FYI

The first official public draft of the Common Core State Standards was released by the NGA Center and CSSO on March 10. Common Core English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies and Science standards and Common Core Mathematics Standards are now available for comment here. ORC continues to keep educators updated on the latest developments in Ohio's academic standards revision process through our specially developed website, Revising Ohio Standards.

ORC Contact: Dave Majesky

The newest addition to ORC’s 3-5 bookshelf features a text set specially selected for teaching inferencing. Vist the Drawing Inferences bookshelf and find engaging books in a variety of genres, formats, and reading levels along with plenty of suggestions for using them to develop students' inferencing skills.

ORC Contact: Sheila Cantlebary

The next administration of the OGT is scheduled to begin March 15. ORC has a wealth of resources especially developed to assist teachers as they focus their instruction to help students achieve. Follow these links to see what's available:

Mathematics: A Look at the OGT This archived webcast series includes mini-collections, handouts, and articles. Also see OGT—Mathematics Mini-collections with ORC-recommended resources related to the most frequently tested benchmarks in each of the five mathematics content strands in the Ohio Academic Content Standards. In addition to lessons and units, the materials include OGT released items, as well as 8th- and 12th-grade released items from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). 

Science Instructional Strategies: A Look at the OGT This archived webcast series includes mini-collections, handouts, and articles that delve into important topics in science instruction. Each set of materials includes a 30-45 minute panel discussion featuring some of Ohio’s foremost experts in science education, an article elaborating on the topic, and mini-collections of ORC resources. Think about viewing the webcasts with other science teachers and then discussing the implications for your instruction.

"A Look at the OGT" These archived columns from our online magazine Adolescent Literacy In Perspective contain detailed expert advice for building students' comprehension and test-taking skills for the reading test as well as the other content areas. 

Released OGT items for mathematics, science, and reading
To examine our collection of released items, go to Search Resources and click "More Search Options." Search for the phrase, ODE Assessment Item. Check the discipline, Grade 10, and designate assessment resources. This search will result in a list of all the OGT items for the discipline. You can narrow the search to look for particular topics. For example, by specifying the word "vocabulary" in the standards, you can obtain a list of vocabulary assessment items only.

How can ORC help schools succeed on the OAA (OAT)? Check out our specially developed collections and webcasts. You'll find outstanding lessons, teaching strategies, sample assessment items, and much more.

Mathematics 
ORC's OAT Mathematics Mini-collections are arranged by the mathematics benchmarks most frequently tested on the 7th- and 8th-grade Ohio Achievement Test. To help teachers prepare students, ORC-recommended resources related to each benchmark have been selected and compiled into mini-collections that include lessons, units, content resources, rich mathematical problems, and OAT released items from 2005 - 2008.

Science
Resources related to the science benchmarks for grades 3-5 and 6-8 were selected and compiled into OAT Science Mini-collections . Organized by benchmarks, these collections focus on standards-based topics and provide suggestions for how to integrate them into classroom instruction.

Reading
Useful for professional learning, Fostering Student Success on the OAT-Reading, Grades 5-7 is  an informative webcast series. Companion materials focus on instructional strategies to help students succeed with the reading and writing of informational text in the classroom and on the Ohio Achievement Test-Reading.

ORC will conduct a three-day session on June 15-17 to train educators who wish to become ORC Ambassadors and Verizon Thinkfinity field trainers. If you like to share great resources with others and would like to participate in this interactive three-day workshop, apply now on the ORC ambassador page. Once there, click "sign up now" and complete the application.

ORC Contact: Carol Dodson

Just in time for the National Wildlife Week, March 15 - 2,  Verizon Thinkfinity has launched a new feature highlighting free educational resources to bring the excitement of the animal kingdom to the classroom. Visit a zoo without leaving the classroom.  In all, more than a dozen educational resources including lesson plans, podcasts and student interactives available in Thinkfinity's National Wildlife Week Feature .

President Obama has proclaimed March as National Women’s History Month. The theme this year is "Writing Women Back into History." Click here for a collection of ORC resources that spotlight contributions of women. Thinkfinity has also developed a collection of lessons and activities highlighting women's accomplishments.

ORC has already attracted 150 Facebook fans. By the end of March, we hope to add 50 more. Help us reach our goal of 200. Become a fan now at Facebook/ORC . Receive instant notifications of ORC’s latest events, share information, and make professional connections.

