I was in attendance at a social studies department meeting reviewing how current curricula addresses Proficiency Based Graduation Requirements (PBGR). A disagreement occurred over the requirement of mental mapping as a performance indicator.  Teachers accustomed to multiple choice and essay writing for common assessment could not discern what constituted a mental map. The recall of Venn diagrams, illustrated maps with inset boxes and character […]
Social Studies
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Middle School, Social Justice, Social Studies
Haunting Film about Ellis Island
In 14 minutes, social studies and ELA educators can take advantage of a haunting new titled  Ellis about the buildings on the island between New York and New Jersey. Ellis Island served  as a United States immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1954. The  2015 film is now available on Youtube and stars Robert De Niro. The setting […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Featured, Legal, Opinion, Social Studies, Uncategorized
20 More Weeks of Blizzards: A Groundhog's Day Pred-Election
Today marks the 129th year that Punxsutawney Phil (well, maybe the 30th version of him) will come out of his burrow to either see his shadow or not, declaring whether winter will be extended by 6 weeks, or whether spring is pending. However, after today, there’s still 20 more weeks of blizzards to endure. They […]
Posted inGoing Paperless, Instructional Strategies, Social Studies, Technology, Uncategorized
Pioneering Nearpod
The 1:1 digital classroom is no different from any classroom in terms of management challenges. The excitement of technological change and student attention span tends to wane at the same speed and undivided attentions seek distractions if a system of motivation and inquiry is not put in place. This is true for all teaching because I remember […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum, Opinion, Science, Social Studies
The Challenger Disaster: Revisiting a Lost Teacher, 30 Years Later
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] For many of us teachers, January 28, 1986 was a tough day. Why? We lost one of our own. Christa McAuliffe, social studies teacher at Bristol High School in New Hampshire, […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Educational Apps, Featured, From the Front Lines, High School, Literacy, Social Studies
Classroom Work Flow Before the Holidays
I have one week and three days to go before students are released for the holiday break. It is such a difficult time of year to set goals, establish a workflow and keep the enthusiasm in student learning. Students carry the stress and the burden of the holidays on themselves in a myriad of ways […]
Posted inElementary School, Instruction & Curriculum, Social Studies
Cafe Walk: Review of Learning
In my past 20 years as an educator teaching has changed.  I love seeing the active involvement of students in their learning.  Gone are the days of lecture, record, regurgitate.  Students jump into learning and show what they know in a variety of ways.  With that, there are a variety of ways to review what has […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, Opinion, Social Studies
Landmine Ahead! – How to Traverse Politics with Students
We have almost 11 more months of dealing with pollsters, pundits, politicians, and partisans who have opinions about the presidential race. Each of the presidential candidates will take the podium, attempting to address the ills of our nation, and often chief among them is the role of education. Additionally, students will harbor their own opinion for a […]