Primary Sources for Native American Heritage Month

Each November, Americans celebrate Native American Heritage Month. It is a time to celebrate the culture and heritage along with the contributions of Native people. In addition, it is an opportunity to raise awareness of the real stories of Native Americans, not caricatures and stereotypes. A quick search of the TeachersFirst blog page finds many … read more »

Digital Citizenship Week Resources for All Grade Levels

A digital citizen is “a person who develops the skills and knowledge to effectively use the internet and other digital technology, especially to participate responsibly in social and civic activities.” Dictionary.com Digital Citizenship Week is celebrated annually during the third week of October and encourages reflection upon the use and interactions with technology. October is an excellent … read more »

Tech Tool of the Month: Microsoft Edge Browser – Part 1

Microsoft Edge is a unique browser option that contains many accessibility features, curating options, search functionalities, current events/news, and much more. Use the Immersive Reader accessibility feature to remove distracting images and “extra” stuff to make reading digital texts simpler for students. You can also use this browser’s Read Aloud feature for students who need … read more »

6 Digital Methods for Math Storytelling Day

“Nothing sticks in your head better than a story. Stories can express the most complex ideas in the most digestible ways.” Sam Balter Mathematicians have used storytelling for centuries to engage their audiences and as a means for understanding math concepts. Likewise, educators have long known that sharing stories with math concepts integrated into them … read more »

Tech Tool of the Month: Bookopolis – Part 2

In Part 1 of this blog, we introduced you to Bookopolis and discussed the application of both the SAMR Model and the Triple E Framework to help you integrate Bookopolis into your instruction. Today’s post offers detailed instructions for using this tool and shares classroom use ideas. Bookopolis:  As you arrive at the site, you … read more »

We Have Liftoff! Using Better Lesson to Teach About Space and the Moon

Did you know that dust busters, wireless headsets, and invisible braces link back to inventions initially intended for use in space? This interesting USA Today article shares more everyday innovations created for space use. July 20 is Space Exploration Day and Moon Day, which coincides with the annual commemoration of the first moon landing in 1969, Apollo … read more »

Engage with World Refugee Day 2021 in Your Classroom

World Refugee Day is celebrated on June 20th. This year’s theme is “Together we heal, learn and, shine.” It was first celebrated in 2001 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and brings attention to the ongoing plight of refugees and what can be done to help … read more »

Learning Strategies to Boost Science Comprehension

Not long ago, I came across this interesting article about learning strategies. The author discusses four specific strategies to improve student learning when implementing and designing lessons. The ideas came from a longer article that included many other study strategies to support student learning. Learning about strategies and implementing them into everyday lessons isn’t always easy. In addition to time … read more »

Native Knowledge 360° Education Initiative

On June 2, 1924, Congress enacted the Indian Citizenship Act, which granted citizenship to all Native Americans born in the U.S. Although this act provided Native Americans with many rights of citizenship, individual state laws determined voting rights. Until 1957, some states barred Native Americans from voting, and it wasn’t until the passage of the Civil … read more »

Supporting Single Parents

Creating a community built on parent-teacher relationships is paramount to the success of a student’s educational experience. Engaging parents in the classroom community helps establish a partnership to develop students into lifelong learners. Some students grow up with both parents in the home, but many of our students’ family structures are different. According to the Single … read more »