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Additional Teacher Support/Self-Care Coping Skills in Trauma Informed Practices

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Find the Adjectives | Worksheet | Education.com

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Grammar enthusiasts and baseball fans will enjoy identifying the adjectives—and the nouns they describe—in this engaging parts of speech worksheet.

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Pros and Cons of Debate Topics | Britannica

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Explore pros and cons lists for debated issues presented in a non-partisan format with supporting background information, statistics, and resources.

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Geography and History YouTube Channels for Elementary - Imagination

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Geography and History YouTube Channels for Elementary

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Geography and History YouTube Channels for Elementary

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Recently, I shared the best STEM / STEAM YouTube channels. Now let’s look at the best geography and history YouTube channels for elementary kids, ages 5 –…

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Ripped from the Headlines: How to Turn Current Events into Real-World Projects 

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Ripped from the Headlines: How to Turn Current Events into Real-World Projects 

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When the Deepwater Horizon oil well exploded in the Gulf of Mexico earlier this year, teachers across the country recognized an opportunity to bring real-world applications of math and science into their classrooms. Similarly, the rescue of 33 Chilean miners has triggered student discussions about everything from heroism to human biology.

In the wake of such dramatic events, some teachers are eager to do more than host current-events-style conversations. They want to use the news as a launching pad for in-depth student learning. But making that happen requires teachers and students to dive into topics for which there are no texts or guidebooks. What's more, maintaining student interest can be challenging once the headlines start to fade and media attention shifts to tomorrow's hot topic.

How do you plan for academically rigorous projects that are "ripped from the headlines"? Here are a few suggestions, along with some timely resources.

Look for Messy Problems

These are challenges for which there's no single right answer. You can't Google a solution. Instead, getting to an answer may require trial-and-error or creativity. Problem-solving often cuts across disciplines and involves collaboration with partners who may come at problems in different ways.

It's hard to think of a messier problem than rescuing 33 trapped workers from a collapsed mine shaft. Despite the enormous odds, rescuers managed to hoist the miners to safety weeks ahead of their original timeline.

Imagine a project in which you put students in the role of problem solver, racing the clock to design a rescue. There's no shortage of curricular connections. For example, what would students need to know about human biology and the conditions necessary to sustain life? How about geology or physics? Which experts would they want to interview, and from which fields? In real life, experts ranged from NASA psychologists to drilling specialists, as this CNN post by David Gergen explains.

The Learning Network of the New York Times suggests how you might turn the mine rescue into a high-interest, multimedia project focusing on universal themes.

Make It Relevant

A breaking news event might grab your students' attention briefly, but how will you sustain interest over time? And what if your students live far from the action? Teachers who are implementing projects relating to the Gulf oil spill have been discussing these questions during recent broadcasts of Teachers Teaching Teachers. David Pulling, a veteran writing teacher from Louisiana, says he is allowing time for the right project to emerge from ongoing discussions and student interests. "I know it's there," he says, "but it's still unfolding."

One strategy to make a project relevant is to connect students across distances. Those living far from the action get a chance to "see" an issue through the eyes of peers who are experiencing it at close range. "My students who don't live on the Gulf Coast might need to be reminded that this crisis did not end when the Deepwater Horizon oil well was capped in mid-July," says Paul Allison, who teaches at the East-West School of International Studies in New York and is active in the National Writing Project.

Allison and other educators from the NWP have launched a student publishing site to bridge the distance. Voices on the Gulf gives students a forum to discuss ongoing issues related to the region, whether they have a bird's eye view or are located hundreds of miles away. "With Voices on the Gulf ringing in their ears," Allison adds, "it is easier for students to empathize with the on-going psychological, economic, and ecological dimensions of this crisis." He says teachers who have stayed with the topic "report that their students appreciate the opportunity to finish the process of grieving. When they talk about BP never being able to 'make it right,' my students sit up and listen."

Another strategy is to find an issue closer to home that plays off the big headlines. How might natural resources in your students' backyard be affected by a manmade or natural disaster? In Atlanta, teacher Mike Reilly decided to shift from the Gulf spill to a project about ongoing water shortages in Georgia. (A participant in last summer's PBL Camp hosted by Edutopia, Reilly has been blogging about his use of real-world projects here. Student interest is likely to be heightened when students can see the connection between a topical issue and their own lives.

Encourage Action

Students may want to do more than learn from the news. After the devastating earthquake hit Haiti in January, young people across the country were moved to take part in service projects to aid victims and raise funds for relief efforts. This Washington Post article highlights just a few examples from schools in the Washington, D.C. area.

The National Service-Learning Clearinghouse continues to update resources for students who want to support relief efforts in Haiti.

DoSomething, an organization that promotes youth action, suggests several ways for students to help their own communities prepare for disaster.

Have you found meaningful ways to bring today's news into your classroom? How have your students responded? Please share your stories.

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Ripped from the Headlines: How to Turn Current Events into Real-World Projects | Edutopia

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When the Deepwater Horizon oil well exploded in the Gulf of Mexico earlier this year, teachers across the country recognized an opportunity to bring real-world applications of math and science into their classrooms. Similarly, the rescue of 33 Chilean miners has triggered student discussions about everything from heroism to human biology.

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Teaching Current Events in the Age of Social Media

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Teaching Current Events in the Age of Social Media

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With each click of the mouse or flip of the channel, our society is inundated with headlines focused on natural disasters, sexual harassment allegations, countries on the brink of war, and teen suicides. While none of this is anything new, the bombardment of these stories is unique to this generation of student. Social media, the 24-hour news cycle, and questionable media sources (or questionable reporting techniques) have become their own newsworthy headlines. As a result, life can appear dark, far darker than in pre-social media days.

As adults, we bring our prior knowledge of history and our optimism about humanity to help us process and filter this inundation. Our students, however, do not have hindsight to combat their feelings of helplessness. They are surrounded by unfiltered current events-a rapid fire of negativity that can leave them vulnerable and overly anxious. It's no wonder that teen stress is on the rise.

Nevertheless, our students have to know about the world around them, and part of our job as educators is to prepare them for the realities of the world outside the classroom walls. It's difficult, however, to walk this precarious high wire of responsibility knowing that we need to expose students to current events and yet still nurture them developmentally.

Teaching Current Events

So how can we create an honest counter story to the negativity out there without abandoning our responsibility to teach current events altogether? How can we help students see hope through the smog?

Some teachers decide not to tackle current events. But I argue that is a slippery slope toward an uneducated populace. Instead, I propose the following approach in the battle against an overabundance of negative news:

1. Utilize resources that differentiate informational reading levels. Look at resources like Newsela to filter news stories not by topic but by grade level, so that articles are suited to your students' emotional stages. After all, just because a student is academically ready to read a higher level of text doesn't mean they're developmentally ready to do so. Newsela helps to adjust levels so stories are age-appropriate without shying away from particular topics.

2. Create an archive of resources that focus on more positive stories. Find sources that help students learn about human achievement and accomplishments. Start with Common Sense Media's list of news sources for kids. Remember, however, that every site has articles that need to be vetted. Check out these sites for some possibilities for your students:

DailyGood: This is a great resource of straightforward pieces with an emphasis on the amazing and interesting. This site strives also to present news from diverse perspectives.

Yes! Magazine: The tagline for this magazine is "Powerful Ideas, Practical Actions." It focuses on problems, yes, but also on how people are solving those problems.

Positive News: This site focuses on challenging stereotypes and sharing what people are doing to tackle the world's challenges. It's inspiring and easy to navigate. The menu breaks stories down by society, economics, science, environment, lifestyle, and perspective.

3. Help students read critically to tease apart the true from the questionable and the false. Every teacher should be taking this on, and hopefully your school or district has adopted a program to help teachers achieve this goal. However, there are resources out there to help individual teachers. From PBS to KQED, from Common Sense Media to The New York Times, there are many outlets out there to help teachers tackle this challenge.

4. Teach students the necessity of unplugging sometimes. And while we're at it, teach students that unplugging is healthy for their hearts and heads. We all need to detach from the news feed sometimes. Unplug, recharge, and oxygenate your brain with exercise. Be transparent about what intelligent adults do (or try to do) to keep life in perspective.

We need our students to leave classrooms knowledgeable and critical but also hopeful. We have a responsibility to balance the horrors with the hopeful and the frightening with what is also festive. Help kids focus on the good that is immediately before them. Make your classroom one of positivity so that they have a place to go to feel that the state of the news is not necessarily the state of their own lives.

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Teaching Current Events in the Age of Social Media

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With each click of the mouse or flip of the channel, our society is inundated with headlines focused on natural disasters, sexual harassment allegations, countries on the brink of war, and teen suicides. While none of this is anything new, the bombardment of these stories is unique to this generation of student.

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Current Events Magazine for Kids and Fun Seasonal Nonfiction | Scholastic Magazines+

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Bring the world into your classroom with current events for kids. Scholastic News features science and social studies nonfiction content just for Grades 1–6.

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Preparing students to be well-informed, curious readers is part of our role as educators both across grade levels and subject areas. As a former classroom teacher, I loved sharing current events articles with students. High-interest, relevant articles connected to the news, can promote discussion both inside and outside of the classroom, plus, students can make comments and highlight an event via PDF editor. Although there might have been a time when you had newspapers delivered to your classroom, it's now easier than ever to connect students with up-to-date articles thanks to these current events websites.

Teaching with the News?

On this list I've shared a handful of favorite current events websites. You'll find some that allow you to modify reading levels for each article and others that connect student readers to videos, images, and audio files. If you're a regular follower of ClassTechTips.com or attended an event I've spoken at the past few years, you've probably heard me use the phrase tasks before apps. As you go through this list think about your learning goals for students and which resources will connect them with relevant, engaging and high-interest informational text.
Download my poster with more reading resources here.
15 Current Events Websites for Students

The Learning Network from the New York Times is full of useful resources for students and teachers. There are articles written specifically for student readers and lesson plans that cover a wide range of topics. You'll find writing prompts, contests and multimedia resources on this website.

With new articles each week, Youngzine is another great resource for texts to share with students. On this current events website you can find articles under science, technology and history categories. There are often maps, related resources and videos to explore with each article.

Full of popular stories, National Geographic's website includes articles from around the world. In addition to the news articles for kids to explore, there is also a collection of beautiful images that are perfect for close reading activities.

CNN's website provides quick ten-minute video clips for students featuring a wide variety of news stories. These commercial-free videos are perfect for sharing with students for daily updates. You might also decide to use these videos in a flipped classroom model for students to watch outside of the classroom and come back to class ready to discuss.

Although this current events website includes commercials with student-friendly videos, the high-quality, high-interest content may still be of interest to you. With new content added every day and a great production quality, the resources on this website are robust.

On this free website for kids you'll find plenty of current events lesson ideas for students. It includes leveled reading passages for students they can tailor to their reading needs. In addition to changing reading levels for each passage there is content available in English and Spanish.

Similar to the resources from TIME for Kids, Scholastic News has free content online for students related to current events and high-interest reading topics. Users can choose a grade-level and view content designed for different groups of students.

NPR's website includes resources in print and audio format. You students might dive into the articles on a tablet or listen to the news updates. Like many news organizations NPR has lots of podcast options for learners at different levels and with varying interests.

You might be familiar with the print magazine TIME or their student edition TIME for Kids. What's great about their online resource is they give students access to free content and the ability to customize their reading experiences. Students can see articles in both English and Spanish, change the Lexile level of passages and find a ready-to-print version of the news.

Newsela is a favorite on this list of current events websites and definitely worth checking out! They have free and paid content that is updated daily with lots of extra resources related to the news of the day. You can search for articles by keyword and topic as well as the connection to different standards.

The folks at BrainPOP have so many great resources that can help students better understand different issues related to current events. Their content is very searchable and each day they have a new free video to share with students. The daily free video often relates to a topic in the news.

Sports Illustrated Kids has a website with current events articles for kids. Also on this website you'll find updated news articles on sporting events and notable athletes. Many of the articles are written by their student reporters.

The DOGOnews website caters specifically to students and includes new articles weekly. These articles have the option for being listened to in addition to read. The articles often include infographics and videos too.

This resource stopped producing new content earlier this year, however their archive is full of articles connected to issues students may be exploring in your classroom. It contains book reviews and lots of articles related to science concepts and weather.

Although updated less consistently than the others on this list, Here There Everywhere is another resource for locating current events articles. They have categories and archives you can look through if you're searching for a particular topic.
Download my poster with more reading resources here.

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Teaching with the News? 15 Current Events Websites for Students - Class Tech Tips

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Preparing students to be well-informed, curious readers is part of our role as educators both across grade levels and subject areas. As a former classroom teacher, I loved sharing current events articles with students. High-interest, relevant articles connected to the news, can promote discussion both inside and outside of the classroom, plus, students can make comments and highlight an event via PDF editor.

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Great News Websites for Students | Common Sense Education

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Which news sites can students trust? These great, classroom-friendly news apps and sites can give students different perspectives on key current events. Find options for students of all grade levels -- all un-biased, well-researched, and guaranteed to pique students' interest.

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StudentNewsDaily is an independent website and is not affiliated with any group or parent organization. Your donations make a great impact on our ability to keep this site up and running.

Donations to StudentNewsDaily are tax deductible and greatly appreciated.

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Current events articles for teachers and students - Make sense of current events with free online resources for teachers.

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Find out about the current events from 2005 to the Present.

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Resources for teaching about current events using New York Times content

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Teaching Kids News posts weekly news articles, written by professional journalists. It's free to read and use in the classroom. Please also use TKN's Search feature to search the more than 1,000 articles in our archives.

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8 Smart Ways to Teach Current Events in the Classroom in 2017

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8 Smart Ways to Teach Current Events in the Classroom in 2017

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Current events are being curated and edited for student access in amazing ways all over the internet. This kid-focused curated material means you don't have to panic that something inappropriate will pop up in your classrooms unexpectedly. It also means that the work matching current events to content area is not as difficult as it used to be. Here are eight ways to help bring current events to life for students.

1. Analyze data side by side.

If you are using The Stock Market Game in math, ask kids to look at how the stock market changes depending on the year of a president's term. These two things may seem unrelated at first, but once they list presidents and the year of their terms lined up against the Dow Jones average for those years, they will quickly see the similarities. This will help teach analytical skills that can be used immediately. Students will be able to see how their president will affect the stock market and can compare this information to other presidencies.

2. Use websites like Flocabulary.

It's hard to figure out which weekly current events to include in a writing lesson. Let Flocabulary do the work. When students listen to Flocabulary's Week in Rap, the music keeps them engaged and the small sound bites keep them focused. After they listen to the week's current events, ask students to reflect on this information and choose one current event to briefly research. They can share their new information in a Haiku form or as a tweet on Twitter. The shortened forms of both help students use just the right words to communicate their reflection.

3. Read picture books.

Children's picture book writers are blazing new trails these days. Want to explain the Syrian refugee situation without scaring your young students? Check out books like those on . If you think you can go deeper with upper elementary kids, show this Brightly's list of books to help kids understand what it's like to be a refugee Teaching Human Rights and have them compare it to your carefully curated picture books and chapter books about refugees.

