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Saturday, May 30, 2020

SPECIAL CORONAVIRUS UPDATE 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



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



The Results Are In! Here Is How My ELL Newcomer Students Evaluated Our Distance Learning Class
geralt / Pixabay I had previously posted the questions I was going to ask students in my half-hour daily live class (see Here Are The Questions I’m Having ELL Newcomer Students Answer In An End-Of-Year Class Evaluation ). I had asked them to focus only on our distance learning time, not the earlier part of the year. Here are the results: 1.How hard did you work to learn English these past 7 weeks
May 31st & June 1st Were The Dates Of The Tulsa Race Massacre – Here Are Teaching & Learning Resources
The Tulsa Race Massacre happened ninety-nine years ago. Here are teaching and learning resources. I’m adding this list to “Best” Lists Of The Week: Resources For Teaching & Learning About Race & Racism. The Massacre Of Black Wall Street is a short online graphic novel The Watchmen television show did with the Atlantic marketing team. As fans of the show know, the Tulsa massacre opens the series a
“Fall Is a ‘Tremendous Opportunity to Reimagine School'”
Fall Is a ‘Tremendous Opportunity to Reimagine School’ is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. Four educators share their visions of what the fall could (or should) look like in schools, including emphasizing social-emotional learning and taking the opportunity to focus on anti-racist education. Here are some excerpts:
If You’re Still Teaching Today, This Might Be A Good Video For Students To Watch: ‘If you want an end to riots, then learn to listen’
If you are still teaching, I think this new video from Reese Waters, a commentator at the CBS affiliate in Washington, D.C., would be good to show as part of a discussion of what’s happening in Minneapolis. There are a lot of good ideas at New & Revised: A Collection Of Advice On Talking To Students About Race & Racism about how to frame a lesson and discussion. I particularly like Preparing to D

MAY 28

Ava DuVernay Unveils Site Which Will Develop Lessons To Accompany Her Films
Acclaimed director Ava DuVernay today unveiled a new site that will contain lessons to to ultimately accompany all her films. The first is is a “learning companion” for When They See Us, her Netflix film about five young African American men who were wrongly convicted of rape. It also includes an impressive lesson to help students identify media bias today. You can learn about the site at this Fa
Excellent Video: “How coronavirus spreads outdoors vs. indoors”
Alexas_Fotos / Pixabay This would be a great video to show students. I’m adding it to A BEGINNING LIST OF THE BEST RESOURCES FOR LEARNING ABOUT THE CORONAVIRUS .
Advice For Teachers Talking With Students About Racism & Police Violence
GDJ / Pixabay For teachers, especially those of us who are white, who are still in school, these two resources might be helpful when considering how to talk about the murder of George Floyd: New & Revised: Resources To Help Us Predominantly White Teachers To Reflect On How Race Influences Our Work New & Revised: A Collection Of Advice On Talking To Students About Race & Racism You can find many a
Where Is The Money Going To Come From?
We all know it, but The San Francisco Chronicle laid it all out for California ( Thermometers, masks and lonely lunches: State schools chief previews what’s in store for students ) and The Washington Post described it for the nation ( Public schools face a fall with a lot more costs and a lot less funding ): In order to re-open in the fall, schools are going to have a lot more expenses, but their
“Responses to ‘Why Do I Have to Learn This?'”
Responses to ‘Why Do I Have to Learn This?’ is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. Five educators describe how they help students see the relevancy of lessons, including through the use of empathy and analogies. Here are some excerpts:

MAY 27

Video: “Top 5 Dinosaur Moments” From The BBC
WikiImages / Pixabay I’m adding this new video from the BBC to The Best Sites For Learning About Dinosaurs :
New Resources On Race & Racism
Events this week have – once again – highlighted why we (and I mean us white educators) need to emphasize anti-racist education. 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: This is best resources I’ve seen this week: White fol
You’ve Got To Watch This Video Of A Fourth-Grade Teacher Using “Hamilton!” To Say Good-Bye To Her Students
geralt / Pixabay Thanks to Stanford Education for tweeting out this amazing video. I’m adding it to The Best Teaching/Learning Resources On The Musical, “Hamilton”
Three New Resources That Might Hold Clues To What Our Schools Could Look Like In The Fall
Wokandapix / Pixabay Here are new additions to THE BEST POSTS PREDICTING WHAT SCHOOLS WILL LOOK LIKE IN THE FALL : Germany, Vietnam, and New Zealand have reopened schools. Here’s what the US can learn. is a very good overview, with several videos. It’s from Vox. ‘Kids will be kids’: Furtive hugs, complex logistics on South Korea’s first day back at school is from The L.A. Times. The Los Angeles C
Video: “Global Pandemic: Through the Eyes of Children”
Alexandra_Koch / Pixabay I’m adding this new video from The Associated Press to The Best Sites For Learning About The World’s Different Cultures :
“Adding Relevance to Instruction”
Adding Relevance to Instruction is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. Seven educators write about ways they have injected relevance into their lessons, ranging from applying culturally responsive instruction to inviting students to be “co-teachers.” Here are some excerpts:

