The 9/11 Memorial and Museum offers lesson plans, and a special anniversary video designed for students that will be available on demand on Friday, September 10.

Scholastic Book Clubs is offering a free live stream on their FB page on September 9 with two popular authors who have middle level books about 9/11, Lauren Tarshis and Alan Gratz. They have stated that the recording should be available the next day as well.

TeachersFirst has peer-reviewed, annotated resources on their page.

The WeAreTeachers website has some additional resources and suggested books.

And from a different perspective, you could show the trailer for the documentary, "You are Here: A Come from Away Story," which relates how the residents of Gander, Newfoundland embraced the thousands of passengers on the planes diverted there.

After pausing last year, the Schools to Watch program is now open for schools to apply, either for the first time, or to be redesignated. You can find the applications on our website. To learn more about this program, which was approved as a Technical Assistance Partner by DOE, feel free to contact Susie Highley or Shirley Wright and the links on our webpage and the National Forum to Accelerate Middle School Reform. Applications are due on October 15.

This amazing padlet was created by Lisa Johnson, who has a blog full of creative ideas for writing, journaling, and more. Even though many of you have over a month of school complete, many of these engaging activities can be used at any time. Lisa also created this padlet for managing instructional resoucrces.

IDOE, the 2022 College Football Playoff Indianapolis Host Committee, and the College Football Playoff Foundation have unveiled a new partnership to celebrate teachers’ contributions. Extra Yard for Teachers leads up to the College Football National Championship in Lucas Oil Stadium on January 10, 2022, and is honoring teachers as heroes through a series of events, perks, & public recognition. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Extra Yard for Teachers Week, which includes State Park Day this Sunday, September 12. Free family admission at any park using educator ID, special activities at 5 parks, and you can complete a Project Aware Activity Guide while there to be eligible for a free annual park pass!
• The BIG DAY, September 14.
• High school football Tailgate Tour throughout the state. If they are in your area, check out the tents for some nice swag! (I already attended one.)
• Their own Teacher of the Year program, which includes some great prizes. Nominate outstanding teachers here.
• The Extra Yard for Teachers 5K on January 9.
• Contributions toward the Indiana (e) Learning Lab. (see below)
• Follow @2022Indy on Twitter and/or Instagram for other opportunities and giveaways that will pop up.

DOE and Five Star are now managing the Indiana Learning Lab. This includes increased access to staff members at DOE, and weekly webinars on Wednesdays at 4 pm, starting this week. To learn more about this and other September workshops, click here. To register, visit the Learning Lab calendar by clicking here. To create a free Learning Lab account, visit the LINK Portal or the Learning Lab website directly, and use your school email to log in.

The Learning Lab still includes many resources, and a tracking system to record the PD you participate in there.

BREAKING NEWS: Free lunch for the school that has the most teachers sign up for the Learning Lab from September 6-12!

Fulbright Teacher Exchanges are programs of the U.S. Department of State, funded by the U.S. Congress. Elementary and secondary educators, in the U.S. and around the world, develop their educational practice and bring global knowledge, skills and perspectives to their schools. The shortest programs, the Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Short-Term Program is currently accepting applications through October 15. You can read about this and the longer programs here.

Just learned of this great website filled with resources by and about middle grades books and authors! https://www.renegadesofmiddlegrade.com/

Registration for the virtual #AMLE21 conference, Imagine the Possibilities, is available in a variety of packages. You can provide access for your entire staff for less than the cost of registering 5 individuals! And, plans are in the works for schools who would like to have "viewing parties" on Saturday, November 6!

It’s time to make your voices heard, middle grades students! To give students an opportunity to be involved in a democratic process and shared decision-making, AMLE is holding the Great Middle School Student Voice Off during the Annual Conference. It’s as easy as sharing your perspective in a short video on one of two topics that impact you as a middle grades student:

1. Should there be homework in middle school?
2. Should there be dress codes in middle school?

The students who submit the winning pro and con arguments for each prompt will be invited to complete live during the #AMLE21 opening kickoff session on November 4. Students must have a sponsoring teacher and can complete the registration form with the assistance of a parent/guardian. Submissions are due October 7 by midnight. There are fabulous prizes for the semi-finalists and winner – and their sponsoring teacher. Learn more!

Join AMLE for a series of 30-minute collaboration meet-ups around a variety of topics, strategies, and ideas perfect for this unique back to school season. Each 4 pm meet-up will include content from an expert presenter, followed by live participatory conversation around the topic.

Participants will also receive a certificate of participation for 0.5 contact hours per session attended. These are free and open to all; be sure to register in advance to receive the link in time. Can’t attend live? All meet-ups will be recorded and made available the next day for registrants..

