Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) provides rigorous and meaningful opportunities for ALL kiddos to learn. The key to CRT is to design learning experiences that are both cognitively and affectively engaging. In order to do so, we must abandon the false dichotomy of social-emotional and academic learning needs so that students are able to draw on their identities and their assets in order to show their competencies.

Attendees can pre-submit questions for the panel or ask them live.

Teaching and learning suffer when technology gets in the way.  With the 3 Part Framework for Online Learning, you will learn how to use technology as a powerful learner to elevate your curriculum and move students to success. 

Transform your traditional grammar and language teaching into fresh and FUN integrated practices with the mentor sentences routine. (You'll be ready to throw out the grammar workbook and boring rote PowerPoint lessons!) Learn how to help students make that ever-important transfer to writing in just 10-15 minutes per day, and incorporate higher-order thinking into grammar. And the best part - students actually love doing it!

Discover how to present an online math lesson that includes productive struggle, problem solving, virtual manipulatives, online practice and a formative assessment. Use the referenced Google Slides template to design your own online math lesson. 

Learn how to quickly develop integrated units that save class time while meeting multiple standards. Example unit will focus on integrating ELA and social studies, but the methods can be applied to any discipline.

It’s time to dust off your math manipulatives because together we are going to unlock the power of using manipulatives in your math block. In this session, we will talk about why all students should have the opportunity to learn with math manipulatives and how small changes can make a big difference in how students understand math concepts. You’ll leave this session excited and empowered to make learning hands-on for your students!

Teachers, without taking care of yourself, you won’t have the energy to help your students each day. Self-care matters and is essential during these difficult days in education. As educators, we focus on social-emotional learning for our students but forget about ourselves. Join Ashlyn as she shares stress management and self-care techniques that will help you be a happier and healthier teacher. It’s time to prioritize your teacher well-being and give your students your best teacher self!

If you've been watching the news, you've seen there is a lot going on in our country. As educators, some of us might be wondering what this might have to do with us. Why is it important for teachers to be involved in reflective processes? What tools, practices, and resources are available to guide the reflective process? Why is this work sometimes conducted in affinity groups, and why is it sometimes done in multi-cultural spaces? In this session, educators from across the country discuss these questions.

During this COVID-19 pandemic, we as educators have had to get creative about how we teach our lesson plans to our students. This is especially true for science lessons that require hands-on materials. Fortunately, science is everywhere! This is a walkthrough of a NGSS-aligned engineering design lesson plan for elementary school students with supplies found in most homes.

Let's face it. We don't know what fall is really going to be like. In this video, I'm going to share tips and techniques to get you, your students, and your families set up for success — whether learning happens online, offline, or in hybrid situations. I'll share both digital and unplugged resources that you can use to get everyone ready!

We all know that learning plummets when students have to sit still for too long. In this session, we will talk about strategies for implementing Brain Breaks successfully, some clever ways to use Brain Breaks, and ways to get movement into your lessons, even when your lessons are online.

Every classroom has a few management challenges from students talking to staying on-task. Even a veteran teacher with strong classroom management skills can come face-to-face with the occasional defiant behavior or a student who just doesn’t care. In this session, The Owl Teacher will provide practical solutions to the top 10 classroom management challenges to help your classroom run smoothly.

Part 1: State of the Growth Mindset in 2020

Do you want to help your students (and yourself!) feel more successful, more resilient, and less stressed out? This session dives into the Growth Mindset and how it helps student achievement and fulfillment, as well as providing updated approaches to help students develop and maintain a Growth Mindset.

Part 2: Three Powerful Strategies to Help Students Develop a Growth Mindset

Having covered the nuances of the most recent Growth Mindset developments, we can now turn to the most practical strategies to apply the Growth Mindset in the classroom. These strategies combine decades of neuroscience research, real-world educator best practices, and creativity to help students thrive, especially in these uncertain and challenges times.

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Attendees can pre-submit questions for the panel or ask them live.

In this session, you will explore ways to integrate art into your lessons. Whether you’re fully integrating within your own classroom or you’re collaborating with your art teacher, you’ll come away with simple, engaging ideas to teach your content through art. No formal art skills required, just a growth mindset and a willingness to explore new ideas!

