Resources: Listed below are books, websites, and articles that will help bring more differentiation in your class.
Read aloud books
On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein by Jennifer Berne, Chronicle Books, San Francisco, 2013
This is a wonderful story to read aloud to your class to help embrace curiosity in your students as well as teaching perseverance. The author starts in the story telling about Albert Einstein as a young child. He was someone who had his own unique way of seeing the world and others did not understand him. His teachers and peers didn't understand all of his questions-but that didn't stop him. He kept on seeking knowledge. The author ends the story pointing out how many other unanswered questions are out there waiting to be answered.
Boxes for Katje by Candace Fleming, Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); September 12, 2003
This is a story based on a real experience by the author's mother. It takes place right after WW II in Holland when families in a particular town had very little food and clothing. Then a little girl in the village receives a package from America and changes start to happen. A friendship grows between the girl in Holland and the girl in America. Everything that Katje receives she shares with her community. This is an amazing story about how a child can make a huge difference in the world.
Internet resources
Science link to teach refraction to your students: Cartwright, Rebecca. "Light Refraction Activities for Kids" ehow. http://www.ehow.com/list_6165753_light-refraction-kids-activities.html
Here is another science link to teach about refraction to your students. It contains a few experiments to try out with your students. : Scholastic. "Refracted Light" http://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonrepro/reproducibles/refracted.htm
Here is a link to a wonderful website. It posts a daily wonder. It allows you to search for a topic you wonder or it posts a wonder of the day. Either way it answers a question in a creative and engaging way. One way I have used this site is that I will share a post that connects with what we are learning. This allows the students another way to connect their learning with other resources. I have also used this site as a springboard for the students to think about what they wonder after viewing a few days of daily wonders. http://wonderopolis.org
Edutopia is a great resource for educators, administrators and parents who are interested in looking for resources to help improve teaching and learning. The website has many ideas and links to get ideas if you are interested in adding problem-based learning in your class. There are excellent videos, articles, and book recommendations. http://www.edutopia.org/
This website is an excellent free resource for educators and parents. It has lesson plan ideas, student interactive activities, and print outs. One neat feature is the "calendar activities." When you click on it, it lists an important event in history. For example, on May 20 it lists that Charles Lindbergh began his transatlantic flight in 1927. When you click on it again, it lists grade level resources that go with that topic as well as more websites to go to explore. They even have related resources that connect with the topic. Teachers can have their students pick a day of the month that they find interesting and use this as a way to begin a self-directed research topic.
http://www.readwritethink.org/
The next website is another excellent resource for differentiation. It includes an immense amount of reading resources that are aligned to the Common Core State Standards. If you are teaching figurative language to your students, you can decide what grade level to work from based on the needs of your students. You can easily scaffold lessons with your students based on the level of your students. It is a free website, but you need to register on it to get use of the resources. http://www.readworks.org/
This next website connects learning with students making a difference. You can pick one of the listed topics, like English vocabulary, and every question you get right donates a certain amount of rice to help end hunger through the World Food Program. By having the student participate, it will bring up the topic of ending world hunger in which the students can develop ideas to help solve. http://freerice.com/#/english-vocabulary/5159
Professional Articles
The article below was written by Dr. Joseph Renzulli. He wrote about how to bring about more "enjoyment, engagement, and enthusiasm" in a learning environment. He wrote about the Triad Model of teaching and learning. The Lesson Plan I have included is based on his model.
Renzulli, Joseph. "The Three E's of Successful Academic, Achievement, and Enrichment" The Creativity Post, March 6, 2012.
http://www.creativitypost.com/education/the_three_es_of_successful_academic_achievement_and_enrichment_enjoyment_en
Real World Learning Ideas
iearn-a global organization which helps teachers collaborate with other teachers around the world to help make a difference in other peoples lives.
http://www.iearn.org/
Here is a link to a wonderful video about a boy in East LA who built his own cardboard arcade. His arcade was then made into a short video by a film maker who was inspired by his creativity and wanted to share it with others.
http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2012/04/one-boy-a-diy-arcade-and-the-most-uplifting-flashmob-of-all-time/
On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein by Jennifer Berne, Chronicle Books, San Francisco, 2013
This is a wonderful story to read aloud to your class to help embrace curiosity in your students as well as teaching perseverance. The author starts in the story telling about Albert Einstein as a young child. He was someone who had his own unique way of seeing the world and others did not understand him. His teachers and peers didn't understand all of his questions-but that didn't stop him. He kept on seeking knowledge. The author ends the story pointing out how many other unanswered questions are out there waiting to be answered.
