Instructor (1990) articles from April 2006

Instructor (1990) archives from April 2006

Everything you need for April.(our say)
April 1, 2006... Been a long winter? We know how you feel! That's why in honor of April 1, we're offering up teacher Phillip Done's 21 reasons to laugh more in the classroom (page 32). Next up: Earth Week is April 16-22. Teach your students about melting...

Louisiana schools fight back.(after hurricanes)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Almost seven months after Katrina stormed through the gulf region, school districts across five states still have a long way to go to rebuild. "The scope of the devastation is incredibly difficult to comprehend," says Kevin Hogan, Administrator...

Loving your whiteboard.(your say)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... Thanks for your article on interactive whiteboards ("The New Digital Wave," Jan/Feb 2006). I received one for my classroom in October but wasn't using it to its full potential. Now, I'm using ideas from your article in my math lessons. My...

Celebrating poetry.(your say)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... My students and I look forward to your poetry contest every year. In fact, we use it as an inspiration for an entire month of poetry. The classroom becomes a poet's cafe on Friday afternoons (It's called Ms. B's Cafe!). I serve hot chocolate...

Merit pay debate.(your say)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... In your January issue, one of your articles asked "Merit Pay: Good for Teachers?" The answer is no. We should not be increasing teacher pay based on classroom performance. It creates a perception of unfairness in teachers' minds, and forces us...

More Google tips.(your say)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... Here's another tip for good Web searches ("Googling Made Easy," Jan/Feb 2006): Use the Google Directory. Click the link that says, "More" at the top right of the home page. Then click on "Directory." Narrow your search by choosing a category. I...

$100,000 teacher.(your say)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... I want to comment about the March issue of Instructor: Fabulous! I've been teaching for three years at a charter school in Washington, DC. (I'm a career changer.) I love teaching, but I have to explore other opportunities to increase my income...

Professional blues?(your say)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... Something really bothers me about the story "Loving Your Job At Every Stage" (March 2006). The teachers you profiled were dressed in blue jeans. If we expect to be treated as professionals, shouldn't we dress professionally? Until we look and...

More on the blues.(your say)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... Your career issue depicts three teachers in less than career-oriented garb. In any other white collar profession, would these be the "dress for success" outfits? Teachers need to dress like professionals, if not for the salary, then to show the...

Gulf coast thanks.(your say)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... What a surprise it was to see my name in the December issue ("New Orleans Children Go Back to School"). Thanks to Instructor and Scholastic for all you're doing to help us recover. I've received so many books to replace my classroom library! I...

The art of math.(your say)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... I love Instructor's art posters and the lessons that accompany them. They really make the magazine unique. I integrated the recent Keith Haring lesson (Jan/Feb 2006) with my fifth grade unit on math transformations. Thank you for giving...

Coming back after Katrina.(making a difference)(children's attitudes)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Each day, Lisa Lasseigne walks from her home to her second-grade classroom in Belle Chasse Primary School, part of Plaquemines Parish in Louisiana. It doesn't take long: Lasseigne lives in a trailer right next to the school. [ILLUSTRATION...

She's one fearless leader.(Shannon Allen of Rayburn Elementary protected students from intruder)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... A 31-year-old principal in San Antonio, Texas, tackled a gunman who was threatening her students and teachers this past January. Principal Shannon Allen of Rayburn Elementary was first able to persuade the distraught man into tossing the gun...

No ant left behind (NALB).(research by Nigel Franks and Tom Richardson on ants teacher and pupil's relations)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Ants aren't born knowing how to swarm over your picnic basket--these skills must be taught. British biologists Nigel Franks and Tom Richardson have discovered that ants have clearly defined teacher-pupil relationships. Older ants slow their own...

Treasure in plain sight.(Stuart Davis's "Still Life with Flowers" value $3.152 million)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... In 1948, an Illinois high school art teacher paid $62.50 for a painting to use as a model in the classroom. For 57 years, Stuart Davis's "Still Life with Flowers" hung nearly forgotten in a hallway of New Trier High School in a suburb of...

History, Google style.(historic newsclips)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Want to show your students the historic 1969 moon landing? Google has digitized hundreds of historic newsclips from the National Archives and they're easy to download. To see the full list, visit http://video.google.com/nara.html. ...

Funnier than fiction.(students humor)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... True stories from our teacher message boards: * OUCH, THAT HURTS "Mrs. P, I have to leave early today," said one of my students. "Why?" I asked. "I have a dentist disappointment."--Anang * THE "SECRET" FILM In fifth grade, every year...

