Heuvelton Teacher's Association Donates to PJ's 4 Xmas

The Heuvelton Teacher's Association recently donated a check in the amount of $150 to PJs 4 Xmas. Money was collected from teachers and staff for November's Jeans Day. Shown from left are: Julie Madlin HTA member, Camille Marshall and Abigail Marshall.

Educational Resources

Recently a colleague passed this list of resources along to me. I felt I needed to share them as many allow teachers to stretch our tight budgets while enabling us to have rich content and incorporate the Common Core. So thanks to Ted Schulz for passing this information along and Patty Fisher from St. Lawrence Lewis BOCES who compiled the list. Curriki Curriki is a website that curates content in a variety of disciplines, highlighting noteworthy teachers and content. Membership is free, and users can sign in with their Google Apps or Facebook account. While Curriki is a non-profit, it asks users for an optional donation. This site integrates well with the iPad and Chromebook, and documents are available in many formats for easy viewing. Here is a testimonial on their site from Leslie G. Perry, a U.S.-based educator and blogger: What makes [Curriki] remarkable is how well it is organized, the rating system to guide educators on their search for curricula, and the interactivity included in every lesson plan provided. CK-12 The CK-12 Foundation offers FlexBooks, full digital texts that students and teachers can access on multiple devices in PDF, MOBI and ePub formats. This provides broad access to rich content. Here's more from the CK12 Flexbook site: Services like CK-12 make it easy for teachers to assemble their own textbooks. Content is mapped to a variety of levels and standards including Common Core. You can start from scratch or build from anything in the FlexBooks library. Connexions Connexions is another free OER offering that allows users to sign up with a username and password to access a variety of modules and collections on multiple devices. Their website tells us: Connexions is a dynamic digital educational ecosystem consisting of an educational content repository and a content management system optimized for the delivery of educational content. Connexions is one of the most popular open education sites in the world. Its more than 17,000 learning objects or modules in its repository and over 1000 collections (textbooks, journal articles, etc.) are used by over two million people per month. Its content services the educational needs of learners of all ages, in nearly every discipline, from math and science to history and English to psychology and sociology. Connexions delivers content for free over the Internet for schools, educators, students and parents to access 24/7/365. Materials are easily downloadable to almost any mobile device for use anywhere, any time. Schools can also order low-cost hard-copy sets of the materials (textbooks). Content is vetted by major organizations and universities and is accessible in PDF or EPub formats. And the display quality on an iPad in iBooks is excellent. Smarthistory Smarthistory is not only a clever play on words, but also a great art history resource. This site features content organized by time period, style, artist and theme. It's more of a gallery of art history than a textbook. Here's an excerpt from a description of their offerings: Smarthistory at Khan Academy is the leading open educational resource for art history. We make high-quality introductory art history content freely available to anyone, anywhere. Smarthistory is a platform for the discipline where art historians contribute in their areas of expertise and learners come from across the globe. We offer nearly 500 videos, and these are being translated into dozens of languages. Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker created Smarthistory and are the Executive Editors. Videos are also available on Khanacademy.org and the Khan Academy app. Smarthistory and Khan Academy are 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporations. MIT OpenCourseWare The MIT OpenCourseWare site offers educators and students access to full courses designed and taught by MIT professors. Users can access the entire course library and the entire course packet. Course packets include video interviews with professors, syllabus, outlines, readings, assignments, projects and related resources. Here is a brief synopsis from the site: MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW) is a web-based publication of virtually all MIT course content. OCW is open and available to the world and is a permanent MIT activity. Through OCW, educators improve courses and curricula, making their schools more effective; students find additional resources to help them succeed; and independent learners enrich their lives and use the content to tackle some of our world's most difficult challenges, including sustainable development, climate change, and cancer eradication. OER Commons This site offers educators a place where they can connect and share globally with other educators, and work with the curriculum those educators have shared. OER Commons offers a vast database of teacher-created curriculum. The content is vetted for credibility and provides citations for reference. Users can sign up for a free account, share their own work, and access and curate their own content.

Tagxedo

I recently had some difficulties using Wordle with students in our computer labs. One of our technology people told me about Tagxedo and after trying it out I'm pretty pleased with the results. Now to find a color printer...

