Repetitio est mater studiorum.

Or to say it another way, repetition is the mother of learning.

And while repetition sometimes gets a bad rap (as in “drill and kill”), properly utilized, repetition can help cement foundational concepts and allow students to advance to more deeper and nuanced forms of learning.

The learning platform I Know It provides a wide range of activities and exercises for K-5 math and English language arts practice, as well as progress reports for educators and parents and gamified feedback for students.

What is I Know It?

I Know It is a math and English language arts practice site that provides extensive, individualized exercises for students in grades K-5.

The platform includes some of the most engaging features of gamification, such as congratulatory graphics and animations, sound effects, awards, and badges. I think it strikes an excellent balance between fully gamified interactives on one hand and dry data-driven instruction on the other.

I Know It goes beyond simple practice modules by aligning the majority of its exercises with Common Core Standards or selected state standards. Plus, its student-friendly features will encourage timely assignment completion as well as exploration of additional, unassigned problem sets.

How Does I Know It Work?

I Know It makes it easy for educators to sign up for its generous free trial. Simply provide your name, school name, phone number, and email and you’re ready to explore the site. Once signed in, teachers can set options for the following parameters:

• Standards (Common Core, Texas or Florida)
• Hints (none, three or unlimited)
• Animations (on/off)
• Students may explore on their own (yes/no)
• Questions may be read aloud (on/off)
• Progress report to parents via email (yes/no)

Given the level of control and optimization provided, I Know It has a remarkably clean interface with intuitive navigation. It’s also very easy to edit any of these parameters at any time later.

CREATING A CLASS

Create and name your class from the My Students tab. The easiest way to populate your online classes is to use the Rapid Roster feature, which accepts text input, or copy-and-pasted names from a text file, spreadsheet, or email. The system will then create the user names and passwords for you. These can be edited later if you wish. You can also print out a PDF with all student names and passwords.

GETTING TO KNOW THE EXERCISES

I Know It offers two categories of practice: math and English language arts. To start exploring practice sets, select a category and grade from the top menu or from the teacher dashboard. Now you’ll see the entire range of problems for that grade, with large bold print headings so you can easily find your preferred activities.

To get a quick view of a problem type, mouse over the description and an example will pop up. To try it yourself, click to open the problem. Your view will be identical to the student’s view, so you can see what happens following a correct answer or an incorrect answer.

Note the animation option toggle in the lower right corner. Students who prefer not to have graphic or animated feedback can adjust their own settings.

If you’d like to experience and test the platform exactly as a student would, sign in as a student in a separate browser. First add a student; e.g.; Test Student. Open a new browser (for example, use Edge if your teacher account is open in Chrome) and sign in as Test Student, logging in with user name, the class code and the password. A separate student email is not required.

ASSIGNING EXERCISES

To assign activities from the teacher dashboard, select grade and subject (math or ELA), then select the desired exercise. The Assign Lesson window gives you multiple options for the assignment, including number of questions (1-80), which students to assign, display options, auto reassign, and several others.

What Are the Best I Know It Features?

LESSON DIFFERENTIATION

One of most useful features built into the I Know It platform is the ease with which teachers can differentiate lessons. This can be accomplished in two ways:

1. Assigning a lesson of a lower or higher grade level to individual students.
   Instead of assigning fourth grade math sets to Jane Doe, you can assign second grade problem sets, since she's currently working at that level. You can then quickly assign grade-level work to the rest of the students if desired. Importantly, there will not be a grade level displayed on assignments.
   
2. Setting the "ability level" to a lower or higher grade.
   The "ability level" is an optional feature that, if set, will guide the level of exploration exercises offered to a student. These are the optional activities displayed underneath the student's assigned work.

PROGRESS TRACKING AND REPORTING

Student progress tracking allows teachers to see overviews of a class or student, or drill down into details if desired. "Recent Activity" lists students, lessons worked on, and scores, with a link to a detailed view for each student. Here teachers can view all of a student's questions and answers as well as time spent on tasks.

Teachers may also export a printable PDF progress report for selected intervals, or view awards won by students for completing lessons. Weekly progress reports will be emailed to parents if enabled in Settings.

BUILT-IN ACCESSIBILITY TOOLS

Each activity window sports a sound icon in the top left corner, allowing questions to be read aloud. Incorrect answers yield explanations clarifying the correct answer and offering the chance to view the question and answer again.

Does The Robot Have A Name And Why Is It So Much Fun?

