Friday, September 20, 2019

Useful Information In and Out of the Classroom 9/20/19


Here are some interesting sites that I’ve found this week, thanks to my PLN. As a teacher, I feel we have to keep up to date concerning research in our field and current issues in the education system. I hope some of these inspire you, inform you, and even have you asking questions. Thank you for coming by and visiting!

Note: Each resource is labeled with a level and subject area to make it easier to use.

Levels:  E: Elementary; M: Middle; H: High; G: General, all levels; SN: Special Needs; T: Teachers

Subject Areas: LA: Language Arts, English, Reading, Writing; M: Math; S: Science; Health; SS: Social Studies, Current Events; FA: Fine Arts; Music, Art, Drama; FL: Foreign Language; PE: Physical Ed; C: Career; A: All


Mindful Internet Use – a Chrome extension: “The goal of this extension is to give its user a tool to help them avoid mindless browsing and unintentional internet use. This will be done by encouraging the user to breathe and present quotes that remind the user what they value before allowing the user to access a listed website. Also, motivational notifications while browsing can be enabled.” (L:G;SA:A)

Halloween – a PBS lesson; “Halloween dates back thousands of years to the Celtic people of ancient Europe, who recognized October 31 as the last day of autumn and had festivals to celebrate. This was the time that the regular world and spirit world were thought to be closest, so people wore masks and costumes to fend off roaming ghosts. Over time, the holiday evolved into a secular and community-based event known for activities like trick-or-treating and bobbing for apples that we love today. Halloween is a time to celebrate superstition and changing seasons, and this collection aims to do just that. Make slime, use math to share candy, study zombie brains, and explore the concept of fear with these videos and lesson plans for PreK-12.” (L:G;SA:A)

Supernatural Elements in Macbeth – a PBS lesson; “In this self-paced lesson, students explore how Shakespeare uses supernatural elements in Macbeth. The lesson begins with an exploration of beliefs about the supernatural and witchcraft in Shakespeare’s time as presented in a segment from Shakespeare Uncovered. Students turn to the text of Macbeth and analyze the action, imagery, characterization, and language of Act I, Scene iii (the scene in which Macbeth and Banquo first encounter the witches and hear their predictions). Then, students view another segment from Shakespeare Uncovered and explore key questions about the role of the witches in the action of Macbeth. Finally, they examine other supernatural episodes in the play and produce a paper exploring the impact and meaning of one of these episodes. This lesson is best used after a reading of Macbeth.” (L:H;SA:LA)


Space Math – “SpaceMath@NASA will introduce you to the use of mathematics in today's scientific discoveries. Through press releases, citizen science and other hands-on projects, you will explore how even the simplest mathematics lets us explore the universe.” (L:G;SA:S)

The science of stage fright (and how to overcome it)  - A TED-ed lesson: “Heart racing, palms sweating, labored breathing? No, you’re not having a heart attack -- it’s stage fright! If speaking in public makes you feel like you're fighting for your life, you're not alone. But the better you understand your body's reaction, the more likely you are to overcome it. Mikael Cho advises how to trick your brain and steal the show.” (L:G;SA:A)

Original photo by Pat Hensley


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