# data[].attributes.headline
DESE Resources for all subject including Sp Ed and ELL resources

# data[].attributes.subject
DESE Resources for all subject including Sp Ed and ELL resources

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Some districts and schools have been, or will soon be, providing students and families with educational resources to help students continue learning while schools are closed. In addition to those resources provided by local districts and schools, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) pulled together this list of available resources that can support students and families while schools are closed. This list is not comprehensive, and DESE does not endorse these products. We are making the list available to families and caregivers as a way to support engaging students in learning while they are out of school.

Family Guides to the Massachusetts Curriculum Standards (Created by DESE)
These guides to the Massachusetts learning standards help families understand what students are expected to know and be able to do by the end of each grade. Designed to help families and teachers work together to support learning, the guides are available in English, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and Simplified Chinese. Promotional materials advertising these resources are also available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

DESE and WGBH Partnership for Educational Resources

The Department is partnering with WGBH to bring educational resources to students and families through television and digital media. WGBH has created a distance learning site, and we hope to reach as many students and caregivers as possible. PBS LearningMedia is a free digital repository of tens of thousands of high-quality media resources that are contextualized for educational use. The resources span disciplines for grades PreK-12, are aligned to national and state standards, and include videos, comprehensive lessons, interactive activities, and support materials (teaching tips, background readings, and student handouts). Here are just a few collections on PBS LearningMedia to explore:

Bringing the Universe to America's Classrooms: Earth and space science, created in collaboration with NASA. Grades K-12.

AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: History and social studies resources from one of public media's flagship broadcasts. Grades 4-12.

ARTHUR: Beloved characters keep the focus on community, civics, and social-emotional learning. Grades PreK-5.

Molly of Denali: The MOLLY OF DENALI™ collection offers videos, digital games, lessons, teaching tips, and activities with a focus on informational text. Grades PreK-2.

Math at the Core Middle School: Engaging media and integrated activities, all aligned with the Massachusetts mathematics standards . Grades 5-8.

Inspiring Middle School Literacy: Self-paced lessons include videos, interactive activities, note taking, reading, and writing to present students with engaging science, social studies, mathematics, and English language arts topics. Grades 5-8.

NOVA Education Resources: Authentic, real-world science learning. Grades 7-13+.

Digital Resources designed for remote learning and available free of charge:

English Language Arts and Literacy

Keep your child reading every day.

CommonLit: A free collection of fiction and nonfiction texts for grades 3-12. Includes an annotation tool, guiding and discussion questions, translations in various languages, and texts read aloud.

Great Minds: Great Minds has daily lessons in Wit & Wisdom (English language arts) available for free for students in grades K-8 . These lessons will be delivered by Great Minds' own teachers and will be viewable on any device.

Heggerty: Free activities to build foundational reading skills. These are best for ages 4-6.

Hoopla and OverDrive: Many local public libraries use these two apps to allow users to borrow digital books for free. Visit your local library's website and look for the section on digital resources.

StoryLine Online: Hear quality children's literature read aloud and see illustrations.

History, Social Studies, and Civics

iCivics: iCivics offers free, engaging civics content, including lesson plans and games for students to play digitally, content about media literacy, and Advanced Placement (AP) U.S. Government and Politics prep.

EVERFI: Offers interactive financial literacy and social and emotional learning lessons. They have a bank of free digital lessons that can be accessed by registering as a student or a teacher.

Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History: This website is geared specifically at preparing AP U.S. History students virtually. It includes primary sources, essays, videos, and study guides aligned with the AP curriculum.

National Constitution Center: In addition to the interactive Constitution tool, they host several educational resources and games.

Stanford History Education Group: The Reading Like a Historian curriculum is free with registration and offers ready-to-go lessons on world and U.S. history based on primary source investigations.

STEM [Science and Technology/Engineering, Mathematics, Digital Literacy and Computer Science]

Code.org: Provides learning resources that help students learn about computer science and programming on their own. Offerings include Computer Science (CS) Fundamentals for K-5 and online courses and labs for middle and high school (CS Express, App Lab, Game Lab, and Web Lab).

Great Minds: Free daily lessons available in grades 3-5 science and grades K-12 Eureka Math. These lessons will be delivered by Great Minds' own teachers and will be viewable on any device. In addition, access to the full K-12 Eureka Math program is available for free.

Khan Academy: Khan Academy has outlined support for parents and educators on how to use their resources during remote learning. Khan Academy is a free resource for students, teachers, and parents with a library of lessons covering kindergarten through early college math, grammar, science, history, plus AP?courses, SAT?preparation, and more. Available in 40 languages.

PhET Online Simulations: A library of online simulations that students can play with and explore to investigate scientific and mathematical models. Can be sorted bygrade level.

Smithsonian Science How Webcast: These webcasts originally aired live from the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. They're great for students in grades 3-8 and are optimized for students in grades 3-5.

ST Math: A web-based visual instructional program that leads to deep conceptual understanding of math. ST Math is offering parents free access through June 30 for grades K-8.

Zearn K-5 Mathematics: Zearn has made its entire curriculum, including 400 hours of digital lessons with on-screen teachers and supportive remediation, available for free. To access these materials, go to the Distance Learning Resource Center for:

Quick-start instructions for using Zearn Math programmatically as part of a distance learning plan

Daily webinars for administrators, teachers, and parents to walk through quick-start instructions. Each webinar will offer 'office hours' with time for questions with the Zearn team.

Physical Education

Arts (Dance, Media Arts, Music, Theater, and Visual arts)

General Online Learning Resources (All or Multiple Content Areas)

SketchUp: In order to provide uninterrupted SketchUp access to the unprecedented numbers of students and teachers now working/studying from home, we have implemented some temporary changes to the way students can access SketchUp.

Brainpop: Free resources and tools that develop critical, computational, and creative thinking skills across the curriculum, especially for younger children. Available in Spanish, French, and English.

Listenwise: Supports listening comprehension with stories and non-fiction in English language arts, social studies and science. Subscriptions are free.

Newsela: Digital subscriptions for free in English language arts, social science, and science and supports social emotional learning.

Scholastic Learn at Home: General videos and learning activities.

TechforLearners.org: Searchable database of education technology tools that facilitate online classrooms and teaching, allowing educators to search for free and discounted tools and services by grade level, product type, and subject matter. The site will soon include additional resources for parents and students.

WatchKnowLearn: Free educational videos in all content areas.

Resources for English Learners

Supporting Students with Disabilities

The Massachusetts Council for Exceptional Children (MCEC) has created an open-access resource folder for Massachusetts educators in order to exchange educational resources. General education and special education teachers are encouraged to share resources through this online forum. For ease of use, MCEC has created individual folders by grade level, from preschool through secondary transition.

Special education teachers, general education teachers, related service providers, and administrators are encouraged to reach out to students and families by phone, email, and other means of communication in order to ensure that students with disabilities can access educational resources provided by the district.

Last Updated: April 3, 2020

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
massachusetts department of elementary and secondary education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Educational Resources for Students and Families

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The goal of the Massachusetts public K-12 education system is to prepare all students for success after high school. Massachusetts public school students are leading the nation in reading and math and are at the top internationally in reading, science, and math according to the national NAEP and international PISA assessments.

# data[].attributes.body
Worth a listen

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Five Mindful Habits for All to Increase Happiness and Connection

# data[].attributes.body
Great resource

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Nemours KidsHealth - the Web's most visited site about children's health

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
KidsHealth is the #1 most-trusted source for physician-reviewed information and advice on children's health and parenting issues. For parents, kids, teens, and educators, in English and in Spanish.

# data[].attributes.body
Enroll students in virtual courses with students all over the world! Free during COVID-19

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
PenPal Schools connects students from 150 countries through project based learning. Students create projects about topics ranging from human rights and environmental sustainability to robotics and literature with global PenPals.

# data[].attributes.body
Renewing school climate and culture

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Home JREN HOME - Jostens Renaissance Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Renewing school climate and culture for the 21st century.

# data[].attributes.body
Good resource

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Grief.com is dedicated to help everyone deal with the often unknown terrain that comes along with all kinds of grief. Through education, information and other helpful resources we hope to make the challenging road of grief a little easier.

FAQs on Grief

Here you will find frequently Asked Questions about Grief & Grieving. From what is anticipatory grief? How long grief does last? Why not avoid grief? Should children go to a funeral? And many others.
Read More

Help With The First Few Days

If someone close to you has just passed away, you may feel like you're in a fog. That's OK. What you are going through is a tremendously painful experience.
Read More.

Suicide & Grief

When we lose a loved one to suicide, it feels like we will never be the same. But we can heal and begin to build a life of love around the loss.
Read More.

One Day Seminars

These informative workshops are open to anyone dealing with death or grief. Therapists, counselors, & nurses may receive continuing education credits. All are welcome!
See Dates and Cities.
LATEST BOOK

Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief

In this groundbreaking new work, David Kessler-an expert on grief and the coauthor with Elisabeth Kübler-Ross of the iconic On Grief and Grieving-journeys beyond the classic five stages to discover a sixth stage: meaning.

In this book, Kessler gives readers a roadmap to remembering those who have died with more love than pain; he shows us how to move forward in a way that honors our loved ones. Kessler's insight is both professional and intensely personal. His journey with grief began when, as a child, he witnessed a mass shooting at the same time his mother was dying. For most of his life, Kessler taught physicians, nurses, counselors, police, and first responders about end of life, trauma, and grief, as well as leading talks and retreats for those experiencing grief. Despite his knowledge, his life was upended by the sudden death of his twenty-one-year-old son.

How does the grief expert handle such a tragic loss? He knew he had to find a way through this unexpected, devastating loss, a way that would honor his son. That, ultimately, was the sixth state of grief-meaning. In Finding Meaning, Kessler shares the insights, collective wisdom, and powerful tools that will help those experiencing loss. Read More

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Grief?
Grief is the internal part of loss, how we feel. The internal work of grief is a process, a journey. It does not end on a certain day or date. It is as individual as each of us. Grief is real because loss is real. Each grief has its own imprint, as distinctive and as unique as the person we lost. The pain of loss is so intense, so heartbreaking, because in loving we deeply connect with another human being, and grief is the reflection of the connection that has been lost.

When does Grief end?
Grief is not just a series of events, or stages or timelines. Our Society places enormous pressure on us to get over loss, to get through the grief. But how long do you grieve for a husband of fifty years? A teenager killed in a car accident? A four-year-old child? A year? Five years? Forever? The loss happens in time, in fact in a moment, but its aftermath lasts a lifetime.
Read More Frequently asked Questions
In May of 2017, Dolores Cruz's 24-year-old son, Eric, was killed in a horrific car accident. In the depths of grief, she began a quest to find answers. She searched to find out how this could happen, to find the God she thought she knew, to find meaning and purpose in her life, to find truth, and to find her son. Little by little she was able to gain a whole new philosophy and understanding of life, death, afterlife and God. She found healing and peace in the realization that not only was Eric still around in spirit, but that the love he gave us while he was here on Earth continues on. This is her story. And this is the story of Eric, a model son, a loving sibling, a loyal friend, and a musician with a heart of gold, who left his physical body at age 24, and how he came here to change us, to affect us, to make us better, and to remind us to look around and appreciate the wonders of this beautiful world that we take for granted.

Tips for planning an online funeral

Make sure you have a good, fast, and reliable internet connection where the service will be held. Funeral homes will generally have the right setup, but other locations may not.

