Sometimes you want to make a copy

Did you realize you can make a copy through Version History?  Check out this blog post from Alice Keeler for all the details.

You might want to name your versions

By using the name your version feature, you can eliminate the need to make copies of documents when there are changes.  Please see Alice Keeler’s blog post here. This would be a useful tool for your students as well.

The new Class Dojo

I have to admit- I wasn’t a big Class Dojo fan.  As a former 5th grade teacher, I

thought they were a little old for a visit to the dojo.  But Megan Velardi (Arleth)
reached out to me about their new portfolios and I was impressed. What a simple
way to have students create digital portfolios!

Here is what Megan had to say:

“Class Dojo has added Portfolios to their program! This addition gives students a

voice (literally) as they share their learning by adding photos and videos to their own

portfolio and parents are absolutely LOVING it! They are currently using their portfolios

during independent centers. It’s been so engaging for the students and it’s exciting to

see them on task for a longer period of time!”

The photo above shows the first day we implemented it in her first-grade classroom.
Her students were a pleasure to work with and the process was painless.

The student above is recording his reading. Megan can then approve it and share
with the parent.

Holidays and Economics

Nothing like the coming of the new year to get your finances in order.  Here from Discovery Education are three interactives to help your students budget and plan.

Sticky notes on a slide

Matt Miller ( from Ditch the Textbook fame) recently shared a blog post on using

sticky notes in a Google Slide.  And better than just the step by step directions-

he also share the template (with premade notes, background, and arrows).  

I created a flowchart for my upcoming Digital Escape Room class. (I’m going

to include it in presentation.)

Think of what your students could do- timelines, processes, organizing written

work?  Please share your samples with me!

Book Creator

While reading this blog post from Richard Byrne on Book Creator- it reminded me how much I like this application.  The video in Byrne’s video will walk you through the process. Want to do it with your class? I would love to join you!

Copy a class

Do you teach a quarter or semester class?  Then the ability to copy a Google classroom (classwork and topics from one class to another) might be extremely useful.  Kasey Bell (From Shake Up learning) has great step by step directions here.  If you are considering copying a class, be sure you read her lists of what will (and what will not ) copy.

SEL in Discovery Education

Please click here for Discovery Education resources on Social Emotional Learning.

Get SketchNoteFever!

In this guest post, Sylvia Duckworth shares sketch strategies for your class.  You can also find a host of short videos you can use (by yourself or with your class) here.

SAMR, TPACK, and now TIMs

There are many frameworks to help educators implement technology in the classroom.  At a recent EdCamp, I became acquainted with the TIMs (Technology Integration Matrix) model. I like the matrix format and you can find it here (along with many other resources).

Looking for a new way to use slides?

Check out the suggestions in this EDU on 90 on easy ways to modify Google Slides.

Do you know this pathway?

This is something from my days teaching science- Curriculum Pathways has many options for your students.  This post concentrates on the upcoming Computer Science Week.

It's almost Computer Science Education Week. This annual program, which lands Dec. 3-9, is dedicated to inspiring K-12 students' interest in computer science. There's no better time to experiment with hands-on, collaborative coding across the curriculum using CodeSnaps, which requires only one robot and one app.

Coding in math class adds up to fun

Try our popular Show With Code: 24 Game, in which students use restricted combinations of mathematical operations to navigate a grid of numbers, finding only paths where the result is 24. Teams can also collaborate to code a program that successfully maneuvers a robot in Navigating an Obstacle Course, as featured inCode.org's Robotics and Circuits activities.

Can you code with ELA content? Yes!

Grid-based activities are the perfect fit for integrating ELA content into coding. For example, Show With Code: Finding Word Families requires students to write a program that moves a robot through a grid of familiar words. To solve the grid, only land on squares containing words in the same family. This lesson is easily modified to suit any age or grade level.

Why code is music to our ears

Similarities between music and coding make music a natural instructional tool for computational thinking. Try dissecting the Itsy Bitsy Spider song. Students can break down the story into individual components and translate the song into a program a connected robot "spider" can follow. Watch this quick video to see how it works.

Create and share CS lessons and more

Transform your lessons into interactive, online resources withCrio™, our free drag-and-drop editor. Create a new approach to computer science or any subject. Remix and build on the best work of your peers. Then share your lessons with other educators around the world – our library features more than 2,000 lessons, and it's growing! – and consolidate your lesson plans online.Learn more and try Crio.

