The Mailbox magazine

Mailbox magazine has partnered with Promethean Planet.  They are having a competition in which you can win fabulous prizes.  Join their forum on the Planet and read the particulars.  You could win an ActiView, an ebook, and other prizes.  They are looking for ideas to generate Mailbox flipcharts.  Right click here to download (save) a demo flipchart.

Common Core- Math

I attended a workshop this week on the new Common Core math standards.  Very interesting how different the focus of teaching will be with these new standards.  I actually think it will be better for students in that they will diminish the number of objectives covered in a year's time and allow for more depth in each standard. Another change, according to the presenters, Randy and Sue Pippen, is the focus on what the students will be learning rather than what the teacher will be teaching.  Their emphasis is on student centered learning, the standards address what the students should be doing in the classroom.  There is also an emphasis on practical application.  Here is a site that answers that question heard so often, "When am I ever going to use algebra in real life?"  Check out Get the Math. 
from the site:  Get the Math is a multimedia project about algebra in the real world. See how professionals working in fashion, videogame design, and music production use algebraic thinking. Then take on interactive challenges related to those careers. 
This looks great for middle school algebra students.

Earth Day

Have any good ideas for lessons or activities for Earth Day.  One idea is to go paperless for a day.  It's a real eye opener if you keep track of how many times you would normally pull out a sheet of paper, or worksheet.  Find some alternative methods... use the Activotes or Expressions.  Try shaving cream on the desktop for students to write in, (you'll get your desktops cleaned quite well as a bonus).  What other ideas do you have?  Share them here with a comment.

More Etherpads

As I investigate further, I have come across more sites similar to Wallwisher. 
If you are looking for a way for students to collaborate on a project, here are some etherpad sites to try out.  They are easy to use as there are no accounts that have to be created, no user names or passwords.  Just share the URL.
Here are some ideas I came across on the Planet. Thanks Dennis Warren
An etherpad may be something useful:
PiratePad: http://piratepad.net/
TypeWith.me: http://typewith.me/
Sync.in: http://sync.in/
PrimaryPad: http://primarypad.com/

Wall Wisher

Check out this new collaboration tool.  Join the conversation.... How could you use this in your classroom?

The Solar System

Lots of articles out there about improving STEM curriculum, so here's a site for the science portion.  It's a site that let's you explore the solar system.  Very cool in that you can visit each planet and get a view of our solar system from that planet.  Visit the moon for some really good visuals of phases of the moon. 
The site is called Interactive 3D Model of Solar System Planets and Night Sky

Cranes for Kids

Oshkosh clothing is looking for help in sending clothing to children affected by the devastating events in Japan.  They have origami kits available in store or for download online.  Kids can fold origami cranes, a symbol of health and well-wishes, and send them in to Oshkosh.  For every crane they receive, they will send an article of clothing to Japan. The cranes will be sent to Japanese Oshkosh stores as a symbol of support and good wishes.  If you want to help out, check out this site. Cranes for Kids

National Poetry Month- Wait there's more

Why is it I always find more after I've posted?
Here are more sites to visit:
National Writing Project
Via Thinkfinity, Edsitement has links to world poetry.  venture outside the box
I love Garrison Keillor's Writer's Almanac and here he is with Poetry Everywhere from PBS, Robert Frost reads his Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
Library of Congress loves poetry too.  Poetry 180- poems for everyday of the school year
Favorite Poem project
Poem in your pocket is a fun way to help your students celebrate National Poetry Month.

thanks to Betty Ray from Edutopia for all these resources.

April is Poetry Month

Celebrate National Poetry Month by having your students create poetry no matter what subject you're teaching. 
You can let them be creative by writing poetry in science: The Chromosome Poem

 or use riddles in math for problem solving: Greg Tang's spring math riddles
Here's a silly IWB activity to introduce various styles of poetry: Poetry Idea Engine
Writing with Writers offers some great step by step workshop ideas and means for publishing student work.

Scholastic site has these and other great ideas.
Read Write Think also offers great lessons and links to other great poetry sites
Eduplace has lots of resources as well.
More lesson plans for poetry month from Education World
Check out the NEA Curriculum ideas for National Poetry Month

Common Core Standards

Since IL has adopted the Common Core standards, this will be a great resource for you to use in helping to rebuild our curriculum.  NSDL.org (National Science Digital Library) is an excellent site where you can find resources for STEM (science technology engineering math).  The page I have linked for you has great lessons that align with Common Core math standards. It looks easy enough to navigate and it seems to be growing with more lessons all the time.  Check back often.

