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Edtomorrow- Supporting Today's Educators through Restorative Practices PD

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What Is The First Five? - Edtomorrow- Supporting Today's Educators through Restorative Practices PD

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Users pick 1 of the 9 activities from either the Primary or Secondary First Five.

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This module discusses the importance of differentiating three aspects of instruction: content, process (instructional methods), and product (assessment). It explores the student traits-readiness level, interest, and learning preferences-that influence learning (est. completion time: 3 hours).

Work through the sections of this module in the order presented in the STAR graphic above.

Related to this module

Copyright 2022 Vanderbilt University. All rights reserved.

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Differentiated Instruction: Maximizing the Learning of All Students

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This module discusses the importance of differentiating three aspects of instruction: content, process (instructional methods), and product (assessment). It explores the student traits-readiness level, interest, and learning preferences-that influence learning (est. completion time: 3 hours). Work through the sections of this module in the order presented in the STAR graphic above.

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RTI Kindergarten - 5th Grade Resources | RTI Action Network

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RTINetwork.org guides educators and families in the effective implementation of Response to Intervention (RTI) as a means to improve educational outcomes for all students.

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Home | Center on Multi-Tiered Systems of Support

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Since 2007, the MTSS Center has been a national leader in supporting states, districts, and schools across the country in implementing an MTSS framework that integrates data and instruction within a multi-level prevention system to maximize student achievement and support students’ social, emotional…

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What is Differentiated Instruction?  How to Differentiate Instruction.

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What is Differentiated Instruction?  How to Differentiate Instruction.

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What is Differentiated Instruction Examples of How to Differentiate Instructio.pdf

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Six Principles for Embracing Differentiation in the Classroom

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Six Principles for Embracing Differentiation in the Classroom

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Six Principles for Embracing Differentiation in the Classroom.pdf

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Student Handouts

For each Math Milestones™ task there is a student handout. Math Milestones™ tasks are not designed for summative assessment. Used formatively, the tasks can reveal and promote student thinking. Student work on tasks could be collected in student portfolios.

Student Handouts are © 2021-2022 Math Milestones LLC and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( CC BY 4.0).

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For each Math Milestones™ task there is a student handout. Math Milestones™ tasks are not designed for summative assessment. Used formatively, the tasks can reveal and promote student thinking. Student work on tasks could be collected in student portfolios. Student Handouts are © 2021-2022 Math Milestones LLC and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( CC BY 4.0).

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K-5 Math Teaching Resources is a leading New York City based math consultancy firm. Our mission is to transform the teaching and learning of mathematics, improving outcomes for all students in elementary and middle school. Click on a tab below for information on our research-based professional development and customizable consulting services. Our results-driven elementary and middle school consultants are committed to working side-by-side with administrators, coaches and teachers to build exceptional quality math instruction and curriculum for schools and school districts, transforming students' math education and achievement.

On this website you will find mathematics to support standards-aligned math instruction. Use the grade level tabs at the top of this page to download sample resources for each grade level from Kindergarten through 5th Grade or visit our EBook Store to purchase a complete set.

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Research based resources and professional learning opportunities to transform math teaching and learning communities.

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In diagnostic teaching, teachers focus thoughtfully on what students do and do not understand and then adjust accordingly. This can happen at various times during teaching:

Teachers often learn a great deal about student thinking during classroom discussion.

When working in groups, students plan and communicate with each other about their work. This provides teachers opportunities to listen in and to learn how students are integrating concepts and skills.

During student presentations, student teams explain and ask questions about the work of their classmates. This is a valuable time for teachers to learn where understanding is solid and where it is tentative.

Teachers can also gauge understanding by asking students to relate multiple representations to each other. The ability (or inability) to see relationships and to articulate the underpinnings of mathematical approaches offers teachers insights about how students are thinking about the mathematics.

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Poster Problems: Diagnostic Math Teaching | SERP

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With diagnostic math teaching, Poster Problems shed light on what students do and do not understand.

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Young Mathematicians: Games for Home and School

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Young Mathematicians: Games for Home and School

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Young Mathematicians – Sharing fun math experiences with teachers and families

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This is Which One Doesn't Belong?, a website dedicated to providing thought-provoking puzzles for math teachers and students alike. There are no answers provided as there are many different, correct ways of choosing which one doesn't belong. Enjoy!

Which One Doesn't Belong?

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This is Which One Doesn't Belong?, a website dedicated to providing thought-provoking puzzles for math teachers and students alike. There are no answers provided as there are many different, correct ways of choosing which one doesn't belong. Enjoy!

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Image of The Week: What Pattern Do You See?

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Image of The Week: What Pattern Do You See?

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We have hundreds of Look-Think-Talk activities on our website and one way to find just what you're looking for is by focusing on the central mathematical question you will ask students to think about. Each question can lead to different kinds of big ideas, and in this series of videos we'll share with you what opportunities posing a particular question can open up. We encourage you to explore new questions you can ask to get into deep mathematical discussions.

This week, we focus on the question: What patterns do you see? By one definition, mathematics is the study of patterns. Pattern-seeking is an inherently human act that we engage in from birth. But we often don't spend enough time on patterning in the elementary grades, and we miss an opportunity to nurture young children's capacity to find and build patterns in their everyday world. Watch our What patterns do you see? video to see how to look closely at the patterns all around us and give one of these activities a try with your students tomorrow.

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We have hundreds of Look-Think-Talk activities on our website and one way to find just what you're looking for is by focusing on the central mathematical question you will ask students to think about. Each question can lead to different kinds of big ideas, and in this series of videos we'll share with you what opportunities posing a particular question can open up.

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Connections: Select 4 words that have one thing in common.  

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Connections: Select 4 words that have one thing in common.  

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Create custom puzzles based on the Connections New York Times daily game

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Article from Reading Rockets

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Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1997). Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life. New York: Basic Books.

Danielson, C. (1996). Enhancing Professional Practice: A Framework for Teaching. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. ED 403 245.

Sternberg, R. J., Torff, B., & Grigorenko, E. L. (1998). Teaching triarchically improves student achievement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 90(3), 374-384. EJ 576 492.

Tomlinson, C. (1995). How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-ability Classrooms. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. ED 386 301.

Tomlinson, C. (1999). The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of all Learners. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. ED 429 944.

Vygotsky, L. (1986). Thought and Language. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Winebrenner, S. (1992). Teaching Gifted Kids in the Regular Classroom. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit.

Winebrenner, S. (1996). Teaching kids with Learning Difficulties in the Regular Classroom. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit. ED 396 502.

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Differentiation means tailoring instruction to meet individual needs. Whether teachers differentiate content, process, products, or the learning environment, the use of ongoing assessment and flexible grouping makes this a successful approach to instruction.

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Do you remember the picture books that first brought you joy? The ones that were read to you before you could read, or the ones that sparked your imagination for the first time? When you think about these stories what do you see?

For most of us, we might see our favorite characters or the enchanting setting of our childhood books. We see the illustrations brought to life through our memories.

