Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... 

 The latest news and resources in education since 2007

TODAY

Useful Article On What’s Needed To Enter A State Of “Flow”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h

I’ve written a lot in my books about how to create an environment that would encourage students to enter a “flow” state, and shared a lot on this blog about it (see The Best Resources For Learning About “Flow” ). The Washington Post has just published a useful article on flow: It’s great to be ‘in the zone’ — while working, exercising and creating art. Here’s how to get there. I’m adding it to th

YESTERDAY

New National Geographic Video: “Thunderstorms 101”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 11h

Oimheidi / Pixabay I’m adding this new video from National Geographic to The Best Websites For Learning About Natural Disasters :

A Beginning List Of The Best Resources For Teaching About Reparations

by Larry Ferlazzo / 11h

WikiImages / Pixabay I have resources on reparations at NEW & REVISED: THE BEST RESOURCES I’VE USED (OR WILL USE) IN LESSONS ABOUT RACE & RACISM. However, especially now with the idea being taken more seriously in the public debate, I thought I’d take the materials there – and add more – to create a new “Best” list to add to all my resources on race and racism . I hope you’ll suggest additions in

The Best Collections Of Instructional Strategies For ELLs – Help Me Find More!

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1d

pencilparker / Pixabay One of my more popular “Best” lists is The Best Collections Of Instructional Strategies , which share sites that offer short and practical descriptions of many different and effective…instructional strategies that teachers can quickly review and determine if they want to use any of them. I thought it would be useful to begin creating a similar lists on instructional strateg

APR 11

Ed Tech Digest

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1d

Six years ago, in another somewhat futile attempt to reduce the backlog of resources I want to share, I began this occasional “Ed Tech Digest” post where I share three or four links I think are particularly useful and related to…ed tech, including some Web 2.0 apps. You might also be interested in The Best Ed Tech Resources Of 2018 – So Far , as well as checking out all my edtech resources . You

Pins Of The Week

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1d

I’m fairly active on Pinterest and, in fact, have curated 17,000 resources there that I haven’t shared on this blog. I thought readers might find it useful if I began sharing a handful of my most recent “pins” each week (I’m not sure if you can see them through an RSS Reader – you might have to click through to the original post). You might also be interested in My Seven Most Popular Pins In 2018

CBS News Video Segment: “Sacramento teachers on strike”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1d

Our union went on strike today (see A DAY ON THE PICKET LINE). CBS News just ran this segment on it:

It’s No Surprise To Teachers, But Research Suggests That Most Benchmark Assessment Are Useless

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1d

What classroom teacher doesn’t hate those so-called benchmark assessments that districts often force us to give to students? Today, education research Robert Slavin published an excellent post reviewing research on those assessments and providing a thoughtful analysis of why he thinks they are as useless as the studies suggest…. Check out Benchmark Assessments: Weighing the Pig More Often? I’m ad

What Student Would NOT Find This New TED-Ed Video Interesting? – “The wild world of flesh-eating plants”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1d

MonikaP / Pixabay Here’s the latest lesson and video from TED-Ed:

A Day On The Picket Line

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1d

As you have read here (see A BEGINNING LIST OF THE BEST RESOURCES FOR LEARNING ABOUT OUR SACRAMENTO DISTRICT’S FINANCIAL FIASCO) or heard elsewhere, our school district is not doing well, and is likely to be taken over by the state soon. We had a one-day strike today (you can get lots of background by looking at that “Best” list), and here are some photos and article about it I shared on social m

APR 10

Wow! I Guess BIG Changes Are Coming To The IB Theory Of Knowledge Course

by Larry Ferlazzo / 2d

geralt / Pixabay Every several years, the International Baccalaureate Program revises the curriculum for the Theory Of Knowledge class. The last revision was relatively minor. However, at least according to TheoryofKnowledge.net, a private site that creates supporting resources for the class, there are BIG changes afoot come 2022 . I can’t confirm that their description of these upcoming changes

Most Popular Posts Of The Week

by Larry Ferlazzo / 2d

I’m making a change in the content of the regular feature. In addition to sharing the top five posts that have received the most “hits” in the preceding seven days (though they may have originally been published on an earlier date), I will also include the top five posts that have actually appeared in the past week. Often, these are different posts. You might also be interested in IT’S THE TWELFT

McSweeney’s Unveils Super-Cool Contest For People To Visualize America

by Larry Ferlazzo / 2d

McSweeney’s Magazine has a great contest . Unfortunately, I just learned about it and the deadline is this Friday. Here’s how they describe it: The editors of the McSweeney’s Quarterly are working on a special feature for an upcoming issue about how Americans perceive the composition of America, and we need your help. More than ever before, we find ourselves wondering: Who are Americans? What mak

