Texas Economics: Math & Personal Finance is a free set of lesson plans for teaching mathematics and personal financial literacy in grades K-12. Lesson plans reference the relevant Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and the National Standards for Personal Finance, National Teachers of Mathematics Standards and Benchmarks, and the National Council on Economics Education Voluntary Standards in Economics. Resources are available for download on the Texas Council on Economic Education website . Learning List has completed reviews for Personal Financial Literacy (Grades 4-6), Personal Financial Literacy - Lessons for Classrooms and After School Programs (Grades 7 & 8) and Texas Economics: Math & Personal Finance (Grades K-3). Lessons are supplemental and designed to meet the economics strand of the TEKS. At grades K-8, instruction addresses income, money management, spending and credit, as well as saving and investing. Content incorporates age-appropriate children’s literature with plots linked to personal finance (e.g., Curious George Takes a Job ) and include activities that address concepts introduced in readings. Each lesson includes rubrics to guide assessment by observing students’ participation in activities and evaluating completed activity sheets. About TCEE* The Texas Council on Economic Education (TCEE) has a vision that by working with kindergarten through grade 12 educators, TCEE can establish the seeds of a healthier U. S. economy and personal financial stability.  TCEE’s goal is to provide teachers with hands-on lessons and programs that allow students to practice implementing  real life economic and financial skills, and thus pave the way to a life of economic security and a Smarter Texas. As a 501(c) 3 nonprofit founded in 1949 and incorporated in 1969, TCEE has strong program roots throughout the state. TCEE coordinates programs to provide statewide student activities and teacher staff development with a goal to ultimately reach the 5 million school children of Texas.  TCEE strives to provide free or low cost programs that school districts and teachers can afford in times of significant budget cuts.  Each year TCEE reaches at least 2,000 educators who then impact the learning of 2 million students. TCEE seeks partnerships to promote its vision that the U. S. become a nation of citizens who have the knowledge and skills to make sound, informed economic decisions. *The content in this section is provided by or adapted from TCEE. © 2015 Learning List

WriteSteps is a comprehensive, stand-alone writing program for grades K-5. Resources address the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for writing and grammar and are available in print and digital formats. Instruction focuses on developing writing skills using the “6 Traits of Quality Writing” framework (i.e., ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, and conventions). Learning List completed reviews of the comprehensive (K-5) program. WriteSteps develops writing skills characterized by CCSS “text types.” Text types include opinion, informative/explanatory, narrative, research, and, at grades 3-5, response to literature. Content is organized in multi-day units that focus on a particular text type. Across grade levels, instruction includes opportunities for students to work with peers, participate in collaborative writing projects, and to develop editing and revision skills. Writing tasks are connected to students’ lives and experiences and include integrated instruction in grammar and usage. See video overview on the right. Each unit includes a Formal Core Writing assignment that serves as a summative assessment. Rubrics based on the CCSS and the 6 Traits of Quality Writing support the evaluation of student work. At grades 2-5, WriteSteps includes a writing prompt early in each unit that may be used as a pre-assessment of students’ skills. Click here for a Free Trial. About WriteSteps* WriteSteps Founder & CEO Suzanne Klein is a former K-5 teacher and writing consultant with extensive training in writing pedagogy best practices, especially writer’s workshop and 6 Traits. Klein holds a Master of Arts degree in teaching, is a National Writing Project fellow, and draws inspiration from teachers such as Ralph Fletcher, Barry Lane, Lucy Calkins, Katie Wood Ray, and John Collins. WriteSteps is a 2015 SIIA CODIE Finalist and a 2015 AAP Revere Awards Finalist. *The content in this section is provided by or adapted from WriteSteps. © 2015 Learning List

