Vol. 11   No. 4  P.O. Box 100547, Florence, SC  29502   (843) 661-1828
December 2015 E-Newsletter
EDUC 599 Stipends Available!


The deadline to sign up for the poverty course is
NOON on Friday, December 11th!



EDUC 599 - "Teaching and Assessing in High Poverty Schools"
  • Open to anyone who has completed EDUC 555 or permission of the Graduate School.
  • Start Date:  January 11, 2016.
  • End Date:   June 30, 2016.
  • Grades Posted:  End of Summer I, 2016.
  • Class Format:  This course will include Face-to-Face and Distance Sessions
    • Distance Sessions:  Asynchronous--complete independently within a window of time.
    • Face-to-Face Sessions:
      • January 25, 2016 and March 21, 2016 
                        SC Archives Building in Columbia, SC (Tentative)
      • June 22, 2016 and June 23, 2016
                        Francis Marion University, Florence, SC
  • Registration:
    • Ensure you have a current Graduate Application Form on file or complete Graduate Application
    • Submit Application or written request to enroll along with payment (checks made payable to:  PDEC) and mail to the Center of Excellence, 4822 E. Palmetto Street, Florence, SC 29506 (Founders Hall 220A)
  • The 35 available seats will be filled on a first-come-first-served basis. The deadline to register is December 11, 2015.
  • NOTE:  This course requires field assignments in a school environment that serves children of poverty. You must have extended opportunities for field work in schools in order to complete course assignments.
Questions?  Call the Center at 843.661.1828 or email [email protected] 
   
Fall 2015 Outstanding Student Teacher Chosen  

  
Congratulations, Sierra Sports! 
Student teaching, as the capstone undergraduate experience, affords each Francis Marion University teacher candidate the opportunity to demonstrate potential as a quality educator. While an understanding of best practices for teaching children of poverty is expected of all candidates at FMU, some prospective teachers clearly excel in their connections with students and families who have limited resources. This semester, the Center of Excellence recognizes Sierra Sports as a student teacher that exemplifies the knowledge, skills, and dispositions defined in the six
Teaching Children of Poverty standards adopted by the School of Education.   
 
 
Looking for some classroom winter activities?  

 

Celebrations Around The World 
We often forget that there are so many holidays being celebrated in the month of December. Take the time to tell your students about how  some of them, or others around the world celebrate the season, maybe through Christmas, Kwanzaa, or Hanukkah. Maybe have an around the world discussion and learn about new countries, and have them make a stained glass window art on a plate representing a new holiday tradition they learned. There is so much insight to be offered and explored. Click here to get more ideas. 
  

Montessori Ac tivities for December   
Are you a Montessori teacher or do you want to try some Montessori activities with your classroom? December is a great time to have some fun and try these activities. Click here for more information.   


Grow Your Own Snow Crystals 
Are you a middle or high school teacher who needs a fun science experiment for your classroom? Or an elementary teacher who wants to do a cool demonstration? Use this free activity that explains how teachers and even students can grow snow crystals in the classroom with a few materials and a two-liter bottle.  
  
Save the Dates!
Upcoming Spring/Summer 2016 Events   

2 016 COE Research Consortium - MARCH 8, 2016  
The Long Shadow: Family Background, Disadvantaged Youth, and the Transition to Adulthood 
March 8, 2016 ~ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm 
South Carolina Department of Archives & History 
8301 Parklane Road
Columbia, SC   29223 

How does poverty affects children across time? 
Dr. Karl Alexander spent his entire academic career at Johns Hopkins University where he conducted a study that followed 790 Baltimore first-graders from 1982 until their late twenties. Dr. Alexander will discuss his work and his book entitled The Long Shadow: Family Background, Disadvantaged Urban Youth, and the Transition to Adulthood.  


2016 9th Annual Summer Institute - June 22-23, 2016 
Important Work:  Teaching children of Poverty 
June 22-23, 2016                                 Look for more details coming soon on our website. 
Francis Marion University  

A Wealth of Resources!  

Need Resources? We have what you're looking for!

Did you know you can check out books from our resource library in the COE office with a collection of over 400 books?  The COE website has hundreds of helpful articles that are free and just a click away.

Take a glance at some recent additions to our article library:
     (Castro & colleagues, 2015)
     (Child Trends, 2015)
     (Mongeau, 2015)

 
       Visit our website and discover our research article database!