How to do Current Events with Students

I recently attended a  three day workshop called Moving on Up: Setting Learning Goals & Tracking Progress for Student Success at SLL BOCES in Canton.  One of my goals for the year is to help students become aware a national and world issues.  I've used Junior Scholastic magazines for years and for the past two years have shown students the news in class.  I wanted to expand on current events in my classroom so that students would have the background knowledge to connect historical events with what is occurring today.  Our facilitator helped me break my goal (students will have an awareness of the wider world) into success criteria.  I am working on the first criterion, which is that students will be able to access the news.  I was shocked when I introduced the first assignment to students that they did not know how to find the news.  We discussed various ways that they could access the news i.e. television, internet, newspaper.  Students complained about having to find the top two news stories of the day, so I really thought very few would attempt the assignment.

The next day students came to class excited about what they had learned.   As they entered the room they asked if I had heard about the VA withholding survivor benefits, about a New York City detective being arrested in the road rage incident in Manhattan, etc.  I collected their homework and we had a great class discussion about the different news items that they had seen or read about.  One student even watched the BBC!  I feel that students now know where to find the news, so I'll be able to move on to the next success criterion.

Remind 101

I was at a Social Studies Conference held at SUNY Potsdam this past weekend.  It was great to see two former middle school students I had and to reconnect with colleagues from several schools across St. Lawrence County.  The views of new student teachers are refreshing and give me hope at a time when we as teachers are under a lot of stress.  Another benefit is that I always learn something new.  With that in mind I am trying out an app that a number of teachers are using called Remind 101, which texts students and parents reminders such as homework assignments, upcoming test dates, and class announcements.  I'll let everyone know how it works! 

For more information click on the link below:

Remind 101

4 Ways to Add Student Voices to Back-to-School Night | Scholastic.com

4 Ways to Add Student Voices to Back-to-School Night | Scholastic.com

I thought there were some great ideas here for parent night.

Free Back-to-School Printables | Scholastic.com

Scholastic has free printables available.  Many are elementary level, but I did find some for grades 7 and 8.
Free Back-to-School Printables | Scholastic.com

Heuvelton Teachers at the Constructivist Conference

Thirteen teachers from Heuvelton Central School attended the Constructivist Conference, which was held at St. Lawrence University this past July.  We worked on improving student achievement through reading and writing using the Common Core.  For many of us this conference has become an annual event because we have the opportunity to work with our colleagues, get to know other teachers and learn from them.  The conference has break out sessions where experts share their knowledge and we get the time to work on our own projects with facilitators to help us along the way.  The Constructivist Conference is one of the best workshops I've ever attended.

Busy Year...

Whew!  The past year has been super busy both on a professional and personal level.  While the personal stuff has settled (we moved and built a new house), professionally it looks like another busy year.  We have implemented the Common Core in New York State, so my partner and I have been working together to integrate our curricula based on the ELA modules.  I thought this would be a challenge, but quickly realized that many of the learning goals in ELA were almost identical to the Common Core Social Studies learning goals.  It was a great relief to say the least!  We also worked to develop Marzano scales to assess if students had mastered the learning goals.  It was daunting, but I think we have a good set of scales to begin with.  Our district has also implemented two new software programs, iObservation and eDoctrina, so we've been working hard to learn how to use these.  We have had summer training as well as training during the school year to help us.  With all of that going on I decided to update my unit plans for both 7th and 8th grades to better reflect the Common Core and align with ELA.  I'm not done, but I think I've got a good start.  Our district also hired a new Global Studies teacher who I will be mentoring.  I'm excited because I always learn something new from the new teachers I mentor.  So I guess I won't be slowing down any time soon, but that's what makes life interesting...

War of 1812 Talk

Agent 13 in the North Country – SLCHA’s War of 1812 Program on Saturday!

