Where to start...

So I have this wide open blog, and I have to decide where to start...After some debate and brainstorming, I decided to showcase two tools I used in summer school this week with a group of gifted students who were in the pre-writing stages of writing a mystery.



The students used the first tool, "Clay Yourself", as a way to visualize the characters in their story.  Using "Clay Yourself", students can completely customize characters for any story.  The website is free to use, requires no log-in, and you can save or print the picture that students make.



The second website students used while developing their characters was Read Write Think's Profile Maker.   This website allows students to fill in a graphic organizer about their character, and then it generates what looks like a FaceBook or general social networking profile.  The website is free to use and does not require a log-in.  The students loved this activity because of the novelty and because it looked like FaceBook.

Both websites are very easy to use and generate interest for my students. I'd love to hear from other teachers who use these web resources and how they used them! May the force be with you!