8th Grade

8

Code Switch

— National Public Radio (NPR)

8-11 0 favorites 0 promising practices https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch Last updated: Fri, 08/27/2021 - 11:50 share

How It Works

Code Switch is an NPR podcast featuring conversations about race that air several times each month. The podcast includes a wide variety of topics ranging from politics to sports and much more. The podcast hosts include award-winning journalists from a variety of races to share their perspectives on current issues. Podcasts range in length from approximately 20 minutes to just under one hour. Each podcast link includes a transcript, download link, and embed code.

In the Classroom

Include this podcast as a resource for lessons on racism, bias, or when facing difficult conversations in the classroom. Be sure to sign up to listen to the newest podcasts on your favorite resource and scroll through the archives to find relevant recordings beginning in 2016. As students listen to podcasts, use Google Slides, <a href="/single.cfm?id=18896">reviewed here</a>, to create a reflective document for students to share important information from the podcast along with any questions or information for further research. Use the podcasts as a model for students to create their own podcasts on any topic. Search ReadWriteThink, <a href="/single.cfm?id=4969">reviewed here</a>, to find many tools to help students develop interesting podcasts including rubrics, podcast tutorials, and a lesson plan for teaching with podcasts. When students are ready to record and share their podcasts, Buzzsprout, <a href="/single.cfm?id=17015">reviewed here</a>, is a free podcasting tool that provides options for scheduling broadcasts, adding chapters, and much more.

Technology Heads-up!
  • Find interactive ABC's, colors, etc.
  • Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a.
  • Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a.
  • Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a.
Tag(s): difficult conversations, racism, black history, native americans, character education,

Developing Empathy

— Tolerance.org

4-8 0 favorites 0 promising practices https://www.tolerance.org/classroom-resources/tolerance-lessons/developing-empathy Last updated: Fri, 08/27/2021 - 11:50 share

How It Works

Developing Empathy is a middle school lesson plan that teaches students how to build and put empathy into practice. The essential questions focus on students reflecting upon their ability to empathize with others and practice using this character trait with fellow students. This lesson includes printable worksheets for students, including a self-evaluation and practice activity cards.

In the Classroom

Include this lesson with others as you teach the character trait of empathy and incorporate these ideas into lessons about bullying and bias. As you begin your lesson with the essential questions, use a digital question response site such as Answer Garden, <a href="/single.cfm?id=10937">reviewed here</a>, to share student responses. This site offers the opportunity to look at the entire class’s responses while still allowing students to provide anonymous thoughts. Take advantage of the suggested extension activities to allow students to use their creativity to share their understanding of empathy in various ways. Some tool suggestions for the extension activities are to create comics using ToonyTool, <a href="/single.cfm?id=17781">reviewed here</a>, share videos created with Powtoon, <a href="/single.cfm?id=13954">reviewed here</a>, or publish podcasts using Buzzsprout, <a href="/single.cfm?id=17015">reviewed here</a>.

Technology Heads-up!
  • Find interactive ABC's, colors, etc.
  • Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a.
  • Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a.
  • Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a.
Tag(s): bullying, character education, empathy,

Teaching ’The New Jim Crow’

— Tolerance.org

8-11 0 favorites 0 promising practices https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/publications/teaching-the-new-jim-crow Last updated: Fri, 08/27/2021 - 11:50 share

How It Works

Teach the lessons of race and justice in society using the book, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, as a resource. The ten lesson unit includes a Teacher’s Guide that provides chronological lessons, activities, and audiovisual resources appropriate for Social Studies, Language Arts, and American History courses. All materials align with Common Core Standards. Additional information found on this site includes a conversation with the book’s author, Michelle Alexander, and two webinars that discuss the book and suggestions to support using the book in high school classrooms.

In the Classroom

Incorporate this free unit as a guide to teaching the sensitive topics of race and justice with or without using the novel. As you begin your unit, use AnswerGarden, <a href="/single.cfm?id=10937">reviewed here</a>, as an anonymous brainstorming and response tool. Use AnswerGarden by forming open-ended questions such as "The hard part of talking about racism is..." or "The beneficial part of talking about racism is..." as a way to elicit student ideas without students being concerned about sharing ideas orally with their peers. Use AnswerGarden in various ways throughout the unit to gauge student ideas and responses to lesson topics. All of the lessons include essential questions and big ideas, use FlipGrid, <a href="/single.cfm?id=17677">reviewed here</a>, as a collaborative tool to encourage student conversations through Flipgrid’s video response options. Extend learning using podcasts as a format for students to share their learning about race and our justice system. For example, Buzzsprout, <a href="/single.cfm?id=17015">reviewed here</a>, is a podcasting tool to create weekly podcasts created by students to discuss different components of race relations and the justice system. Another option to consider using is Synth, <a href="/single.cfm?id=18458">reviewed here</a>, to create bite-sized audio podcasts discussing each lesson’s issues. Use Synth to record short audio recordings of up to 256 seconds that thread together to form a podcast.

Technology Heads-up!
  • Find interactive ABC's, colors, etc.
  • Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a.
  • Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a.
  • Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a.
Tag(s): civil rights, racism, courts, politics,

TestFellow

— TestFellow.com

8-11 0 favorites 0 promising practices https://www.testfellow.com/ Last updated: Fri, 08/27/2021 - 11:50 share

How It Works

Test your knowledge and prepare for upcoming exams with TestFellow. Topics include computer fundamentals, English, general knowledge, and conventional science. Choose a topic to access a subset of quizzes narrowed down to specific areas of information. Each exam includes a series of multiple-choice questions and consists of a time limit to complete responses.

In the Classroom

Share TestFellow with students to help them prepare for upcoming classroom assessments and standardized tests. Use the questions found in TestFellow along with your current content to create your quizzes using Quizalize, <a href="/single.cfm?id=16854">reviewed here</a>. Quizalize engages students through its competitive game format and offers instant feedback and follow-up resources to enhance learning. As you assess student learning, create differentiated learning opportunities using a learning management system such as Crio, <a href="/single.cfm?id=18651">reviewed here</a>. Crio includes easy to use tools to build interactive lessons that include various media, content, and assessment options.

Technology Heads-up!
  • Find interactive ABC's, colors, etc.
  • Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a.
  • Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a.
  • Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a.
Tag(s): test prep, quiz, quizzes,

Reading Treks: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

— TeachersFirst

8-11 0 favorites 0 promising practices https://teachersfirst.com/reading-treks/content/hotel-corner-bitter-and-sweet Last updated: Fri, 08/27/2021 - 11:50 share

How It Works

TeachersFirst Reading Treks create a virtual field trip of resources about a piece of literature or text using the My Maps feature of Google Maps. This Reading Trek provides inspiration and suggestions for using the trade book Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. Learn through two different timelines (the 1940s and 1980s) the story about the friendship of a Chinese American 12-year-old boy and a Japanese American girl. It is set in the city of Seattle and its cultural, musical, political, and social conflicts at the height of the WWII. The plot focuses on the painful separation of friends during the confining of Japanese Americans to internment camps. Use our robust Instructional Guide with students in grades 9-12. Content correlates to Common Core Standards and ISTE Student Standards. Find the entire selection of Reading Treks <a href="/reading-treks">here</a>.

In the Classroom

Take advantage of the many suggested classroom uses for this resource found on the Instructional Guide (PDF). Consider using the historical information and primary sources from the book to have students create timelines of the important events both during the 1940s and the 1980s. Find a variety of free online timeline creation tools <a href="content/edge.cfm?c=20 ">located here</a>. Using the map and locales, trace and then calculate distances for some of Henry’s travels from Seattle to New York City. Use Google My Maps, <a href="/single.cfm?id=18096">reviewed here</a>, to create and share custom maps.

Technology Heads-up!
  • Find interactive ABC's, colors, etc.
  • Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a.
  • Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a.
  • Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a.
Tag(s): world war 2, 1980s, 1940s, cross cultural understanding, virtual field trips,

Reading Treks: Refugee

— TeachersFirst

5-8 0 favorites 0 promising practices https://www.teachersfirst.com/reading-treks/content/refugee Last updated: Fri, 08/27/2021 - 11:50 share

How It Works

TeachersFirst Reading Treks create a virtual field trip of resources about a piece of literature or text using the My Maps feature of Google Maps. This Reading Trek provides inspiration and suggestions for using Refugee, written by Alan Gratz. Use the robust teaching guide with students in grades 6-9 as they learn about the struggles of Joseph and his family as they escape from Nazi Germany. Content correlates to Common Core Standards, ISTE Student Standards, and National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies. Find the entire selection of Reading Treks <a href="/reading-treks ">here</a>.

In the Classroom

Take advantage of the many ideas offered on this Reading Trek to enhance and extend student learning. Use virtual field trips offered online to take students to places around the world to learn more about world populations and immigration. <a href="/spectopics/virtualfieldtrips.cfm">This</a> TeachersFirst Special Topics page provides a curated list of free virtual field trips from around the world. Offer students a variety of digital storytelling tools to share their knowledge of immigration. Some free options include Wakelet, <a href="/single.cfm?id=17619">reviewed here</a>, UtellStory, <a href="/single.cfm?id=14414">reviewed here</a>, and Google My Maps, <a href="/single.cfm?id=18096">reviewed here</a>.

Technology Heads-up!
  • Find interactive ABC's, colors, etc.
  • Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a.
  • Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a.
  • Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a.
Tag(s): immigrants, immigration, germany, world war 2, europe,

Reading Trek: Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad

— TeachersFirst

4-8 0 favorites 0 promising practices https://teachersfirst.com/reading-treks/content/harriet-tubman-and-underground-railroad Last updated: Fri, 08/27/2021 - 11:50 share

How It Works

TeachersFirst Reading Treks create a virtual field trip of resources about a piece of literature or text using the My Maps feature of Google Maps. This Reading Trek provides inspiration and suggestions for using the trade book <i>Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad</i>. Did you know Harriet Tubman was a nurse, a Union spy, and a women’s sufferage supporter? Read about her life in this highly informative book, and use our robust Instructional Guide with students in grades 5-9. Content correlates to Common Core Standards, ISTE Student Standards, and National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies. Find the entire selection of Reading Treks <a href="/reading-treks ">here</a>.

In the Classroom

Take advantage of the many suggested classroom uses for this resource found on the Instructional Guide (PDF). Consider using the historical information and primary sources from the book to have students create timelines of the important events during a period in Tubman’s life. Find a variety of free online timeline creation tools <a href="content/edge.cfm?c=20 ">located here</a>. Using the map and locales, trace and then calculate distances for some of Tubman’s rescues, missions, and places she lived. Use Google My Maps, <a href="/single.cfm?id=18096">reviewed here</a>, to create and share custom maps.

Technology Heads-up!
  • Find interactive ABC's, colors, etc.
  • Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a.
  • Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a.
  • Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a.
Tag(s): civil rights, civil war, black history, underground railroad, commoncore,

Feedly

— Feedly.com

8-11 0 favorites 0 promising practices https://www.feedly.com/ Last updated: Fri, 08/27/2021 - 11:50 share

How It Works

Feedly is a news aggregator that lets you curate, organize, and share the content of your favorite sites in one place. Create an account to begin, then follow the directions to add content to your feed. Organize information by creating and labeling feeds by topic. Links within items in your feed offer options to share by email or on Twitter and other social networking sites. Additional options allow you to change the view of feeds by title, magazine, or cards. Fine-tune your feed by adding filters to hide unwanted topics or keywords, or select items to save for reading at a later time.

In the Classroom

Use Feedly in the classroom in a variety of ways. Create a feed with your professional resources, including favorite classroom websites, professional learning sites, and the latest educational news. Share this feed with your peers to use during professional development sessions. For older students, create a feed with information about your current learning topics. For example, when teaching about climate change and conservation, create a feed to share with students containing information from a variety of sources. Ask students to use this information during their research to learn about this topic from a broader viewpoint. As you and your students find articles of importance, save them within a Wakelet, <a href="/single.cfm?id=17619">reviewed here</a>. Use Wakelet to create different collections based on specific topics. As a final project, ask students to share their learning by creating a Wakelet collection that includes articles found on Feedly along with their final research presentation.

Technology Heads-up!
  • Find interactive ABC's, colors, etc.
  • Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a.
  • Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a.
  • Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a.
Tag(s): bookmarks, news,

Book Club for Kids

— Kitty Felde

4-8 0 favorites 0 promising practices http://www.bookclubforkids.org/ Last updated: Fri, 08/27/2021 - 11:50 share

How It Works

Book Club for Kids is a free, weekly 20-minute podcast for middle school students. Each podcast includes a discussion of a favorite book along with an author interview and celebrity reading. In addition to the podcasts, this site offers a variety of information for students and educators, and parents. Select the link for librarians, teachers, and parents to find curriculum guides for several books. Choose the sections with "Writers on Writing" to discover in-depth conversations with several authors. Podcasts are available on most popular podcasting sites.

In the Classroom

This tremendous resource is a must-have for all middle school classrooms and libraries! Share the podcasts with students not only to learn about the latest books but also to learn how to improve public speaking skills, learn about the author’s techniques and tips, and discover how to share informative book reports. Subscribe to the podcast and have students listen to weekly presentations during center times or as a class. Share the "Books We Love" portion of the site on your class webpage for students to use when looking for reading material. Ask your school librarian to share these podcasts in the media center and look into ordering books of interest to your students. As students learn from these podcasts, ask them to use what they learned to create their podcasts to share with classmates and your school. Have students use organizers found on ReadWriteThink, <a href="/single.cfm?id=4969">reviewed here</a>, to organize and plan for their podcasts and book reviews. Help students visualize their written work by creating word clouds with Wordsift, <a href="/single.cfm?id=12844">reviewed here</a>, to focus on commonly-used terms within their text and evaluate their usefulness. As a final project, help your students create and produce ongoing podcasts sharing their book reviews with peers. Buzzsprout, <a href="/single.cfm?id=17015">reviewed here</a>, and Anchor, <a href="/single.cfm?id=17930">reviewed here</a>, both provide free podcasting tools.

Technology Heads-up!
  • Find interactive ABC's, colors, etc.
  • Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a.
  • Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a.
  • Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a.
Tag(s): book reports, book lists, authors, literature, podcasts,

Under Advisement: Ohio Supreme Court Cases On Demand

— The Supreme Court of Ohio &amp; The Ohio Judicial System

8-11 0 favorites 0 promising practices https://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/VisitorInfo/CivicEd/educationResources/underAdvisement/default.asp Last updated: Fri, 08/27/2021 - 11:50 share

How It Works

Take an in-depth look at civil and criminal cases tried and decided by the Ohio Supreme Court using these two free lessons. Both lessons align with Ohio’s Learning Standards for the High School American Government Curriculum and provide a real-world look into the court system and legal process. Email the resources link to receive the password to access and download the educator and student resource guides; typically requests are granted within an hour during business hours. If you don’t receive the information, check your spam folder.

In the Classroom

Although this site is aligned to Ohio Learning Standards, it is useful for any classroom studying civil and criminal cases. Download the free materials to use when learning about branches of government. Before completing the lessons within each of the cases, introduce the topic to students and ask them to predict the outcome using a simple polling tool like Poll Everywhere, <a href="/single.cfm?id=11606">reviewed here</a>. As students become familiar with the Ohio court system, ask them to research the courts in your state and compare them using a Venn Diagram tool like the one found at Class Tools, <a href="/single.cfm?id=18324">reviewed here</a>. Consider asking a local attorney or judge to visit your classroom to discuss the specifics of each case and how the law is interpreted within the state courts.

Technology Heads-up!
  • Find interactive ABC's, colors, etc.
  • Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a.
  • Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a.
  • Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a.
Tag(s): states, courts,
Subscribe to 8th Grade