Common Core Corner: Newsela, STEM in Sports, Art through Time

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NEWSELA

Imagine a database of timely, worldly, substantial news articles from reputable periodicals such as the LA Times, Chicago Tribune, Miami Herald, and Orlando Sentinel whose lexile levels can change instantly with the press of a button. For each article accessible on its site, Newsela offers five different versions: the original article and four different versions written by journalists from major publications worldwide. The timely articles are offered in broad categories: war and peace, money, kids, science, and law. Some articles include quizzes that are aligned to the standards. All articles can be assigned to registered students whether or not a corresponding quiz is available. Register for Newsela in its beta form (http://newsela.com/) to begin differentiating instruction for your students.

STEM IN SPORTS

STEM in Sports (http://www.connectamillionminds.com/campaigns/stem-in-sports) is the brainchild of Time Warner Cable’s Connect a Million Minds program to promote science, technology, engineering, and math through popular sports. The learning guides provide background information for educators to teach STEM concepts through football, golf, and professional car racing. This multidisciplinary approach will excite even the most reluctant students.

ART THROUGH TIME: A GLOBAL VIEW

Students can analyze works of art as primary sources that reflect different cultures and time periods through Annenberg Learner’s art history project. Artwork is categorized by thirteen universal themes such as dreams and visions, history and memory, domestic life, and conflict and resistance. Each theme includes a brief overview, a 30-minute video, images of related artwork with background information and physical description, a printable learning unit, and a teacher’s guide with supplemental questions and activities.Students may also browse artwork by period, region, and medium (http://www.learner.org/courses/globalart/). *Note: Some artwork depicts nudity and violence that is inappropriate for young children.

About the Author

Kristina A. Holzweiss, MA, MLS, is an ed tech librarian at Syosset High School, as well as a presenter, author, and professional developer. She earned her master's degree in English from CUNY Queens College, her master's degree in library science from LIU Post, and her advanced certificate in educational technology from SUNY Stony Brook. Kristina was named the School Library Journal Librarian of the Year in 2015, a National School Board 2016 - 2017 "20 to Watch" emerging education technology leader, and a 2018 Library Journal Mover & Shaker. She is also the winner of the 2015 NYSCATE Lee Bryant Outstanding Teacher Award and 2015 Long Island Technology Summit Fred Podolski Leadership and Innovation Award. In 2015 she founded SLIME - Students of Long Island Maker Expo (slimemakerexpo.com) where schools, libraries, museums, nonprofit organizations, civic associations, and educational companies can celebrate creativity and innovation. Kristina is the co-author of Hacking School Libraries: 10 Ways to Incorporate Library Media Centers into Your Learning Community with Stony Evans, as well as the author of Scholastic makerspace books. She is the Long Island Director for NYSCATE, an ISTE affiliate, and shares regularly on social media (@lieberrian) and her website (bunheadwithducttape.com).

MLA Citation

Holzweiss, Kristina A. "Common Core Corner: Newsela, STEM in Sports, Art through Time." School Library Monthly, 30, no. 3, December 2013. School Library Connection, schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Article/1966987.

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Entry ID: 1966987