The document provides an overview of resources compiled in a digital teaching resource folder. It includes 10 resources categorized as primary source materials, instructional support materials, and teacher support materials. The primary materials include online programs to develop literacy skills like Raz-Kids, Jolly Phonics for teaching letter sounds, and ABRACADABRA for an interactive literacy program. Instructional supports include websites with teaching ideas and materials like lesson plans, and the Reading Rockets site for research-based reading strategies. Teacher support materials include resources for developing lesson plans and an instructional planning tool. The resources are intended to aid planning, instruction, and engaging and supporting student learning.
2. Introduction
Thoughtful and proper planning are essential
elements of successful teaching and student learning.
Through planning lessons that are guided to meet
curriculum as well as engage students teachers are able to
establish an environment in which students learn and
enjoy the material they are being taught. Compiling
resources that aid in planning, instruction and teaching
allows for effective lesson plans to be made as well as
providing options for meeting the needs of students and
increasing student engagement in learning. In the article
“Teacher resiliency: A key to career longevity” Bobek
(2010) noted, “preservice teachers must recognize and
develop the resources that will sustain them and increase
their resilience as they enter the initial career stages of
their profession”. This statement depicts the importance of
early planning and compiling of resources as pre-service
teachers to help support and ease the pressure when
starting the teaching profession.
3. Introduction
The materials shared in my Digital Teaching Resource
Folder reflect my desires to engage students and promote
academic success (Connell & Kelm, 2004). Primary source
material such as the online program Raz-Kids draw on students
interests to encourage oral, and reading literacy in addition to
building reading comprehension. The resource ABRACADABRA
gives students the opportunity to explore literacy through a
web-based program. Technology is viewed as an essential tool
to engage student to be the “designers and creators of
knowledge” (Alberta Education, n.d.). Incorporating technology-
based resources into my lessons is a valuable way to support
student learning. The implementation of student planning tools
such as semantic maps allow students to understand the
development of plot, characters and narrative structures as well
as being a useful tool to organizing thoughts and ideas (Hawken,
n.d.). Other resources included in my resource folder are
intended to aid in my planning and instructional support as well
as teacher support materials to assist with meeting curriculum
guidelines and developing teaching and learning strategies.
5. Resource #1:
Inclusive Education Planning Tool:
Instructional Strategies and Supports
• Located at, Learn Alberta:
http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/ieptLibrary/documents/en/is/d
iv1_universal.pdf
• This resource is a support material for teachers. It is intended to
provide instructional strategies and supports for teaching reading,
writing, speaking & listening, viewing & representing and working
with other (Learn Alberta, n.d.). The intention of this material is to
provide examples of various activities, guided practices, and
opportunities that teachers can create to enhance students learning
(Learn Alberta, n.d.). This resource would be useful in my future
classroom as it offers a detailed list of strategies and supports for
teaching literacy as well as providing examples for effectively
implementing them in the classroom. To implement this resource as
a beginning teacher I would look at my lesson plan and see how I
could use the suggested strategies and supports to elevate my
lessons. This resource would also be helpful as it offers a variety of
instructional strategies this would assist me to find an alternative
way to help a student that was struggling with a concept or topic.
6. Resource #2: New Teachers Companion.
Lesson Plans and Unit Plans : The Basis for
Instruction
• Located at:
http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/109051/chapters/Le
sson-Plans-and-Unit-Plans@-The-Basis-for-Instruction.aspx
• This resource provides valuable information for developing
lesson and unit plans. Using this resource assists with
organizational skills and ensuring that program objectives are
met. This resource also has lesson plan templates that can be
used in planning. This resource will be useful in my future
classroom as it has explicit instruction for how to create an
effective lesson plan in addition to providing information on
developing engaging lessons (Cunningham, 2009). To
effectively implement this tool as a beginning teacher I would
have it available to reference when creating lesson plans. I
would also use this resource to refer to as a way to make sure
I am effectively managing my instructional time.
9. Resource #3: Raz- Kids
• Located at: http://www.raz-kids.com/main/Login
• Raz- kids is a web-based program developed to engage
students in reading. It uses a token system to reward learners
for reading and correctly answering comprehension questions.
