Primary sources, such as photographs, manuscripts, maps, and government documents, are now digitized and educators can easily access and use them to enhance digital learning for their students. Join us at NCCAT as we partner with university libraries and online programs which provide relevant and engaging teaching resources in user-friendly online forms. We will also discover other online sources and explore means of using them that promote critical thinking and analysis skills and engage high school students in technology, language arts, science, social studies, and other subjects. Together we will locate materials relevant to your own North Carolina home towns or counties and share ways to improve your students’ digital literacy and make these sources more meaningful to them.

Designed for K–5 educators

The Excellent Public Schools Act of 2013 has charged teachers with the responsibility of integrating arts education across the curriculum. How can we use that challenge to super-charge early grades literacy instruction? While most teachers are aware of the research showing that children exposed to drama, music, and dance do a better job at mastering the core subject areas, many feel ill-equipped to bring the power of arts education into reading and writing. Where do the North Carolina Educational Standards connect and intersect with arts integrated learning? Join a group of dedicated colleagues as we explore ways to engage our students through visual, musical, dramatic, verbal, and movement arts. Discover how art can motivate, build persistence, improve memory, increase attention span, strengthen abstract thinking, and prepare students to deal productively with complexity, ambiguity, and frustration.

Let NCCAT help you develop your teaching tool kit to support the reading initiatives in North Carolina’s Read to Achieve legislation (a part of the Excellent Public Schools Act). Join us as we examine the best practices for developing a welcoming and enriching reading and writing environment for the early childhood classroom. Open to teachers in grades K–3, the program will focus on the next steps in developing strategies that link the foundational skills to comprehension in the classroom. Exploration will include setting the stage for comprehension at the listening level for kindergarten students and transitioning instruction, as students move through the grades, to thinking beyond the text.

Let NCCAT help you meet the challenges raised by the North Carolina Read to Achieve Program (a part of the Excellent Public Schools Act). Join us as we examine literacy initiatives and discover the best practices for developing a welcoming and enriching reading and writing environment for the early childhood classroom. Open to teachers in grades K–3, the program will focus on developing teaching strategies that link literacy and play, develop phonological and print awareness, embed literacy instruction in the basic activities of early learning, create engaging read-aloud experiences, and support emergent reading and writing.

We learn to read and write to make sense of and communicate about everything we encounter. When students write about what they see, they engage with the material in an intentional manner. When they have interesting experiences, they write more and with more energy. Join us as we investigate ways of incorporating the NC State Essential Standards in Science with appropriate reading and writing activities—all aimed at strengthening our students’ facility in both areas. Taking advantage of the numerous ecosystems in close proximity to NCCAT, we will use literacy activities to enhance our engagement and understanding of several field activities. Teachers will have the opportunity to adapt the activities to their local ecosystems and students’ literacy levels. This program is primarily targeted at pre–K through third-grade teachers, but is appropriate for all grade levels.

Blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Web 2.0, text messaging, Instagram, video conferencing, music downloading, video games, and online social networking communities—our students live in a digital world, with the ability to contact anyone, anywhere, anytime. How can we catch up with them? Enter this world and acquire skills needed to navigate the ebb and flow of the digital age. Learn to facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools. Empower all students by developing technology-enriched learning experiences. Gain confidence and skill in accessing information as you integrate technology seamlessly into your curriculum. Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility. Capitalize on your students’ excitement and guide them on a safe, legal, and ethical journey into the digital universe.

The NCCAT Research and Development Teams program offers educators an opportunity to meet in a residential setting devoid of distraction to create and advance departmental, school, or district-wide projects. These projects might consist of new programming, research, planning, or curricula. Gather a team together to create or refine your own innovative approaches to early grades literacy or digital learning. Early grades literacy or digital learning projects will be given preference. All projects will be considered. Come prepared to share your knowledge and progress with other teams from around our state. Single rooms, meeting space, internet access, and meals for the participants will be provided by NCCAT. Travel and the cost of substitute teachers are not covered. Teachers, administrators, central office personnel, and district coordinators are encouraged to apply.