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Liv has a great list of real authors reading aloud!

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List of Read Alouds with links

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I am at our public library right now and it is deserted. Wisconsin was ordered to close their schools this coming week as more and more cases of Covid-19 pile up. The world is upside down.

As we prepare to switch to online learning, I have been thinking of the power of the read aloud. How having the social connection through shared books can bring us together. How doing a read aloud in this stressful time can calm us. And so as we plan for what we will do, I immediately thought of reading picture books aloud to my students and having them respond to them in a short paragraph through Google Classroom. However, there is one glaring problem; copyright violations, I don't want to break copyright by reading aloud a book and then sharing it with students. So instead, I compiled as many lists as I could find here featuring the creators reading aloud. Perhaps the list will be helpful to you?

Kate Messner has a post that details which publishers have given limited permission to read their books aloud following their guidelines, see the post here.

Indianapolis Public Library has a compiled list here with more than 100 titles

Storyline online has a compiled list right here with some great titles

Kate Messner is compiling videos right here featuring authors and illustrators sharing their work and resources

Susan Tan has a great video channel featuring writing prompts and read alouds

Kidlit TV has a great compilation here

Harper Kids Has their read alouds compiled here

Vooks Online are offering a free first year for teachers and have videos compiled here

Brightly Online has a compilation here

Storytime with Bill from Little Brown Books can be found here

Mrs. P's storytime can be found here

Debbie Ridpath Ohi is posting videos of her books as well here

Unite For Literacy has many stories read aloud in multiple languages compiled here

Free Kid Lit Visits and Authors Read Aloud compiled by A.Keene can be found here

Storytime from Space features astronauts reading aloud

I will keep adding resources here as I find them and as they are shared with me. If you know of any more, please share.

Take care, stay safe, and take care of others. We will get through this.

And by the way, if you can't feed your family in the coming weeks or months, please reach out to me. I will try to send you a giftcard for groceries if I can.
If you are wondering where I will be in the coming year or would like to have me speak, please see this page.

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Picture Books Read Aloud Videos for Lesson Use

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I am at our public library right now and it is deserted. Wisconsin was ordered to close their schools this coming week as more and more cases of Covid-19 pile up. The world is upside down. As we prepare to switch to online learning, I have been thinking of the power of the read aloud....

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List of Educational Companies who are offering free subscriptions

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Learn with Emile

Covers the UK Maths National curriculum for 5- 11 year olds including: spelling, grammar, phonics, place value, subitizing, multiplication, addition, fractions, geometry, measurements, statistic, algebra,...

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Covers the UK Maths National curriculum for 5- 11 year olds including: spelling, grammar, phonics, place value, subitizing, multiplication, addition, fractions, geometry, measurements, statistic, algebra,...

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A collection of nonfiction resources to support students with building background knowledge if reading historical fiction.

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Very nice fiction and nonfiction reading by bands of grade levels. Use the code provided to get it for free.

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We've got you covered with virtual learning materials for in school and at home.

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Lists of resources from a workshop teacher 

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Lists of resources from a workshop teacher 

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Real Authors Read aloud their books--lots of options here

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Real Authors Read aloud their books--lots of options here

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Hello, friends! I'm Kate Messner, a former classroom teacher, forever-educator, and the author of more than three dozen books for kids. These include picture books like Over and Under the Snow, The Brilliant Deep, and The Next President; the Fergus and Zeke easy reader series; the Ranger in Time historical chapter book adventures; nonfiction like Tracking Pythons and Solve This: Forensics; and novels like All the Answers, Breakout, and . I'm happy that you found your way here!

This is a library of resources for kids, families, teachers, and librarians to make sure that reading & learning can happen anywhere this spring. Some of you may be out of school as communities try to prevent the spread of a virus known as COVID-19. Here's a great page from NPR that explains what that's all about, in a kid-friendly comic. National Ambassador for Young People's Literature Jason Reynolds shares "How to Fight the New Bad Guy in Town," a PSA for kids, on the StorySeeds podcast here. And this excellent & important post from author Laurie Halse Anderson does a great job explaining why we're seeing closings (and why that's important) for older readers.

Below, you'll find a growing collection of resources that include everything from first-chapter and picture book read-alouds (all shared with permission!) to drawing and writing mini-lessons. Be sure to check back often, as new resources will be added every day. If you'd prefer to browse learning-at-home resources by age group, my daughter Ella has put together the pages below, with even more resources, organized by grade level. (Thanks, Ella!)

Resources for grades PreK-2 (ages 3-7)
Resources for grades 3-5 (ages 8-10)
Resources for grades 6-8 (ages 11-13)
Resources for grades 9-12 (ages 14+)

Many teachers & librarians have also reached out to ask about permission to read books aloud to your students via closed platforms like Google Classroom, Zoom, and unlisted YouTube links. Individual publishers have been sharing their own guidelines for online read-alouds, and you'll find a round-up of those here.

Author Kate Messner shares a read-aloud of THE NEXT PRESIDENT: THE UNEXPECTED BEGINNINGS AND UNWRITTEN FUTURE OF AMERICA'S PRESIDENTS, illustrated by Adam Rex. Writing challenge: After the read-aloud, write your own presidential platform. What changes would you make to your country if you were in charge?

Author Kate Messner shares a read-aloud of OVER AND UNDER THE POND, illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal (shared with permission from Chronicle Books). After the read-aloud, look out your window - or step outside if you can - and see what hidden nature you notice!

Author Kate Messner shares a read-aloud of THE BRILLIANT DEEP: REBUILDING THE WORLD'S CORAL REEFS illustrated by Matt Forsythe. After the read-aloud, check out the Coral Restoration Foundation website. Learn more about the threats coral reefs are facing from NASA's Climate Kids page, and check out this page about how kids can help our oceans. Challenge: Make a poster or drawing to teach people about how we can all help coral and other sea creatures!

OVER AND UNDER THE RAINFOREST, Kate's book with illustrator Christopher Silas Neal doesn't come out until August, but we got special permission to share an early read-aloud! After the story, check out this page with more information on the wildlife of Costa Rica, where Kate did most of the research for this book. Writing challenge: Write a short article to teach people about your favorite rainforest animal!

Tracey Baptiste, the author of The Jumbies series, shares a mini-lesson on comparative mythology. She talks through how creatures from different mythologies have traits in common and encourages kids to find those similarities in the mythologies they come across. She's also sharing some reading resources such as D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths, The Element Encyclopedia of Mythical Creatures, and her own Jumbies Field Guide available at her website.

Author Debbi Michiko Florence shares a read-aloud excerpt of her chapter book JASMINE TOGUCHI FLAMINGO KEEPER, along with a writing prompt (and a peek at a real daruma doll)!

Author Leah Henderson shares a first chapter read-aloud of her middle grade novel THE MAGIC IN CHANGING YOUR STARS. Writing Challenge: Find out who Ailey Benjamin Lane is named after. (Hint: His first name comes from an African-American dancer & choreographer with the initials A.A. His middle name comes from an African-American farmer & naturalist who searches out the stars and who created an almanac in 1792. This person's initials are B.B.) Who could they be?

Author-illustrator Jarrett Lerner shares tips and techniques to help you draw ANYTHING and EVERYTHING!

Veera Hiranandani, author of the Newbery Honor winning book The Night Diary, The Whole Story of Half a Girl, and The Phoebe G. Green series offers a diary writing prompt to help you get to know your characters and create an inspired story!

Author Jason Reynolds shares a read-aloud from his MG novel, GHOST. In this chapter, the main character talks about world records, so after the read-aloud, check out this page from the Guiness Book of World Records, with some records you can try to break at home!

Author Kate Messner shares a read-aloud excerpt from TRACKING PYTHONS: THE QUEST TO CATCH AN INVASIVE PREDATOR AND SAVE AN ECOSYSTEM. After the read-aloud, you can learn more about invasive species from National Geographic and the National Wildlife Foundation. Also check out this article from New York State Conservationist Kids!

Kate also shared this article about the python scientists, with photos and infographics.

Author & illustrator Grace Lin teaches viewers how to draw a Chinese Dragon and shares some tidbits about Chinese culture! You can find more of Grace's reading & drawing videos on her YouTube channel.

Author Carole Lindstrom shares a read-aloud of WE ARE WATER PROTECTORS.

Author Jo Knowles reads from the first chapter of her MG novel WHERE THE HEART IS and offers students a fun writing exercise! For more about Jo and her books, or for teachers/book group guides that go along with her books, visit her website.

Kelley McMorris, who illustrates the RANGER IN TIME chapter book series, shares a video about how she illustrates a book cover. After you watch, try using Kelley's process to design a new cover for one of your favorite books!

Author and illustrator Debbie Ridpath Ohi shares a read-aloud of her picture book WHERE ARE MY BOOKS?, gives a drawing demo and challenges young readers to create their own imaginative squirrels, and shares a crowd-sourced "Where Are My Books?" music video. You can find lots of free, print-ready activities and other fun bonus info at https://www.debbieohi.com/wamb

Author Erin Entrada Kelly gives a peek into the notebooks for several of her novels, including HELLO, UNIVERSE. Writing challenge: What's in your notebook? Take a little time to write in it today, inspired by Erin's ideas!

Author Chris Tebbetts shares a read-aloud of the first chapters of STRANDED. Writing challenge: Choose a wilderness setting of your own - the Arctic, the desert, the rainforest - and imagine you're stranded there. How will you survive? Write an imaginary journal documenting your adventure. Check out these wilderness survival skills from Outdoor Life for ideas!

Author Nikki Grimes shares poetry selections from WORDS WITH WINGS. Writing challenge: Try writing your own poem today, in the style of one of Nikki's read-alouds! For more of Nikki's read-aloud videos and lessons, check out her YouTube Channel here.

Author Ann Braden shares a read-aloud excerpt from THE BENEFITS OF BEING AN OCTOPUS. Note: the octopus is a pretty amazing creature, so after the read-aloud, read up on them at this page from National Geographic Kids!

Author Kate Messner shares a read-aloud of UP IN THE GARDEN AND DOWN IN THE DIRT, illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal. After the read-aloud, read more about helpful insects here and check out these garden activities from KidsGarden!

Author Sarah Albee shares a STEM mystery, "Did the Doctor Do It?" as part of her series exploring the science and intrigue of poison throughout history. Check out more of Sarah's Poison videos here.

Middle grade and Young adult author, Paula Chase offers a mini-writing exercise to help students build stories around their unique traits.

Author Nancy Castaldo reads some of BACK FROM THE BRINK with tips how we can all use our voices through our writing to make a difference. Here's the link to the reader's guide for more activities.

Author Debbi Michiko Florence shares an early read-aloud excerpt of her upcoming MG novel KEEP IT TOGETHER KEIKO CARTER, along with a writing prompt!

Author & illustrator Grace Lin shares the first story from her early reader, "Ling and Ting: Not Exactly the Same!" You can find more of Grace's reading & drawing videos on her YouTube channel.

Author Kate Messner shares a read-aloud excerpt from RANGER IN TIME: RESCUE ON THE OREGON TRAIL. Writing challenge: Choose your favorite event in history and imagine how a search and rescue dog might be able to help out. Then so some research about your historical event, and write your own story about Ranger's adventures there!

Christina Soontornvat shares how she came up with the idea for her new middle grade fantasy novel, A WISH IN THE DARK. Writing challenge: Use Christina's model to brainstorm your own list of ideas for stories that might be inspired by a classic tale! And check out more videos from Christina here!

Author KA Holt reads an excerpt from her forthcoming middle grade novel-in-verse, BEN BEE AND THE TEACHER GRIEFER.

Author Mae Respicio reads a few pages from her upcoming middle grade novel, Any Day With You, and shares a quick, fun writing prompt. Writing challenge: Imagine you've been planning a beach day with your best friends. You're so excited to go but when you get there... everything goes wrong and not the way you expected it to! Describe what happens.

Author Elly Swartz shares tips on how to use the emotion in your life to create authentic characters! Writing challenge: Take a few minutes to journal about a day when you felt an especially strong emotion - joy or fear or excitement! How might you use those emotions in a fictional story?

Author Lisa Yee drinks water, reads the first chapter of Millicent Min, Girl Genius, and fumbles when she comes across a couple of lines in Latin. Writing challenge: Try rewriting a scene from this chapter from the point of view of another character!

Award-Winning author Michelle Cusolito shares a writing mini-lesson to help writers add more sensory details to their writing. You can find more resources related to Michelle's book FLYING DEEP: CLIMB INSIDE DEEP-SEA SUBMERSIBLE ALVIN here.

Author-illustrator Lita Judge shares a video about how a sketching trip inspired one of her picture books! After you watch, take your own mini-sketching trip. Go to your kitchen or your bedroom, your porch or your backyard, and sketch what you see. Observe closely!

Author Kate Messner shares a read-aloud excerpt from CHIRP, a mystery for kids that's set on a cricket farm! After the read aloud, you can learn more about entomophagy (eating insects as food!) from CBS Kids, and check out a real cricket farm's website!

Author Chris Tebbetts shares a video mini-lesson on how to create a good beginning for a story!

And another video writing workshop from Chris, called Four Elements of Character. (This is an 8-minute video where you pause & write sometimes, so the full activity will take about half an hour. Recommended for writers ages 10 and up.)

Author Aisha Saeed shares a read-aloud of her picture book, BILAL COOKS DAAL, along with a related activity!

Author Emily Jenkins shares a read-aloud of A GREYHOUND, A GROUNDHOG.

Author Lisa Schroeder shares a read-aloud excerpt from her MG novel MY SECRET GUIDE TO PARIS, along with a writing exercise!

Author Janet Fox shares a read-aloud of the first chapter of her MG novel THE ARTIFACT HUNTERS. Writing challenge: Try writing a short scene of your own in which something unexpected happens!

Author & illustrator Jess Keating shares some thoughts on where ideas for stories come from! (This is part of a series Jess shares on writing & you can find more on her YouTube channel.)

Author Chris Tebbetts shares a read-aloud of the first chapters of MIDDLE SCHOOL, THE WORST YEARS OF MY LIFE, co-written with James Paterson.

Poet Charles Waters shares poetry from DICTIONARY FOR A BETTER WORLD (by Charles Waters and Irene Latham)

Author Abby Cooper reads the first chapter of her middle grade novel, FRIEND OR FICTION.

Author Lynn Plourde shares some tips on starting an observation notebook!

Author-illustrator James Burks shares a video lesson on how to draw Squirrel from his graphic novel series, Bird and Squirrel!

Author Kristen Larson shares an engineering design activity based on her book WOOD, WIRE, WINGS: Emma Lilian Todd Invents an Airplane.

Author Liz Garton Scanlon shares a video lesson on writing am ETHEREE - a ten line poem in which each line is one syllable longer than the last.

Author-illustrator Karen Romano Young shares a video doodling tutorial. You can also check out Karen's #AntarcticLog comics, a weekly series of comics about Antarctica - as well as the Arctic and anyplace where climate change is being studied.

Author KA Holt reads an excerpt from her novel-in-verse, HOUSE ARREST. Mini-lesson: listen for as many poetic devices as you can find (metaphor, simile, assonance, hyperbole, etc.)

Author Jennifer Roy shares a video read-aloud from her historical novel YELLOW STAR, along with a writing prompt about looking for symbols of hope in tough times, recommended for ages 10 and up.

Author Laurel Snyder shares some thoughts on fiction and making up stories, along with a read-aloud of CHARLIE AND MOUSE OUTDOORS.

Author Caroline Starr Rose reads her picture book, A RACE AROUND THE WORLD: THE TRUE STORY OF NELLIE BLY AND ELIZABETH BISLAND. When you've finished listening, visit the article, How to Pack Like Pioneering Journalist Nellie Bly, Who Circumnavigated the Globe in 1889 with Just a Small Duffle Bag, to see what Nellie brought on her journey. Challenge: Plan your own trip around the world. What would you like to see? Where would you like to visit? Mark these places on a map.

Author Corinne Demas shares a read-aloud of THE DISAPPEARING ISLAND.

Author Lauren Tarshis shares a read-aloud of the first two chapters of I SURVIVED THE SINKING OF THE TITANIC. After the read-aloud, check out this link to read about Robert Ballard, the oceanographer whose team discovered the wreck of the Titanic more than seventy years after it sank.

Author & poet Nikki Grimes shares poems about one of her favorite cakes, Pineapple Upside Down Cake, along with five steps to creating your very own poem about your favorite food! For more of Nikki's read-aloud videos and lessons, check out her YouTube Channel here.

Author Sarah Aronson shares a read-aloud of JUST LIKE RUBE GOLDBERG. And here's a FlipGrip page where kids can share their projects and ask questions.

Author Chelsea Clinton shares an excerpt from her book START NOW: YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

Author Bruce Hale shares a read aloud of BIG BAD BABY.

Writing Challenge: Write about the same experience in multiple ways (letters, poems, illustrations, and screenplay).

Bonus challenge: Write positive affirmations for your family members.

Author Sayantani DasGupta shares a read-aloud of the first chapter of THE SERPENT'S SECRET.

Author Deborah Underwood reads INTERSTELLAR CINDERELLA (illustrated by Meg Hunt) and gives kids a mini-lesson on how to write their own fractured fairy tales.

Author Kate Messner shares a read-aloud of UP IN THE GARDEN AND DOWN IN THE DIRT and answers questions from kids in a "Family Book Club" video recorded earlier this year (thanks to Read-Aloud Revival for making this recording publicly available for learning at home this spring!)

Author-illustrator Brian Biggs shares a read-aloud of his EVERYTHING GOES board books.

Author Jessica Young shares a read-aloud of HAGGIS AND TANK (illustrated by James Burks) with a mini-lesson on sound words.

Author-illustrator Brandon Reese shares a read-aloud of his picture book CAVE DADA. And here's a link to download a coloring page, too!

Here's a fun challenge from author Laurel Snyder ... She's written a brand new book, but doesn't have any pictures for it. Will you help? She'll read you the story of The Beastly Collective, and you'll draw your favorite animals, while she teaches you some brand new words!

Author Christine Evans shares a read-aloud of Evelyn the Adventurous Entomologist, illustrated by Yasmin Imamura.

Author and illustrator Grace Lin shares a chapter from her book, The Year of the Dog. You can find more of Grace's reading & drawing videos on her YouTube channel.

Grace Lin teaches families how to draw a dog from the number 5 (just like in The Year of the Dog!)

Amy Guglielmo, co-author of POCKET FULL OF COLORS shares a read-aloud of her picture book biography of Disney artist Mary Blair. Art challenge: Collect a rainbow of colorful objects inside or outside as a fun follow up activity. Take part in the "Rainbow Hunt," and draw a picture of a rainbow to post in your window for neighbors to see on their daily walks.

Author Kerry O'Malley Cerra demonstrates an easy tool students can use to summarize. This tip can also be used for writers as chapter checks!

Japanese American author, Kathleen Burkinshaw reads a chapter from her MG historical fiction, The Last Cherry Blossom based on events in her mom's life as a 12 yr old in Hiroshima during WWII. Also learn a little about her mom's favorite Japanese folk tale. You can find a Discussion Guide on her website www.kathleenburkinshaw.co

Newbery Award winning author Meg Medina shares a writing lesson on Creating Tension.

Kerry Madden shares a read-aloud of ERNESTINE'S MILKY WAY.

Author Buffy Silverman shares On a Snow-Melting Day: Seeking Signs of Spring and a little science show-and-tell.

Author Diane Zahler shares a read-aloud of the first chapter of The Marvelwood Magicians and a writing prompt.

Abigail Rayner shares a read-aloud of The Backup Bunny.

Michelle Cusolito reads aloud her book Flying Deep: Climb Inside Deep-Sea Submersible ALVIN (illustrated by Nicole Wong) while Jeff Angeley of Southcoast Lessons provides live musical accompaniment. You can find more resources related to Flying Deep here.

Author Meg Fleming shares a read-aloud of her picture book, Sometimes Rain.

S.K. Ali, co-author of THE PROUDEST BLUE, shares directions for making a paper boat.

The niece and nephew of Cedella Marley read her book, Get Up, Stand Up, a picture book adaptation of one of Bob Marley's beloved songs that has a timely message for children: To counter injustice, lift others up with kindness and courage.

Author Lisa Yee talks about Bobby vs. Girls (Accidentally) and reads passages from the book. Writing prompt for today: Do you think boys and girls can be friends?

Would you rather be an #astronaut or #aquanaut? Perhaps you need more info to decide. Check out Jen Swanson's video below. Then make your choice and draw a picture of your suit!

Author Jo Watson Hackl Shows How to Take Your Reading to the Next Level by Exploring the Natural World of Your Characters.

Author Heather L. Montgomery reads-aloud chapters from SOMETHING ROTTEN: A FRESH LOOK AT ROADKILL.

Author Heather Shumaker offers a weekly author chat called Fiction Friday. She shares tips and ideas for writing fiction, reads a short excerpt from her middle grade novel The Griffins of Castle Cary, adds in a mini writing lesson, a few corny jokes, and encouragement to young writers and readers.

Author Christina Diaz Gonzalez talks about finding writing inspiration from your own family history (video is in English and then in Spanish).

Kate Messner shares a read-aloud of HOW TO READ A STORY, illustrated by Mark Siegel & shared with permission from Chronicle Books.

Author Kimberly Derting shares a read-aloud of CECE LOVES SCIENCE with permission from HarperCollins.