Maybe it's just the fifth grader in me, but I love the animated robot character that responds to answers (if animations are permitted in settings). The variety of playful animations for correct answers—all with apt and amusing sound effects—include: blowing bubbles; barking dogs; flying birds; rain; rainbows; rocket ship taking off, circling the moon, parachuting back to Earth; juggling; a flower garden springing from the head; eating an apple that turns into a pie; and more.

My guess is that most kids will enjoy these animated rewards and hopefully, be more motivated to complete their work. Sadly, the riveting (and no doubt, riveted) robot is nameless.

How Much Does I Know It Cost?

I Know It offers three account types: Family, Single Teacher and School/District, with varying pricing and features. A 30-day free trial, with no credit card required, makes it straightforward to discover if the platform is right for your class.

The Family membership allows one parent and up to four children, using a single login, for $45 annually.

The Single Teacher account includes one teacher and 25 students (each of whom has an individual login) for $150 annually and the option to add additional student licenses at $7.50 each.

The District/School account provides additional benefits, such as a unlimited teacher accounts, a dedicated account manager, teacher training, phone tech support and others. The cost is per student and varies depending on the size of the school or district.

In the current atmosphere surrounding K-12 edtech tools, one might be forgiven for thinking that any tool without AI is hopelessly obsolete.

Au contraire, mes amis.

There are many advantages to education technology from a simpler time—i.e., the ancient days of the early aughts.

Such advantages include an easier interface, quicker mastery for both teachers and students, zero cost, and no concerns about data privacy. Not to mention 100% hallucination-free learning.

In this article we explore the uses of PIC-LITS, a relatively simple yet powerful tool for teaching literacy.

What is PIC-LITS?

PIC-LITS is a free interactive literacy website that teaches writing by allowing users to easily combine words and pictures. With this engaging blend of the visual and the verbal, PIC-LITS allows students to experiment with sentences, captions, parts of speech, poetry, and much more.

The site provides hundreds of curated photos accompanied by unique word banks. Each word bank is organized by parts of speech: nouns, adjectives, adverbs, verbs, and universal (prepositions, pronouns, and conjunctions). Users of any age can benefit from PIC-LITS, as exercises can be adapted to individual literacy levels.

How does PIC-LITS Work?

It’s easy to get started using PIC-LITS for both teachers and students. While students can create PIC-LITS without an account, I recommend creating a free account so you can save, edit, and share your creations. Users can quickly sign in with Google or register with their email and create a password.

Choose a Photo

To get started, simply click "Create a PIC-LIT" from the main menu and view the featured photograph with its word bank. To the right, a dropdown menu allows users to select a subject, from "Animals, Pets and Wildlife," to "Weird and Unusual." Photos from the selected topic can now be chosen from the scroll below the menu

To view all photos, click "Choose a Photograph."

Create a PIC-LIT

Two options are available for creating PIC-LITS: Drag-N-Drop and Freestyle.

Drag-N-Drop

With Drag-N-Drop, users simply drag words from the word bank, which is specific to each image. For example, the word bank for the above photo—an ambiguous representation of a backlit man in what appears to a tunnel—includes words such as destination, light, traveler, path. scary, shiny, metal, trap, and forever. Yet there are plenty of less dramatic words as well, including beginning, boring, and patiently.

Freestyle

To create a freestyle PIC-LIT, click the "Go to Freestyle" toggle button to the right of each photo and start typing. Text will appear over the image as it would in a text document, with regular lines and spaces. Although you won't be able to drag and drop the text, you can still move text around via the space bar and enter key.

Editing Your PIC-LITS

Editing PIC-LITS is as easy as everything else on the site. Simply go to “My PIC-LITS" and select the PIC-LIT to be edited. Click the edit pencil to view the alternative versions of any word, and select the desired one. To delete a word, just drag it off the image and it disappears.

Each PIC-LIT can be shared via email or Facebook, downloaded as a jpeg file, or printed, if desired.

What are the Best PIC-LITS Features?

LESSON PLANS

The PIC-LITS site makes it easy for teachers to incorporate PIC-LITS into their language arts lessons. Dozens of lesson plans are organized according to types of PIC-LITS, poetry, or parts of speech. Each lesson includes an objective, example PIC-LITS, writing prompts, and examples of correct and incorrect usage.

FEATURED PIC-LITS

When you or your students feel uninspired or are lacking imagination, that’s when the Featured PIC-LITS shine. Browse the gallery to be inspired by diverse images—everything from sunglasses in the snow to camels in the desert—accompanied by equally diverse texts. Just about any idea can be amplified or illuminated using the basic PIC-LITS platform.

