SOLARO

Awesome stuff that you can use to enrich your classroom!

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Pi day falls on a Saturday this week, so at SOLARO HQ, we’re celebrating on Friday. It’s only a mathematical approximation, but that’s in the tradition of pi! Plus, what’s March without a pie bake-off?

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Castle Rock Research Announced as NFHS Corporate Partner

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

INDIANAPOLIS, IN (March 2, 2015) — Castle Rock Research Corporation, a developer of educational resources that support academic achievement, has entered into an agreement with the National Federation of State High School Associations as an NFHS Corporate Partner. 

Recognized for its ability to simultaneously serve content across print, online and mobile platforms, Castle Rock serves students, teachers, parents, schools and libraries with an array of print products and online services.

Castle Rock’s most successful educational undertaking is SOLARO – Student Oriented Learning, Assessment and Reporting Online, which is available for grades 3-12 in print or digital format. SOLARO is 100-percent aligned to state standards for English Language Arts (ELA), mathematics and science, as well as Common Core State Standards for ELA and math.

SOLARO provides age-appropriate educational content consisting of lessons, activities, practice exercises, quizzes and detailed solutions. Content, in the form of text, graphics or multimedia (including audio, video and animation), is available 24 hours a day in a well-organized, searchable and highly engaging system.

“We look forward to working with Castle Rock as an NFHS corporate partner,” said Bob Gardner, NFHS executive director. “The learning resources provided by Castle Rock will be beneficial to all students, including the more than 11 million young people involved in athletics and performing arts programs.”   “We have designed SOLARO to help students study independently or to work with a teacher or tutor,” said Gautam Rao, president and chief executive officer of Castle Rock. “Students use SOLARO to assist with homework assignments, review lessons, create notes and flashcards, take practice tests, prepare for classroom assessments, participate in academic discussions, view progress reports, review their achievements, and earn rewards through a built-in incentive program.

“In addition to complete access to all content on their desktop or laptop computer, students have the same functionality on Android, iOS and Windows 8.1-based tablets and phones. We are proud to say that over one million students have used our study resources to help improve their academic performance.

“Castle Rock is honored to partner with NFHS to support the academic growth and achievement of students participating in athletic and performing arts activities.”

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Castle Rock Research Corporation: A Class Act

Check out our awesome press release on Microsoft's Customer Stories page!

Castle Rock Research’s SOLARO is giving teachers, students, and parents a unified, efficient solution for advancing elementary-through-high school education efforts.

Castle Rock’s SOLARO (Student Oriented Learning, Assessment, and Reporting Online) is a class leader, making the kind of market progress any solution provider would envy. The Canadian company has built a large presence in school districts across its native country and all 50 U.S. states, as well as thousands of individual schools and school districts in India and South Africa, with more customers coming in Europe.

Read more

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We are so proud to be celebrating 20 years in the education business! Head on over to Facebook, and the first five new likes will receive a free month of SOLARO!

Improve your grades, ace your exams, and impress your friends.

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CCSS US Study Guides

Did you know that SOLARO has Study Guides for the US?

We have all your Common Core courses for Mathematics 3 through 12, including Accelerated Mathematics 7 Integrated and Traditional, all the integrated mathematics courses, and all the algebra you can shake an x at.

English teachers, it's time for you to get excited: CCSS English language arts is available from 3rd to 12th Grade.

Each book comes with the SOLARO guarantee of 100% standards alignment. It makes teaching, and studying for, the common core a snap!

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Have some fun with these Halloween printable colouring sheets! We'd love to see your art in the comments!

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Clearing Up a Common Core Strategy

I spend some of my evenings wasting time on Reddit instead of finishing The Picture of Dorian Gray, which is a brilliant book but is taking me forever to finish. If you’ve heard of Reddit, you may think “cat gifs” or “nerds,” but I assure you, there’s much more to it. In fact, I recently found this picture with an interesting conversation about “new math” and “Common Core” attached to it.

I’ve asked Chris, one of our math writers, to help me figure out what’s going on with this question and to sort out the responses to it.

