One of the essential components in Language Arts, Social Studies, and Reading is the study of the human experience. For this course you will be examining key people, places and events, during the Civil War time period. Our culture is fascinated with this topic and there are ample film, literary, and classroom resources to help communicate the scope and importance of Early America to our students. This course will provide curriculum ideas that meet state standards for Language Arts, Social Studies, and Reading teachers of grades K-12.
This course also will provide video, literary and classroom resource ideas for teachers preparing for major themes of the Civil War that can actively engage students around many of the major themes and events of this time period. Books and videos such as The Red Badge of Courage, Team of Rivals, The Killer Angels, Glory, Gettysburg, will be read or viewed; many of these films are available at local libraries, from NetFlix, in video stores for purchase, and at ESDs.
You will choose eight (8) videos to view and two (2) novels to read and write a unit plan on how you’ll use some of these in your teaching situation. In addition to film and literature, this course will also provide classroom resources on the Civil War such as websites that offer interactive maps, lesson plans, art, music, reenactment videos, lectures from leading scholars, etc.
We advise you to review and download a summary of the course syllabus
before registering.
• After determining your assignment choices, select books from the lists in Assignments 3
and 4. You may select alternate books with instructor’s prior approval.
• Price of texts varies. Some texts can be found on books.google.com or Amazon.
Generation Z comprises students born since 1995 into a digital world made up of the Internet and cell phones. They are enmeshed in social media and criticized for lacking social skills. However, they are the future and we need to teach them in a manner that will lead to their success. To do that, learn how to best meet the unique needs of Generation Z and how to engage them in the K-12 classroom. Learn about what they think, where they are going and how they may change the world.
The key to student success is not how well they perform on standardized tests or their ranking in school, but their ability to work hard, struggle, and persevere until they accomplish a task. Learn how to instill grit in your K-12 students through relationship building, challenging tasks and active reflection. Students should perceive mistakes as an opportunity to grow. When taught in the classroom research suggests grit may have an impact key to long term success and happiness
Brain research reveals how Happiness Skills positively affect our state of mind. A conscious choice of attitudes, beliefs, intentions, personal philosophy, precepts, and daily practices are under your control and teachable. All the learning in the world is worthless without happiness. For K-12 youth to be successful and motivated, they need the skills and knowledge necessary to create happy lives. Learn how to shift perspective about difficult situations, and more, through readings and discussions.
Trauma and loss are constant companions for many children today. Whether from divorce, death of a loved one, abandonment, abuse, rejection, or another difficult scenario, educators benefit by understanding the impact of these losses. Strategies to help the grieving child and interventions to assist their academic progress will be provided. Appropriate for P-12 including administrators, counselors, and other support service individuals.
How often do we get to simply read for pleasure and inspiration in ways that enrich our lives and our work? In this course you will choose from a wide range of reading that suit your personal and professional needs. You will also reflect on the importance of engaging your students in productive reading.
Broaden your use of instructional tools through your virtual classroom—Google Classroom. Google Classroom works by letting teachers create assignments, make announcements, and start class discussions with students. Google Classroom saves time, keeps classes organized, and improves communication with students. Teachers can attach documents from Google Drive, share videos, or send links to websites; they can set due dates for assignments and do assignment grading. Class announcements and discussions allow for direct communication in real-time so teachers can pose questions, or share anything else that is important to the class without waiting for the next class period.
This course will help teachers K-12 learn how to use Google Classroom to improve instruction and student engagement. Teachers in this course will create their own Google Classroom and implement one or more lessons with students. Collaboration with other teachers is also possible.
Google is currently offering schools a hosted solution for their email, calendar, documents, websites, and chat through Google Apps for Education, an integrated communication and collaboration cloud-based network. Email storage and search tools that help find information fast.
Emerging neuroscience and nutrition research show that a healthy diet improves mental and emotional well-being. Learn how to make better food choices, how so many unhappy meals are reaching us, what foods are really good and review research to not only change your body but your brain. For K-12 teachers, coaches, and parents. Our text "The Happiness Diet" clearly links food and mood.
In this diversified driving tour, K-12 teachers will explore at least 30 cultural and historic sites in the Portland Metro Area. Discover cultural museums, historic homes, poignant memorials, and a blend of the area's visual and performing arts.
How did the world become so unequal with some societies developing more quickly? Help your students understand these big questions by using the Pulitzer-prize winning book, Guns, Germs and Steel. Learn how geography and natural resources enabled some countries to advance technologically.