Put your general knowledge and geography to the test

Following on from Google's  spelling challenge game released in May called Spell Up the folks at Mountain view have again beefed up their educational profile with the addition of an excellent little Geography / General knowledge game called Smarty Pins.

The premise of this game is simple, you have to correctly locate as many geographical icons on a map using the clues provided in as little time as possible.  The closer you are the more questions you will continue to face.  It's great fun and very easy to play.

The feedback from an incorrect answer is pretty amusing.  It tries to belittle you as much as possible without killing the friendship entirely.

I am not sure how deep you can go with this as far as using it as a Geography tool for learning and teaching but it will definitely separate your students who understand that Austria and Australia are two countries that have very little in common.

Finally, it is regionally sensitive and as such will ask you questions primarily aimed at the country / region in which you live.

Click here to access.

Teach your students about the four different types of bullying

Bullying has become a very popular word amongst school age children. 

However, this word is often misunderstood.  Bullying is action(s) repeated over and over again by an individual or group of people with the intent to harm either physically, verbally, socially (emotionally), or through cyber sources. 

This lesson will discuss and explore the different types of bullying and provide students with the opportunity to identify the various types.

Click here to download the free 5 page lesson plan.

Teach your students about bullying and strategies to deal with it.

Bullying is a problem that often starts in the early years. At times, students may not understand the severity of their actions. For others, they may not know how to appropriately respond to those bullying them.

In any case, bullying bites! &This simple lesson allows for thoughtful discussion and reflection between teachers and students. Awareness can assist in preventing the lingering effects of bullying.

Click here to download the free lesson plan

How to add more detail to your students writing

Nonfiction writing is a primary focal point for language arts classes across the United States.  Students are no longer expected to just write creative short stories or basic poetry.  Instead, students are expected to pen informational feature articles, argumentative speeches, and other forms of nonfiction writing. 

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Teachers will collectively agree that the best authors make use of a variety of detail types.  By using statistics, facts, historical examples, personal examples, amongst other detail types, one’s main idea can be accurately developed to reflect far beyond just an apprentice writer.

Click here to download the lesson plan about details in writing.

Click here to download the assessment tool around details in writing.

Getting started with Wolfram Alpha in the classroom

Wolfram Alpha is a search engine for statistics and facts.  It is linked to thousands of databases and is an excellent tool for analyzing and comparing data and statistics on virtually any field of interest... Literally anything.

The video below will explain the potential and how it differs from Google, which is a completely different search engine which becomes apparent after some use.

Wolfram Alpha have always understood the potential of using their tool in the classroom and have created an education portal made up of courses and resources for teachers and students.

The resources are more geared to the maths science area and would not be of great interest to junior primary teachers but the product is constantly evolving and works on every platform.

The education portal can be found here.  IF you have been using Wolfram Alpha in creative ways with your students we would love to hear about it in our comments section below.

5 persuasive writing prompts about heading to college

High school students heading off to college have a multitude of decisions and considerations to make regarding their transition into adult life.  

For many heading of to college will be a major point of consideration and discussion with parents and peers.

I hope these persuasive writing prompts for high school students heading off to college encourage them to put their ideas into an organised manner. 

Prompt 1) Many other countries including: England, Australia and New Zealand, encourage students to take a year off to travel and explore the world before going to college. While not a mainstay in American culture, this "gap-year" movement is beginning to take hold. Do you feel that it is a good idea for students to take a year off between high school and college? Or should they go straight into college following high school?

Prompt 2) You have just gotten into your dream school, the problem is that your family was pushing you to go to a different school. Which school do you go to and why? Site specific examples.

Prompt 3) More and more students are planning on living off-campus their first year of college. Do you plan on living on or off campus for your freshman year of college? Why? 

Prompt 4) A close friend of yours is interested in pursuing a career in a specific trade craft. Do you think they should go to a trade school that specializes in teaching that craft or should they go to a traditional college that offers that craft as a major? Write a letter to convince them to attend the school of your choice above.

Prompt 5) Your guidance counselor is asking for you to defend your choice of major. Write a detailed argument outlining why you are choosing to pursue that particular major. If you are still undecided in what major you are pursuing, write a detailed argument explaining why you haven't made that particular decision yet. 

Please feel free to contribute more below. 

5 persuasive writing prompts about war

The unjust russian invasion of ukraine has higlhighted the lies of a dictator and the suffering of his victims on both sides.

Is war ever justified?  Has there ever been a successful war?  Does war save or spend innocent lives?

War is certainly one of the most complex issues humanity has ever faced, but in saying that we have been pursuing it since we could raise a fist in anger. 

We see images from all around the world every night that highlight man's injustice toward each other. 

Your students will enjoy these five persuasive writing prompts about war in forming an educated opinion about an issue in which so many have laid down their lives for.

 Prompt 1) In several counties, citizens are expected to serve in the national military. Even in America, we have only recently abandoned the draft and the ordinance of mandatory military service. Do you believe we should institute similar mandatory military service requirements for our citizenry? Why or why not?

Prompt 2) Do you believe the US should launch a preliminary strike against Iran? Why or why not?

Prompt 3) Many great philosophers have likened war to being a cowardly way to face a problem. Do you agree with these philosophers? Why or why not?

Prompt 4) One of your friends has been approached by a recruiter for the Army and has asked you for your advice on whether or not they should join. Do you tell him to enlist? Be sure to give them reasons why you feel they should/should not enlist.

Prompt 5) As America's capitalist system becomes more dependent on global markets for stability, many have stipulated that fewer wars will be fought. Do you agree or disagree with this assumption? Why or why not? 

Please feel free to suggest some more below

5 persuasive writing prompts about drugs

Drugs have always been a meaty topic for high school and college students as they are at an age when they are becoming aware of the social and health issues associated with drug use but also surrounded by the confusing messages from music, films and social media that drugs are "cool."

These persuasive writing prompts will certainly require your students to do some research to form an educated opinion about issues surrounding drug use.

Remember that if you are looking for more great free resources and structured guides to teaching all aspects of English especially writing be sure to visit literacyideas.com

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Prompt 1) In order to crack down on drug use and distribution in schools, many high schools have begun to conduct targeted searches of student lockers, backpacks and other "personal" properties. Keeping in mind that the Supreme Court has ruled these types of searches as constitutional, do you feel that this is still a violation of student rights? Or, do you think that since the school is ultimately responsible for the well-being of it’s students, they should have the right to conduct these searches in the effort of keeping the student body safe?

Prompt 2) With more professional and college athletes being drug-tested, do you feel that High School athletes should be subjected to regularly drug tests?

Prompt 3) Should marijuana be legalized? Site your position and specific examples that support this decision. Simply "because I like it," is not an example.

Prompt 4) Medical Marijuana has been legalized in California for some time now. Do you feel that it is okay for the State to decide that marijuana should be regulated and distributed any other prescription drug, or do you feel that this should be a decision made on the Federal level, and California should step inline with the rest of the country?

Prompt 5) Do you think law enforcement agencies and government officials spend too much time and energy focusing on marijuana instead of other drugs (heroin, cocaine,  meth, etc…)