Group Work vs. Individual Work by Mike Siekkinen

When determining your classroom setup and how your students will be seated, there are a number of things to consider. Deciding how students are seated (singly, in pairs, groups-group size?) as well as if assignments will be done together or individually will yield different results. The following are some thoughts from a teacher in the trenches vs an educational “expert” who does not teach. I teach middle school, primarily 8th grade, so these thoughts are based on my experience.

Individual seating and assignments






Pros

• You can see precisely what a student can or can’t do.
• See what a student knows and doesn’t know.
• Usually “quiet" instruction/work environment (some like this/some don’t)
• Many students would rather work alone and provide an individual product.

Cons

• No student collaboration (no exchanging ideas).
• No social interaction (can be a positive or a negative).
• Some students like working with others vs individually.

Groups Work (pairs or small group)






Pros

• Get a more rounded project or assignment as more eyes on the assignment.
• Encourages cooperation among students.
• Students work toward common goal.

Cons

• Students tend to be social, so often can get off task.
• One student can dominate and provide all the answers.
• Don’t necessarily get to see what an individual student knows.

I use a combination of both seating arrangements, depending on what I have students doing. When working with groups, I make expectations very clear on conduct and enforce proper behavior working within a group. I explain that in a group or partner situation, talking should be related to the assignment and work they are doing, not a social time. Even with this explanation, consistent monitoring needs to be done (walking around the room, visiting with students, checking where they are in the assignment, etc.). Students can quickly get off track and forget why they are together and it can become a very social environment. You will get a feel of your students over time and decisions about group size and how often you have students collaborate will become easier.

Dr. Mike Siekkinen, a retired U.S. Navy submariner, became a teacher as a second career. He teaches history at St Marys Middle School as well as Adult and Career Education at Valdosta State in Georgia.

Teaching Using Movies by Mike Siekkinen

I love a good movie! Sometimes I even love a “not so good” movie. 

I've found that Hollywood has made some very good historical movies over the years and I use them in my classroom whenever I can. Now, many say that simply showing students a movie is a waste of time and if that were all I did, it would be. But by using good support materials, even using full length feature films in the classroom can be fun, educational and meaningful for students. 

An example would be what I did when studying the Civil Rights movement with my students. I showed students the movie The Ernest Green Story. This is an older Walt Disney owned title. I purchased this for about $10.00 so had my own copy.

I had students do vocabulary used in the movie first to understand the terms used. Then I had students research the Little Rock Nine and desegregation in general along with applicable court cases, Jim Crow Laws, etc. I then showed the video over two class periods. Students had to do a KWL chart at the beginning as well as completing questions throughout the movie. 

Following the video, students had a reflective writing piece to complete and we discussed what occurred, compared it to different versions found on the internet and in textbooks. It was an experience that students enjoyed, learned the required standards and when questioned, all told me it was an enjoyable learning experience. Using full length feature films in the classroom, if prepared and coupled with research and writing, can be a powerful tool.

Dr. Mike Siekkinen, a retired U.S. Navy submariner, became a teacher as a second career. He teaches history at St Marys Middle School as well as Adult and Career Education at Valdosta State in Georgia.

Spare Time Reading by Mike Siekkinen

Though summer has come and gone, I still get some reading time in for enjoyment. I thought I'd share some of my favorite authors and books I may revisit. I do tend toward the fantasy, science fiction and horror genres so if you do also, you may find some of these authors and stories worth a read.

Stephen King  Hands down scariest author for me. Great story telling and he rarely has let me down with his novels. I normally do not want to put a King novel down! Some favorites have been The Stand, The Gunslinger Series and It.

J.R.R. Tolkien  Best fantasy series to date. Established the rules all others use. Compelling and complete. A master story teller with his epic. I know many have read it but if not, give it a try. It has something for everyone.

Dean Koontz  I love the Odd Thomas series but he has many other great books. Another master horror/supernatural story teller. I have enjoyed his series as well as his stand alone books.

Michael Moorcock  From my youth, the Elric of Melnibone series is an epic tale unlike others. His catalogue of novels is extensive and his theme of the eternal hero has a number of series worth reading. Give him a try.

