Find what you need at 4teachers.org
January 12, 2009
I have a love-hate relationship with Wal-Mart. Shopping there can be unpleasant, as I always seem to get stuck in an aisle behind a family of six who can’t find what they’re looking for; however, I still shop there because I know I can find anything I want. Well, 4teachers.org is like the Wal-Mart of classroom technology resources, but better. You can find it all under one roof, AND you won’t spend hours stuck behind a slow-poke.
4teachers.org has a plethora of tools that teachers can use to make their lives easier. Some tools such as RubiStar and Assign-A-Day have already been discussed in this blog. Some other tools that are useful include CasaNotes, Project Based Learning (PBL) Checklists, and The Teacher Tacklebox. CasaNotes generates simple form letters that you can edit and print in English and Spanish. It offers some of the basics you might not want to recreate like progress reports, field trip permission slips, and parent-conference notices. The PBL Checklist section not only gives you information on the basics of PBL, but also provides customizable checklists for typical projects at various grade levels. Finally, the Teacher Tacklebox will allow you to search the best of the resources found on 4teachers.org. You can input a subject (such as Math), a theme (such as Basic Math), and a topic (such as Place Value), and it will come up with lesson ideas, TrackStar tracks (another 4teachers resource), and links to help you differentiate your instruction and integrate technology.
There are many more useful tools on 4teachers.org, so, please browse the “aisles” on your own. You’re guaranteed to find something you can use right away in your classroom, and you won’t have to dodge wayward carts. -REBECCAH HAINES

Have a rubric? Build a rubric. Need a rubric? Take a rubric. Those traditional values imparted to us by the take-a-penny tray at 7-11 are still valid today, as evidenced by the
When I was in school, I think the idea of the rubric was dismissed for the utilization of a simpler scale– ranging from “Great Job!” to “Please see me about this…” For the more progressive and discerning teachers of today’s educational systems, rubrics are used more widely and carefully. Teachers want to nurture their students’ creativity, certainly. Often times, you’ll assign creative projects so that students can show off their skills and demonstrate that they are learning all the while. But how do you properly grade such projects?