4. Challenge students to think about news from different perspectives.

When the class is learning about scientists, show them how scientists in different disciplines might look at the same information. Check out "The Most Interesting Science News Articles of the Week" at Live Science and choose one topic. Share that topic with students and then have them pick scientific roles written on slips of paper. Each student must write and share about how that particular kind of scientist would view and use the science topic chosen. Students will be amazed to consider how differently a biologist and a chemist view the same information about How Sleep Shrinks the Brain or any other topic.

5. Gamify current events.

Show students how politics really works in the world by teaching them how to play games like The World Peace Game and Fantasy Geopolitics . These games, even when modified or simplified, can help shed new light on the world's interconnectedness.

6. Read differentiated news stories.

The Common Core standards focus on more nonfiction reading and writing. Meet these needs by sharing news articles that are already vetted and leveled for your students. is teacher tested and approved. Students are able to have a choice in the articles they read and respond to because every topic has articles written at different reading levels. This also means that two students of different reading abilities can buddy up on the same topic. The articles cover every content area in your school including music and the arts.

7. Create podcasts instead of research projects.

When kids hear they must do a research project, they groan. The work can feel overwhelming, from identifying a topic to writing a long paper with sources. Instead of going the traditional route, try a more current use of technology by having kids research current events in order to create a podcast for their technology class. This is one project that covers all content areas and brings them together under one roof. Students listen to podcasts designed for kids like and Then they find a current event, research it just enough to write a script, record the podcast in GarageBand (found free on all Macs) and export it to an MP4. If the podcasts are uploaded to one location, both kids and parents can enjoy and learn from them. This article has more on doing podcasting projects with your students.

8. Increase current events comprehension through SCAMPER.

SCAMPER is an acronym for a creative technique: Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to another use, Eliminate, and Reverse. Have kids check out Kids Go Global , choose an issue and use the SCAMPER rules to think about new solutions. If they choose Endangered Species, they might consider how to substitute one kind of environment or food to help these animals live. They could discuss combining the endangered species with another animal that might serve as a protector. Perhaps the animal could adapt in ways not currently occurring in order to save itself. As the students go through each of the SCAMPER concepts, they find themselves becoming more creative problem-solvers, which is a skill that crosses all content areas.

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8 Smart Ways to Teach Current Events in the Classroom in 2017

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The work matching current events to content is not as difficult as it used to be. Here are eight ways to help bring current events to life for students.

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How can we make sure that students are informed about what's going on around the world? That they are armed with the tools to be able to distinguish between opinion and fact; between evidence-based statements and empty rhetoric; between sensationalism and solid journalism? Just like most other things in life, the best way to do all that is through practice.

In honor of National News Engagement Day, here are 50 ideas to help teachers bring current events into the classroom, grouped below by category:

Some ideas work best as regular routines, others as one-shot activities. Many might be easier to use together with the new K-12 New York Times school subscription, but all of them could be implemented using the free links to Times articles on The Learning Network - or with any other trusted news source.

In our comments section, we hope you'll share how you teach current events.

1. Read the Paper and Find What Interests You: If we could recommend just one thing teenagers should do with the news, it's this. Just read and discover what you care about. Every summer we try to promote this with our Summer Reading Contest, and we hope teachers are continuing this student-centered approach now that school has started.

You might invite your students to pick one article each week and write about why they chose it, perhaps using student winners from our summer contest as models. Our Reading Log (PDF) might also help.

Then, set aside time for students to share their picks with a partner, or even with a wider audience through social media.

2. Share Your Opinion: Each school day we publish a new Student Opinion question about an article in The Times. Students can participate in our moderated discussions online, or you can borrow from hundreds of published questions for class discussions or personal writing from 2016, 2015, 2014 and beyond.

3. Read About News-Making Teenagers: Every month we publish a collection of all the recent Times articles and multimedia that feature teenagers. Students can use this list to identify someone they admire, learn how other teenagers are taking action or make connections to issues in their own school and community.

4. Find 'News You Can Use': Use The Times, or any other news source, to find things like movie or video game reviews, recipes, sports scores, health information, and how-to's on subjects from social media to personal finance that can help improve your life.

5. Ask and Answer Questions: Each day we choose an important or interesting Times story and pose the basic news questions - Who, What, Where, When, Why and How - in our News Q's feature. Students can first answer the "right there" questions that test reading comprehension, then move on to the deeper critical thinking questions, then write their own "News Q's" about articles they select.

7. Compare News Sources: Different papers, magazines and websites treat the news differently. You might have students compare lead stories or, via the Newseum's daily gallery, front pages. Or, you might just pick one article about a divisive topic (politics, war, social issues) and see how different news sources have handled the subject.
Speaking and Listening
11. Brainstorm Solutions to the World's Problems: Why not put students in the role of policymakers? They can look closely at an issue covered in The Times and brainstorm possible solutions together, using our Problem-Solution handout (PDF) to take notes. Then they can work together to draft a policy proposal, perhaps one that suggests a local solution to the problem, and present it to the class or to the school board or city council.

12. Create a News-Inspired Theatrical Performance: Whether a simple monologue or a full Reader's Theater event, our series, Drama Strategies to Use With Any Day's Times, can help you use simple theater exercises to spur discussion and thinking about current events.

14. Organize a Teach-In, Gallery Walk or Social Action on a Topic: Our country and world face complex issues - war, drug abuse, climate change, poverty - to name a few. Students working in groups can follow a topic in The Times, and then organize a classroom or whole school "teach-in" to inform their peers about topics in the news and decide how to take action. Alternatively, they can create a classroom gallery of photographs, maps, infographics, articles, editorial cartoons, essays, videos and whatever else they can find to immerse others in the topic. Ask yourself and your classmates, what can people our age do to effect change around this issue?
Games and Quizzes
17. Battle Others in Bingo: Encourage students to get to know the newspaper - digital or print - by playing one of our many versions of bingo: Page One Bingo, Science, Health and Technology Bingo, World History Bingo or Geography Bingo (PDF).

18. Do a Scavenger Hunt: Send your students searching for answers to our New York Times Scavenger Hunt (PDF) as a way to become more familiar with how a newspaper covers the day's news.

20. Hunt for the Three Branches of Government in the Paper: What articles can you find in a week's worth of papers about the different branches of the United States government? Record what you find with our Branching Out handout (PDF).
Photographs, Illustrations, Videos and Infographics
21. Analyze Photographs to Build Visual Literacy Skills: On Mondays we ask students to look closely at an image using the three-question facilitation method created by our partners at Visual Thinking Strategies: What's going on in this picture? What do you see that makes you say that? What more can you find? Students can participate in the activity by commenting in our weekly "What's Going On In This Picture?" moderated conversation.

Alternatively, you might prefer to select your own news photos. Slideshows, such as the regular "Pictures of the Day" feature, are always a great place to find compelling images related to current events.

22. Interpret Editorial Cartoons and "Op-Art": Patrick Chappatte publishes editorial cartoons on topics ranging from ISIS to the Ukraine. You can use the Visual Thinking Strategies facilitation method to ask open-ended questions, letting students make meaning out of the cartoons. Or, have students analyze some of the "Op-Art" on the Opinion pages of The Times. How do these images make an argument? Students can also try their hand at drawing their own editorial cartoons, and then enter them into our annual editorial cartoon contest.

25. Illustrate the News: Students can draw an illustration that captures some aspect of an article. Using our handout "The One-Pager" (PDF), students accompany their illustration with a quote from the article as well as a question for the journalist or someone mentioned in the article.

26. Write a Postcard: Or, maybe having students create a mock postcard to or from a subject in a Times article would work better for your class.

27. Say What's Unsaid: Another option is assigning students to add speech and thought bubbles (PDF) to a Times photograph to communicate something they learned by reading an article.
Creative Writing and Design
29. Write a Rap or Song: Each December, we ask students to compose a rap about important and memorable events from the past year. Get inspired by the winners from our 2015 contest, and start polishing your rhymes for this year.

30. Make a Timeline: Students can design their own timelines, using photographs, captions and selected quotes, to understand and keep track of complex current events topics. Times models can help since the paper regularly publishes timelines on all kinds of topics, whether Mariano Rivera's career, the evolution of Facebook or the Ferguson protests

32. Explore a Particular Community: Find reporting on a community of which you're a member - whether an ethnic, religious, professional, school or artistic group, or any other - and analyze how it has been reported on. Then use these ideas for finding ways you can help express what, in your experience, makes this group unique. What do you think people need to know about this community and how can you communicate that?

34. Make a News Broadcast: Students can turn an article they read in The Times into an evening news broadcast, with an anchor, on-the-ground reporter and interview subjects.
Making Connections
36. Connect the Past to Today: Help students tie what they're studying in history class to what's going on in the world today. We regularly do this in both our Text to Text feature as well as our social-studies-focused lesson plans. You might also consider following @nytarchives on Twitter and our own "Throwback Thursday" posts to see echoes of the past in today's headlines - or, visit Times Machine on your own to view by date or through search terms 129 years of Times journalism as it originally appeared.

38. Think Like a Historian: What events make the history books? How and from whose point of view are they told? Have students research a current events topic, and then write a paper arguing whether this topic will make "history" and how it will be remembered.

39. Connect The Times to Your Own Life: Have students make connections between the articles they read in The New York Times and their own life, other texts and the world around them using our Connecting The New York Times to Your World (PDF) handout.

40. Consider Censorship Through Any Day's Front Page: What if we didn't have freedom of the press? Ask students to take the front page of any New York Times and put an X over the stories that might be censored if our government controlled the press. You might use our Censoring the Press (PDF) handout to help.

41. Take Informed Action: When students become more informed about the world, they can get inspired to become civically active and engaged in their communities. Have students brainstorm issues that matter to them, either at the local, national or global level, and then design a plan of action for how they can begin to make the change they hope to see in the world.
Building Skills
42. Determine Reliability of Sources: How do we distinguish good journalism from propaganda or just shoddy reporting? Students can use simple mnemonics, like those developed at the Center for News Literacy, to evaluate the reliability of an article and the sources it relies on. For example, apply the acronym "IMVAIN" (PDF) to an article to surface whether sources (and the information they provide) are Independent, Multiple, Verifiable, Authoritative, Informed and Named. This and many other strategies can be found in our lesson on "fake news vs. real news.

47. Read Closely: By using a double-entry journal (PDF), students can become better readers of informational text by noting comments, questions and observations alongside lines or details they select from a text.

48. Support Opinions With Facts: Whether students are writing their own persuasive arguments, or reading those written by other people, they need to understand how authors support opinions with facts. Students can practice by reading Times Opinion pieces and identifying how authors construct arguments using opinions supported by facts (PDF). Then they can develop their own evidence-based counterpoints.
And Finally...
Let us know in the comment section below how you teach current events in your class, or which ideas from the above list inspired you.

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How can we make sure that students are informed about what's going on around the world? That they are armed with the tools to be able to distinguish between opinion and fact; between evidence-based statements and empty rhetoric; between sensationalism and solid journalism?

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Twenty-Five Great Ideas for Teaching Current Events

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Twenty-Five Great Ideas for Teaching Current Events

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Elementary Teaching Practices Videos – UCLA Teacher Education Program

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Elementary Teaching Practices Videos – UCLA Teacher Education Program

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Elementary Teaching Practices Videos – UCLA Teacher Education Program – UCLA Center X

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UCLA Teacher Education Program Alumni and Guiding Teacher
ELEMENTARY TEACHING PRACTICES VIDEOS

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In education, the term equity refers to the principle of fairness. While it is often used interchangeably with the related principle of equality, equity encompasses a wide variety of educational models, programs, and strategies that may be considered fair, but not necessarily equal. It is has been said that "equity is the process; equality is the outcome," given that equity-what is fair and just-may not, in the process of educating students, reflect strict equality-what is applied, allocated, or distributed equally.

Inequities occur when biased or unfair policies, programs, practices, or situations contribute to a lack of equality in educational performance, results, and outcomes. For example, certain students or groups of students may attend school, graduate, or enroll in postsecondary education at lower rates, or they may perform comparatively poorly on standardized tests due to a wide variety of factors, including inherent biases or flaws in test designs.

The following are a few representative ways in which inequity may enter public education:

Societal inequity: Minority students may be disadvantaged by preexisting bias and prejudice in American society, with both conscious and unconscious discrimination surfacing in public schools in ways that adversely affect learning acquisition, academic achievement, educational aspirations, and post-graduation opportunities. While not always the case, inequity in education is most commonly associated with groups that have suffered from discrimination related to their race, ethnicity, nationality, language, religion, class, gender, sexual orientation, or disabilities. For a related discussion, see opportunity gap.

Socioeconomic inequity: Evidence suggests that students from lower-income households, on average, underperform academically in relation to their wealthier peers, and they also tend to have lower educational aspirations and enroll in college at lower rates (in part due to financial considerations). In addition, schools in poorer communities, such as those in rural or disadvantaged urban areas, may have comparatively fewer resources and less funding, which can lead to fewer teachers and educational opportunities-from specialized courses and computers to co-curricular activities and sports teams-as well as outdated or dilapidated school facilities.

Cultural inequity: Students from diverse cultural backgrounds may be disadvantaged in a variety of ways when pursuing their education. For example, recently arrived immigrant and refugee students and their families may have difficulties navigating the public-education system or making educational choices that are in their best interests. In addition, these students may struggle in school because they are unfamiliar with American customs, social expectations, slang, and cultural references. For a related discussion, see multicultural education .

Familial inequity: Students may be disadvantaged in their education due to their personal and familial circumstances. For example, some students may live in dysfunctional or abusive households, or they may receive comparatively little educational support or encouragement from their parents (even when the parents want their children to succeed in school). In addition, evidence suggests that students whose parents have not earned a high school or college degree may, on average, underperform academically in relation to their peers, and they may also enroll in and complete postsecondary programs at lower rates. Familial inequities may also intersect with cultural and socioeconomic inequities. For example, poor parents may not be able to invest in supplemental educational resources and learning opportunities-from summer programs to test-preparation services-or they may not be able pay the same amount of attention to their children's education as more affluent parents-perhaps because they have multiple jobs, for example.

Programmatic inequity: School programs may be structured in ways that are perceived to be unfair because they contribute to inequitable or unequal educational results for some students. For example, students of color tend, on average, to be disproportionately represented in lower-level classes with lower academic expectations (and possibly lower-quality teaching), which can give rise to achievement gaps or "cycles of low expectation" in which stereotypes about the academic performance of minorities are reinforced and perpetuated because they are held to lower academic standards or taught less than their peers. For related a discussion, see stereotype threat .

Staffing inequity: Wealthier schools located in more desirable communities may be able to hire more teachers and staff, while also providing better compensation that attracts more experienced and skilled teachers. Students attending these schools will likely receive a better-quality education, on average, while students who attend schools in less-desirable communities, with fewer or less-skilled teachers, will likely be at an educational disadvantage. Staffing situations in schools may also be inequitable in a wide variety of ways. In addition to potential inequities in employment-e.g., minorities being discriminated against during the hiring process, female educators not being promoted to administrative positions at the same rates as their male colleagues-students may be disadvantaged by a lack of diversity among teaching staff. For example, students of color may not have educators of color as role models, students may not be exposed to a greater diversity of cultural perspectives and experiences, or the content taught in a school may be culturally limited or biased-e.g., history being taught from an exclusively Eurocentric point of view that neglects to address the perspectives and suffering of colonized countries or enslaved peoples.

