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LESSON PLANNING SITES March 2, 2009

Posted by Ms. Klemundt in Faculty Resources.
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Here are some sites with ideas for lesson plans and other class activities.

New York Times Learning Network  (http://www.nytimes.com/learning/)
Along the left side there are “Connections” links for students. teachers, and parents.  The right side menu includes news quizzes, themed crossword puzzles, and Science Q&A.  In the center section, scroll down to “Explore the Learning Network by Subject” to find lesson plans and activities.  The Lesson Plan Archive allows you to search by keyword as well as limit by subject area and grade level.

PBS Teachers  (http://www.pbs.org/teachers/)
Click on your subject area in the “Standards-Based Resources” menu box on the left side.  Then select a grade range and a topic. You can further limit your results by the following categories:

Read Write Think  (http://readwritethink.org)
This site is sponsored by the International Reading Association but encompasses all curricular areas.  There are 4 main sections:

If you click on “Lessons” you can narrow your search by grade level, Literacy Strand, and Literacy Engagement.  The “Student Materials” section features interactive online tools for students to use as they engage in various activities.

National Education Association (http://www.nea.org/home/ToolsAndIdeas.html)
The NEA’s “Tools and Ideas” section has 4 subsections with practical ideas and information for daily classroom use:

Kathy Schrock’s Guide for Educators  (http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/)
This is one of the oldest sites with web resources for teachers.  Click on the “Lesson Plan Library” and then mouse-over your subject area to see the lesson plans.  Some subject areas definitely have more than others.  Most lesson plans connect to national standards.

Librarians’ Internet Index  (http://www.lii.org)
Drill down by clicking on the “Society and Social Science” category, then the “Education” link, and then the “K-12 Education” link.  Check out some of the other links in addition to “Lesson Plans.”

College of DuPage Speakers’ Bureau  (http://www.cod.edu/speakers/)
This site can link you up with active or retired faculty and staff who can speak on a variety of topics.

Illinois Humanities Council Road Scholars  (http://prairie.org/RoadScholars/)
Humanities-based programs by writers, poets, historians, scholars, and actors.  Check the right-side menu for programs arranged by broad subject area.

 

FACULTY WEB RESOURCES February 17, 2009

Posted by Ms. Klemundt in Faculty Resources.
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In an effort to make these resources more accessible and more easily updated, and to facilitate teachers’ contributions to this list, I’m repeating some of the web sites from the Library’s Faculty Resources web page here on the blog.  This is the first installment and it covers some sites that address professional development and teaching in general.

ASSOCIATION FOR SUPERVISION AND CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT (ASCD)
Some sections of the website (http://www.ascd.org) are only accessible to members, but this site is a good way to stay current with what’s going on in curriculum and instruction.  They produce some excellent publications; browse the “Publications” section when you’re looking for books to add to your professional reading list.  The Res Library subscribes to the ASCD journal, Educational Leadership.  Let us know if you’d like to be on the routing list.

The ASCD blog (http://ascd.typepad.com/blog/) is available to everyone, members and non-members alike.  The topics range from national issues like NCLB and merit pay for teachers to very personal stories of classroom interactions and epiphanies.  Visit once a week or so, or you can sign up for e-mail alerts when new content is posted.

PBS LEARNING NOW
This blog (http://www.pbs.org/teachers/learning.now) is written by Andy Carvin and is sponsored by PBS, which has really expanded its support for, and involvement with, K-12 education.  Carvin is very involved in using technology in education and this is a good place to learn about integrating technology into classroom activities, how technology can drive learning and critical thinking and student involvement, and to get a heads-up on emerging technologies.

PBS TEACHERLINE
TeacherLine (http://www.pbs.org/teacherline/) provides online professional development opportunities in: Reading/Language Arts, Instructional Technology, Science, Mathematics, and Instructional Strategies.  Courses are offered Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter — although not every course is offered every term.  There is also an option to receive graduate credit for these courses.  Most courses are 30 hours in length and cost around $200.

PBS MEDIA INFUSION
This blog (http://www.pbs.org/teachers/mediainfusion) only posts once a month, so it’s easy to keep up with content!  However, they are substantial posts (length and breadth and depth) that cover alot of ground on one specific topic.  As the title suggests, the blog focuses on integrating various types of media into classroom learning, but the whole range of teaching strategies is often discussed.  This is also a good way to learn about a variety of resources (books, documentaries, dramas, digital libraries, etc.) on a particular topic, including those not produced/created by PBS.

LD ONLINE
This massive site (http://ldonline.org) has information for LD and ADHD students and their families and teachers.  It’s a kind of clearinghouse and information center for students and families, so their primary focus is not classroom teaching strategies.  They do have a section for Educators that pulls together articles on a variety of topics.  Overall, it’s a good place to gain an understanding of some of the issues facing LD and ADHD students and to stay abreast of what’s happening in this area.

ILLINOIS MATH & SCIENCE ACADEMY (IMSA)
IMSA (http://www3.imsa.edu) focuses on science and math education, but they also sponsor Problem-Based Learning initiatives (http://pbln.imsa.edu).  I just saw that their information literacy initiative, 21st Century Information Fluency (http://21cif.com), has been spun-off as its own entity.  They have excellent Internet searching and website evaluation activities for students and offer online classes (with CEU credit) for teachers and librarians.

COALITION OF ESSENTIAL SCHOOLS (CES)
The CES (http://www.essentialschools.org) was started by Ted Sizer and emphasizes creating “personalized, equitable, and intellectually challenging schools.”  The CES ChangeLab (http://www.ceschangelab.org) provides practical resources divided by sections, such as: Teaching & Learning, School Practices, Assessment, Leadership, and Community Connections.  The CES also posts its quarterly journal, Horace, online (http://www.essentialschools.org/pub/ces_docs/resources/horace/horace.html).  You don’t have to be a member to access it and they also post back issues to 1988.

So now you have some of my ideas.  Feel free to share your own best online sources for teaching and professional development.  And to get you thinking ahead, future posts will cover: