Teacher Resources
Create fabulous rubrics to assess student learning!
"The Vermont Online Library (VOL) offers a wide array of electronic databases through Gale/Cengage on a variety of topics geared to a variety of age levels, for both generalists and specialists. These resources are available 24 hours-a-day anywhere Internet access is available. The information is produced by known and trusted publishers." I generally recommend the K-12 Resources button, but you have access to all of their databases, from Chilton Library for help with vehicle repair, to Gale Educator's Reference Complete or Popular Magazines. The resources are endless! Just choose Hardwick Elementary School from the "Select Your Library" dropdown menu (it covers both HES and WDB). The password is maplesyrup.
Inspiring, fun, hands-on, Standards and Common Core aligned science lessons that require very little prep time. Includes access to a free NGSS aligned K-5 planning guide full of great ideas. Free through June 30, 2023!
The Best Elementary Reading Website
It is self-proclaimed, but I'd have to agree. Judy Araujo's "Best Elementary Reading Website" is full of valuable resources to teach students how to read, including phonics, site words, reading comprehension strategies, guided reading lesson plans, and so much more. It's pretty incredible! Check it out!
"Like most educators I know I have been learning everything I can about how to best support students who are face-to-face being socially distant as well as those who are learning remotely." READ MORE HERE
Article from AASL KnowledgeQuest BY KELLY HINCKS on 10/13/2020
Padlet is a great tool teachers can use for collaborative brainstorming, book reviews, student responses to a question, reading or video, sharing projects, mapping, exit tickets, or any number of other uses. Fellow tech lover, Sara Malchow, put together this Padlet of ideas of how to use this creative, versatile tool in the classroom. Worth a peek!
Math Curriculum Resources
Vermont PBS Distance Learning
The Vermont Agency of Education has expanded their partnership with Vermont PBS to support in-person, hybrid and distance learning models.
Vermont teachers, families and students have continued access to free educational resources via television broadcast along with digital streaming and resources. Check out the cool tools available to teachers here. This PBS Learning Goals Chart is helpful in determining which programs might enhance your curriculum. Access the most recent distance learning schedule here.
Since the Central Vermont Reading to End Racism group cannot go into classrooms this year to read in person, they are creating a digital resource list of high quality books on related topics: Bullying, Multiculturalism, Black History (including Jim Crow), and Taking Action. Each book is read aloud, video taped, and made publicly available online. Check out their Blogspot, now ready with the first of many links they will be adding throughout the school year.
This FREE digital curriculum offers current articles as well as textbook sections, primary sources, fiction, videos and more to support your ELA, social studies, and science curriculum. Similar to Newsela, Actively Learn is easy for students to access at home or school, from any device. They can access scaffolding notes and media, an embedded dictionary, and a translation tool, plus it integrates with Google Classroom. Check it out! The paid version is even more robust and might be worth purchasing if we like it.
Let's face it, it's hard to remember who sent you that important piece of information and what it was called, so I compiled (and update regularly) a document with all of the important links in one place for you to click and go. Email Ms. Baranyay if you would like to see something added to the document, or need help accessing something.
This resource is curated by Vermont School Library Association (VSLA) librarians along with some Vermont public librarians and educators and is updated weekly, so check back frequently. If you have additional favorite online learning resources, changes, or corrections to add, please email Ms. Baranyay.
Flipgrid is a free, simple way to foster short video-based discussions on classroom topics. Educators, learners, and families can use Flipgrid at school or at home to stay connected and share their continued learning experiences. Login at Flipgrid.com.
Ben Bache sends us great resources every week full of ready-to-go PBL activities. Now he's added all sorts of quality at-home resources. Access them all at his website here.
Seesaw is another Learning Management System (LMS) similar to Google Classroom, but I think it has some other nice features, including easy upload of student work and a class blog option, and my understanding is that it may be easier for younger students (elementary). I know a lot of schools use this, possibly even some teachers at HES & WDB, so worth a peek if GC isn't your thing.
This is an incredible tool that creates a link for safely viewing any videos from YouTube, Vimeo, or other platforms to share with your students. It eliminates all of the user comments below the video, ads, and extraneous suggested and "up next" sorts of videos. Not only can these things be distracting for students, they could also be inappropriate. Using VideoLink ensures your students only have access to the one video you've intended for them to watch.
MackinVIA, named 2019 Product of the Year, is a multi-award-winning, digital content management system, providing easy access to eBooks, read-alongs, audiobooks, databases, and videos. MackinVIA allows simultaneous, unlimited access to multiple users on all platforms, and is mobile friendly. It is incredibly generous of them to offer this amazing resource to us for FREE, so I hope you'll look at the multiple ways you can use it in your virtual classrooms and perhaps into the future. First get an overview of what they offer and then check out 5 ways to use MackinVIA. I think you'll find it pretty great!
Everyone logs in here with the same user name and password
Hardwick:
school = Hardwick Elementary
username = HESMackinVIA
password = Learn
Woodbury:
school = Woodbury Elementary
username = WDBMackinVIA
password = Learn
Online Reading Lists
Children's Book AwardsAward Winners For more information, see slides at left or visit Reading Rockets or School Library Journal’s lists.
Multiple lists of Recommended books from ALSC, the Association for Library Service to Children.
Amelia Bloomer Project (look under 'current list') - Recommended feminist literature for beginning through young adult readers - from the Feminist Task Force of the Social Responsibilities Round Table of the American Library Association.
CCBC Publications (Bibliographies and Booklists) - Cooperative Children's Book Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
International Reading Association's Choices Booklists - Chosen and reviewed by teachers, children and young adults.
NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students - Recommendations from the National Science Teachers Association
Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Book Awards & Booklists
Best Book Lists from Common Sense Media
Lists of all types, organized by subject/focus & grade level at GreatBooks.org