Web Connections for May 2008

The Web sites listed below were verified at the time of publication, but please check that they remain valid before using them in an educational setting.

“It’s Elementary! Graphic Novels for the K–6 Classroom”

• For an article discussing the mechanics of reading a graphic novel, see the Horn Book magazine article “Reading Lessons: Graphic Novels 101.”

“Best New Books for the Classroom”

• For downloadable classroom activities related to Pale Male: Hawk of New York City by Janet Schulman, visit Random House’s Web site.
  
• For a downloadable reading group guide for Kevin Henkes’ Bird Lake Moon, visit HarperCollins' Web site.
   

“Talking with Jacqueline Woodson”

• “The Books of Jacqueline Woodson: A Reader’s Companion” by Deborah Taylor is available at the Penguin Group Web site.
  
• A reading group guide for Feathers is available on the Penguin Group Web site. 
  
• Visit Jacqueline Woodson’s Web site for additional information about her books. 

“Voices in My Head”

• For links to listening-related skill-building activities and other teaching tools, visit Learning through Listening, part of Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic.
  
• Visit Read Write Think for a detailed classroom lesson on “Audio Listening Practices: Exploring Personal Experiences with Audio Texts.”
  
• The Poetry Archive has an informative “Tips for Listening” page with practical ideas for optimizing an effective classroom listening environment.
  
• Visit the Academy of American Poets for a series of poetry lesson plans.
  
• “Teaching Listening: An Overview” by Mac Yin Mee is available from the journal The English Teacher.
  
• The Kennedy Center features “A World of Poetry,” a range of lesson plans on incorporating poetry into the curriculum.
  
• Visit Read Write Think for a classroom lesson plan called “In the Poet’s Shoes Web Quest.”
  

"What a Character!"

• For a downloadable character map to note specific traits and gather evidence from the story that demonstrates those traits, visit the American Library Association Web site.
  
• Visit Read Write Think to use an interactive tool called a bio-cube that will help students summarize a book character’s life.