In a perfect world, general education teachers and special education teachers would have all of the time in the world to collaborate together. In this training, you will learn 8 tips for building a positive rapport with your peer teacher and how to collaborate within busy schedules, as well as a few bonus tips and a print-and-go (and digital!) collaboration log. Remember through all of this that we are all in this for the kids. #TeamMentality

Discover a quick, easy and positive way to win over Non English speaking parents. There are also free and easy tech tools out there that make real time communication with them a breeze in ANY language.

If you are looking for new and creative ways to engage your students when teaching social studies, you will not want to miss this presentation. I will discuss the importance of culturally relevant practices and how to implement them in your classroom. You also won’t want to miss some tips on how to engage students while doing online learning. Finally, I will share some creative and fun social studies activities that you will want to use in your classroom! Teaching social studies should be exciting for your students!

There are no shortcuts or tricks when it comes to Culturally Responsive Teaching, but a high-leverage teacher behavior is planning. This session models how to design culturally responsive learning experiences by looking closely at a fourth grade Language Arts unit that rigorously teaches theme while engaging students with their families' narratives.

Teacher Friends, are you ready to jump into Book Clubs this school year? Now is the time to take the leap to grow your students into lifelong readers! I am excited to provide you with ideas and helpful resources for you to start implementing your book clubs in your classroom. Best of all, you will take away resources to start using right away.

Let me show you how I've been using Digital Interactive Notebooks in ELA for a few years now. I'm sharing the benefits of DINBs as well as the setup, graphic organizer templates you can use, and logistics for sharing the digital files with your students. You can use these ideas for any subject area!

Don’t have lots of experience with trans people? One trans man teacher, Matthew Rice, shares with you some of his journey to his best life.

Renee will show you some of her favorite ways to bring science content into your day. By integrating hands-on techniques to teach, practice, and review your content in a creative way, you can find more quality time for your science curriculum. Build up your bank of engaging activities, technology resources, and cross curricular tips that can be used within your schedule to integrate science. Get ready to have some fun finding easy and quick ways to fit science and STEM into your day.

Explore how to use Elementari to engage and support students in both their curricular and social emotional learning through creating and publishing interactive stories. We will dive into different strategies and example lesson plans that you can use in your classroom right away. No coding experience needed!

Using the Math Workshop Model in your classroom is one of the best ways to help your students develop a deep conceptual understanding of math. But that understanding can be clouded when parts of math workshop are missed. In this session, The Owl Teacher will tell you what pitfalls to avoid so that your students can soar in math and you can enjoy the Math Workshop Model more!

Providing content that is accessible to all students can be challenging. Podcasts, on the other hand, are a powerful platform that allows all students to demonstrate deeper understanding of content using a method that all students can access. Podcasts and podcasting are also ideal for distance learning, as there are hundreds of podcasts made specifically for kids on a variety of topics and storytelling experiences. Podcasts and podcasting in the classroom can bring excitement and engagement to your upper elementary classroom. After attending podcasting school for teachers, you will walk away knowing how to integrate podcasts into your instruction and also utilize student-created podcasts in your classroom to increase the level of engagement and offer alternative assessment options.

Were you thrown into distance learning? Did you wish you had some tools up your sleeve to help make eLearning easier? Explore some of my favorite apps and extensions to use remotely or in the classroom. All are free, easy to use, and implement using Google Chrome.

This seminar's purpose is to move beyond classifications of IEP's and Special Ed, and identity the role of disability in the classroom. How do we meet the psychosocial, cultural, and developmental needs of mainstreamed students? How do we infuse disability into the language arts and social studies curriculum? This seminar will make you more proficient in addressing those issues and understanding disability in a diverse society.

Attendees can pre-submit questions for the panel or ask them live.

How do you make science hands-on when your school isn’t providing you with materials? These tips and ideas will help you provide cost-effective ways to engage students without breaking your bank.

Engage your students to write, code, and publish their own virtual escape room using Elementari. You'll leave this session with strategies and templates that you or your students can use.

Did you know that experts estimate there are 3-5 students in every class who have an undiagnosed vision problem? Learn what vision process disorders are and how you can help support students with VPDs.

Attendees of this session will learn about the five core social emotional learning skills. Participants will develop an understanding of teaching strategies for each core social emotional learning skill. In addition, participants will learn how to think creatively about designing, implementing, and evolving SEL programs to fit their unique needs. Finally, participants will receive a brief introduction to restorative practices and learn how to use restorative conversations to improve student outcomes.