Designate someone other than the funeral officiant to run the technical aspects of the online session.

If friends and family in other locations will be speaking or presenting, make sure they test out their connection and setup as well.

It's a good idea to have a test run, which can also be an opportunity to gather as a smaller group and mourn together.

Read more about planning an online funeral
Meet Contributing Author & Grief Expert: David Kessler

David Kessler is one of the most well-known experts and lecturers on death and grieving today, reaching hundreds of thousands of people through his books. "On Grief and Grieving: Finding the Meaning of Grief through the Five Stages of Loss is co-authored with the legendary Elisabeth Kübler-Ross. David also co-authored with Kübler-Ross, "Life Lessons: Two Experts on Death and Dying Teach us about the Mysteries of Life and Living." David considers it an honor and privilege to have worked so closely with Elisabeth for ten years and to be with her during her passing. Learn More about David Kessler

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Grief.com - Help For Grief Because LOVE Never Dies

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Helping Others Heal From Grief is Our Mission. We Serve Family, Friends and Professionals with Videos, Books, Workshops & Speaking Engagements.

# data[].attributes.body
Suggestions by Jessica Minahan

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
At a glance

Kids can learn to manage their emotions and work on social skills.

You can help your child with social-emotional learning by playing fun games at home.

There are lots of simple games you can play during everyday activities.

Many schools have started teaching kids how to do things like cope with feelings, set goals, and get along with others. It's called social-emotional learning. You can help your child work on these skills at home, too.

Here are a handful of activities that can help your child manage emotions and work on social skills - and have some fun with you along the way. These games are very low-tech. And all are designed to fit easily into daily routines.

1. Starfish and tornadoes

Try playing this game at different times of day, and help your child describe the energy levels. For example, if you play this game before dinner, you can say, "You have so much energy, I bet you could run up and down the stairs five times before I finish cooking!"

Keep in mind: Self-awareness can help kids build a skill called self-regulation. This skill is about managing your internal energy. It helps kids manage their emotions and their body movements during tough situations. It also helps them pay attention and learn.

The goal: To help kids practice observing what's going on around them. Picking up on social cues helps kids get their needs met and understand the perspective of others.

Help your child connect these observations with choosing how to behave. For example, when the swings are crowded, your child may decide to go on the slide first.

To help your child come up with ideas, comment whenever you notice your child's positive behaviors: "You just offered to teach your sister a nursery rhyme. Let's talk for a second about what kind of person you're being right now."

Also, you can buy these kinds of cards or find templates online. But kids might like making the cards themselves.

How to play: When you and your child can't agree, use the tune of "This Old Man" to sing these lines: "You want this. I want that. How can we both get what we want?" Then brainstorm solutions and choose the best idea for right now. For example, if your child is demanding to bake cookies at 8 a.m., the best solution might be to wait two hours so you can bake when the baby is napping.

5. Taking turns taking charge

Key takeaways

Simple, fun games can help kids learn to cope with feelings, set goals, and get along with others.

Self-regulation helps kids manage their emotions and their body movements.

Praising good behavior often leads to more of it.

About the author

About the author

Kate Kelly has been writing and editing for more than 20 years, with a focus on parenting.

Reviewed by

Reviewed by

Lynne Kenney, PsyD is a Harvard-trained pediatric psychologist and international educator in Scottsdale, Arizona.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
5 social-emotional learning games to play with your child

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Social-emotional learning activities can help kids learn to manage emotions and get along with other kids. These games are simple, low-cost, and low-tech, and can be built into your daily activities.

# data[].attributes.headline
OCR Supplemental Fact Sheet Addressing the Risk of COVID-19 in Preschool, Elementary and Secondary Schools While Serving Children with Disabilities 

# data[].attributes.subject
OCR Supplemental Fact Sheet Addressing the Risk of COVID-19 in Preschool, Elementary and Secondary Schools While Serving Children with Disabilities 

# data[].attributes.body
A plethora

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Resources for Emotional Resilience in the time of COVID-19

# data[].attributes.body
Simple, easy suggestions

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
"I think I can. I think I can. I think I can," says the Little Blue Engine to herself as she hauls a train full of toys up a mountain. In Watty Piper's classic children's book, all it takes is a dose of self-encouragement to give the engine the strength to overcome a seemingly impossible task.

Sound too good to be true? Perhaps not, a new study suggests. Researchers found that a simple, five-minute exercise can help boost math performance, especially for students who have poor confidence in their math ability. When students silently spoke words of encouragement to themselves that were focused on effort-saying phrases such as "I will do my very best!"-their math scores improved.

In the study, 212 Dutch schoolchildren in grades 4 to 6 took half of a standardized math test. After taking the half-test, they were split into three groups: The first group silently said to themselves words of encouragement focused on effort. The second group did a similar activity, but the words were focused on ability, favoring phrases such as "I'm very good at this." The third group didn't engage in self-talk at all. Afterward, the students took the second half of the math test.

Students who had participated in self-talk focused on effort improved their math performance on the test, while those who engaged in self-talk focused on ability, or no self-talk at all, experienced no improvement.

"When children with low self-confidence work on mathematics problems, they often worry about failure," Sander Thomaes, the lead researcher of the study, told Edutopia. "They experience challenges and struggles-for example, a difficult problem to solve-as cues of low ability, triggering disengagement from the task and worsening performance. Effort self-talk may counter this process."

So why doesn't self-talk focused on ability work? Saying "I am the best" can feel like a hollow claim when students don't feel confident about their own abilities-they're likely to dismiss the message entirely, explained Thomaes. But telling yourself "I will try my hardest" is an achievable goal, shifting attention away from a perceived lack of ability toward something within a student's control: effort.

Self-Talk and the Emotional Terrain of Learning

In the 1920s, Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky observed that when faced with a challenging task, young children often engage in self-talk, reminding themselves to focus harder or talking themselves through a series of complicated steps. As children get older, the self-regulation strategies are generally no longer vocalized, but an emerging body of research suggests that lightweight, metacognitive exercises that ask older students to reflect on their fears, anxieties, or challenges are still highly beneficial-providing teachers with a cheap, reasonably simple intervention that can be used in a variety of school situations and across all grade levels.

A 2019 study, for example, was designed to help ease the transition into middle school by reminding students that the anxiety they felt was both natural and common. New students read stories from peers who had already graduated to the next grades; the essays confided the private fears and doubts the students harbored, and how building positive relationships with friends and teachers helped them cope.

The new students then completed two 15-minute writing exercises that asked them to reflect on their own anxieties about the upcoming school year, particularly around test-taking, and to consider reasons why they might do well even if they worried about the tests. The exercise had a surprisingly powerful effect: Compared with their peers, students who learned about the commonality of their fears and then wrote about them were 34 percent less likely to be disciplined for misbehavior, 12 percent more likely to attend school, and 18 percent less likely to receive a failing grade.

And in a study published last year, students participated in a 10-minute exercise immediately before a test in which they were encouraged to see stress as "a beneficial and energizing force." They learned that small amounts of stress can help sharpen focus and aid memory by increasing oxygen flow into the brain. Students were then asked to write responses to two questions: "How do people sometimes feel in important situations?" and "How can the way a person feels in important situations help them do well in those situations?" The writing exercise helped the students manage the "worried thoughts about the possibility of failure" that often accompany a test, reducing the number of students failing out of the course by half-with low-income students seeing the biggest benefits.

Taken as a whole, the research suggests that academic performance not only relies on content preparation-you have to know fractions to succeed on some math tests-but also is significantly impacted by emotional and psychological preparation. Helping your students identify and circumvent the psychological barriers that hinder progress is part of teaching them how to navigate the emotional terrain of learning.

These powerful techniques appear to work even when students reflect altruistically. A 2019 study coauthored by Angela Duckworth, known for her research on grit and perseverance, asked nearly 2,000 high school students to give motivational advice to an anonymous younger student-on how to stop procrastinating or study better, for example-and then write a brief, encouraging letter to help the student do better in school. Despite the fact that the advice was given to someone else, the students earned higher grades in their own courses.

The takeaway: Be mindful of anxiety-provoking situations-from high-stakes tests to major in-school transitions-that can derail a student's ability to focus. Try brief metacognitive discussions or simple writing exercises to help students overcome hurdles, recognize the commonality of their fears, and prepare emotionally and psychologically for looming challenges.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Simple Metacognitive Strategies to Help Anxious Learners Succeed

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
"I think I can. I think I can. I think I can," says the Little Blue Engine to herself as she hauls a train full of toys up a mountain. In Watty Piper's classic children's book, all it takes is a dose of self-encouragement to give the engine the strength to overcome a seemingly impossible task.

# data[].attributes.body
Some great opportunities

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Mo Willems, Gene Luen Yang, Amie Kaufman and other authors for young readers are reading their work online and offering drawing tutorials, to help fill our strange new hours.

The author and illustrator Mo Willems began hosting sessions on YouTube on Monday. "There's nothing more fun than doodling with a friend," he said. Credit... via Mo Willems

School closings are a drastic change for kids at this challenging time, and children's authors - whose normal routines are also disrupted - are finding ways to reach their readers in different ways. Dozens of book festivals, tours and events have been canceled as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, and some writers are turning to social media to engage with their fans, offering readings of their books, art classes and other activities to keep them entertained. Here's what they're doing.

When Gene Luen Yang's tour for his new graphic novel, "Dragon Hoops," was canceled as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, "I felt disheartened and helpless," he said. In lieu of an in-person tour, he held a Facebook Live session to discuss the book. He's also "touring as a cartoon" on his Instagram page, where he will take reader questions and respond in a comic strip. As a former teacher, Yang said, he has a "special place in my heart for all the parents who are now unexpectedly home schooling their kids," and will be working with his publisher to develop resources to help them with this "monumental task."

The science fiction and fantasy writer Amie Kaufman (The Illuminae Files series, "Aurora Rising") has been throwing online launch parties for writers whose book-promotion plans have been upended. "Many of them have had long-dreamed-of events canceled, which is the right thing to do, but so very hard," Kaufman said in an email. "There's a fear that among so much bad news, their books will simply be lost."

For the next few weeks (and perhaps even longer), on Monday nights, Kaufman is boosting the work of several authors, encouraging people to buy their new books and hosting virtual conversations using the hashtag #kidlitgoesviral. Dozens of writers have signed up to participate, with teachers, librarians, parents and readers joining to ask questions. "So many independent bookstores are under pressure," Kaufman said, "and it's scary to think they might not be there on the other side of this experience."

Grace Lin, an illustrator and author of middle-grade novels and picture books, is posting drawing tutorials and readings from her books on her YouTube channel. She's taught viewers how to draw a Chinese dragon and a dog starting from the numeral 5, and has read from "Mulan: Before the Sword," an original prequel to the upcoming live-action film, and "Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same," about twin sisters trying to distinguish themselves from each other.

Lin said she began the reading series in part to fight the "anti-Asian rhetoric" that has come up amid coronavirus fears. "I've felt the need to show kids positive representations of Asian-Americans and Asian culture," she said. "I hope Asian kids see me and feel a little less alone, and non-Asian kids see me and a part of their brain registers that people who look like me are not the enemy."

Lin has also started a podcast, Kids Ask Authors, which was in the works before the pandemic struck, in which children's authors answer questions from readers about their books and creative process.

