The multiple transitions that North Carolina has made in the mathematics curriculum have students, teachers, administrators, and parents scratching their heads. How can we navigate the complexities of a very difficult subject in a world where numerical fluency is increasingly important? Many high school students have given up. They are turning to Wolfram-Alpha or deciding that “I’m not a math person.” Explore ways to engage students in the secondary mathematics classroom to show the relevance and importance of math in their everyday lives. Discover interactive digital resources to use in the classroom and connect with other educators across the state to form supportive networks.

Designed for teachers of grades K–8.

Today’s students use phones, tablets, computers, and video games as ways to obtain information. Information does not always link to understanding! What types of strategies can teachers use to include this type of information sourcing? Are literacy strategies the same for traditional text as they are for digital text? Discuss the digital divide and the complexities involved with nontraditional text. Investigate strategies for “digging deeper” into digital text. Explore a variety of digital tools you can use to make literacy instruction and learning more authentic and relevant.

Digital learning is a broad category that encompasses the use of digital resources and technology to enhance and differentiate instruction. The number of available options, however, can be overwhelming. Gain experience with free high-quality tools for: video and audio production, blended lessons, games in education, online content, augmented reality, and digital formative assessment. Dive into robotics and discover how inexpensive classroom robots can be used across grades and subjects to teach higher-order thinking and problem solving. Participants will learn how to make their own rudimentary robots! Those who attend this session will explore these digital tools as students, determine how to use them effectively as teachers, and leave NCCAT with a virtual toolbox of techniques to take back to the classroom

Designed for teachers of grades 4–8.

The North Carolina General Assembly mandates that public schools identify and serve gifted children, and each LEA is required to have an AIG plan. Join teachers of AIG students and experts in the field of science as we investigate strategies to motive the critical thinking skills of gifted children. Create lessons that enrich, extend, and accelerate AIG science standards. Explore the policies and best practices of AIG expectations, create ways to challenge gifted children, and encourage continual intellectual growth.

Canvas, North Carolina’s Learning Management System (LMS), is your place for one-stop learning and course management. Teachers will become familiar with the features of Canvas such as the settings, notifications, and tools in building a course. Create modules using a variety of items such as discussions, assignments, quizzes, and content pages. Set up generic or tailored rubrics for use with a variety of content. This program is designed for beginning users and will allow time to experiment, collaborate, and build at your own pace. Teachers will have a module or more ready to implement on returning to the classroom.

Designed for teachers in grades 4 to 12.

The statistics are consistent: young male readers lag behind their female counterparts in literacy skills. In many instances, the reading scores of boys bring down the reading scores for the entire school. Explore the social, psychological, and developmental reasons why boys lag behind girls. Identify reading materials you can use in your classroom to capture and keep the attention of your struggling readers. Experience a variety of instructional methods such as text selection designed for boys, contests and competitions, focus reading groups, and the latest websites and blogs to boost literacy achievement. Discover solutions to capture the attention of reluctant male readers and examine strategies that motivate boys to sustain reading in the classroom and at home.

Designed for grades K–6 teachers.

Wondering how to engage your students as they explore and develop math understanding and mastery? You can make math meaningful for your students. Come and refresh your understanding of Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences (MI) as you engage in activities designed to help connect the ways your students are “smart” to the NC Math Standards. Explore and develop learning strategies to support math mastery as we look at planning for and assessing math standards for your grade level. With ideas for the self-smart and the people-smart, the naturalist, musical, verbal, kinesthetic and visual learners, you’ll leave ready to start your year the MI way! This program is presented by A+ Schools of North Carolina. 

Writing instruction is not only important but also vital for today’s students. Yet finding the time to teach writing in the elementary classroom can prove challenging. In this program, teachers will explore the various purposes for writing, the writing process, and strategies to integrate writing in other content areas. Additionally, teachers will investigate creative strategies to motivate students to write.

Designed for high school ELA teachers and those who coach them.

A false dilemma offered by critics of standardized testing is that they force teachers to focus on low-level skills if their students are to perform well on end-of-course exams. This is simply untrue. The NC English II End of Course tests (EOC) require that students analyze written text in the service of extracting meaning, recognizing the effect of particular words, and identifying an author’s stance on an issue, among other valuable skills. In this program, teachers will consider the “big picture” issues that English II should address. They also will engage in a variety of activities intended to enhance students’ reading, writing, and thinking skills.

With students learning in 1:1 environments, there is a push for integrating more technology into the classroom. However, technology is changing constantly. So how does one keep up? How does one teach their students to become responsible digital citizens? Come learn why it is important to address the responsible use of technology with your students as they learn to connect, collaborate, and communicate effectively, and safely. Explore resources, articles, and lessons that promote digital citizenship in the classroom. Learn how to weave digital citizenship into your curriculum and create lessons that allow students to become more social media savvy.