Newsletter — July 2022
Featured Lesson Plan
Pause & Think Online — How can we be safe, responsible, and respectful online?
Ratings and Reviews
Codesters — Differentiated text-based coding makes for truly authentic experiences.
Twig Create — Teach, learn, and create with all-in-one video platform

Professional Development
Professional Development — Find the professional development format and time commitment that works for you! We offer free live events, interactive workshops, and self-paced training with practical takeaways and ready-to-implement teaching strategies.
Articles For Teachers
Supporting LGBTQ+ Students in the Classroom and Online — Help all students build digital citizenship skills for more inclusive, positive, and safer schools.
How to Find Learning Opportunities in Video Games Kids and Teens Love — Resources to help you unlock the learning potential in popular games.
Resources for Teachers
Young Kids & Screens — Use this toolkit to help families nurture young children’s development in the digital age.
Teacher Appreciation Week — We’ve created these handy teacher appreciation templates in Canva that you can use to shout out any teacher who deserves it. Share your graphic on social media! Use the hashtag #ThankATeacher and tag us @CommonSenseEd.
Top Picks Lists
Games for Building Critical-Thinking Skills — Treat your students to these terrific, fun critical thinking games and watch how they develop thinking skills and more complex understandings of the world.
Best U.S. History Websites for Students — Humanize history by getting students to unearth the real remains — from the mundane to the magnificent — of United States history. By curating and contextualizing text, audio, and images, these websites aim for accessibility, giving students tons of content likely to touch on topics they care about.
Videos
Keeping Games Fun and Friendly — How can I be positive and have fun while playing online games, and help others do the same?
Using Games in the Classroom — Every game has potential for learning! Consider the educational value in some of the more popular, entertainment-focused games that your students (and you!) already enjoy at home.
Parent & Caregiver Corner
Parents’ Guide to Podcasts — Everything you need to know to download, stream, and listen to this trending — and gloriously screen-free — form of entertainment.
Kids’ Mental Health Apps and Websites for Anxiety, Depression, Coping Skills, and Professional Support — Apps, sites, and text hotlines help kids cope with issues from stress to suicide.
Do you need help paying for internet? — New federal program offers $30 a month to eligible homes for internet service. See if your home qualifies.
Guía para padres sobre los pódcast — Todo lo que necesitas saber para descargar, reproducir en línea y escuchar esta popular forma de entretenimiento que, además, tiene la gran ventaja de ser una actividad sin pantallas.
Aplicaciones y sitios web de salud mental para niños, que les ayudarán a lidiar con la ansiedad y la depresión, aumentar su capacidad de adaptación y conseguir ayuda — Existen aplicaciones, sitios web y líneas de atención a través de mensajes de texto, que ayudan a los niños a lidiar con problemas que van desde el estrés hasta el suicidio.
¿Necesitas ayuda para pagar el Internet? — Un nuevo programa federal ofrece hasta 30 dólares al mes para el servicio de Internet.