Throughout a teachers career, there are days that pop up and threaten to derail everything. I have it happen all the time. I am reflecting on the work that is going on and trying to find a new way to present a concept for struggling learners. There are other times that I know I can do an activity or unit better, but can't see the forest for the trees. New teachers face this at the start of their first year. I've even felt it at the start of the year with a new course. It can be paralyzing. When I feel this coming on, I turn back to a few trusted locations for inspiration and support. This is one time, I don't turn to Twitter. I go to these websites. They have been amazing for me. The resources here range from kindergarten through high school. Regardless of the level or class you teach, there is something here for you. Teach EngineeringThe site, teachengineering.org provides curriculum units, lessons, activities, and many other types of resources. There are so many resources that it could be overwhelming if it wasn't for their search functions. You can search by standards (state, national, even ISTE), subject area (all sorts of science, math, and engineering subjects), or activity type. There are activities that area very short. I use them for reinforcement, first day of school, or extension/enrichment. There are also entire curricular units. The materials are put together by educators, include pacing and timing as well as handouts, standards, and explanations. https://www.teachengineering.org Engineering Go For ItThe American Association for Engineering Education put together the EGFI website for educators and students to explore engineering. For students, there are resources to explore engineering careers and schools. Engineering doesn't need to be scary or intimidating. EGFI works to make it easier to learn about it. Teachers will find lesson plans, activities, outreach programs, and web resources. The materials are put together nicely and range in length from short, one day activities to full units that might take a couple of weeks. The activities include web links to other resources that tie to the activity. Many units also include differentiation strategies to help make sure you are reaching all learners, not just most of them. http://egfi-k12.org/index_noflash.php Try EngineeringGames, lessons, engineering research, and more can be found at tryengineering.org. The games are a lot of fun for learners and can provide unique extension activities for teachers. There is also places here for students to learn about careers and universities. Teachers will like the activities and lesson plans. They range all grade levels and courses. I find a lot of great differentiation ideas and reliable new ways to teach concepts. As with all of these, the activities are project based. You won't find book work here. http://tryengineering.org PhET Interactive SimulationsI've lost count of the number of times that I needed a way to simulate something for students because there was no good way to do it live in class. PhET from the University of Colorado solves that. They have a ton of math, science, and engineering simulations to use. There is even a new iOS app. I use PhET all the time in class. It is great for students to experiment with things they normally couldn't in class. Additionally, it provides awesome differentiation for all learners. As a teacher, I appreciate the lessons and activities from teachers. No matter what I am teaching in class, I can usually find a PhET activity if a student needs it. https://phet.colorado.edu
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About me & this blogThis blog is for things related to my class, PL, coaching, or just teaching in general. You can follow me on Twitter @myakSTEM Archives
June 2021
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