Additional Resources

Online resources related to the texts used in Ms. Franklin's classroom:

Langston Hughes Resources

• Biography, etexts, and links from the American Academy of Poets
  http://www.poets.org/poets/poets.cfm?prmID=84
• Teacher Resource File from the Internet School Library Media Center
  http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/hughes.htm
• Biography and stories about Hughes from the Library of Congress's America's Story site
  http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/aa/hughes
• Biography from the Gale Group
  http://www.galegroup.com/free_resources/
  bhm/bio/hughes_l.htm

"Guests in the Promised Land" by Kristin Hunter

• Author biography
  http://www.classzone.com/lol/authors/06/6hunter.htm
• A listing of African American authors
  http://www.mcpl.lib.mo.us/readers/lists/adult/afamauth.htm

To Be A Slave

• Interview and biography from Scholastic.com
  http://teacher.scholastic.com/authorsandbooks/
  authors/lester/bio.htm
• Julius Lester Teacher Resource File from Internet School Library Media Center
  http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/lester.htm
• Author Biography from EduPlace.com
  http://www.eduplace.com/kids/hmr/mtai/lester.html

Additional resources related to the tenets of this lesson:

• National Research Center on English Learning and Achievement: Envisionment building articles and related research
  http://www.albany.edu/cela/publication/envisionment.htm
  
  Articles related to classroom discussion and student collaboration from the National Research Center on English Learning and Achievement:
  • "How Classroom Conversation Can Support Student Achievement"
    http://www.albany.edu/cela/newslet/fall01/raising.htm
  • "Engaging Students in Meaningful Conversation Leads to Higher Achievement" by Arthur Applebee
    http://www.albany.edu/cela/newslet/winter00/engaging.htm
  • "How English Is Taught and Learned in Four Exemplary Middle and High School Classrooms" by Steven Ostrowski
    http://www.albany.edu/cela/4teachers/main.html
  • "Taking Risks, Negotiating Relationships: One Teacher's Transition Towards a Dialogic Classroom" by Julie Nelson Christoph and Martin Nystrand
    http://www.albany.edu/cela/christoph01%2D3/main.html
  • "Classroom Discussion: Teachers' Perspectives on Obstacles and Strategies" by Samantha Caughlan
    http://www.albany.edu/cela/newslet/fall01/caughlin.htm
  • "Supporting the Process of Literary Understanding: Analysis of a Classroom Discussion" by Doralyn R. Roberts and Judith A. Langer
    http://www.albany.edu/cela/support/main.html

Middle School Instructional Resources:

• MiddleWeb
  http://www.middleweb.com/
  
  MiddleWeb is a Web site devoted to middle school education and includes resources for middle school teachers and parents. A comprehensive index allows teachers and parents to search for useful documents and resources by topic.
  
  
• CyberGuides: Teacher Guides and Student Activities
  http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/cyberguide.html
  
  CyberGuides are supplementary lesson plans centered on core works of literature. Each CyberGuide contains a student and teacher edition, standards, a task and a process by which it may be completed, teacher-selected Web sites and a rubric (based on California Language Arts Content Standards).
  
  
• Reading Online
  http://www.readingonline.org/
  
  This Web site is an online journal of K-12 practice and research published by the International Reading Association. It includes helpful links to book reviews, peer-reviewed articles, discussions about literacy, and ideas and information about applying technology in literacy instruction.
  
  
• The Doucette Index
  http://www.educ.ucalgary.ca/litindex/
  
  The Doucette Index provides access to books and Web sites that contain useful teaching suggestions related to books for children and young adults, and the creators of those books. The searchable database enables teachers to search by author and/or title of the book, leading to lesson plans and curriculum ideas.
  
  
• The Gateway to Educational Materials
  http://www.thegateway.org/welcome.html
  
  The Gateway to Educational Materials, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, is a searchable index that provides teachers, parents, and administrators with quick and easy access to thousands of educational resources found on various federal, state, university, non-profit, and commercial Internet sites. These resources include lesson plans, activities, and projects. The index can be browsed by keyword, subject, book title, and/or grade level.
  
  
• Children's Literature Web Guide
  http://www.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/
  
  This Web site categorizes the growing number of Internet resources related to books for children and young adults. Much of the information found on this Web site is provided by schools, libraries, teachers, parents, and book professionals (such as authors, editors, and booksellers). It includes quick references to lists of award-winning and bestseller children's books, teaching resources, links to parent resources, and journal and book reviews.
  
  
• National Writing Project
  http://writingproject.org/
  
  This Web site, sponsored by this well-known project, provides links to resources helpful to teachers involving their students in writing projects and the process of writing. State and local sites can also be accessed from this umbrella site, which also gives information about its mission and progress in meeting its goals.