Tick tock! Math that wows around the clock.(products we love)(Instructional materials)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... GREAT TIMING This chunky, interactive clock doubles as a shape-sorter for small hands. Colorful fraction shapes and phrases such as "half past" build skills. www.melissaanddoug.com; $9.99. REACH OUT AND TOUCH SOME ONES (OR TWOS!) The...

Arbor Day is April 28.(classroom resources)
April 1, 2006... Oak or redwood? Spruce or kukui? Turn your kids into tree huggers on National Arbor Day with fun online games. They'll all want to take a shot at a trivia challenge called "Who Wants to Be a Tree-Ilionaire?" [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Bookish bonuses.(classroom resources)
April 1, 2006... Ring in spring with two free classroom kits from Harcourt, one in celebration of April's National Poetry Month and the other for the hot new series The Secrets of Dripping Fang, by Dan Greenburg. Both kits contain cool posters! HERE'S HOW:...

Last chance for crafty glory.(cool contests)
April 1, 2006... The deadline for our second-annual "Get Crafty" contest is looming--send in your best curriculum projects now! PRIZES: Grand-prize winners will bring home $250 worth of goodies from sponsor Elmer's Products; runners-up will glue into the...

Share your superstars with us.(cool contests)
April 1, 2006... Know a kid whose kindness, integrity, or work ethic deserves top billing? Enter him or her in our "My Student, My Hero" contest. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] PRIZES: The winning child will appear on the cover of Instructor. Hundreds of...

I scream, you scream ...(cool contests)
April 1, 2006... They'll all scream for a chance to take part in Nestle Ice Cream's "Be A Flavorologist" contest. PRIZES: A paid trip to the Nestle Ice Cream factory in Southern California, $1,000 savings bond, and more. DEADLINE: July 28, 2006 ...

Get thee to the Galapagos.(great grants)
April 1, 2006... The Toyota International Teacher Program is currently accepting applications for a fully funded, 10-day trip to the Galapagos to study environmental topics. PRIZES: The trip, plus $500 for the school to defray the cost of a sub (what...

Cup o' literacy.(great grants)
April 1, 2006... Where else but Starbucks could you get your morning caffeine buzz and fund your school's literacy program? PRIZES: Starbucks awards grants of $5,000-$20,000. DEADLINE: Ongoing. HERE'S HOW: Go to www.starbucks.com.

Give a shout out to your colleagues.(great grants)
April 1, 2006... Nominations are now being accepted for the Butler-Cooley Excellence in Teaching Awards Program; submit the names of your coworkers who've "made a positive difference in the lives of students." PRIZES: A $5,000 cash stipend. DEADLINE:...

A free tech tool for every school in America!(free stuff)
April 1, 2006... Okay, here's a hint: It's smaller than a computer, but it's bigger--and way cooler--than those freebie calculators you get from real estate agents. In celebration of their 25th anniversary, Vernier Software & Technology is giving away a free...

Audiobooks you've got to hear.(Runny Babbit)(Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid)(Around the World in 80 Days)(The Chronicles of Narnia)(Marsupial Sue Presents the Runaway Pancake)(Children's review)(Audiobook review)
April 1, 2006... Around the World in 80 Days (GR. 6 AND UP) By Jules Verne. Narrated by Jim Dale. $55. Here the brilliant narrator behind the Harry Potter audio series reveals Verne's humor and wit to a new generation. Includes a helpful afterword...

Robots revolt!(13 tips from teachers like you for teaching art students)(Brief article)(Column)
April 1, 2006... My art students had a ball creating their own robots. After we studied Picasso sculptures students brought in discarded items from home. They used color, texture, shape, and form, to create a new way of seeing reality, just like Picasso did....

My kids never complain about learning Roman Numerals.(13 tips from teachers like you)(Brief article)(Column)
April 1, 2006... That's because we do fun exercises to help us remember them. For I, our bodies are straight, feet together, and hands above our heads. For V, legs together and arms form a V. For X, arms and legs spread. For each number, we bounce as we count...

The floor can be a great way to teach latitude and longitude.(13 tips from teachers like you)(Brief article)(Column)
April 1, 2006... We make a simple world map on the floor with black electrical tape, using the floor tiles as a guide for latitude and longitude. But I don't label it. I teach the map by standing on a country or physical feature and quizzing students where I...