This resource builds oral and reading literacy skills as well as
reading comprehension skills. Raz-kids would be useful in my
future classroom as a method to excite and engage student in
reading. It is also a valuable tool to promote reading at home
as well as independent reading. I would effectively implement
this resource by using it as a method to have the students
practice reading and oral skills as well as reading
comprehension. I would use Raz-Kids in addition to hard-
copy/ print based books, it could be used as a silent reading
time resource or as a way to get the students to read at home.
11. Resource #4: Jolly Phonics
• Located at : http://jollylearning.co.uk/
• Jolly Phonics is a “fun child centered approach to teaching
literacy through synthetic phonics. With actions for each of
the 42 letter sounds, the multi-sensory method is very
motivating for children and teachers, who can see their
students achieve” (Jolly Learning, n.d.). This resource is a
primary teaching material that can be implemented as an
instructional tool starting at an early age with students. This
resource would be helpful in my future classroom for teaching
letter sounds, letter formation, blending, segmenting and
tricky words (Jolly Learning, n.d.). I would effectively
implement this resource as a tool to enhance my instructional
approach to teaching students. I would also use the online
videos available to engage students in the learning process.
13. Resource #5: KWL Chart
• KWL Stands for; What I Know, what I want to know and what
I’ve learned.
• This resource is both an instructional and primary support
material. The intended use of this resource is to utilize it to find
out what students know about the subject or topic, what they
want to know about the subject and what they learned about the
subject. This would be useful in my future classroom to find out
students background knowledge on a subject / topic before
starting a lesson. Through establishing what students want to
know about the subject/ topic I would be better equipped to
answer their questions and tailor my lesson to provide them with
information that they are interested about. This resource is also
valuable to evaluate and assess what students have learned after
the lesson is complete. I would effectively implement this tool as
a way to assess students previous knowledge, what they want to
learn about the subject/ topic and what they have learned after
the lesson.
15. Resource #6: ABRACADABRA –
Interactive online literacy program
• Located at :
http://grover.concordia.ca/abracadabra/promo/en/index.php
• “ABRACADABRA is a free, interactive web-based literacy program
designed for early elementary school-aged students, their
educators, teachers and parents (Centre for the Study of Learning
and Performance, n.d.)”
• ABRACADABRA is both an instructional and primary support
material. This resource will be useful in my future classroom through
making literacy learning fun and engaging for student.
ABRACADABRA supports, “phonological awareness, reading fluency
development, comprehension development and writing
development” (Centre for the Study of Learning and Performance,
n.d.). These are skills that I will teach my students and through
utilizing this resource I will be able to provide my student a chance
to build and practice their literacy skills in an interactive
environment. I can also implement ABRACADABRA as an effective
resource to teach students through fun games and activities.
17. Resource #7: Kidspiration – Semantic
mapping tool
• Located at: http://www.inspiration.com/Kidspiration
• Kidspiration is an online semantic mapping tool for
students. It is a primary support resource that can be
used to “demonstrate the relationships between ideas”
(Kidspiration, n.d.). This resource will be useful in my
future classroom as a visual organizer to show different
relationships, organize students thoughts and ideas and
build on prior knowledge. It will be helpful in
establishing what students know and easy to add to as
students learn. Semantic maps have no limits and can
help students take an active role in their own learning. I
will effectively implement this resource by having
students use them to organize thoughts and ideas,
explore relationships between characters and plots in
stories and help with planning in the writing process
19. Resource #8: Teaching Ideas Website
• Located at:
http://www.teachingideas.co.uk/english/contents_vocabulary.
htm
• This is an instructional support resource as well as a primary
source material (handouts). It is a website that contains free
teaching resources such as lesson plans suggestions, activities,
games and handouts as well as printable posters that can be
used in the classroom. This website will be useful in my future
classroom as a tool to provide teaching and instructional ideas
as well as offering free engaging materials ( games, activities,
handouts) that I can incorporate into my lesson plans. The
variety of materials available on the website provides valuable
instructional and classroom resources that I could easily
implement to enhance learning and student engagement. To
effectively implement this website as a resource I would use it
when creating my lesson plans as a tool to look for ideas to
increase student engagement. I could also use this resource to
look for alternate ways of instructing if I had students
struggling to learn material or concepts.
