Some great sites to explore

*Need a free NYT account. For much of the last century, educators and many scientists believed that children could not learn math at all before the age of five, that their brains simply were not ready. But recent research has turned that assumption on its head - that, and a host of other conventional wisdom about geometry, reading, language and self-control in class.

The teacher guide for this great resource on the brain.

"In the award-winning documentary Children Full of Life, a fourth-grade class in a primary school in Kanazawa, northwest of Tokyo, learn lessons about compassion from their homeroom teacher, Toshiro Kanamori. He instructs each to write their true inner feelings in a letter, and read it aloud in front of the class. By sharing their lives, the children begin to realize the importance of caring for their classmates."

Assessment Strategies and Definitions A great list!

A Note to Teachers and Parents These sites provide actvities that practice reading skills. Almost all these have a sound component so that the children can hear the stories. Some sites provide reading comprehension practice. When children use these sites, ask them to reflect on what they learned from them.

we all should now be cognizant of the critical importance of innovation across all spectrums of our society -- this includes teaching and learning. We need change agents, we need out-of-the-box thinkers, we need creative minds. We need to foster a generation of risk takers and I believe we, as educators, need to be weaving risk-taking into our pedagogy to model it to our students. Risk-taking is teaching creativity.

I make choices that help me learn and do my best work. I am aware of the needs of others and do great things for them. I learn about myself and all that I can do by trying new things. I think of new ideas and share them with others. I think about people's feelings and help take care of others. I learn from my mistakes and build on the things that I do well. I work with others to learn and complete a task.  I push myself to do my personal best and keep improving. I learn about and respect different people and include everyone. I care for and learn from nature. I take time by myself to think about what I have learned

WELCOME TO CONNECT! As we start up our new initiative, this blog will serve a number of purposes: 1. As a place to share the classroom projects, assignments and assessment practices of the Calgary Science School 2. As a place where CSS teachers and administrators can publicly reflect and engage in dialogue on their practice 3. As a place where CSS can build a learning network outside the walls of our school. We want to collaborate with and learn from other teaching professionals, around the city, province, country and around the world. Come join us on our new journey!

A cheeky, but effective look at why 'this stuff' is what we should be teaching our students.

Thoughtful podcast that really makes me question why social software has actually added to my email rather than decreased it, (with 'notices' etc.).

Excellent practice, high-quality learning, and successful institutions all require a place for the interactions of teaching and learning . Yet, the concept of learning space is rarely discussed among educators as a "one-size- fits- all" classroom is the accepted expectation and reality in today's schools.

The Autonomous Learner Model (ALM) for the Gifted and Talented was developed specifically to meet the diversified cognitive, emotional, and social needs of learners. The model is currently implemented at all grade levels with the gifted and talented, as well as all learners in the regular classroom. Emphasis is placed on meeting the individualized needs of learners through the use of activities in the five major Dimensions of the Model.

This is an excellent example of how a globally connected classroom can provide students with an experience unparalleled to classroom not using tech!

Very clear instructions!

An important part of using an online tool with your students is educating them on appropriate online behavior. Just because your students grew up with technology doesn't mean they appreciate or understand what is/isn't appropriate to post online.

two projector manufacturers have just released new products that can turn virtually any surface into an IWB

No matter how much you know, there is always something new to learn about science. While your college courses may cover the basics, you can get a more in-depth look at a wide variety of topics from Internet resources such as these great documentaries.

Wiki Community Contract As a class, we have discussed and decided upon some rules and etiquette to be followed when using an online sharing site like wikispaces. This contract summarizes those rules and expectations. Each student has signed a hard copy of this contract and agreed to abide by it to help us promote a positive online learning community.