April 2003
Administrators | General | Grades K-2 | Grades 3-5 | Grades 6-8 | Grades 9-12
Monthly Newsletter from TEAMS Distance Learning and MathStar
Happy Spring!! Many classes are getting ready for testing, whether it's AP exams, SAT9 tests, or kindergarten placement profiles. While the war in Iraq dominates the headlines and our thoughts, it is a good time to get students outside to appreciate little gifts- a breath of fresh air, the wonder of plant growth, a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis, and other treasures of the natural world.
When so much is happening in world news that is out of children's control,
help students see that they can make a difference in the life of someone
else. Guide them to create a special homemade gift for someone, help a
younger child learn math facts, or give a handwritten note of appreciation
to a member of the custodial staff. Children need to see that they can
give a helping hand in service to others, bringing changes for good in
the lives of those around them. Helping others is learned, and educators
can help teach children about the importance of lifting others and making
their day with a smile of kindness and encouragement.
I have added several new sections to our TEAMS pages,
so here they are with a brief description of each:
Current & Seasonal Events has a new section called "Numerous
'Of the Day' Links":
This section contains daily/ weekly items of interest to students such
as earth science photo of the day, astronomy picture of the day, pet of
the day, daily vocabulary, quotes, idioms, and phrases, daily math problems,
spelling quizzes, and more. Because items change daily or weekly, these
are great sites to encourage students to check regularly.
/documentation/places/seasonal.html#oftheday
Under Library/ Media Specialists, find a new section
called "Information Literacy Competency":
Librarians stress the importance of students learning where and how to
access needed information. At this site you will find resources to help
you teach information literacy, how to locate information, how to evaluate
what is found, and how to present what is discovered and learned.
/documentation/places/libmedia.html#infocomp
The Reference section now has an added component for
students: Homework Help:
Here are resources with tutorials, facts, experiments, explorations, ask
the experts, reference referrals, and places to go to get help when students
and parents are stumped trying to complete projects or research information.
/documentation/places/libraries.html#homework
In News and Newspapers, I have added resources on the War in Iraq, as
this is history-in-the-making:
/documentation/news/news.html#Iraq
In addition to general news there are links to background information
about the war including weapons inspections, a link to coalition members,
and resources giving tips on how to talk to children about war and how
to help them cope with terrorism and trauma. Younger children may find
the article on Animals Helping in the War to be of particular interest.
I am currently working on a new section of resources on handheld computer
technology as there are resources coming out everyday to help teachers
improve student learning. Keep your eyes and ears open for grant opportunities
as many of the software programs for handhelds are free and easy to use
with students. Watch for this new section to appear under Technology and
Learning next month.
Keep your suggestions coming. I want to make life easier for you to access and use technology with your students. I appreciate those of you who let me know what you would like to see on our TEAMS pages.
Please be sure to check the schedule for TAPPED IN after
school real-time discussions. These are free and often include world-reknown
discussion leaders. There is a wide variety of topics scheduled to interest
everyone, and lots of helpers to get you where you need to be. With so
many educational resources requiring subscription costs these days, you
really should try to take advantage of this wonderful free resource (and
it might help your technology skills improve!)
http://www.tappedin.org/cgi-bin/calendar/calendar.cgi
Don't forget to explore our main TEAMS Distance Learning
site, as new resources are being added on a regular basis.
http://teams.lacoe.edu
There are great resources to be found in MathStar:
http://mathstar.lacoe.edu/
Check out great teraching resources at TEAMS Teaching
Circles:
http://teachingcircles.lacoe.edu/
Also, you might be interested in some online courses offered
through TeachStar Online Academy:
http://teachstaracademy.lacoe.edu
April is:
Poetry Month:
/documentation/places/language.html#poetry
Math Awareness Month
http://mathforum.org/mam/03/
School Media Library Month:
https://cs.ala.org/@yourlibrary/about.cfm
Education for All Week: April 6-13
Be sure to check out the "All for Girl's Education" plan to
break a world record on Wednesday, April 9th!
http://portal.unesco.org/education/ev.php?URL_ID=13229&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201
Arbor Day
http://www.usis.usemb.se/Holidays/celebrate/arborday.html
Earth Day
http://www.earthday.net/
April has a number of other events and religious holidays:
/documentation/places/seasonal.html#apr
Administrators
Closing the Equity Gap in Technology Access and use:
A Practical Guide for K-12 Educators
Includes issues and intervention strategies to help ensure equity in educational
technology. Also includes tips to plan for equity reform when needed.
http://www.netc.org/equity/
EdvanceNet
Provides resources to administrators and school leaders to keep them informed
of educational technology trends and advancements.
http://www.edvancenet.org/
The Effect of Computers on Student Writing: What the Research Tells
Us
This current Research Brief looks at word processors and how they affect
the quality and quantity of student writing.
http://www.ascd.org/publications/researchbrief/index.html
The Knowledge Loom
Find best practices and spotlights of recent educational topics of interest
at this site developed by the Northeast & Islands Regional Educational
Laboratory at Brown University.
http://knowledgeloom.org/index.jsp
Learning with Technology Profile Tool
This 30-minute online tool will help teachers evaluate their current instructional
practices. When finished, responses can be graphed for evaluation and
comparison with instructional goals.
http://www.ncrtec.org/capacity/profile/profwww.htm
Principals' Executive Program
The University of North Carolina's Center for School Leadership provides
relevant and current professional development for school administrators.
http://www.ga.unc.edu/pep/index.html
Taking a Stand on Testing
Marc Fisher of the Washington Post presents this article over the controversy
of high-stakes testing. Many parents are actually keeping their children
home on days of state-mandated tests as a form of protest over the way
test preparation has taken its toll on essential and creative curriculum.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21785-2003Mar24.html
The Untolerated
What happens to those "good kids" who try out a spoof only to
have it smack them in the face with a "zero tolerance" policy
suspension? This article also includes some ideas to help students with
test anxiety.
http://www.nea.org/neatoday/0304/learning.html
Web Sites for Administrators
From Teachers Connect, here are resources you might find helpful.
http://www.teachers-connect.net/misc/Connect/adminweb.htm
General
Africans in America
Companion Site to PBS documentary containing 4 eras: "The Terrible
Transformation". "Revolution", "Brotherly Love",
and "" Judgment Day" from 1450 through 1865. Each era contains
a detailed historical narrative, a resource bank of images, documents,
stories, biographies and commentaries, and a teacher's guide.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/home.html
Assessment and Accountability
Main portal for all California programs
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ac/
PBS broadcast scheduled to air April 14-17, 2003 with journalist host,
Walter Cronkite.
This series examines the threats
posed by nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons, and the connections
between terrorists and these weapons. Site includes teacher lesson plans
and resource information.
http://www.pbs.org/avoidingarmageddon/
Composting in Schools
Cornell composting presents ideas for composting in the classroom with
lessons for students in grades K-12.
http://www.cfe.cornell.edu/compost/schools.html
Connected to the Future
What is the growth trend regarding computer use by children? This report
from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting provides a look at the growth
of Internet use between 2000 and 2002.
http://www.cpb.org/pdfs/ed/resources/connected/03_connect_report.pdf
The Flash Mind Reader
Let students have some fun and then see if they can figure out this mathematical
mind-reading puzzle.
http://mr-31238.mr.valuehost.co.uk/assets/Flash/psychic.swf
Flight History
Aviation history with stories, photographs, plane details and facts, as
well as links to aviation museums.
http://www.flight-history.com/
International Children's Digital Library
Find hundreds of digitized books with the entire text readable online.
Many languages and cultures are represented in this collection.
http://www.icdlbooks.org/
Librarians Index to the Internet
A wealth of Internet resources indexed by topics and themes. You librarians
and media/ technology people may wish to sign up for their free newsletter.