My students look beyond their textbooks for great men and women in history.(13 tips from teachers like you)(Brief article)(Column)
April 1, 2006... I assign students the task of researching remarkable figures that textbooks generally ignore. Once they have gathered their information, the kids trace their bare feet on colorful construction paper, cut out the footprints, and list the...

Our model "parking lot" keeps us all on track.(13 tips from teachers like you)(Brief article)(Column)
April 1, 2006... I made it from foam core, gray sandpaper, white correction tape, and Velcro squares and attached it to a bulletin board. Children each have their own parking spaces where they can place a small plastic car if they have a question, an idea, or a...

I charge my students a tax for every piece of paper they use.(13 tips from teachers like you)(Brief article)(Column)
April 1, 2006... I teach eighth-grade American History. In order to help students understand how the colonists felt when King George III instituted the Stamp Act, I implemented a tax: one penny for each piece of paper that was distributed in class for an entire...

We put our economics and math knowledge to work through our student-run school bookstore.(13 tips from teachers like you)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... The children select the items to be sold (pencils, erasers, sharpeners), find the unit price for each item, and decide on a selling price to make a profit. It is a huge success and we are constantly restocking. End of the year profits are used...

Forget pen and paper--we get out of our seats to learn about letter writing.(13 tips from teachers like you)(Brief article)(Column)
April 1, 2006... First we touch our heads and say, "heading," then the lips and say, "greeting," hands on hips and say, "body," close our legs together and say, "closing," stomp one foot and say, "signature." After students have the parts of the letter...

To encourage great behavior, we play Candyland (yes, really).(13 tips from teachers like you)(Brief article)(Column)
April 1, 2006... To encourage great behavior, we play Candyland (yes, really). I put a gameboard up on the bulletin board, such as Candyland or Monopoly. We vote on the best piece to represent the class. I attach a small strip of Velcro to the game piece. Then,...

Kids can make their own stained glass from foil and plastic wrap.(13 tips from teachers like you)(Brief article)(Column)
April 1, 2006... First, tape a bright spring picture onto a piece of cardboard. Cover the picture with a single layer of plastic wrap, securing the wrap to the backside of the cardboard. Next, using a black permanent marker, trace around the outline of the...

My students catch the grammar errors of the publishing pros.(13 tips from teachers like you)(Brief article)(Column)
April 1, 2006... We have an "Oops" bulletin board. I encourage kids to spot errors while reading magazines, newspapers, even textbooks, and then photocopy and post them on the board. The kids enjoy reading the articles as they are posted, and often ask each...

I have my kids design bulletin boards to learn about geometry.(13 tips from teachers like you)(Brief article)(Column)
April 1, 2006... My students love lending me a hand when I'm decorating the bulletin board. So to teach area and perimeter, I gave them each a miniature bulletin board made from cardstock. Each student had a different-sized board. They had to measure the length...

A breath of fresh air and hands-on geology!(13 tips from teachers like you)(Brief article)(Column)
April 1, 2006... The effects of glacial movement can be seen first hand when we visit Interstate Park along the St. Croix River. I take my fourth graders every year. It's a great way for them to really experience what they're learning.--Elizabeth Erickson, New...

The Hidden Gifts of quiet kids: author Marti Olsen Laney tells us what you need to know about your introverted students.(Interview)
April 1, 2006... When I was in first grade, the wonderful Mrs. Gibb gently suggested that my mom make me some playdates. As much as she loved my company on the bench during recess, she thought it might be wise for me to warm up to the other kids. (I'm sure she...

A teacher's guide to sticky situations: solutions and strategies for teaching's unexpected challenges.(Column)
April 1, 2006... Do you ever feel like some days you just can't win? Trouble seems to find you: A parent yells at you in front of the kids, a field trip falls apart when your sixth graders run rampant through the art museum, or a precocious second grader has...

Make 'em laugh (& they'll learn a lot more): humor helps learning stick, says the teacher-author of 32 third graders and one class bunny.(best practice)(Column)
April 1, 2006... When I was in fifth grade, my teacher, Mrs. Murayama, used to stop in the middle of a lesson and ask, "Did I show you the disappearing leg trick?" (She had already shown us a dozen times.) Then she'd put down her chalk and pick up her jacket....

Matisse: color and shape.(classroom poster)(teaching tips)(Column)
April 1, 2006... HAPPY PALETTE Henri Matisse was known for his use of simple shapes, graceful lines, and most of all, bright, expressive colors. Ask kids to describe the colors they see. What feeling words do the colors evoke? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Little deeds, big reward: the key to fostering a kind and caring classroom? Practice makes perfect.(classroom poster)(Column)
April 1, 2006... When I was growing up, my parents always arranged fun surprises for my sister and me. It made us feel so loved that I promised myself I would pass along their tradition. That's why making time for kindness to others is one of my classroom...

