This course is for K – 12 Teachers and meets professional development criteria for teaching skills. This course will provide an in depth look at Pennsylvania Songbirds in the Laurel Highlands area. This weekend long course is meant as a follow up to Pennsylvania Songbirds although PA Songbirds IS NOT a prerequisite. Our goal is to introduce teachers to all aspects of bird biology in the field.

Participants in this course will be asked to stay overnight at Ohiopyle State Park accommodations for Friday and Saturday nights. This workshop will involve long days and nights in the field observing and discussing birds and their biology. We will begin by watching the courtship dance of the woodcock the first evening. An early morning bird hike will begin the second day and will be followed by a trip to Powdermill’s bird banding station. While there we will have the opportunity to see real scientific research in action. From Powdermill we will head to the Spruce Flats bog where we will discuss and explore this amazing ecosystem. Our day continues as we return to Ohiopyle to do some additional birding and then following a dinner break we will head out for a nighttime quest for owls.

The final day of our workshop we will choose another trail in the park for bird observation. Along the way we will not only learn about the birds we are looking for but we will discuss the importance of all of the habitats and ecosystems we are visiting, human impacts on the environment, the decline of songbirds and the importance of the Pennsylvania breeding bird atlas. We will show participants how they can use the topic of birds to cross the curriculum and get kids outside using an animal they can readily see in their backyards and school yards.

The goal of the course is to assist participants and their students in developing awareness, knowledge, skills and a commitment to make informed decisions, which will lead to responsible behavior and attitudes towards our native wildlands. During this course we will be outside and on the go most of the time. There will be very little time spent sitting down. If you feel that you are not able or willing to be on your feet and hiking most of the day (distances will not be long and pace will be relatively slow), this course is not for you.

The $75 park fee for this class includes all of your meals, accommodations and shuttle services. (This course is also open to the general public who may participate without receiving credit. For more information about possible participation for no credit please contact Barbara Wallace at 724-329-0986 or eeohiopyle@qcol.net).

Class size for this course is very limited so please sign up early.

Participation in this program provides teachers with a knowledge and background related to the Pennsylvania Academic Standards for Environment and Ecology; Science and Technology.

Participants must dress appropriately for outdoor activities and the weather. A list of recommended and permitted gear will be provided before the course.

Teachers will be required to submit a plan as to how they will use this information in their classroom. Participants will be assessed using a pre and post assessment. Scores on the post assessment must be at least 80%, and will complete a performance assessment. Out of class work will include a lesson plan.

This registration is only for IU 1 Paraprofessionals who are taking this course for Extra Contracted Days. Counts as three (3) days for Extra Contracted Days.

This course is intended for any K-12 teacher, counselor, school social worker, SAP member, including mental health and social service, as well as nurses.

“Suicides among youth 10 to 19 are rising faster than predicted, creating a potential health crisis”, states the American Medical Association. The need to expand efforts to identify children at risk earlier doing a better job of preventing suicides. Schools are an obvious place to identify youth at risk of suicide. Healthy, supportive and informed schools can do much to prevent youth suicide.

This course will explore not only the issues of suicide, but also the positive role they can play by talking about the subject. Risk factors, prevention, intervention strategies, and responding to a death by suicide are some of the topics that will be covered.

This course is for Charleroi Staff only.

This course is for teachers in grades K-12 and meets the following professional development criteria: content knowledge, teaching skills, analyze and use data, and reading comprehension.

Participants will participate in all classroom activities, complete a technology based lesson plan and an action plan for implementing 21st century instructional strategies. Participants will also be assessed using a multiple choice pre and post assessment. Scores on the post assessment must be at least 80%.

The swift changes in technology and communication that have been affecting business have also created opportunities for school districts to utilize new methods to improve student achievement. The district is committed to providing a quality professional development program that focuses on the best practices as dictated by research and meets the needs of the individual teacher. Teachers will be able to use the most current technology in order to supplement their curriculum as means of presenting our students with the most current research and practices in order to improve student achievement. Teachers will learn technology based instructional strategies so that they will be able to present opportunities for our students that will be limitless and not controlled by the boundaries of the classroom or the constraints of a building budget.

