Four Popular Literature Websites

1. http://vos.ucsb.edu/

The Voice of the Shuttle began in late 1994 as an introduction to the Web for humanists at the University of California, Santa Barbara. It became publicly accessible on March 21, 1995.

It is a valuable tool for English students because it is a strong stepping stone for a research paper. The site is rich with resources. The “content” section lists possible topics that the student can explore, such as history, literary theory, and philosophy. The literature link connects students to websites that provide bibliographies, primary resources, as well as photos of art and architecture of various historical periods. The website also provides up-to-date information and links. It is easily accessible and is organized by subject, topic, and type of resources. Alan Liu and his development team from the University of California, Santa Barbara maintained it.

2. www.poetryclass.net

The team of poets, well versed in the problems associated with poetry was created by Jean Sprackland, poetry class project manager. The team generated training packs and resource materials which, in conjunction with this website are dedicated to the discussion of poetry in education.

This site reflects the ethos of taking the fear out of poetry. What this site offers is plain language, printable poetry workshops for immediate use in classrooms, a glossary of terms, interviews with poets, recommended books, and key stage requirements tagged to particular poetry workshops on our site. Poetry Class vet each external poetry site listed in our resources section to ensure that it matches its standards for clear language, contains useful information about (or examples of) poetry and poetic forms, and is easily navigable for all users.

3. http://www.universalteacher.org.uk/

This site first appeared on the Web in March 1999. It contains resources for students and teachers of English language and literature, as well as basic information about how to acquire skills in ICT and Internet technologies.

The materials are aimed at the upper end of secondary education, but many are suitable for college and university students. There are number of resources on the site which are substantial in research and writing. The resources are written to help students succeed in research and in writing without letting work take over their lives. The author, Andrew Moore, is an experienced teacher who has worked as an examiner for English and literature.

4. http://www.todayinliterature.com/

Today in Literature is a daily calendar of engaging stories about literary history. Their articles and daily newsletter - quotations, anniversaries, literary news and more, however are available by site licenses and personal subscription. This free site offers interesting and engaging stories about literature and writing that bring writers and their works to life. Each day visitors can read a story about a literary event that occurred on that day in history. Subscribers receive other date based material as well. Students and teachers can use the material to have background to works of literature, to stimulate interest in writers and books as well as to analyze the structure and technique of the essays.