Teaching Resources and Helpful Websites

Here is a list and review of helpful teaching resources compiled from the web.

http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/

This website contains lesson plans, templates, teacher tools, discussion forums, e-books, and more. It is a website that was created to provide teachers with free resources to make lessons fun and exciting. It has different lesson themes from pre-K to 12, and is very insightful and all-inclusive. Some of the tips include how to deal with ADHD students, and there are even pages that you can print off and use in the classroom. If you can’t find what you are looking for amongst all of the free resources, there is also a store where you can purchase items for teaching. This is a very resourceful website!

http://www.busyteacherscafe.com/

This website is a free website that is for the busy k-6 teacher. There are blogs, free pintables, and many more tips, as well as an online store where you can purchase more great items for teaching. There is classroom management advice, as well as monthly resource pages, links for more great websites, and literature activities. There is also a new teacher’s resource page, as well as a resource for creating mini-offices. The website also includes links and instructions on how to create your very own website. This is another great site for teachers!

http://www.theteacherscorner.net/

This website contains daily bulletin boards, pen pals, teacher’s forums, lesson plans, and printable worksheets, all free. What makes this website different from the other websites is that it contains an online teacher’s lounge, with message boards and available teaching jobs. The resources on this site are geared toward the teacher as much as they are geared toward the students. The free lesson plans are also great, and they range from kindergarten to grade 12.

http://teachers.net/

This is a great k-12 teaching resource that contains chat boards, where you can chat with teachers all over the world. It also has over 4,000 free lesson plans, and many free k-12 projects that can be downloaded and printed. There are teacher blogs, a list of teacher jobs, and articles about teaching. Some of the projects include arts and crafts, field trip ideas, fundraising, ecology, and more. All of the projects looked fun and exciting.

http://www.abcteach.com/

This is another great online teacher resource for education. It contains over 35,000 pages of worksheets, projects, and activities if you sign up to become a member. The first 3 months is $9.95, or, 1 year for $40.00. There are even group memberships or gift memberships available. You can search for your project or lesson plan by subject, and there are many downloads that can be printed and used within the classroom. There are also resources for ESL students, as well as “Green” Eco-friendly teaching plans, and projects for home-schooling as well. This website is easy to navigate, and broken down into several different parts. Overall, I would rank this website very highly.

Civil War Concept Map Activity (Middle School)

INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVE: The Civil War


PRE-ACTIVITY
Description:

·The students will read the chapters in their social studies books about the civil war and find at least one other resource pertaining to the civil war.


Resource Used (If Applicable):

·Textbook
·Other resource (book, internet, etc)



INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVE
Description:

·The students will research at least 3 major events pertaining to the civil war, and at least 3 specific details per each major event. One of the details must include what, in the opinion of the students, may have led up to that event.



Student Outcomes:

·The students will be able to identify at least 3 major events that took place during the civil war.
·The students will be able to identify at least 3 specific details about each civil war event.
·The students will think critically about details that may have led up to each civil war event and think critically about cause and effect.


Student Directions:

1.The students are to have read the assigned chapters in their social studies book about the civil war, and come to class prepared with at least one other resource.

2.The students will form small groups of 3-4 students, and, under the direction of the teacher, will begin identifying 3 major civil war events. They will also be asked to identify at least 3 details about the event, one of which must include something, in their opinion, that may have led up to that event.

3.The students will work in the computer lab utilizing inspiration software to create a concept map, under the direction of the teacher, that includes all of the events and specific details that they discussed as a group.



POST-ACTIVITY

Description:

·The students will present their concept map to the class and answer any additional questions the teacher, and class may have pertaining to their concept map and presentation.



Resource Used (If applicable): Inspiration Software, Overhead Projector

Middle School Family and Community Involvement

Goal 1: Facilitate Community Involvement:
Community will be involved in the interests of the school in a variety of ways. Because the library has its own external entrance to the school, and the school library entrance is locked after hours, the library is open after hours to the local community. This provides the community with a vested interest in the school, which may also assist with helping the local community to vote for important levies that are beneficial to the school. Increased community revenue to the school will facilitate more learning programs and opportunities for the middle school students. Also, there is a 50 hour community service requirement that must be completed by the end of eighth grade by all students. This requirement is to be signed and verified by the community service delegation of the student’s choice, and must be approved by the guidance counselor beforehand. An eighth grade paper is required by all students, to summarize their experience and community involvement. Also, school sports are open to the local community, as well as school performances and local events that will be hosted at the school. There will also be yearly community advisory sessions, where administrators and staff open the cafeteria and auditorium up to the local community to field questions, and discuss effective community involvement strategies to enhance both the community and middle school student’s overall experience.

