As a classroom teacher, reading a book or an article aloud to my class was one of the most enjoyable parts of each day. With our busy instructional schedules, sometimes we must get creative about when and how to make read-alouds a priority. March 7th, World Read Aloud Day, can renew our interest and commitment [...]
7 Golden Rules for Using Technology in the Classroom
In honor of Digital Learning Day, February 1st, the Golden Rules of Technology in Schools (as stated by Adam Bellow at the 2011 ISTE conference) were reposted on Mindshift. To celebrate Digital Learning and read about the seven Golden Rules, click here.
Ask Me About the Pueblo Revolt
A week ago I knew next to nothing about the Pueblo Indians of New Mexico and Arizona. But now, after spending the weekend with over 100 educators in a professional learning institute, I am informed and still curious about what happened in the 1600′s as the Spanish began to colonize the Pueblo territories. The goal [...]
Traditional Spelling Test Reinvented
The weekly spelling test has been part of the classroom landscape since the days of Horace Mann. It is a tradition of American schools, if not a cultural icon. So how did Willowville teacher, Jennifer Gasser reinvent this weekly practice? She uses Spelling City, a free web-based program with her fifth grade students. The program is user-friendly for both teachers and [...]
Pick 3
No, I’m not plugging the lottery game of the same name. I’m referring to a recent post by S. Anthony Iannarino on The Sales Blog. The new year is here, and many of us are determined to do a better job of managing our work in 2012 than we did in 2011. Consider Iannarino’s suggestion: pick [...]
Virtual Binders
Check out the new LiveBinders on the Elementary sidebar. They feature instructional resources from 21st C applications to classroom management. The project started as an experiment, but grew quickly as teachers throughout the district collaborated and recommended their favorite instructional sites. Before long, we had created several virtual binders featuring reading, math, science and 21st C sites. LiveBinders is a free and easy tool to [...]
Clermont County Youth Orchestra
West Clermont Schools has entered into a partnership with Northern Kentucky University’s Music Preparatory Department to form a local youth orchestra. Twenty-five 7th – 12th grade students from Amelia Middle, Amelia High, Glen Este Middle and Glen Este High rehearse weekly on the AHS campus. Thank you to NKU program director Dr. Holly Attar and [...]
Off The Walls
The Cincinnati Art Museum (CAM) sponsors traveling exhibitions for schools and community sites. Entitled “Off the Walls”, this program brings authentic objects and reproductions to students so they can learn about a thematic collection in an alternative environment. The cost is minimal, but the learning is huge. Willowville Elementary recently participated, bringing a Native American [...]
Visit Plimoth Plantation
As Thanksgiving approaches, teachers and students are invited to participate in a virtual field trip to Plimoth Plantation. Sponsored by Scholastic, students can tour the Pilgrim village and Wampanoag homesites, receive e-mails from a Pilgrim girl and Wampanoag boy, and tour the Mayflower. Students can catch a glimpse of what life was like for 17th century [...]
11.11.11
Veterans Day, November 11th, is an opportunity for students to honor our nation’s veterans, as well as a time to examine civic ideals and practices. In fact, Ohio law requires schools to spend a minimum of one hour or one class period near Veterans Day in observance of the holiday. Free resources are available through The U.S. Department [...]
Teaching & Writing in the Real World
For the past nine months, I’ve been writing monthly blog posts for Voices from the Learning Revolution. I recently had the opportunity to interview Tanny McGregor after work one day. We talked about comprehension and the new media, 21st century skills, and finding time (and voice) for professional writing. Here’s a preview: Is teaching comprehension [...]
The National Day on Writing
The first National Day on Writing was celebrated on October 20, 2009. Since then, more than 30,000 pieces of writing have been submitted. Click here to learn more!
Wonderopolis
What is Rosh Hashanah? What is the first truly American food? What is the biggest thing you can see? The National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL) knows that curiosity fosters real learning. At Wonderopolis.org, you can get a FREE “wonder of the day”, complete with video, links and more.
Avoid the Textbook Trap
Textbooks, whether traditional or digital, are chock full of information. With densely packed paragraphs and highly specialized vocabulary, textbooks can prove to be a challenging for even the most skilled student. The text structure of many (maybe most?) of these books can be overwhelming, unfamiliar and yes, even boring. What to do? Of course we [...]
Constitution Day 2011
Did you know that institutions receiving Federal funding (that’s us!) are required to “hold an educational program pertaining to the United States Constitution” on September 17 each year? Since Constitution Day falls on a Saturday in 2011, we’ll celebrate in our schools on Friday, September 16. Visit The Constitution Center’s website to find lesson plan [...]
21C Skills Maps
What does Creativity and Innovation look like in a classroom? What does Collaboration look like in the 21C setting? What does Media Literacy mean? How is it different from Information Literacy? Use these skills maps to help guide you with common language and to help you see what 21C classroom strategies look like. Source: Partnership 21 www.p21.org
Skills Map for Math
Skills Map for Science
Skills Map for English
Skills Map for Social Studies
How To > Capture YouTube Videos
LOVE these At-A-Glance Comic Tutorials by The Daring Librarian aka Gwyneth Jones. Here's one for capturing YouTube videos for your classroom use.
For more tutorials check out The Daring Librarian's At-A-Glance Comic Tutorials on Flickr.
For more tutorials check out The Daring Librarian's At-A-Glance Comic Tutorials on Flickr.T&L Directory
What We’re Tweeting