Mathalicious is an online, supplemental resource that supports Common Core middle school and high school math instruction. Instruction emphasizes the application of math to real-world issues and focuses on algebra, geometry, statistics, and probability at the high school level. Instruction is teacher guided and focuses on engaging students in meaningful conversations about mathematics. Learning List has completed reviews for Mathalicious Lessons for Grades 6-8 as well as Algebra I, Algebra II and Geometry. Lessons are designed for use with LCD projectors or interactive white boards and last about two days (block scheduled). Online resources are organized in three parts Plan, Teach, and Reflect. Content includes video and audio clips and interactive slide shows that help students visualize the concepts they are learning. Discussions of problem-solving strategies are integrated throughout instruction. Mathalicious lessons may be searched by grade level, topic, standard, and key word. Interactive tools enable teachers to display charts, graphs, and data in ways that support student understanding. For example, the “Projector Mode” tool makes interactive graph images bolder and larger for easier viewing using LCD projectors or interactive white boards. About Mathalicious* The Mathalicious team thinks the world is an interesting place full of interesting questions.  Do people with small feet pay too much for shoes? Do taller Olympic sprinters have an unfair advantage? How have video game consoles changed over time…and are we building the Matrix? They also think math class is the perfect place for students and teachers to explore questions like these, and that it can be the most interesting part of the day. All teachers want to engage their students in meaningful learning experiences. Mathalicious helps teachers create a different kind of math class. They create lessons that explore the math behind real-world topics, from sports to shopping to the odds of finding life on other planets. These lessons put teachers and students in a position to have interesting conversations that foster a classroom culture of curiosity and rigorous mathematical thinking. According to Mathalicious, teachers who use their lessons say they enjoy their jobs more, and that their students look forward to coming to class. The Common Core Standards emphasize problem solving and critical thinking. Every Mathalicious lesson is aligned to the Common Core State Standards. In fact, most lessons connect multiple content standards, and help build deep conceptual understanding through real-world contexts. And live more fully in it. *The content in this section is provided by or adapted from Mathalicious. © 2015 Learning List

The State Bar of Texas’ OYEZ, OYEZ, OH YAY! is a supplemental open-educational resource (OER) that supports social studies instruction for grade 8 and high school students. Instruction focuses on the landmark court decisions that have shaped the nation’s laws and history. The online program provides instructional materials for each of the court cases addressed in the U.S. History TEKS for grade 8 and 11 and U.S. government at grade 12 (e.g., Marbury v. Madison). Learning List has completed reviews of these resources. Content focuses on civics and the importance of engaged citizenship and the judicial systems at the state and federal levels. Instruction is centered on a short video (about 15 minutes) for each case. Videos include an engaging host who provides the historical context for each case and background information about key figures. Videos contain commentary from university professors, attorneys, historians, and constitutional law experts, as well as illustrations, artwork, and photographs of important events and key figures in each case. Resources include downloadable teaching guides and case summaries, overviews of legal issues, and summaries of court decisions. About the State Bar of Texas' LRE Department* The State Bar of Texas' Law-Related Education Department has created Oyez, Oyez, Oh Yay! , an engaging and interactive site geared toward helping students (and their teachers) explore the court decisions that have helped shape our country and the state of Texas — and, most important, how these decisions have affected our everyday lives. What Does "Oyez, Oyez, Oyez" mean? "Oyez" is primarily pronounced "o-yay," although sometimes as "o-yez" or "o-yes." It is used three times in succession to introduce the opening of a court of law, especially the U.S. Supreme Court. Word origin is Middle English and descends from the Anglo-Norman "oyez," the plural imperative form of "oyer" ("to hear"). Thus, it means "hear ye" – a common call for silence or attention in medieval England. *The content in this section is provided by or adapted from the State Bar of Texas. © 2015 Learning List

Learning List will be presenting a session titled "Unpacking the Standards in the Transformative Classroom"  at the Texas ASCD's Ignite15 conference at the Irving Convention Center - 10:30AM today in the Junior Ballroom A1. The session will discuss how to "Use your Instructional Materials Instructionally." Tasha Barker, Director of Alignment at Learning List and Texas ASCD Board of Governors, will be c0-presenting with Jackie Lain, President of Learning List . Texas ASCD's Ignite 15 is a 3-day event that offers K-12 educators and administrators the opportunity to network with and learn from internationally recognized presenters in hands-on groundbreaking sessions designed to transform curriculum with technology integration. This conference and its focus on digital learning will give you the spark you need to develop innovative plans to implement at your school or district. Click here for a digital schedule of other sessions and events at Ignite15.

