Picture Books for Adolescents? YES! YES! YES!

Is it important for students to read from a variety of texts? Yes!
Do visuals support English Language Learners and all students to better comprehend text? Yes!
Do Middle School students respond better to shorter reading assignments and choice? Yes!
Are there more picture books being written on sophisticated content? Yes!
Should you read aloud to Middle Schoolers? Yes!

Should you incorporate picture books into your instruction?

Well, you know by now what my answer is. I am a big fan. However, you do not have to take my word for it.
Check out positions taken by the International Reading Association and the National Middle School Association.
http://www.nmsa.org/Publications/MiddleSchoolJournal/Articles/September2006/Article4/tabid/1017/Default.aspx

The use of picture books in reading, writing, and all content areas can serve multiple functions. They can provide enhancement to the textbook. Picture books can give students unique and more immediate perspective on an issue.
They can provide a model of writing craft. Just because they have pictures does NOT mean they are for babies. Quite the contrary!

Convinced yet? Do a bit more reading on the topic. Check out some lessons that teachers have done with picture books.
Start with a subject that might be a bit dry or conceptually challenging and hunt down a related picture book. Start with a picture book you love and read it aloud with gusto!

What are you waiting for??!

http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/postmodern-picture-books-middle-66.html



http://writingfix.com/Picture_Book_Prompts/Dogzilla3.htm

http://www.amazon.com/How-Hole-Other-Side-World/dp/0064432181/ref=pd_sim_b_3

Poetry Month Activity-Help students share cultural identity

Getting to Know Each Other: Celebrating Students' Cultural Heritage
Check out this lesson, inspired by George Ella Lyons' poem, 'I Am From'. The format of this poem is accessible to a range of ages and learning styles. Students can invoke ordinary sights, sounds, smells, from their lives to paint a vivid picture of their family and cultural identity.
Sharing your own writing in genres that you assign to students can build trust and show students you are willing to take the same academic risks you are asking them to take. In addition, it can be a great way to model the process, including your struggles and strategies.

Instruction begins when you, the teacher, learn from the learner; put yourself in his place so that you may understand . . . what he learns and the way he understands it. Soren Kierkegaard

http://www.scholastic.com/dreamincolor/pdfs/TeachWiththePoster.pdf

Teaching Inquiry through Current Events: Japanese Earthquake

One of the most important things we can teach our students is how to ask (and try to answer) the right questions. The earthquake in Japan is a devastating event that opens up a myriad of questions for young people. Use these teachable moments to explore science, history, and human society.

See the following article on Edutopia for some ideas and a huge list of resources for exploring the topic.



Teaching Resources for the Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami
By Eric Brunsell
3/14/11

The devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan is on the minds of all of us, including our students. The event and aftermath is tragic and the continuing nuclear emergency is a reminder of how fragile society can be. As educators, we can help our students make sense of these events and give them the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of their world.

In their book, Comprehension and Collaboration, Daniels and Harvey provide a comprehensive vision of what inquiry can look like in the classroom. They describe the following components that can easily be used to bring the Japanese earthquake into your classroom.

Immerse: Invite Curiosity and Wonder
Introduce the topic by asking your students what they already know about the disaster. Follow this by brainstorming a list of “wonderings” that students have. You may want to set the context for the discussion by reading a small excerpt from a news article or by showing a video.

Investigate: Develop Questions, Search for Information, and Discover Answers
Individuals or small groups select and refine a broad question that they find interesting. You should help students with their question so that it provides an opportunity for them to delve into a topic and consider multiple sources of information. Students can use the web, library resources, and other media to search for information.

Coalesce: Synthesize Information and Build Knowledge
Students should identify a small number of “knowledge claims” that they have learned from their research. These claims should be supported by evidence from multiple media sources.

Go Public: Demonstrate Understanding and Share Learning
Students can share their learning in a variety of ways. For example, they can create newspaper articles, videos, audio podcasts, posters, or infographics. The resources below provide a variety of perspectives on the Japanese earthquake. Some of the resources may not be suitable for all children.



http://www.edutopia.org/blog/teaching-resources-japanese-earthquake-tsunami?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+EdutopiaNewContent+%28Edutopia%29

National Pi Day-March 14th!

National Pi Day! Did you know there was such a thing?
Check out the Eminem impersonator as he sings of the angst and stress of trying to remember all those digits. You can also read an interview with Chao Lu, the world record holder, who memorized...67,890 digits! What!?

He messed up on the 67,891st digit or he could have made it to over 90,000!!!
http://www.pi-world-ranking-list.com/lists/details/luchaointerview.html




Have fun!

Adora Svitak: What adults can learn from kids | Video on TED.com

"...the world needs opportunities for new leaders and new ideas. Kids need opportunities to lead and succeed. Are you ready to make the match? Because the world's problems shouldn't be the human family's heirloom."


Take a few minutes to be inspired by a young person with big ideas. While every child we teach may not be a 'prodigy', they
all have something to teach us if we are prepared to listen.

Questionaut: You MUST see this online game!!!!

It's art. It's storytelling. It's math. It's musical. It's science. It's a tool for review and test-taking skills. It's free. It's fun!
I dare you not to love it!!





http://jayisgames.com/archives/2008/03/questionaut.php

Go right to the source. Be careful! You may easily get hooked on their other games!
http://amanita-design.net/games/questionaut.html

A million things to teach and NO time??

I was thinking today about the frenzy many teachers are in right now. Everyone's scrambling to 'catch up' because of snow days and illness; rescheduled meetings and test prep. I know that feeling of pushing plans forward day after day and thinking, "How am I supposed to follow the curriculum map (if I have one) with no time to teach the curriculum??!!"
Although we know it is a somewhat futile exercise, the impulse to make sure we 'cover' everything is strong. This makes strategic planning all the more critical. It forces us to look at not just 'what' we are teaching (or trying to 'cover'), but 'how'.

Making the most of the time we have by incorporating best practice is key. You cannot teach 'everything' to any student. You can teach some very important things to every student. One of the most important being the development of their own metacognitive skills.


Reading
You can teach, post, and remind all students of word attack and comprehension fix-up strategies. Good readers use a number of tools to make sense of what they read and students need to continually practice these while reading a range of texts, especially those of their choosing. There are a whole range of strategies and approaches. The key is that students are monitoring their own comprehension with you as a guide for what strategies they may need to engage more often.

Depending on your grade level or individual student needs, you may choose to emphasize different strategies with different students. For example, if you have a student who has good decoding skills, but whose miscues affect meaning, you could emphasize 'does this word make sense?' vs. 'sound it out'. She could set a goal of trying that strategy when she gets stuck to remind her that she should be reading for meaning.

If you teach in a content area, it is critical that you reinforce self-monitoring and comprehension strategies, as your students may struggle with reading the most when faced with a language foreign to them, e.g., Math, Science, Social Studies.

Whatever subject area you teach, you should find strategies here that will benefit your students:

Monitoring for Comprehension (Self-monitoring):
Students need to be aware of when their comprehension breaks down. Teachers need to explicitly teach students to be aware of their comprehension as they read. Once they realize they have lost meaning, they can then begin to apply the following strategies below:

Use picture and/or context clues

Ask questions

Go back & reread

Summarize & Retell

Make predictions

Graphic Organizers


http://teacher.scholastic.com/reading/bestpractices/comprehension/flowchartofbehavior.pdf

Word Attack Strategies
Students who are learning to read need strategies besides decoding to help them read unknown words. Decoding is the most common strategy that students use but many words in the English language do not lend themselves to decoding. Therefore, children need other strategies for reading words.

Look at the pictures.

Try to sound out the word.

Look at the beginning letters.

Look at the ending letters.

Look for a smaller word inside the word.

Skip the word and read to the end of the sentence.

Try to guess! Does your word make sense? Does your guess look like the word?

Use the words around it.

Go back and re-read.

Put another word in it's place.

Look in the dictionary.

Ask a friend or an adult.

http://www.busyteacherscafe.com/literacy/fixup_strategies.html

SCUBA-D

S-Sound it out
C-Check the clues in the sentence
U-Use main idea
B-Break word into smaller parts
A-Ask for help
D-Dive into the dictionary

http://www.unl.edu/csi/Pdfs/scuba.pdf


Math Problem Solving
-While you do not have time for students to master every skill in the state standards, you can teach general problem solving strategies so they have tools to work through math problems.

Find a Pattern
Make a Table
Work Backwards
Guess and Check
Draw a Picture
Make a List
Write a Number Sentence
Use Logical Reasoning

http://www.mathstories.com/strategies.htm

Do your students love to read? They should and they can!

Images from the classrooms of Sarah Johnson VTC 2011, Brittany Jackson VTC 2012, and Kendall Paine VTC 2012

For the last couple of months, I have been talking to more and more teachers who are trying to address student
engagement in reading. By giving students more time for independent reading, through a Daily 5-type format or Reader's Workshop, they are seeing their students' skills and attitudes improve. They find students reading for pleasure, building their stamina, and developing independent strategies.

Are you considering moving to a workshop format or making space for structured, self-directed reading? Where are you in the process? Read one teacher's reflections on the impact of implementing Reader's Workshop on her students. And then, please share your thoughts and experiences.




When I first began teaching last year, I taught reading the way I was taught to teach it in my undergrad education program. Every student in my class read the same book at the same pace at the same time. There were quizzes over chapters, writing assignments, and final tests. The books were great: Maniac Magee, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, and The Westing Game. I was enthusiastic because these were books I loved when I was growing up. However, my students dreaded reading. They would groan and make faces any time I asked them to take out their novels. Reading simply wasn't fun for them. I was devastated. I didn't know what I was doing wrong. I wanted my students to love to read as much as I did. Faced with being the reading teacher for the middle school the following year, I knew something had to change.
Fortunately for me and my students, over the summer I discovered Nancie Atwell. I read her book In The Middle cover to cover, convinced she was a god. Nancie Atwell advocated completely free choice reading - and lots of it. She called her method “Reading Workshop.” Each day, she taught her students a short mini-lesson over author's craft, procedures, or comprehension strategies. The students then proceeded to read for a solid chunk of 20 to 30 minutes. There were – gasp – no tests, quizzes, or book reports. There didn't need to be. The students read for the joy of reading alone. The results, she wrote, were amazing.
I was hesitant to jump on Atwell's bandwagon at first. I was worried about classroom management and holding students accountable for what they read. But slowly, as I read more literature on Reading Workshop, my mind began to change. I could visualize what Reading Workshop might look like in my own classroom. I was excited.
I am happy to say that this year, my students love to read. My 5th and 6th graders have embarked on an amazing literary adventure with me and I can't say that any of them miss the old novel sets. Instead, they squeal with delight when I book talk a new or interesting title in the library. They ask for and give recommendations. They share favorite books with friends. They add entries to their book logs. They laugh and cry with their favorite characters and write letters to me about the books they've been reading. I've seen reluctant readers transformed into reading fiends. I've seen experienced readers explore new genres. The kids are reading volumes – I have a handful of students who have finished nearly 20 books already this school year.
Needless to say, my eyes have been opened. I'll continue stocking my library with great books and teaching engaging mini-lessons. And I'll leave the novel sets in the storage room where they belong.

If you'd like more information about Reading Workshop, check out these books:
In the Middle by Nancie Atwell
The Reading Zone by Nancie Atwell (This is the Reader's Digest version of In the Middle)
Revisiting the Reading Workshop by Barbara Orehovec and Marybeth Alley
Day to Day Assessment in the Reading Workshop by Franki Sibberson and Karen Szymusiak

Sarah Johnson, VTC 2011
5th/6th Grade Reading/Writing
St Agnes of Bohemia





http://www.readersworkshop.org/

Good teaching is good test prep!

ISAT and Terra Nova testing is months away (at least a few). Still, teachers are continuously preparing their students for all manner of assessments and laying the groundwork for testing in the spring. Good test preparation arms students with strategies that will help them reduce stress and perform their best on test days. These strategies are also strongly linked with solid instructional practice.

Check out the following article by Nell K. Duke and Ron Ritchhart from Harvard. They include ways to help students navigate different formats, to use specific strategies for math and reading, and to ease their stress.


http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=4006


Six Tips for Nipping Test Stress in the Bud

1. Don't Skimp on Practice Tests: They are vital to helping students understand the mechanics of the tests. Call your test company to request samples.

2. Promote Positive Attitudes About Testing: When discussing tests with students, make three recommendations: Be serious, confident, and strategic.

3. Deal with Basic Roadblocks: Do your best to circumvent problems such as inadequate breakfast, lack of sleep, and chronic tardiness prior to testing week.

4. Plan a Fun Day-of-Test Activity: Avoid academic activities immediately before testing. Instead, try something less stressful, such as Simon Says.

5. Look Out for Daydreamers: Seat easily distracted students in cubicles and corners. Encourage them to stay on task by checking off each line they read.

6. Talk About Those Last Few Minutes: The final moments of a test period are valuable for checking work and guessing on remaining questions.

Parent-Teacher Conferences!

"We believe that children will get ahead when we spend most time on the areas where they are most challenged. The problem with this notion is that it is a one-sided or half-baked approach to education. In the long run, children don't make their biggest contribution in their areas of weakness. Children overcome weakness, but they rarely excel in them or end up building their lives work around activities that make them feel depleted.
By looking at a child's strengths we are not failing to consider his challenges, we are merely balancing the equation that has been out of proportion for too long." by Jenifer Fox, Author Of Your Child's Strengths


Early in my teaching career, conferences were a source of anxiety. I tried to anticipate and prepare for difficult conversations and ensure I had evidence to back up assessment of students. Our conferences were attended by students and supported with detailed narratives. Yet, some parents were surprised by information gained in the conference and students saw conferences as something being done 'to' them rather than 'with' them. I left with a feeling that our work was somewhat incomplete.

Over time, we worked to involve students in assessing their progress and setting goals. We included parents in this dialogue and tried to create concrete actions for each person (teacher, student, parent/guardian) to take in supporting the student reach these goals. We ensured that there were few surprises at conference time. Parents felt more involved and students took more responsibility for their learning. As teachers, we saw conferences as a part of our assessment process rather than an isolated exercise.

Whatever your conferences look like, a bit of preparation can allow you to make the most of the time you have. There are steps you can take to help you strengthen relationships and build strategies for student success.

See below for some basic tips and links to other resources and readings:

* Gather evidence of student learning. Be able to show student work or other examples to demonstrate student achievement and areas for growth.

* Enlist students in self-assessment and preparation for conferences. No parent or student should be surprised by their grades or overall assessment. If you have not had ongoing conversations with your students about their growth, start now. If possible, have them participate in choosing work that showcases both their strengths and areas of challenge.

* Start positive and build on student assets. Emphasize the strengths you have identified (hopefully with the student). Use these as a starting point for next steps. Not all goals have to be based on problems. Consider setting goals for enrichment with ALL students.

* Give parents time to share and the opportunity to participate in the goal-setting process as much as possible. This can be done ahead of time by asking parents to share ideas in writing. These can then be consulted when setting student goals.

*Help students/parents focus in on just one or two goals for the next quarter. These can be subject specific and related to behavior or study skills. Some students will be able to articulate where their struggles are and what they could do to improve. Still, for many students, especially those who do not see the impact of their efforts on achievement, defining clear actions will be difficult. This is a place for you to help students identify specific strategies.
(see template below).




Parent-Teacher Conferences, a Time to Celebrate Strengths

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jenifer-fox/parent-teacher-conference_b_315322.html

Why Urban Parents Resist Involvement in their Children's Elementary Education
by Peter McDermott and Julia Rothenberg
"Using focus groups, our purpose was to learn how we could better prepare teachers for urban schools. The data revealed that teachers are frustrated with a lack of parental involvement in literacy activities at home and at school. Parents, however, expressed distrust toward the local elementary school because they felt the faculty has been biased against African American and Latino children and their families. Consequently, the parents said they deliberately decided not to participate in school activities. Parents explained they would only work with teachers who respected and valued their children."

http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR5-3/mcdermott.html

Conference Record Form
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/custom?q=cache:Gn3fz59jHhUJ:www.educationworld.com/tools_templates/RecordOfConference.doc+conference&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=pub-6489775476269284

FREE Resources for teachers!!

Teaching Tolerance is a wonderful resource for free teaching kits and unit/lesson plans for all ages on a range of social justice/ social emotional themes. For example, the award-winning video on Bullying is accompanied by an extensive viewing guide and standards-based lesson-plans.
On the Teaching Tolerance website, you can search by subject area or grade level. Materials are free, with a limit of one per school. These are high-quality materials, with engaging content across the curriculum. Perhaps most importantly, they address critical issues that all of us have to address while meeting our students' academic needs.

Other titles: Mighty Times: The Children's March, Mighty Times: The Legacy of Rosa Parks, Viva La Causa (Cesar Chavez).



Please come back and comment on any kits that you have used and how these may have been helpful in your classroom.



Teacher Spotlight on Resources:
Diala, 2nd-year UNITE teacher found some much-needed FREE books at SCARCE in Glen Ellen.

"I got 70 copies of Lord of the Flies and 36 brand new Writers Inc Student Handbooks. The place is amazing. If you are a teacher you can pick up whatever they have for free!"
Diala, 2nd-year UNITE teacher

Check it out or send one colleague with your wish list.
Thanks, Diala!
http://www.bookrescue.org/books/default.asp?page=Boverview

Problem solving in the classroom? Stay flexible!

We know building constructive relationships with our students is a critical aspect of an effective classroom culture. We know students need to take responsibility for solving problems. But what does this look like in our day-to-day classrooms when we have too much to do and a tight schedule to keep?

Read Larry Ferlazzo's short article, 'Teacher Eyes on the Wrong Prize?', highlighting a particular interaction with his 9th graders. His practical solutions and reflection provide rich food for thought.

Read Larry Ferlazzo's article from EdWeek.org


How do you think Larry's flexibility and responsiveness help him meet these goals? Does this scene sound familiar? Where could this approach work for your students?

Come back and share your thoughts.

Prezi: Present Information in Dynamic Ways!

Check out this tech tool that allows you to present information in a non-linear format. Gain student attention and present content in a way that allows for flexibility.

Thoughts on using Prezi as a teaching tool on Prezi

Math as a Social Activity!

This math teacher shows the power of cooperative learning. Social/emotional learning is not just a nice aside, it is integral to these students engaging with and mastering the content!!

Another example of how, in teaching, all the pieces fit together. Check it out and share your comments!

Social Justice Planbook: Check this Out!!

Planning to Change the World
A Plan Book for Social Justice Teachers
by Tara Mack, Bree Picower

Planning to Change The World: A Planbook for Social Justice Teachers 2010-2011 from Social Justice Planbook on Vimeo.

What Kids Can Do

What Kids Can Do

Hearing directly from middle school students can be enlightening! They remind us that what we say and how can have a tremendous impact, even when it may seem they don't care about what adults think. Even tweens and teens seek encouragement and straight-forward talk.

Check out an excerpt from the latest book from WKCD authors Kathleen Cushman and Laura Rogers, Fires in the Middle School Bathroom: Advice for Teachers from Middle Schoolers (New Press, 2008).

Posted using ShareThis

Hip-Hop, Poetry, and Social Justice!

During Poetry Month, engage students in an art form with endless possibilities!!

Check out local arts and educational organization, Kuumba Lynx.

They have a number of programs that seek to fulfill their mission of Empowerment, Health, and Creative Literacy for urban youth and their communities.

Their big upcoming event is the Half-Pint Poetics Poetry Slam for 8-14 year olds on Thursday, May 20 at UIC Forum. Plan a field trip or enter your own team. Check out their workshops, performances, and drop-in classes. Inform your students and their families of these opportunities.

Poetry can be a powerful tool for self-expression and building essential communication skills. There are myriad ways to turn youth on to this art form. Find a way to make it accessible for your students!!

Teen brains: They really are wired differently!!!!

So, that 7th grader with the surly mood and questionable judgment is merely a product of a poorly connected frontal lobe? While there are certainly a number of factors affecting the personality and performance of teen students, our understanding of development and the brain can explain a lot.

Check out NPR's Morning Edition and the story of Frances Jensen, a pediatric neurologist at Children's Hospital in Boston. Her study of teen brains has helped her better understand her sons' behavior and helped them perform better in school. Having your neuroscientist mom tell you that studying and then getting a good night's sleep will actually help move the information from your short term memory to your long term memory proved to be pretty handy.

