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Using the Best of the Web to Teach English in Your Virtual Classroom

Discover 7 student resources and 8 professional learning resources to enhance English teaching in your virtual classroom. Explore Shmoop Literature, Poetry, Biography, and Music, as well as other valuable online platforms like Poets.org, Poetry Foundation, and more.

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Using the Best of the Web to Teach English in Your Virtual Classroom

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  1. Using the Best of the Web to Teach English in Your Virtual Classroom Brady WoodVP of Marketing & Business Development Nov. 16, 2009 “Best of the Internet”

  2. What We’ll Cover Today • 7 Student Resources • 8 Professional Learning Resources • Using Shmoop in Your English Classroom • Overview of Shmoop Literature, Poetry, Biography, Music • Shmoop’s Best of the Web • Shmoop Writing Lab • Sneak preview of Shmoop Teacher’s Editions

  3. Poets.org and Poetry Foundation • Academy of American Poets • http://www.poets.org/ • Full texts of poems, close readings, poet biographies, glossaries, writing and reading tips, local poetry events, mobile phone apps • National Poetry Month (April) • “Poem in Your Pocket Day” (April 29, 2010) • Poetry Foundation • http://www.poetryfoundation.org/ • Articles, news, events, multimedia, Poetry magazine • Poetry Tool allows you to find poems by categories, occasions, use of literary devices

  4. Poetry 180 • http://www.loc.gov/poetry/180 • One poem per day for American High Schools • From the Library of Congress

  5. The Victorian Web • http://www.victorianweb.org/ • Rich resource for Victorian literature, poetry, & history • Texts, short articles, book reviews, suggested readings, links • Biographies, historical, economic & social contexts, science, technology, religion, visual art

  6. Reading Multimedia Texts • Teen Diaries • http://www.radiodiaries.org/teenagediaries.html • Teens record diaries of their lives. Edited by NPR and presented on “All Things Considered” • This American Life • http://www.thislife.org • Podcast available on iTunes • Quirky, funny audio essays from NPR • Now also on TV (Showtime)

  7. GoodReads • http://www.goodreads.com • Online community for readers • Reviews and discussion forums • Help students discover other books they might like • YA book lists • Books by categories and themes • Recommends other books you might enjoy

  8. Our Favorite Professional Learning Resources for English Teachers

  9. PBS Teachers • http://www.pbs.org/teachers • Great lesson plans • Guide to PBS video • Educator community • Widgets for your classroom website

  10. The English Companion • http://englishcompanion.ning.com/ • http://www.englishcompanion.com/ • Thriving online community of 1,000s of English teachers • Discussions and mini-groups devoted to specific topics • Teachers share advice and lesson plans • Led by Jim Burke, HS English teacher from Burlingame, CA

  11. Blogs & Webcasts • Blog: Free Technology for Teachers • http://www.freetech4teachers.com • Reviews of free instructional resources. • Each review includes suggestions for classroom applications • Video Webcast: Palm Breeze CAFE • http://www.youtube.com/user/PalmBreezeCAFE • Podcast: search iTunes Store for “Palm Breeze Cafe” • Software & website reviews and tutorials • Listserv: Shakesper.net • http://www.shaksper.net • Community of Shakespeare students and scholars • Scholarly papers, reviews, discussion, teaching ideas

  12. Arts Edge from the Kennedy Center • http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/ • Standards-based lesson plans for theater, music, visual arts, dance

  13. The Center for Digital Storytelling • http://www.storycenter.org • 3-5 minute digital stories • First-person narratives, collect still images, video, and music • Teacher workshops, certificate programs, textbooks, online resources, and custom program development

  14. An Overview of Shmoop

  15. Students & Teachers Say… “This website is my dream come true” - Noel, 20 “All of my friends would use this.” - Tanya, 15 “Shmoop makes me actually want to work.” - Stephanie, 19 “Shmoop is intentionally about the joy of learning.” - Paul, HS teacher Quotes from Shmoop focus groups of HS and College students, April 2008

  16. Experts Say… “Smart and consistently humorous”– Academy of American Poets “Best of the Internet” - PC Magazine "The language is totally student-friendly. A very cool site.” - School Library Journal Official Honoree in Education (along with BBC, PBS, CBC) - 2009 Webby Awards “Makes the learning process fun.” - San Francisco Chronicle