ORC Contact: John Croyle

Are you looking for mathematics lessons to engage your students? Do you like to use calculators and other technologies in your classroom to investigate mathematics in a hands-on way? Like a trunk in an attic, the Technology Treasure Trunk contains ORC instructional and content teaching treasures categorized by level and type of technology. Visit these resources today!

ORC Contact: Judy Spicer

What better way to help students learn about the power of writing than through reading great books that show characters writing for real purposes? Visit ORC's new K-2 bookshelf, Writing for Many Purposes: Characters That Write. The stories, letters, notes, messages, lists, diaries, and observation journals created by the characters can provide models and help students learn about real purposes for writing.

The Ohio Resource Center is proud to announce its collaboration with E-Tech Ohio and Apple, Inc. by providing access to the ORC-produced learning and professional development webcast and podcast collection through iTunes U.

iTunes U, an area of the iTunes Store that provides free education content, makes it easy for preK–12 classroom teachers and higher education faculty to access amazing educational material for free, at anytime and anywhere. ORC’s first installment on iTunes U includes:

After completing their training, ORC ambassadors are eager to share their knowledge of ORC in a variety of ways, including videos. Here are three of their creations:

Becky Petrokubi narrated a video overview of the ORC website and projects. The video can be used to provide a brief overview of ORC for colleagues and administrators. It's also useful as a tour for the individual viewer. Located in the document library under "Multimedia Presentations," the video is easy to access and view.

Meagen Howe developed  a short video for introducing ORC to teachers or for learning more about ORC. Watch ORC in Plain English three-minute video that shows what ORC can do for you.

Melinda Gregor created an ORC trailer to promote interest in the website. Melinda used the free video-maker Animoto.
 
If you are interested in becoming an ORC Ambassador or finding an ORC Ambassador for a presentation, go to the ambassador page to learn more. 

ORC Contact: Carol Dodson

Facebook
Become a fan now at Facebook/ORC to receive instant notifications of ORC’s latest events, share information, and make professional connections.

ORC Contact: John Croyle

Twitter
Follow ORC on Twitter to keep up with ORC specialists and news. We created a Twitter page for each content area -- mathematics, science, and English language arts -- and a page for Early Childhood. Become a follower of the pages you're interested in or a follower of all the ORC pages. Use the following links to go to the Twitter pages:

ORC Mathematics Twitter Page
ORC Science Twitter Page
ORC English Language Arts Twitter Page
Early Childhood Twitter Page 

YouTube
The Ohio Resource Center recently launched its own ORC YouTube Channel. This debut includes ORC produced professional development videos providing classroom teachers, curriculum specialists, and other education leaders with engaging and stimulating conversation about supporting student success in the classroom, as well as with the OGT and OAT; improving instructional practice; and modeling professional discussion.

Mobile Website

ORC now offers on-the-go access with our new mobile website. You’ll find the most current information and staff-selected resources along with a link to our regular site. Save this URL (http://m.ohiorc.org) to your favorites and start enjoying the convenience of our mobile website today.

ORC Contact: John Croyle

The 2010 Ohio Early Care & Education Conference promises a lineup of speakers who will "challenge your thinking, renew your spirit, and provide you with new resources to assist you in your work as an early childhood professional." Click here for more information and to register for this April 29-May 1 event.

This  four-day conference is especially designed for educators and/or leadership teams as an opportunity to learn from both national and local experts on innovative learning and leadership practices. Conference strands will focus on teaching/learning, leadership and technology skills. Confirmed national presenters include: Dr. Yong Zhao, Harvey Silver, Kathy Vatterott, Sara Kajder and Mike White. Conference is located at Hilliard Bradley High School, Hilliard, OH. Two and four-day attendance options are available. For more information see Innovative Learning Environments: Learning and Leading 21st Century Practices . Click here for registration.

What does reading and writing look like in the 21st century classroom? New communication forms will be explored in a non-threatening manner, in a computer lab with all of the most up-to-date tools with technical support provided. Dr. William Kist is the intructor. Click here for an informational flyer on this course offered at Kent State University, July 19-23 and August 9. 

Thirty-eight Ohio educators completed the three-day ORC Ambassador training program this summer. These outstanding educators are prepared to provide professional development in the use of ORC and Verizon Thinkfinity to enhance teaching and support improved student achievement throughout Ohio. View the regional map of ORC's 163 ambassadors and click on the name of an Ambassador for additional information. While you're on the ORC Ambassador page, you can apply to become an ambassador, or you can request an ambassador presentation for your school or district.

