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Meeting the Common Core Standards with Technology Tools: Teaching History and English

Technology tools for smart phones and tablets, such as HistoryPin and News360, put news headlines at student’s fingertips. See the following infographic example of 2013 news consumption: 

Image: Sean MacEntee

Read more at http://newstex.com/2013/05/02/news-consumption-in-2013-infographic/

Using a headline, have students work collaboratively to compare points of view. They can work in pairs or groups based on interests, needs, or reading comprehension levels.

Students can start out with the same news story, but accessed from different sources. Discuss how and why the stories sounded different. Elicit discussion about an author’s point of view and how this affected what they wrote. Ask how it affected the students’ interpretations of the news. You’ll be doing more than making current events meaningfully—you’ll also be addressing a key ELA Common Core State Standard: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.6: Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

Here are other engaging ways to vary this kind of learning activity:

• Have students send emails telling different people about the news story (keeping their audience in mind)
• Students can create presentations, audio recordings, or videos of their newscast or letter with Animoto
• Then, they can watch or listen to these recordings to understand the different points of view
• Students can also send free digital messages about current events with Simply Postcards
• Modify easy-to-access lesson plans on history and persuasive writing and integrating interactive learning with textbooks to help your students achieve relevant CCSS
• Have students collaborate to create an class infographic using the information found in their searches.

Incorporating reading comprehension strategies from PowerUp, such as visualizing, self-questioning, and summarizing—can help your students make meaning of newspaper articles, blogs, and websites that present current and historical events.

CCSS Partners in Learning: Technology and Poetry

Can the the ELA CCSS inform the teaching of poetry? Does technology have a place in teaching poetry? The answer to both questions is a resounding “YES.”

In terms of the CCSS, students must be able to determine the theme poem, as well as the vocabulary (key ideas and details); understand structural elements of poems in terms of verse, rhythm, meter (craft and structure); and read and understand more complex poems (text complexity).

For the question of technology relating to poetry in the classroom, see if these three videos can convince you; the first comes from the Teaching Channel. It highlights a teacher and her classroom using technology in an interactive poetry lesson with workstations: https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/poetry-and-technology

 

The second video was created by students. They created a presentation to show others how to write Haikus:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TXIY1wuPAk (see below)

 

The third video is also from Teaching Channel, and shows how using technology in the classroom through a poetry open mike can allow for student expression and building language: https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/poetry-lesson-plan

 

Here are some other ways to partner technology and poetry:

• After reading a poem, have students create their own poems using Blabberize. View the lesson plan for grades 4-8.
• For poetry practice, use Wizards and Pigs Poetry Pickle, a web interactive maze game to help kids practice poetry terms. The poems are displayed on screen and read aloud every time the student’s character encounters a friendly key-holding goblin. To get to the next room in the maze, the student must identify the correct type of poetry that their colorful friend just recited (rhythm, alliteration, or rhyme). Students can gain familiarity listening and following along with the written (on-screen) text of three types of poems.

Even more ideas can be found in these interactive poetry resources:

• Teacher tips in The Poetry Friendly Classroom (video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JRzbPP_66Q
• Examples of (and how to showcase) student work in Trumbull’s 4th Grade Poetry 2012 (video):http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uQq8iCFdYM
• Poetry and the Common Core State Standards (image) https://pinterest.com/pin/214835844696757442/

 

Remember:

Roses are red,

Violets are blue;

Use tech to teach poetry,

And try something new!

Teaching Science and Writing with Technology

By teaching writing within the context of science instruction, you will be able to address three of the key shifts recommended by ELA CCSS. You can (1) build your students’ knowledge of science concepts, (2) ground their writing in evidence from informational texts, and (3) give them practice understanding complex texts and using academic language within science reports and other genres.

See this video from WatchKnowLearn for an introduction on how to navigate the night sky(http://www.watchknowlearn.org/Video.aspx?VideoID=30014), or see how one YouTube member uses an app to find the north star (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ut4727-_NU).

Here is an example of how writing is integrated into a unit on astronomy: 

• Have students watch a brief video on stars and outer space to elicit prior knowledge and build background knowledge.
• Then use Stellarium (a free, online 3D sky) to view how constellations look different depending where you are.
• Going further, have students interact with NASA’s SkyMap to see constellations in the sky based on the time of year and time of day.

