysis, graphic
organizers, reciprocal teaching questioning the author, question-answer
relationships (QARs), KWL, comparison-contrast charts, story maps, and
many more.
http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/go/readquest/
The Literacy Web. Don Leu's
excellent site at Uconn; great links to many resources in all major areas
of literacy. In Don's words, "The Literacy Web is an extensive collection
of the very best resources we have found on the Internet to support teachers
with limited time. Julie [Coiro] has organized The Literacy Web so
that you may quickly explore these resources by your grade level or by
a specific topic area to find the resources you need.
http://www.literacy.uconn.edu
Case Studies and Assessment
Literacy Cases On-Line. This site,
sponsored by the College Reading Association and still under construction,
will offer online cases of exemplary classroom practice, told in the form
vignettes. Should be ideal for professional development.
http://literacy.okstate.edu
Reading Case Studies. This
site, which will be under continuous development over the next several
years, will offer longitudinal assessment data on real children, beginning
in late kindergarten and including audio of oral reading samples.
Children will be tracked over time so that long-term developmental trends
can be studied by preservice and inservice teachers.
http://www2.gasou.edu/facstaff/mmckenna
Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early
Literacy (DIBELS). A K-3 screening system developed at the University
of Oregon for assessing (1) phonological awareness, (2) the alphabetic
principle, and (3) fluency with connected text. Contains extensive
background information. Instruments may be downloaded and used free
of change, and for $1 per child per year results may be submitted through
the Internet for instant analysis. (The acronym rhymes with nibbles.)
http://dibels.uoregon.edu/
Interactive Sites for Kids
WordPlays. Interactive word
games of all kinds and at many levels, such as Boggler, Crossword Challenge,
Words In Word, Jumble, Anagram, Word Morph and Crossword Helper.
Contains online dictionary. Created and maintained by one dedicated individual,
Richard DeSimine. http://www.wordplays.com/
Wacky Web Tales. Children can write
their own funny tales by picking a title and filling in the blanks with
nouns and verbs. (Based on Mad-Libs.) The tales geared for grade 3+. http://www.eduplace.com/tales
Fun Brain. Full of games for children
of all ages and tends to be especially fun for school-age children.
There are also teacher and parent resources available on this site.
http://www.funbrain.com
Giggle Poetry. This website
encompasses a whole realm of poetry and activities to do with poetry.
The website was created by Bruce Lansky, and he gives students opportunities
to rate poems, submit poems, ask a poet questions, read interviews,
and learn how to write poetry. The site also includes links to poetryteachers.com
and fictionteachers.com. http://www.gigglepoetry.com
Discovery School. For parents,
students and teachers. Support for quizzes, worksheets, puzzlemaker,
and lesson plans. http://www.discoveryschool.com
KidsReads.com. An excellent
site for hands-on use by kids. It is easy to navigate and there is
little advertising. This site features: video interviews with authors,
sneak previews of new books, opportunities to write to authors, a question
of the week, student responses to questions about literature, online trivia
quizzes about books, word scrambles with book ties, a bookshelf featuring
entire books online, information about many authors, and links to other
literature sites. http://www.kidsreads.com
The Write Site. This Ohio
site offers tips to middle schoolers on writing well. It has a journalistic
focus and provides plenty of background on newspaper publishing and related
topics. http://www.writesite.org
Kid's Search Tools. An Internet
search tool for children. Search sites are screened for children’s
safety. http://www.rcls.org/ksearch.htm
Little Explorers. Children’s
Online Engish Dictionary containing over 1,200 entries. Also contains
English-French, English-German, English-Portuguese, or the English-Spanish
version. There is a list of classroom activities that use the Little
Explorers site. http://www.enchantedlearning.com/dictionary.html
Kidspicks. American Library
Association’s top 10 web sites, according to children. http://www.ala.org/kidspick
Bibliomania. Lots of online
public domain books. http://www.bibliomania.com
Jolly Roger. Lots of teen
classics online, chat room available for students to chat about books they
have read. http://www.jollyroger.com/treasureisland.html
State Information. Gives information
about all 50 states, including a bio and picture of the governor, the state
flower, capital, links, etc. Just replace “ga” in this address with
the two-letter postal abbreviation of the state you wish to research. http://www.state.ga.us
CyberPuppy Software. Offers
a way to construct a journal for those who may not be motivated to do so.