Picture books bring tremendous benefits to kids who are in the early stages of developing their reading skills. Illustrations shown alongside text offer invaluable tools to help kids build understanding, fluency, vocabulary and other foundational literacy skills. The imagery in a picture book brings the pages to life, serving as a visual roadmap for the story.

Here are five important benefits picture books bring to children who are learning to read.

1. Build language skills

As kids begin to speak and build sentences, they learn to recognize sounds and patterns within spoken language. This is known as phonological awareness and serves as the foundation for learning to read. The rhythmic cadence of many picture books helps kids develop and practice phonological awareness. Kids may start by repeating passages of their favorite picture books, then go on to make up their own similar rhymes or stories.

Dr. Seuss' ABC: An Amazing Alphabet Book! is a picture book that helps build phonological awareness while practicing letter sounds. "Big A little a, what begins with A? Aunt Annie's Alligator. A...a...A."

At a most basic level, picture books help kids understand that words convey meaning-connecting the pictures in the book with the words on the page. Kids will check pictures on the page for background knowledge or contextual clues for vocabulary development. They even use the images to learn the names of new objects.

You can ask a child, "Can you show me where the is on this page?" or "What letter does the word start with?"

2. Identify sequence

By organizing the sequence of events in a story, kids can practice their ability to comprehend what they read. Mastering this skill starts with identifying beginning, middle, and end, and summarizing key events that take place (in order) throughout the story.

Visual aids and illustrations remind the reader what happened throughout the story and support their ability to confidently retell the key events. As kids hone their sequencing skills, let them look at the pictures to remind them what happened in the story. If they guess, and guess incorrectly, then use it as an opportunity to re-read the passage. This offers a chance to do an additional check for understanding.

Furthermore, books filled with pictures encourage kids to make predictions and inferences about what's going to happen next . They can pair the words with the expressions and setting shown in the pictures to make an informed guess about what comes next in the story.

In Miss Nelson is Missing! , readers can infer that Ms. Viola Swamp is Miss Nelson in a costume. Clues in the book, such as the coincidental timing of Miss Nelson's disappearance and the appearance of Ms. Swamp help lead to this inference.

As you read a book with a child, you are both likely making inferences throughout. The key to helping kids realize when they are making an inference is to talk through the inferences out loud throughout the book. Take breaks to ask questions: "How does Miss Nelson feel when kids misbehave in class?", "Why do you think Ms. Viola Swamp was outside of Miss Nelson's house?", "What do think happened to Miss Nelson?".

3. Improve comprehension

There's a lot to learn on the road to becoming a skilled reader. Along with sequencing and summarizing, there are many other essential skills kids must master in order to comprehend the text they read . Some of those skills include; sentence construction, problem solving, comparing and contrasting, drawing conclusions, inferring, and more.

Books rich with illustrations and photos offer many benefits to help enhance reading comprehension. Here are just a few of those benefits.

Pictures provide visual clues to help us discover more about the narrative.

Pictures show expressions, unwritten details, setting, and context that help us compare and contrast. These details allow us to analyze more complex details of character development.

Illustrations can provide important background knowledge and offer contextual cues based on what's happening in the story. This helps us "read between the lines" to find meaning that may not be explicitly stated in the text.

4. Spark a love of reading

When you think about your favorite childhood book, what comes to mind? You may see a sparkling fish with rainbow colors or a tree that gives everything in the name of selfless affection. Maybe you see your favorite characters or other-worldly settings.

The illustrations of a picture book can be enchanting, fun, and inspiring. They can tell a story of their own. Many of us remember picture books as the books that made us first fall in love with reading.

One key ingredient of picture books that we shouldn't discount is the benefit of pictures in sparking joy and creating a fun and engaging reading experience for kids. Picture books do a better job of holding the attention of kids learning to read than books without pictures. And reading picture books with kids on a regular basis (ideally daily) can help them self-monitor their behavior until they can sit through a whole story and focus on the events.

When kids enjoy particular books or stories, they may ask to read the same book again and again. This is a good sign that this book sparks interest and intrigue for a young reader. Let kids choose the stories they love, read them often, and offer options to explore new books as well.

5. Boost social-emotional learning

The subject matter in picture books can introduce social cues and cultural differences that encourage social-emotional development . Books that model social behaviors help hone social language skills and reinforce positive behavior.

In the book The Name Jar, a young Korean girl living in America is teased about her name, Unhei. A passage from the book reads, "She was relieved that the kids on the bus had gone to other rooms, but her face still felt red." Marked by this bullying, she decides to search for a different name. Throughout the story her classmates and family show gentle kindness, support, and encouragement for Unhei until she is ready to introduce herself and her culture, as Unhei, to the rest of her classmates.

The Name Jar offers a chance for kids to practice empathy for Unhei and observe the outcome of kind, encouraging behavior compared to the negative effects of bullying.

Picture books also explore difficult subjects like fear, grief, taking risks, building friendships, self-control, and so much more. These books offer outlets for kids to explore challenging subjects in a format that's approachable to them.

The illustrations in a book can help kids relate to the characters and setting portrayed. Picture books featuring protagonists of different identities, races, cultures , and abilities allow kids to relate to the texts where they see their own image reflected back. Furthermore, written from the perspective of an author who shares a certain identity can provide an experience that's profoundly relatable to kids' differing experiences. #ownvoices books

For example, Grace for President , allows young girls of color see themselves as future leaders in positions of power.

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How picture books help kids develop literacy skills | Reading Partners | Reading Partners

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Do you remember the picture books that first brought you joy? The ones that were read to you before you could read, or the ones that sparked your…

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In the Off You Go routine, the class focuses on a single concept - such as rectangles, patterns, the number 100, or half - and then each child explores the environment to look for new ways that concept lives in the world. Students bring their diverse examples back for comparison and discussion, stretching their own notions of what the concept can (and cannot) look like. Think of this as a conceptual scavenger hunt. Students can do this as a full lesson searching your classroom or school, or try this as rich homework, where students look at home for a concept and you begin the next day's lesson with sharing and discussion.

Each activity is structured in three parts:

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In the Off You Go routine, the class focuses on a single concept - such as rectangles, patterns, the number 100, or half - and then each child explores the environment to look for new ways that concept lives in the world.

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You are welcome to print copies or republish materials for non-commercial use as long as credit is given to AdLit and the author(s). For commercial use, please contact [email protected].

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Picture Books Are a Powerful Tool for Teen Readers

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Picture books can help middle school and high school readers build background knowledge and visual literacy, and they are also deeply engaging. The range of topics presented in picture books, in the hands of skilled storytellers and artists provides many opportunities to explore different paths for learning and getting excited about reading and information.

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Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

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NUMBER SENSE ROUTINES: DESIGNED TO BE USED AS CLASS STARTERS TO ENGAGE YOUR STUDENTS, FOSTER MATHEMATICAL DISCOURSE, AND CREATE CLASSROOM COMMUNITY. CLICK HERE TO LEARN ABOUT THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF ROUTINES.