Author & science teacher Anne Ruppert shares a try-it-at-home fingerprinting activity from SOLVE THIS: FORENSICS (by Kate Messner & Anne Ruppert, published by National Geographic)

Author Jacqueline West shares a read-aloud from The Shadows, volume one of her bestselling MG fantasy/mystery series The Books of Elsewhere, along with a writing activity for you (and possibly your pet!) that will help you think about character and dialogue. For more info and other videos, visit her website! www.jacquelinewest.com.

Author Carter Higgins shares a read-aloud of BIKES FOR SALE with permission from Chronicle Books.

Author Deborah Underwood reads FINDING KINDNESS, illustrated by Irene Chan (Godwin Books/Macmillan, 2019).

Author Melanie Crowder reads a chapter from her middle grade novel, Three Pennies, and shares a quick and easy craft to go with it. Writing Challenge: Think of one of your favorite books-does an animal make an appearance in the story? In Three Pennies, the author writes several chapters from the point of view of an owl (named Owl). Try to add a chapter to that favorite book you've got in mind, writing from the point of view of an animal in that story.

Author Cynthia Levinson reads The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist, illustrated by Vanessa Brantley Newton. Thanks to Simon & Schuster Kids for permission.

Loree Griffin Burns, author of books like Citizen Scientists and the upcoming picture book You're Invited to a Moth Ball, shares her favorite book of all time: The Flora and Fauna of Hosmer Street. It's not a book she wrote, but rather one she made with her three kids. For one year, Loree, Sam, Ben, and Cat committed themselves to getting to know their animal neighbors; what they found surprised them. In this video, Loree show listeners a few of their best finds (garter snake! walking stick! a skeleton!), what they learned (the more you look, the more you see!) and, of course, how to start creating The Flora and Fauna of Your Place.

Many people have heard of the secret network that helped many enslaved blacks escape to freedom in the North called the Underground Railroad. But how many of you have heard about the Overground Railroad? Author Lesa Cline-Ransome reads from her book, The Overground Railroad, illustrated by her husband, James Ransome.

Author Kathleen Blasi reads HOSEA PLAYS ON, which depicts a day in the life of street musician Hosea Taylor, who made his community better, with his open-hearted giving. After the read-aloud, you can take a look at the newspaper article that inspired Kathleen to learn more about Hosea Taylor and served as the research springboard for HOSEA PLAYS ON.

Author Laya Steinberg reads her picture book THE BEST SUKKOT PUMPKIN EVER and shares a seed planting activity.

Author Jewell Parker Rhodes shares a read-aloud of the first chapter of GHOST BOYS.

Roy Freeman shares a read-aloud of CORDUROY, written and illustrated by his father, Don Freeman.

Author Nancy Tupper Ling shares a read-aloud, along with a lesson on how to make a list poem about your favorite place in the world.

Author Sarah Scheerger reads her picture book, Mitzvah Pizza, and shares a story about the real-life pay-it-forward pizza place that inspired the story. Classroom activities for the story are found here.

Writing Lessons! Many families are using this time at home to work on writing projects that range from stories and poems to special interest research reports and even novels. Here are some craft lessons from authors to help with ideas & strategies!
Author Meg Medina shares a video lesson on creating tension. Author Jennifer Torres shares a mini-workshop on setting with a video and pages to download. Here's a lesson from author Paula Chase on writing dual points of view. Author Josephine Cameron shares creative writing tips about how choosing the perfect setting can help you shape the character, plot, and relationships in your story.
Additional Resources:

Want to see even more author & illustrator videos? Check out the Authors Everywhere YouTube channel, created by Susan Tan!

Check out STEM Tuesday from The Mixed of Files of MG Authors blog for weekly book lists, interviews, and activities.

Want to try writing some poetry today? Joyce Sidman shares an amazing collection of ideas to get you started.

Here's another poetry lesson from Kathryn Apel - writing a didactic cinquain!

If you're stuck at home, it's a great time to start a writer's notebook! Author & Poet Amy Ludwig VanDerwater has a whole collection of posts from different writers, called "Sharing Our Notebooks." Check it out -so many ideas here!

Author Madelyn Rosenberg shares a collection of writing prompts here.

Here's a collection of video mini-lessons from nonfiction author Melissa Stewart - great for teaching informational writing, including research, text features, text structure, rich language, voice, and revision.

Author & poet Laura Shovan shares a collection of poetry mini-lessons on her website!

The folks at Middle Grade at Heart share a list of MG novels with discussions questions & related activities here.

Author Victoria Coe has a playlist of writing lessons for kids with 25 lessons.

Author Sarah Darer Littman offers short readings and writing prompts on her website.

On the Kids Ask Authors podcast, you can hear author/illustrator Grace Lin and a guest author answer a kid question! Kids can submit their own book reviews, poems or jokes! https://www.kidsaskauthors.com Subscribe to the podcast here: http://ow.ly/8OPg30qr7WD

Erica S. Perl (@ericaperl) is doing a weekly Instagram live author event called "Winging It with Erica S. Perl" featuring read-alouds, writing prompts, and occasional shakings of a tail feather. Tune in every Tuesday at 2 pm EST and wish her good cluck!

The KidLit TV team, a group of diverse children's book authors and illustrators, has created a virtual library of FREE read aloud, drawing & writing tutorials, podcasts, art activities + reading resources for kids. https://kidlit.tv

Jarrett J. Krosoczka, author & illustrator, shares daily drawing lessons on his YouTube channel.

Author Kathryn Hulick invites you to investigate a ghost story as a scientist, based on her book STRANGE BUT TRUE.

New Books to Check Out!

In case you're missing your weekly trip to the library or bookstore, we also want to let you know about some new books out this spring!

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Read, Wonder, and Learn! Favorite Authors & Illustrators Share Resources for Learning Anywhere - Spring 2020

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Hello, friends! I'm Kate Messner, a former classroom teacher, forever-educator, and the author of more than three dozen books for kids. These include picture books like Over and Under the Snow, The Brilliant Deep, and The Next President ; the Fergus and Zeke easy reader series; the Ranger in Time historical chapter book adventures; nonfiction like Tracking Pythons and Solve This: Forensics ; and novels like All the Answers, Breakout , and .

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A Bad Case of Stripes read by Sean Astin

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Camilla Cream loves lima beans, but she never eats them. Why? Because the ther kids at her school don't like them. And Camilla Cream is very, very worried about what other people think of her. In fact she is so worried that she's about to break out in...

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A smart mini lesson to launch independent reading and writing 

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A smart mini lesson to launch independent reading and writing 

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Hope this Helps!

Posted at 12:47h in by Uncategorized kristimraz

Okay, I am working with haste to get this in the hands of people as fast as humanly possible. My mind keeps going back to the work of Alison Gopnik and her beautiful book The Gardener and The Carpenter. In it she tells us that we can not hope to predict the problems of the future, we can only help kids build the infrastructure to face it. As scary and stressful a time this is, this is also a time to teach children they are powerful, they have agency, they are capable. To this end I am quickly laying out how to set kids up for independent writing projects at home, with a focus on their feelings of power and decision making. This presumes you have one day of prep before kids are out of your sight.

You will need to:

take and print out photos of classroom charts and/or rubrics

make the same charts available online for children who have access

mentally make yourself okay with emptying out your classroom library and writing supplies

Lesson (I am writing this as I would deliver it to a group of generic children of an age between 6-8, modify as needed):

Give out this planning sheet.
"Friends. Today we set ourselves up for some big work out of school. Thinkers don't just rely on others to make plans, they make their own plans for learning. For reading/writing today, we are going to make plans and gather materials to take on big ambitious projects at home. Let me talk you through our planning sheet and how I might use it to plan... For reading: Hmmm, what could make a fun reading project? Do I want to read all the books in a series? Do I want to become an expert at retelling? I know! I think I want to get super good at my character post-its. Let me think about how to do this. First let me write down my project: BECOME A CHARACTER EXPERT. Okay, now, what will I need to take home? Hmmmm. Definitely books. How many books can I read in 2 weeks? Maybe 6? And they will need to have characters! And I will need post-its, and ooo! I need the character chart! Okay, now, how will I celebrate this when I am all done? I think I will make a poster of characters I love? Maybe I can hang it in my house? Or maybe in the lobby of my building! That way people will have books they want to read! Now I have to think of the goals I might have for each day. Hmm. Day 1: read, and make a post -it? No, I can do better than that! Make 3 post-its! Okay, now what will be my goal for day 2? Maybe I will read more and make 3 more post-its! Friends, do you see how I am getting this plan together? Lets brainstorm some projects together and then you can use this time to gather materials and plan! For Writing: Hmmm, what could a writing project be? I know! A graphic novel! A graphic novel about washing your hands! OOOO! If I make a graphic novel about washing hands, maybe I can give it to my neighbors? Okay, so what will I need to do this? I will need paper. I will need my word wall/editing tools. I will need my folder/writers notebook. I already know how I will celebrate, I will give it to people! Okay, now comes making the plan. Hmmm, let's see what I should do first.... Friends, do you see how I am getting this plan together? Lets brainstorm some projects together and then you can use this time to gather materials and plan! And that is it.
I worry that we will feel a need to go to TPT and download a bunch of worksheets. Instead, lets see this as a time to put power in the hands of kids. We are teaching agency, we are teaching organization, we are teaching follow through. The academics are there, they will use what we have taught, and they might stretch themselves further because they feel powerful.

I hope this helps! It is what I would do with my kiddos. I would say, "Things feel a little weird now, huh? But there are people in the world helping. You can be one of those people. How will your reading and writing project make things better?"

Lots of love and solidarity in this time. I am not going to hide this plug, me (and lots of people who do work like me) are losing work. For me this means an almost total stop to income. It is scary, and I know there are others in the same boat as me. If you want a webinar, if you want a phone call, if you want some online support, say the word. It would help me, and hopefully I can help you.

Stay healthy and stay 6 feet away from everyone.

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Posted at 12:47h in by Uncategorized kristimraz Okay, I am working with haste to get this in the hands of people as fast as humanly possible. My mind keeps going back to the work of Alison Gopnik and her beautiful book The Gardener and The Carpenter.

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How can talking with others help us synthesize information? Watch the video. Log onto Google Drive and find your group’s discussion document. Jot down what you have learned so far and respond to the thinking of at least 2 of your classmates! Monday Reading Workshop Success Criteria: I can share a...

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Links to articles/webpages,etc. for 3rd grade animal research clubs 

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Links to articles/webpages,etc. for 3rd grade animal research clubs 

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Some series to recommend for students.  Start Book Talking!!!

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Some series to recommend for students.  Start Book Talking!!!

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List of favorite book titles to share with students 

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List of favorite book titles to share with students 

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Primary Series to talk up organized by bands of text complexity 

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Primary Series to talk up organized by bands of text complexity 

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Middle School books and authors to know 

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Middle School books and authors to know 

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At ScreenPal, we don't believe that video recording and editing should be difficult, or cost a fortune. Our simple and intuitive tools help you get the job done easily.

