Primary Sources from the Library of Congress

I received this resource from an online virtual conference and thought you might enjoy, if you're not already familiar with it.  Here is a PowerPoint from the Library of Congress about Free Primary Sources and Strategies for teaching with them including a photography analysis.  Here is a link to  their Primary Resources sets:

www.sharemylesson.com/libraryofcongress

And here are other resources for teachers from the Library of Congress:

http://www.loc.gov/teachers

If you see something that interests you, please let me, April, Kristi and/or Terry know; we'd love to work with you on something!

StoryboardThat.com

I came across this resource on Sharemylesson.com - it's all about using storyboards in the ELA classroom.  This particular site featured is StoryboardThat.com and while checking it out I found a ton of free resources for many of the works I know you read with classes.  They have a free version, as well as a discounted version for educators. Even if you don't use this particular tool, we can do similar things in Comic Life and other free resources but the pedagogy behind it and free resources I thought would interest you all.

Here are a few resources you can explore: 

• 30-minute webinar on how how to do storyboarding with Romeo and Juliet via storyboardthat.com. http://vimeo.com/11031848 
• There is a PDF in my Google Drive with an overview of the tool, examples and teaching strategy as well as loads of resources
• Teacher Guides to Shakespeare Plays with pre-made examples you can use in class (including R&J, Macbeth, Othello, Hamlet...)

And here is a list of all of StoryboardThat's free resources including narrative structures, literary elements, characters, etc.  Click on the blue titles to go to the page with the resources for that topic.

Teacher Guides 

• A Midsummer Night's Dream
• Bud, Not Buddy
• Cask of Amontillado
• Greek Mythology
• Hamlet
• Holes
• Macbeth
• Monsters on Maple Street
• Of Mice and Men
• Othello
• Romeo and Juliet
• Teaching Spanish
• The Giver
• The Great Gatsby
• The Odyssey
• The Outsiders
• The Raven
• The Tragedy of Julius Caesar
• To Kill a Mockingbird
• Wedding Dance

Narrative Structures

• Cause & Effect on Plot
• Dystopia
• Elements of an Epic
• Five Act Play
• Modern Day Adaptations
• Parodies
• Parts of a Story
• Plot Diagrams
• Shakespearean Play Genres
• The Hero's Journey

Literary Elements 

• Dilemmas
• Ethos, Pathos, and Logos
• Literary Conflict
• Poetry Analysis with TP-CASTT
• Setting Map
• Themes, Symbols and Motifs
• Types of Irony

Characters 

• Character Map
• Hero vs. Antihero
• Tragic Hero

Parts of Speech & Grammar 

• Advanced Grammar
• Denotation vs. Connotation
• Homophones
• Punctuation
• Vocabulary Board

Exploring and Writing Mathematics with Mrs. Coffey!

Mrs. Coffey's  students were given an interesting task. They worked on a problem with a partner and displayed their work. They then had to write comments/suggestions/and questions in a discussion board. See the pictures below. 

 

 

Beginners Guide to Using GMAlL

Technology has announced they are no longer supporting or troubleshooting MAC mail, so teachers should begin to make the migration to GMAIL.  Below is a YouTube tutorial on how to do that. 

4 Ways to Enhance Your Classroom Through Google Hangouts

Check out this blog by Edtechteacher on incorporating Google Hangouts into your classroom.

http://edtechteacher.org/4-ways-to-enhance-your-class-with-google-hangouts-from-jennifer-carey/

iTunes Error

If you get an error when you open iTunes that looks like this:

Here is how you can fix it:

1. Go to Finder > Applications> Utilities > Disk Utility
2. Select Mac HD
3. MAKE SURE YOU ARE ON THE FIRST AID TAB ONLY.
4. Click on Repair Disk Permissions.

Occupational Course of Study Students Get Some on the Job Training

Two great things to share about our Occupational Course of Study students

1: Our upperclassmen are going out to job sites in the community including several businesses on main street including Richards coffee shop, Food Lion, Benchwarmers, and the town of Mooresville.

2. Our under class men are performing jobs on campus. They are performing car on Thursdays during 1st and 4th blocks. They are also cleaning the cafeteria after each lunch on the main campus everyday. We are working on more job opportunities for them around campus!

 

 

 

 

 

Who Does What?

Mooresville High School has a second Instructional Technology Facilitator!  Here's how we will divide up the roles.

FT4T: Using Chalkup to Assign in Google Drive

Chalkup - Distribute & Grade Assignments in Google Drive Without Using Scripts Chalkup is a neat service that combines the concepts of Google Drive and Edmodo into one slick package. In Chalkup you can create classes to which you distribute announcements and assignments in the message board style that you find in Edmodo. Your students can sign-in to see what you post, reply to your posts, and submit assignments. The best aspect of Chalkup is found in its Google Drive integration.

