In joint partnership, Achieve, The Council of Chief State School Officers, and Student Achievement Partners have developed a Toolkit for Evaluating the Alignment of Instructional and Assessment Materials to the Common Core State Standards. The Toolkit is a set of interrelated, freely available instruments for evaluating alignment to the CCSS; each…

In joint partnership, Achieve, The Council of Chief State School Officers, and Student Achievement Partners have developed a Toolkit for Evaluating the Alignment of Instructional and Assessment Materials to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The Toolkit is a set of interrelated, freely available instruments for evaluating alignment to the…

This facilitator's guide is designed to assist professional learning communities (PLCs) in applying evidence-based strategies to help K-8 English learners acquire the language and literacy skills needed to succeed academically. Through this collaborative learning experience, educators will expand their knowledge base as they read, discuss, share,…

These handouts, which are meant to accompany the facilitator's guide, are designed to assist professional learning communities (PLCs) in applying evidence-based strategies to help K-8 English learners acquire the language and literacy skills needed to succeed academically. The facilitator's guide uses a five-step process for collaborative…

"Cradling Literacy" provides field-tested instructional materials for instructors to help early childhood teachers develop knowledge and skills in nurturing early language and literacy in young children from birth to 5 years. The research and strategies presented in the instructional manual center on how child, parent, and teacher can work…

Discusses the use of Samuel Butler's utopian novel, "Erewhon," in a social psychology class to demonstrate the universality of social psychological insights and to provide a literary dimension to the course. Reports that student evaluations indicated that "Erewhon" was successful in increasing the liberal arts value of the…

Gives detailed information on five types of job performance aids, three types of instruction sheets, and two types of modules. Presents a quality-control procedure for assessing the effectiveness and value of these instructional materials for training. (SK)

A resource specialist discusses materials that are useful with hearing impaired elementary students. Materials considered include attribute blocks, globes, pictures showing facial expressions, sequence cards, cuisenaire rods, and interesting books. Names and addresses of 13 publishers and distributors are provided. (CL)

Developed by the Latin American Culture Studies Project for educators of elementary level children, these materials are designed to teach students the Spanish and English names of animals found in Latin America. The lesson includes coloring sheets, duplicating masters, fact sheets, the card game Maymayguashi, and directions for preparation. (DB)

Students with undetected color blindness can have problems with specific teaching methods and materials. The problem should be ruled out in children with suspected learning disabilities and taken into account in career counseling. Nine examples of simple classroom modifications are described. (CL)

The article describes six principles that underlie the effective use of tapes in delivering content material to handicapped learners in secondary schools. Sections address reasons for tape text materials, the decision of what should be taped, the teaching of text usage and study skills, use of learning principles, use of a marking system, good…

Intended for children from kindergarten through the sixth grade, this booklet teaches about the computer and provides instruction in computer programming in the BASIC language. Thirteen sequential lessons are provided to encourage independent study. Each lesson consists of a set of four pages and explains a BASIC command or statement, presents…

Forms that social studies teachers can use to evaluate sponsored materials and guest speakers are provided. Sponsoring organizations prepare instructional materials that they would like to be used as presented. They often argue for the quality of the materials based on the facts that they were prepared by educators; contain objectives,…

Describes three criteria for evaluating educational software; classification of software types, the presence or absence of process skills, and educational practices. This article provides background for a software evaluation form to appear in a subsequent issue. (CW)

Presents selection criteria for teachers to use when reviewing video materials for classroom use. Provides an annotated bibliography. (ASK)