Weekly Web Wanderings (weekly)
Posted by: linda704 on: January 21, 2012
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Purdue OWL: APA Formatting and Style Guide
“APA (American Psychological Association) is most commonly used to cite sources within the social sciences. This resource, revised according to the 6th edition, second printing of the APA manual, offers examples for the general format of APA research papers, in-text citations, endnotes/footnotes, and the reference page. For more information, please consult the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th edition, second printing.”
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Tame the Beast: Tips for Designing and Using Rubrics | Edutopia
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Text Structure | Reading Worksheets
Simple definitions of common text structures.
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Slideshare by Emily Kissner gives good explanations of various text structures, and why they are important to teach to students. Also included are examples of books which can be used to teach the structure.
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ACT WorkKeys Prep Materials – Home
Resources to help students prepare for WorkKeys.
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Effects of Daily Read-Alouds on Students’ Sustained Silent Reading
“This action research project investigated the effects of daily teacher read-alouds on first graders’ ability to sustain silent reading for an extended length of time.” Current Issues in Education published by Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University. 2011
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“This website, provided by the International Reading Association, offers hundreds of articles on a range of topics in reading education.”
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WritingFix: prompts, lessons, and resources for writing classrooms
“WritingFix is a teacher resource website that contains lessons and ideas for any educator to freely use in their K-12 classrooms….The site is sponsored by the Northern Nevada Writing Project, a not-for-profit professional development organization that is located on the University of Nevada-Reno Campus.”
An absolutely amazing goldmine collection of writing ideas: mentor texts, 6 traits, revision, genres, and MORE!
Weekly Web Wanderings (weekly)
Posted by: linda704 on: January 14, 2012
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NPR.org » To Do Well In Life, You Have To ‘Read Well’
NPR interview with Walter Dean Myers, the current ambassador for Young People’s Literature. The theme for his ambassadorship: “Reading is Not Optional.”
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MISD website with links to video tutorials regarding features of DataDirector.
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Social Bookmarking | Common Craft
A short introduction to the concept of social bookmarking, using Delicious.com.
(Great overview of social bookmarking, even if you don’t use delicious.)
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RaceBridges For Schools | Free Printable Lesson Plans and Teacher Resources
“This RaceBridges For Schools project and site were created following the successful run of an 8 year old live student organization called Catholic Schools Opposing Racism (COR) in the Chicago IL area. (2000-2008)
This outreach brought together high school students from city and suburbs for suppers and workshops from across the Archdiocese of Chicago to focus on race and race relations and the building up of inclusive and welcoming school communities.
This site continues that work. Our online classroom tools are for engaging in the urgent mission of seeking racial justice, creating welcoming schools and the learning of inclusive behaviors in a fun and safe environment.”
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Things About Me as a Reader | Literacy, Learning & Sharing
This is my blogpost which inspired our class activity.
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An Exploration of Reading: Sense From Nonsense
A nonsense passage with questions. Demonstrates how students can get 100% on a quiz, yet not understand the text.
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Text Structure Resources | Literacy Leader
“Knowledge of text structure is critical for reading to learn. By identifying the organizational structures of texts, students can observe how authors arrange ideas and determine which kinds of structures are used to interrelate ideas.” Includes printables.
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MyRead – Classroom Organisation
Descriptions of several strategies for small group work.
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Clock Partners « Teaching Social Studies
Explanation of using “clock partners” as a strategy/tool for partner work.
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A classroom management tool for assigning partners. Students sign up for a partner at each hour. When partner work is required, the teacher picks the time and students confer with that partner. Includes link to pdf handout from Reading Quest.
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How to find persistent links to online library resources.
Weekly Web Wanderings (weekly)
Posted by: linda704 on: January 7, 2012
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Lesson Plans & Worksheets for School Teachers | Lesson Planet
“For over a decade, Lesson Planet has been providing a convenient way to discover and share innovative lesson plans. The Lesson Planet solution helps teachers find lesson resources, correlate them to standards, and organize their curriculum. Lesson Planet’s tools offer teachers a time-efficient way to inspire their teaching with fresh ideas. “
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I Resolve to Read – The Book Whisperer – Education Week Teacher
Sixth-grade language arts teacher Donalyn Miller joins other teachers and education bloggers who are including reading goals and challenges as part of their New Year’s resolutions. Miller, who asks her students to reflect on the reading they did last year, encourages educators to participate and share goals of their own and their students for reading in 2012.
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SMART Board on-line training videos.
Created by Russell Stannard for Teacher Training videos.com
24 short videos with screencasts demonstrating the use of SMART Notebook tools.
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“The Library of Michigan has announced the list of the 2012 Michigan Notable Books – 20 books highlighting Michigan people, places and events. The list highlights exceptional “Michigan books” published in 2011 that bring attention to Michigan authors and topics.” Includes links to previous years’ lists.
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Weekly features include Cartoons for the Classroom, Front Page Talking Points, Geography in the News Quiz, Audio Webcasts, Interactive New Quiz, Topical News Videos and Discussion Prompts, Use the News lessons, Words in the News Vocabulary Quiz.