Goal 2: Facilitate Parent Involvement:
Statistics indicate that parental involvement enhances student learning. Parents will become involved in their student’s middle school education via parent-teacher conferences, parent’s day, parent assessments, and signed reports. Parent-teacher conferences will be held monthly, and are designed to provide open lines of communication between parents and teachers concerning student performance. Parent’s day will be held once a school year, and is designed for students to bring their parents to school for the day to participate in activities such as art exhibits, plays, physical activities (parent/student sports teams), contests and lectures. Half of the day, the parents will have the opportunity to view active teacher teaching and lessons, and the other half of the day is dedicated to the activities listed above. Quarterly grade reports are required to be signed by the parent of every student, and each grade report will include a one paragraph, all encompassing summary of the student, written by the student’s homeroom teacher (which must also be signed). The parents will also have the opportunity to assess the teacher’s performance, as a survey will be included with the signed, returned report card. This will help to facilitate parent/teacher communication to effectively improve the instruction and holistic educational experience of the students.

Goal 3: Facilitate Family Involvement:
Family involvement is also important to enhance the support structure of the student. Because middle students undergo extreme transitions during adolescence, a strong support system is imperative. By combining a strong family support system with a strong school support system, the student will have a greater chance of success. The middle school implements Family Service Centers, which work in concordance with guidance counselors and school psychologists to assist in family interventions and cohesiveness. Teachers also provide home learning tasks, in which the entire family can participate in relationship building, reflective experiences that the student can share while in class. Such tasks may include genealogy projects, family trips, or family questionnaires, which can open up lines of communication. The school also participates in Family Diversity Day, where each family is invited to share their culture with the rest of the middle school community. Family Diversity Day will include food, festivities, plays, games, cultural lectures, and information sessions concerning the diverse backgrounds of our students. It encourages family and community involvement within the school, and helps with the enculturation of our students.

Middle School Teacher Interview Questions

Interview questions:
Describe your educational background, licensure, and certification.
Why do you want to teach middle school?
Why are you interested in teaching this particular subject?
Are you able to work with minimal supervision?
How do you feel about constructive teaching?
How do you motivate your students?
How do you approach student conflict?
What would you do if you had a conflict with another teacher?
How do you facilitate effective classroom management?
What are your thoughts concerning team teaching?
Name your greatest strengths and weaknesses?
Why do you want to work for this school district?
How do you make learning fun?
Describe a lesson in which you used differentiated instruction.
How do you prepare your students for standardized testing?
What are the characteristics of an effective principal?
What is your educational philosophy?
How would you handle a difficult parent?
Are you able to multitask?
How do you establish authority?
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Do you have any questions for us?

Middle School Important Teacher Characteristics

Middle School Teacher Characteristics

Must have knowledge of:
Theories, methodology, techniques, principles and strategies pertaining to the teaching of middle school adolescents. This is important, because empirical research will assist in the facilitation of appropriate and effective educational instruction.

Social, behavioral, and academic characteristics of middle school adolescents. This is important because middle school students undergo extreme physical, mental, and emotional transitions, and the teacher must be prepared to deal with such transitions.


Middle school educational curriculum, current educational trends and research. This is important because middle school is a transition from elementary school to high school, and current curriculum, trends, and research help to assist with that transition effectively.

Behavior management, strategies, conflict resolution, and techniques. This is important because of the transition that middle school students undergo. There may be more conflicts in the middle school level because of these transitions, and it is important that the teacher knows how to deal with these conflicts effectively.


Socio-economic and cultural differences amongst the middle school population. It is important to have a knowledge of diversity, and to respect each student’s cultural background so that teaching can be effective and meaningful to every student.

Must be able to:
Create appropriate learning experiences for a diverse student population to facilitate knowledge.

Develop and execute comprehensive teaching for middle school students to provide a holistic educational experience.

Facilitate effective assessment to determine what works and what does not.

Motivate and stimulate the student’s effectively in an educational setting to maintain their attention span.

Perform research based developmental activities in accordance with middle school curriculum to enhance education.


Work effectively with faculty as a member of a team to achieve the common goal of student excellence.

Work independently and autonomously to allow principals and administrators to focus on important ways to enhance student learning experiences.

Illustrate proper judgment when faced with a variety of situations in a transitive middle school environment.

Multitask, meet and exceed deadlines, to maximize time management.

Must possess:
A baccalaureate or advanced degree pertaining to the intended subject matter being taught to comply with the No Child Left Behind Act.

Middle School Student Assessments

1. Assessment is the systematic gathering of information pertaining to student knowledge. It includes the knowledge of what students know, are able to do, and what they may be able to do in the future. It typically refers to the traditional form of written assessment, although it can sometimes encompass other forms.

2. An alternative assessment is a form of assessment that deviates from the traditional written assessment. It may not be criterion based, and may include open ended questions, problem solving, skill demonstration, portfolios, or other forms of illustrating student knowledge, other than a written standardized test.

3. Authentic assessment is the process of judging student knowledge based on several different sources. It may encompass portfolios, observations, and alternative assessments in conjunction with traditional assessment measures, such as standard written tests and assignments. Authentic assessment allows students to be evaluated using life skills and real-world tasks, to gain a complete picture of student knowledge.

4. Performance assessment is a form of assessment that requires students to illustrate complex and significant tasks, utilizing prior knowledge and relevant skills to resolve authentic, real life problems. It focuses on observable results, as implemented via standards, criterion, and rubrics.

5. A rubric is a scoring tool for assessment. It allows for standardized evaluation in accordance with specific criteria, and provides the student with clear, concrete guidelines from which they will be assessed.

