GSO to Go: the monthly teacher resource newsletter from GeorgiaStandards.org [Dec. 2007]

GSO to GO

The Monthly Teacher Resource Newsletter from GeorgiaStandards.Org
NEWS FOR DECEMBER 2007

General Information
Georgia Teachers Receive National Recognition and BIG Money
On November 6, 2007 two Georgia teachers were named 2007 Milken National Educators of the Year by State Superintendent
December
2007

of Schools Kathy Cox. The Milken Family Foundation National Educator Awards program provides public recognition and a $25,000 reward to elementary and secondary schoolteachers, principals and other education professionals who are furthering excellence in education. The recipients of this prestigious award were Wendy McCarron a math teacher at Northview High School in Fulton County and Jill Ryerson a 7th Grade English teacher at North Whitfield Middle School in Whitfield County. "These two teachers represent everything that is good about the education profession. They are innovative, resourceful, caring and completely student-focused," said Superintendent Cox. "I am so grateful to the Milken Family Foundation for recognizing our great

teachers each year in a very real and tangible way." Ms. McCarron and Ms. Ryerson will attend an annual conference of award-winners in Los Angeles. More information >>

GSO Categories

General Information

1

Continuing Education

4

Celebrating December

5

New GSO Content

6

How do I Sign-up for a GSO Portal Account?
Educators keep hearing all the buzz about the GeorgiaStandards.Org (GSO) Portal, so inquiring Georgia teachers want to know how to sign-up? With GSO Portal access, teachers can look up information on the GPS, including standards and aligned instructional resources, not to mention the ability for teachers to develop a GPS aligned unit of instruction in a personal office space. By downloading the GSO Portal Account User's Guide, teachers receive step by step instructions on what to do. Included in this user's guide are instructions for new, established or reassigned teachers. There are sections in the guide to assist non-classroom school employees and university personnel as well. The GSO Portal Account User's Guide also includes thorough directions on logging into the GSO Portal for the first time. Teachers should log in to Portal at least once every 90 days to avoid suspension or termination of their account.

Georgia Department of Education - Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools - 1

Chuck Leavell Now Showing on Georgia Read More



As we enter the month of December,

many of us in Georgia are making a concerted

effort to conserve water because of the level four

drought declared by the state. Along with water

conservation, there are other natural resources

that we need to remind students to preserve, such

as trees. This makes it a great reason to watch

Chuck Leavell read The Tree Farmer, a book he

has written along with Nicholas Cravotta. This

beautifully illustrated and poetic story aims to

educate children about the environment and our

roles as environmental stewards. Just like other

Georgia Read More featured books, there is a

vocabulary list that goes along with The Tree

Farmer story. Watch this month's featured

Georgia Read More video with your students to

plant the ideals of stewardship and renewable

resources. Your class can also check out the

other videos playing on the Georgia Read More

Program Videos page.

The Georgia Department of Education has implemented a literacy program aimed at third

grade students called the "Georgia Read More" program. The concentrated efforts of the Library

Media Services Department have resulted in this award winning series. This program encourages

children to read, supports parent-child interaction, and promotes literacy and libraries. Simply

select from the many videos of dignitaries and celebrities reading a children's book aloud to a

group of students. Each video supplies a link to a vocabulary list that accompanies the story and

some of the videos are also available in Spanish. Included with most books are a Lexile score

and links to author websites.