VIDEO TUTORIAL

PIC-LIT's tutorial provides quick and clear instructions for anyone using the site, whether student or teacher.

Does PIC-LITS Employ Artificial Intelligence?

Nope! PIC-LITS relies on 100% natural intelligence supplied by site founder Terry Friedlander, his staff, and—of course—teachers, students, and other users.

What's more, PIC-LITS assignments are reasonably immune to cheating with AI. In many cases, there is no "right" answer, as the answers depend on student creativity. In others—such as grammar exercises—the framework provided by the word bank helps to guide students to complete their own work without revealing the correct answers.

In other words, exercises are structured so that kids are encouraged to keep at it on their own.

Is PIC-LITS safe for kids?

All PIC-LITS content is screened and selected by the PIC-LITS photo editor. Additionally, users' email addresses are not shared with third parties.

How Much Does PIC-LITS Cost?

PIC-LITS is 100% free. However, users with excess cash may consider purchasing the amusing and unique PIC-LITS tee shirts and hats available in the site shop.

• New Teacher Starter Kit
• Best Tools for Teachers

StudySync was founded in 2009 and has since evolved, expanded, and partnered up to offer a powerful ELA learning tool for schools.

Now used by more than 4 million students and teachers, this is a rich source of entertaining educational materials. At time of publishing, this service offers 30 feature-length films, 500+ hours of professionally recorded audio, more than 2,000 texts, more than 20,000 lesson plans, and plenty more.

This core literacy program is Common Core State Standards-aligned and not only offers rich learning materials but also learning activities and instructional resources.

This guide aims to explain all you need to know about how StudySync could work for your class.

What is StudySync?

StudySync is a core literacy program that uses original rich media to make this a super engaging way to learn.

Aimed at grades six to 12, this is Common Core-aligned and uses current research to get the best possible reading, writing, and comprehension instructions.

Three core options are available to pick from: StudySyncELA, for the complete ELA curriculum; SyncBlasts reading and writing assignments to build critical thinking; and StudySync Global, which is an ELA hybrid system built for international middle and high schools.

How does StudySync work?

StudySync offers a huge array of texts that are backed by lesson plans for teachers. Full-length texts, such as Shakespeare, are available, plus excerpts from books, poems, essays, and more. Thanks to built-in activities, these can be worked through in a way that's more interactive than reading alone -- allowing for deeper learning as well as analysis of progress.

SyncBlasts also has a very up-to-date selection of information and resources, including current event stories and nonfiction articles. This makes for a great on-device resource for students to access personally, wherever they are.

What really makes this platform stand out over others though is the rich selection of original media, which remains standards-aligned. These videos use teen actors to create conversation pieces to help students work on discussions.

What are the best StudySync features?

StudySync offers some great original video resources, made with students for students. These can work as a fantastic learning tools but also a starting point for lessons.

Texts are widely varied with a great selection of options. For each grade there are six units, each comprising 30 days of work -- so a good 180 days worth of learning available at a base level for middle and high school ages.

Usefully, it is possible to switch between lexile levels within texts, allowing for various ages and abilities to find their comfort zone.

Thanks to video guidance, printable materials, and plenty of setup guidance for teachers, it is possible to use this service without having a device required for every student in the class.

The option, for some texts, to be available in PDF and epub versions allows for a wide variety of digital and print reading options for students in and beyond the classroom.

How much does StudySync cost?

StudySync offers a few pricing options to suit requirement levels including a free trial.

The plan for students in grades 6-12 is priced at $36.44, which gets you a one-year subscription.

Subscriptions are also available on a contract basis that cater to solo teacher, building-wide, and district-level options.

StudySync best tips and tricks

Present and discuss
This naturally lends itself to classroom discussion and presentations, so keep that in mind when planning.

Use responses
From prompts and extended writing projects to oral projects, there's plenty to get students feeding back.

Give feedback
The developers are into feedback and really integrate it into updates so do give back if you want this to improve.

• New Teacher Starter Kit
• Best Tools for Teachers

New research highlights that when it comes to writing instruction for middle and high school students, it’s important to get it, well, right.

“It does matter what you do when you teach writing because some things don't appear to work so well,” says Steve Graham, lead author of a new analysis of writing interventions (or “treatments”) for students in grades 6-12. 

The meta-analysis was published in the Journal of Educational Psychology and used data from 406 previous experiments involving 52,529 students. While no interventions studied in this analysis had a negative effect on writing outcomes, some interventions didn’t have significant positive effects. For instance, “Just simply increasing how much students write in middle school or high school does not improve their writing,” Graham says.