MAY 26

New TED-Ed Video & Lesson: “Why should you read “Moby Dick”?”
Clker-Free-Vector-Images / Pixabay “Moby Dick” is one of my favorite books, so I couldn’t resist posting the latest TED-Ed lesson and video on it:
New Video: “What Other Countries Can Teach U.S. Schools About Reopening”
NickyPe / Pixabay Here’s a new Newsy video I’m adding to THE BEST POSTS PREDICTING WHAT SCHOOLS WILL LOOK LIKE IN THE FALL :
Pretty Wild USA Today Poll Results On School Re-Opening In The Fall
Back to school? 1 in 5 teachers are unlikely to return to reopened classrooms this fall, poll says is an article in USA Today that shares some pretty wild poll results. There’s a lot more than the quote I highlighted above – check it out. I’m adding it to THE BEST POSTS PREDICTING WHAT SCHOOLS WILL LOOK LIKE IN THE FALL .
Here Are The Questions I’m Having ELL Newcomer Students Answer In An End-Of-Year Class Evaluation
geralt / Pixabay Last week, I shared the questions I was putting into a Google Form for my IB Theory of Knowledge students to answer in their anonymous evaluation of our class’ distance learning time (see Here Are The Questions I’m Having Students Answer In My End-Of-Distance-Learning Evaluation ). Here are the ones I’m asking my ELL Newcomer students – again, in a Google Form: How hard did you w
New NPR Video: “Tracing The Origins Of The Coronavirus”
MiroslavaChrienova / Pixabay I’m adding this new NPR video to A BEGINNING LIST OF THE BEST RESOURCES FOR LEARNING ABOUT THE CORONAVIRUS :
Depressing Statistic Of The Day: Schools Headed Towards “Financial Meltdown”
Though it’s no surprise, NPR’s story The Pandemic Is Driving America’s Schools Toward A Financial Meltdown was not a great way to start the day. It follows up last week’s news in California about the possibility of teacher layoffs here: California districts could pursue teacher layoffs if new state budget cuts K-12 funding . Not a pretty picture….
“Ways to Make Lessons ‘Relevant’ to Students’ Lives”
Ways to Make Lessons ‘Relevant’ to Students’ Lives is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. Six educators share strategies for making lessons directly relevant to students’ lives, including by building relationships, celebrating cultures, and applying a concept called “Hooks and Bridges.” Here are some excerpts:

MAY 25

Around The Web In ESL/EFL/ELL
BiljaST / Pixabay Six 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 2019 – PART ONE and THE BEST RESOURCES, ARTICLES & BLOG POSTS FOR TEACHERS OF ELLS IN 2019 – PART TWO. A
Just Sent-Out Free Monthly Email Newsletter
geralt / Pixabay I’ve just mailed out the June issue of my very simple free monthly email newsletter . It has over 3,000 subscribers, and you can subscribe here . Of course, you can also join the eighteen thousand others who subscribe to this blog daily. Here Are 8 Ways You Can Subscribe For Free…
Ed Tech Digest
Eight years ago, in another somewhat futile attempt to reduce the backlog of resources I want to share, I began this occasional “” 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 2019 – PART TWO , as well as checking out all my edtech resources . Here are this
May’s “Best” Lists – There Are Now 2,153 Of Them!
Here’s my regular round-up of new “The Best…” lists I posted this month (you can see all 2,153 of them categorized here ): THE BEST SITES FOR CREATING NOT TOTALLY USELESS WORD SEARCHES THE BEST IDEAS FOR ONLINE ACTIVITIES TO USE WHEN TEACHING ELLS REMOTELY – SHARE MORE! THE BEST – & MOST INTERESTING – RESOURCES FOR STUDYING HISTORY
May’s Most Popular Posts From This Blog
As regular readers know, at the end of each week I share the five most popular posts from the previous seven days. I thought people might find it interesting to see a list of the ten most popular posts from the previous thirty days. You might also be interested in It’s The Thirteenth Anniversary Of This Blog – Here Are The Forty All-Time Most Popular Posts. Not to mention THE MOST POPULAR POSTS F
This Week’s Resources To Support Teachers Coping With School Closures
Wokandapix / Pixabay I have a number of regular weekly features (see HERE IS A LIST (WITH LINKS) OF ALL MY REGULAR WEEKLY FEATURES ). This is a relatively new addition to that list. Some of these resources will be added to The Best Advice On Teaching K-12 Online (If We Have To Because Of The Coronavirus) – Please Make More Suggestions ! and the best will go to The “Best Of The Best” Resources To
Three Resources About Our World’s Different Cultures
Clker-Free-Vector-Images / Pixabay I’m adding these resources to The Best Sites For Learning About The World’s Different Cultures : What grocery hauls look like around the world right now is from The Washington Post. Pick a Card and Be Transported: 7 Board Games From Around the World is from The NY Times.

