Small changes to test prep — and the day of the big test — can reap huge rewards. Learn about these brain-friendly strategies that work.

Cognitive science — the study of thought, learning and mental organization — tells us a lot about getting students primed to succeed on tests.

This resource outlines some practices that can help as you approach tests — and even on the day of the test:
1. Use retrieval to lock learning in long-term.
2. Mix up question types with interleaving.
3. Instead of cramming, space out practice.
4. Happiness is powerful.
5. Time of day matters.
6. Soak up the sun.
7. Breaks are essential.
8. Get up and move, move, move.

For each question you get right, beans are donated to help fight hunger!

Categories include: What is This?, Times Tables, English Vocabulary, Spanish Vocabulary, World Capitals, ASL Alphabet, Periodic Table.

The following document contains possible assessments to benchmark reading, writing and math. The document orivudes a list with links to resources that may be used to measure growth. These benchmark assessments can be sued to support your work with Personalized Goals (PGs) in your school. 

Helping Parents Grow Lifelong Readers with resources for 0 to 13+ years of age.

Visit Agriculture in the Classroom Canada's Educator Matrix to search through 200+ curriculum-linked resources that focus on agriculture and food.

This site offer a comprehensive coding platform has impressive resources for teachers. This learn-to-code program has the breadth and depth required to meet the needs of almost any teacher. The aim is to help teachers and families inspire the next generation of computer scientists.

With these activities from the popular NoRedInk, students write a short, low-stakes response to a prompt. The activities invite students to reflect on a challenging year.

The "School Year in Review" quick writes include: (10–20 minutes each)
- A School Year Like No Other
- Persuade for Your Grade
- Summer Writing
- Thank You Speech
- Much, much more!

While you're there, check out all of the other features NoRedInk has to offer!

Final projects can help students summarize and review content from the entire semester. Plus, they can create fantastic products with what they've learned!

Projects let students take what they’ve learned, put it all together and show off a little of their own creativity and personality.

Options include:
1. Create a website
2. Create a screencast video
3. Make a single multimedia webpage
4. Connect with a cause
5. Create an infographic
6. Create a series of podcasts
7. Do a genius hour-style project
8. Create an annotated collection
9. Tell it as a story
10. Make an explainer video

"This month's theme is all about finding the joy in life, even when things are difficult. Research has shown that experiencing positive emotions in a 3-to-1 ratio with negative ones leads to a tipping point beyond which we naturally become more resilient to adversity. So let's train our brains to find the joy. You can learn more about the science behind this at our events this month too (details below the calendar)."

With Mentimeter you have lots of options. One great option is to create interactive quizzes that will make your classroom fun. What better way to get students excited about learning than to introduce a fun interactive game or quiz to the classroom? Create some friendly rivalry between students and create a sense of community by using an interactive quiz. Switch up standard teaching techniques and wake up students with some interactive games.

Mentimeter allows you to build interactive presentations with the easy-to-use online editor. Add questions, polls, quizzes, slides, images, gifs and more to your presentation to create fun and engaging presentations.

Your audience uses their smartphones to connect to the presentation where they can answer questions. Visualize their responses in real-time to create a fun and interactive experience.

Once your Mentimeter presentation is over, share and export your results for further analysis and even compare data over time to measure the progress of your audience.'

June 21 is National Indigenous Peoples Day.   The following are links to resources to support students, parents and teachers as we celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day.  

Take time to relax, recharge, and remember your strengths with these fun coloring pages.

Sayings include: I Believe in Me, Breath in Courage Exhale Doubt, I Can Do Hard Things, Don't Give Up! I Can Do This!, It's All Going to be Okay

Check out the great connected lessons that accompany the coloring pages, as well as many other resources.

This is a Reading List for ELA 10-30 created by ELA teachers in Sun West School Division during our PLC groups in 2020-2021.  The list has resources we have used; some with suggestions for content, useability, and readability. There is also a section at the bottom with some cross-curricular and/or sports-themed literature. 

This free guide from RetrievalPractice.org will help you understand retrieval practice and how to get the most out of it.

Just a few strategies include:
- Clickers or Colored Index Cards
- Bell Work or Exit Tickets
- Page Protectors with Dry Erase Markers

The package also offers a handy "RETRIEVAL PRACTICE IMPLEMENTATION CHECKLIST".

This resource list consists of Novel (F)/Non-Fiction (NF)/Play (P)/Movie (M) Choices for grades 10-12.  It was created by the Sun West School Division ELA PLT 2020-2021.

Children pick up ideas about gender beginning in their infancy; they constantly observe the variety of families and forms of expression around them, and they might be curious about the feelings they have for others. The films on this playlist will help to open up conversations about gender identity and sexual orientation in age-appropriate ways for primary-school children

Every single person on this planet will experience gender and sexuality in a variety of ways. This playlist asks its viewers to consider the multitude of stories experienced by 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals and communities in order to create deeper, more empathetic understandings of what it means to be 2SLGBTQIA+ and additionally, to open up conversations about what it means for anyone to experience gender and sexuality.

What can students do to make learning really stick?

Cognitive science tells us it's NOT to re-read our notes or textbook.

Instead, practice "retrieval" -- recalling what we've learned out of our brains, not our books.

This post outlines 10 simple tips and strategies you can use in class to make learning long-term, including:
1. Brain dumps
2. Two things
3. Retrieve taking (instead of note taking)
4. Student-produced quizzes
5. Guided conversation
6. Now, then, and way back
7. Self testing
8. Recall information visually
9. Retrieval mapping
10. White board exit ticket

Work-related disorders aren’t just limited to heavy manufacturing or construction. They can occur in all types of industries and work environments, including office/classroom/working at home spaces. Research shows that repetitive motion, poor posture, and staying in the same position can cause or worsen musculoskeletal disorders.

Neck and shoulder pain are common in sedentary jobs. Get loosened up and work out the kinks with these 12 exercises you can do at your desk.

Included are exercises for your arms, upper body, legs, head and shoulders.