YA Booklist - Spring Sneak Peek

New teen titles for spring and beyond

[LINK to webinar]

Recording date: 2/19/2013

"View this free webinar, moderated by Booklist's Books for Youth associate editor Annie Kelley that features reps from Bloomsbury Children's Books, Disney Book Group, Macmillan, Sourcebooks, Tor Teen, and Zonderkidz who will fill you in on their new teen titles for spring and beyond."

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Teaching Students about their Digital Footprint

Managing your digital footprint

http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/04/a-great-guide-on-teaching-students.html

Some ideas and videos to teach "footprint" management.

"Have you ever Googled yourself ? Have you ever checked your virtual identity? Do you know that you leave a digital footprint every time you get online? Managing one's digital identity is a skill that we need to learn and teach our kids. As teachers and educators, we need to be a role model for our students and show them how they can interact with the virtual world.

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Math Sense - Gr K-5 - online preview

The Look, Sound, and Feel of Effective Instruction

http://www.stenhouse.com/shop/pc/viewprd.asp?idProduct=9655&r=sb130509b

View a short video by the author, and preview the title online.

"How is that you can walk into a classroom and gain an overall sense of the quality of math instruction taking place there? In Math Sense, Chris Moynihan explores some of the components that comprise the look, sound, and feel of effective teaching and learning. Does the landscape of the classroom feature such items as student work samples, a math literature collection, and a number line? Do the lessons include wait time, checks for understanding, and written feedback? Do you feel a spirit of collaboration, risk taking, and a sense of pride?

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"The Best Educational Tool I Have In My Classroom"

The best instructional strategy? -  simply read aloud!

http://edudemic.com/2013/05/the-best-educational-tool-i-have-in-my-classroom/

Parents are always wanting to know what they can do to help their child get ahead in the classroom. I often sit in I.E.P. meetings and/or conferences and parents ask about which website or app I recommend. I love telling them that the answer to their quest is already in their home, books.

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Chris Lehmann - Inquiry: The Very First Step in the Process of Learning

A Connected Learning Webinar on Inquiry

[LINK to session recording]

"Chris Lehmann is the founding principal of the Science Leadership Academy (SLA) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. SLA is built on the notion that inquiry is the very first step in the process of learning. Developed in partnership with The Franklin Institute and its commitment to inquiry-based science, SLA provides a rigorous, college-preparatory curriculum with a focus on science, technology, mathematics and entrepreneurship. Students at SLA learn in a project-based environment where the core values of inquiry, research, collaboration, presentation and reflection are emphasized in all classes."

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Using Literature to fight bullying (webinar)

No Name Calling: Addressing Bullying through Books

(broadcast April 2, 2013)  [Link to webinar]

This free, hour-long webinar focuses on how children's and young adult literature can help prevent bullying and features a presentation by Emily Bazelon, author of Sticks and Stones: Defeating the Culture of Bullying and Rediscovering the Power of Character and Empathy (Random House, 2013). Sponsored by Books on Tape/Listening Library, Free Spirit, and Lorimer.

Titles discussed are available at:

www.booklistonline.com/NoNameCalling

(Downloads as an xls spreadsheet)

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Chatting About Books: Recommendations for Young Readers

ReadWriteThink - Book podcast

https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/read-write-think-chatting/id365432805

"Visit iTunes to subscribe to this series of short podcasts from ReadWriteThink. Listen to Emily Manning as she chats with kids, parents, and teachers about the best in children's literature for ages 4 through 11. Discussions include reading tips and fun activities to do with children before, during, and after reading.

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Five-Minute Film Festival: Teacher Appreciation | Edutopia

Inspirational Videos about teaching and teachers

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/film-festival-teacher-appreciation

"While we all know teachers deserve to be thanked all year long, May is set aside as a special time to show even more gratitude to the educators who motivate, guide, and believe in us. So I'll dive right in by shouting out to all the teachers in the trenches making a difference for kids. I tried to keep the overly-sentimental piano music to a minimum and share some truly inspirational videos."

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BC Historical Newspapers|UBC Library

Digitized versions of 25 historical papers from BC

http://historicalnewspapers.library.ubc.ca/

"The BC Historical Newspapers project features digitized versions of 25 historical papers from around the province. The titles, which range from the Abbotsford Post to the Phoenix Pioneer, date from 1865 to 1989. Local newspapers reflect the social and cultural life of their communities and thus remain vital information sources for community members and scholars alike.  

