eSpark - a fun and engaging way to differentiate reading and math instruction for students in preK-5th grade

eSpark is a fun and engaging way to differentiate reading and math instruction for students in preK-5th grade. It is completely web-based. They have just released a free, one-year trials of eSpark as well. Sign up free here: https://www.esparklearning.com/#signup-modal

eSpark automatically differentiates for PreK - 5 students based on their current needs with targeted instruction in reading and math. It includes games, videos and other resources to help students while they have fun. It is adaptive based on each student and helps students with self-paced pathways to assist them in mastering new standards and receive immediate feedback. 

eSpark also has great teacher tools including a dashboard to track progress and see where students are. Teachers can receive weekly, actionable emails that share suggestions to work with small groups and 1:1 interventions. Teachers can also use on-demand assignments to assign targeted skill practices to students.

eSpark has an engaging variety of resources to keep students engaged and on task, while automatically meeting each student at their own level. 

You can learn more with this walk through video and below.

Disclaimer - eSpark is a paid advertiser on ETG.

IBM Foundation launches free online software to help K-5 teachers prepare math lessons and help students learn.

The IBM Foundation has launched a free, online software to transform the way K-5 teachers prepare math lessons and help students learn.

The software, called Teacher Advisor with Watson, uses Watson artificial intelligence technology to help teachers instantly find math resources. Teacher Advisor then dips into its library of 1,000+ videos and lesson plans, all based on national standards and vetted by top educators. Sign up takes 30 seconds.

It is free and IBM promises it will always be free.

It makes it easier to find lessons, standards, activities and much more and includes a lesson planning tool. For now, it is only for K-5 math instruction, with credible content vetted by educators.

There is also instructional context support available to help teachers implement the content in the classroom. 

Take a look and sign up for free. 

Press Release:

Elementary School Teachers Help Students Tackle Math 
With Help From the IBM Foundation & Education Leaders
TeacherAdvisor.org Offers 1,000 Top K-5 Math Lessons, Strategies, and Videos

ARMONK, NY –13 Sep 2017: As the new school year begins, elementary school teachers across the United States are now able to access a new, free online tool designed to provide elementary school teachers with targeted math resources for their kindergarten through fifth grade classrooms.

Today, the IBM (NYSE: IBM) Foundation announced the availability of Teacher Advisor With Watson 1.0, software that uses Watson artificial intelligence technology and has been trained by some of the nation’s leading math experts, with feedback from more than 1,000 teachers across dozens of US states.

Faced with the pressures of limited time, higher academic standards, diverse student needs, and the responsibility to teach many subjects and multiple grade levels, elementary school teachers have expressed a critical need for easy-to-use, well-designed math resources and ongoing support. Even with the best resources, many teachers lack dedicated coaching and struggle to target effective teaching strategies that help students improve their proficiency in math, a linchpin academic subject.

Teacher Advisor With Watson was designed to help address these challenges by providing elementary school educators with access to more than 1,000 high quality math lessons, top teaching strategies, and videos, all powered by Watson’s ability to deliver targeted recommendations. This resource will allow teachers to make more informed decisions on the best approach for their students. Teachers seeking to master new skills or prepare instruction for their students at multiple skill and grade levels can easily:

• Access quality math resources designed to meet diverse classroom needs
• Understand the academic prerequisites and standards mapped to each lesson
• Apply teaching techniques to help bring lessons to life
• Type in a math concept and get targeted recommendations

IBM’s technologists worked closely with the American Federation of Teachers, national education leaders, and math teachers to develop this free online resource. Hosted on IBM Cloud, the tool offers high-quality, vetted teaching material from a range of education experts and non-profits, including UnboundEd, Student Achievement Partners, Illustrative Mathematics, CPALMS, EngageNY, Achieve, and AFT’s Share My Lesson.

The tool uses Watson Discovery Service, which can quickly analyze content for relevant concepts and deliver the most relevant material based on a teacher’s query. With more training and teacher use, Watson’s expertise and ability to provide targeted recommendations will continually increase.

