Childhood Education articles from December 2005

Childhood Education archives from December 2005

Promoting altruism in the classroom.
December 22, 2005... Pro-social behavior is described as "behavior intended to benefit another" (Eisenberg et al., 1999, p. 1360). Such behaviors may include comforting, sharing, working or playing cooperatively, and displaying empathy for others (Simmons &...

Building literacy opportunities into children's block play: what every teacher should know.(teaching through blocks (toys))
December 22, 2005... Learning centers are a highly regarded and widely accepted practice in early childhood classrooms. Centers offer a variety of experiences during a single time segment that encourage children to explore materials, interact with peers, and...

Snap it up! Using digital photography in early childhood.(using photos to promote student motivation)
December 22, 2005... Teachers of young children can use digital photography to build, almost instantly, a sense of community and belonging, promote feelings of security, build children's self-esteem, aid in classroom management, communicate with parents, document...

It's a snap! Selecting the right digital camera.
December 22, 2005... Digital cameras can be wonderful teaching/learning tools in the preschool classroom. They can record and document student development, make text-free cues for pre-reading children, and develop learning prompts for discussion. Kids can have fun...

Native curriculum in early childhood classrooms.(educating young children about aboriginal and indigenous peoples)
December 22, 2005... The 2005 International Focus issue of Childhood Education focused on the education of aboriginal and indigenous children. Guest Editor Jyotsna Pattnaik located too many excellent articles on that important topic to include in one issue....

Lessons: Katrina and beginning anew.(education and school reform, Hurricane Katrina)
December 22, 2005... New Orleans, fondly known in better days for its spectacular cuisine, cool jazz, and good times, was the leading story on television news broadcasts the world over when a massive hurricane came barreling in this past August. As Katrina took its...

A world beyond ourselves.(educating childrens about society, and culture)
December 22, 2005... Work to have the ability to understand the world beyond yourself. By interacting with others in the world, we all become stronger. (Yo-Yo Ma, 2005) A recent story I heard involving adolescents hacking into a school s computer system...

Help strengthen ACEI's voice for children worldwide.(Association for Childhood Education International)
December 22, 2005... It's hard to believe that another new year is just around the corner. I think this is a good time for all of us to remind ourselves about the importance of ACEI's work on behalf of children and the classroom teacher. It is also a good time for...

Embracing languages and cultures in the magic preschool, Moscow.(International/Intercultural)
December 22, 2005... At the 2004 Annual Conference in New Orleans, I was fortunate to meet teachers from Russia. During numerous professional discussions, I found their preschool philosophy and practices related to diverse languages and cultures invaluable and so...

ACEI election.(Association for Childhood Education International's President election)
December 22, 2005... ACEI has a strong slate of candidates for the 2006 election. The positions available and nominees are: President Elect: Bessie Gage, Karen Liu: Member-at-Large (2): Jerry Aldridge, Carrie Whaley: Student Representative: Jessica Essary,...

ACEI outstanding member service award.(Association for Childhood Education International)(Loren B. Meinke )(Brief Article)
December 22, 2005... Loren B. Meinke received the ACEI Outstanding Member Service Award for 2005. This award recognizes the outstanding contributions made by an ACEI member to the betterment of children, to the field of education, and to ACEI. Meinke is a...

An urgent call for help.(Association for Childhood Education International's helping children those affected by Hurricane Katrina)
December 22, 2005... Due to the consequences of Hurricane Katrina, affecting thousands of schoolchildren in the Gulf Coast region of the United States, I have decided to devote this column to ways ACEI Branches can help these children. Such total devastation will...

Rural outreach and early childhood professional development.(Diversity Concerns)
December 22, 2005... In an attempt to meet the growing professional development needs of early childhood practitioners in North Carolina, Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) is reaching out to the rural areas of North Carolina by offering programs that will...

Let's talk about friendship: an anti-bias unit on building classroom community.(Classroom Idea-Sparkers)
December 22, 2005... This Idea-Sparker was submitted by Jennifer Steele, a 2nd/3rd-grade teacher from Fort Worth, Texas. No one has yet fully realized the wealth of sympathy, kindness and generosity hidden in the soul of a child. The effort of every true...