The first session in this course will begin with the teachers using the Polyvision board to integrate 21st century resources with the goal of technology integration into the curriculum. Teachers will utilize whiteboard technology to create interactive lessons. The next session will consist of the teachers developing lesson plans using web 2.0 resources. The third session will require teachers to use the SMART Classroom Performance Systems as a data analysis and assessment tool. They will create lessons integrating this software in the classroom to generate instant feedback from the students. Time will be spent generating reports and analyzing the data. At the conclusion of this session teachers will be able to analyze classroom performance data. The fourth session will require teachers to create webquests and digital stories using a variety of media. Teachers will be required to create a culminating project.

This course is only for educators in the Albert Gallatin School District.

This course is for new teachers of grades 9 – 12 in any content area. It meets the following professional development criteria: content in Teaching and Learning and Professional Development; Teaching Techniques and Strategies. The following topics will be covered in this course: effective lesson plan design, classroom management techniques, student-centered classrooms (with the use of ELMO document camera and/or overhead transparency projector), text rendering, graphic organizers, effective questioning and assessments, and the implementation of web/computer based classroom resources (United Streaming, netTrekker, etc.).

Participants will be required to implement the strategies presented in the course in their own classroom lessons. Each strategy must be documented in the participant’s lesson plans, observed by their mentor/administrator/coach, and reflected upon in their journal. The final project will include samples of each strategy implemented and evidence of their use in the participant’s classroom. (i.e. lesson plans, administrator’s walkthrough, mentor/coaches’ log, student artifacts, and the participant’s reflection journal). Participants will design and build a professional portfolio to include artifacts categorized into four key areas: planning/preparation, classroom environment, instructional delivery, professionalism. Assessment for the course will be based in the following: attendance, pre and post test/survey, successful classroom/lesson application of at least 80% of the strategies presented, completion of reflection journal, completion of professional journal reflection(s) and completion of the final project. Participants will also complete a final implementation plan/reflection indicating how the strategies presented in the course will be incorporated into their future lesson plans.

This course is for all Teachers who talk about the Eastern Woodland Indians.

Meadowcroft teacher continuing ed summer course. Course will be taught by Meadowcroft staff and three guest Native American instructors.

Overall goals are to:

 
1) Educate teachers on the history and culture of the Eastern Woodland Indians
2) Help teachers to integrate their new knowledge into the classroom
3) Provide teachers with hands-on activities at Meadowcroft
4) Promote Meadowcroft´s Educational Programs

Day One - Taught by Meadowcroft staff as well as Huron and Shawnee instructors.

Introduction to Meadowcroft Museum and Our Mission
Overview of Meadowcroft´s Educational Programming
Session on Prehistoric Pennsylvania
Tour of Meadowcroft Rockshelter Archaeology Site
Afternoon Sessions on Eastern Woodland Men and their Roles in Native Society

  Day Two
"An Eastern Woodland Indian Woman´s Lifeways"

Teaching about Indians with Cultural Sensitivity. Dr. Kinorea "Two Feather" Tigri (Creek & Cherokee) will conduct most of Day Two.

The Intermediate Unit 1 Center for STEM Education is sponsoring an Energy Thinking Course.

This course is designed primarily for grade 5 – 8 teachers, but could also be useful for upper elementary, middle and high school classroom teachers. It meets the following professional development criteria: content knowledge, reading comprehension, and teaching skills. The program correlates to the Environment and Ecology Standards and the Science and Technology Standards.

This course is designed to provide Pennsylvania teachers with background information and lessons to help their students think “alternatively” about energy. The course will be presented by Donna Riggle, educational consultant, and Conservation Consultants.