Reading conferences are a great way to not only help students grow as readers, but to also build a relationship with your students as readers. This session covers the ins and outs of holding reading conferences with easy to implement tips and strategies. Participants will learn: what reading conferences are, how to run reading conferences and the many benefits of holding daily reading conferences with students.

What do students do AFTER they learn internet safety? How do they use their knowledge to leave a lasting impact on their communities? Come discover how to move from digital citizenship to civic literacy. Participants will leave with an action plan & resources to facilitate culturally relevant #DigCit community application.

Learn the importance of promoting number sense in your classroom and how this process connects to fluency and mental math skills. You'll leave this session with a better understanding of strategies you can incorporate in your classroom to build number sense and how to start a daily routine for student practice.

Practice mindfulness with your students with these simple techniques. In addition to cognitive benefits, mindfulness can help students manage stress and anxiety. I have broken the practice down into 3 easy steps that you can try out while watching this session. I recommend that you download the PDF prior to watching and print out the 2 pages to take notes, as well as the rainbow page or one of the coloring pages.

A simple, non-digital data collection method for IEP goals that can be used in any setting, at any time, and is a quick-teach to other support staff in your classroom.

Teachers need a variety of strategies and techniques to engage the students’ brains. In this session, The Owl Teacher provides a collection of brain-based activities that can be integrated into any subject and are sure to engage the process of learning!

Can morning meetings be more than greetings, games, and share time? Learn how teachers and students can get more out of morning meetings with a theme-based framework that supports students' social and emotional development and builds the classroom community as a whole--all while teaching some of the standards you are required to teach!

STEM is a powerful tool that will increase engagement in your social studies lessons. Learn strategies for developing STEM lessons that tie in real-world connections, STEM careers, and social studies topics. This session includes a multitude of lesson ideas and a tool kit to create exciting lessons of your own. Use the provided downloadable handouts for notes, free lessons, and additional resources.

The number of technology tools out there is growing every day and it can feel overwhelming to keep up with it all. In this session I'm sharing ways to narrow down tech tools that are actually worth trying in the classroom and then sharing a process that I use to test out and reflect on the tools.

In this high-energy session, join Grammy award-winning children’s artist Cory Hills, as he discusses how to fuse elements of classical music with literacy though his program Percussive Storytelling. Utilizing Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences, Hills details why interdisciplinary arts programs are essential in teaching the whole child.

Attendees can pre-submit questions for the panel or ask them live.

In this session, we will go beyond games and centers and focus on how you can get more out of the task cards you already own. You’ll learn an easy way to make your task cards digital for distance learning, how to repurpose your cards for more learning opportunities, and some easy ways to differentiate. Best of all, these strategies can be used whether students are learning in the classroom or at home.

In this session, we will be looking at the importance of teaching reading comprehension strategies in the content area class. You will learn how to incorporate best practices of reading comprehension into the science curriculum.

A morning meeting is the perfect start to your school day. This session includes the benefits of using a morning meeting, the components of a meeting, and activities to try that will add academic content with mini lessons. I will share ways I used morning meetings to build community and ensure students had a safe place to share and encourage one another.

How can we teach students how to think and not what to think? This workshop will discuss computational thinking and computer science. It will also share ways to engage students through unplugged and plugged computer science activities in the classroom.

Staying true to your original vision can be challenging in moments of crisis – how are you responding to breaches in values in the day-to-day chaos teaching can present? How can you enhance your teaching style to reflect your most authentic self for you and your students? We will explore how to bring a philosophy into the classroom, which provides a framework to anchor your classroom and self which empowers you to make decisions in honor of your values and vision and to avoid daily situations which can ask you to compromise who you are.

Getting students to write can be a daunting task. But when it's connected to music, writing can become fun and engaging. Explore how to connect ELAR, Science, and Technology with the Arts Integrated Songwriting Process. If you don't have a musical background, no worries! Grab your smartphone or tablet and learn how to use musical loops with user friendly apps like GarageBand and Soundtrap, and get your students excited about writing.

Learn about activities and online resources teachers can use to create engaging social studies lessons. Attendees will receive a downloadable resource filled with links and ideas to help them quickly develop lessons.

The simple act of making a book is a sure-fire way to engage and ensure student buy-in to the writing process. This session will focus on 8 books you can make with your students. No experience necessary!

If your students consistently struggle to type essays, presentations, and reports quickly then this session is for you. Let me help you set goals for student typing speed and show you a proven method for increasing their skills. Includes practice activities and a printable poster for the classroom.

