January 2003
General | Grades K-2 | Grades 3-5 | Grades 6-8 | Grades 9-12
Happy New Year! Welcome to new subscribers.
We are getting more secondary teachers and administrators joining our
ranks. We hope the resources on our TEAMS site will help you in working
with administrators, parents, and students of all ages, from early childhood
through high school. I continue to add new resources daily to our TEAMS
pages, and make every effort to correct broken links. If you have a favorite
Website that is not on our pages, please let me know. Also, if you find
broken links, your input would be greatly appreciated.
Here are this month's finds:
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Administrators
CAPA
The Special Education Division of the California Department of Education
provides assistance for administering the California Alternate Performance
Assessment. The CAPA is for students with severe disabilities who are
not able to participate in the regular STAR program, even with accommodations
or modifications.
http://www.cde.ca.gov/spbranch/sed/capa/asesmnt.htm
Educating Latinos
This 5-part NPR special report considers the challenges in educating Latinos-
the largest-growing minority group in the United States. Recent test scores
show Latinos lagging behind academically.
http://www.npr.org/programs/atc/features/2002/nov/educating_latinos/series.html
e-School News Third Annual Tech-Savvy Superintendent Awards
Read the accomplishments of ten of the nation's top K-12 leaders who are
being awarded Tech-Savvy Superintendent Awards, made possible by Gateway,
Inc.
http://www.eschoolnews.com/resources/reports/superintendentawards/esnjan03super.pdf
Highly Qualified Teachers and Paraprofessionals
PowerPoint slide show discussing teacher quality as it relates to the
No Child Left Behind Act of 2002. Presented by the U.S. Dept. of Education.
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/SASA/hqt/index.html
How is My Child Doing in School?
Ronald Dietel provides ten research-based ways to help parents evaluate
their child's progress. Originally published in the National PTA's Our
Children Magazine.
http://www.cse.ucla.edu/CRESST/Files/dietel501pta.pdf
Making Sense of the "Public" in Public Education
Frederick Hess shares his views concerning the importance of educating
all children whether through conventional district-run schools, charter
schooling, school vouchers, tuition tax credits, for-profit operators,
public-school choice, or home schooling. He strives to clarify the purposes
of public education.
http://www.ppionline.org/ppi_ci.cfm?knlgAreaID=110&subsecid=134&contentid=251034
Missing: Top Staff in Bottom Schools
School Administrator Web Edition article by Cynthia D. Prince suggests
ways to get top teachers to teach the lowest achieving students and cites
the many problems which have occurred across the country in trying to
do just that.
http://www.aasa.org/publications/sa/2002_8/prince.htm
Project-Based Learning
The George Lucas Educational Foundation presents this instructional module
designed for 2 one and a half hour sessions to give teachers a brief introduction
to project-based learning.
http://www.glef.org/PBL/index.html
School Action Kits
The National League of Cities is making available five action kits that
will assist schools to connect with the family and the business community.
The kits are:
Expanding Afterschool Opportunities
http://www.nlc.org/nlc_org/site/files/reports/afterschool.pdf
Promoting Youth Participation
http://www.nlc.org/nlc_org/site/files/reports/promoting.pdf
Improving Public Schools
http://www.nlc.org/nlc_org/site/files/reports/waterfall1.pdf
Helping Working Families
http://www.nlc.org/nlc_org/site/files/reports/helpingworking.pdf
Protecting Children and Youth
http://www.nlc.org/nlc_org/site/files/reports/protecting.pdf
Study: High-Stakes Testing Might Lower Achievement
Are we back-tracking in preparing students to achieve on tests as they
learn to do what they are told rather than to think for themselves? What
price is being paid in preparing students for today's tests? This e-school
News online article presents some food for thought.
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStoryalert.cfm?ArticleID=4178
Supervising Your Child's Homework
Here's a list of homework expectations with parent tips for organizing,
supervising and dealing with absences. The school year is nearly half
over, and parents always have questions dealing with homework.
http://www.mathgoodies.com/articles/homework_tips.shtm
Teen Depression: Prevention, Detection, and Causes
It's time to review the detection, treatment, and prevention of teen stress,
depression, and suicide.
http://www.teen-depression.info/
General
Calculate Day of the Week
Take any given date and calculate the correct day of the week.
http://www.albion.edu/english/calendar/weekday.htm
Character Education
Free resources from GoodCharacter.com including K-12 teaching materials,
ideas for student community involvement, service learning, character in
sports, and character education organizations.
http://www.GoodCharacter.com/
CyberSurfari Winter Internet Treasure Hunt
Described in last month's Cyberscoop, the next treasure hunt launches
January 17th, so sign up to play now.
http://www.cybersurfari.org/index.cfm
Finding Common Ground
Guide to finding the balance of First Amendment religious liberty in public
schools.
http://www.freedomforum.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=3979
Food Safety Website
North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service at North Carolina State University
provides information and education on food safety.
