Learn NC online courses available for the month of May

LEP 101


This course will prepare you as you take on the role of a LEP Coordinator or ESL Teacher. You may be a new ESL teacher or have been assigned the role of a LEP Coordinator without receiving any training.

Although you may already know theories or strategies for teaching ESL students, this course is like a manual to teach you the policies, procedures, and required duties that accompany your job dealing with LEP students specifically in NC schools. All material in the course is based on North Carolina LEP policy and is created with the input of the DPI ESL Consultants.

The Connected Writer


Embrace blogging as a way to enhance your students' writing and to reach your own curriculum goals. Writing platforms like blogs, wikis, and forums inspire opportunities for collaboration, peer review, and critical thinking that traditional writing assignments cannot.

Fear not -- we won't send you into the wilderness of social media without a map. You'll learn about not just the available tools, but also internet safety considerations, evaluation materials like rubrics and surveys, examples of successful classroom blogs and blogging assignments, and a variety of web-based platforms specifically designed for education purposes. In addition, throughout the course you will have many opportunities for self-reflection and professional collaboration with educators from across the state.

Best Practices for Vocabulary Instruction in Elementary School


A broad vocabulary is crucial to reading with fluency and comprehension. Because most words are learned indirectly through multiple exposures, it is important to teach word learning strategies. Good vocabulary instruction means fostering word consciousness -- the interest and motivation to learn and use new words.

This course will teach you to create a classroom culture of word consciousness. You'll learn how to model and to encourage independent word-learning strategies that your students can apply while engaging in wide and varied reading. You will also explore the value of instructing students in grades 3 through 5 how to infer the meaning of words from context and word parts.

Financial Literacy Across the Curriculum


Countless students are graduating high school financially illiterate, and overall, as American and world citizens, we are struggling economically. Financial literacy isn't a luxury, but a necessity for every child in every school in America.

Everything you do in this course will relate to developing effective lesson plans and strategies you can use in your own classroom, in addition to fulfilling recommendations of 21st Century Schools. You'll participate in a collaborative environment where a variety of activities and assignments will help you learn the specifics of financial literacy, differentiation, and their relationship to the 21st Century Schools goals. You'll leave the course having completed an integrated financial literacy lesson plan that fulfills recommendations of 21st Century Schools, as well as features differentiated design principles to better communicate this important content to all learners.

Project-Based Learning in the 21st Century


Inspire your students by connecting classroom content to real-world situations. Project-based learning promotes a more engaging learning experience than traditional, text-based classroom activities, helping students gain cross-curricular skills and take ownership of their learning experience.

In this course you will collaborate with peers from across North Carolina to share ideas, learn about available resources, and discuss different perspectives of project-based learning, student achievement, interdisciplinary curriculum, and standards. As a final product, you will create a project-based learning assignment you can use in your own classroom.

Reading First: Supporting Early Reading Instruction with Technology


Participants in this workshop will discover the many ways in which new technologies can support classroom reading instruction in kindergarten through third grade. As they examine existing research on literacy technologies, participants will also review or familiarize themselves with the five areas of instruction discussed in the National Reading Panel's 2000 report on early reading: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and text comprehension. The workshop will put special emphasis on evidence-based uses of technology for reading instruction.

Teaching Writing in the Elementary Classroom


All students have the capacity to be good writers, and writers learn to write by writing. These are the basic tenets of this workshop, during which participants will learn instructional strategies to teach upper-elementary students how to write narrative and informational text.

Participants will explore how to teach their students about the traits of good writing through mini-lessons and writing workshops, and how to use established criteria to evaluate writing. Participants will also recognize that writing is a process and consider how to organize instruction to guide students through the stages of that process. This course will take participants through the instructional cycle, from writing prompt to revision as they create their final projects.

Innovate to Transform the Classroom with Web 2.0 Tools


K-12 education has entered a new technological era. In increasingly dynamic educational settings, technological resources can be integrated into the curriculum to promote student engagement and achievement. In order to take advantage of these settings, teachers need to have the appropriate knowledge and experience.

In this course, you will learn to integrate technologies such as Web 2.0 tools and mobile learning devices to create engaging learning experiences for your students. By taking advantage of the latest classroom technology, you can help your students communicate, share ideas, and collaborate with students across the globe.

Promoting Reading Comprehension Skills in the Elementary School Classroom


Researchers have identified the strategies that expert readers use to understand text. Develop your students into active, purposeful readers by teaching these strategies in your classroom.

In this course, you'll study teaching techniques that help students in grades 3 through 5 develop concrete strategies for constructing meaning from both narrative and expository text. You'll collaborate with educators from across the state and explore cutting-edge instructional procedures designed to bolster students' key comprehension strategies.

World View and the UNC European Union Center of Excellence PD on The European Union & the Euro

The European Union & the €uro   A Workshop for K-12 Educators  Co-sponsored by World View and the UNC European Union Center of Excellence     May 12-13, 2011

FedEx Global Education Center, UNC at Chapel Hill

Join colleagues for a 1½ day workshop designed to help North Carolina K-12 teachers better understand our interconnected world by learning more about the European Union.  This workshop will include presentations by EU scholars on the European Union and the Euro currency. Resources that use technology to enhance content and better integrate the EU in the school's curriculum will be provided. One CEU will be offered.

NC Civic Education Consortium Professional Development on the Supreme Court

Calling All Supreme Court Watchers!

Finish the school year on the right track by applying for this FREE and exciting professional development opportunity with the NC Civic Education Consortium.

  

1.     From Kelo to Citizens United: Telling the Stories of the US Supreme Court

Deadline: April 29, 2011

Educators teaching Civics and Economics, US History or Contemporary Law & Justice are invited to join Duke University School of Law and the NC Civic Education Consortium for a unique teacher training on the Supreme Court and its role in American Society.  Participants will receive a set of DVDs created by Duke Law’s Voices of American Law project, each covering a critical US Supreme Court case.  These 20-minute documentaries, including interviews with the parties themselves, their lawyers, and the judges who shaped the case, expose students to the stories of the real people affected by the Court’s opinions.  Participants will also receive an accompanying lesson plan for each DVD, designed for simple and immediate implementation in the Social Studies classroom.

For more information about the Voices of American Law Project, and details regarding the Supreme Court cases featured in the DVDs, go to: http://voicesofamericanlaw.org.

To register for this terrific opportunity, visit the Consortium’s Training website. 

(Please note: Due to the costs associated with this training, we require a FULLY REFUNDABLE deposit with your registration form.  We will return your deposit when you attend the training.)  

World View Global Updates, April, 2011

To view this newsletter online, click here or paste 
http://www.unc.edu/world/Global_Updates_2011/Mar_Apr/April_11.htm in your browser.

"Making the Wright Connection" An Online Community for the Study of Richard Wright

Virtual Seminar Series Presents A Very Average Negro?: Using Richard Wright's Life to Teach African-American History   Saturday, April 16, 2011 at 10:00 a.m. CST Taught by Jennifer Wallach, Assistant Professor of History at the University of North Texas REGISTRATION IS FREE Abstract: When explaining his decision to write his autobiography, Black Boy, Richard Wright once remarked that he did so in part because he realized that he was a "very average Negro." He hoped that his story would be read as representative of the experiences of others who lacked his access to the reading public. Due to his extraordinary talent and unprecedented success as an African-American novelist, his claim initially sounds like false modesty. However, it also manifests his sensitivity to the fact that he did not walk through history unaccompanied. This seminar will demonstrate how Richard Wright's life can be used as an example for teaching many aspects of African-American history. Topics covered will include Reconstruction, the Great Migration, African-American life during the Great Depression, and various African-American cultural and political responses to racial oppression. Upcoming Virtual Seminars   "The Global Vision of Richard Wright"                               Saturday, April, 23, 2011 at 10am CST Presented by Amritjit Singh, Langston Hughes Professor of English at Ohio University Register here  "Facing Death: The Fear of Death vs. the Death of Fear"     Saturday, April 30, 2011 at 11am CST Presented by Abdul JanMohamed, Professor of English at the University of California (Berkeley) Register here  Join us: Presented by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Project on the History of Black Writing at the University of Kansas, this virtual seminar (webinar) will be presented online and participants should have access to a computer with an internet connection and audio speakers or headphones.   Registration: Please register in advance on our website: www.wrightconnection.ku.edu to receive login information for the virtual seminar. More Information

