Instructor (1990) articles from January 2001

Instructor (1990) archives from January 2001

WHY TEACH THE ARTS?(public schools)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Jennifer Prescott Where would we be without the arts? It's hard to imagine, but certainly the definition of what it is to be human would have to be revised. Just as a society lacking arts would be a barren and soulless place, so too would...

People Are Buzzing About.(Brief Article)(Review)
January 1, 2001... Shades of Black: A Celebration of Our Children, by Sandra L. & Myles C. Pinkney (Scholastic, 2000). This picture book features Myles Pinkney's richly-textured photographs of African-American children, accompanied by a text that celebrates each...

Attendance makes the difference.(Minneapolis public-school district study on school attendance)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2001... A study by the Minneapolis public-school district suggests that attendance has a dramatic effect on achievement scores. According to the study, students who attended class 95 percent of the time were twice as likely to pass state language-arts...

More than half of U.S. homes now have a computer.(US Commerce Dept.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2001... According to the U.S. Commerce Department, the share of households with computers rose from 42.1 percent in December 1998 to 51 percent in August 2000--an increase of 53.7 million households.

Help kids get homework done.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Looking for ways to make homework assignments easier to organize? The publication Helping Your Students with Homework: A Guide for Teachers is available free from the U.S. Department of Education. Call toll free 1-877-433-7827, or visit...

Teacher Radio.(Scholastic.com's educational program)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... SOME OF OUR FAVORITE Instructor contributors, including learning specialist Dr. Bruce Perry, children's-software expert Warren Buckleitner, and Ask Mary's Mary Rose are now radio personalities! With Scholastic.com's Teacher Radio, you can...

Reward Good Penmanship.
January 1, 2001... ENTER YOUR STUDENTS in this year's National Handwriting Contest, sponsored by education publisher Zaner-Bloser. Six national champions, one from each grade level (1-6), will receive a $500 savings bond, a pen, and a T-shirt, plus other prizes....

ETA/Cuisenaire[R] 2001 Math Challenge.(March 2001 issue of Instructor)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Alert your classroom math masterminds--the March 2001 issue of Instructor will feature the ETA/Cuisenaire 2001 Math Challenge, including a free full-color poster to brighten your math center year-round! Classes in grades K-2, 3-4, and 5-6 will...

Teacher Scholarships for Visual Learning.(from INSPIRATION SOFTWARE, INC.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2001... INSPIRATION SOFTWARE, INC. is awarding 20 scholarships of $500 to "inspired" K-12 teachers. Award recipients can use the scholarships to attend a conference, graduate course, or training session in which visual learning is highlighted....

Excellence in Teaching Cabinet Grant Program.
January 1, 2001... EDUCATORS WISHING to apply for a grant from Curriculum Associates worth up to $1,000 in cash and $500 in materials are asked to submit proposals for innovative teaching projects (K-8). Projects may encompass a range of media, including print...

2001 Toyota Tapestry Grant Program.(for science teachers with innovative science projects)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2001... TOYOTA WILL award grants of up to $10,000 each to 50 winning K-12 science teachers who propose innovative science projects that can be implemented in a school or district over a one-year period. Projects should demonstrate creativity risk...

TEST YOUR ATTITUDE.(teachers' attitudes toward standardized educational tests)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Eliminating our own negative feelings about standardized tests can actually help our students do better on them One afternoon, in a sunny elementary-school library, we were talking with a group of teachers about children and testing. Our...

RESPECT FOR parents.(teachers' communication with students' parents)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Positive communication with parents and caregivers helps you understand and handle a child's special needs In my many years in special education, I have yet to meet parents or caregivers who were not disappointed, frustrated, and even...

Substitute SAVVY.(substitute teachers - training tips)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Advice from a veteran teacher on preparing for-and being-a substitute Q: I have rarely missed a day of teaching but recently got seriously ill very suddenly. I was unprepared to be absent and it was a nightmare for my kids, the substitute,...

All you need is LOVE.(Review)
January 1, 2001... Teach children about sharing and caring in these extraordinary new titles, all about love in its many forms Subira Subira By Tololwa M. Mollel, illustrated by Linda Saport; 32 pages; Clarion, 2000; $15 After Mother dies, Father...

THE arts MATTER.(integrating arts into curriculum)
January 1, 2001... Teachers share how they integrate the arts into the curriculum--and enrich the learning for every child "If I could tell you what I meant, I wouldn't need to dance." Isadora Duncan, dancer The arts--painting, music, dance, drama,...