GeorgiaStandards.Org Data Points
Year-To-Date (As of 1/2007)
Visitors to GeorgiaStandards.Org 1,360,369
Unique Visitors 555,208
Page views for all visitors 7,302,471
Average Time on Site 5 minutes 10 seconds
Number of Units that are Approved and Searchable in GSO
922
Number of Georgia Educators trained on GSO 6,581
Active Portal Users with GSO Builder Privileges
8,738
Number of GSO Teacher Groups 785

NEW! 8th Grade Technology Literacy Assessment Option Offered Through GaDOE!
The GaDOE, in response to requests from local schools and LEAs, has developed an OPTIONAL 8th grade Technology Literacy assessment. This assessment is one more choice for schools to consider when addressing the NCLB requirement to report 8th grade tech literacy. The Georgia Virtual School and the Office of Technology Services, Title II-D, for the GaDOE have collaborated to create three 60 question assessments addressing the technology standard requirements. Beginning December 3, 2007, these assessments will be accessible through the Office of Standards, Instruction, and Assessment's Online Assessment System (OAS). For more information on this optional technology assessment, visit the 8th grade Technology Literacy Update.
Environmental Education in Georgia
In the upper-left corner of GeorgiaStandards.Org you will find a Portlet titled GPS Website Finder with helpful links to support the implementation of the Georgia Performance Standards. The Partners in Education link showcases collaborations between the Georgia Department of Education and agencies in Georgia to provide quality instructional materials to educators. EE in Georgia is a clearinghouse for environmental education that includes lesson plans, news, events, and facts about Georgia's environment. Begin by taking a quiz with your students to test their knowledge of the environment, select your difficulty level to see what your students know. Contents and awards based on the environment are also posted on EE in Georgia, which is worth a look for teachers and students. If you hurry you can make the deadline for the You be the Chemist Lesson Plan Contest (12/21/2007) to win $1,000 or enter the Nature Conservancy Photo Contest (12/31/2007) and have your winning photo featured on nature.org. Last but not least, teachers can make a request for free EE teacher materials. Upon request, The Georgia River of Words Teacher's Guide and Art and Poetry Journal are sent to you, which both have an environmental focus on water.

Number of GSO Training Videos 179
GSO to GO is Going Green!
Since this issue of the monthly resources is going green, we would also like to feature the science standard S3L2 to all third grade teachers. This GPS has students recognizing the effects that pollution and humans have on the environment. These units (U), learning activities (LA) and teaching activities (TA) have been developed by Georgia teachers that may help you teach S3L2: > Composting with Class! (U) > Habitats of Georgia (U) > Interdependence of Man-Pollution and Conservation Framework (U) > Under the Sea in 3-D! (U) > Compost in a Milk Carton (LA) > Animals and Plants in Coral Reef (TA) > Compost Observation (TA) > Coral Reef PowerPoint Presentation (TA) > Pollution and the Coral Reef (TA) Fourth grade teachers also have some good choices with science standard S4L1. Selections from the GPS developed units include Discovering Ecosystems and Ecosystems Framework. Then there's the fourth grade learning activity titled Cycles of Matter and Composting that is a hands-on activity that students are sure to enjoy.

Georgia Department of Education - Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools - 2

Download Writing
Assessment Resources
The Office of Standards, Instruction and Assessment prides itself on producing welldesigned assessments aligned to the state curriculum. In fact, it has many writing rubrics that are available to teachers for download. These Microsoft Word formatted writing rubrics are available to educators in the elementary, middle and high school levels. K-5 teachers may select from a plethora of informational, narrative or persuasive writing rubrics. The Georgia High School Writing Test (GHSWT), Georgia Grade 8 and Georgia Grade 5 Writing Assessments are based on the following four Domains: Ideas Organization Style Conventions
The Georgia Writing Assessments Weighting of Domains is an important PDF you can download to understand how the score ratings on the writing assessments are determined by the Georgia Department of Education Testing Division.

learning tools have been indexed on a growing directory ranging from traditional to E-Learning collaboration tools. All the technology tool categories have been separated by free or commercial, a feature that many teachers can appreciate. Want to start listening to a podcast? Or better yet, how about creating or delivering your own podcasts? Take a look at all the free podcasting tools to get you going. The Centre for Learning and Performance Technologies site also has an E-Learning Handbook that is divided into a number of parts. Each part has several topics that link to examples, resources and reading lists. A great primer for those teachers that want to learn more about online trends that are impacting education such as RSS Readers, Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and more!
GSO Posters
GeorgiaStandards.Org posters are available to all Georgia school systems. This year's GSO poster features Georgia teacher of the year Emily Jennette pictured alongside teacher of the year finalists Anthony Stinson and William Haskin. Contact Kathy Politis for more information for your school posters.

