Webliography: Comprehensive Literacy
A broad annotated list of links to general information.
Note: Seminars also provide topic-specific,
grade-level appropriate, activity-oriented Links to Resources.
EVIDENCE-BASED RESEARCH
One of the U. S. Government sponsored Regional Educational Laboratories documents a compilation of research-based statements about reading comprehension.
A site sponsored by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) of the U.S. Department of Education database of evidence-based research journal and non-journal education literature (many can be viewed online)
An organization of literacy professionals dedicated to promoting high levels of literacy for all by improving the quality of reading instruction, disseminating research and information about reading, and encouraging the lifetime reading habit. Access to many journal articles and publications is available.
A summary of research and professional expertise to help teachers provide high-quality literacy instruction for students from kindergarten through Grade 8. The information has been organized around topics that are important to literacy development
Family Literacy Advocates’ Top Ten List of Reasons to Support Family Literacy. Site includes much information about how families can support their children’s literacy development
A research report that builds on existing knowledge about what types of literacy skills learners need to acquire to become independent readers (summary of findings)
To address nationally significant problems and issues in education, the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI), through its five National Institutes, supports university-based national educational research and development centers. The centers address specific topics such as early childhood development and learning, student learning and achievement, cultural and linguistic diversity and second language learning, postsecondary improvement, adult learning, and education policy. In addition, each center has collaborating partners, and many work with elementary and secondary schools as well as postsecondary institutions. A link to each Center's website is included, along with addresses and contact persons.
A collaborative effort by three federal agencies - the National Institute for Literacy (NIFL), the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), and the U.S. Dept of Education - to bring the findings of evidence-based reading research to the educational community, families, and others interested in helping all people learn to read well
1998 released report from the Committee on the Prevention of Reading Difficulties in Young Children, National Research Council, with the core message concerning reading instruction: “that reading instruction integrate attention to the alphabetic principle with attention to the construction of meaning and opportunities to develop fluency.” (whole text online)
From the Center for Applied Research in Educational Technology (CARET)
a comprehensive report by the RAND Reading Study Group indicating recommended research and development in comprehension that reflects the inputs of numerous researchers, practitioners, and other members of the reading research community.

sponsored by National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and the International Reading Association (IRA) this offers an interrelated list of twelve standards that visions all students must having the opportunities and resources to develop the language skills they need to pursue life's goals and participating fully as informed, productive members of society.

The National Research Council Committee on the Prevention of Reading Difficulties in Young Children analyzed research on effective programs for students who are having difficulty learning to read and write and developed 10 principles from literacy programs that work to provide guidance for designing early intervention programs.
A series of literacy information booklets for parents and educators.
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ASSESSMENT
A running record form, marking, analyzing, scoring running records, and what questions to focus on after the reading
A question-answer format describes advantages of CBM; underscores uses and gives examples for math, reading, spelling, and written expression; develops templates for creating and scoring CBM probes; and details charting and interpreting data
Critically evaluate Websites as to suitability for educational purposes
For grades 1-3, 4 and up
(Directions: Type or paste text into the form and submit. In a short time OKAPI will return a formatted Curriculum-Based Assessment probe or a readability analysis.)
Describes reasons for using this assessment and outlines the steps for implementing (from the Education Alliance at Brown University)
A step by step process for determining accurate readability of any text
A custom-made tool for estimating the reading level of a book, article, or web page, based on the SMOG readability formula.
Defining, creating, and evaluating rubrics plus many examples and tips
INSTRUCTION
Best Books List

A comprehensive yearly listing of award-winning books for children of all ages recommended by The New York Times, the International Reading Association, the annual Newbery and Caldecott winners, Coretta Scott King awards, and other notable awards. Clicking on the book, links to a short synopsis, genre, topics, age level, and reading level.
Biography Maker A step-by-step tool created by students to help writers organize information to create biographical essays.
Cyberguides for Grades 4 and 5 Teacher guides and student activities from SCORE (Schools of California Online Resources for Education), standards-based, web-delivered units of instruction focused on familiar works of literature
Doucette Index