These tools fit well into the writing process. For prewriting, have students jot down ideas or capture thoughts in drawing based on what they see in the night sky. More research using these websites and other resources can help students create drafts. The reviewing process helps them further refine and polish their ideas within a report that relies on strong academic language. Publishing their final work can take different forms, especially for those struggling students who benefit from multiple forms of expression. By encouraging students to use multimedia tools, every report can have a student’s stamp of individuality. Students can write about the stars—and be a star!

Create Your Own Interactives!

Looking for ways to incorporate interactive media into your lesson, but are short on time? These 3 tools can have you creating an interactive resource for your students to explore in minutes. Providing your students with multiple representations of information, and multiple means of engaging with content can be great ways to differentiate your instruction. Try using one (or all!) of these tools as part of your next lesson!

Tackk (www.tackk.com): Create interactive digital ‘flyers’ with text, images, videos, links and more on any topic you desire. Creation is as simple as typing in your text and adding links. If you already have your content ready, you could create one of these in less than 10 minutes! You can create a Tackk without joining, but they expire after a few weeks. Join (FREE) to be able to save your creations. Here’s one we created using a blog post on teaching students to code: http://tackk.com/sqlcp1

ThingLink ( http://www.thinglink.com/) (FREE):  Create interactive photos in minutes. Embed links for more information on a topic (YouTube videos, Wikipedia pages, etc.). When your students hover over an icon in the photo they’ll see a pop up box with more info. This can be a great way to introduce a lesson or webquest and give students multiple links to explore for more information. Here’s a sample created by Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF): http://www.thinglink.com/scene/336184843761090561#tlsite

VoiceThread ( http://voicethread.com/) (FREE; paid subscriptions): Of the three tools, VoiceThread requires a bit more effort, but is well worth it in terms of the interactive resources you can create for your students. Free accounts are available, as are accounts for teachers, schools and districts allowing you to create student accounts without needing individual email addresses. Here are a few examples of how teachers have used VoiceThread:

• 7th Grade Edgar Allen Poe responses: http://voicethread.com/about/library/7th_Grade_from_Amy_Cobb_2/
• 7th Grade Exploring Probability: http://voicethread.com/about/library/7th_Grade__Exploring_Probability_from_Britt_Gow/
• 4th Grade Studying Plants in Collaboration with Pakistani Students http://voicethread.com/about/library/4th_graders_study_plants_in_collaboration_with_Pakistani_students/

Are You Prepared to Teach with Technology?

A recent eSchool News article "Aspiring teachers ill-prepared to use ed tech effectively" discusses results from a new survey on teacher preparedness to use technology in the classroom. The survey found that teacher preparation programs are often falling short when it comes to helping new teachers learn to integrate technology effectively into their teaching practice. While many new teachers feel comfortable with using some technology tools, they are not always getting the instruction they need in pre-service training.

The survey highlights several key areas of classroom technology integration and the disconnect between what principals would like their teachers to know, and the types of technology instruction pre-service teachers are receiving. While many of the teachers reported learning how to use technology in fairly traditional ways (word processing, spreadsheets and interactive whiteboards), few had received instruction in the areas that were ranked highly by principals (multimedia creation, Bring Your Own Device/BYOD, social media, online classes). It appears that much of pre-service technology instruction focuses on teacher productivity and less on the innovative use of technology to differentiate instruction.

PowerUp WHAT WORKS can help you learn how to integrate technology tools into your teaching practice in ways that support evidence-based practices, Common Core Standards, and address the unique learning needs of your diverse students.

Teachers:

• Just getting started with technology? Explore our technology articles for simple explanations of strategies for incorporating technology into your teaching.
• Looking for inspiration? Explore our resource database by searching for “Lesson Plans” or “Interactives” to find curated suggestions for great resources online.
• Want ideas for ways to use technology tools to differentiate your content area instruction? Browse our ideas, suggestions, resources and tips in Reading, Writing, and Math strategies.

School Leaders:

• Planning Professional Development for your teachers around technology? Use the resources on PD in the School Planner to help you get started.
• Looking for ideas? Read our short articles on Professional Development and Technology Implementation and browse our suggested resources.
• Putting together resources for your teachers? Consider incorporating pieces of the PowerUp resources on Reading, Writing, Math, Technology, and UDL into a mini-PD workshop. Use sections and ideas that work best for your context and create your own customized workshop.

Meeting the ISTE NETS Technology Standards – Using the PowerUp School Planner

The PowerUp School Planner is an interactive tool to help your school document your technology implementation plans. The tool is organized into five tasks—all aligned to the ISTE Essential Conditions necessary for creating rich technology-supported learning environments for your students and teachers.
How can you use the School Planner?

