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IMatrix: A Key to Unlock the Common Core
 By now, you've seen the Common Core. You're excited by the promise it holds for students, but the thought of reworking all your lesson plans to incorporate "rigor," "text complexity," "literacy across the curriculum," and more is keeping you up at night. Where do you start?
You start with INFOhio's IMatrix, imatrix.infohio.org. The IMatrix, pictured above, helps you align inquiry-based instruction with skills embedded within the content standards of the four core curriculum areas: English/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. It lets you easily see how skills are scaffolded from grade to grade, make connections across subject areas, and find resources to use in the classroom.
The Dimensions of Inquiry is the unifying instructional model that is common to all four content areas. These include:
- Questioning
- Locating Information
- Evaluating Information
- Applying Information
- Sharing Knowledge
- Reflecting on Learning
Instructional specialists from the Hamilton County Educational Service Center and INFOhio, who developed IMatrix, combed through the Common Core Standards for English Language Arts and Mathematics and Ohio's Model Curricula for Social Studies and Science and noted every one that addressed inquiry.
"That was a time consuming task," said Gayle Geitgey, INFOhio Instructional Specialist who led the project. "But it was well worth the effort. Reviewing every standard let us see the connections across subject areas. In fact, it's remarkable how similar some of the standards are between mathematics and social studies, for example."
The IMatrix oganizes the results by grade, subject, and Dimension of Inquiry. You can search on any one of those elements or by standard if you know it.
For example, a 7th grade science teacher who is concerned that his students need more practice evaluating information, can click "7th grade," "Science," and "Evaluating Information" on the search screen. IMatrix returns every applicable standard along with dozens of websites, articles, lesson plans, and activities that he can use to help his students.
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IMatrix Search Screen
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Right now, the IMatrix is complete for 6th - 8th grade. The remaining grade levels will be added over this next year.
To learn more about IMatrix, go to the IMatrix Guide available on the IMatrix site. You can also listen to the archived webinar Common Core Tools You Can Use from INFOhio. It lasts an hour, and you can take a short quiz to earn a Certificate of Attendance.
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Free October Webinars
If you need to earn a CEU or just want to learn something new, log in to one of INFOhio's upcoming webinars in September.
- October 4--Research Curriculum Gymnastics: TRAILS as a Springboard to a FLIP (Freshman Level Interest Project)
- October 25--Blended Learning Tools from INFOhio to Power-Up Your Students for Success!
All sessions are 3:30-4:30 p.m. EDT. If that time is inconvenient, all webinars are archived for later viewing, and you can still earn a certificate of attendance for CEU credit by answering a few questions afterward.
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eTech's New Technology Coordinator Symposium - October 17
Register now for eTech Ohio's New Technology Coordinator Symposium October 17 in Pickerington. Technology coordinators who have been with their district for two years or less are invited to learn about the organizations that support and comprise the state's educational system. Attendees will also hear from a panel of fellow technology coordinators who were once new to the job-and learn what worked for them. |
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INFOhio Insider Tip
October is National Information Literacy Awareness Month. Information literate people know how to find, access, and evaluate information to improve their health, their environment, their education and workplace performance. INFOhio offers many tools to ensure Ohio students are information literate. The Discovery Portal and GO! Ask, Act, Achieve! are great places to start.
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