Through Chalkup you can distribute Google Drive files to your students and they can submit Google Drive files to you. Rather than running a script like Doctopus when you want to distribute an assignment template to your students, you can simply select a file from your Google Drive account and share it through Chalkup. When students submit assignments to you in Chalkup you can comment and draw on their Google Documents as well as give them a numeric grade for their assignments. Watch the video below to see how easy it is to distribute and grade assignments in Chalkup. [...]

Source: http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2014/04/chalkups-distribute-grade-assignments.html#.U2DfHsbVSEw

FT4T: Studygeek - A Math Glossary and a Collection of Free Math Tutorials

Studygeek - A Math Glossary and a Collection of Free Math Tutorials Studygeek is a free service offering hundreds of online mathematics tutorials. The site features a combination of written tutorials and video tutorials sourced from the web. Like similar sites, Studygeek organizes lessons according to subject and topic. For example, click on the algebra section to reveal all of the topics for which Studygeek offers tutorials. [...]

Source: http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2014/04/studygeek-math-glossary-and-collection.html

Google Apps for EDU: Randomizing Answers in Google Forms

Randomising Answers in Google Forms Google Forms just received another great update. When you create a Google form, you can randomise the order that the answers are presented. [...]

Source: http://www.googleappsforedu.com/randomising-answers-google-forms/

FT4T: Dozens of Virtual Tours and Webcams On One Google Map

This post originally appeared on Free Technology for Teachers

Dozens of Virtual Tours and Webcams On One Google Map Through her blog Angela has shared some great ideas and resources for teaching history, civics, and geography. One of the neat resources that Angela shared a few years ago that I still revisit from time to time is a Google Map containing placemarks for dozens of webcams and virtual tours. Click any placemark on the map to find a link to a virtual tour or webcam for that location. [...]

Source: http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2014/04/dozens-of-virtual-tours-and-webcams-on.html#.U123t8bVSEw

How to Green Screen

If your footage didn't give a clean green screen effect, you can adjust the tint of the screen to make it more transparent using this technique in iMovie.

FT4T: Cost of Living

Two Activities to Help Students Learn About the Cost of Living Spent is an online game designed to teach players about the challenges of living on minimum wage (or slightly higher) employment. Players begin by selecting a job which will provide the wages they have to survive on for a month. Then throughout the game players are confronted with challenges that they have to handle by making an "either or" choice. After each choice the player's account balance is adjusted. In addition to the change in the player's balance sheet, each choice is followed by an explanation of consequence of the choice made. The Living Wage Calculator is a website developed and maintained by Dr. Amy K. Glasmeier at MIT. The purpose of the Living Wage Calculator is to provide a snapshot of what it actually costs to survive in counties and cities in the United States. The Living Wage Calculator shows the differences between minimum wages and minimum living wages for each county and some cities in the U.S. The calculator accounts for eight different household scenarios from single adult to two adults and three children living in the same household. [...]

Source: http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2014/03/two-activities-to-help-students-learn.html

Free Technology for Teachers: Analyzing Shakespeare With Storyboards

Free Technology for Teachers: Analyzing Shakespeare With Storyboards Creating a storyboard can be a good way to organize a story and plan a video project. As Rebecca Ray shares in the slides below, creating storyboards can also be a good way to deconstruct and analyze a story.[...]

Source: http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2014/03/analyzing-shakespeare-with-storyboards.html

FT4T: A Handful of Helpful Google Forms Tutorials for Teachers

A Handful of Helpful Google Forms Tutorials for Teachers Google Forms and Google Sheets can be very useful for collecting all kinds of information from students and others. Three of the most common uses of Google Forms and Sheets in schools are creating quizzes, conducting surveys, and organizing workflow. The following videos, screenshots, and links will help you learn how to use Google Forms and Sheets in your classroom. [...]

Source: http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2014/03/a-handful-of-helpful-google-forms.html

FT4T: An Illustrated Glossary of Genetic Terms

An Illustrated Glossary of Genetic Terms The National Human Genome Research Institute has a great talking glossary of genetic terms for students. The glossary is available online and as a free iPad app. The Talking Glossary of Genetic Terms features scientists explaining each term. Most terms are accompanied by an illustration and some terms are accompanied by 3D animations. [...]