Just getting started with technology implementation? 
Our Planner guides you through: Working as a Leadership Team, Gathering Data to Drive Decision Making, Forming a Shared Vision and Setting Goals, Providing Professional Development, and Providing Access to Technology Support. Each task features examples, resources, and prompts to help you think through implementing technology and best practices.

Implementing technology, but getting stuck? 
Use our PowerUp Roadmap to identify areas of strengths and weaknesses in your current technology implementation efforts. What are you doing already? What areas need attention? Then jump to the relevant section in the School Planner to find targeted suggestions and resources to help you move forward!

Want to make sure that technology changes are sustained over the long term? 
The School Planner tool takes you through each major phase of implementation, from Planning, Implementing and on to Sustaining your work. Find suggestions, resources and guidance to help ensure that the changes you make in your building today will carry on.

Meeting ISTE NETS Tech Standards for Students? PowerUp Can Help!

Is your school focusing on the ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS)? Looking for ways to help your students meet technology standards? We've put together some of our free resources on teaching with technology to help get you started:

1. Standard: Creativity and Innovation
• Technology info brief: Using Multimedia to Support Reading Instruction
• Technology info brief: Virtual Manipulatives
2. Standard: Communication and Collaboration
• Technology info brief: Writing for the Web: Using Blogs and Wikis to Support Literacy
• Technology info brief: Text Messaging
• Math Strategy: Interacting with Peers
3. Standard: Research and Information Fluency
• Technology info brief: Supporting Reading in Social Studies
• Technology info brief: Teach your students to use reference materials with Embedded Supports
4. Standard: Critical Thinking, Problems Solving, and Decision Making
• Reading Strategy: Self-Questioning
• Reading Strategy: Summarizing
• Math Strategy: Organizing
5. Standard: Digital Citizenship
• Technology info brief: Teaching Students About Online Safety

Should You Be Teaching Your Students How to Code?

What does it mean for your students to be computer literate?

Is it enough for our students to simply know how to use a computer, or should they be able to also ”get under the hood?”  Educators across the country and around the globe are beginning to teach children the basics of coding, beginning as early as first grade.  Many in the field believe that coding is set to become this generation’s critical literacy—the same way the “three R’s” transformed education in the last century.

Coding has obvious applications in mathematics –students can learn important skills identified in the Common Core State Standards– representation, reasoning and communication. Because the process is often collaborative, it can be a great way to incorporate interacting with peers around solving a problem. The process of testing, de-bugging, and problem solving a program can also encourage students to use precise language in their mathematics learning.

Beyond building your students’ math skills, working with common computer coding programs can be a great way to incorporate more Universal Design for Learning principles into your instruction, Use a program like MIT’s Scratch to help your students create their own unique ways of representing information or telling a story. Have your students plan, draft, and revise a narrative that they then turn into a video game!

Here are some links to get you started:

• Hackasaurus: http://hackasaurus.org/en-US/educators/
• CodeAcademy After School: http://www.codecademy.com/afterschool
• Scratch: http://scratch.mit.edu/
• Alice: http://alice.org/

More Pi Day Fun – Host a Pi Battle!

Ready for your Pi Battle? Memorize the digits of Pi with these free apps for iOS and Android:

• Pi Trainer App on Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.piday.android.pitrainer
• Learn Pi Free App: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/learn-pi-free/id518465060?mt=8

Happy Pi Day!

Pi Day is just around the corner! It’s a fun and exciting way to engage your students with mathematics and the world around them—with technology. There are a number of great resources and ideas online for celebrating Pi Day, from the silly to the serious.  Many of these resources are excellent ways to help your students interact with math outside the boundaries of a typical math class. In addition to measuring, cutting up, and eating pie, check out some of these other fun activities:

• Start with a history lesson with “A Brief History of π."
• Check out the “Pi Searcher” tool for searching the first 200 million digits of Pi. Have students enter different strings of numbers (birthdays, phone numbers, etc.) to see what they come up with. Have students collaborate with peers and think aloud about what the results might mean. What are the odds that your phone number would show up in Pi? What about fewer digits? 
• Consider following “The Pi Searcher” on Google Plus to see all their Pi-related posts and updates. Tongue-in-cheek and fun discussions of Pi.
• Explore multiple representations of Pi. What does Pi look like if represented by colors and shapes? What would Pi sound like? Using visual representations and models can be a great way to help your students grasp information, plus these tools are fun to play with!
• Use simulations and virtual tools that explore some of the many fascinating discoveries related to Pi. One cool one to check out: Buffon’s Needle Simulation.
• More virtual manipulatives and lessons can be found on the NCTM Illuminations website. 
• View the Pi Day Webquest!