Instructional inequity: Students may be enrolled in courses taught by less-skilled teachers, who may teach in a comparatively uninteresting or ineffective manner, or in courses in which significantly less content is taught. Students may also be subject to conscious or unconscious favoritism, bias, or prejudice by some teachers, or the way in which instruction is delivered may not work as well for some students as it does for others. For related a discussion, see personalized learning .

Assessment inequity: Students may be disadvantaged when taking tests or completing other types of assessments due to the design, content, or language choices, or because they have learning disabilities or physical disabilities that may impair their performance. In addition, situational factors may adversely affect test performance. For example, lower-income students who attend schools that do not regularly use computers may be disadvantaged-compared to wealthier students with more access to technology at home or students who use computers regularly in school-when taking tests that are administered on computers and that require basic computer literacy. For more detailed discussions, see test accommodations and .

Linguistic inequity: Non-English-speaking students, or students who are not yet proficient in English, may be disadvantaged in English-only classrooms or when taking tests and assessments presented in English. In addition, these students may also be disadvantaged if they are enrolled in separate academic programs, held to lower academic expectations, or receive lower-quality instruction as a result of their language abilities. For related discussions, academic language, dual-language education, English-language learner, and long-term English learner.

Reform

Generally speaking, reforms focused on improving educational equity seek to identify disparities in educational performance or results, and then introduce modifications intended to address or compensate for those inequities-e.g., by increasing funding levels, redesigning school programs, teaching students in different ways, or providing comparatively more educational services and academic support to students with greater needs. One of the fundamental theories motivating equity-driven educational reforms is that people and groups who suffer from discrimination, prejudice, or unfair treatment may develop emotional responses and behaviors that can perpetuate the consequences of discrimination even when discrimination is not clearly or actively present. In this way, some of the disadvantages stemming from unfair treatment and prejudice may be difficult to discern-a situation that, in education, requires proactive strategies with broad application in schools, rather than reactive strategies that address inequities on a case-by-case basis. For these and other reasons, "equity pedagogy"-i.e., consciously teaching with equity as a primary goal-is sometimes called "teaching for social justice," since the object of the equity-based strategies both begins with and extends beyond the specific students in a specific class.

Reforms intended to increase educational equity are, quite simply, far too numerous to usefully summarize here. In fact, a significant percentage of the concepts, terms, and strategies discussed in this resource are directly or peripherally related to issues of educational equity. For this reason, we encourage you to explore other entries for more detailed discussions.

Debate

Increasing fairness in education has long been-and perhaps always will be-marked by disputes and controversy. While the relevant debates are both numerous and nuanced, many of them center on divergent interpretations of fairness and equality. For example, a school might choose to allocate resources-funding, teachers, staff time, etc.-equally among all students. In this hypothetical case, white, wealthy, and high-performing students would receive the same amount of school resources as minority, low-income, and special-needs students. On the other hand, another school might choose to allocate resources in ways that it deems to be equitable. In this case, minority, low-income, and special-needs students might receive comparatively more resources in an attempt to compensate for and overcome preexisting factors that might place them at an educational disadvantage. For some, equal resource allocation may be seen as equitable (every student receives the same level of resources), while to others equal resource allocation is fundamentally inequitable because it fails to take into account the preexisting inequities in society that may have already placed some students at an educational or aspirational disadvantage, including racial prejudice and income inequality.

Another source of debate stems from the conception of America as a meritocracy in which anyone-if they work hard enough-can succeed and prosper. Public education has long played a prominent role in this conception, and many would consider a good education to be a gateway to the middle-class opportunity, career advancement, and long-term financial security and prosperity. On the other hand, America's well-documented history of racism, sexism, and classism has prevented certain groups from receiving equal treatment and opportunities-in both education and in the larger society. While countless advancements in civil rights have arguably led to greater equality, many would contend that diminished societal inequity, or a greater understanding or awareness of inequity, does not mean that inequities no longer exist. Those who believe in and prioritize meritocracy may perceive unequal educational allocations, accommodations, or compensations to be unfair (because some students are being given an unfair advantage, which may diminish opportunities for other, and possibly more deserving, students), while others, who don't perceive America to be a true meritocracy, may argue that the unequal distribution of educational resources is the only fair way to level the playing field and ensure that every student has an equal-or equitable-opportunity to succeed. A well-known example of this debate would be affirmative action in hiring and school admissions.

The following represent a few illustrative examples of debates related to educational equity and equity-driven reforms:

What is the proper role and purpose of a school and teachers?Do schools exist to maintain society as it's currently structured or improve it? Should a teacher support the status quo or actively seek to change it? In this case, some may argue that the primary purpose of a school is to prepare students to join the labor force and become contributing members of the existing society, while others would contend that schools should seek to address and redress social problems and assist in finding and promoting solutions.

How should schools and teachers properly negotiate privilege, including racial, cultural, educational, or socioeconomic privilege? Should schools treat each student equally? Or should schools seek to "level the playing field" for those who are disadvantaged? Some may argue that schools are doing too much for the disadvantaged, and thereby creating new disadvantages for other students. (For example, some believe that undocumented immigrant students and families are taking unfair advantage of the system, and that these students are using resources that would otherwise go to the children of taxpaying citizens). Others argue that schools need to provide extra help to the underprivileged, since the privileged already have advantages-whether fairly of unfairly attained-and the underprivileged will only remain so unless schools and society actively improve their conditions. (In this case, educational resources may be perceived as limited commodities, and therefore the "haves" must give up some of their wealth, influence, and control to the "have-nots"-a perception that mirrors the so-called "redistribution of wealth" debates in American economic policy.)

Should public schools remain social institutions or should they embrace free-market strategies? Capitalism is based on competition-among talent, resources, ideas, etc.-and should public schools, if they are going to be effective, also embrace competition among teachers and institutions? Advocates may argue that more competition among public schools, or between public schools and private schools, will increase accountability and educational quality, while opponents typically contend that such approaches will only exacerbate existing inequities-i.e., wealthy students and communities will get even better educational opportunities than they already have because those with money and power will use their advantages to increase their privileges and secure the best-quality education for their children, possibly at the expense of other children or what is best for society as a whole.

To what extent does racial, gender, and socioeconomic discrimination still exist? Is discrimination no longer a major problem in American society or in public education? This is perhaps one of the most controversial debates related to educational equity. The Civil Rights Movement, citizen activism, progressive legislation, and other cultural shifts have dramatically changed attitudes toward people of color, women, the poor, the LGBT community, and the disabled over the past several decades. Some may argue that even though positive changes have certainly taken hold, America is nowhere near becoming a discrimination-free society. In education, students of color still underperform compared to their white peers, , for example, and they are still disproportionately represented in lower-level courses or special-education programs. Others may point to policies such as affirmative action, or the assistance given to students with disabilities, as evidence that formerly discriminated-against groups are now being given the same (or even more) educational opportunities as other groups. In this case, they might argue that even though discrimination still exists it is no longer a major factor in American education, and that some educational policies-such as those perceived to be motivated by so-called "political correctness"-may go too far in their attempts to compensate for America's history of discrimination.

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In education, the term equity refers to the principle of fairness. While it is often used interchangeably with the related principle of equality, equity encompasses a wide variety of educational models, programs, and strategies that may be considered fair, but not necessarily equal. It is has been said that "equity is the process; equality is [...]

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Bridge The Gap: Equity Room - Great Education Colorado

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Bridge The Gap: Equity Room Powered by Straight “A” Sponsor MOIRA COOGAN & MATTHEW CARROLL Tip: On a computer, hover over video icons to show the video and then click…

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A Powerful Model for Understanding Good Tech Integration

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A Powerful Model for Understanding Good Tech Integration

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Good technology integration isn't about using the fanciest tool, it's about being aware of the range of options and picking the right strategy-or strategies-for the lesson at hand.

The biggest obstacle to teaching online probably isn't the technology. Teachers seek out educational technology, in fact, because it "can have considerable positive impacts on student performance," according to a 2016 study -improving test scores and allowing teachers to assess student achievement more efficiently. The big problem is how to integrate it: Beyond the sheer number of tech tools available, the same researchers identified "inadequate professional development and training" as the primary obstacle to using technology productively in classrooms.

Understandably, the emergence of the coronavirus has dramatically accelerated the process of integrating edtech, as educators around the country race to get online as fast as they can. But as many of our teachers have noted, the current state of K-12 online learning is more like triage-a form of crisis management-and not at all like skillfully managed distance education.

What's missing from the conversation right now, which makes sense given the immediacy of the need, is a focus on the bigger question of what the highest quality technology integration actually looks like. That's an important conversation to have, because in a post-coronavirus world there's likely to be a greater emphasis on digital learning, even as we return to physical schools and take advantage of face-to-face opportunities.

A Hierarchy of Tech Uses

A powerful conceptual tool to think about technology integration-and edtech's best uses-is the SAMR model, developed in 2010 by education researcher Ruben Puentedura, who was the 1991 recipient of a Phi Beta Kappa teaching award.

The SAMR model lays out four tiers of online learning, presented roughly in order of their sophistication and transformative power: substitution, augmentation, modification, and r edefinition. When switching to an online format, teachers often focus on the first two levels, which involve replacing traditional materials with digital ones: converting lessons and worksheets into PDFs and posting them online, or recording lectures on video and making them available for asynchronous learning, for example.
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Those are important steps, especially when teaching online for the first time, but in classrooms where tech integration has moved to the mastery level, the last two levels of the SAMR model-modification and redefinition-should also be in the mix. Students in classes where this kind of mastery is embedded find more novel and immersive uses for technology. They are creators and publishers of their own work across multiple forms of media, for example, or they are inviting professionals to provide feedback on their work products, or participating in digital forums with other peers around the world.

It's tempting to think of SAMR as a mountain to be summited. But good technology integration isn't about living at the top of the SAMR model; it's about being aware of the range of options and picking the right strategy-or strategies-for the lesson at hand.

Here's a closer look at good classroom practices at each level in the model:

Substitution

"Substitution" means replacing traditional activities and materials-like in-class lectures or paper worksheets-with digital versions. There is no substantial change to the content, just the way that it is delivered.

The goal here is to keep things simple: there's no need to reinvent the wheel. Scan your lessons and worksheets, convert them into PDFs, and post them online using Microsoft OneDrive, Google Drive, or a similar file-sharing service. Think about the information you have on your walls, such as the classroom norms, the daily schedule, or vocabulary lists, and convert them into digital formats that students can easily reference.

It may also help to provide synchronous as well as asynchronous versions of your lectures. If you're holding class meetings over a videoconferencing service like Zoom or Skype, provide a recording for students who can't attend. You can also create your own instructional videos for students to view at their own pace.

Augmentation

This level involves incorporating interactive digital enhancements and elements like comments, hyperlinks, or multimedia. The content remains unchanged, but students can now take advantage of digital features to enhance the lesson.

For example, students can create digital portfolios to create multimedia presentations, giving them more options to demonstrate their understanding of a topic. And instead of handing out paper quizzes, you can gamify your quizzes with tools like Socrative and Kahoot.

Teachers can also create virtual bulletin boards-using an app like Padlet -where students can post questions, links, and pictures.

Modification

At this level, teachers can think about using a learning management system like Google Classroom, Moodle, Schoology, or Canvas to handle the logistical aspects of running a classroom, like tracking grades, messaging students, creating a calendar, and posting assignments.

Teaching online opens up new channels of communication, many of which can help students who have traditionally been marginalized. Research shows that girls may be less likely to speak up in class, for example, so they may benefit from backchannels -alternative conversations that can run alongside instruction-that encourage participation.

Zoom's text chat feature, meanwhile, gives students an opportunity to write their questions out, which can feel less intrusive if there are dozens of students participating in the call. Also, students who prefer to collect their thoughts may benefit from slower-paced, asynchronous discussions in an online forum or email threads.

Redefinition

Learning is fundamentally transformed at the "redefinition" level, enabling activities that were previously impossible in the classroom.

For example, virtual pen pals can connect students to other parts of the world, whether it's with other students or experts in a field. Virtual field trips enable students to visit locations like the Amazon rainforest, the Louvre, or the Egyptian pyramids. After reading a book in class, you can invite the author to chat about their work and answer questions.

Technology also provides an opportunity to bring authentic audiences into your virtual classroom, and can make publishers out of your students. Kids can write their own wikis or blogs for public consumption and feedback-and platforms like Quadblogging can connect distant classrooms together so students both write and respond. Students can tackle local problems-like investigating the water quality of a nearby river-and invite members of the community to assess their digital proposals.

Going Beyond SAMR

Finally, consider how technology can be used not just as a way to deliver content, but also to strengthen relationships with your students. For elementary school teacher John Thomas, Seesaw and Flipgrid allow him to share a daily greeting, which his students then respond to-or to each other-with a typed or voiced comment. It's a good way to provide some stability while they're isolated.

How can my lesson be improved using technology?

How can I engage and empower students through technology?

How can online learning more closely resemble authentic, real-world learning?

Remember, again, that SAMR is sometimes thought of as a mountain to summit, but it's really more like a toolbox. The goal isn't to use the most sophisticated tool, but to find the right one for the job. More importantly, however, it's a way to reflect on your technology integration by thinking about a few key questions:

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A Powerful Model for Understanding Good Tech Integration

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Good technology integration isn't about using the fanciest tool, it's about being aware of the range of options and picking the right strategy-or strategies-for the lesson at hand.

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History Unit Project: Lasting Contributions

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History Unit Project: Lasting Contributions

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Learning for Justice, then Teaching Tolerance, and the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding teamed up to offer educators a free webinar series: Religious Diversity in the Classroom. The five-part series and accompanying resources (described in detail below) examine how awareness of religious diversity affects global citizenship, and how teaching about religion across grade levels and subject areas can help meet academic standards.

Webinar 1: What's Law Got To Do With It?

There's a lot of misinformation about what teachers are allowed to do when it comes to discussing religion in public school. But the truth is it's both legal and important to teach about religion and the diversity of religious and nonreligious worldviews. What's Law Got To Do With It? helps educators build a deeper understanding of the legal parameters relevant to including religion in the classroom.

After-session pack: A PDF with activities and lessons.

Follow-up blogs: A four-part series that responds to participants' questions and comments.

Webinar 2: Fostering a Culture of Respect

How do you help students of all religions-or no religion-feel safe, supported and accepted? By creating a classroom culture in which religious diversity is respected. That may sound complicated, but Fostering a Culture of Respect offers suggestions on how to do just that.

After-session pack: A PDF with activities and lessons.

Follow-up blogs: A three-part series that responds to participants' questions and comments.

Webinar 3: Applications for Elementary Educators

Are you looking for practical suggestions on how to explore religious diversity with elementary students? Applications for Elementary Educators offers recommendations on how to teach about religion and religious differences through critical literacy strategies and developmentally appropriate lesson plans and classroom activities-all while promoting empathy and respectful curiosity among students.

A transcription for this webinar can be found here.

