Teaching digital citizenship has never been more important. Prepare students to stay safe, solve problems and become a force for good.

Teaching digital well-being doesn’t mean providing students with a list of “don’ts.” It’s about the do’s – modeling and practicing skills that help young people become thoughtful, empathetic digital citizens who know how to use technology to learn and solve problems in their digital and physical communities.

The digital citizenship competencies, developed by the ISTE-led DigCit Coalition in conjunction with coalition partners, shift the conversation from don’ts to do’s.

This activity is inspired by by "The Pocket Instructor, Literature: 101 Exercises for the College Classroom" edited by Diana Fuss and William A. Gleason. In this lesson, students listen to multiple readings of Elizabeth Bishop's, "One Art." As a whole class, we conduct a line-by-line analysis of the poem in order to introduce and understand poetry analysis skills. The lesson culminates with a whole-class and individual reflection. An optional written analysis extension task is also provided.

The microscopic world is full of phenomena very different from what we see in everyday life. Some of those phenomena can only be explained using quantum mechanics. This activity introduces basic quantum mechanics concepts about electrons that are essential to understanding modern and future technology, especially nanotechnology. Start by exploring probability distribution, then discover the behavior of electrons with a series of simulations.

The Declaration of Independence and the words “all men are created equal” provided thousands of enslaved Africans high expectations and many were ready to fight for the Country and their own personal freedom. Thousands of enslaved Africans impacted the war right from the start at Lexington and Concord, all the way to the end at Yorktown. This lesson will explore the life of James Armistead Lafayette, an enslaved African Virginian. Working as an undercover spy for George Washington, James risked his life to gather key intelligence about the British that helped secure an American victory at Yorktown. In this lesson, we will discuss whether his efforts in service of the American cause helped or hindered his ability to achieve emancipation.

Use the presentation and accompanying worksheets and lesson plans to help elementary students explore career options. 

 The Declaration of Independence and the words “all men are created equal” provided thousands of enslaved Africans high expectations and many were ready to fight for the Country and their own personal freedom. Thousands of enslaved Africans impacted the war right from the start at Lexington and Concord, all the way to the end at Yorktown. This lesson will explore the life of James Armistead Lafayette, an enslaved African Virginian. Working as an undercover spy for George Washington, James risked his life to gather key intelligence about the British that helped secure an American victory at Yorktown. In this lesson, we will discuss whether his efforts in service of the American cause helped or hindered his ability to achieve emancipation. 

 Before the 13th Amendment officially ended slavery in the United States, free and enslaved African Americans fought for their liberty, society’s recognition of their humanity, and the promise of equality. A variety of methods were used by enslaved African Americans to resist the conditions they experienced while in bondage. In this lesson plan, students will learn about three individuals whose actions are a representation of the bravery of African Americans who fought for their freedom and equality. 

 In 1865, the ratification of the 13th Amendment officially ended slavery in the United States. After fighting for their liberty before and during the Civil War, enslaved African Americans saw their dreams of emancipation realized. In the years that followed the end of the war, Virginia and other southern states had to reconfigure their social, economic, and political systems during a period called Reconstruction. During this era, newly freed Black Virginians experienced advancements but also encountered barriers to achieving true equality. This lesson explores whether African Americans were truly “free” following the passage of the 13th Amendment.

 Throughout the four centuries of history covered in Determined, access to education was at the heart of the African American struggle for equality. While slavery was legal, enslaved Americans were prohibited by law from being taught to read and write, and had no access to formal education. Following emancipation and the 13th Amendment, Black Americans temporarily enjoyed increased access to education, but those rights quickly evaporated under new Jim Crow laws.  Under those provisions, Virginia and other southern states established “separate but equal” schools that segregated students by race, which resulted in unequal conditions for Black and White children. Despite these setbacks, African Americans continued to aggressively pursue their right to an education.

Author: Brandon Thompson, VBCPSStudents will listen carefully to sounds and then try to identify which letter or letters would create that sound. They will write the letters down and then put the letters together to make multiple words.  Finally, they will have put a whole sentence together!This is one in a collection of podcasts created by Virginia Beach City Public School teachers and students that focus on active learning for PreK-2 students.

This spreadsheet has links to audio files and lesson plans for the Kinetic Scholar lessons developed as part of the Active Learning grant our school division was awarded. Many are student voiced and all involve some sort of audio lesson paired with movement. We encourage teachers to take students outside to listen and move around with these lessons when possible to increase circulation, get some fresh air, and enjoy our beautiful campuses.

Author: Timothy Trask, VBCPSThis podcast focuses primarily on sitting nicely in a classroom, raising your answer, and taking turns.  It gives explicit instruction on the importance of raising your hand, lowering your hand, listening, staying on task, and sitting in one place while the teacher calls on students.Kinetic Scholars: Raising My Hand

Students will use an Edpuzzle video to label their own map of the United States. The video is structured so students have to pause and label ten states at a time, in alphabetical order. The outcome of this activity is a completed US map for students' later reference. The second activity is a drag and drop game in which students drag labeled states into the appropriate spot on a map of the US. (Note: The state names in the activity have been color-coded according to geographic region. Students and teachers could use this later in the year to discuss regions and state locations.)

This presentation will review negative and affirmative expressions in Spanish. There is an interactive game (best played in person). You can give students a coin (great time to use realia- pesos, euros etc.) and they place the coin in a hand and their partner has to guess which hand has the coin. The presentation provides plenty of examples and activities.

In this lesson, students work in groups of 3-4 students to analyze their paired novella in order to deepen their understanding of the text. Each student takes on a specific role - leader, skeptic, or scribe in order to form an assertion, support that assertion with evidence, and refine their assertion in order to craft a clear, specific argument. In addition to providing a collaborative, multi-modal analysis experience, this lesson also incorporates movement and reflection and is easily adaptable to any paired text or close-reading skill.

Students will practice counting from 1 - 10 by interacting with a counting song and then practicing with a friend.  This practice will also support the recognition of numbers as well as counting into sets.After singing the interacting with the song, students will pair up with a classmate and practice counting 1-10.  THey will put numbers in order on cards, count out loud and count math manipulatives onto each card with cooresponding number written on it.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DR-cfDsHCGA

Students will practice basic clothing vocabulary along with colors and prices. Students will also work on the dialogue "Dans un magasin de vêtements."

The students will discover the vocabulary by clicking on images. Each word has associated sound to facilitate the pronunciation of learners in French.

Great homework assignment/quiz preparation
Interactive activities can be downloaded.

Make life cycles and data recording “egg”-citing! Incubate eggs in your classroom. As you do, monitor and record data. 

2.4 The student will investigate and understand that plants and animals undergo a series of orderly changes as they grow and develop. Key ideas includea) animals have life cycles This choice board helps students explore animal life cycles at his/her own pace. Students play an interactive hyper doc board game. This can be individual or whole class. It includes videos, online games, assessments, and is a lot of fun. Great way to engage any learner!  Get started with the center square and move around the board to learn more about life cycles. 

Unfortunately, most American children spend about 5 to 8 hours on screens each day. Screen time can be habit-forming: Research shows that the more time children engage with screens, the harder time they have turning them off as they become older children. Plus, screen time has been linked to eating more, having trouble sleeping and poorer performance in school. Here are some ways to limit screen time.