21. Resource #9: Reading Rockets
• Located at : http://www.readingrockets.org/
• “Reading Rockets is a national multimedia literacy initiative offering
information and resources on how young kids learn to read, why so
many struggle, and how caring adults can help” (WETA Public
Broadcasting, 2014).
• This resource is designed to help develop young learners into strong
and active readers (WETA Public Broadcasting, 2014). It provides a
variety of instructional resources for teaching reading, assisting
readers that are struggling and other literacy teaching materials
(videos, articles, book suggestions). This resource would be helpful
in my future classroom as it provides research-based strategies to
assist children in learning to read (WETA Public Broadcasting, 2014).
This resource also offers a wide variety of material that would be
valuable in teaching students reading skills and promoting their
desire to read. I would implement this tool in developing my lesson
plans and to build my own instructional reading resources. I would
also use this website to stay informed on current research and
instructional practices for educating students. I would effectively
implement this resource by using its material to help with struggling
readers.
23. Resource #10: Growing Book By Book
(website)
• http://growingbookbybook.com/about/
• Growing Book by Book is a web-based resource that shares
instructional resources as well as a booklist designed to
encourage and excite young readers. This website offers free
literacy activities intended for literacy learning at home. This
resource would be useful in my future classroom as it provides
a detailed book list inspired by children and their interests.
The booklist would be a helpful tool when picking out books
to read to the class as well as in assisting students to find book
based on their personal interests. I would implement this
resource in my lesson planning of story time books to read out
loud to the class in addition to using it as a tool to help select
books for students to read individually. The activities could
also be implemented as a way to bridge the gap between
literacy at home and at school as they are geared towards
getting parents involved in their children's home literacy
practices.
24. References
Alberta Education. (n.d.) Instructional Strategies and Supports. Division 1:
Universal.Edmonton,AB: Author Retrieved from
http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/ieptLibrary/documents/en/is/
div1_universal.pdf
Alberta Education.(n.d). Learning and Technology Policy Framework. Edmonton,AB:
Author. Retrieved from http://education.alberta.ca/admin/technology/
policyframework.aspx
Bobek, B.L.,(2010).Teacher resiliency: A key to career longevity. The clearing house:
A journal of Educational strategies, issues and ideas, 75 (4), 202-205.
Centre for the Study of Learning and Performance. (2013). ABRACADABRA.
Retrieved from
http://grover.concordia.ca/abracadabra/promo/en/index.Php
•
Connell, J.P., & Kelm, A.M., (2009). Relationships matter: Linking teacher support
to student engagement and achievement. Journal of school Health, 74
(7), 262- 273. DOI: 10.1111/j.1746-1561.2004.tb08283.x
25. References
Cunningham, G. (2009). New Teacher’s Companion. Chapter 7. Lesson Plans and
Unit Plans: The Basis for Instruction. Retrieved from
http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/109051/chapters/Lesson-Plans-
and-Unit-Plans@-The-Basis-for-Instruction.aspx
Inspiration Software Inc. (2014). Kidspiration. Retrieved from
http://www.inspiration.com/Kidspiration
Jolly Learning Ltd. (n.d.). Jolly Phonics. Retrieved from http://jollylearning.co.uk/
Raz-Kids.(n.d.). Raz-kids. Retrieved from http://www.raz-kids.com/main/Login
Rodriguez, J. (2012). Growing book by book. Retrieved from
http://growingbookbybook.com/
Teaching Ideas.(2014).Retrieved from www.teachingideas.co.uk
WETA. (n.d.). Reading Rockets. Retrieved from http://www.readingrockets.org/
26. References for digital images
ABRACADABRA. [Home Page - screenshot]. Retrieved from
http://grover.concordia.ca/abracadabra/promo/en/features.php.
March 14, 2014
Jolly learning Educational Publisher. [Home Page screenshot]. Retrieved from
http://jollylearning.co.uk/. March 14, 2014.
Raz-Kids. [Leveled Books Directory screenshot]. Retrieved from
http://www.raz-kids.com/main/RazQuizRoom.
March 13, 2014.
Teaching Ideas. [Literacy Vocabulary Section screenshot]. Retrieved from
http://www.teachingideas.co.uk/english/contents_vocabulary.htm
March 15, 2014.
WETA Reading Rockets. [Home page screenshot]. Retrieved from
http://www.readingrockets.org/. March 13, 2014.