  17. What is Shmoop? • Fun digital textbooks and learning guides • 8 subjects and growing • Literature, Poetry, Bestsellers, Music, Biography, US History, Civics, & Spanish translations of literature guides • Analysis, summaries, trivia, multimedia, quotes, and loads of links • A resource teachers & students use in the classroom & at home • Written by educators and experts – primarily Ph.D. students from Harvard, Stanford, Berkeley • >90% of Shmoop writers have taught at the high school or college level Shmoop (v): to push something forward (Yiddish slang of our founder’s grandmother)

  18. Things You’ll Learn on Shmoop The Portrait of a Lady (written in 1880) shares a lot in common with TV’s “Gossip Girl” Emily Dickinson was a packrat Albert Einstein's 7th-grade teacher told him he "would never get anywhere in life." True story. M.I.A.’s 2008 hit “Paper Planes” borrows its chorus line from the early 90s rap hit “Rump Shaker” Ernest Hemingway and James Joyce picked bar fights together in Paris

  19. My, How We’ve Grown

  20. Lit, US History, Poetry • Tripled the number of guides in Literature, US History, Poetry • Covering the HS cannon • Expanding into Middle School • Now the largest Poetry analysis site on the web “Smart and consistently humorous”- Academy of American Poets (poets.org)

  21. Shmoop Literature • Help make literature fun and relevant for your students • “Why Should I Care?” • Themes • Quote analysis • Plot analysis • Character analysis • Literary devices • Study questions • Trivia • Best of the Web

  22. Shmoop Poetry Demystify poetry with Shmoop’s fun, plain-spoken analysis • Text of the Poem • Close Reading (line-by-line) • Deep analysis of Symbolism, Themes, Meter, Sound, Setting… • Trivia • Study Questions • Best of the Web (primary sources, photos, audio, video, etc.) • Shmoop Poetry Primer • How to Read Poetry • What is Poetry? • Poetry terminology (glossary)

  23. Shmoop’s “Best of the Web” • Links are carefully selected by Shmoop’s writers • Audio, video, photos, art, primary sources • Television and Film productions • Books • Websites • Coming Soon: student assignment based on “Best of the Web”

  24. NEW Shmoop BestsellersLet Your Inner Fan Feast • Use “Pop Lit” to teach students literary analysis • Twilight, New Moon, Harry Potter… many more coming soon

  25. NEW Shmoop BiographyGet to Know the Big Cheeses • 31 bios and counting • Authors, poets, political leaders, inventors, … • Back-stories, fun anecdotes, multimedia, personal letters

  26. NEW Shmoop MusicListen and Learn • Analyze lyrics like poetry • Rhyme, meter, allusions, symbolism, themes… • Historical context and “behind the music” stories • Technical analysis of rhythm, songwriting, instrumentation • How have you used music in your classes?

  27. NUEVO Shmoop Literatura • Spanish translations of our most popular literature summaries • A “bridge” for ESL students, or great practice for students learning Spanish

  28. NEW: Shmoop on iPhone, Kindle, NookPut a Ph.D. in Your Pocket • Shmoop is now • #2 educational iPhone App developer (soon to be #1) • #1 HS publisher on Kindle • Largest multi-platform educational publisher • 400 guides on the Web • 300+ eBooks on Kindle • 250 iPhone/iPod Apps • 250 eBooks on B&N nook

  29. Shmoop Writing Lab (BETA!) • Interactive essay-writing guide that helps students • Articulate opinions • Organize thoughts • Support arguments • Construct a cohesive essay with transitions, parallel structure, introduction, conclusion, etc.

  30. How to Cite Shmoop • Shmoop automatically generates citations for students in MLA, APA, or Chicago formats • Our About Us section includes our background and academic credentials to help establish authority • Shmoop teaches students about the perils of plagiarism and encourages original thought

  31. Shmoop for Educators • A tour of Shmoop designed for educators • Ideas and examples from teachers who use Shmoop in the classroom • More about Shmoop’s teaching philosophy, our teaching experience, and our academic credentials • Our tribute to great teachers who inspired us www.shmoop.com/teachers/

  32. More Info at: www.shmoop.com/teachers On Twitter: @helloshmoop http://www.shmoop.com

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