Student-Use Websites

Time for Kids

TimeforKids.com is the children’s version of Time Magazine, found online.  The website is well-organized, inviting, and easy to maneuver.  TimeforKids.com is broken down into sections including:  News, Kid Reporters, Around the World, Homework Helper, Photos & Videos, and TFK Extras.  The variety of categories offers a few options for use in the classroom.  One way I could use TimeforKids.com is that the news articles and videos could be used to create a common experience for the class.  As a class, we could either watch a video, or read an article, and then everyone could write an assigned response to the piece.  Some of the news articles offer topics that students could take a position on, such as whether or not the dollar coin should replace the dollar bill, and other videos and articles could be used for students to practice reflecting, summarizing, and identifying key information.  The website could also be used as a resource for students when working on homework.  I could provide the students with the website information at the beginning of the school year, and they could use the flashcard maker or the essay guides in the homework helper section to help them with studying and homework for my class.  TimeforKids.com offers a lot of educational information written at an accessible level for eighth grade students.

Word Central

WordCentral.com is Merriam-Webster’s website designed for middle school students.  The website is student friendly and offers, a dictionary, rhyming dictionary, thesaurus, build your own dictionary, daily buzzword, and games.  I was pleased to see that high-level words are included in the dictionary and on the daily buzzword, but definitions are accessible to lower reading levels.  A great source for improving students’ vocabularies, I can see using WordCentral.com in two different ways in my classroom.  When students complete work early, or have earned a reward, the website could be an approved website for students to visit for playing games.  There are a variety of games on the website that are intended to build vocabulary and build spelling skills with fun graphics and activities.  Also, the rhyming dictionary could be a lot of fun for the poetry unit.  When students are creating their own poetry, they could use the rhyming dictionary for brainstorming and for ideas when they cannot think of a rhyme on their own.  When a word is entered, rhyming words appear, and then when clicked on the students can see the definitions of the rhyming words.

Link to Daily Buzzword

Link to Games

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