The First Image Of A Black Hole & A Video Showing How It Was Taken

by Larry Ferlazzo / 2d

TheDigitalArtist / Pixabay As you’ve probably heard already, astronomers released the first photo of a black hole. Here are tweets with the photo, a video describing how it was taken, and a comparison image. I’m adding this post to The Best Images Taken In Space . The #BlackHole family photo album gets its first picture! This is the first ever image of a supermassive black hole: it’s located deep

“What Are Effective Ways to Use Tech in English Classes?”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 3d

What Are Effective Ways to Use Tech in English Classes? is the new question-of-the-week at my Education Week Teacher column. Feel free to leave responses in the comments section there or here…

April 12th Is The “International Day of Human Space Flight” – Here Are Related Resources

by Larry Ferlazzo / 3d

WikiImages / Pixabay The United Nations has declared April 12th to be the “International Day of Human Space Flight.” You can find all my “Best” lists related to planets and space here .

APR 09

Video: “Top Five Largest Cities in Europe (1200-2019)”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 3d

MabelAmber / Pixabay This will be a pretty interesting video for my World History class. I’m adding it to The Best Websites For Teaching & Learning About World History .

Listen To An Interview With…Me – On “Reading and Writing, Motivation, Family Engagement, and More”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 3d

Tumisu / Pixabay Highest Aspirations is a podcast by ELLevation that is on THE BEST PODCASTS FOR ESL/ELL/ELT TEACHERS list. I was honored by Steve Sofronas invited me on their show. You can read more about it here , and listen to it here: I’m adding it to the blog page where you can find various interviews I’ve done over the years on different topics.

The Weather Channel’s Newest “Immersive Mixed Reality” Video Is On Climate Change

by Larry Ferlazzo / 3d

Tumisu / Pixabay The Weather Channel regularly publishes pretty amazing “immersive mixed reality” videos related to climate, and I’ve previously shared them all here. Their newest one shows the impact of melting glaciers. I’m adding it to The Best Sites To Learn About Climate Change .

New Reflective Addition To Retrieval Practice Notebook That I Think Is A Good Idea (If I Say So Myself)

by Larry Ferlazzo / 3d

MorganK / Pixabay I’ve previous shared the retrieval warm-up activity I’m having students do in all my ELL classes – writing about one thing they learned each day in each of their academic classes (including mine), and then sharing in class (see A NEW STRATEGY I’M USING TO PROMOTE RETRIEVAL PRACTICE IN CLASS (STUDENT HAND-OUT INCLUDED) and RETRIEVAL PRACTICE UPDATE ). It’s continued to go very we

‘We Should Embrace Writing in Social Studies’

by Larry Ferlazzo / 4d

‘We Should Embrace Writing in Social Studies’ is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. In it, Martha Sevetson Rush, Andrew Miller, Melissa Miles, Donna L. Shrum, and Richard Byrne contribute their thoughts on writing in Social Studies classes. Here are some excerpts: I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Writing In Social Studies Classes .

APR 08

Video Trailer For Upcoming Documentary On Charleston Church Shooting – Produced By Stephen Curry & Viola Davis

by Larry Ferlazzo / 4d

Here’s how this movie is described: Four years ago this summer, the unthinkable happened. Then the amazing followed. Coming to theaters for two days only—June 17 and June 19—EMANUEL tells the true story of the Charleston church shooting. Check out the Teaser Trailer for this inspiring new documentary from executive producers Stephen Curry and Viola Davis, co-producer Mariska Hargitay, and directo

New TED-Ed Video: “Why are earthquakes so hard to predict?”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 4d

Angelo_Giordano / Pixabay I’m adding this new TED-Ed lesson and video to The Best Sites For Learning About Earthquakes :

Video: “Exercise’s effects on the brain”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 4d

MabelAmber / Pixabay I’m adding this new Newsy video to The Best Resources On How Exercise Helps Learning — Please Contribute Other Resources:

This Hasan Minhaj Clip Discussing How To Correctly Pronounce His Name Is Perfect For Students

by Larry Ferlazzo / 4d

You may have already seen this clip of Hasan Minhaj explaining to Ellen DeGeneres how to correctly pronounce his name and why it’s important. It’s great! We spend time in my IB Theory of Knowledge classes on names when we’re studying Language, and this will be a perfect addition. In addition, Slate just published an excellent article about how Minhaj handled it , and I’ll also be using excerpts f

