Educational Links 7/30/17

Is Digital Equity the Civil Rights Issue of the Day?

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/education_futures/2017/07/is_digital_equity_the_civil_rights_issue_of_the_day.html?cmp=SOC-EDIT-FB

From Skyhook To STEM: Kareem Abdul Jabbar Brings The Science

https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2017/07/27/from-skyhook-to-stem-kareem-abdul-jabbar-brings-the-science/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+kqed%2FnHAK+%28MindShift%29

Signs a Child Might Have Auditory Processing Disorder

https://childmind.org/article/signs-a-child-might-have-auditory-processing-disorder/

Why placing students in difficult high school classes may increase college enrollment

http://hechingerreport.org/placing-students-difficult-high-school-classes-may-increase-college-enrollment/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=buffer&utm_content=bufferd6004

What Effective Principals Do

http://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/effective-principals/?utm_content=buffer7b0d8&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

7 WAYS A GOOD TEACHER BRINGS JOY INTO THE INCLUSIVE CLASSROOM

https://www.thinkinclusive.us/7-ways-a-good-teacher-brings-joy-into-the-inclusive-classroom/

Viewing the Eclipse of 2017

http://momvoyage.hilton.com/articles/viewing-total-solar-eclipse-2017/

Class size matters a lot, research shows

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2014/02/24/class-size-matters-a-lot-research-shows/?utm_term=.6d2239969d0b

Every now and then someone in education policy (Arne Duncan) or education philanthropy (Bill Gates) or the media (Malcolm Gladwell) will say something about why class size isn’t really very important because a great teacher can handle a boatload of kids.

Not really.

Educational Links 7/29/17

Congressional Panel Asks: What K-12 Skills Are Needed for STEM Workforce?

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/DigitalEducation/2017/07/congressional_panel_asks_what_k12_skills_needed_STEM_workforce.html?cmp=SOC-EDIT-FB

Turn passive learners into leaders by letting students teach!

https://www.iste.org/explore/articleDetail?articleid=1026&category=ISTE-Standards-in-Action&article=

Download: Graphic Organizers to Help Kids With Writing

https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/learning-at-home/encouraging-reading-writing/download-graphic-organizers-to-help-grade-schoolers-with-writing?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=understoodorg

The Field Where Men Still Call the Shots

The lack of female coaches in youth sports can make lasting impressions on boys and girls.

https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2017/07/the-field-where-men-still-call-the-shots/535167/

Understanding social and emotional learning: a quick guide

https://edsource.org/2017/what-is-social-and-emotional-learning-and-why-does-it-matter-sel/584567?utm_source=newsletter-728-17&utm_medium=email

Teachers Shouldn't Work in Isolation. Kids Need a Team.

http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/work_in_progress/2017/07/teachers_shouldnt_work_in_isol.html?override=web

Social Challenges of Kids With Learning Problems

https://childmind.org/article/social-challenges-kids-learning-problems/

When we think of children with learning challenges, we think of difficulty with reading or math, with being organized, with paying attention and staying focused in school. But many students with learning and attention disorders also have social and communication problems.

Next Semester...we'll celebrate diversity

Music! Dancing! And don't forget the great Mexican food!

If you teach in a school that is ethnically isolated, by geography or by choice, I suggest finding commonality in sports, for example. Especially in baseball, you can find just about all ethnicities coming together to celebrate a fun time through sports. If you have a favorite team in the MLB, NFL, or NBA--you are celebrating diversity. The same is true of most entertainment and lists of famous inventors, performers of heroics, and remarkable accomplishments.  You can also spotlight through calendar events (St. Patrick's Day, or MLK Day, for example.) Discretion is important if your community is sensitive to discussions of diversity. But it is clear that not only tolerance is mandatory but appreciation of diversity, also. We are America, afterall.

Here are links from Edutopia, TeachThought and Edudemic to get you started on your appreciation of diversity.