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Core Knowledge: Pre-K- 8 Literacy Knowledge Building Curriculum

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Core Knowledge: Pre-K- 8 Literacy Knowledge Building Curriculum

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The Core Knowledge Foundation provides open access to content-rich curriculum materials for preschool through grade 8, including the Core Knowledge Curriculum Series™, with many materials now available and many more in development.
How to Get Your Free Resources

Check the boxes below to sort by subject, grade level, or both.

Click on the title to find resources for that unit.

Submit your name and email address.
You'll only need to submit this information once.

Click "Download" for each free resource you want.

Terms of Use

The materials made available for download are freely available for anyone to use, adapt, and share (with attribution), but no one is permitted to sell either the original program, an adaptation of it, or lesson plans that reproduce any part of it. For more information, see the Guidelines to Core Knowledge and the Creative Commons License.

Choose Subject, Grade, and Language

Clear All Filters

CKLA:
Core Knowledge Language Arts

CKSci:
Core Knowledge Science

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Download Curriculum - Core Knowledge Foundation

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Get free Core Knowledge materials filtered by subject and grade level. It's as simple as selecting a title, submitting your email, and downloading the file.

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Math Learning Center: Lessons and Publications

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Math Learning Center: Lessons and Publications

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Box It or Bag It is a math program for K-2 teachers who want to surround children with a language-enriched, activity-centered learning environment. Students enjoy hands-on experiences with a variety of materials and are encouraged to learn from each other as well as the teacher.

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Post-It Pile-It Engagement.  Start at 2:19

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Post-It Pile-It Engagement.  Start at 2:19

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Think Pair Share/Post It Pile It - Student Training

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But Why is a show led by you, kids! You ask the questions and we find the answers. It's a big interesting world out there. On But Why, we tackle topics large and small. From why flamingos stand on one leg to how circuits work to whether it's ever okay to lie. No question is off limits, and we let your curiosity guide us!

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But Why is a show led by you, kids! You ask the questions and we find the answers. It's a big interesting world out there. On But Why we tackle topics large and small, about nature, words, even the end of the world.

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Hands-On Math Goes Digital In and Beyond the Classroom!

Explore Our Collection of FREE Virtual Manipulatives

From Number Lines to Base Ten, Pattern Blocks to Place Value, Disks our collection of free Virtual Manipulatives gives educators and families access to visual and hands-on digital resources that lead to understanding. Students can use these resources in class and at home to practice math concepts, reinforce their growing math understanding, technology they love in the process.

Free Resources & Instructions for Teachers and Families

We've developed these resources for easy access and easy use:

How-To Videos

There's a short video for each of the Virtual Manipulatives in our collection so teachers can use these digital materials easily and confidently with students.
Watch Now

Activities

Activities from the Didax books that teachers use most for easy download. Engaging challenges address core math operations, concepts and skills, from early numeracy all the way to introductory geometry and algebra.
Access Now

FAQ

Download this document of FAQ's to answer your Virtual Manipulative questions.
Download Now

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Demonstrate key math concepts in your classroom using our new virtual manipulatives!

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Ways to Activate Background Knowledge from Reading Universe

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Ways to Activate Background Knowledge from Reading Universe

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Can you spot the odd one out? Guess the AI generated "imposters" hidden among the artworks on Google Arts & Culture.

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Elementary School Lessons utilize local phenomenon and are organized by grade level. By organizing instruction around local phenomenon, students are provided with a reason to learn shifting the focus from learning about a disconnected topic to figuring out why or how something happens. To access

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The Look-Think-Talk routine is designed to make math visual and engage students in rich discourse that supports meaning-making and celebrates multiple ways of seeing and thinking. You’re probably already familiar with the bones of this routine – it’s at the heart of number and dot talks and we have…

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The Body Coach- 5 Minute Workout for Kids

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The Body Coach- 5 Minute Workout for Kids

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5 Minute Energising Fun Kids Workout | The Body Coach TV

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Engage with National Geographic Explorers and transform learning experiences through live events, free maps, videos, interactives, and other resources.

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PBS LearningMedia | Teaching Resources For Students And Teachers

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Inspire your students with thousands of free teaching resources including videos, lesson plans, and games aligned to state and national standards.

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Math choice boards are a carefully selected collection of math experiences which are differentiated and designed to support student engagement and agency. They are effective in the physical classroom as well as in distance learning as asynchronous assignments.

Support student choice

The teacher chooses the tasks, categories, the amount assigned, and the timeframe

The student chooses which tasks to do and why, who to work with, and how to express the learning

Are differentiated to meet every student's needs

Are designed to support students in setting goals and making purposeful choices in service of their goals

With a choice board, not all students will be doing the same tasks but instead will make choices based on learning goals which are guided by the teacher.

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Math Choice Boards | Math Transformations

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Math choice boards are a carefully selected collection of math experiences which are differentiated and designed to support student engagement and agency. They are effective in the physical classroom as well as in distance learning as asynchronous assignments.

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CTL - Collaborative for Teaching and Learning

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Frayer Model & Four-Square Adaptation

The Frayer Model is a graphic organizer that promotes critical thinking and helps deepen students' understanding of key vocabulary. When using this strategy, students determine and clarify the meaning of targeted vocabulary words encountered while studying key concepts or big ideas. By providing students with a structure to examine these words, focused primarily on contextual meaning and not simply definition, this strategy is effective in helping students come to understand vocabulary at a level beyond defining words. The focus on characteristics, examples, and non-examples pushes learners to build a more concrete understanding of the meaning of the words.

1. Pre-select key vocabulary word(s) from the text or the unit and review them with students.

2. Provide students the Frayer Model graphic organizer and explain the four sections and what they mean. When introducing the Frayer Model, it is important to use a Think Aloud to model the process of how to use the Frayer Model with a vocabulary word.

3. Work with the students to build knowledge of the term. You can use small group discussion, review various artifacts such as pictures, images, primary sources, charts, etc.

4. Have students work together to identify examples and relevant non-examples.

5. While monitoring student progress, share new ideas with the class to discuss and have students add characteristics as they are recognized. Work with students to identify those essential characteristics from the examples and non-examples compared to non-essential characteristics.

6. Provide groups an opportunity for students to share their thinking with others through an Academic Dialogue strategy, posting artifacts around the room. Posting around the room allows students to revisit and extend thinking and reference for the remainder of the unit of study.

How was your understanding of the word(s) similar or different from someone else?

What is your rationale for examples and non-examples?

How did the Frayer model help you with learning new vocabulary?

How might you encounter or use this word again?

The Frayer Model is primarily used during, and after learning to deepen understanding.

Preparing students to effectively use the Frayer Model should be a gradual release process that provides modeling and scaffolding. For example, the teacher may complete a Frayer Model with the whole class with accessible content before having students do them with a partner or small group.

The Frayer Model is NOT intended to be used as a worksheet for homework.

