Enthusiasm for the North Carolina FIRST LEGO League (NCFLL) is sweeping the state. Teams of children in grades 4-8 compete by programming and designing LEGO MINDSTORMS robots to complete missions on a table-top playing field. The teams also engage in research projects about real-life issues such as recycling and hydrodynamics. This program will give you the tools you need to start or maintain a LEGO Robotics team at your school. We have hands-on sessions for team logistics, robot programming, leading research projects, and finding support. Learn how you can become a part of this fun and exciting STEM opportunity!

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Designed for teachers of grades 6–12.

Imagine a classroom where digital learning is already immersed into every aspect of the curriculum. Educators today have so many components to consider when creating a lesson, including: content, assessment, collaboration, and digital technology. Learn how to create a learning space where digital tools are seamlessly integrated. Investigate a variety of digital tools and see example lessons for the English/language arts, history, and science classrooms. Inspire your students to become more engaged by creating an immersive digital learning environment.

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Designed for elementary grades teachers.

Many elementary literacy assessments group students and provide differentiated activities based on each student’s needs. While this is extremely helpful, how do elementary teachers use data from assessments that don’t provide this information? This program will provide support for you in your analysis of student data to diagnose strengths and weaknesses in your students. Gain understanding of Rates of Improvement (ROI) while you investigate the student needs in your classroom. Discuss literacy goals and objectives that are S.M.A.R.T.

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NCCAT’s Holocaust Education Program works to promote Holocaust education in North Carolina public schools. It is important to continue our efforts to promote student understanding of the ways in which our individual and collective actions shape the direction of the present and the world of the future. Join fellow alumni of our Holocaust Education Program as we explore teaching the Holocaust. This program will help teachers focus on the power of individuals’ personal stories as an effective vehicle for teaching about the Holocaust, so they may involve students in appropriate and powerful study of this difficult topic. The Gathering is open to teachers who have participated in NCCAT’s “Teaching the Holocaust” programs or in comparable intensive Holocaust education programs.

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Through no fault of its own, nonfiction writing has earned a reputation as something to be suffered through. Consider, however, that the Oscar-nominated films Into the Wild; Girl, Interrupted; and Seabiscuit –to name only three—all began life in the bookstore on the nonfiction shelves. Great informational text can be just as compelling as great fiction. In this program, participants will examine a variety of literary nonfiction, from travel and nature writing to investigative journalism. They will learn how to employ such texts in their classrooms to increase student interest and support or extend their reading and writing skills. This program is recommended for secondary teachers.

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Computer science drives job growth and innovation throughout our economy and society. According to Code.org: computing occupations make up two-thirds of all projected new jobs in STEM fields, making Computer Science one of the most in-demand college degrees. Most students, however, do not have the opportunity to learn coding. You can help change this by inspiring students to learn more about computer science. Learn how to code, how to integrate coding into your curriculum, and the basics in robotics.

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Designed for teachers in grades 4–8.

Our public schools are encountering a multicultural diversity challenge. Minority students (and all students) need to see positive verbal and visual images of children like themselves in the books they read. When children see themselves in books they are motivated to read more books and read more often. It can increase self-esteem and make them feel part of the larger society. Reading literature about people from other cultures can increase sensitivity to those who are different from themselves, improve their knowledge of the world, and help them realize that although people have many differences, they also share many similarities. Learn to identify and evaluate books and online literacy resources that you can use to build a positive multicultural classroom. Become familiar with grants and other sources you can use to acquire multicultural resources. We also will explore strategies for involving parents in multicultural literacy programs.

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Designed for teachers of grades K–5.

Good readers ask questions before, during, and after reading to make sense of text. Questions provide the opportunity to interact with the text and figure out the deeper meaning of what is being read. How do teachers model good questioning strategies? How do teachers pose questions that foster critical thinking? What types of questions help readers understand confusing parts of a book? Learn how to use questioning strategies to enhance reading comprehension for all students.

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The study of STEM—science, technology, engineering, and math—stimulates children to think critically and problem solve. STEM skills are crucial to building workforce readiness. Purposeful integration of tools found in the workplace can make STEM learning more authentic and relevant. Explore various types of technology and tools that can be incorporated into these existing lessons to make them even better. Maximize classroom time by integrating technologies that can make data collection and analysis easier. Experience lessons that give students a desire to ask questions and engineer solutions. Various technologies will be explored including Vernier sensors, coding software, design software, 3D printers, web 2.0 resources, mechatronics and more. Join us as we make messes, break things, fix things and create minds-on STEM learning environments.

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Designed for elementary math, ELA, or self-contained teachers of grades 3–5.

Students who struggle with the abstract and symbolic nature of mathematics may benefit from leveraging their reading and writing skills to analyze, evaluate, and solve complex problems. In this program, teachers will engage in a series of activities that combine reading and writing skills with mathematical inquiry. They will then have time to create or revise lessons that integrate these areas. Teachers of younger or older students may benefit, but activities will be geared to the upper elementary grades.

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