After-session pack: A PDF with activities and lessons.

Follow-up blog: Agree to (Respectfully) Disagree

Webinar 4: Applications for Middle Level Educators

Turn what's often called "a tough age" into an age of opportunity by actively promoting respect for differences, including religious differences. Applications for Middle Level Educators offers recommendations on how to implement lesson plans that enable students to express their own identities while learning about diverse religious and nonreligious beliefs and how to use a variety of resources to explore common themes among different religious traditions.

A transcription for this webinar can be found here.

After-session pack: A PDF with activities and lessons.

Follow-up blog: Families Have Much to Share

Webinar 5: Applications for High School Educators

This webinar, designed for high school educators of all subjects, offers practical suggestions for teaching about religious diversity in ways that reduce prejudice, promote mutual respect and help students prepare for college and career. High school students will soon enter a wider world where they will engage with individuals from vastly different religious and cultural backgrounds. Applications for High School Educators can help you get them ready!

Classroom materials available in the Resource List within the webinar.

Follow-up blogs:

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Teaching Tolerance and the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding teamed up to offer educators a free webinar series: Religious Diversity in the Classroom.

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10 Classroom Centers Organization Tips That Actually Work

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10 Classroom Centers Organization Tips That Actually Work

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10 Classroom Centers Organization Tips That Actually Work

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This post shares easy to implement classroom centers organization tips. These ideas aren’t expensive and can be used across grade levels!

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20 Collaborative Learning Tips And Strategies For Teachers

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20 Collaborative Learning Tips And Strategies For Teachers

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contributed by Miriam Clifford

There is an age-old adage that says, "two heads are better than one."

Consider collaboration in recent history: Watson and Crick or Page and Brin (Founders of Google). But did you know it was a collaborative Computer Club about basic programming at a middle school that brought together two minds that would change the future of computing?

Yes, those two were, of course, Bill Gates and Paul Allen, the founders of Microsoft.

Collaborative learning teams are said to attain higher-level thinking and preserve information for longer times than students working individually. Why?

Groups tend to learn through "discussion, clarification of ideas, and evaluation of other's ideas." Perhaps information that is discussed is retained in long-term memory. Research by Webb suggests that students who worked collaboratively on math computational problems earned significantly higher scores than those who worked alone. Plus, students who demonstrated lower levels of achievement improved when working in diverse groups.

Collaborative learning teams are said to attain higher level thinking and preserve information for longer times than students working individually.

Many consider Vygotsky the father of 'social learning.' Vygotsky was an education rebel in many ways. He controversially argued for educators to assess students' ability to solve problems rather than merely acquire knowledge. The idea of collaborative learning has a lot to do with Vygotsky's idea of the "zone of proximal development." It considers what a student can do if aided by peers and adults. By considering this model for learning, we might consider collaboration to increase students' awareness of other concepts.

What are some ways to include best practices for collaborative learning in our classroom?
20 Collaborative Learning Tips And Strategies For Teachers 1. Establish clear group goals
Effective collaborative learning involves the establishment of group goals, as well as individual accountability. This keeps the group on task and establishes an unambiguous purpose. Before beginning an assignment, it is best to define goals and objectives to save time.
2. Keep groups midsized
Small groups of three or fewer usually lack enough diversity and may not allow divergent thinking to occur. Groups that are too large create 'freeloading' where not all members participate. A moderate size group of four or five is ideal.
3. Establish flexible group norms
Research suggests that collaborative learning is influenced by the quality of interactions. Interactivity and negotiation are important in group learning. In the 1960's studies by Jacobs and Campbell suggested that norms are pervasive, even deviant norms were handed down and not questioned.

If you notice a deviant norm, you can do two things: rotate group members or assist in using outside information to develop a new norm. You may want to establish rules for group interactions for younger students. Older students might create their own norms. But remember, given their durable nature, it is best to have flexible norms. Norms should change with situations so that groups do not become rigid and intolerant or develop sub-groups.
4. Build trust and promote open communication
Successful interpersonal communication must exist in teams. Building trust is essential. Deal with emotional issues that arise immediately and any interpersonal problems before moving on. Assignments should encourage team members to explain concepts thoroughly to each other.Studies found that students who provide and receive intricate explanations gain most from collaborative learning. Open communication is key.
5. For larger tasks, create group roles
Decomposing a difficult task into parts to saves time. You can then assign different roles. A great example in my own classroom was in the science lab, fifth grade students assumed different roles of group leader, recorder, reporter, and fact-checker. The students might have turns to choose their own role and alternate roles by sections of the assignment or classes.
6. Create a pre-test and post-test
A good way to ensure the group learns together would be to engage in a pre and post-test. In fact, many researchers use this method to see if groups are learning. An assessment gives the team a goal to work towards and ensures learning is a priority. It also allows instructors to gauge the effectiveness of the group. Changes can be made if differences are seen in the assessments over time. Plus, you can use Bloom's taxonomy to further hone in on specific skills.

Individuals should also complete surveys evaluating how well the group functioned. 'Debriefing' is an important component of the learning process and allows individuals to reflect on the process of group learning.
7. Consider the learning process itself as part of assessment
Many studies such as those by Robert Slavin at Johns Hopkins have considered how cooperative learning helps children develop social and interpersonal skills. Experts have argued that the social and psychological effects on self-esteem and personal development are just as important as the learning itself.

In terms of assessment, it may be beneficial to grade students on the quality of discussion, student engagement, and adherence to group norms. Praise younger groups for the following (for digital collaborative learning, for example) standards. This type of learning is a process and needs explicit instruction in beginning stages. Assessing the process itself provides motivation for students to learn how to behave in groups. It shows students that you value meaningful group interactions and adhering to norms.
8. Consider using different strategies, like the Jigsaw technique.
The jigsaw strategy is said to improve social interactions in learning and support diversity. The workplace is often like a jigsaw. It involves separating an assignment into subtasks, where individuals research their assigned area. Students with the same topic from different groups might meet together to discuss ideas between groups.

This type of collaboration allows students to become 'experts' in their assigned topic. Students then return to their primary group to educate others. Strategies here include using clusters, buzz groups, round-robin, leaning cells, or fishbowl discussions.
9. Allow groups to reduce anxiety
When tackling difficult concepts, group learning may provide a source of support. Groups often use humor and create a more relaxed learning atmosphere that allows for positive learning experiences. Allow groups to use some stress-reducing strategies as long as they stay on task.
10. Establish group interactions
The quality of discussions is a predictor of the achievement of the group. Instructors should provide a model of how a successful group functions. Shared leadership is often useful here. Students should work together on the task and maintenance functions of a group. Roles are important in group development. Task functions include:

Initiating Discussions

Clarifying points

Summarizing

Challenging assumptions/devil's advocate

Providing or researching information

Reaching a consensus

Maintenance involves the harmony and emotional well-being of a group. Maintenance includes roles such as sensing group feelings, harmonizing, compromising and encouraging, time-keeping, relieving tension, bringing people into the discussion, and more.
11. Use real-world problems
Experts suggest that project-based learning using open-ended questions can be very engaging. Rather than spending a lot of time designing an artificial scenario, use inspiration from everyday problems. Real world problems can be used to facilitate project-based learning and often have the right scope for collaborative learning.
12. Focus on enhancing problem-solving and critical thinking skills
Design assignments that allow room for varied interpretations. Different types of problems might focus on categorizing, planning, taking multiple perspectives, or forming solutions. Try to use a step-by step procedure for problem-solving. Mark Alexander explains one generally accepted problem-solving procedure:

1. Identify the objective

2. Set criteria or goals

3. Gather data

4. Generate options or courses of action

5. Evaluate the options using data and objectives

6. Reach a decision

7. Implement the decision

13. Keep in mind the diversity of groups
Mixed groups that include a range of talents, backgrounds, learning styles, ideas, and experiences are best. Studies have found that mixed aptitude groups tend to learn more from each other and increase achievement of low performers. Rotate groups so students have a chance to learn from others.
14. Consider demographics
Equally, balanced gender groups were found to be most effective.

Some research suggests that boys were more likely to receive and give elaborate explanations and their stances were more easily accepted by the group. In majority male groups girls were ignored. In majority girl groups, girls tended to direct questions to the boy who often ignored them. You may also want to specifically discuss or establish gender equality as a norm. This may seem obvious, but it is often missed. It may be an issue you may want to discuss with older students.

15. Use scaffolding or diminished responsibility as students begin to understand concepts.

At the beginning of a project, you may want to give more direction than the end. Serve as a facilitator, such as by gauging group interactions or at first, providing a list of questions to consider. Allow groups to grow in responsibility as times goes on. In your classroom, this may mean allowing teams to develop their own topics or products as time goes on.

After all, increased responsibility over learning is a goal in collaborative learning.
16. Include different types of learning scenarios
Studies suggests that collaborative learning that focuses on rich contexts and challenging questions produces higher-order reasoning. Assignments can include laboratory work, study teams, debates, writing projects, problem-solving, and collaborative writing.
17. Technology makes collaborative learning easier
Collaboration had the same results via technology as in person, increased learning opportunities. Try incorporating free savvy tools for online collaboration such as Stixy, an online shared whiteboard space, Google groups, or Mikogo for online meetings. Be aware that some research suggests that more exchanges related to planning rather than challenging viewpoints occurred more frequently through online interactions.

This may be because the research used students that did not know one another. If this is your scenario, you may want to start by having students get to know each other's backgrounds and ideas beforehand on a blog or chat-board.
18. Avoid 'bad group work'
As with any learning strategy, it's important to have a balanced approach. Cynics usually have a valid point. A New York Times article, cites some criticism of collaboration for not allowing enough time for individual, creative thinking. You may allow some individual time to write notes before the groups begin. This may be a great way to assess an individual grade.

19. Be wary of 'group think '

While collaborative learning is a great tool, it is always important to consider a balanced approach. At times, group harmony can override the necessity for more critical perspectives. Some research suggests that groups favored the more confident members. Changing up groups can help counter this problem.
20. Value diversity
Collaborative learning relies on some buy-in. Students need to respect and appreciate each other's viewpoints for it to work. For instance, class discussions can emphasize the need for different perspectives. Create a classroom environment that encourages independent thinking. Teach students the value of multiplicity in thought. You may want to give historical or social examples where people working together were able to reach complex solutions.

By definition, learning is social in nature. Using different mediums, whether it be books, discussions, technology or projects we study and develop new ideas. We impart ideas and share perspectives with others. Collaboration is a learned process. If managed correctly, it is a powerful tool that can allow educators to tap into new ideas and information.
This is a cross-post from opencolleges.edu.au; image attribution flickr user flickeringbrad

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20 Collaborative Learning Tips And Strategies For Teachers

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There is an age-old adage that says, "two heads are better than one." Here are 20 collaborative learning tips and strategies for teachers.

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Teaching War: Making History Relevant for Middle School Students

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Teaching War: Making History Relevant for Middle School Students

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Teaching War: Making History Relevant for Middle School Students (Highlight Video)

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Student Data Folders by Janae Van Orman - The Sharpened Pencil | TPT

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Class Anecdotal Records Chart-32 students

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Triangle-Square-Circle Exit Ticket:  Quick & Versatile Informal Assessment

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Triangle-Square-Circle Exit Ticket:  Quick & Versatile Informal Assessment

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The Triangle-Square-Circle exit ticket complements a lesson well.

Whether you want to know what your elementary students "took away" from the lesson...

OR

You need your learners to reflect on a previous lesson via a quick review...

The Triangle-Square-Circle exit ticket is ideal for assessing elementary learners' progress with targeted learning objectives.
The Triangle-Square-Circle graphic organizer is an informal assessment that serves a closing activity or lesson review. Using visual representations, this exit ticket encourages students to reflect on their learning by summarizing key points, synthesizing information, in addition to asking clarifying questions.
A bonus to the Triangle-Square-Circle exit ticket is that it's easily differentiated.

Due to the open-ended nature of the prompts, it's quite easy to modify and tweak them according to the needs of your elementary learners.

Assessment is essential to the teaching and learning process of elementary kids. That's why we believe you'll love our complete collection of 100+ quick exit ticket ideas.

How to Use the Triangle-Square-Circle Exit Ticket

Tweak the prompts within this graphic organizer to fit the specific learning needs of your students.

Below shows an image of a Triangle-Square-Circle exit ticket template with general prompts that can be used with any subject area.

When explaining this formative assessment to students for the first time, it's a good idea to explain how the visual representations correlate to how they should respond.

Triangle - 3 Key Ideas

A triangle has 3 points. Therefore, students provide 3 important points that they "took away" from the lesson.

Prompt: 3 significant ideas that I took away from the lesson...

At times, you might want to be more specific.

For example...

In math, students may need to list 3 types of quadrilaterals or in social studies name 3 reasons why recycling is important.

Square - What's Squared Away in My Mind?

What concepts or ideas from the lesson are clear for the students?

Which ideas, actions, or concepts explored during the learning activity do they understand fairly well?

Prompt: What concepts from the lesson are squared away in my mind?

Support your struggling learners by guiding them in narrowing down a few ideas.

For example...

In reading, it may help some students to focus on a particular character, vocabulary term(s), setting, a specific reading skill utilized during independent reading with which they were successful, etc.

Circle - Lingering Questions

It's almost a given that your elementary learners will have further questions about the lesson and/or need further instruction to deepen their understanding.

The circle represents the 1 or 2 questions that your learners still have circling in their heads after the completion of the lesson.

Prompt: What one or two questions are still circling in my head?

This "circle" component of the Triangle-Square-Circle exit ticket serves as a compass for you as the teacher because the student responses from this section will guide your lesson planning of upcoming lessons.

If you observe any consistent patterns within the questions, target those learning ideas in future activities.

Getting the Best Results with the Triangle-Square-Circle Exit Ticket

For your visual learners, have them color-code each shape (each a different color) in order to further deepen their association of each with it's instructional meaning.

Instead of printing a Triangle-Square-Circle exit ticket template for each student, save paper by having them draw the shapes and respond to the prompts in their reader response journals.

Before getting started with this graphic organizer, model a few times to students how to respond to the prompts in a complete manner. Encourage their written responses to be well-thought out and complete.

If you're short on time, choose only 1 shape to use as an exit ticket with learners. On a sticky-note, they'll draw the chosen shape and respond accordingly. Easy, quick, and effective!

The Triangle-Square-Circle formative assessment works just as well with a whole group. Take 3 different colored pieces of construction paper, and cut a shape from each. Laminate if desired. Now, at the end of the lesson (or for a pre-lesson review), hold up one of the shapes, or tape it to the board. Students respond to it in their reader response journals, on a post-it note, and/or you can call on a few to answer orally.

Challenge your elementary students, or extend their learning by adding 3 additional shapes:

1. Star - What idea shines bright (stands out most) from the lesson?

2. Heart - Which part of the activity or lesson was my favorite? (The "heart" works very well with high-interest science and social studies texts.)

3. Semi-Circle - What ideas do I not yet fully understand? How can the teacher further support me so that I have a fuller understanding?

A Great Tool: Triangle-Square-Circle Exit Ticket

The Triangle-Square-Circle exit ticket informal assessment is a quick and creative tool that's useful for assessing how well your elementary learners are progressing in a targeted learning objective.

You can differentiate with it easily.

Plus your students now have a way to show you what they know (and don't know) using a tool that's kid-friendly and encourages critical thinking for all levels of academic learners.

Keep this handy exit ticket idea in your assessment toolkit because it's that good!

Best

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Triangle-Square-Circle Exit Ticket: Quick & Versatile Informal Assessment

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The Triangle-Square-Circle exit ticket complements a lesson well. Whether you want to know what your elementary students "took away" from the lesson... OR You need your learners to reflect on a previous lesson via a quick review... The Triangle-Square-Circle exit ticket is ideal for assessing elementary learners' progress with targeted learning objectives.

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For Primary Grades PK-1, this strategy should be used in whole-group rather than as an independent task, with the teacher charting ideas. Of course, since many children will want to participate, there might be more than 3-2-1 ideas/questions in each section.

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To involve students in the assessment process as part of their learning

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To involve students in the assessment process as part of their learning

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By involving students in the assessment process teachers establish confidence, motivation, and learning potential (Keanery, 2013). Teachers need to consider the students' emotional experience and how to make assessment fun verses frightening.

Students who usually succeed and students who usually struggle have different views of assessment (Stiggins, 2007)

"Students can assess themselves only when they have a sufficiently clear picture of the targets their learning is meant to attain" (Davies, 2011)

When teachers make assessment possible for all students they become more likely to: seek challenges, look for new ideas, practice, initiative, persist even when there are setbacks, and take risks (Stiggins, 2007). Students are able to see what success looks like, use feedback to improve, and make their own feedback to set goals. By getting students involved, learning becomes all about team work as teachers and students become partners reaching for the same learning goals. You can get students involved by creating rubrics, tests, growth portfolios, communication, and through parent/teacher conferences (Davies, 2011).

By involving students in the assessment process teachers are:

1. Setting students up for success: get students to participate in the assessment to know exactly what is expected of them (Stiggins, 2007; Davies, 2011; Wormeli, 2011; Andrade, 2007)

2. Helping students turn failure into success: the teacher shows what success is and then gives the responsibility to the students. The students starts to understand how to achieve success on their own (Stiggins 2007; Andrade 2007; Wormeli, 2011)

3. Ensuring all students are learning: expand how we evaluate the quality of assessments for all students in all contexts. Assessment is not useful if it causes the students to give up. It is about future learning. Look at different collections of evidence for different students (Davies, 2011; Stiggins, 2007; Wormeli, 2011).

4. Moving the focus to the students: Realize that teachers are not the most important users of assessment and the decision makers of assessment. Students thoughts have to be considered. Their reaction to the assessment will determine how well they do(Davies, 2011; Stiggins, 2007; Wormeli, 2011)

Teachers need to open up communication with students to discover what is working, what needs to be fixed, and the unique learning styles of every student. Teachers can do this by getting students involved. Students can do self-assessments, use feedback and they need time to compare their work to samples to determine if they are meeting the goals. One method teachers can use to get students involved is creating a T-chart (Davies, 2011).

1. look at examples and brainstorm about what is good about each example

2. sort and categorize the ideas by making a T-chart
3. use and revise

When students are involved in the assessment process, they become more engaged in learning (Davies, 2011). Teachers are able to determine what the students know, and students are able to understand what is important to learn. Involving the students keeps them engaged by making assessment personal and their responsibility (Davies, 2011; Kearney, 2013). Also, it helps teachers identify the needs of the students so they know what the next teaching steps will be (Davies, 2011). By teaching students how to self-assess, we are ensuring that the focus stays on learning. It also allows teachers to listen to students and use their ideas as starting points for lessons (Davies, 2011). Students who are involved in assessment develop the skills needed to be lifelong independent learners as they know how to set goals and reach them. Students need to be involved to share understanding and feel like they have control over their learning.

AASLA and ASPAL
Australia has come up with a program called AASL and ASPAL. AASL is authentic assessment for sustainable learning and ASPAL is authentic self- and peer-assessment for learning. They wanted to help students become life long learns by involving students in the assessment process. "Assessment needs to be engaging and collaborative" (Kearney, 2013). They found that:

80% of students were not going over their own assessments before submitting their work

more than 85% of students had not seen another students assessment before they submitted them

almost 100% were working in isolation of peers

more than 90% had not been given the opportunity to be actively involved in creating assessments or the marking criteria for those assessments.

To make learning lifelong, the researchers wanted to ensure that assessment was continuous throughout the year and involved collaboration between students and the teachers.
AASL and ASPAL ensures that assessment reflects what is learned and what is considered important throughout the course. Also, it ensures students get immediate feedback. Research has found that if teachers wait too long before giving feedback, the feedback is not valued (Kearney, 2012; Davies, 2011). By involving students, students are ensured to get immediate feedback.

When using AASL and ASPAL, teachers need to ensure that:
1. Peer-assessment is anonymous
2. the teacher has the final say in the marks, not peers.
3. Students need practice in assessing before peer assessment
4. students want to be involved

Self-assessment allows the focus to be on the learning experience. When using self-assessment there needs to be control by the teacher to insure learning occurs. However, the teacher needs to allow students to have some control as well. There can be collaboration and mutual understanding of expectations and outcomes between the teacher and student. "Self-assessment involves students in identifying standards and/or criteria to apply to their work and making judgement about the extent to which they met these criteria and standards" (Keatney). Self-assessment is only effective when the criterion is made clear and is co-defined by the teacher and students . Self-assessment is found to make students reflective and critical thinkers (Davies 2011, Kearney, 2012).

Peer-assessment is more challenging but it helps develop critical thinking skills. Further, it helps improve students' understanding of the assessment process because they learn to assess and judge their own work against that of others.

Overall, by involving students in the assessment process it allows for self-fulfillment, personal development and the pursuit of knowledge (Kearney, 2013)

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By involving students in the assessment process teachers establish confidence, motivation, and learning potential (Keanery, 2013). Teachers need to consider the students' emotional experience and how to make assessment fun verses frightening.

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Exit slips are written student responses to questions teachers pose at the end of a class or lesson. These quick, informal assessments enable teachers to quickly assess students' understanding of the material.

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26 Exit Ticket Ideas and Examples That Give Immediate Feedback

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26 Exit Ticket Ideas and Examples That Give Immediate Feedback

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1. Ask "What stuck with you today?"

Find out what made the most impact with one simple question. Sticky notes are fantastic for exit tickets; just have each student post theirs to the board on their way out the door.

2. Lunch questions

In elementary classrooms, there's no need to wait until the end of the day. Try using exit tickets before lunch or recess. Kids too young to write? Have them tell you their answer on their way out the door.

3. Have them "tweet" it

This cute "Twitter" board is sure to appeal to young social media fans. Laminate the cards so they can be reused each day.

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4. Gauge understanding with emojis

Here's another way to help today's kids connect and share their progress. Have them circle an emoji on this free printable and explain why it reflects their understanding.

5. Record a Flip video

Flip (formerly Flipgrid) is a totally free online tool for schools, where kids record video answers to a question posted by their teacher. This is such a cool exit ticket idea for virtual classrooms, though it works in face-to-face classrooms too.

6. Collect exit tickets on a traffic light

Have students post their tickets on a traffic light to indicate whether they're doing fine or struggling a bit. That way, you can focus on those who need more help first.

7. Give them a prompt

Sometimes exit tickets are very specific, but other times you just want to know what students' general reaction was to the class that day. We like this simple option that offers a few prompts to get them started.

8. Use the "Post-It, Prove It" method of exit tickets

Here's an example of a more specific exit question. Try to ask questions that have more than one right answer, so students don't just copy each other's responses.

9. Let them teach others

Kids often surprise us by looking at things in entirely different ways but still getting the correct answers. Their thoughts on a subject may give you ideas for helping other students who need a bit more instruction.

10. Take a poll

Online polls make terrific exit tickets. Poll Everywhere is free to use, and kids can text their answers. Fun!

11. Encourage self-reflection

Valuable as they are to teachers, exit tickets are also important for helping students self-assess. This version lets them reflect on their strengths and areas for improvement.

12. Tell two facts and a fib

We love this interactive ticket idea! Kids write down two facts about today's subject and one fib. They trade with another student to see if they can guess the incorrect fact before turning them in.

13. Try them in any class

Oui, oui, les "billets de sortie" work in French class, or Chemistry, or Art History ... every teacher should try them.

14. Keep an exit ticket journal

Give exit tickets a bit more substance by having students keep them in a journal. This gives them a nice record of learning and can help when it comes time to review for tests or write a paper.

15. Post exit tickets on Padlet

Think of Padlet as an online bulletin board. Teachers post a question or topic, and kids add their answers. See our review of Padlet here, then give it a try.

16. Print exit tickets on sticky notes

Did you know you can easily print on sticky notes? This game changer means you can easily customize exit tickets for any topic.

17. Write a 3, 2, 1 list

The 3, 2, 1 method allows kids to self-assess, but it also lets them indicate a deeper level of interest in the topic at hand.

18. Make it a mini-assessment

You'll have to prep these in advance, but an assessment exit ticket is sort of like a no-stress quiz. Kids simply do their best, without worrying about grades, and you get a better feel for their progress.

19. Fill up a shopping cart

Here's a chance to really see what their takeaways were from a lesson. This will let you see if your learning objectives are coming through as they should.

20. Follow science lab with exit tickets

Hands-on science exploration should be followed up with written observations and conclusions. Use exit tickets to check for understanding.

21. Sum it up with one sentence

Help your students distill what the day's lesson was all about with a one-sentence summary. This requires students to prioritize the most important elements of the activity and reveals whether they are getting the "big picture."

22. Keep it simple

Sometimes you look out at your students and you see a lot of blank stares. When this happens, take a quick moment to use this exit slip. It will help you assess who's on board and who needs further instruction.

23. Change it up

If you always use the same exit tickets after a lesson, your students might go on autopilot. Change up your format by asking students how they're doing in a variety of ways.

24. Match your exit tickets with your teaching philosophy

These colorful prompts were developed to support the Habits of Mind framework. Choose from questions that encourage your students to observe, reflect, and explore what they're learning.

25. Collect answers on Google Forms

Teaching online or looking to save paper? Collect your tickets using Google Forms instead. This is especially useful if you're already using Google Classroom.

26. Take time to analyze exit tickets

Make sure your exit tickets are worth the effort. Spend a little time at the end of each class or day looking over student responses, and make notes about any needs they indicate.

Exit tickets are just one type of formative assessment. Check out our guide to formative assessment.

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26 Exit Ticket Ideas and Examples That Give Immediate Feedback

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Use exit tickets to check student understanding of what they learned and get immediate feedback on that day's lesson.

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Dance in science, pop art in Spanish, or photography in math -- there's no end to the ways arts can be integrated into other curricula. Educators from Bates Middle School, in Annapolis, Maryland, share arts-integrated lessons and resources that you can use in your school.

All teachers at Bates Middle School are expected to use arts integration in their classrooms. Science teacher Stacey Burke (center) and her colleagues share some of their arts-integrated lessons below.

Resources on This Page:
Click on any link below to view or download that file.

Arts-Integrated Lesson Plans

Professional-Development Presentations

Arts-Integration Templates

Additional Documents from Bates Middle School

Maryland Department of Education Arts-Integration Glossary

Useful Websites on Arts Integration

Tips for downloading: PDF files can be viewed on a wide variety of platforms -- both as a browser plug-in or a stand-alone application -- with Adobe's free Acrobat Reader program. Click here to download the latest version of Adobe Reader.

Lesson Plans

Sample arts-integration presentations, lesson plans, quizzes, and other documents from various teachers and classes at Bates Middle School.

6th Grade Science: Rotation and Revolution

Presentation - lecture on rotation and revolution

Lesson Plan - lesson plan on solar system, sun, and galaxy

Dance Assignment - dance choreography that students need to incorporate into their project

Task Cards - elements of dance to be used to demonstrate rotation and revolution

Exit Ticket - student-reflection worksheet for rotation and revolution

Quiz - sample quiz given at the end of the lesson

6th Grade Science: Creative Comparison between Planets and Painting

Presentation - lecture on physical characteristics of planets integrated with color value concepts

Presentation - presentation on Ars Ad Astra Project and warm-up routine for observing and imagining

Worksheet - blank worksheet used for creative comparisons exercise

6th Grade Social Studies: Monochromatic Mapping

Presentation - lecture on monochromatic mapping

7th Grade Intro to Spanish: Pop Art and Spanish Vocabulary

Overview - students study the elements of pop artist Roy Lichtenstein and create comic strip using basic Spanish vocabulary

Presentation - lecture on pop art

Presentation - presentation and warm-up routine with Lichtenstein's art and activity using Spanish dialogue

Worksheet - tree map on colors, shapes, and lines and how they contribute to the artwork

Worksheet - worksheet used to plan comic strip with Spanish dialogue and visual description for each panel

Student Reflection - self-reflection worksheet for students to review their comic strip

8th Grade Math: Photo Story

Presentation - lecture given on photographic composition for photo story project

Lesson Plan - goals for photo story and how students will use principles of design to represent linear relationships

Rubric - grading rubric for the photo story project

Storyboard - blank storyboards used for digital photo story projects

8th Grade Visual and Language Arts: Portraits

Presentation - presentation on characteristics of portraits from different art movements, including cubism, fauvism, impressionism, pop, and realism

Lesson Plan - outline of a project in which students will compose a personal narrative detailing a life event

Activity - matching cards game in which students match artwork to correct art movement

Student Reflection - self-reflection worksheet on characterization and portraiture

Personal Analysis - worksheet for student analysis of their self-portrait

8th Grade Science: Dance and Acceleration

Presentation - lecture on velocity and speed, dance, and movement

Overview - outline of a project in which students utilize the elements of dance to calculate and graph acceleration

Worksheet - worksheet for dance challenge in which students calculate and compare speed by measuring dance movements they choreograph

Professional-Development Presentations

Active Strategies

Activity - PD activity about different active strategies that integrate dance, song, and other mixed media with science, math, language arts, and social studies

Art History

Presentation - lecture on 20th-century artists and art movements

Writing and Visual Arts

Presentation - lecture identifying and demonstrating art-inspired writing strategies

Presentation - presentation and warm-up routine for writing and visual arts lesson

Principles of Design

Presentation - lecture on principles of design, including balance, emphasis, unity, and proportion

Presentation - lecture on objective versus nonobjective art

Foldable - foldable with all the principles of design

Worksheet - worksheet for principles of design to use with selected artwork

Artful Thinking

Artful Thinking is an approach to teaching creative thinking developed by Harvard's Project Zero in collaboration with the Traverse City Area Public Schools in Michigan.

Presentation - lecture on implementing Artful Thinking routines that will help students

Artful Thinking Routines - various routines used for artful thinking, including, games, comprehension, and analysis

Professional-development presentations provided by Pat Klos, arts-integration specialist for Anne Arundel County Public Schools in Annapolis, Maryland

Arts-Integration Templates

Blank templates for arts-integration documents used at Bates Middle School

Curriculum Mapping - used to document content standards, opportunities for arts integration, and assessment/reflection

Content Standards - used to document performance on content standards where arts integration was or was not incorporated into the lesson

Content Log - log for teachers to track arts-integrated lessons, what worked and why

Graphic Organizers - various graphic organizers that can be used for arts integration

Lesson Seed - starter document to define art and content standards for an arts-integrated lesson and connected objectives

Teacher Reflection 1 - self-reflection document for teachers to evaluate lesson plans

Teacher Reflection 2 - self-reflection document for teachers to evaluate what students learned and what worked in arts-integrated lesson

Student Reflection 1 - self-reflection document for students on what they learned about both art and content standards

Student Reflection 2 - another example of a self-reflection document for students

Additional Documents from Bates Middle School

Maryland Department of Education Arts-Integration Glossary

Glossary of arts-integration terms provided by Maryland's Department of Education

Visual Arts - terminology used for visual arts

Dance - terminology used for dance

Music - terminology used for music

Theater - terminology used for theater

Useful Websites on Arts Integration

Bates Middle School - school's website

Arts Education in Maryland School Alliance - advocacy group for integrating the arts into content curriculum, professional development opportunities, resources for teachers, and funding opportunities

Artful Thinking (Project Zero) - program designed to be used by everyday teachers; focuses on experiencing and appreciating art rather than making art
More Edutopia Resources on Arts Integration: See more arts-integration resources and downloads.
Arts and Science Council - organization whose goal is to build appreciation, participation, and support for the arts, science, history, and heritage in Charlotte-Mecklenburg

The Kennedy Center ArtsEdge - the Kennedy Center's free digital resource for teaching through and about the arts

The Kennedy Center ArtsEdge Lessons Plans - lesson plans provided by ArtsEdge, The Kennedy Center's free digital resource

Masterpiece to Mathematics: Using Art to Teach Fraction, Decimal, and Percent Equivalents - article from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics detailing how students created their own optical art and connected it to rational numbers through mathematical and visual representations of rational numbers

Arts Integration Solutions - nonprofit that looks to transform the education system by bringing arts integration to every child, in every classroom, helping them succeed in math, science, literacy, and life

Grades 6-8 | Annapolis, MD

Enrollment

715 | Public, Suburban

Per Pupil Expenditures

Free / Reduced Lunch

46%

10% Special needs&#13; 7% English-language learners&#13; &#13;

Demographic data is from the 2011-12 academic year. Fiscal data is from the 2010-11 academic year.

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Lesson Plans and Resources for Arts Integration

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Dance in science, pop art in Spanish, or photography in math -- there's no end to the ways arts can be integrated into other curricula. Educators from Bates Middle School, in Annapolis, Maryland, share arts-integrated lessons and resources that you can use in your school.

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Educational Hip-Hop Songs & Videos for All Subjects, K-12

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Flocabulary is an library of songs, videos and activities for K-12 online learning. Browse our library of educational rap songs including: science, language arts, social studies, current events and math videos for kids.

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"I just wanted to let you know how beautifully they turned out. We are so excited to display them in our school. An 8th Grader helped me unpack them all and you would have thought it was Christmas here in the Art Room. Thank you for all of your help in this process."

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K-6 ARTS LESSON PLANS

Dance Lessons
Drama/Theatre Lessons
Music Lessons
Visual Art Lessons

This collection of online arts lesson plans began in 1997. Over the course of time the CA arts standards have been updated so you will find the alignment to standards in these lessons varies depending on when they were written.

Dr. Guenter retired in 2019 so no new lessons are being added to this collection.

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Dance Lessons Drama/Theatre Lessons Music Lessons Visual Art Lessons This collection of online arts lesson plans began in 1997. Over the course of time the CA arts standards have been updated so you will find the alignment to standards in these lessons varies depending on when they were written.

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Social studies and VAPA Lesson Plans.pdf

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K–6 Visual and PerformingArts Curriculum Guide: Examples ofIntegrated Lessons

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K–6 Visual and PerformingArts Curriculum Guide: Examples ofIntegrated Lessons

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Artfully Mapping Our Community on crayola.com

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Students learn map-reading skills as they create colorful abstract art that represents their community.

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3rd Grade Social Studies Arts & Crafts Hands-on Activities

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3rd Grade Social Studies Arts & Crafts Hands-on Activities

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3rd Grade Social Studies Arts & Crafts Hands-on Activities | Education.com

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Browse 3rd Grade Social Studies Arts & Crafts Hands-on Activities. Award winning educational materials designed to help kids succeed. Start for free now!

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These 7 digital resources help integrate arts education into other subjects

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These 7 digital resources help integrate arts education into other subjects

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The arts are not to be underestimated. While budget cuts and the emphasis on high-stakes testing have meant sacrifices to classes like music, visual arts, dance, and drama for many schools, that doesn't mean these subjects should be forgotten. Various free online tools and resources, like the seven below, are available to help schools integrate the arts into other subjects.

An offshoot of the Kennedy Center, ArtsEdge is a free digital resource to help students learn "in, through and about the arts." Educators can browse a plethora of lesson plans that help integrate art into more standard subjects like Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies. For example, the K-4 " Adjective Monster" lesson helps students make connections between language arts and visual arts, teaching new descriptive adjectives before having students make paper mache "monsters" embodying their new vocabulary. Older grades may enjoy the " Dalí & Desnos" lesson, which pushes creative writing skills through lessons on surrealism. In addition to lesson plans and filters to help teachers find the best plans, the site offers " How To" guides for integrating art into the classroom.

Created by New York's Museum of Modern Art, MoMA Learning offers students and teachers tips, resources, and activities for engaging with modern art. The site can be browsed by "theme" or "artist" and features several tools for each category. For example, under theme one can explore the Dada movement, a period from 1916 to 1924 that grew out of the brutality and disillusionment of World War I. MoMA Learn offers a premade PowerPoint, class notes, and activities. For example, the Dada section suggests students research Dada cities - Zurich, Berlin, Hannover, Cologne, Paris, and New York - and then write a 500-word essay on why a chosen city became a hub of Dada activities. As you might imagine, this impeccably organized site is a great resource for social studies teachers who want to add more of the arts and culture into lessons.

From the folks behind Khan Academy, Smarthistory is a multimedia open educational resource focused on art history. The site covers a variety of artistic periods, styles, themes, and artists via videos and essays. Want to infuse some art into your history classes? This is a great resource and WAY cheaper than an art history textbook. Don't know where to begin? The site has a few links to get you started, beginning with "The Basics" - a slew of introductory, almost Wikipedia-like pages. Start with " A Beginner's Guide to the History of Western Culture," " Art As Concept," or the glossary before delving into the more specific lessons.

​From PBS, teachers can show clips of artists featured within a show. Just like the Art 21 provides in-depth video interviews with some of today's most world-renowned artists. While users can browse by artist, the video option also allows a deeper look into certain art themes. For example, the episode entitled " Change" looks specifically at artists who "act as agents of change" and create works in response to a world in flux. While each episode is one hour -​ a bit longer than a class may have time for -​ recommendation that, once a week, educators use the last 20 minutes of a day to share an NPR Tiny Desk Concert and expose students to new forms of music, perhaps it would be fun to mix it up and share an Art21 video instead.

Created by the Getty Artists Program, Open Studio aims to make contemporary art accessible for K-12 classrooms. The site features 11 artists and their ideas on art projects for classrooms. Teachers can filter options, like activity level or medium, to find projects that will resonate with their classroom. For example, a project called " Arranging Your Narrative," created by artist Kara Walker, presents two ideas for how students can display their personal stories, including text messaging their "life story" to a friend. Another lesson by artist James Kerry Marshall called " PLAN and ELEVATION" pushes students to consider their perception of scale. All of the activities come with a downloadable PDF, complete with the artist's bio.

Created by the Google Cultural Institute, the hundreds of museums, cultural institutions, and archives from around the globe. The end result is an online trove of some of the world's greatest artist gems. Users can search the database by collection, artist, or artwork, as well as browse user galleries. Want students to know what a table from the 1620s looked like? Instead of explaining the intricate wood work, why not show them? The Centraal Museum Utrecht has a beautiful Google Art Project is the result of partnerships with draw leaf table, and now Google allows you to zoom in and really examine it. Basically, this is like Google Images, but with art and artifacts.

A project initiated by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Library Association, Picturing America aims to be a resource for teachers hoping to bring U.S. History to life. The site uses paintings and masterpieces from various eras to help tell the nation's story. In addition to access to monumental images, the site provides lesson plans that match the iconic images. For example, there is a lesson entitled " Benjamin Franklin's Many Hats," which goes along with a famous statue of the innovator. As educators share the image of the statue, they are encouraged to also utilize the guiding questions, learning objectives, preparation instructions, and very specific lesson activities that come with any discussion of the colonial leader.

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These 7 digital resources help integrate arts education into other subjects

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The arts are not to be underestimated. While budget cuts and the emphasis on high-stakes testing have meant sacrifices to classes like music, visual arts, dance, and drama for many schools, that doesn't mean these subjects should be forgotten. Various free online tools and resources, like the seven below, are available to help schools integrate the arts into other subjects.

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Critical Thinking Interactive Read Aloud

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Critical Thinking Interactive Read Aloud

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Every pair of eyes in your classroom is looking in your direction, there is almost no restless movement, because almost all of your students are focused and engaged. The room is silent until you ask your first thought-provoking question and then immediately there is a hum of excited whispering as students share their thoughts and ideas with each other. This is what can happen during a well-planned Interactive Read Aloud (IRA).

Research demonstrates the value of reading aloud to students of all ages; it also shows that students benefit from being read to several times throughout a week. If you are familiar with my blog, you already know that I am a big proponent of Interactive Read Alouds (IRAs).

If you are new to my blog, read on to see why I think they should be an integral part of a balanced literacy classroom.

INTERACTIVE READ ALOUD STRATEGIES AND TIPS

WHAT IS AN INTERACTIVE READ ALOUD?
An Interactive Read Aloud is when a teacher orally reads a purposefully-selected book to the class, while asking corresponding, thought-provoking discussion questions throughout the reading of the book.
Interactive Read Alouds provide students with an engaging reading experience that enables them to make meaning, to develop high-level thinking, and to listen to others while discussing a book.
An Interactive Read Aloud is NOT when a teacher has five minutes to fill time and grabs a book from the classroom library to quickly read to the class.
BENEFITS OF AN INTERACTIVE TEACHER READ ALOUD

Exposes students to texts that are more challenging than the ones they can read independently

Develops high-level thinking

Deepens comprehension through discussion and active thinking

Encourages discourse

Expands vocabulary

Builds good reading habits within students

Provides practice with comprehension strategies

Introduces students to new authors and genres

Enables the teacher to model fluency

The text can be used as a model during reading mini-lessons

Fosters an enjoyment and a love of reading

Helps to grow a community of life-long readers

Gives you an opportunity to share some of your favorite books with your students

INTERACTIVE READ ALOUD STRATEGIES FOR TEACHERS

Select a meaningful and engaging text. It is important to consider how the text will support lessons, units, or themes that the class is working on.

Preview the text. Mark passages that will lead to thought-provoking discussions.

Plan to ask both explicit and implicit questions. Try to develop a line of questions that will encourage discussion among the students. Using the "Revised Bloom's Taxonomy Cognitive Dimensions" or the "Depth of Knowledge (DOK) Levels" will ensure that students will take part in a variety of discussions from understanding the plot of the story to analyzing the author's message.

Before reading the text, be sure to introduce any background knowledge that will be necessary for understanding the text.

Read the story with lots of expression. This will help to draw your listeners in.

Read aloud fiction and nonfiction texts. Articles on current events often spark great discussions and debates.

Choose books that you enjoy! The students will pick up on your enthusiasm.

23 FREE PRINTABLE INTERACTIVE READ ALOUDS
LESSON 1: MIRACLE MUD BY LENA BLACKBURNE

Lena Blackburne loved baseball. He watched it, he played it, and he coached it. But he didn't love the ways players broke in new baseballs. Tired of soggy, blackened, stinky baseballs, he found a better way to break in baseballs. Thanks to a well-timed fishing trip and a top-secret mud recipe, Lena Blackburne Baseball Rubbing Mud was born. For seventy five years, baseball teams have used Lena's magic mud to prepare baseballs before every game. Read the story of how Lena's mud went from a riverbank to the major leagues and all the way to the Hall of Fame.

LESSON 2: EMMANUEL'S DREAM- THE TRUE STORY OF EMMANUEL OFOSU YEBOAH BY LAURIE ANN THOMPSON AND SEAN QUALLS

Born in Ghana, West Africa, with one deformed leg, Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah was dismissed by most people-but not by his mother, who taught him to reach for his dreams. As a boy, Emmanuel hopped to school more than two miles each way, learned to play soccer, left home at age thirteen to provide for his family, and, eventually, became a cyclist. He rode an astonishing four hundred miles across Ghana in 2001, spreading his powerful message: disability is not inability. Today, Emmanuel continues to work on behalf of the disabled.

Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah's story was turned into a film, Emmanuel's Gift, narrated by Oprah Winfrey.
LESSON 3: METEOR! BY PATRICIA POLACCO
The meteor that crash lands in the middle of Grandma and Grandpa Gaw's yard sets off a chain of events that brings magic to the residents of Mudsock Meadow. A remarkable true-life event comes alive in this reissue of Patricia Polacco's very first picture book. Based on a true event, this enchanting book overwhelmingly expresses the magic that suddenly pervades a small town, from the funny, folksy way the story is told to the imaginative, full-color illustrations.
LESSON 4: THE KEEPING QUILT BY PATRICIA POLACCO
This is the story of a very special quilt that was created with fabrics from members of author Patricia Polacco's extended family. The quilt has been passed down from generation to generation (including to Polacco's own daughter) and is used at family events, such as weddings and birthday celebrations. The quilt is a symbol of family love and togetherness.

LESSON 5: THOSE SHOES BY MARIBETH BOELTS
Jeremy desperately wants the shoes all of his friends are wearing at school, but his family can't afford them. When his shoes fall apart, he gets a pair of "those shoes" from a thrift store that are too small for his feet. In this heartwarming story, Jeremy learns an important lesson about what we want versus what we need.

LESSON 6: THE OTHER SIDE BY JACQUELINE WOODSON
There is a fence that separates the white side of town from the black side of town. Clover has always wondered why it was there. One day, Annie climbs over the fence and introduces herself to Clover. An unlikely friendship develops...

LESSON 7: THE NAME JAR BY YANGSOOK CHOI
Unhei has just moved to America from Korea. She is embarrassed to tell her new classmates her name, so she tells them she will pick a name by the end of the week. The kids in her class try to help her out by filling a glass jar with names. On the day she is about to reveal her name, the jar disappears, and encouraged by her new friends, Unhei decides to keep her Korean name.

LESSON 8: MEMORY STRING BY EVE BUNTING
Every button on Laura's memory string represents a part of her family's history. The buttons most important to Laura are the ones that belonged to her mother: a button from her mother's prom dress, a white button from her mother's wedding dress, and a single small button from the nightgown her mom was wearing on the day she died. When the string breaks, Laura's stepmother, Jane, tries to comfort Laura and helps her search for a missing button. Laura realizes that a memory string is not just for remembering the past, but it's also for adding new memories.

