Ohio Resource Center > FYI

Draft of NGSS document available for review

Wed, 09 May 2012 14:57:13 GMT

Ohio is one of the lead states in the development of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The work began in September 2011. The first public draft of the NGSS document will be available on the NGSS website for review on May 11, 2012.

The NGSS is based upon “A National Framework for K-12 Science Education.” To prepare for the review of the NGSS draft document, it is essential to become familiar with the Framework document so that the draft NGSS review comments will align. ODE has developed a webcast to explain the review process.

ODE encourages all interested science educators and professional scientists or engineers to review this important document. This is a very exciting time to be working in science education and a great opportunity for Ohio.

Newest ORC-On focuses on primary and secondary sources

Thu, 10 May 2012 18:52:10 GMT

The latest ORC-On explores differences between primary and secondary sources and provides strategies for pairing historical thinking and skills with content using primary and secondary sources. This ORC-On is divided into K-4, 5-8, and 9-12 grade levels.

Ambassador Training

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:07:33 GMT

ORC will conduct a three-day session on June 19-21 to train educators who wish to become ORC Ambassadors. The training will prepare participants to effectively provide professional development in both ORC and Thinkfinity. If you like to share great resources with others and would like to participate in this interactive three-day workshop, apply now on the ORC ambassador page. Once there, click "sign up now" and complete the application. The training will be held at the Ohio Resource Center in Columbus.

ORC Contact: Carol Dodson

Mock trial professional development

Mon, 14 May 2012 20:16:56 GMT

Introduction to OCLRE (Ohio Center for Law-Related Education) High School Mock Trial

Tuesday, June 12, 10:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Registration begins at 9:30 a.m.

Participants will gain an understanding of OCLRE’s mock trial rules and policies as well as basic mock trial concepts and strategy. You can register now. For more information, go to http://www.oclre.org/professionaldevelopment/mocktrial.

New Adolescent Literacy In Perspective focuses on text complexity

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 20:43:32 GMT

The April issue of our online journal, Adolescent Literacy In Perspective, is hot off the press! In this issue, you’ll find a feature article by well-known author Teri Lesesne, a new column that looks at different aspects of the Common Core by Carol Brown Dodson, and thoughtful perspectives on text complexity and the Common Core by ORC’s ELA specialist Christina Hank and Ohio educators Tara Boyer and Brent and Kim Garee.

Nanotechnology workshop for high school science teachers

Thu, 03 May 2012 16:49:45 GMT

A workshop sponsored by the Nanoscale Science Engineering Center at The Ohio State University and the National Science Foundation are sponsoring a nanotechnology workshop on June 12 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For more information and to access the application form, see the nanotechnology workshop flyer.

2012 Ohio physics and chemistry modeling workshops

Thu, 03 May 2012 16:46:11 GMT

Funded through the Improving Teacher Quality Program of the Ohio Board of Regents, the 2012 Ohio physics and chemistry modeling workshops will be given Monday June 11-Friday June 29 (weekdays only, half days Fridays), with three follow-ups on Saturdays. All science teacher are welcome to apply. For more information, see the modeling workshop flyer.

New mathematics problems added to Stella's Stunners

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 17:51:58 GMT

Teachers and students will both enjoy the challenge of the Stella problems, known as Stella's Stunners! Some classic, some new, all different, and all with solutions provided, the Stella problems can spice up mathematics classes or can as easily provide the substance for problem-solving contests or math club programs. Set 10 is now available!

Civil War science at The Works: The Case of the H.L. Hunley Submarine

Tue, 01 May 2012 18:43:21 GMT

Family Workshop at The Works, Ohio Center for History, Art and Technology, Saturday, July 21, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Use detective skills to uncover the mystery of the H.L. Hunley submarine, which disappeared after successfully destroying a Union ship on February 17, 1864. Learn about the fateful trip and the science of submarines, and take part in a mock archaeological dig.

Children must be at least 6 years of age and must be accompanied by an adult. The cost is $10/member, $15/nonmember. To obtain more information or to register, go to http://stage.attheworks.org/classes-camps-programs/summer-camps.aspx or call 740-349-9277. The Works is located at 55 S. 1st Street, Newark, Ohio.

Treasure trove of old Ohio newspapers now online

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:12:35 GMT

Thanks to a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Ohio Historical Society is digitizing 100,000 Ohio newspaper pages published from 1845 to 1894 as part of the National Digital Newspaper Program. The newspapers can be accessed at the Library of Congress’s Chronicling America website. The newest additions include the Ashtabula Telegraph, Ashtabula Weekly Telegraph (1880), Cleveland Morning Leader, Cleveland Leader, Cleveland Daily Leader, Cleveland Tri-Weekly Leader, Daily Press (Cincinnati),and Cincinnati Daily Press.

Summer course on teaching and assessing argumentative writing

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 13:59:27 GMT

Teaching and Assessing Argumentative Writing

EDUTL 7371-0010: Teaching Writing in the Secondary School

* 2 semester credit hours

* July 9-13, 2012, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m each day

* Location: Ramseyer Hall 200

As argumentative writing has a central role in the new Common Core State Standards, many schools and teachers are looking for ways of developing approaches to teaching argumentation in rich and interesting ways. The focus of this course is to consider how to apply a range of approaches to argumentative writing in a range of school contexts. We will also develop writing and reasoning skills as both writers and teachers of writing while enhancing our knowledge for teaching argumentative writing through sharing our teaching practices for argumentative writing within a community of practitioners.

For more information, contact George Newell, Newell.2@osu.edu. Office telephone: 292-1844.

