So, what is this fabulous find? Shmoop. (Maybe it's just me, but when I saw the name of this site, I immediately began singing, "Shmoop, Shmoop ba-doop" in my best Salt N Pepa impression. All the more reason to love it!)
Some of the teacher resources on this site are available for purchase (at pretty reasonable prices), but what I fell i love with is the Learning Guides section. There's something for everyone:
As I clicked around I saw summaries, analyses, quotes, flashcards, study questions, videos, quizzes...
And... they're free!!!
I love that these are written for students. In fact, their tagline is, "We Speak Student!"
Each introduction I read came with a "Why Should I Care?" section that basically gives students the investment piece we often fail to provide.
So, while I know these learning guides are technically meant for the students, they are excellent resources for us teachers as we prepare our lesson plans. Why recreate the wheel, right?
Excellent! I have used Shmoop before, especially when looking for ideas or concepts to teach with novels. It's all there for the taking! :)
ReplyDeleteErin