November 2002
General | Grades K-2 | Grades 3-5 | Grades 6-8 | Grades 9-12
First I must apologize for not sending an October Cyberscoop newsletter. I was under the weather for awhile due to surgery and then joyfully welcomed a new granddaughter. I appreciated hearing from some of you , and know you'll enjoy the resources in this November issue. Welcome to a number of new subscribers.
Please let me know if you find or use resources that are not already on our TEAMS pages. Many of you are beginning a new quarter, and that sometimes brings new students, new projects, new units, or new beginnings of one sort or another. Time to regroup, refresh, renew resolves, and gear up for the busy holiday season.
I know few of you have the time to leisurely go through
the TEAMS site, so I will highlight a few resources already on our site
at each grade level.
*********************************
Administrators: (Teachers, please pass this section on
to your administrators…)
Did you know that TEAMS has a section for you? It is called
Especially for Administrators and is located at:
/documentation/places/resources.html#administrators
Do you have all the money you need to keep students, teachers, and parents
happily helping kids succeed? Keep abreast of available grants
at:
/documentation/places/grants.html
How about a grant for some handheld computers? Check out this resource:
http://www.k12handhelds.com/grants
Other valuable Educational Information Resources are found at:
/documentation/places/resources.html#ed_agency
Resources for administrators this month:
Accountability and Testing
NEA presents three types of standards, how districts are stuggling to
align classroom practices to meet these standards, and the challenges
which lie ahead in implementing the "No Child Left Behind" Act.
http://www.nea.org/accountability/index.html
Active Learning with Technology
The ALT portfolio is a set of materials and activities designed for educators
to provide professional development to colleagues teaching K-12. Here
are helpful inservice resources, all provided for free online, with the
click of a mouse!
http://www.southcentralrtec.org/alt/alt.html
Get Teachers, Parents on the Same Page
How can teachers get more parental involvement? One observer notes the
efforts of individual teachers in making commitment happen.
http://newsobserver.com/news/story/1848339p-1845219c.html
Good News About Our Public Schools
We all could use more good news…NEA presents the latest facts about
your state's public school news.
http://www.nea.org/goodnews/
Managing Anxiety in Times of Crisis
Resources for helping children and adolescents as they cope with fear
and anxiety. Also includes tips for relief and disaster response workers
and adults, as well as resources in Spanish.
http://www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/cmhs/ChildrenAnxiety/tips.asp
General
General Resources for All:
Do you have any new teachers on staff this year? They might find our popular
section especially for Beginning Teachers to be invaluable:
/documentation/places/newteachers.html
Have you noticed that TEAMS Distance Learning has been one of the top
sites listed in Best on the Web for Teachers at TeAchonology.com? Check
it out at:
http://teachers.teach-nology.com/cgi-bin/bestof/topsites.cgi?teams
Keep up with current events in the news, get help with holiday information,
or find out what happened on this day 100 years ago in our Current
and Seasonal Events page at:
/documentation/places/seasonal.html
Have you been hearing about "Differentiated Instruction", "meeting
individual needs", IEPs, etc.? Find what you need in Diverse
Student Populations:
/documentation/places/diverse.html
Reading comprehension and vocabulary development greatly affect a child's
success in school achievement, How do you help students improve their
reading comprehension? Is vocabulary development an important part of
your teaching strategy? TEAMS has a section devoted to this topic entitled
Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary Development:
/documentation/places/language.html#modes
New Resources for all:
6-Trait Writing
Use this writing model to teach students good writing skills and let them
examine literary works using the same model, including ideas, organization,
voice, word choice, sentence fluency, and conventions.
http://www.kent.k12.wa.us/staff/ljancola/6Trait/6-trait.html
Big6
Help students get started on projects and stay organized by using the
strategies described in the Big6. The problem-solving strategies include
task definition, information search strategies, location and access, use
of information, synthesis, and evaluation. Presented by Squires Elementary
School.
http://www.squires.fayette.k12.ky.us/library/research/big6.htm
Education Tops State's Ballot Issues
A recent Education Week article focuses on the November election issues.
http://www.edweek.org/ew/ewstory.cfm?slug=07ballot.h22
Instructional Strategies
Great resources including the latest brain research, learning styles,
assessment strategies, curricular design, technology integration, and
much more.
http://www.sabine.k12.la.us/vrschool/instructstrat.htm
Kid Authors
Site for students to publish their stories and poems on the Web. Also
includes a teachers' lounge with writing tips for students.