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 A few flipped classrooms...digital minilesson examples 

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 A few flipped classrooms...digital minilesson examples 

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Hot off the presses, two new Reading videos for grades 3-5.

In the the first video, Ms. Bouchard teaches us how to use thought prompts to grow ideas from our jots. In the second video, Ms. Jutcovich shares one of her favorite strategies to find the main idea in a nonfiction text. Enjoy!

If you would like to submit an idea for a video, click here.

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Hot off the presses, two new Reading videos for grades 3-5. In the the first video, Ms. Bouchard teaches us how to use thought prompts to grow ideas from our jots. In the second video, Ms. Jutcovich shares one of her favorite strategies to find the main idea in a nonfiction text.

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 A google drive with mini lessons recorded.   

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 A google drive with mini lessons recorded.   

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Get access to files anywhere through secure cloud storage and file backup for your photos, videos, files and more with Google Drive.

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Common Sense Media's tools for virtual learning.

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Common Sense Media's tools for virtual learning.

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Best Tools for Virtual and Distance Learning | Common Sense Education

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Tools to build great learning experiences for remote students. Explore this Best Tools for Virtual and Distance Learning Top Picks list of 18 tools curated by Common Sense Education editors to find relevant and engaging edtech solutions for your classroom.

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10 Prop Box Ideas: Mini Learning Centers at Home

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Bring the spirit of learning centers into your home with prop boxes—plastic bins or cardboard shoe boxes you fill with materials and props related to one topic, such as math or writing.

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While there's nothing like setting foot inside an iconic museum and laying eyes on a world-famous sculpture created by a renowned artist centuries ago, it's not always possible to hop on a plane to New York City, Paris, or Florence to tour the gallery halls in person.

But there is a way to get a little culture and education while you're at home, gaining inspiration and intel for future trips as well. Google Arts & Culture has teamed up with more than 1,200 museums and galleries around the world to bring anyone and everyone virtual tours and online exhibits of some of the most famous museums around the world.

You get to "go to the museum" and never have to leave your couch.

Google Arts & Culture's collection includes The British Museum in London, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the Guggenheim in New York City, and literally hundreds more places where you can gain knowledge about art, history, and science.

Take a look at just some of Google's top museums that are offering online tours and exhibits. And if you're seeking more thoughtful inspiration from the comfort of your own home, museums around the world are sharing their most zen art on social media. Or, for a dose of nature, you can go "outside" with incredible virtual tours of some of America's best national parks.

The British Museum, London

This iconic museum located in the heart of London allows virtual visitors to tour the Great Court and discover the ancient Rosetta Stone and Egyptian mummies. You can also find hundreds of artifacts on The Museum of the World interactive website, a collaboration between The British Museum and Google Cultural Institute.

Guggenheim, New York

Google's Street View feature lets visitors tour the Guggenheim's famous spiral staircase without ever leaving home. From there, you can discover incredible works of art from the impressionist, post-impressionist, modern, and contemporary eras.

National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

This famous American art museum features two online exhibits through Google. The first is an exhibit of American fashion from 1740 to 1895, including many renderings of clothes from the colonial and Revolutionary eras. The second is a collection of works from Dutch baroque painter Johannes Vermeer.

Musée d'Orsay, Paris

You can virtually walk through this popular gallery that houses dozens of famous works from French artists who worked and lived between 1848 and 1914. Get a peek at artworks from Monet, Cézanne, and Gauguin, among others.

National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul

One of Korea's popular museums can be accessed from anywhere around the world. Google's virtual tour takes you through six floors of contemporary art from Korea and all over the globe.

Pergamon Museum, Berlin

As one of Germany's largest museums, Pergamon has a lot to offer - even if you can't physically be there. This historical museum is home to plenty of ancient artifacts including the Ishtar Gate of Babylon and, of course, the Pergamon Altar.

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Explore masterpieces from the Dutch Golden Age, including works from Vermeer and Rembrandt. Google offers a Street View tour of this iconic museum, so you can feel as if you're actually wandering its halls.

Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

Anyone who's a fan of this tragic, ingenious painter can see his works up close (or, almost up close) by virtually visiting this museum, home to the largest collection of artworks by Vincent van Gogh, including more than 200 paintings, 500 drawings, and 750 personal letters.

The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles

European artworks from as far back as the eighth century can be found in this California art museum. Take a Street View tour to discover a huge collection of paintings, drawings, sculptures, manuscripts, and photographs.

Uffizi Gallery, Florence

This less well-known gallery houses the art collection of one of Florence's most famous families, the de' Medicis. The building was designed by Giorgio Vasari in 1560 specifically for Cosimo I de' Medici, but anyone can wander its halls from anywhere in the world.

MASP, São Paulo

The Museu de Arte de São Paulo is a nonprofit and Brazil's first modern museum. Artworks placed on clear, raised frames make it seem like they're hovering in midair. Take a virtual tour to experience the wondrous display for yourself.

National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City

Built in 1964, this museum is dedicated to the archaeology and history of Mexico's pre-Hispanic heritage. There are 22 exhibit rooms filled with ancient artifacts, including some from the Maya civilization.

Not all popular art museums and galleries are included in Google Arts & Culture's collection, but some have taken it upon themselves to offer online visits. For example, the Louvre offers virtual tours on its website.

To see more of Google Arts & Culture's collection of museums, visit its website. There are thousands of museum Street Views on Google as well. Google Arts & Culture also has an online experience for exploring famous historic and cultural heritage sites.

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12 Museums From Around the World You Can Visit Virtually

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While there's nothing like setting foot inside an iconic museum and laying eyes on a world-famous sculpture created by a renowned artist centuries ago, it's not always possible to hop on a plane to New York City, Paris, or Florence to tour the gallery halls in person.

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Lesson plans from Kelly Gallagar and Penny Kittle for middle school and high school teachers 

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Lesson plans from Kelly Gallagar and Penny Kittle for middle school and high school teachers 

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In response to the COVID-19 pandemic-related school closures and the challenge of teaching students remotely, I, along with several of my colleagues, have created an extended lesson plan designed to encourage students to capture this moment in history. However, before I share the plan, some thoughts:

Years from now, our students' children and grandchildren will ask them about this moment in time, and I want them to have a record of it. Their history.

The last thing I want to do with my home-bound students is to load them down with brain-numbing packet work. So this lesson plan was designed to honor student choice, student agency, student voice. This is not the time to give students chapter quizzes on their at-home reading of 1984.

We are not suggesting this is THE lesson plan everyone should adopt. We know our kids. We do not know yours. It is where our thinking resides today. Tomorrow, we may shift our thinking as events continue to unfold.

You are invited to use any or all of our thinking. We do not, however, grant permission for this thinking to be sold anywhere. No one should profit from this crisis. Adapt as you see fit. Make our thinking better. Share with others.

We also have a sinking suspicion that this crisis may worsen, and that our students may actually end up being out of school much longer than two weeks. We will be creating digital communities where our readers and writers can maintain a sense of community.

And although I am teaching seniors, many of my colleagues who have shared their thinking in the creation of these lesson plans are planning to use them in other grade levels. They are easily adaptable.

With that said, you can access our plans for our stay-at-home students here:
Coronavirus Lesson Plan
Special thanks to Penny Kittle and several members of the Magnolia High School ELA faculty for helping to create this plan.

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instructional materials - Kelly Gallagher

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In response to the COVID-19 pandemic-related school closures and the challenge of teaching students remotely, I, along with several of my colleagues, have created an extended lesson plan designed to encourage students to capture this moment in history.

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StoryMakers with Beth Anderson LIZZIE DEMANDS A SEAT!

One century before Rosa Parks made history by refusing to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, Elizabeth Jennings refused to be denied entry to a streetcar in New York City. On this episode of StoryMakers, join Beth Anderson, author of LIZZIE DEMANDS A SEAT!, as she teaches Rocco about the life of equal rights pioneer Elizabeth Jennings and why Lizzie deserves to be a household name too.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Lizzie Demands a Seat!: Elizabeth Jennings Fights for Streetcar Rights

In 1854, Elizabeth "Lizzie" Jennings, an African American schoolteacher, fought back when she was unjustly denied entry to a New York City streetcar, sparking the beginnings of the long struggle to gain equal rights on public transportation.
One hundred years before Rosa Parks took her stand, Elizabeth "Lizzie" Jennings tried to board a streetcar in New York City on her way to church. Though there were plenty of empty seats, she was denied entry, assaulted, and threatened all because of her race-even though New York was a free state at that time. Lizzie decided to fight back. She told her story, took her case to court-where future president Chester Arthur represented her-and won! Her victory was the first recorded in the fight for equal rights on public transportation, and Lizzie's case set a precedent. Author Beth Anderson and acclaimed illustrator E. B. Lewis bring this inspiring, little-known story to life in this captivating book.

ABOUT Beth Anderson

Beth Anderson has always been fascinated by language. After years of using literature to teach English as a Second Language, she took off in pursuit of her "someday" and began writing for children. She loves exploring points of view, playing with words, and digging into history and culture for undiscovered gems. Beth is drawn to stories that open minds, touch hearts, and inspire questions. Born and raised in Illinois, she now lives near the mountains in Colorado.

CONNECT WITH Boyds Mills & Kane and Calkins Creek
Website | Twitter | Facebook Page

CONNECT WITH Beth
Website | Twitter | Pinterest | Facebook

CONNECT WITH KidLit TV
Facebook | Instagram | Newsletter | Pinterest | Twitter | YouTube

Executive Producer: Julie Gribble

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StoryMakers with Beth Anderson LIZZIE DEMANDS A SEAT! - KidLit TV

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One century before Rosa Parks made history by refusing to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, Elizabeth Jennings refused to be denied entry to a streetcar in New York City.

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Great for a read aloud to your kids or practice after they have read their book to you.

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This!! So simple and so important. Parents read to your kids and practice. Or kids read and give them sticky notes! Either way! Do it! ❤️

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This!! So simple and so important. Parents read to your kids and practice. Or kids read and give them sticky notes! Either way! Do it! ❤️ https://t.co/KiMFybieMb

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Great reading comprehension strategy you can try with your elementary kids! It’s called, Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then... as told by @mlastrico a colleague of mine from @jseroadrunners https://t.co/jNBWo7pvFW

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This!! So simple and so important. Parents read to your kids and practice. Or kids read and give them sticky notes! Either way! Do it! ❤️ https://t.co/KiMFybieMb
— Chara Rodrigues (@CharaRodrigues1) March 15, 2020

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This!! So simple and so important. Parents read to your kids and practice. Or kids read and give them sticky notes! Either way! Do it! ❤️ https://t.co/KiMFybieMb

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Great reading comprehension strategy you can try with your elementary kids! It’s called, Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then... as told by @mlastrico a colleague of mine from @jseroadrunners https://t.co/jNBWo7pvFW

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
This!! So simple and so important. Parents read to your kids and practice. Or kids read and give them sticky notes! Either way! Do it! ❤️ https://t.co/KiMFybieMb

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
This!! So simple and so important. Parents read to your kids and practice. Or kids read and give them sticky notes! Either way! Do it! ❤️ https://t.co/KiMFybieMb

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.referenced_tweets[].text
Great reading comprehension strategy you can try with your elementary kids! It’s called, Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then... as told by @mlastrico a colleague of mine from @jseroadrunners https://t.co/jNBWo7pvFW

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Author of Who would win series reads aloud on his you tube channel. 