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Meeting the Common Core Standards with Technology: Bring History Lessons to Life

The Common Core Standards represent a shift in the way we teach reading and writing, both in ELA classes and in content-area classes (history, science, and technical subjects). The standards in K-5 and 6-12 both focus heavily on building rich knowledge through reading content-area nonfiction. Standards focus on reading, writing, and speaking that is grounded in textual evidence; they encourage regular practice with complex texts and academic vocabulary. Use of web-based tools, interactives, online primary sources, and other technology tools can be a great way to immerse your students in history, and to build vocabulary and comprehension!

Now, with so many technology options, history, a subject of our forefathers, does not have to be taught in the same way as it was to our grandfathers. With online primary resources and web-based interactives, history lessons like those on the Civil War come alive with this photojournalism lesson plan. Teachers and students alike will find the Civil War Timeline helpful in detailing the Civil War from various points of view, including detailed accounts  from soldiers of the Civil War, as well as digital maps. Teach students about the role of Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglas, and the Gettysburg Address.

Views from the battle field of Gettysburg, July 1st, 2d, and 3d, 1863 : General Hospital, near Gettysburg, PA.

Students can also learn from an interactive version of the Gettysburg Address which is highlighted digital copy of the original document. Students can use the interactive to zoom in on key passages or listen to the whole Address and read along. Help struggling readers to visualize what they are reading by first giving them some context. Further ensure comprehension by having students write a letter to Abraham Lincoln. Browse through photos from the Civil War on an interactive whiteboard.


Another great resource can be found in this history of immigration lesson plan from the Library of Congress. Explore the Immigration interactive with your class; there is something here for every level with detailed descriptions of immigrants from different cultures, vocabulary, and even interviews with immigrants from the 20th -21st centuries. This is a great way to support reading in Social Studies. Even better, there is an interactive tool for educators on the site that will let you know which Common Core Standards align with your activity! Also, have fun with your class by looking through the Great American Potluck, discussing the significance, and maybe even trying out a recipe!

Three Free Apps You Can Use in Your Classroom Today: More Common Core

If our last list of free Common Core Standards Apps filled you with delight, be sure to check out the ones below, which are sure to make your life easier!

• Kendall Hunt Common Core Math is designed to implement CCSS in the Kendall Hunt district but can be utilized in all classrooms to look at K-12 math standards. This app is particularly helpful in student observations, as observations can be shared via email or tracked with the handy Timeline.
• BrainNook @ School Allows teachers to set assignments, track learning and progress, and is mapped to correspond to CCSS for grades 1-5 in math and language arts. There is also a complementary student app which allows students practice math and language arts.
• Excelegrade permits teachers to create Common Core-based assessments from an easy to use question bank. The tests are customizable, with digital or hard-copy administration, and the app features automatic grading, tracking, and reports for 6-8^th grade.

Three Free Apps You Can Use in Your Classroom Today: Common Core for Educators

Technology in your teaching practice helps to create order, organization, and provide invaluable resources. With the new Common Core Standards, here are some apps to reference in creating lesson plans or tracking student progress:

• Common Core Standards by MasteryConnect: Easily reference all of the Math and Language Arts CCSS for all grade levels in one convenient app! (iPhone, iPad, iPod)
• CS Core: Includes standards for California State and allows users to create notes and comments within the app, as well as send emails regarding standards. (iPhone, iPad, iPod)
• Core Math: Details Common Core Standards in Math and allows educators to enter and track the progress of up to 50 students. (iPhone, iPad, iPod)

Resource Roundup: Digital Learning for Educators

Every month we feature a Resource Roundup to highlight a key topic in technology integration and teaching and learning with digital materials. This month’s topic: Digital Learning for Educators!

Professional development activities—especially those that are collaborative— are resource hungry. Effective teaching resources that have direct application to the Common Core Standards can excite teachers’ imaginations.Below are several resources with the potential to stimulate creative juices, motivate ideas, and help teachers strengthen lessons.Check out these resources; discuss how they can be used; use them in your classroom; and reflect upon them with your colleagues.

