The Role of Planning in Teaching
AskERIC Lesson Plans This is a great site to find lesson plans in most topics: arts, computer science, foreign language, health, information literacy, interdisciplinary, language arts, mathematics, philosophy, physical education, science, social studies, and vocational education. You can browse the AskERIC lesson plans by subject and also do a search of AskEric's lesson plan collection for a special lesson or topic by grade level. Once you are in a certain subject, you can go to links for different topics in that subject. In each lesson you will find the author, grade level, subject, duration of lesson, description, goals, objectives, materials, procedure, and assessment. The lessons are available in a printer friendly text if you decide you want a copy of the lesson. Some lessons also have links to resources on the web, and some also have a email address if you want to contact the teacher who authored the lesson. This is a very easy site to navigate, and teachers will find lessons in just about any topic they teach.
Teachers Network Teachers Network is a nationwide, non-profit education organization that identifies and connects innovative teachers exemplifying professionalism and creativity within public school systems. Over 40,000 public school teachers have received Teachers Network grants and fellowships in the areas of curriculum, leadership, policy, and new media. This site has many great resources, one of which is a very good link to lesson plans that have been designed by teachers, for teachers. There is a wide array of subject areas listed with lesson plans. Once you click into the subject area you are interested in, you can choose elementary, middle or high school lesson plans. The lessons have good descriptions and some even have URL addresses of the project website. One unique thing about the lesson plans on this site is that some have videos that you can watch to see portions of the lesson.
Teaching Approaches and Strategies
Learning Styles & Multiple Intelligence Island Adult Development Association’s primary mission is to promote the social and emotional development and well-being of adults with learning disabilities (LD) and/or Attention Deficit (Hyperactivity) Disorder (AD/HD). This site is very helpful to teachers interested in how different learning styles of their students will affect how they learn in the classroom. Learning styles and multiple intelligences are explained, there are links to learning styles/multiple intelligences web pages, and you can even take a test to see what dominant intelligence or learning style you have. The home page contains a bulletin board to post messages and a chat room to discuss real time with other educators and people concerned with the topic of learning styles. This site is primarily for adults with learning disabilities (LD) and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD).
Working Toward Student Self-Direction and Personal Efficacy as Educational Goals Because learning in schools is traditionally dominated and controlled by adults, students seldom make decisions about their own learning. A touchstone of effective learning is that students are in charge of their own learning; essentially, they direct their own learning processes. This web site has a good discussion on the topic of students as self directed learners and even includes audio files with teachers talking about how they allow and facilitate students to direct their own learning.
Classroom Management
11 Techniques for Better Classroom Discipline At this web site there are eleven techniques that you can use in your classroom that will help you achieve effective group management and control. They have been adapted from an article called: "A Primer on Classroom Discipline: Principles Old and New." by Thomas R. McDaniel; Phi Delta Kappan, September 1986. These techniques are a good tool for beginning teachers to manage classroom discipline. They can also be a good resource for veteran teachers when needing reinforcement for their current discipline strategies.
You Can Handle Them All This site is a free discipline resource from the Master Teacher. It deals with how to handle 117 specific misbehaviors. Each misbehavior is listed with a link and discusses the behavior, the effects of the behavior on the classroom, actions to take, and mistakes in managing the child with the misbehavior. There are many links to topics that deal with the topic of student behavior and discipline. You can also order resources from this site that will help you with your classroom discipline techniques.
Curriculum Frameworks and Standards
Standards at McREL McREL has been in the forefront of research, practice, and evaluation related to standards-based education. Among the most notable of McREL's contributions to the field is a compendium of K-12 and Career Education standards. The McREL site has standards listed for all curricular areas, as well as links to resources, programs, services, and jobs. In addition, McREL has authored a wide variety of publications and products related to standards, many of which can be downloaded from this site.
National Council of Teachers of English: Standards for the English Language Arts This site is sponsored by NCTE and IRA. At this web site a teacher can find the list of 12 standards that offer guidance for the opportunities and resources students should have in order to to develop the language skills they need. You can also order Standards for the English Language Arts, a book created by NCTE and IRA and published by NCTE.
Educational Technology and Classroom Applications
WWW 4 Teachers At this site teachers can learn about integrating technology into the classroom. From the www 4 Teachers site you can go to links of educational sites, WebQuests, and Tracks by specific topics. One can hear firsthand accounts about trials and triumphs with technology in the classroom. There is also a section on project-based learning.
Epals Established
in 1996, ePALS has 61,988 classroom profiles bringing people in 191 countries
together as cross-cultural learning
partners and friends. ePALS is the world's largest
online classroom community. ePALS members connect with peers around
the world, in ways that are both fun and educational. By engaging in projects
and creating new friendships, ePALS can help young people learn more about
their world. Educators, parents and students of all ages use ePALS
to safely meet using moderated discussion boards and password-protected
chatrooms, contribute to international, multilingual, collaborative projects,
create and use monitored email accounts to help keep inappropriate material
from children, participate in special ePALS events, such as live chats,
and overcome language barriers with instant translation.
Extending Learning Time
Helping Your
Child Series This is a U.S. Department of Education site which
has Publications for Parents, Including the Partnership for Family Involvement
in Education. The U.S. Department of Education publishes a wealth
of information for teachers,
administrators, policymakers, researchers, parents, students,
and others with a stake in education. You will find many of these publications
on this WWW Server.
Study Web The Lightspan Network and is now available only by school subscription. The school license includes families and children, so you will once again have access to the thousands of prescreened Links for Learning StudyWeb has to offer, plus the premier study companions: Study Buddy and Study Buddy Jr. To get your school subscribed to this web resource, go to the Study Web site to sign up your school.
Multicultural Curriculum Development
Peace Corps: World Wise Schools The World Wise Schools site has lesson plans to help teachers integrate global education into daily activities and they have been sorted by grade level and curricular area. There are lesson plans for grades 3-5, 6-9, and 10-12. There are country study guides and a few other guides to help teachers in their lessons with projects that the Peace Corp is involved. World Wise Schools (WWS) resources are structured around enduring understandings, essential questions and content standards.
United Nations: For Teachers Teachers can help students understand some of the complex processes that lead to violence and conflict which in turn cause refugees to flee from their homes and from their countries of origin. One of the goals of the site is help students develop the personal and social skills necessary to live in harmony with others and to behave in positive and caring ways that respect basic human rights.