Consider pairing the Frayer Model with another Vocabulary strategy such as the Interactive Word Wall or an Academic Dialogue strategy, as discussion is an important part of this strategy.

While the Frayer Model includes four distinct categories for investigation (definition, examples, non-examples, and characteristics), Four-Square Vocabulary Organizers use alternative categories. This adaptation changes the level of thinking students are expected to use, but can be utilized to access new vocabulary supporting different disciplines and/or learners' needs.

MATHEMATICS (FOUR-SQUARE ADAPTATION)
Students studying a specific process in mathematics, and focusing on vocabulary about that process, may benefit from modifying the process to analyze the process using representation and questions rather than non-examples and characteristics.

HEALTH & PHYSICAL EDUCATION (FRAYER MODEL) Stu dents studying the benefits of physical activity on well-being would dive deeper into clarifying the differences between examples and non-examples of physical activity. This discussion may also help students think about the essential characteristics of the benefits versus the non-essential characteristics.

SOCIAL STUDIES (FRAYER MODEL)
Students studying Democratic Principles would spend time making sure they understand Democracy at a deeper level.

WORLD LANGUAGES (FOUR-SQUARE ADAPTATION) Students learning new vocabulary in the target language may benefit from adding visual representations of words as the example, as well as finding synonyms and antonyms in the target language instead of characteristics.

Frayer, D., Frederick, W. C., and Klausmeier, H. J., (1969). A Schema for Testing the Level of Cognitive Mastery. Madison, WI: Wisconsin Center for Education Research.

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Frayer Model (Four-Square Adaptation) - CTL - Collaborative for Teaching and Learning

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CAST is a multifaceted organization with a singular ambition: Bust the barriers to learning that millions of people experience every day. We do this by helping educators and organizations apply insights from the learning sciences and leading-edge practices to educational design and implementation.

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In this introductory online course for preK-12 educators, participants learn the research basis for UDL, practical applications of UDL to lesson design, and helpful technology tools that support flexible, inclusive instruction.

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Find out more about CAST. We're busting barriers to learning, until learning has no limits®.

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Jellyfish Aquarium ~ Relaxing Music for Sleep, Study, Meditation & Yoga • Screensaver • 3 HOURS

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ReadWorks: Next Generation Science Standards Connection

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ReadWorks: Next Generation Science Standards Connection

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The Past and the Curious: A History Podcast for Kids and Families

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The Past and the Curious: A History Podcast for Kids and Families

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The Past and The Curious - A History Podcast for Kids and Families

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"On The Past and the Curious, host Mick Sullivan devotes himself to finding the little-known details about well-known people and events from history, and telling them in an always engaging, sometimes musical manner that gives children(and adults) a much more robust, interesting understanding of the past."

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Understanding math word problems can be difficult. This set of tools is the product of a SERP collaboration with middle school mathematics teachers in the San Francisco Unified School District. Over the course of several years, Phil Daro (SERP Bay Area Math Director and co-author of the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics), Professor Alan Schoenfeld (U.C. Berkeley), and a team of teachers and graduate students met monthly to explore together why students were struggling with math in the middle grades, and what they could do to support student learning. We began with data that indicated students did not struggle with particular math topics, but rather with particular problem types: word problems.

Reading Comprehension for Math Word Problems

Teachers conducted "think-alouds" with students, and found that many students began to solve problems without understanding the situation described, or the question being asked. They looked for signals that would indicate whether to subtract, multiply, or perform some other operation. The question our group pursued was this: how can we shift the culture of the mathematics classroom away from answer-getting and toward sense-making? We are not suggesting that getting answers is a bad goal, but when it is the only goal, genuine learning is undermined.

We set out to identify relatively small shifts in practice that could create relatively big shifts in behavior and expanded to include fully designed diagnostic lessons. We hope others will find these strategies of value.

Let us know what you think!

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Sensemaking: Strategies for Solving Math Word Problems | SERP

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Help students with math word problems with tools for sense-making. We provide strategies to better comprehend math word problems.

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ReadWorks | Award-Winning, EdTech Nonprofit Organization

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ReadWorks is an edtech nonprofit organization that is committed to helping to solve America's reading comprehension crisis.

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Students are easily distracted, but regular, short breaks can help them focus, increase their productivity, and reduce their stress.

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Copy of Copy of SINGLE POINT RUBRIC: NEWSLETTER

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WELCOME TO OPEN SOCIAL STUDIES
Welcome to the home of Open Social Studies (formerly called Understanding Our World), which is an inquiry-based and literacy-focused K-6 social studies curriculum. It is free and open source.

Return to the main curriculum home page.

INTRODUCTION

Starting in the early elementary grades, all children should receive regular instruction in the social studies, which includes history, civics, geography, and economics. However, there are real pressures on schools and teachers to increase the amount of instruction in other subject areas, which often comes at the expense of their social studies time.

This curriculum was built to help teachers in K-6 schools regularly enact powerful and authentic social studies in their classrooms that will also meet essential literacy goals (linking every lesson to the Common Core State Standards). In other words, it leverages the richness of social studies content to help students learn to read, write, and think critically while exploring the past and present world around them. Moreover, it aims to make every single lesson culturally relevant, connecting to the racial, ethnic, gender, class, language, and immigration experience of the increasingly diverse United States. Originally, this curriculum was designed to help teachers in the Boston Public Schools regularly integrate social studies into their classrooms. It is now available to all teachers for free and open source with the hope of improving social studies learning for elementary students.

ORGANIZATION

These lessons are meant to supplement the school or district social studies curriculum. They are free and open source. Teachers are encouraged to modify and adapt these lesson plans for the individual needs and diverse cultural backgrounds of their students. They are only a guide, or perhaps better a "starter kit" to implementing lessons with important disciplinary questions and social studies content. Moreover, these social studies lessons should be supported with rich English language arts (ELA) texts on related topics.

This curriculum is organized by grade level, with an organizing theme, and each grade is color coated for quick reference. It currently includes Grades 1-6 (with expansion to Kindergarten in the near future). Within each grade level, it is organized by lesson. At the beginning of each grade level, there is a roadmap for that shows the individual lesson topics. Additionally, each lesson plan follows the same lesson plan template and always includes a thought-provoking inquiry question for the students to answer and primary/secondary sources to use as evidence. All lessons for the primary grades (K-2) are expected to be 30 minutes in length and the intermediate grades (3-6) are expected to be 45 minutes in length. However, depending on the pace of your students, lessons may need to span two or more 30- or 45-minute periods.

HOW TO USE THE CURRICULUM RESOURCES

This curriculum includes three separate resources. The Instructor Manual includes all of the lesson plans, including materials, standards, procedures, and evaluation instructions. The Student Workbook includes all of the student handouts and other materials that teachers need to print for the various activities. The Student Sourcebook includes all of the documents that students are expected to use during the various inquiry activities, which teachers need to print for the various activities. We encourage teachers or principals to have the materials in the Student Sourcebook color-printed into bound packets, so they can be used in multiple classrooms or over multiple years. If students are using a bounded sourcebook, avoid having them highlight/underline as some lesson instructions suggest. In this Instructor Manual, each title listed in the Table of Contents is a hyperlink to that specific lesson. This will help you quickly locate each lesson plan.