  

Canton How did an American-born undercover spy working for Spain become commanding General of the US Army during the War of 1812? Better yet how did this spy, [codename: Agent 13] remain undetected, unlike Benedict Arnold, his friend during the American Revolution, or more modern spies like the Rosenberg’s? The answer might disturb you. Crack the mystery of Agent 13 when Matthew Dudley presents Agent 13 in the North Country on Saturday, May 4^th, 2 p.m. at the St. Lawrence County Historical Association at the Silas Wright House, 3 East Main St., Canton.  This War of 1812 program is part of the St. Lawrence County Historical Association’s Commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, which was fought from 1812-1815.  St. Lawrence County was one of the battlefields of the War of 1812. 

Matthew Dudley’s research on General Wilkinson's fall from prominence will take you through our own backyard and the General's final mistakes along the St. Lawrence River that would destroy his future as an officer and as a Spanish agent. Dudley’s presentation will also include his plans for further investigation of Agent 13 this summer in Seville, Spain, at the General Archives of the Indies.

Matthew Dudley is a history major at St. Lawrence University.  He attributes his interest in history to spending so much time with his Nana while growing up, when they would watch the History Channel all the time. She recognized his love for history early on and helped nurture it. Dudley specifically remembers bringing in the Civil War related history books she gave him for his sixth birthday to 1^st Grade Show and Tell.  Dudley, of Cazenovia, NY, is also a member of Laurentian Singers at SLU. In the future he hopes to continue his studies and attain a master’s degree in a linguistics-related field.

The SLCHA Gift Shop is a great way to learn about the War of 1812.  Books include The War of 1812 Activity Book and Sackets Harbor Powder Monkey, a young adult novel by local author Hope Marston.  SLCHA members receive a 10% discount on these books and most other items in the gift shop.

The St. Lawrence County Historical Association at the Silas Wright House is open Tuesday through Saturday noon to 4 p.m., Friday noon to 8 p.m.  Admission to the museum is free; admission to the archives is free for members and children, $2.50 for college students, and $5 for the general public.  The St. Lawrence County Historical Association is located at 3 E. Main St., Canton.  Parking is available in back of the SLCHA, next to the museum’s main entrance.

The St. Lawrence County Historical Association is a membership organization open to anyone interested in St. Lawrence County history.  For more information, or to become a member, call the SLCHA at 315-386-8133 or e-mail info@slcha.org.  War of 1812 programs are made possible in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.  Visit the SLCHA’s website, www.slcha.org, for more information on St. Lawrence County history.

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'Digging the War of 1812' talk to be held Jan. 19

'Digging the War of 1812' talk to be held Jan. 19

Fifth Annual War of 1812 Heritage Talks April 26-27, 2013

Once again the Fort La Présentation Association offers a varied fare from a wide geography for those interested in the War of 1812. From the Midwest to the Atlantic Coast, militia, regulars, religion and women, Native allies, the navy and privateers barely define the seminars offered by our seven American and Canadian speakers.
In 2013 we are forgoing the closing banquet and dinner speaker. Our participant survey told us people want more time for networking and more opportunity to take in the displays, of which there should be more from local museums and heritage organizations in 2013.
As in the previous years, we have all the facilities of Ogdensburg’s Freight House Restaurant, from the side rooms to the banquet hall to the bar.  Friday evening, there will be the customary meet and greet with hors d'œuvres.  Saturday, a continental breakfast and buffet lunch are in order, and the Freight House will offer a special menu for those who stay for dinner.
You can expect a lower registration fee when online registration will be active in early January 2013.
Here is an alphabetical glimpse of our presenters.

Chancey's Impact on Western Operations 
Sandy Antal holds degrees from the University of Western Ontario, Carleton University and the University of Toronto. After twenty years’ service, he left the Canadian Forces as a major and turned to research, writing and teaching. Mr. Antal’s latest book is Invasions – Taking and Retaking Detroit and the Western District during the War of 1812 and its Aftermath. He first was A Wampum Denied: Procter’s War of 1812, which received the American Library association “Choice Award” and is in its third printing. He has presented internationally and has appeared in TV documentaries. Mr. Antal co-authored Duty Nobly Done: the Official History of the Essex and Kent Scottish Regiment.