A literature-based index that provides access to books and websites that contain useful teaching suggestions (book discussion guides) related to books for children and young adults (enter title and author and "begin search"; then click on book title in blue)
Elementary School Web Quests designed for children in grades K-6 These web quests cover an array of topics and can be used in various subjects, including language arts, science, and social science
Evaluating Web Pages: Techniques to Apply & Questions to Ask Evaluating web pages skillfully requires you to do two things at once: use a series of techniques to find what you need to know about the web pages; and ask a series of questions to help you decide if you can trust the information on the site.
Filamentality A fill-in-the-blank tool that guides you through picking a topic, searching the Web, gathering good Internet links, and turning them into learning activities. In the end, you'll create a Web-based activity you can share with others even if you don't know anything about HTML, Web servers, or all that www-dot stuff.
Internet and Children Lists a variety of sites that link to tools and opinions on how to guide children's use of the Internet
Internet Picture Dictionary

A picture-with-word dictionary organized alphabetically and by categories; can be accessed in English, Spanish, Italian, German, and French
Internet School Library Media Center (ISLMC) Children's Literature and Language Arts Index Focuses on children's literature in education. Teachers, library media professionals, parents and students will find information on children's literature and associated language arts here
KidsClick A non-advertising web search site for kids by librarians.
Search categories are indicated clearly on the main page.
An annotated listing of many quality resources for the
classroom and home to enhance literacy learning
Literature Circles Resource Center An extensive site developed by teachers for teachers to outline the research on and structure of literature circles in the intermediate grades, share themed units and books, give suggestions for written responses, and highlight examples of extension projects.
Literacy Web Developed through the NEAG School of Education at the University of Connecticut, this site is designed to promote the use of the Internet as a tool to assist classroom teachers in their search for best practices in literacy instruction, including the new literacies of the Internet. It offers an extensive collection of links to literacy education resources, including children's literature, adolescent literature, and writing, that are organized by grade level, K-12.
Meeting the Literacy Needs of English Language Learners (ELLs) A 'Spotlight' series developed by the Knowledge Loom (Education Alliance at Brown University) to assist educators in providing high quality classroom education. This Spotlight defines ELLs; describes the literacy challenges they face and the developmental patterns they exhibit; and links to resources and classroom content teaching situations
Netscape Composer Tutorials
 A set of tutorials designed to introduce the basic functions of Netscape Composer, a web page editor that is part of both Netscape Gold and Netscape Communicator. Using this editor, you can do almost everything you need to do to create a basic web page.
A site sponsored by International Reading Association (IRA), National Council of English Teachers (NCTE), and Marco Polo and provides educators with quality practices and resources in language arts instruction.
Rhymezone A quick resource that matches a word you choose to words that rhyme, synonyms, definitions, homophones, similar sounds, same consonants, and related words found on a drop-down menu.
State Educational Standards Coupled to Lesson Plans and Resources A free service that accesses lesson plans based on state curriculum standards; contains curriculum standards documents for 40+ U.S. states
Technology Tools for Literacy Learning A "how to" site developed by Julie Coiro to assist educators in learning how to use the tools of Inspiration, HyperStudio, Kidpix Studio, and Powerpoint in the classroom
Tutorial to accompany Ten First Steps on the Internet: A Learning Journey for Teachers A step by step "how to" site to assist educators in navigating the Internet (understanding URLs, using bookmarks, evaluating information on websites, downloading images, etc.)
Teaching with the Internet K-12:
New Resources for New Times

A series of online chapters that outline effective use of content area information on the Internet through identifying important questions, navigating complex information networks to locate appropriate information, critically evaluating that information, synthesizing it to address those questions, and then communicating the answers to others. These five functions are defined, linked to classroom resources, and examples are given illustrating how classroom teachers around the country are teaching with the Internet effectively using these new literacies.
The Thinking Classroom A web-based classroom where teachers teach thinking to improve student learning (lots of specific examples that support the process) based on the collective research and ideas of the Cognitive Skills Group, Harvard Project Zero, 1999
Trackstar A free online data base (you just have to register) for creating your own online lessons and activities or for using the hundreds of thousands made by other educators.
Webquest 101: Putting Discovery into the Curriculum This tutorial introduces you to Webquests – an internet activity which lets you create something useful for your students while increasing your web "comfort level" at the same time. A well-designed webquest lets you turn your students loose on the web for a specific project and get results that both you and your students will like.
Word Central A site developed by Merriam Webster where kids can see how much fun learning about words can be by looking up words fast in the student dictionary, building their own dictionary, or using the "Daily Buzzword" activity. The site was developed with input from teachers around the country using a language arts curriculum framework.