On the bright side, however, many interventions did help students improve their writing, and writing practice paired with enhanced instruction could make a significant difference. 

In their analysis, Graham and his co-authors identified 16 categories of writing interventions that had a positive impact on student writing and can serve as a guide to writing instructors. However, Graham cautions even though analysis of this kind provides teachers with tools that have a proven track record, there are no guarantees these strategies will work in all instances. 

“Just because a writing practice worked in eight other teachers' classrooms and had a positive effect, it does not mean that it is for certain going to work in your classroom,” he says. “Because the conditions under which research studies are conducted are different from the ones that may exist in an individual teachers’ classroom.” 

That’s why Graham advises instructors to use these 16 writing interventions as inspiration and to keep monitoring and adjusting their own practices based on what is and isn’t working for their students. 

Note: This study, like most education studies, measured effect sizes in standard deviation, which is the average deviation from the mean score for a group of students studied. In education research, effect sizes are notoriously small, so anything approaching a standard deviation of 1 is significant. For instance, a student with a 1.5 below the mean would require significant intervention.

1. Comprehensive Writing Programs  

Standard deviation: 0.47

These programs include those based on the process approach to writing, or what is sometimes called a writers’ workshop. Graham and his co-authors note this includes “extended opportunities for writing; writing for real audiences; engaging in cycles of planning, translating, and reviewing; personal responsibility and ownership of writing projects; high levels of student interactions and creation of a supportive writing environment; self-reflection and evaluation; personalized individual assistance and instruction; and, in some instances, systematic instruction.” 

2. Strategy Instruction  

Standard deviation: 0.76

This method of writing instruction involves explicitly teaching strategies for planning, revising, self-assessing, and/or editing text, the study authors note. Writing strategies range from processes, such as semantic webs to strategies designed for specific types of writing, such as stories. 

3. Digital Writing Tools  

Standard Deviation: 0.31

When students moved from using pen and paper to writing with the help of a traditional word processor over time, there was a marked improvement, Graham says. “The reasons for that are fairly obvious,” he adds. It’s easier to self-edit and move words around, and grammar and spellcheckers also help with the process. An even greater improvement was seen among students who had access to more advanced word processors, which might include the ability to add images and sound, or have gamified elements to help students learn to write. 

4. Transcription Instruction  

Standard deviation: 0.71

This positive effect was seen in lessons that included teaching spelling, handwriting, or keyboard use.

5. Computer-Assisted Instruction  

Standard deviation: 0.32

This included teaching writing, spelling, and other lessons with the help of a computer program as well as technology provided personalized instruction. However, computer-generated feedback on writing, in and of itself, did not provide a benefit, Graham says. This research predated the rapid advances in generative AI over the past year, so computer-assisted benefits and limitations will need to be updated in the future. 

6. Teaching Critical/Creative Thinking Skills for Writing  

Standard deviation: 0.27 

Teaching students critical thinking strategies improved writing as did teaching them how to add more creativity to their work. “Creativity could be exemplified in a study in which students were taught how to use metaphors, similes, etc., and critical thinking could be shown in a study in which students are analyzing their texts using questions that help them think critically about the veracity and value of the content they're looking at,” Graham says. 

7. Emulating Good Models of Writing

Standard deviation: 0.46

Graham and his co-authors defined this as, “Examining one or more examples of model texts or models for carrying out writing processes and attempting to emulate these models when writing.” This is something many professional writers do intuitively, so it makes sense that it would help with student writers. 

8. Feedback  

Standard deviation: 0.34

“We found feedback makes a difference,” Graham says. This included instructor feedback as well as peer and group feedback but notably not self-assessment/feedback or computer-generated feedback, at least in the studies looked at for this analysis. 

9. Goal Setting  

Standard deviation: 0.44

Whether teacher-assigned or based on students’ own goals for for writing or learning writing skills and processes, goal setting seemed to have a measurable impact on writing success. 

10. Prewriting Activities

Standard deviation: 0.49

“If you engage students in prewriting activities to gather or organize information – so it might involve discussion, or using some kind of organizer to generate and organize your ideas – writing gets better,” Graham says. 

11. Grammar Instruction 

Standard deviation: 0.77 

This positive association was much stronger than in some previous research into grammar’s impact on writing, including work Graham has been involved in. He says the change is likely due to better methodology that eliminated less well-designed grammar interventions as well as other factors. Most of the studies involve teaching grammar in context, he adds. So it was not the old form of grammar instruction that involved fill-in-the-blanks exercises and decontextualized practice around specific contexts. 