CAWP Advanced Institute: Writing

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 19:14:14 GMT

Columbus Area Writing Project 2012 Summer Institute for Teachers

The Columbus-Area Writing Project (CAWP) Summer Institute begins on June 13. The institute is designed for teachers from all disciplines and all levels of instruction, including kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, high school, community college, and university. Participating teachers will have opportunities to learn from each other, to study writing theory and research, to write their own compositions and participate in writing workshops, and to develop leadership and professional development skills in the teaching of writing.

Applications are available online at http://cawp.ehe.osu.edu. For more information, see http://cawp.ehe.osu.edu/summer-programs/summer-institute. You can also call 614-247-4292 or e-mail mwilson@ehe.osu.edu.

Preschoolers’ reading skills benefit from one modest change by teachers

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 15:27:50 GMT

A new study has found that a small change in how teachers and parents read aloud to preschoolers may provide a big boost to their reading skills later on. That small change involves making specific references to print in books while reading to children—such as pointing out letters and words on the pages, showing capital letters, and showing how you read from left to right and top to bottom on the page.

Shayne Piasta, assistant professor at the School of Teaching and Learning, part of the College of Education and Human Ecology at OSU, conducted the study with lead investigator Laura Justice, professor at the School of Teaching and Learning, as well as co-investigators Anita McGinty of the University of Virginia and Joan Kaderavek of the University of Toledo. Their results appear in the April 2012 issue of the journal Child Development. You can read more about the study at http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/printrefer.htm.

Science Sundays at OSU

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 14:04:46 GMT

Science Sundays is a monthly public lecture series presented by the College of Arts and Sciences' Research Centers and Institutes to educate and inform the public about a variety of timely and interesting science topics.

All lectures are free and open to the public, as are the receptions that follow the lectures.

Upcoming Talk

May 20, 3–4 p.m., Ohio Union, U.S. Bank Conference Theater

Evalyn Gates, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, will present “Einstein’s Telescope: The Hunt for Dark Matter and Dark Energy.”

Reception 4–5 p.m.

For more information, see http://artsandsciences.osu.edu/science-sundays.

Summer program on innovative strategies for teaching integrated language arts standards

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 19:33:38 GMT

Strategies for Teaching Integrated Language Arts Standards

Wright State University English 717, four credit hours

July 16 to July 27, 2012 (a two-week course), Monday-Friday, 9-12:30, 1:30-3:00

Innovative teaching strategies will stimulate the type of improvements that you want to see in your students’ writing. You will learn how to meet the new Common Core Standards and prepare for achievement tests without making yourself and the students miserable. This class is not a series of lectures but a hands-on experience that will involve you in exciting instructional methods through demonstration lessons. Content-area teachers are welcome. Teachers in disciplines other than English are welcome--because all teachers teach reading and writing.

For information about the class, see http://ohiorc.org/orc_documents/orc/fyi/WSUInstitute.doc or contact Nancy Mack nancy.mack@wright.edu.

Free teacher PD on revised fourth grade social studies standards

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 15:32:43 GMT

The Creative Learning Factory at the Ohio Historical Society is offering free webinars about the 2010 Revised Ohio Academic Content Standards for Grade 4 social studies teachers. These webinars will help familiarize teachers with the new model curricula, content, and skills in the standards and provide strategies for utilizing this new information in the classroom. Recordings of the live webinars will also be made available to Ohio's teachers unable to attend. The webinars kick off with ORC social studies content specialist Virginia Moore.

Thursday, March 8, 2012, 6–8 p.m.

6–7 p.m. Overview of the Changes and Structure of Model Curricula, Virginia Moore, Social Studies Content Specialist, Ohio Resource Center

7–8 p.m. Sample Classroom Application of the Model Curricula, Mark Butler, Creative Learning Engineer, Creative Learning Factory

The other webinars are scheduled for:

Tuesday, March 20, 2012, 6–8 p.m., Historical Thinking and 21st Century Skills

Wednesday, April 4, 2012, 6–8 p.m., History Strand

Thursday, April 19, 2012, 6–8 p.m., Geography Strand

Tuesday, May 8, 2012, 6–8 p.m., Government Strand

Wednesday, May 23, 2012, 6–8 p.m., Economics Strand

See the schedule in full at

http://ohiorc.org/orc_documents/orc/fyi/socialstudiespd2012.doc.

To register, fourth grade teachers should e-mail their name, school name with city, and sessions in which they would like to participate to mbutler@ohiohistory.org. For more information, contact Mark Butler at mbutler@ohiohistory.org or 614-297-2523.

Choose to Read Ohio–read books by Ohio authors

Mon, 28 Mar 2011 13:28:38 GMT

Choose to Read Ohio offers a list of recommended books by Ohio authors. The list is divided into sections for children, tweens, teens, and adults. You can read about Choose to Read Ohio at http://oh.webjunction.org/ohctrointro/-/resources/overview or go straight to the 2011–2012 list at http://oh.webjunction.org/ctrobooks2011.

ilearnOhio offers fee waivers for Ohio public school students enrolling in online AP courses

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 19:47:22 GMT

Under the direction of the Ohio Board of Regents, ilearnOhio is currently offering one-time funds for public school students in the state of Ohio who want to enroll in an online Advance Placement course. The approved student will receive a one-time tuition-only fee waiver for that course. The program covers tuition only (go to ilearnOhio for the details).

The process is straightforward: (1)The student and a public school staff member (counselor) will search the ilearnOhio catalog for an AP course, and (2)the staff member will preregister the student through ilearnOhio for that course.

Go to ilearnOhio to learn more about the ilearnOhio clearinghouse for online courses and then begin the process, or go straight to the "Search for courses now!" button to start the process now. The program will continue until all the funds have been allocated. First come, first served. One fee waiver per public school student. Check it out!