Hundreds of E-Learning Tools at your Service
Having a hard time keeping up with the flurry of websites and technologies that keep emerging on the World Wide Web? Where and how can you start a blog, wiki or podcast? Should these technologies be impacting your classroom and curriculum? GeorgiaStandards.Org has you covered. On the left-side of the GSO homepage under the Teacher Tools Portlet, you will notice a link to The Centre for Learning and Performance Technologies. This site comes to the rescue by making sense of e-learning trends, technologies and tools that can be useful to teachers. Hundreds of

Meet the
GSO Staff
Kathy Politis 1952 Twin Towers East 205 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive SE Atlanta, GA 30334 p. (404) 463-1280 f. (404) 657-5183 kpolitis@doe.k12.ga.us
Beth Caraccio 1952 Twin Towers East 205 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive SE Atlanta, GA 30334 p. (404) 657-3543 f. (404) 657-5183 bcaracci@doe.k12.ga.us
Scott J. Wilson, Ph.D. 1952 Twin Towers East 205 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive SE Atlanta, GA 30334 p. (404) 463-6404 f. (404) 657-5183 scwilson@doe.k12.ga.us
Lynda Byrne Center for Quality Teaching and Learning Cunningham Center for Leadership Development Columbus State University Columbus, GA 31907-5645 p. (706) 565-3647 f. (706) 565-3648 byrne_lynda@colstate.edu
Traci M. Boyd 1952 Twin Towers East 205 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive SE Atlanta, GA 30334 p. (404) 463-1280 f. (404) 657-5183 tboyd@doe.k12.ga.us
Tony Vlachakis, MS 1952 Twin Towers East 205 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive SE Atlanta, GA 30334 p. (404) 463-1280 f. (404) 657-5183 tvlachak@doe.k12.ga.us

Georgia Department of Education - Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools - 3

Continuing Education
ETTCs Offer Professional Learning and Consulting
The Educational Technology Training Centers (ETTCs) work collaboratively to provide professional learning, consulting, and service for Georgia educators to promote the appropriate use of technology in support of teaching, learning, and leadership. Thirteen ETTC training centers are located throughout the state for your convenience. If you live in the northwest corner of Georgia, your ETTC would be the Dalton State College Educational Technology Training Center. They offer comprehensive curriculum, administrative, and technology support training and services for P-16 educators, administrative staff, support personnel, and technology support specialists. Dalton State College Educational Technology Training Center has many course offerings targeting teachers such as Cool Tools for Educators and Interactive Whiteboard Courses. The Dalton ETTC also has a wonderful video featuring Gladden Middle, a school in the Dalton service area, sharing their success on technology integration into their school. You can find the Dalton State College Educational Technology Training Center in addition to the other 12 ETTCs serving the state on the Georgia Department of Education website.

GeorgiaStandards.Org Available for Free Training
Did you know that GSO has trainers that travel all over Georgia to teach teachers, administrators and parents on how GSO is the ultimate resource for the Georgia Performance Standards? Did we mention this was free? GSO Training sessions can range from a one hour GSO site overview to a full day hands-on training on the Portal, a password-protected teacher workspace. In a recent GSO workshop during the fall, educators had the opportunity to sound-off about the training. One participant felt it was now effortless to collaborate with other Georgia educators using the Portal by stating, "I'm in a small county, I am happy to see that I can work in groups with other teachers in the state." Another teacher noted, "I was excited to see that teacher commentaries with student samples are being added continually as SIA makes them available." GSO's goal is to provide every Georgia teacher with skills and strategies that enhance and improve student achievement. Contact GSO today and we will work with you to tailor a free training experience that meets your school's needs and time restrictions.
GSO would also like to share Best Practice examples with Georgia teachers to illustrate different ways of successfully implementing the Georgia Performance Standards within a Georgia school or classroom. If you have a "successful implementation" that you would like to share please send us an email so that we can contact you to get the details.

