Spectacular Math Learning Website

Trick-or-Treat -  Math Homework for the Weekend - Spooktacular -click here for problems for all levels of math learners

October 26, 2015

Topics/Content Areas: 

Percents & Fractions, Plane Geometry, Probability, Counting & Combinatorics

Ariel, Ollie and Eden are going trick-or-treating for Halloween, but first their parents are taking them to a costume store to pick out costumes. The store has 9 different costume options available – witch, pirate, cat, superhero, princess, vampire, fire fighter, zombie, clown. In how many different ways can Ariel, Ollie and Eden each select one of these costumes, with no two of them wearing the same costume?

To carry their candy, Ariel, Ollie and Eden each have a bucket that looks like a pumpkin. It is completely spherical in shape with a straight slice across the top of the bucket that creates a circular opening for dropping in candy. If the radius of the bucket is 6 inches and the height, measured from the base of the bucket to the open top, is 9 inches, what is the area of the circular opening of the bucket, in square inches? Express your answer in terms of π.

Last year, after Ariel, Ollie and Eden went trick-or-treating, they combined all their candy together and sorted it. They found that 1/3 was chocolate candy, 1/4 was hard candy, 1/5 was candy corn and the rest were fruit chews. If they had a 180 pieces of candy total, how many pieces were fruit chews?

Sara'sTech PD Blog: ELA in the Digital Age: Writing Tools

Tech PD Blog: ELA in the Digital Age: Writing Tools: "ELA in the Digital Age: Writing Tools
Kaizena Mini Google Add-On ~ Click here to install
Getting Started with Kaizena Mini ~ click here to learn more about this add-on and its function

Kaizena for Google Docs Getting Started Video


Kaizena is a great way for teachers to give students feedback and for a student to interact back with the teacher on a Google Document.  Feedback can be in the form of audio feedback, typed feedback and sharing resources or links.


Draftback Extension ~ Click here to install

Click here to learn more about Draftback


Draftback is a free tool to use with Google Docs that allows the user to playback the revision history of any Google Document.  It is like watching the writing process replayed from beginning to end.  It is really awesome for a student, reflecting on the writing process.  It is also great for playing back a student’s revision process to give insight for targeting writing strategies for students.  Once I installed it, I refreshed and it appeared within my Google Doc.


No Red Ink website  ~ https://www.noredink.com/

Watch this video to learn more!


This website is a free signup for teachers and students that helps students improve their grammar and writing skills.   It is adaptive and tracks student progress, plus it engages students with high interest content.


Click here to be a student in No Red Ink in my Sample Class….. Class Code: 7m3xwa48


Easy Bib Extension ~ click here to install


Read more about this tool here.  


This Chrome Extension not only cites online source quickly for students it also has capabilities to determine if sites and sources are credible sources.  



Resource for this post:
Figurelli, Steve, and Natalie Franzi. "Literacy in the Digital Age: Five Writing Tools." Teaching Channel: Tchers Voice. N.p., 12 Aug. 2015. Web. 23 Oct. 2015. .
at 2:21 PM
Tags: chromebooks, reading "blended learning"
No comments:"



'via Blog this'  Thanks Sara for this awesome tool.  I am already thinking about how I can use this too.

Quit Buzzing Around theTerminology

The term “Personalized Learning” is a buzz word educators use to be an alternative to “one size fits all” teaching. Unfortunately, the message is confusing. Ed.gov’s archive as part of the National Technology Plan lays out the definition of Individualized, Personalized, and Differentiated Instruction:

Individualization refers to instruction that is paced to the learning needs of different learners. Learning goals are the same for all students, but students can progress through the material at different speeds according to their learning needs. For example, students might take longer to progress through a given topic, skip topics that cover information they already know, or repeat topics they need more help on.

Differentiation refers to instruction that is tailored to the learning preferences of different learners. Learning goals are the same for all students, but the method or approach of instruction varies according to the preferences of each student or what research has found works best for students like them.

Personalization refers to instruction that is paced to learning needs, tailored to learning preferences, and tailored to the specific interests of different learners. In an environment that is fully personalized, the learning objectives and content as well as the method and pace may all vary (so personalization encompasses differentiation and individualization).