THE CURRICULUM

All Open Social Studies Curricular Materials are also available in this Google Drive Folder (we recommend that teachers save this folder to their Google Drive, in case there are ever unforseeable issues with this website): https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1zMpsOE-kcuT9-DXWVlmq9zbaLCtJRXkL?usp=sharing

NOTE: This curriculum is currently under development. Version 4.0 was released on May 15, 2020 for Grades 1-5, August 15, 2020 for Grade 6, and August 15, 2022 for Grade K.
Curriculum Archive

christopher.martell@umb.edu
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Grade K: Our Families and Neighborhoods (Version 4.0; Release Date: 8/15/22)

Grade 1: Our Communities: Local, State, Nation, World (Version 4.0; Release Date: 5/15/20)

Grade 2: Strangers from Different Shores: Migration/Immigration (Version 4.0; Release Date: 5/15/20)

Grade 3: Exploring Boston: From Past to Present (Version 4.0; Release Date: 5/15/20)

Grade 4: Exploring the World (includes U.S. Regions Mini-Unit) (Version 4.0; Release Date: 5/15/20)

Grade 5: Exploring the United States (Version 4.0; Release Date: 5/15/20)

Grade 6: Connecting the Ancient World to the Present (Version 4.0; Release Date: 8/15/20)

OPEN SOCIAL STUDIES VIDEO LIBRARY
[video credits]

All videos are available in MOV or MP4 format. You may need to download the latest QuickTime (for Mac) or Windows Media Player (for PC) to play these files on your computer.

If you cannot access the videos through the below links, they are also available for streaming and download at this Google Drive folder.

Lesson6-3SlideShow1.pptx | Lesson6-3SlideShow1.pdf

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Open Social Studies: An Inquiry-Based and Literacy-Focused Social Studies Curriculum for Grades K-6

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WELCOME TO OPEN SOCIAL STUDIES Welcome to the home of Open Social Studies (formerly called Understanding Our World), which is an inquiry-based and literacy-focused K-6 social studies curriculum. It is free and open source. Return to the main curriculum home page.

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Development of MathByExample was led by Julie Booth (Temple University) through a SERP collaboration with several school districts. Major contributors to program development include: Kelly McGinn and Laura Young (Temple University), Allie Huyghe, Matthew Ellinger, Emily Schwartz, Avery Jones, and David Dudley (SERP). Special thanks! to the teachers, administrators, and students in our partner districts-Baltimore City Schools, Public Schools of Beloit, Public Schools of Brookline, Fort Madison Community School District, Oak Park Elementary District 97, and Penns Valley Area School District-who were essential to the project's success, providing feedback at critical points and inviting us into their classrooms along the way!

The collaboration has been supported to conduct this work by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through Grant R305A150456 to Strategic Education Research Partnership Institute. The information provided does not represent views of the funders.

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MathByExample assignments give students practice solving problems, as well as practice modeling, analyzing, critiquing, and articulating mathematical arguments.

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Each unit introduces approximately five or six high-utility academic "focus words" and is designed to offer a variety of texts, word-learning activities, writing tasks, and debate and/or discussion opportunities.

Each unit begins with a video newscast and a "Reader's Theater" that introduces multiple perspectives on a high-interest topic. Students read, discuss, debate, and write about each topic, using the focus words.

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WordGen Elementary: Content Area Literacy Strategies

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Expand your students' background knowledge & academic vocabulary with Wordgen Elementary, SERP's elementary reading, & content area literacy program.

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I don't know about you, but when I sit through a faculty meeting or professional development session of any sort, I start getting antsy by the 30-minute mark. If you can relate, just imagine how your students must feel when they've been sitting for too long. Educational brain breaks are the perfect way to help your students redirect their energy and focus when they start to fade.

I find it super-beneficial to incorporate quick mindful, physical, and mental check-ins with my students as a regular part of my classroom routine. These breaks include all types of movement, yoga and breathing exercises, as well as jokes, quick videos, and more. The activities I use have helped me throughout my lifetime, so I love sharing them with my students. Here are my favorite educational brain breaks that are sure to increase productivity and give your kids a much-needed way to unwind before the next lesson.

Mindful Educational Brain Breaks

1. Use transition times for mental check-ins

Transitions are a big part of the elementary school day. When I first started teaching 19 years ago, I was surprised by just how much time it takes to get ready for specials or to bring students back from centers. It's hard not to feel like that's lost time. That's why using transition time for mental health check-ins is such a game changer. Mental health check-ins can help students get in touch with their emotions, refresh and recharge, acknowledge and cope with negative thoughts and overwhelming feelings, and be more focused throughout the day.

2. Pretend to breathe like an animal

Source: Stephanie Sanders

This video shows students how to pretend to breath like some of their favorite animals. The snake breath involves hissing while slithering from side to side, while the whale breath has students pretend to breathe out through a blowhole! Tap into creativity by picking other interesting animals and acting them out through breath.

3. Do a 10-minute guided meditation

These guided meditations are educational and are perfect to use as brain breaks whenever you and your students just need to breathe. Catch your breath with any of these 20 guided video meditations.

4. Practice "focus ball" breathing

Walk your kids through the following exercise: Stand or sit with legs and feet together. Bring your palms together in front of your chest. Keep your fingertips touching as you pull your palms apart, forming a ball with your fingers. Press your fingertips together until you feel the muscles in your hands and arms activating. See if you feel your core tighten too. Now close your eyes and as you breathe in, inflate your ball, and as you breathe out, flatten the ball by pushing your palms together. (Repeat these instructions for 60 seconds).

Learn more: Mindful.org

5. Try the old ear-nose switcheroo

This is a quick and easy challenge to reset the brain. Instruct kids to touch their left ear with their right hand and at the same time touch their nose with their left hand. Then have them switch their hands and touch their right ear with their left hand and their nose with their right hand. Switch back and forth a few times. Then have them close their eyes, take a deep breath, and blow it all out.

Learn more: YouTube: Ear-Nose Switch

6. Take a yoga break

Source: The Pyjama Foundation

Inspire kids to move, stretch, and practice mindfulness with yoga. These printable yoga cards make it easy to incorporate yoga into your educational brain breaks. Each page includes a picture and description of the pose, and each page includes poses of increasing difficulty from level 1 to level 5. And don't worry, it's not a huge time commitment. The sequence on each card is designed to take only a few minutes.

7. Stretch it out

It's never a good idea to spend too much time sitting in one position. Allow kids to take a break and bring some flexibility back into their spines. Have them stand with their feet shoulder-distance apart. Put their left hand on their hip and raise their right hand overhead. Lean to the left and stretch their arm as far as they can to the left. Repeat on the right side. Then stand tall and slowly roll down one vertebra at a time until their hands reach the floor (or at least their shins). Have them take a deep breath then slowly roll back up. Repeat as necessary.

