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Exploring TOG

Year 1

Year 2

Writing

What's a graphic organizer? You find examples in most of the Write Source books we recommend in Classic Year-Plans, and here's a GREAT site to bookmark for all your graphic organizing needs. Graphic Organizers on Tap!
If you would like to make personalized graphic organizers, click here.
This site was contributed by Sandy and can be used as you are teaching or reviewing the parts of speech. You'll find matching, concentration, flash cards, and a word search.
Or, click here for another grammar game.
Make online crossword puzzles here or here. These are great for reviewing vocabulary!
Daily Grammar. Excellent site!
At the right is a picture one of our users sent in of the sentence pocket suggested in Marcia's introductory notes. Click on the picture to see all the details up very close!
Great writing tools for Dialectic and up! Link contributed by Anna.

SAT Preparation:

SAT online question of the day
Go to this site to answer almost any question you may have about taking the SAT, PSAT, and more!
Joshua has sent us this test preparation site. Looks great!
SAT Prep Plan: Take a practice test, which generates a free test report, then create your own SAT study plan. All for FREE!
SAT Vocabulary Words
5000 Collegiate Words with Brief Definitions

Evaluations and Rubrics:

Lisa has contributed this great link for evaluating writing for grades 2-5. This is an interactive rubric for the student to use as a checklist.
Click here to evaluate writing for grades 6-8. Another great interactive student checklist!
I recommend you show a student his grading rubric (or better yet, have him help you develop one!) before he starts his project or writing assignment. Click here to develop rubrics automagically from this site for most types of evaluations!

Want to suggest a resource or link? Email Dana.

Week 1: When John Adams Was President

Level 1: George Washington and John Adams coloring pages
Levels 1-2: Click here for some neat online activities as you are teaching nouns. Use next week too!
Levels 1-3: The School House Rock song called "A Noun is a Person, Place, or Thing"
Levels 3-6: Interactive review of the parts of speech.
Levels 6-8: Simple definitions of the parts of speech to write in your notebook.
Levels 9-12: More advanced explanation of steps in the writing process. Click on each of the orange circles for more details.
Levels 10-12: Review the parts of speech.

Week 2: Napoleon: The Man and His Career

Levels 3-5: Your student may enjoy practicing combining words into sentences with this fun online activity.
Levels 4-5: Want to use level-appropriate sentences from the Bible for dictation? Click here.
Level 9: Transition words

Week 3: Early Industrial Revolution

Level 2: Worksheet reviewing simple tenses in a pdf file.
Level 2: Mrs. Dowling's Grammar Corner
Level 3: Review the parts of speech with this online game.
Level 3: Parts of Speech song
Levels 3-8: Steps in the Writing Process
Levels 4-8: Links to lessons about writing paragraphs
Levels 10-11: Transition words
Level 12: Writing an analytical essay

Week 4: Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase

Level 1: Thomas Jefferson coloring page
Many levels: graphic organizers for prewriting
Levels 10 and 11: Taking Notes from Lectures
Levels 10 and 11: How to Take Book Notes
Level 12: Persuasive Essay

Week 5: Jefferson and the Supreme Court

Level 11: Informal Outlines
Level 12: How to Take Essay Tests

Week 6: Madison and the War of 1812

Level 1: James Madison coloring page
Level 8: Transition Words
Level 9: Taking Notes from Lectures
Level 9: How to Take Book Notes
Levels 10-11: Formal Outlines
Level 12: How to Take Essay Tests

Week 7: Reshaping Europe and South America

Levels 4-8: Lecture Notes
Level 9: Informal Outlines
Level 10: Writing an analytical essay
Levels 11-12: Helpful tips for a personal response to literature

Week 8: South America in Transition

Level 3: Cluster diagram (pdf file)
Levels 4-8: Informal Outlines
Level 9: Formal Outlines
Level 10: How to Start/Create Your Own Website
Level 11: Writing an analytical essay

Week 9: Monroe and the American Hemisphere

Level 3: Cluster diagram (pdf file)
Levels 4-8: Formal Outlines
Level 9: The Book Report
Level 10: How to Start/Create Your Own Website
Level 11: How to Take Essay Tests

Want to suggest a resource or online site? Contact Dana.

Week 10: John Quincy Adams and Political Realignments

Level 1: John Quincy Adams coloring page
Level 3: Steps in the Writing Process
Levels 4 and 5: Worksheet for practicing using guide words
Levels 4 and 5: Dictionary Activities
Levels 4 and 5: Using a Thesaurus
Level 6: Venn diagram
Level 6: Compare and Contrast papers
Level 6: Internet search engine for kids! Bookmark this site if your kids do much online research.
Level 7: The Book Report
Level 8: How to Summarize
Level 9: Writing a Research Paper
Levels 10 and 11: Writing Papers of Literary Analysis
Level 12: MLA Citation Style

Week 11: Jacksonian Democracy

Level 2: Steps in the Writing Process
Levels 4-5: Writing Reports and Accompanying Rubrics
Level 6: Various types of 5 W's charts (scroll down just a bit)
Level 6: Get your describing wheel here.

