Tools for Teachers

 

First Days

  1. see First 20 Days of Spotlight Lessons for Teaching Students to Work Productively in Groups in "Setting the Stage for 21st-Century Learning" by Fisher and Frey - http://www.reading.org/Libraries/books/ila-358-introduction.pdf

Blended Learning

1. Blended Learning (from ISTE 2016 session on Monday 6/27/16) - http://skileyiste.weebly.com/

 

Books / Reading

  1. NSTA's In the News: Summer Reading - http://science.nsta.org/enewsletter/2010-07/news_stories_middle.htm?utm_source=enewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MidSciClassJuly2010
  2. Project Gutenberg - http://www.gutenberg.org/ - Free ebooks
  3. Seattle Times - News in Education - https://services.nwsource.com/nie/times/nes/curriculum/nes_curriculumdefault.asp
  4. Engaging the Adolescent Learner "Text Complexity and Close Readings" - http://education.ucf.edu/mirc/docs/Fisher_and_Frey_January_2012.pdf
  5. International Literacy Association - http://www.reading.org/

  6. Seven Strategies for Engaging Middle‑Schoolers in Complex Texts - http://go.amplify.com/seven-strategies-for-complex-texts?rc=BSDAds_Spring201%205_MiddleWeb_Eblast_041415&utm_source=MiddleWeb&utm_medium=Eblast&utm_campaign=Spring2015&utm_content=MiddleWeb_Eblast_041415 - 

Career Day

  1. Career Descriptions, Data, and Schools - http://www.citytowninfo.com/employment
  2. Career Stories: Real-World Career Descriptions, Advice and Tips - http://www.citytowninfo.com/career-stories
  3.  

Curriculum

  1. Accelerate Learning - http://acceleratelearning.com/ - Customizable STEM curriulum. Everything a teacher needs in one place. 100% digital.  Hands-on investigation.

  2. Star Wars in the Classroom - http://www.starwarsintheclassroom.com/

  3. The Rogues Ready Room (Star Wars in the Classroom) - https://groups.google.com/a/starwarsintheclassroom.com/forum/#!forum/rogues-ready-room - A forum where you can post questions or ideas about using Star Wars in the classroom. 

ELL Resources for Educators

  1. Colorín Colorado - http://www.colorincolorado.org/educators/ - Colorín Colorado is the premier national website serving educators and families of English language learners (ELLs) in Grades PreK-12. Colorín Colorado has been providing free research-based information, activities, and advice to schools and communities around the country for more than a decade.

Icebreakers

  1. http://improvencyclopedia.org/categories//Icebreakers.html - These exercises are intended to get everybody acquainted and to learn each other`s names. Use these early on in a workshop, if players don`t know each other. See also Group and Trust. These games and exercises can be used for improv training, but are useful in any drama and theater education environment, or indeed in any environment in which ice needs broken.
  2. http://improvencyclopedia.org/categories//Group.html - These exercises help the players work together as a group. You`d certainly use these early on in a series of workshops, but repeating these, even with a well established group, never does any harm. See also Trust . These games and exercises can be used for improv training, but are useful in any drama and theater education environment, or even any environment in which group dynamics is important.
  3. http://improvencyclopedia.org/categories//Trust.html - These exercises are great for the group to build trust. You would use these early on in a workshop to teach the players to rely on each other. It`s part of the team building; see also Icebreakers and Group . These games and exercises can be used for improv training, but are useful in any drama and theater education environment, or any other environment in which trust is important.

Internet Access for Low-Income Families

  1. https://partner.internetessentials.com/ - Bringing the Internet to your home is easy and affordable ($9.95 per month + tax). Plus, purchase an affordable Internet-ready, computer for your family computer for the reduced price of just $149.99 + tax.

Positive Behavior

  1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQSAYobiSuk - Public Speaking - ToastMasters (2005) - 1st place - Lance Miller - The Ultimate Question (8:08)

Productive Group Work

  1. Engaging the Adolescent Learner - "The First 20 Days - Establishing Productive Group Work in the Classroom" by Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey - http://ela.dpi.wi.gov/sites/default/files/imce/ela/resources/Fisher_and_Frey_-_Engaging_the_Adolescent_Learner.pdf
  2. Engaging the Adolescent Learner - February 2012 - "Collaborative Learning Ensuring Students Consolidate Understanding" by Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey - ???link
  3. "Not Just Group Work - Productive Group Work!" by Andrew Miller - http://www.edutopia.org/blog/productive-group-work-andrew-miller
  4. "Deeper Learning: A Collaborative Classroom Is Key" by Rebecca Alber - http://www.edutopia.org/blog/deeper-learning-collaboration-key-rebecca-alber
  5.  

Professional Development

1. info about SciLinks - http://nstacommunities.org/blog/2010/08/09/back-to-school-with-scilinks/?utm_source=SLBTS2010&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=SLBTS2010

2. Biomedical Beat - A monthly digest of research news from NIGMS - http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/biobeat/

3. New study shows teacher “performance pay” no panacea - http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/18/education/18rand.html?_r=3&scp=1&sq=study%20Rand&st=cse - A new study shows that a New York City pilot program to improve student achievement  with financial incentives for teachers did not work.  The performance pay approach, in place from 2007-2010, did not change teacher behaviors and the students did not improve achievement levels on state standardized tests. "Bonuses alone have not proven to be the answer to bettering student achievement," said Julie Marsh, the study's lead author. "Educators said bonuses are desirable, but they also said they did not change how they perform their job because of bonuses. Some didn't understand how the program worked, while others did not perceive the bonus as having tremendous value. Still others felt the bonus criteria relied too heavily on test scores. We believe these factors may have actually weakened the motivational effects of the bonus program."  More on the report.

4. Grading Attitude and Effort: A Rubric for Classroom Management - http://www.classroomscience.org/grading-attitude-and-effort-a-rubric-for-classroom-management  and   http://www.teacherjet.com/rubrics/general/AttitudeandEffort.html

5. Journal of Teacher Education  -  http://jte.sagepub.com/  - The Journal of Teacher Education (JTE) is leading teacher education through the 21st century with timely topics such as field experiences and teacher education; cognitive science and critical thinking; preparing teachers for urban schools; teachers' beliefs; accreditation and certification; selection, retention, and recruitment of minority teachers and teacher leadership; perspectives on leadership; professional ethics in teacher education; and restructuring teacher education.  

 

Spelling

  1. Engaging the Adolescent Learner - "Spelling Counts" by Fisher and Frey http://fisherandfrey.com/uploads/posts/Spelling.pdf

 

 

 Adopt-A-Classroom - http://www.adoptaclassroom.org//