Ursula K. Leguin The Earthsea trilogy is a great read as well as many of her standalone stories. She has fantasy, fiction and science fiction in her writings.

Fritz Leiber His fantasy novels are fun and his Fhaferd and the Grey Mouser series is a blast to read. He has an extensive collection of science fiction and fantasy novels.

Patrick Rothfuss  I just finished his Name the Wind novel and can’t wait to get into the next book. Great storytelling. Another fantasy series I am enjoying.

What are you reading in your spare time?

Dr. Mike Siekkinen, a retired U.S. Navy submariner, became a teacher as a second career. He teaches history at St Marys Middle School as well as Adult and Career Education at Valdosta State in Georgia.

Google Classroom by Mike Siekkinen

Are you and your students using Google Classroom? If you are in a school with one-to-one technology (all students have access to computers, chrome books, tablets, etc.) I highly recommend this application. Google Classroom is an easy-to-use virtual space where a teacher can post messages, assignments, links, etc. Virtually anything can be posted for your students. It's also an easy way to assign students work and they have the ability to turn things into the classroom. You can also grade assignments and post grades and give individual feedback to students. Very powerful and easy to use application at a great price- FREE! Google updates the platform frequently and there are lots of tutorials on the web to teach you how to use google classroom. 

Setup is easy. Sign in for the first time
1. Go to classroom.google.com and click Go to Classroom.
2. Enter your username and click Next.
3. Enter your password and click Next.
4. If there is a welcome message, read it and click Accept.
5. If you're using a G Suite for Education account, click I'm A Student or I'm A Teacher. ...
6. Click Get Started.

Google Classroom also allows you to personalize each classroom with a picture so as you are teaching a certain topic, you can add a background to your classroom related to your subject area. You also have the ability to post assignments ahead of time and have them become available for students on the date you select. Very handy when you may be away from the classroom and are leaving student work.

At the end of each year, I archive my classes and then start new classrooms for the new school year. The process is easy and allows you to keep student work from previous years to be able to show students good and bad examples of assignments. Also if there is ever a question about grades, you have the actual work done by the student. I find teaching 8th grade that my students now come to me familiar with how it works and I have to do virtually no “teaching” students how to operate within the application. In fact, many students show me new things that you can do! 

If you haven't tried it, give it a go!

Dr. Mike Siekkinen, a retired U.S. Navy submariner, became a teacher as a second career. He teaches history at St Marys Middle School as well as Adult and Career Education at Valdosta State in Georgia.

Genius Hour by Mike Siekkinen

My team did a Genius Hour program earlier this school year and it was both fun and educational for the students.

Genius Hour is an approach to learning built around student curiosity, self-directed learning, and passion-based work. In traditional learning, teachers map out academic standards, and plan units and lessons based around those standards. In Genius Hour, students are in control, choosing what they study, how they study it, and what they do, produce, or create as a result.

As a learning model, it promotes inquiry, research, creativity, and self-directed learning. Students spend time working on projects they’re interested in and passionate about. The study and work is motivated intrinsically, not extrinsically. Genius Hour provides students freedom to design their own learning during a set period of time during school. It allows students to explore their own curiosity. A distinction compared to more open, self-directed learning and user-generated learning experiences is that within a “Genius Hour” framework, this student-centered approach is only used a portion of the schedule, providing students a choice in what they learn and how they learn it during a set period of time within a school day.

We used an hour a day for a three week period as our time frame. Without teachers “packaging” content that frames and scaffold content, students are left to design their own learning experiences. Through surveying possibility, navigation of unfiltered content, gathering information, and narrowed research, students make sense of ideas that are important to them. This navigation and survey of possibility then leads to more narrow inquiry and research.

Whether students “make,” publish, design, act, or do, “creating” is core to Genius Hour. There is always a visible product or function of the learning as an end product. Students connect with teachers to plan, peers to produce, and experts and community members to establish a sense of purpose for their work. The only guidelines we gave students were the components of the project (a prototype, a written explanation and a presentation they needed to do presenting their ideas). The assignment was they had to make something that will help another person. The products students produced were excellent. The ideas they had and what they came up with were really outstanding. Along with this, students enjoyed the assignment making learning fun!

Dr. Mike Siekkinen, a retired U.S. Navy submariner, became a teacher as a second career. He teaches history at St Marys Middle School as well as Adult and Career Education at Valdosta State in Georgia.

Too Much Testing by Mike Siekkinen

Testing today is a hot topic, with recent legislation passed on the federal level to reduce the number of standardized tests given to students. Most states are even jumping on this, also reducing state and local testing. So with reduced testing, how can a teacher measure concretely that students are "getting" what they are supposed to "get?”

Remember that determining what a student has or hasn't learned does not need to be only assessed with a multiple choice test. There are many other options available to check on learning, such as:

• have students write about what they have learned. They can even make it a story. Many students love to write, so let them!
• have students "draw" about what they have learned. I often have students do this in the form of a comic strip. They make the picture and write captions for what is occurring in their comic.
• write a speech as that person explaining how they feel about modern times or put them in a situation and have them write as this person would write.
• do a poll or survey to see if whole class understanding is occurring or if you need to spend more time on an area. 
• use personal white or chalk boards, or even sheets of paper. Have students respond during the lesson by holding up their board/paper.
• quick quiz - no more than 5-10 quick questions as students leave your class to see if they "got it.”
• think of something of your own. These are just some things I do rather than the formal pen and paper assessment. Students often don't even see these as "test.” So come up with your own methods to stay away from those "standardized tests.”

How else do you assess for understanding? Share your ideas with us.

Dr. Mike Siekkinen, a retired U.S. Navy submariner, became a teacher as a second career. He teaches history at St Marys Middle School as well as Adult and Career Education at Valdosta State in Georgia.

My Top Three Educational Sites for Middle School Social Studies by Mike Siekkinen

Brainpop.com- very reasonable pricing for a school license. Fun, fast and informative website for history, geography, economics and culture. I use the site to supplement my classroom instruction. Students receive a login and password and then go to the topic I assign. I have students view the video that is with each topic and then explore the area. There are games and activities associated with each of the topics as well as a quiz on the subject matter. I have my students email the results or take a screen shot of the final results. I place an 80% or higher requirement on students and they are allowed to retake the quizzes until passing grades are obtained. Site is fun and middle schoolers are not to “old” for cartoons!

Icivics.org- awesome free website on government and politics. Lots of games that are fun and educational. Also many levels, so this site can work for all ages. Games are interactive and are great to use when teaching government. Website has the endorsement and a founder of none other than Sandra Day O’Connor. Lots of fun and you sneak learning in. My students really enjoy this site.

Freedomflix.com- interactive online textbook that is great for teaching civics and history. Very reasonably priced for a site license. I design web quests for my students. Each lesson has a video, interactive text with vocabulary and includes maps, timelines and pictures. Really great site that I use weekly. My students are always on a web quest supplementing my classroom instruction. I assign students web quests in Google classroom where they have options for submission of my web quest information to allow for differentiation.

Dr. Mike Siekkinen, a retired U.S. Navy submariner, became a teacher as a second career. He teaches history at St Marys Middle School as well as Adult and Career Education at Valdosta State in Georgia.

Educational Field Trips by Mike Siekkinen

I love a good field trip! My students do also. The chance to leave school for the day and visit somewhere, anywhere, can be a really fun and educational time for students and teachers. I have been my school’s “field trip guy” for many years now. I take my classes (team) on field trips at least once a quarter. When I first started this many years ago, I was told this was difficult, dangerous and expensive. With proper planning and research, field trips are high points of the year for all of us.

First, choose a place that can relate to your curriculum. If you are a biology teacher this may be a national park, a zoo, or a museum. For history, look around your area for historical sites or perhaps even in your home town. Many of these sites can be free for educational groups or very reasonable. I use a local military base, local historical sites, state parks and also cultural celebrations in the local area. 

