Ideas and resources for parent conferences
These reviewed resources offer information so share with parents at conferences or suggested activities to share at conference time. Read "In the Classroom" ideas to display and other creative approaches for parent conferences. Parents will appreciate your sharing of educator-reviewed resources at conferences and on your TeachersFirst public page so you can work as a team in support of their child's learning.
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Cycles vs. Checklists: Fostering Creative Process in an Accountability World - TeachersFirst/Candace Hackett Shively
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): creativity (81)
In the Classroom
Teachers in any subject will find ideas for fostering creativity in their classroom, especially with students developmentally ready to talk about their own creative process (usually middle school and up). Make this professional information a discussion item among your teaching peers and with parents. Share it with colleagues for an informal inservice session. Use the many resources to help students discover their own creative process just as you would help them discover their learning styles. Make creative process a habit in your class assignments through electronic idea bins and more.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Do Try This at Home: Invention at Play - Smithsonian Museum of National History
Grades
K to 6tag(s): biographies (93), collaboration (105), creativity (81), design (77), inventors and inventions (87), problem solving (266)
In the Classroom
Create a link to the site on classroom computers for students to explore the games. Share the site with parents on your classroom website or blog as a resource for using play as a learning tool. Share the site at conferences or parent meetings as a resource for developing learning skills through play. Include the inventor biographies as a resource for students when researching inventors.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Magazine Cover Maker - Big Huge Labs
Grades
3 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): bulletin boards (13), collages (17), firstday (22), flickr (2), images (262), posters (43)
In the Classroom
Enhance classroom technology use by using this tool with your students. They will need to know how to locate your photos on your computer or photo sharing site. Click the little white boxes to change text colors, etc. as you enter desired text. SAVE your completed cover when done. Be sure to give it a meaningful name if you are creating several covers on the same computer!Check out the Big Huge Labs educator account. Easily pre-register students to avoid creating logins, view and download their creations, and view the site advertisement free. You will find information about the Educator Account here. If you and your students simply use the tool without joining the site, there are no problems with email, profiles, etc. You do need to demonstrate the tool and specifically explain which links students should NOT use, including ads and links to social networking sites that are prohibited in your school. These may be blocked, anyway. Make sure you watch and teach copyright issues in snatching photos from the web.
Have students create magazine covers of themselves as a getting to know you activity and classroom bulletin board. Print and laminate magazine covers to make them appear even more authentic. Or share the images (WITHOUT student names) on your class wiki or web page. When doing reports for any subject, have students create magazine covers that mimic the real thing instead of boring plain covers. Make covers about famous Americans, scientists, or historic figures. Make covers about objects, as well. Assign students to research a vegetable and create a cover about its nutrients, recipes, and more as part of your nutrition unit! Guidance teachers or principals can feature exemplary students using this tool. Bulletin board creativity will skyrocket using Big Huge Labs Magazine Cover. Why not offer a rotating PowerPoint slide show of student-made magazine covers for parents to view as they wait in the hallway for conferences?
Edge Features:
Includes an education-only area for teachers and students
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Requires registration/log in (NO email)
Premium version (not free) includes additional features or storage
Products can be embedded
Products can be shared by URL
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Lexile - MetaMetrics, Inc.
Grades
K to 12tag(s): readability (5)
In the Classroom
Make Lexiles one of the tools you use to make reading a positive experience for your students. The more you know about the student and the actual content of the books, the more helpful the Lexiles can be in assisting a match. If your school reports data to parents using Lexile scoring, download the white papers to give to them at conferences to explain Lexile scores in 'parent friendly' language. Include this link on your classroom web page. If your students know their Lexile level, you will want Lexile levels on your classroom library materials so students can match a book to both their reading level and their interests. As an FYI, SOME books listed on Barnes and Noble's online site include Lexile levels in the descriptions (just after age level). Lexile connects to Barnes and Noble directly from this site.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Physics Facts - Introduction to Physics - Space, Light, Motion - Kidipede
Grades
5 to 10tag(s): earth (193), electricity (60), light (56), mass (21), motion (55), newton (24), simple machines (21), sound (74), space (239), time (93), weather (172)
In the Classroom
Use portions of this site as an anticipatory set in your science class. The information is simple to understand and would be useful for students struggling with a topic. Use the site for research about specific topics. Have teams of students explore each of the "sub-topics" within the main topic. Ask them to record their findings in a digital portfolio of resources using bulb, reviewed here. bulb includes free resources for creating and sharing online portfolios that include images, written work, and video making it perfect to use for sharing student work during parent conferences and when submitting college applications. Challenge cooperative learning groups to create informational videos sharing their research using a tool like Adobe Creative Cloud Express Video Maker, reviewed here. Then share them on a site such as TeacherTube, reviewed here. Why not list this link on your class website, so students can access the page both in and out of the classroom.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Every Child Ready to Read - American Library Association
Grades
K to 2tag(s): literacy (124)
In the Classroom
Make these aticles, videos, etc. available to parents of the very young. The added bonus of having some of the brochures available in Spanish makes the development of good readers a task shared by parents and educators alike. PLace some on the table in your conference waiting area or send them home in backpacks!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Ed Pubs - US Department of Education
Grades
K to 12tag(s): literacy (124)
In the Classroom
Share this site on your class website so parents can learn about this free resource. Include links to specific publications tha fit your class' needs. Or choose helpful information with your particular parents/students and share the pdf files as print-outs at conferences or via email to help parents.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Kids' Vid - Mike Keating
Grades
3 to 8tag(s): tutorials (49)
In the Classroom
Start the activity by showing the student-produced videos on the web site. Use the resources on the site for a whole class jig-saw exercise. Assign small groups the task of learning one aspect of the process and then reporting and showing it to the rest of the class. Share the knowledge by creating working groups, which contain an expert from each aspect of the process. Use one of the many class ideas as practice activities for students to learn the finer points of video production before they start their masterpieces.Video is a great tool for authentic assessment - especially for ESL, ELL, and Special Education students. Think about letting each of your students create a short video about what they know for their parent conference meeting or Open House. Explore the realm of possibilities by having students develop and ask peers a "Question of the Week" and document the responses on video. Let students produce a walking tour of the school and key personnel as an introduction for new students. Post this video on the school website, but check the district and students' Acceptable Use Policies before videoing any student faces. You may want to ask your school's funding sources to consider purchasing a few USB plug-in "flip" video cameras that cost about $100 each so students can do these projects with an "indestructible" tool.
