Instructor (1990) articles from April 2005

Instructor (1990) archives from April 2005

Meeting the standards.
April 1, 2005... ARTICLE PAGE MATHEMATICS GRADES Using Storybooks 27 Understands that numbers can be used to K-3 to Teach Math describe things in the real world and to...

Readers tell us.(EDITOR'S NOTE)
April 1, 2005... AS SOON AS OUR MARCH ISSUE HIT your mail-boxes, our fax machine began buzzing and beeping as hundreds of readers sent in their surveys. And Instructor editors read them eagerly. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In the survey, we asked for your...

The importance of music.(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2005... I enjoyed Jennifer O. Prescott's article "Music in the Classroom" (January/February 2005). I teach candidates in the Teacher Education Program at the University of Denver how to incorporate music into the teaching of academic concepts. Your...

History puppets.(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2005... I loved teacher Jin Dorst's puppet idea in "Art in the Classroom" (January/February 2005). My third-grade students, in celebration of Black History Month and President's Day, researched a president or an African-American who played an important...

Kindergarten winners.(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2005... My students and I were so happy to learn that our picture won Instructor's The Class Picture Contest (page 80, January/February 2005). We are looking forward to spending the $100 prize on new books for our classroom. Thank you for this...

A close look at Instructor.(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2005... For a class I am taking towards my master's degree, I reviewed the last two years of Instructor issues for curriculum trends. The more I looked at your magazine, the more I liked it. It has so many great ideas for teachers. I love the...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
April 1, 2005... Thanks to readers who pointed out our editorial error in Judy Freeman's review of Al Capone Does My Shirts, by Gennifer Choldenko (Booktalk, March 2005)! As Judy originally wrote, it is Moose's friend Pippa, not his sister, who convinces Moose...

The numbers.(News & Trends)
April 1, 2005... 46.4 Percentage of eighth graders in 1995 who said they had smoked. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 27.9 Percentage of eighth graders in 2004 who said they had smoked. Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Heavy grade?(News & Trends)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Alarmed by the increasing rate of obesity among students, Felix Ortiz, a New York assemblyman, has submitted a bill that would mandate placing students' weight and body mass index on report cards. If the bill becomes law, New York must also...

NCLB report card.(No Child Left Behind Act)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... A bipartisan panel has deemed NCLB to be unconstitutional and deeply flawed. The 77-page report does praise NCLB for seeking to close the academic gap between white and minority students, but it expresses concern that the law usurps states'...

Indiana: no bullies!(News & Trends)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Some tearful students told about being beaten up in school; others wrote about the 24/7 harassment they endured. The children's testimony moved the Indiana state senate to pass a bill that would provide anti-bullying training to school...

Museum must-see.(News & Trends)(National Museum of the American Indian)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The National Museum of the American Indian, which opened in 2004, has become one of the must-see sites in Washington, D.C. Museum officials say that school tour reservations for the 2005-2006 school year must be made by August 1. (The...

April fools' fun: readers shake out their sleeves and reveal the best tricks they've played on students.(TEACHER TALK)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2005... Squirmy Snack One April Fools' Day, I took my students outside for an earthworm science lesson. They were ready to dig up the playground to search for worms, when I suggested we head inside because I had heard a rumor there were worms in...

"A circle of friends is now a mean clique. Four of five of my sixth graders are making the rest miserable. How should I handle this?".(CAN YOU HELP?)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2005... Insist on Mutual Respect. Cliques are a common problem even when you work hard to establish a supportive environment where all children feel safe. It is never too late in the school year to say, "Stop. There are some problems here. We need to...

2005 All-USA Teacher Team.(Contests)
April 1, 2005... Nominate yourself or a fabulous teacher you know for USA Today's All-USA Teacher Team. HOW IT WORKS: Nominees must be certified teachers, working full-time and teaching K-12 students during the 2004-2005 school year. DEADLINE: April...

CAPCO science class challenge.(Contests)
April 1, 2005... The Consumer Aerosol Products Council challenges students to learn more about how the earth's ozone layer works. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] HOW IT WORKS: Teachers use the provided activities or create their own...

The Meatrix curriculum contest.(Contests)
April 1, 2005... Create a lesson plan based on an online film about factory farming and win $1,000 for your school! HOW IT WORKS: The Meatrix, an online parody of the popular 1999 film The Matrix, discusses some of the important issues surrounding factory...

Douglas Florian poetry kit.(Giveaways)
April 1, 2005... FREE TO TEACHERS: Harcourt's springtime poetry kit, perfect for celebrating April's National Poetry Month, features a CD recording of Douglas Florian reading from his new book Zoo's Who, along with posters, activities, and a curriculum guide....

Free Web hosting.(Giveaways)
April 1, 2005... FREE TO TEACHERS: Lunarpages now offers free Web hosting to all K-12 public schools in the U.S. The program includes unlimited e-mail addresses and some technical support. Private schools are not eligible. HOW TO GET IT: Call toll-free...

Lewis and Clark classroom materials.(Giveaways)
April 1, 2005... FREE TO TEACHERS: The National Council of the Lewis & Clark Bicentennial has designed more than 50 lesson plans for your classroom, with curriculum links to current NCSS, NSTA, and NCTE standards. GRADES: 4-12 HOW TO GET IT: Go online...

Butler-cooley excellence in teaching awards.(Grants)
April 1, 2005... This award program honors teachers who have "changed the outcome of children's lives." Awardees will receive a $5,000 cash stipend and a free trip to the Turnaround Management Association's annual convention in October. DEADLINE: April 29,...

Christa McAuliffe reach for the stars award.(Grants)
April 1, 2005... This $1,000 grant goes to teachers who seek to implement innovative social studies teaching strategies and citizenship projects. DEADLINE: May 1, 2005 HOW TO APPLY: Go online to www.socialstudies.org/awards.

Horace Mann scholarships.(Grants)
April 1, 2005... Horace Mann awards $30,000 worth of scholarships to teachers with at least two years of experience who wish to continue their education. DEADLINE: May 14, 2005 TO APPLY: Go online to www.horacemann.com.

Math resources bonanza!(GIVEAWAY OF THE MONTH)
April 1, 2005... Instructor is giving away some of the best math resources we've seen in the past year--new puzzles, games, and tools guaranteed to challenge and excite your students. YOU CAN WIN: One lucky reader will win $500 in math materials, including...

Celebrate spring with new math resources for your classroom.(NEW & NOTEWORTHY)
April 1, 2005... Metrics and More Each MeasureWorks kit offers a toolbox bursting with goodies, perfect for a team of teachers to share. Grade 3 program shown here includes tools and games just right for young learners. Gr. 1-5; $425; www.etacuisenaire.com...

Spring clean your computer: these simple organizing ideas can make accessing your files so much quicker and easier.(ELECTRONIC LEARNING)
April 1, 2005... Q It takes me forever to locate a computer file again once I've saved it. How do I organize my files so I can find the ones I need? A You can organize your computer files in much the same way you organize your paper files in folders or...

Your super summer guide from A to Z: for this teachers-only alphabet, we found 26 adventures, learning opportunities, and more cool things to do over the summer break.
April 1, 2005... A Trek Through the ALPS Does summer fill you with wanderlust? Several European tour companies, such as Abbey Road (www.goabbeyroad.com), hire people just like you to supervise their teen charges in exchange for all travel expenses and--in some...

3 lessons by Marilyn Burns: using storybooks to teach math.
April 1, 2005... For many of us, the storybook shelf isn't the first place we go to when we start to plan a math lesson. But children's books can be a great math teaching tool. They spark students' imaginations in ways that exercises in textbooks or workbooks...

Drumroll, please ... Instructor announces the winners of the Sixth Annual Poetry Contest.
April 1, 2005... Ring the bells, raise the flags, shout from the rooftops--it's time to announce the winners of Instructor's Sixth Annual Poetry Contest! This is the third year that I've had the privilege of sitting on the judging panel--and it is still a huge...

They want to hire you: ... and what they'll do to win you over! Sweet teachers' perks you may not know about.
April 1, 2005... When it comes to employment in 2005, the stars are decidedly aligning in teachers' favor. A confluence of events has experts predicting a need for more than two million new teachers in the next decade. Student enrollments across the country are...

Masterpiece poster & lesson: Paul Gauguin; Journey to the tropics with this Post-Impressionist master.
April 1, 2005... After winter's chill, the colorful paradise in this month's Masterpiece Poster is a warm and welcome respite. In this painting--one of French artist Paul Gauguin's many Tahitian scenes--two female figures rest in a brilliant landscape, as if...

Money Smarts.(FROM OUR READERS)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2005... I combine math and poetry in my fifth-grade classroom with Shel Silverstein's "Smart," a funny poem on the equivalent values of money. We read the poem together, and students always smile as they realize the narrator's foolishness in trading a...

Easy marker storage.(FROM OUR READERS)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2005... To keep my whiteboard ledge clean and clutter-free, I apply a strip of adhesive-backed Velcro along the edge of the board and a small tab of Velcro on each of my dry-erase markers. I store the markers by attaching them tip down to the Velcro...

Spelling treasure.(FROM OUR READERS)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2005... My fifth graders learn weekly spelling words with a class treasure hunt. I give out a map that leads them through the room to stations, which each ask students to use different aspects of the multiple intelligences. For example, at an...

Shape bracelets.(FROM OUR READERS)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2005... To build my kindergarteners' socialization skills--and reinforce math learning at the same time--I use shape bracelets. I cut out and laminate strips of paper long enough to wrap around a child's wrist, and attach Velcro to the ends. Then I...

Dynamite dollar: link history and math by exploring the dollar bill with our fascinating reproducible and activities.(ACTIVITIES)
April 1, 2005... Design a Dollar What would a dollar used on Mars look like? How about the currency Harry Potter uses in Diagon Alley? After exploring the Reproducible (below), invite kids to design a brand new bill for whatever theme you are studying. Ask...

Ladybug, ladybog ... Splash some "spots" of color into your math and science lessons with hands-on activities about the world's most popular beetle.
April 1, 2005... The Ladybugs Who Lunch Help students learn about the diet of these hungry little beetles by creating restaurant-like "specials" menus using white chalk and black paper. Explain that a ladybug's favorite food is a tiny green bug called an aphid....

Swimming with dolphins.(CYBERHUNT TEACHER'S PAGE)
April 1, 2005... Dive deep into undersea learning with the CyberHunt Reproducible, opposite. Send students online at www.scholastic.com/cyberhuntkids. Plus, enjoy these fun bonus activities. DOLPHIN DEFENDERS www.kidsplanet.org This site's rich...

Poems across the curriculum: incorporate these new books into your content areas and celebrate poetry all day long.(Buyers Guide)
April 1, 2005... Math Fables: Lessons That Count [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] By Greg Tang, illustrated by Heather Cahoon. Scholastic, 2004; 40 pages; $16.95. PreK-1. The creative, out-of-the-box math rhymes in all of Tang's books, including this latest...

Mapping the earth: celebrate our planet and teach geography skills with mapping sites that cover every corner of the globe.(WEB SITINGS)
April 1, 2005... Back to Basics http://interactive2.usgs.gov/learningweb Click on "Lesson Plans and Activities" to access "Map Adventures" (grades K-3) and "What Do Maps Show?" (5-8). Both are terrific lesson plans for teaching kids need-to-know map...

Instructor catalog showcase: a showcase for your catalogs, products and brochures.
April 1, 2005... MAKE LEARNING CREATIVE! Our 2005 Creative Educational Materials catalog is full of new and exciting products to make learning creative--from classroom decorations, stickers and awards, to curriculum materials for all subjects. Call for a...

Bridge-building challenge.(THE CLASS PICTURE)
April 1, 2005... "Every year our fifth-grade students participate in cool team-building activities at a local nature center," writes Angela Hofer, a teacher at Welton Elementary School in Welton, Iowa. "Here, my students are concentrating on a challenging...