Migration From Latin America
Mavis Weir teaches 10th–grade history at Casa Grande High School in
Petaluma, California. In this lesson, students explore the various
reasons people emigrate from their homeland. The class is broken up into six separate groups, each representing a different Latin American
country with its own set of resources. Using both primary and secondary sources, students examine the economic, political, and environmental circumstances that cause people to emigrate. Each group presen
Wendell Brooks is a teacher at the diverse Berkeley High School in
Berkeley, California. Mr. Brooks' ninth–grade history class focuses on a variety of political ideologies present during the period of World War
I. His class includes lively discussion on capitalism, communism,
totalitarianism, and Nazism, as portrayed by leaders such as Hitler and Mussolini. In his lesson, Mr. Brooks incorporates a Socratic discussion into his lesson, as well as group activities and present
The Individual In Society
Brian Poon is a teacher at Brookline High School in metropolitan Boston, Massachusetts. Mr. Poon’s 12th–grade philosophy lesson focuses on the role of the individual in society. Based on readings by various philosophers, including Reinhold Niebuhr, Thomas Hobbes, Mao Zedong, Martha Nussbaum, and Plato, students apply the philosophers’ viewpoints to solve the dilemmas of a fictitious nation called "Fenway." They then participate in a dynamic class discussion about how to integrate the best
Are You Convinced?
Proof making is one of the key ideas in mathematics. Looking at
teachers and students grappling with the same probability problem, we see how two kinds of proof — proof by cases and proof by induction —naturally grow out of the need to justify and convince others.
Building on Useful Ideas
One of the strands of the Rutgers long-term study was to find out how
useful ideas spread through a community of learners and evolve over
time. Here, the focus is in on the teacher’s role in fostering
First- and second-graders investigate number relationships and explore the concept of addition in a part-whole model using dominoes. They develop mathematical communication as they represent mathematical ideas with physical materials, words, diagrams, and symbols. NCTM standards: concepts of whole number operations, whole number computation, problem solving, communication.
Creating quilt squares from construction paper, first graders develop
spatial sense as they discuss and handle different shapes. They connect geometric ideas to number ideas as they cut squares into congruent triangles. NCTM standards: geometry and spacial sense, patterns and relationships, communication, connections.
Assessment in Math and Science-That Would Never Work Here!
Workshop 6. That Would Never Work Here!; Seeing Assessment Reform in Action, Part I (90 min.)
'What does assessment reform actually look like? This workshop follows the stories of Barbara, a math teacher in Whittier, California, and Scott, a science teacher in Louisville, Kentucky, as they share how they are incorporating assessment into their teaching. Emphasis will be placed on the colleague support structure — teachers sharing ideas with and getting help from other teachers. C
Reading Across The Curriculum Workshop 13
Gage Reeve’s class is learning new vocabulary in a lesson on global
warming. Students also use an idea tree to record main ideas and
supporting details and write their own questions to be answered after
reading the nonfiction text.
Middle School Studying For Your Learning Style
A series of short videos that deal with such aspects as types of learning styles and how to learn which is best for various types of learning. There are several short videos in this section. All students should watch this to get ideas on how to improve their study habits.
Teaching How to Compare and Order
As part of the Five Interactive Favorites Video Series from StarrMatica.com, this video gives elementary teachers ideas for teaching Comparing and Ordering Numbers with interactive, online resources.
How to Teach Kids Kindergarten Math : How to Teach Kids Subtraction with Circles
Teach kids kindergarten math, like subtraction, by using circles to demonstrate taking away an item, rather than using the word subtract. In this video, and experienced kinder teacher shares his ideas on how best to teach a child subtraction.
Basic Mathematics : How to Teach Subtraction
Teach the concept of subtraction in mathematics to students by incorporating physical items like markers. Convey the ideas of subtraction by using items like blocks or money with assistance from a math teacher in this video on mathematics.
Expert: Jimmy Chang
Bio: Jimmy Chang has been a math teacher at St. Pete College for nearly a decade. He has a master's degree in math, and his specialties include calculus, algebra, liberal arts, math and trigonometry.
Evolution and the Tree of Life What makes a snake a snake, and a lizard a lizard? What distinguishes one type of lizard from another? And how did so many types of reptiles come to be? Session 6 focuses on questions like these as we continue our study of the fundamentals of evolution. Building upon key ideas introduced
What makes a snake a snake, and a lizard a lizard? What distinguishes one type of lizard from another? And how did so many types of reptiles come to be? Session 6 focuses on questions like these as we continue our study of the fundamentals of evolution. Building upon key ideas introduced
Biology: Why Are Some Ideas So Difficult?
Focuses on the need for conceptual understanding and examines the scope of student ideas by exploring the central idea of photosynthesis, that the substance of plants comes mostly from the air. This innovative workshop for teachers explores the reasons why teaching science is so difficult and offers practical advice to help you teach more effectively.
Chemistry: A House With No Foundation
If abstract fundamental ideas are not taught because students are considered too young to comprehend them, how will older students have the foundation of facts they need to build on? This innovative workshop for teachers explores the reasons why teaching science is so difficult and offers practical advice to help you teach more effectively.
Workshop 1: Making an Impact
What would happen if an asteroid were to hit the surface of the earth? How large a crater would the impact create? In this workshop, the ideas of force and motion are introduced, as seventh-grade students drop balls to simulate asteroid impacts. By varying a ball’s mass, the height from which it is dropped, or the material being struck, the students explore what factor
Workshop 8: Bend and Stretch
We all expect a spring to stretch or compress when a force is applied, but forces can even deform solid objects like the floor or the top of a table. In this workshop, students in a high school classroom explore ideas about tension and normal force. By applying a force to a spring and measuring the distance the spring is stretched, the students calculate the force consta
Workshop 2: Laws of Light
Light energy has predictable properties when it interacts with matter that we refer to as reflection and refraction. In this workshop we will explore what happens to light when it strikes a smooth surface, a rough surface, or a transparent surface. In particular, we will examine several big ideas about light through viewing demonstrations with light and mirrors, visiting an artist and an astronomer who use mirr
Dean Kamen on Inventions
Inventor Dean Kamen lays out his argument for the Segway and offers a peek into his next big ideas. Dean Kamen landed in the limelight with the Segway, but he has been innovating since high school, with more than 150 patents under his belt. Recent projects include portable energy and water purification for developing countries. Run time 20:99.