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PreK-6 Newsletter | |
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3rd Quarter 2005 -- Fall 2005 Building Blocks of Professional Development Professional development is most effective when centered on the critical activities of teaching and learning - planning lessons, evaluating student work, developing curriculum - rather than abstractions and generalizations Teachers learn best when the courses are grounded in the realities of the classroom, particular children, and the teacher's own experience (cf. Lave & Wenger 1991). UNC Center for Public Television (UNC-TV) provides professional development online, on-air, anytime, anywhere. The goal of UNC-TV's Educational Outreach is to provide learning for a lifetime to the citizens of North Carolina. Through statewide services, UNC-TV provides a variety professional development and educational opportunities for adult learners, teachers, parents and caregivers. Educational opportunities and services include hands-on learning experiences for parents and caregivers, workshops and telecourses for adult learners and online professional development for teachers and other educators. Our website (www.unctv.org/education) is the gateway to multitude of educational resources. A helpful free resource for teachers is TeacherSource-over 3,000 free online lesson plans correlated to state standards. Ready To Learn workshops and resources for teachers and parents are available through online resources and hands-on workshops. Ready To Grow and FitTogether are new components of our PreK-12 services. Ready To Grow (designed for afterschool personnel) provides workshops and educational kits to meet unique needs of this blend of learners. FitTogether-part of UNC-TV's HealthWise campaign- promotes a healthy lifestyle for our children and links North Carolinians to tools for healthier weight and lifestyles. Workshops and kits promoting physical fitness and healthy habits are available through our PreK-12 services. Adult learners can achieve educational and personal goals through UNC-TV's Adult Learning services. Adult Learning services include online resources, telecourses and workshops for teachers and parents. Adult Learning services include adult basic education (GED Connections), English as a Second Language (Connect with English, Crossroads Café) in addition to Ready To Earn college credit telecourses and professional development programs. ESOL workshops for teachers and parents are available through PreK-12 and Adult Learning services at UNC-TV. TeacherLine provides online professional development for K-12 teachers. TeacherLine courses are research based and designed to meet the goals of No Child Left Behind and Reading First-scientifically based research, high quality professional development, effective integration of technology and measurable effect on student learning. Communities of practice are important for professional development and adult education to succeed. UNC-TV's Educational Outreach supports quality learning through the cornerstones of learning-critical activities, assessment, consistency, resources, accountability and continuity. Written By: Emily M. Castleberry, Literacy Coordinator and TeacherLine Manager, UNC Center for Public Television Six Elements of 21st Century Education
Source: Partnership for 21st Century Skills The Role of Media Literacy How can our children develop these important skills? One area that has often been overlooked in our search for the perfect mix of education has been the role of media literacy. The National Council for Teachers of English (NCTE), Partnership for 21st Century Skills, National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, the National Council for the Social Studies, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy and the American Association of School Libraries have recognized the importance of media literacy. What is media literacy? Media literacy is the ability to access, analyze, evaluate and produce communication (media) in a variety of forms. Media literacy is concerned with helping students develop an informed and critical understanding of the nature of mass media, the techniques used by them, and the impact of these techniques. More specifically, it is education that aims to increase the students' understanding and enjoyment of how the media work, how they produce meaning, how they are organized, and how they construct reality. Media literacy also aims to provide students with the ability to create media products. Source: Center for Advanced Technology, 1997 "A growing body of research suggests that media literacy instruction improves student reading, viewing and listening comprehension of print, audio and video texts, message analysis and interpretation and writing skills." Source: Media Matters, March 2005, Access Learning magazine Frank Baker, Media Educator, stresses the importance of media literacy to our children and their