6. A portfolio assessment of a portfolio, which is a representative collection of student work that is meant to illustrate student knowledge, achievements, progress, and efforts over a period of time. It may be scored individually, as a whole (scored for having all of the required documents), or holistically (assessment based on the general impression of the student’s collection of work). A portfolio assessment often utilizes pre-established criterion to ensure the achievement of the portfolio objective, and focuses on student growth over a period of time.

7. The above are all important factors in middle school education to insure that the students are progressing satisfactorily. Traditional, standardized testing and assessment is important to evaluate progress of a cohort of students. Because students are diverse culturally, mentally, emotionally, and educationally, alternative assessments are important, because examine student progress in ways that may not be assessable traditionally. Authentic assessments are important because they determine student progress from a variety of different sources, which can help to gain a complete picture of the students’ learning overall. Performance assessments allow the student to show that they are capable of relevant, real world life skills and problems, which combine their education in school with practical real world application. Rubrics are extremely important, because they provide the students with grading expectations, and allow them to be assessed in a standardized manner, so they know what to expect concerning the outcome of their assignments. Overall, various assessments are important in middle school to determine the appropriate course of action for teachers, parents, and administrators. Assessment is crucial because it determines whether or not something is working, and provides the assessor with a tool to help determine what works and what does not. All students are expected to create end of grade portfolios of their best work for every class, which will be assessed as part of their final grades. Yearly, teachers will evaluate their teaching strategies on the basis of the above assessment types, to determine whether changes need to be made to their instructional strategies.

Key Middle School Instruction Components

Brain-based Learning
Brain-based learning relates to the learning needs of young adolescents by providing empirical research and physiological evidence that relates to the education of middle school students. It assists teachers with the utilization of a variety of strategies to engage various aspects of the students’ brains. Brain-based learning engages the complete physiology of the brain, addressing the fact that learning can be either facilitated or inhibited by factors such as nourishment, neuron synthesis and growth, and external factors such as stress, challenges, excitement, etc. Brain-based learning hypothesizes that neuron synthesis can be affected by school experiences, and events. It has several implications for educators. For example, educators can teach students about proper nutrition, stress management, and exercise. Also, a stable and familiar learning environment is conducive to healthy brain activity and learning. Overall, brain-based learning equates a healthy brain with lifelong learning experiences, which can be fostered through a holistic curriculum within the school system. Once per week, the homeroom teacher will incorporate “healthy brain” mini lessons as an instructional strategy to promote brain-based learning.

Constructivism
Constructivism postulates that knowledge, meaning, and learning is generated through active experience. When one reflects upon their experiences, they “construct” their own understanding of the world around them. This is based upon the premise that humans create their own mental models which help to facilitate understanding, thus causing humans to adjust their mental models to accommodate new experiences. Constructivism is extremely useful in the adolescent classroom. When middle school students actively participate in their learning experiences, they gain a greater sense of knowledge and responsibility of the material that is being learned. It helps students to think critically, and take responsibility for their education. Also, it helps with their social maturation, as constructivism, as opposed to direct instruction, actively involves the student with the class as a whole. Constructivism will be utilized as an instructional strategy within the school by teacher promotion of group based learning and constructive peer feedback. Constructivism begets active problem-solving skills, which facilitate knowledge in middle school students and young adolescents. The knowledge gained from constructive instruction will follow the students throughout their life endeavors.

Socialization
Socialization is an important process in young adolescents, because it facilitates positive and beneficial inter-peer relationships, which carry forward throughout life. It is crucial to develop adequate socialization skills as a young adolescent, and to learn the skills, values, thought processes, and behavioral patterns within our culture. This insures positive behavioral interactions among human beings. Socialization is essential for the development of a cohort of middle school students, and for the development of a society as a whole. It insures that the collective culture of society will be followed through by future generations. School is among the top key factors in facilitating socialization, and it is essential to nourish good social skills, especially when young adolescents are undergoing so many physical, mental, and emotional changes. Socialization benefits the learning needs of young adolescents because it can effectuate learning if the student is socialized properly, as opposed to being disturbed by social distractions.

Essential Outcomes
Essential outcomes are extremely important in meeting the needs of young adolescents because they create a standard to uphold, that will provide equal education opportunity to all students. By having essential outcomes in place, students know what to expect, and teachers have a guideline to follow to assist them with their delivery of knowledge. Essential outcomes provide a universal standard for all students, and a framework to guide student learning cumulatively throughout their studies.

Diversity
Diversity is an important aspect of adolescent learning. It is crucial to understand one’s background to maximize that particular individual’s learning experiences, and to assist with their growth as a student and individual. In today’s society, schools are observing an increase in the diverse backgrounds of their students. It is important to understand where these students are coming from in order to know how to help them to further their education. Learning is not as important in some cultures as in others, and gender roles and enculturation factor in to the prioritization of learning across each culture spectrum. Diversity can also enrich the learning experiences of students outside of each individual culture, and can assist with cultural sensitization and empathy toward people with different backgrounds, which are important skills for adolescents to learn as they journey throughout life.