Most of my trips, I only have to pay for transportation. I fund my field trips (as my district has no funding for field trips) by student donations. I have also been blessed to receive the Target Field Trip Grant a number of years ($700 per year). My field trips are always linked to instruction. For instance, I visit Okefenokee State Wildlife refuge. I link this to standards we have to teach in science, history and we always include writing assignments and research before and after each field trip as well as we finds a way to work in mathematics. Most school systems have some procedure and required paperwork to do before going on a field trip. Ask your principal what the district’s policies are regarding trips. Mine is supportive though I have to find my own money. With good planning, field trips are a great way to get students and teachers out of the classroom to show students real life applications to what they learned at school!

Dr. Mike Siekkinen, a retired U.S. Navy submariner, became a teacher as a second career. He teaches history at St Marys Middle School as well as Adult and Career Education at Valdosta State in Georgia.

Jumping to Conclusions by Andy Jobson

We live in an age dominated by sound bites and hashtags—simplistic thinking and immediate gratification. I like some parts of it, like being able to call up the next episode of a favorite TV show without having to wait for another week (or, in the case of shows I like, never having access to these obsolete shows), but I am deeply concerned about the trend.

This became more evident to me over the summer as I watched the responses to the news cycle, specifically to the deaths of two black men from police shootings in the course of just a few days. Both are undoubtedly tragedies, but in both cases, as with previous shootings, people rushed to judge the situation before having all the facts.  Without getting political, I want to encourage teachers to remember just how important it is to teach the process of gathering evidence, of considering alternative scenarios, and of waiting instead of “rushing to judgment” for something we hear about on social media or a news update.


I fear that many teachers are not emphasizing this important skill.  At the NEA Conference in July, I was helping izzit.org provide free DVDs.  Many teachers were quite excited to realize that the resources were indeed free to them (thanks to generous donors!), but I remember one who was looking at the “Raise the Wage” DVD.  I noted that the program tried to be as even-handed as possible but did indicate that maybe raising the wage was not such a great idea. 


Upon hearing this, she immediately huffed that that was a ridiculous idea, that she believed firmly in raising the minimum wage.  When I gently suggested that perhaps her students would benefit from hearing both sides, as she obviously felt strongly about the issue, she left pretty abruptly.  It’s a good reminder to me to be willing to listen to both sides and to encourage my students to do the same. This doesn’t mean I can’t determine who has the better answer, but I need to model the process of inquiry instead of immediacy.  Perhaps you will benefit from the reminder as well.

An educator of 22 years, Andy Jobson has taught government, economics, and U.S. History. Currently teaching English literature at Riverside Military Academy in Gainesville, GA, he’s also  been an administrator, a STAR teacher twice, and taught elementary school with Teach for America.

izzit: Educational Treasure Found by Ed Tooley

FREE! That word caught my attention as I perused my list of e-mails. Teachers receive numerous educational advertisements over the internet daily. Most products are unattainable because of the cost. At the school where I teach, there happened to be a “freeze” on all purchases because of budget issues. But this advertisement said, “Free.” We could afford free.

I was suspicious and skeptical. But the name izzit also had a curious ring to it. I had to know what it was all about.

I am so thankful that I made the effort some years ago to investigate this free offer. I have been able to show a number of izzit.org videos over the years. The response is always positive. The videos are short in length, but deep in substance. The content  makes students and teachers think, discuss, analyze and pursue educational issues that are meaningful and weighty.

In graduate school, educators are taught, or should I say ingrained with, an effective thinking strategy called Bloom’s Taxonomy. The purpose of this strategy is to help teachers lead students into higher-level thinking activities. The taxonomy has six levels. The lowest level begins with basic knowledge, and then each level proceeds to higher-level thinking skills, such as analysis and evaluation. The izzit.org products track with this method very well. 

The videos make students think about serious and important subject matter, like property rights, markets and entrepreneurship. As an educator, I search high and low for materials and activities that are both interesting and substantive. The products izzit.org creates hit the mark on both counts. They're student-friendly, which captures their attention. The subject matter encompasses a topic that make students analyze and defend their positions, rather than just recalling information by rote. The videos come with supplemental materials that will put a smile on any teacher’s face. (We save so much valuable time.)

         

I have used the izzit.org products mainly with my seventh grade social studies classes. It amazes me to observe, first-hand, the quality of ideas and solutions that come from these young people, as they confronted such important issues.