The author and illustrator Mo Willems is inviting kids to draw with him every day for "Lunch Doodles." In the first couple of sessions, which are hosted on YouTube and started on Monday, he walked viewers through his process, gave them a tour of his studio, answered questions and drew whimsical creatures or created simple animations for them to try at home. "I'm really looking forward to it," he said in one video, "because there's nothing more fun than doodling with a friend."

Mac Barnett, who's written dozens of books, including the Jack Book and Mac B. Kid Spy series, is reading a book every afternoon on Instagram Live. The writer, who often collaborates with the illustrator Jon Klassen, has read "Extra Yarn," about a girl who changes her community with a magical box of never-ending yarn, and "Billy Twitters and His Blue Whale Problem," about a boy who gets a blue whale as a pet.

"We are all at home, but none of us are alone," Oliver Jeffers recently wrote on his website. "Let's be bored together."

Jeffers ("The Day the Crayons Quit," "How to Catch a Star," "The Fate of Fausto,") is reading on Instagram Live on weekday afternoons and making all the recordings available on his site.

Vashti Harrison will share drawing tutorials and worksheets on Instagram inspired by her Little Leaders, Little Dreamers and Little Legends books, which highlight influential black men and women in United States history, including Alvin Ailey and Michelle Obama. She created a highlights reel on her page called "Quarantine Fun!" and plans to share sessions on themes such as "How to draw your own Little Leader."

Jarrett J. Krosoczka, best known for his Lunch Lady series of graphic novels, is hosting drawing sessions on his YouTube channel every day. He's been teaching basic illustration techniques, like how to draw a face and its expressions, but also often shares anecdotes about growing up as a kid who loved to draw.

The writer and illustrator, whose tour for his most recent picture book, "Be You," was canceled, is reading aloud from his work on Facebook Live every day. So far, he's read "The Word Collector," "The Dot" and "Ish," his sequel to "The Dot."

The illustrator Carson Ellis ("Home," "Du Iz Tak?") is running a Quarantine Art Club for her followers. She posts prompts - such as "is a cat," "wearing glasses" and "holding a golden scepter" - and encourages readers to create their own art in response. She shares some of the results using the hashtag #QuarantineArtClub, and features some on her website, too.

The "Authors Everywhere!" YouTube channel, started by Susan Tan, who wrote the Cilla Lee-Jenkins series for middle-grade readers, includes activities, writing workshops and readings from a range of authors. In addition to keeping kids busy, the workshops are also meant to give young people an emotional outlet for addressing their fears about the pandemic.

Susan Verde, who wrote the picture books "I Am Love" and "I Am Human," among others, is reading from her books live on Instagram. She is also starting a channel for kid-friendly meditations and mantras.

In response to the dozens of canceled books festivals, three young adult writers decided to start the Everywhere Book Fest, "a virtual gathering of kid-lit authors, books and readers that will bring the book festival experience to everyone," according to their website. The festival is the brainchild of Ellen Oh, who also co-founded the nonprofit We Need Diverse Books, and Christina Soontornvat and Melanie Conklin. "There's a real opportunity here to change the way people connect with authors and interact with books," Conklin told Publishers Weekly.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Home With Your Kids? Writers Want to Help

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Mo Willems, Gene Luen Yang, Amie Kaufman and other authors for young readers are reading their work online and offering drawing tutorials, to help fill our strange new hours. School closings are a drastic change for kids at this challenging time, and children's authors - whose normal routines are also disrupted - are finding ways to reach their readers in different ways.

# data[].attributes.body
For the Family

# data[].attributes.body
Keep moving

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

# data[].attributes.body
It is not just about drinking water

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Before we dive into how you can stay hydrated, let's start with the basics.

How Much Fluid Do You Need?

According to the CDC, daily fluid intake is defined as the amount of water consumed from foods, plain drinking water, and other beverages. 1 Similar to other health guidelines, how much hydration you need depends on a number of different factors. Age, gender, weight, climate you are in, activity levels, and overall health all influence your individual needs.

Whether you're pedaling uphill in a spin class or going for a trail run, any activity that makes you break a sweat means you need to bump up the water intake. Why? Sweat is made almost completely of water, and it's important to replace any of the fluids you are losing during your workout.

Similarly, the environment you are in plays an important part in your hydration needs.

Hot or humid weather can make you sweat more than usual, and requires additional hydration to make up for lost fluids.

Heading to the mountains? You'll want to keep an eye on your hydration there, too. Two things happen at high altitudes: lower humidity and lower oxygen levels. At higher altitudes, humidity is lower than at sea level, causing sweat to evaporate quicker and your body to work harder to breathe because of the lower oxygen levels. When oxygen levels are lower, your body reacts by breathing in and out faster and more deeply, causing you to lose water through respiration.

Your overall health plays a role, as well. If you're not feeling well and have a fever, are vomiting or have diarrhea, your body is losing fluids faster than normal. Same goes if you are pregnant or breast-feeding. Think about it, you're providing hydration not only for you, but for your baby, as well. However, it's important to discuss your hydration needs with your doctor as certain health conditions may require specialized fluid monitoring.

All other factors aside, men should aim for about 125 ounces of fluid per day and women should shoot for about 90 ounces. That sounds like a lot, right? Pause the panic. According to The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, roughly 80 percent of our water intake comes from fluids, while the other 20 percent comes from the foods we eat. 2 And don't forget to talk to your doctor before making any dietary changes that can impact individual health conditions or medications you may be taking.

If drinking water isn't your jam, here are 7 ways you can stay hydrated.

Hydration Helpers

1. Start your day with oatmeal. This one is a classic. Not only is it hearty and filling, oatmeal is also very hydrating. When oats are cooking, they expand and absorb the water or milk they're being paired with. Not into warm breakfasts when it's hot out? Try overnight oats. Served cold, overnight oats pack all the benefits of hot oatmeal with no heat. As an added boost, sprinkle chia seeds in your overnight oats when preparing, which soak up 10 times their weight in extra liquid and keep you full all morning.

2. Include more moo. According to a study by McMaster University, milk is more hydrating than water or sports drinks due to its source of protein, carbohydrates, calcium, and electrolytes. 3 Bring it on!

3. Try carb alternatives. When it comes to meal planning, ditch dry, carb heavy staples like pasta. Opt for zucchini noodles, or zoodles for short, which can contain about 95 percent water. When paired with a tomato sauce, which usually has about 90 percent water, this meal can pack a hydrating and healthy punch.

4. Sip smoothies. Between the yogurt and all the fresh fruit, smoothies are a great, and tasty, way to stay hydrated. Not sure what fruits and vegetables to pick? Strawberries, peaches, cucumbers, spinach, and blueberries are all excellent options.

5. Pack your plate with vegetables. Much like smoothies, salads are a great way to give you a hydrating boost. Most lettuce greens contain at least 94 percent water, and that's before you add any other vegetables. Next time you whip up a salad, include celery, tomatoes, bell peppers, and carrots.

6. Slurp soup. When the craving strikes for a filling and hydrating meal, look no further than broth-based soups or gazpacho. Served cold, gazpacho won't make you break a sweat come summer. Blend cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, and garlic cloves for this satisfying soup.

7. Freeze your fruit. Feeling nostalgic about the popsicles you used to enjoy as a child? Bring back this classic treat as a delicious way to rehydrate. Blend a hydrating ingredient like watermelon and fill Popsicle molds and freeze for 1 hour.

With these 7 ways, you'll be well on your way to happy hydrating!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
7 Ways to Stay Hydrated (That Don't Involve Drinking Water)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Before we dive into how you can stay hydrated, let's start with the basics. According to the CDC, daily fluid intake is defined as the amount of water consumed from foods, plain drinking water, and other beverages. 1 Similar to other health guidelines, how much hydration you need depends on a number of different factors.

# data[].attributes.body
Try something new

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This site is also protected by an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate that's been signed by the U.S. government. The https:// means all transmitted data is encrypted - in other words, any information or browsing history that you provide is transmitted securely.

# data[].attributes.body
It is not just about drinking water

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Before we dive into how you can stay hydrated, let's start with the basics.

How Much Fluid Do You Need?

According to the CDC, daily fluid intake is defined as the amount of water consumed from foods, plain drinking water, and other beverages. 1 Similar to other health guidelines, how much hydration you need depends on a number of different factors. Age, gender, weight, climate you are in, activity levels, and overall health all influence your individual needs.

Whether you're pedaling uphill in a spin class or going for a trail run, any activity that makes you break a sweat means you need to bump up the water intake. Why? Sweat is made almost completely of water, and it's important to replace any of the fluids you are losing during your workout.

Similarly, the environment you are in plays an important part in your hydration needs.

Hot or humid weather can make you sweat more than usual, and requires additional hydration to make up for lost fluids.

Heading to the mountains? You'll want to keep an eye on your hydration there, too. Two things happen at high altitudes: lower humidity and lower oxygen levels. At higher altitudes, humidity is lower than at sea level, causing sweat to evaporate quicker and your body to work harder to breathe because of the lower oxygen levels. When oxygen levels are lower, your body reacts by breathing in and out faster and more deeply, causing you to lose water through respiration.

Your overall health plays a role, as well. If you're not feeling well and have a fever, are vomiting or have diarrhea, your body is losing fluids faster than normal. Same goes if you are pregnant or breast-feeding. Think about it, you're providing hydration not only for you, but for your baby, as well. However, it's important to discuss your hydration needs with your doctor as certain health conditions may require specialized fluid monitoring.

All other factors aside, men should aim for about 125 ounces of fluid per day and women should shoot for about 90 ounces. That sounds like a lot, right? Pause the panic. According to The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, roughly 80 percent of our water intake comes from fluids, while the other 20 percent comes from the foods we eat. 2 And don't forget to talk to your doctor before making any dietary changes that can impact individual health conditions or medications you may be taking.

If drinking water isn't your jam, here are 7 ways you can stay hydrated.

Hydration Helpers

1. Start your day with oatmeal. This one is a classic. Not only is it hearty and filling, oatmeal is also very hydrating. When oats are cooking, they expand and absorb the water or milk they're being paired with. Not into warm breakfasts when it's hot out? Try overnight oats. Served cold, overnight oats pack all the benefits of hot oatmeal with no heat. As an added boost, sprinkle chia seeds in your overnight oats when preparing, which soak up 10 times their weight in extra liquid and keep you full all morning.

2. Include more moo. According to a study by McMaster University, milk is more hydrating than water or sports drinks due to its source of protein, carbohydrates, calcium, and electrolytes. 3 Bring it on!

3. Try carb alternatives. When it comes to meal planning, ditch dry, carb heavy staples like pasta. Opt for zucchini noodles, or zoodles for short, which can contain about 95 percent water. When paired with a tomato sauce, which usually has about 90 percent water, this meal can pack a hydrating and healthy punch.

4. Sip smoothies. Between the yogurt and all the fresh fruit, smoothies are a great, and tasty, way to stay hydrated. Not sure what fruits and vegetables to pick? Strawberries, peaches, cucumbers, spinach, and blueberries are all excellent options.

5. Pack your plate with vegetables. Much like smoothies, salads are a great way to give you a hydrating boost. Most lettuce greens contain at least 94 percent water, and that's before you add any other vegetables. Next time you whip up a salad, include celery, tomatoes, bell peppers, and carrots.

6. Slurp soup. When the craving strikes for a filling and hydrating meal, look no further than broth-based soups or gazpacho. Served cold, gazpacho won't make you break a sweat come summer. Blend cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, and garlic cloves for this satisfying soup.