A CHANCE TO SOAR.(value of art)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Without the arts, where would I be today? As an author and illustrator of children's books, I am fortunate in that I have the wonderful opportunity to visit numerous schools. During these visits, I have sensed increasing concern over lack...

WORD WALLS THAT WORK.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Six terrific tips for designing practical, efficient, and memorable word walls IN MY CLASSROOM, it is easy to find evidence that I value and teach the basics--it's all over the walls. I am not referring to commercially prepared charts or...

Handwriting SUCCESS FOR ALL.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Easy strategies and activities to help children of all learning styles practice and perfect their handwriting Row upon row of wobbly, cursive lowercase w's were spread across Matty's paper, like pointy waves in an ocean of blue lines. The...

January/February Activities.(elementary class projects)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Fight Winter Blues With a January Beach Party One way we brighten the winter months in my classroom is by having a tropical island party/learning unit. We begin by reading Moe the Dog in Tropical Paradise, by Diane Stanley (Putnam, 1987),...

Celebrating Black History.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Langston Hughes (1902-1967), one of America's most influential black writers, was a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance, the literary and artistic movement of the 1920s that did much to bring African-American writing to the attention of the...

Renoir.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... PIERRE AUGUSTE RENOIR (1841-1919) was an artist who thought art should be pretty. He spent his life creating some of the happiest paintings ever made. Although Renoir struggled early in his career, his rain bow-tinted portraits and landscapes...

African-American Heroes.(Black History Month; includes bibliography)
January 1, 2001... Honor Black History Month by introducing your students to African-American heroes who made important contributions to our country. These dynamic learning activities, hero biographies, and classroom tips are sure to make your unit a success! ...

Settings TAKE YOU PLACES.(Holes, by Louis Sachar)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Tips and techniques to help young authors render time and place vividly Read a few more lines of the Newbery Award-winning Holes by Louis Sachar and you learn that while there is no lake at Camp Green Lake, there are campers--and...

FABULOUS FUN WITH THE Greek Myths.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Take a class voyage into the world of the Greek myths. The heroes are larger than life, the gods and monsters are fascinating, and the plots are filled with exciting action. Your students will find themselves absorbed in the extraordinary...

Ice Is Nice.(teaching about cold)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... If the winter blues have you down, try some of these "cool" science activities! Frost-Making Magic When you wake to find frost has covered the ground, that means the night temperature cropped below 0[degrees]C. Cold temperatures cause...

Unbelievable ABC's.(reading activities)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... ABC Pop-Up Books Practice the ABC'S by making pop-up books! Each day, as you present a new letter to the class, have students brainstorm words that begin with that letter, and write the words on the board. Ask each student to choose a word...

Arts-piration.(www.wcom.com/marcopolo)
January 1, 2001... Looking for some inspiration to help bring the arts to life in your classroom? Start with ARTSEDGE, at http://artsedgekennedy-center.org, a content-rich resource for teachers. The "Teaching Materials" section is packed with lesson plans and...

SILLY SENTENCES & CYBERTRAVEL.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Easy tech-based learning activities by teachers, for teachers Unscrambling Words To integrate technology into my first-grade classroom, I look for activities that will enable my young students to build computer and fine motor skills. A...

ART THE 4TH "R".
January 1, 2001... In a multimedia world, art is a literacy as basic as reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic One of the many reasons I enjoy being an educator during this time of unprecedented change is that the potential for revelation is great. To do my best...

VIRTUAL ART, REAL LEARNING.(online museums)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Use on-line museum collections to boost writing, social studies, and critical thinking skills Say you're teaching a social studies unit on Asia. Do you know how easy it is to incorporate exploration of the art and culture of this part of...

SOFTWARE FOR THE ARTS.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... The computer is a great tool for bringing art and music into your classroom Whether your goal is to awaken interest in the uninitiated or to encourage children who have shown that special spark of real talent, finding the time and the...

HEAD OFF TO antarctica.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Take a cool cybervisit with your students to the fascinating continent of Antarctica. Everyone is curious about the continent at the bottom of the Earth, home to millions of penguins and a few hardy scientists. Antarctica is the highest,...

MY HERO.(teacher deals with troubled child)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... What makes a hero? Sometimes, the courage to act just like everyone else. On the first day of school, I called Brandon's name from my sixth-grade roll sheet. "I'm here, but I don't want to be," he answered defiantly. The other students...