EL/MS: Codeo Competition May 8-12! 04/21/17

It’s the first annual Texas Codeo! Learning.com invites you to register your school to participate in the Texas Codeo, a fun and informative coding competition, which will be held May 8th-12th, 2017.  All schools that register will be entered into a drawing for six amazing prizes including the grand prize of a school subscription to EasyCode Foundations for the 2017-18 school year. Ready to get your students coding today? No problem! As a Learning.com customer, you already have access to EasyCode Basic with your current EasyTech subscription! If you’re going to start coding right away, it’s important that you register so you can get credit for stars earned before the official contest period.  All you have to do is register to be entered into the competition and you can start now.

ALL: Earth Day 2017! 04/21/17

Earth Day is right around the corner!
April 22, 2017

• Climate Education Toolkit
• Create Your Own Act of Green
• Houston Earth Day Calendar of Events
• Best Ways to Celebrate Earth Day in Houston
• Party for the Planet at the Houston Zoo

ALL: Money Smart Week (April 22-29) - 04/21/17

Money Smart Week is April 22-29. 

Check out these Money Smart resources:

Money Minutes - quick and easy video introductions to financial topics.

Financial Literacy Games

Teacher Resources

Teach Children to Save

ALL: Geocaching TPWD! 04/20/17

Geocaching is a modern-day treasure hunt using a smartphone app.

The weather is beautiful these days and summer is right around the corner! Teach your students about Geocaching and learn about Texas Parks and Wildlife at the same time!

Texas Parks and Wildlife

Take A Day Trip!  
Here are some local events coming up in April and May:

• Geocaching 101 - Martin Dies Jr. State Park
• Lake Livingston State Park
• Brazos Bend State Park
• Geocaching 101 - Galveston Island State Park

Check out these events and others all summer! - Geocaching Events

EL/MS: Seesaw and Google Apps! 04/21/17

Seesaw users might want to check out this announcement from the Seesaw Team. Not a Seesaw user? Might be worth checking out! ----------------------------------------- Seesaw + Google Apps = ❤️

We're excited to announce a powerful new integration that makes using Seesaw and Google together in your classroom seamless. You can now add work created using Google apps, like Docs, Slides, Sheets or Drawing, directly into Seesaw portfolios!  View the iOS tutorial View the web tutorial View the Android tutorial Learn about Google & Seesaw! Say goodbye to messy link sharing and problems with students or families not being able to view files. Seesaw will automatically convert files into PDFs for easy sharing beyond the classroom! Update your apps to get access to these new features today. Have fun!

EL/MS: Financial Literacy Lessons 04/21/17

April is Financial Literacy Month!

The following excerpts and links are from http://financialliteracymonth.com/

Make Your Money Count - Income Worksheet Form

To develop an accurate picture of the amount of money you will have in the future, take a look back.  Decide if your income will be from the same or from different sources and the amount of income you can expect to earn in the future. Use the Income Worksheet Form to help you determine the amount of income you can realistically count on. http://financialliteracymonth.com/30Steps/Step7.aspx

Assess your financial situation

Start your journey with a self assessment designed to motivate you. Completing this simple quiz can help you assess your current financial situation.
http://financialliteracymonth.com/30Steps/Step2.aspx 

Set your priorities

Creating a list of needs and wants can help you establish your financial priorities. Provided below are some items that might be useful in getting you started. There are also some blank items to record your family’s needs and wants. Check whether the item is a “need” or “want.”  Then, rank the item’s priority based on importance. When you are finished, put this worksheet in a safe place, it will be very helpful when setting financial goals!

http://financialliteracymonth.com/30Steps/Step10.aspx

Set short-, mid-, and long-term goals

Personal financial goals will differ in the length of time needed to achieve them. Short-term goals are priorities that can be accomplished within two years. Be sure every goal has a specific purpose, a dollar amount that it will cost, and a realistic target date.

Mid-term goals are priorities that can be accomplished within two to five years. Make sure your goals are realistic and flexible. If you set your goals too high, frustration will keep you from reaching them. Long-term financial goals are priorities that may take more than five years to accomplish. Most long-term goals require regular savings.

http://financialliteracymonth.com/30Steps/Step12.aspx

Here are some lessons from Learning.com if you are looking for ideas:

Kindergarten  - Needs and Wants

Grade 1 - Spend, Save, Share

Grade 2 – Rainy Day Savings

Grade 3 – Stand by your Plan    

Grade 4 – Be Money Smart

Grade 5 – Decisions, Decisions!              

Grade 6 – Take some Credit

Grade 7 – Philanthropy 101

Grade 8 – Building a Balanced Budget

ALL: Free Images to Use 04/5/17

Need some free images to use in lessons and handouts? Here are some websites that offer this.  Be sure to read the Terms Of Service to make sure you aren't breaking their copyright guidelines!!!

On some of these sites, part of the images are free....and others are for a cost.  
Use these sites responsibly!


Flat Icon  
http://www.flaticon.com/
Terms of Use - http://www.flaticon.com/terms-of-use 

Pixabay
https://pixabay.com/
Terms of Use - https://pixabay.com/en/service/terms/ 

edupics
https://www.edupics.com/
Terms of Use - https://www.edupics.com/copyright.php 

Phillip Martin Clip Art
http://phillipmartin.info/clipart/homepage.htm
Terms of Use - http://www.phillipmartin.info/clipart/terms.htm

ALL: Powtoon EDU 04/05/17

Powtoon now has an educational version which can be used by students under the age of 18.