This article helped me understand the different terminology.  Click here to read the rest of the very helpful, clarifying article.    I used to think personalized learning was just a new fancy term for differentation.  Now, I know the difference.  Kathy

FASCINATING information today at the WISEDASH training.  This really addresses all of the key pieces that a district must attend to for achievement growth.   How do we provide the support for teachers as leaders with coaching and a systems focus  --- being clear on why we want to do what we are doing and keeping the focus on one thing at a time.  Click here for an interactive model.

Finding time is very hard for all organizations

Click here to read more.

What is Gaga?

You know that everyone's going gaga over gaga. But what is it? Here's the 101 on how to play gaga ball:

Gaga is a fast paced, high energy sport played in an octagonal pit. The more players the better! Dubbed a kinder gentler version of dodge ball, the game is played with a soft foam ball, and combines the skills of dodging, striking, running, and jumping, while trying to hit opponents with a ball below the knees. Players need to keep moving to avoid getting hit by the ball. Fun and easy, everyone gets a serious workout.

Easily addictive, people can't wait to get back in the pit. The games move quickly...after a few short minutes, the action heats up with a second ball, sure to get even the best players out within minutes. Once the game ends, everyone is back in for the next round.

What we know for sure is that the excitement surrounding gaga is exploding!  Click here to read more about the rules, etc.

Next Generation Science Standards

The final version of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) were released April 9, 2013.

Academic Benchmarks has captured the Achieve NGSS document by Disciplinary Core Idea (DCI) and By Topic arrangements. Academic Benchmarks has also captured 2 appendices: Crosscutting Concepts (Appendix G) and Science and Engineering Practices (Appendix F). We are in the process of capturing the state-arranged documents of NGSS. Please contact the Support Team for more information. The highlighted states have adopted NGSS standards.  Wisconsin has not adopted NGSS so we will continue to look at both the state science standards and the NGSS to provide our students with the highest learning standards in this area.

Q: How were the NGSS standards developed?
A: The National Research Council (NRC) developed The Framework for K-12 Science Education, which served as the foundation for a 26-state led movement to draft the NGSS with funding from the Carnegie Corporation, coordination from Achieve, Inc. and input from leading science groups, such as NSTA. The Frameworks included critical “dimensions” of science education, including Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Disciplinary Core Ideas. These dimensions help shape the structure of the NGSS.

Q: What domains are included in the NGSS?
A: Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, Earth and Space Sciences, Engineering, Technology and Applications of Science.

Q: Do I need permission to use the NGSS?
A: Please refer to the NGSS Trademark and Copyright Guidelines to determine the level of permission needed for your specific application of the standards.

Q: Where can I find additional information about NGSS?
A: Both the NGSS website by Achieve, Inc and The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) have posted FAQs for the NGSS on their websites.

High Yield Strategy

What FEEDBACK is and isn't

The research is clear: good feedback is essential to learning at high levels. Alas, too few people understand what feedback is and isn’t.

Don’t believe me? Here’s a true/false quiz: which of the following 4 statements is feedback?

• “Nice job on the project, Sheshona!”
• “Next time, Sam, you’ll want to make your thesis clearer to the reader”
• “The lesson would be more effective, Shana, if your visuals were more polished and supportive of the teaching.”
• “You taught about ants, Stefan? I LOVE ants!”

This was a bit of a trick question. None of these statements is feedback. The first and fourth merely express a personal liking for something, separate from a performance goal. They are not feedback since there is no descriptive information about the performance nor is the implied goal of pleasing the person the right goal.

The middle two are not feedback; they are advice (which is different). Yet, I am sure that many readers likely thought at least one of those two statements was true.

CONTINUE READING BY clicking here.

GENIUS HOUR - information tonight - FREE WEBINAR

I'm doing a LIVE webinar on Monday night (9:30pm EST): Getting Started With Genius Hour - Finding Passions & Dealing With Common Issues.

You can click HERE to quickly sign-up (it takes a few seconds) and you'll get a reminder about the event on Monday!