Participants will receive a kit of materials valued at $50 for use in their classrooms as well as the Energy Thinking handbook. Through the use of resource materials and hands-on activities, participants will investigate the concepts of energy resources, alternative energy sources, global footprint, individual responsibility and impact, energy efficiency, green buildings and alternative transportation.

Bring a bag lunch. Day 1 will be at the Western Area Career and Technology Center and Day 2 at Conservation Consultants, Inc. in Pittsburgh. Letters and/or emails will be sent including directions to both locations one week prior to the start of the class.

Participants will complete a written project, performance assessment and an action plan for implementation.

For course credit, participants will be assessed using a multiple choice pre and post assessment. Scores on the post assessment must be at least 80%. Participants will complete IU 1 evaluation forms. In addition lesson plans using the new learning or a project with action plan is required.

This course is for Teachers in grades K-12 and meets the following professional development criteria: teaching skills and reading comprehension.
Participants will complete a written project, performance assessment and an action plan for implementation.
Participants will be assessed using a multiple choice pre and post assessment. Scores on the post assessment must be at least 80%. In addition a lesson plan or project with action plan is required.
Finally an implementation plan will be completed by participants indicating how new learning will be integrated into their assignments.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” Sayings like these contain the wisdom of the ages and guide people in thinking through life situations on more abstract levels.

Proverbs and folktales are the timeless teaching tools of humankind. They teach lessons aimed at improving interpersonal relationships, building character and reinforcing the social structure.

When children (and adults) reflect on the meanings of proverbs and folktales in relationship to their own lives, they find that the “moral of the story” is not a set message but a way to think about their own situation from a different point of view.

Thinking symbolically is important to the development of critical thinking skills and necessary to learning in all subject areas. Around the age of 4th or 5th grade, children are beginning to unpack the subtleties of language and are ready to understand folktales and proverbs. In this course for upper elementary teachers, we will examine how to use folk literary forms in the classroom to support student achievement of the State Academic Standards in Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening.

Guided by a cultural anthropologist, this participatory course will cover the folk wisdom found in our own and other cultures. Participants will look at ways to make proverbs and folktales relevant to students’ personal experiences.

Teachers should bring to the first session any units they have used that focus on or include folktales and proverbs. These units will be revised throughout the week with new activities based on the knowledge gained in this course. We will use community members and two books written for teachers as our texts.

Out of class work includes collecting and documenting a proverb and the story of its use from someone in the community, reading Keepsakes: Using Family Stories in Elementary Classrooms and Fairy Tales, Fables, Legends, and Myths: Using Folk Literature in You Classroom, revising lesson plans to include using proverbs and folktales in the classroom and stories from the students’ homes, interviewing someone and recording a family story, and recording an urban legend from the community.

Required text:
Keepsakes: Using Family Stories in Elementary Classrooms, Linda Winston, Heinemann,
ISBN 10: 0435072358
ISBN 13: 9780435072353
and
Fairy Tales, Fables, Legends, and Myths: Using Folk Literature in Your Classroom (Early Childhood Series) by Bette Bosma, Teachers College Press,
ISBN-10: 0-8077-3134-X (080773134X)
ISBN-13: 978-0-8077-3134-5

"Novels: A Fresh Approach to Teaching Reading Anchors" is a course for teachers of reading in grades 4-8. It offers a fresh and exciting approach to using novels in the classroom for both teachers and students as an effective tool to teaching the reading anchors. This course meets the following professional development criteria - Teaching Techniques and Strategies.

Each participant will preview Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) documents related to the PA Anchors for a general understanding of their contents. This background knowledge will help the participant to generate student notes that are aligned to the PA Reading Anchors, formulate content/skills packets required on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSAs), construct assessments using stem questions that exemplify language patterns and vocabulary demonstrated on the PSSA Reading Assessment, and share an idea that will demonstrate student understanding of a specific anchor. Participants are asked to bring the following materials: a grade appropriate novel, a copy of the Assessment Anchors and Eligible Content for your grade level, a flash drive, and pencil and paper.