7. Freeze your fruit. Feeling nostalgic about the popsicles you used to enjoy as a child? Bring back this classic treat as a delicious way to rehydrate. Blend a hydrating ingredient like watermelon and fill Popsicle molds and freeze for 1 hour.

With these 7 ways, you'll be well on your way to happy hydrating!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
7 Ways to Stay Hydrated (That Don't Involve Drinking Water)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Before we dive into how you can stay hydrated, let's start with the basics. According to the CDC, daily fluid intake is defined as the amount of water consumed from foods, plain drinking water, and other beverages. 1 Similar to other health guidelines, how much hydration you need depends on a number of different factors.

# data[].attributes.body
A good read

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
They must be terrified their children will be unable to keep up as moms and dads with more flexibility, more security, or even full-time help talk about their aggressive at-home enrichment agendas for their little ones. Maybe this is the perfect time to call a timeout on the academic rat-race that was never healthy or fair in the first place.

Yes, we have embraced the need for some schedule, taking turns keeping an eye on the kids as they surf the internet to make sure whatever they are looking at is age-appropriate. (Of course, one of the boys wanted to learn about bombs.)

So far, we've seen them digging into mastodons, dwarf planets, the Mars rover and who made Legos and why. They've been reading a lot (mostly graphic novels and "Big Nate" books) because my kids were always avid readers and I don't have to fight with them to do it. But there are no flash cards and no made-up projects to "enrich" them. We do not assign them essays or ensure their explorations are aligned with Common Core standards. There is no official "movement" or music time. We have not set up a makeshift classroom or given our family's "school" a name.

We bake and have taste tests to see which cookie recipes are the best, because we like cookies and they are among the few things I know how to make. We walk and walk and walk. We eat together. We think about how lucky we are and try to help those who are more vulnerable and without our resources.

So far, the boys have played more video games and watched more television than they did during any given week before schools shut down. It keeps them busy while their dad and I try to finish our meetings before Zoom crashes.

We love each other, we yell, we apologize, we laugh, they punch each other, we yell some more, we make up. We live, we try to be compassionate and we hope this will all be a memory soon. And when it's over, the schoolwork will be there.

Jennie Weiner (@jennieweiner) is an associate professor of educational leadership at the University of Connecticut.
The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We'd like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some . And here's our email: letters@nytimes.com.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Opinion | I Refuse to Run a Coronavirus Home School

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
They must be terrified their children will be unable to keep up as moms and dads with more flexibility, more security, or even full-time help talk about their aggressive at-home enrichment agendas for their little ones. Maybe this is the perfect time to call a timeout on the academic rat-race that was never healthy or fair in the first place.

# data[].attributes.body
Sora- ebooks available for all MPS students free of charge. Log in with student username and password. Select Middleborough Public Schools

Username: YOGlastnamefirstnamemiddleinitial

Password: MPSXXXXX
contact Mrs. Walgreen for any questions. dwalgreen@middleboro.k12.ma.us

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Special Education & the Arts

[ What I Need to Know | Classroom Management | Lesson Advice

Instructional Strategies | ADD/ADHD | Visual Impairment | ESL ]
This page was started as a result of Gail's Getty TeacherArtExchange List post - March 2004. From Gail:
I will be teaching art to 6 classes of special needs students from ages 3-21. Most of these students have multiple handicaps and most come in with an aide for one on one or one aide per three students. Any ideas?
From Sidnie Miller:
Our special needs kids do really well with clay.Â Depending on their level--some just come in and pound on it -- their aids help them to build projects--some can't build, but can paint on glazes.Â For some, just being with regular kids and acting appropriately is the goal, so what they do is secondary to being there.Â Weaving is a good activity if they can do it.
From Sandra Barrick:
This is a wide range but doable and don't be intimidated by their handicaps. Most if not all want to be independent and do things on their own. They are a very determined group as a whole. Last year I worked with deaf children 3-11. A few had other disabilities as well, learning disorders and rare skin diseases (where the fingers were just little nubs and the child actually would bleed and blister if touched or from his own clothes. I also had a special needs child who had a rare form of dwarfism. Besides their disabilities you will be amazed by their spirit and the more severe the handicap the more chances and independence they may want. I also worked for (HC) MRDD, which is the division for our special needs kids, the age was 3-21. Through MRDD, I came in contact with severely handicapped and they really couldn't do anything but lay and look. The most severe had aids but also mentally were no older than a 3 -6 month old. Definitely get catalogs for supplies.Â If you come in contact with their caretaker/parent ask then what their interests are and if they have any supplies they could keep there. I am not sure how large your class will be but the child I had who didn't not have fingers had his own supply box, all of them did but his had scissors for his hands and crayons which had knobs on the end, etc. I also did a lot of sensory material/lessons with them for fine motor. Coming from Montessori - the punching tools and exercises really helped them. - Sandra
From Maggie White:
Concentrate on what the students CAN do, not on what they can't. Don't accept at face value what their teachers or aides tell you the students can't do; they will always surprise you and especially the people who think they know the kids so well. Don't hesitate to give the students something more challenging. Read the book Exceptional Children, Exceptional Art (from Davis). It provides a lot of insight into the physical, psychological, and emotional needs of a range of disabilities and ages. You can adapt a lot of classroom tools like pencils or brushes by using large foam curlers or the sponge-like foam (not the Styrofoam) that cushions computers and such. You can saw it with a hacksaw blade so it fits their hands comfortably. Stencils work better if they're tracing around the INSIDE of the stencil, rather than the outside. It seems they have a harder time keeping their pencils up against the outside edge rather than the inner edge. Shapes cut from sponges make neat stamps. Also weather stripping foam, which is sticky on one side, can be cut into shapes and stuck to film canisters to make an easy-to-grip stamp.
From Judy Potter:
Checkout at this site as a resource, http://www.wiu.edu/thecenter/art/
From Sue Freeland:
Here are some ideas off the top of my head... Clay projects.. The tactile feel of the clay might be good for dexterity. Model magic... create an animal, blend clays to create new colors. Read them a story then draw the ending or their favorite part. Give them shapes & pieces of stuff (whatever) to glue down in a pattern or face or whatever. With Kinders, I took a large sheet of yellow paper and cut a hole in the top to represent the window on a bus, the kids colored their self portraits and I taped them in the window. All the yellow papers side by side made up the bus. Also a good one is printing in shaving cream or pudding if you think they may eat it. Shaving cream is loved by all, even High school and leaves my counters and tables very clean! I used to teach Autistic kids but they were very low functioning.
From Betty Bowen:
My special needs campers love the beads you make designs with and iron into a solid form - now they come in larger sizes, too. They really loved the camp spin-art machine. I found their bead-stringing patience to be inspiring. They also enjoyed making decorations for their wheelchairs or walkers, like foam-core flames or sparkley things to go on the wheels.

In response to an Art Education List post asking for high school lesson ideas
From Kathy Douglas:
I would not bother too much with themes and subjects... leave that to them.Â When you look at Outsider Art, sometimes made by artists in this population, it is raw, personal and sometimes amazing.

If your students are not tactile defensive they might enjoy using plaster gauze over an armature of half a gallon spring water jug to create masks.Â You can help them create great 3D effects and then they can use their paint knowledge to add color.Â Also beads, feathers, etc for decoration.Â I would have examples of Mardi Gras, theater and cultural masks.Â What they often have in common is exaggeration of features. They could also choose animal masks.Â But I would let them decide what sort of mask they want to make, from a list of options.

I have had some younger students on the Autism spectrum who were very uncomfortable touching certain wet things... if that is the case in your class I would strongly suggest an alternate project available, so that they can find their comfort level. And one of my students overcame his discomfort when he saw his friends using the plaster.Â Because he was able to decide when he was ready to use it, he felt in control and was proud of himself when it was done.
From Terri Noell:
I teach at a Special Needs Magnet school... With the Autistic students, I find that adding scents and textures to the paint will very much interest these students... I have some students that touch and feel everything and some that taste everything so these were very exciting for them... I use finger cover tip brushes with my younger students since a lot of them have trouble holding paint brushes effectively... also great for other students with coordination issues... I would advise a lot of lessons that effect their other senses besides just the 2-D art...
From Sandy:
I teach in aÂ magnet school for Cognitively Impaired kids, pre-school toÂ 6th grade. I have foundÂ that theseÂ kids areÂ often fabulous painters.Â I do limit all black & brownÂ paint though!Â More abstract workÂ seemsÂ toÂ workÂ best for most of them. PrintmakingÂ works well,Â perhaps withÂ pre-cut stamps,Â StyrofoamÂ orÂ found objects, at least something that they don't have to cut themselves. 3D constructionsÂ are great,Â and what I offerÂ may be more suitable forÂ Elementary. ButÂ weÂ useÂ clay,Â wood scraps,Â cardboard,Â (tubes & flat pieces).Â Old puzzle piecesÂ for jewelry, etc.Â I doÂ papier macheÂ sculpture or masks etc with them even thoughÂ some are tactile defensive and hate to touch theÂ paste. I offerÂ plastic glovesÂ if they need them. We'veÂ done basic weavings, &Â simple sewingÂ withÂ big needles. Some of the kidsÂ love to draw, othersÂ not, but it is good toÂ let themÂ tryÂ and theyÂ tell great stories about theirÂ work! This is the first yearÂ that I haveÂ tried aÂ TAB (Teaching for Artistic Behavior - Choice Based) approach with these kids and it has beenÂ wonderfullyÂ successful. The kids just love it.

See Resources compiled by Bernie Poole and Yvonne Singer [Archive]
Includes resources for elementary and secondary education.

Sax Arts and Crafts Catalog has a section for special needs students and has a separate catalog available. Adaptive Product index is on page 588 in the main catalog. 1-800-588-6696.

From Pam Whisenhunt - Working with LD Students
Lesson Plans:
Lesson Plan tips for LD Students - from Pam Whisenhunt
P. Buckley Moss Foundation lessons [Archive] "For Special Learners: Growing Through the Arts" P. Buckley Moss Foundation Find out more about P. Buckley Moss

Art for Children and Adults with Disabilities:
http://www.kinderart.com/special/
Some Helpful Links: IAD's Special Education page
Great Ideas for Special Artists - for clay, drawing and painting (Archive)
Easy to follow directions for clay bowl and other clay projects.
Special Needs Supplies from Dick Blick

Links for children with Autism:
http://www.lessontutor.com/autismgenhome.html

Activities for Teaching About Disabilities:
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson115.shtml

Keystone Arts Education Network ( home page)
http://www.keyarts.ws/content/view/18/156/ [Archive]

Special Education - Disability Links:
http://www.teach-nology.com/teachers/special_ed/disabilities/

Special Education Links:
http://www.teach-nology.com/teachers/special_ed/

Teaching Art to Students With Special Needs - page by Sara Green
http://www.saragreen.net/mh.html

National Arts and Disability Center:
http://nadc.ucla.edu/
ArtExpress - Lessons Adaptable to children with disabilities:
http://www.harcourtschool.com/menus/art_express.html

Adapting Art Materials for Children with Disabilities:

http://www.wiu.edu/users/mfkls1/artexpress/adaptat.html

Special Education and the Arts
http://www.southernct.edu/~gerber/SEDarts/index.htm [Archive]
On this site is an extensive list of resources:
http://www.southernct.edu/~gerber/SEDarts/SEDArts%20References.htm [Archive]

Organizations:
http://www.southernct.edu/~gerber/SEDarts/SEDArtsOrganizations.htm [Archive]
Teaching Art Safely to the Disabled
VSA arts:

http://www.vsarts.org/

Teaching Special Needs Kids - Online Resources from Education World:
http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/curr139.shtml

Arts & Activities article: Making art activities work for students with special needs by Anne Vize (Archive)

Creativity Explored - nonprofit visual arts center where artists with developmental disabilities create, exhibit, and sell art.
Artists with Disabilities
Dan Keplinger - He calls himself King Gimp. Visit the Virtual Gallery and be awed.

Brett Eastburn - He was my art student when he was in 4th grade. He is now a motivational speaker.

Books:
Exceptional Children: Exceptional Art : Teaching Art to Special Needs
by Authors: David R. Henle y
The Power of the Arts: Creative Strategies for Teaching Exceptional Learners
By Sally L. Smith

Flag House is an organization and a catalog for activities and supplies for disabled student/people.
http://www.flaghouse.com
Another resource

http://www.enablingdevices.com/
CATALOGS FOR EDUCATORS of the disabled:
Flag House

800-793-7900

Greystone Educational Materials

1-800-733-0671

P.O Box 86

Scandia, MN 55073

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Working with Special Needs Students in Art

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
On this page are teacher ideas for working with students with special needs. Our special needs kids do really well with clay.Â Depending on their level, some just come in and pound on it. Their aids help them to build projects.

# data[].attributes.body
Browse by grade

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
PBS LearningMedia | Teaching Resources For Students And Teachers

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Inspire your students with thousands of free teaching resources including videos, lesson plans, and games aligned to state and national standards.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
New for this week: a level 3 podcast
►The new normal

How has life changed after the pandemic?

Follow the pie team on their travels and learn English
along the way

Podcasts in English are not just listening activities for efl and esl students to improve their conversation. The worksheets and transcripts provide valuable English language lessons for learners and teachers of English at all levels.

Many thanks to partnersinrhyme for the jingle on our podcasts and
Philip Halling for the banner photo.

Our partner sites:

hire essay writers online at EssayPro

Check your IELTS writing online - Boost your IELTS Band Score with IELTS Writing Pro, the most advanced IELTS writing checker.

Essaypro.app - best app that writes essays for you

Write My Paper: Get help from WritePaper.com

Try writers per hour when you need help with English essay writing.

Many students rely on reviews to find the best paper writing services that can help them excel in their academic pursuits.

Did you know..?

You too can advertise your site here on pie.

contact us here

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Learn English and listen to English with podcasts in English

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The podcast site for people to learn and teach English

# data[].attributes.body
Exemplar Site

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Franklin Public Schools schools a nd all school-related activities will be closed from

# data[].attributes.body
Exemplar

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
3.26.2020Added National Emergency Library link on the digital resources page.

3.25.2020Added Design Squad Nation from PBS Learning Media on the additional activities page.
Added The 10 Best Educationl YouTube Channels for Kids on the additional activities page.
Added Tools to Create an Active Home link on the Wellness page under curriculum.
Added Everfi link and registration information on the digital resources page.

3.24.2020Added Time for Kids link on the additional activities page.
Added Oceans Initiative Virtual Marine Biology camp link to additional activities page.
Added Free Tech for Learning to the additional activities page.

3.23.2020Added additional learning links to the Little Lancers Preschool page.
Added a Preschool Corona Virus social story presentation to the Little Lancers Preschool page.
Added Free Online Activities Kids Can Do At Home link to the additional activities page.

3.22.2020 Added Kids workouts to do at home on wellness page.
Added Play to Learn preschool Facebook group link on Little Lancers page.
Added new Virtual Tours page under curriculum topics.
Added 26 Best Podcasts for Kids on additional activities page.
Added 450 online courses you can take for free on high school and additional resources pages.

3.21.2020Added Hogwarts Digital Escape Room on additional activities page.
Added the NPS Shares page which allows staff and students to record a short video message for the NPS community.

3.20.2020 Added Family Guides to the Massachusetts Curriculum Standards on digital resources page.
Fixed incorrect link on WGBH icon on digital resources page.
Added information to the main page regarding free access to Xfinity hotspots and Comcast Internet Essentials program.

3.19.2020Added link to free audiobooks from Audible on digital resources page.
Added genius hour project on family projects page.
Added WGBH link on digital resources page.
Improved navigation by adding collapsible text on multiple pages.
Added wellness page under curriculum topics.
Added Elementary, Middle School, and High School resources from MA School Administrators' Association under curriculum topics.
Added Ideas for fun, meaningful, & generally pixel free at home learning sheet on additional activities page.
Added various new resource links on additional activities page.
Added 30 day Lego challenge guide on additional activities page.
Added home learning choice boards on K-2 learning activities page (under curriculum topics).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
3.26.2020Added National Emergency Library link on the digital resources page. 3.25.2020Added Design Squad Nation from PBS Learning Media on the additional activities page. Added The 10 Best Educationl YouTube Channels for Kids on the additional activities page. Added Tools to Create an Active Home link on the Wellness page under curriculum.

# data[].attributes.body
Planning for School Closures

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
These 12 Famous Museums Offer Virtual Tours You Can Take on Your Couch

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Google teamed up with more than 1,200 museums and galleries around the world to bring anyone and everyone virtual tours and online exhibits of some of the most famous museums around the world.

# data[].attributes.body
Breathe

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
When Carla brings weird sandwiches to school, her classmates have plenty to say about them. "That's sick!" says Leslie. "That's disgusting!" says Natie. But Carla thinks otherwise. "It's unique. It's creative." Just like Carla. Although she is teased and even ignored by her classmates, Carla's strong inner sense of uniqueness eventually wins them over. Wacky sandwiches, wacky illustrations and kid-true dialogue make this book's message of acceptance, tolerance and the importance of individuality extremely palatable. And who knows? Carla's Sandwich may even help parents with that ever present dilemma - what to pack for school lunch!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
'Carla's Sandwich' read by Allison Janney

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
When Carla brings weird sandwiches to school, her classmates have plenty to say about them. "That's sick!" says Leslie. "That's disgusting!" says Natie. But Carla thinks otherwise."It's unique. It's creative." Just like Carla.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Support for Smithsonian's History Explorer is provided by the Verizon Foundation

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Teaching Tools | Resources for Teachers from Scholastic

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Do2Learn began in 1996 through a National Institutes of Health Small Business Innovative Research grant. Our team searches out the most talented and creative teachers and clinicians across the world. These gifted individuals work with our technical experts to transfer their knowledge into formats that we can make available to you.
Since beginning, we have grown into a world-wide resource with over 11 million hits a month. While based in North Carolina, approximately half of our users are from outside of the U.S. Thousands of sites link to us and we can be easily found on most search engines using topics such as 'picture cards', 'facial expressions', and 'job tips'. We hope you find our resources helpful and pass on our link to others.
We believe that simply telling busy teachers, parents, and professionals what they should be doing is not enough. If we explain how to devise a visual communication system using picture cards, we provide free cards to get you started.

When we present the Teacher Toolbox on how to adapt a classroom for children with special needs, we provide resources for behavior management plans, literacy tools, and the materials to create everything in your classroom.

Our approach is to use the latest technology and expert guidance to create innovative and usable solutions.

Learn about DiagnoseFirst, our newest project to help teachers and clinicians recognize the symptoms of ASD.

Pre-employment screening assessments are online or paper tests that some companies require applicants to complete during the application process. Read more about JobTIPS Student Version!

JobTIPS Toolbox PRO is filled with resources to help you coach your students through the challenges of assessing their skills, finding and applying for jobs, and practicing the social skills needed to do well in the workplace.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
picture exchange communication system cards

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Do2Learn: Educational Resources for Special Needs

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
picture communication cards, songs, games and learning activities for autism, aspergers, fetal alcohol syndrome and disabilities

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Raise a reader by getting the best book recommendations, reading tips, and discounts delivered straight to your inbox.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Calm is the #1 app for sleep and meditation. Join the millions experiencing better sleep, lower stress, and less anxiety.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Explore guided exercises, videos, and more to help you get healthier and happier.

Just 10 days of Headspace can increase happiness by 16%.

Connect with friends and over 60 million people benefiting from mindfulness.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Meditation and Sleep Made Simple - Headspace

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Explore guided exercises, videos, and more to help you get healthier and happier. Just 10 days of Headspace can increase happiness by 16%. Connect with friends and over 60 million people benefiting from mindfulness.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
60-Second Civics

About the Podcast: 60-Second Civics is a daily podcast that provides a quick and convenient way for listeners to learn about our nation's government, the Constitution, and our history. The podcast explores themes related to civics and government, the constitutional issues behind the headlines, and the people and ideas that formed our nation's history and government.

60-Second Civics is produced by the Center for Civic Education. The show's content is primarily derived from the Center's education for democracy curricula, including We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution, Foundations of Democracy, and Elements of Democracy.

Subscribe: It's easy to subscribe! Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or subscribe via RSS.

Get Involved: Join the conversation about each episode on Twitter. Or you can contact the show by emailing Mark Gage. Let me know what you think!

You Can Help: 60-Second Civics is supported by private donations. You can help keep the podcasts coming by donating, buying an ebook, or by writing a nice review in iTunes to help others discover the show. We love our listeners. You are the reason we created the podcast. Thank you for your kind support! The theme music for 60-Second Civics is provided by Cheryl B. Engelhardt. You can find her online at cbemusic.com. The song featured on the podcast is Cheryl B. Engelhardt's " Complacent," which you purchase on iTunes, along with all of Cheryl's music.

Looking for a particular episode? Search by keyword here:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
60-Second Civics About the Podcast: 60-Second Civics is a daily podcast that provides a quick and convenient way for listeners to learn about our nation's government, the Constitution, and our history. The podcast explores themes related to civics and government, the constitutional issues behind the headlines, and the people and ideas that formed our nation's history and government.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A Free and Online, Collaboratively Built American History Textbook

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Ken Burns in the Classroom | PBS LearningMedia

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Ken Burns and his collaborators have been creating historical documentary films for more than forty years. Known for a signature style that brings primary source documents, images, and archival video footage to life on screen, these films present the opportunity to pose thought-provoking questions for students, and introduce new ideas, perspectives, and primary sources.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
"kids yoga" "yoga for kids" "yoga for children yoga story for kids" "children's yoga" "yoga adventure for kids" "kindergarten yoga" "preschool yoga" "kids me...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
YOGA | MINDFULNESS | RELAXATION FOR KIDS! Screentime that gives kids SUPERPOWERS! ⬇️ D O W N L O A D T H E C O S M I C K I D S A P P ⬇️ 🍏Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/cosmic-kids/ 🛍️Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cosmickids 🖥️ Desktop (great for teachers!): https://app.cosmickids.com/ 📺 Roku: https://rb.gy/44r8d -------------------------------------------------------------------- Why watch on the App?

# data[].attributes.body
Description: A fun and interactive way to practice your shapes, numbers and exercise

What you need: A deck or card and space to exercise

Directions: Place your deck of cards face down on a flat surface. First player picks a card: the group does the corresponding exercises.  If you finish the deck, try playing round 2 by multiplying by 2 and so on.  Have fun!

