The much-loved Geography Alive! Regions and People program is coming out with a new edition in 2024 that includes new features and elevates old favorites, such as the Mapping Labs and Global Connection activities. Rich with new lessons, interactive video activities, and updated data, the latest edition of Geography Alive! asks students to use real geography skills and strategies to examine contemporary world issues.

Video Activities Bring Regions to Life

One of the highlights of the new edition of Geography Alive! is the addition of captivating Video Activities. Did you know that incorporating multimedia, such as interactive videos, into geography lessons can increase student engagement? TCI’s Video Activities introduce each region, engaging students with compelling videos and interactions. From the rugged landscapes of the Andes to the bustling cities of Japan, students will learn about the cultural and geographical aspects that make each region unique.

Additionally, each unit now opens with a video-based Geographic Inquiry Project, promoting student engagement and exploration of geographic concepts. These projects utilize videos to ignite curiosity and develop inquiry skills. Watch this video that introduces the Monsoon Asia unit.

Integration of Economics and Civics for Real-World Connections

Geography is only one of the social science disciplines. With Geography Alive! case studies, students explore geography alongside economic, political, and cultural concepts to provide a comprehensive understanding of our world. For example, students analyze a case study of lithium production in Bolivia alongside maps and charts to understand how geography influences the economics, politics, history, and culture of the region.

New Lessons Explore Indigenous Cultural Regions

The new edition of Geography Alive! includes two new lessons that introduce Indigenous cultural regions and trace the development of early civilizations in the Americas. Students analyze how Indigenous people from different cultural regions adapted to their environments in The Indigenous Peoples of North America. In Early Civilizations in the Americas, students examine the Olmec, Maya, Caral, and Mississippian traditions and cultures.

Enhanced Mapping Labs and Global Connections

Favorite activities like Mapping Labs and Global Connections have been enhanced. Mapping Labs have seamlessly integrated into the program as engaging lessons, complete with rich text, and activity options.

Additionally, Global Connection sections appear in every lesson, establishing connections between concepts and the broader world. Through inquiry-based activities, students investigate thought-provoking geographic questions, gaining a comprehensive understanding of the global impact of geography.

Updated Maps, Data, and Statistics

This edition of Geography Alive! includes regional maps that have been updated with the latest available data for political boundaries and names, vegetation zones, and much more. In addition to content updates, the maps were redesigned to enhance student comprehension with a visually stunning and accessible format.

Each case study in the program is rich with charts, graphs, and data. Engaging visuals and updated data ensure that students are equipped with the most current information and global trends. The new edition makes content more accessible, visually appealing, and relevant to students’ lives.

Bring Geography Alive! in Your Classroom

Geography Alive! includes an abundance of enhancements that will engage students, expand their global perspectives, and foster a lifelong love for geography. We invite educators to explore the new edition and experience the captivating video activities, Mapping Labs, and new lessons.

To learn more about the new edition of Geography Alive! and explore how it can transform your classroom, request a sample or quote.

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1. Make Grading Fun with New Stamps

Make feedback and grading more joyful with new stamps. This set of stamps includes a new cast of characters. Celebrate good work with the alpaca or pigeon stamps, or ask questions with the robot stamp. These stamps are available on the Assignments page as you grade notebook questions.

2. Get Real-Time Feedback with Reading Checks

Check for student comprehension at the end of a reading section with Reading Checks. Formerly known as Checks for Understanding, the Reading Checks now automatically save answers and are available in Spanish. The scores are pulled to the Grades page so you can quickly see how well students understood the main ideas from the reading.

3. Assign Parts of a Reading or Slideshow

TCI’s assignments now have greater flexibility. You no longer need to assign an entire reading or slideshow. You can pick and choose the parts you want to assign students. For example, you can assign just the Preview slides from a slideshow or just the reading without the notebook questions. Try the new feature on the Assignments page. The update to slideshow assignments will be available in Spring 2024.

4. New Teacher Tip Courses Offer Bite-Sized PD

Looking for practical tips in under 15 minutes? Check out the new Teacher Tip courses in TCI’s In-App Professional Development. In these 300-level courses, TCI teachers share strategies for planning, navigation, and classroom management. For example, in Teacher Tips: Saving Instructional Time, a TCI teacher shares how he plans lessons to maximize class time. Go to Professional Development in your teacher account to explore the new courses.

5. Customize Tests in the New Assessment Library

The new Assessment Library allows you to see all the tests in your program, including pre-tests and post-tests. Filters allow you to search based on unit, lesson, and who created the test.

6. Make TCI Slideshows Your Own

Make TCI slideshows your own with our enhanced editing features. Add images, edit text, create new slides, and take notes with the new slideshow builder. Simply go to the edit icon, make changes, and go to “My Slideshows” to find your customized slideshow.

7. Personalize Vocabulary Terms

Meet the unique needs of your class by editing vocabulary cards. You can create new vocabulary terms, add images to cards, and provide examples of the term in a sentence.

The post Get More (Out of TCI) in 2024 appeared first on TCI.

New Ways to Engage and Challenge Students

2023 was a year of engagement at TCI. We released new features to engage all students, including games played 2.1 million times and videos viewed 4.2 million times. Check out our favorite new features for student engagement this year:

• Biography Videos: Compelling videos let your students explore the lives of famous figures.
• Video Activities: We added new video activities for middle school and high school social studies programs. Peruse your program for more of these interactive, storyline-driven activities.
• Key Science Concept Videos: In middle school science programs, Key Science Concepts now include a slideshow, video, and interactive questions. Students can use these quick activities to preview or review content.
• Vocabulary Games: Review key terms and practice language arts skills with new vocabulary games.
• Free Lessons: TCI’s free lessons quickly engage students with videos, vibrant images, primary sources, and more. This year, we added 36 more free lessons and teaching resources connected with seasonal events.

More Features for Your Teacher Toolbox

We know that you are looking for more ways to customize TCI’s lessons to fit your classroom’s needs, so we developed features that expand the editing of our slideshows, vocabulary cards, and more.

• Slide Builder: In 2023, TCI teachers customized more than 14,200 slideshows. With the new slide builder, you can add images and videos, update slide templates, and edit the text to guide your students through a lesson.
• Customizable Vocabulary Cards: Images, examples, extra terms—the new cards can do so much to support vocabulary development.
• Assessment Library: With over 94,000 custom assessments, you’ve been hard at work editing TCI tests. The new Assessment Library makes finding, editing, and assigning assessments even easier. The power is in the new easy-to-use filters, which help you quickly sort through unit and lesson assessments, including pre-tests and post-tests.
• Gradable Reading Checks: The Reading Checks (formerly known as Checks for Understanding) have been updated to support grading! You can now assign Reading Checks along with the reading and notebook questions. The Reading Checks provide real-time feedback for students, and the answers are saved to the Grades page.

Comprehensive Professional Development

This year, TCI released a new flexible professional development experience. The in-app professional development provides self-paced courses that let you explore TCI’s program. Over 3,400 TCI teachers from 44 states have completed a course. Explore these series:

• 100 Series – TCI Basics: Start here if you are new to TCI. Learn the fundamentals so you can get up and running quickly. Courses in this series include: Getting Started with TCI and Managing Student Work.
• 200 Series – LMS Integrations: Learn how to use TCI with Google Classroom, Canvas, or Schoology, and stay connected with your students no matter where they are.
• 300 Series – Advanced Courses: Make the most of your TCI program with a course on Building a Cooperative Classroom.

In 2024, more features are coming! TCI is continuously building new tools to engage students and make teaching easier.

The post A Look Back at 2023 with TCI appeared first on TCI.

Many Ways to Assess

Formative and summative assessments are woven throughout Bring Science Alive! Explore the assessment options.

Formative Assessments

From science talks to questions in the investigation notebook questions, formative assessments are embedded throughout every lesson. Students can also play review games, discuss what they have learned in Wrap-Ups, and construct an explanation in Making Sense of Phenomena assignments.

NGSS-Designed Tests (Summative Assessment)

Each lesson comes with an NGSS-designed test that assesses students’ progress toward the Performance Expectations. The questions are modeled after state tests and include stimuli and three-dimensional questions about hands-on investigations and data. Most questions are automatically graded, but rubrics and sample answers are provided for open-ended questions to make grading easy.

Performance Assessments (Summative Assessment)

Students demonstrate their understanding of a unit’s concepts with the storyline-driven Performance Assessment. From investigating ingredients in pancakes to designing equipment for extreme weather, students apply their newfound NGSS skills and knowledge to complete hands-on tasks.

Customize Tests with TCI’s Test Builder

TCI’s robust test builder tool allows you to edit a TCI-created test or build one from scratch. You can also browse and select questions submitted by other teachers in your district. You can create various question types, from multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank questions to open-ended writing and drawing questions.

Once you are done building, you can assign the test to students or share the test with teachers. You can assign the assessment on TCI’s platform and even sync the assignment with Google Classroom and other learning management systems.

Examine Trends to Assign, Assess, Reteach

TCI’s online assignment and grading tools make tracking student progress easy. Games and multiple-choice questions are automatically graded. Teachers can also easily grade short responses through the digital platform.

With TCI’s Grades page, you can see a bird’s-eye view of your class trends or drill in to see how an individual student is doing. Use these trends to see which key concepts your students might need additional help with and to keep track of class progress throughout the year.

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1. Quickly Review Information in the Planning Box

Start your lesson plan with the planning box. The planning box provides the lesson objectives, an overview of each part of the lesson, and modifications for differentiation and enhancing learning.

2. Guide the Class with Ready-to-Teach Slideshows

Ready-to-teach slideshows are included with every TCI lesson so you can guide students through classroom and video activities. The slideshows deliver instructions, rich primary sources, interactions, and questions.

Review these slideshows as you plan a lesson. You can customize the slideshows by adding multimedia, editing content, and deleting slides.

3. Teacher’s Guide

Looking for print support? Along with the planning box and slideshows, use the print Teacher’s Guide for planning when away from the computer or as a quick reference while teaching. The Teacher’s Guide includes an overview of the lesson, pacing information, step-by-step procedures, and answer keys.

4. Differentiating Instruction

Reach all learners in the classroom with differentiated instructions for each lesson. These instructions provide adjustments and tools to support English learners, learners with special education needs, and advanced learners.

Online reading tools provide extra support for students. With the tools, students can listen to the text aloud, change the reading level, highlighting main ideas, and take notes.

5. Customizable Features

From the slideshow to vocabulary cards, many of TCI’s features are customizable.

• Slideshows. TCI’s interactive slideshows are fully customizable. With the edit tools, you can add images and videos, update text, remove slides, and more.
• Assessments. TCI’s test builder helps you customize pre-made assessments or create one from scratch. You can pick from various question types, such as multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank questions, and open-ended prompts. Answers are pulled into TCI’s Grades page for easy access.
• Vocabulary. You can also help students practice key terms with TCI’s vocabulary cards. Customize the cards to edit existing definitions, provide examples of how to use each term, and add images.

6. Professional Development Courses

Stay sharp with TCI’s self-paced professional development courses. From navigating TCI’s program to learning best practices for building a cooperative classroom, these courses cover everything you need to know about making the most of TCI. The courses are hands-on and personalized so you can experience TCI directly in your program.

You can count on TCI for all of your planning on support needs. Want to explore the programs? Request a sample.

The post TCI Lesson Planning Tools for Teachers appeared first on TCI.

Additionally, more research has been conducted on the benefits of bilingual education, leading to a rise in Spanish immersion programs. Bilingual education supports cognitive function, improves school performance and engagement, and builds cultural awareness.

To support bilingual students and Spanish immersion classrooms, TCI’s programs are available in English and Spanish. Let’s explore TCI’s Spanish immersion experience.

Fully Translated Student Materials

TCI’s student editions and notebooks are available in Spanish in print and online. Our translators are focused on providing the most equivalent Spanish experience possible for students while taking into account Spanish language meaning and context.

TCI teachers have found that the Spanish student materials have helped engage English learners with the content. For example, elementary teacher Jennifer Zebarth observed how the online Spanish reading and the text-to-speech feature can help her Spanish-speaking students learn English.

Spanish View Online

In addition to the student materials, TCI’s digital platform provides a Spanish view. To access the view, simply switch the language toggle to “Español” and experience all of TCI’s digital content in Spanish, including online readings, navigation, and vocabulary cards.

Multimedia resources—including games and videos—are also translated into Spanish. As students watch videos, they will hear audio and read on-screen text in Spanish and have access to Spanish closed captioning.

Spanish Support for Teachers

TCI’s programs also include Spanish support for teachers with translations for planning and classroom resources. Guide the class with Spanish-translated slideshows, explore teacher planning information in Spanish, and grade with Spanish answer keys.

How TCI Translates Student Materials to Spanish

TCI strives to provide an authentic Spanish translation for learners. We work with native Spanish speakers in Latin America to authentically translate the Spanish student edition and notebook. Additionally, the translations are transadaptive, which means our translators take meaning and context into account, going beyond word-for-word translations.

TCI continuously improves its Spanish experience. More Spanish resources are coming soon to TCI’s digital platform.

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Labor Day (September)

Labor Day is celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor the American labor movement. Discover the history of Labor Day and get biographies of notable labor organizers and their work. Get the lessons.

National Hispanic Heritage Month (September & October)

Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month, from September 15 – October 15. Explore TCI’s biographies and videos to explore the lives and contributions of famous Hispanic and Latino Americans, including Dolores Huerta, Bob Martinez, and Mario Molina. Get the biographies.

Halloween (October)

Get into the spirit this October with free social studies lessons. Teach secondary students about the Salem witch trials with a free lesson. Elementary students can learn about making friends following the story of a bat named Batty. Get the lessons.

Native American Heritage Month (November)

Celebrate Native American Heritage Month by learning about the contributions and influences of the Native American people. TCI’s free lessons explore the history of Native Americans, their fight for civil rights, and biographies. Get the lessons.

Election Season (November)

During an election year, encourage students to get involved in local matters. Cover voting, good citizenship, and the foundations of government with these free TCI lessons. Get the lessons.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day (January)

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a federal holiday celebrating the activist and his work with civil rights. Through activism and peaceful protesting, King fought for equality for all Americans. With TCI’s free lessons, teach your students about King with free lessons and a biography video. Get the lessons.

Black History Month (February)

Black History Month is a time to explore the many achievements of African Americans in every field, from science and the arts to politics. Explore our free lessons and introduce students to trailblazing African Americans with free biography videos. ​​​​Get the lessons.

Presidents’ Day (February)

Presidents’ Day was established in 1885 to celebrate George Washington’s birthday, but today it’s commonly viewed as a day to honor the legacies of all U.S. presidents. Teach your students the origin of the day and the important leaders who have led this nation and helped shape American history. Get the lessons.

Women’s History Month (March)

Women’s History Month reminds us to elevate and celebrate women’s stories, contributions, and lives. Explore our free lessons, primary source activities, and biographies of empowering women from around the world. Get the lessons.

César Chávez Day (March)

César Chávez Day is a federal commemorative holiday that celebrates the life and legacy of civil rights leader César Chávez. Check out our collection of free lessons to teach your students how Chávez and other activists fought for farmworkers’ rights across the country. Get the lessons.

Financial Literacy Month (April)

Financial Literacy Month is a nationally recognized campaign to promote financial education for students and adults. This month is a great opportunity for teachers to introduce personal finance topics to students and prepare them for their financial futures, leveraging free resources from TCI’s Personal Finance Toolkit. Get the resources.

National Poetry Month (April)

For National Poetry Month, bring out the inner poet in your students by helping them write poems or analyze historical ones. Explore our collection of primary-source poems and activities. Get the lessons.

Earth Day (April)

Earth Day is celebrated on April 22 each year. On this day, show support for the planet with one of TCI’s Earth Day lessons that guide students through why it’s important to care for the environment. Get the lessons.

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (May)

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month honors the contributions, history, and achievements of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans. From Larry Itilong’s fight for farmworker rights to Steven Chu’s research on renewable energy, explore TCI’s resources for primary source activities and biographies. Get the lessons.

Memorial Day (May)

Memorial Day is observed on the last Monday in May and honors soldiers who fought and died for the United States. Reflect on past wars on Memorial Day to help students learn about the significance of this holiday. Get the lessons.

Looking for more free lessons? TCI continues to create free lessons so teachers can keep their students engaged with timely resources. Keep exploring for free lessons or icebreaker activities.

The post Free Social Studies Activities for Every Occassion appeared first on TCI.

1. Interactive Slideshows

TCI’s investigations are delivered through classroom-friendly slideshows. These slideshows include clear investigation procedures, discussion questions compelling visuals of phenomena, interactions, notes for the teacher, reading, and questions. Review these slideshows as you plan a lesson. You can also customize the slideshows by adding multimedia, editing content, and deleting slides.

2. Planning and Teacher Prep

Each investigation comes with information on pacing, advanced prep instructions, materials lists, and more. Use the enhancing learning resources to integrate outside games, simulations, and websites into your lesson plan.

3. Instructional Videos

Along with written procedures, instructional videos are included in investigations that require additional setup. The videos provide an overview of the investigation and clear step-by-step guidance.

4. Science Backgrounds

Whether you are new to teaching science or just need a refresher, TCI’s science backgrounds and misconceptions will support you as you teach complex concepts. The science backgrounds provide general background knowledge. For example, when students are investigating states of matter, the science background reviews thermal energy transfer, atmospheric pressure, and phase transitions.

5. Differentiating Instruction

Reach all learners in the classroom with differentiated instructions for each lesson. These instructions provide adjustments and tools to support English learners, learners with special education needs, and advanced learners.

6. NGSS Unit and Lesson Progressions

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) is focused on building science concepts coherently across grade levels. TCI’s unit and lesson progressions walk you through the concepts taught in the program and how that knowledge builds throughout the Bring Science Alive! programs.

The post 6 Planning Tools for TCI Science Teachers appeared first on TCI.

These TCI assessment strategies will help you identify what works for your students and what doesn’t, so you can adjust your instructional plans accordingly. They can also help students reach a deeper and longer-term understanding of new material.

Assessing Performance During Daily Activities

Effective assessment begins with evaluating day-to-day activities—a practice that benefits teachers and students. Regular ongoing assessment provides timely insights into the effectiveness of your instruction.

For students, you are sending the message that every activity is important—not just busy work—and therefore worth assessing. This regular feedback encourages students to apply high standards to their work. It also helps students identify their strengths and weaknesses in a safe, low-stakes setting and encourages them to reflect on ways to improve their future efforts.

You can build assessment into almost any activity in two ways:

• Begin with clear expectations. When you begin an activity, make your expectations for students clear and explicit. You can do this orally, in writing, or by providing models of finished products.
• End with a reflection. At the end of an activity, allow students to reflect on how well they met your expectations by asking them to self-assess their work or by conducting a debriefing with the entire class.

Assessment Strategies for Groupwork

Assessing groupwork raises many questions: Should group evaluations be determined by the quality of the final product or the process used to create it? Should each student in a group receive the same grade? How do you create individual accountability within a group? What role, if any, should students have in the evaluation process?

TCI’s assessment strategy for groupwork provides five steps to give students a clear understanding of how they will be assessed and enables you to hold both individuals and groups accountable. The resource includes a Brag Sheet handout for students to use as a self-assessment to evaluate their contribution to the group and their performance.

Download the strategy

How to Assess Writing Assignments

Assessing written work can be taxing and time-consuming, especially if you expect to thoroughly review and grade every piece of writing your students produce. These assessment strategies will give your students substantive feedback on their writing while saving you from an overwhelming load of paperwork.