This week, Ed Week Teacher had a great article explaining “3 Things You Can Do This Summer to Be a Better Teacher in the Fall.” The second point the article makes is “Read, Reflect, Plan,” with an emphasis on the importance of planning. In that regard, the article suggests: Map out your school year with a month-by-month instructional plan. Framing your monthly goals will help you to launch an organized year of learning and teaching. Identify the resources you will need and make a list so you can begin to gather what you need over the summer. Learning List helps teachers streamline their planning and make their instruction more effective. In order to succeed academically, students must learn the knowledge and skills the state’s standards require. With so many standards and so little class time, teachers have to be instructionally efficient. One way to be instructionally efficient is to use only the portions of your instructional materials that are truly aligned to the standards. For each material, Learning List’s reviews the citations listed in the publisher’s correlation for alignment to the three c’s of each standard: content , context and cognitive demand . The alignment report lists the citations Learning List found to be aligned to each standard, as well as the citations found not to be aligned, along with a Reviewer’s Comment explaining which of the three c’s each non-aligned citation failed to address. By referencing Learning List’s alignment reports when creating lesson plans, teachers can easily identify the citations that will teach students what the standards require them to learn, thus saving teachers hours of work both during the summer and the school year. One last point, if your district subscribes to Learning List, and we have not yet reviewed the materials you are planning to use next fall, simply Request a Review . Let us work for you. Teachers, we hope you enjoy your summer! You’ve certainly earned it.

Cosenza & Associates’ STAAR Mission Math is a supplemental, accelerated program to help students master the TEKS and prepare for STAAR math exams in grades K-12. The online program includes printable resources and supports instruction in blended learning environments. Learning List recently reviewed STAAR Mission Math products for grades K-8 and Algebra I. At each grade of these grade levels, STAAR Mission Math provides sets of lessons that support students in mastering specific TEKS and preparing for standardized tests. Lessons are organized using the 5E instructional model (i.e., Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate) and include videos, activity sheets, hands-on activities, and opportunities for formative and summative assessment. Instruction incorporates multiple representations of concepts and math journals in which students keep track of new vocabulary, record their conclusions, and reflect on what they have learned. Teacher resources include a downloadable one-page lesson plan for each lesson, blackline masters of student handouts, and answer keys. Lesson plans include an overview, links to the relevant TEKS, and step-by-step guidance in implementing the 5E lesson cycle, including steps to prepare the lesson and discussion questions.   About Cosenza & Associates* Cosenza & Associates, LLC , was founded in 2010 by Gary Cosenza and Dr. Paul Gray. They founded the company in order to provide a better organizational structure for putting their expertise to work for schools and districts across Texas and around the nation. What is STAAR Mission™ ? STAAR Mission™ is a flexible, condensed curriculum for Grades K-12 Mathematics, Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2. Based on the 5E instructional model, STAAR Mission™ lessons are teacher tools that harness the power of multimedia, including engaging audio and video documents, to deliver instruction that reinforces conceptual understanding so that students can become proficient with important skills. STAAR Mission™ lessons emphasize succinct, tailored instruction centered around students' use of a daily math journal. Each lesson includes high-yield strategies cited by Marzano, Pickering, and Pollock (2001) such as summarizing, using graphic organizers, and note-taking. Lessons also include hands-on activities, digital and printable activity masters, and detailed teacher directions. Visit the STAAR Mission™ website , to learn more about how STAAR Mission can help make students successful! *The content in this section is provided by or adapted from  Cosenza & Associates . © 2015 Learning List

Jarrett Publishing’s Mastering the TEKS in World History is a supplemental test preparation program for world history available in print format. Resources provide complete coverage of the high school world history TEKS. Instruction addresses world history from the establishment of the first human civilizations through the present day with a focus on key vocabulary, important concepts (e.g., human rights), and historical figures. Learning List recently published an editorial review and alignment report for this book. The book’s introduction provides a rationale for studying world history and an overview of resources and how to use them to master the TEKS. The first unit addresses test-taking, social studies, and problem-solving skills. Subsequent units cover world history from the development of early civilizations to the present day. Most chapters include practice questions formatted to reflect the STAAR end-of course exam in U.S. History (students will take this test in a later grade). The final chapter is a cumulative practice test. Each practice question references the specific world history TEKS assessed. About Jarrett Publishing Company* Founded in 1989, Jarrett Publishing Company is renowned among leading educators for its wide range of products. Each of their publications is carefully tailored to match state learning standards, to provide the thorough content review, to incorporate the latest educational research on learning styles, and to include the most authentic test practice questions available. With these ingredients, Jarrett Publishing strives to improve students' learning and results. *The content in this section is provided by or adapted from Jarrett Publishing . © 2015 Learning List

