About week 2

I’d like to introduce Teaching & Learning with New York Times. It provides lesson ideas on how to address CCS through New York Times. It is great resource because in the CCS we see the focus on the role of “informational literacy” on students’ learning. Read and respond (Tell us what you think about it).

The Times and the Common Core Standards: Reading Strategies for ‘Informational Text’ 

We’ll be exploring the new Common Core State Standards, and how teaching with The Times can address them, through a series of blog posts. You can find them all here, in the lesson plan category “Common Core.” 

Project Gutenberg - 42,000 free ebooks: offers over 42,000 free ebooks: choose among free epub books, free kindle books, download them or read them online. 

Google Drive (Google Document and Google Drawing) allows you to “keep everything” and “share everything.” Let’s try to explore the use of Google Doc and Google Drawing for ELA instruction that can align with the CCS. Remember the Google Doc (Field Experience Placements Form) I shared with you. Here’s another example (Harbor Day) I started using Google Drawing. Come up with your own examples. Create doc and drawing and invite your peers to comment or edit. 

Today’s iPad highlight: Toontastic is a storytelling and creative learning tool that allows kids to draw, write, narrate and share their stories with the family and the world. It provides story structure for kids to follow. Easy and fun! See example: Mt. Chocolate Eruption. If you have an iPad, you could try it. 

Edmodo. Try to explore how your and the ELA teachers can use Edmodo to enhance teaching and learning. I am sharing our recent social networking article here. Once you explored the features of Edmodo, have a small talk with your colleagues or administrators to discuss the possibility of using Edmodo or similar social networking tools to enhance teaching and learning . (Alignment with CCSS and 21^st Century Skills). Sharing your conversation with us.