Professional Development

1st Grade Intervention Explicit Fluency Lesson: Accuracy, Expression & Speed

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Observe a teacher lead a guided reading with three 1st graders to practice their accuracy, expression and speed. Best practice methods of teaching are demonstrated.

The Value of Themes in Literature and Life

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The Common Core Standards are used in a variety of methods; here, we see Perea Blackmon utilize those standards in teaching Bud, Not Buddy.

Chapter One of the book Bud Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis is used to engage students in collaborative conversations about various key elements in literature including: theme, character, setting, and plot. The primary goal is to help students identify the theme of the chapter and provide evidence from the text to prove their thoughts and opinions. 2012 District of Columbia Teacher of the Year, Perea Blackmon, take us inside her classroom for a first-hand look as she teaches this curriculum.

All resources are from "The Ignite Show." For more information about the show and to watch full episodes, visit theigniteshow.com.

Open Word Sort

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Watch a 3rd-grade teacher implement an open word sort.

IB Program Turns Around Struggling High School

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Discover how a struggling high school turned things around with this video and educational resources from PBS NewsHour from June 25, 2015.

The Stances in Action | Conversations in Literature

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This one-hour video showcases the stances in action, where language arts educators are engaged in natural literary dialogue, recursively moving through all of the stances. Panel members build a rich understanding of the texts at hand, while adding layers of complexity to their envisionments.

Planning for Communication | English Language Arts Strategies for Students with Cognitive Disabilities

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In this self-contained high school classroom, a student is learning the new word "would". Using aided language input, the teacher helps him build a sentence that uses the word to contribute to the class chart. During the conference, the teacher models how to use the communication book to convey her message. When the student creates his message the teacher asks the student to confirm that the message is the intended message. The teacher encourages the student to use the communication system as well as a vocal response. The video demonstrates effective strategies for engaging students with significant cognitive disabilities in literacy instruction.

Regional Realism | American Passages: Unit 8

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Delve into the writings of Mark Twain, Charles W. Chesnutt, and Kate Chopin in this half-hour video from the American Passages series. American culture was changing rapidly in the post-Civil War era: new technologies such as the telegraph and the railroad bound the continent together, postwar racial tensions brought the issue of the "color line" to the forefront of American consciousness, and a new commitment to realistic representation transformed literary style. Writers responded to these cultural developments by producing texts that paid close attention to the specifics of people and place in particular regions of the country, evoking the distinctive culture of areas of America that had not been previously represented.

Teacher Webinar | Oh Noah!

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Learn how to give young kids a playful introduction to Spanish with Oh Noah! – the PBS KIDS collection of free animated videos, games, and hands-on activities designed for children ages 4-8. This webinar hosted by WNET provides an overview of the Oh Noah! digital media collection and related parent and educator materials to help support the use of Oh Noah! with kids at home and in the classroom.

How Do We Know What the Character is Feeling | English Language Arts Strategies for Students with Cognitive Disabilities

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In this self-contained lower elementary classroom, the teacher conducts a read-aloud while the students try to identify how the character feels in the story. The students recognize that the character is angry because he was yelling. The teacher asks students how they know he is yelling and then points out that the letters of the word are all capitalized. The video demonstrates effective strategies for engaging students with significant cognitive disabilities in literacy instruction.

Finding Common Ground | Engaging with Literature

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Learn ways to help disadvantaged students engage with literature in this half-hour professional development video. Fifth-grade teacher Bileni Teklu gives her students ample independent reading time before having individual conferences with them.

Professional Development

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