12. Sentence Instruction  

Standard deviation: 0.73

“We found that teaching students how to create more complex sentences had a positive effect on students’ writing,” he says. “When you write a lot of your cognitive efforts and resources are engaged in taking your ideas, images, etc, and translating them into an acceptable sentence that conveys your intended meaning, and is going to be understandable to the reader. So when you teach kids to be more facile with construction, then there's a positive effect on your writing.”  

13. Inquiry  

Standard deviation: 0.92

“We don't have as much data on this, but the idea behind inquiry is that you're gathering information that you're analyzing, that will help you in terms of your writing assignments,” Graham says. The study notes this could include comparing and contrasting cases or collecting and evaluating evidence.

14. Observing Writers/Readers, Peer Assistance  

Standard deviation: 0.41

Simply observing other writers, readers of writing, or teachers/peers as they model how to go about a writing process or skill, can also improve writing outcomes. 

15. Summarization Instruction

Standard deviation: 0.49

This can take the form of either sharing summarization strategies or direct instruction in which you present a summary, you discuss it, your students practice, and you get feedback, Graham says.

16. Text Structure Instruction  

Standard deviation: 0.39

Graham and his co-authors defined this as strategies in which teachers explicitly teach students knowledge about the purpose and/or structure of specific types of text, such as stories or persuasive texts. Once again, few writing instructors will be surprised this is an effective method. 

• Khanmigo’s Academic Essay Feedback Tool Can Help Make Writing Instruction More Accessible, Sal Khan says
• 4 Tips for STEM Writing

Grammaropolis

Animated parts-of-speech app enlivens grammar lessons

Pros: There's a good deal of quality and depth in the information on each part of speech and concept.

Cons: Isolated grammar instruction doesn't always transfer into writing.

Bottom Line: It's a cute concept that makes sense out of sometimes hard-to-understand grammar concepts.

Read more 

App of the Day picks are selected from the top edtech tools reviewed by Common Sense Education, which helps educators find the best ed-tech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly. 

By Common Sense Education

826 Digital

Popular after-school program shares its resources with teachers

Pros: Writing activities have creative age-appropriate topics that'll connect with students.

Cons: Some activities use web videos but don't include links, so teachers have to search online. There's not much on offer for primary grades.

Bottom Line: This is a worth-bookmarking resource thanks to relatable writing lessons and motivating examples of actual student writing.

Read more.

Site of the Week picks are selected from the top edtech tools reviewed byCommon Sense Education, which helps educators find the best edtech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly. 

By Common Sense Education

In my most recent post I shared a collection of web-based audio recording tools that you and your students can use to record and add your voice to Google Slides, or any project. There are many fun and engaging ways this new feature for Slides could be used for teaching and learning.

In the past I have had a lot of fun making drag and drop manipulative activities such as the Build a Snowman, Build a Jack-o-Lantern, and One Fish Two Fishtemplates. My plan was to combine that sort of activity with the new audio feature in Slides.

To try this out I created an interactive, audio-based activity in Google Slides for practicing short and long vowel sounds. In this slideshow, students are presented with clipart images that have attached audio files with each word spoken aloud. The students can then drag and drop the images to a box with the corresponding vowel sound. (Even if you are not a primary teacher, you can learn a lot about grouping items for any audio activities you might want to make.)

To make this work well, I had to take advantage of a neat option in Slides for grouping items. This allowed me to combine each piece of clipart with its associated audio file. In this blog post we will take a look at how this is done, so you can use this trick to create similar multimedia activities. You can also get a copy of the final template below for short and long vowel sounds to use with your students if you would like. 

Resources

Podcast Version: (Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast tool.) 

Video Version: (subscribe on YouTube) 

Short and Long Vowel Sounds Template

Below is a link to get your own copy of the Google Slides template for students to practice identifying short and long vowel sounds:

Short and Long Vowel Sounds - Google Slides template

Directions

Here are the basic directions for doing the activity:

• Each slide has a box for a short vowel sound and a box for a long vowel sound on the left side of the slide. You can click the audio button in each box to hear the the short and long vowels spoken out loud.
• On the right side of each slide there are eight clipart images that represent words that use either the short or long vowel sound.
• Click the audio button on each picture to hear the word read aloud. You may have to click the button twice to get it to play.
• Then drag the picture to the box with the same vowel sound. 

Note: You will need to do this activity in "edit" mode, not in "presentation" mode, so you will be able to drag and drop the clipart images into the correct boxes for their vowel sounds. 