Understanding the teen brain a bit more won't solve all your challenges, but at least you can see it's not all in your head...it's in theirs.

Teen Brains Are Not Fully Connected

The brain's "white matter" enables nerve signals to flow freely between different parts of the brain. In teenagers, the part that governs judgment is the last to be fully connected.

Source: Nature Neuroscience 2003

Credit: Elizabeth Sowell

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Test Preparation: Managing the Stress

Standardized testing is at the forefront of everyone's mind. While we know that these tests should be just one of many assessment measures, they are high stakes tests for most schools and students. Either way, we do all we can to ensure students perform to the best of their ability.

You have prepared your students throughout the year through instruction and practice of content, reading strategies, and general test-taking skills. And surely in the past weeks, you have incorporated a variety of practice test exercises.

We know from a large body of research and our own life experience that stress can positively or negatively affect performance depending on our ability to manage it. The brain's ability to function is key. It is highly sensitive to changes brought on by hormones, food additives, oxygen, and water. As much as is still unknown about the brain, there are techniques that have been shown to have a positive impact on overall health and performance. Of course, we want to be sure our students are well hydrated and that they have proper nutrition on test days.

Be sure you also give ample attention to preparing students emotionally, physically, and mentally to deal with tests. It is critical that students learn to manage their own stress. There are simple, deliberate techniques you can teach your students today!

Deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and using positive talk/images are all tools that can allow students to manage their stress response. Teach, model, and remind students to use these whenever they feel the negative affects of stress.

1) Breathing Techniques can help activate the body's own calming response. Simply telling students to breathe deeply often results in a room of hyperventilating kids. There are simple techniques students can learn and use before, during, and even after stressful events.

1. Breathing deeply engages the diaphragm.
2. Teach students to breathe in through their nose and out through nose/mouth.
3. Their bellies and rib cages should expand when they breathe in and contract when they breathe out.
4. Simple counting technique: Breathe in to a count (maybe 5 to start), using the full count. Hold the breath for a second, and then exhale for the full 5. Guide students to feel their ribs expand, their diaphragm release, and their shoulders release down.

2) Muscle-relaxation. Teach students progressive relaxation techniques. This can be as simple as closing your eyes and tightening up and releasing parts of the body, head to toe. Different mental images work for different people. Students can do a few simple head rolls, shrug shoulders up and down, and even releasing their jaw where many people hold tension.

3) Positive self-talk/images. Students can practice simple self-affirming statements and images to visualize how they want to feel. This extends to how we direct students, such as stating the behavior we want rather than the behavior we don't.

Examples for reducing stress:

1. I am relaxed and prepared.
2. I feel peaceful and energetic.
3. I breathe out tension. I breathe in calm.

Like other techniques, using these types of statements needs to be modeled and practiced over time. All of the techniques should be the students' choice. Give students models and allow them to devise their own. Encourage students to try them all and practice those that they find helpful.

Putting it together: Students can combine positive images with relaxed breathing. There are many more physical techniques, including Brain Gym exercises and simple yoga postures.

The following technique is from Victoria Tennant, called Take 5. Ask students to use the fingers on their hand to memorize five calming steps. Tell them to "Make a fist to represent feeling stressed. Release a finger each time yoau say a step – thumb: "I notice how I feel"; pointer finger: "I accept myself"; third finger: "I calm myself", ring finger: "I notice how I feel now", little finger: "I tell myself something positive." Say "You now have an open hand to represent feeling relaxed and calm."

Educate yourself and your students about the impact of stress on the brain and body. Then teach them real ways to manage their stress. Learn the techniques, model them for your students, and give them opportunity to use and adapt them. Some of the methods may seem hokey to some, but they work. They may even help you deal with the stress of testing, among other things, yourself!! Peace!!

Student link-general tips for test stress: http://pbskids.org/itsmylife/school/teststress/article10.html

For more on the effects of stress on the brain, as well as a range of techniques: http://www.newhorizons.org/spneeds/inclusion/teaching/tennant.htm

Reference: Victoria Tennant, M. Ed. is an independent educational consultant. Her current workshops and curriculum materials reflect a synthesis of 25 years of studying and presenting implications and applications of brain/mind research. She is the creator and trainer of two interactive programs: Healthy Beginnings, Nurturing Young Children's Growing Minds™ and Calming Ourselves in Stressful Moments™ published by Comprehensive Health Education Foundation. Victoria is a licensed Brain Gym® instructor/consultant. For presentations and school in-services contact Victoria at vtennant@verizon.net.