Don't forget National Library Week scheduled April 6th - 12th.
http://lii.org/search?basic_search=1
National Library Week and School Library Media month
April 6-12 is National Library Week, and April is School Library Media
month. This site offers tips and ideas for celebrating literacy and books
all month long.
http://www.ala.org/pio/factsheets/NLW.html
No Child Left Behind Resources
Here are links to help you understand what you need to know regarding
the No Child Left Behind Act of January, 2002.
http://www.rbs.org/currents/0602/nclb_resources.shtml
The Poem Zone
Students' poetry is published at this site. Information is included to
for you to submit your own poetry for publication.
http://www.kidscreationzone.org/ThePoemZone/Poems.html
The Puzzle Spot
Sally Quinn presents this site for those who love logic puzzles. It also
includes a number of other puzzles you may enjoy including wordies, optical
illusions and more.
http://www.norfacad.pvt.k12.va.us/puzzles/sallys.htm
Rainbow Horizons Publishing
Lesson plans for K-8 classrooms available for a small fee. There is a
free unit available to download as well as daily links for puzzles and
cartoons.
http://rainbowhorizons.com/index.html
School Notes
Free site for teachers to post homework or class information for ready
access by parents and students. Accessible through school ZIP code.
http://www.schoolnotes.com/
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)
The United States Center for Disease Control presents this information
page concerning the recent outbreak of this serious respiratory infection.
It has caused illness and death in various parts of the world, primarily
in Asia.
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/
Study Reveals Shifts in the Digital Divide For Students
This eSchool News article by Corey Murray reports on recent findings between
students who regularly use the computer and those who do not.
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=4309
Teacher Web
Resource for teacher Web sites to post class notes, homework assignments,
school information and more. There is a monthly or annual fee for this
service.
http://www.teacherweb.com/
Thirteen Ed Online
WNET New York Educational Broadcasting Corporation site contains sections
for educators, students, and parents with lesson plans, activities, and
companion sites for TV broadcasts.
http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/
Ultimate Portal for Educators
Contains content area recommendations, teacher Internet sites, Multimedia
links, search engines, Web page design resources, and copyright information.
http://www.teachers-connect.net/edres/portal.htm
Using Handhelds in the Classroom
Sixth grade students and teachers at West Hills Middle School in Michigan
explain the many ways they use Palm handheld computers with numerous software
programs designed for the Palm to complete assignments throughout the
school day.
http://www.bloomfield.org/westhills/images/handhelds.mov
Grades K-2
EduPuppy
Site includes lots of resources for early childhood educators including
lessons, reproducibles, clipart, literature, library-media ideas, standards
and assessments, holidays, games, and lots more.
http://www.edupuppy.com/
First School
Site contains printable alphabet worksheets, animal crafts, coloring activities,
nursery rhymes, homemade toys, music, and more.
http://www.first-school.ws/
Helpful Hints for Earth Day
This first grade class has created a book to share, a list of fun things
to do, a quiz, recycling lessons, and ideas for healing the Earth.
http://www2.lhric.org/pocantico/earthday/earthday.htm
K-2 Resources
Resources in all curricular areas to help you integrate technology into
your daily program.
http://integratingtheinternet.com/index/primary1.html
Kid's Page Archive
Free printable worksheets in all subject areas including math, English,
geography, history, science, and more. Also includes reading tips, book
reviews, spelling words, and book reviews.
http://tlsbooks.com/kidspagearchive.htm
top
Grades 3-5
Bug Medicine
Long ago, maggots used to clean the wounds of soldiers injured in war.
That may sound gross to us today, but experiments show that there may
be reason to use such a remedy.
http://www.riverdeep.net/current/2002/03/030402_bugmedicine.jhtml
Fourth Grade Resources
Second Street Elementary in Mississippi has created and compiled these
resources for a fourth grade curriculum including English, spelling, math,
science, history, and more.
http://www.ametro.net/~teachers/fourth_grade.htm
Ology
The American Museum of Natural History offers this resource for all students
interested in "ologies" in science: from arachnology to volcanology
and everything in between.
http://www.ology.amnh.org/
Planet 5th
Take a look at what Mr. Vincent's 4th and 5th graders have been doing-
especially what they accomplish using their handheld computers.