Week 12: Revolutions in Texas & Europe

Level 2: Paragraphs
Level 2: Cluster diagram (pdf file)
Level 3: Use one of these graphic organizers for your prewriting this week.
Level 6: Narrative Writing. Be sure and click on the "tutorial" in the middle of the page.
Level 8: Persuasive Writing

Week 13:

Level 1: Need more practice on capitalization or punctuation? Click here for more worksheets.
Level 2: Good information on making a display board
Level 3: Basic information about narrative writing
Levels 4-5: Cluster diagram (pdf file)
Level 6: Story map
Level 6: Step-by-step approach to writing a research paper.
Level 8: Character map if you would like to use a graphic organizer for this task.
Level 9: A few notes on writing your first draft
Level 10: You'll love this site for helping to write your biography.

Week 14:

Level 1: Another easy review for end punctuation. (pdf file)
Level 2: Cluster diagram (pdf file)
Level 8: Story map
Level 9: Simple examples for writing your own bibliography
Level 11: Resource for writing cause/effect essays

Week 15:

Level 1: Another capitalization and punctuation practice worksheet. You can use these same sentences for dictation also.
Level 2: Cluster diagram (pdf file)
Levels 4-5: Very simple story map (pdf file).
Level 9: Grading rubric for writing a research paper

Week 16:

Level 1: A practice page for name capitalization. You can use these same sentences for dictation also.
Level 2: Cluster diagram (pdf file)
Level 3: Venn diagram
Level 7: Describing wheel (pdf file)
Level 9: Sample of an interview report from Writers Inc.
Level 11: Story map

Week 17:

Level 1: A capitalization worksheet for days and months. You can use these same sentences for dictation also.

Week 18:

Level 1: Practice capitalizing days of the week with this worksheet. You can use these same sentences for dictation also.
Level 8: Taking essay tests
Level 10: Just one of many online rubrics for grading biographies
Level 11: Grading rubric for writing a short story

Want to suggest a resource or online site? Contact Dana.

Week 19:

Level 1: Cluster diagram (pdf file)
Levels 2, 4, 7: For further helps on newspaper writing, download these two pdf files: How-to's and Write Place. Both are contributed by Cheryl W.
Levels 3, 6: Instructions for writing friendly and business letters
Levels 3, 6: Grading rubrics for letter writing. You'll want to adapt these a bit as they are for a traditional classroom.
Level 5: Cluster diagram (pdf file)
Level 5: Fifth grade book report instructions and forms
Level 8: Essay test-taking terms
Level 10: Need further help in teaching about expository writing? Click here and scroll down for an 84-page FREE download with lots of helps.
Level 11: Good site, with an example definition essay.

Week 20:

Level 1: Cluster diagram (pdf file)
Level 3: Very simple story map (pdf file).
Levels 3, 6, 9: Learn how to write plays from the Scholastic website
Levels 6, 9: Story map
Level 8: Literary terms
Level 9: A more advanced story map that will help get the wheels turning.
Level 10: More information on writing persuasive essays

Week 21:

Level 1: Cluster diagram (pdf file)
Levels 3, 6, 9: Learn how to write plays from the Scholastic website
Level 5: Scholastic has a good site for learning to write biographies.
Level 10: More information on writing narrative essays
Level 11: Writing a process essay

Week 22:

Level 1: Cluster diagram (pdf file)
Levels 3, 6, 9: Learn how to write plays from the Scholastic website
Level 10: Go to this site and scroll all the way down to find an assortment of punctuation worksheets.

Week 23:

Level 1: Cluster diagram (pdf file)
Levels 3, 6, 9: Learn how to write plays from the Scholastic website
Levels 10-12: Detailed site explaining how to debate

Week 24:

Level 1: Cluster diagram (pdf file)
Level 3: Very simple story map (pdf file) and describing wheel (pdf file)
Level 6: Story map
Level 8: Create your own Venn diagram
Level 9: A Brief Guide to Writing Narrative Essays

Week 25:

Level 1: Cluster diagram (pdf file)
Level 8: Checklist for taking essay tests

Week 26:

Level 1: Cluster diagram (pdf file)

Want to suggest a resource or online site? Contact Dana.

Week 27:

Level 1: Cluster diagram (pdf file)
Level 2: Very simple story map (pdf file).
Level 2: Sample Aesop's fables to print/show students before beginning their fables
- Great site: all the Aesop's Fables you'll ever need! All ages, but supervision is recommended. (We've not previewed this entire site, and it seems that stories from other sources are also posted.)
- Another source from which you can read/download/print a free copy of Aesop's fables.
Level 6: Good information on making a display board.
Level 9: More information on writing persuasive essays
Level 10: Essay of argumentation...this is a helpful website.
Level 11: Review business communiques

Week 28:

Level 2: Very simple story map (pdf file).
Level 6: Cluster diagram (pdf file)
Level 8: Start using the online SAT question of the day.

Week 29:

Level 1: Simple instructions for writing friendly letters

Week 30:

Level 1: Cluster diagram (pdf file)
Level 7: Here's a worksheet or quiz on essay terms created from the Write Source handbook, created by Cheryl. File is in MS Word.

Week 31:

Level 1: Cluster diagram (pdf file)
Levels 3, 6: You won't want to miss this site for teaching your poetry unit. Excellent!
Levels 3, 6, 8, and 10: For further helps on teaching your poetry unit, click here. Contributed by HollyAnne.

Week 32:

Level 1: Cluster diagram (pdf file)
Level 2: Excellent site that you'll use all through your book report mini-unit
Level 4: Here is a cover that you can use for your state notebook. (pdf file)
Level 4: Click here for a ready-to-use Table of Contents for your notebook. (pdf file)