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Concrete & Representational,
ELEM /MS/HS

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Using the Rubrics below!

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Free online storage and sharing with Screencast.com. 2 GB of storage and 2 GB of bandwidth per month for free. We won't compress, alter or take ownership of your content.

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The Myth of Average:  Todd Rose at TEDxSonomaCounty

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Think Inclusive | The Official Blog of MCIE

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I don't know which side of the fence you are on regarding inclusive education. And for all intents and purposes...it does not matter. This post could just as easily have been called, No...Really...I'm Not Crazy...Inclusive Education Works! Usually, when I talk to people who are not familiar with the idea of having students with disabilities (including significant disabilities) in the general education setting, they say they are having a hard time "wrapping their head around it" or want to see "what it actually looks like." So...just for those of you who need to see it to believe it, I have picked out five videos that will most definitely change your mind about whether inclusive education is really a good thing or not (or at least they should).

Including Issac

Including Issac is a 13-minute video about a boy with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) and his story of inclusion in a private Christian school in Michigan. It takes commitment from a school on all levels to make inclusive education work for students with significant disabilities and this a clear example of how coming together for the benefit of one student can benefit all students. Watch this beautifully filmed and powerful video.

Damian's Inclusion Project

This video was made by the Georgia Department of Education (2011) to highlight a pilot inclusive education program for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities in cooperation with Cobb County Schools. Check out the follow-up video to see how Damian progressed through his 4th-grade year (from 2014).

Thaysa

Thasya Lumingkewas, 8, has autism and thrives at Maple Wood Elementary School in Somersworth, NH. The school has implemented Response to Intervention (RtI), Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). This film highlights the power of presuming competence, differentiated instruction and augmentative and alternative communication.

Tana Vogele's Story

Every year since Kindergarten, Tana Vogele has been included in general education classrooms despite her significant physical and intellectual disabilities. Watch this compelling video about the friendships that have been nurtured during her 4th grade year and what inclusion does to a classroom and school community.

Axel

AXEL open captioned FINAL HD 1080p from Dan Habib on Vimeo.

This short film (16:39) focuses on Axel Cortes and the staff at Idelhurst Elementary School in Somersworth, NH. Axel is a fifth grader with autism who is non-verbal and exhibited significant behavioral challenges when he arrived at school. Axel came to Idelhurst during his 5th grade year from another school where he was exclusively in self-contained settings and was being taught preschool/kindergarten level. Through effective implementation of supports - including AAC, UDL, RtI, social stories, visual schedules and positive behavioral supports - Axel was able to learn 5th grade general education curriculum in a general education classroom within a few months. His challenging behaviors also decreased, and he thrived through interaction and engagement with 'typical' peers. Once Axel had an effective means of communication, the staff found that Axel was was bilingual and bi-literate (his family speaks Spanish at home).

This film illustrates the potential for students with significant cognitive disabilities to achieve high academic outcomes. The film has received support from the National Center and State Collaborative (NCSC).

The video shows how Axel accesses his environment via Augmentative and Alternative Communication as well as how his classmates accept him into their community. Watch how Axel is learning to type independently and makes strides with communicating his wants and needs in the general education setting.
Sometimes we need to see examples of inclusion to really understand that it is possible and happening all over the world. Perhaps you are the one who can influence your local school to implement inclusive practices.

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5 Videos That Will Change Your Mind About Inclusive Education

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I don't know which side of the fence you are on regarding inclusive education. And for all intents and purposes...it does not matter. This post could just as easily have been called, No...Really...I'm Not Crazy...Inclusive Education Works!

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Ghost Boy

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9:00 AM - 5:00 PM CT

On-demand sessions available until December 1, 2021

Spotlight on Dyslexia is perfect for any K-12 educator or administrator who wants to learn more about dyslexia, the science of reading, and building a culture of literacy. Free premium access is available through BEESS for a very limited time. Register today using the discount code provided to be sure you don't miss your chance!

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Learning Ally | Florida School Grants - Department of Education Partner

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9:00 AM - 5:00 PM CT On-demand sessions available until December 1, 2021 Spotlight on Dyslexia is perfect for any K-12 educator or administrator who wants to learn more about dyslexia, the science of reading, and building a culture of literacy. Free premium access is available through BEESS for a very limited time.

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As a new teacher, I remember feeling overwhelmed by the wide range of abilities in my classroom. How was I supposed to meet all of my students' needs while simultaneously covering grade level content? As I learned more about differentiation, this became easier, but it still remained one of the most challenging aspects of teaching.

Now that I coach teachers in their first and second years, I can safely say that differentiation remains a huge challenge. I went out and asked the members of Teaching Channel's Coaching Think Tank to share their top differentiation strategies for new teachers. Check out these six tips for meeting the needs of diverse learners.

Equity Sticks

Autumn Bell, a math coach for Fresno Unified School District, recommends using equity sticks to randomly call on students during direct instruction. Autumn suggests that teachers plan a variety of different questions to ask. When calling on specific students, teachers can then ask them a question at their level. Autumn stresses that it's important to have high expectations for all students, but starting with leveled questions can help to build students' confidence in sharing their thoughts.

Sentence Frames

When supporting students to participate in discussions, Autumn shares how sentence frames can help students in answering questions. Michelle Rooks, an instructional coach for Teton County School District, also emphasizes the value of using sentence frames in both speaking and writing. The frames can give students a way to begin or access the task, and support all students' participation in the discussions and/or writing. Sentence frames also extend language skills and support organized thinking.

Multiple Ways to Express Understanding

All students are different, so why require them to all work on the same tasks? Stacy Davidson, an instructional mentor for Bellevue Public Schools, shares the importance of giving students different ways to respond to a task. Depending on their needs, students can respond verbally, through sketching, or by writing. When you're hoping to assess students' content rather than process knowledge, multiple ways of expressing understanding is key. Watch Learning Menus.

Share Air Time

During small group work, Stacy shares how teachers can use a colored cotton ball system to encourage equitable participation. Each student gets a set of colored cotton balls or cubes (one color per student), and put one of their balls in the center of the table every time they add to the discussion. Teachers can encourage groups to pay attention to the colors in the center, and to support each other in order to have a balance of colors. If a student hasn't contributed or has contributed very little, students can be supported to encourage their peer to join in. For example, they might say something like, "Amanda, do you have something to add?"

Excerpt Texts

According to Shelia Banks, an instructional coach for Jefferson Parish School District, excerpting texts can be a great way to meet the needs of diverse readers. Shelia shares how an excerpt from a complex text can be sufficient to give students access to the text. Struggling learners can work with shorter excerpts as long as the excerpt conveys the ideas and claims of the whole text. Shelia also shares how advanced learners can read longer texts, and suggests pairing those texts with additional texts representing contrary or similar information, expanding the students' access to claims and details.

Differentiate Rubrics

When creating rubrics to evaluate student performance, Shelia suggests differentiating rubric elements to meet the needs of all students. In one classroom, there will be a diverse mix of elements that need to be targeted for improvement. Some students may have mastered focusing on the task, but struggle with organizing their writing. Others may write well-developed papers, but lack focus. After identifying which rubrics elements certain students should focus on, Shelia suggests arranging students into homogeneous groups. These groups can work together to revise their papers using common rubric elements, and teachers can conduct mini writer's workshops based on what the groups need to grow.
What differentiation strategies have been working well for you?

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Meeting the Needs of Diverse Learners: Six Differentiation Strategies

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As a new teacher, I remember feeling overwhelmed by the wide range of abilities in my classroom. How was I supposed to meet all of my students' needs while simultaneously covering grade level content? As I learned more about differentiation, this became easier, but it still remained one of the most challenging aspects of teaching.

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Tes provides a range of primary and secondary school teaching resources including lesson plans, worksheets and student activities for all curriculum subjects.

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Easily create beautiful interactive video lessons for your students you can integrate right into your LMS. Track students' progress with hassle-free analytics as you flip your classroom!

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Free teaching activities, worksheets and teaching ideas and lessons for math, language, science, social skills, behavioral, social emotional learning, media literacy and setting goals. Thousands of worksheets, activities and printables. Worksheets for teachers, educators, parents and homeschoolers. Our sponsors help to keep the worksheets free!
Want the full bundles with teacher implementation strategies? Check out my TPT store.

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worksheets for teachers and worksheets for homeschoolers

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Free teaching activities, worksheets and teaching ideas and lessons for math, language, science, social skills, behavioral, social emotional learning, media literacy and setting goals. Thousands of worksheets, activities and printables. Worksheets for teachers, educators, parents and homeschoolers. Our sponsors help to keep the worksheets free! Want the full bundles with teacher implementation strategies?

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Online activities for all levels

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Personalized reading comprehension exercises for K-12 and ESL students.

Around the world, millions of students are benefiting from ReadTheory.

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Try it right now

Our initial test will allow you to see for yourself how students experience ReadTheory.

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Identify where progress needs to be made.

Register an account now and be up and running in a couple of minutes.

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Personalized reading comprehension exercises for K-12 and ESL students. 14,000,000 Students 700,000 Teachers 40,000 Schools What educators say ReadTheory motivates the kids to do more. They are hooked. The kids love it. They even ask me to 'do ReadTheory' when they wait for others to finish their test.

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As of Monday, October 24, content that was on TweenTribune.com will now be available here on our new educational resources page and on our learning pages. While much of the content that you enjoyed will still exist, educators will unfortunately no longer be able to assign content to students. Tween Tribune has been a valued educational brand of Smithsonian magazine, and we appreciate your continued support.

Though the Girl Scouts of the USA initially declared itself a space for all girls, the reality was different for girls of color

Erin Blakemore

Get Smithsonian Educational Resources

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As of Monday, October 24, content that was on TweenTribune.com will now be available here on our new educational resources page and on our learning pages. While much of the content that you enjoyed will still exist, educators will unfortunately no longer be able to assign content to students.

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 UDL Lesson Plan Numeric Denotation System

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UDL Action Plan

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Plickers is a powerfully simple tool that lets teachers collect real-time formative assessment data without the need for student devices

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Voki | Speaking Characters For Education

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Voki is a fun tool that students can use for homework, classwork or projects. Customize their appearance and what they say, and share with others!

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Learn online or on the go...word of the day, quizzes, core vocab. Also an iPad app that offers voice search, audio pronunciations, word of the day, and more.

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Find Definitions & Meanings of Words | Britannica Dictionary

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Clear and simple definitions in American English from Britannica's language experts. More usage examples than any other dictionary.

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Even the smallest things, like the living cell, become big enough to grasp in Rob Olazagasti's middle school science class, where he enables students to learn by creating, remember by experiencing, and show what they know by teaching.

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Even the smallest things, like the living cell, become big enough to grasp in Rob Olazagasti's middle school science class, where he enables students to learn by creating, remember by experiencing, and show what they know by teaching.

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Even the smallest things, like the living cell, become big enough to grasp in Rob Olazagasti's middle school science class, where he enables students to learn by creating, remember by experiencing, and show what they know by teaching.

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Books shown and read by various celebrities

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The SAG-AFTRA Foundation's Daytime Emmy-nominated, Storyline Online, features celebrated actors reading children's books to inspire a love of reading in millions of children worldwide.

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Engaging, educational videos to help reinforce concepts taught in your classroom.

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

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Flocabulary is a library of songs, videos and activities for K-12 online learning. Hundreds of thousands of teachers use Flocabulary’s educational raps and teaching lesson plans to supplement their instruction and engage students. Our team of artists and educators is not only committed to raising test scores, but also to fostering a love of learning in every child.

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Make you own talking pictures!

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It's time to improve literacy skills during social studies instruction and ensure that readers of all abilities have what they need to access grade-level social studies concepts.

Join us on Thursday, December 7 for a look at scaffolded materials that provide extra literacy support while building key social studies concepts and skills.

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Newsela | Content and assessment platform

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Content Aligned To National & State Standard, Flexible To Support Relevant Curriculum. Find the Perfect Piece Of Content For Lessons. Go beyond the book.

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Standards-aligned tools and resources for math teachers

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Illuminations Home - National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

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The AIM Explorer is a free simulation that combines grade-leveled digital text with access features common to most text readers and other supported reading software.