LESSON 9: HOW WILMA RUDOLPH BECAME THE WORLD'S FASTEST WOMAN BY KATHLEEN KRULL
What an amazing story about one of our greatest Olympic athletes! This is the story of Wilma Rudolph. Before she was even five years old, polio paralyzes her left leg. Rudolph never gives up and not only regains the use of her leg, but becomes a basketball and track star. At age twenty, Rudolph is the first American woman to win three gold medals at a single Olympics.

LESSON 10: SWEET TOOTH BY MARGIE PALATINI AND JACK E. DAVIS
Many kids have a sweet tooth. But not like Stewart's. Stewart has a very loud and demanding sweet tooth. His sweet tooth screams for cake at weddings, for candy during class, and torments him at the movies! Stewart soon realizes his aggressive sweet tooth isn't so sweet! Determined to stand up to his sweet tooth, Stewart decides to attack the problem with the best weapon he can think of - a raw carrot.

This is a great book to read during a health unit or around the holidays when kids are eating lots of sweets.
LESSON 11: STELLALUNA BY JANELL CANNON
This is the heartwarming story of a fruit bat that makes a home with a family of birds after she is separated from her mother. Kids will learn about the different characteristics of birds and bats as they enjoy this story about friendship, compromise, and acceptance.

LESSON 12: EACH KINDNESS BY JACQUELINE WOODSON
Chloe and her friends won't play with the new girl Maya. Eventually, Maya stops coming to school. Chloe's teacher then shows the class how even a small act of kindness can make a big difference.
LESSON 13: HARVESTING HOPE BY KATHLEEN KRULL
Cesar Chavez is known as one of America's most inspiring civil rights leaders. He improved the lives of thousands of migrant farm workers, when he led a 340-mile peaceful protest march through California. Cesar wasn't always a leader though. As a child, he was shy and often teased at school. His family worked in the fields for barely enough money to survive. Cesar wanted things to change. So he took charge. Cesar spoke up, and through his words and actions made a difference.
LESSON 14: FAITHFUL ELEPHANTS BY YUKIO TSUCHIYA
This book is a powerful and tragic story of three elephants' struggle to survive after they were sentenced to death during WWII. A zookeeper at the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo tells the story of John, Tonky, and Wanly three elephants killed (along with all the other animals in the zoo) by command of the Japanese army. Yukio Tsuchiya wrote Faithful Elephants, "to let children know about the grief, fear, and sadness war produces. And that war affects not only human beings, but also innocent and lovely animals that don't know, understand, or even care about war."

LESSON 15: BROTHERS AT BAT BY AUDREY VERNICK
The Acerra team is the longest-playing all-brother baseball team in history. The Acerra family had sixteen children and twelve of them were boys. Each one of the boys played baseball on the family team. This story is about more than baseball...It is a story about compassion, love and caring for others.

LESSON 16: LITTLE MELBA AND HER BIG TROMBONE BY KATHERYN RUSSELL-BROWN
Melba Doretta Liston loved the sounds of music from as far back as she could remember. As a child, she daydreamed about beats and lyrics, and hummed along with the music from her family's Majestic radio. At age seven, Melba fell in love with a big, shiny trombone, and soon taught herself to play the instrument. By the time she was a teenager, Melba's extraordinary gift for music led her to the world of jazz. She joined a band led by trumpet player Gerald Wilson and toured the country. Overcoming obstacles of race and gender, Melba went on to become a famed trombone player and arranger, spinning rhythms, harmonies, and melodies into gorgeous songs for all the jazz greats of the twentieth century: Randy Weston, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Billie Holiday, and Quincy Jones, to name just a few. Brimming with ebullience and the joy of making music, Little Melba and Her Big Trombone is a fitting tribute to a trailblazing musician and a great unsung hero of jazz.

This is a good book for Black History Month or any month! Music lovers of all ages will adore this picture book biography about gifted jazz musician Melba Doretta Liston (1926-1999).
LESSON 17: SEPARATE IS NEVER EQUAL BY DUNCAN TONATIUH
Almost 10 years before Brown vs. Board of Education, Sylvia Mendez and her parents helped end school segregation in California. An American citizen of Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage who spoke and wrote perfect English, Mendez was denied enrollment to a "Whites only" school. Her parents took action by organizing the Hispanic community and filing a lawsuit in federal district court. Their success eventually brought an end to the era of segregated education in California.

LESSON 18: BEATRICE'S GOAT BY PAGE MCBRIER
Beatrice's Goat is the true story of a nine-year-old Ugandan girl. Through Heifer Project International, Beatrice's family received the gift of a goat. The goat provided Beatrice's family with milk to drink, and allowed them to make money by selling the extra milk the goat supplied. The money Beatrice made from selling the goat's milk allowed her to attend school for the very first time. The goat's offspring was given to another family, so they could then reap the benefits of having a goat of their own.

LESSON 19: GROWING UP PEDRO BY MATT TAVARES
The love between brothers is key to Matt Tavares's tale of Dominican pitcher Pedro Martinez, from his days of throwing rocks at mangoes to his years as a major-league star.

Before Pedro Martinez pitched the Red Sox to a World Series championship, before he was named to the All-Star team eight times, before he won the Cy Young three times, he was a kid from a place called Manoguayabo in the Dominican Republic. Pedro loved baseball more than anything, and his older brother Ramon was the best pitcher he'd ever seen. He'd dream of the day he and his brother could play together in the major leagues-and here, Matt Tavares tells the story of how that dream came true. In a fitting homage to a modern day baseball star, the acclaimed author-illustrator examines both Pedro Martinez's improbable rise to the top of his game and the power that comes from the deep bond between brothers.
LESSON 20: THE QUILTMAKERS GIFT BY JEFF BRUMBEAU AND GAIL DE MARCKEN
The Quiltmaker's Gift tells the story of a generous woman who makes quilts to give to the poor. The king decides he wants one of her quilts, but the quiltmaker refuses to give him one until he gives away all of his possessions. The king then travels the world giving away his treasures. When he comes back to the village, the quiltmaker gives him one of her beautiful quilts. In short, a quilt maker helps a very selfish king learn that the key to happiness is generosity.

LESSON 21: WHITE SOCKS ONLY BY EVELYN COLEMAN
In segregated Mississippi, a young girl thinks she can drink from a fountain marked "Whites Only" because she is wearing white socks. What happens then changes a town . . .
LESSON 22: FREEDOM ON THE MENU, THE GREENSBORO SIT-INS BY CAROLE BOSTON WEATHERFORD
There were signs all throughout town telling eight-year-old Connie where she could and could not go. But when Connie sees four young men take a stand for equal rights at a Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, she realizes that things may soon change. This event sparks a movement throughout her town and region. And while Connie is too young to march or give a speech, she helps her brother and sister make signs for the cause. Changes are coming to Connie's town, but Connie just wants to sit at the lunch counter and eat a banana split like everyone else.

LESSON 23: OFFICER BUCKLE AND GLORIA BY PEGGY RATHMANN
This Caldecott Medal winner is the hilarious story of Officer Buckle and his police dog, Gloria. Officer Buckle's safety presentation at Napville Elementary School is falling flat until Gloria decides to get involved.

EXTENDED ACTIVITIES FOR INTERACTIVE READ ALOUDS

A GREAT IDEA FOR YOUR CLASSROOM
After you complete an Interactive Read Aloud, print out a picture of the book cover. Hang the picture of the book in your classroom.
Place your next IRA book cover picture beside it and continue to add onto this row of books with every IRA. Eventually, you will create a border of books around your classroom.
Not only is this very visually appealing for visitors, but it is also an excellent reference tool for students to use when they are looking for books to compare and contrast.
You can enhance this idea by deciding on an IRA "goal or focus" that will be written about below every book cover.

You may want to focus on finding the emerging themes after every IRA throughout the year, or you may decide to have your students figure out an important lesson that the book teaches. For example, one year I focused on themes. I pasted a printout of the book cover at the top of a piece of large construction paper and below the picture I listed the themes the class felt the book encompassed.
By the end of the year, a rainbow of books and their themes encircled my classroom.
BRING INTERACTIVE READ ALOUDS TO YOUR SCHOOL COMMUNITY
Several years ago, I introduced the "book of the month" to my school. Each month, every grade level (K-5) teacher gets a copy of the same picture book to use with his or her class for an Interactive Read Aloud.
Along with the book, I give the teachers text-specific questions to ask during the Read Aloud that are based on the Revised Bloom's Taxonomy Cognitive Dimensions.

The book of the month serves many purposes: it promotes class discussion at a high level; every grade reads the same book, so families can discuss the book at home with siblings in different grades; and for specialists like me that work with several grades, it serves as a mentor text that I can refer to, knowing that all the students have read it.
The book of the month cultivates a community of readers who love discussing books!
If you're a reading specialist, literacy coach, or lead teacher, download the Interactive Read Aloud lessons I shared above to start a book of the month movement in your school!

CONCLUSION

An Interactive Read Aloud provides students with an engaging reading experience that enables them to make meaning, develop high-level thinking, and listen to others while discussing a book. An IRA requires thought and planning. It is critical to the success of the IRA that your questions are meaningful and prepared ahead of time.
By using the interactive read aloud strategies in this post or downloading the IRA lessons I am sharing with you now, I know your students' favorite part of balanced literacy will be the Read Aloud.

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Interactive Read Aloud Strategies-23 Lessons to Get You Started!

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Every pair of eyes in your classroom is looking in your direction, there is almost no restless movement, because almost all of your students are focused and engaged. The room is silent until you ask your first thought-provoking question and then immediately there is a hum of excited whispering as students share their thoughts and ideas with each other.

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Looking For Multicultural Children’s Books? Here Are 8 Helpful Resources.

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Looking For Multicultural Children’s Books? Here Are 8 Helpful Resources.

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Looking For Multicultural Children’s Books? Here Are 8 Helpful Resources.

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Because all kids deserve to see themselves in the pages of a book.

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Sometimes it just takes one wonderful book to get a child interested in reading. Tap into what kids are interested in - our booklists can help! Our lists have been carefully created by Maria Salvadore, our children's literature expert. These books are for kids 0-12 years old, include lots of new titles, and emphasize quality and diversity.

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Multicultural Lesson Plans & Activities for Teachers, Games for Kids

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Our Free Lesson Plans and Classroom Activities

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Whether it’s special book drives, fundraising, book reviews, or multicultural booklists, the Multicultural Children’s Book Day team is working hard to bring readers, families, teachers, and libraries the information and resources they need. Free Resources: Diversity Book Lists and Activities Diversity Book Award Lists Free Book for Teachers Free Books for Reviewers Free Multicultural Children’s Book…

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The Musical Explorers curriculum is designed to connect students in grades K–2 to rich and diverse musical communities.

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Art For Kids Hub - Art Lessons - How To Draw For Kids

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Art For Kids Hub - Art Lessons - How To Draw For Kids

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Here, you'll discover all sorts of awesome art lessons, from drawing to painting, and even some super cool origami. Whether you're a beginner or a budding artist, there's something fun for everyone!

I'm Rob, and along with my amazing wife, Teryn, and our four creative kids, Jack, Hadley, Austin, and Olivia, we make art together as a family and love sharing it with you. ❤️

Ready to jump in and start creating?

Most of our art lessons are self-contained, so grab your favorite black marker, some paper, and your coloring supplies, and let's get drawing! 🖍️📒

Join us on this colorful adventure, and let's make art that brings smiles and joy. Happy

Draw With Art For Kids Hub Book!

Hey, art friends! 🎨✨ We've got some AMAZING news to share with you! Our very first book is now available for pre-order! 📚🖌️

A huge thank you to DK Books for making this dream come true. Your support has meant everything to us, and we are deeply grateful.

It's filled with easy-to-follow lessons that emphasize fun and creativity, allowing kids to draw in their own unique way and be proud of what they create. And with both kid and adult versions of every drawing, families can enjoy being creative together, making art that's as unique as you are.

Don't miss out on the fun! Pre-order your copy today and start making more wonderful memories with us. Let's fill the world with creativity, one drawing at a time. 💖

Where To Watch Our Lessons

There are several places to watch our art lessons. Each place provides a different experience and benefit.

YouTube (free/ads)

You can watch many of our art lessons on YouTube for free with ads ( visit our Channel here). You can watch through a desktop computer, the YouTube mobile app ( Android and iTunes), or even through the YouTube app on a smart TV.

YouTube Kids (free/ads)

If you have some concerns with your children using YouTube, be sure to check out the YouTube Kids app for mobile ( Android and iTunes). You can watch many of our lessons for free with ads on the YouTube Kids app. Visit our channel on YouTube Kids, don't forget to subscribe. Log in through your YouTube/Google account for more parental controls. Did you also know you can watch YouTube Kids on a desktop? Just visit youtubekids.com!

ArtForKidsHub.com (free/ads)

You're already here on this website! This site is a great option for more focus and fewer distractions. You can watch many of our lessons for free with ads, just visit our blog page. The videos on this website are hosted and embedded from YouTube. This means that you'll receive the same ads/commercials you would see on YouTube but you won't see videos from other channels.

ArtForKidsHub.tv (paid)

Become an Art Hub member and eliminate YouTube/Google ads and YouTube distractions. The membership also gives you access to watch our lessons through our dedicated mobile and tv apps. Save lessons to a personal playlist and download lessons for offline viewing. Visit artforkidshub.tv to learn more and join.

Latest Art Lesson

To find more art lessons for kids use the search and navigation bar above, or browse through our blog!

Art Supplies

Would you and your kids like to use the same art supplies we use? Here's what we love using:

Marker paper to draw on

Art For Kids Hub Markers

Colored pencils (sometimes we also use Prismacolor colored pencils)

If you'd like to purchase the same art supplies we use, visit our Art For Kids Hub shop or our Amazon Art Shop. Each art supply in our shop I have purchased and love. We participate in Amazon's Associate Program. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Parents and teachers,

We hope you and your kids find a love for art and drawing that lasts a lifetime. If you ever have questions, concerns, or even suggestions you can find us on Facebook, Instagram, or even directly through our contact page. Your kind words and support mean the world to us and allows us to continue making art lessons. Thank you!

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Art For Kids Hub - Art Lessons - How To Draw For Kids

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Welcome to Art For Kids Hub! Here you'll find all kinds of art lessons for kids, including how to draw for kids, even painting and origami for kids.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlkTEo-J-pM

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Simulation: Feudal Candy « Free Lessons | Teacher Created Resources

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Free Lesson: Students will identify the order of societal rank and loyalties within feudal Europe.

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Walk Through Ancient World – California Weekly Explorer

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Welcome to Walk Through the Ancient World™! This program is designed to allow your students to actively participate in a rich retelling of ancient history. Through storytelling, games, and drama, history will come alive!

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A Simulation of Decision-Making on a Wagon Train

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A Simulation of Decision-Making on a Wagon Train

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California Weekly Explorer, Inc. 15052 Red Hill Avenue, Suite G Tustin, CA 92780 Phone: (714) 247-2250 Fax: (714) 247-2254 info@californiaweekly.com

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Welcome to Walk Through California ™! This presentation is designed to allow fourth grade students to actively participate in a lively retelling of California's rich history. Through the use of games, music, and storytelling, history will come alive!

