Shakespeare Uncovered - Ten Free Lesson Plans

Shakespeare Uncovered is a series of videos about Shakespeare's life and work. The series, hosted on PBS Learning Media, is organized thematically. Some of the themes are "Shakespeare and History," "The Use of Soliloquy," and "Gender Roles in Shakespeare."  Each of the themes is explored in the context of some of Shakespeare's most recognizable works including Macbeth, Othello, Hamlet, and Romeo & Juliet. Each collection of thematic resources includes short, documentary video clips, reading materials, and discussion questions.

Applications for Education
All of the lesson plans in Shakespeare Uncovered are intended for use with high school students. Like all PBS Learning Media resources, the Shakespeare Uncovered lesson plans can be shared directly to Google Classroom. The lesson plans include a lot of questions that are intended as discussion questions. So if you plan to post the lesson plans in Google Classroom, I would post them as announcements rather than as assignments.

PBS LearningMedia's Digital Innovator Program Seeks Applicants for 2017

PBS LearningMedia is hosting their Digital Innovators program again in 2017. The program recognizes K-12 teachers who excel at using digital media in their classrooms. There is also a leadership component of the program as PBS is searching for people who can be leaders in helping other teachers utilize digital media. Teachers selected as PBS LearningMedia Digital Innovators will receive a trip to San Antonio, Texas for the PBS LearningMedia Digital Innovators Summit and the ISTE conference in June, 2017.

The deadline to apply for the PBS LearningMedia Digital Innovators program is February 13, 2017. The application does require that you create and submit an original video. A sample from one of 2016's Digital Innovators is embedded below. The full application requirements can be found here.

PBS LearningMedia Introduces New Curriculum-based iBooks

PBS LearningMedia has released a new series of iBooks for K-8 teachers. The series promises to provide teachers with iBooks on topics in math, English language arts, social studies, and Spanish language and culture. Each iBook will include lesson plans, videos, games, and other activities aligned to NCSS, ACTFL, and Common Core standards.

Two iBooks are available now and two more will be released by the end of this month. The two that are available now are All About the Holidays and Beginning Spanish.

All About the Holidays offers lesson plans for 61 holidays. Beginning Spanish is a mapped curriculum for teaching Spanish to students in third through fifth grade.

PBS LearningMedia Seeks Digital Innovators

PBS LearningMedia is once again hosting their Digital Innovators program in 2016. The program is designed to recognize K-12 teachers who excel at using digital media in their classrooms. There is also a leadership component of the program as PBS is searching for people who can be leaders in helping other teachers utilize digital media. Teachers selected as PBS LearningMedia Digital Innovators will receive a trip to Denver, Colorado for the PBS LearningMedia Digital Innovators Summit and the ISTE conference in June, 2016. 54 teachers will be chosen.

The deadline to apply for the PBS LearningMedia Digital Innovators program is February 8, 2016. Application requirements can be found here.