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/foodsci/agentinfo/
Industrious Clock
Watch the passage of time written out for the year, month, day, hour,
minute, and second. Created by Yugo Nakamura.
http://www.yugop.com/ver3/stuff/03/fla.html
In Her Own Words
Primary documents important to women's history.
http://search.eb.com/women/ind_documents.html
Kidzmusic.com
The John Wood Revue helps parents and teachers find the best in children's
music with reviews, biographical info about musicians, NAPPA awards, and
valuable tips and experiences shared by experts in children's music.
http://www.kidzmusic.net/
Lessons Tailored to fit the Learner, not Vice-Versa
Individual Educational Plans for every student? You bet! Learn how one
school meets the needs of all learners by bringing student, parent, and
teacher together to set goals.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/education/134593043_edplan10m0.html
Lewis & Clark
Interactive Journey log of the expedition of Lewis and Clark to find a
water route across North America and to explore the uncharted West.
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/lewisandclark/
Math Games
FunBrain brings you math games appropriate for students at all grade levels.
http://www5.funbrain.com/cgi-bin/getskill_s.cgi?A1=selects&A2=math&A4=4&A7=4
Ocean Surface Topography from Space
JPL researchers provide lots of interesting facts for students, their
teachers, and parents about ocean currents, El Nino, marine wildlife,
and water making up the world's oceans based on data collected from space
satellites.
http://topex-www.jpl.nasa.gov/
The Nose Knows
Learn about the olfactory system of the human body. Comes with lesson
plans, experiments, and an interactive quiz as well as links to animated
resources.
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/nosek.html
Our Documents
A collection of milestone documents that have shaped U.S. history. Watch
for new additions each week.
http://www.ourdocuments.gov/
Personal Education Press
Create flashcards, games, bingo boards, study sheets, word scrambles,
or quizzes.
http://www.educationalpress.org/educationalpress/
Science Master Learning Galleries
Fascinating photographs and images from the storms clouds above to the
starfish below. There is much to be learned while exploring the scientific
world.
http://www.monkeytime.com/sciencemaster/galleries/galleries.php
The Science of Cooking
The Exploratorium presents recipes, experiments, activities, and Webcasts
to understand the science behind cooking and food.
http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/index.html
Kilauea Volcano
Kilauea Volcano on Hawaii's Big Island has been erupting for 20 years.
The eruption has covered 189 buildings and around 8 miles of highway and
added 544 acres to the island's southern shore.
http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/kilauea/update/
Try Science
Have fun with science by doing a few experiments, go on a virtual field
trip, visit science centers all over the world, watch live web cams of
butterflies, swamps, dinosaur digs, and mountaintops, and participate
in current surveys.
http://www.TryScience.org/
Turtle Puddle!
All about turtles- American turtles and exotic turtles, their care, health,
pond habitats, and more.
http://www.turtlepuddle.org/
USGS to Embark with Lewis and Clark
On January 14-18, 2003, the USGS joins many partners at the opening ceremonies
of a 3-year celebration – the bicentennial commemoration of the
Lewis and Clark expedition.
http://nd.water.usgs.gov/lewisandclark/
Grades K-2
First Grade Skills
Internet4Classrooms provides links to many learning activities to help
first grade skill development in language arts and mathematics.
http://www.internet4classrooms.com/skills_1st.htm
Hiyah Library
Read aloud stories for children with a featured story of the week, and
archived favorites from the past.
http://www.hiyah.com/library/
Kindergarten+
Susan Brooks has been looking for sites for primary teachers ever since
they exclaimed that the Internet had nothing for young children. This
site is a wealth of information with links for thematic lesson plans,
activities, free newsletters and discussion groups, tips for phonics instruction,
stories, writing practice, arts, crafts, music, and more from Internet4Classrooms.
http://www.internet4classrooms.com/kindergarten_links.htm
ShillerMath
Find free practice sheets, diagnostic tests, math crafts and activities
for young children.
http://www.shillermath.com/activitypdfs.php?sessid=d83a2d143a0c3736358a9421e5017c92
Second Grade Skills
Internet4Classrooms provides links to many learning activities to help
second grade skill development in language arts and mathematics.
http://www.internet4classrooms.com/skills_2nd.htm
Suggestions for Kindergarten Literacy and Math
Lots of skill practice in these center time activities listed for each
month.
http://www.internet4classrooms.com/month2month.htm
Tracing Paper for Writing Practice
Help students practice writing their name. Type in words and the program
will give you an entire page of practice dotted line letters for the words
you chose.
http://www.creative-entropy.com/spelling.html
Grades 3-5
3rd Grade Skills
Internet4Classrooms provides links to many learning activities to help
third grade skill development in language arts and mathematics.
http://www.internet4classrooms.com/skills_3rd.htm
4th Grade Skills
Internet4Classrooms provides links to many learning activities to help
fourth grade skill development in language arts and mathematics.
http://www.internet4classrooms.com/skills_4th.htm
5th Grade Skills
Internet4Classrooms provides links to many learning activities to help
fifth grade skill development in language arts and mathematics.