Chris:

From a SOLARO perspective, this question is poorly written. At SOLARO, we teach students with short, accessible lessons, easy-to-follow step-by-step examples, and carefully crafted assessments designed to test the students’ knowledge without distracting them. In this example, the student is replying correctly based on what the question appears to be asking. Better worded questions might ask the following:

Add 8 + 5 by grouping into tens first.

or

Use the strategy of making 10 to add the numbers 8 and 5.

One comment on this picture reads as follows:

Unfortunately this is the way they are teaching math now. My daughter is bringing home stuff like this. Instead of the kids just learning 8 + 5 = 13 they are teaching them to take away from the lower number to round the higher number to 10 then add the remainder. It drives me crazy. I had taught my daughter addition, subtraction, and multiplication prior to entering second grade and now they are forcing her to do it this way. I understand the concept. They are breaking things up into 10s to make them easier to add but it seems like a lot of extra work for something that isn’t that difficult to begin with. (jasonahoule)

Comments like this one stem from two things: First, terminology—the parents don’t understand the language being used, even though they may understand the concepts (the question is actually valid if students know what “making 10” means). Common Core State Standards break down the terminology of making 10, decomposition, and using the relationship between addition and subtraction by citing examples. Secondly, some parents don’t actually understand the concepts: they know how to do the math, but not necessarily why it works. Common Core is about the why, about understanding the math. If parents don’t understand the why, they may dismiss it as dumb or stupid. This is a common response to new ideas.

Another fascinating aspect of this issue involves the level of difficulty. The question 8 + 5 = 13 is quite basic; but, we should always start with easy questions. A subsequent comment points out that the strategy in the picture is more commonly used with larger numbers:

The goal in that picture wasn’t to somehow jam 8 and 5 together and make 10, it was to show that an easier way to do math is to simplify numbers to make addition and subtraction easier. For instance 57 + 98. You could either add the 8 and the 7 together, write down the 5 carry the 1, etc like we were taught as children or you could round 98 to 100 by adding 2, then take that 2 from the 57, leaving you 55 and quickly come up with 155. (mw9676)

Many parents don’t understand the point of adding 8 + 5 by making 10, which I (kind of) get, especially coming from a generation of learning mathematics based on memorization. But, there are a couple of things to remember. First, when kids are learning a strategy for the first time, they don’t know how to do it yet! I know it seems strange, but people forget this. The concepts that you learn in math one year are often a struggle; but, two years later, it’s like you’ve been working with this knowledge forever. Imagine being in Grade 1 or 2 and adding numbers that require regrouping for the first time. You wouldn’t have a clue! That’s what teachers are for. Teachers are specifically educated to take concepts that seem like second nature and translate them for those who have never encountered these concepts before. So, yes, regrouping numbers to solve 8 + 5 = 13 might feel a little pointless, but you have to start somewhere.

As an example, the method of multiplying two-digit numbers I taught in middle school was simple, but I didn’t use long multiplication.

Typically, if students reached me in Grade 8 or 9 without the ability to multiply a two-digit number by a two-digit number, changing the method was a good idea. I would start by teaching them something simple, like 34 × 7, before moving on to something more challenging, like 34 × 72. Almost all students had a solid method (long multiplication) to solve 34 × 7. But, they couldn’t understand how to use that same strategy with 34 × 72. So, I taught them to use a diagonal grid method to solve 34 × 7 first and encouraged them to trust me. Then, once they understood how the diagonal grid method works, I taught them 34 × 72. Together, we had to take a step back so we could take a step forward.

Once students could multiply 34 × 72, they could multiply numbers of any size. This, to me, was like taking about five giant steps forward.

Here’s something else to keep in mind: these concepts are not new! We’ve been teaching “making 10” in schools for ages, not just because Common Core came along. Using different strategies for adding numbers is actually in the wording of several former state curriculums. This is a common mental math strategy. None of these strategies are new; we’ve been using them in the classroom for years. I studied them in university a decade ago.

When thinking about comparing strategies, I liken it to emotional intelligence. Is it better for your children, as they grow into adults, to do something because they are told to, or because they understand why it needs to be done? If we want to raise a society of critical thinkers, then we need to encourage critical thinking at a young age. Generally, this is what Common Core (or at least Common Core math) is about. It’s about critical-thinking skills. It’s about considering why things work, not just knowing that they work. The assessment focuses on these same principles, which is the reason we aren’t seeing as many simple knowledge questions. Instead, we are seeing questions that require kids to think about what needs to be done and why it works.

Tweet us at @mysolaro if you have any questions about Common Core or math strategies!

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Library Partnerships

Calgary Public Library has partnered with Castle Rock Research to offer its members access to SOLARO, which will help all learners reach their highest level of achievement. We are honoured to be working with another excellent institution.

Just like our partnership with Edmonton Public Library, all you need to give your learning a boost is your library card.

For more information on our partnerships with CPL and EPL, check out http://calgarypubliclibrary.com/, http://www.epl.ca/solaro, or hit up SOLARO on social media!

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mysolaro

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/crrcsolaro

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Celebrate the Freedom to Read!

We become better readers and thinkers when we apply critical thinking to challenging books, rather than dismissing them. There are lots of good reasons to choose not to read a book. It might be too old for you, or it might not align with your moral code. However, trying to prevent others from reading books that you don’t like—or I don’t like—goes against the spirit of literature and learning. So, while I’ll never read Captain Underpants again, because I think that kid is a brat, I respect your right to laugh hysterically when George and Harold dump water on Krupp.

Here are some banned or challenged books that we SOLARIANs love. Would you consider reading them?

Rebecca F.

My favourite banned/challenged book is The Giver. I’ve probably read it five or six times, seeking resolution in the pages for that ending. I recently learned that there are now three more books in the series, and they probably clear up the ambiguity. However, as much as I love The Giver and have enjoyed other Lois Lowry books, there is no way I’m reading the rest of the series. The magic of The Giver for me as a child was the feeling of loss and fear at the end of the book. It was my first experience with an ambiguous ending. And, that magic is something I would never take away from anyone.

Dalaney L.

The Scary Stories (series) by Alvin Schwartz are soooo good. I remember checking them out of the library for sleepovers as a kid and taking turns reading these terrifying stories with creepy illustrations by Stephen Gammell. I still get chills thinking about the scarecrow story … I would never want the book banned though! I fully intend to read these stories to my future children and terrify them as well.

Jennifer H.

My favourite banned/challenged book is Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak. I think that it is such an important story for youth to experience. I read the book as an adult and then taught it is as a novel study to a group of Grade 10 students. By depicting one girl’s experience with sexual assault and her means of coping through isolation afterwards, Anderson helps her reader understand a victim’s point of view. This novel may help young girls recognize the risks involved in attending high school parties. It may also help boys comprehend the potential damage they could cause if they chose to force non-consensual sex on one of their peers.

Chris W.

There is small space on my bookshelf at home for the childhood books that I loved. There are my favorite series, and then a handful of other books that had an impact on me in some way. The Face on the Milk Carton is one of those books. I was surprised to see it, and many other books I read as a teen, listed on the banned/challenged book list. As a teenager, I always found the situations that Caroline B. Cooney put her characters in a little reaching, but I always loved to read about their struggles and their successes. The Face on the Milk Carton was a book that made me realize that happy endings (like a kidnapped child being reunited with her family) have their own challenges and that situations are never as simple as they may seem to be.

Kimberlee D.

I spent a summer in my early teens reading C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia. That fall, I began Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series. Absorbing those two series back-to-back created quite the contrast. I wasn’t as aware of the religious overtones in Narnia until I read His Dark Materials. I was raised Roman Catholic, and Pullman helped wake me up to the negative aspects of organized religion.

Often, authors get criticized for provoking the reader. Good art is meant to provoke! I admire any author who forces readers to carefully consider human society and what we’re capable of as a species. As far as banned/challenged books, Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a close second to my favourite (Pullman’s His Dark Materials).

Darla K.

The four books on the “banned” list that I used almost yearly when I was teaching Grade 6 are: Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle, Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George, and The Giver by Lois Lowry. I chose these books for classroom use because I felt (and still feel) that they can add to a student’s life experience. Whether the book focused on friendship and loss (Terabithia), family and undiscovered worlds (Wrinkle), self-reliance (Julie), or an alternate reality and euthanasia (Giver), they all brought something new and worth talking about to a class discussion. These stories are very relatable for younger grades, and children become active, engaged readers when perusing these novels. The stories challenge students to think “outside the box” and to me, this is a primary role of education.

Eric M.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is such a terrifying vision of dystopia. Hits the nerve of any bibliophile. Given many of the books that have been previously banned, Fahrenheit 451 doesn’t seem so farfetched.

Nick D.

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes because of what it says about the ethics of science and about our ingrown prejudice of the mentally disabled, which is just as relevant today. I also like how the book continues to be controversial. Despite this, it is still covered in schools, driven by teachers who understand its literary and social merits.

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It's National Comic Book Day!

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Back-to-School Essentials

It’s that time of year again. Here at SOLARO HQ in Edmonton, Alberta, it’s snowing. No, that’s not a Canada joke, it’s actually snowing today. When I planned out this blog post, I was daydreaming about yellow and red leaves and the smell of fresh crayons. Instead, it’s the second week of our school year and we’ve got snow. For me, that means it’s even more important to dive into my fellow SOLARIANs’ imaginations and think about our most-needed back-to-school essentials (that are not winter coats).

Chris W, Mathematical Machinist

For me, it was all about finding that perfect binder. The right binder had a zipper, penholders, and other pockets in the flap. Preferably one with dividers too—and it had to be the right colour. In university that became finding the perfect clipboard to take and organize all my notes. And when I was teaching, I went back to the binder—with my schedule, class lists, and school information, all in one simple place. Organizing a new binder was what got me prepared to start the year.

Taryn C, Print Production Princess

Five Star zip-up binders and notebooks were totally the highlight of my back-to-school supplies. I always HAD to have them for school. Those things were DURABLE. Lasted all year, no problem!

Okay, so SOLARIANs love binders. Anything else?

Linda M, English Entrepreneur

My favourite part of going back to school was getting new school supplies. All of them.

I think that includes binders.

Kimberlee D, Editing Enchanter

I remember in elementary being really excited about scented markers from Crayola. The best part was having rainbow nose! Or, possibly getting a little high from the fumes … although, I’m sure it was better than sniffing glue or something. Totally appropriate blog material, am I right?

All right, teachers, let Kim’s youth be a teaching moment for you.

Darla K, Language Arts Lady Amazing

One of my favourite parts about being a teacher was the back-to-school shopping! Each year I just had to go out and buy new folders, pens, markers, erasers, etc. (for all those students who were unprepared). Yearly, I also restocked my own personal supply of pens—they had to be velocity gel and I needed some in red, blue, and black. Then, I would go buy some in different colours—purple and green—to do my marking (they had to have a roller ball). However, my all-time favourite school supply that I buy every year has to be paper clips. I have a large supply of coloured, striped, metallic, round, and triangular paper clips. My favourites are the ones in the shape of common objects like birds, treble clefs, cats, moose, etc. I am the biggest “school nerd” that I know.

I know that I do not need to buy supplies anymore, but I still do—there are a lot of organizations out there that help provide school supplies for those students who are less fortunate than most. I always donate “cool” things—things that are not your everyday run-of-the-mill supplies—I might find a holographic ruler, “smelly” markers, large packs of crayons, a unique calculator, etc.

Okay, smelly markers again…

Le D, Designing Dreamer

Clothes. I love clothes.

A man after my own heart.

Dalaney L, Graphics Grinder

My absolute fave was getting one of those big packs of pencil crayons that had like 100 in there, and you could fold up the back and make a little stand out of it. They were all sharpened so perfectly, and the rainbow of colours was so exciting. By the end of the year, they were all worn down to nubs and the ends were all chewed up, so I always looked forward to the new pack next year.

Deborah L, IT ET

My daughter loves clothes. I take her to places like Aviva and Justice. Justice is like walking back into the ’80s. It’s girly, it’s sparkly, and it’s her style. I got her a sparkly backpack with a K on it (that’s her first initial). She’s happy, so I’m happy.

What about me?

Rebecca F, Blogging Belle

There are so many to choose from. I get giddy when it’s back-to-school time. Fresh pencils. Plastic folders. New clothes. Oh my goodness, the shades of teal they always come out with in August … but, I think the one thing I have been most excited about going back to school was my tablet. When I started my master’s degree in 2013, I purchased a Microsoft Surface. That thing is amazing. I’ve never been a gadget person, but I would not trade it for anything. Of course, now they’re on generation 3 and the new ones weigh about half of what mine does. Is now a terrible time to admit I haven’t yet checked out the Windows 8 SOLARO app? I have downloaded it, though, boss!