Teaching problem solving is an essential component of all elementary math programs. Let this workshop guide you in research-based best practices centered on the Standards for Mathematical Practice to help you take your math instruction to the next level. From practical tips on how to get students thinking and talking about math to differentiation and collaboration strategies, join others in getting inspired and energized to add life to your math instruction.

No more teaching in silos. Maximize your time with practical lessons that teach across content areas.

Start the year off with icebreakers and team challenges that build positive classroom culture and meaningful relationships with students. This session will cover our favorite low-prep activities including modifications and tools for distance learning. Plus learn how to leverage these activities throughout the year to deepen relationships and promote 21st-century skills. Use the provided downloadable handouts for notes, free lessons, and additional resources.

If this year has taught us anything, it’s that nobody wants your germs! The days of just “toughing it out” by going into school sick are over. Learn how you can efficiently get your sub plans ready ahead of time, so you can rest easy when the inevitable sick day comes. You’ll wonder why you ever handled sick days any other way!

Fun and engaging strategies to integrate important economics concepts into your elementary classroom. This session includes the four main strategies I use to incorporate economics into my curriculum daily.

In this talk, participants will have an opportunity to learn how to engage students by integrating mathematical modeling and computational thinking in the curriculum through a variety of approaches. Some of these include active learning, experiential learning, project based learning, challenge based learning, digital innovations and learning by doing approaches. Through these they will learn to share collaborative experiences with innovative pedagogical practices to advance teaching and learning in the 21^st century.

Attendees can pre-submit questions for the panel or ask them live.

Learn to use the PowerPoint Recording feature to create asynchronous instructional videos (that could include PowerPoint slides, whiteboard drawings, video from you via webcam and more)

CER- Claim, evidence, reasoning - learn how to incorporate this formula into your science lessons to strengthen analysis and writing skills. Step by step instructions make this method easy to integrate into your classroom. Walk away with a formula response sheet and a graphic organizer to help you get started.

Setting up Google Classroom is very straightforward, but here are 5 tips to make it work even better for you and your students. The 5 tips cover organization, naming or titling, settings and more. Download the PDF for a step by step guide to each of the tips.

As teachers, we are constantly working beyond our contracted hours and giving up time with our loved ones. In this session, The Owl Teacher will provide you with ten must-do strategies that will help you get some time back in your schedule and allow you to take your weekends back from teaching and spend it with people you enjoy and love!

During this session, participants will engage in critical dialogue exploring the intersection of diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice in the context of mathematics and science instruction. Alignment to the CCSS and NGSS will be embedded into the discussion.

Do you have underperforming students? It may be your assessment. Learn how assessment formats can affect student performance and get ideas on how to improve your assessment formats.

Whether your math students will return to a face-to-face classroom this fall or will continue with distance learning, you can utilize BASIC technology and REGULAR resources to create meaningful learning opportunities for them. This session is broken into 3 parts:

► Introduction to Digital Learning Paths in the math classroom

► Creating a Learning Path from start to finish

► Using basic technology to replicate yourself and better support your students

This session provides the materials and templates you'll need to design and create independent learning opportunities for your math students.

The life of an educator is dominated by lesson plans, agendas, and schedules. These necessary constructs serve their purpose, but educational opportunities also come from unexpected places. Finding ways to introduce performance arts across the curriculum allows students the chance to deepen their understanding while making the school day memorable.

With all the heavy testing requirements with math and language arts, sometimes science and social studies get pushed off to the wayside. But these topics are important for our students to learn about! Learn how to teach science and social studies using student-led research, so your students can learn about these topics while developing crucial research skills. Applicable to in person and distance learning!

Do your students take pages of bullet point notes, with no sense of organization or importance? Using notetaking task stations, explicitly teach students HOW to take effective notes, while tapping into their learning styles.

Writing instruction can be a real struggle – there is so much to teach that we often feel like we’re never making any progress. But by using the steps outlined in this session, you'll have a writing workshop format with manageable lessons that will reduce the overwhelm for you and your students! You'll even leave this session with ready-to-use mini lessons!

Learn how to incorporate this amazing free technology platform as well as how to utilize Flipgrid in your teaching. From sharing Science Experiments and reflections and STEM challenges that celebrate student work...as well as utilizing Flipgrid for all core classes, Flipgrid is an easy tool to help all students connect with each other and share their learning with you and each other. Join Renee Heinrich as she shows you how to set up and best utilize Flipgrid in your classroom and beyond!