Teacher Programs by the Michael C. Carlos Museum
The Michael C. Carlos Museum is an educational partner of the Department of Education. The museum offers a memorable experience by exploring the world's art and cultures through tours, outreach programs, online exhibits and professional development. An Evening for Educators is scheduled for February 8, 2008. Enjoy beverages and hors d'oeuvres while curators Peter Lacovara and Jessica Stephenson introduce Lost Kingdoms of the Nile: Nubian Treasures from the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. While at the museum, teachers can tour the galleries and see more than 200 works of ivory, gold, silver, stone and ceramics representing one of the most remarkable civilizations of ancient Africa. RSVP by January 25 by calling 404-727-2363. The museum also holds Workshops for Teachers that are aligned to the Georgia Performance Standards. To register, contact Julie Green by email or by phone at 404-727-2363. Unless otherwise noted, cost for workshops is $10 for Museum members; $15 for non-members.

Principal Issiah Ross Jr. recently hosted a Technology Integration night for parents at Macon County Middle School in Montezuma, Georgia. Lynda Byrne from GeorgiaStandards.Org was on hand to explain GSO's role in supporting faculty and parents with GPS aligned resources. Students and parents also had an opportunity to show how their school is using technology to improve teaching and learning.

Georgia Department of Education - Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools - 4

Celebrating December

communicate
1
Rosa Parks was arrested, which led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955).

collaborate
12
Washington D.C. becomes the capitol of the United States in 1800.

connect
Downloads
> December Coloring Calendar > December word search puzzle

5
President Polk confirmed that gold was discovered in California (1848).

18
The 13th Amendment was ratified to abolished slavery

Links
> Winter Online Crossword Puzzle > Virtual Snowman > Dress-up a Snowman > Chanukah Connect the Dots > Interactive Weather Maker

7
Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japan (1941).

20
In 1773, the Boston Evening Post wrote on article about the events that occurred in the Boston Harbor better known as The Boston Tea Party.

Themes
> December Holidays Across Cultures > Christmas Around the World > December Holidays Archive

December in Georgia History
Every article and image on the New Georgia Encyclopedia (NGE) features an aspect of Georgia. The NGE has many notable events and influential Georgians you can peruse with your students that are highlighted on December in Georgia History. Challenge your students to use the NGE to find out what city General William T. Sherman offered President Abraham Lincoln as a Christmas present in 1864. The Sherman's March to the Sea article may come in handy for your students as they research Sherman. While your students are collaborating with other students to find the answer on the NGE site, you know you are covering the following GPS on General William T. Sherman:

> SSUSH9c - United States History > SS5H1c - Fifth Grade > SS8H6b - Eighth Grade
Social studies teachers may want to expand on General William T. Sherman and The Civil War by using Civil War Reenactments a GPS-aligned unit that is hosted on GeorgiaStandards.Org.
December EDSITEment Calendar of Holidays and Special Events
As we close out the year, EDSITEment has posted an abundance of educational links with its December 2007 calendar. On the EDSITEment calendar, it codes daily links by website feature (W) or lesson plan (LP).
December 1, 1955 is the day Rosa Parks was arrested, which led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Teachers can draw attention to this important historical event by using the Ordinary People, Ordinary Places: The Civil Rights Movement lesson plan with their students. Fifth grade teachers would address SS5H8b and can use The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s teaching activity that spans the course of one week. President Polk confirmed that gold was discovered in California on December 5, 1848, which you guessed it