• Beyond Slices of Pizza, Teaching Fractions Effectively by the National Mathematics Advisory Panel and the Department of Education, discusses the importance of teaching fractions to students as it is the first abstract math concept they are approached with which will lead to their understanding of algebra. Common metaphors, such as the slice of pizza in reference to fractions, often confuse students later in learning multiplication of fractions and beyond. The five part video series discusses best approaches to take in educating students on the not-so-simple subject of fractions.
• Often times a classroom is comprised of students of various backgrounds and levels of learning. The Learning Classroom: Theory into Practice 4. Different Kinds of Smart - Multiple Intelligences is a 30 minute Professional Development session for educators, which delves into the different levels of intelligence within a classroom. The mini-seminar focuses on how teachers can utilize the different levels of student intelligence in teaching a lesson. When viewing this video, consider how to reach students at every level by employing a UDL classroom.

In addition to different levels of learning and intelligence, students have different backgrounds in language. Duolingo and Mindsnacks are two free language learning apps that are great PD resources for teachers looking to break the language barrier with students who speak another language. Mindsnacks teaches Chinese, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish; Duolingo teaches English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish. Once you sign up online you can access either app from any apple device, making it easier learn a new language to connect to ELL students. Mindsnacks also has apps devoted to students, including vocabulary to increase language proficiency and reading skills.

Also, be sure to search for Professional Development resources on PowerUp WHAT WORKS!

Meeting the Common Core Standards with Technology Tools: Geocaching!

The Common Core Standards call for a decided shift in the way we teach mathematics, with an increased focus on procedural skill, conceptual fluency, and the ability to flexibly apply math knowledge to new situations and problems, both inside and outside the classroom. Geocaching is a great way of providing your students the opportunity to use real, authentic math in context—without losing the rigor.

Geocaching is a real-world scavenger hunt that uses a GPS—with so many curriculum and cross-curriculum possibilities. For example:

• Math: Teachers can hide treasure and set up geometry puzzle Caches (at their student’s level) around their school and at nearby accessible trails.
• Reading and Math: Caches can be set up as multi-step puzzles involving reading and computation.
• Writing: Students can write a journal entry or a report about the Caches and Trackables found on their adventures. Take it one step further by having students create a digital story with Animoto where they can add illustrations or videos of their day’s treasure with these ideas.
• Geography and Math: Further intrigue students with information on ancient navigation. Students will be surprised when the lesson takes a turn from math into navigating with latitude and longitude. Talk about real-world applications!

Check out these online Geocaching lesson plans. Also be sure to see how Interacting with Peers is beneficial to student learning so that you can include that in using PowerUp’s Lesson Plan Builder!

Three Free Apps You Can Use in Your Classroom Today: Writing

The writing process has three key steps: prewriting, drafting, and reviewing. Educators can check out PUWW resources in our content area sections for tips on instructional practices. To help students practice all aspects of writing, check out these apps:

• Red Stamp: Let students practice writing letters by sending creative greeting cards! Writing for an audience can be a great way to motivate struggling writers. (iPad, iPhone, iPod, Android)
• Puppet Pals: Students can create videos by choosing characters, audio, animation, and more to tell a virtual story. (iPad)
• Moleskine: Like its namesake notebook, it allows users to write and draw in four different types of notebooks, including a ruled composition and a storyboard notebook. The app includes various tools to add colored text along with images, as well as a feature to export notebooks via email, Evernote, Facebook, and Twitter! 
• Tip: After students have drafted and reviewed a story, have them create a final “book” with the storyboard complete with images, and export for grading! (iPad, iPhone, iPod, Windows Phone 7.5/8, Samsung Galaxy Note)

Need more free writing apps? Try Lino to take notes, including videos and pictures (iPad or smartphone). Have writers block? Try Name Dice if students need assistance in creating character names in the early stages of writing (iPhone, iPad, iPod) or try WordDot: a random name and phrase generator to get those creative juices flowing.

Meeting the Common Core with President’s Day Activities: From our Forefathers to Obama

President’s Day, is an “inclusive” celebration of all our nation’s presidents.  Teach students about our nation’s leaders this month by incorporating history into all aspects of your classroom.  Get your class interested with an introduction by sharing brief videos; try one on George Washington or Presidential Fun Facts.

Depending on grade level, read with students about the Seven Roles for One President. Make a class chart to summarize the roles, or even try a class wiki post. Using online interactives like the If You Were President: A Scholastic Online News Activity in reading instruction can help further student understanding. With the Scholastic interactive, students get to imagine as if they are president, choose their advisors, learn about the responsibilities of the president, and get to make (and defend!) virtual decisions.