Diversity 

http://www.edutopia.org/blogs/tag/diversity 

http://www.edutopia.org/search-results?search=diversity 

Vibrant art! Parades! Learn to use chipsticks!

Culturally Responsive Teaching Starts With Students

http://www.teachthought.com/teaching/culturally-respo--nsive-teaching-starts-with-students/ 

15 Resources: Prepare for Cultural Diversity in Class

http://www.edudemic.com/cultural-diversity-in-the-classroom/ 

Ballpark saurkraut hotdog!

Here are links for the major self-reported ethnicities in the USA according to census reports. I'm just following the order of the self-reporting. Sounds like fun--music, dance, food, art. Serious thoughts and inspiration. Check out American Rhetoric: The Power of Oratory in the United States http://www.americanrhetoric.com/  for speeches.

German-American Corner: History and Heritage

http://www.germanheritage.com/ 

Speeches of JFK .

Irish Contributions to the American Culture

http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/immigration/irish8.html 

Cesar Chaves Si Se Puede

National Hispanic Heritage Month and Cinco de Mayo Lesson Plans

http://lessonplanspage.com/hispanicheritagemonth-htm/ 

The Pilgrims landing at Plymouth Rock.

 

English Americans

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_American 

 

Little Italy, New York City

 

Italian Americans 

http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Ha-La/Italian-Americans.html 

The Italian Americans PBS

http://video.pbs.org/program/italian-americans/ 

Steven Spielberg--and don't forget Jurassic World!

 

The Jewish Americans PBS

http://www.pbs.org/jewishamericans/ 

 

 

Native American Resources

500 is one of my favorite resources, I have taught the info on the Aztecs to my Mexican-American students. They are also fascinated with the Mayans.

Sequoyah--created Cherokee written language

500 NATIONS a video series

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZztTMhRzqlQ&list=PLCD21D8E645A7BCE0 

We Shall Remain--PBS

http://ec2-184-73-194-121.compute-1.amazonaws.com/wgbh/amex/weshallremain/

Celebrate African-American History

 http://teacher.scholastic.com/africanamericanheritage/

 Please don't neglect the arts when enjoying these lessons. And the food, if possible. Mmm, soul food.

MLK--we never needed your influence more than now!

Educational Links 7/28/17

27 Simple Ways To Check For Understanding

Http://Www.Teachthought.Com/Pedagogy/Assessment/27-Simple-Ways-Check-Understanding/

Doorways Into Activism

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/doorways-activism-jinnie-spiegler?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+EdutopiaNewContent+%28Edutopia%29

Measurable Goals: How Far, By When?

http://www.wrightslaw.com/blog/measurable-goals-how-far-by-when/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheWrightslawWay+%28The+Wrightslaw+Way%29

Surviving Team Meetings

https://www.makespecialeducationwork.com/surviving-team-meetings/

Love, Teach Shares 11 Poetry Prompts For Your Secondary ELA Class

https://www.weareteachers.com/poetry-prompts/

Some Teens Don't See School as a Kind Place. Here's Why That Matters.

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/rulesforengagement/2017/07/some_teens_dont_see_school_as_a_kind_place_heres_why_that_matters.html?cmp=SOC-EDIT-FB

Reading, Writing & Eclipse-Watching: How We Got Our Students Excited About Aug. 21 (Op-Ed)

https://www.space.com/37591-getting-students-excited-for-2017-solar-eclipse.html

Five ways to tackle the most challenging pupils

https://www.tes.com/news/school-news/breaking-views/five-ways-tackle-most-challenging-pupils

Let’s be honest: when it happens day after day, challenging behaviour such as disobedience, backchat, anger issues or other disruption from a child can really grind us down. It can change us from being patient, compassionate people with a genuine desire to make a difference, into sleep-starved, wild-eyed desperados, convinced a student has a personal vendetta.