Walk Through California is California Weekly's first Walk Through presentation and continues to be presented to thousands of classrooms each year. The program focuses on major events that shaped our great state of California. Drama, dance, games, and music support students' listening skills, vocabulary development, history and geography standards. A large topographical map of California is built for students to experience California's geography hands-on.

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Welcome to Walk Through California ™! This presentation is designed to allow fourth grade students to actively participate in a lively retelling of California's rich history. Through the use of games, music, and storytelling, history will come alive! Walk Through California is California Weekly's first Walk Through presentation and continues to be presented to thousands of classrooms each year.

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Readers Theater (Readers Theatre) Scripts and Plays for Kids Free

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Readers Theater Play Scripts for Kids Free for the classroom. Readers Theater is an oral reading of a script to build reading fluency, student engagement.

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Shameless Plug
Improve students' reading fluency while providing fun and purposeful practice and performance through Reader's Theater Scripts. Engage students through Reader's Theater to make learning fun while building knowledge of Texas history and the significant people, events, and places that make Texas what it is today. Improve vocabulary and comprehension with repeated practice and performance of the scripts along with TEKS-based activities in the lesson plans, which include word study, comprehension questions, and extension activities. Make your classroom a Reader's Theater classroom today! Authored by Timothy Rasinski, Debby Murphy, and Chase Young.

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Shameless Plug Improve students' reading fluency while providing fun and purposeful practice and performance through Reader's Theater Scripts. Engage students through Reader's Theater to make learning fun while building knowledge of Texas history and the significant people, events, and places that make Texas what it is today.

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Reader's Theater Scripts and Plays for the Classroom

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Reader's Theater Scripts and Plays for the Classroom

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Reader's Theater Scripts and Plays

Readers Theater is a dramatic presentation of a written work in a script form. Readers read from a "script" and reading parts are divided among the readers. No memorization, costumes, blocking, or special lighting is needed. Presentations can easily be done in a k-3 classroom. Scripts are held by the readers. Lines are not memorized. The focus is on reading the text with expressive voices and gestures. Making comprehending the text meaningful and fun for the student! Once you start Reader's Theater in your classroom you and your students will be loving it!!!

"Reader's Theater proved to be almost a magic solution for Griffith: In just 10 weeks of using RT, every child in her class had gained a full grade level in reading. After a year, the children's gains had jumped to three years of growth. Griffith calls the transformation in their reading fluency totally remarkable." Quote taken from The Power of Reader's Theater, Scholastic Instructor

Update - July 08

Plays and Scripts To Print and Read

Reader's Theater Resources!!

Click the books to learn more...

Look what THOUSANDS of Teachers Use and Love!!!
Teaching Heart - 2001-2008

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Reader's Theater Scripts and Plays for the Classroom

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Reader's Theater Scripts and Plays Readers Theater is a dramatic presentation of a written work in a script form. Readers read from a "script" and reading parts are divided among the readers. No memorization, costumes, blocking, or special lighting is needed. Presentations can easily be done in a k-3 classroom.

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...Keep doing what you are doing. There are not enough quality scripts available for children and teens. So many are inappropriate from a parent's perspective. As a teacher I want to also build character and integrity while I teach a subject. Why can't drama build up, inspire and be thought provoking?...Anyway, keep doing what you're doing...we need all the help we can get!
Jen H., Drama teacher

> ...I have been teaching for 35 years. RT has been part of my education journey for the majority of that time. Initially my experience with it was as a performance genre in the Drama Curriculum. Now I use it across the curriculum - a wonderful high motivation strategy in the language program - particularly reading - and so much more as you would know. I was drawn to your 'community' by the idea of leadership... I think what you're doing is wonderful..."
Graham B. Former primary teacher (now a Visual Art and Drama specialist)

Readers Theater All Year is the most comprehensive collection of Readers Theater scripts and resources I have found on the internet!...Thank you Carol for your leadership and vision and for making Readers Theater so accessible for teachers and parents.
Daniel Fiore, Elementary teacher/author What They Have Taught Me

I found the free readers theater online scripts, teaching tips, and curriculum teleseminars at Readers Theater All Year very inspirational to me. I used the Twelve Days of Christmas...Vacation script in my ESOL classes before Christmas break and my students all enjoyed it..
Lily T. Teacher (English for Speakers of Other Languages)

"> ..We did Squanto's Squash for the family on Thanksgiving and [my sons] participated and loved it. I am so excited about making this a major part of homeschooling. What a great way to learn!
Bethany P. Homeschooling Mom

> ...re: our script "The Earth Day Hen and Friends" I've used this! The kids love it. Thank you for sharing...It's just right for all levels in the class...Your free scripts are wonderful!...They learn so much from drama and reader's theatre... I see the shy ones gain confidence as they read. Fluency and prosody increases with reader's theatre...
Angela D., 3rd grade teacher

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Theater is a fun, interactive way to help students improve their reading fluency and oral speaking skills. It also gives students a chance to work cooperatively in groups and helps build their confidence, especially for reluctant readers. Knowing these benefits, our 8th grade history teacher, Tauni Orton, has incorporated theater into learning history

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Welcome to Britannica School, a safe, up-to-date, and age-appropriate information resource for Elementary, Middle, and High School.

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Arts Integration: Deepening Understanding of Core Content

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Arts Integration: Deepening Understanding of Core Content

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Arts Integration: Deepening Understanding of Core Content

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50 Tips, Tricks and Ideas for Teaching Gifted Students

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50 Tips, Tricks and Ideas for Teaching Gifted Students

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Gifted kids can be a joy to teach when you know how to identify what engages them. These 50 tips and tricks come from my own experience and from around the Web. They're good to have in your bag of tricks whether you're a newbie or an old hand at teaching these high-level thinkers.

Every year, I start by having my students complete an interest inventory. This helps me ensure that curriculum is personalized to their interests.

Share what you are reading with gifted students. Often, these students experience a reading lag where they can't find a sweet spot because it is hard for high-ability students to understand what is both challenging and appropriate.

Gifted students often need to have the ability to move when learning ... pacing, flapping and bouncing are parts of their thinking process.

4. Offer Flexible Seating

A window seat is my favorite place to read, so I keep that in mind when offering seating. Try to offer different seating options for students: beanbag chairs, carpet squares, pillows, director chairs ... the list can go on and on.

SOURCE: kindergartenisgrrreat.blogspot.com

5. Model Social Situations

Social situations can be challenging for some gifted students as their ability to understand social cues can be underdeveloped. Team up with other teachers to model the proper way to start conversations.

6. Share Current Events

Current events are important to incorporate into gifted programming. We want these students to be thinking about how they can use their talents to solve real-world problems.

As important as current events are, it is also just as important to understand that gifted students internalize global happenings on a very personal level. Kids do not have the experience with the world to understand that despite there being a war or attack, there are still good things happening in the world.

SOURCE: Reddit

Not all gifted students are meant to be the project manager. Allow students the opportunity to work alone or in a group. Even cross-grade groupings work well with gifted students.

9. Mind the Child Labor Laws

Gifted students who finish early should not automatically be the teacher's helper. Gifted students can be some of the worst students to assist others because their brains often work very differently. Having a gifted child help a student who is struggling may do more harm than good.

My grandmother always said, idle hands are the devil's workshop ... so keep some key things in the back for busy hands. LEGO bricks, cardboard and masking tape, and Snap Circuits are some of my favorites!

11. Introduce Minecraft Edu

SOURCE: http://education.minecraft.net/

Provide gifted students with clear endpoints on projects and assignments. Gifted students can create unusually high expectations and never see an end in sight; a book reflection can easily become a 10-page paper, a PowerPoint can become an intensive course on the topic. Letting students know where to stop can be helpful.

Use FutureMe.org and have students write a letter to their future selves. Once students have written the letter, you can set the date for it to be sent to their inbox. What a great way for students to set goals and create natural check-in points.

14. Teach Decision-Making

Gifted students can have a huge case of FOMO: fear of missing out. They understand that decisions have consequences, and sometimes they need to be given an inordinate amount of details about their options. Allow for the gifted student to fully understand the pros and cons of a decision.

Gifted students are processing a lot in their minds. Be patient and give them the time to reflect on what they need to come to a consensus they can live with.

16. Assign Expiration Dates

My gifted students walk into class with exploding folders and binders. They keep everything because there is a fear of being unprepared. Just like expiration dates for food, think about adding a footer to your handouts: "This handout expires on April 15."

17. Model Organization Strategies

Or at least model how you organize life. Gifted students like options and seeing how they work in the "real world" is very helpful. I show students how I use notes to organize things, how Google Calendar is my lifeline, and what I do for physical notes. I have used planners in the past and show those examples as well.

We also review different apps that could be helpful. I urge students to find what works for them. No system is not an answer. We all need a system to help us be productive. When I taught younger students, we would all try different systems together as our end-of-the-day procedure.

Offer gifted students a hobby that can help calm their busy minds. Teach them how to Zentangle, breathe, meditate, make friendship bracelets, knit, color-anything that allows for them to focus carefully on details can help them quiet some of the extra noise.

SOURCE: http://teachertothecore.blogspot.com

19. Explore Their Passions

Some gifted students don't have a passion yet because they haven't found it. Provide exposure to as much as possible. are one way to help students think about different topics. even has created teaching enhancements. I heart TED.

20. Read Tons of Biographies

Reading, watching or listening to the lives of others can help gifted students develop a plan of action and see what others did to accomplish goals.

21. Read Lots of Everything

It is true, so many gifted students have found a book that becomes so much a part of them, they can discuss it at length. Bibliotherapy is a great way for students to experience how to deal with issues and learn tactics and strategies.

For the love of anything that is holy, this should probably be no. 1. Research states that most gifted students do not learn new information until January. Don't make a student who has already mastered a concept sit through the lesson again.

Let gifted students pursue their interests. If they want to let everything be about dinosaurs, more power to them! We need paleontologists. As mentioned in , it takes over 10,000 hours to be an expert. To get that many hours on a time card, students have to be allowed to focus.

We need to allow students to hyper-focus but also then be the "guide on the side" that helps them make connections from one area to another. Perhaps we can get our dinosaur expert to use Scratch and make a "Dino Dig" math game?

Gifted students need mentors within their interest areas. Mentors can teach students how to navigate through professions and can even be gatekeepers to additional opportunities.

26. Practice Like Professionals

27. Locate Authentic Audiences

The work students create should have a real audience and be appreciated by those who authentically would benefit from its completion. Younger students are a great first authentic audience.

28. Put Them in Escape Rooms

I love The Mind Research Institute, which challenges students in grades K-12 to design their own mathematical game.

32. Check Out Local Happenings

Do you live in the middle of nowhere? Me too! But I was surprised to learn there were still a TON of events happening on the weekends. If you are in the urban areas, you are rich in opportunities. Look to local libraries, museums or universities.

33. Send Them to Summer Camp

Some of my closest childhood friendships started at summer camp. These times allowed for encouragement and allowed kids to be nurtured in an environment where trying something new was the goal. Summer camp allowed me to be myself and try new things.

34. Solve Local Problems

"With great power comes great responsibility," says one of our favorite superheroes, and he is correct-kindness counts. We need to do good with the gifts and talents we have been given. Give gifted students the opportunity to solve local problems and see the need for change in their own community. Allow a book to inspire this mission: Summer I Changed the World in 65 Days.

What do friends all have in common? Interests!! We are attracted to those who think similarly and those who challenge our beliefs. Book clubs make for a great space for likeminded students to come together to discuss a common theme ... in this case a book, which serves as a great discussion starter.

36. Allow for Voice and Choice

How many of you hated a certain book in high school only to read it as an adult and see how wrong you were? The moment we lost choice (of what to read in this case), we also lost joy. Allowing gifted students to have choice in the classroom allows them to feel empowered and engaged. Choices do not need to be huge either, small choices are just as important.

No one wants to only be the big fish in a small pond. We want to be around people who will make us better and want to achieve more. Allow your gifted student to be challenged by participating in academic competitions such as National History Day. Your students will see what true competition is.

This is one of the best ways to develop critical thinking. Show a picture of clouds ... what do you see? This type of activity develops fluency, elabora tion, originality and abstract thinking, which are all integral parts of being a creative thinker. Try Google's It's a great tool for getting students to think rapidly-it's also a gem for indoor recess.

When the students ask a question you don't know, look it up with them. As librarian media specialist Melissa Thom says, "the smartest people are the people who know how to find answers to their own questions." Follow her on twitter at .

Flocabulary creates content-rich raps (yes, as in hip-hop) about just about ANYTHING. There are so many wonderful resources embedded within-contests, lyric labs, lyric notes, connections to primary sources, teacher plans, corresponding handouts, questioning and so much more! This will quickly become your favorite teaching resource. I promise!

41. Let Them Read Below-Level Books

Why do we expect every book gifted students read to be 1.5-2 grade levels above their reading level? I say, if a student is enjoying a book, read it! Yes, challenging books are needed to develop reading ability but don't discount a book just because it is below a student's level. Reading a book for a different purpose can increase the difficulty of a book without changing the text.

42. Connect Globally

Global Read Aloud is a program where one book is used to connect the world. Pernille Ripp founded GRA in 2010 with the simple idea to read a book aloud to her stude nts and during that time try to make as many global connections as possible. This mission has grown exponentially and has reached over two million students. Collaborating with students in other states and countries will help a gifted student think empathetically.

43. Incorporate Mythology

If you know a gifted s tudent, then you know that mythology can be a huge interest-often spurred by the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan. Allow students to build a better understanding by incorporating mythology into different curricular units.

Provide a safe space for gifted students to take risks without being put down. Gifted students are often timid to answer something they are unsure about because of the social stigma attached to not answering correctly. Create a classroom culture where wrong answers become an opportunity to celebrate different thinking. Check out Nancy Anderson's book, What's Right About Wrong Answers? Learning Math From Mistakes.

QR codes add an interactive component to your classroom. Create a QR Code Museum or Gallery or even a QR scavenger hunt on one of your classroom bulletin boards.

A frog jumps into the pond, splash! Silence again. This is Basho Matsuo's famous haiku. Use haiku as a way to challenge gifted students to summarize chapters, current events, biographies or vocabulary words. Haiku are student-friendly yet force them to be concise and purposeful with their word choice.

Action is powerful for gifted students. Allowing students to find solutions to problems they see in their school, neighborhood or community will allow them to understand that they can make a difference. Internalizing that they can be the change in the world is transformational. Watch these TED Talks to show them what kids like them are doing to change the world.

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50 Tips, Tricks and Ideas for Teaching Gifted Students - We Are Teachers

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Gifted kids can be a joy to teach when you know how to identify what engages them. These 50 tips and tricks are great to have in your back pocket.

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Practical Recommendations and Interventions: Gifted Students

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Practical Recommendations and Interventions: Gifted Students

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Practical Recommendations & Interventions- Gifted Students (1).pdf

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Six Strategies for Challenging Gifted Learners

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Six Strategies for Challenging Gifted Learners

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Six Strategies for Challenging Gifted Learners

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Find practical ways to tend to the complex needs of your high-ability students—without taking the joy out of learning.