All posts by Kate Brandt

About Kate Brandt

Kate Brandt is a Professional Developer in the adult literacy field in New York City and she loves her job. She loves her job so much that she commutes 2 hours per day, from her suburban home in Shrub Oak, New York, to get to work. She loves working in adult literacy because she gets to work with people who are smart, kind, and dedicated.

Life After the Test

College and Career Readiness
College Board
· Appropriate for: Use in class, For student independent work · Available: Hands On Activities · Readiness: Resources need to be/can be adapted for adult education classroom · Engagement: 2 = engaging

As much as HSE students need to prepare for the Test, they must also think about life “after the test.” What career choice might work for them? What further study night be needed? Continue reading Life After the Test →

Turning Students Into Historians

HSE, Social Studies, ,
Teaching History
· Appropriate for: Building teacher background knowledge, Use in class, Knowledge of teaching · Available: Lessons, Texts/Readings · Readiness: Some resources are ready for the adult ed classroom and some would need to be adapted · Engagement: 2 = engaging

Teaching History is so full of useful resources that it can seem overwhelming. The website is divided into three main sections: Teaching Materials, History Content, and Best Practices. You’ll find quality lesson plans reviewed by other teachers in Teaching Materials. History Content is where you’ll find engaging resources to deepen your own content knowledge. In Best Practices, you can learn how to teach historical thinking and turn your students into historians.

Continue reading Turning Students Into Historians →

History Lesson Plans Based on Primary Sources

HSE, Social Studies,
Reading like a Historian
· Appropriate for: Use in class · Available: Lessons, Texts/Readings · Readiness: Resources need to be/can be adapted for adult education classroom · Engagement: 3 = very engaging

This website for history teachers consists of sets of lesson plans for U.S. and world history that are centered around primary source documents. Generally, each lesson begins with an introduction to build student background knowledge about a particular era and topic. Continue reading History Lesson Plans Based on Primary Sources →

Accessible News for Adults

HSE, Pre-HSE, Reading, Social Studies, ,
The Times in Plain English
· Appropriate for: Use in class, For student independent work · Available: Texts/Readings · Readiness: Resources can be used as they are · Engagement: 2 = engaging

The Times in Plain English is a site that offers both adult students and their teachers versions of New York Times articles that have been simplified and shortened to meet the needs of students reading at lower levels. Continue reading Accessible News for Adults →

A Classroom News Magazine for Current Events

HSE, Reading,
New York Times Upfront
· Appropriate for: Use in class, For student independent work · Available: Texts/Readings · Readiness: Resources can be used as they are · Engagement: 3 = very engaging

Once I began preparing students for the HSE test, New York Times Upfront became one of my main go-to sites for social studies and writing materials.  This classroom news magazine from Scholastic includes 1-3 page articles related to government and U.S. history which are a great way to build student background knowledge in an engaging manner.   Continue reading A Classroom News Magazine for Current Events →