http://www.kidauthors.com/
Lesson Plan Generator
Discovery school presents lesson plan templates to help you create you
own lesson plans.
http://school.discovery.com/teachingtools/lessonplanner/index.html
My Academic Only Home Page
Great resource for students and teachers to get information in all academic
areas.
http://www.myacademiconlyhomepage.com/
Online School Reports
Free grading and record-keeping system designed to help facilitate communication
between parents, students, and teachers concerning student progress.
http://www.teacherreports.com/
Protozone Interactives
Draw unique snowflakes, explore kaleidoscope designs, create quilt squares,
play Beebopper, Memory, Quadruplex and more with this marvelous software
from Al Jarnow.
http://www.protozone.net/AJinteractives.html
Puzzle Choice
Find crosswords, wordsearch puzzles, word play, logic, number puzzles,
quizzes, and other puzzles, games, and learning activities.
http://www.puzzlechoice.com/pc/Puzzle_Choicex.html
Teaching.com
Want to collaborate, share ideas, become a "mighty mentor",
join teacher talk forums, or simply find a teacher to make connections?
Teaching.com can help you with their free services for educators.
http://www.teaching.com/
Grades K-2
You will find many helpful reading resources in Patti's
K-1 or 2-3 Electronic Classrooms. Although the courses are no
longer being broadcast, be sure to check the sections including activities,
Web links, and teacher's corner found at:
/documentation/classrooms/patti/k-1/k-1.html
/documentation/classrooms/patti/2-3/2-3.html
In the Math K-5 section found at:
/documentation/places/math/mathk12.html#gradesK-5
Be sure to try "Build your own Math Worksheets" at
http://www.mathfactcafe.com/java-mfc/jsp/gmain.jsp;jsessionid=agikvijxw1?vid=370&page=gmain.jsp
Parent involvement is usually quite high in these early grades, so give
them helpful Web resources from our Parent sections found
at:
/documentation/places/parents.html
and
/documentation/classrooms/parents/parents.html
K-2 Resources
CD Garden
Software for PreSchool through 3rd grade to explore math, language, social
skills, and creative problem solving.
http://www.cdgarden.com/
Computer Skills Lesson Plans
You can teach your students keyboarding skills that will serve them well
for years to come.
http://www.dpi.state.nc.us/curriculum/computer.skills/lssnplns/keyboarding/keybdtoc.htm
CyberGuides, K-3
Teacher guides to a wealth of literature for young children from SCORE.
http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/cyk3.html
Early Childhood Education and Development
From the Halls of Academia at the University of Texas at Austin come lots
of early childhood education resources.
http://www.tenet.edu/halls/child.html
Learning in Mixed Company
Low-income preschoolers learn better, faster, alongside more affluent
peers.
http://www.ctnow.com/news/education/hc-preschool.artoct19,0,7740497.story?coll=hc%2Dheadlines%2Deducation
Mapping Our Histories
Encourage students to find out about their family's history and map the
locations of where ancestors came from with this learning activity from
Scholastic.
http://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonrepro/lessonplans/ect/mapping_history.htm
Grades 3-5
Need some ideas for new graphic organizers?
SCORE has many for you to work with:
http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/actbank/torganiz.htm
In the Math K-5 section found at:
/documentation/places/math/mathk12.html#gradesK-5
Be sure to try "Build your own Math Worksheets" at
http://www.mathfactcafe.com/java-mfc/jsp/gmain.jsp;jsessionid=agikvijxw1?vid=370&page=gmain.jsp
Looking for ideas to strengthen your science program? Take a look at Judi's
electronic classrooms found at:
/documentation/classrooms/judi/judi.html
Need some new strategies for classroom management? Look for some new ideas
in our professional development section found at:
/documentation/places/professional.html
Grades 3-5 Resources:
Born on a Mountain Top? Davy Crockett: Tall Tales and History
Discover the impact of David Crockett, frontiersman, statesman, representative,
and folk hero, as you learn to differentiate between what he did vs. what
was attributed to him.
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=288
CNN Student News- Teacher's Edition
Looking for new ways to incorporate current events into your curriculum?
CNN regularly broadcasts student programs with teacher guides.
http://fyi.cnn.com/fyi/teachers/
Color Burst
Students will love this experiment in color chromatography using simple
materials with dramatic results.
http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/Lessons.cfm?DocID=117
CyberSmart Lessons and Activities
K-8 lesson plans in teaching students how to safely access Internet, research
information, and complete projects safely and appropriately.
http://www.cybersmartcurriculum.org/lesson_plans/
Electronic Reading Planner
Students can plan their own reading schedule to complete a book on time
with this inexpensive downloadable program.
http://www.taintorts.com/book/index.htm
Jurassic Park Institute
The ultimate resource for learning everything about dinosaurs and their
world.
http://www.jpinstitute.com/index.jsp
Grades 6-8
Find everything you need from book summaries and literature
guides to writing resources, from authors to poetry, and from recommended
booklists to grammar lessons at the TEAMS Language Arts
Section:
/documentation/places/language.html
Help your students to understand the grave responsibility of using the
Internet wisely at the TEAMS Internet Use link:
/documentation/internet/internet.html
/documentation/places/technology.html
Still don't have your own classroom web page? Look for
some free templates to get you started at this TEAMS location:
/documentation/internet/webpages.html
Find a wealth of research materials in the Library and Reference
section:
/documentation/places/libraries.html
History teachers will find all the resources needed to take students on
virtual tours, explore through WebQuest or ThinkQuest projects, and find
sites for tomorrow's lesson:
/documentation/places/history/history.html
Grades 6-8 Resources:
About Face for Afghan Women
A CNN article telling about recent changes for Afghan women.
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,185651,00.html
Childhood Through the Looking Glass
Students compare Alice's Victorian childhood with growing up today in
this unit combining literature and art for middle school students.
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=286
Critical Literacy: Point of View
Middle School students learn to analyze point of view in literary works
as they attempt critical analysis on their own.
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=23
Electric Heart
This NOVA program companion site focuses on the artificial heart, and
how it works to replace the human heart when it can no longer function.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/eheart/
GraphIt!
This java applet functions as a graphing calculator and can help students
from middle school through high school algebra and calculus.
http://www.coolmath.com/graphit/index.html
Hollywood Dinosaurs
Does scientific fact change as more research is completed? Students look
at how the study of dinosaurs has evolved and changed as more is discovered
about them. They will also look at how the media's portrayal affects the
public.
http://www.marcopolo-education.org/partner/30sci_dinosaur.cfm
I Think, Therefore IM
Article discussing the dilemma of the "Instant Message" language
becoming the norm in student writing.
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/featured_articles/20020919thursday.html
What is Go?
The recent movie, "A Beautiful Mind" drew attention to this
ancient Chinese game. Want to find out more about it? Check out the game's
history, what the game is like, game-playing strategies, and more from
Mindy McAdams.
http://www.well.com/user/mmcadams/gointro.html
Grades 9-12
Art, Music, Drama and Dance teachers:
/documentation/places/art.html
English teachers: /documentation/places/language.html
Science Teachers: /documentation/places/science/science.html
Math Teachers: /documentation/places/math/mathk12.html#Grades9-12
Health and PE Teachers: /documentation/places/healthpe.html
Computer, Media Specialists: /documentation/places/technology.html
Grades 9-12 Resources:
Counting Embedded Figures
Students look for patterns to discover formulas as they work through these
algebra and puzzle problems.
http://illuminations.nctm.org/lessonplans/9-12/embedded-912/index.html
The CPI? A Crystal Ball
Students learn about the Consumer Price Index and how it affects them
in this economics lesson.
http://www.econedlink.org/lessons/index.cfm?lesson=EM255&page=teacher
Evaluating Eyewitness Reports
Students look at a single event and see it through the eyes of numerous
witnesses to see how accurate an eyewitness account can be.
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?ID=281
Iraqi Women Speak Out About Life Under Saddam's Dictatorship
The National Press Club hears from Iraqi women who have first-hand experience
of life under the regime of Saddam Hussein.
http://usinfo.state.gov/regional/nea/iraq/text/1009irwom.htm
Jumpstart's Reality Check
Help students find out how much it really costs to get out on your own.
Let them determine their dream life and then do a reality check as to
the cost.
http://www.jumpstart.org/madmoney/pgv_money_rc_main.html
Justice Learning
Offers civic education using current issues as viewed from Congress, the
press, the courts, the presidency, and in schools.
http://www.justicelearning.org/
Links for Chemists:
Find thousands of chemistry links at this www.Virtual library resource.
http://www.liv.ac.uk/Chemistry/Links/links.html
CyberScoop Archive Page
TEAMS Support Page
Electronic Hallway