Boxes for Katje by Candace Fleming, Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); September 12, 2003
This is a story based on a real experience by the author's mother. It takes place right after WW II in Holland when families in a particular town had very little food and clothing. Then a little girl in the village receives a package from America and changes start to happen. A friendship grows between the girl in Holland and the girl in America. Everything that Katje receives she shares with her community. This is an amazing story about how a child can make a huge difference in the world.
Internet resources
Science link to teach refraction to your students: Cartwright, Rebecca. "Light Refraction Activities for Kids" ehow. http://www.ehow.com/list_6165753_light-refraction-kids-activities.html
Here is another science link to teach about refraction to your students. It contains a few experiments to try out with your students. : Scholastic. "Refracted Light" http://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonrepro/reproducibles/refracted.htm
Here is a link to a wonderful website. It posts a daily wonder. It allows you to search for a topic you wonder or it posts a wonder of the day. Either way it answers a question in a creative and engaging way. One way I have used this site is that I will share a post that connects with what we are learning. This allows the students another way to connect their learning with other resources. I have also used this site as a springboard for the students to think about what they wonder after viewing a few days of daily wonders. http://wonderopolis.org
Edutopia is a great resource for educators, administrators and parents who are interested in looking for resources to help improve teaching and learning. The website has many ideas and links to get ideas if you are interested in adding problem-based learning in your class. There are excellent videos, articles, and book recommendations. http://www.edutopia.org/
This website is an excellent free resource for educators and parents. It has lesson plan ideas, student interactive activities, and print outs. One neat feature is the "calendar activities." When you click on it, it lists an important event in history. For example, on May 20 it lists that Charles Lindbergh began his transatlantic flight in 1927. When you click on it again, it lists grade level resources that go with that topic as well as more websites to go to explore. They even have related resources that connect with the topic. Teachers can have their students pick a day of the month that they find interesting and use this as a way to begin a self-directed research topic.
http://www.readwritethink.org/
The next website is another excellent resource for differentiation. It includes an immense amount of reading resources that are aligned to the Common Core State Standards. If you are teaching figurative language to your students, you can decide what grade level to work from based on the needs of your students. You can easily scaffold lessons with your students based on the level of your students. It is a free website, but you need to register on it to get use of the resources. http://www.readworks.org/
This next website connects learning with students making a difference. You can pick one of the listed topics, like English vocabulary, and every question you get right donates a certain amount of rice to help end hunger through the World Food Program. By having the student participate, it will bring up the topic of ending world hunger in which the students can develop ideas to help solve. http://freerice.com/#/english-vocabulary/5159
Professional Articles
The article below was written by Dr. Joseph Renzulli. He wrote about how to bring about more "enjoyment, engagement, and enthusiasm" in a learning environment. He wrote about the Triad Model of teaching and learning. The Lesson Plan I have included is based on his model.
Renzulli, Joseph. "The Three E's of Successful Academic, Achievement, and Enrichment" The Creativity Post, March 6, 2012.
http://www.creativitypost.com/education/the_three_es_of_successful_academic_achievement_and_enrichment_enjoyment_en
Real World Learning Ideas
iearn-a global organization which helps teachers collaborate with other teachers around the world to help make a difference in other peoples lives.
http://www.iearn.org/
Here is a link to a wonderful video about a boy in East LA who built his own cardboard arcade. His arcade was then made into a short video by a film maker who was inspired by his creativity and wanted to share it with others.
http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2012/04/one-boy-a-diy-arcade-and-the-most-uplifting-flashmob-of-all-time/