·    RED (2-10) = That many - Jumping Jacks

·    Black (2-10) = That many - Mountain Climbers

·    J, Q, or K = 11, 12-13 Leg Lifts

·    A = 10 Burpees

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Learn about math and play games with your favorite characters like Odd Squad, Curious George, Peg + Cat, and Dinosaur Train!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Information and resources for teachers and parents

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Math Games, Math Worksheets and Practice Quizzes

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Math games online that practice math skills using fun interactive content. Over 1000 free skill testing apps and games - tablet and chromebook friendly.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
MathBitsNotebook - On-Line Study Resources for High School Mathematics

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
On-Line Study Mathematical Resources for High School Students. NY Next Generation Standards and more, JrMath, Algebra 1, Geoemtry, Algebra 2, other levels to follow.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Here's how nearly one million teachers use Prodigy in the classroom at no cost!

Help students master math standards with a fun and engaging gameplay experience

Adjust and align Prodigy's in-game math content with your lesson plans

Track student development to decide where to best spend your time

No trial period, no hidden costs for educators. Our optional parent memberships ensure Prodigy stays free for all teachers.

Prodigy for Teachers

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Here's how nearly one million teachers use Prodigy in the classroom at no cost! Help students master math standards with a fun and engaging gameplay experience Adjust and align Prodigy's in-game math content with your lesson plans Track student development to decide where to best spend your time No trial period, no hidden costs for educators.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Interactive Math Activities, Demonstrations, Lessons with definitions and examples, worksheets, Interactive Activities and other Resources

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Mathwarehouse.com--a website dedicated to Math lessons, demonstrations, interactive activities and online quizzes on all areas of geometry, algebra and trigonometry.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Illuminations Home - National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Sumdog - Personalised maths and spelling practice that children love!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Sumdog's maths and spelling adaptive learning games for children aged 5-14 boost engagement and fluency. See how Sumdog can have an impact in your school!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Introduction: Crash Course U.S. Government and Politics

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Explore all Collections on Google Arts & Culture.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In this new Private i History Detectives unit, Elementary students analyze primary sources to discover how Constitutional Amendments attempted to address slavery's wrongs, how the courts challenged unfair laws, and how individuals and groups fought for civil rights.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In this new Private i History Detectives unit, Elementary students analyze primary sources to discover how Constitutional Amendments attempted to address slavery's wrongs, how the courts challenged unfair laws, and how individuals and groups fought for civil rights.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Experiment Library | Science Experiments | Steve Spangler Science

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
For those of you who couldn't join us on Facebook this week (@spanglerscience), we've been working hard to provide fun and amazing at home experiences to those who have been impacted by the current events.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Experiments you should try at home featuring topics from the Bill Nye The Science Guy show.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Math explained in easy language, plus puzzles, games, worksheets and an illustrated dictionary. For K-12 kids, teachers and parents.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
GRACE Gorilla Forest Corridor | Explore.org

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Watch live video of gorillas at the Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education Center (GRACE) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Africa. Watch as the gorilla's pass through, graze on vegetation, and make their nest for their overnight slumber

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
By converting our sims to HTML5, we make them seamlessly available across platforms and devices. Whether you have laptops, iPads, chromebooks, or BYOD, your favorite PhET sims are always right at your fingertips.Become part of our mission today, and transform the learning experiences of students everywhere!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Science News Explores publishes news from all fields of science for students from middle school and up, with resources for parents and educators.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Use logic to solve visual, interactive mathematical puzzles. Create your own puzzles to share with your friends or the SolveMe Community.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
We welcome links to ReadWriteThink.org from school, classroom, educational, and personal websites that are freely available to the public. You do not need to formally request permission for these links, but we ask that you abide by the terms below.

Acknowledgement:

Terms of use:

Cost:

Access/review: Please reply with the specific URL(s) where our information will reside so that we may review the context and confirm the purpose.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We welcome links to ReadWriteThink.org from school, classroom, educational, and personal websites that are freely available to the public. You do not need to formally request permission for these links, but we ask that you abide by the terms below.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
BrainPOP - Animated Educational Site for Kids - Science, Social Studies, English, Math, Arts & Music, Health, and Technology

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Story Starters: Creative Writing Prompts for Kids | Scholastic.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Scholastic’s Story Starters kids’ writing activity generates creative writing prompts, from general fiction to adventure, fantasy, and science fiction.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
IXL | Math, Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, and Spanish

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
IXL is the world's most popular subscription-based learning site for K-12. Used by over 8,000,000 students, IXL provides personalized learning in more than 8,000 topics, covering math, language arts, science, social studies, and Spanish. Interactive questions, awards, and certificates keep kids motivated as they master skills.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Free art lessons, design lessons, and art appreciation for all.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Artyfactory offers Free Art Lessons, Design Lessons and Art Appreciation for art teachers, art students and artists of all ages.

# data[].attributes.body
You Tube Art Channel

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Discover the world of art in a fun and easy way. Explore and learn about some of the most famous works from the Gallery's collection, make your own art, and share it with friends. The NGAkids Art Zone app for iPad lets you explore your inner artist.

Description

The NGAkids Art Zone app has eight interactive activities inspired by works in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, plus a sketchbook for freehand drawing and a personal exhibition space where users can save and display art created with the program. The child-friendly interface, easy-to-use tools, and the overarching emphasis on discovery, careful looking, and artistic self-expression make the NGAkids app educational and fun for the whole family.

NGAkids activities are designed for children to use-unassisted-in a recreational, nonacademic context. They are not art lessons, although our programs are extremely popular in schools and are often used as an adjunct to the traditional curriculum. The low-key activities preserve a sense of quiet exploration that encourages artistic expression and creativity. This absorbing, self-directed interaction has a long-term impact. The fact that children are encouraged to figure out how things work and to mentor each other adds a unique dimension to the experience, one that sparks a personal connection to art that often lasts a lifetime.

If you share artistic creations made with our app on social media, please be sure to include the hashtag #ngakids. We look forward to seeing what you make!

Don't have an iPad? Email [email protected] for the PC version of these interactives.

Special Features

The NGAkids app provides an immersive experience as children visit a virtual art museum and explore a variety of works spanning more than 300 years of art history. High-resolution graphics, careful attention to detail, and exposure to a variety of subjects, painting styles, and techniques help convey an authentic understanding of the artistic process and reinforce their familiarity with the fundamental elements of art. Although not games in the traditional sense, unexpected animation and audio features enliven the programs and help make learning fun.

There are 10 sections to explore:

* Portrait
* Landscape
* Seascape
* Still Life
* Action Painting
* Exploring Color
* Color Field
* Collage
* Sketchbook
* My Art Gallery

Works of art by a wide range of artists-including Edward Hicks, Fitz Henry Lane, Berthe Morisot, Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, Mark Rothko, Josef Albers, and Robert Rauschenberg, along with several anonymous American naive painters-serve as inspirational models.

The National Gallery of Art is committed to producing quality children's programming that provides informative, entertaining, and age-appropriate content for kids of all ages. We hope you and your children enjoy the NGAkids app, and we invite you to plan an in-person visit to the Gallery, where many of the original works of art that inspired this program are on display.

NGAkids is supported in part by a generous grant from the Ruth S. Willoughby Foundation. Apple, the Apple logo, and iPad are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc.
Additional Resources

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Discover the world of art in a fun and easy way. Explore and learn about some of the most famous works from the Gallery's collection, make your own art, and share it with friends. The NGAkids Art Zone app for iPad lets you explore your inner artist.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Support for Smithsonian's History Explorer is provided by the Verizon Foundation

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
museum fine arts boston museums art massachusetts mfa

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Open to infinite possibilities inspired by art, together we're creating a community where all belong.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Kid Should See This: Educational videos for curious kids of all ages, a free resource for parents & teachers. Science, art, nature, animals, & more.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
"science videos" science "science education" "science literacy" veritasium misconceptions physics education astronomy "science songs" chemistry biology teach...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
An element of truth - videos about science, education, and anything else I find interesting.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
During these turbulent times, many authors are jumping in to connect with readers. Author Laura Shovan has launched a movement of authors willing to connect via snail mail. Below, you can find a list of authors willing to participate and write back to students. Happy writing! ✏️

List of Authors

Laura Shovan

Author of Takedown & The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary

Laura Shovan
P.O. Box 203
Highland MD 20777

Susan Muaddi Darraj

Author of the Farah Rocks series

Susan Muaddi Darraj
Po Box 474
Phoenix MD 21131

Chris Grabenstein

Author of the Mr. Lemoncello's Library series

Planetarium Station
PO Box 1050
NY, NY 10024

MarcyKate Connolly

Author of the Shadow Weaver series

MarcyKate Connolly
PO Box 180
N. Billerica, MA 01862

Rachel Toalson

Author of The Colors of the Rain & The Woods

Rachel Toalson
PO Box 591596
San Antonio, TX 78259

Nanci Turner Steveson

Author of Lizzie Flying Solo

Nanci Turner Steveson
PO Box 3195
Jackson, WY 83001

Jess Rinker

Author of Gloria Takes a Stand

Jess Rinker
PO Box 221
Old Fields, WV 26845

S.A. Larsen

Author of Motley Education

Sheri Larsen (S.A. Larsen)
1110 Kennedy Memorial Drive
Oakland, Maine 04963

Randi Sonenshine

Author of The Nest That Wren Built

Randi Sonenshine
489 Waterford Dr
Cartersville, GA 30120

randi@randisonenshine.com

Jane Koluth

Author of Anne Frank's Chestnut Tree

120 Brook St.
Holliston, MA 01746

Email: jane@janekohuth.com

Laurie Morrison

Author of Up for Air

Laurie Morrison
800 N 2nd Street, PMB 238
Philadelphia, PA 19123

Erin Teagan

Author of Survivor Girl

Erin Teagan
PO Box 2364
Purcellville VA 20134

Allison Ofanansky

Author of The Patchwork Torah, the Nature in Israel series and the How It's Made series

Allison Ofanansky
POB 134
Tzfat, Israel 13401

Joanne Levy

Author of Crushing It

Joanne Levy
PO Box 153
Clinton, ON N0M 1L0, Canada

Lisa Schroeder

Author of Wish on All the Stars

Lisa Schroeder
6107 SW Murray Blvd. #204
Beaverton, OR 97008

Lynne Kelly

Author of Song for a Whale

Lynne Kelly
PO Box 8293
Spring, TX 77387

Anica Mrose Rissi

Author of the Anna, Banana series

Anica Mrose Rissi
P.O. Box 581
Princeton, NJ 08542

Stephanie Ward

Author of Arabella and the Magic Pencil

Stephanie Ward
Flat 7
59 Netherhall Gardens
London NW35RE U.K.

More Authors

The authors below (listed in alphabetical order) are sharing their mailing addresses via direct message (DM) on Twitter or via email. Feel free to reach out for their addresses!