Contact: Carol Dodson

The Wexner Center for the arts provides a variety of free professional development programs for teachers as well as school programs for students. Visit their educators' webpage to learn about opportunities available throughout the year. Follow these links for upcoming events:

Sports, Gender, and Identity: An Exploration through Writing and Video Workshop for Teachers
Sat, Mar 13, 2010  |  9:00AM - 4:00PM

Art from a Changing Arctic Film Screening and Discussion with students
Wed, Mar 31, 2010  |  10:00AM

Ohio Shorts: Youth Division 2010 Call for Entries Contest for students
Deadline: March 26, 2010
Ohio Shorts is Ohio’s premier competition for video- and filmmakers, and the Youth Division is open to any entrant who will be age 18 or under at the time of the May screening.

Apply for Pages 2010-2011 (Year long program for high school students)
Pages is an innovative multidisciplinary program that supports literacy and writing skills through the exploration of contemporary art, film, and performing arts. The program pairs educators from the Wexner Center with high school teachers from across central Ohio in the planning of writing-based experiential learning opportunities for students. The curriculum fully engages both state and national education standards

The Literacy Specialist Endorsement Program, offered by a consortium of eight Ohio universities, is an advanced program in reading education. The one-year program consists of 18 semester hours (27 quarter hours) that include both online coursework and a school-based internship Click here for a brochure describing the program and admission process.

Have you joined ORC? Click here for a simple registration form. By registering, you can choose to receive our weekly newsletter ORC Highlights by email. Registered users also receive an ORC account which enables them to create their own collections of ORC resources. Visit our document library for directions for creating an ORC collection.

The REConnection newsletter for the Resources for Early Childhood (REC) website is a monthly online publication. It's not too late to sign up to receive the newsletter! Each of the monthly REConnections will feature:

• A new theme-based mini-collection of REC resources and EC Bookshelf books
• Links to features of the REC that you may not have utilized yet
• Favorite resources of REC users just like you, and
• Information about upcoming early childhood events around Ohio

Don’t miss it!

New to REC?
To sign up now, go to Join REC at http://rec.ohiorc.org/register! Complete the registration form, check the box next to REConnections, and click “Create My Account.” It’s that easy!

Already a member of REC?
If you are a member REC or ORC, go to the REC homepage (http://rec.ohiorc.org) to log in.  Click on the “Manage My Account” link to update your preferences. Then, simply type in your password and check the box next to REConnections.  Be sure to click “Update My Account” at the bottom of the page.   

ORC Contact: Nancy Brannon

OCTELA (Ohio Council of Teachers of English Language Arts)
March 26-27, 2010     Doubletree Hotel, Worthington

OFLA (Ohio Foreign Language Association)
April 8-10, 2010     Hyatt Hotel on Capitol Square, Columbus

OCSS (Ohio Council for the Social Studies)
April 15-16, 2010   

Ohio Early Care and Education Conference
April 29-May 1, 2010     Greater Columbus Convention Center

Innovative Learning Environments: Learning and Leading 21st Century Practices (ESCCO, Center for Achievement and Leadership Services)
August 2-5, 2010    Hilliard Bradley High School, Hilliard, Ohio

The ORC MATH Review Board will meet:

• May 15, 2010

For additional Math Review Board meeting details, contact Mike Mikusa (mmikusa@kent.edu) or Gale Martin (gmartin@ohiorc.org).  

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The ORC SCIENCE Review Board will meet: 

• March 10, 2010
• May 20, 2010
• September 22, 2010

For additional Science Review Board meeting details, contact Ralph Martin (martin@ohio.edu) or Gale Martin (gmartin@ohiorc.org).

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The ORC READING Review Board will meet:

• May 3, 2010

For additional Reading Review Board meeting details, contact Evangeline Newton (enewton@uakron.edu) or Gale Martin (gmartin@ohiorc.org).

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The ORC Executive Committee will meet:

• April 12, 2010

For additional Executive Committee meeting details, contact Peggy Kasten (pkasten@ohiorc.org) or Gale Martin (gmartin@ohiorc.org).  

  The ORC Advisory Board will meet:

• April 13, 2010

For additional Advisory Board meeting details, contact Peggy Kasten (pkasten@ohiorc.org) or Gale Martin (gmartin@ohiorc.org).