future. According to Hobbs (2004), "Our students are growing up in a world saturated with media messages.yet they (and their teachers) receive little or not training in the skills of analyzing or re-evaulating these messages, many of which make use of language, moving images, music [and] sound effects." Source: R. Hobbs, Journal Adult & Adolescent Literacy, February 2004 KIDS COUNT REPORT Parents and educators alike will want to check out the most recent KIDS COUNT report released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. KIDS COUNT provides policymakers and citizens with benchmarks of child well-being in a national and state-by-state effort to track the status of children in the U.S. For more information, including a state-by-state breakdown of the data, visit http://www.aecf.org/kidscount/ Join Marc Brown and UNC-TV at Marc Brown, creator of the Arthur the Aardvark book series and foundation for the Ready To Learn series Arthur, is the Opening Keynote Speaker at the 2005 NC-ayec Conference at 7 PM, Thursday, September 22, 2005. Best known as Arthur's creator, author/illustrator Marc Brown has been working with the beloved aardvark for over 25 years. Born one night when Brown was telling a bedtime story to his son, Arthur soon evolved into the book Arthur's Nose, published in 1976. Since then, Brown has written and illustrated more than 30 Arthur and D. W. books. Mr. Brown will be available for an autograph session following his keynote address. UNC-TV's Ready To Learn service will provide a hands-on workshop on Saturday, September 24, 2005 at 9:50 am - 11:20 am. The topic is Arthur Resources For Teachers! The Arthur curriculum helps children prepare for school. Participates will review different Arthur curriculums, prepare snacks, explore books, view educational video that reinforce theme, and do related activities. They will become familiar with the learning triangle educational philosophy of Read, View and Do! AKA: Integrated Learning! North Carolina Middle Schools Spotlighted North Carolina Schools to Watch is a partnership between the NC Department of Public Instruction, NC Middle School Association, and the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform and seeks to identify and recognize high-performing middle grades schools across the state. Schools to Watch are schools that are:
There are currently 55 Schools to Watch in 11 states, and 14 right here in North Carolina--the most in the nation! 2003 1 - Ashe County Middle School - Warrensville, NC (Ashe County) 2 - Durant Road Middle School - Raleigh, NC (Wake County) 3 - Rugby Middle School - Hendersonville, NC (Henderson County) 4 - Topsail Middle School - Hempstead, NC (Pender County) 2004 5 - Dixon Middle School - Holly Ridge, NC (Onslow County) 6 - East Burke Middle School - Icard, NC (Burke County) 7 - East Lincoln County Middle School - Iron Station, NC (Lincoln County) 8 - John Griffin Middle School - Fayetteville, NC (Cumberland County) 9 - Reid Ross Classical School - Fayetteville, NC (Cumberland County) 10 - South Charlotte Middle School - Charlotte, NC (Mecklenburg County) 2005 11 - Brawley Middle School - Mooresville, NC (Iredell County) 12 - Carmel Middle School - Charlotte, NC (Mecklenburg County) 13 - East Yancey Middle School - Burnsville, NC (Yancey County) 14 - Jay M. Robinson Middle School - Charlotte, NC (Mecklenberg County) TeacherLine Online Professional Development Coming To UNC-TV and Public Television Stations This Fall! Zula Patrol-"Intergalactic Brain Fuel" Zula Patrol is a new children's science program created in Asheville, North Carolina to meet National Science Education Standards. With a decline in the United States overall in science for the past twenty years, it is important that we encourage our children to experiment and learn science concepts required by North Carolina curriculum and in line with the No Child Left Behind initiative. This fun and exciting program is design to spark that interest in preschool and elementary age children. Building a critical foundation for understanding science concepts and content will support the learning that is taking place. Parents and teachers can use the program segments to highlight important concepts and make the connection. The Zula Patrol Launch Pad for Learning outreach program is to extend the exciting worlds of space science, astronomy and pro-social behavior in the classroom, home and educational institution. There are two targeted age groups-Cadet level for K-2 and Jr. Cadet for ages 3-5. The No Child Left Behind Act requires schools to "offer a challenging curriculum...making math and science curricula more rigorous, improving math and science professional development.and creating innovative ways to reach underserved schools." Curriculum Sample topics include earth, sun, day and night, rotation of planets, revolution of earth around the sun and matter. Zula Patrol will also have a traveling museum exhibit designed to address 21st Century learning skills, math and science literacy, curriculum content of NSES, different types of play and multiple intelligences. As with all UNC-TV's children's programming, reading is an essential component. Choosing Science Books for Children When selecting science books for children, it is important to remember that the readiness of individual children to read or listen to books of different difficulty varies considerably, so any indication of age levels needs to be taken as a rough guide only. In assessing a science book one needs to look at:
