In Focus: Back to School Back-to-school night is a big event on the school calendar — a time for families and teachers to meet and connect for the first time. We've filled a "virtual" backpack full of ideas and resources to help make the most of back-to-school night and set the stage for a great year together. Browse resources > This checklist can help you evaluate how well your school is reaching out to parents. Read more > Learn the "why" and "how" of creating a language- and literacy-rich classroom, especially for kids with special needs. Read more > As a teacher, you know that "one-size-fits-all" instruction doesn't address the needs of all students. Learn how to group for instruction, organize your classroom workspaces, and establish daily routines that support all learners. Read more > Teacher Mandy Gregory shares her ideas (and photos from her own classroom) for acquiring reading materials, organizing and labeling the shelves, and making the space cozy and inviting for young readers. Read more > Walk into any truly excellent school and you can feel it almost immediately — a calm, orderly atmosphere that hums with an exciting, vibrant sense of purposefulness. This is a positive school culture, the kind that improves educational outcomes. Read more >
Books & Authors Harry Potter is only the latest book hero to make the successful transition to film star. Hollywood has been mining children's literature for a long, long time. Revisit some of the still-fresh classics like The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Shiloh, and check out some of the books that will soon be coming to a multiplex near you. Looks like September's forecast is Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Browse booklist > "If something is too big, you make it manageable by breaking it into smaller pieces. Now the question is, what are the right pieces?" Greg Tang is on a mission to improve the quality of math education in the United States. Each year he travels to schools around the country giving hundreds of workshops, all designed to help students develop a more intuitive approach to math — teaching kids how to be great with numbers and integrate math with language and art.
Classroom Strategies Learn strategies for making language an integral part of math instruction, and for ensuring that ELLs have the tools and vocabulary they need to master mathematical concepts and skills. Read more > Find out how to use Concept Sorts to teach students words about geometric shapes or telling time. And how to use Semantic Feature Analysis to chart information about whole numbers and polygons.
Ideas for Teachers Practice using adjectives and their superlative forms with the Trampolini Brothers. Identify fake vocabulary words ('butcherisms') with WordGirl. These and lots more collaborative, fun games are available from PBS. In addition to language arts, find interactives for math, social science, and the arts. Go to website > Here's a great list of websites identified by the American Association of School Librarians as "best of" in providing free, relevant, and exceptional resources to support collaborative teaching and learning communities. Read more >
Ideas for Parents Learn how to "jinx the jitters" and other tips in helping your child get ready for new teachers, new classmates, and new experiences. Try this online quiz, from our friends at GreatSchools. Read more > The "Find a Book" web tool is an easy way to search the Lexile Book Database for titles at your child's reading level. Older kids can explore on their own and create personal reading lists. Read more >
Research & News Younger and younger children are becoming immersed in the new gaming culture. If you think this is an unhealthy trend, you are not alone. The Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop addresses this concern in a recent policy brief, "Game Changer: Investing in Digital Play to Advance Children's Learning and Health." The report proposes that a national investment in research-based digital games can help children learn healthy behaviors, core skills like reading and math, and 21st-century strengths such as critical thinking, global learning, and programming design. Read more >
"Learning is not a spectator sport" — Anonymous
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