Progress Monitoring
I remember how my mom would monitor my height on one of the walls in our house. Every couple of months, she would make me stand at a specific place and mark a spot on the wall, based on my height. She would also write the date there. Even today, the marks on […]
What should I consider while planning successful STEM assessments?
There are several components that contribute to meaningful STEM assessments. One thing to keep in mind is that assessment should be viewed as “a process.” For example, there is not one “test” that reveals a complete summary of academic performance. Instead a series of assessment strategies should be implemented to assess student learning.
Students […]
Teacher Resources, Tools & Giveaways for the week (Dec 15 – 21, 2013)
TOOLS
Poll Code
Create and customize polls online.
NeedToMeet
An easy way to schedule meetings.
RESOURCES
Audience, Purpose, and Language Use in Electronic Messages
Help students explore the language of electronic messages and how it affects other writing.
Basic Math in Excel 2013
Learn to use Microsoft Excel for mathematical operations.
TestTubeGames
Games to reinforce concepts in particle physics.
GIVEAWAY OF THE WEEK
Jump Drive
Enter for […]
Teacher Resources, Tools & Giveaways for the week (Dec 7 – 14, 2013)
TOOLS
Metta
A tool to create multimedia presentations.
QuizBean
A platform for creating simple image-based quizzes that your students can complete online.
GroupZap
A shared whiteboard to brainstorm and document thoughts and strategies.
RESOURCES
Learning Games for Kids
Educational games to reinforce math and language skills for elementary students.
Ideas for Simple Experiments
Sample ideas to spark your imagination.
A Prereading Strategy: Using the Vocabulary, […]
Common Core Assessment and Evaluation
The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are exciting, and at the same time seem daunting. We all have our way of doing things, and a change in the standards can make it quite difficult. At PLB, we understand how many schools and teachers are working hard (and struggling) with getting things set up […]
Is My Non Verbal Behavior in the Classroom Important?
Non verbal behaviors are critical for the development of effective interpersonal relations within the classroom. We also depend on these behaviors, to supplement our verbal communications. For example, we gaze intently at a student when we want to remind them to pay attention, or emphasize an idea by pointing to something on the […]
Formative Assessment: Why?
According to Lang, et al (2008), the formative assessment process came about from educators working on ways to accelerate student achievement and to help predict how well students will perform on standards-based statewide tests.
Lang is right on target, however, the general perception often is that standard-based learning and formative assessments should only be […]
Teacher Resources, Tools & Giveaways for the week (Nov 30 – Dec 7, 2013)
TOOLS
Prezi
An interactive tool to develop dynamic presentations.
Plinky
Writing prompts in the form of questions or challenges.
RESOURCES
Viewing PDFs on a Kindle
A tutorial to load and read PDF files on Kindle.
Tynker
Grade specific lessons to help students learn computer programming.
Grand Prix Multiplication
A multi-player racing game that allows students to race one another while practicing multiplication facts.
GIVEAWAY OF […]
Where Can I Get STEM Materials For My Classroom?
STEM education is an interdisciplinary approach to learning in which rigorous academic standards are integrated with real-world lessons to provide students with the skills to compete effectively in the global economy.
By using the preceding definition as the basis for all STEM instruction, it is easy to understand why specialized materials and equipment are […]
Something New
A few days ago I was watching some children playing in the falling snow and ice covered playground – slipping and getting up again. They seemed to be having so much fun going down intentionally, sometimes even pushing each other. It made me think about how our attitudes toward falling change so much […]