Learn more: Mom Junction

8. Focus on sound

Have kids sit quietly with their eyes closed. Ring a chime or gong. Have them listen carefully to the chime, feeling the vibration in their body as the sound reverberates and then slowly fades. Tell them to breathe slowly and deeply as they focus on the sound.

9. Do a quick mindfulness activity

Mindfulness activity cards provide great educational brain breaks. Stash a pack in your desk and pull them out whenever you need them. Each card will give a prompt for kids to try that will let them refocus and recharge. Perfect for moments when you need to bring down the energy in the room.

Buy it: Mindfulness Cards for Kids at Amazon

10. Chill out with this cross-body exercise

Have kids stand tall and cross one leg in front of the other while pressing the outsides of their feet together. Now have them cross their arms over each other at the wrists. Clasp their hands and curl their arms into their chest. Take a few breaths, and uncross and cross the opposite way for a few more breaths.

11. Float with jellyfish

When you really need to take the energy in your room down a notch, turn off the lights, set a timer, and put on a calming video. For example, Cat Trumpet put together a jellyfish aquarium video where kids will find themselves under the brilliant blue sea in the middle of a swarm of jellyfish. They'll be mesmerized by the slow, fluid motions and lulled into calmness by the soothing music.

12. Break out the hot hands

This is a good break when you sense a weariness in the air. Have kids rub their hands together vigorously until they warm up. Tell them to close their eyes and place their hands over their eyes. Instruct them to breathe deeply as they clear their minds and refocus.

13. Try cat and cow poses

Source: Flow and Grow Kids Yoga

Have kids start on all fours and then give them the following instructions to complete the cat and cow yoga poses: Place your shoulders over your wrists and hips over your knees. Arch your back to the sky and tuck in the tailbone (cat pose). Let your head fall between your arms. From there, sink the belly towards the ground, and lift the chest and chin (cow pose). Gently alternate between the two poses while breathing deeply.

14. Do nothing for two minutes

Never underestimate the power of stillness. When the energy gets a little ramped up, and it's time for the entire class to take a pause, have them drop everything and glue their eyes to the screen as you show this countdown. The gentle lulling of the waves and the sight of the sun sparkling off the water will reset their nervous system in a jiffy.

Learn More: Calm

15. Spread your wings (in slow motion)

Walk your kids through this winged movement: Sit cross-legged on the floor. Stretch your arms down by your sides with your palms facing inward toward your body. Slowly raise both arms while rotating hands forward. When your arms reach shoulder level, your hands should be facing forward. Continue raising arms, slowly rotating palms so that by the time hands are overhead, palms are facing each other. Slowly lower arms, repeating the rotation (palms facing each other, palms facing forward, palms facing sides) until they are once again resting at your sides. As you raise and lower your arms, stretch them as long as you can, as if you are scraping the sides of the room and the ceiling. Repeat slowly three times, breathing deeply.

Physical Education Brain Breaks

16. Play Silent Ball when you have downtime

You can play a quick game of Silent Ball anytime, anywhere. Play a quick three-minute game right before dismissal or before transitioning to a new activity. All you need is a small squishy ball. The rules are simple: 1) stay quiet and 2) don't drop the ball when passing it around. This activity is one of those educational brain breaks that builds a positive classroom community, fosters friendly competition, and boosts nonverbal communication. Enjoy the silence.

17. Line up in unique ways

Kids are very social and curious beings. Most of them love to chat with one another at any chance they can get. Lining up to leave the room for anything is the perfect chance for them to mix and mingle. Make a more productive use of this time by having students line up in special ways. Some fun ideas include lining up in alphabetical order by name, by birth date, or by height order.

18. Just jump!

Sometimes kids just need to bounce their energy out. Have them pretend they are bouncing on a mini-trampoline (this will keep their movement on a vertical plane instead of all over the room), and give them a couple of minutes to let loose!

19. Take a cue from the stadium

Here's one for a group of kids-start the wave! Beginning at one end of the room, kids stand up and throw their arms overhead, bringing them back down as they return to their seats. Each row follows until you reach the other end of the room. Amp it up by encouraging your kids to tap their feet or tap their hands on their legs so that they are in constant motion. This activity works great on Zoom too!

20. Stir the pot

Have kids visualize they are standing in front of an enormous cauldron. Inside the cauldron is an ooey-gooey pot of caramel. Take hold of a large stirrer and plunge it to the bottom of the pot. Slowly begin to stir in a clockwise direction. Have them use their whole body to help get a full range of motion in their wrists and shoulders. Instruct them to throw their hips into the action. After a minute or two, reverse the direction.

21. Make it rain

Conjure up a rainstorm! Sitting or standing at a desk or table, have kids tap one finger on the desk, then two, then three, then four, then their whole hand until you all feel like you're in the middle of a deluge. Work your way backward from five down to one as the storm ebbs away.

22. Energize with these

First, instruct kids to touch their left elbow to their right knee, then touch their right elbow to their left knee. Switch back and forth, going slowly at first, building speed until they are going at a vigorous pace. Next, do some windmills by standing tall with their feet shoulder-width apart and their arms stretched out. Bend at the waist and touch their right hand to their left toes, then their left hand to their right toes. Switch back and forth.

23. Make X's and O's

Walk kids through the following exercise: Sitting in a chair with your feet on the ground and legs together, curl your body into your lap, folding yourself into a tiny O shape. Next, open your arms and legs wide, forming an X shape with your body. Pull back into an O shape, then back out to an X shape. Repeat three times.

24. Energize in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

Get hearts pumping with a quick sequence of exercises. Call out five actions for your students to do as quickly as they can. For instance, five jumping jacks, four push-ups, three sit-ups, two squat jumps, and one tree pose.

25. Take a cruise on an imaginary skateboard

Have your kids line up next to a wall and place one hand on the wall. Tell them to plant the foot closest to the wall and swing the other leg, as if pushing off the ground on a skateboard. Start slowly, with tiny swings, moving up to power pushes. Repeat on the other side.

26. Take a break to groove

Music is a great way to reset the mood in a room and raise the energy level. Put on a fun song and have a 30-second freestyle dance party. Here's a big list of school-appropriate songs for kids.

27. Or take it to the next level

Teach your kids the steps to popular dances such as the Cha-Cha Slide, the Macarena, or the Kidz Bop Shuffle.

28. Ramp up with a round of cherry pickers

This easy activity will get your students' hearts pumping and give their brains a boost. Have them jump up off the ground, then down to the floor into a push-up position. From there, instruct them to hop their feet up into a frog position, then pop up to a standing position.

29. Clap on, clap off

When you say "clap on," kids clap their hands vigorously together. When you say "clap off," they stop as quickly as they can and freeze. Or follow along with this a fun video.