MAY 24

The Next Ten Days Are Big Ones For The Possibility Of Re-Opening Schools In The Fall
This week is a big one when it comes to the possible re-opening of schools in the fall. On Wednesday, the Los Angeles County Office of Education will unveil its “framework” for school re-opening. On June 1st, the Sacramento County Office of Education will release its reopening guidelines . I’m assuming there will be a flurry of other agencies doing the same, even though the best piece I’ve read o
Video: “Top 10 Beautiful Natural Wonders in the World 2021”
PublicDomainPictures / Pixabay I’m adding this new video to The Best Sites For Learning About Various “Seven Wonders” :
Video: Here’s How To Transfer Google Classroom Grades To Your Learning Management System
So many of us are using Google Classroom, but our districts use other Learning Management Systems (Infinite Campus for us). Grade Transferer will take care of it for you, and I’ve embedded a video showing how it works for Infinite Campus. I also hope we’re all being very flexible with grades, as I point out in this tweet: But in the midst of this, please continue to deduct points for missed assig
“Spreading ‘Poetry Love’ in the Classroom”
Spreading ‘Poetry Love’ in the Classroom is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. Nine educators share instructional strategies they use to teach poetry, including through read-alouds and through studying and writing odes. Here are some excerpts: I’m adding it to The Best World Poetry Day Resources – Help Me Find More .
Resources For Teaching U.S. History Next Year
geralt / Pixabay Last week, I wrote a pos t sharing my preliminary thoughts about how I was going to teach U.S. History to English Language Learners – either online, in person, or a hybrid. It will be a combination class of both Newcomers and Intermediates. I usually use the two-volume America’s Story textbook and supplement it with activities on our U.S. History class blog , online activities fr
My Favorite Posts That Appeared In May
I regularly highlight my picks for the most useful posts for each month — not including “The Best…” lists. I also use some of them in a more extensive monthly newsletter I send-out. You can see older Best Posts of the Month at Websites Of The Month (more recent lists can be found here ). You can also see my all-time favorites here . I’ve also been doing “A Look Back” series reviewing old favorite

MAY 23

Most Popular Posts Of The Week
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 THIRTE
Here Are The Questions I’m Having Students Answer In My End-Of-Distance-Learning Evaluation
Alexas_Fotos / Pixabay I always learn a lot from the anonymous end-of-semester evaluations I have students complete (see Best Posts On Students Evaluating Classes (And Teachers) ) and always make the results public. The “making them public part can sometime lead to interesting situations, like last year’s Washington Post headline Teacher asks students to grade him. One wrote: ‘I give Mr. Ferlazzo
Great New Nike Video With LeBron James: “Never Too Far Down”
I’m adding this great new video to The Best Resources For Learning About “Grit” :
This Is The Best Piece Of Pandemic Teaching Advice That I’ve Heard….
7 Ways Educators Can Help Students Cope in a Pandemic is an excellent ASCD piece by school counselor Phyllis L. Fagell. I’d probably make a slight edit by putting “much of” in there, as in “they’re not going to remember much of what they learned,” but it’s a minor quibble. There is some similarity between this advice and The Best Piece Of Classroom Management Advice I Ever Read . I’m adding this
Guest Post On What The Next School Year Might Look Like: “There are not perfect decisions, and sometimes there are only really bad alternatives”
Alice Mercer teaches third grade at an elementary school in Sacramento, CA. She started her career in Oakland, Ca, and moved to Sacramento in 2001. She is the parent of a now-adult son with ASD, and is a caregiver to her husband who is medically fragile. Alice is active in her union and on social media. “I’ve tried A! I’ve tried B! I’ve tried C! I’ve tried D! Tell me what else I can try!” This co

MAY 22

Classroom Instruction Resources Of The Week
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. Of course, this is a crazy time for “classroom” instruction…. You might also be interested in THE BEST RESOURCES ON CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION IN 2019 – PART TWO. Here are this week’s picks: Research-Based Instructional Strategies is from Clearview Schools.

MAY 21



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