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By customizing the display of information, you can reduce the effort it takes for your learners to read the information in web pages, ebooks and other digital content. Your learners can then dedicate more of their mental resources to actually understanding the content.

The good news is that many of the features that previously required the purchase and installation of specialized software are now often included as standard options on the devices many of your learners already own. This makes the process of finding a good feature match for a learner that much easier (and less costly).

Customizing the Display of Information

A good place to start exploring the many options for customizing the display of information is the web browser your learners use to access information on the Web. Most browsers now include a reading view for removing distractions and customizing the appearance of a web page:

In Apple's Safari brower the reading view is called Safari Reader. Activating Safari Reader will show you a less cluttered version of the page, without ads and site navigation that could be distracting to some readers. Safari Reader also provides some options for customizing the appearance of the page, such as changing the background and text color and resizing the text.

In Microsoft's Edge browser, the reading view is called Immersive Reader. It includes a number of options for customizing the appearance of the information along a number of literacy supports.

In Google Chrome, a number of extensions are available to adjust the display of information. One example is the Read and Write for Google extension, which has a Simplify feature with a number of display options.

E-reading apps provide even more options, including:

Text resizing: This option will only be available for some formats, such as EPUB, that allow content to reflow. Formats such as PDF have the text size set by the author.

Font selection: Choosing cleaner, sans-serif fonts can be helpful to some readers. Sans serif fonts do not have extra ornamentation at the end of their strokes, which makes them easier to read at smaller text sizes. Some e-readers also feature special fonts such as Open Dyslexic that are designed for learners with dyslexia, but research on the efficacy of these fonts is not conclusive yet.

Themes: The default setting of a white background with dark text may not provide sufficient contrast for some readers who have low vision, but it may provide too much contrast for others who have reading difficulties. Changing the theme can help, with options such as a dark background with light text for those with low vision, and a sepia (warm tone) one for those who need less contrast. Some apps allow even more options, with color pickers that allow the reader to select specific colors.

Flexible spacing: The default spacing may not be sufficient for some readers with dyslexia who experience crowding, where lines or characters that are too close to each other appear to run into each other. Adding some spacing can help. This can be line spacing, character spacing or even word spacing in some apps.

Adjustable Margins: For some readers with peripheral vision issues, it may be helpful to increase the margins so that more of the content appears near the middle where their vision is stronger.

Justification: Justified text has additional character and word spacing added so that the text falls flush with both margins. The additional space can be distracting to some readers, who may want to turn it off and read left-justified text only.

Reading guides: Some e-readers have a special focused reading mode where only a few lines of the text are visible while the rest of the screen is masked out to remove distractions.

The Center for Inclusive Software for Learning (CISL) at CAST has done extensive research into digital learning supports as part of its development of Clusive, a flexible, adaptive, and customizable digital learning environment.

Using Read Aloud

A read aloud or text-to-speech feature can help a number of readers: those who struggle with decoding, those with visual impairments, and those who speak English as a second language. When word and sentence highlighting are available, it can also help learners focus their attention while reading. In the past, text-to-speech often required the installation of a separate program. Today, many devices used in schools include text-to-speech as a standard option:

On the iPad, the Spoken Content features (found under Accessibiility in the Settings app) provide two options for using text-to-speech: your learners can select some text to have it read aloud (Speak Selection) or they can have the entire contents of the screen read to them (Speak Screen). Your learners can turn on word and sentence highlighting, select from a number of voices and adjust the speaking rate. A feature similar to Speak Selection is available on the Mac, where it is activated with a simple keyboard shortcut once it is enabled in the System Preferences.

On a Chromebook, Select-to-speak works in a similar way: learners can select some text to have it read aloud with their chosen text-to-speech voice. A number of extensions (add-ons for the Chrome web browser) are also available. For example, the Read and Write for Google extension has a trial period, but the text-to-speech feature remains free for learners even after the trial is over.

Windows devices only include a screen reader called Narrator intended for learners with visual impairments, but text-to-speech is available within individual apps. For example, your learners can use the Immersive Reader built into the Microsoft Edge web browser and a number of Office applications to hear text read aloud.

