Read Write Think's Cube Creators provide templates designed to break the writing process into six distinct parts. There are templates for writing biographies, mysteries, short stories, and a blank template that you can customize. Students enter the required information into the online template. When the template is completed, it can be printed with lines for cutting and folding to create an actual cube.

Medal of Honor

The Medal of Honor CDP is a resource designed by teachers to provide students with opportunities to explore the important concepts of courage, commitment, sacrifice, patriotism, integrity and citizenship and how these values can be exemplified in daily life. The depth and breadth of our students' insight and reflection after interacting with these materials has been remarkable. We are confident that you will find these resources to be as rich and engaging as we have.

Follow the link here>>

Google Resources (free templates!)

Using Google Suite applications can offer teachers an array of options when creating learning activities and assigning projects and assignments to students.  Yet, two of the most vastly underused, or misused applications are Google Drawing and Google Slides.
The following site offers a plethora of Google templates we can use in our classroom. 

Engaging Student Google Resources

They are all posted at view only, but if you would like a copy for yourself, go to File>>Make a Copy>> then just rename if you want.  Once you have your own copy saved to you drive, you are free to make adjustments and edits depending on your lesson activity.

Many of the resources are organized according to grade level as well.

Please let me know in the comments section if you found any of the templates useful in class, which ones, and how you used them.

How to Introduce Group Work

Group work, when implemented correctly, can foster healthy communication skills and problem-solving strategies for all students.  It takes less work for the teacher during a project and places more accountability on the students.
The article below, from ASCD Expres, discusses introducing group work to your students and setting them, as well as yourself, up for success.

"How to Introduce Group Work"

NJ Science Assessment

From the NJ DOE Broadcast website....

November 8, 2017

Update on New Jersey’s New Science Assessments

• Applicable To: All Districts, Charters and Renaissance Project Schools
• Target Audience: Chief School Administrators, Charter School, and Renaissance School Project Leads, District Test Administrators, Information Technology Directors
• Files:
1. Update on New Jersey’s New Science Assessments.pdf

The new tests, published by the same company as before, will be computerized and sent out by Test Nav (same as Pearson PARCC tests).  Testing begins this spring.  Some of the new updates are as follows:

4th grade will not be a testing grade for the science

The grades tested will be 4th, 5th, and 11th grades.

The time window will be in May/June of this spring.

Follow the link above for more information from the state department of education

Posts and Links: Technology for Teachers

Teaching in the 21st century is vastly different from when we were students.  Year to year new technologies emerges that may seem daunting to implement in class.   Why not let these technologies help you and help get the students to become more engaged.  Below are some links to the tech4teachers blog I feel could be a great help for many of us.

Hashtags: A History of and How to Use Them

Typing Games and Practice

Hyper-Docs

CRITICAL THINKING

Overcoming Obstacles to Critical Thinking

The ability to think critically will benefit students throughout their lives. Here are a few tips on how to get started teaching it.

By G. Randy Kasten

March 2, 2012 Updated May 18, 2017

The ability to think critically is one skill separating innovators from followers. It combats the power of advertisers, unmasks the unscrupulous and pretentious, and exposes unsupported arguments. Students enjoy learning the skill because they immediately see how it gives them more control. Yet... 

(continue reading>>)