Provides email prompts and a student’s responses to them are housed in
the form of an electronic journal that can be viewed on a customized
web page. A password is assigned and it’s all free. http://www.CyberPuppy.com
Purdue University’s Online Writing
Lab (OWL). Offers advice to secondary and college students on grammar,
writing in various disciplines, Internet research, more. Good resource
for ESL writers. http://owl.english.purdue.edu
Ask Jeeves. Pose any factual question
and let “Jeeves,” a virtual manservant, look up the answer. This
site is linked to several major search engines. It provides not only
the answer but lots of related information. Results can be a bit
complex, but upper elementary students should be able to sift through them.
http://www.askjeeves.com
Yahooligans. Page full of
links for kids ? some educational, others just for fun. Excellent
kid-friendly search engine. http://www.yahooligans.com/
Word Central. Offers a student
dictionary, a "Build Your Own Dictionary" option, and the "Daily Buzzword."
Operated by Merriam-Webster. Daily buzzword gives in-depth descriptions
and even a nonthreatening multiple-choice question. http://www.wordcentral.com/
CIA World Fact Book. This
site offers extensive information (maps, facts, figures) about countries.
This is not really a kid site but some will find it intriguing because
of the CIA connection. An excellent database for strategic reading.
http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html
Search Engines
Google Images. A relatively
new feature of this excellent search engine is the "Images" option.
By entering your request and then clicking on the Images link, you retrieve
only pictures. Excellent tool for struggling readers with imaging
difficulties or others who find the Internet's labyrinth of hypertext a
little daunting. http://www.google.com
Metasearch Engines. Ever think
your search engine may have missed a few sites? You're right.
Google, for instance, captures only 42% of indexable web pages. Try
one of the new super engines that combine regular search engines and give
you a single list.
http://www.ixquick.com
http://www.vivisimo.com
http://www.profusion.com
Links to Teachers and Kids
Rteacher Listserv. IRA's listserv,
now bringing together over 1,000 reading educators. Subscribers can
pose questions or merely "lurk" and follow discussion threads. Easy
to get on and off. You can subscribe to a digest version if you wish
and receive just one composite message per day. An excellent means
of sharing expertise with educators you'd be unlikely ever encounter in
person. There is no fee and you need not be a member of IRA to subscribe.
The following site gives directions for subscribing: http://www.ira.org/publications/rt/rt_listserv.html
Children’s Stomping Ground. Contains
links to several sites for people interested in starting pen pal correspondence,
either by email or snail mail. Operated by the Blackett Family in
the U.K. http://www.oink.demon.co.uk/kids.htm
Teaching.com. Intercultural
email classroom connections; allows you to link up with other teachers
so that your students can exchange email. http://www.iecc.org/
Web66. Links schools which
have their own web sites. Web66 goals are: (1) to help K-12 educators learn
how to set up their own Internet servers; (2) to link K-12 web servers
and the educators and students at those schools; and (3) to help K-12 educators
find and use K-12 appropriate resources on the web. http://web66.coled.umn.edu/schools.html
American School Directory.
Links to over 70,000 schools with web sites. Contains a search engine
"School Reports" options. The “Education Connection” provides links
to other web sites of interest to teachers, parents, and students.
Students can also take virtual field trips to NSF, NASA, IBM, and more.
http://www.asd.com
Africa Online. Information
about Africa, posted writings of African children, interactive games and
activities, and keypal links. http://lagos.africaonline.com/site/africa/kids.jsp
Selected Commercial Sources
Barnes and Noble. Billed as
the world’s largest online bookstore. http://www.barnesandnoble.com
Amazon.com. A totally virtual
store with no physical counterpart outside of cyberspace; offers online
comments from readers and authors. You can add your own book reviews.
http://www.amazon.com
Scholastic. Excellent source
of children’s books and practical teacher resources. http://www.scholastic.com
Education Place. Houghton
Mifflin's site, offering esources and support for major textbook programs,
plus general resources for all K-8 content areas. Contains numerous related
Internet links. http://www.eduplace.com/
Troll Instructional Resources.
Includes Teacher Tips, presented by grade levels (K-2 and 3-6). Also
offers Kid's Zone, an interactive feature for kids. http://www.troll.com
The Wright Group. Teacher
information about ordering books, attending workshops.
Also contains a section called TeacherHelp. http://www.wrightgroup.com
Don Johnston. One of the best
producers of research-based reading software. Especially oriented
toward stuggling readers. (Don't leave out the t in "Johnston" or
you get the actor!) http://www.donjohnston.com
Pennington Publishing. Offers
resources for teaching spelling and writing "without tearing your hair
out." Site also contains useful teacher links and free resources.
http://www.penningtonpublishing.com/
Author Sites
IPL Author Page. This site allows
you to read Biographies of other authors or check out
Author Links with links to some of your favorite Authors/Illustrators.
http://ipl.sils.umich.edu/youth/AskAuthor
The following woefully but unavoidably
incomplete list of author sites combines "official" sites (not all authors
have them) with other useful ones. Please forgive me if I've left
out your favorite. If I have, simply go to Google.com and type in
your author's name. Chances are, you'll be overwhelmed.
Lloyd Alexander http://www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/4802/
Tedd Arnold http://www.geocities.com/~teddarnold/
Avi http://www.avi-writer.com/
Natalie Babbitt http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/babbitt.htm
T. A. Barron http://www.tabarron.com/
L. Frank Baum http://www.literarytraveler.com/spring/west/baum.htm
Judy Blume
http://www.judyblume.com/
Jan Brett http://www.janbrett.com/
Marc Brown http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/arthur/
Eve Bunting http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/bunting.htm
Eric Carle http://www.eric-carle.com/
Nancy Carlson http://www.nancycarlson.com
Lewis Carroll http://www.lewiscarroll.org/carroll.html
Beverly Cleary http://www.beverlycleary.com/
Brian Cleary http://www.briancleary.com
Susan Cooper www.thelostland.com
Sharon Creech http://www.sharoncreech.com/
Christopher Paul Curtis http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/curtis.htm
Karen Cushman http://www.eduplace.com/rdg/author/cushman/
Debbie Dadey http://www.baileykids.com/authors.htm
Roald Dahl http://www.roalddahl.com/index2.htm
Teri Daniels http://www.TeriDanielsBooks.com/
Marguerite deAngeli http://www.lapeer.lib.mi.us/Library/Exhibits/MdA/Index.html
Tomie DePaola http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/depaola.htm
Sylvia Engdahl http://www.sylviaengdahl.com/
Paul Fleischman http://www.paulfleischman.com/authors/viewclob.asp?key=1&aid=290
Sid Fleischman http://www.carr.org/authco/fleischman.htm
Mem Fox http://www.memfox.net/
Paula Fox http://www.randomhouse.com/teachers/authors/pfox.html
Jean Fritz http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/fritz.htm
Charles Ghigna www.CharlesGhigna.com
("Father Goose")
Patricia Reilly Giff http://www.randomhouse.com/teachers/authors/giff.html
Virginia Hamilton http://www.virginiahamilton.com/
Barbara Haworth-Attard http://www.barbarahaworthattard.com/
Karen Hesse http://teacher.scholastic.com/authorsandbooks/authors/hesse/bio.htm
Kate Greenaway http://www.speel.demon.co.uk/artists2/greenway.htm
Anna Grossnickle Hines http://www.aghines.com
Will Hobbs http://www.willhobbsauthor.com/
Deborah Hopkinson http://people.whitman.edu/~hopkinda/
Erick Ingraham http://www.erickingraham.com/
Brian Jacques http://www.redwall.org/dave/jacques.html
Marcia Thornton Jones http://www.baileykids.com/authors.htm
Charles Jordan http://www.charles-jordan.com/
Ezra Jack Keats http://www.lib.usm.edu/~degrum/keats/biography.html
E.L. Konigsburg http://teacher.scholastic.com/authorsandbooks/authors/konigs/bio.htm
Brian Lies http://www.brianlies.com/
Madeleine L'Engle http://www.madeleinelengle.com/