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Author of Who would win series reads aloud on his you tube channel. 

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Who Would Win Books | Author Jerry Pallotta Reads Ultimate Jungle Rumble !

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For free

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Virtual Support for Learning During COVID-19

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As schools shifted to remote learning this spring, our professional learning experts created a wealth of resources to help educators and families…

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username:tryclassroomci
password:earth

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Use these videos to review what to do when you get to a tricky word.

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Word Detectives (Reader's Workshop Lessons 1-18) - YouTube

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Just a reminder bookmark for K - super readers.

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Drawing with Mo Williams

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Announcing: LUNCH DOODLES with Mo Willems!

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Drawing with Mo Williams

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Announcing: LUNCH DOODLES with Mo Willems!

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BookBuilder Online :: Build a customized children's book :: Brought to you by Pioneer Valley Books

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The SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s award-winning children’s literacy website, Storyline Online, streams videos featuring celebrated actors reading children’s books alongside creatively produced illustrations.

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The SAG-AFTRA Foundation's Daytime Emmy-nominated, Storyline Online, features celebrated actors reading children's books to inspire a love of reading in millions of children worldwide.

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At the time this post is published, we teachers and the rest of the globe find ourselves amidst a global pandemic, COVID-19. Schools, businesses, cities, even entire countries, have been, and continue to be, shuttered in an effort to mitigate the effects of an unprecedented world health crisis. As we know, one of the consequences of our national effort to contain the spread of this virus is to entertain ideas for distance (remote) learning. And while this idea hold great promise, it certainly does not provide any guarantees. If schools remain closed for long periods of time, and it looks like many will, what will the effects be on our children's academic growth? Will distance learning provide a mitigating tool that lessens the effect of losing significant amounts of in-person teaching? If schools are closed, what type of at-home learning experiences are best for kids? These, as well as dozens of other questions, may remain unanswerable for the time being.

As Stacey recently, Two Writing Teachers plans to continue working to support our community of teachers, coaches, administrators, and readers with topical posts on writing workshop and/or best practices in writing instruction. But please know: we will be navigating the uncertainty alongside you! We are not experts and do not claim to hold the answer for our readers. Nor do we stand necessarily uniform in our professional opinions regarding remote learning. We are well aware of the costs that excessive screen usage can enact upon families. I am reminded of Mary Anne Wolf's latest book, Reader Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital Age . Pointing out some of the negative effects of the current global consumption of screen time, Wolfe writes (2018),

"There are unseen costs for every age. By a calculus we largely neglect, the more constant the digital stimulation, the more prevalent the boredom and ennui expressed by even very young children when we take the devices away. Further, the more the devices are used, the more dependent the family becomes on longer periods of access to digital sources of entertainment, information, and distraction by all its members. Hyperattention, continuous partial attention, and what the psychiatrist Edward Hallowell calls environmentally induced attentional 'deficits' pertain to us all" (p. 71).

These questions I pose above have me thinking about my one little word for 2020: Balance. How can we strike a balance, a balance between device-based distance learning support and tried-and-true physical experiences in a way that supports our writers in some positive ways? While I am aware many wonderful and generous educators and authors have already compiled and curated extensive lists (thank you to them!), allow me to share just a few that you may (or may not) find helpful in your efforts to guide and support students and parents at home. This list in no way indicates personal usage or even recommendations. However, I can assure you they come from trusted sources and therefore deserve our consideration:
Digital Resources and Ideas:

- Former teacher and author of more than 35 books for kids, Kate Messner has curated a wonderful compilation of authors and artists reading aloud their original works. In Kate's own words: Kate Messner" This is a library of resources for kids, families, teachers, and librarians to make sure that reading & learning can happen anywhere this spring."

Since in any writing workshop, it is important we offer a small collection of high quality mentor texts for our writers, this site may provide support in that regard. Click here to see what Kate has put together: Read, Wonder, and Learn! Favorite Authors & Illustrators Share Resources for Learning Anywhere - Spring 2020

Writing Camp with Hoppy and Ranger- Teacher and writer Tammy Mulligan has generously pledged to support writers at home with an ongoing virtual writing camp. Tammy's lessons are engaging and intended for writers grades 1-4. She has linked a Padlet on which she posts her own writing and allows students to do the same (should they wish to do so - it is completely student-safe). Students that post writing can even receive feedback from her! Check it out at:
https://teachersbooksreaders.com/category/writingcamp/

Angela Stockman Writing Lessons for Middle School - On her webpage, author and teacher Angela Stockman writes, " This 8 lesson course is designed for middle school writers. It includes opportunities to engage in research, gather facts, and compose a personal narrative." Find her lessons here:

Amy Ludwig VanDerwater's Notebooking Resource - Keeping a writer's notebook and making it part of our daily writing lives remains an essential structure to growing as writers. Each day around 1 p.m. EST (for the foreseeable future), Amy plans to post a short talk that presents an idea around notebooking. Find her site here: Sharing Our Notebooks

Melanie Meehan's Writing Workshop Resources - Author, teacher, and Two Writing Teachers co-author Melanie Meehan has generously collected, curated, and posted an impressive array of Writing Units of Study resources for upper grade writers. Melanie's collection includes both videos and charts. Find this treasure trove of resources here:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B9cQI9YOa0FoNjVZdlRERzB4VnM

Author Jarrett Krosoczka's Free Webcast: For those writers who aspire to create their own graphic novels or comics, they can find a wonderful lesson posted each weekday at 2:00 on Jarrett Krosoczka's Youtube channel. Drawing tutorials will be posted for at least a couple of weeks. Check out this resource here: Jarrett J. Krosoczka-author & illustrator .
Non-digital resources:

Printable graphic novel/comic templates: From author Jarrett Lerner, writers can create conversations for characters, comic book drawings, silly illustrations, etc. on a variety of click and print images or templates. Find those resources here:

Journals: Prep some journals and write alongside kids! This idea is fairly simple and may be appropriate to suggest to caregivers who are capable of supporting writers in this way. This time is historic, and as Clare Landrigan reminded us in her slice of life , historians are now encouraging journaling, as these accounts will someday become primary sources for this time period.

Greenbelt Writing: Encourage writers to do that "greenbelt" writing students never have time to do! Not familiar with greenbelt writing? As Stacey wrote in her of Ralph Fletcher's back in April of 2017,

"Greenbelt writing is raw, unmanicured, and uncurated. In other words, it's the kind of informal, low-stakes writing kids are comfortable composing, but rarely get the chance to do in many writing workshops. Ralph wants kids to get back to powerful writing that is personal, passionate, joyful, whimsical, playful, infused with choice, humor, and voice, and reflective of the quirkiness of childhood. The whole idea behind greenbelt writing is to infuse energy into students; to spark, engage, and help kids gain their stride as writers."

Support Creativity: Provide paper and markers and give writers a chance to create. Keep it simple!

Thank you cards: Encourage and support writers in composing a daily thank you card to be written and mailed to someone who is helping during this crisis.

Screenplays: Suggest writers experiment with composing their own screenplays, beginning with storyboarding. One article perhaps worth checking out is here.

If you have not had an opportunity to read Meghan Hargrave's recent post entitled, "Rethinking Materials, Routines, and Collaboration: What Does Independence and Interdependence Look Like From Home?", I would encourage you to read it here. As Meghan so starkly writes, "The students who rely on you each day, the ones who are constantly asking questions, looking for positive affirmations, and seeking the scaffolds you provide, are now left to their own devices."

I hope today's post provides perhaps some support to you, as you attempt to navigate this unprecedented time in history. Please leave other writing resources you recommend in the comments section below. After all, we are in this together.

For more than 29 years, Lanny has taught, coached, presented, staff developed, and consulted within the exciting and enigmatic world of literacy. With unyielding passion and belief in the possibility of workshop teaching, Lanny has worked to support students, teachers, and school administrators around the country in outgrowing themselves as both writers and readers. Working first as a classroom teacher, then as a coach and TCRWP Staff Developer, Lanny is now a literacy specialist, working and living in the great state of Connecticut. Outside of literacy, he enjoys raising his three ambitious young daughters with his wife, and playing the piano. Find him on this blog, as well as on Twitter @LannyBall. Lanny is also a former co-author of a blog dedicated to supporting writing teachers and coaches that maintain classroom writing workshops, twowritingteachers.org. View all posts by Lanny Ball

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A Very Short List of Distance Learning Ideas

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How can we strike a balance between device-based distance learning support and tried-and-true physical experiences in a way that supports our writers in some positive ways? While I am aware many wonderful and generous educators and authors have already compiled and curated extensive lists, allow me to share just a few that you may (or...

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This is probably for younger kids.

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Hi there, I am Kristi Mraz. Former literacy consultant with Teacher's College, co-author of Smarter Charts (with Marjorie Martinelli) and Writing Non-Fiction Chapter Books (with Barb Golub and Lucy Calkins), and current kindergarten teacher. This blog is a place for me to share what is...

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Number the stars read aloud chapter by chapter 

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Number the stars read aloud chapter by chapter 

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Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

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We built Wakelet using the latest technologies to make it faster and easier to use. Unfortunately, your browser doesn't support those technologies.

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Funding for Mission US is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Additional funding is provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities; U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences; U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Japanese American Confinement Sites Grant Program; The Page & Otto Marx, Jr.

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All you need is a library card.

There's good news for all the New York City-based e-bookworms out there. The New York Public Library has an app that allows anyone with a library card (and an iOS or Android phone) to "borrow" any of the 300,000 e-books in the collection.

It's called SimplyE and will allow you to read books on your phone, but beware, there might be a waitlist for some popular titles like Becoming by Michelle Obama and Normal People by Sally Rooney. (Obviously, you should check out the Harry Potter books, quick!)
RECOMMENDED: These were the NYPL's most popular books of 2020
To gain access, NYPL'sfree e-reader app, SimplyE, can be downloaded for iPhoneor Android. Books are automatically returned at the end of the lending period, and you can request to renew a digital checkout if no one else has a hold on the title.

You can also search the library's collection of 800,000 digitized items, including historic prints, photographs, maps, and manuscripts and check out Mango Languagesand Career Cruising with your New York City library card.