And what is Powtoon?

The terms of use state the following:
NOTE: Users under the age of 18 may only use the "for Education" version of PowToon. PowToon 4 EDU account types are listed on the PowToon EDU Pricing Page (https://www.powtoon.com/pricing/edu/ ).

ALL: Pixar in a Box 04/05/17

Pixar in a Box is a behind-the-scenes look at how Pixar artists do their jobs. You will be able to animate bouncing balls, build a swarm of robots, and make virtual fireworks explode.

The subjects you learn in school — math, science, computer science, and humanities — are used every day to create amazing movies at Pixar. This collaboration between Pixar Animation Studios and Khan Academy is sponsored by Disney.

https://www.khanacademy.org/partner-content/pixar

EL/MS: Istation Español Updates 04/05/17

From Istation Blog:

http://blog.istation.com/new-updates-to-istation-spanish-4-and-5-instruction

Updated on March 27, 2017

Istation Español is growing it’s curriculum! Lectura Avanzada is introducing the students to the essential features of fiction and nonfiction genres. As students explore the Past Land (Pasado), they will be exposed to four different genres: 

1) Plays 

2) Biographies and Autobiographies 

3) Myths and Legends, and  

4) Informative Articles. 

The Student Experience

Within the first two minutes of entering the World of Genres, students will begin designing their unique avatar. Students will visit the lands of the past, present and future to read various genres of text. Selections will include plays, poems, and expository readings. At the end of a lesson, students can track their own progress. Students will receive coins in exchange for rewards based on their performance.

Typical Lesson Structure

1.) Intro to Lesson with visuals: The lesson’s intro begins with an instructional look with fun and engaging compare-and-contrast illustrations. Note- and test-taking skills are modeled, and tips and notes are embedded within each mini-lesson.

2.) Teach with audio and visuals: Visual and auditory corrective feedback is incorporated throughout the Teach portion of the lesson. The instruction is differentiated across grade levels. Teaching tools include graphic organizers, T-Charts, Venn diagrams, and compare-and-contrast illustrations.

3.) Guided Practice with short reads: Both fiction (play) and nonfiction (biography) reading selections appear in each lesson along with a graphic organizer. Students are tasked with comparing the themes of the two genres.

4.) Independent Practice and Quiz: Questions follow a standardized test format. Three sub-quizzes contain six questions that assess vocabulary and  omprehension skills and two questions in which the student must compare and contrast the readings (for a total of eight questions per quiz). Other features include a question progress bar and a speaker button to hear the question read aloud. Audiovisual feedback is provided after each answer.

5.) Reteach with a new selection and game: If a high performance score isn’t achieved, then students see a reteach section that provides reinforcement. First, they see a review of the genre’s characteristics. Then they practice applying their knowledge of vocabulary and genres. Finally, they read a new nonfiction selection and answer some questions following the same scheme as in the independent practice.

Get the handout for "Istation Presents the 'World of Genres' for Lectura Avanzada" here:

English 

Spanish

ALL: TumbleBookCloud! 04/05/17

Over Spring Break, PISD TumbleBook access was updated to include TumbleBookCloud in addition to the “regular” TumbleBook Library that we have had in the past.

Contact your campus librarian if you want more info regarding links and usernames/passwords.

TumbleBook Library - The same content as before. Target audience is Elementary.

TumbleBook Cloud - NEW content. Target audience is Middle-High School.

About TBC:
TBC is a collection of videos and chapter books in categories which include: Ebooks (Shakespeare, poetry, non-fiction, science, history, geography, etc.), Read-Alongs, Graphic Novels, Videos (from National Geographic!), and Audio Books. Our books feature adjustable text sizes, full narration, and a read-along function which highlights text as it is read. As a subscriber, you have access to lesson plans, quizzes and our Common Core Portal! These features make TBC a great tool for reluctant readers and ESL students. Plus, all these options can be switched to manual so readers can read at their own pace.

TumbleMobile:

You can also access TBC via any reading/mobile device that has an internet connection (for example: colour nook, kindle fire, Ipads & Ipod touch).

MyFavorites:

Add your favorite title(s) to the My Favorites section for easy access any time. This feature is cookied onto individual computers.

MyCloud:

This feature allows teachers/librarians/students & patrons to create secondary accounts and create customized playlists that can be access from any computer!

Common Core Portal:

Allows educators to click on a specific standard and see which of our TumbleBooks falls in that specific category. Lesson plans and quizzes can also be found here.

TumbleSearch:  

Our online search allows you to search by title, author, publisher, language, keyword and reading level.

Automatic/Manual Button: 

TumbleBooks are designed to be experienced in either automatic or manual mode. In automatic mode, the pages turn by themselves and are narrated; in manual mode, the readers turn the pages at their

own speed.

The Pause Button: 

Both the student and teacher can use the pause button to stop the story at any time in order to practice story prediction, interpret pictures, discuss new vocabulary words, empathize with a character, discuss possible consequences of actions, encourage problem solving, or provide historical, geographical, or other perspectives.

Reading Levels:

Each title has recommended reading levels: Grade, Lexile and Accelerated Reader information. Click on the reading level to see other books at the same level.

TumbleQuizzes: 

Each title has an accompanying TumbleQuiz: a fun, flash-animated, multiple-choice quiz that each student can take online after reading a book to test their reading comprehension. Quizzes are also available with audio.