August is National Back to School Month

The SSEL Region 3 Expanded Learning Team hopes that this blog post finds all of you doing well. Thank you to all of those that in some way shape or form had a hand during the summer of 2018 to help stave off summer learning loss by engaging youth in summer learning programs. Hopefully at some point you were able to get a few days off to recharge your batteries and dedicate a few days to you / your family. The work you do truly changes trajectories, is important, is hard, and is rewarding. Thank you for all that you do for it is greatly appreciated and inspiring.

With that being stated this blog post is filled with resources to add to your toolkits and to assist you as you embark on the 2018-2019 academic school year. Here is to a wonderful year, with many amazing memories.

Here are some monthly themes and activities that you might want to incorporate into your Expanded Learning Program:

One of the many posters free to download.

Classroom Posters that Promote Unity / Inclusion:

a) One World Posters (Teaching Tolerance)

b) This School Welcomes You (Teaching Tolerance)

c) CTA for All Students (CTA)

September 2018:

a) National Hispanic Heritage Month (Wikipedia)

b) Learning Activities to engage your students in (Modern Miami Website)

c) Lesson Plans for celebrating National Heritage Month (NEA Grades K-12)

d) Lesson plans and activities (Discoveries of a Latina Homeschooler)

e) Frida Kahlo Artwork Guide (SF MOMA)

f) International DOT Day Activities Guide (Roughly September 15th)


October 2018:

a) National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month (Stop Bullying Website)

b) Lesson Plans, Activities, Stats, FAQs (Pacer Org.)

c) Stand Up!!! Activity (Teaching Tolerance)

d) Peer Exclusion Activity (Teaching Tolerance)

e) Developing Empathy (Teaching Tolerance)

f) Middle School Anti-Bullying Lesson Plans (Intermediate Unit 1)

g) Teaching Students to Prevent Bullying (NEA)

h) Global Cardboard Challenge Event

i) Caine's Arcade Activity Curriculum and Activity Kits (Free to Download)


November 2018:

a) Native American Heritage Month (Native American 360)

b) Native American Art Activities

c) Additional Resources


STEM / Expanded Learning and Other Pertinent Articles:

1) Raising Brilliant Kids - With Research to Back You Up
    (NPR Article by Anna Kamenetz; July 23, 2018)

2) How to Make A Civics Education Stick
    (NPR Article by Emily Cardinali; August 14, 2018)

3) How The Science of Learning is Catching Up To Mr. Rogers
    (NPR Article by Anna Kamenetz; July 23, 2018)

4) (Teacher Wellness) Reclaiming a Sense of Joy
   (Edutopia Article by Shane Safir; August 10, 2018)

5) Reflections on Shifting to a Flexible Classroom
   (Edutopia Article by Brooke Markle; August 20, 2018)

6) Using Stories to Teach Math
    (Edutopia Article by L.L. Barkat; December 22, 2017)

7) To Get Girls Into Coding, Nonprofit Looks to Historic Inspiration
    (Education Week Article by Lauraine Genota; August 15, 2018)

8) Social Skills Are Critical For Future Job-Seekers
    (Education Week Article by Pam Roy; August 15, 2018)

9) Equity and Voice: How a Sense of Belonging Promotes Students' Agency
    (Education Week Article by Contributing Blogger; August 15, 2018)

10) Kids Need to Play at Recess, Their Mental Health May Depend on It
     (Education Week Article by Peter DeWitt; August 1, 2018)


STEAM (other core content) Activities / Websites / Podcast:

1) 36 Resources for STEM Project-Based Learning Activities

2) 17 Examples of STEM Project Based Learning Activities

3) Integrated STEM Education through Project Based Learning

4) Project Based Learning and STEM Afterschool

5) Project Based Learning and the Arts

6) Arts-Infused Project Based Learning: Crafting Beautiful Work

7) Buck Institute: Project Based Learning Resources

8) ITeach: A Guide To the Most Useful Apps For the Classroom

9) The Social Classroom (Video)

10) Projects That Work (PBL Video)


STEM / Educational Grants:

1) Afterschool Alliance Grant Page

2)  Bank of the West Grant Page

3) CAN Funding Opportunities Webpage

4) The Impact Foundry Grant Page


STEAM / Miscellaneous Professional Learning Sessions / Contest / Events:

1) NBA Math Hoops (September 20, 2018) (Free)
    (Grades 4-8)

2) California STEAM Symposium
    (Fee: $350) (Dates: October 28-29, 2018)

3) How Kids Learn Conference
    (Fee: $125) (Date: December 6, 2018)

4) SMUD Free Educational Workshops

Thanks again for all that you do in the field. Please keep us posted about STEM 
events / activities in your area. Please feel free to contact us at any time.