The Role of Social Media and Its Impact on the Egyptian Revolution

An interactive video presentation and cultural dialogue for students and teachers in North Carolina.
Dr. Naglaa Hassan
April 21st, 2011

The Office of International Education and Development at Appalachian State University is offering a great, interactive opportunity for middle school and high school classrooms across North Carolina.  Thursday April 21st from 11am-12pm, Dr. Naglaa Hassan, lecturer of English Literature at Fayoum University in Egypt, will share her perspectives and expertise related to social media and its influences on the Egyptian Revolution.  Classrooms can join the discussion online or access a live stream link of the presentation.

If you would like to join this session as a classroom group, you can register online at
http://www.international.appstate.edu/node/394

You will be sent the access number to call from your location in North Carolina.

A maximum of 48 sites can access the live stream at https://www.mcnc.org/video-streaming/PerspectivesonEgypt.

A flier with more information is attached. For questions, email bergstedtss@appstate.edu or call 828-262-8046 ext. 111.

-- 

Leslie Beasley Hodges, Program Associate

World View

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

CB# 8011

208 N. Columbia Street

Chapel Hill, NC 27599-8011

Tel: 919.843.8210

Fax: 919.962.6794

http://www.unc.edu/world

Learn NC Courses for May, 2011

Get a head start on your PD for next year with LEARN NC and North Carolina e-Learning for Educators. We have lots of courses starting May 4 in a variety of subjects, including STEM, literacy, ESL, project-based learning, using Web 2.0 tools, and more.

For details, see the course listings below. All courses are aligned to the North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards, and are based on a researched model of effective professional development. These classes start May 4 and seats are limited, so register soon! Courses start at a paltry $75.

ESL

LEP Training 101
May 4–May 24    Carrie Hill    1.0 CEUs    $75

A Crash Course in ESL
May 4–May 31    Carrie Hill    2.0 CEUs    $150

Lesson Planning for English Language Learners Using the WIDA/ELP Standards
May 4–Jun 14    Joy McLaughlin    3.0 CEUs    $225

STEM

Modern Math Teaching: Creating a Culture of Curiosity through Multimedia
May 4–May 24    Dan Meyer    1.0 CEUs    $75

Literacy

Adolescent Literacy: English Language Arts Comprehension Strategies
May 4–Jun 14    Traci Barger    3.0 CEUs (Literacy)    $225

Reading, Writing and Research: Integrating Literacy across the Curriculum
May 4–Jun 7    Suellen Epps    2.0 CEUs    $150

Teaching Writing in the Elementary Classroom
May 4–Jun 14    Shalyn Lapke    3.0 CEUs    $225

Best Practices for Vocabulary Instruction in the Elementary Classroom
May 4–Jun 14    Michelle Furches    3.0 CEUs    $225

The Connected Writer: Using Blogs and Collaborative Tools to Improve Student Writing
May 4–Jun 7    Lucy Miller-Ganfield    2.0 CEUs    $150

Promoting Reading Comprehension Skills in the Elementary Classroom
May 4–Jun 21    Molly White    2.0 CEUs    $150

Reading First: Supporting Early Reading Instruction with Technology
May 4–Jun 14    Leah Gotcsik    2.0 CEUs    $150

Cutting-edge Instruction

Financial Literacy Across the Curriculum
May 4–Jun 14    Rena Sutton    3.0 CEUs    $225

Designing a Virtual Field Trip
May 4–Jun 14    Dan Froelich    2.0 CEUs    $150

Teaching Effectively with an Interactive Whiteboard
May 4–Jun 14    Michael Scott    3.0 CEUs    $225

Visual Learning Strategies
May 4–Jun 14    Edie McDowell    2.0 CEUs    $150

Innovate to Transform the Classroom with Web 2.0 Tools
May 4–Jun 21    Lisa Hervey    3.0 CEUs    $225

Fostering Learning with Digital Portfolios
May 4–Jun 14    Sharon Nash    2.0 CEUs    $150

