5 EdTech Tools To Engage Students In Current Events

5 EdTech Tools to Engage Students in Current Events

Friday is the favorite day of the week for my students, and not for the reason you would assume. They love it because it’s our day dedicated to discussing the news.

Social Studies is responsible for telling the story of everything that humans have ever done. It also is responsible for preparing our future citizens. In sixth grade, we can create connections to what we’re studying and what’s happening in the news every week – I see this as our chance to lead students to care about what’s happening in the world. And with the inclusion of regular current events, students make rich and meaningful connections into other content areas, a very positive extension of learning. I want students to continue to read the news long after they exit sixth grade and to have the skills to decide what to base their opinions on so they’re informed and active as members of their communities — as well as global citizens.

Read on!
Updates To Flocabulary’s Unit Page

Updates to Flocabulary’s Unit Page

If you’ve used Flocabulary over the past couple of days, you may have noticed something different about its appearance. We recently launched a new design for our unit page to improve navigation and your overall experience using Flocabulary.

Our corresponding activities, which once lived perched atop our videos, have migrated to the left-hand side—it’s the same great Flocab content you’ve grown to love, just in a new location.

Read on!
Sign In To Flocabulary With Google!

Sign in to Flocabulary with Google!

Google SSO Blog Image

Are you a Flocab fan and Google geek? We got you, tech lovers. Teachers and students on school or district subscriptions can now sign in to Flocabulary with their Google accounts!

Signing in with a Google account means you and your students don’t need to remember another username and password. Instead, you can use the credentials you’re already using for apps like Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Calendar.

Read on!
Writing Rhymes For Test Prep: A Spotlight On ESL Teacher Leah Simpson

Writing Rhymes for Test Prep: A Spotlight on ESL Teacher Leah Simpson

When working with an ESL population, one of teacher Leah Simpson’s goals is to help students prepare for the WIDA test, an English language proficiency exam used by a number of states across the country, including her home state of Tennessee. The Warren County High School Teacher, based in McMinnville, TN, uses our Word Up Blue and The Week in Rap to help students practice Tier 2 vocabulary and bring nonfiction text into her classroom.

As part of their test preparation, students also need practice with academic vocabulary across subjects. How did Leah decide to boost subject-specific vocab with her class this year? With rhyme-writing, of course! Each of Leah’s five class periods picked a subject—math, science, social students, ELA or social/instructional language—and worked over the course of a month to compose a rap as a group. Students performed their raps for their families at Warren County High School’s ESL Family Night this fall to much celebration. Here’s what Leah told us about the experience:

Leah Simpson Post Image final

Read on!