Smart speakers running the Alexa personal assistants support a number of commands for reading Kindle books with text-to-speech or Audible audiobooks with human narration. Similarly, devices running Google Home can read audiobooks purchased on the Google Play Books store. These devices will often recognize the voices built into augmentative and alternative (AAC) apps for those learners who use them to communicate.

Try it yourself

Ready to explore some of the above features that are built into your technology? Here are some things to try.

Remove distractions while you read

A lot of web pages include content that can get in the way of keeping you focused on your reading. Advertisements are a good example of this. Wouldn't it be nice to clear a web page of everything except what you need to learn? You can! Try it.

If you use Safari on your iPad or Mac: try Safari Reader

If you use a Chromebook: try free extension such as Mercury Reader

If you Microsoft Edge on Windows: try Immersive Reader

Customize how you view the information

Most of us look at a web page without thinking about our own preferences for how it might appear. Did you know you have options? Give them a try. Be sure to make note of what works well.

If you use Safari on your iPad or Mac: try the display options built into Safari Reader

If you use use a Chromebook: try a free extension such as Deluminate or Visor in your Chrome browser

If you use Microsoft Edge on Windows: try Immersive Reader

Hear the content read aloud

Did you know your device can become your own personal reader? And best of all, it is available anytime you need it and often works along with the other options you've already explored to provide a truly personalized reading experience just for you!

If you use an iPad or Mac: try the Spoken Content features.

If you use a Chromebook: try the Select-to-speak feature built into your device or install the trial for the Read and Write for Google extension.

If you use Microsoft Edge on Windows: try the Immersive Reader.

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By customizing the display of information, you can reduce the effort it takes for your learners to read the information in web pages, ebooks and other digital content. Your learners can then dedicate more of their mental resources to actually understanding the content.

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Free Text to Speech Reader

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Dyslexia and other reading-based learning disabilities are most common among students. NaturalReader text-to-speech makes learning more accessible by assisting with any reading, taking tests and promoting independence.

Students can have any text they need to read, read aloud to them so they can read along. Having the text provided both visually and auditory, allows the student to focus less on the act of reading, and more on the comprehension of the content. Other features like dyslexia font, flexible reading speeds, and highlighted text also ease the task of finishing readings.

For most students, learning does not stop when school ends. NaturalReader EDU enables students to be more independent and assists with learning at home. Whether they're doing homework, reading at home, or just surfing the web, our Chrome Extension and Mobile Application are always available.

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NaturalReader: Free Text to Speech for Online, Mobile App, Commercial license and Education with AI voices.

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Real-world math activities for students in all grade levels

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5.NBT.7 slant 5.OA.2 winter solstice HSS-IC.B.4 HSF-IF.C.8.b dollars spent to dollars earned cola per ounce HSN-RN Turkey total cost adding fractions with unlike denominators irrational numbers HSF.TF Starbucks HSF.IF.C.7.B Iditarod 5.MS Data conic surface area

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Free, standards aligned online math game

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Helps students understand what they are reading

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Rewordify.com | Understand what you read

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Rewordify.com helps you read more, understand better, learn new words, and teach more effectively.

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Clearing the path for those with special needs, clears the path for ALL.

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Fishing...

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Curriculum and Instruction

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The evidence is in the practice

ESSA Level 3 correlation evidence in math and ELA, earned by teachers running frequent formative assessments.

When teachers run 30+ formative questions a week, the research is clear: they get more data-driven, their students get more engaged. Wayground is built to make that practice enjoyable ot run, attainable to fit a class period, and habitual enough to last past September.

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Quizizz is now Wayground | Teacher AI and Resources

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Find standards-aligned resources that engage every student. Wayground (formerly Quizizz) helps teachers differentiate instruction with AI and track student progress.

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Master teacher Chris Opitz shares resources for integrating social and emotional learning into math class.

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A master teacher in Anchorage, Alaska, establishes a cooperative-learning environment in an upper-elementary classroom.

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Vocab Ahead

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gre vocabulary preparation. middle school vocabulary

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Multi-sensory approach to learning new words. Vocabulary building content for middle and high school students. English Language learners will find it extremely useful as well.