Educational Links 7/27/17

10 Strategies To Help Students Use Social Media For Critical Thinking

http://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/10-strategies-help-students-use-social-media-critical-thinking/?utm_content=bufferf5bf1&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

The Next Generation Science Standards' Next Big Challenge: Finding Curricula

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2017/07/next_generation_science_ngss_next_challenge_curriculum.html?cmp=SOC-EDIT-FB

Apple Can’t Cure Learning Disabilities, but It Makes Them More Manageable

http://observer.com/2017/07/iphone-ipad-apps-adhd-and-disabilities/

Six steps to create a reading culture in your school

https://www.tes.com/news/school-news/breaking-views/six-steps-create-a-reading-culture-your-school

Blend Science Lessons and Children’s Literature

https://www.middleweb.com/35350/blending-science-lessons-and-childrens-literature/

6 WAYS TO MOTIVATE TEACHERS: BE THE HOPE

http://www.coolcatteacher.com/motivate-teachers/?utm_content=bufferf2b1b&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

How Making Mistakes Primes Kids To Learn Better

https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2017/07/26/how-making-mistakes-primes-kids-to-learn-better/

In recent years, cognitive scientists have done gobs of research on how making mistakes help us learn, much of it funded by the federal Institute for Education Science. Some findings make intuitive sense. Some are completely surprising. And many important findings that are relevant to teaching are not making it into the classroom, or penetrating very slowly.

Educational Links 7/26/17

How To Use Google Keep in the Classroom

http://www.coolcatteacher.com/how-to-use-google-keep-in-the-classroom/?utm_content=buffer5fff1&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

5 Myths About Poverty That Are Harmful to Kids

https://www.weareteachers.com/myths-about-poverty/#.WUrAgGgrI-U

23 amazing STEM and digital learning tools

https://www.eschoolnews.com/2017/07/12/stem-digital-tech-tools/

BIRDSLEUTH EXPLORER’S GUIDEBOOK

http://www.birdsleuth.org/guidebook/

The Difference Between Updating And Rebooting Your Classroom

http://www.teachthought.com/terry-heick/difference-updating-rebooting-classroom/?utm_content=buffer4c926&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Tips For Taking Your Back to School Welcome Letter from Meh to Wow!

https://www.weareteachers.com/back-to-school-welcome-letter/

Understanding Dyslexia

https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/child-learning-disabilities/dyslexia/understanding-dyslexia?utm_source=twitshare&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share

Dyslexia is a specific learning disability in reading. Kids with dyslexia have trouble reading accurately and fluently. They may also have trouble with reading comprehension, spelling and writing.

Teaching Is Teachers Talking To Each Other

How to make friends and influence people - a teacher's guide

http://www.guardian.co.uk/teacher-network/2012/sep/04/teachers-guide-making-friends-influencing-people 

5 Tips for Bonding with New Teaching Colleagues

http://teaching.monster.com/benefits/articles/8975-5-tips-for-bonding-with-new-teaching-colleagues 

Good teachers make colleagues better

http://www.joannejacobs.com/2009/09/good-teachers-make-colleagues-better/ 

101 Ways to Cope with Teaching Stress

 Getting the Support You Need

Numbers 51 through 60.

http://www.smartteaching.org/blog/2008/08/101-ways-to-cope-with-teaching-stress/ 

How Can Teachers Be Stressed?

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/julian-stanley/teachers-how-can-they-be-stressed_b_1864160.html?just_reloaded=1 

It's a little stressful to take this test.

Teacher Stress Test

http://www.pedagonet.com/brain/teacherstresstest.html 

Nature, My Garden and Me: Splish Splash Hummingbird

Our hummingbird frolics in the water as I sprinkle the sunflowers, desert willow, and milkweed in the Wildlife Habitat on a July morning. This is the storage area of our Butterfly Garden and Wildlife Habitat. The hummingbirds also remind me to fill their feeders!