Tina Athaide, author of Orange for the Sunsets - @tathaide

Shannon Anderson, author of Coasting Casey - @shannonteaches

Chris Baron, author of All of Me - @baronchrisbaron

Elisa Boxer, author of The Voice That Won The Vote - @eboxer

Leslie Bulion, author of Amphibian Acrobats - @LeslieBulion

Kathleen Burkinshaw, author of The Last Cherry Blossom - klburkinshaw@gmail.com

Danielle Cohen Joseph, author of Tap Tap - Danielle@daniellejoseph.com

Abby Cooper, author of Sticks & Stones - @_ACoops_

Trevor D, author of I Am Me - trevord.author@gmail.com

Erin Dealey, author of Snow Globe Wishes - @ErinDealey

Natalie Dias Lorenzi, author of Flying the Dragon & A Long Pitch Home - @NatalieLorenzi

Rebecca Donnelly, author of Green Machine - @_becca_donnelly

Maria Faust Bostian, author of Fraidy Brady and the First Field Trip - mjbostian@gmail.com

Lija Fisher, author of The Cryptid Catcher - @LijaFisher

Heidi Fishman, author of Tutti's Promise - kheidifishmanauthor@gmail.com

Carol Gordon Ekster, author of You Know What? - @cekster

Lee Gjertsen Malone, author of Camp Shady Crook - LeeGjertsenMalone@gmail.com

Gila Green, author of No Entry - see contact form at gilagreenwrites.com

Shari Green, author of Root Beer Candy & Other Miracles - @sharigreen

Evelyn Kreiger, author of One is Not a Lonely Number - contact via website at EvelynKrieger.net

Sarah Lamstein, author of Big Night for Salamanders - sarahm45@aol.com

Lindsay Leslie, author of This Book is Spineless - @LLeslie

Caitlin Lochner, author of A Soldier and a Liar - @CaiLochner

Mariama Lockington, author of For Black Girls Like Me - mariamalockington@gmail.com

Amy Losak, author of H is for Haiku - Losak@optonline.net

Gina Loveless, author of Diary of a 5th Grade Outlaw - @lovelesswriting

Tammy Lyon, illustrator of Katie Woo series - @TammieLyon or tammielyon@gmail.com

Sue Macy, author of The Book Rescuer - @suemacy1 or sue@suemacy.com

Tracey Meltzer Kyle, author of Pepe and the Parade - TraceyKyleAuthor@gmail.com

Naomi Milliner, author of Super Jake and the King of Chaos - naomiwm@verizon.net

Anne Marie Pace, author of Vampirina Ballerina - annemarie@annemariepace.com

Mary Quattlebaum, author of Pirate vs. Pirate - mary@maryquattlebaum.com

Stacey Ramey, author of It's My Life - @stacieramey or stacieswritinglife@gmail.com

Amanda Rawson Hill, author of The Three Rules of Everyday Magic - @amandarhill32

Madelyn Rosenberg, author of Cyclops of Central Park - @madrosenberg or madelynruth@gmail.com

Victoria Sanchez, author of Pilar's Worries - @victoriasansays

Bracha K. Sharp, author of The Challah Girl - contact via website https://www.brachaksharp.com/contact-me

Kate Szegda, author of Pharmacy Girl - Kate@Kateszegda.com

Sasha Thomas, author of The Slug Queen Chronicles - @ichigoblack

Rosanne Tolin, author of More than Marmalade: Michael Bond and the Story of Paddington Bear - @roseannegtolin

Beth Vrabel, author of The Newspaper Club - @beth_vrabel

Rozanne Weissman, author of Rozanne Travels to Africa to Kiss a Giraffe - RWCommerce@gmail.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
#WriteToAnAuthor: Connecting with Authors by Letter * Reading Connects Us

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
During these turbulent times, many authors are jumping in to connect with readers. Author Laura Shovan has launched a movement of authors willing to connect via snail mail. Below, you can find a list of authors willing to participate and write back to students. Happy writing!

# data[].attributes.body
Meteorology, astronomy, geology

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
By converting our sims to HTML5, we make them seamlessly available across platforms and devices. Whether you have laptops, iPads, chromebooks, or BYOD, your favorite PhET sims are always right at your fingertips.Become part of our mission today, and transform the learning experiences of students everywhere!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Browse different examples of Newsela content custom made for specific subjects and reading levels. Find content for social studies, science, ELA, SEL and more.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Virtual Labs [Internet]. Salt Lake City (UT): Genetic Science Learning Center; 2018 [cited 2023 Nov 7] Available from https://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/labs/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Hundreds of Simulations

Explore physics, chemistry, biology,
biotechnology, and nanotechnology.

Embedded Assessments

Real-time reports provide a complete view of student learning progression.

Create and Customize

Customize any model or create one from scratch with powerful modeling tools.

Three Views of MW

Senior Scientist and Molecular Workbench Developer Charles Xie, Researcher and Manager Amy Pallant, and Technology and Curriculum Developer Dan Damelin describe the history of Molecular Workbench and our vision for the future.
Watch the Video
Selected Curriculum Modules

Transistor

STM

Semiconductor

Plasma

Molecular Rover

Chemical Bonding

Chemical Resp.

Diffusion

Heat & Temperature

Electrostatics

Phase Change

DNA to Protein

Mission: Immunity

Lipids & Carbs

Tree of Life

Proteins & DNA

Harvest Light

Quantum Mechanics

Crystallography

ELISA

STM

Transistor

Plasma

Semiconductor

Create Your Own Simulations

MW is not just a collection of simulations -do not be deceived by first glance. While it presents many existing simulations that are ready to use in the classroom, it is, however, also a modeling tool for teachers and students to create their own simulations and share them with collaborators. There are very sophisticated modeling capacities hidden behind its simple user interface that empower you to create new simulations and even explore the unknowns. (Because of the experimental and computational nature of this kind of simulations, we prefer to call them computational experiments.)

Create Your Own Curriculum Modules

A simulation without instructional support is difficult for students to use. An optimal way of using simulations is to embed them into curriculum materials. MW has an authoring system for teachers and curriculum developers to create or customize their own online lessons that use models and simulations. A typical MW module is a comprehensive learning package consisting of a series of scaffolded pages that contain text, simulations, tools, controls, graphs, navigation links, and embedded assessments. The user interfaces of simulations in MW can be customized for students of different levels (grades 6-16). This unique feature enables it to support a wide range of instructional strategies such as inquiry-based, discovery-based, and problem-based learning.

Fun Stuff

Electrostatic Maze

3D Maze

Roving Nanogear

Block Feeder

Probability Machine

Dainty Walker

Water Wheels

Pump Jack

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Molecular Workbench provides visual, interactive computational experiments for teaching and learning science.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
From reptiles and amphibians to fish, birds and mammals, meet the animals at the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.

# data[].attributes.body
Smithsonian Resources

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Fun Stuff for Kids and Teens | Smithsonian Institution

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Entertaining activities, games, and fun stuff to do online from the Smithsonian's museums, research centers, and zoo.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Our health system will not be able to cope with the projected numbers of people who will need acute care should we not muster the fortitude and will to socially distance each other starting now. On a regular day, we have about 45,000 staffed ICU beds nationally, which can be ramped up in a crisis to about 95,000. Even moderate projections suggest that if current infectious trends hold, our capacity (locally and nationally) may be overwhelmed as early as mid-late April. Thus, the only strategies that can get us off this concerning trajectory are those that enable us to work together as a community to maintain public health by staying apart.

The wisdom, and necessity, of this more aggressive, early, and extreme form of social distancing can be found here. I would urge you to take a minute to walk through the interactive graphs - they will drive home the point about what we need to do now to avoid a worse crisis later. Historical lessons and experiences of countries worldwide have shown us that taking these actions early can have a dramatic impact on the magnitude of the outbreak. So what does this enhanced form of social distancing mean on a daily basis, when schools are cancelled?

Here are some steps you can start taking now to keep your family safe and do your part to avoid a worsening crisis:

A local, town by town response won't have the adequate needed effect. We need a statewide, nationwide approach in these trying times. Contact your representative and your governor to urge them to enact statewide closures. As of today, six states have already done so. Your state should be one of them. Also urge leaders to increase funds for emergency preparedness and make widening coronavirus testing capacity an immediate and top priority. We also need legislators to enact better paid sick leave and unemployment benefits to help nudge people to make the right call to stay at home right now.

This sounds extreme because it is. We are trying to create distance between family units and between individuals. It may be particularly uncomfortable for families with small children, kids with differential abilities or challenges, and for kids who simply love to play with their friends. But even if you choose only one friend to have over, you are creating new links and possibilities for the type of transmission that all of our school/work/public event closures are trying to prevent. The symptoms of coronavirus take four to five days to manifest themselves. Someone who comes over looking well can transmit the virus. Sharing food is particularly risky - I definitely do not recommend that people do so outside of their family.

We have already taken extreme social measures to address this serious disease - let's not actively co-opt our efforts by having high levels of social interaction at people's houses instead of at schools or workplaces. Again - the wisdom of early and aggressive social distancing is that it can flatten the curve above, give our health system a chance to not be overwhelmed, and eventually may reduce the length and need for longer periods of extreme social distancing later (see what has transpired in Italy and Wuhan). We need to all do our part during these times, even if it means some discomfort for a while.

Exercise, take walks/runs outside, and stay connected through phone, video, and other social media. But when you go outside, do your best to maintain at least six feet between you and non-family members. If you have kids, try not to use public facilities like playground structures, as coronavirus can live on plastic and metal for two to three days, and these structures aren't getting regularly cleaned.

Going outside will be important during these strange times, and the weather is improving. Go outside every day if you are able, but stay physically away from people outside your family or roommates. If you have kids, try playing a family soccer game instead of having your kids play with other kids, since sports often mean direct physical contact with others. And though we may wish to visit elders in our community in person, I would not visit nursing homes or other areas where large numbers of the elderly reside, as they are at highest risk for complications and mortality from coronavirus.

Social distancing can take a toll (after all, most of us are social creatures). The CDC offers tips and resources to reduce this burden, and other resources offer strategies to cope with the added stress during this time.

We need to find alternate ways to reduce social isolation within our communities through virtual means instead of in-person visits.

Of course trips to the grocery store will be necessary, but try to limit them and go at times when they are less busy. Consider asking grocery stores to queue people at the door in order to limit the number of people inside a store at any one time. Remember to wash your hands thoroughly before and after your trip. And leave the medical masks and gloves for the medical professionals - we need them to care for those who are sick. Maintain distance from others while shopping - and remember that hoarding supplies negatively impacts others so buy what you need and leave some for everyone else. Take-out meals and food are riskier than making food at home given the links between the people who prepare food, transport the food, and you. It is hard to know how much that risk is, but it is certainly higher than making it at home. But you can and should continue to support your local small businesses (especially restaurants and other retailers) during this difficult time by buying gift certificates online that you can use later.

If you are sick, you should try to isolate yourself from the rest of your family within your residence as best as you can. If you have questions about whether you qualify or should get a coronavirus test, you can call your primary care team and/or consider calling the Massachusetts Department of Public Health at 617.983.6800 (or your state's department of health if you are outside of Massachusetts). Don't just walk into an ambulatory clinic - call first so that they can give you the best advice - which might be to go to a drive-through testing center or a virtual visit on video or phone. Of course, if it is an emergency call 911.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Social Distancing: This is Not a Snow Day

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Our health system will not be able to cope with the projected numbers of people who will need acute care should we not muster the fortitude and will to socially distance each other starting now. On a regular day, we have about 45,000 staffed ICU beds nationally, which can be ramped up in a crisis to about 95,000.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Hour of Code

This year, we're taking Hour of Code to new heights by offering coding opportunities that encompass both artificial intelligence (AI) and non-AI components.