Project-Based Learning in the 21st Century
May 4–Jun 14    Rosemary Giraldo    3.0 CEUs    $225

Introduction to Online Learning
May 9–May 29    Deborah Horn    1.0 CEUs    $50

Carolina OnLine Teacher Program

Assessment and Evaluation in Your Online Course - Carolina Online Teacher Program
May 4–May 31    Kathryn Walbert    2.0 CEUs (technology)    $150

Accessibility, Usability and Visual Design - Carolina Online Teacher Program   
May 4–May 31    Kathleen Silc    2.0 CEUs    $150

Moodle Training - Carolina Online Teacher Program
May 4–May 24    Deborah Horn    2.0 CEUs    $150

Teaching Online Courses - Carolina Online Teacher Program
May 4–Jun 7    Gary Langner    3.0 CEUs (technology)    $225

Facilitating Online Collaboration - Carolina Online Teacher Program
May 4–May 31    Ruth Bennett    2.0 CEUs (Technology)    $150

Developing Your Online Course - Carolina Online Teacher Program
May 4–Jun 14    Kathryn Walbert    3.0 CEUs (Technology)    $225

Global Youth Service Day collaborative opportunities with Kyrgyzstan high schools

Hi, everyone!

Ryder from IREX’s Global Connections & Exchange team here! We are inviting high school teachers interested in connecting global learning with local service in a special April project with students in Kyrgyzstan’s Tech Age Girls program. In April, either as a collaborative project of about three weeks’ length, or as a one-time live Skype discussion, we would like to connect your students with their peers in Kyrgyzstan, who are eager to discuss, share, problem-solve, and SERVE in their communities as part of Global Youth Service Day.

I’m attaching a small flyer, in case it did not appear as part of this email. Contact me for more information!

RYDER COBEAN

Program Associate, Civil Society Division

International Research & Exchanges Board

2121 K St. NW, Ste. 700

Washington, DC 20037

tel: +1.202.628.8188 x155

fax: +1.202.628.8189

eml: rcobean@irex.org

skype: ryder.cobean

A Citizen's Constitutional Workshop, Jesse Helms Center, April 9

9:30 am - 3:30 pm

Wingate, NC

Register online for this event!

Do you know how to protect our country's founding values?  Are you concerned about the preservation of the Constitution and what it means for our freedoms?  

A Citizen's Constitutional Workshop, conducted on Saturday, April 9 by the North Carolina History Project (a project of the John Locke Foundation) and hosted by the Jesse Helms Center Foundation and the Union County Patriots, will provide intellectual tools and insight for Patriots to defend critical constitutional principles.  

Presenters will include: 

• Dr. Troy Kickler, founding Director of the North Carolina History Project and Adjunct Professor of United States History at N.C. State University.
• Dr. Michael Sanera, Director of Research and Local Government Studies at the Locke Foundation and Adjunct Professor of Political Science at N.C. State University.

This event will be a workshop with a lunch and pre-registration is strongly suggested.  Tickets can be purchased at the John Locke Foundation's website here.

Event overview:

This workshop provides today's Patriots with the intellectual tools to fight for the restoration of the original intent of the U.S. Constitution, which was to promote a limited government based on the rule of law. It explains what the framers meant by phrases such as the "general welfare," "necessary and proper" and other clauses that are often used to justify an ever more powerful federal government. In addition we explore the North Carolina ratification debates and reveal how the Tar Heel State ensured that the Bill of Rights was added. By examining the important role of the states in the nation's beginning and providing constitutional commentary based on the founders' words, this workshop is a must for Americans interested in preserving the United States and a federal form of government.

What the experts are saying about A Citizen's Consitutional Workshop:

"In this time of renewed interest in the Constitution, it is meet that we look back not just on the text, but on the agreement itself. That agreement was hammered out in the state conventions, in crowded rooms full of arguments and clever attempts to turn portions of the agreement to the advantage of one group or another. "A Citizens' Constitutional Workshop" could not be more important, or more timely. That's why NC citizens should attend these workshops. They will remind us that the power of the Constitution is not what it says, but what it did, stitching together a solid national fabric from a patchwork quilt of diverse and opposing interests. We became a nation not when the Constitution was written, but rather when it was ratified."
*Michael C. Munger
Director: Philosophy, Politics and Economics- Duke University.