Source: http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2014/03/an-illustrated-glossary-of-genetic-terms.html#.UzTswVzVT5o

FT4T: Google Calendar Tutorials for Teachers

A Handful of Google Calendar Tutorials for Teachers From simply keeping track of personal appointments to sharing important information with students, Google Calendar is a versatile tool for teachers. The following tutorials can help you get the most out of using Google Calendar. [...]

Source: http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2014/03/a-handful-of-google-calendar-tutorials.html

Tech Tools to Try 3.24.14

Teach Thought: 6 Tech Ideas for Nat'l Poetry Month

6 Technology-Based Poetry Ideas For Students That Think They Hate Poetry It’s safe to say that of all the genres of literature we study in school, poetry is the most scary–and not just for the students. Sometimes poetry gets a bad rap for being too dense, too pretentious, too much of an acquired taste for mainstream consumption. While it’s true that I could name many a poem that fits those descriptors, it’s also true that working with poetry can be a most whimsical, intriguing, dare I say light-hearted experience for you and your students. Try one of these six strategies during National Poetry Month to invite your students to explore the jungle of this most-feared genre. [...]

Recording in GarageBand

RECORDING IN GARAGEBAND

1. Open GarageBand (Guitar icon in dock, or Finder > Applications> GarageBand) and create a new Voice project (microphone)
2. Save your project with the title of your activity.
3. Select No Effects (Top of rightmost column)
4. Make sure metronome is unchecked (under Control menu).
5. Click on the red button to record and hit the space bar to stop recording.
6. Drag the red line (using the white triangle at top) back to the beginning to play it back.

***TO EXPORT YOUR RECORDING ONCE YOU ARE DONE - THIS MUST BE DONE!

1. Click on Share menu, then “Export Song to Disc”
2. Change the settings so it exports as a mp3
3. Click on Export
4. Click on Save (it will have the same name and be in the same place but will be a different format)
5. If you are uploading to Angel, make sure you select the file that has the Music Note icon and NOT the guitar icon - that is the audio file that Angel will recognize.

Setting Up Angel for 2nd Semester

Here are two video tutorials on how to set up your Angel gradebook for 2nd semester.  Both videos also cover how to add and delete students (and co-workers) to your rosters after the initial import from technology.

If you are teaching the same course as first semester and want to copy gradebook settings from Fall Quarter, watch this one. (You must be logged in with your MGSD account to view the videos because it shows student names and numbers).

If you are teaching a different course or want to set up your gradebook differently, watch this video.

Here are written directions if you prefer that.

GRADEBOOK SETUP

You will need to set up the following for EACH course that you have.  If you merge your preps, you will only need to set it up in the active course.

If you see a grid when you enter the gradebook tab, click on Gradebook Menu to return to the main menu needed to adjust the settings below.

TO SET UP TERM FILTERS (YOU MUST DO THIS!)

1. Click on the Manage Tab.
2. Click on Gradebook at left.
3. Click on Term Filters at left under Setup Tasks.
4. Check that all current quarters are selected and save.

TO SET UP GRADE REPORTS (YOU MUST DO THIS!)

1. Delete the default Overall report by clicking on delete at the end of the row.
2. Click on the Manage Tab.
3. Click on Gradebook at left.
4. Click on Grade Reports at left under Setup Tasks.
5. Title your first report 3rd Quarter.  Select 3rd Quarter from the dropdown. Leave Category set to all.  Leave the dates blank. Click Add Item.
6. Repeat for 4th Quarter.

TO SET UP GRADE CATEGORIES (YOU MUST DO THIS!)

Check first with your department / grade-level chair to see if there is a standardized grading policy you must use.

1. Click on the Manage Tab.
2. Click on Gradebook at left.
3. Click on Categories at left under Setup Tasks.

• If using points create only one category.

• Click on delete and delete two of the rows.
• Click on Settings for the one remaining column and rename it  to points.  Set the weight to be 100.

• If using percentages create all of your categories.

• Click on settings for the three rows that already exist.
• Change the name of the category and the weight.  Under calculation select Use All.  Do not check any other columns.
• Repeat for the other rows, or add rows if necessary.

TO SET YOUR GRADEBOOK PREFERENCES

1. Click on the Manage Tab.
2. Click on Gradebook at left.
3. Click on Gradebook Preferences at left under Other Tasks.
4. Under Report Defaults - choose how you want to see grades (% and Letter) and if you want ungraded items to be treated as zero.
5. Under Gradebook Settings: Gradebook Mode - Points or Percentages, Start Page - Main Menu, Uncheck Show Instructors
6. Under Default Report - Choose current term
7. Under Grading Grid Defaults: Directions - Displayed, Filters - Displayed, Term Filter - change to current term
8. Under Printing Options - You can change the font size of printed reports