Want to keep learning? Go beyond an hour

Teachers: Host an hour or read the How-To Guide

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Use computer science to explore and learn about AI!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Learning Resources | Boston Children's Museum

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Children spend their whole day learning, and Boston Children's Museum provides resources for families and educators to help support that continuous discovery. Our long history of working with educators dates back to our earliest days - the Museum was actually founded by Boston science teachers in 1913.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Bring TED-Ed Student Talks to Your School

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Transform your classroom with TED-Ed! Discover hundreds of animated lessons, create customized lessons, and inspire your students to share their big ideas.

# data[].attributes.headline
Ancient Civilizations - games, quizzes, resources 

# data[].attributes.subject
Ancient Civilizations - games, quizzes, resources 

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Archaeologists and scientists look for ways to learn about ancient people by studying their geography, government, religion, inventions, and daily life, to discover how people lived and what they accomplished thousands of years ago. Archaeologists have learned a great deal about these early civilizations from the artifacts (man-made objects) they left behind. Come meet your ancestors. We think you'll find them amazing!

Lesson Plans, Classroom Activities, Simulations, and Learning Modules Authored by Us

Mr. Donn's Ancient History Lessons and Activities

Ancient Mesopotamia: Ancient Mesopotamia Unit

Ancient Mesopotamia: Translators Needed: Apply Within (Cuneiform Lesson Plan)

Ancient Egypt: Stump the Audience, 1-2 class periods, group activity, Daily Life

Ancient Egypt: Pharaoh's Fun House Concluding Activity

Ancient Egypt: Egypt Bingo Review game

Ancient Greece: Ancient Greek Olympics Mini-Unit: A Simulation for the Classroom (3-5 days) with city-state backgrounds, and events

Ancient Greece: Socrates, Classroom Activity (2-3 class periods, 55 minutes each) Mock Trial

Ancient Greece: Early & Classical Greece Units

Ancient Rome: Can you save the Roman Republic? Lesson Plan, Ancient Rome.

Ancient Rome: Gossip at the Forum, A Play for the Classroom (every student has a part)

Ancient Rome: Emperors - What Makes a Good Leader? Classroom Activity

Ancient Rome: First Unit Test: Ancient Rome

Ancient China: Buddhist, Taoist, Confucianist, Legalist; How would each behave when faced with the same problems? Lesson Plan

Ancient China: Debates on Censorship: (2-3 days) Qin (Ch'in) Dynasty, debate set in modern times, Classroom Activity

Ancient China: What is the difference between a proverb and a fable? (1-2 class periods)

Ancient China: The Silk Road Game (1-2 class periods)

Feudal Japan: Samurai, Peasant, Artisan, Merchant, Simulation, Game

Lesson Ideas (some ours, some emailed to us) Easy to implement and very creative.

Mrs. Donn's Ancient Civilizations for Kids

The Life & Times of Early Man

Daily Life in Ancient Civilizations (Index)

Daily Life in Ancient Mesopotamia/Sumer/Babylon/Assyria

Daily Life in Ancient Egypt

Daily Life in Ancient Ireland, Scotland, Wales (Iron Age Celts)

Daily Life in Ancient Greece

Daily Life in Ancient Rome

Daily Life in Ancient China

Daily Life in Ancient India

Daily Life in Ancient Mongolia

Daily Life in the Middle Ages

Daily Life in Medieval Africa - Ghana, Mali, Songhay, Benin

The Inca Empire (the Incas)

The Maya Empire (The Mayas)

Native Americans in Olden Times

Deep in the Tombs of Egypt Two of our people have disappeared - Deep in the Tombs of Egypt!

The Three Teachings (Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism)

Ancient Roots, Modern Holidays Mini-histories, lesson ideas, activities for the classroom for holidays

Ancient Money - How Money Started

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

Classroom Activities and Project Ideas

Free Presentations in PowerPoint format
retold by Lin Donn
Ancient Civilizations
Early Humans
Rameses II (Egypt)
Hermes & Apollo (Greece)

Aesop and His Fables

The Fox and the Crow

The Fox and Sick Lion

Nero at the Circus Maximus (Rome)

Nero Goes Insane (Rome)

Mercury & Apollo (Rome)
Ancient Chinese Dragons (China) The Story of Mulan (China)
Warrior Well (China/Mongolia)

The Seven Wonders

Great Pyramid at Giza

Hanging Gardens of Babylon

Statue of Zeus at Olympia

Temple of Artemis at Ephesus

Mausoleum at Halicarnassus

Colossus of Rhodes

Lighthouse at Alexandria
The Most Ancient Race, the San People The Americas (North, South, and Central America)
The Hero Twins (Mayas)

The Invisible Warrior (Woodland Indians, A Cinderella Story)
Wise Owl (Northeast Woodland Indians, an Iroquois Myth)
Clever Coyote (Plains Indians, a Buffalo Story)

Child of Water & Little Blue Rock (Southwest Indians, An Apache Myth)
How Raven Stole Crow's Potlatch (NW Pacific Coastal Indians) Holidays - Ancient Roots, Modern Holidays
Kwanzaa (African American)

Groundhog Day (American)

April Fool's (Many countries)
Halloween Bats The Ghost with the Most! AND MORE! (powerpoint index)
Stories told by Lin Donn

Anansi the Spider (Africa, Ghana)

Place of the Prickly Pear Cactus (Aztec)

Journey of a Princess (Aztec, grades 6-12)

Wise Owl (Native American, Iroquois Myth)

How Raven Stole Crow's Potlatch (Native American, Northwest Coastal Pacific Myth)

Clever Coyote (Native American, Comanche Buffalo Myth)

Child of Water and Little Blue Rock (Native American, Apache Myth)

Theseus and the Minotaur (Minoan/Greek)

Zeus, Hera, and Little Io (Greek Version)

The Oracle at Delphi (Greek Myth)

Hades and the King of Corinth (Greek Myth)

Apollo and Cassandra (Greek Myth)

Pandora's Box (Greek Myth)

Demeter and Persephone (Greek Myth)

Hercules (Greek Myth)

How Aphrodite Caused the Trojan War (Greek Myth)

Legend of the Trojan Horse (Greek Myth)

The Sun Chariot (Greek Myth)

Perseus, Andromeda, and the sea god, Poseidon (Greek myth)

The Cyclops Cave & The Sirens (Greek, from "The Odyssey" by Homer)

Loawnu the Wise Woman (Xia Times, Ancient China)

Wang the Peddler (Han Times, Ancient China)

The Legend of the Shadow Puppet (Han Times, Ancient China)

The Legend of Gilgamesh (Ancient Mesopotamia, Sumerian)

How Marduk Became the King of ALL the Gods (Ancient Mesopotamia, Babylonian)

Purim, The Story of Esther and an ancient Babylonian (Persian) King

The Legend of Romulus and Remus (Ancient Rome)

Horatius at the Bridge (Ancient Rome)

The Punic Wars & Hannibal of Carthage (Ancient Rome)

Jupiter, Juno, & Little Io (Roman Version)

Pluto & the King (Roman version)

Ceres & Proserpina (Roman version)

Venus & the Queen (Roman version)

The Warrior Well (Ancient Myth, Mongolia & China)

The Hero Twins (Maya)

Happy Together (Russian Folktale)
AND MORE!
These are activity and project ideas for kids and teachers to use in unit studies of ancient civilizations. These activities can be adjusted for any grade. We hope you'll find some ideas you can use.

Archaeology Classroom Activities & Projects

Early Humans Classroom Activities & Projects

Ancient Mesopotamia - Sumer, Babylon, Assyria - Classroom Activities
Ancient Egypt Classroom Activities & Projects Ancient Greece Classroom Activities & Projects Ancient Rome Classroom Activities & Projects

Mrs. Donn's Special Section: The Middle Ages for Kids

Medieval Europe for Kids

Anglo-Saxons

Vikings for Kids

Ancient Africa for Kids

Incredible Incas

Mysterious Mayas

Awesome Aztecs

We're Published!
"Your units are exactly what I had hoped for --
readable, interesting topics that fit my curriculum objectives
with lots of structured activities to bring it alive.
World History will be the class we all look forward to every day."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Ancient Civilizations for Kids and Teachers - Index - Ancient Civilizations for Kids and Teachers

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Archaeologists and scientists look for ways to learn about ancient people by studying their geography, government, religion, inventions, and daily life, to discover how people lived and what they accomplished thousands of years ago. Archaeologists have learned a great deal about these early civilizations from the artifacts (man-made objects) they left behind.

# data[].attributes.body
Ancient Civilizations

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Humans have a long and mysterious history. Many different types of people have worked together to figure out the mysteries of our past. Archeologists study early human history and ancient history by discovering artifacts that give us clues about our past. Historians study primary and secondary resources and connect ideas and make theories. Scientists use experiments to examine artifacts and test historical theories. Students, teachers, and citizens around the world study all the published work of archeologists, historians, and scientists to develop the current theories we have today. Millions of people of all ages have explored the past and tried to make new connections to understand our history. All of this work has put together a more clear idea of our past, but there are still many mysteries left to solve! New artifacts and discoveries are made every year, some of them make huge changes to our knowledge of the past.

Usually, the farther we go back in history the more mysterious the story. Humans lived for hundreds of thousands of years before civilization. Our pre-human ancestors lived for millions before that. Civilization was a new way of life. A civilization is an advanced society with agriculture, division of labor, multiple cities, organized religion, science/technology, some form of government, and a written language.

The achievement of "Civilization" happened at different times in different places around the world. There is not an official date when a group of people become a "civilization", so historians often choose different start dates, but most of them are close. The timeline above show the four earliest places where civilization began. The modern countries of , , India/Pakistan, and became ancient cultural hearths that still influence life peoples' lives today. A cultural hearth is a place where a culture first developed. This website is designed for kids. Ancient history for kids tries to provide a consistent history of early civilizations in basic language for students to understand. Hope you enjoy!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Ancient Civilizations | Ancient History for Kids

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Humans have a long and mysterious history. Many different types of people have worked together to figure out the mysteries of our past. Archeologists study early human history and ancient history by discovering artifacts that give us clues about our past. Historians study primary and secondary resources and connect ideas and make theories.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Nrich Maths Project Cambridge,England. Mathematics resources for children,parents and teachers to enrich learning. Problems,children's solutions,interactivities,games,articles.

# data[].attributes.body
Kennedy Center Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Author and illustrator Mo Willems has been awarded the American Library Association’s Caldecott Honor three times for his picture book illustration. Additionally, he is the recipient of two Theodor Geisel Medals and five Geisel Honors for his Elephant & Piggie early readers. Mo began his career as a writer and animator on Sesame Street, where he garnered six Emmy Awards. His work has been exhibited around the world, including solo retrospectives at the High Museum in Atlanta and the New-York Historical Society. Over the last decade, Mo has written three musical theater works based on his books, two of which were commissioned and toured by the Kennedy Center. His papers reside at Yale University’s Beinecke Library.

The creator of The Pigeon series, Knuffle Bunny, and Elephant & Piggie, Mo will develop and present multidisciplinary programming and performances across the Kennedy Center including theater, jazz, dance, classical music, comedy, digital experience, and outreach over the next two years. Audiences will play, participate, and create with cross-genre experiences and world premieres seen nowhere else.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Author and Illustrator Mo Willems has been awarded the American Library Association’s Caldecott Honor three times for his picture book illustration. Additionally, he is the recipient of two Theodor Geisel Medals and five Geisel Honors for his Elephant & Piggie early readers. Mo began his career as a…

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
If you’re seeing this message, it means we’re having trouble loading external resources on our website.