Over 10,000 teachers have taken "The Complete Guide to Genius Hour and 20% Time Course" and I get a lot of questions about how to start, and also how to deal with some common issues. This webinar will be actionable and practical from the minute we get started!

I'm hosting the webinar through Blab, a new platform that seems cool so I thought I'd give it a go.

Hope you can come and please share with anyone who would be interested in this topic!

AJ (A.J. Juliani )

Learner Agency: The Missing Link

By The Institute for Personalized Learning / September 14, 2015

A collaborative blog series by the Institute for Personalized Learning and Personalize Learning LLC

Defining Learner Agency Learner agency often gets missed in conversations on transforming the educational system. We have a sense of ‘agency’ when we feel in control of things that happen around us; when we feel that we can influence events. This is an important sense for learners to develop. Learners must understand:

• when they need new learning and how to learn what they need
• when they need to unlearn what will no longer serve them
• when they need to relearn what they need to be successful

They must develop the capacity to engage strategically in their learning without waiting to be directed. They must take ownership of and responsibility for their learning. And, they must possess the skills to learn independently, without heavy dependence on external structures and direction.

Why Learner Agency is Needed There is a significant and growing demand for learners to be able to do more than receive instruction, follow a learning path designed by educators and complete problems and assignments presented to them by an adult. Learners need to develop the capacity to shape and manage their learning without over-reliance on the direction and control of others. Too often adults treat children as though they are incapable of making decisions or holding valid opinions. As children advance through the system, they develop a form of “learned helplessness” that keeps them from advocating for themselves. The process for learning and the role learners play must be different than most adults experienced.

Harvard professor Roland Barth has observed that in the 1950’s when young people left high school they typically knew about 75% of what they would need to know to be successful in life. Today, he predicts that young people know about 2% of what they will need to know. (Barth, R.S. (1997, March 5). The leader as learner. Education Week, 16(23). 56.) This shift is not because young people are learning less than previous generations. In fact, there is good evidence that they know much more. The force behind this change is the rapid and ever-increasing pace of change, the complexity of the world in which we live and the unpredictability of what people will need to know in the coming decades – the future for which we are preparing today’s learners.

Implications of Greater Learner Agency The current educational system was designed for teachers to control and manage the learning. This continues today because teachers are the ones held accountable and responsible for the learning instead of the learners. As educators, we must nurture, coach and build in learners more capacity to initiate, manage, and maintain their own learning. Learning will be a constant and high-priority activity throughout their lives and they will need the skills and tools to manage this process.

Adults need to shift their thinking — away from youth as student to youth as learner and partner and resource for their own learning and others. We must make the crucial shift from preparing proficient students to developing skilled learners. The result will be learners who are capable of playing an active role in personalizing their learning and building their capacity to be successful productive citizens regardless of what their futures hold.

In a series of upcoming blogs we will examine a number of key shifts and strategies necessary to transform the educational experiences we have presented to learners in the past and align the focus, strategies and approaches we employ to build the capacity of learners to be continuous, life-long, successful leaders of their learning. We will present shifts and strategies on:

• understanding the connection between good strategy, effort and use of resources to develop learner efficacy
• helping learners understand how they learn best and how they can support their learning
• the role and importance of learner voice and choice
• building learner ownership of their learning

See this blog post on the CESA1 Institute page at: https://cesa1transformation.wordpress.com/2015/09/14/learner-agency-the-missing-link/ ;

Trying to Figure Out Your Student's Behavior................here is a helper

Here is a tool that my friend, Cindi Mehr, who is the Behavioral Specialist in her district uses to assist with identifying key behaviors - the triggers or antecedents, tricks to try, etc.

Click here for Behavior Support

Let me know what you think.  Kathy

Take Your Student Writing to a New Presentation Level

How to make the best flipbooks

FlipSnack is everything you need to easily publish captivating online magazines, transforming your pdfs into online flipbooks. It works and looks great across all digital platforms, engaging your customers with interactive experiences and making it easy to sell directly from the pages of your digital publication.
Files conversion now 10X faster than ever!

Click here, and let your students take a piece of writing (you can turn a Google do into a pdf under File/Download as pdf) and download it into this tool.  It can motivate even your reluctant writer.