My New BAM! Radio Show Is On “Finding the Right Tech Tools for Teaching Social Studies”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 4d

My latest ten-minute BAM! Radio Show is on “Finding the Right Tech Tools for Teaching Social Studies.” I’m joined in the conversation by Sarah Cooper and Ken Halla, who have also both contributed written commentaries to my Education Week Teacher column. You can also now listen to the show on Google Play and Stitcher , in addition to iTunes. I’m adding this show to All My BAM Radio Shows – Linked

APR 07

Tax Day Is Coming Up – Here Are Related Resources

by Larry Ferlazzo / 5d

stevepb / Pixabay Tax Day is coming up here in the United States. You might be interested in The Best Sites For Learning About Taxes .

Infographic: “The Evolution Of U.S. Teacher Salaries Since 2002”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 5d

12019 / Pixabay This is a pretty interesting infographic. You can read a short commentary about it here I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Learning About The Teacher Compensation Crisis . You will find more infographics at Statista

“Ways to Integrate Writing in Social Studies Classes”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 5d

Ways to Integrate Writing in Social Studies Classes is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. In it, Stan Pesick, Ben Alvord, Dawn Mitchell, Rachel Johnson and Rebecca Testa-Ryan share their suggestions on integrating writing into Social Studies classes. Here are some excerpts:

SEL Weekly Update

by Larry Ferlazzo / 5d

I’ve recently begun this weekly post where I’ll be sharing resources I’m adding to The Best Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Resources or other related “Best” lists. You might also be interested in The Best Social Emotional Learning Resources Of 2018 – So Far. Finally, check out “Best” Lists Of The Week: Social Emotional Learning Resources . Here are this week’s picks: Brain Science Backs Up Role

This Week’s “Round-Up” Of Useful Posts & Articles On Ed Policy Issues

by Larry Ferlazzo / 5d

Here are some recent useful posts and articles on educational policy issues (You might also be interested in THE BEST ARTICLES, VIDEOS & POSTS ON EDUCATION POLICY IN 2018 – PART TWO ):’ We’ve got a one-day strike coming up this Thursday. Here are new additions to A BEGINNING LIST OF THE BEST RESOURCES FOR LEARNING ABOUT OUR SACRAMENTO DISTRICT’S FINANCIAL FIASCO : Sac City Unified strike is set.

APR 06

New Resources On Race & Racism

by Larry Ferlazzo / 6d

I’m adding these new resources to various “Best” lists. You can find links to all of those many lists that relate to race and racism at “Best” Lists Of The Week: Resources For Teaching & Learning About Race & Racism: A Look at Implicit Bias and Microaggressions is from Edutopia. I’m adding it to We Should Be Obsessed With Racial Equity, which is a post I wrote that includes many links related to

Around The Web In ESL/EFL/ELL

by Larry Ferlazzo / 6d

BiljaST / Pixabay Five years ago I began this regular feature where I share a few posts and resources from around the Web related to ESL/EFL or to language in general that have caught my attention. You might also be interested in The Best Resources, Articles & Blog Posts For Teachers Of ELLs In 2018 – So Far and THE BEST RESOURCES, ARTICLES & BLOG POSTS FOR TEACHERS OF ELLS IN 2018 – PART TWO . A

“Thinkalong” Looks Like A Great Site To Promote Critical Thinking

by Larry Ferlazzo / 6d

3dman_eu / Pixabay Thanks to Rebecca Marsick , Maggie B. Roberts and @ShawnaCoppola, today I learned about Thinkalong . It’s a free project of Connecticut Public Radio and Television designed to promote medial literacy and critical thinking, and has all the resources you need for lessons that promote both. Here is how they describe themselves: Thinkalong is a learning tool designed for middle sch

Classroom Instruction Resources Of The Week

by Larry Ferlazzo / 6d

Each week, I publish a post or two containing three or four particularly useful resources on classroom instruction, and you can see them all here. You might also be interested in THE BEST RESOURCES ON CLASS INSTRUCTION IN 2018 – PART TWO. Here are this week’s picks: The DBQ Project provides Social Studies lessons and lets students create virtual classrooms. It looks pretty interesting, and I lear

Class Invention Project – Including Handout & Examples

by Larry Ferlazzo / 7d

TeroVesalainen / Pixabay We’re doing an Invention Project in my ELL U.S. History class, which I do each year, but don’t believe I’ve ever shared here. Basically, students research inventions from 1870-1920, as well as come up with their own invention. Here’s the student hand-out and two examples (shared with permission). Please let me know how I can make it better! I’m adding this post to The Bes