Lois Lenski http://www.mlb.ilstu.edu/ressubj/speccol/lenski/Welcome.html
Laura Leuck http://users.erols.com/aleuck/
Arnold Lobel http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/arnoldlobel.htm
Lois Lowry http://www.ipl.org/youth/AskAuthor/Lowry.html
Bill Martin, Jr. http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/billmartin.htm
Susan Rowan Masters http://www.madbbs.com/~srmasters/
Nancy McArthur http://junior.apk.net/~mcarthur/
Suse McDonald http://www.create4kids.com/
Walter Dean Myers http://scils.rutgers.edu/~kvander/myers.html
A. A. Milne
http://www.pooh-corner.com/biomilne.html
Robert Munsch http://www.robertmunsch.com/
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor http://www.ipl.org/youth/AskAuthor/Naylor.html
Scott O'Dell http://www.scottodell.com/
Janie Lynn Panagopoulos http://www.JLPanagopoulos.com/
Linda Sue Park http://www.lindasuepark.com/
Dorothy Hinshaw Patent http://www.dorothyhinshawpatent.com/
Katherine Patterson http://www.terabithia.com/
Gary Paulsen http://www.randomhouse.com/features/garypaulsen/
Richard Peck http://www.randomhouse.com/teachers/authors/peck.html
Tamora Pierce http://www.sff.net/people/Tamora.Pierce/
Dav Pilkey http://www.pilkey.com/
Patricia Polacco http://www.patriciapolacco.com/
Beatrix Potter http://www.peterrabbit.co.uk/templates/bphome.cfm
Jack Prelutsky http://teacher.scholastic.com/writewit/poetry/jack_home.htm
Robert Quackenbush http://www.rquackenbush.com
J.K. Rowling http://www.scholastic.com/harrypotter/author/
Louis Sachar http://www.randomhouse.com/teachers/rc/rc_ab_lsa.html
Richard Scarry http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/scarry.htm
Jon Scieszka
http://www.chucklebait.com/index.htm
Maurice Sendak http://www.edupaperback.org/authorbios/Sendak_Maurice.html
Dr. Seuss http://www.randomhouse.com/seussville/
and http://www.seuss.org/seuss/seuss.home.html
Neal Shusterman http://www.storyman.com/
Jerry Spinelli http://teacher.scholastic.com/authorsandbooks/authors/spinelli/bio.htm
William Steig http://www.williamsteig.com/
R.L. Stine http://www.scholastic.com/goosebumps/books/stine/index.htm
Phoebe Stone http://www.phoebestone.com/
Nikki Tate http://www.stablemates.net/
J. R. R. Tolkien http://www.tolkien.co.uk/index_nf.htm
Chris Van Allsburg http://www.eduplace.com/rdg/author/cva/index.html
Jules Verne http://jv.gilead.org.il/
Carole Boston Weatherford http://hometown.aol.com/weathfd/caroleweatherford.html
David Wiesner http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/authors/wiesner/
Laura Ingalls Wilder http://www.vvv.com/~jenslegg/
and http://webpages.marshall.edu/~irby1/laura.htmlx
Laurence Yep http://scils.rutgers.edu/~kvander/yep.html
Literacy-Related Organizations
International Reading Association.
The principal organization for literacy educators. Offers literacy
links, bookstore, listservs, research, "Choices" booklists (Children's,
Young Adults', and Teachers'), grants, conferences. Also accessible at
www.reading.org. http://www.ira.org
National Reading Conference.
Information about the organization, which consists mainly of reading researchers,
its annual meeting, and listserv. An excellent section on “Literacy
Links” is guest-edited contains both current and archived links.
http://www.nrconline.org
National Council of Teachers of
English. SIte contains ideas for teaching English, Literacy, and
Language Arts for P-16 teachers. Also contains information
on books, journals and NCTE news. http://www.ncte.org/
American Library Association.
Contains links to many author sites and book awards, such as those listed
in a preceding section. http://www.ala.org/
Children’s Book Council. CBC
online contains links for teacher, parents, and authors in
their quest to encourage children to read. Ideas for Children's Book Week.
http://www.cbcbooks.org/
College Reading Association.
