Big Huge Thesaurus

Picture 3

What it is: Big Huge Thesaurus is a must add to your classroom publishing center.  The tag line of Big Huge Thesaurus says it all: “synonyms, antonyms, and rhymes (oh my!)”.  Big Huge Thesaurus goes beyond other online thesauruses by giving students a wealth of synonyms (for each part of speech), words that sound like the original word, and rhyming words.  When students find a word that they are curious about, they can click the link and it will send that word through the Big Huge Thesaurus.


How to integrate Big Huge Thesaurus into the classroom: If you have classroom computers, set up a writing/publishing center where students have all the resources they need to write.  Big Huge Thesaurus should be one of those resources.  Students can visit the writing center to add richness and interest to their stories, poems, and other writing.  This Thesaurus does an excellent job of breaking down words.  Use Big Huge Thesaurus on an interactive whiteboard or projector when learning new vocabulary.  Type in the vocabulary word and have students construct its meaning using the synonyms that are generated. 


Tips: I learned about Big Huge Thesaurus on Twitter this morning from several of my PLN. If you aren’t on Twitter with other educators, I highly recommend joining and following the fine folks I follow!

Leave a comment and share how you are using Big Huge Thesaurus  in your classroom.

Airtight Interactive

 

 

What it is: Airtight Interactive is a Flickr connected program that allows students to search a word and see various other words associated with the initial word.

How to integrate Airtight Interactive into your curriculum: Use Airtight Interactive to build word maps for association. When students are given a new vocabulary word, they can create a map using software such as Inspiration with a definition, synonyms, antonyms and the word used in a sentence. Airtight will give students a starting point to understand how words are associated.

Tips: Be sure to search words that students will search before letting them loose on Airtight Interactive. Because Airtight is Flickr connected, pictures aren’t always school appropriate.