Teaching with current events.(Student Slant)
December 22, 2005... This year, as I stepped into my classroom for my first full week of classes, I felt ready to go. I had all the math assignments, the reading curriculum was all set, and the rest of my planning was finished through October. After hanging onto my...

Speaking up for kids.(Public Relations)
December 22, 2005... APka kea haal, hay? Hola, como esta? Hello, how are you? Isn't it interesting that in each of these greetings, the focus is on us. However, if you were a member of the Maasai tribe of Africa, you would say, "Kasserian Ingera," which means, "How...

Focus on benefits.(Memberandum)
December 22, 2005... New Membership Options Comprehensive Membership. In February 2005, we began offering a Comprehensive Membership upgrade to all new and renewing ACEI Professional members. The Comprehensive category includes subscriptions to all 10 ACEI...

The art of geography/the geography of art.(Breathwaite Mini-Grant)
December 22, 2005... The following article was submitted by William Fitzhugh, 2004 recipient of ACEI's Elizabeth Breathwaite Mini-Grant. As a geographer, I have always thought that a society's culture develops from people s interaction with their physical...

Effective practices in teaching indigenous students with conductive hearing loss.
December 22, 2005... Hearing impairment due to conductive hearing loss can have a devastating effect on children's language development, and consequently educational outcomes, especially for Indigenous students, for whom there may be the additional issue of being...

Opening up to the issues: preparing preservice teachers to work effectively with English Language Learners.(Teaching Strategies)
December 22, 2005... A variety of trends in second language teaching have left many English Language Learners (ELLs) in the United States with well-intentioned teachers who, unfortunately, have limited understanding of the second language acquisition or cultural...

Dawes, Kwame: I Saw Your Face.(I Saw Your Face)(Brief Article)(Children's Review)
December 22, 2005... Dawes, Kwame I SAW YOUR FACE. Il. by Tom Feelings. ISBN 0-8037-1894-2. New York: Dial, 2005. 32pp. $16.99. This moving and beautiful collaboration between poet Kwame Dawes and artist Tom Feelings began as a conversation between the two about...

Fleischman, Paul: Sidewalk Circus.(Sidewalk Circus)(Brief Article)(Children's Review)
December 22, 2005... Fleischman, Paul SIDEWALK CIRCUS. Il. by Kevin Hawkes. ISBN 0-7636-1107-7. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press, 2004. 32 pp. $15.99. This wordless picturebook allows readers the liberty to construct their own personal narrative from what they see...

Gorbachev, Valeri: That's What Friends Are For.(That's What Friends Are For)(Brief Article)(Children's Review)
December 22, 2005... Gorbachev, Valeri THAT'S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR. Il. by the author. ISBN 0-399-23966-9. New York: Philomel, 2005. Unp. $15.99. When Pig begins to cry, best friend Goat imagines the worst. Determined to help his friend, Goat throws himself into a...

Greenfield, Eloise: Me & Neesie.(Me and Neesie)(Brief Article)(Children's Review)
December 22, 2005... Greenfield, Eloise ME & NEESIE. Il. by Jan Spivey Gilchrist. ISBN 0-06-000702-8. New York: HarperCollins, 2005. Unp. $16.99. If you have ever had an imaginary friend, this loving portrayal of friendship and family is for you. Janell, an only...

Kirkpatrick, Katherine: Escape Across the Wide Sea.(Escape Across the Wide Sea)(Brief Article)(Children's Review)
December 22, 2005... Kirkpatrick, Katherine ESCAPE ACROSS THE WIDE SEA. ISBN 0-8234-1854-5. New York: Holiday House, 2004. 210 pp. $17.95. How does a 9-year-old Huguenot boy cope with a physical disability, religious persecution, and the moral complexities of...

