Classroom Resources for English Language Arts
Arthur:  The online companion to the popular ARTHUR television series airing daily on PBS Kids targets kids between the ages of four and eight. It supports the same educational goals as the program: literacy and the modeling of positive social and problem-solving skills. |
| Between the Lions: This website contains a wealth of resources, activities, and curriculum materials to help kids learn to read and write. For children in pre-school through grade 3. |
 The Electric Company: The television series and its companion website aim to entertain children between the ages of 6 and 9 while simultaneously teaching four crucial areas of literacy that are challenging for struggling readers: decoding, vocabulary, comprehension of connected text, and motivation. |
| The Great Word Quest: This website is designed to teach vocabulary through games and other activities. For ages 4 to 7. |
 History Detectives: Crash Course in Using Resources of the New York State Library: This four-hour workshop for teachers of elementary through high school social studies and language arts will introduce them to how to use both the special collections and the main library collections at the New York State Library to ferret out answers to questions about people, places and events in New York State's history. |
Homework Hotline:  Students statewide can call in live with their homework questions to be answered by the Rochester Teacher Association's Dial-A-Teacher volunteers. Homework Hotline airs on public television at 5:30pm Monday through Thursday when school is in session. |
| Language & Literature Internet Bibliography: A list of internet resources compiled by the NYS Library reference staff. |
| Life in the Hudson Valley: Using Translated Dutch Documents: This four-hour workshop for teachers of elementary through high school social studies and language arts will introduce them to translations of 17th-century Dutch documents (primary sources) that can be used to tell stories about life in Beverwyck (aka Albany), Wiltwyck (aka Kingston), Nieuw Amsterdam (aka New York City) and other communities in the Hudson Valley. |
 Martha Speaks: Martha and her friends teach vocabulary in two ways: by using the words in context, and by telling kids what the words mean. On the Martha Speaks website, kids learn by doing. When they hear words, they have to understand them and use them to play the games well. For ages 4 to 7. |
| Mission to Planet 429: In this web-based game, 1st through 3rd grade students build their reading skills while having fun and fantastic adventures in a rich virtual world. |
| NOVELny: Online access to the full text of hundreds of journals, newspapers, and other references. |
| NYS Museum Exhibit Teacher's Guide: New York Metropolis: A teacher's guide to the State Museum's New York Metropolis exhibit, including pre- and post-visit activities. Many of the activities can be effective with or without a visit to the Museum. (PDF) |
 NYS Museum Exhibit Teacher's Guide: Preserving Family History: A teacher's guide to the State Museum's Preserving Family History exhibit (now closed). Many of the activities can be effective even though the exhibit can no longer be visited. (PDF) |
| PBS Kids Island: This website contains reading games with favorite PBS KIDS characters. Players earn tickets and win prizes as they play progressively challenging games. A Child Progress Tracker allows teachers to see how their students are doing. For ages 3 to 7. |
| PBS Programs A-Z: Access to all the websites for PBS programs and their related educational resources. |
| PBS Teachers: PBS's national web destination for high-quality preK-12 educational resources suitable for a wide range of subjects and grade levels, inncluding thousands of lesson plans, teaching activities, on-demand video assets, and interactive games and simulations. |
| Sesame Street: Complete with fun and engaging games, videos, and activities, the Sesame Street website’s educational and developmental curriculum helps children get ready for school success. For ages 2 to 5. |
| Summer Reading at New York Libraries: Materials and links to library resources to support a summer reading program in your community. |
| SUPER WHY!: The mission of this website, like that of the television series, is to help kids ages 3 through 6 learn key reading skills, including alphabet, word families, spelling and reading comprehension, through interactive online games, activities and more. |
 Throughout the Ages: A visual educational resource that focuses on using historical records as learning tools in pre-K–grade 6 education. The site offers more than 500 digital images of historical photographs, letters, broadsides, maps, and paintings. |
| Using Historical Records in the Classroom: Historical Records: what, why, where and how. A brief course on using historical records in the classroom. |
| VITAL New York: VITAL - Video in Teaching and Learning for New York Educators - provides free access to public television program clips, teachers guides, instructional strategies, and more. |
| WordWorld: Providing constant opportunity for word play, WordWorld empowers children as early readers by making the important connections between letters, sounds, words and meaning that are necessary for reading. For ages 2 to 5. |
| WordGirl: This website is specially designed to promote a love of language and words. The connection between language and thinking that children gain by building a broad vocabulary has a direct impact on their literacy learning, especially reading comprehension. Our goal is that children will find themselves using new words in daily conversation and develop a love of language. For ages 4 to 7. |
Last Updated:
March 16, 2012