PaperRater

PaperRater.com is a free site that allows students to upload a paper they have written and site will check the paper for grammar issues, word choice, spelling and possible plagiarism. This is a great way for students to check their work before they submit it to the teacher or Turnitin.com. Many students will proofread their paper for common spelling mistakes, but they often overlook the grammar mistakes they make. This site will identify the grammar problem in the paper and help them correct the problem. The site also lets students see the types of words they commonly use in their essay and can offer alternatives for over used words. This is a great way for students with a limited vocabulary to grow as they write papers. Any site that can help a students with their vocabulary and grammar is a must for the classroom. 
 
This would be great to use in the computer lab the day or two before a paper is due. It would allow all students to see how the site works and the benefits of using it with their paper. If students are given a chance to see these helpful tools, many of them will start to use them on their own and learn from the mistakes the website identifies.

- Give it a try!

Some Diamonds In The Rough

Here are some great sits I found searching around the Internet. Take a look at some of these things and let me know if you found them helpful at all. Feel free to forward on to other teachers if you think they might like it. It's all about the sharing people. :-)

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  A Lifetime of Color
  "T'he most popular of all of Sanford's websites, alifetimeofcolor.com provides educators with a comprehensive resource of lesson plans, projects and techniques for teachers and educators!"
  That comes from their website and I would say it's a fair assessment of what they provide. There are many different lessons and project ideas that art teachers could find very useful. 
  
  
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  Physics Games - online physics-based games
  A great site for Physics Games that can spice up a classroom for time to time.
  Sometimes games are a great way to educate students about important principles. Here is a really fun site that uses games to teach principles in physics. Heck, this is just kind of fun if you are an adult and want to play around for a bit. Take a few minutes and see if this could be used in your class and on your Smartboard.
  
  
  
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  IT's Elementary!
  Great new blog for Elementary Teachers. Check out the resources she has to offer.
  This is a new blog for Elementary teachers that I think you should check out. It has some interesting links and ideas that you might find helpful. 
  
  
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  12 Word Cloud Resources, Tips, & Tools | Teacher Reboot Camp
  A variety of resources to use in class. as of right now, Wordle is down, but here are some other great sources that Shelly has but together that can help you along the way. Take a look and see if you can use that in your classroom.
  
  
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  Kathy Marie's Alternatives to Book Reports
  180 alternatives to book reports. What a great way to change up a reading class. Take a look and try to use one in you class. It will be a good day when they book report is finally laid to rest. Here are 180 ways to achieve the same goal as a book report, but in far more creative ways. Take a look around and see if there is anything you might like to see your students use.
  
  
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  Schoolhouse Rock Lyrics
  The classics are still good to use with kids. Math, Grammar, Science, and America Rock are all available to use in your class.When in doubt, I still sing the songs to myself. Try introducing these to your students if they are having trouble with a particular unit.
  
  I hope you liked these posts. If you see anything you really liked, please leave me a comment and let me know. It will help me narrow down my searches in the future.
  
  - Give it a try!