These sites can help your students decipher some common English idioms.

Funbrain: Paint by Idioms

UsingEnglish.com: Dictionary of English Idioms

The Idiom Connection

Earlier this week I appeared as a guest on the NPR show "Charlotte Talks" (from Charlotte, North Carolina) to talk about language in the electronic age. Callers expressed a fair amount of hand-wringing about how English usage is under fire from new modes of communication, from text-messaging to social media sites. Rather than focusing on the negative, I'd like to celebrate some of the innovative linguistic forms that have been bubbling up online.  Continue reading...

Provide young readers with a fun phonics workout by having them visit these web sites that teach phonics through fun games and activities:

Starfall

BBC Schools TV

AdrianBruce.com: Games

Transform your students' television time to vocabulary time by having them tune in to these PBS show sites developed to enrich their word knowledge.

Martha Speaks

WordGirl

Word World

April is National Poetry Month! Check out these great programs sponsored by the Academy of American Poets:

Poem In Your Pocket Day

Poetry & the Creative Mind

Poem A Day

National Poetry Map

These cool sites contain visual elements that can bring new life to your teaching of some American classics.

NPR's "In Character"

Language of the Land: Journey into Literary America

American Memory Project

Brief Timeline of American Literature and Events