http://www.mpsomaha.org/willow/p5/index.html
Saturn Observation Campaign
Participate in many ways through activities, model-building to scale,
converse with an amateur astronomer waiting to answer your questions,
and more.
http://soc.jpl.nasa.gov/educators.cfm
The Story Zone
Students from around the world publish stories here to share with you.
http://www.kidscreationzone.org/TheStoryZone/Stories.html
Virtual Laboratory
From European Brain Awareness Day, this site contains a color blindness
test, blindspot test, optical illusions and IQ tests.
http://www.umds.ac.uk/physiology/daveb/brainday/index.html
Worker Bee
Check out this worker honeybee. Roll over each section to explore each
body part, both inside and outside.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/alienempire/multimedia/bee.html
Grades 6-8
The Birth of the Early Middle Ages
Participate in a series of Quests as a "Knowledge Knight" to
learn more about the early Medieval period in this WebQuest.
http://www.milton.k12.vt.us/WebQuests/SChristensen/webquest-middle_ages.htm
Human Vision and Color Perception
Molecular Expressions presents an explanation, illustration, and applet
showing how the human eye perceives color, size and shape.
http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/optics/lightandcolor/vision.html
Incredible Art Department Middle School Art lessons
Creative art lessons for middle school students with detailed explanations
and illustrations included.
http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/middle/middlelessons.html
Middle Start
A comprehensive school reform model for middle schools, Middle Start outlines
exactly what needs to be looked at in a self-study, how to set up small
learning communities within a school, and how to improve student learning
and achievement.
http://www.middlestart.org/model.htm#principles
Mrs. Carlton's Algebra I
Fun math site for middle school students with lots of algebra help, including
practice problems, tips, interactive tutorials, quizzes and drills, tutorial
movies, algebra history, and more with a little humor from Mrs. Carlton.
http://www.bonita.k12.ca.us/schools/ramona/teachers/carlton/index.html
The Smoking Handbook
Created by the middle school students at EastChester Middle School, this
guide explains about tobacco and nicotine, why people smoke, the consequences
of smoking, methods of quitting, the dangers of second-hand smoke, as
well as facts about teenage smokers.
http://www.westnet.com/~rickd/smoke/smoke1.html
SunTimes Global Sun Temperature Project
Students will work to discover how proximity to the equator affects the
average daily temperature and hours of sunlight. Project is open until
May 9th.
http://www.k12science.org/curriculum/tempproj3/en/index.shtml
Terrific Math Web Sites just for Middle School Students
Eastchester Middle School has compiled their favorite math sites for algebra,
math applications, arithmetic, calculators, competitions, geometry, math
history, measurement, number, pre-algebra, probability, puzzles, recreational
math, references, the stock market, and word problems- all for middle
school students and teachers.
http://www.westnet.com/~rickd/kids/math.html
Grades 9-12
Current Topics for Research
The Kingwood College Library Online provides these resources for topics
currently in the news and of interest to older students.
http://www.nhmccd.edu/contracts/lrc/kc/hot-topics.html
High School Math Science Lesson Plans
The Science Teachers Enhancement Model offers these motivational lessons
for high school students.
http://www.nyu.edu/projects/mstep/highscho.html
Incredible Art Department High School Lessons
Some excellent projects are explained in detail for any high school art
teacher who may need some new ideas.
http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/high/highlessons.html
Life After Graduation
What do you want to be when you grow up? This WebQuest takes you through
the process of choosing a career, from job description to resume to reference
letters to evaluations. You will learn what it takes to apply for a desired
career.
http://www.Milton.k12.vt.us/WebQuests/JDavidman/this%20is%20your%20life.htm
MoneyQuest
WebQuest helping students discover how time and rate of interest can affect
how much money will be available to meet specific needs for the future.
http://www.Milton.k12.vt.us/WebQuests/LDanielchyzk/MoneyQuest.htm
Practical Physics Lessons
Fun ideas for presenting physics concepts to high school students and
adults who want to learn more. These are not flashy Web sites, but definitely
entertaining lessons.
http://mb-soft.com/public/phys0.html
CyberScoop Archive Page
TEAMS Support Page
Electronic Hallway