September 9: Assessment in the Middle Level Art Room

September 21: Not Another Review Worksheet

September 23: Using Tech to Help with Mindfulness Breaks

September 28: Career Exploration in the Middle Grades: A Playbook for Educators

September 30: New Teacher Roundtable

Did you know that FutureSmart’s interactive lessons are available to every middle school at no cost? Learn how these can help your students with important skills like decision making and goal setting.

Kick off the new school year with FutureSmart’s financial personality quiz and help students learn more about their own approach to spending. It’s a great get-to-know-you activity that can also leave a lasting impact on your students.

Once students learn a little bit more about themselves, they’ll encounter and help other virtual citizens looking for guidance in a variety of financial situations while learning along the way. Through simulations, animated activities and real-world scenarios, students learn how to budget, comparison shop, set goals, save and plan for the future.

Long-time IMLEA corporate supporter, Horace Mann, wants to ensure you’re aware of the latest updates around federal student loans and provide some additional resources. Click the links throughout the file below for more information on each topic. We also receive free access to their incredible program, Student Loan Solutions. And, they have a continuing webinar series.

September 8: Establishing Character in a Digital World: Building Grit, Resilience, and Socioemotional Skills, Noon-2 (also available on youtube)

September 8: Indiana Learning Lab, Wednesday PD with IDOE, Diana Gill, Director of Digital Learning, "Guidance for Vetting High Quality Digital Resources, 4 pm

*September 9: Livestream with Authors Lauren Tarshis and Alan Gratz, 11 am

September 9: AMLE Meetup, Assessment in the Middle Level Art Room, 4 pm

*September 10: 9/11 Anniversary School Video Available on Demand (35 minutes)

September 11: Edtech in the Bend, 9-Noon (Virtual)

September 12: Free admission for teachers and families to Indiana State Parks

September 13: ESSER Funds: Today, Tomorrow, and the Long-Term Impact on Learning, 3 pm

September 13: Learning Reimagined: Leveraging Technology to Meet the Needs of All Students, 5 pm

*September 15: International Dot Day

September 15: Neurodivergent and Gifted: Supporting Twice-Exceptional Students, 1 pm

September 17: Constitution Day (various activities)

September 18: Indiana State Literacy Association Conference (Virtual)

September 21: The State of STEM in Indiana, 1:30 pm

*September 21: Mathematics, the Key to a Better World with Youtuber Eddie Woo, 5 pm

September 22: Looking for Rigor in All the Right Places, 4:30

September 24-30: Kasey Belll's Back to School Conference

September 30: Remake Learning Back to School Kickoff Event: Creating and Activating Hope, 7-8:30 pm

October 4: Lilly Creativity Grant Proposals Due, 11:59 pm

October 7: AMLE Student Voice Off Entries Due, 11:59 pm

October 15: STW Applications Due

October 15: Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Short-Term Program Application Deadline

November 4-7: AMLE Virtual Conference

*Designed to Include Students

ONGOING EVENTS

Keep Indiana Learning Live Events (many free) Archived Events

PATINS Trainings for Accessibility for All

edweb.net Webinars

Teachers First/OK2Ask Virtual Workshops

AMLE Podcast Series

Horace Man Webinars

Indiana Learning Lab. Must log in to see workshop topics. This week's live sessions:Welcome to the Lab, Digital Resources, Jamboard vs Google Slides

Please note: Webinars and events mentioned in this space are not an endorsement of commercial products; on the contrary, we try to avoid listing events that appear to be commercial in nature. Every effort is made to strip social media/tracking data from provided URLs.

Please connect with us on Twitter and Facebook. We follow Indiana middle level schools & retweet/share what we can; we'll continue to do so as some of you wrap up the year & share ideas for summer & next school year.

The Monday Minute is a publication of the Indiana Middle Level Education Association. The first few editions each year are sent to an extensive list of middle level administrators, and then to just members. Principals and others: Feel free to forward this newsletter to your staff, and email us at any time; we also realize that our list may not be current in light of many staff changes. We try to include things that are of interest to both teachers and administrators, and it isn't usually this long!

And don't forget, you can join both IMLEA and AMLE in a joint membership!

Join Us! Membership Benefits & Application

Susie Highley, Executive Director

Shirley Wright, Schools to Watch Consultant

Email: shighleyimlea@iasp.org
Website: https://www.imlea.org/
Location: 11025 East 25th Street, Indianapolis, IN, USA
Phone: 317.894.2937
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IMLEA-Indiana-Middle-Level-Education-Association-170748717595/
Twitter: @IMLEAorg