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Mem Fox: Teaching, Learning, Living - Mem Fox
Grades
K to 7In the Classroom
Create a shortcut to Mem reading aloud on your classroom computer for a center activity for primary grades, and place a copy of Mem's book there for students to follow along. Print Mem's suggestions for reading aloud to give to parents at conferences, or share this site on your teacher home page so parents and students can access it from home. For older students, this site is an excellent resource for planning cross-grade reading activities for Read Across America or other special times, including having middle school students write picture books for young students, then share them at an in-person visit or on a podcast recording using Buzzsprout, reviewed here. Use PowerPoint Online, Microsoft PowerPoint Online, reviewed here since slides are an easy way to "create" and share large-format picture books electronically.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Safe Kids - safekids.com
Grades
1 to 12tag(s): internet safety (118), resources (79), safety (64)
In the Classroom
Include this site on your teacher web page for students and parents to access as a reference. Share the printables with parents at open house or conferences. As you introduce web-based activities in your classroom, pause to rmind students of these safety rules, even if someone else is supposed to "cover" them in their classroom. Parts of this site require the use of myspace, so be sure to preview it and match the requirements to your school's regulations.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Helping Children Get Ready to Read - Kent District Library
Grades
K to 2In the Classroom
Share the printables and information about the website with parents at open house or conferences and include the link on your teacher web page. Spanish-speaking families will enjoy hearing about this site as well.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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103 Things to Do Before/During/After Reading - Reading Rockets
Grades
K to 8In the Classroom
Use this list as an idea generator for book report alternatives or even for lesson ideas. Share the link or some of the ideas on your tecaher web page for students to choose a book report product/project/performance. Print these suggestions out and share all or some of them with parents in a newsletter,at conference times, or before summer vacation. Give credit for your source, of course!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Parents Can Prevent Cyberbullying - PTA
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): internet safety (118), safety (64)
In the Classroom
Include this link on your on classroom web page or share the information at conferences with parents. As an Internet safety activity, teach about the cyberbullying, then have students create pamphlets based on cyberbullying information to send home to parents. Or have them create posters to hang around school about cyberbullying, using terminology you teach from the web site.Students will need you to present the information, since the site is directed toward parents, not students. Use scenarios such as those described in the article to spark discussion.
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Tips for Parents of Third Graders - Reading Rockets
Grades
3 to 3tag(s): literacy (124)
In the Classroom
As students approach their first high-stakes testing, every little bit helps. Give these tips out at conferences, in backpacks, or as a link on your teacher web page.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Tips for Parents of Second Graders - Reading Rockets
Grades
2 to 2In the Classroom
Bring in the parents to help prepare children for third grade reading testing by getting them involved. Send home the printable, give it out at conferences, and/or include the link on your teacher web page. Everyone will win!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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On-Lion for Kids! - NY Public Library
Grades
1 to 8tag(s): book lists (160), reading lists (76)
In the Classroom
Post a link for this site on your teacher webpage or in your newsletter. Talk about it with parents at back-to-school night or at parent conferences. Share with your middle school reluctant readers.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Characteristics of Giftedness - Memphis Public Schools
Grades
1 to 12tag(s): gifted (62)
In the Classroom
Keep this handy reference to use when you have questions about one of your students or to share with parents at conferences. FInd out how gifted referrals are handled in your school, and use this as a reference as part of the process.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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National Association for Gifted Children - National Association for Gifted Children
Grades
K to 12tag(s): gifted (62), professional development (295)
In the Classroom
Bookmark the National Association for Gifted Children site to use as a resource throughout the year for information on meeting the needs of your gifted population. Share this site with administrators, staff members, and parents of gifted students. Print and use brochures and fact sheets during parent teacher conferences as a resource for guiding gifted instruction and informing parents on best practice when teaching gifted students.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Auditory-Verbal International, Inc.
Grades
1 to 12tag(s): disabilities (37), hearing impaired (8)
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