As Texas districts prepare for the 2015-2016 school year, we analyzed the IMA purchasing data* to identify trends that could offer valuable insights for districts and publishers alike. Take a look a this infographic (click here to download the PDF version or here for a high-resolution PNG file) to see: State-adopted vs. non-state adopted products purchased (by amount spent and by number of products purchased) Price Variance for High School Math Products (cost/student) Price Variance of Social Studies Products (cost/student) Top High School Math Publishers (by dollars spent) Top Social Studies Publishers (by dollars spent) Top Publishers for all IM Purchased  (by dollars spent) Conclusion : Districts are buying more non-adopted products than ever before, but spending more on state-adopted products. Product prices vary significantly within a grade and subject, even for products with similar alignment percentages. Smaller publishers are gaining market share in each of the subjects adopted, as more online products are being purchased. With reviews for well over 850 instructional materials from more than 85 publishers, Learning List makes comparison shopping easier to save districts significant time and money and help educators select the products that will best meet their students' needs.   List of Statistics What Products Are Districts Buying? (By Quantity) 57% = Non-state-adopted 43% = state-adopted How Much $ Districts Spent 75% = state- adopted 25% = non-state adopted Price Variance in High School Math Products Geometry: $43 - $140/student (max. is over 3X price) - 8yr. Print and Online Algebra: $59 - $103/student (max. is 74% higher) - 8yr. Print and Online Price Variance in Social Studies Products World History: $52 - $108/student (> 2X price) - 8Yr. Print and Online Top Math IMs $ Purchased By Publisher Big Ideas Learning College Board Pearson McGraw-Hill HMH Cengage Learning Math Learning Center AQR BFW Mentoring Minds (Top 5 are 85% of all purchases.) Top Social Studies IM$ Purchased By Publisher Pearson McGraw Hill HMH Studies Weekly Cengage Teacher Created Materials Firelight Books Ramsey Solutions UT Permian Basin Scholastic (Top 5 are 99% of all purchases.) Top IM Purchases for ALL IMs by Publisher Pearson McGraw Hill HMH Big Ideas Learning College Board Zaner-Bloser Cengage Learning Learning.com Quaver Music Studies Weekly (Top 5 are 72% of all purchases.) * Data Source: TEA Instructional Materials Allotment Expenditures (May 2015) © 2015 Learning List

Discovery Education’s Math Techbook for Texas provides comprehensive, web-based Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II courses aligned to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). The multimodal program includes a range of digital resources, including interactive learning experiences, embedded videos, animations, and hands-on explorations. Instruction connects mathematics to students’ interests, including careers. Learning List recently completed reviews for the Algebra I, Geometry and Algebra II courses. Content is organized in units that address sets of related concepts. Units begin with a short video that introduces new content in the context of real-world applications and careers. Course videos include closed captioning and transcripts. Each concept is presented using the “Discover, Practice, and Apply” (DPA) lesson cycle: Discover provides a framework for direct instruction and teacher-supported guided practice. Content includes sets of “Investigations” that introduce new concepts using text, video, and interactive learning experiences. Practice focuses on developing fluency through “Coach” and “Play” activities. Apply activities present challenging, real-world problems (e.g., use linear equations to identify the “real” age of different dogs based on the varying life expectancies of particular breeds). Techbooks aggregate a diverse set of interactive, multimedia tools in a single digital platform. The program’s user interface is intuitive and easy-to-use. Content for both teachers and students is explicitly organized in terms of the DPA model and is searchable by keyword, standard, and search filters. Click here  to request a preview from Discovery Education. About Discovery* Discovery Education transforms classrooms, empowers teachers and captivates students by leading the way in providing high quality, dynamic, digital content to school districts large and small, rural and suburban and everything in between. Discovery Education courses are designed to accelerate student achievement in each district by capturing the minds and imaginations of students with the fascination of Discovery, tapping into students' natural curiosity and desire to learn. Discovery Education offers a portfolio of opportunities for districts to meet students where they want to learn in the digital age. With award-winning digital content, interactive lessons, real time assessment, virtual experiences with some of Discovery's greatest talent, classroom contests & challenges, professional development and more — Discovery helps to lead the way in transforming classrooms and inspiring learning. Click here for more information about Discovery Education. * The content in this section is provided by or adapted from Discovery Education. © 2015 Learning List