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AFT – A Union of Professionals – American Educator – Issues Index
American Educator is the research publication of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). Many articles are publicly available, though some may have “members only” access.
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Reading Research & Reports | Reading Rockets
“Reading Rockets has gathered some of the most important research and reports here in one place….Whenever possible, we’ve provided a link to a free, online version of the research article, study, or book. In other cases, you’ll find a link to a publisher, journal, or online bookstore where you can purchase the resource. You may also want to check with your university or public library, which often have access to online databases and journals where research articles and reports can be found.”
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Tutorials, screencasts, resources and links for using interactive white boards (SmartBoard).
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“Welcome to the BalancEdTech wiki! We believe educators must be knowledgeable and comfortable with curriculum, pedagogy, and technology in order to “teach”. Our blog posts, articles, presentations, workshops, and consulting focus on helping educators weave curriculum, pedagogy, and technology into engaging and rigorous learning. We also believe people learn best by doing AND reflecting, both of which are integral to our workshops.”
Resolutions or Recommitments?
Posted by: linda704 on: January 1, 2012
- In: Change | E-flections | Health
- Leave a Comment
I gave up making New Year’s Resolutions ages ago. Like many people, I would have the best of intentions–eat better, exercise more, get organized, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera–only to “fall off the wagon” early on.
I prefer to reflect and recommit. Semantics? Maybe.
I think, for the most part, I do pretty well with regard to “eat better.” Sure, I have my cravings and junk-food binges (I have a horrible sweet tooth!), but I do try to make good choices the majority of the time, balancing grains, dairy, fruits & vegetables, and protein, and I’ve significantly reduced the amount of red meat in my diet. Back in July, the yoga studio where I practice held a green smoothie challenge, which I took up for part of the month; I had to take a break when I was in Europe, but resumed when I returned. I have to admit that once I got back to school, it got a little harder (and more expensive with the changing season) to maintain. I even noticed that my energy levels weren’t as high when I got away from the daily smoothies, so I tried to do at least a few days a week. With the holiday season, and all the goodies, I’ve really gotten away from it. Because nutrition is so important to both physical and mental well-being, I recognize that I need to make a more concerted effort in this department.
The first three-quarters of the year were pretty successful with regard to the commitment to exercise. On October 6, 2011, my finger was smashed in a freak accident, severely injuring the joint capsule of the 2nd knuckle on my left middle finger. No yoga, no Curves–too much stress, strain, and pain! (Thank goodness I’m right-handed!) A full two months of occupational therapy before I could resume all activities. By then it was December, and with all the holiday activities, and a crazy work schedule, it was really hard to get back into the routine. I’ve only recently resumed my yoga practice. I need to recommit to myself, and schedule exercise (both Curves workouts and yoga classes) into my planner so it’s “in my face” like any other meeting.
Organization? It has been a lifelong struggle. I have no problem admitting that! I was the kid who could never find anything in her desk. Because of that, I really stressed teaching my students to be organized: keeping an assignment sheet (back in the days before student planners), what to keep in folders, how to organize the items in their desks so they could be found. I often had parents tell me they were so glad I taught their students this skill. Harder to follow it myself. I think I’ve cleared out the remnants of my dissertation research and artifacts from my home office, and it feels like a space where I can think again. Now I just need to keep it up.
My final recommitment is the most important of all. A few years ago, I adopted a Ghandi quote as my personal motto: Be the change you wish to see in the world. While 2011 saw the completion of my PhD, it also held some disappointments and more than a few challenges. Sometimes it was hard to keep a positive outlook, and stay focused on those things within my sphere of influence. I need to remember that I can and do make a difference every day.
Resolutions or recommitments? Splitting hairs? What do you think?
Weekly Web Wanderings (weekly)
Posted by: linda704 on: December 31, 2011
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Doing What Works (DWW) is a website sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. The goal of DWW is to create an online library of resources that may help teachers, schools, districts, states and technical assistance providers implement research-based instructional practice.
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MI Learning on iTunes U is a gateway to educational audio, video, and PDF files shared by organizations and educators throughout Michigan – free of charge. These curriculum, leadership and professional development resources can be accessed by computer and mobile devices offering great learning opportunities for students, educators and community -anytime and anywhere!
Weekly Web Wanderings (weekly)
Posted by: linda704 on: December 24, 2011
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ClassTools.net: Create interactive flash tools / games for education
“Create free educational games, quizzes, activities and diagrams in seconds! Host them on your own blog, website or intranet! No signup, no passwords, no charge!” Lots of templates, including graphic organizers.
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Free Online Lesson Planbook Software for Teachers
“Never struggle with lesson planning again. Your plans are available anywhere and are simple to create.
Attach files, Common Core Standards, print, export to Word or PDF, share with colleagues.”Free; premium version with additional features also available.
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North Carolina: Common Core Support Tools
“North Carolina’s Standard Course of Study has been completely overhauled and new standards are to be implemented in classrooms beginning in 2012-13. This Instructional Toolkit is designed to help teachers pattern their instruction and classroom student assessments to the state’s newly adopted curriculum. Please use this toolkit in conjunction with state- and district-level professional development to help you make the transition to the new standards in your classroom.”
