Archives: October, 2007

Just published! Two plans written by Erin Denniston as part of her work with the Kenan Fellows Program at North Carolina State University.

• In “Float, Sink, Flink!” second grade students will discover that whether an object floats or sinks depends not only on the properties of the object itself, but also on the properties of the fluid (either gas or liquid) in which it is situated.
• Fifth graders are certain to enjoy shaking things up a bit in the lesson plan, “Stay Still.” In this lesson students will learn about stability. They will design and build an earthquake-proof house that takes into account the forces acting upon it and the materials with which it will be built. The house will be tested in a shake table.

Are you a frequent user of LEARN NC’s website? Will you be at the NCSLMA conference on November 14 or 15? If so, we need your help! During this year’s conference, we’ll be conducting a usability study and gathering feedback to help improve our website. You’ll have a unique opportunity to help us shape the future development of our website, and participants will receive a small token of our appreciation. No special knowledge is necessary. If you’re interested in participating or would like more information, please contact Kim Campbell.

Congratulations to Stuart Albright! In a surprise ceremony masquerading as an assembly about the school’s graduation rate, Jordan High School teacher Stuart Albright received a Milken education award. Every year the Milken Family Foundation recognizes excellent teachers across the country. Albright was the only North Carolina teacher among the 80 recipients this year. For more information see this article from Raleigh’s The News & Observer.

Come have fun and get your knees dirty when you visit Genesis Farm School in Orange County. Dr. Trudy Matheny and her animal friends will greet you and teach you all about life on a farm. Students will learn about plants, how they grow, and what makes them healthy. Then they will meet the cows, Molly the donkey, and Patches the miniature horse and learn how to groom and take care of them. Guinea hens, ducks, chickens, and a goose round out the animal family. Take a stroll to the pond to learn about pond ecology and how to be stewards of the Earth. Read more about this fun experience in Discover NC!

How does technology enhance the teaching and learning of a foreign language? For the past 10 years, LEARN NC has offered pre-conference workshops and packed sessions at the annual FLANC conference. This year, the following sessions will be offered:

Read-Write Web: creating online content with LEARN NC (Pre-conference workshop)
Thursday, October 4, 2007: 1:00 - 4:30
Melissa Thibault and Bobby Hobgood, Ed.D.

You use the internet to find information, but the growing Read-Write Web allows much more. Learn about free web-based tools to create, interact and reorganize content to improve your teaching and engage your students! Participants will have hands-on opportunities to use these tools and leave with creative lessons they can begin tomorrow.

Globalizing the Foreign Language Classroom: A SEARCH strategy for harnessing the power of the Web
Friday, October 5th, 2007: 9:00 - 10:00
Bobby Hobgood, Ed.D.

How can we best leverage Internet connectivity to the outside world? What does it mean to prepare students for success in a global society? Not just an awareness session of available Internet resources, this session demonstrates how teachers can develop a global vision for preparing their students for their future.

Top Ten Online Activities for Your Classroom: Tips and Tricks for Finding Student Activities from LEARN NC
Friday, October 5, 2007: 10:15-11:15
Melissa Thibault
Kids love online activities! Multimedia content is interactive and engaging, but you need specific skills to find just the right activity – one that accomplishes your learning objective and is appropriate for your students. Learn to individualize and reach every student with great free activities that provide enrichment opportunities, help with remediation, and make your student’s time online worthwhile!

If you’ll be at the North Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics conference next week, don’t miss our session called “Making Math Connections with LEARN NC.” For those of you looking for lesson plans, best practices, and innovative materials to boost your math curriculum, this is the session for you. We’ll be featuring some of our latest math resources and demonstrating how to make the best use of our rich website to find even more materials that will meet your individual needs.

Also, check out our other session at 10:30 on Thursday, “Improving Comprehension in the Math Classroom: Simple Strategies from No-tech to High-tech.” This session offers no-tech to high-tech strategies that will not only increase student understanding but also teacher awareness of student comprehension at the conception level.