            

Allow me to share a quick story: Not long after I received my first izzit.org DVD, I shared my enthusiasm of the quality of the product with the economics teacher. She showed her senior economics class the DVD I recommended, and a magical moment occurred. After viewing the DVD, a senior economics student went out of her way to inform me just how much she enjoyed the video. She went on and on about how much her class enjoyed both the content, and the quality of the program.

            

One more story:  At a teachers’ conference, I was a seminar

speaker. I had the opportunity to share the izzit.org products with those in attendance. After a few minutes of sharing, a fellow teacher commented about the cost of the products. "What is it?” she asked.

I replied, “How did you know the name of the company?” I also explained the mind-blowing concept of FREE resources for educators.


Are you looking for great resources to use with your students? Well…look no further…this izzit!

High School Reunions by Andy Jobson

I reached a milestone this year—30 years since high school!  And for the first time, I decided to take the time and trouble to travel back home to Slidell, Louisiana, to see some members of my graduating class.  I suspected that most of my closest friends wouldn’t be there, and I was right, but it was still relatively enjoyable.  I did decide, however, that while some things have certainly changed, other things never will.

Our first event was in a bar on a Friday evening for a ‘meet and greet.’  The good news was, it was well attended. The bad news was, it was well attended—the crush of people made conversations rather difficult, and southern Louisiana in June is hot, even after dark.  Of course, in our senior year, many people spent many Friday nights drinking somewhere (although I was not one of those people), so it was déjà vu all over again.  On Saturday night, we met at a nice establishment for a buffet dinner, but conversation was again limited due to extremely loud music.  Again, it reminded me of the high school dances I attended.  The photographer hired for the event made sure he got pictures of the football players, the cheerleaders, and the dance team.  For some reason, chorus, drama club, literary magazine, academic rally participants, National Honor Society—in fact, everything I did in high school—was deemed unimportant by this photographer.  Some things never change.

I did enjoy learning the occupations that various members of the class had pursued, and it’s interesting to see the surprises of people who rose far above what their high school record suggested. I’ll admit, one reason I hesitated to go back was that I worried a little about comparisons, just as we all did in high school.  I expect, since I graduated at the top of my class, most people thought I was among the more likely people in my class to become highly successful—which of course is a term that can be very difficult to define.  I think I am highly successful, as I am happily married, I enjoy my work, and I have a significant impact on dozens of students each year.  When I told people that I was a teacher, however, I generally got a reaction like “That’s great!”  or “I could never do that!” but then they didn’t really seem interested in hearing more.  I probably should have hunted down other teachers in the group to swap war stories.

I wish I had had more time to visit with classmates, and I wish more had been there to visit.  The experience did remind me, though, that our students will surprise us.  As a result, we need to make sure we’re investing in all of our students, not just those who seem “most likely to succeed.”  

An educator of 22 years, Andy Jobson has taught government, economics, and U.S. History. Currently teaching English literature at Riverside Military Academy in Gainesville, GA, he’s also  been an administrator, a STAR teacher twice, and taught elementary school with Teach for America.

Take care of those new teachers! by Mike Siekkinen

For those of us that have been doing this for a fewyears (or more), it is often hard to remember that first year teaching. Mine was a baptism of fire. I was hired provisionally and did not do student teaching. Having been an instructor in the US Navy and having several degrees including a Master’s in Education, I thought I would be ready for anything. I thought because of my magnetic personality, quick wit and experience that students would be sitting at my feet waiting for me to feed them knowledge and then thanking me for the experience. A kind of “kumbaya’ moment. 

Boy was I wrong!  A number of times that first year I asked myself, “What did I get myself into?”

More than one day I went home thinking I did not want to do this. If not for some very good, experienced and kind teachers looking out for me, I would have floundered. 

So what I am saying is make the extra effort and look out for the new teachers in your school. Do the daily “check” with them as to how they are doing or if they need any help. Make the effort to get to know them. In other words, remember your first year teaching and how it was challenging, scary and maybe lonely. With a little extra attention, you could make a huge difference and make that first year teachers life better (while also helping the students).
Step up and mentor one of the newbie teachers. 

