World Read Aloud Day

World Read Aloud Day is a day dedicated to the art of reading aloud. It is celebrated on the first Wednesday in February.  Multiple vendors and book companies provide a variety of activities to celebrate. Mark your calendars for February 7th, 2024, and get ready for a day full of excitement as we celebrate the joy of reading aloud. 

One of the great companies that will be participating in World Read Aloud Day is Curipod!  They will have a new author every 30 minutes, including a live Q & A session with each author.  Each registered classroom will get a 70-page activity packet from Curipod.  The packet includes amazing interactive, engaging lesson plans and activities, downloadable activity books, coloring pages, turnkey Curipod lessons, Genially activities and so much more!

Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity! Register your classroom now to ensure you and your students don't miss out on the literary adventure of a lifetime. Even if you can't attend, registering to receive the student activity guide is worth it! 

Register with Curipod for WRADLive at https://wradlive.com/.

Formative

Although I usually provide tools or tricks more focused on student use and success, this one is great for teachers.

Formative is a tool that provides teachers with tools to engage, instruct, and assess their students. 

Just a few of the things you can do with Formative include transforming a PDF or Google Doc into an auto-graded quiz,  enhancing reading passages with questions, promoting higher-level thinking with advanced Math tools, and unleashing student creativity with the option of audio and video responses.

Check out Formative for yourself. 

SignUp Captioning

Do you know some who is hearing impaired and could use sign language when watching shows and movies?

Are you trying to learn or improve your sign language skills?

The SignUp Google Chrome Extension overlays sign language (both American and British) interpretation on streaming platforms, such as Disney+ and Netflix, for more accessible captioning.

To learn about SignUp visit their website at https://www.signupcaptions.com/

5-Letter Sight Words Video

I introduced the Quiz Tree YouTube channel in last weeks Blog post.  

In another one of their videos students can learn all of the 5-letter Dolch Sight Words.  

This video is just over 7 minutes.  

This video would be a great filler activity for your class.

2-Letter Sight Words Video

Quiz Tree has a YouTube channel that contains some fun, short educational videos.  

In one of the videos they introduce all of the 2-letter Dolch Sight Words  (youtube.com/watch?v=NNFP1CBzlHU).  

The video is just under 2 and a half minutes.  

Let your kids watch it as many times as they like!

Virtual Morning Meeting Activities for Distance Learning

Although most teachers have already set up a classroom routine, it is nice to hear new ideas. It is also beneficial to go over and review your virtual class protocols. This short video may help with any or all of these needs.

Maddie at EdTech Classroom created a short video on how to do a Virtual Morning Meeting Activities for Distance Learning (https://youtu.be/bk2h-3xuNDg).  

Thinking outside the box... 

How can you use these ideas in other areas of your virtual day?

How to Create Interactive Google Docs for Distance Learning

To keep with my time of helping navigate a virtual classroom I found another fun video tutorial to share.  

In this YouTube tutorial you will learn How to Create Interactive Google Docs for Distance Learning  (https://youtu.be/m2nrx0SARUo). 

A Teacher's View of Assistive Technology

The Center on Technology and Disability 

In this video, teachers of students with a variety of learning needs and challenges discuss ways in which assistive technology can help. The teachers in the video provide examples of low-tech and high-tech tools that can be easily integrated into a classroom environment.

A Teacher's View of Assistive Technology 
(https://www.ctdinstitute.org/library/2018-06-07/teachers-view-assistive-technology)

Included in the the above link is an  option to watch the video in Spanish.

Introduction to Assistive Technology with Chris Bugaj

The Center on Technology and Disability (https://www.ctdinstitute.org) is a great Assistive Technology resource.  Chris Bugaj is an Assistive Technology Expert, author, as well as host and producer of the ATTipsCast (https://attipscast.com/). Together the CTD and Chris Bugaj have crated a short, 5 minute video overview defining Assistive Technology Devices, Assistive Technology Services and Assistive Technology Consideration.

To watch this video, please click the link below to be redirected to the CTD website.

Introduction to Assistive Technology with Chris Bugaj
(https://www.ctdinstitute.org/library/2017-10-05/intro-assistive-technology-video)

The Case Crusaders Presents "I Messages"

Not all assistive technology options are high-tech.  Some are low-tech and some are incorporated into UDL strategies.  The Case Crusaders present short videos on strategies for working on positive social-emotional health.  

The Case Crusaders Presents "I Messages" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYf3H70qldI) is a short YouTube video on how to use "I Messages" to talk with friends and classmates.  

The link here (https://goo.gl/rf9YZH) is a replica of the "I Message" format used in the video, that can be copied and used in your classroom.

Epidemic Sound

When creating presentations for class or work it is fun to add sound to enhance your presentation. 

In my Blog post from May 15, 2018 I shared a link to some Free Sound Effects (https://at-udl.blogspot.com/2018/05/free-sound-effects.html) provided by BBC (http://www.bbc.com/). 

Sound effects are great but sometimes we want a song or a portion of a song. Check out Free Copyrighted Songs at Epidemic Sound 

(https://www.epidemicsound.com/).  This site has tracks recorded by independent musicians and that are made available for the general public to use. Now you most likely will not find a song by your favorite artist or a group in main stream music right now but, you might be able to locate something in the same or similar style.

Check out Epidemic Sound 

(https://www.epidemicsound.com/) and see what you can find for yourself.

TeachingChannel.org

TeachingChannel.org is a website that highlights inspiring and effective teaching practices in America's schools.  According to the website, "Teaching Channel is a thriving online community where teachers can watch, share, and learn diverse techniques to help every student grow."

They have over 1,200 short videos containing tips and information about classroom teaching strategies and classroom management.  You can watch a 1 minute 35 second video on "Writing in Math" or a 1 minutes 44 second video titled "Say It with Your Hands".  They also have an approximately 1 hour  "New Teacher Survival Guide" video (https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/tch-presents-new-teacher-survival-guide) that contains some great information, even for veteran teachers.  

You can sort through the videos by Subject, Grade or Topic.

   
   

Check out TeachingChannel.org today.