By reflecting on our teaching practice, we can become more intentional and plan to accommodate student reflection, perhaps the most vital part of the inquiry process. In doing so, we create a unique opportunity to grow alongside our students.

As students share information, they transform into educators and advocates. Research and inquiry have real-world implications, and when students share their work with an authentic audience, they begin to see the connection between the content learned in the classroom and the context of their community and world.

Students apply critical thinking to understand how information relates to their essential questions. They must be able to reason, to weigh the value of what they have found, and to draw conclusions.

Where did BookFlix go? It's in all the same places it was before, but the logo has new look.

Are your young readers getting the most out of the digital era? Watch the recording of this School Library Journal webinar to hear about best reading practices for early literacy and strategies for teaching PreK-Grade 3 students.

Teach more than one standard with this lesson idea. Use science content and apply reading standards for a lesson that will get 7th grade students set up for success.

Divorce. Emotional abuse. Neglect. Natural disasters. Poverty. Separation. Violence. Most teachers will agree that they encounter students who display the behaviors caused by severe trauma in their classrooms. Trauma is epidemic.

This post is part of the Teach With INFOhio series "Here's How #INFOhioWorks." In this series, you'll find specific examples of how INFOhio works for other Ohio educators. Learn some strategies you can try in your own classroom. Then share with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram using #INFOhioWorks!

Using digital text and tools is a way to engage readers in text, as well as empower them with one of the most critical needs for their future—digital literacy. INFOhio is dedicated to providing high-quality digital content, resources, and tools for students and teachers in Ohio that will develop the necessary skills for early literacy, inquiry, and college and career readiness. 

Teaching students the skills and importance of asking good questions provides a solid foundation for learning. Learn which INFOhio tools you can use to help students learn to ask good questions. This is the second in a series of several posts about the inquiry process and the Dimensions of Inquiry.

As you watch the webinar, Inquiry in the Social Studies Classroom and Beyond: Leading the Next-Generation Digital Citizens to Multiple Perspectives and Reliable Resources, we thought you might want a refresher on inquiry—what it is and how several INFOhio tools have used the Dimensions of Inquiry as their foundation. This is the first in a series of several posts about the inquiry process and the Dimensions of Inquiry.

Make your data speak

Numbers in a vacuum are rarely impressive. Now that you’ve got some organized data, there are lots of free applications that let you get really jazzy with your numbers. What should you do? Use your data to tell your story.

• In the first quarter of the 2016-2017 school year, INFOhio Staff, and ICoaches delivered 175 presentations to 4,701 students, educators, and administrators.
• In the first quarter of the 2016-2017 school year, the INFOhio main website had 1,143,692 page views.
• In the first quarter of the 2016-2017 school year, students in all 88 counties in Ohio logged into the INFOhio website.

How does that grab you?​ It probably doesn’t.

Do you use Scholastic News in your classroom? What about Scholastic Scope or Scholastic Science? These subscriptions are a popular teaching tool in many schools. Full of informational text and critical thinking activities, Scholastic's classroom magazines offer teachers a wealth of resources that feature popular topics and engaging graphics. You can learn more about these resources, their grade levels, and content at Scholastic's Classroom Magazines site. Additional features are available through a Scholastic school subscription.

Using graphics to support learning is a strategy proven to have maximum results for student learning in classrooms. According to the National Council for Teacher Quality in a recent study, Learning about Learning, "Young or old, all of us receive information through two primary pathways - auditory (for the spoken word) and visual (for the written and graphic or pictorial representation). Student learning increases when teachers convey new material through both." Not only should teachers pair words with graphics, they should also provide concrete and tangible examples for abstract ideas. These are two strategies identified as, "proven practices that improve learning for all students." Using PDFs from INFOhio's Explora database is one way to integrate images and concrete examples into your classroom.