August 2015 Picks

August Blog | App of The Month | What's Happening |
Teacher Resources | Parent Resources | Technology Tips |
Other Areas of Interest | Online Practice | Printables |
Common Core | SAT and ACT Test Preparation

August brings National Back to School Month, National Aviation Day, Dream Day, and much more. Visit our monthly newsletter to see all the details.

August Blog: 5 Tips for Initiating Blended Learning in the Classroom

5 Tips for Initiating Blended Learning in the Classroom

This month's blog is 5 Tips for Initiating Blended Learning in the Classroom. If you're unsure of what a blended classroom is or how to implement it into your lesson plan, this month's blog is for you. Guest blogger Ashley Sanford offers an explanation of the term and gives five tips and pieces of advice on transitioning it into your classroom to aid in the learning process. What better way to welcome a new school year than with an update to your teaching repertoire.

App of the Month

Every month we are going to feature a different, and hopefully FREE, iPad/iPod/iPhone/Android educational application. Visit our ever-changing app page.

The App of the Month for August is Trello. The beginning of the school year can be a bit hectic, Trello can help you keep organized and stay on task. You can create checklists to keep track of to-dos and make project boards. You can even share your list with other teachers to assign tasks and share updates of how the project is progressing. You'll know exactly what needs to get done, who's going to do it, and what's coming up next. Updates to projects and checklist are synced and saved instantly to the cloud so all of your devices are always up to date.

Available for both Apple and Android devices.

Compatibility: Requires iOS 8.0 or later for Apple devices, and Android 4.0.3 and higher.

WHAT'S HAPPENING THIS MONTH?

Here are some of the August events that you can celebrate this month:

1. National Back to School Month- The summer has flown by, and it's time to head back to school! Whether you're a teacher getting ready to meet your new students, or a parent preparing to send your child(ren) back to school we have resources to help transition back into the swing of the school year. Check out our Teacher resource page and our Parent resource page


2. Natural Immunization Awareness Month - August is National Immunization Awareness Month! Find resources, vaccination schedules, and a parents' guide. Make sure to explain to your kids why shots are important!


3. Francis Scott Key's Birthday (8/1/1779) - Today is the birthday of the writer of our national anthem! Read about Francis Scott Key and learn about the flag the national anthem was written about. Check out these great lesson plans about Francis Scott Key, Ft. McHenry, and the War of 1812.


4. Dollar Day (8/8) - Did you know that the US dollar bill was created in 1786? Learn about the current $1 bill and the history of currency in the United States. Check out I4C's pages on how to introduce money counting skills to your students or child(ren).


5. International Left-Hander's Day (8/13) - Did you know that Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Albert Einstein, and Bill Gates are all left handed? Roughly 10-15% of Americans are left handed. 1 in 4 Apollo astronauts were left handed. 4 out of the last 5 presidents have been left handed. You can find all sorts of fun, yet, conflicting, left-handed trivia online/ But one thing is for sure, there are quite a few famous left-handers! Find out about other famous left handers and tips for teaching left handed children here!


6. The 19th Amendment was Ratified, Granting Women the Right to Vote (8-18-1920) - The movement for women's rights was elevated to the national level when the 19th Amendment was proposed to Congress in 1878. It took roughly 70 years of suffrage before the Amendment was ratified. Explore lesson plans, and historic information, and classroom resources on Women's Suffrage.


7. National Aviation Day (8/19) - Celebrate the Wright Brothers, Amelia Earhart, and other aviation pioneers today! Look at a great timeline about aviation and find crafts and activities here.


8. Dream Day (8/28) - On this day in in 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King stood at the Lincoln Memorial and said his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. Learn about Dr. King, read his speech, and learn about the Civil Rights Movement.

TEACHER RESOURCES



1. Many historical events happened this month which you can cover in your classroom. Check outI4C's History page for lesson plans, videos, activities, and other resources to supplement your lessons!


2. Back to School we go! Check out all of our great resources - including Classroom Organization, Classroom Management, Lesson Planning, and Making the Most Out of Technology.


3. Our Teacher Resource page has everything from Exceptional Children needs, to Project Ideas, Character Education, Lesson Plans, Instructional Information, Reference Sites, and all of our Teacher Tools. Please take advantage of these FREE services!