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SOLARO on Windows 8.1!

The Hotfix

"Solaro, a popular education app on iOS and Android, is now available in the Windows Store for Windows 8.1 devices. The Solaro mobile app is a fantastic app that provides kids from 3rd grade up to 12th grade with learning resources for Math, Science, and English. On top of that, the developer behind Solaro is migrating their backend to Microsoft Azure."

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SOLARO’s Guide to an Outdoorsy, Digital Summer!

Now that summer is here, it can be a challenge to keep our children and teens occupied. While some are content to sit on the couch all day playing video games or reading books, others hit us with a continual chorus of “I’m bored.” Still others find plenty to do, leaving us wondering if we’ve crossed into an alternate reality reminiscent of Phineas and Ferb. If only there were a way kids could use their hobbies for something productive!

Luckily for despairing parents everywhere, we’ve got

Why Outdoorsy? There are many good reasons for kids and teens to get outside: • Gives them a chance to burn energy • Gives them a chance to recharge • Helps kids interact with and learn about the natural world • Offers a chance to interact with peers • Helps develop powers of observation and risk assessment • Builds opportunities for creativity and free play • Helps to build a link between physical health and the outdoors

Why Digital? Digital technology is the way of the future! Kids and teens must become digitally literate to succeed in the 21st century. But, digital literacy is more than just the reason your kids are whizzes at gaming, Google, and texting garrulously. According to Wikipedia:

Why are we going digital this summer? • To promote higher-order thought skills • To break down the walls of learning and information • To prepare students for a digital post k–12 world

The Plan Your kids are smart. They want to be stimulated. SOLARO’s plan is to nefariously trick kids into learning while doing something they already enjoy. It’s very important to teach your child about appropriate web safety and privacy while exploring new digital territory!

The Digital Part Option A: The Blog Blogs are suitable for children of any age because they can be set up and monitored by a parent.

A blog is a personal webpage where children can write posts about what they’re up to.

Option B: The Dedicated Twitter Feed Twitter does not have an age limit, but using Twitter is not recommended for those under the age of 13.

A dedicated Twitter feed is a feed about a certain topic.

Option C: Storify Storify is a social media tool that lets you collect media from the internet to tell a story.

Option D: Other What can your digital-savvy kids come up with on their own? Perhaps they want to develop a mod for a video game based on your neighbourhood. Maybe they want to create an animation of a particular event they observed while outside. They may choose to do this exclusively, publish using one of the suggested methods, or use another web service altogether.

The Outdoorsy Part Option A: Move Indoor Activities Out Take what your kids are doing, and move it outside. Is your child a reader, musician, or artist? Does your child have a mobile computer? When the weather is nice, boot them outside for some sunshine and birdsong (with sunscreen, please).

And, let’s be realistic, there is usually a lawn to mow, sibling to watch, or stoop to be swept. Isn’t that why we had children in the first place?

Option B: Volunteer Have your child volunteer. Whether it’s through an organization, or just by helping elderly neighbours pull weeds, it’s easy to help people outdoors during the summer. Sometimes, your child may be volunteering without knowing it, perhaps by teaching younger kids how to do tricks at the skate park.

Option C: Play Sports Encourage your children to get active through sports. Whether organized, informal, or simply tossing a football around, sports are a great way to get kids outside in the summer. If your kid isn’t athletically inclined, it can be a ton of fun to hang out with other kids and invent “non-sports” like Calvin Ball.

Option D: Exercise Free Will Your child will think of an awesome activity quickly enough when faced with unsavoury options like mowing the lawn.

Integrate! Once your child chooses outdoor and digital activities, a fun, educational, and active summer is within reach! And, hopefully, you won’t have to hear the words “I’m bored,” at least not until the school year rolls back around.

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Here's a handy worksheet on the lifecycle of houseflies!

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Imagination and science: the perfect combination!

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Get familiar with the magnificentical, magical, mathematical, Fibonacci Sequence!

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Teachers have such a huge impact on students. Let's not forget to be awesome while we're at it.