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Office of School Safety and Learning Support |
Office of School Safety and Learning Support » Extended Learning & Afterschool Opportunities » AfterSchool Corner
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Tennessee AfterSchool Websites
Please check out the following AfterSchool program websites/links to see what you have in common with your sister programs and to get new ideas for your own program or to construct your own website/link.
Program Celebrations
The links in this section feature program celebrations and special occasions that occur as a part of your programs. Be sure to email us copies of videos and slideshows that you would like for us to post and share with the other programs across the state.
Sequatchie County Tri-County Connections (Windows Media Player)
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Links to Tennessee Curriculum Standards and the Blueprint for Learning
Use these standards to ensure that your lessons are targeting the state assessed standards. Even “fun” lessons, like the one outlined just below the standards links can be planned with standards embedded. Some folks refer to this as “disguised learning,” but these fun lessons promote learning just the same.
Target (Sample Lesson)
Activity Goal: To remove all the cards by finding combinations of cards that equal the target number Academic Standard: Students will add, subtract, multiply, and divide whole numbers, with the multipliers and divisors being no more than two-digits (5th grade, Number and Operations/Computation/State Assessed). Materials Needed: A deck of playing cards Assessment: Teacher observation of student responses Review/Remediation: Just use addition and subtraction of numbers Enrichment: Use computerized math games for those who have mastered these mathematical concepts or assign those students to be the leaders of separate groups of students who may need review/remediation. Other benefits: This is a tactile/kinesthetic activity which promotes team work and positive social skills, as well as organizational skills and following directions. In addition, it is just plain fun! Game Directions:
Lesson taken from Make Math Fun After School, presenter Megan Green, Developmental Studies Center Oakland, California, 2008.
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Websites for Best Practices in AfterSchool Academic Enrichment
The following sites provide information and ideas for serving students in AfterSchool programs. The State Department of Education is not recommending purchase of any of the materials sold on the sites. However, the ideas presented do offer insight into best practices for after school programs.
The Math Explorer Book 
presents and explains 23 hands-on activities that make math real and fun.
Center for Hands-On Learning is a nonprofit corporation founded and run by teachers, dedicated to helping everyone keep learning. They create curriculum and materials that are educational, easy to use, and fun for after-school groups, classrooms, and schools.
The Promising Practices in AfterSchool (or "PPAS") System is an effort to find and share things that are working in AfterSchool programs. The PPAS website is for AfterSchool program directors who want to improve the quality of their programs. All sorts of other people will find it useful, too--people like program staff, volunteers, parents, community members, policymakers, funders, researchers, and anyone else who cares about children and youth. On the PPAS website, you will find tons of information that you can use in your own program.
Aha!Math’s rich, research-based curriculum enables the teacher to mediate how and when it fits best into the instructional day: whether to reinforce instruction with the whole class, or for use in group settings or with individual students. It includes the following: Instruction, Lessons, Activities, Games, and Quizzes.
Dawn education materials are written for educators to capture interest of students and the public by using the Dawn mission as a real-world link. Enjoy a variety of educational products for home and school, including online interactive simulations, teacher guides and activities, suggested assessments, and lists of additional resources and references. View current events and opportunities to participate in pilot and field testing. Participate in the excitement of the Dawn mission to the asteroid belt with Dawn Education.
This site contains a lesson on categorizing an object as a meteorite. This applies to the 6th grade earth science standard asking that students be able to categorize the components of the universe. For an example meteorite lesson click here!
The following report, NASA and AfterSchool Programs: Connecting to the Future , argues that the AfterSchool arena is uniquely suited for implementing science learning experiences that engage young people, build their capacity to succeed, and provide a continuity of opportunities to prepare them to participate in science, technology, engineering and math careers.
AfterSchool Universe is an out-of-school-time astronomy program targeted at middle school students. It explores astronomy concepts through engaging hands-on activities and takes participants on a journey through the Universe beyond the solar system. This program is now widely available to AfterSchool program providers to run in your local communities.
Toolkit Tip of the Month: Student Selection Criteria
In selecting students for participation, every effort should be made to serve all students and families who wish to participate in afterschool programs. In the event that all interested parties cannot be accommodated, first consideration should be given to students who meet one or more of the following criteria:
- Score in the lower 25th percentile on the TCAP Achievement Exam
- Are classified as socio-economically disadvantaged
- Receive special education or ESL services
- Have counselor/teacher recommendations
- Exhibit chronic absenteeism and misbehavior.
The services offered to parents will be operated so as not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, and gender.
The ideas for this tip were provided by Karen Benningfield from White County Schools.
Previous Toolkit Tips
Websites for Training and Professional Development
National AfterSchool Association Conference
This website contains information about the April 2009 National AfterSchool Association Conference to be held in New Orleans. More information will be added closer to the conference date.
The website contains online tutorials targeting mentors and volunteer tutors. The tutorials are user friendly and would also work for seasoned educators as a refresher on teaching and learning philosophy and strategies. This is an excellent resource for all educational programs, not just after school programs.
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