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Technology Tools for Reflection – Reflection for Learning
Some suggested “tools that can be used to support reflection, with a brief discussion of the process, the advantages and disadvantages of each approach.”
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Illuminations: Welcome to Illuminations
This is an NCTM site organized by lessons or activities grouped by K-2, 3-5, 6-8Illuminations is designed to:
Provide Standards-based resources that improve the teaching and learning of mathematics for all students.Provide materials that illuminate the vision for school mathematics set forth in Principles and Standards for School Mathematics, Curriculum Focal Points for Prekindergarten through Grade 8 Mathematics, and Focus in High School Mathematics: Reasoning and Sense Making.Illuminations is part of the prestigious Verizon Thinkfinity program. -
English Alphabet Word List | | YES! Your Education SourceYES! Your Education Source
“Often when a person decides to learn English, a starting point is learning how to pronounce the letters of the alphabet. Here is a word list to help you practice the English alphabet and increase your vocabulary. The verbs on the list correspond with this English alphabet podcast, and the nouns correspond with these English alphabet flashcards. There is space on the document to write your own sentences using the words. If you want, leave a comment with your sentences, and I’ll reply with any corrections. Click on the first link to download the word list in Microsoft Word format. The second is the same word list, but in a PDF format. This document has a Creative Commons license, so please feel free to copy, share or adapt the work!”
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On Target: Strategies to Help Readers Make Meaning through Inferences
“Strategies that teachers can use to help students hone their skills at making inferences. The strategies are ones that teachers say work well in their classrooms. They are strategies that are supported by research and best practice in classrooms.”
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50 Educational Apps for the iPod Touch | U Tech Tips
Includes brief annotations; app icons in the post are linked to the app in the iTunes store.
Weekly Web Wanderings (weekly)
Posted by: linda704 on: December 17, 2011
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MACUL 2011: Assign This, Not That – LiveBinder
Technology integration options for a variety of traditional assignments such as timelines, biographies, dioramas, and more.
Weekly Web Wanderings (weekly)
Posted by: linda704 on: December 10, 2011
Weekly Web Wanderings (weekly)
Posted by: linda704 on: December 3, 2011
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A collection of high-quality artwork and photos optimized for use with word processors and inkjet printers.
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Tech4Learning – Tools to Create, Engage, and Share | Tech4Learning
“Tech4Learning develops award-winning educational software. Our creative software tools support effective use of educational technology and help build 21st century skills. Our goal is to improve classroom technology through strategies like project–based learning and differentiated instruction.”
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Directory Listing For /TeacherCadre/
Variety of classroom activities which include the following: 1. A grade level standard from one of the four core subject areas2. A clearly defined classroom objective 3. Multimedia files that add value to the activity 4. Images, photos or original works of art that will visually enhance the activity5. Citations and credits
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Free reference manager and PDF organizer | Mendeley
Mendeley is a free reference manager and academic social network that can help you organize your research, collaborate with others online, and discover the latest research.
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Tons of IWB/SmartBoard resources for a variety of grades and content.
Yep, I Made a Difference!
Posted by: linda704 on: December 2, 2011
- In: E-flections
- 1 Comment
[Note: Cross-posted from my other blog.]
I cried at work today. Big, splooshy, roll-down-the-cheeks-and-smear-the-makeup tears. Of joy.
Let me explain.
I was tying up loose ends of a project, just a few minutes before a 1:30 meeting when my phone rang. Not recognizing the name on the caller id, I answered, “Literacy Resource Center. This is Dr. Clinton.”
A woman’s voice replied, “Do you have a minute?” As the Title I person, I get many sales cold-calls, so I said that I had just a minute. She continued, “I’m a former student of yours…” and instantly the name on the caller id clicked.
“Dena!”
She seemed surprised—yet happy—that I remembered her, and went on to tell me how she now works in Washington, DC, and was in town visiting family when she decided to take a drive through her old neighborhood. When she drove past the elementary school, she thought of her first grade teacher and of me. Wondering if we were still there, she called the school. They told her the first grade teacher retired a few years ago, and gave them my office number. She told me (and this is when the tears started) that she wanted to call and let me know that I had made a big impact on her life. Mind you this was 25 years ago, my very first year as a classroom teacher and it was second grade.
She shared some favorite memories, like the mouse we had as a class pet. And the time she helped a boy who had a bloody nose, and some of it got on her coat. She was afraid her mom would get mad at her and so I gave her my sweater and washed her coat. (Trust me, I have no recollection of that event at all!)
I sit here now with a smile on my face, and a very vivid picture of 7-year-old Dena in my mind. She was a bit of a tomboy, and basically wore T-shirts and jeans every day. She had a spunky little personality and was one of my favorites. (Don’t tell any of the other students! lol)
She’s coming to see me on Monday. And I can’t wait!
Image from wpclipart.com
Creative Commons
