VSTE partners with Big Deal Media to bring you carefully curated resources designed for K-12 educators. Grants, competitions, web-based and mobile resources and more. We select our favorites from each newsletter but be sure to scroll down and view the whole newsletter. And, since not all the Big Deal Book resources are time sensitive, we provide an archive for you to browse
This newsletter will help you with Autism Awareness, Bring Robots to Life, Celebrate Diversity & More.......
Coding/Robotics Tool for Developing STEAM Skills
LEGO Education’s new SPIKE Prime Set is a STEAM learning tool for students in grades 6–8. Combining colorful LEGO building elements, easy-to-use hardware, and an intuitive drag-and-drop coding language based on Scratch, SPIKE Prime continuously engages students through playful learning activities to think critically and solve complex problems, regardless of their learning level.
Film Fostering Inquiry and Reflection About Earth
In 1968 three astronauts embarked on the Apollo 8 mission and witnessed Earth as it had never been seen before. The first color photograph taken beyond Earth’s orbit was later titled Earthrise. An award-winning film from Global Oneness Project documents the story of this photograph. How does the Earthrise photograph provide a context for what it means to be a global citizen?
Culturally Responsive Literacy Strategies
Coming soon from Scholastic Education … Fifty award-winning literacy educators contribute more than thirty-five “engagements”—engaging stories of student-focused, classroom-tested instructional and assessment actions—to strengthen the reader in every child, while reinforcing one essential fact: reading is about constructing meaning. Reading Revealed is organized in a four-part framework: Knowing Reading, Knowing Readers, Engaging Readers, and Knowing the Language to Use. Each engagement includes a brief Introduction; Why?—Benefits of the engagement; Who?—Students that would benefit most from the engagement; How?—Materials and instructions for effective implementation; Closure/Stepping Back—Concluding the engagement; How’s It Going? Informal Assessment; and Sources for more information. Packed with helpful tips, photos, an appendix of forms, and a companion website featuring real classroom videos, Reading Revealed offers indispensable support for helping students approach reading strategically and joyfully.
