Archives: January, 2009

LEARN NC’s Ross White will present at this year’s North Carolina Center for Afterschool Programs Summit in Greensboro April 29-May 1:

Want your afterschool staff and volunteers to find everything they need to know to meet state standards? Introduce them to LEARN NC! LEARN NC has a wealth of materials for educators and students that can be integrated into your after-school program. Come discover how you can engage students in real-world activities that integrate critical information, computer and financial literacy, or lessons infused with authentic opportunities for global understanding and collaborative skills. Oh, and did we mention that it’s all free?

In these uncertain economic times, LEARN NC wants to invest in the safest investment we know: our teachers.

Teachers affect the growth and development of every citizen in the United States. However, North Carolina schools have been asked to return $58 million to the state, and as schools tighten their budgets, teacher professional development is often the first item cut. Thanks to a variety of partnerships, the LEARN NC Invest in Teachers Grant will award several grants ranging from $5,000 to $50,000, accompanied by an additional 50% match from the winning schools, so teachers will still receive the training and support they need to help their students succeed in the classroom and in life.

For full details and requirements, please click here.

The NC Health and Wellness Trust Fund has released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for its new A+ Fit School program. Apply on behalf of your school to be considered for grant funding of $7500! Applications are due by February 20, 2009.

This program will recognize school efforts to provide a healthy environment and health enhancing policies, programs and practices for all students and staff members in grades K- 12. A+ Fit School is comprised of two key components:

• School designation program that recognizes and rewards schools for their achievement in contributing to the health and well- being of students and school staff members. In addition to the designation, schools will receive a $1,000 discretionary stipend along with other communication materials.
• School grants program provides one-year grants (up to $7,500) that schools can use to support a variety of programs, projects and school policy development/implementation that help schools meet their goals of becoming an A+ Fit School.

RFP and application materials are available by clicking here. Applications are due by 5pm on February 20, 2009. ECU’s Department of Health Education and Promotion is providing technical assistance to any school interested in applying. Please contact Ellen Hanley.

Also, there will be a conference call on February 2nd from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m., depending on participation. This call is meant to provide assistance with any phase of the grant process. If you would like to register, please contact Ellen Hanley.

Bobby Hobgood and Emily Jack of LEARN NC will be presenting at the Raising Achievement and Closing Gaps Conference March 31-April 1. The event will be held at the Koury Center in Greensboro. A description of their presentation is below:

Engage students using high-tech and low-tech tools for teaching visual literacy

The omnipresence of the worldwide web means that all learners must be able to understand
and process visual information. This session will offer simple pedagogical strategies for engaging students and teaching visual literacy using images from around the world — including using photograph analysis activities to teach higher-level thinking skills. With a focus on cultural literacy, we’ll share lesson plans for all grade levels and core subject areas, easy-to-use Web 2.0 tools, and even easier-to-use no-tech tools to help you guide your students in navigating this visual world.

David Walbert and Emily Jack of LEARN NC will present at the NC Association for the Gifted and Talented Conference at Marriott & Embassy Suites Hotels in Winston-Salem on March 25-27. The presentation will pertain to the use of “digital history” in the classroom, specifically LEARN NC’s digital textbook of North Carolina history. The revolutionary textbook makes primary sources and multimedia central to the learning experience, offering built-in differentiation and using interactive tools to help students learn to ask good questions.

As we promised back in the fall, we’ve added more lesson plans that incorporate multimedia from around the world. The latest batch includes lessons that teach science, social studies, English language arts, and visual arts, exploring countries including Colombia, India, Malawi, Mexico, and Nepal.

Don’t miss the following lesson plans:

• Of earth, water, and fire: World pottery traditions, which helps students learn about pottery traditions from around the world through photo analysis. Students discuss how pottery traditions from different parts of the globe are similar to and different from one another. (grades 6-8)
• Motor car and galimoto: An intercultural lesson in pragmatism, creativity, and perseverance, in which students read about a young boy in Malawi, Africa, and his quest to gather wire in order to make a toy car. Students discuss the literary elements of the book, study the language used, and complete their own quests to gather wire and create their own galimotos. (grade 3)
• The mountains of Nepal: Scientific investigations, a science plan in which students discuss ecosystems and biodiversity, conduct research about the mountains of Nepal, and use photos of Nepal to create a journal about a mountain trek. (grade 5)
• Magic carpet ride: Exploring carpet weaving in India, in which students analyze photographs to learn about the Indian tradition of carpet weaving. (grade 7)

February is Black History Month. You can add valuable content to your lesson plans by enrolling in one of our online courses: African American History to 1950, which begins February 2; or The Civil Rights Movement in Context, which begins February 16. Each online course will allow you to analyze primary sources, including newspapers, photographs, works of art, oral histories, historical pamphlets, and more. You’ll develop your own arguments and ideas, and help your students do the same. You’ll also join other teachers from across North Carolina in lively online discussions throughout the course — all on your own schedule from home or from your school’s computers.

Each course is worth 3 CEUs. For more information or to register, please click on the links below:
African American History to 1950 - February 2

The Civil Rights Movement in Context - February 16

David Walbert and Maren Wood of LEARN NC will present at the North Carolina Council for the Social Studies Conference at the Koury Center in Greensboro, which takes place February 11-13. The presentation will focus on the use of “digital history” in the classroom, specifically LEARN NC’s digital textbook of North Carolina history. The revolutionary textbook makes primary sources and multimedia central to the learning experience, offering built-in differentiation and using interactive tools to help students learn to ask good questions.

Through a partnership with the UNC Institute for the Study of the Americas, we’ve just published The Changing Face of Mexico, a collection of articles, activities, and photographs exploring Mexican culture, past and present.

You’ll explore four Mexican celebrations: The Day of the Dead, Mexican Independence Day (16 de Septiembre), the Quinceañera, and the equinox at the ancient Maya city of Chichén Itzá. Each section includes historical perspectives, classroom activities, recipes, and slideshows, and a list of references is provided for further reading.

So you’ve survived the first half of the school year. That doesn’t mean you can’t use more help. LEARN NC’s Virtual Mentoring: Biology experience lets teachers get expert help at any hour, day or night. Best of all, it’s available at no cost to the LEA, school, or teachers.

Virtual Mentoring: Biology covers topics ranging from classroom management to course content. In addition, participants will have access to a fully developed biology curriculum aligned to the North Carolina Standard Course of Study, which they can use for the entire course or just a lesson for an upcoming class.

This Virtual Mentoring experience begins January 21 and will award teachers 3.0 CEUs upon completion.

For more information, please see the description in the course catalog.