http://www.internet4classrooms.com/skills_5th.htm
Fin, Fur, and Feather Bureau of Investigation
FFFBI provides numerous interactive mysteries imbedded with explorations
along the way. The investigations are determined by student choices with
as many as16 outcomes. Meet the field agents who are also working toward
"Truth and Justice", work on the Mission of the Month, or peruse
the monthly newsletter of puzzles, stories, and thinking games.
http://www.fffbi.com/
H.I.P. Pocket Change
The U.S. Mint's site for kids includes lesson plans, coin news, time machine,
games, cartoons, and more.
http://usmint.gov/kids/index.cfm?flash=yes
How to Make a Butterfly Garden
Information about butterflies and the types of flowers, fruits, and vegetables
that attract them.
http://www.uky.edu/Agriculture/Entomology/entfacts/misc/ef006.htm
Liberty Science Center
Numerous online exhibits including Adventure in Antarctica, Biobot Builder,
Brain Power, Burps, Farts, and Snots, Deep-Sea Science, Science Behind
Tobacco, Roach World, Wind Assessment, Wattsup with Electricity, and more.
http://www.lsc.org/online_science/online_science.html
NCTM Elementary School Mathematics
Check out the highlight of the month, numerous lesson plans, conference
and grant information for those teaching elementary school mathematics.
http://www.nctm.org/elementary/
TryScience
TryScience joins 400 science centers from around the world to invite you
to investigate, explore, and discover science through technology.
http://tryscience.org/home.html
Word Problems
Students often need help deciphering word problem math challenges. Here
are practice problems from Quia which provide instant instructor feedback.
http://www.quia.com/tq/149171.html
Grades 6-8
Cleopatra
A multimedia guide to the ancient worlds of Egypt, Greece, and Italy.
http://www.artic.edu/cleo/index.html
Descendants of the Incas
Explore the inhabitants of Chinchero, near Cusco in Peru, where the native
peoples strive to help preserve the Inca traditions of their ancestors.
Discover Inca ruins today and see how they give us a clue to the Inca
way of life. Find out about the Inca traditional weavings and see how
they affect the culture today.
http://www.incas.org/
English for Everybody
Free language courses, free EFL practice exam, and free reading practice
at different levels, as well as online English language games.
http://www.english-online.org.uk/
How to Extract DNA from Anything Living
The Genetic Science Learning Center at the University of Utah provides
this experiment enabling students to extract DNA from green split peas
using detergent, meat tenderizer, and rubbing alcohol.
http://gslc.genetics.utah.edu/units/activities/extraction/
Internet Scavenger Hunts
Search projects in many thematic and curricular areas that help students
learn to navigate the Internet.
http://homepage.mac.com/cohora/ext/internethunts.html
Math Tutorials
Designed for Algebra I, choose from an indexed list of explanations and
examples, interactive quizzes and drills, and tutorial movies all designed
to help Algebra I students.
http://www.bonita.k12.ca.us/schools/ramona/teachers/carlton/tutorials.html
NCTM Middle School Mathematics
Includes lesson plans, conference, and grant information.
http://www.nctm.org/middle/
Resources for Roman Art and Archaeology
Includes links to teaching resources, archaeological field projects, journals,
and museum collections. Also includes links to other ancient civilizations.
http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~ekondrat/rome.html
WebMonkey for Kids
Lessons to help students learn HTML, web design, image creation, and more.
http://hotwired.lycos.com/webmonkey/kids/
Grades 9-12
Documenting the American South
Includes first-person narratives of the American South, slave narratives,
and historical experiences in over 1200 books and manuscripts. This collection
is part of the Academic Affairs Library at the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill.
http://docsouth.unc.edu/
Geometry Mathematical Links
Bruno Kevius has compiled an extensive list of Internet resources geared
toward high school and college geometry courses.
http://www.abc.se/~m9847/matre/geometr.html
The Great Debate and Beyond
The History of televised debates from the Kennedy/ Nixon debate in 1960
through to the 1996 presidential debates.
http://www.museum.tv/debateweb/html/index.htm
NCTM High School Mathematics
Discover the Highlight of the Month, find out about the world's largest
math event, upcoming conferences and available grants.
http://www.nctm.org/high/
The Plays of William Shakespeare
TeachersFirst provides helpful links on Shakespeare including lesson plans,
historical contexts, soliloquy, full-text collections, and ideas for teaching
Shakespeare to ELL students.
http://www.teachersfirst.com/shakespr.shtml
Through the Lens of Time
Nearly 300 images of African Americans from the Cook Collection of Photographs
taken from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth centuries.
http://www.library.vcu.edu/jbc/speccoll/cook/
The Walter Johnson High School Media Center
An example of a well-developed high school media site with helpful links
for all.
http://www3.mcps.k12.md.us/schools/wjhs/mediactr/
CyberScoop Archive Page
TEAMS Support Page
Electronic Hallway