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You can now download over 300,000 books from the NYPL for free

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All you need is a library card. There's good news for all the New York City-based e-bookworms out there. The New York Public Library has an app that allows anyone with a library card (and an iOS or Android phone) to "borrow" any of the 300,000 e-books in the collection.

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"Thank you, Risa. I was a Kindermusik educator for 20 years, so I have a good variety of songs...but love more and fresh ideas. I have my favorite back pocket oldies but goodies. BUT, new ideas are always welcome. I am back to teaching in the classroom now, and still LOVE music, but am not doing just that. When you talked about adding the literacy component in your training, I felt like that was the missing piece for me that was needed. We do a "journal" reading, but it just didn't fit who I was. I think doing the music is doing the same thing...but adding an element of what was really missing and what I know is SO good for the classroom and kids. THANK YOU! The kids are LOVING Peter Rabbit. :)"

Darcy Logan
Lead Teacher, Little Hawks Discovery Preschool

"Risa, is that look you in the eye kind of musical master that makes not only the children mesmerized but parents tapping their toes in their shoes as they watch the kids hold onto her words and rhythm....only to find yourself singing and humming long after the lesson or show"

Kathleen Rice-Mierzwiak
Mom of a student

"Risa Cohen is a talented musician and vocalist. She is kind, caring and has a natural way of connecting with children. I have seen firsthand the way my children and their classmates hang on her every word and note. Risa is an exemplary teacher and outstanding individual!"

Michael Rowland
Dad of two students

"Risa has an amazing class! She does a combination of new songs and old favorites and we love singing them when we are at home."

Holly Allen
Mom of three studnets

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Online classes teach your child to read with music and love.

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"Thank you, Risa. I was a Kindermusik educator for 20 years, so I have a good variety of songs...but love more and fresh ideas. I have my favorite back pocket oldies but goodies. BUT, new ideas are always welcome. I am back to teaching in the classroom now, and still LOVE music, but am not doing just that.

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A week of activities for 1st grade readers.

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Tier 2 & 3 Reading Grade 1 at FECC - March 23-March 27 by Halley Manyin | This newsletter was created with Smore, an online tool for creating beautiful newsletters for educators, nonprofits, businesses and more

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A series of lessons to launch students in independent projects 

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A series of lessons to launch students in independent projects 

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Writing Camp – Teachers | Books | Readers

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Free audible books for kids of all ages 

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Free audible books for kids of all ages 

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Ways parents can help kids with writing 

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Ways parents can help kids with writing 

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Mary shares some tips

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Tips to Support Families of Youngest Readers

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Tips to Support Families of Youngest Readers

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Mary shares some tips for us to think about.

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Teachers College Reading and Writing Project

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Mary Ehrenworth's Tips for Supporting Families of our Youngest Readers

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AmaZing field trips with a ton of topics to interest kids

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AmaZing field trips with a ton of topics to interest kids

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Join us for our Virtual Field Trips or watch them on-demand after their premieres. Each no-cost Virtual Field Trip comes with a companion guide packed with standards-aligned, hands-on learning activities! Select one of the options below to register.

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Take students beyond the classroom and into some of the world's most iconic locations with virtual field trips. Learn more!

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Read the World Distance & Digital Learning Support - Video

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Print lessons and thinksheets are available in our book Read the World: Rethinking Literacy for Empathy and Action in a Digital Age.

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Padlet to support third grade research unit 

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Padlet to support third grade research unit 

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Erica doing interactive writing with her daughter

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Erica doing interactive writing with her daughter

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4th grade historical fiction unit- session 1

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UPDATE: Lauren reports (4/10/20) on how her students are faring and what they've been writing in their "living history" assignments at the end of this post. "They give me a glimpse of how quickly some of them are growing up." By Lauren S. Brown
Several weeks ago - what is starting to feel like a lifetime ago - I finished grading 100 plus family history projects. Some were videos, but most were illustrated stories my students had written about someone they interviewed in their family.

Some kids interviewed parents or grandparents about their parents or grandparents. Some, who swore to me they had no interesting stories in their families' past, wrote about a parent's experience during 9/11 or how they felt during the last 2-3 presidential elections.

Now all of us, including my students, are living through a historical moment. If you are looking for a meaningful assignment that you can give students while we are all stuck at home, consider doing a "living through history" assignment.

Just a few days ago (which now seems like much longer ago, doesn't it?), I saw a couple of dozen students. Our district had quickly rescheduled an institute day; teachers prepared for e-learning and students were able to get into the building one last time to pick up any belongings.
As students came by, they were eager to share their observations, questions and concerns.

Hey, Ms. Brown, do you think we'll be out of school for longer than 2 weeks?

Do you think we'll still have the Great American field trip at the end of the year? Will we still have graduation? ( I teach 8th graders).

My sister is a senior in high school. She heard there won't be prom this year.

We going to pick up my brother at the airport today because his college closed.

We went to Costco this morning and the line was all the way to the back of the store.

My dad is worried that he will lose his job.

My mom told me a few days ago to stop putting the rubber bands on my braces so I don't have to put my fingers in my mouth.

I think I'm going to go nuts at home.

Ms. Brown, have you ever lived through anything like this? This will be in the history books, won't it?

Students can create "primary sources" for future historians

There are so many unanswered questions right now, but the answer to that last question is yes. So consider a simple assignment in which your students jot down their thoughts, questions, concerns and observations about what is going on. I suggested that they could do this as a letter, a diary/journal entry or just write.

Here are a few suggestions to get them started:

your family's trip to the grocery store and "stocking up"

cancelled family vacations, cancelled field trips, cancelled school

how weird it is to have to "e-learn"?

how are you occupying your time?

how do you feel about this? psyched that you don't have to come to school? bored? worried? bummed that you won't get to see your friends?

what is changing for you because of this?

what kinds of things are your families thinking/saying/doing?

Or have them post short videos about what they are thinking. Flipgrid is great for this. One of my colleagues is posting a question each day for students to reflect on. I know I have enjoyed this glimpse into my students' worlds, seeing the posters on the walls of their bedrooms, or their dog on the couch in the living room. You can come up with some fun questions to get the ball rolling:

What is your "must have" if you are going to be cooped up inside for awhile?

What are your "binge watch" recommendations?

Where is your new "desk"?

And then you can get into deeper questions, as long as you let students know that they don't have to share anything they don't wish to.

What is the #1 concern you have about what is going on right now?

What is a small way in which your life has changed right now?

What mattered to you a few days or a week ago that now seems irrelevant? Vice versa?

Things are changing very quickly now. This seems to be an assignment you could keep adapting as time passes. It doesn't necessarily require the internet, should that availability become restricted in some way.

Remind your students that they are creating a primary source - documentation of what one student was thinking in March of 2020 during the global pandemic. Now we are all a part of history.

Stay well!

Click here to see a recent week of Lauren's Google Slides for this assignment, with a note to teachers and a writing prompt for each day.

UPDATE (4/10/20) - "A Glimpse of How Quickly Some Are Growing Up"

Since writing this post, I have given this assignment to students. Their answers were, as I told them, the most interesting things I have EVER graded as a teacher. Some made me laugh, and more than a few made me cry. There is a poignancy to them, and a wonderful insight as to how middle schoolers see their world.

Students who are quiet in class have opened up. Some of the class clowns got serious on me. Some of the serious students were able to see the humorous side of things. One student wrote that her dog has never been happier-everyone is home and taking her on walks multiple times a day! They reveal sides of my students I did not always see. And they give me a glimpse of how quickly some of them are growing up.

Here are a few of the many responses I have gotten:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1rEmgPYSgcp6XMeTSoAo5VFIleBsonAr8U8uoAzs9ptk/edit?usp=sharing
Visit a century-old pandemic here: What We Can Learn from the 1918 Influenza Diaries by Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, April 12, 2020

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Students' Pandemic Journals Could Become Primary Sources

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Remind your students that they are creating a primary source documentation of what one young person was thinking in the spring of 2020 during a global pandemic.

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CUE teacher of the year has great tutorials a s ideas for flipped classrooms 

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CUE teacher of the year has great tutorials a s ideas for flipped classrooms 

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🕹️CUE Rockstar MBCUE Session 1: Emoji Writing
Session 2: Building Seesaw Activities Listen and Respond
Session 3: Fast and Curious

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Teachers College Reading and Writing Project

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How You Can Support Your Child's Writing Development at Home (Grades K-2)

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Teachers College Reading and Writing Project

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Tips for Maintaining Community and Connection in Virtual Reading and Writing Workshops (Grades 3-8)

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Amanda demonstrating proficient partner 

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Amanda demonstrating proficient partner 

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Watch how Amanda supports this reader.  She’s engaging the reader to preview before she reads, predict what will be on the next page, and attend to the visual print on the page. She’s also engaging in see saw reading(you read a page, I read a page). Something to try with young readers.

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How to help your K-2 writer with spelling 

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How to help your K-2 writer with spelling 

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Chrome Extensions for Struggling Students and Special Needs

Technology can be a powerful tool to assist students when learning, as it provides accessibility and accommodations to support everyone. In particular the Chrome web browser allows users to install a wide variety of web extensions that provide tools that can help all learners.

In this blog post we will take a look at dozens of Chrome web extensions and apps and other tools and features that can assist students in seven main categories:

🗣️ Text to Speech

☑️ Behavior, Focus, and Organization

Some of the tools fit into more than one topic, but each is only listed once. Certainly this list does not cover all of the useful web extensions and tools available for learners, but it is a great place to begin.

In addition to the list of extensions and tools, I have also linked in the video from a webinar I did on " Google Tools to Support All Learners" along with my ever-growing resource document and slideshow from the session.

▶️ Training Video (54 minutes)

🗣️ Text to Speech Tools

Read&Write for Google Chrome
Chrome web extension link
The "Swiss Army Knife" of extensions with tools including word prediction, dictionary, picture dictionary, text to speech, screenshot reader, speech maker, screen mask, translator, highlighters, voice note, and more. Works on webpages, PDFs, Google Docs, and Google Slides.
Note: There is a paid version with all the tools and a free version with a subset of the tools. Educators can get the paid version for a year at no cost by filling out the form at: https://www.texthelp.com/products/free-for-teachers/

The Immersive Reader extension can read aloud any text you have selected, as well as providing additional reading supports. These include Text Preferences to change the text size, increase or decrease spacing, change fonts, and colors, Grammar Options to break words into syllables, as well as color code and label the parts of speech, and Reading Preferences to turn on or off the picture dictionary option, and to select the language for translation.

Read Aloud
Chrome web extension link
This text-to-speech extension will read either the entire page or just the text that you have selected. In addition to the normal options to adjust the speed, pitch, and volume of the voice, the best feature is the wide collection of high-quality voices to choose from.