With the implementation of the PSSAs, teachers of reading are faced with the task of making sure children are proficient in specific skills outlined in the PA Reading Anchors. Teaching many of these skills and executing them through the use of grade-appropriate novels provides a fresh and exciting approach to learning.

A pre-test will be given to assess participants´ understanding of questioning techniques that mimic the language patterns and vocabulary set forth in the PA Anchors. A post test will also be administered demonstrating the participants´ proficiency in formulating questions using the PA Reading Anchors as their guide. A proficiency level of at least 80% must be achieved on the post test.

Participants will have two weeks in which to complete 15 hours of an out-of-class final project. One credit will be received after all of the course requirements have been satisfied. A hard copy of the final project must be submitted to the instructor within two weeks of completion of the course.

Participants are asked to bring the following to class:
1. a grade appropriate novel
2. a copy of the Assessment Anchors and Eligible Content for the grade level they teach (available from the PDE website)
3. a flash drive
4. pencil and paper

This class is for teachers in grades K-12. This five day long, three credit teacher course focuses on all aspects of local Pennsylvania history. We will not only talk about history but also the impacts that the habitats of Pennsylvania have had on this cultural history. We will take participants from Native American settlement through European settlement and the industrial revolution. Our final topic will be the Civillian Conservation Corps.

Teachers will be expected to stay overnight the first two nights and the fourth night. The accommodations will be in bunk beds in our camping facilities. Teachers will also have the option of bringing their own tents if they prefer. Our goal is to encourage teachers to integrate science and history into the classroom using hands on lessons and information. The materials fee for this class is $150. This fee will cover all food, lodging, entrance fees and shuttle service throughout the week.

Teachers who participate will be expected to bike for 9 miles (downhill) and hike several miles. If you are not willing to do this, this class is not for you.

Day one will be with Dr. Kinorea Tigri a local Native American Historian. Dr. Tigri will take us through life as a Native American woman. This will include cooking and lifestyle demonstrations. She will provide information on lessons that could be completed with students as well. We will end the evening with a campfire and a lesson on storytelling and local legends.

Day two will be a trip through the beginnings of the French and Indian War and the National Road. We will spend our day at Fort Necessity, Jumonville Glen and the Mount Washington Tavern. Our day will end with a trip and tour of a local winery nestled on the Chestnut Ridge. While there we will focus on the history of distilled spirits in Pennsylvania. This will include a discussion of our rich moonshine history.

Day three will begin with a nine mile bike trip on the Youghiogheny River Trail. Along the way we will discuss Pennsylvania’s rich transportation history from canals to rails and everything in between. We will then move on to talk about the Industrial Revolution and its impact on Ohiopyle and the Youghiogheny River. Participants will be free to go home for the night on day three.

Day four we will resume class at Laurel Hill State Park. From there we will travel to the Somerset Historical Center where we will visit three historical farm sites. We will also learn what the center has to offer for local school groups. This trip will highlight Pennsylvania’s rich agricultural history. We will then return to Laurel Hill where we will discuss the Pennsylvania logging railroad. Following this hike we will join the Civilian Conservation Corps for the night. Participants will see what life was like for CCC members.

Day five will continue with lessons about the CCC. We will have the opportunity to meet and interview the few remaining survivors of Laurel Hill’s CCC camp. We will finish up the day with an overview of our week and completion of implementation plans for each classroom.

This course is intended for any K-12 teacher, counselor, school social worker, SAP member, including mental health and social service, as well as nurses.

“Suicides among youth 10 to 19 are rising faster than predicted, creating a potential health crisis”, states the American Medical Association. The need to expand efforts to identify children at risk earlier doing a better job of preventing suicides. Schools are an obvious place to identify youth at risk of suicide. Healthy, supportive and informed schools can do much to prevent youth suicide.

This course will explore not only the issues of suicide, but also the positive role they can play by talking about the subject. Risk factors, prevention, intervention strategies, and responding to a death by suicide are some of the topics that will be covered.

