It's All Elementary

Why do we organize our schools into districts anyway? What seems to work in the school district model, and where are there areas for improvement? We’ll talk about this and more in this episode of IAE. Read the original article that sparked Naomi’s curiosity here. Here’s where you can find the TED Radio Hour on the topic of Getting Organized. http://cmsalem53674.podomatic.com/enclosure/2015-05-01T20_09_29-07_00.mp3

This week we talk about some things in education that have fallen by the wayside in today’s elementary classroom: cursive, school holidays/celebrations, desks and daily oral language. What do you think; are these useful things that need to be brought back into the classroom, or are they better left in the past? http://cmsalem53674.podomatic.com/enclosure/2015-04-19T19_07_01-07_00.mp3

We found a long lost episode in our archives! In this episode, we talk about using Morning Meeting as part of a classroom management system. Hopefully this episode can tide you over until we record some new material next week! Check out more about Morning Meeting and Responsive Classroom here! http://cmsalem53674.podomatic.com/enclosure/2015-04-10T19_34_40-07_00.m4a

We’re happy to consult our resident expert on early childhood interventions, Naomi, on all things birth to three. On this episode we talk about what early childhood interventions are and little bit as to how the whole system works before a child even steps foot into an elementary school. http://cmsalem53674.podomatic.com/enclosure/2014-11-18T18_56_49-08_00.m4a

This week we’re taking it easy at It’s All Elementary. Join us as we check-in with each other on how our school years are going. Hope all the teachers out there are enjoying the Fall! Make sure and follow us on Twitter, Stitcher and/or iTunes! http://cmsalem53674.podomatic.com/enclosure/2014-11-05T18_57_01-08_00.m4a

It’s All Elementary is (hopefully) going weekly! On this episode, we talk about what it means to have a full inclusion special education model. Our two special education teachers take us through the seemingly daunting laws around Special Education and we all talk through our experiences, including benefits and challenges, of making a full inclusion model a reality in elementary classrooms. http://cmsalem53674.podomatic.com/enclosure/2014-10-28T21_58_55-07_00.m4a

We are very pleased to welcome our first guest host! Steve joins us to talk about the current state of science education in schools. We talk about our own experiences teaching science, as well as discuss current research and new initiatives that are changing the way science is taught in this country. We also learn that Naomi was an award-winning scientist in high school and Chris does not yet know the names and shapes of all 50 states. http://cmsalem53674.podomatic.com/enclosure/2014-10-21T22_01_09-07_00.mp3

Have you heard about the “gamification” of education? In this episode we talk about what that means exactly and how you can make it happen in your classroom. Our discussions centers on Digital Natives vs. Digital Immigrants and we also discuss an interesting charter school model in New York City that is putting gamification into practice. http://cmsalem53674.podomatic.com/enclosure/2014-10-08T22_02_21-07_00.mp3

On this episode, we talk about the Common Core State Standards and what’s the big fuss over them? We dive a little bit into the history of national standards in the United States, dispel some myths over CCSS, talk about the pros and cons of these particular standards and you’ll hear about whether or not these three elementary teachers would choose to repeal the CCSS. We have a lot to say on this topic, and if you’re a teacher we’re sure you do, too, so please join us! Direct link to episode: http://cmsalem53674.podomatic.com/enclosure/2014-09-23T21_04_08-07_00.m4a

The second episode of It’s All Elementary is here! We’re off and running with the new school year and we’re talking about ways we’re using technology in the classroom. Follow us on Twitter, Stitcher and/or iTunes. You’ll also hear about Naomi’s love for tamagotchis decades after they peaked. Direct link to episode: http://cmsalem53674.podomatic.com/enclosure/2014-09-09T21_11_59-07_00.m4a