It’s axiomatic: students can’t learn what they are not being taught. As the song (above) suggests, if your instructional materials (IMs) are not well aligned to the state’s standards, your students’ test scores will likely reflect it. Here’s why: - Studies have shown that teachers rely on their IMs for 80% of their curriculum. They expect that the IMs their district has purchased are aligned to the standards. - If the IMs are not aligned to 100% of the standards and teachers don’t know where the deficits are, they will not adjust their instruction (with supplemental materials and/or instructional strategies) to make up for the materials’ deficits. - If students are not taught the knowledge and skills the standards require them to know, they won’t ace the state tests. - Teachers, campuses and districts are evaluated based on their students’ performance. Bottom line : If your students have underperformed on a standard or group of standards, the first step to remediating the problem is to examine the alignment of your instructional materials. A simple way to improve your students’ test scores is to go through this analysis: Step 1 : Are the IMs your teachers are using aligned to those standards? If the IMs are not aligned to those standards, your teachers should either (a) incorporate into their lesson plans supplemental resources that are aligned to that/those standard(s); or (b) adjust their instructional strategies (e.g,, questioning) to make up for the deficit(s) in the material’s coverage of the standards. Step 2 : If the material is aligned to those standards, you must determine whether all of the citations for that/those standard are aligned or whether there are some citations that are not aligned. If some citations are not aligned and your teachers assigned the non-aligned citations , students were not being taught everything those standards require them to know; thus, they did not master the test questions covering those standards. Bottom line : The degree to which your instructional materials are aligned will likely be reflected in your students’ test results. If your district subscribes to Learning List , our alignment reports make this analysis easy. Under Training Resources , see the step-by-step guidance on “Analyzing your Test Results.” If you want to set your students (and teachers) up for success, make sure the materials you are using (either individually or in the aggregate) are aligned to each standard. If you use a product series that spans multiple grade levels, you need to review the alignment of the product at each grade level because the alignment may vary greatly from grade level to grade level. The “hip bone’s connected to the thigh bone, the thigh bone’s connected to the ….” Your instructional materials will impact your students’ and teachers’ success.

National Teachers' Day is a special day to recognize and show appreciation to teachers in the USA for their extraordinary contributions to education and development. Let's celebrate and honor them for their special contributions throughout Teachers' Appreciation Week (May 4-8). Share this  Infographic  with others; more details and active links are included below the image: 4 Popular Twitter Hashtags #ThankaTeacher #Iwishmyteacherknew #Iwishmystudentsknew #PraiseforPeeples 3 Empowering and Inspiring Videos A Letter to the Future  What's Stopping You From Achieving Your Goals? The Science of Happiness  3 Popular Facebook Sites NEA Today : The National Education Association (NEA), the nation's largest professional employee organization, is committed to advancing the cause of public education. NEA's 3 million members work at every level of education—from pre-school to university graduate programs. NEA has affiliate organizations in every state and in more than 14,000 communities across the United States (source: NEA} We Are Teachers : WeAreTeachers celebrates educators with classroom ideas, "helpline" advice, inspiration and laughs every day. Why? Because teachers are AWESOME! (source: We Are Teachers) Mind Shift : Exploring the future of learning in all its dimensions - covering cultural and technology trends, groundbreaking research, and innovations in education. (source: Mind Shift) 4 Ways to Celebrate Host a mini class party for class teachers. Make an Award or Artwork for your Teacher Hang banners on classroom doors as decoration and sign of gratitude. Write a personal "Thank You" note or card to your teachers. Famous Teacher Quotes The dream begins, most of the time, with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you on to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called truth. - Dan Rather If you are planning for a year, sow rice; if you are planning for a decade, plant trees; if you are planning for a lifetime, educate people. – Chinese Proverb Teach the children so it will not be necessary to teach the adults. – Abraham Lincoln What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child. -George Bernard Shaw If someone is going down the wrong road, he doesn’t need motivation to speed him up. What he needs is education to turn him around. – Jim Rohn Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn. – Benjamin Franklin The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education. – Martin Luther King, Jr. What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child. -  George Bernard Shaw © 2015 Learning List