Educational Links 7/25/17

Are Grades Diverting Focus From Real Learning?

https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2017/07/18/are-grades-diverting-focus-from-real-learning/

Thoughts on Bright, Low-Income Students Who Are "Counted Out" of Gifted and Advanced Classes

http://www.specialneedsdigest.com/2017/07/thoughts-on-bright-low-income-students.html

The Conundrum of Student Choice in Project Based Learning

http://www.bie.org/blog/the_conundrum_of_student_choice_in_project_based_learning

Hard to Read: How American Schools Fail Kids with Dyslexia

http://www.apmreports.org/story/2017/09/11/hard-to-read

Should schools still offer AP classes if most students struggle on exams?

http://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/education/article163033268.html

How to Stop Girl Bullying in the Classroom

http://theeducatorsroom.com/2016/03/stop-girl-bullying-classroom/

This is the best classroom tool teachers are not using

https://www.eschoolnews.com/2017/07/24/classroom-tool-video-conferencing/

Is there anything a teacher hates more than to look out across his or her classroom and see a group of tired, uninterested, and unmotivated students? Teachers are forced to cover state standards that students may not see any intrinsic reason to learn.  Other students may not care about their grades or understand how their current education connects to their future success. What is a teacher to do?

Next School Year...We'll Have A STEM Garden!

The blossoming health and academic benefits of school gardens

http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/14/health/healthy-school-gardens/ 

Educational Benefits of a School Garden 

http://www.utne.com/community/school-garden-benefits-ze0z1505zdeh.aspx 

Lessons learned about starting a school garden from our Organic Gardening WaterWorks projects.

http://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/garden/school-garden-tips 

Teaching STEM in your Learning Garden

https://thekitchencommunity.org/lesson-plans/stem-in-your-learning-garden/ 

Using Gardening to Promote STEM

https://www.kaplanco.com/ii/gardening-to-promote-stem 

Getting Started with School Gardens

http://www.ecoliteracy.org/download/getting-started-school-gardens?gclid=Cj0KEQjwj7q6BRDcxfG4pNTQ2NoBEiQAzUpuW_S_1AYutNpZAvIm7Rcmr7ocIpG34lHChA5eEaV7wk0aAnbV8P8HAQ 

National School Garden Program

http://gardens.slowfoodusa.org/ 

Designing a School Garden

http://www.kidsgardening.org/designing-a-school-garden/ 

Setting Up and Running A School Garden

http://www.fao.org/docrep/009/a0218e/A0218E02.htm 

 Three school garden skills “You need to know only three things to run a successful school garden:

1. How to cultivate people,
2. How to cultivate plants, and
3. Where to go for help.”

Educational Links 7/24/17

A 4-Part System for Getting to Know Your Students

https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/relationship-building/

Google has built in a keyboard shortcut to launch Google Assistant within Chrome OS

https://9to5google.com/2017/07/20/google-assistant-shortcut-chromebook/

What Should Special Education Teachers Know and Be Able to Do?

http://www.specialneedsdigest.com/2017/07/what-should-special-education-teachers.html

Why Should Teachers Care About Research?

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/urban_education_reform/2017/07/why_should_teachers_care_about_research.html?cmp=SOC-EDIT-FB

29 Hidden Chrome Features That Will Make Your Life Easier

https://www.pcmag.com/feature/323996/29-hidden-chrome-features-that-will-make-your-life-easier

11 School and Classroom Themes Students Will Love

https://www.weareteachers.com/school-classroom-themes-students-will-love/?utm_source=FB&utm_campaign=Lifetouch_1704_Article3

Drill, baby, drill? Study finds worksheets, practice improve math skills more than fun stuff

http://www.myajc.com/news/local-education/drill-baby-drill-study-finds-worksheets-practice-improve-math-skills-more-than-fun-stuff/JJrCBAYuHcm5VAffaAxlnN/?utm_content=buffera26fa&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

A new study finds traditional math instruction – what many folks call "drill and kill" – is more effective in helping young children struggling in math than group work, peer tutoring or hands-on activities that use manipulations, calculators, movement and music.