I am excited about the items I have shared this week. Please take a few moments to check them out. I have resources for all teachers K-12. Even though we are coming to the end of the year, I am not running out of great things to share. As always, I would love to come out to your classroom to help implement a new tool or model a tools use or just collect information for a tech showcase for the blog. Don't delay, call me today!
NoRedInk - A great site for students
NoredInk is a site designed to help students become better writers. It's free and students don't need to create an account to use this site. The teacher creates the account and sets the activities that the student will work on. There is a diagnostic activity available. Noredink Another nice feature of this resource is that you can use your Google login. Students can log into the teachers account with a pin given to them by the teacher. I think this is a great tool for students.
LetsReCap
What a cool way to do a quick assessment with students. Recap allows the students to quickly record a response to a quick check for understanding or maybe an exit ticket. It's a fun and engaging way to hear and see what students are understanding. letsrecap If I were in the classroom, I would love this site, I think students would love it. Sign up, it's free and you can check out the demo to see what it's all about.
Free PBS Resources
Settle the Conflicts Between Hamilton and Jefferson. In the formative years of the United States, two key figures helped shape a new government: Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson. However, their vision of what that government should be and do often conflicted. In this interactive from PBS Learning Media’s A Biography of America, students read statements by Jefferson and Hamilton on the role of government, the virtue of people, the institution of slavery, and the role of cities. Then they decide who, in their opinion, had the more enduring vision for America. The website also provides background information and discussion questions to support teachers in using the interactive with their students.
Click Here to Access Free Interactive and Support Materials
Plus: A video segment adapted from PBS’s American Experience describes the early life of Alexander Hamilton. Born outside the 13 American colonies on a small tropical island, Hamilton struggles early when his father leaves and his mother dies of yellow fever. As a teenager, he learns about international finance by working for an export company, hones his writing skills, and witnesses the degradation of slavery. Accompanying the video are teacher support materials that includebackground information and discussion questions.
Click Here to Access Free Video Segment and Support Materials
Settle the Conflicts Between Hamilton and Jefferson. In the formative years of the United States, two key figures helped shape a new government: Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson. However, their vision of what that government should be and do often conflicted. In this interactive from PBS Learning Media’s A Biography of America, students read statements by Jefferson and Hamilton on the role of government, the virtue of people, the institution of slavery, and the role of cities. Then they decide who, in their opinion, had the more enduring vision for America. The website also provides background information and discussion questions to support teachers in using the interactive with their students.
Click Here to Access Free Interactive and Support Materials
Plus: A video segment adapted from PBS’s American Experience describes the early life of Alexander Hamilton. Born outside the 13 American colonies on a small tropical island, Hamilton struggles early when his father leaves and his mother dies of yellow fever. As a teenager, he learns about international finance by working for an export company, hones his writing skills, and witnesses the degradation of slavery. Accompanying the video are teacher support materials that includebackground information and discussion questions.
Click Here to Access Free Video Segment and Support Materials
PBS Learning Media and Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC)
For those looking for professional development in the comfort of you own home. This is free. It looks very interesting. PBS Learning Media and SSEC have partnered to bring the professional development series Good Thinking! to PBS Learning Media's on-demand service for educators. Drawing from peer-reviewed research in science, cognition, and pedagogy, Good Thinking? distills valuable findings from hard-to-access journal articles to promote effective classroom practices. The series is available on SSEC's YouTube channel. It is meant for K-12 teachers the cost is free and the great part is you can participate online; anywhere, anytime. Click here to go to the link to see more.
Global Digital Citizen Foundation
I am sharing three guides for Project-Based Learning. Each guide contains eight ideas for classroom projects, with two ideas for each core subject area. Click here for the link to the Global Digital Citizen Foundation site.
Word Generation
Word Generation is a free supplementary curricular resource developed by the Strategic Education Research Partnership for students in grades 4, 5 and middle school. Word Generation offers a series of discussable dilemmas designed to promote students' academic language and argumentation skills. It employs vocabulary learning principles validated by research and includes weekly topics, each separated into four strands--English, social studies, math and science--to connect all vocabulary to their disciplines. Students will debate questions such as, "Should voting be compulsory in local and national elections in the United State?" and "What divides us and how can we resolve our differences?" The topics are intended to engage students and encourage debate.
I looked at the downloadable content and the topics do look engaging. Here are the links to grades 4 and 5 and middle school.
Grades 4 and 5
Middle school
Click here to see all of the links available including science and social studies.
I looked at the downloadable content and the topics do look engaging. Here are the links to grades 4 and 5 and middle school.
Grades 4 and 5
Middle school
Click here to see all of the links available including science and social studies.
Tammy's Technology Tips for Teachers
Tammy Worcester Tung has created a Google resource site with lots of tips and how-tos. Click here to access the site.
Academic Word Finder - Free
I like that this tool categorizes the vocabulary words as below, on or above grade level. It was so easy to use. This tool is from Student Achievement Partners and uses the vocabulary system described in Isabel Beck's book Bringing Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction, to identify Tier 2 words. These are high-frequency words, such as analyze, compose, and construct, which appear across several content areas. The Academic Word Finder identifies Tier 2 words in passages to help teachers select the most useful vocabulary to teach their students. To use the tool, Teachers copy and paste their passage into the search field and then select the grade level. The finder quickly identifies below-, on-, and above-grade-level Tier 2 vocabulary to focus on with students. It also provides the grade range, part of speech, meaning, and an example sentence for each vocabulary word.
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