Your opinion goes here.(INSTRUCTOR READER SURVEY)
April 1, 2006... Take a few minutes to share your thoughts about Instructor magazine and you could win a $200 Scholastic gift certificate. Your feedback helps us make the magazine better and better. (Bonus: It pays to be first! We will send a spring flower...

Marilyn Burns on the language of math: parlez-vous geometry? Sprechen sie fractions? An expert's guide to teaching math's unique vocabulary.(Interview)
April 1, 2006... Math can sometimes seem like a strange language from a foreign land--one communicated in symbols, numbers, and geometric figures. And when we talk about mathematical concepts, even familiar, garden-variety words--such as parallel, power, even,...

Instructor's 7th annual poetry contest winnners: meet the young poets!
April 1, 2006... "A mo la primavera," proclaims third-grader Ana Graciano of Pico Rivera, California, in her poem "Primavera." Here at Instructor, we love spring, too. That's when we get to announce the winners of our annual poetry contest! This year we...

Geek's guide to teaching in the modern age; So you're not tech savvy? That's okay. We snuck a page from the computer guy's handbook and found this: the nine tricks every teacher really needs to know.(cheat sheet)
April 1, 2006... #1 Know how to play and make podcasts Podcast: It just sounds like a word from the future, doesn't it? But to kids, it's very much right now. Thanks to the ubiquitous iPod, tweens and grown-ups--and everyone in-between--are recording...

Teach algebra without really trying: bring big-kid math to little kids' lives with a function machine! Just grab cardboard and scissors and let the fun begin.(activities: hands-on learning)
April 1, 2006... 1. FACTORY FUNDAMENTALS: Build excitement by bringing your function machine into the classroom secretly. Let it stay there a few days while anticipation builds. Then tell kids that for any number you put in the machine's "input" slot, it will...

Turn up the juice! Hi-tech literacy ideas: six ways to transform your reading and writing lessons and turn those lightbulbs on.(activities: grades k-2)
April 1, 2006... When I was in my third year as a second grade teacher in Los Angeles, I had seven(!) nonreaders in my class. And let's face it, I was scared. I knew that I would have to tap every resource available to help them grow as readers. But do you...

Getting warmer: three simple science projects that take their cue from Ice Age 2.(activities: grades 3-5)
April 1, 2006... The prehistoric animals from the movie Ice Age are back and faced with the consequences of a planetary meltdown in this month's anticipated sequel. Why not plug into your kids' interest in the movie and teach them about the science behind the...

Grammar with rhythm: in honor of National Poetry Month, three lyrical language lessons you'll love to teach.(activities: grades 6-8)
April 1, 2006... Have your students ever suffered from Grammar Aphasia--the common ailment characterized by kids forgetting everything you've taught them, from prepositions to predicates? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Avoid this dreaded illness by engaging...

"My Student, My Hero" contest: tell us about a K-8 student who has made a remarkable impact on your school community and he or she could be on the cover of Instructor!(contests & giveaways)
April 1, 2006... Every classroom is filled with wonderful stories of kids' achievements. But once and a while, a student's actions change the very nature of a school. The community comes together in a way you never even knew was possible. We're looking for some...

Spring surprises await you with our teachers-only sweepstakes!(contests & giveaways)
April 1, 2006... APRIL SWEEPSTAKES RULES How to Enter Send a postcard with your name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address to Instructor April Sweepstakes (Page #), P.O. Box 713, New York, NY 10013. The page number should correspond to the desired...

Catalog showcase: a showcase for your catalogs, products and brochures.
April 1, 2006... TO RECEIVE INFORMATION ON THE COMPANIES LISTED IN THIS SECTION, SIMPLY CIRCLE THE CORRESPONDING CIRCLE NUMBER ON THE PRODUCT INFO CARD IN THIS ISSUE Teach Math with Confidencel AIMS hands-on math activities include teacher background...

Sarah McLachlan: the superstar singer and songwriter talks about great teachers, the value of hard work, and the power of music education.(pop quiz)(Interview)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Did you have a teacher who strongly influenced you? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] My third-grade teacher, Mrs. B. She was passionate and patient, and kept everyone enthralled while not taking any guff whatsoever. She also allowed me ample...