• Starfall.com, http://www.starfall.com
  • An incredible, free site dedicated to helping all children learn to read. Interactive stories and print and writing books to go along with them are high quality and engaging.
• Reading for Meaning, http://reading.tomsnyder.com/readingformeaning/index.cfm
  • An Internet subscription service to improve student reading comprehension skills that targets skills often covered on standardized tests: main idea, inference, sequence, cause & effect, and compare & contrast in a very creative way. It includes everything the teacher needs in 35 complete lessons, including graphic organizers and authentic literature. It is very flexible and can be used when teaching whole classes, small groups, or individuals. A great follow up to Starfall.
• Thinking Reader, http://www.tomsnyder.com/
  • Software focused on improving reading comprehension for your struggling readers and special needs students in grades 5-8 who have not been successful with reading. Uses core literature and content material. This software is expensive, but it is meeting a need nothing else is when it comes to our upper elementary students and middle school students who aren’t succeeding
• ReadWriteThink, http://www.readwritethink.org/
  • A partnership between the International Reading Association IRA) and the National Council of Teachers of English NCTE). Provides educators and students with access to the highest quality practices and resources in reading and language arts instruction through free, Internet-based content. The student materials section has incredible, free interactive tools and tutorials for classroom use
• NCTM Illuminations, http://illuminations.nctm.org/swr/index.asp
  • A site developed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics that has interactive, visual lessons and simulations for teaching math content in grades pre-k through high school. This is the only site you need to use to teach math in a creative, clearly understandable manner… and it’s free!
• BrainPop.com, http://www.brainpop.com
  • BrainPOP is full of educational animated movies for K-12 that demystify Math, English, Science, Health, Technology and Social Studies topics. This is a must-have subscription for every school.
• LD Online, http://www.ldonline.org/
  • This site is an interactive guide to learning disabilities for parents, teachers, and other professionals. Numerous articles, resources, and ideas on a variety of LD topics are available.
• 4Teachers.org, http://www.4teachers.org
  • 4Teachers.org is a free, multifaceted site that includes a variety of fast, easy-to-use tools for teachers and students. Their Rubistar tool for making rubrics and their PBL Checklists to guide project based learning activities are terrific. Casa Notes is a helpful tool if you have Spanish speakers in your classroom.
• A to Z Teacher Stuf,f http://atozteacherstuff.com/
  • A to Z Teacher Stuff provides teachers with free lesson plans, thematic units, printables, and other resources. The active discussion forums allow teachers to exchange ideas and give advice on a variety of issues.
• Enchanted Learning.com, http://www.enchantedlearning.com
  • A site filled with fabulous printables and activities for the elementary grades in every subject area. The site is free, but if you pay a small subscription fee, the banner ads go away and the printouts are better.
• Freebie Bonus: For elementary teachers, the http://www.dole5aday.com site has an awesome CD on everything nutrition!

Artpad.art.com to create and publish your own masterpiece.

Artpad.art.com

Finding images to use that are not restricted by copyright is challenging. Creative Commons is a great alternative.

Creative Commons provides free tools that let authors, scientists, artists, and educators easily mark their creative work with the freedoms they want it to carry. You can use CC to change your copyright terms from “All Rights Reserved” to “Some Rights Reserved.”

Flickr.com has a search process that helps you find only Creative Commons licensed images.

1. Click on the search button on the right side of the home page
2. Click on Advanced Search, next to the Search Button
3. Scroll to the bottom of the page
4. Select the box in front of the “Only search within Creative Commons-licensed content” option
5. Type in your keywords for your search, like “Rule of Thirds”, at the top of the page

Watch the screencast to observe how to create and set up your Wikispaces.com wiki.  This is free to students and teachers.  The built-in tutorials are very useful. The best thing is there are no ads.