Want to increase your effectiveness as a science teacher for the middle grades? Come learn about the nature and history of science as well as how to help students in this age group grasp the scientific method. You'll receive lots of worksheets and specific examples of some great experiments you can use in your own classroom. You will discover the principles of direct instruction and many different learning and organizational tools that will benefit your students. You'll even learn how you can use science class to improve the emotional climate in your classroom!

All through the course, you will discover worksheets and checklists you and your students can put to immediate use. You'll see how helpful they are in the lessons on the scientific method, writing a research paper, and producing a science fair. You will cover foundational content in both physical science and life science. You will learn how to use a study of the earth's atmosphere to teach students how to make and interpret a variety of graphs—an important skill for standardized testing. You will learn about some of the best websites available. By the end of this course, you will have many new skills that will benefit both you and your students.

For more information or to register please click the link.

Having SMART Boards in the classroom and knowing how to use them to provide quality instruction are two different things! If you have a SMART Board in your classroom, but have little training in using it, you may be wondering, "what on earth do I do with it?"

In this course, you will discover how to create outstanding presentations with SMART Board and SMART Notebook technology. You will explore the basics of using these tools and discover how to create your own SMART board lessons blending text, videos, and graphics. You will also go beyond the bells and whistles and look at specific ways to use SMART technology to broaden your content and make your lessons accessible to all students. Finally, you will get some simple troubleshooting tips that will come in handy if your SMART board isn't acting as smart as it should.

By the time you're done with this course, you will be an expert at using your new high-tech tools to plan SMART board lessons that provide engaging, thought-provoking, and easy-to-update material for today's media-savvy learners.

For more information or to register please click the link.

In this course, you will discover practical ways to help children with ADHD control their behavior and succeed in school. You will be learning from the real experts: the children themselves. You will find out how Kristi controls her behavior and how Wanda handles boredom. You will see how Adam jump-starts his thought processes, how Harry satisfies his need to move without bothering his teacher, and how Darren aces his homework.

In addition, you will hear from parents and teachers about the amazing benefits of simple adaptations in space, structure, rules, and expectations. You will also explore some myths and facts about ADHD and see how this condition affects motivation, activity level, attention, and memory. By the time you're done, you will have the skills and knowledge needed to help students with ADHD achieve their full potential.

For more information or to register please click the link.

If you've ever had a student who blurted out in class, screamed when someone patted their shoulder, or rocked back and forth in the chair, you will appreciate the lessons ahead. In this course, you will discover the neurobiology behind these disorders and the way it affects students' behavior, learning, and thinking. Most important, you will learn creative, easy, low-budget strategies to help your students with Autism succeed in the classroom and beyond.

Develop the skills to counter these students' social discomfort, sensory sensitivities, meltdowns, problems with homework completion, language reciprocity issues, and violent fixations. Even if you don't have a student with high-functioning autism or Asperger's Syndrome in your class this year, these strategies will equip you to deal with any student who exhibits these characteristics on a regular basis.

For more information or to register please click the link.

This course will teach you how to meet the diverse needs of students with disabilities in your classroom. With lessons developed by an experienced special educator, you will explore the special education process, from working with individualized education programs (IEPs) to helping students struggling with reading comprehension, math skills, and writing. In this course, you will discover easy, practical, and creative strategies that will help your struggling students find their light bulb moments.

You will also discover fun games you can incorporate, tips for modifying your classroom, and many tested methods for bringing out the best behavior in your students. Whether you are in the classroom, studying for the Praxis Special Education exam, or preparing to work with students in a variety of settings, this course will help you to understand and empower your students with learning disabilities.

For more information or to register please click the link.

In this teacher-training course, you will learn from an experienced educator how to motivate and assist developing writers. You will get an overview of the writing basics, focusing on the importance of the task, audience, and purpose. You will also discover how to organize your materials to create an inviting writing environment.

This course will discuss each step of teaching writing and the strategies you can use with your students. You will learn how to strengthen your students' writing using technology. Along the way, you'll develop engaging lessons for literary response, narrative writing, expository writing, and persuasive writing. You will also discover the secrets of effective writing assessment as you learn about evaluation tools like portfolios and rubrics. The approaches you learn in this course will enable you to put everything you know about teaching writing into an applicable, workable format.

For more information or to register please click the link.

From the time that a young child picks up a crayon and makes marks on a paper to when an older child puts the finishing sentence on an autobiography or a poem, a young author is developing the skills that will be used for a lifetime. In this course, you will examine the developmental stages of writing, from the "scribbling" stage to the "standard spelling" stage, so that you can foster your students' skills and gently nudge them to grow as authors. This course is full of practical ideas that you can use to motivate students in your classroom.

You will look at tools such as the writer's workshop, the six traits of writing, and genre studies for ways to teach students about writing. You will see how each of these tools can be used by teachers to encourage early elementary writers. As your students become better writers, they will become better readers, and you will see how well reading and writing instruction work together to support each other.

The course also covers ways to support the writers who struggle, whether due to a lack of motivation, fine motor skills, or ideas. You will also explore techniques for getting parents involved so that they can help with writing at home. By the end of the course, you will have a new enthusiasm for teaching that will ignite your students' love of writing.

For more information or to register please click the link.

Creativity will abound in your classroom as you tap your students' hidden talents. Learn how to use creativity to teach reading, writing, visual arts, performing arts, social studies, science, mathematics, and physical and health education. Develop creative new approaches to field trips, learning labs, activities, exercises, assignments, and evaluation methods. Think beyond the textbook and challenge your students by making your classroom a creative classroom!

For more information or to register please click the link.