Ill. students' quilt project stitches together math, language arts, social studies
The quilts being donated to the Spiritual Life Center at Cunningham Children's Home in Urbana, Ill, represent much more than the creativity of the students from Monticello Middle School in Illinois. The students picked their own squares, with each quilt representing stories and poems learned in the students' history and language arts classes; their shapes were part of lessons about geometry. Monticello math teacher Pam Householder said the quilts blend nonfiction in literature and social studies and reiterate that "math is everywhere." The News-Gazette (Champaign-Urbana, Ill.)
(4/12)
Teacher: Students can experiment more in a no-grades classroom
Middle-school history teacher Hadley Ferguson in this blog post answers questions about a recent post in which she wrote about her decision to eliminate grades. Ferguson says that the approach likely would work better at the middle-school level than in high schools, where there is a greater focus on students' grade point averages. She also writes that in a class without grades, midrange and struggling students may feel free to experiment more without the fear of failure. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Education
(4/12)
Fiji education project blends financial literacy with other subjects
Educators in Fiji are hoping a new financial curriculum will turn students on the Pacific island into wise investors and money managers. The FinED Fiji Project blends money-management education into school subjects that already are part of the core curriculum, such as math, English and social studies, teaching such skills as how to save and set personal financial goals. "Personal money management also needs to keep up with the changing times," said Abigail Chang, a coordinator for the project. The Christian Science Monitor
(4/12)
Other News
 | How to recharge learning recovery
In learning recovery, a deeper leadership mindset can be the most critical tool of all. On May 16 at 2 p.m. ET, join educator Jonah Schenker for a SmartSummit on "Closing the gap: Better learning recovery through deeper leadership." Sign up now. |
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Common core prompts shift to new reading, math exams in Ala.
The Alabama Board of Education has voted to adopt ACT Aspire, the standardized tests in reading and math aligned with the Common Core State Standards, which educators will begin administering in August. The tests are expected to provide teachers and parents with more feedback than the current exams provide. Some, however, question whether the new exams should have been approved before completion of a national pilot program. AL.com (Alabama)
(4/12)
Fla. tries to help students relax before high-stakes tests
As students in Florida this week begin taking standardized tests -- the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Tests as well as End of Course exams in U.S. history, algebra, geometry and biology for some students -- educators say they are working to alleviate students' anxiety by creating more relaxed environments. Besides reassuring students they are well-prepared for the high-stakes exams, school officials also have been administering mock exams to help students get a feel for the protocols and provided preparation kits to students and their families. The News-Press (Fort Myers, Fla.) (tiered subscription model)
(4/14)
Other News
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| Technology in the Classroom |
Edmodo becomes an increasingly popular resource for teachers
Of the 100 largest school districts in the country, about 86 of them are using Edmodo -- sometimes referred to as the Facebook of education -- in some official way. In this article, David F. Carr, editor of InformationWeek Education, writes about how educators are using the social media tool, including to upload lesson plans and to hold online class discussions. "It's probably the best resource a teacher could have," said Renee Setser, instructional technology coordinator for the Manor, Texas, school district. InformationWeek
(4/9)
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| Social Studies & Civic Life |
Schools train high-school students to prepare tax returns
Seventy-seven U.S. high schools have trained students to become certified tax preparers, and they have completed more than 16,000 tax returns a year for free as part of the Internal Revenue Service's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program and its companion program, Tax Counseling for the Elderly. "We have some students who have over 100 hours of community service. They're going to school all day and doing taxes all night," said Angelo Ochoa, an income-tax accounting teacher at A.J. Moore Academy in Waco, Texas. USA Today
(4/14)
Minn. students spend a day giving back to the community
Students from St. Cloud Christian School in Minnesota recently held its first Serve-A-Thon, a day devoted to volunteering with organizations throughout their community. Activities included painting at the Boys & Girls Club, making crafts for nursing home residents and cleaning the inside and outside of police cars. "We want to be able to be servants," said Mary Hormann, a fifth-grade teacher. "Getting out into the community and serving is really important." St. Cloud Times (Minn.) (tiered subscription model)
(4/12)
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Congressman John Lewis will be 2013 NCSS Annual Conference closing speaker
Civil rights veteran and U.S. Representative John Lewis will serve as the closing keynote speaker at the NCSS Annual Conference. Rep. Lewis, veteran of the Freedom Rides, 1963 March on Washington, and "Bloody Sunday" in Selma, Ala., in 1965, is eager to reach a new generation of Americans with the story of his role in the Civil Rights Movement through his autobiographical three-volume, nonfiction, graphic book project, March. Read more about the speakers confirmed for the conference.
NCSS Summer workshop -- Teaching With Documents and Works of Art: An Integrated Approach
This three-day workshop -- July 22 to 24 -- will provide a varied program of lectures, demonstrations, collaborative work, and analysis of documents and works of art in order to introduce teachers to the holdings, resources, and programs of the National Archives and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. This year's content focus is photography as art and document. Workshop attendees will participate in hands-on activities related to the historical photography processes. Learn more and register.
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It has ever been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues."
-- Abraham Lincoln, 16th U.S. president
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