Have you mentored any new teachers? Do you have any advice for the newbies? Does your school have a formal mentoring program?  

Dr. Mike Siekkinen, a retired U.S. Navy submariner, became a teacher as a second career. He teaches history at St Marys Middle School as well as Adult and Career Education at Valdosta State in Georgia.

Books from Other Countries by Wendy Buchanan

As a teacher, I am constantly looking for resources that will enhance the quality of educational opportunities for my classroom, while continually emphasizing the importance of my students’ responsibilities to their school community and families.  I try to encourage a “market,” if you will, among the people who help our students grow to be productive citizens – the parents and teachers who, together, educate our children. 

As a result, each year, I divide my class into groups where students must live as a fictitious family. They have to budget, balance a checkbook, invest in the stock market and learn about assigned countries of origin. They ended up learning about famous inventors from different countries, all the while developing valuable life skills.

After attending a Winning Ideas Weekend in San Francisco with my husband, a former izzit.org Teacher of the Year, I participated in izzit’s Win-Win Trading Game and knew instantly that I could use this activity in my own 4^th grade classroom.  I finally understood some of what my husband had been talking about all these years. At first, I struggled with the economic concepts with which my husband wished to “enlighten” me. I resisted the idea of these concepts being taught at a grammar school level. But that all changed.

It was apparent that a key concept such as free trade and the benefits of a free-market competitive society, indeed, had a place in the elementary classroom! I was ecstatic about the possibility of exposing the winning ideas of freedom into the minds of these youngsters. The question of how this would happen lingered.

It wasn’t until two years later that the idea came to me… Each year our school receives donated books. So how could we distribute these books most effectively? We decided to use izzit’s Win-Win: A Trading Game. I viewed my free copy of the Win-Win Trading Game DVD to brush up on how it should be played. And it occurred to me that our “fictitious families” from all over the world would be the perfect situation to bring the concept of free trade to the fourth grade classroom. 

Students were asked to sit with their “family” in a “country-of-origin.” Each was given a book in a sealed paper bag. Students could either keep their book or trade with the other members of their family; suddenly they had a choice.  A discussion followed regarding their limited choices within their countries. Before the students understood where this lesson was going, they insisted on trading with “other countries.”

Trading was now permitted with the other countries, and students quickly began to search for those particular books that were of interest to them. They understood, firsthand, how the simple act of being able to trade freely with the class led to a major increase in their satisfaction.

Discussion turned to global trade and the clothing everyone was wearing that morning.  Clothing tags were identified, and the origin of the clothing was mapped out on individual student maps and on the large classroom map of the world. Students became aware of the global connection associated with their clothing, and witnessed a real life example of just how free trade makes more people satisfied. In the end, my students realized the much larger picture: our freedom to choose what we trade and with whom we trade makes for a better world.

By placing this video in my hands, izzit.org has given me the necessary tools to not only reach my students this year, but for years to come. I have already lent the DVD to my fellow grade-level teachers. And during our school’s next book giveaway, all 4^th grade students will be participating in the trading game. With the addition of other “countries,” the overall satisfaction of the books donated will undoubtedly increase while promoting the concept of free trade.

By producing one high-quality video targeting a specific concept involving liberty, teachers have the opportunity to educate and enlighten millions of students, allowing them to become productive citizens. Thanks izzit.org!

“The most important single central fact about a free market is that no exchange takes place unless both parties benefit.”  -Milton Friedman

Pups of Liberty Coloring Contest

Each month izzit.org wants your students to bring the Pups Alive with our monthly Pups of Liberty Coloring Contest. Educators/teachers can go to our kids zone section from izzit.org and download a coloring page, then watch your students creativity come alive. Once coloring pages are completed, they can be submitted to izzit.org via Facebook private message, Twitter direct message or email at: contests@izzit.org between the first of each month and the last day of each month. Educators submitting coloring pages must be a registered member with izzit.org, accounts are easy and FREE to create. One winner will randomly be selected from all entries and announced on the first working day of the next month. That winner will receive a $50.00 gift certificate to reallygoodstuff.com and (1) Pups of Liberty Activity book.