30. Skip it out

When the energy is fading and kids need to get their blood flowing, put on a peppy song and pull out the imaginary jump ropes. Have kids skip or jump rope in place until the song ends.

31. Make like a blender

Tell kids it's time to make fruit smoothies. Ask them to pretend they are in a blender and they are strawberries (or blueberries or bananas, etc.). Dramatically pour orange juice or yogurt into the air in front of you. Tell kids when you flip the switch that they need to wiggle and jiggle (separately, not together) until they are each individually blended up. Start with a slow speed, moving up to medium speed, fast speed, and finally turbo speed. And then reverse it! Start at turbo speed and go back to slow speed.

32. Celebrate with a silent cheer

This activity is perfect for the end of an activity or a sustained amount of work time-especially for kids who are learning remotely. Let kids stand up and silently cheer and gesture in celebration. How animated can they get?!

33. Do a full-body workout

This kid-friendly exercise video is great for your body and brain! Kids can follow along through a set of workout moves that will get their blood pumping.

34. Play popcorn

Students will all be sitting in their chairs, and at any time, a student can jump up and say, "Pop!" Once they do, that student remains standing. If two students pop up at the same time, everyone takes their seats, and the game starts over. How quickly can the entire class pop without having to start over?

35. Hit the wall

Pushing against a solid object is a good way to displace extra energy from your body. Have kids stand facing a wall with their arms stretched out in front of them, palms on the surface of the wall. Push the wall away with all their strength for a count of ten. Relax for five seconds, then push again. Other activities they can do at the wall include calf stretches and wall push-ups.

36. 3, 2, 1 blastoff!

Instruct kids to stand and then squat down with their hands on the ground in front of them. All together, count down 3, 2, 1. When you get to zero, they should push up like a rocket, jumping as high as they can-letting all of their energy burst from their center.

37. Quick as a snap, wink

This is a quick and easy refocusing activity. Tell kids to snap their left fingers while they wink their right eye. Switch to snapping their right fingers while winking their left eye. This activity is particularly effective for younger learners who may find both activities challenging.

38. Balance break

A great way to get kids out of their chairs is to practice balance. Have them hop on one foot. Then up the ante by having them stand on one foot and bend their other knee out in front of them.

39. Tabletop push-ups

Kids can use their desk, a chair, the side of their couch-anything really. Have them place their hands on the table and focus their eyes in the center, moving down slowly and pushing back up.

40. Try some facial gymnastics

Have kids get their silly on for 30 seconds. Tell them to wiggle their eyebrows up and down as fast as they can. Then try to raise one eyebrow at a time.

Mental Brain Breaks That Are Educational

41. Take a comedy break

Comedy is a great release when the atmosphere is feeling a little intense. Show a funny video clip or have kids volunteer to tell a joke or pose a few silly riddles. We have compiled a number of jokes by theme on WeAreTeachers for kids of all ages for guaranteed laughs. For example, your students will love one of our most recent additions, 34 Cat Jokes for Kids. From there, you can find dog jokes, seasonal jokes, food jokes, and much more.

42. Share fun facts

In addition to joke compilations, we have plenty of fun fact lists on our site with themes that will thrill your students. Plus they're an educational way to teach your students new information during brain breaks. Get started with these fun feline facts to accompany the jokes above. Meow!

43. Practice another language

Source: startasl.com

Teach your kids the alphabet in sign language. Use brain breaks to practice by singing the ABCs while signing the letters. Then practice vocabulary words by spelling them out loud while signing the letters.

44. Find out how it's made

Remember that classic Sesame Street video about how crayons are made? We watched in awe as crayons rolled off the assembly line, wrapped in paper, and then slipped into those familiar cardboard boxes. Kids today are just as fascinated by how things are made! Here are our favorite videos about how things are made-from fireworks to LEGO.

45. Take a doodle break

According to researcher Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, downtime is essential for brain health. Kids need time for their growing brains to integrate and process the vast amount of information they receive each day. In other words, it is actually beneficial to give our kids time to allow their minds to wander. Try this: Set a timer for three to five minutes and let kids silently doodle with pencil and paper or a dry-erase board and marker while soft, calming music plays in the background.

Learn more: Sage Journals

46. Try a directed-drawing activity

Directed drawing activities walk your students through the process step-by-step so anyone can create their very own masterpiece. Teachers can lead the session by drawing on the whiteboard or chart paper while students follow along. Even better, there are plenty of videos on YouTube that lead the lesson, giving you a little break too. We have done the work and gathered some our favorite free directed-drawing activities for kids. Grab your favorite art supplies and get creative!

47. Gather your favorite GIFs

Make a slideshow of your favorite GIFs and have your kids act them out. Funny animals are a good place to start!

48. Find the object

Kids don't even have to get out of their seats for this one, but they can! Have one student start by finding an object and saying, "I see something beginning with the letter [fill in the blank]." The first person to guess the item correctly gets to choose the next object. This can be a fun one to play on Zoom too! You can have kids add in additional clues to help.

49. Clap for a little call-and-response

Pep things up with a little call-and-response clapping. It's simple to do and is often used in the classroom to get students' attention. Simply clap out a pattern that your kids will repeat back to you. Switch out the pattern a few times until everyone is focused and engaged. Alternatively, try a vocal call-and-response. Sing out a few riffs and have kids echo the tune back to you.

50. Color yourself mellow

Even grown-ups have picked up on the coloring craze as an excellent way to calm down and zone out. Put on some nice mellow background music, set a timer, and pass out some of these free mandala coloring pages.

51. Try a brain-break spinner

One way to make sure educational brain breaks are effective is to change up activities. Check out these online movement spinners for Wheel of Fortune-type games that help you add variety to brain breaks!

53. Would You Rather?

Students of all ages love participating in Would You Rather? videos, which can be found all over YouTube these days. Each video is approximately 8 minutes long, and students are given two scenarios where they choose which one they would rather participate in. Topics range from food items to activity choices to places to visit and more. As students choose the scenario, they move to either the right or left side of the room. Students then perform 30-second rounds of a specified exercise before repeating the process with another choice. Some of our favorite Would You Rather? channels include PE with Mr. G, Phonics Man, and Fix and Play. Students love when their teacher participates with them in the fun!

Learn more: PE With Mr. G

52. Write it out

Don't underestimate the power of journaling or creative writing. Give your kids a 5- or 10-minute break to open up a page of their notebook and write about anything they'd like. They don't have to share it with the class or do anything else with it; just use the quiet time to focus on something they love and want to write about.

Educational Video Brain Breaks by Grade Level

54. Brain-break compilations by grade level

If you are looking for a sample of brain breaks suitable for your students by grade level, look no further. We have created separate links of 25 videos each for individual grades at the elementary level. Go down the list and find your favorite!
Kindergarten Brain Breaks First Grade Brain Breaks Second Grade Brain Breaks Third Grade Brain Breaks Fourth Grade Brain Breaks Fifth Grade Brain Breaks
What educational brain breaks do you love? Share them in the comments!