Primarily for teacher educators in reading. Contains links to related
web sites. (Publishers of Reading Research and Instruction.)
http://explorers.tsuniv.edu/cra/
American Educational Research Association.
Foremost organization of educational researchers in U. S. (Not limited
to reading.) "Net Resources" link offers powerful search options.
http://aera.net/
National Association for the Education
of Young Children. Contains information on NAEYC’s membership, conferences,
professional development, position papers, and their journal, Young Children.
http://www.naeyc.org/
Online Journals
Reading Online. IRA’s new
online journal. Treats all aspects of literacy and is by no means
limited to technology applications. Still free to all! http://www.readingonline.org/
Education Week. Current issue
plus archives. You can register for e-mail updates. Also contains
a link to Teacher Magazine. http://www.edweek.org/
Teacher Magazine. Contains
current issue and links to grants and fellowship opportunities for you
and contests and scholarship opportunities for your students.
http://www.edweek.org/tm/tm.htm
Teaching K-8. Intended to
supplement the print magazine, not duplicate it. Contains teaching ideas,
loads of links. http://www.teachingk-8.com/
iT’s Magazine. This publication
is for teachers and students of English (ESL) around the world and provides
materials for both. It offers pen pal/keypal opportunities for the
exchange of ideas. There is an archive of teacher materials from back issues
with notes for the teacher and steps in using the materials. http://www.its-online.com
Government Sites
U. S. Department of Education.
Lots of links to agencies, documents, research, grants. http://www.ed.gov/
USDE’s National Center for Education
Statistics. Lots of online research summaries, especially those involving
demographics. http://nces.ed.gov/
USDE’s Office of Educational Research
and Instruction. Contains a variety of sources offering research
findings in literacy and other areas. http://www.ed.gov/offices/OERI/SAI/
Thomas. Allows you to locate
and track legislation on literacy (and other matters) in the U.S. House
and Senate. Search capability by bill number and by key word/s.
Also contains links to Congressional Record, Committee activity, roll call
votes. Full text of key historical documents available, including
U.S. Constitution, Declaration of Independence, Federalist Papers.
(Named for Thomas Jefferson.) http://thomas.loc.gov/
Reading Report Card. Report
of the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress, with access
to long-term trend results. http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/nrelease.html
Selected Research Centers
Research Reports from the National
Research and Development Centers. Makes available over 600 reports
from the 12 federal research and development centers. Reports
are in full text and/or PDF format. http://research.cse.ucla.edu/
Center for the Improvement of Early
Reading Achievement (CIERA). Database, research summaries, “10 Principles,”
“Hot Lists,” more. http://www.umich.edu/~ciera/
Center on English Learning and Achievement
(CELA). CELA is “dedicated to improving the teaching and learning of English
and language arts. CELA's research seeks to learn what elements of curriculum,
instruction, and assessment are essential to developing high literacy and
how schools can best help students achieve success.” http://cela.albany.edu
Center for Applied Special Technology
(CAST). CAST is "an educational, not-for-profit organization that uses
technology to expand opportunities for all people, including those with
disabilities." Conducts research and develops software (e.g., Bailey's
Book House, Scholastic's WiggleWorks). Good source of brain research linked
to reading problems. http://www.cast.org
National Center on Adult Literacy
(NCAL). Based at the University of Pennsylvania, NCAL offers a strong collection
of resources in the area of literacy research. Also includes information
on publications and software. http://litserver.literacy.upenn.edu/
Ontario Institute for Studies in
Education (OISE). Now part of the University of Toronto, the OISE site
offers an extensive network of resources, programs, and workshops.
http://www.oise.on.ca/
Selected UK and Commonwealth Sites
United Kingdom Reading Association.
Information about publications, issues, awards, research, plus an excellent
collection of links to other UK sources. An IRA affiliate. http://www.ukra.org/
Australian Literacy Educators' Association.
Information on literacy education in Australia, publications, standards,
awards, conferences. An IRA affiliate. http://www.alea.edu.au/
New Zealand Reading Association.