Extension #1 - Students add an image 

As an optional extension for this activity, students can also add their own images that use the short and long vowel sounds. After each drag-and-drop slide, there is a challenge slide where students can insert images as follows: 

• Click "Insert"
• Click "Image"
• Click "Search the web"
• Search for pictures for words with the short or long vowel sounds.
• Choose a picture then click "Insert".
• Drag the picture to the box for its short or long vowel sound.
• To make the picture fit, you may need to drag its corner to make it smaller.

Extension #2 - Students write sentences

Another extension activity for students is to have them write sentences that use a word with the specific short or long vowel sound. After the first extension activity slide, there is a slide where students can write their sentences as follows: 

• Click in the text boxes on the left side of the slide.
• In the top box, write a sentence that uses a word with the short vowel sound.
• In the bottom box, write a sentence that uses a word with the long vowel sound.
• Students can use the words in the word bank, which are the same as the clipart images they just sorted.
• Or the students can use a word of their own with the correct vowel sound.

Grouping Items in Google Slides

To make this activity work, it was necessary to make sure each clipart image and its corresponding audio file stuck together so they would move as one item when the student drag and drop them. This can be done in Google Slides by using the "Group" option. Here is how you do that: 

• First, insert your images in the slideshow as normal. For example, click "Insert" then "Image" then add an image by uploading, searching, or such.
• Next, insert the recorded audio file to go along with each image. To do this click "Insert" then "Audio" then select the recorded audio from your Google Drive.

Note: For several suggested web-based tools for recording the audio, see my earlier post "4 Free and Easy Audio Recording Tools for Google Slides". 

• Now drag and drop the inserted audio icon on top of, or overlapping, its associated image.
• With the image and the audio together, you now want to select both of them. You can do this by clicking on one on them first, then holding down the "Ctrl" or "Shift" key and clicking on the second item. Now both the image and the audio file will be selected simultaneously.
• With both items selected, click "Arrange" in the top menu bar, then choose "Group" from the drop-down menu.

The image and the audio will now be grouped together as if they were one item. The students can still click on the audio file to play it, but when they drag and drop the image, the audio file will move with it.

This can be useful technique anytime you would like to add audio to an item in a slideshow. The audio could be directions, a description, a question, or simply a pronunciation such as in this activity. 

Conclusion

Creating a drop-and-drop audio activity is just one example of using this new feature. There are many other creative ways that audio can be used in Google Slides. It will be exciting to see the wide variety of activities that people develop and share. 

cross posted at www.controlaltachieve.com

Eric Curts is an education trainer and consultant with over 20 years' experience throughout the U.S. He is an authorized Google Education Trainer and a Google Certified Innovator. Read his blog at www.controlaltachieve.com and follow him on Google+ and @ericcurts on Twitter.

“The limits of my language are the limits of my world.” – Ludwig Wittgenstein

I’ve worked with language learners in over 20 countries. I’ve seen first hand how technology can be used in incredible ways to motivate and engage language learners of any age. Even with little access to technology teachers can add background music to a story or show students a short clip to spark conversation or inspire ideas for writing. I regularly share free web tools, resources, and tips on ESL Library to help teachers find great resources to use with their learners. Below are a list of the articles I’ve written in 2018. If you enjoy these tips, then check out my Fully Accredited online course (In-Service and Graduate course options), Methodologies and Best Practices for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. 

• 10 Uplifting Ways Students Can Use Technology
• 7 Incredible Websites & Tools to Enhance English Comprehension & Fluency
• Engage Learners with Bell-Ringer Activities, Warm Ups, and Starters
• A World Cup of Knowledge! 18+ Resources & Activities
• 19 Award-Winning English Language Teaching Innovations
• Amplify Story Time! 9 Tips + Fun Resources & Apps
• Congregate for Change! 9 Advocacy Groups & Events Enhancing ELT
• 25 Engaging Ways to Practice English with Voice Assistants

Challenge: Try one of these resources or tips to engage and support your language learners. 

cross posted at teacherrebootcamp.com

Shelly Terrell is a Technology and Computer teacher, education consultant, and author of books including Hacking Digital Learning Strategies: 10 Ways to Launch EdTech Missions in Your Classroom. Read more at teacherrebootcamp.com.