Social Justice Resources FREE!!

YES! is a national ad-free quarterly magazine published by the Positive Futures Network, an independent, nonprofit organization. We honor classroom teachers and faculty for informing and inspiring the next generation.

Thanks to the generosity of YES! donors, we are able to provide middle and high school classroom teachers, college faculty, and homeschool resource center instructors with a one-year introductory subscription at no cost.

If you qualify for this offer and are interested in a magazine with positive, solution-oriented stories about environmental sustainability, economic and social justice and peace, simply complete the form below and click “Submit.” We are able to provide only a limited number of subscriptions each year, so apply soon. As a subscriber, you will automatically receive our Education Connection newsletter.

* * * * * PRE-REGISTER BY NOVEMBER 20th! * * * * *

6th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON
TEACHER EDUCATION AND SOCIAL JUSTICE:

Reframing Race, Gender, and Teacher-Education Policy

Dates: 5-6 December 2009
Location: University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), U.S.A.

Co-Sponsors:
Center for Anti-Oppressive Education
Department of Educational Policy Studies, UIC
Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy, UIC

hat does it mean to prepare teachers to teach toward social justice? Across the United States and around the world, educators face many challenges. Especially troublesome are the economic, social, and political contexts that make difficult our attempts to address differences and oppressions in schools and society. Yet, in the face of these challenges, teacher educators are continuing to produce significant theories, practices, and coalitions. The largest conference to date, the 6th International Conference on Teacher Education and Social Justice will offer rare opportunities to discuss cutting-edge research, develop innovative resources, build networks, and explore possibilities for new directions in teacher preparation. The Conference draws together hundreds of educators from around the world with diverse experiences but with shared commitments and priorities, including scholars from Australia, Canada, Chad, Chile, India, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, Palestine, Uganda, and across the United States.

** Special Note** The Conference Organizers are pleased to announce that registration is free for the 6th International Conference on Teacher Education and Social Justice. All participants must pre-register for the conference by November 20th. Space is limited, and on-site registration will not be available, so please pre-register early. Participants are responsible for their own transportation, lodging, and meals. CAOE does not issue letters of invitation to participants from outside of the United States.

http://antioppressiveeducation.org/2009conference.html

Curriculum Fair Basics - FAQs 1) What happens at the Curriculum Fair? For those who don't know...The Curriculum Fair is like a Science or History Fair, except teachers “exhibit” their curriculum oriented toward social justice, we have a keynote speaker and a number of workshops (and food!), and hundreds of like-minded people gather and learn with each other. 2) What does it mean to "exhibit" curriculum at the CF? Each teacher gets a 6-foot long table at the Fair to set up her/his materials. Many teachers exhibit curriculum by bringing a tri-fold board (like those science fair boards) and bring lesson or unit plans, student work, assignments, artifacts, video, whatever, to share their curriculum ideas. Many bring their students along who sit at the table and explain the work with their teachers. The CF is set up so that we can browse the “exhibits,” talk with each other, and share lessons. 3) Does the curriculum have to be a finished, perfect product to exhibit? Is there such a thing? The whole point of the CF is to recognize that teachers collectively produce knowledge about, for example, how to teach for SJ, and that we have much to learn from each other. There are no blueprints here, and we can learn from our mutual experiences. We stronglyencourage teachers to share work “in progress” and to give and get feedback from others in order to further develop our collective understanding of what teaching for SJ means in theory and practice. Sometimes people may feel that their work is somehow not yet “there,” and our view is that the CF is as good a place as any to strengthen it. It has been our shared experience that both exhibitors and non-exhibiting attendees have learned much from participating in the fair. 4) What are the workshops? Although the main focus of the CF is person-to-person contact through the exhibitors at their tables, we also have a limited number of one-hour workshops. These range from curricular innovations about SJ pedagogy to, for example, using multicultural children's literature. These provide more in-depth, interactive ways for teachers and students to present what they’ve been learning and doing in their classrooms.