Lynn-Williams, Karen: Circles of Hope.(Brief Article)(Children's Review)
December 22, 2005... Lynn-Williams, Karen CIRCLES OF HOPE. Il. by Linda Saport. ISBN 0-8028-5276-9. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2005. 32 pp. $16.00. In the rural mountains of Haiti, Facile sits in a tree and thinks about what gift he can give to...

Raatma, Lucia: Great Women of the Civil War.(Brief Article)(Children's Review)
December 22, 2005... Raatma, Lucia GREAT WOMEN OF THE CIVIL WAR. ISBN 0-7565-0839-8. Minneapolis, MN: Compass Point Books, 2005. 48 pp. $22.00. In this volume from the We the People series, the reader is presented with a description of the Civil War and information...

Spinelli, Eileen: City Angel.(Brief Article)(Children's Review)
December 22, 2005... Spinelli, Eileen CITY ANGEL. Il. by Kyrsten Brooker. ISBN 0-8037-2821-2. New York: Dial, 2005. Unp. $16.99. Do you believe in guardian angels? In this poetic tribute to city life, Eileen Spinelli imagines how the "patron angel" of a city might...

Sullivan, Sarah: Dear Baby: Letters from Your Big Brother.(Dear Baby: Letters from Your Big Brother)(Brief Article)(Children's Review)
December 22, 2005... Sullivan, Sarah DEAR BABY: Letters From Your Big Brother. Il. by Paul Meisel. ISBN 0-7636-2126-9. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick, 2005. Unp. $14.99. A baby can change everything! This pseudo-scrapbook features a series of letters from big brother...

Swinburne, Stephen R.: Turtle Tide: The Ways of Sea Turtles.(Turtle Tide: The Ways of Sea Turtles)(Brief Article)(Children's Review)
December 22, 2005... Swinburne, Stephen R. TURTLE TIDE: The Ways of Sea Turtles. Il. by Bruce Hiscock. ISBN 1-59078-081-7. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press, 2005. 28 pp. $15.95. Skillful artwork supports this straightforward account of the life of a loggerhead sea...

Thomas, Eliza: The Red Blanket.(Brief Article)(Children's Review)(Book Review)
December 22, 2005... Thomas, Eliza THE RED BLANKET. Il. by Joe Cepeda. ISBN 0-439-32253-7. New York: Scholastic Press, 2004. 32 pp. $15.95. "Once there was a red blanket" begins this story of adoption and family. Written first as an account of her family history,...

Trottier, Maxine: Sister to the Wolf.(Sister to the Wolf)(Brief Article)(Children's Review)
December 22, 2005... Trottier, Maxine SISTER TO THE WOLF. ISBN 1-5533-7519-X. Toronto, ON: Kids Can Press, 2004. 348 pp. $16.95. The wolf stands poised, its yellow eyes glinting, its howl a haunting cry.... Why does Cecile feel both anxiety and attraction to the...

Van Genechten, Guido: The Cuddle Book.(The Cuddle Book)(Brief Article)(Children's Review)
December 22, 2005... Van Genechten, Guido THE CUDDLE BOOK. Il. by Guido Van Genechten. ISBN 0-06-075306-4. New York: HarperCollins, 2003. Unp. $14.99. Children everywhere will identify with the author's message: "Everybody likes a good cuddle." The simple...

Wilson, Karma: Mama Always Comes Home.(Mama Always Comes Home)(Brief Article)(Children's Review)
December 22, 2005... Wilson, Karma MAMA ALWAYS COMES HOME. Il. by Brooke Dyer. ISBN 0-06-05706-9. New York: HarperCollins, 2005. 32 pp. $16.89. No little one likes it when their mama has to leave for a while. Whether it is mama bird leaving to get a worm or a mama...

Yolen, Jane: Soft House.(Brief Article)(Children's Review)
December 22, 2005... Yolen, Jane SOFT HOUSE. Il. by Wendy Anderson Halperin. ISBN 0-7636-1697-4. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick, 2005. Unp. $15.99. Everyone needs a comfort zone. In this book, two children find theirs in the "soft house"--a cozy mesh of blankets and...

Writing Essentials: Raising Expectations and Results While Simplifying Teaching.(Book Review)
December 22, 2005... WRITING ESSENTIALS: Raising Expectations and Results While Simplifying Teaching. Regie Routman. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2005. 448 pp. $32.50. Today's teachers of writing find themselves at a difficult crossroads. On the one hand, many...

The Myth of Laziness.(Book Review)
December 22, 2005... THE MYTH OF LAZINESS. Levine, M. D. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003. 288pp. $14.00. What happens to children when teachers and parents perceive them to be lazy? Do children want to be seen as lazy or unproductive? As we might expect from the...

Finders and Keepers: Helping New Teachers Survive and Thrive in Our Schools.(Book Review)
December 22, 2005... FINDERS AND KEEPERS: Helping New Teachers Survive and Thrive in Our Schools. Susan Moore Johnson, The Project on the Next Generation of Teachers (Sarah E. Birkeland, Morgaen L. Donaldson, Susan M. Kardos, David Kauffman, Edward Liu, and Heather...

The Exceptional Teacher: Transforming Traditional Teaching Through Thoughtful Practice.(Book Review)
December 22, 2005... THE EXCEPTIONAL TEACHER: Transforming Traditional Teaching Through Thoughtful Practice. Aaronsohn, Elizabeth. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, John Wiley & Sons, 2003. 304pp. $29.00. Elizabeth Aaronsohn provides a compelling look at the teacher as a...

The Head Start Debates.(Book Review)
December 22, 2005... THE HEAD START DEBATES. Edited by Edward Zigler & Sally J. Styfco. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes, 2004. 564 pp. $59.95. In The Head Start Debates, Edward Zigler and Sally J. Styfco, both from the Yale Center in Child Development and Social Policy,...

Media literacy and learning.(benefits of media literacy)
December 22, 2005... Sometimes I think the kids know more about all the bells and whistles of the newest technology than the teachers. Kids today seem like naturals. Technology is changing at such a fast pace it% hard to keep up. --Marilyn, Early Childhood...

A Good Teacher in Every Classroom: Preparing the Highly Qualified Teachers Our Children Deserve.(Special Publications)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
December 22, 2005... A GOOD TEACHER IN EVERY CLASSROOM: Preparing the Highly Qualified Teachers Our Children Deserve. Darling-Hammond, L., & Baratz-Snowden, J., Editors. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2005. ISBN 0-78797-466-8. The National Academy of Education's...

Children Map the World: Selections from the Barbara Petchenik Children's World Map Competition.(Special Publications)(Brief Article)(Children's Review)(Book Review)
December 22, 2005... CHILDREN MAP THE WORLD: Selections From the Barbara Petchenik Children's World Map Competition. Anderson, J., Atwal, J., Wiegard, P., & Wood, A., Editors. Redlands, CA: ESRI Press, 2005. ISBN 1-58948-125-9. This beautiful book contains 100 maps...

The Metlife Survey of the American Teacher: Transitions and the Role of Supportive Relationships.(Special Publications)
December 22, 2005... THE METLIFE SURVEY OF THE AMERICAN TEACHER: Transitions and the Role of Supportive Relationships. Markow, D. & Martin, S., Editors. New York: Harris Interactive, 2005. Since 1984, The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company has conducted surveys of...

Full-Day Kindergarten: A Study of State Policies in the United States.(Special Publications)
December 22, 2005... FULL-DAY KINDERGARTEN: A Study of State Policies in the United States. Kauerz, K. Denver, CO: Education Commission of the States, 2005. Few early childhood educators question the value of full-day kindergarten in the social, emotional, and...

Restoring the Balance Between Academics and Civic Engagement in Public Schools.(Special Publications)(Brief Article)
December 22, 2005... RESTORING THE BALANCE BETWEEN ACADEMICS AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS. Boston, B. Washington, DC: American Youth Policy Forum, 2005. Twenty-five years ago, the author of this report, Bruce Boston, contributed to the American Youth...