ICIVICS - Return to Civility

ICIVICS.ORG is a website dedicated to Civics. Civics was once a required class in public schools. It disappeared as Education Reform erased the importance of students learning their responsibilities as citizens in a republic.

Civics teaches students the aspects of government. Most importantly, the role of civics classes was to teach future citizens the importance of the integrity of government systems. Participation by citizens guarantee checks and balances to our government.

Another aspect of citizenship is the integrity of reporting. Journalism, as discussed in the Bill of Rights plays an important aspect in holding our government accountable to the citizens. Without journalistic integrity, elections can be manipulated. Voters become disenfranchised, and then we become witness to low voter turnout.

ICIVICS wants to change the current apathy about citizenship. It is a clever site. Tapping into the current RPG gaming environment most familiar to today's learners, it is a very engaging. Students choose an avatar and engage in daily civic lessons. Relevant, and current, students will be immersed into today's current problems with citizenry. For example, fake news is examined as one part of the game. A very clever lesson in vetting sources. A challenging world of determining what is truth, and the skills necessary to filter the news.

Judicial law, branches of government and learning how local government works are just some of the offerings. This is a great site, that should be required learning in middle/high schools across the United States. For now, it is up to parents/educators to discover the site. Hopefully, with time we can impact future generations. Without lessons in civics, we have political ads that are deceitful, cynicism and low confidence in our system of government. This is why ICIVICS is so important. A valiant online attempt to education our youth about the systems of government and how they work.

NEW - Early Childhood Professional Development - Parents and Teachers and Paraprofessionals

Early Childhood development is the key to a lifetime of positive outcomes. Our page is dedicated to helping people in our community connect to valuable resources. For this reason, we have added a professional development section to our blog. This section will connect Early Childhood education majors to local, state, and national resources.


We already have a section for Early Childhood software and connections to learning sites. This in combination of our new links for professional development help strengthen our connection to positive outcomes for children. Feel free to check out our sites, and leave a comment if you have suggestions for future links that benefit our earliest of learners.

ISS Tracker - Fun for Kids and Adults

At camp, my cousin recently introduced me to the ISS Tracker. 

The ISS tracker is an app you download on your phone that alerts you when the International Space Station is going to fly over your house. It is only 5mb. however it is one of the funnest apps I have downloaded in a long time. It provides an overhead compass and data to help you successfully see the space station. It truly looks like a falling star at certain angles. The first time your kids see it, they will be amazed.

I do recommend an open setting to account for tree lines or natural boundaries. A city park or open field will do just fine. If you have some natural boundaries, you will have to choose a time when the space station is over 25 degrees or higher above the horizon. There are many factors that impact your view and the app will guide you to good nights to view the station. Try it out, you will be amazed. 

Reading Resources For Parents and Teachers

Monitoring the progress of emergent readers is important. There are great websites for parents and educators to help with reading goals. First, it is important to acknowledge what might be a misconception for some.

Most educators shy away from using the term grade level. Grade levels are a thing of the past because it was hard to apply in larger school districts. What might be 5th grade level at one school may be different at another. For this reason, Lexiles are used for measurements of progress regarding reading. It measures an individual's reading ability and comprehension based on the difficult of the text. So parents should use the websites provided knowing that many are based on a Lexile Range. It will look something like this:

480C -830L  - 4th Grade - A book within these parameters does not reflect context, just reading ability. BE CAREFUL. For example, the Grapes of Wrath is at a Third Grade Level , but is not appropriate for Third Grade readers.

Parents have to use the site to examine current age appropriate context and be sure to check for each text's reading level.

The over all range is Beginner Reader to 1700 exile. The website www.lexile.com will explain how to interpret your reading materials

We will also be including links for children with learning disabilities. For example, rewordify,.com allows parents and teachers to copy complicated texts from works of literature and have them simplified for comprehension purposes.  Check out the links under Reading Resources and feel free to suggest additional resources.

2017 Upgrades For Educational Websites

Decency Publishing is upgrading their free website for Parents, Teachers, and Learners. This is a mulit-age website for learners of all ages. The webite is rich with free learning tools.  New this year is Free Apps for Android and IPAD (ITunes Store). This central database helps people get connected to free sites. Please feel free to provide feedback and additional resources.

(Decency Publishing is a small publishing group from Rome NY. Click on our home page to discover our other sites.)

Fun For The Brain Is A Great Site For PreK- 7th Grade

Funforthebrain.com is an interactive site that is great for families and educators. Each grade level has hundreds of problems for students with interactive videos to help explain the solving of problems as they go. Lessons utilize flow player which is an HTML player. Adobe or flash programs are not required. This is great for parents concerned about downloading additional software.

The lessons are done using a smartboard type background. Kids will be use to this because most schools are equipped with smartboards. Also, the lessons will help parents navigate lessons plans from common core that do not come with instructional materials.

Grades pre-k to 7th grade, Fun For The Brain is a great addition to your learning experiences online. If you are a teacher, this site is great for classrooms. Overall, a great find and free for all to use.

Bible Questions - We Got Answers

I found a neat site for Bible questions and answers. Check out the link on the right - "Got Questions." The site not only interprets scripture, it also provides insight into contemporary issues. Type in Medical Marijuana for example, and it gives an analytical answer based on the Bible's verses that reflect upon the usage of marijuana possibly being supported or not by scripture. Check it out. You will enjoy the conversations that can be shared after looking up a topic on this site.