Awesome Stories
March 24, 2007
Awesome Stories is a wonderful FREE site that I have used with both my F2F students and my online students. There are informational stories in many high interest categories such as Stories behind the Movie, Historic Events, Current Topics in the News, Famous Trials, Inspiration, Special Holidays, Natural Disasters etc. Each unit is carefully researched (by teacher contributors) and written with hyperlinked text. The links take students to deeper information sites, graphics and even video clips that enhance the topic. The site developers are extremely helpful and friendly…though very puzzled why Michigan has the fewest teachers enrolled. (I use this site for myself…especially the Story Behind the Movies – it’s nice to know background before viewing a video. )
Beyond the cool stories, I like the site because it models digital writing and allows students to learn new reading skills. I am an avid disciple of Jim Burke (Illuminating Text) in the area of rethinking how we read/write and how students learn “textual intelligence.” Posted by Mary Bullard
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sigtelemacul | March 26th, 2007 at 10:53 pm
Thanks, “Anonymous,” for posting this resource. I’m now a proud member from Michigan!
Your remark about the necessity of allowing students to learn new reading skills really coincides what Alan November said at a workshop last Friday at Sacred Heart Seminary: “We have to teach reading in a whole different way…now we teach reading as if children are going to read books for the rest of their lives. The Internet overtook books 3 years ago as the #1 media for children in the U.S. Kids aren’t being taught how to read on the internet.” — Jane Perzyk
2.
sigtelemacul | March 28th, 2007 at 4:34 pm
Jane – I agree whole-heartedly. I just convinced MIVHS to change the name of my course from Reading Comprehension to Reading Strategies for the Digital Age. I have been focusing on what it means to read online…no longer a linear/ one-dimensional process. ( by the way, I posted the awesomestories.) Mary Bullard