“This innovative tool, built together with teachers, was a true team effort,” said Stanley S. Litow, President Emeritus of the IBM Foundation and a former deputy chancellor of the New York City Public Schools. “We collaborated with the American Federation of Teachers and education leaders to create a free unique resource to help teachers hone their skills and get coaching assistance–all with the goal of helping to educate America’s young learners more effectively. Through Teacher Advisor, IBM continues its commitment to innovation and STEM education.”

“Many educators must meet the demands of teaching with little support,” said Jennifer Ryan Crozier, President of the IBM Foundation and VP of Corporate Citizenship and Corporate Affairs. “Teacher Advisor will save teachers time, continually deepen their expertise, and help them meet their diverse student needs. We’re excited to collaborate with education leaders and teachers to help them do what they do best–unlock a child’s passion for STEM learning.”

“Teachers shoulder endless challenges and responsibilities—mastering content, standards and curriculum, and meeting the diverse needs and abilities of each of their students,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten. “Too often, teachers are expected to do all this single-handedly, but Teacher Advisor could help change that. The AFT worked hand-in-glove with the IBM Foundation to hone this tool and see how it empowers teachers and benefits students. This effective public-private partnership is a testament to what can be achieved when educators are entrusted with innovative technology to support powerful learning.”

"Teacher Advisor empowers teachers by providing expert advice to help them deliver high-quality instruction that meets their students’ needs," said Michael Cohen, President of Achieve, Inc. "Watson's ability to learn and to learn how to learn is important in its own right, but it means that this exciting innovation will develop and become smarter over time."

“Time is of the essence for teachers,” said Sheena Lee, an elementary school teacher at Umana Academy in Boston, MA. “With a classroom full of third through fifth graders who have had inconsistent education in their lives, I need to help my students learn math in different ways, at different levels. Teacher Advisor With Watson offers a one-stop shop for the most trusted resources, enabling me to decide how best to meet my students where they are.”

Foundation funding partners include the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and Carnegie Corporation of New York.

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CK-12 Concept Maps - see the connections between math and science concepts

CK-12, one of my all time favorite, free resources for teachers, has a very cool new feature called "Concept Maps".

 "Concept Maps" uses visual concept mapping to show connections between different concepts in math, science and connections between math and science. It is very easy to use and is a great way to help students see these connections, make their own connections, and see why learning these different topics is so important.

Just search for a topic and suggested items appear. Select one and see the concept map. Math and science are color coded so you can tell which is which.

Here is one on Bio and Forensics:

Here is one on Newton's 2nd Law of Motion:

This is an excellent resource for helping students better understand concepts and connections.

Make sure you also check out all of the other great resources CK-12 has to offer.

More great resources on CK-12 and what it has to offer for teachers and students. 
Digital, interactive textbooks, simulations, virtual labs, assessments, games, and much more.

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Mentoring Minds - instructional materials to develop critical thinking skills

Mentoring Minds is an educational publishing company that develops K-12 instructional materials to help students develop critical thinking and problem solving skills. Experienced educators create the materials based on research and cover topics such as critical thinking, differentiated learning, instructional strategies, classroom management and more.

The company's main goal is to provide materials that help students increase their critical analysis and reasoning skills, along with problem solving skills. The curriculum does this through research based lessons and real-world connections.

Products include ELA, Math and Vocabulary curriculum programs, Professional Development tools, Critical Thinking programs, Assessments, RTI and more. The products combine print and online resources, as well as teacher editions and resources. You can take a guided tour of their products here: http://guidedtourdemo.mentoringminds.com/01/

Pricing is very reasonable and all of their resources qualify for Title I, III, and V Part D Funding. They will even help you find ways to fund your purchase.

Each state has a consultant that would work with you to provide the solution that best fits your needs.

Total Motivation Reading is one of their more popular products. It integrates critical thinking with ELA support and is aligned with the Common Core Standards. It unpacks each CCS so that teachers can find the gaps in student learning and fill them in.

Mentoring Minds bases all of their products on research to make sure that the resources will be effective in the classroom. You can read about their research here.

They also have a section call Thought Leadership, where they share free tips, research, articles and resources that help teachers improve teaching and learning.

These products can be very useful in helping struggling students, as well as helping all students learn critical thinking and problem solving - skills that all students need for the future.




Disclaimer - this article is a paid sponsored post by Mentoring Minds.


Related:

Important Skills Students Need for the Future

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