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Quick, easy educational brain breaks that will help students re-energize, refocus, and give their brains a much-needed boost.

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Day of AI offers a full school day's worth of curriculum and activities for elementary, middle school, and high school students. The program is completely free and accessible to students and teachers of all backgrounds and abilities. No technology or coding experience needed! This year, rather than asking everyone to do the curriculum on the same day, we're making our resources available to educators to run at any time and in any increments they choose. Do one per week! Make it a theme week! Make it a school-wide event!

Then, each year in May , join a community of educators around the world in a Day of AI celebration: share your class's projects, posters, photos, and videos, host a discussion, or create your own unique festivity. Stay tuned for details on how to share your class's participation or join one of our Day of AI events.
New learning modules
All of last year's Day of AI activities are available to educators who register on the website . We're also adding 5 new curriculum modules and activities in our gradeband categories, including an all-new module for early elementary students ages 5-7: early elementary, upper elementary, middle school, high school (general), and high school for students with coding experience.
New training videos
Each learning module also has a new training video, made by the experts who developed the curriculum. Register to explore the full Day of AI curriculum, then watch the free training videos at your convenience.

What's next

Thank you to all who joined the Day of AI 2023! We'll have more news about Day of AI 2024 in coming months.

Once you register you'll have the opportunity to watch a training video or sign up for a virtual professional development session with our education provider i2 Learning (both optional). The videos and virtual training, like the curriculum, are completely free.

You'll also get notified about Day of AI content, news, and opportunities for engagement and professional development. We're planning a number of new events for Day of AI 2024 -make sure your classroom is included!

Finally, follow @MIT_RAISE on Instagram and share your own AI education ideas and classroom projects using #DayofAI.

About Day of AI

Day of AI is a free, hands-on curriculum of lessons and activities designed to introduce K-12 students to artificial intelligence (AI) and how it shapes their lives. The Day of AI curriculum was developed by a team of researchers at MIT RAISE, and designed to be taught by educators with little or no technology background. These resources are free, Creative Commons-licensed, and made to be accessible to students of all backgrounds and abilities. Activities are organized by age group (elementary, middle school, and high school) and can be run in 30-minute to 1-hour time blocks. Teachers who register for Day of AI get access to the curriculum and lesson plans as well as optional free professional development training on the materials with our collaborator i2 Learning, with a certificate of completion that may be used for PD credits.

Thank you to our funders for helping us make Day of AI free and available to all! Interested in supporting Day of AI? Email contact@dayofai.org to learn how.

A unique opportunity to help your students shape our world's digital future...and their own .

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Day of AI offers a full school day's worth of curriculum and activities for elementary, middle school, and high school students. The program is completely free and accessible to students and teachers of all backgrounds and abilities. No technology or coding experience needed!

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Support for Smithsonian's History Explorer is provided by the Verizon Foundation

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The Problem of the Week is designed to provide students with an ongoing opportunity to solve mathematical problems. Each week, problems from various areas of mathematics will be posted here and e-mailed to teachers for use with their students from grades 3 and up.

Current Problems

Subscribe Now!

Information for Teachers

Problems are organized into themes. A problem may have more than one theme.

These problems may be used in a variety of different ways including:

posting the problems in a classroom,

discussing the problems with students, and

integrating the problems into the curriculum.

We know that teachers will use these problems in many creative ways!

Solutions to the problems will be sent out to teachers one week after the problems are e-mailed.

Problems & Solutions from 2023-2024

Problem and Solution Archive

The following table has links to booklets containing all the problems and solutions from particular years. The problems are organized into themes, grouping problems into various areas of the curriculum. A problem often appears in multiple themes.

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Design - Graphics, University of Waterloo

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The CEMC has become Canada's largest and most recognized outreach organization for promoting and creating activities and materials in mathematics and computer science.

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WordGen Weekly: Academic Language Development | SERP

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Join the national conversation. Wordgen Weekly provides middle school students the tools and strategies to expand their academic language development.

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Engaging techniques for effective teaching

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StartSOLE - Self Organized Learning Environments in your Classroom

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StartSOLE is a free iOS app & website for teachers to implement Self Organized Learning Environments in their classrooms.

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MagicSchool.ai - AI for teachers - lesson planning and more!

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Join over a million teachers saving hours of time using the #1 AI Platform for Education, MagicSchool, to help lesson plan, differentiate, write assessments, write IEPs, communicate clearly, and more!

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Help your students tap into their innovative potential with these free STEM activities and resources to inspire elementary and middle school classrooms.

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We're committed to providing educators accessible, high-quality teaching tools. That's why all our lessons and assessments are free. Please consider donating to SHEG to support our creation of new materials. All gifts are made through Stanford University and are tax-deductible.

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Common Sense Education provides educators and students with the resources they need to harness the power of technology for learning and life. Find a free K-12 Digital Citizenship curriculum, reviews of popular EdTech apps, and resources for protecting student privacy.

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The UDL Guidelines are a tool used in the implementation of Universal Design for Learning, a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn. Learn more about the Universal Design for Learning framework from CAST. The UDL Guidelines can be used by educators, curriculum developers, researchers, parents, and anyone else who wants to implement the UDL framework in a learning environment. These guidelines offer a set of concrete suggestions that can be applied to any discipline or domain to ensure that all learners can access and participate in meaningful, challenging learning opportunities.

Reenvisioning the UDL Guidelines

Because the UDL Guidelines are meant to be informed by feedback from the field as well as new research, they have been updated several times in the past. We are in the process of updating the Guidelines once again in our UDL Rising to Equity initiative.

This update will focus specifically on addressing systemic barriers that result in inequitable learning opportunities and outcomes. CAST aims to develop a transparent, inclusive, and community-driven process. If you are interested in collaborating and staying updated on our progress, we invite you to complete a brief survey.

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The UDL Guidelines are a tool used in the implementation of Universal Design for Learning, a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn. Learn more about the Universal Design for Learning framework from CAST. The UDL Guidelines can be used by educators, curriculum developers, researchers, parents, and anyone else who wants to implement the UDL framework in a learning environment. These guidelines offer a set of concrete suggestions that can be applied to any discipline or domain to ensure that all learners can access and participate in meaningful, challenging learning opportunities.

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Edtomorrow- Supporting Today's Educators through Restorative Practices PD

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What Is The First Five? - Edtomorrow- Supporting Today's Educators through Restorative Practices PD

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Users pick 1 of the 9 activities from either the Primary or Secondary First Five.

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PBL leads to deeper understanding and greater retention of content knowledge

PBLWorks offers online and in-person Project Based Learning workshops and courses for educators seeking to give their students more. Whether you are new to Project Based Learning, advancing your practice, teaching in-person, or facilitating PBL curricula online, we have a path just for you. Pick your pathway and explore how to get started today...

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Project Based Learning for all. We build the capacity of teachers and school leaders to design and facilitate quality Project Based Learning.