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Gizmos Win AEP Award for Mathematics Gizmos for End-of-Year and All Summer Long Next Generation Science Standards ExploreLearning Educator of the Month
Gizmos Win AEP Award for Mathematics
One of the largest and longest-running programs of its kind, the AEP Awards are widely recognized by educators, administrators, and parents as a mark of outstanding educational value. Congratulations to the developers who work so hard to make Gizmos the best library of online simulations for math and science. And thanks to all the educators who use Gizmos to bring the power of inquiry-based learning to their classrooms.
Gizmos for End-of-Year and All Summer Long If you are still finishing the school year, don't forget that Gizmos are a great resource for review and skill practice! Check out last month's article on Using Gizmos for End-of-Year Review. If you are at (or beyond!) the end of the school year, you can still encourage your students to use Gizmos over the summer. Plus you can get a head start and prepare your account for the next year. Get help with these activities from last month's article, "Summer of Gizmos."
Next Generation Science Standards The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) — the science equivalent to the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics and for English Language Arts — are currently in the process of development. Hopefully you have had a chance to comment on the first draft of the standards (released in May), but if not you will have a second chance in the fall. The final draft of the standards will be released in late 2012 or early 2013.
The impetus behind the NGSS comes from the increasing importance of science and technology in solving environmental problems and competing in the world economy, the lagging performance of U.S. students in science, and the pressing need to prepare and motivate more American students to pursue careers in science, engineering, and technology. To address these needs, the new standards will be different from traditional science standards in several ways. The first is that engineering and technology will be emphasized much more than in the past.
Similarly, the NGSS standards emphasize and integrate eight crosscutting concepts that appear in many different fields of science. For example, the concept of “patterns” can be seen in the repeating nitrogen bases of a DNA molecule, in the repeating properties of elements in the Periodic Table, and in the cycles of Moon phases and Seasons. At ExploreLearning we are closely monitoring the development of the NGSS and thinking about how well Gizmos fit in. Gizmos can be used to explore the disciplinary core ideas and crosscutting concepts, while the inquiry-driven design of our curriculum materials emphasize scientific and engineering practices. We are excited about the challenge of demonstrating how well Gizmos support these standards. We can't wait to see the final version and get started!
ExploreLearning Educator of the Month
Mary had been very pleased with Gizmos, so when she heard that ExploreLearning had launched Reflex, she knew that it would be worth a try. She also was aware that math fact fluency was a major concern in her elementary school, and was looking for something that would help the kids achieve lasting fluency. “Reflex has given the teachers information to pinpoint what strategies students are utilizing and what fact groups they are mastering. Teachers are using the information to build math groups, develop problem types and number choices,” Mary says. “In combination with the Common Core, we think it’s imperative that our students recall their math facts in at least 4 seconds. We tested every child in first and second grade before and after using Reflex and have had amazing results.”
The kids at RL Davis have no problem practicing. They love both the games and going to the store, and they’re proud of their progress. She feels sure that their math fact fluency will help them as they advance in higher mathematics. And the teachers at Mary's school are Reflex fans, too. "Our teachers are completely behind Reflex because they are seeing an amazing change in our students math skills, and much of it can be traced back to the understanding of fact fluency as taught and practiced in Reflex." Read an in-depth case study of Mary's success in the Reflex News.
Updated Math Gizmos Three more Math Gizmos now have updated Lesson Materials. Conditional Statements, Biconditional Statements, and Dividing Polynomials Using Synthetic Division now feature a Student Exploration sheet, Exploration Sheet Answer Key, Teacher Guide, and Vocabulary sheet.
This brings us up to 35 math Gizmos with new Lesson Materials now, as part of our Math Update project! Track our progress on the Gizmos Facebook page as we update more throughout the summer.
Stay in Touch If you want to comment on any of the information in this newsletter, be sociable and post your insights on the Facebook pages for Gizmos and Reflex. And as always, if you have a question or comment about Gizmos or Reflex, don't hesitate to contact our Customer Support team using the support form for either Gizmos or Reflex. We would love to hear from you. For information on bringing Gizmos and Reflex to schools in your area, contact your ExploreLearning account representative:
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Mary Armstrong, NBCT, has taught in Arkansas for 32 years, and is certified in Special Education, Gifted and Talented, and Elementary Education. Armstrong has a Master's degree in Gifted and Talented and in Educational Theory and Practice. She has been a Math Instruction Facilitator for 7 years, and currently teaches at Robert L Davis Elementary School in Arkansas.