Literacy publisher Benchmark Education Company (BEC) introduced Texas Benchmark Workshop and Benchmark Taller in Texas—combined print and digital resources for grades K to 5 in English and Spanish for reading, phonics and word study, and writing. Both resources are aligned to Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for English Language Arts and Reading (ELAR) and Spanish Language Arts and Reading (SLAR), and to the Texas English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS). The resources are designed to support responsive teaching and biliteracy with curriculum aligned within and across grade levels and are available now.

Workshop modules work together or stand on their own and can be mixed and matched to meet individual classroom needs. Because modules connect through topics and skills, in combination they provide a comprehensive solution for integrated reading, writing, listening, thinking, and speaking instruction. Additionally, Grades K-5 are connected through ten vertically-aligned knowledge strands focused on literary, science, social studies, and genre to build content-area concepts and vocabulary and to enable students to make connections from grade to grade.

[What’s New: New Tools for Schools]

Modules are comprised of 3-week units, all 100 percent digital, including interactive e-books, videos, e-Planner, take-home letters and activities, and STAAR-formatted assessments. Single-topic units within Reader’s Workshop focus on genres and on a cluster of TEKS and ELPS skills, with targeted whole-group mini-lessons and small-group reading instruction supported with tools for one-on-one conferring. Ongoing assessment includes STAAR-formatted digital and print assessments, as well as observational assessments to inform instructional decisions.

Texas Benchmark Workshop and Texas Benchmark Taller modules are available through Benchmark Education Company. A computer or device with internet access is required to access the digital components. For information, or to place an order, educators can visit www.benchmarkworkshop.com/texas or call the company at 877-236-2465.

Today, IXL Learning announced the release of its iPhone app, which features more than 5,700 skills in math and English language arts. The app covers math from pre-K to Calculus and language arts from pre-K to 12th grade. The IXL iPhone app can be downloaded for free on the Apple App Store.

[Google Classroom Feedback: New Features]

IXL provides personalized learning and detailed explanations help students grasp new concepts and correct mistakes. Problems on IXL are algorithmically generated, rather than pulled from a static question bank. This ensures students can practice as much as they need and never see the same question twice.

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The IXL app also includes mobile-specific features such as handwriting recognition, which allows students to enter answers to math questions by writing on the screen.

Learn more and download here: www.ixl.com/apps.

IXL’s student-centered learning experience has been recognized by the SIIA CODiE Awards as the Best Educational App for a Mobile Device for two consecutive years.

AP Exam Prep English Language and Composition

Extensive test-prep tool; feedback facilitates independent study

[SAT Prep From the Masters]

Pros: Feedback and explanations are provided for practice questions.

Cons: Free-response and essay feedback aren't always substitutes for in-person teacher feedback.

Bottom Line: Provides a thorough and effective option for independent study or diagnostic checks.

Read more here.

App of the Day picks are selected from the top edtech tools reviewed by Common Sense Education, which helps educators find the best ed-tech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly.

By Common Sense Education

Argument writing is a major part of my English 10 curriculum; an argument essay is the major task on the New York State Common Core English Regents, and it’s an essential fundamental skill. Students need to know how to craft, develop, organize, and present their writing and ideas. Whether it’s convincing mom for the later curfew, succeeding on the SAT essay, or making a sales pitch at work, these are skills that matter.

I don’t spend too much time directly addressing the dreaded Argument Essay for most of the year. Instead I focus on developing the skills: crafting claims, using evidence, recognizing counterclaim, communicating effective ideas, and so on. Then, we’re usually able to apply them to the writing without too much difficulty. For the past two years, I’ve tried to add some more fun into it by focusing on debate and create.

To start the unit, my students are randomly assigned a topic and have fifteen minutes to prepare an argument and debate with another group. We then debrief and start to reflect on the elements of argument to help us move into the more formal dialogue and instruction. Then comes the argument video.

Students’ Task

Argue, create, and compete! Then, decide your peers’ fate! Develop, craft, and film an argument about a selected topic. Your job is to convince your audience that your argument is right by effectively incorporating the four parts of a good argument: claim, counterclaim, specific evidence, and organization.

I created a list of high-interest topics for my students. In self-selected groups, students signed up for the yes or no side of a topic, which ranged from “Should schools have uniforms?” to “Would Batman beat Superman in a fight?” Then, they worked to craft, develop, organize, script, and film their videos.

I provided a rubric that assessed claim, counterclaim, evidence, organization, and preparation. Then they were off to work. The videos were capped at 90 seconds and shared for my students to watch and vote on. Each video received feedback and students voted on the winning arguments, providing evidence to support their choices.

For more, check out the assignment sheet here.