John Norton and the Iroquois/Haudenosaunee Experience in 1812
Dr. Carl Benn, Chair of the Department of History at Ryerson University, Toronto, will speak on John Norton and the Iroquois/Haudenosaunee Experience in 1812. Dr. Benn’s main areas of academic interest centre on Euroamerican and First Nations history in eastern North America before the 20th century. He has published extensively in journals and other venues, and his books include Historic Fort York (1993); The Iroquois in the War of 1812 (1998); The War of 1812 (2002); and Mohawks on the Nile: Natives Among the Canadian Voyageurs in Egypt, 1884-85 (2009). He currently is completing two books on aboriginal memoirs from 1812-15.

The War of 1812 in the West
James Brenner, a retired U.S. Army colonel with 30 years of service, will take a topical perspective on the War of 1812 in the west, primarily as it relates to Ohio with a view to generally familiar events and people. Col. Brenner has published on the Ohio Militia, Ohio Militia Clothing and Ohio’s Regular Army Infantry Regiments, 1812 to 1815. He currently works with Leonie Industries, a defense contractor in Afghanistan. He holds an MA in American military history from Ohio State University, as well as a Masters in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, PA.

The Battle of Stoney Creek
James Elliott is a Canadian journalist and author with a keen interest in early North American history. Mr. Elliott will discuss the pivotal Battle of Stoney Creek. His book Strange Fatality: The Battle of Stoney Creek won the Ontario Historical Society J. J. Talman Award as the best book in 2011 on Ontario’s social, economic, political and cultural history. With the Hamilton Spectator, he wrote widely on the War of 1812 on subjects ranging from the Bloody Assizes to the Burlington Races. He worked on several episodes of the CBC’s award-winning Canada: A People’s History as a consultant and a special-skills extra.

Religion and the War of 1812 
T.R. (Ray) Hobbs (B.D., M.Th., Ph.D.) will delve into Religion and the War of 1812. Dr. Hobbs taught at McMaster Divinity College and McMaster University, Hamilton, where he was Professor of Hebrew and Old Testament Interpretation from 1969 until 1995. He is the author of three books and several articles on Theological and Biblical subjects, with special emphasis on the social and cultural background to the Old and New Testaments. He enjoys his early retirement from ‘regular’ work, but writes much and lectures occasionally. His special interest is ancient military history, especially as it applies to biblical interpretation.

Privateering in Atlantic Canada
Dr. Faye Kert is the author of Prize and Prejudice: Privateering and Naval Prize in Atlantic Canada in the War of 1812. This is standard work on the subject and will be the basis of Dr. Kert’s presentation. She is the book review editor of the Canadian Nautical Research Society's journal The Northern Mariner. She also authored Yankee Sails: Pirates and Privateers of New Brunswick. Dr. Kert worked on two important underwater archaeological projects: the discovery, survey and excavation of a 16th-century Basque whaling vessel at Red Bay, Labrador, and the raising of Henry VIII's flagship Mary Rose.

Women in the War of 1812
Susan Spencer will present on Women in the War of 1812. Ms. Spencer, the proprietress of Spencer’s Mercantile in Hamilton, Ontario, has had a lifelong passion for history. As a Western Canadian, her first interests were centered on the late 19th century - however, with a move to Ontario in 1988, her in-depth study of the War of 1812 period began. An active member within the War of 1812 re-enactment community, she participates in some 30 period events each year, as well as giving presentations, lectures, and workshops on period subjects.

The War of 1812 and the Rise of the U.S. Navy: Developing the Book
David A. Taylor is co-author, with Mark Collins Jenkins, of The War of 1812 and the Rise of the U.S. Navy (National Geographic, 2012). Mr. Taylor will speak about the process of developing the book: working with the Navy's historians and primary materials, visits to the Navy's underwater archaeological work in search of the U.S.S. Scorpion, and the illustration design research that followed. He will also discuss a few profiles highlighted in the book. His other books include Ginseng, the Divine Root (Algonquin, 2006), and Soul of a People (Wiley, 2009), ranked among the Best Books of 2009. His articles have appeared in Smithsonian, The Washington Post, Chesapeake Bay, The American Scholar and Science. He has written and co-produced documentary films for National Geographic and the Smithsonian Channel, including the film of Soul of a People. He lives in Washington, DC and teaches at The Writer’s Center in Bethesda.

For more information click here.