Yearly Archives: 2019

AnnMaria in woods in Chile — According to a newsletter from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, on average, students lose 2.6 months of learning in math during the summer break. Isn’t that crazy?! They also note that math learning loss is bigger than reading and cuts across all socioeconomic backgrounds. This summer slide results in […]

How to Beat Summer Math Slide

July 9, 2019 in 7GenGames / Educational Games / Math by Daniel Mondaca

3 men and a buffalo — 10-minute lesson on primary sources Have your students watch the following two videos back to back. Not the galloping buffalo, the video below that. These two videos together are great resources for a lesson on the value of primary sources. Becoming a Buffalo Hunter How did you learn to hunt […]

Are primary sources important in learning history?

July 8, 2019 in 10 Minute Lesson / Cultural content / Educational Resources / History / Teachers by AnnMaria De Mars

It was a no-brainer, really. Everyone knows that kids lose ground over the summer and kids from disadvantaged homes lose the most, a phenomenon frequently referred to as “summer learning loss” or “summer slide.” So, why not put our technical skills to work and DO something about it? Years ago, concerned about […]

Don’t Get Dumber over the Summer – Summer Learning Loss

July 8, 2019 in 7GenGames / Educational Games / Holiday by Daniel Mondaca

girl picking flowers in meadow — Native Americans are noted for their generosity. People give feasts, presents, time and attention to one another. Once you become a board member, you will be giving your time and talents to the community. Good for you! That is why you were elected or appointed. There is a reason it […]

How Do You Say “Mean People Suck” in Dakota?

July 5, 2019 in AnnMaria tagged Life Advice / mean people by Daniel Mondaca

Mayan god-king from AzTech Games — Social Studies key terms and concepts videos and slides – free! I know these are concerns for Social Studies teachers because our video on TeacherTube on history terms had been viewed 50,000 times before we inadvertently copied over it a month ago with the exact same video to include our […]

Social Studies Key Terms and Concepts

July 4, 2019 in Educational Resources / Sixth Grade / Teachers tagged social studies / timelines by AnnMaria De Mars

Moving our startup to the Midwest

July 3, 2019 in rural education / Start-up Diaries tagged moving our startup by Maria Burns Ortiz

Meg and Joe teach problem-solving strategies with apples — Don’t I Know It’s Summer? Why am I bothering you? Okay, I know, I know. It’s summer and you don’t want to think about lesson planning. Don’t I know that you only get a few weeks off each year and, for God’s sake, you’d like to take a break! Yes, […]

Resources for Teaching Problem-Solving Strategies

July 2, 2019 in Educational Resources / Fifth Grade / Fourth Grade / Math / Mathematics / problem-solving / Sixth Grade / Teachers by AnnMaria De Mars

Arches National Park hike with kids — We have not died of dysentery! Okay, maybe you only got that reference if you played Oregon Trail. It’s Day 2 of moving our startup half-way across the country and so far, the two youngest have gotten sick. Cal (age 4) got what Millie has, so he was a trooper […]

Moving Our Startup: Minnesota Trail Day 2

July 1, 2019 in Start-up Diaries tagged Minnesota by Maria Burns Ortiz

Cal with his first Happy Meal — Maria is moving our startup, with 3 children, her husband, a dog, 17 Apple devices and 19,000 pounds of random stuff across the country to a new Minneapolis office

Minnesota Trail: Day 1 – Moving our startup

June 30, 2019 in Start-up Diaries by Maria Burns Ortiz

Get free math software from 7 Generation Games — The Science Behind Learning and Through Games The mechanisms of the brain described by neuroscience show that learning is much more effective while playing games and with playful methodologies. In video games, pleasure experienced by winning and overcoming challenges is produced by neurotransmitters that facilitate communication between neurons thanks to […]

Learning is easier while you’re playing

June 28, 2019 in Bilingual Education / Educational Games by Daniel Mondaca

GREAT NEWS TO ALL THE PARENTS WITH CHILDREN WHO ENJOY PLAYING VIDEO GAMES – THEY ARE GOOD FOR YOUR CHILD’S BRAIN. Video games impact brain structure by increasing the size of some regions and activating others, making some skills more efficient, such as attention and visuospatial skills. Researchers from the […]