"The John Locke Foundation's workshop on the Constitution will provide a solid foundation for anyone interested in understanding the Founders' experiment in republican government. By taking a federal perspective upon the original understanding, students will learn how the Revolution was fulfilled by the Constitution -- and gain insight into the divergence between the world of James Madison, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson and the USA of today."
*Kevin Gutzman
History Professor, Western Connecticut State University.
Author of Politically Incorrect Guide to the Constitution and Who Killed the Constitution?: The Fate of American Liberty from World War I to George W. Bush. 

REGISTER ONLINE FOR A CITIZEN'S CONSTITUTIONAL WORKSHOP

NC DPI Professional Development Opportunities for Social Studies Teachers

Professional Development Opportunities:

• AP Human Geography Webinar

NCDPI invited you to attend a FREE, one-hour webinar on Monday, April 4, 2011.  This session is designed to provide strategies to help students achieve success when taking the AP Exam.  For more information see attached flyer.

• Free Workshop for Civics & Economics teachers:  {REGISTRATION DEADLINE EXTENDED}
  This one-day session will feature training from DPI Social Studies consultants on the implications of the new PFL standards in C & E, best practices from the 2010 Economics Educator of the Year, and resources from the NC Council on Economic Education and the Federal Reserve Bank. Classroom resources and a certificate for 10 contact hours will be available for all participants. Please see the attached flyer for additional information.

• Financial Literacy Summit II
  On June 22, North Carolina A&T State University will host a Financial Literacy Summit for teachers. This free event is sponsored by NC DPI and the Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy for Youth. For more information, see the attached flyer.

• National Humanities Center’s Online Seminars

The National Humanities Center is pleased to announce a seminar series devoted to NC history and literature.  Participants will receive a $100 stipend.  You may participate in multiple seminars, but will receive one stipend.  Three seminars will earn ten and a half contact hours or 1 CEU.  Space is limited Register now at http://www.nationalhumanitiescenter.org/ows/ncsemssum11.html

§         Teacher and Curriculum Support Essential Standards Needs Assessment Survey

Please complete the Social Studies K-12 Essential Standards Needs Assessment Survey posted at http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22BX9XYFA54/.   The survey will take no more than 3 to 5 minutes to complete.  The information collected will help the K-12 Social Studies section understand the professional development needs of teachers in social studies classrooms and the needs of those who support classroom teachers in order to plan future professional development and training.

• Common Core and Essential Standards Regional Summer Institutes:

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction is pleased to announce the kickoff of the Common Core and Essential Standards Regional Summer Institutes.  These two- day summer institutes are blended professional development (PD) opportunities for district-level and charter school teams to gain an understanding of the transition from the current Standard Course of Study to the new Common Core and Essential Standards for all content areas, which will be implemented during the 2012-13 school year.  

For more information, please visit http://www.ncpublicschools.org/acre/profdev/  or

http://www.ncpublicschools.org/profdev/conferences/summerinstitutes/

For questions about your local team structure or to request participation on the district-level team, please contact your local Race to the Top Coordinator.  For questions about the team structure or to request participation on the Charter School team, please contact your school lead administrator.

Social Studies Grant Opportunity

Greetings Social Studies Educators:

Here is the latest news regarding social studies including professional development opportunities.  As always, please share this information with those who are not currently subscribed to the listserv.  If you know of someone who would like to be added, please ask them to email Bernadette Cole at bcole@dpi.state.nc.us with the following information:  Name, email address, school/district, grade level,  and role (i.e teacher, coordinator, principal).

Best regards,

The NCDPI K-12 Social Studies Team

Grant Opportunity:

• Character Education

The K-12 Social Studies Section at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction is pleased to announce another round of Character Education Mini-Grants.  The deadline for submission is

April 29th at 5 PM, EST.  Please see the attached application and rubric.  If you have questions, contact Dalton Edwards at DEEdward@dpi.state.nc.us or 919-807-3832.