Word Generation Social Studies Units

HSE, Pre-HSE, Social Studies
Word Generation Social Studies Units
· Appropriate for: For student independent work · Available: Lessons, Texts/Readings · Readiness: Resources can be used as they are · Engagement: 3 = very engaging

Now more than ever, students need an education in civics.  Civics is central to the GED Social Studies, but there are more urgent reasons to teach students about this American democracy.  Students need help in voting for their own interests and navigating the confusing new fact of political reporting.  As adult education teachers, we may feel that we have to choose between dry, simplistic textbook excerpts and newspaper articles that assume readers have extensive knowledge of U.S. politics.   Textbook excerpts often tell only a small part of the story—the part that glorifies U.S. history and the workings of its governments.  We all know the reality is less straightforward and positive.  How can we convey the basics while also inviting students to enter into the complex political life of our country, which includes the good, the bad and the ugly? Continue reading Word Generation Social Studies Units →

Low Level Stories You Can “Bank” On!

ESOL, Low Level ESOL, , ,
Minnesota Literacy Council ESL Story Bank
· Appropriate for: Use in class, Knowledge of teaching · Available: Lessons, Texts/Readings, Assessments, Hands On Activities · Readiness: Resources can be used as they are · Engagement: 3 = very engaging

The Minnesota Literacy Council ESL Story Bank is a group of stories written specifically for adult ESL learners at the lowest levels. They are part of the Minnesota Literacy Council’s Adult ESL Curriculum with Transition Skills, available here for free. In the ESL Story Bank, there are both pre-beginning and beginning stories in the story bank.  The stories are all relevant and appropriate for adult English Language Learners. The activities are well-scaffolded, and designed to help low level students each step of the way.  The materials can be used as a full curriculum in which you introduce a new story with a theme that builds over the course of a week. Alternatively, teachers can pick and choose stories that support the adult learner themes they are working on. Continue reading Low Level Stories You Can “Bank” On! →

Bring the Past Alive with HERB

Social Studies,
Social History for Every Classroom
· Appropriate for: Building teacher background knowledge, Use in class · Available: Texts/Readings · Readiness: Resources can be used as they are · Engagement: 3 = very engaging

The guy with the pipe in his mouth is the one you want to talk to.  That’s HERB, the “mascot” for the CUNY Graduate’s Center website Social History for Every Classroom.  Herb presides over a vast collection of primary sources that will bring U.S. history alive for your students. Continue reading Bring the Past Alive with HERB →

Ideas for Teaching Vocabulary? Look no Further!

HSE, Pre-HSE, Reading
Vocabulary Ideas Compiled by Deb Smith - Reading Lady
· Appropriate for: Building teacher background knowledge, Use in class, Knowledge of teaching · Available: · Readiness: Resources can be used as they are · Engagement: 2 = engaging

This document is a wonderful resource for teachers who want a crash course on how to teach vocabulary effectively along with dozens of really fun vocabulary games that can be used for reinforcement and review. The first pages of the blog are devoted to summarizing the main points of Beck and McKeown’s “Bringing Words to Life,” which has become the go-to book for most educators around the topic of vocabulary instruction. These pages provide teachers with a “quick and dirty” guide to choosing words, presenting words to students, what it means to “know” a word, and how to review words for reinforcement and application. Continue reading Ideas for Teaching Vocabulary? Look no Further! →

A Call to Adult Numeracy/HSE Math Teachers: Let’s Build Community (and Practice) Together

ABE, HSE, Math, Pre-HSE
ANN under 10
· Appropriate for: Knowledge of teaching · Available: Videos · Readiness: Resources can be used as they are · Engagement: 3 = very engaging

On the evening of April 4th (the second night of the 2017 COABE1 conference), some 30-40 adult educators from around the country came together after a long day of workshops for some extracurricular inspiration in math – a new Adult Numeracy Network (ANN)2 event called ANN Under 10. 

The idea is simple. Adult numeracy teachers give a brief talk, each under 10 minutes. Each speaker tells a story and asks a question that is driving their teaching practice. Some may pose a question they have been working on for years, some may share something they’ve been working on for only a few months. But the questions they share with us are invitations to collaborate.

The goal of ANN under 10 is for teachers to continue to work on the ideas inspired by the talks. The talks themselves are wonderful, but the real work is what happens in the classrooms and practice of the teachers who watch them.  Continue reading A Call to Adult Numeracy/HSE Math Teachers: Let’s Build Community (and Practice) Together →