Good science books do more than inform about facts; they also show how beautiful, intricate and interlinked physical existence is; and they are written in a way that helps children develop language skills. This fall check out the blast off of this new North Carolina created children's program airing on UNC-TV. Share A Story Campaign This is UNC-TV's 11th year participating in the Reading Rainbow Young Writers and Illustrators competition and we have seen many great entries through the years. This year was extra special because our Kindergarten winner, Gabriel Turner was honored with First Place in the national competition for his entry "The Magic Garden and the Caterpillar". His book was chosen out of 40,000 other entries across the United States! In honor of his award and to celebrate all eight (8) of our NC winners and runner-ups UNC-TV hosted this special celebration. The Reading Rainbow Young Writers and Illustrator's Celebration was held at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Science, Raleigh, NC on August 27, 2005. Ready To Learn staff organized and facilitated the contest recruiting K-12 teachers and other volunteers to serve as judges. Ready To Learn staff and Just For Kids staff worked together to coordinate the reception celebration at the museum! It was a grand event. Our eight winners and runner ups received goodie bags with a color copied set of the 4 winning stories along with bookmarks, stickers, and a special treat from the museum. During the ceremony each received a framed copy of their certificate and book cover. The National Winner took home a "bug themed" goodie basket (the museum donated some treats) along with the DVD/Book set from Reading Rainbow, and mounted copies of the Just For Kids posters featuring his/her artwork. North Carolina's Winners and Runners Up
A big thanks to the NC Museum of Natural Sciences for sharing your wonderful staff and space for us to celebrate! Thank you to all the judges for their participation and a special thanks to the UNC-TV's PBS KIDS Ready To Learn staff and volunteers who work tirelessly to ensure that every child enters school more "ready to learn" and remain "eager to learn." Our honorees are a great example of highly motivated learners and achievers! For more information: http://www.unctv.org/kids/rriwriters/index.html Sesame Street's "Weathering the Storm" In response to the catastrophic impact of hurricane Katrina, Sesame Workshop has updated our website to offer parents and caregivers tools that will help children cope during the aftermath of this stressful weather event. Please visitwww.sesameworkshop.org and click on "Weathering the Storm" section where you will find resources in English and Spanish Beginning the week of September 12th, PBS will air the special five-part installation ofSesame Streetthat featured a hurricane onSesame Street. Coming in October! PBS Goes In the Classroom with Hedrick Smith's What's the Secret to Revitalizing Unsuccessful Schools? Produced by Pulitzer Prize and Emmy Award Winning Journalist Hedrick Smith, "MAKING SCHOOLS WORK" Airs Nationally on PBS on Wednesday, October 5th from 9-11 P.M. (Washington, DC) - PBS presents Hedrick Smith's MAKING SCHOOLS WORK, an important and inspiring two-hour special that looks at American school systems across the country that are transforming the way students learn, motivating and empowering teachers and all students - including low-income, minority students - raising test scores and providing a road map for other school systems nationwide. Revealing success stories from elementary, middle, and high schools, MAKING SCHOOLS WORK is essential viewing for everyone concerned about America's schools and our children's future. A production of the Emmy Award-winning Hedrick Smith Productions in association with South Carolina ETV, MAKING SCHOOLS WORK will air nationally on PBS on Wednesday, October 5th at 9 P.M. Hour One - Four individual school reform models with excellent results and diversity of approach: Success for All; Comer School Development Program; KIPP: Knowledge is Power Program; and High Schools That Work. UNC-TV's Ready To Learn Service Ready To Learn service workshops and presentations from: September 1, 2004 - May 31, 2005
Thanks to all the hard work of the Ready To Learn Staff and partners across North Carolina for making this valuable service available. |
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