Monica Gonzalez-Williams (SCOE: Region 3: After School Regional Lead):
mgonzalez@scoe.net

Phil Romig (SCOE: Science Curriculum Specialist): promig@scoe.net

Mark Drewes (SCOE: Project Specialist II: Expanded Learning) mdrewes@scoe.net

July is National Ice Cream Month

What better way is there is celebrate a month in which the thermometer pushes north of 100 degrees fahrenheit more often than not? I scream, you scream, many scream for ice cream as a way to beat the heat. July is National Ice Cream Month.

In 1984, President Ronald Reagan designated July as National Ice Cream Month and the third Sunday  of the month as National Ice Cream Day. He recognized ice cream as a fun and nutritious food that is enjoyed by over 90 percent of the nation's population. In the proclamation, President Reagan called for all people of the United States to observe these events with "appropriate ceremonies and activities."

The ice cream industry in the United States contributes more than $39 billion to the national economy and creates more than 188,000 jobs in communities across the country.

Where does this tasty treat emanate from? The emperors of the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) are believed to have been the first to eat "a frozen milk-like confection." This version was made with cow, goat, or buffalo milk that was heated with flour. Camphor, an aromatic substance harvested from evergreen trees, was added to enhance the texture and flavor. The mixture was then placed into metal tubes and lowered into an ice pool until frozen. This process is similar to the way Indians made kulfi prior to refrigeration. For more on the history of ice cream, click here.

Do you and your expanded learning students want to make ice cream while learning how to be a process engineer? If so, click here for the Food for Thought Engineering Ice Cream, a curriculum unit from Engineering Everywhere.

Tang Dynasty Emperors were the first to enjoy an early version of this tasty treat.

STEM / Expanded Learning and Other Pertinent Articles:

1) Trump Budget Endangers STEM Learning
    (Education Week Commentary by Ron Ottinger, July 24, 2017)

2) After School shines in ESSA implementation hearing
    (Aftelschool Snack Blog by Erik Peterson, July 21, 2017)

3) House Appropriations Committee cuts after school (ESSA) funding by 191 million
     (Aftelschool Snack Blog by Erik Peterson, July 20, 2017)

4) Closing the achievement gap for Latino kids
     (Aftelschool Snack Blog by Diego Uriburu, July 19, 2017)

5) Technology Can be a Tool, a Teacher, a Trickster
    (NPR Opinion by Tania Lombrozo, July 17, 2017)

6) Considering Cultural Context When Promoting SEL
    (LIAS Blog by Sam Piha, July 19, 2017)

7) Five Myths About Transgender Students Educators Need to Unlearn
    (Education Week Commentary by Laura Erickson-Schroth, July 10, 2017)

8) 10 Social Media Controversies That Landed Students in Trouble This School Year
    (Education Week Article by Benjamin Herold, July 6, 2017)

9) NGSS Helps Prepare Future Workforce
    (Comstock's Article by Jennifer Berry, June 21, 2017)

10) Addressing Food Security in Your Afterschool and Summer Learning Program
      (National Afterschool Association Article, July 11, 2017)

11) The Journal of Expanded Learning Opportunities
      (Spring 2017 Issue)


STEM / STEAM / ETC. Activities / Videos / Websites:

1) STEM Tools (Research / National Summer Learning Association)

2) Resources and Services Webpage (National Summer Learning Association)

3) Science Resources for After School (AAAS Science Activities)

4) Crazy 8's (After School Math Club Activities)

5) Tinkering Resources (Exploratorium)

6) Science Club Activities (Northwestern)

7) Additional STEM Resources Activity Webpage (Afterschool Alliance)

8) SF MOMA Teacher Art Activities Resource Page (SF MOMA)

9) What it means to have an equal vs.s equitable education system
    (Audiofile of Jeff Duncan-Andrade Associate Professor at SFSU)

10) The World of Expanded Learning (YouTube Channel by Bruno Marchesi)

11) STRIVE FaceBook Page
      (Tips, Tools, Resources for Expanded Learning Educators)

12) Quality Standards In Action Video: Youth Voice and Leadership
      (CDE Expanded Learning Division)

13) YouTube Star Teaching Kids how to Bake (NPR Podcast)

14) Why Aren't Students Showing Up for College? (NPR Podcast)

15) Number of Teens Working Summer Jobs Declines (NPR Podcast)


STEM / Non-STEM Educational Grants:

1) The Big List of Educational Grants and Resources (Edutopia)
    (Updated July 19, 2017)

2) California Aftelschool Network Grant Page (CAN)

3) After School Funding Database (Afterschool Alliance)

4) The Impact Foundry Grant Opportunity Page (The Impact Foundry)

5) Bank of The West (Grant Page)


Professional Learning Sessions / Contest / Symposiums / ETC.:

1) CDE / CAN Grantee 101 Orientation
    (Sacramento) (August 29, 2017)

2) NBA Math Hoops Workshop
    (September 27, 2017) (Cost: Free) (Grades 4-8)

3) California Dream'n: Site Coordinator Symposium
    (October 20-21, 2017) (Cost: $50.00 + slight surcharge for 2-day event)

4) California STEAM Symposium
    (December 10-11, 2017) (Cost: $345 per participant)

Thanks again for all that you do in the field. Please keep us posted about STEM 
events / activities in your area. Please feel free to contact us at any time.

Monica Gonzalez-Williams (SCOE: Region 3: After School Regional Lead):
mgonzalez@scoe.net

Phil Romig (SCOE: Science Curriculum Specialist): promig@scoe.net

Mark Drewes (SCOE: Project Specialist II: Expanded Learning) mdrewes@scoe.net

April is Mathematics and Statistics Awareness Month

April marks a time to increase the understanding and appreciation of mathematics and statistics. Why? Both subjects play a significant role in addressing many real-world problems-- internet security, sustainability, disease, climate change, the data deluge, and much more. Research in these and other areas is ongoing, revealing new results and applications every day in fields such as medicine, manufacturing, energy, biotechnology, and business. Mathematics and statistics are important drivers of innovation in our technological world, in which new systems and methodologies continue to become more complex.

Mathematics Awareness Month began in 1986 as Mathematics Awareness Week with a proclamation by President Ronald Regan, who said in part:

"Despite the increasing importance of mathematics to the progress of our economy and society, enrollment in mathematics programs has been declining at all levels of the American educational system. Yet the application of mathematics is indispensable in such diverse fields as medicine, computer sciences, space exploration, the skilled trades, business, defense, and government. To help encourage the study and utilization of mathematics, it is appropriate that all Americans be reminded of the importance of this basic branch of science to our daily lives."

Here are a couple of current day Mathematical Pioneers:

1) Maryam Mirzakhani - She became the first woman to win the Fields Medal, one of
    the most prestigious awards in the mathematics community. She is also the first
    Iranian to receive this honor. "Math is the Aha moment, the excitement of discovery
    and enjoyment of understanding something new - the feeling of being on top of a hill
    and having a clear view."

Maryam Mirzakhani Stanford University Mathematics Professor

2) Katherine Adebola Okikiolu - In 1997, Okikiolubecame the first black recipient of a
    Sloan Research Fellowship. She was also awarded a Presidential Early Career 
    Award for Scientists and Engineers for both her mathematical research and her
    development of mathematics curricula for inner-city school children.

Katherine Adebola Okikiolu Mathematician at Johns Hopkins University. 

Click here for a list of grade level math activities to engage your expanded learning students in.

Now let's take a look and see how many Region 3 Grant Managers, Expanded Learning Program Providers, Expanded Learning community members, and business partners came together to help host year six of the Region 3 Expanded Learning Math Tournament.

Name of Expanded Learning Program Provider(s): City of West Sacramento KidZone, 

Sacramento Chinese Community Service Center, Sacramento START, 

Name of District(s): Elk Grove Unified School District, Sacramento City Unified School 

District, Twin Rivers Unified School District, Washington Unified School District

Name of Business(es): Broderick , Wilson Trophy Company,  Sacramento Riverboats, 

Nugget Markets, Chick-fil-A, Round Table, Leatherby's, Color Me Mine, 

Golf Land Sunsplash, Jamba Juice, Gunther's Ice Cream, In and Out, Vic's Ice Cream,

Starbuck's Coffee, Sacramento Republic, Target, Giants Community Fund, Scandia, 

Walmart, Safeway, Dos Coyotes, Sacramento Kings

Other Expanded Learning Community Partners: California Department of Education / 

Expanded Learning Division, Sacramento County Office of Education / Expanded Learning 

Office

Grade Level of Activity: 4th through 8th Grade

Number of Students who took part in Activity: 110

Type of Activity: Action Math Baseball Tournament

Day of Event: April 1, 2017

Learning Outcomes: Students were able to deepening their understanding of: 

• computing percentages
• comparing ratios
• creating a ranking system
• evaluating formulas
• interpreting data
• using probability to make decisions

A photo of how this was truly a collaborative effort.

