LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

CEU courses open for enrollment

The Civil Rights Movement in Context
Investigate the precursors to the Civil Rights Movement, its leadership, its opposition, and its legacy, including lesser-studied events of the movement and primary sources.
Take this course: Begins February 2.

From the education reference

didactic instruction
Teacher-centered method of instruction in which teachers deliver and students receive lessons, best suited to brief delivery of factual information.
direct instruction
Teacher-centered instruction with methods that include scripted lesson plans, teacher lectures and presentations and student recitation, fast-paced delivery, careful attention to components of skill development, intense teacher-student and student-student interactions, homogenous skill grouping, and frequent assessments.
sheltered instruction
An approach to teach language to English language learners by modifying the core curriculum to meet the language needs of those learners. Academic subjects are taught using English along with supplementary aids such as graphs, models, hands-on materials, and visual aids. Used mostly in classes comprised solely with English language learners.
North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction administers the policies adopted by the State Board of Education and offers instructional, financial, technological, and personnel support to all public school systems in the state.

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The five features of effective writing
The five Features of Effective Writing — focus, organization, support and elaboration, style, and conventions — are a valuable tool for understanding good writing and organizing your writing instruction. By teaching these features, you can help your students become more effective writers in any genre, at any level, and make your writing instruction easier to manage at the same time. This series of articles, written with the support of the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, will show you how.
Format: series (multiple pages)
The First Year
Essays on the author's experiences in her first year of teaching: the mistakes she made, what she learned from them, and how she used them to become a better teacher — and how other first-year teachers can, too.
Format: book (multiple pages)
Differentiating Instruction in Online Courses: Online course syllabus
Syllabus for the course Differentiating Instruction in Online Courses which helps teachers tailor online instruction to meet the unique learning styles of specific students.
Format: syllabus
About the English Language Development Standard Course of Study
An introduction to the North Carolina curriculum for English language learners, including an explanation of the domains and proficiency levels of language acquisition.
Format: article/help
Summative assessment
This article defines summative assessment and lists several examples and common formats.
Format: article
By Heather Coffey.
Frequently asked questions
Answers to frequently asked questions about LEARN NC.
Format: article/help
Zone of proximal development
This article explores the history and theory of the concept of the zone of proximal development and discusses its application in the classroom.
Format: article
By Heather Coffey.
E-pal adventure
Students will be paired with an e-pal they will hopefully meet during their 8th grade trip to the coast.
Format: lesson plan (grade 8 English Language Arts, Information Skills, and Social Studies)
By Hilda Hamilton.
Developing and teaching an online course
Basic information for teachers considering developing and teaching an online course.
Format: article/help
Scaffolding
This reference article explains the theory and practice of scaffolding, and surveys relevant literature related to this instructional technique.
Format: article
By Heather Coffey.
English language learners and special education testing
In Bridging Spanish language barriers in Southern schools, page 3.4
English language learners are often incorrectly labeled with learning disabilities because of inffective diagnostic tests. A more effective model of testing and instruction would be based upon the educational concepts of scaffolding instruction and the Zone of Proximal Development.
Format: article
By Mary Faith Mount-Cors.
Computer alphabet
Students will use the computer to create, save, open and print a file called "ABCs." For each letter of the alphabet the student is expected to create a capital (using the shift key), a lowercase, insert a picture that begins with the corresponding letter, and press the spacebar before repeating this process for the remaining letters of the alphabet.
Format: lesson plan (grade K Computer/Technology Skills)
By Patricia SullivanHall.
Instructional assessment: Finding teaching points
In Ongoing assessment for reading, page 1.8
Over time, running records can show patterns in student use of cuing systems and self corrections. But individual running records can also be useful in instruction. After each running record, a teacher can choose a teaching point, using the student's...
By Jeanne Gunther.
Oedipus the King reader's theatre
Students will rewrite the Greek tragedy in a modern context in order to review and analyze the plot. This assignment is designed as a final project in a Greek Theatre unit. It is expected that the literature has already been read and analyzed as a class. I have found that this project is an innovative way to review for a unit test on the play and Greek Theatre.
Format: lesson plan (grade 10 English Language Arts)
Periodic table database
These lessons are designed to help students use their computer skills to create their own database using teacher directions, and they also learn how to read the periodic table and understand what it means.
Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Computer/Technology Skills and Science)
By Florence B. Winslow.
Carolina Online Teacher Program (COLT)
Now you can earn a LEARN NC Certificate in online instruction through the Carolina Online Teacher program (COLT). In five core courses and two electives, totaling a minimum of 17 CEUs, you’ll master the component skills of online teaching: effective collaboration and facilitation, creating learning communities, navigating the virtual classroom, and developing student-centered instruction.
Format: article/help
Bullington Center
Students will receive hands-on education on plants and the environment at this 12-acre public garden.
Format: article/field trip opportunity
Why problem-centered learning?
In Problem centered math, page 2
The world our students will live and work in will require them to gather, organize, and interpret data in the process of finding solutions to complex problems. Problem-centered learning creates a model where the student becomes the thinker.
By Mike Kestner.
North Carolina Thinking Skills: An introduction
There are five dimensions in the model of thinking skills used to classify questions for the state's assessment tests.
Format: article
By Tom Munk.
Lesson plan publication standards
In Web Publishing & Collaboration Guide, page 1.2
Standards for acceptance of lesson plans for publication.
Format: article/help