Also mingle history and math with U.S. Presidents: A Math Hunt Activity. Students will learn about U.S. presidents while solving math problems. Math problems focus on fractions, multiplication, and division. If students are stumped by a question posed by a history-based word problem, they get to “Hunt for the Answer” on a linked educational website.

Washington's Inauguration, 1789, Architect of the Capitol

Let’s not forget the significance of George Washington, which is—of course—the goal of this next activity.  Plays about the President: George Washington asks students to remember more than just a few facts about our country’s former leader by acting out a class play. It also includes a Bibliography and three class activities; vocabulary discussion, a writing prompt, and researching/reporting on another related subject.

Read President Obama’s Second Inaugural Address. Students can learn more about President Obama staring his second term by reading an article on their own or by following the account of a student who was in attendance for the ceremony.

President Barack Obama holds a conference call with advisors to discuss the Aurora, Colorado shootings, during the motorcade ride to Palm Beach International Airport in Palm Beach, Fla., July 20, 2012. White House photostream

Also use the free Brain Dip Magazine app to help students analyze the President’s speech in multiple subjects, by grade level according to Common Core Standards. By combining reading, writing, and math with history, students are provided with a comprehensive lesson that will enhance their understanding.

Celebrate Digital Learning Day February 6th!

February 6th is the 2nd Annual Digital Learning Day! 

From the Digital Learning Day website:

Digital Learning Day, February 6, 2013, is a national celebration of educators that shines a spotlight on successful instructional technology practice in classrooms across the country.
http://www.digitallearningday.org/

A number of activities are planned, culminating in a live webcast Digital Townhall from Washington, DC. 

In preparation for Digital Learning Day, why not plan a lesson using a new-to-you technology tool or resource? Search our PowerUp resource database to find lesson plan ideas and interactives, or browse our collection of strategies and technology articles. Then use our Lesson Planner tool to create and share your lesson with the PowerUp community!

Creative Solutions to Technology Funding

Suppose you’ve found a specific technology resource for your classroom but you lack the funds to make a desired purchase. ? When confronted with a cost barrier, there are helpful resources you can use to still access available funds:

• DonorsChoose.org allows teachers to create a profile for their classroom, stating what they need, the cost, and enables other users (i.e. other teachers, parents, members of the community) to make donations. Partner funding is also available.
• For Leadership Teams, ASCD has steps to cost-effectively strategize ideas like integrating technology into the schools mission.
• PowerUp WHAT WORKS has resources for how to implement technology in schools, including specific resources on how to do so while watching your budget.
• You can also visit the TechMatrix and download our Consumer Guides – decision-making tools to help schools make informed technology purchases.

Lesson to Learn: Lesson Plan Resources Online

The internet continues to be an increasingly invaluable resource for educators – from online PD opportunities, free lesson plans, interactives, and downloadable/printable classroom materials, there are a wealth of free resources available to you.

Planning a lesson on PowerUp WHAT WORKS and looking for some inspiration?

• PBS LearningMedia has lesson plans searchable by grade and subject; with free sign up, lesson plans can also be organized according to Common Core standards.

• DiscoveryEducation allows educators to download lesson plans in PDF form, which list core standards and are searchable by grade and subject. Lessons can also be previewed by most popular.

• Federal Resources for Educational Excellence has various lesson plans broken down by subject and specific sub-category, with topics ranging from math to state history to music.

• Scholastic's lesson plans are searchable by keyword, content area, and grade. Resources include lesson plans, teacher guides, unit guides, and printable lesson worksheets for class use.

Utilize these great resources and build upon the PowerUp Classroom model:

to create strong, effective, technology-supported lessons that address the needs of all your learners!

Resource Roundup: Common Core Standards

Each month, we'll feature a Resource Roundup on a key topic in technology integration and teaching and learning with digital materials. This month's topic: Common Core Standards! 

As states shift towards full integration of the Common Core Standards, educational resources and lesson plans aligned to the Common Core have sprung up around the web. A quick online search for Common Core lesson plans yields an overwhelming number of results, so we’ve waded through them and put together a few of our favorites:

• The Teaching Channel Common Core videos
• Core Commons – resources for states, policymakers and the public on the implementation of the Common Core Standards.
• North Carolina Common Core Instructional Support Tools
• Videos from the Hunt Institute explaining the various elements of the Common Core Standards.
• New York Times Common Core Lesson Plans
• Free iPhone app for the Common Core Standards!

Be sure to check out PowerUp WHAT WORKS for more lesson, strategy, and teaching ideas aligned with the Common Core Standards!