This course is for K-12 teachers in the regular classroom and meets the following professional development criteria: Pennsylvania Department of Education English Language Proficiency Standards (2007) which states all teachers learn how to teach ELLs in ways that make instruction comprehensible to ELLs so they can learn in the regular classroom. This one credit two week course is written for regular classroom teachers so that they will be able to analyze how culture and language impact ELL learning in the regular classroom as well as how the teacher can adapt and accommodate instruction for ELLs with different cultures and languages in the content area classroom.

In-class work will consist of a pre-test; a video clip that students will view and use to begin picturing how an ELL may view learning in a new language, culture and new classroom; Unit One and Two readings from printed handouts from the instructor and from the book “Classroom Instruction that Works with English Language Learners”; and a PowerPoint presentation.

Out of class work includes 8 Reflective journal writings, a Unit One post test assessment, 8 discussion board posts, a final project which includes a one page type written reflective summary about the course and the importance of making accommodations and adaptation in instruction for ELLs in the content area classroom as well as a content area lesson plan that includes 3 different accommodations and adaptations for ELLs at the Beginning level of English proficiency. After submitting this final project to the instructor, students will be assessed using a 20 point post test. Scores on the post assessment must be at least 80%

Assessment is based on participation in the 8 Reflective Journal Posts, Course Pre-test, Unit One Post test, 8 Discussion Board Writings, a Final Project and Post test.

Students must purchase the book "Classroom instruction that works with English language learners" Hill, J.D. & Flynn, K. M (2006). Alexandria, VA: ASCD
ISBN: 1-4166-0390-5

“The Breakaway: Independence for Teachers and Students” is a course for Teachers in grades K-12 and meets the following professional development criteria: teaching and learning and professional development and behavior.

Participants will complete lessons which include reading of text and various online research, discussion board participation, a variety of assignments such as summaries and lesson plans, final project, and a pre and post assessment. Participants will be assessed using a multiple choice/true/false pre and post assessment. Scores on the post assessment must be at least 80%.

Think about the age old adage, the chicken-and-egg dilemma which begs the question: What comes first, good instruction or appropriate behavior? “The Caring Teacher’s Guide to Discipline” couples with lessons and online research stresses the combination of both. In today’s diverse classroom teachers are faced with varying backgrounds and learning styles, a wide range of academic and emotional needs, and a plethora of misbehaviors. Finding a balance to handle all of this plus the pressures from legislation, administration, parents, the community and our own lives can be a daunting task. This course is designed to lift some of the burden off of our shoulders and make students and parents accountable for learning and behaviors as well. This goal is accomplished by setting limits, giving students and parents responsibility, helping them develop confidence in their abilities, engaging them in learning, and teaching them how to solve problems and make good judgments, as well as by correcting misbehavior which are all addressed throughout this course.

“The Breakaway: Independence for Teachers and Students” is a two credit, six week long course (60 hours). It will be conducted online and participants will be encouraged to read lessons, read text, explore online resources, search for resources, complete assignments and to share expertise in the discussion board about knowledge gained through readings about discipline and behavior. Required assignments include: reading lessons, reading text, exploring resources, discussion board participation, various summaries and lesson plans, pre and post assessments, and an individual final project in the form of a written action plan for implementation paper or other choice (see below).

Students may expect to spend approximately 20 hours of online time and 20 hours of out for class which will include internet research, discussion board participation, and assignments the first 4 weeks. The following two weeks (20 hours) will be utilized for completing a project, the post-test, reflections, and course evaluations.

This course is online and available for 24 hours a day during the term of the course. Participants have 2 weeks from the end of the course to finish work.

This is an online course. You will receive specific information concerning this course or workshop on the day before the start date. A User ID and link to the course site will be emailed to you at that time, there will not be any additional electronic communications before then. If books or materials are included in the tuition, these items will be mailed to you, provided the course is paid for, before the start of the course.

