Posted in Grants/Awards, tagged award, english, language arts, professional development on December 31, 2012 |
Edwyna Wheadon Postgraduate Training Scholarship provides funding for professional development experiences for English/Language Arts teachers in public educational institutions, to enhance teaching skills and/or career development in teaching
Maximum award: $500
Eligibility: teachers of English/Language Arts in a publicly funded institution
Deadline: January 31, 2013
Posted in Lesson Plans, PBS Resources, Programming Highlights, Teaching Tools, tagged Civics, Current Events, economics, grades 6-8, grades 9-12, health, language arts, lesson plan, U.S. history, video on February 24, 2012 |
In Food, Inc., a POV film that premiered in August 2011, filmmaker Robert Kenner lifted the veil on our nation’s food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that’s been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government’s regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. The documentary reveals surprising — and often shocking truths — about what we eat, how it’s produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from here.
The following lesson plans can be used individually or as a unit, with the film Food, Inc. as a learning tool in the subject areas of Economics, Civics, Current Events, U.S. History, Health and Language Arts, and are written for grades 6-12.
Lesson #1: Evaluating Information on Food Labels
In this lesson, students can use these materials to explore what consumers should be able to learn about food from Nutrition Facts panels.
Lesson #2: U.S. Agricultural Subsidies and Nutrition
Classrooms can use this lesson plan to investigate how agricultural subsidies influence food choices, health and the economy.
Lesson #3: The Impact of Genetically Modified Seeds
This lesson plan explores the benefits and controversies of using genetically modified seeds.
Please note that POV documentaries can be recorded off-the-air and used for educational purposes for up to one year from their initial broadcast. In addition, POV offers a lending library of DVDs and VHS tapes that you can borrow any time during the school year — FOR FREE! Get started by joining the POV Community Network.
Posted in Education Policy, tagged development, language arts, math, middle school, transition on December 10, 2011 |
From eSchoolNews December 9th :
“A new study, part of the Program on Education Policy and Governance Working Papers Series at Harvard University, finds the transition to middle school from elementary school may be more crucial and problematic than the transition from middle to high school, Sarah Sparks reports in Education Week. The study of schools in Florida found that students moving from grade 5 into middle school show a “sharp drop” in math and language arts achievement in the transition year, a loss that can follow them as far as 10th grade, in some cases affecting ability to graduate and proceed to college. Students who transition in the 6th grade are absent more often and more likely to drop out of school by 10th grade than those who remain in one school through 8th grade. Researchers used Florida’s longitudinal database to track more than 450,000 students in the state’s public schools who proceeded from grades 3 to 10 between 2000-01 and 2008-09. Students who attended elementary schools ending at grade 5 had an early edge over those attending K-8 schools, but their performance in mathematics and language arts dropped dramatically when they switched to middle school in 6th grade. Students attending a middle school were also 18 percent more likely than students who attended a K-8 school to not enroll in grade 10 after attending grade 9 — an indicator of dropping out. The middle school drop was most pronounced in urban schools, but the same general pattern was repeated in suburban and rural schools.”
We think this is some interesting data for a developmental time period that has been often overlooked. We’d love to hear your opinion: are there things we could do to support kids’ transition to middle school?
To learn more about the research, read the full story.
Posted in Lesson Plans, PBS Resources, Teaching Tools, tagged arts, grades 5-8, grades 9-12, language arts, lesson plan, literacy, pbs, shakespeare on July 6, 2011 |
Perhaps you’ve sat in the television audience of Great Performances, now in its 38th season on PBS, for the best in the performing arts from across America and around the world. To also give students the best seats in the house for its roster of international artists and performing arts companies, Great Performances provides educator resources for its portfolio of opera, popular song, musical theater, dance, drama, and performance documentaries.
Just one example from its educator’s menu by title, genre, grade level and full A-Z list is the MacBeth Education Guide for last fall’s acclaimed production. This activity-based analysis of the play is illustrated by various lesson plans and before-and-after activities to assist educators in utilizing the PBS broadcast in the classroom.
From the Great Performances Web site you’ll also find the complete film for viewing online (also available at video.pbs.org). This version of MacBeth is also available through the WGBY Video Lending Library – borrow it for classroom use free of charge. Visit the Video Lending Library website and search for “MacBeth.” If you need assistance, contact Bernie Michaels (413-781-2801) and reference the video ID – 2063.
Posted in PBS Resources, Programming Highlights, Teaching Tools, tagged competition, grades 3-5, grades K-2, language arts, literacy, wordgirl on April 20, 2011 |
Inspired by the educational objectives of WordGirl, the animated adventures of an elementary-school student with super powers and a wonderful vocabulary that airs on WGBY KIDS at 7:30am, the WordGirl Definition Competition from Scholastic is a way to engage students with words in an entertaining and interactive context. During the 30-minute live webcast, students will enrich their vocabulary and have fun in the process! And, as Scholastic’s official Ambassador of Summer Reading, WordGirl will kickoff the 2011 Scholastic Summer Challenge, beginning April 27, to get students excited about books and reading all summer long.
The Definition Competition will consist of three short rounds plus a bonus round. In a game-show setting, students will put their vocabulary skills in practice as they are asked questions pertaining to word usage, definitions, using words in different contexts and reading comprehension. Your class will play along, in real-time, by submitting answers online during the webcast and may be called out during the event. Also, by registering for the Definition Competition, your class and school will automatically be entered into the WordGirl Definition Competition Sweepstakes for a chance to win books and WordGirl prizes. To find out more, read the official rules.
Prepare your students for the Definition Competition! Register today to receive your Event Kit, which offers kids practice with skills featured in the Webcast:
Want more info? Need technical details? Check out the FAQ.
You can also still view the archived 2010 WordGirl Definition Competition for an idea of how the competition will work.