The Logistics

I was smart this year--or at least smarter. I introduced the task and asked students to form groups before working in class. This allowed me determine the the number of topics necessary. With 28 groups of students from my three class sections, I needed 14 topics. Students selected their topics on a first come, first served basis, and I used the Google Forms add-on Choice Elimator 2 to remove choices as they were selected. This ensured that every topic was eventually selected and we had an even split of yes and no videos.

Students then submitted the link to their video, which was uploaded to YouTube on another Google Form. I didn’t require any fancy editing--students recorded on everything from an iPhone to Chromebook to DSLR camera.

Then, after I organized their submissions, they were assigned to watch two different arguments (four videos) and provide feedback for their peers.

The Products

As I write this, I just finished reviewing the student' work. And it’s awesome. Most of the videos are so much stronger than I expected and really show an understanding of the elements of argument.

For this project, I allowed students to opt into me sharing their work. Usually, all of our products and classroom learning are public but since these videos had to have my students featured on camera, I gave them the option to allow me to share them here and on Twitter.

Below, find a few of the videos that really impressed me. At the end, find both sides of a debate and share your vote in the comments!

Do celebrities make for bad role models?

YES! By Sarah, Jillian, and Emma

Should schools ban homework?

NO! By Grant

Should schools have open campuses?

NO! By Zoe, Sri, and Lexi

Should high school students be required to do community service?

YES! By Thomas

NO! By Jimmy

Who wins, fair reader? Thomas or Jimmy? Share your thoughts on their arguments, the project, or your strategies and tools for teaching argument or content creation in the comments or on Twitter.

cross posted at www.aschoenbart.com

Adam Schoenbart is a high school English teacher, Google Education Trainer, and EdD candidate in Educational Leadership. He teaches grades 10-12 in a 1:1 Chromebook classroom at Ossining High School in Westchester County, NY and received the 2014 LHRIC Teacher Pioneer Award for innovative uses of technology that change teaching and learning. Read more at The SchoenBlog and connect on Twitter @MrSchoenbart.

wagglepractice.com■Retail Price: Waggle: $9.99/student/discipline (math or ELA) or $17.99 for both disciplines Waggle Premium: $17.99/student/discipline (includes the entire content library) or $32.99 for both disciplines

Quality and Effectiveness: Waggle is a Web-based program that allows students in grades 2–8 to effectively practice math and/or ELA skills. Student practice is individualized, with customized feedback, and is well organized. The program focuses on three key metrics: proficiency, grit, and pacing levels. Teachers have access to all levels, with a heads up on students or skills to watch. Reports, which are simple to use, include graphics that help teachers monitor classes, groups, or individual students. Teachers can create groups and assign students to those groups. Work is organized according to goals and skills. Teachers receive actionable information about their students to inform instruction. Professional development is available to help ensure implementation success (PD workshop series as well as live chat for program or tech questions), along with ongoing support for teachers.

Ease of Use: Waggle’s sharp, clear, and colorful screens are simple to navigate. Students should find it easy to use the program, with its interactive experiences—hints, text-to-speech feature, and feedback for answers. Navigation includes point-and-click options, drag-and-drop, and drop-down menus for selecting responses or information. Students receive instant feedback when they click on a button to ask if their answer is correct. Hints and written feedback are given if they need to reconsider their response. Math tools (ruler, protractor, and basic and scientific calculators) are available at the click of a mouse. ELA exercises use clear fiction and nonfiction passages at each grade level with written directions onscreen. Teachers can easily add students and groups and access graphic reports for individuals, groups, or classes.

Suitability for Use in a School Environment: Waggle is easy to integrate into the school setting. It offers different implementation models—in-class, extended learning time, RTI, data teams, summer school, or homework—so districts can choose how to use the program. The program provides personalized practice (each goal encompasses a set of skills and standards) and gives teachers quick summary windows showing the progress of individual students or groups toward their goals. If the premium level is purchased, teachers also have access to the entire content library. This is a suite of three titles for each grade level with resource materials for lessons. It is searchable by skill, standard, or student so teachers can find additional materials for instruction. With this model, teachers in need of instant materials for struggling students can use the “Find Additional Materials” button on their screen for immediate instructional materials.

OVERALL RATING:

Waggle is an excellent program. It is difficult to find a well-priced, quality program for individualized practice offering students in math and/or ELA that has strong student and teacher support. Waggle, with its solid but flexible programming, fits the bill.

TOP FEATURES

● Quality, easy-to-use, individualized practice program in math and/or ELA for grades 2–8.

● Students can work independently after their teacher sets the goal.

● Teachers can easily access information on student progress.