Shmoop Overview for Teachers: Fun, Deep, Smart Resources for Your Classroom

Shmoop Overview for Teachers & Librarians http://www.shmoop.com/teachers/ Shmoop University, Inc. Confidential “ Best of the Internet” "The language is totally student-friendly... ...a very cool site."

What is Shmoop?

Digital learning guides that make learning fun and relevant for students

Deep analysis, questions, quotes, trivia, multimedia, loads of links

Start here: http://www.shmoop.com

Written by educators and experts – primarily Ph.D. students from Harvard, Stanford, Berkeley

>90% of Shmoop writers have taught at the high school or college level

Shmoop University, Inc. Confidential

Students & Teachers Say… “ Shmoop has enriched my teaching and made literature accessible to ALL my students!” - Martha, HS teacher “ Shmoop makes me actually want to work. ” - Stephanie, 19 “ Shmoop is intentionally about the joy of learning .” - Paul, HS teacher Quotes from Shmoop focus groups of HS and College students, April 2008 Shmoop University, Inc. Confidential “ This website is my dream come true ” - Noel, 20

Things You’ll Learn on Shmoop Shmoop University, Inc. Confidential The Portrait of a Lady (written in 1880) shares a lot in common with TV’s “Gossip Girl” Emily Dickinson was a packrat Ernest Hemingway and James Joyce picked bar fights together in Paris Albert Einstein's 7th-grade teacher told him he "would never get anywhere in life." True story.

Shmoop Literature

Help make literature fun and relevant for your students

“ Why Should I Care?”

Themes

Quote analysis

Plot analysis

Character analysis

Literary devices

Study questions

Trivia

Best of the Web

Shmoop US History

Analysis from multiple points of view

Events, People, Quotes

Trivia, Glossaries

Links to multimedia, primary sources, and more

Shmoop Poetry

Demystify poetry

Close Reading (line-by-line)

Deep analysis of Symbolism, Themes, Meter, Sound, Setting…

Trivia

Study Questions

Best of the Web (primary sources, photos, audio, video, etc.)

Now the largest poetry analysis site on the Web

Shmoop University, Inc. Confidential “ Smart and consistently humorous” - Academy of American Poets (poets.org)

Shmoop’s “Best of the Web”

Links are carefully selected by Shmoop’s writers

Audio, video, photos, art, primary sources, historical documents

TV and Movies

Books

Websites

NEW Shmoop Civics Because Civics Shouldn’t be Boring

Government, politics, law

Heated issues that students care about

A line-by-line analysis of the Constitution

NEW Shmoop Bestsellers Let Your Inner Fan Feast

Use “Pop Lit” to teach literary analysis

Twilight

New Moon

Eclipse

Harry Potter …

Many more coming soon

NEW Shmoop Biography Get to Know the Big Cheeses

31 bios and counting

Authors, poets, political leaders, inventors, …

Back-stories, fun anecdotes, multimedia, personal letters

NEW Shmoop Music Listen and Learn

Analyze lyrics like poetry

Lyrics are often a less intimidating intro to poetry

Historical context

“ Behind the music” stories

Technical analysis of rhythm, songwriting, instrumentation

NUEVO Shmoop Literatura

Spanish translations of our most popular literature summaries

A “bridge” for ESL students

Or great practice for students learning Spanish

NEW: Shmoop on iPhone, Kindle, Nook Put a Ph.D. in Your Pocket

Shmoop is a top educational publisher on many devices

400 guides on the Web

300+ eBooks on Kindle

250 iPhone/iPod Apps

200 eBooks on B&N Nook

How to Cite Shmoop

Shmoop automatically generates citations for students in MLA, APA, or Chicago formats

Our About Us section includes our background and academic credentials to help establish authority

Shmoop teaches students about the perils of plagiarism and encourages original thought

Shmoop for Educators

A tour of Shmoop designed for educators

Ideas and examples from teachers who use Shmoop in the classroom

Much more coming in 2010… Stay Tuned!

Shmoop University, Inc. Confidential www.shmoop.com/teachers/

6 Easy Ways to Get Started

Link to a page on Shmoop as required (or optional) reading to compliment a unit

Use the Trivia and Best of the Web sections to add spice to your presentations

Trivia is found under “Did You Know”: http://www.shmoop.com/romeo-and-juliet/trivia.html

Best of the Web includes links, multimedia, photos, and more: http://www.shmoop.com/civil-war/resources.html

Start off a new unit by having your students read our “In a Nutshell” and “Why Should I Care?” sections (see http://www.shmoop.com/hamlet/ )

Use a song from Shmoop Music ( http://www.shmoop.com/music/ ) to ease your students into poetry, or to give cultural context to a period in history

Have your students write their own Shmoop modules for a topic that we don’t cover. It should be interesting, funny, and help explain to other students “Why Should I Care?”