Announcify
Chrome web extension link
This is another text to speech tool that not only reads a webpage, but also removes distracting elements from the site. The only drawback is the inability to select specific text to read, as the entire page is read aloud.

ChromeOS Select-to-Speak

If you have a Chromebook, there is a built in tool for text-to-speak called " Select-to-speak". Nothing needs to be installed. It just needs to be turned on.

First click in the bottom right corner of your Chromebook screen to open the system menu.

Here click on the "Accessibility" icon.

Note: If you do not see the "Accessibility" icon you can click on the gear to go into the advanced settings to turn it on.

Now from the "Accessibility" menu click on the "Select-to-speak" option.

This will put a little speaker icon down in the bottom right corner.

Anytime you need to have something read aloud, just click the icon and drag your mouse to select the text you want to hear.

Using the toolbar you can also pause, change speeds, and jump forwards and backwards through the text.

Docs Voice Typing is not an extension that needs to be installed, but instead is actually built right into Google Docs and Google Slides. With voice typing you can simply speak and anything you say will automatically be typed for you.

When we are in a Google Doc we click the "Tools" menu and then choose "Voice Typing" from the drop down menu.

This will open up a floating microphone.

To start dictating to the document, we simply click the microphone icon.

Now anything you say will automatically be typed into the document.

In addition to words, you are also able to say punctuation. For a full list of all the commands you can speak, click the question mark icon below the microphone, and this will open up a help menu with all of the details.

When done, we just click the microphone again to stop the speech to text.

VoiceIn Voice Typing
Chrome web extension link
This speech-to-text extension allows the user to dictate text for any text box or text entry portion of a web page. You can either click the extension or right-click and choose "Start recording" to use it. Be sure to click the extension again to turn off the speech-to-text function when done.

Chromebook Dictation Tool

First click in the bottom right corner of your Chromebook screen to open the system menu.

Here click on the "Accessibility" icon.

Note: If you do not see the "Accessibility" icon you can click on the gear to go into the advanced settings to turn it on.

Now from the "Accessibility" menu click on the "Dictation" option to enable speech to text.

This will put a little microphone icon down in the bottom right corner.

Anytime you need to do speech to text just click on the "Dictation" icon and start speaking.

Anything you say will automatically be typed into the computer wherever you are.

This works in websites, documents, forms, and more.

If you are using a Chromebook there is actually a speech to text tool built right in. Nothing needs to be installed. It just needs to be turned on.

Present your slideshow as normal.

Click the "3-dots" button on the navigation bar.

Choose "Captions preference" and then toggle on the captions.

As you speak your words will be live captioned and will display on the screen.

Using the same menu you can adjust the size and position of the captions.

Live captions are available in several Google products including Slides and Meet. In Google Slides you can display live captions as follows:

👓 Readability Tools

Lexend fonts are intended to reduce visual stress and so improve reading performance. Initially they were designed with dyslexia and struggling readers in mind, but Bonnie Shaver-Troup, creator of the Lexend project, soon found out that these fonts are also great for everyone else.

Mercury Reader
Chrome web extension link
Make any website easier to read by removing ads, comments, and all other distractions, so just the core content remains. Users can also adjust the font size and color scheme of the new text.

Chrome web extension link
Override all fonts on a webpage with the OpenDyslexic font, making the text more easily readable.

Dyslexia Friendly
Chrome web extension link
This extension replaces the fonts on a web page with either OpenDyslexic or Comic Sans, and provides a horizontal shaded bar to help the user stay on the correct line when reading. The only drawback is there is no easy way to toggle it on and off, so you will want to use an extension management tool to let you turn it off when not in use.

WaspLine Reader
Chrome web extension link
This tool creates a more readable version of a web page by applying color gradients that make it easier for the eyes to chain together the ending of a line with the beginning of the next.

Color Overlay is a filter which puts a tint on your browser viewport to make text more readable. This could be used by people suffering by visual distortions reading the content on the normal background (Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome). The colored overlay can improve reading abilities of such users by reducing or eliminate perceptual processing errors.

ATbar
Chrome web extension link
Similar to the Color Overlay extension, this toolbar can generate color overlays for webpages, but also has features for a dictionary, text to speech, word prediction, and more.

MagicScroll Web Reader
Chrome web extension link
Turn web pages into a flippable e-book with easy clickable or keyboard control, as well as control over font size and page color as well.

Chrome web extension link
This screen overlay tool darkens out the page except for a horizontal band you can move up and down as you read, helping the student focus.

High Contrast
Chrome web extension link
This tool can make webpages easier to read by changing the colors to increase contrast, invert the colors, or switch to gray-scale.

Color Enhancer
Chrome web extension link
For people who are partially color-blind, this tool can help adjust and improve webpage colors.

Additional ChromeOS Features

📗 Reading Comprehension Tools

Google Dictionary
Chrome web extension link
Don't get stuck on an unknown word. Double-click on any word to get a pop-up definition, as well as spoken pronunciation for many words.

SMMRY
Chrome bookmark link
While not technically an extension, this tool functions very much like one and is launched from your Chrome bookmarks bar. Summarize any online article with a simple click of the SMMRY bookmark link. This will generate a simplified version with fewer sentences (7 by default) and just the most important information. Settings can be adjusted for longer or shorter summaries, as well as emphasis on certain desired words..

The QuillBot Chrome extension will summarize text as a new paragraph or by key sentences, in multiple levels of length. Sign in with your Google account for free to be able to summarize texts up to 5,000 characters at a time.

Auto Highlight
Chrome web extension link
This extension takes a different approach to summarizing. Instead of removing the non-essential portions of the text, it highlights what is most important. This allows the reader to still look at the rest of the article if needed. Three levels of highlighting can be chosen.

Behaviour, Focus, and Organization Tools

Simple Blocker
Chrome web extension link
This tool helps students to stay focused on their work by blocking distracting websites. The user can choose the sites to block, how long to block them, and optional password protection.

uBlock Origin
Chrome web extension link
A simple but powerful ad-blocking extension to help remove distracting ads from websites, making pages less cluttered and easier to read.

Move It
Chrome web extension link
For students who need a break, this extension can be set to periodically have them stop working and do something physical for a moment.

Google Keep
Chrome web extension link
Keep allows users to save and retrieve any information they come across including text, links, pictures, speech, handwriting, doodles, and more. The tool works as an extension, web site, Android app, and iOS app, and integrates into Google Docs, Slides, and Drawings.

Ambient audio sites and tools can let students create their own custom mix of background sounds to help them concentrate and drown out potentially distracting noises.

Pear Deck lets you add interactive elements to your slides including multiple choice, text entry, numeric entry, drawing, and draggable activities.

You can insert pre-made template slides provided in the Add-on.

Or you can add interactive elements to slides you have already created.

When you present the slideshow through the Pear Deck Add-on, students join the presentation and can interact with it.

You can show students responses by clicking the "Show Responses" button in the bottom right corner of the screen. Responses can be shown individually or aggregated together to look for patterns.

Pear Deck Webinar (1 hour) - Blog post

Pear Deck Add-on for Slides

This extension can make it easier for students to locate their mouse cursor by allowing them to customize the size and look of the mouse cursor.

Click-free Browsing
Chrome web extension link
For users who have a difficulty clicking a mouse, this extension adds on-screen navigation buttons the user can simply hover over to use.

Vimium
Chrome web extension link
Provides keyboard shortcuts for navigation and control for someone with difficulty using a mouse.

CrxMouse
Chrome web extension link
Use mouse gestures to navigate including forward, backward, scrolling, refreshing, switching tabs, and more. The user can even program their own custom mouse gestures to open programs and perform other tasks.

Caret Browsing
Chrome web extension link
This extension gives you a movable cursor in any web page, allowing you to move through the text with your arrows keys and select text with the keyboard.

Additional ChromeOS Features

Tools to support learners are constantly being created and improved, so be sure to check back often as I continue to update my resource documents " Google Tools to Support all Learners". And be sure to let me know of any tools you would recommend for the list. I look forward to learning from you!

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Chrome Extensions for Struggling Students and Special Needs

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Technology can be a powerful tool to assist students when learning, as it provides accessibility and accommodations to support everyone. In...

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Please note: some posts may contain affiliate links which means our team could earn money if you purchase products from our site

Actor Josh Gad Is Reading Books to Kids Online Every Night During Coronavirus Quarantines. Grab the tissues! Josh Gad has decided to read children's books to families around the world via his Twitter page each night while either under quarantine or practicing social distancing during the outbreak of coronavirus.

The Frozen II and Beauty and the Beast star began with reading Olivia Goes to Venice and has kept the trend going with The Day the Crayons Quit, The Giving Tree, and Dr. Seuss: Horray for Diffendoofer Day and more. It seems Gad will continue the trend as long as is needed to keep spirits high and to help entertain families during this time. Josh also shares some fun insight into his admiration for the books he is reading and hilarious stories about his kids that they will be sure to roll their eyes at when they get older. Josh's "Samantha?" Hat in the first video made us giggle up a storm, hehehehe.

Update Josh has decided to continue the #GadBookClub on weekdays, but will take weekends off to spend those nights with his family.

You can check out Josh's updated reading list below:
Olivia Goes to Venice The Day the Crayons Quit The Giving Tree Dr. Seuss: Hooray fo Diffendoofer Day The True Story of the Three Little Pigs
Josh had a bit of a struggle with his reading on March 19th. He kept losing an internet connection so the reading was broken up into 3 videos. Here they are in viewing order:
The Gruffalo
Iggy Peck, Architect (Video 1)

Iggy Peck, Architect (Video 2)

Iggy Peck, Architect (Video 3)
The Bear and the Piano
https://t.co/hQMkDja4zp
- Josh Gad (@joshgad) March 21, 2020

Olivia and the Missing Toy Olaf's Frozen Adventure The Pea Patch Jig

This was a fun one! Enjoy! #GadBookClub https://t.co/7zSTLfKRVu

- Josh Gad (@joshgad) March 26, 2020

Children Make Terrible Pets If I Built a School The Rabbit Listened
We absolutely LOVE this idea and are so happy to see entertainers doing what they love for the sake of their fans during a difficult time and expecting nothing in return. It is so refreshing to see in our newsfeed. We can't wait to see what other stories are on the way!
The Remember Balloons
Another way Josh is keeping his own family entertained is by introducing them to classic 80's films, which he is also cataloging via his twitter account. Disney has also added Frozen II to Disney+ months earlier than expected to help keep families entertained at home.

Do you enjoy Josh's bedtime stories? What other titles would you love to hear him read to his fans and their kids? How are you keeping your family entertained at home? We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments. Be sure to check back here at Chip and Co. for all things Disney or updates on Josh's storytelling!

Featured Photo Credit: Disney

Source: Josh Gad/Twitter

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Actor Josh Gad Is Reading Books to Kids Online Every Night During Coronavirus Quarantines | Chip and Company

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Please note: some posts may contain affiliate links which means our team could earn money if you purchase products from our site Actor Josh Gad Is Reading Books to Kids Online Every Night During Coronavirus Quarantines. Grab the tissues!

