Sheri Lenzo's List: Free Online Resources 4 Students

• is a free add-on that provides text-to-speech for PowerPoint files, and it works brilliantly with Tar Heel Reader books when downloaded as PowerPoint files.  The experience of reading a Tar Heel Reader book is enhanced tremendously when viewed as a full screen slide show and when narrated with PowerTalk.  It’s even better if a quality voice has been installed on your computer for text-to-speech.
• have downloaded a sampling of about 70 Tar Heel Reader books as PowerPoint files.  If you would like to have these, you can download them in a zipped file HERE.  Also included in the folder is an executable file for installing PowerTalk.  I hope you find this helpful.

  • nullThis is very cool -- 2009-11-01
    Maybe we could use this in some classrooms? -- 2009-11-01
    

• Raz-Kids provides a large number of “talking books” at multiple levels that speak-the-text at the same time the words are highlighted. There’s a wide range of fiction and expository text, and is suitable for Beginning and Intermediate readers. It costs $60 annually for one classroom of students.
• English For All is a series of excellent captioned videos and follow-up activities related to life skills. It’s most appropriate to high school-age and above English Language Learners. This is available at no cost.
• the Virtual Grammar Lab to this list.  It has over 2400 grammar activities, and teachers can create a free account so that they can track student progress.
• — PBS Kids Island. Once parents/teachers sign-up their children/students, users can practice many of the literacy activities on the PBS website and parents/teachers can monitor their progress. It’s designed for three-to-five year olds now, and will be expanding to those six-to-eight soon.
• “add-on”– First 55 is a website designed to teach the “first 55″ words someone is supposed to learn to read
• Spelltube is a British site that is implementing a good idea — helping students learn vocabulary through the use of funny videos and online interaction.  It’s pretty engaging, though it does have a decidedly British “bent.” It’s free, and teachers can create virtual classrooms in order to track the progress of their students.
• Kubbu
• Teachers can easily create a number of online exercises for students to complete, and you can easily keep track of how they do. It’s free for one teacher and up to thirty students.

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