• Use peer-feedback groups. Having students exchange and review one another’s papers during the writing process minimizes the time it takes you to review rough drafts. Consider providing an Editing Checklist to guide students. Reading one another’s work gives students the chance to see a variety of individual writing styles. Download the Editing Checklist.
• Grade only final drafts. When students write both a rough draft and a final draft, you might give them some feedback on the rough draft, but actually grade only the final draft.
• Use focused grading. Grade for only one or two parts of the assignment besides the content. For example, you might look for an introduction that grabs the reader’s attention, the quality of supporting details, a good thesis statement, a conclusion that summarizes the main points, rich vocabulary, a strong writer’s voice, or organization. Clearly define the criteria for assessment. Or, at the beginning of each assignment, consider not telling students which portion you will grade; this will encourage high quality in all areas of their writing.
• Use a portfolio system. Develop a portfolio system where students keep selected samples of their work throughout the semester. After students complete several writing assignments, have them choose two or three to revise further. Thoroughly grade these “best” writing products. This is an excellent way to monitor individual student progress.
• Stagger due dates. To manage your paper load, stagger the due dates you set for major writing assignments among your classes. Allot ample time between due dates, and don’t set a due date immediately before the end of a grading period.
• Use a rubric. Create a basic rubric to allow students to assess their own work during the writing process. Tailor the form to reflect the criteria of particular assignments. Include space for both student and teacher comments. Communication and feedback are key to improving future writing assignments. Download the Writing Evaluation Form.

From daily activities to efficiently evaluating writing assignments, these strategies will help you assess student performance.

The post Assessment Strategies for an Active Classroom appeared first on TCI.

Halloween (October)

Don’t be afraid to teach with TCI’s free science lessons for elementary and middle school! For Halloween, explore free lessons about gooey oobleck and real body snatchers (parasitoids) that turn their prey into zombies. Get the lessons.

Thanksgiving (November)

Dig into the science of Thanksgiving with TCI’s free video-based investigations. From the science of cooking to learning about the “leftovers” of a chemical reaction, there are many ways to engage students in science. Get the lessons.

Winter Solstice (December)

As December 21 approaches, your students may observe that the sun is rising later and setting earlier. In these free lessons, students collect sunlight data to create simple graphs and investigate Earth’s tilted axis to make sense of the seasons. Get the lessons.

Winter Weather (January)

As it becomes chilly in January, have students investigate winter weather. Students can watch videos about bears and penguins or explore how science is involved in winter sports. Get the lessons.

Black History Month (February)

For Black History Month, celebrate the accomplishments of African American scientists and engineers through TCI’s biographies and videos. Our biographies include Katherine Johnson, George Washington Carver, and Benjamin Banneker. Get the biographies. 

Valentine’s Day (February)

Valentine’s Day is the perfect time for elementary students to investigate the properties of chocolate. Middle school students can explore more advanced topics, such as static electricity and magnets to understand further how “opposites attract.” Get the lessons.

Women’s History Month (March)

Women’s History Month reminds us to elevate and celebrate women scientists, including Jane Goodall, Ada Lovelace, and Marie Curie. Explore free lessons, videos, and biographies for K-12 classrooms. Get the biographies.

St. Patrick’s Day (March)

St. Patrick’s Day can be a day for more than just wearing green. With TCI’s free lessons, students investigate the properties of gold and explore how light waves form rainbows. Get the lessons.

First Day of Spring (March)

As the seasons turn to spring, students may notice a difference in climate and in the plants that grow around them. Help them satisfy their curiosity by investigating seasons in the year. Students can build a sundial or play “Dial-a-Season” for the first day of spring. Get the lessons.

Earth Day (April)

On Earth Day, students can investigate the impact humans have on the planet and propose solutions for mitigating the effects. With these lessons, they explore the impact of climate change on coral reefs and examine graphs and data on extreme weather. Get the lessons.

National Space Day (May)

National Space Day takes place on the first Friday in May and is dedicated to exploring the universe. Take the opportunity to engage students in the wonders of space—from celestial objects like stars and comets to the concepts of scale and light years—with TCI’s free lessons. Get the lessons.

Summer Nature

Even during the summer, you can encourage students to keep learning going. With the sun out during the summer, it’s the perfect time to explore nature in greater depth. Explore these elementary and middle school lessons that investigate the outdoors. Get the lessons.

Looking for more free lessons? TCI continues to create free lessons so teachers can keep their students engaged with timely resources. Keep exploring for free lessons or icebreaker activities.

The post Free Science Activities All Year Long appeared first on TCI.