No-cost professional development

Remember to check out our no-fee professional development opportunities.  We offer self-paced online learning, customizable on-site workshops, live webinars with Curriculum Pathways®experts and video tutorials on YouTube.

Explore our website

Visit the Curriculum Pathways website to explore more than 1,700 interactive, standards-based resources in the core disciplines. To receive the most relevant resources and news, update your profile by logging in to your Curriculum Pathways account, clicking on settings under the welcome button, and selecting the user profile tab.

Contact us Questions or comments? Please send an email to curriculumpathways@sas.com.

From farm to table

Do your students know where their food come from? (and no, I’m not talking about

ShopRite or Wegmans).  Do they know where cheese and yogurt start? Check

out this Discovery Education site with a variety of content, lesson plans, as well

as a virtual field trip.

Who doesn’t love a good game show?

This is one of my favorite SMARTBoard games- please see this video for a brief overview.

Quick overview of Google Classroom Grading

In a recent EDU in 90, you can get a quick look at the new grading options

(and ability to leave premade comments is awesome!).

If you are still in need of Thanksgiving material

Thanksgiving from Discovery Education

#CelebrateWithDE Thanksgiving

One of Thanksgiving’s great traditions is storytelling, whether recounting

family lore around the dinner table or sharing historical accounts of

the earliest celebrations of the holiday. Thanksgiving is a great time to

encourage your students to focus on the role of stories in our lives. We hope

you and your students have much to be thankful for this year!

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Featured Resources

Content Collection: Thanksgiving

Grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12, Assorted Resources

Give thanks—for Thanksgiving! This national holiday, celebrated

primarily in the United States and Canada, is a day of gratitude

for the bounty of the harvest of the previous year.

Celebrate with DE: Thanksgiving(Canadian Version)

Discovery Education Streaming, Math Techbook, Science Techbook, S

ocial Studies Techbook

Grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12, Full Video [05:17]

Discusses the process of officially establishing Thanksgiving Day

and its many traditions. The segment details the founding of the

holiday and the origins of traditions such as the presidential pardon of a turkey.

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Learn About the Story of Thanksgiving

Squanto’s Story

Discovery Education Streaming, Social Studies Techbook

Grades K-2, 3-5, Video Segment [02:19]

Squanto helps the Pilgrims farm the land and tells Bradford how

he once traveled to England and returned home, only to find

that his people had all died from the white man’s disease.

Squanto’s Story and the First Thanksgiving

Discovery Education Streaming, Social Studies Techbook

Grades 6-8, 9-12, Video Segment [04:58]

Unveils the fables surrounding Squanto’s story, revealing the truth

about his enslavement in Europe. The segment also debunks the

myth that turkey was the meat of choice at the first Thanksgiving.

Stuff You Missed in History Class Podcast: How the

First Thanksgiving Worked(Canadian Version)

Discovery Education Streaming

Grades 6-8, 9-12, Podcast [11:19]

Nowadays, Thanksgiving is an official holiday, complete with its own

trappings of tradition and mythology. But how much of the conventional

Thanksgiving story is true? Join Sarah and Katie as they take a closer

look at the first Thanksgiving.

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Apply

Lead a discussion about what the students learned from the resources
above and how storytelling can shape history. Were there any parts of
the Thanksgiving story that surprised them? Any myths they’ve thought
were true until now? Use the strategy Myth Bustin’ (Canadian Version)
to solidify their learning. As an extension, allow the students to develop
their own statements to add depth to the exercise. Then, gather students
around tables to build excitement for the holiday with an adaptation of
the strategy Paper Chat (Canadian Version). For this activity, provide
some questions about the history of Thanksgiving and some questions
that will prepare students to start conversations and storytelling
around their own dinner tables over the holiday break. Share your
best conversation starters on social media with #CelebrateWithDE.

Are we really preparing our students?

As I was finishing a DOK (Depth of Knowledge) presentation this blog post (from Marcia Carrillo on Alice Keeler’s blog) appeared in my inbox.  Marica talks about her college-age daughter and provides insights on how we could change our methods.   Great fit with DOK.

Who needs a table of contents (when you have outline view)?

In her blog post, Alice Keeler shares the Outline view (and using

heading to populate it).  Before you start, you need to do two things:

1. Go to View and click View

2. Now to populate it, you need to change

your normal text to headings.  You can do this in the top tool bar

3. Watch what happens when I change this text

from normal to heading.