Man, I'm tired- I just finished the level 1 test, and it took me 2.5 hours of the 3 hours allowed! Even though it was really long, it was SO much better than the previous exams. I actually did take, and pass the previous Gmail test in May, and then I failed the Calendar test by one question... ugh! I did not find those tests to be applicable to my job as a teacher, there were a lot of things I did not understand, and did not have to understand to use Google Apps with students.

I have to say that I'm happy that the new tests are performance based and relevant to what teachers need to to do if they are in a Google Apps for Education school. The test was long and you need to prove that you know how to do lots of Googley things! I don't think I would have passed if I did not have experience with all of the Google Apps last year in my classroom. And that is how the tests should be- thank you for changing them, Google!

Now I need to start studying for the level 2 exam, I'll take that one next week!

How can teachers integrate the arts in ways that strongly reinforce classroom knowledge, and be developmentally appropriate and exciting for students? In our school, we have HOT Blocks, once a week sessions with lessons designed so all students, and especially those in need of academic support, can learn through multiple intelligences and the arts in addition to conventional methods. HOT Schools integrate the arts across disciplines, creating arts-rich environments that motivate students to make connections between and among subject areas and ideas.

For all of the HOT Blocks at our school, the music, art and physical education teachers plan lessons with classroom teachers based on what the students are learning in both classrooms. This way, our arts integration HOT Blocks promote deep learning of subject matter, higher order thinking, creativity and learning through multiple intelligences. Students benefit by learning across the curriculum through the arts.

My colleague Kelly and I planned this second grade HOT Block around what the students were learning at that time of the year: poetry in language arts and nutrition in science. During our planning of the HOT Block unit, I discovered that they were learning about the parts of a poem, different types of poems, and reading and writing poems with different tone and mood. In science, the students were studying proper nutrition, understanding the five food groups and creating balanced meals. We decided to combine all of these with art and technology for our unit: students would create a fruit or vegetable puppet of their choice, write a poem from the perspective of the fruit or vegetable, and finally, practice the poem and make it "come alive" on video.

This post was originally posted to Education Closet, June 2015.