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Reading to kids is wonderful and everything, but reading to kids from space is super awesome

If you need to mix up your bedtime story routine a little bit, the Global Space Education Foundation has just the thing for you: Story Time in Space. It's exactly what it sounds like - astronauts on various missions in space read popular children's books while floating about, and the videos are edited and shared with kids way down on Earth.

The results are adorable as well as educational and inspiring. Check out astronaut Kathleen Rubins reading Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty and try not to get choked up at how amazing this all is.

The concept was developed by Patricia Tribe, the former director of education at Space Center Houston, and Alvin Drew, the first NASA astronaut to read a story in space for the program, during the final mission of the space shuttle Discovery. The pair were looking to find a way to encourage reading among kids while also promoting STEM education, and landed on the idea of having on-duty astronauts reading science-based kids' books, gravity-free.

Since the initial reading, all of the story times have taken place on the International Space Station, as it hurtles through nothingness at 17,500 miles per hour around the planet. It's only a guess, but this may be slightly more interesting than your kids listening to you feign excitement while reading The Mitten again.

"What better role models to engage kids in science and to engage them in reading?" Tribe told the Huffington Post. "You're not only looking and listening to the books, you're looking around the International Space Station."

Not only are does Story Time in Space aim to make reading out of this world, it also stresses the importance of diversity. Tribe and her team select books for a wide range of reading levels (though all can be read in 15 minutes or less) and from a wide range of STEM topics, from physics to engineering to biology. The group also selects a diverse set of astronauts to read the books, so that kids can see that people who look just like them can reach for the next frontier. For example, Japanese engineer and JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata read Max Goes to the International Space Station in Japanese for the program this summer.

The Story Time from Space program is also expanding. The group is working on adding a set of nine simple science experiments for kids that were conducted from the space station, involving concepts like energy transfer and surface tension. In addition, more books are on the way, including A Moon of My Own by Jennifer Rustgi, The Rhino Who Swallowed A Storm by LeVar Burton and Susan Schaefer Bernardo, and Moustronaut by Astronaut Mark Kelly.

While those projects are being completed, Earthlings can enjoy the rest of the collection, which includes Max Goes to Mars, by Jeffrey Bennet, as read by astronaut Mike Hopkins.

Let's just hope that these awesome videos don't ruin regular books read in gravity, from the ground, by plain old mom who probably isn't even an astronaut.

This article was originally published on

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Your Kids Can Now Watch Astronauts Reading Stories From Space

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If you need to mix up your bedtime story routine a little bit, the Global Space Education Foundation has just the thing for you: Story Time in Space. It's exactly what it sounds like - astronauts on various missions in space read popular children's books while floating about, and the videos are edited and shared with kids way down on Earth.

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Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

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These CommonLit Digital Features Make Remote Learning Possible

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The CommonLit team is here to help schools no matter how they are starting the new school year. The CommonLit team is here for you. Our free reading program has features to support all students and teachers - whether you are meeting online or in-person. In this blog post, we highlight

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Kelly Yang giving teen writing classes on YouTube

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Kelly Yang giving teen writing classes on YouTube

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Welcome to New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Kelly Yang’s Youtube channel!

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SeymourSimon.com : Award-Winning Children’s Science Author –

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Exceptional non-fiction content for children, families and educators on this Webby Honoree website from best-selling children’s science writer Seymour Simon.

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Image 102120 Scholastic Logo Virtual Field Trip

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Beyond the Battlefield: A Virtual Field Trip

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Take a virtual field trip, presented in partnership with Scholastic, to the Museum with author of the I Survived series Lauren Tarshis.

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As of Monday, October 24, content that was on TweenTribune.com will now be available here on our new educational resources page and on our learning pages. While much of the content that you enjoyed will still exist, educators will unfortunately no longer be able to assign content to students. Tween Tribune has been a valued educational brand of Smithsonian magazine, and we appreciate your continued support.

Though the Girl Scouts of the USA initially declared itself a space for all girls, the reality was different for girls of color

Erin Blakemore

Get Smithsonian Educational Resources

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As of Monday, October 24, content that was on TweenTribune.com will now be available here on our new educational resources page and on our learning pages. While much of the content that you enjoyed will still exist, educators will unfortunately no longer be able to assign content to students.

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Student and Teacher Resources Hyperlinked doc

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Unite for Literacy provides free digital access to picture books, narrated in many languages. Literacy is at the core of a healthy community, so we unite with partners to enable all families to read with their young children.

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Using google chrome extension to watch a students revision history 

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Using google chrome extension to watch a students revision history 

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Watch the Revision History with Draftback

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TIME for Kids Launches Free Digital Library

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Need support during school closures? Sign up for free access to a library of four grade-specific digital editions

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One of the greatest things to come out of us being at home this week has to be seeing people band together to finds ways to keep us and our kids entertained. My favorite thing that I have seen this week is celebrities reading aloud to kids on YouTube, entertaining us on Instagram, posting fun stories on Facebook.

StorylineOnline is a YouTube channel where celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Chrissy Metz, Kristen Bell, Wanda Sykes, Sarah Silverman and many more read stories that your children will love. Each video also has moving illustrations from the book to keep your children even more entertained.

Kristen Bell reads Quackenstein Hatches a Family written by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen and illustrated by Brian T. Jones

Oprah Winfrey reads The Hula-Hoopin' Queen written by Thelma Lynne Godin and illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton

Rami Malek reads The Empty Pot written and illustrated by Demi

Sarah Silverman reads A Tale of Two Beasts written and illustrated by Fiona Roberton

Wanda Sykes reads The Case of the Missing Carrot Cake written by Robin Newman and illustrated by Deborah Zemke

There are many celebrities getting in on this fun virtual story time. You can check out the YouTube channel here.

More Fun Ways to Read to Your Kids

There are lots of other ways to have celebrities or even apps read to your kids. Here are a few of my favorites:
Your Kids Can Have Virtual Story Time With Actors and Authors Sparkle Stories App Audible Stories Bedtime Stories App Dr. Seuss Treasury Kids Books Novel Effect: Read Aloud Books Imagistory - Creative Storytelling App for Kids One More Story Story Mouse App
CHECK OUT THESE OTHER AWESOME IDEAS:

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This YouTube Channel Has Celebrities That Read Aloud to Kids and I Love It

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One of the greatest things to come out of us being at home this week has to be seeing people band together to finds ways to keep us and our kids My favorite thing that I have seen this week is celebrities reading aloud to kids on YouTube, entertaining us on Instagram, posting fun stories on Facebook

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Examine how bystanders helped shape German society under Nazi rule, and the choices bystanders faced as witnesses to the events of the Holocaust.

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Resource Packet for Play at Home

Posted at 17:07h in by Uncategorized kristimraz

Updated to reflect changes!

Hi everybody!

Updated to reflect changes!
PK-2 Play Packet for Families
I worked on it quickly to try and get it out as fast as I can, so please let me know if you catch a typo or another kind of error. Please also MAKE A COPY before you make any changes so that the master stays intact.
New: Spanish Translation PK-2 Play Packet for Families
A HUGE HUGE thanks to Marcia Elwarari for translating so quickly and thoughtfully. She is a coach in a NYC school in the heart of the outbreak. A million thanks to her, and a million well wishes for all the families she supports.
New: Chinese Translation PK-2 Play Packet
A HUGE HUGE thanks to Ruth Rivera and Rita Kwan for translating so quickly, and sharing so thoughtful. Ruth is an amazing administrator I have known since my days at TCRWP, and Rita is her talented and humble administrative assistant. Rita mentioned that if community members would like to make comments on the translation to feel free.
New: 3-5 Project Packet for Families
Feedback on the new packet welcome! It is in draft form as always. I am so interested to hear feedback!

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This is all free, but would ask if you find it useful and want to make a donation for using it, that is much appreciated, but in no way required. We all gotta do what we can with what we have.

If you want more support, I am making videos for schools and families about this kind of work, and you can always contact me about setting that up (use the contact me link on the website).

I would love to get feedback, and together we can make this better for everyone.

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Posted at 17:07h in by Uncategorized kristimraz Updated to reflect changes! Hi everybody! Updated to reflect changes! PK-2 Play Packet for Families I worked on it quickly to try and get it out as fast as I can, so please let me know if you catch a typo or another kind of error.

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Wide Open School's mission lives on at Common Sense

With schools back in person, we have closed this dedicated distance-learning site designed to guide families and educators through the sudden shift to remote learning.
Discover More Great Resources for Families & Educators
Common Sense is dedicated to providing teachers and families with free resources to help kids learn, grow, and thrive with media and technology. Join our community for more tips and resources to support kids' learning and healthy development.

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Get more free content like what you found on Wide Open School.
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Thank You to Our Supporters & Partners

We are grateful to our supporters and partners for helping to bring these resources to kids, families, and educators everywhere during a global crisis. It is a testament to the power of creativity, collaboration, and a shared commitment to education and digital access for all.

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Wide Open School's mission lives on at Common Sense With schools back in person, we have closed this dedicated distance-learning site designed to guide families and educators through the sudden shift to remote learning. Discover More Great Resources for Families & Educators

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K. Mraz demos shared reading using guess the covered word 

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K. Mraz demos shared reading using guess the covered word 

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Supporting Young Readers During Distance Learning

Posted at 14:31h in by Uncategorized kristimraz

Hi Everyone,

I have been playing around with how shared reading could look over Zoom or GoogleMeet using slides. I know there are a ton of issues with kids having access to wifi, kids having access to devices, kids having family members who are essential workers and might be in childcare, so by no means is this a perfect solution. It is, however, trying to make something workable. I talk a little bit about trying to use kids photos from home to make the books, but I know thats not always possible. Just a note, its super easy to upload from Zoom to Youtube so if you make a video of yourself doing this, you can post it onto a private youtube channel for your kiddos.

A few edits after the fact:

1. Please choose topics based on what your kiddos need to hear from you right now. If food security is an issue, than this is not the best topic to write about.

2. You can certainly use existing shared reading texts, if you take a picture of the page to put on google slides, you can still cover words with text boxes.

3. If you use images of kids (I hope you do!) Remember not to share them publicly.

Here is a link to the teacher text.

Here is a link to the text I would share with kiddos.

As always, if you find the content useful and would like to donate a few bucks, it is deeply appreciated by this freelancer and her freelancer partner.

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Supporting Young Readers During Distance Learning

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Posted at 14:31h in by Uncategorized kristimraz Hi Everyone, I have been playing around with how shared reading could look over Zoom or GoogleMeet using slides. I know there are a ton of issues with kids having access to wifi, kids having access to devices, kids having family members who are essential workers and might be in childcare, so by no means is this a perfect solution.