Black History Month

Have you added anything to your curriculum for Black History Month?  Here are a couple of resources you might find useful. Explore Turning Points in the Civil Rights Movement Voices of Civil Rights documents the civil rights movement in the U.S. Nearly 50 photos, posters and descriptions depict important events and individuals: school integration in Little Rock (1957), the lunch counter sit-in in Greensboro (1960), the memorial service for Medgar Evers (1963), the March on Washington (1963), the Selma-to-Montgomery March (1965), the Voting Rights Act (1965) and others. Click Here to Access Free Resources

Plus: From History.com, Save Our History: Voices of Civil Rights is a free, downloadable teacher’s guide to the thousands of stories from individuals who lived during the civil rights era from the 1940s through the 1960s. Click Here to Access Free Teacher’s Guide

Technology and the brain

     Just read an interesting article from KQED in San Fransisco.  The article "How Technology Wires the Learning Brain" by Tina Barseghian talks about a study done by a neuroscientist and UCLA professor Dr. Gary Small.  Essentially he looks at your brain on Google with interesting results of brain activity.
     “Young people are born into technology, and they’re used to using it 24/7,” Small said. “Their brains are wired to use it elegantly.” I think that it is imperative that we include technology in our curriculum.  We are not properly preparing our kids for the world if we leave that piece out.  By the same token, it is our job to keep  the old "technologies" of personal communication; speaking and listening skills, reading, etc. as well.  The brain is like a muscle in that if you don't use it, you lose it.  The neuro-pathways that are created in activities, whether it be reading a book, or using a computer to play a game, need to be exercised so as to strengthen them.  And different pathways are created for different activities.  Just another reason why differentiation is so important.

BBC schools-Rock cycle

I just love the BBC schools site.  There are so many good interactive links available.  Here's one from Bite size science. ROCKS AND WEATHERING  It's a nice little explanatory video of the rock cycle, cartoon images, not photos, but a nice explanation.  The Bite Size sites on the BBC are great for use with your IWB.  Check them out. BBC- Schools (many of the videos will not play, but the activities work just fine)

QUIZLET

Found another great website.  I love that there are so many free resources for education!  This one is called Quizlet.  You can create your own flashcards or use pre-made ones for tons of subjects.  There are practice games and tests that students can "play" with.  As with most of these types of sites, there is a free version and a premium version.  The cost for the premium version  is only $10/year, though.
Having just shared some interactive vocabulary activities in my latest coaching session, I'm sorry I didn't have this website to share.  I will definitely add it to my flipchart.
One of the great things about these interactive sites is that it provides opportunity for learning to take place outside the classroom.  They can take the day's lesson and in a fun way continue learning at home and share what they are doing in class with Mom and Dad.

Pi Day March 14th

Pi Day is coming.  Here are some websites to help you celebrate with your class.
The Exploratorium Celebrates Pi Day
Math Forum has some great activities to do with your classes.
Online Pi memorization game. How many digits do you know?
Illuminations has a great tool to use on your IWB to investigate pi.
TeachPi.org
Brain Pop celebrates Pi Day, too.
Pi Day songs
Pi Trivia
Try Teachertube for some fun videos.

LOC and National Archives

In the same vein as the previous post.... another great govt. website, The Library of Congress.  A few years ago I took a trip to D.C. and got a tour of the Library of Congress and the National Archives.  It was a fascinating tour of the history of the buildings and agencies, but the best part for me was the educational outreach  areas.  The library has a program that emphasizes using primary resources in education.  This and the National Archives are the depository of most of our nation's important history-making documents, most of which are available in digital format.  For example, you have access to the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, letters, and pictures that can make a lesson come alive for your students. These two sites are worth taking a look at.

  

FREE

     We all love free stuff and there is a government site that provides some great open resources for teachers to use.  In its inimitable way, the govt has created an anachronism; F.R.E.E.-- Federal Resources for Educational Excellence.  There are links to many federal agencies that have provided lesson plans and primary resources for educational purposes.  For example, under the topic of American Revolution, there are links to National Park Service sites (national historic parks), The Smithsonian, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Museum of American History, Dept. of State, National Archives, Library of Congress, and the list goes on.  You could find those things on your own, but it's nice to have a database to tap into that organizes lessons by topic.   Check it out, I think you'll find some really useful resources.

Happy Valentine's Day

Came across a cute little site to add to your Valentine's flipcharts.  Its called Candy hearts and you can personalize an image of a candy heart and add the image quite easily to your flip page.

Art Project powered by Google

Google has collaborated with some of the best known art museums around the world to bring their gallery to you.  Using street view technology, you can travel through the museums of your choosing looking at thousands of works of art.  The zoom feature is spectacular and the high resolution detail provided is really something. 

You can see brush strokes and layering quite well in this zoomed image of Van Gogh's Farmhouse in a Wheat Field.  It's hard to tell from this little image, so check out the site yourself.  Art Project, powered by Google.

Animoto

Do your students do reports?  Do you have them present their work by reading their report?  Where do you hang all those poster boards? What other projects do you have your students complete?  Try using the Web2.0 tool of Animoto.  It is an easy video creator for you and your students.  There is an educational version available for free.


Click on the link above to explore the site.  I think you will find it fun and engaging.  Let your students create in a new way for your classroom, but a way that I'll bet many of them do at home already.  Let them be creative, you steer the content and objectives.

Math sites

In perusing the Promethean Planet, I found a blog dedicated to teaching math.  It is called Mathematics Teacher's Lounge.  On the blog I found a number of links to other sites that would be helpful for teaching math. One is from  the public schools of North Carolina site.  It is a list of leveled pdf files that can challenge your students to use critical thinking and problem solving skills. It can be found at Math Stars Newsletter.  
Math 5 Alive is a site with explanatory videos and demonstrations, activity sheets, assessments, and parent and teacher notes on a myriad of math topics. Reminds me a bit of Brain Pop.
Scholastic has become a great resource for interactive lessons.  On Scholastic's Study Jams you can find an intro video, quiz, and vocab on fractions.  Take a look around, there are lots more great lessons.
Add Em Up is a fun demo game found on the Math is Fun site.
Be sure to check out the forums, blog, and teacher features on the Planet for lots of great ideas.

JFK Library

     The JFK Library and Museum unveiled their new digital collection last week, timed with the 50th anniversary of Kennedy's inauguration.  The museum is in Boston, but you can now access many of the primary sources from the Kennedy archives digitally from the website.  There are print and audio versions of his speeches, images and artifacts from JFK's term in office.  Downloads are available of many of the same items that are displayed in the brick and mortar museum.  They invite you to download and use these archives in your classroom.  They even ask that you share with them how you are using the items. Take a picture of your class in action and send it in.
     It's a very exciting site with virtual tours and interactive displays like the White House diary during JFK's term. This really is an amazing undertaking, to have access to so many primary sources from such an important time in our country's history.  I'm very impressed and think you will be too.  Take a look.  John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum

"Clickers"

     On the Planet community I came across a discussion about using LRSs (Learner Response Systems) or as we know them "clickers" or Votes and Expressions.  There were links to a few sites that further discuss the use of clickers in the classroom.  I was surprised to find that the best practices were taken from the University of Colorado and the use of clickers in a university setting.  My son in law just had to purchase a clicker for one of his classes at SIU-C as well, so they are being used across the academic spectrum, not just in a K-12 setting. 
     While a lot of what is on the sites pertains to a college setting, I think that it is transferable to an elementary/middle school setting. One of the objectives for using the "clickers", as we have talked about, is to engage students in active learning. This includes making predictions, applying skills and ideas, promoting discussion, and drawing connections.  Activotes and Expressions also provide feedback, not only to the teacher, but also to the students themselves of their understanding of a topic.  The clickers can be used for formative assessment that can help direct the lesson to meet the needs of the students.  It is also an excellent tool for summative assessment. 
     The sites I am including will also give you some best practices in how to write good clicker questions.  Some of the ideas include not making your questions too complicated or long.  Keep it simple, especially at first. This includes answer options.  Allow for Think/Pair/Share time.  Use the clickers for pre and post tests. Integrate questions throughout the lesson, not just at the end. 
     Remember we want students to be engaged in the teaching and learning process.  With the use of these devices in the classroom students are more engaged because they have a say in the class, even the quiet ones. 
     The sites referred to can be found here: 
10 Personal Response System Teaching Strategies
Best Practices for Writing Clicker Questions
Clicker Resource Guide- an Instructors Guide to the Effective Use of Personal Response Systems (clickers) in Teaching


    

Math

Finding it hard to explain a math concept to your class. Do you find your class a little dry?  Try Math Snacks.  This one is just hilarious, but it explains ratios quite well. Bad Date.

Activotes

Training sessions this week are a refresher for using Activotes in your classroom.  I will go over the "how-tos" and share some ideas, but I'd like to do some brainstorming, too.  What ideas do you have for using the "Votes" in your classroom?  Let's see what we can come up with. 
So far: (some from a discussion on Promethean Planet)

• taking a poll- favorite color, food, etc.  for graphing

• formative assessment during a lesson- "do they get it?"

• When you ask a hard question - immediately ask a follow up - "How confident are you of your answer?- A very - F none at all"
• You'll see me make reference to the 'Learning Mountain'. I get kids to rate where they think they are on the mountain (A=Summit, F=Base camp) at the beginning of a unit of work and then we can compare results as we progress though the unit and at the end.
  Loads of discussion in this and it encourages kids to be reflective and self-evaluate their learning.  
• A great use of Activote is to get discussion going. Use A-F on a scale of agreement, choosing an apropriate issue to debate.
  he reslts of the vote can be pasted and referred to later if a revote is taken perhaps at the end of the lessonto se if anyone has changed their mind. It's great evidence of an oral lesson.
• I really like using the voting to get the children writing. I would start with a character and ask "What is going to happen to this character?" In groups the children then generate the responses, and then the individuals can vote on which way they would like the story to go. Then go onto - what would they say next - and so on. Really nice way to give a voice to those children who are too afraid to fight for their idea!!
• We also use them a lot in PSHE or RE, with the sliding scale, from 'a' - this is very important to me, through to 'f' - this is not important to me at all. We then discuss the results. Great twist on the idea of 'I value this for myself, I value this for others, I value this for no one', which is used with older children. (mine are only 6!) 

Brain Pop

According to the latest newsletter, Brain Pop has aligned their movies, activities, and quizzes to the Common Core standards.  Seeing as IL is adopting Common Core, I thought you'd like to know that Brain Pop is a dynamic site that stays current.  To find movies that align, simply go to the Standards Tool to search for material related to the standards.