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Newbery Medal Winners—Where Are They Now? - ReadWriteThink Podcasts

The best in children's literature for ages 4 through 11

http://www.readwritethink.org/parent-afterschool-resources/podcast-episodes/newbery-medal-winners-where-30944.html

"Emily Manning chats with kids, parents, and teachers about the best in children's literature for ages 4 through 11. Discussions include reading tips and fun activities to do with children before, during, and after reading. In this episode, Emily chats with Christopher Paul Curtis, a previous Newbery Medal winner and the author of The Mighty Miss Malone. Listen as well to reviews of newly released books by former Newberry winners."

You can even subscribe to the Chatting About Books podcast series via iTunes.

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The Little Assignment with a Big Impact: Reading, Writing, Critical Reflection

Purposeful Reading Assignment

http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/instructional-design/the-little-assignment-with-the-big-impact-reading-writing-critical-reflection-and-meaningful-discussion/

"Several years ago, I came across the Purposeful Reading Assignment that was reported to encourage students to read, reflect, and write about readings assigned for class. Research (Roberts and Roberts, 2008) and experience tell us that supporting students' reading, writing, and reflective practices is one of the most challenging aspects of learning and teaching. Although this assignment appeared to be simple, it has proven to be an influential tool for learning and has increased engagement and participation among my students.

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The First Men on the Moon: The Apollo 11 Lunar Landing

An online interactive educational resource featuring the Eagle lunar landing

http://www.firstmenonthemoon.com/

"This project is an online interactive featuring the Eagle lunar landing. The presentation includes original Apollo 11 spaceflight video footage, communication audio, mission control room conversations, text transcripts, and telemetry data, all synchronized into an integrated audio-visual experience. This synchronized presentation reveals the Moon Shot as experienced by the astronauts and flight controllers. Our goal is to capture a moment in history so that generations may now relive the events with this interactive educational resource."

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Science and religion: Viral Pew surveys yield surprising results.

How much do you know about science and religion?

http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2013/05/02/science_and_religion_viral_pew_surveys_yield_surprising_results.html

In an article entitled "Lord of All I Survey" from Slate magazine, Phil Plait wonders about the level of scientific and religious background knowledge demonstrated by a random sample of Americans made by the PEW foundation.

"Last week, a couple of online surveys came to my attention. Both were from the Pew Research Center (a non-profit, respected group); one was about public knowledge of science, the other about religion. If you haven't taken them, they are very short (13 and 15 questions each) and will literally only take a couple of minutes for you to fill out—they don't ask for any specific personal info, and the questions are very simply stated. So please, go take them both before you continue reading here....

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Building Insider Knowledge: Teaching Students to Read, Write and Think Within ELA

Disciplinary literacy teaching - what is it?

http://www.literacyinlearningexchange.org/building-insider-knowledge-teaching-students-read-write-and-think-within-ela-and-across-disciplines

by Emily Rainey and Elizabeth Birr Moje

"This article discusses how to support ELA and other subject-area teachers as they think about the importance of "disciplinary literacy teaching". The authors argue that it is critical for the improvement of students' academic literacy development and overall learning that all teachers and literacy researchers attend to the teaching of disciplinary literacy in every subject area.

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Nonfiction as Mentor Text

Explore the connection between reading nonfiction and writing nonfiction.

http://www.slj.com/2013/05/curriculum-connections/nonfiction-as-mentor-text-style-on-common-core/

The more students consider a writer's craft in nonfiction, the more they will see that elements of good writing overlap. Strong introductions and conclusions are often comprised of several of elements working together. Good writing occurs in the combined use of these stylistic moves. Reading nonfiction with an eye for these choices, and discussing a writer's craft in class with a connection to the content of the texts, will allow your students to see the interplay between reading nonfiction and writing nonfiction.

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Teaching Division in the 4th Grade Classroom

Another Teaching Channel Video

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/common-core-teaching-division

Lynn Simpson, a Grade 4 teacher in Seattle WA, models a lesson on Division. (LO: "develop an understanding of the meaning of division") Watch this 7 minute video and consider the following questions:

• "How does Ms. Simpson encourage mathematical discourse?"

• "Why is it important to discuss and understand multiple strategies?"

• "What can you learn from Ms. Simpson about facilitating discussion?"

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