Links to universities, publishers, awards, New Zealand writers, NZ Book
Council, events, more. An IRA affiliate. http://www.vuw.ac.nz/nzbookcouncil/tradeorgs/nzread.htm
British Dyslexia Association. This
organization occasions much interaction. The BDA "offers advice, information
and help to families, professionals and dyslexic individuals." http://www.bda-dyslexia.org.uk/
Basic Skills Agency. Strong on family/adult
literacy. This is the "national agency for basic skills in England and
Wales" and is government sponsored. http://www.basic-skills.co.uk/
National Literacy Trust. Sponsored
by the Basic Skills Agency. Purpose is to
further literacy generally. Extensive
database. http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/
British Educational Communications
and Technology Agency. This is the national organization for educational
technology in England and Wales. Not limited to literacy. http://www.becta.org.uk/
Learning and Teaching in Scotland.
This site offers much information on Scottish initiatives, curriculum development,
and background. Not limited to literacy. http://www.LTScotland.com/
Online References
iTools. Online dictionary (Webster’s),
rhyming dictionary, thesaurus, maps, phone directories. etc. http://www.itools.com/research-it/research-it.html
WordNet. Princeton University’s
online thesaurus that groups nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in related
categories. http://www.cogsci.princeton.edu/~wn/
Onelook. Online dictionary, impressive
in scope. Contains almost 3 million words. http://www.onelook.com
RhymeZone. A rhyming dictionary
online and a whole lot more. Type in a word and receive virtually very
rhyming word in English. Very extensive listings, however, including arcane
words. Subdivides results by number of syllables. Also provides (on request)
definitions, synonyms, antonyms. It will even locate the word in Shakespeare
and other sources. http://rhyme.lycos.com/
WriteExpress Online Rhyming Dictionary.
Lets you choose the type of rhyme you want (end rhymes, last syllable rhymes,
double rhymes, beginning rhymes, even first-syllable rhymes). http://www.Rhymer.com/cgi-bin/rhymer.cgi
Readability Sites. Just in case
you lost your print copies, two readability formulas are online: the Fry
and the SMOG -- directions, tables, graphs, everything you need. Just to
keep such formulas in proper perspective, however, remember that SMOG stands
for "Some Measure of Gobbledygook"!
http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/fry/fry.html
http://www.cdc.gov/od/ads/smog.htm
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.
Offers quick look-ups plus a thesaurus, word games, word of the day, more.
(Connected with Word Central, listed previously.)
http://www.m-w.com/dictionary.htm
Encyclopaedia Britannica. The entire
contents online with a convenient search engine and many related links.
http://www.britannica.com/
Library of Congress. Home page of
the most extensive information system in the world (except for the Internet!).
Sections for parents and kids. Maps available.
http://www.loc.gov/
Wordsmith.org. Offers several intriguing
features. A Word a Day provides instructions for signing up through email
to receive an interesting word and its definition every day. Audio pronunciations
are available. (You can receive today's word without signing on.) Site
also provides anagrams ? just type in a word or phrase. Offers other reference
services via email.
http://www.wordsmith.org/
First Names and What They Mean.
Provides derivation of over 6,000 first names. Designed primarily for expectant
parents but of interest to anyone.
http://www.zelo.com
ERIC Sites
ERIC Clearinghouse. Question-and-answer
service through ERIC, related to the language arts. Maintained by Indiana
University. Easy to use.
http://www.indiana.edu/~eric_rec
AskERIC. This site, operated by
Syracuse University, offers lesson plans arranged by topic, an ERIC search
site, together with article digests.
http://ericir.syr.edu
ERIC Digests. Extensive ERIC digest
system, operated by U.S. Department of Education. Searchable by topic.
Good for quick research overviews.
http://www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/index/
Help for Parents
Tips for Parents. American Library
Association’s tip page. Provides tips for parents about how to raise a
reader and provides a list of over 700 web sites for children and the adults
who care about them. The web sites are organized by subject
http://www.ala.org/parentspage
iVillage. Broadly based parenting
site. Children’s literature newsletter, oriented toward parents. Provides
a list of recommended books for your preschool aged child.
http://www.parentsoup.com/preschool/
Helping Your Child Learn to Read.