4. Here are a few quick links to get you started:
   Lesson Plans page
   Elementary and Middle School Lessons
   High School Lessons
   Classroom and workstation set up by grade
   Planning Tools
   Bulletin Board Ideas
   Classroom Forms
   Discipline Techniques and Classroom Management
   Grade Level Help
   Resources by School Subject
   Guidance Resources


5. Check out our Pinterest and especially our Back to School board to find fun classroom tips for the new school year!


6. Be sure to check out our Common Core Math Printables and Common Core State Standards Resources when planning your lessons this year. These are great additional supplements to use in your classroom!


7. Looking for fun printables, ice breaking activities, learning style quizzes, and back to school tips? Check out Classroom Collective's Back to School section to make the first day of school great!


8. Are you a first time teacher this fall? Scholastic has a "survival guide" page for new teachers with tips and resources to help make your first year of teaching a success!


9. Looking for a great book to read to your classroom on the first day of school? Find a great back to school themed list here!


10. Remember to visit our Teacher Tools section! This home page contains all the topics you may need to use during the school year.


11. Go to our grade level help for lesson plans, activities, instructionals, and tools organized by grade and subject.



PARENT RESOURCES



1. It's that time - time to get our kids motivated to hit the books. Visit our Back to School Guide for Parents and Parent Zone. Learn how to get involved at your child's school. Find tips for getting your house back into a routine. Stay informed with our bullying and character education resources. Here are a few disciplining techniques to help along the way.


2. Homework is always a struggle, isn't it? Browse these links for homework help ideas.


3. August is National Immunization Month! Make sure your children are up to date on their shots before the school year starts. Find a Parent's Guide to Immunization here.


4. Nutrition is an important factor in academic performance! Find tips for healthy eating here. Here are some great ideas to make a healthy school lunch for your kids and be sure check out our Nutrition page.


5. Be sure to check out I4C's collection of free educational iPhone and iPad apps for you and your child!


6. You can always visit our Parent Resources page to get grade level practice sites, find online sources, and information pertaining to homework, special needs, reading help, and more.


7. Don't forget our Technology Tutorial section in case you need refresher courses in your computer skills.





TECHNOLOGY TIPS



1. Back Up Your Computer: Start the school year off on the right foot by backing up your documents. If you want to save your files to a cloud, check out these great free options. You can also use the Windows Backup Function. To use it, click on the Start button, go to the Control Panel, click on 'Backup and Restore', and then click on 'Backup Now'.


2. Computer Lab Integration: If you're a computer lab teacher, our integration sites offer wonderful computer lessons, activities, and custom worksheets for all grades.


3. I Saved Over My File!: Did you know that you can right click on a Word document file, and there's a "restore previous versions" option in case you save over something. Other Office tips.






We also have other basic instruction in Microsoft Office, including Word 2007, Excel 2007, Powerpoint 2007.





OTHER AREAS OF INTEREST



1. Resources for Educators - In this section you can find classroom resources for Exceptional Children, Smartboards, Character Education, Web 2.0 Resources and other topics.
2. Resources for Parents - Parents can find resources
   on assisting their children with homework, time management, Internet Safety, subject area resources, grade level resources and more.



ONLINE PRACTICE AT I4C




Internet4Classrooms now offers Online Practice and Interactives, covering Kindergarten to Sixth Grade Common Core Mathematics. Look for a rapidly growing variety of thousands of practice quizzes tied to the Common Core State Standards, School Subjects, Activities, and Holidays.




Check out our NEW Online Practice Quizzes! More grades and subjects coming soon!




COMMON CORE MATHEMATICS PRINTABLES AT I4C




Internet4Classrooms offers Printables, covering Kindergarten to Sixth Grade Mathematics. Look for a rapidly growing variety of thousands of practice worksheets tied to the Common Core State Standards, School Subjects, Activities, and Holidays.




Check out our Common Core Printables! More grades and subjects coming soon!




Request teacher access for our Printables' answer guides here.




Common Core State Standards at I4C




Our Common Core State Standards are full of resources for every individual standard. Students can take control of their own learning by clicking on the page with the standard number, and choosing their own resource to practice that skill.




Check out our Common Core Math High School Algebra Standards, Common Core Math Standards, and Common Core ELA Standards.




SAT and ACT Test Preparation

Free Online Practice Resources for ACT Tests and SAT Tests! I4C now offers free SAT and ACT vocabulary and math quizzes. Join our SAT and ACT Test Preparation program and log in as much as you'd like. Students can take practice tests on 5000 vocabulary words or over 1000 math problems. Parents and Mentors can log in to monitor your scores - including seeing which vocabulary words that were missed. Interactive quizzes allow the test taker to retake and study as much as they want.




Sign Up Here for ACT Test & SAT Test Preparation!