Language Arts Web Sites
An abundance of language arts Web sites can be found on the Internet to serve instructors, parents, and students alike. Instructors look to the Web to find resources for new lesson plans, stay current on pedagogical methodologies, and converse with other professionals in the field. Parents might be searching for resources to provide information on problem areas in language arts that their children have or to learn the terminology used in the discourse to better communicate issues with teachers. Students who desire to improve their language arts development or who have an interest in language arts may also need access to quality language arts Web sites.
The Web is rich with information, but weeding through the inferior Web sites to get to the useful ones can be a tiring task. YourDictionary has taken the initiative on this issue and has thoroughly researched many of the most prominent Web sites that deal with language arts. The sites below represent the most useful content discovered during the search. They are organized according to the specific language arts area the sites focus on.
Reading
- Ohio Treasure Chest – Not just a clever name, the Ohio Treasure Chest is a true gold mine for language arts resources as well as math, science, social studies, technology, and general education information. All the resources are organized by grade and the site covers kindergarten through 12th grade. Be sure you also check out their regular podcasts for information and current issues in language arts.
- Read Think Write – Read Think Write is an organization that grew out of a partnership between the International Reading Association, the National Council of Teachers of English, and the Verizon Foundation. The site is organized into four categories: lessons, standards, Web resources, and student materials. Each category contains a wealth of information in the form of games, activities, examples, articles, and diagrams. The site is organized, professionally designed, colorful, and extremely thorough.
Spelling
- Spelling for Success – This simple, colorful Web site is logically organized and accomplishes its objective in a very straightforward manner. It begins by explaining the importance of knowing how to spell in the modern world. A brief test is provided to test the visitor's spelling abilities. A short list of spelling strategies is provided as well as spelling links organized into two sections, one for teachers and one for students and parents. The beauty of this site lies in its simplicity and how it conveys a wealth of information without including pages of never-ending links.
- Suffolk Web – Suffolk Web is advertised as a cooperative project of the public libraries of Suffolk County, New York. This site contains a list of excellent spelling tools and resources including the Merriam-Webster spelling bee quiz for the day, Harcourt Brace's excellent spelling tools and games, and a complete list of spelling rules for nouns and verbs.
Writing
- National Writing Project – The National Writing Project aims to improve writing and learning in American schools. The resources shared by the NWP are very academic and are focused on some of the most contemporary research areas in the field of writing instruction. Audience, genre, grammar and usage, writing across the curriculum, writing and technology, the writing process, writing prompts, and much more are featured. The NWP is one of the most organized, focused, and up-to-date organizations in the discourse of reading and writing studies.
- Young Author's Workshop – This rather simplistic looking Web site is actually quite effective. The projects contained here are designed to focus on both creative writing and the writing process in general. The site is organized in six categories: ideas, writing, revising, editing, publishing, and teacher resources.
Still Need More Ideas?
The above sites provide an incredible amount of reputable content on language arts. If you're still in need of more language arts Web sites, however, the following articles on YourDictionary may be of assistance: