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The purpose of the 1-5-15 is to offer quick notes on relevant educational topics. We can all agree that time is at a premium for every educator. Finding available time to complete meaningful PD can be difficult, although ultimately rewarding. That’s where the 1-5-15 bulletin comes in! The idea is to maximize the spare minutes we have when we can, and when we choose to.

My hope is that whether you have 1, 5, or 15 minutes that this bulletin, and the content within it will have an impact on you, and your classroom. Furthermore, I hope that the topics shared spur further conversation with your students, and colleagues. Enjoy!

What Learning a New Language Taught Me.

Educators can sometimes feel pressured to "get through" the curriculum, that it’s easy to forget the emotional energy required to learn another language. Justin Garcia, an English Language Co-teacher in Chiang Mai International School in northern Thailand, shares his experience learning a new language.

Read full article here.

How do schools promote equity among students?

Pedro Noguera, executive director of the Metropolitan Center for Urban Education, discusses the term equity and the forces that sometimes prevent schools from providing children with equitable outcomes.

Cultural Competency. Considering your classroom library.

Emily Francis discusses the idea of how a book reflects a readers' identity. The problem is the lack of access to diverse books for students to actually see themselves reflected in books. This is worrisome because "when children cannot find themselves reflected in the books they read, or when the images they see are distorted, negative, or laughable, they learn a powerful lesson about who they are devalued in the society of which they are a part of."

Read full article here: Mirror, Mirror, on the Shelf

Great collection of authentic books for ELs organized by theme.