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Digital Enhancement
/ Tools for Enhancing Text
What it is:
Wordweb is a free dictionary for Windows that allows you to look up parts of things, such as all the parts of a wall etc...just by typing the word. So for the word "wall" you get everything from dado to wainscot, plus definitions, synonyms, types (abdominal wall), part of (fortification), etc. It can be installed so that it looks up highlighted words from within other applications, such as Word, or a web browser.
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Spark Notes offers free online access to hundreds of study guides, as well as searchable, hyperlinked versions of their Test Prep books. For example, for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets they provide:- Context
- Summaries, including a brief summary for each chapter.
- Characters
- Analysis of Major Characters
- Themes, Motifs, and Symbols
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Classroom Examples:
Third graders are reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Before each chapter, the teacher asks what has occured in the previous chapter and makes a list of the major events. She tells them who will be involved in the coming chapter, using the chapter summaries from Sparknotes.com.
At the end of the book, students are to write an essay on the difference between their school and Hogwarts. Students brainstorm the qualities of each school, which are then organized using a graphic organizer. Each student receives an outline of the brainstorming session as a foundation for writing.
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