Useful Information In and Out of the Classroom 6/23/2023

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

How Brass Instruments Work - “What gives the trumpet its clarion ring and the tuba its gut shaking oompah-pah? And what makes the trombone so jazzy? Al Cannon shows how these answers lie not in the brass the instruments are made of, but in the journey that air takes from the musician’s lungs to the instrument’s bell.” (L:G; SA:FA)

Would You Rather - “The Auto Classmate ‘Would You Rather’ Question Generator is designed to add a high-energy activity to any warm-up or lesson plan for any grade level or content area. By simply selecting your grade level and topic/content, our AI-powered generator will produce 10 unique and custom-crafted ‘Would You Rather’ style questions. These types of questions are wonderful for student interactions between peers and educators in any classroom setting,”(L:T; SA:A)

Thinking Routine Toolbox - “This toolbox highlights thinking routines developed across a number of research projects at PZ. A thinking routine is a set of questions or a brief sequence of steps used to scaffold and support student thinking. PZ researchers designed thinking routines to deepen students’ thinking and to help make that thinking “visible.” Thinking routines help to reveal students’ thinking to the teacher and also help students themselves to notice and name particular “thinking moves,” making those moves more available and useful to them in other contexts.” (L:T; SA:A)

Countries Within Countries - Learn more about some countries surrounded by other countries. (L:G; SA:SS)

Goods and Services - “In this economics activity, you will learn about goods and services via drag and drop classification.” (L:H; SA:SS)

Original photo by Pat Hensley