It’s the 75th anniversary of the Golden Globes! The nominations have been announced, the host (Seth Meyers) has been selected, and Oprah Winfrey will be receiving the Cecil B. deMille award. This celebration of film and television is sure to bring excitement and controversy throughout Hollywood and, perhaps, in your classroom. Take this opportunity to
What Librarians Think About Discovery Education’s Techbook
The School Library Journal recently shared its coveted review spotlight with Discovery Education’s Techbook series. The Journal’s glowing review of Techbook called it a well-designed, multimodal resource capable of enhancing learning and adapting to individual student needs. “These relevant, reliable digital textbooks are a welcome addition to classrooms and school districts that value 21st-century learning
Hamilton vs. Jefferson: Using Hamilton the Musical in the Classroom
“And the world’s gonna know your name – What’s your name, man? Alexander Hamilton. My name is Alexander Hamilton. There’s a million things I haven’t done But just you wait. Just you wait…” For the past four years, I have used Lin-Manual Miranda’s performance at the 2009 White House Poetry Jam to introduce my students
What Student Engagement Is, and Is Not
Teachers seem to be pressured into finessing their lessons around ever-changing educational trends. When I first began teaching 12 years ago, the (seemingly) only thing my supervisors were looking for was a posted mastery objective. A few years later, it was all about appealing to visual learners with our fancy new projectors and white boards.
Kilimanjaro Expedition Travel Journal Entry 1
Base Camp Arusha, Tanzania 2,788 feet Everyone arrived safely to Base Camp at the Mount Meru Hotel in Arusha, Tanzania. All are in good spirits after long journeys. Tanzania is beautiful and we have all been welcomed with open arms.
Discover Mount Kilimanjaro from the Comfort of Your Classroom
Kilimanjaro Expedition The GLOBE Program, GLOBE AFRICA, Colorado’s St. Vrain Valley School District and Discovery Education are proud partners in a scientific and learning expedition to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro.
Discovery Education Resources on the Atomic Bombs of World War II
Tomorrow is 70 years since the United States dropped a devastating atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. August 9th will mark the 70th anniversary of the bomb dropped on Nagasaki. August 15th is the 70th anniversary of V-J Day and the end of World War II. Students can examine the facts of these events in a
Getting Your Students in Top Shape With Performance Tasks
As teachers, we’re inundated with flash-in-the-pan jargon and lingo. I never heard of “performance task” before I became a content specialist and curriculum writer a few years ago. At first, it might seem like it’s just a fancy way of saying a “lesson.” But a lesson could describe anything a teacher does in class with students–watching a
How Can We Make the 63,000 Questions We Ask in a Year Better?
How can we make the 63,000 questions we ask in a year better? We ask our students a lot of questions. Questioning is the most widely used teaching strategy behind the classic lecture. (See my previous blog post about the debate over lecturing in social studies.) Research tells us we ask 300-400 questions a day, and as many
Who is Burning the Cognitive Calories? Rethinking Lecture in Social Studies
I pride myself on my lectures. I was voted “Best Lecturer” in the 2013 Sherwood High School yearbook. I’ve been told that my lectures are easily understood, engaging, interactive with plenty of student discourse–and I’m pretty darn funny! My students consistently scored very well on the Advanced Placement U.S. history exam. So what’s the issue? Lecturing works.