Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Week… 2-2-14 …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EF

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL:

Funny Video: How NOT To Teach Grammar

Ann Foreman shared this Life of Brian video on Facebook. It’s a classic scene:   You might be interested in The Best Sites For Grammar Practice, instead.

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h 

Around The Web In ESL/EFL/ELL

I’ve started a somewhat 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: Top 10 Tools for Creating Teaching Materials is from Talk2Me English. Gratitude: a free downloadable lesson is from ELT Resourceful. I’m adding it to The Best Resources On “Gratitude.” States Weigh How to Revamp Surveys

by Larry Ferlazzo / 21min 

Check-Out My Weekly Eight-Minute Podcast If You Haven’t Already

Classroom Q and A, the new BAM! weekly podcast I’m doing in conjunction with my Education Week teacher advice column, is getting a fair amount of attention. Each one is about eight minutes, which is my usual attention span for a podcast, so they’re short, sweet, and informative, with great guests!

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h 

President’s Day Resources

President’s Day, which celebrates the birthdays of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, is coming up later this month. You might be interested in The Best Resources About President’s Day.

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h hide  //  save

Disney Online Video Series: “The American Presidents”

Thanks to Michelle Henry, I learned that Disney has produced a series of short online videos about the U.S. Presidents. The narration isn’t speeded-up, like in many history videos, so they are accessible to English Language Learners. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find them all online, and have included the ones I could locate in this post. I’m adding this info to The Best Sites To Learn About U

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h 

From The Archives: “Developing Teacher Leadership for the Long Haul”

I’ve recently re-started an effort I’ve tried to do previously by regularly highlighting previous posts and articles I’ve shared in previous years that I think might be worth a second look. I gave a keynote to last year’s K-12 Online Conference on developing leadership in learning, and I’ve embedded the video of it below. I also wrote a piece for Education Week Teacher on the same topic. It was ti

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h hide  //  save

Today Is Groundhog Day & A Longer Winter Is Predicted

Today is Groundhog Day, and Punxsutawney Phil is forecasting six more weeks of winter. You might be interested in The Best Resources For Groundhog Day.

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h 

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Week… 2-1-14 …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EF

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFLLARRY FERLAZZO’S WEBSITES OF THE DAY‘Character Is Not Compliance Out Of Fear’‘Character Is Not Compliance Out Of Fear’ is the final post in my three-part Ed Week series on teaching character. This final post in the series shares a guest response from Lester L. Laminack, educator and author, as well as many comments from reade

2 by mike simpson / 57min 

2-2-14 Fred All Week Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.:

Welcome to Illinois.

by Fred Klonsky / 6min 

Pension theft. The Black List.

Fred, Will you repost how the current incumbents voted on SB1? - Paul Mikulcik In the House: Dec 03, 2013 62 YEAS 53 NAYS Y Acevedo Y Andrade Y Anthony Y Arroyo N Beiser Y Bellock N Bost Y Bradley N Brady N Brauer N Brown N Rosenthal Y Sandack N Scherer Y Schmitz Y Senger Y Sente N Sims N Smiddy N Smith N Sommer N Sosnowski

1 by Fred Klonsky / 18min 

Making pension theft issue one in the 39th State Rep race.

Since the start of this election season I have advocated for those who oppose so-called pension reform to find candidates who can primary every Democrat who voted in favor of pension theft. In the the 39th senate district we have Bob Galhotra challenging Democrat Don Harmon. In the 40th state representative district there is Aaron Goldstein. In the 26th state representative district I would vote f

by Fred Klonsky / 7min hide  //  save

Sunday reads.

  Experts blame “scatterbox” approach. All the kindergarteners I taught loved playing in the scatter box. Huffington Post: “Broncos, Seahawks headed for an epic collision course.” Damn! Is that today? Student body president asks to be allowed to attend school. D.C. charter operators dumping 350 Special Needs kids after diverting funds to their own for-profit company. Forget that it’s Superbowl Su

7 by Fred Klonsky / 1h 

2-1-14 Fred All Week Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: Fred All Week Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacherKeeping retirement weird. Something stinks in the 39th House District.  We will get another eight inches of snow this Saturday in Chicago. I have already swept the stairs and shoveled the sidewalk once this morning. There will be

by mike simpson / 46min 

All Week @ The Answer Sheet 2-2-14

The Answer Sheet:

Report: Majority of U.S. kids under age 2 are now children of color

For the first time, a majority of American children under age 2 are now children of color  — and 1 in 3 of them is poor, according to a disturbing new report. “The State of America’s Children 2014.” that cites the neglect of  children as the top national security threat. The report, published by the […]    

2 by Valerie Strauss / 41min hide  //  save

Each day in the lives of American children…

The following statistics come from the new report “The State of America’s Children 2014.” The report paints a disturbing picture about the way a big percentage of American children are forced to live today, 50 years after President Lyndon B. Johnson began the nation’s “War on Poverty.”   Each day in America for all children […]    

3 by Valerie Strauss / 41min 

How we teach kids to cheat on tests

Here is a piece about a cheating scandal in Wisconsin that speaks to a much larger problem about how and why kids cheat on tests. It was written by Vicki Abeles, a filmmaker, attorney and advocate for students and education. She is the co-director and producer of the education documentary “Race to Nowhere” and founder of […]    

by Valerie Strauss / 28min 

All Week @ The Answer Sheet 2-1-14

The Answer Sheet:All Week @ The Answer SheetThe trouble with calls for universal ‘high-quality’ pre-KWhenever policymakers talk about universal preschool — and that is happening more frequently these days — they always say that it must be “high quality,” but they never explain what that actually means. Here author Alfie Kohn explains why the absence of definition may be troubling. Kohn is the auth

by mike simpson / 32min 

2-2-14 Schools Matter All Week

Schools Matter:

Snow Days

Snow days are good for lesson plans.Lesson in Democracy 101.How can we save our schools if grassroots education activists can't endorse or support candidates running for public office?This in my in box from Save Our Schools March and National Call to Action. The love fest is over. The high stakes have gotten too high.If SOS can not support Network for Public Education which has political clout and

by freetoteach / 1h 

Knoxville Letting Bids to Install Cameras in Classrooms?