Click here for activities relating to Pups Of Liberty: Dog-claration of Independence

Click here for activities relating to Pups of Liberty: Boston Tea-bone Party"

For full rules, click here.

Is it an izzit day? by Elizabeth Harris

What do you read when you have no books and a high-school classroom full of struggling readers?

Nearly a decade ago I had to answer that very question as I began a new chapter in my career – teaching English and Academic Literacy at MacArthur High School in San Antonio, Texas. During the interview process, my principal challenged me both professionally and personally. She explained that my classes would be full of students who need a teacher to see beyond their well-documented disabilities and challenges. Enthusiasm for what you are teaching and respect for the students must be displayed every day. You must believe in them even when they don’t believe in themselves. Can you do that while teaching students who are struggling or resistant learners?

Challenge accepted.

The first week of school brought another challenge that I had not anticipated. My classroom was nearly empty. A few desks and small tables were scattered amidst four white walls, but there was not a single book in the classroom. No books, no bookshelves, not even a filing cabinet.

My search for high-interest, expository texts or current event-based materials began immediately.

During this time, I discovered izzit.org. I was thrilled to find an organization dedicated to providing quality teaching materials. Although the emphasis of the materials is primarily in the economic or government and business realm, the topics readily lend themselves to cross-curricular learning experiences.

In my Academic Literacy classroom, From Poop to Profits becomes a lesson about problem solving, innovation, and overcoming obstacles.

Bee the Change becomes a lesson about learning to take risks in the face of hardship, and the importance of being committed to follow through in order to effect change for your family and community.

Paradox of Progress becomes a lesson about facing change. When is change good? When is technology enough? Or too much? Who decides?

The Singing Revolution becomes a lesson about individual acts of heroism, the power of choice, and the resilience of the human spirit.

Each engaging izzit.org video depicts real people facing real challenges and demonstrates the importance of perseverance and individual choice. My students cheer whenever they see the izzit.org icon. “Is it an izzit day?” is a favorite question.

Whether teaching my struggling readers, students with learning disabilities, or second language learners, izzit.org provides excellent educational resources for teachers that can easily be adapted to teaching any level of secondary students. Teacher guides coupled with quality films and documentaries depicting real world situations provide students with authentic learning opportunities that extend beyond the classroom walls. In my classroom, videos frequently serve as springboards for student-driven, inquiry-based research projects. This type of learning promotes critical thinking, problem solving, and higher level processing as well as collaboration.

Several years ago after reading a current event article from izzit.org titled “Kidneys for Sale”, even my most apathetic student had an opinion. We paired this with a similar article and then viewed a segment of the video from the Drew Carey Project: Vol. 1. My students were engaged and did not stop talking about this topic even as we were ready to move on. So, I changed my lesson plans. Students continued generating meaningful questions and talking with their parents outside of class – about organ donors and organ transplants.

Their momentum carried us from learning about how to become an organ donor to learning which other organs can be successfully transplanted. As students questioned, we expanded our research. The culminating effect that year is that students began to learn why some people need organ donations. And they wanted to do something to help. One young lady challenged her family to begin eating more vegetables and become healthier so that they won’t need organ transplants. Others decided to raise awareness about how to become an organ donor.

Momentum continued and one final project brought all of my classes together in a collaborative effort. Students’ inquiry-based research led them to learn about several diseases such as cystic fibrosis, diabetes, and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). When students read an article about a young boy with DMD and learned it is a fatal childhood disease that affects boys, they wanted to do something. Their ideas flowed.

Students planned, developed, and carried out several events on campus and in the community to raise $1,500.00 dollars toward research for finding a cure. Through a grant proposal, students published a calendar outlining their journey and continuing efforts to raise awareness for their cause. Calendars were sent to principals, counselors, and librarians at each middle school and high school campus in our district.

Instead of focusing on their own challenges, this project provided a platform for students to realize their potential and celebrate their ability to impact the world around them. Participation at this level is empowering.

Curriculums may change and textbooks will come and go, but izzit.org current event updates and educational videos remain a constant in my classroom because they provide opportunities for students to grow and learn together