Easy Ways to Integrate the Arts Into Your Curriculum
Arts Integration: An Essential Component of Education The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts defines arts integration as “an approach to teaching in which students construct and demonstrate Read More →
Visit us at ISTE 2016!
You can find us at booth #3537. Come check out Benchmark Education’s latest digital (and print) products, or join us for a free demonstration of our interactive learning portal, Read More →
Check out the Benchmark Universe Quick Start Guide!
Calling all Benchmark Universe users! We’ve created a Quick Start Guide. While it will come in handy for new BU users especially, seasoned pros will also benefit from its easy Read More →
How to Prepare Your Students for College
A New World of Technology—in Classrooms, Around the Globe The clock is ticking. Everyone, from Kindergarten teachers to high school teachers, hears it—loud and clear. In this era of Read More →
Get involved in Earth Day 2016!
“… We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” – Ancient Native American Proverb Earth Day is becoming more and more important Read More →
Celebrate National Poetry Month with Benchmark Education!
“…Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!” Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore.” –The Raven, Edgar Allen Poe The American Academy of Read More →
20 Great Books (and Eposters!) to Celebrate Women’s History Month with Your Students
Benchmark Education Company praises the contributions of women who shaped the world we live in today. Let their courage, commitment to excellence, compassion, and irrepressible drive inspire your students to Read More →
How to Build a Collaborative Learning Community Within Your Classroom
What’s a collaborative learning community? We hear about them all the time—in fact, we’ve probably heard the term so often that it has lost some of its potency. However, the Read More →
BENCHMARK UNIVERSE PRO TIP: How to Get Started with Benchmark Universe Quickly & Easily
If you’re new to using BU, here are three essential features that are quick to master and easy to utilize in your daily lessons. Create Bookshelves The Bookshelf is Read More →
How to Create an Interactive Lesson Template You’ll Use Again & Again
Inspiration for technology integration comes from many diverse places: a great app suggested by your colleague, a student who shows you a favorite site, the blogs you read, online versions Read More →
Discover the Benefits of Professional Development in Your Classroom
Now, we bring you a tale of four districts: all four used the same brand new, core literacy program. One school raised its achievement by 8% overall, while the other Read More →
Meet Us at FETC 2016 – Booth 844!
This week, Benchmark Education Company will be one of hundreds of exhibitors at this year’s Future of Education Technology Conference, or FETC. It’s one of the largest technology- and education-focused Read More →
The Essentials of Benchmark Universe- for Benchmark Literacy Users
Calling all Benchmark Literacy digital users— you asked for it, and we responded! Our professional development team created a 35-minute video training session that covers all the basics of using Read More →
Why Students Are Better Prepared for Learning When Teachers Use Digital Tools in Their Instruction
Ever walk into a classroom: zero energy, apathetic students, slumped over, eyes glazed? Let’s face it, as educators, we’ve all had our days. Students’ Brains are Wired for Technology Read More →
The ACT Now! Backstory: How a Major Breakthrough Led to Award-Winning Close Reading Materials
Think of just about any narrative text you’ve read. There is a backstory—the parts the author didn’t tell you directly, but that you can assume based on what you’ve been Read More →
ACT Now! – A Reversible Poem
ACTNow! authors Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey have written a reversible poem that describes and demonstrates the learning that takes place with ACT Now. Take a look and learn more Read More →
Good News for School and District Administrators Using Benchmark Universe!
Attention School and District Administrators – You now have your own type of account in Benchmark Universe! If your school or district is subscribed to a digital product from Benchmark Read More →
5 Easy Ways Benchmark Universe Will Help You with Lesson Planning
You can use Benchmark Universe’s interactive portal to quickly build a customized library, seamlessly manage your students and groups, and easily plan your entire curriculum. Here are 5 ways you Read More →
BENCHMARK UNIVERSE PRO TIP: How to Save Time By Reusing Last Year’s Assignments
It’s October, and I bet you are getting back into the swing of things for the school year. You’ve established routines and perhaps you are back to using your e-books, Read More →
BEC Wins Five 2016 Teachers’ Choice Awards!
We are pleased to announce that Benchmark Education Company’s products were selected as winners for the 2016 Teachers’ Choice Awards! The following products were selected: Benchmark Education: ACT Now!: Read More →
5 Reasons to ACT Now!
Here are three educational buzzwords that may be keeping you up at night: Close Reading Accessing Complex Text Collaborative Conversations Let’s analyze your buzzword nightmares a little deeper. Close Reading Read More →
BENCHMARK UNIVERSE PRO TIP: How to Save Time By Reusing Last Year’s Plan
Welcome back, educators! As you start the school year, I bet your to-do list is a mile long. Here at Benchmark Universe HQ, we hope to save you a little Read More →
3 Incredibly Useful Tools for Assessing Your New Students’ Reading Level
It’s an exciting time of year as you meet and greet your new students, and discover their unique personalities, strengths, and interests. But REALLY getting to know who students are Read More →
BACK TO SCHOOL: How to Cater to Students’ Emotional Needs to Create an Engaging Environment
We all know that the first day of school is incredibly challenging for students emotionally— whether they’re starting Kindergarten or eleventh grade. And upset students can’t focus or begin to Read More →
3 Types of Teachers Who Use Benchmark Universe in Their Instruction—Which Group Are You In?
So you use Benchmark Universe, but how integral is the site to your curriculum? Are you a moderate user? Or do you fully rely on BU to organize your lesson Read More →
The Teacher’s Guide to Pinterest
Do you love Pinterest? Are you one of the 70 million-plus users who visit the social media site regularly for your hobbies, scrapbooking—or to remember the items you’d like to Read More →
A Guide to Sharing Your Customized E-Books
Once you’ve designed and customized your e-books or e-posters in Benchmark Universe, it’s time to share your creations. First, decide how you want other teachers and students to view the Read More →
What Really Gets Kids Reading?
To start, I’ll ask you: “What gets you reading?” Choice is Key Just now, you chose to read this post. You saw relevance to your profession, your life, or Read More →
7 Cool Ways to Bring Your Mini-Lessons to Life
Want to create mini-lessons that engage your classroom and promote student participation? Benchmark Universe’s customizable e-posters will educate your students, while allowing them to focus more deeply on the content Read More →
5 Tech-Based Habits You Can Start Implementing in Your Instruction Today
Technology skills are essential in today’s classroom. Here are some handy methods you can use to expand your digital repertoire immediately. A Guest in Your Classroom Build excitement—invite a virtual Read More →
Welcome to the Benchmark Blog!
We are excited to announce the launch of our new company blog. Benchmark Education Company was started in 1998 as a means to help readers of all levels improve their Read More →