started to the Gold Rush! And December 7, 1941 is a date the United Stated will never forget; it is the day that Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japan. EDSITEment provides links to the following three Pearl Harbor lesson plans: > The Road to Pearl Harbor > Turning the Tide in the Pacific, 1941-1943 > Victory in the Pacific, 1943-1945
On December 12, 1800, Washington D.C. becomes the capitol of the United States. You can link to From the White House of Yesterday to the White House of Today as an appropriate lesson plan to teach about the house at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Then on December 20, 1773 The Boston Evening Post wrote on article about the events that occurred in the Boston Harbor better known as The Boston Tea Party. EDSITEment poses some interesting questions in The Boston Tea Party: Costume Optional? lesson plan. December 18, 1865 marks the day the U.S. Constitution was ratified to include the 13th Amendment that abolished slavery. Why was the Emancipation Proclamation by Abraham Lincoln so important? The Emancipation Proclamation: Freedom's First Steps lesson plan can be utilized by teachers to teach about Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation policy and the impact it had on the United States.

Georgia Department of Education - Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools - 5

Celebrating December
A Month of Celebration for Everyone
There are many holidays that occur in the month of December. This may be a wonderful opportunity to teach your students about the different celebrations that occur all over the world. Education World just posted a great article that emphasizes December Holidays Across Cultures. They offer ten lessons about the various December Holidays and additional lesson plans with Christmas Around the World. You can also teach your students through these links about Kwanzaa, Hanukkah and Ramadan. Education World also is featuring holiday crafts and gift-making ideas with their December Holidays Archive. And just for good measure, Education World searched the World Wide Web for you with these additional Holiday Classroom Resources. And not to be outdone, TeacherVision.com has compiled a great collection of December themes, lesson plans, activities and quizzes.
Learn a Foreign Language Month

might want to check out Livemocha a new website that that allows members to learn a language socially. Livemocha is languagelearning community that has many interactive lessons and lets you to track your progress as you reach your goals. Start learning a new language by enrolling in a course. Currently you can select from the following languages of English, German, Spanish, French, Hindi or Mandarin Chinese. Even though Livemocha is a new website, it has received many praises already. You can also visit their Press page to watch a 5 minute video that thoroughly explains Livemocha method of learning a language.
Some of the members of the GeorgiaStandards.Org team frequent the Coffee Break Spanish website for their daily language lessons. If you have iTunes installed on your computer or own an iPod, you can listen or subscribe to their Spanish lessons podcast; Learn Spanish with the Coffee Break Spanish via the Radio Lingua Network. When we last counted, the Radio Lingua Network had 70 Spanish podcasts that were available for FREE! Kathy Politis the GSO Program Manager exclaimed, "It is the only way I keep up with my Spanish. If I continue with my podcasts, my dream trip to Spain will become a reality sooner than I thought!"
Other Dynamite December Links and Downloads
There are many festive web-based resources that are available for teachers in December. Elementary teachers will enjoy Education World's December Coloring Calendar (PDF) or the editable version (Word). Education World also has a December word search puzzle along with an answer key or challenge your students with a Winter Online Crossword Puzzle. Teachers can also set-up some great holiday computer-based centers with Virtual Snowman, Dress-up a Snowman, Chanukah Connect the Dots or Interactive Weather Maker.

Other GaDOE
News
New GSO Content
Click here to view the new content that was added to GeorgiaStandards.Org.
December Media Matters
A newsletter for people who love Library Media Centers. You can also access the Media Matters archives.
GaDOE Press Releases
Click here to access media information for encouraging K-12 education in Georgia.
GSO Press Releases
Read all the latest news regarding Georgia Standards.
Subscribe to GaDOE Newsletter or Updates
If you would like to receive the enewsletter or updates from GaDOE, click here.
GeorgiaStandards.Org is a program under the office of Instructional Technology within the Georgia Department of Education
1952 Twin Towers East 205 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive SE Atlanta, GA 30334
Tel. (404) 463-1280 Fax (404) 657-518

Hola, Bonjour and Yasou! That is hello in Spanish, French and Greek. And you know what that means? It is time to learn another language! For this monthly observance you

Kathy Cox State Superintendent
of Schools
Georgia Department of Education - Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools - 6