Site operated by the U.S. Department of Education. This online book focuses
primarily on what you can do to help children up to 10 years of age learn
to read and enjoy reading.
http://www.ed.gov/pubs/parents/Reading/index.html
Helping Your Child Use the Library.
Site operated by the U.S. Department of Education. This online book will
give you a short rundown on facts, as well as many simple, fun activities
for you and your child to do together.
http://www.ed.gov/pubs/parents/Library/index.html
Parents’ Guide Book. Contains a
complete guide to how to protect your children on the Internet. Also offers
information to teachers, teacher educators, law enforcement, etc.
http://www.familyguidebook.com
Preschool Zone. This website contains
ideas and links to ideas to fun and educational things to do "keep your
child busy."
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Village/6727
National Center for Family Literacy
(NCFL). A " nonprofit organization supporting family literacy services
for families across the United States through training, programming, research,
advocacy and dissemination." Located in Louisville. Good links.
http://www.famlit.org/
Sites for ESL and Adult Literacy
Literacy.org. Links the International
Literacy Institute (ILI), UNESCO, and the National Center on Adult Literacy
(NCAL) housed at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education.
It provides links to international literacy sites especially useful to
developing countries. The aim is to provide leadership in research and
training in the field of international literacy and development.
http://ncal.literacy.upenn.edu/
Internet TESL Journal. This well-designed
forum offers materials that one can download as well as articles, teaching
techniques, lesson plans, and links to issues of interest to ESL teachers.
It includes electronic discussion lists and news groups.
http://iteslj.org/
Teacher Information Network. This
site houses a teacher chat room with focus on ESL issues. Identifies and
reviews teacher sites. Links to USDOE and state DOEs. http://www.teacher.com
Literacy Assistance Center. The
LAC provides information on resources and links to literacy on the Net.
It is useful to teachers and students alike. Its web site links and e-mail
contacts can connect teachers and students around the world.
http://www.lacnyc.org
J. Roby Kidd Resource Centre, International
Council for Adult Education. This site contains titles of journals, magazines,
and newsletters from all over the world. It offers responses to queries
received by e-mail, fax, or telephone. Subject bibliographies are available.
French, Spanish, and English versions are offered.
http://www.web.net./icae/english/resocntr.htm
English-to-Go. Classroom-ready esl
activities, based on articles that have appeared in Reuters; new lessons
posted weekly, with complete lesson plans. http://www.english-to-go.com
Story Place. A very interactive
site for beginning readers, organized around themes, each with a reading
activity, an interactive activity, a printable activity, and a reading
list. Each theme is available in English and Spanish. The site thus provides
a great way to accommodate Spanish-speaking students and to introduce Spanish
to other students.
Operated by the Public Library
of Charlotte (NC) and Mecklenburg County. http://www.storyplace.org/
Book Hive. Makes book recommendations
to kids through age 12. Organized by category. Online audio stories available.
Operated by the Public Library of Charlotte (NC) and Mecklenburg County.
http://www.bookhive.org/
Flags and Maps of the World. Provides
flags and maps, but little else. This visual site places very low text
reading demands on users. Operated by the Public Library of Charlotte (NC)
and Mecklenburg County. http://www.plcmc.org/forkids/mow/
Historical Sites
History of Literacy. Offers research
and an excellent set of links. Operated by the History of Literacy special
interest group of IRA. http://www.historyliteracy.org/
Center for the Book. This division
of the Library of Congress is the hub of numerous resources and links related
to promoting literacy. It "was established in 1977 to use the resources
and prestige of the Library of Congress to promote books, reading, libraries,
and literacy." Most states now have affiliates. (Check out their intriguing
logo!) http://lcweb.loc.gov/loc/cfbook/
Hoax Sites
Hoax Busters. A good source of information
regarding Internet hoaxes is the U.S.
government's Hoaxbusters site,
housed at the Department of Energy. I'm not sure why it's housed there,
but it may save you plenty of energy the next time you receive a virus
warning, chain letter, too-good-to-be-true offer, or something of the kind.
http://HoaxBusters.ciac.org/
Urban Legends Reference Pages. Allows
you to identify Internet hoaxes and other dysinformation. Use the search
engine or select categories. Fascinating browsing! http://www.snopes2.com/
