National Board Certified teacher Marlo Warburton introduces a fresh approach to teaching the notoriously difficult "mixture" word problems for Algebra I. Using an in-class demonstration and incorporating basic physics principles of weight and distance, Ms. Warburton helps her students visualize, solve -- and even enjoy! -- these challenging problems.

In this four part series, we visit the classrooms of two partner teachers who plan all their lessons together but have totally different styles inside the classroom. See the same lesson unfold in each class, the class structures used by each teacher, and the group work formats used by each.

In this four part series, we visit the classrooms of two partner teachers who plan all their lessons together but have totally different styles inside the classroom. See the same lesson unfold in each class, the class structures used by each teacher, and the group work formats used by each.

In this four part series, we visit the classrooms of two partner teachers who plan all their lessons together but have totally different styles inside the classroom. See the same lesson unfold in each class, the class structures used by each teacher, and the group work formats used by each.

In this four part series, we visit the classrooms of two partner teachers who plan all their lessons together but have totally different styles inside the classroom. See the same lesson unfold in each class, the class structures used by each teacher, and the group work formats used by each.

FACES is a partnership between Oakland and Berkeley public schools and Children's Hospital Oakland. The program helps prepare at-risk kids for entry into college and the health professions through a multitude of services based at the hospital. FACES has already changed the lives of many young people who live in one of the most violent communities in America.

"Mouse Squad" is a group of 4th to 8th graders who support their school's technology needs. These kids maintain and service their school's computers, gain technical skills, and learn lessons about professionalism and working together. Rounding things out with field trips to nearby Silicon Valley, there's no question that "geeks are the new cool."

The Spanish Language Immersion School is a public school with dedicated educators and committed parents who are creating an extraordinary experience for kids from K to Grade 5. Students arrive speaking English as their dominant language. They leave fluent in Spanish, but also filled with knowledge about various cultures, practiced in diversity, and possessing real skills that give them an educational and career advantage.

Suney Park wants her students to know that what they learn in class is relevant to their lives and the world. In this introduction, she shows us how her students come up with a plan to recreate the Earth and its atmosphere and test their own hypotheses about rising CO2 levels.

Suney Park's hands-on activity has her students making the greenhouse effect happen in a model. Using a light bulb for the sun, they create different control groups that imitate Earth's atmosphere with the help of a soda bottle. This adds up to a meaningful experience that connects what students learn in class to real-world events.

After a month studying climate change, students create models of the earth and its atmosphere, and design experiments to test the variables involved in climate change. Students write their own driving questions, develop hypotheses, and build the models to use in their experiments.

Suney Park has her class of scientists set up their experiments step-by-step. Even though it can be chaotic and mistakes can be made, there is purpose and meaning to having the kids be responsible for all aspects of the experiment and the learning that goes on in that process.

Instructional expert Jim Knight visits Chris Korinek to observe his social science classroom. Chris and Jim discuss scaffolding techniques, and when to use closed versus open questions.

This 14-minute video for educators introduces working with Common Core standards for English and math. How will teaching to the Common Core affect teaching practice in the classroom? Teachers and Principals discuss the opportunities Common Core offers to their students and to their own focus and teaching practice.

This 14-minute video lesson for high school educators introduces working with Common Core Standards. How will teaching to the Common Core affect teaching practice in the classroom? How can teachers help students learn to apply math and think about problem solving outside the math classroom? What does an emphasis on “depth” look like in practice? How can teachers make adapting to the Common Core a reflection point in their own practice? Teachers and principals discuss the opportunities Common Core offers for their students and for their own focus and teaching practice.

This 14-minute video lesson for middle school educators introduces working with Common Core State Standards. How will teaching to the Common Core affect teaching practice in the classroom? See how Common Core has affected teaching and learning at two pilot schools where they have already been adapted. Does the dialogue in the pilot school math classroom sound like your classroom now? What has the culture shift been like for teachers and students? How will the shift in emphasis on non-fiction reading and expository and persuasive writing benefit students? Teachers and principals discuss the opportunities Common Core offers for their students and for their own focus and teaching practice.

See an introduction to the new Common Core state standards including background on the design process, key features, and major differences.

This 14-minute video introduces the key features and differences of the new Common Core State standards for math. It looks at the purpose of the standards for mathematical practice and how they should be integrated with content. It looks at how teaching fewer topics in each grade will change educator planning. And it discusses how the new standards can help close the achievement gap.

Dr. Royce observes a lesson on water evaporation in Ms. Maronpots class, gives her feedback, and visits again one week later. See the changes Ms. M makes in her lesson before and after the visit.

Chandra Garcia uses continent-shaped puzzle pieces to teach her students about continental drift. Working in small groups and using fossil evidence, students must work cooperatively and find consensus among themselves to build their arguments.

Mrs. Crowell takes her 2nd and 3rd graders on a nature walk where they use a dichotomous key to identify different species they encounter. This lesson shows a simple way to take students out on a walk and teach them how to identify species, no matter where they are.

Galeet Cohen, 10th Grade Language Arts teacher at Central High in Pennsylvania, believes that adding humor to her interaction is essential. Galeet reminds us that teachers and students spend long days in classrooms, and humor can make it a good time.Ms. Cohen also uses humor to let students know she is aware of what they are doing and prefers her humor approach to strict rules or detention. She shares that sometimes students are "just testing you" and you can easily diffuse a situation calmly and with humor.

In a multi-grade class of fourth, fifth, and sixth graders, students learn to work and communicate in teams. Through projects and a class structure that supports differentiation, Ms. Ehrke is able to keep students challenged and engaged. Her strategies for differentiation and communication can be used in any classroom.

Molly Reed coaches her students through an exploration of garden ecosystems. Students work in groups moving through multiple stations. Ms. Reed also gives advice on adapting this lesson to an in-classroom environment.

Instructional expert Jim Knight visits John Cusick to observe a small groups project and discuss the classroom management techniques he is using. John and Jim discuss structured lessons, giving students respect, and finding the key to unlocking their love of learning.

3rd Grade Reading teacher Katie Bannon from PS 110 in New York explains how she validates student responses with meaningful feedback when their responses are not quite on track. Rather than saying "no, thats not right", she comments on the response and then poses additional questions to guide their thinking. Katie also shares that she focuses on improving her questioning which she says takes practice, and she tries to avoid questions that elicit a yes or no response.

Rebecca Davis sets up a coordinate plane on the floor of her classroom. Groups of 3 or 4 students are assigned equations in slope-intercept form and graph them using their bodies on the giant coordinate plane. As extensions, Ms. Davis changes the slope or y-intercept of the original equation and makes the activity into a race.

In this five part series, see all the pieces that come together for guided reading in Jenna Ogiers classroom. Students learn to work independently and rotate through stations, while Ms. Ogier meets with small groups of students and delivers a lesson at their level.

In this five part series, see all the pieces that come together for guided reading in Jenna Ogiers classroom. Students learn to work independently and rotate through stations, while Ms. Ogier meets with small groups of students and delivers a lesson at their level.

In this five part series, see all the pieces that come together for guided reading in Jenna Ogiers classroom. Students learn to work independently and rotate through stations, while Ms. Ogier meets with small groups of students and delivers a lesson at their level.

In this five part series, see all the pieces that come together for guided reading in Jenna Ogiers classroom. Students learn to work independently and rotate through stations, while Ms. Ogier meets with small groups of students and delivers a lesson at their level.

In this five part series, see all the pieces that come together for guided reading in Jenna Ogiers classroom. Students learn to work independently and rotate through stations, while Ms. Ogier meets with small groups of students and delivers a lesson at their level.

Brigitte Tennis uses the visual aid of spraying water from one point of a triangle to illustrate to her students opposite and adjacent sides. She then beats out a rhythm on drums to teach her students the mnemonic device SOH-CAH-TOA for finding sine, cosine, and tangent.

Music teacher Genein Letford teaches students about similes to the beat of Duke Ellington using story, jazz solos, and improvisations. Filmed at New Academy Canoga Park, CA.

In this 5-minute video a junior high school teacher discusses “Kick Me” a vocabulary lesson where students locate missing words to complete their analogies taped on their classmates’ backs. Students are given 10 to 15 minutes to find the answers so they move efficiently to complete the project.

8th Grade Science teacher Peter Hill from King Middle School in Maine shares a quick strategy tool and strategy he refers to as "word cloud". The "word cloud" is generated by a computer program that takes words from an article and generates a "cloud" with different sizes of words with the size emphasizing the frequency of the word. Mr. Hill uses this as a quick pre-reading activity to increase curiosity and engagement and to have students anticipate what the article or essay is about and what the main idea is. Teachers might also consider a twist to this idea and have student groups create their own word cloud after reading a selected text.11

Kent Treadgold's 7th grade science class uses a hands-on project to learn the abstract concept of density. They measure the mass and volume of different cylinders, create their own computerized spreadsheets for data, and enter the formula to calculate density. By the end of the project, they're able to conclude on their own that density will not change as the shape and size of an object changes, as long as the material it's made of stays the same.

Marie Hartford's class of 5th grade scientists learn about the importance of water quality and its benefits to wildlife and the environment. Within the narrow confines of pH necessary for their tank of red-legged frogs, students use a combination of pond and tap water to keep the tank healthy, using their collected data to make the decision on the proportion between the two.

Every student in Ms. Montgomerys class draws a picture of a monster and then writes a descriptive paragraph about it. Ms. Hoover then connects this class with another via video conference. This new class must now draw pictures based on the descriptions from the first class, who are now very aware of the importance of details in descriptive writing.

Madeline Noonan meets with all of her students individually during writer's workshop. In each conference, she specifically identifies strengths and two goals. Students continue to revise and rewrite throughout the workshop process and build confidence in their writing at the same time.