A photo of one of our many expanded learning teams deep in thought.

A trophy for the division winners.

Pony Express Elementary for the Win!!!!

STEM / Expanded Learning and Other Pertinent Articles:

1) New science standards raise hopes for narrowing achievement gap
    (EdSource article by Carolyn Jones April 13, 2017)

2) Letters send wave of after school support to Capitol Hill
    (Afterschool Alliance article by Jullian Luchner April 13, 2017)

3) Having Just One Black Teacher Can Keep Black Kids in School
    (NPR article by Anya Kamenetz April 10, 2017)

4) A Surprising Explanation For Why Some Immigrants Excel in Science
    (NPR article by Anya Kamenetz March 30, 2017)

5) Kids Who Suffer Hunger In First Years Lag Behind Their Peers in School 

     (NPR article by Rhitu Chatterjee March 23, 2017)

6) How Empathy Is Important For Parents and Teens When Things Get Stressful
    (Mind/Shift article by Juli Fraga April 16, 2017)

7) How Play is At The Heart of Many World-Changing Inventions

     (Mind/Shift article by Katrina Schwartz April 13, 2017)

8) Why Giving Effective Feedback Is Trickier Than It Seems
    (Mind/Shift article by Katrina Schwartz April 12, 2017)

9) All Students Can Find Power In Thinking Like Computer Scientist
    (Mind/Shift article by Katrina Schwartz April 7, 2017)

10) Five Ways To Shift Teaching Practice So Students Feel Less Math Anxious
      (Mind/Shift article by Katrina Schwartz April 5, 2017)

11) 13 Magic Spells for Quieting a Noisy Class
      (Fusion Yearbooks article February 13, 2017)


STEM (and other interdisciplinary core content) Activities / Videos / Websites:

1) Resources for Advocacy in the Expanded Learning Field
    (VLOG by Bruno Marchesi / Strive)

2) Art Activities for Grades K-12 (SEDL Expanded Learning Activities Page)

3 Literacy Activities for Grades K-12  (SEDL Expanded Learning Activities Page)

4) Science Activities for Grades K-12 (SEDL Expanded Learning Activities Page)

5) Technology Activities for Grades K-12 (SEDL Expanded Learning Activities Page)

6) KQED Lesson Plans for Subject Grade Level Activities (KQED Lesson Plans)

7) Students From Different Cultures Collaborate To Communicate With Each Other
    (NPR Podcast by Katrina Schwartz April 9, 2017)

8) Fighting Hate in Schools (NPR Podcast by Tovia Smith April 5, 2017)

9) Google Hopes To Hire More Black Engineers By Bringing Students To Silicon Valley
    (NPR Podcast by Queena Kim March 28, 2017)

10) Howard University Aims To Build Silicon Valley Pipeline of Black Software
       Engineers
     (NPR Podcast by Queena Kim March 25, 2017)

11) A High School's Lesson For Helping English Language Learners Get To College
      (NPR Podcast by Claire McInerny March 25, 2017)


STEM Educational Grants: 

1) The Big List Of Educational Grants and Resources
   (Edutopia Grant Page Updated April 12, 2017)

2) California After School Network Funding Opportunities (CAN Grant Page)

3) After School Funding Database (Afterschool Alliance Grant Page)

4) Grant Funding Opportunities (The Impact Foundry Grant Page)

5) Bank of The West (Grant Opportunity)

6) Application for Free Computers (RRR Computers)


STEM / Misc. Professional Learning Sessions / Contest / Events:

1) Ali Prose Poetry Contest
    (Deadline: April 28, 2017)

2) SCOE Mindful Educators Round Table Session 
    (Free: May 11, 2017 10:00 am to 12:00 pm)

3) SCOE Kidz Science: Alternative Energy Workshop
     (Free: May 19, 2017 9:00 am to 12:00 pm)

4) SCOE One Day Art Projects Workshop
    (Free: May 23, 2017 9:00 am to 12:00 pm)

5) SCOE College and Career Readiness Workshop
     (Free: May 31, 2017 9:00 am to 12:00 pm)



Thanks again for all that you do in the field. Please keep us posted about STEM 
events / activities in your area. Please feel free to contact us at any time.

Monica Gonzalez-Williams (SCOE: Region 3: After School Regional Lead):
mgonzalez@scoe.net

Phil Romig (SCOE: Science Curriculum Specialist): promig@scoe.net

Mark Drewes (SCOE: Project Specialist II: Expanded Learning) mdrewes@scoe.net