From Tennessee Bid NetworkInstall Camera Systems in Each Classroom and Externally       Owner Type: Public Buyer: Telamon CorporationWebsite: http://www.telamon.org Website: http://www.telamon.org

by Jim Horn / 0min 

TREE Sponsors Elaine Weiss to Talk about What NAEP Means

Elaine Weiss offers a primer on NAEP and recent gains in Tennessee.  Make a cup of tea and enjoy.

by Jim Horn / 4min 

Join the Battle to Stop Corporate Shutdown of Memphis Schools

Action News 5 - Memphis, TennesseeMEMPHIS, TN -(WMC-TV) – Parents and students from Westhaven Elementary have been fighting for their school for months. Saturday they took to the streets to get signatures to try to keep their school open.They are asking the community to get behind their efforts and it's not every day you see this kind of support inside a mall.TN House Representative Karen Camper s

2 by Jim Horn / 34min 

2-1-14 Schools Matter All Week

Schools Matter:  Schools Matter All WeekA better way to deal with summer loss in readingSent to the Seattle Times, Jan 31, 2014There is a much cheaper and much more effective way to deal with summer learning loss than adding 20 days of school to the school year ("How to solve summer learning loss and close the opportunity gap," January 30): Provide more access to interesting reading mate

2 by mike simpson / 1h 

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 2-2-14

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit:

INVITATION: An LAUSD Briefing on the NCLB/ESEA Waiver granted to CORE Districts

by e-Mail Please join Dr. John Deasy, Superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), on Wednesday, February 12, 2014 from 9 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. for an important briefing on the NCLB/ESEA waiver that was granted to districts who are members of the California Office to Reform Education (CORE). This is an opportunity to hear the District’s perspective on the new federal waiver and

by smf / 35min 

How We Teach Kids To Cheat On Tests

  By Vicki Abeles from Valerie Strauss’ Answer Sheet/The Washington Post | http://wapo.st/1nEqIKp February 2 at 10:00 am  ::  Here is a piece about a cheating scandal in Wisconsin that speaks to a much larger problem about how and why kids cheat on tests. It was written by Vicki Abeles, a filmmaker, attorney and advocate for students and education. She is the

by smf / 16min 

Nine Lausd Schools Compete In Healthy-Cooking Contest

By Brenda Gazzar, Los Angeles Daily News | http://bit.ly/1bk7Vi8 LAUSD "Cooking Up Change" culinary competition for high school students held at LA Trade Technical College. First place winners from Manual Arts High School are Jenifer Mendez, left ,and Kimberly Sanchez. BBQ Chicken Pizza, Spicy Bean Dip and Tropical Burst salad. (Thurs. Jan 30, 2014 Photo by Brad Graverson/The Daily Breez

1 by smf / 51min hide  //  save

El Camino, Marshall #1 & #2 In Lausd Aca-Deca Super Quiz, A Tie In La County Super Quiz, Irvine Uni High Wins Jpl Science Bowl

El Camino Real Charter High School wins LAUSD Super Quiz By The LA Times Staff  | http://lat.ms/MNmIt9 The citywide academic decathlon Super Quiz took place Saturday at the Roybal Learning Center in downtown L.A. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times / February 1, 2014) February 1, 2014, 9:44 p.m.  ::  El Camino Real Charter High School won the Los Angeles Unified School

1 by smf / 1h  

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 2-1-14

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit:4LAKIDS - SOME OF THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT  IS THE AMERICAN SCHOOL SYSTEM DAMAGING OUR KIDS? Education has become an American institution—of the worst kind.By Peter Gray from Salon.com / Also published in Reader's Digest Magazine January 2014 | http://bit.ly/1bfWIPB Parents send their children to school with the best of intentions, believing that formal

2 by mike simpson / 1h 

All Week 2-2-14 @ THE CHALK FACE

@ THE CHALK FACE:

School Discipline: The U.S. vs. The Brits

Quality teaching and student learning cannot occur in a chaotic classroom. Organized chaos, i.e. student-centered stations and activities, is extremely productive. Disruptive behavior, however, is extremely unproductive and problematic, to say the least.  So, it’s rather interesting that while the USDOE is calling for schools to relax its “zero tolerance” disciplinary policies, the Brits are calli

1 by Angel Cintron Jr. / 22min 

SC’s Low Self-Esteem, Florida Addiction, and Education Policy

In the 1980s and 1990s, the decades of my career as a public high school English teacher, South Carolina was early and all-in as an accountability/standards/testing education reform state. One interesting aspect of that commitment is that SC has had at least 4 generations of standards and tests (including the current adoption of Common Core), […]

10 by plthomasedd / 2h  

All Week 2-1-14 @ THE CHALK FACE

@ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: All Week @ THE CHALK FACE A Critical Truce in the War between Traditionalists and ProgressivesA Critical Truce in the War between Traditionalists and Progressives. via A Critical Truce in the War between Traditionalists and Progressives.Filed under: PAUL THOMAS: Becoming Radical1 by plthomasedd / 1h Student Slang 102As a follow-up to the first version, here a

by mike simpson / 1h