Tech Tool of the Month: Argument Wars – Part 2

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In Part 1 of this blog, we introduced you to Argument Wars, an engaging simulation that allows students to take on the role of a lawyer as they investigate real historical court cases, and discussed applying the SAMR Model and the Triple E Framework to use this resource in your instruction. Today’s post offers detailed … read more »


Tech Tool of the Month: Argument Wars – Part 1

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Argument Wars is a free, game-based simulation offered through iCivics that provides a creative way for students to learn about nine landmark Supreme Court cases (Brown v. Board of Education, Gideon v Wainwright, and others). Each case is a different immersive experience. Students play the role of a lawyer and choose what side to represent, … read more »


Try This Instead of That for National Heart Month

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February is National Heart Month, a time to raise awareness about heart disease and ways to maintain a healthy heart lifestyle. Many of us celebrate Valentine’s Day during February, a holiday that also focuses on the heart. Valentine’s Day provides an excellent segway to teaching about the heart and circulatory system and an opportunity to … read more »


Infusing Current Events in the Classroom

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Teachers can use the world around us to connect and integrate subject areas. Infusing current events into our instruction is necessary to teach our students how to participate in society. We must move students beyond merely consuming information and provide them with experiences to examine issues and develop critical thinking skills. Engaging with current events … read more »


Research Resources Round-Up

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The Internet changed forever in 1998 when Larry Page and Sergey Brin created Google. After a quick Google search, you’ll learn that Google was founded on September 4, 1998. However, Google changed its celebration date to September 27 in 2006 to coincide with the announcement of the record number of pages that the search engine … read more »


Empowering Students through Transformative SEL

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“SEL is the universal life jacket, keeping students afloat and open to learning. Only when children learn in psychologically safe environments that nurture their emotion skills can they move from helplessness to resilience, from anxiety to action, from scattered to centered, from isolated to connected.” – Marc Brackett, Ph.D. Social and emotional learning (SEL) can … read more »


Using Thinking Routines to Apply Historical Context Through Music

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In the 1930s, swing jazz emerged as a dominant form of music in the United States. The upbeat tempo of this music provided temporary relief from problems plaguing the country and the world—music and dance halls filled with people dancing to the big band sound. On January 16, 1938, Bennie Goodman performed the first jazz … read more »


Tech Tool of the Month: Elementari – Part 2

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In Part 1 of this blog, we introduced you to Elementari—an engaging tool that allows you to create digital stories by making slides—and discussed applying the SAMR Model and the Triple E Framework to using Elementari in your instruction. You can add images, backgrounds, speech bubbles, voice narration, and other cool features to your slideshows. … read more »


Tech Tool of the Month: Elementari – Part 1

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Elementari is a colorful and engaging website that allows you to easily create digital stories as slideshows. The tool features various fonts, speech bubbles, animation, backgrounds, voice audio options, and drag-and-drop images. The site provides step-by-step instructions to help navigate the many features. Share your story using the provided URL (there is also an option … read more »


Innovation Shines Bright

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“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas A. Edison As teachers, we strive to invent and implement engaging classroom experiences only to feel compelled to change and tweak them the following year to meet the needs of our new cadre of students. It’s challenging to reinvent classroom experiences, … read more »