Participants must have a working knowledge of computers and Internet use, high speed Internet access, and a working email account for the duration of the course.

Make sure your email address and PDE ID# is correct in your account on this site.

Teacher-to-teacher collaboration on implementing “best practices” is a powerful means of improving student learning and school culture. Such collaboration shatters the isolation most teachers face in their daily teaching schedules. Although it can take various forms, as challenges vary from school to school, the principles of instructional coaching apply to any teacher-to-teacher collaboration. This course provides an overview of the roles school-based coaches and teacher leaders may assume in order to provide job-embedded professional development and facilitate teacher-to-teacher collaboration as well as possible ways to implement and sustain a coaching model. It is based in current research on the impact of this job-embedded professional development paradigm and is designed specifically with the needs of teachers who are interested in exploring teacher leadership, and/or instructional coaching. The course meets the following professional development criteria: Teaching and Learning and Professional Development, School and Community Collaboration. The following topics will be covered: the research on the effectiveness of instructional coaching; the various possible roles involved in instructional coaching; and methods for implementing and sustaining a school-based coaching program. It will also meet all criteria for IU 1 courses: a pretest, a posttest, a project. Participants are required to evaluate the information presented in the course, research other sources, create and deliver both group and individual presentations, and select that which is relevant to their particular situations. Journal responses on the information gleaned from each session and the assigned readings, small group and individual presentations, and class discussions provide formative assessment throughout the course. The final project consists of a portfolio that includes all assignments, artifacts from all presentations, and a final journal reflection. Summative assessment for the course is based on the following: attendance, pre and post test (at least an 80% on posttest), completion and quality of the final reflection, completion and quality of all assignments, participation in all group and individual presentations, and completion and quality of the final project/portfolio.

This course is for all teachers in grades K-12 and meets the following professional development criteria: reading comprehension and teaching skills.

The new Internet, or Web 2.0, is a challenging environment for educators to explore and understand. This class is designed to help teachers who instruct students in grades K-12 understand the impact of the next Internet generation. In this course educators will learn how to use Web 2.0 tools such as: “Wiki” Spaces, Animoto, Discovery On-line Assignment Builder, Digital Media, Glogster and Geocaching.

This course will lead teachers through a deep exploration of the latest ideas and trends behind Web 2.0. Participants will gain an understanding of digital media through the use of Windows Movie Maker.

During the course participants will learn how to make, edit and embed videos using a flip camera and Windows Movie Maker. It is difficult for educators to properly implement and design lessons that integrate technology effectively, thus an understanding of Web 2.0 resources is critical to classroom teachers.

Evidence of mastery of the course will be calculated according to pre and post exams and class assignments. A complete “Wiki” page will make up a percentage of the course participation grade.

This course is an interdisciplinary class designed for all k-12 teachers and involves both technical classroom instruction and practical application of orienteering. This hands-on course is designed to build or enhance the participants’ knowledge of orienteering. This course will provide teachers with skills in both map and compass work as well as GPS (Global Positioning System) GIS (Geographic Information System) including computer programs such as Arc View, and radio telemetry which will complement many other programs and curriculums by providing supplemental materials and lesson ideas.

WILD About Orienteering has been designed as an extension of the nationally accepted, highly popular, Project WILD curriculum. This course is a two-day program with a focus on how wildlife, and humans, navigate through the environment and come to understand their surroundings.

Throughout this course there will be an emphasis on including mathematics, technology, and science into the study of wildlife, the outdoors, and the environment through the use of modern handheld GPS units, GIS mapping, and traditional map and compass use. Topics ranging from how animals interpret their surroundings based on their survival needs to how the use of computerized mapping has impacted wildlife studies and research will be addressed. All of the activities used in this program, as well as the materials distributed to the participants, are aligned to Pennsylvania’s Academic Standards to facilitate easy classroom use. In addition, lesson extensions and adaptations will be given to make the content applicable to all grade levels and areas of study.