Instructor (1990) articles from January 2004

Instructor (1990) archives from January 2004

Art enlivens.(Editor's Note)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
January 1, 2004... FEW THINGS INSPIRE US MORE than a truly wonderful children's book. As teachers, we know the power of picture books to delight children and to awaken their imaginations. In this issue of Instructor, we interview five picture book artists who let...

Decorating the classroom: two views.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... I would love to have a classroom like Allyson Daley's ("A Learning Space that Works," September 2003) but our county is now under very strict fire codes. There is no way our fire marshal would approve that kind of decoration. It is a shame. I...

Sidewalk surprise.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... The curriculum-covered sidewalks created by Michele Gowan and her students ("Sensational Sidewalks," September 2003) seem like a great way to expose younger children to new information and to reinforce concepts older students have already...

Talking about NVLD.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... Many readers wrote to say how much they learned from Diane Connell's article "The Invisible Disability" (September 2003). You can find this article and many others online at www.scholastic.com/instructor I'D LIKE TO THANK Diane Connell for...

Sick bay books.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... Is your classroom overflowing with books? The school nurse's office is a great place for a basket of books. Children who are not feeling well or waiting for a parent can rest and read Itchy, Itchy Chicken Pox and many other wonderful...

More Masterpieces.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... I have so enjoyed your Masterpiece of the Month series. They have inspired me to develop an art program for my fifth-grade students. Will you be doing more posters? I'm a new subscriber. Is there a way I can get back copies of ones I have...

Teaching responsibility.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... To help my middle-schoolers learn academic responsibility, I have them track their grades on a chart each quarter. They then assess their grades according to a skill rubric (e.g. reading comprehension, constructed response). I've noticed a real...

Hands-on learning.(News & Trends)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... What better way to learn about anatomy than by building a model skeleton to learn how bones connect with hinge or ball-and-socket joints. This imaginative learning project--and others like it--is central to Rebecca Hudec's science lessons with...

Working harder than ever.(News & Trends)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... It's a tough job, but most teachers say they love what they do. The NEA interviewed more than 1,400 teachers. Here's what they learned: [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 49 HOURS Average work week for primary teachers. (Ten years ago, it was...

Rise and shine.(News & Trends)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... At J.J. Izard Elementary School in Van Buren, Arkansas--one of 10 schools named as a 2003 National School of Character--"rise and shine" means more than waking up in the morning. It means instilling in children a higher sense of self-esteem...

Cool to be smart!(News & Trends)
January 1, 2004... Good news about today's kids from the Roper Youth Report (2003). 82% of children and young adults 8-17 say yes to "I think it is cool to be smart." And 73% say "I look forward to going to school." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.(Contests)
January 1, 2004... Artists and writers in grades 7-12 are invited to submit their work to the annual Scholastic Art & Writing Awards program. How it works: Winners from regional competitions will move on to the national level. Submission rules and deadlines...

Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision Awards.(Contests)
January 1, 2004... Kids are asked to imagine the technology of the future in this 12th annual program. Categories: K-3; 4-6; 7-9; 10-12 Deadline: February 3, 2004 How it works: Teams of two to four students research a current technology, then...

Ellison Exceptional Awards program.(Contests)
January 1, 2004... Ellison honors school programs that work for the betterment of students and the community with awards and recognition. Deadline: March 1, 2004 How it works: Programs must use Ellison equipment. Prizes: One grand-prize winner will...

National Arbor Day poster contest.(Contests)
January 1, 2004... The National Arbor Day Foundation is sponsoring a poster contest for fifth graders. Deadline: Varies by state; visit www.arborday.org for details. How it works: Fifth graders are invited to submit a poster that celebrates this year's...

SOS Children's Villages Art Contest.(Contests)
January 1, 2004... This year's SOS Children's Villages Art Contest celebrates the shared family meal. Grades: K-12 Deadline: May 1, 2004 How it works: Children are invited to create a picture celebrating the family meal. Prizes: Three winners...

Brown v. board of education essay contest.(Contests)
January 1, 2004... National History Day invites students to participate in a national essay contest. Grades: 6-12 Deadline: Varies by state. How it works: Students are encouraged to write an essay that examines the Brown decision and its ongoing...

Craftsman/NSTA young inventors program.(Contests)
January 1, 2004... This awards program encourages students to combine their imagination and technical ability to invent new tools. Grades: 2-8 Deadline: March 16, 2004 How it works: Students must work independently to conceive their inventions and...

Angel Soft angels in action awards program.(Contests)
January 1, 2004... This fifth annual awards program recognizes children and classrooms involved in exemplary acts of service to benefit their communities. Categories: Individuals ages 8-15; classrooms grades 3-8 Deadlines: June 19, 2004 for individuals;...

Harding House Notes Home[R].(Just for Our Readers)
January 1, 2004... Harding House is giving away a seasonal assortment of their popular carbon copy Notes Home forms to five lucky Instructor readers. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] YOU CAN WIN: A variety of Notes Home forms that will help you to document all...

"I Love to Read" poster and Green Light Readers drawing.(Giveaways)
January 1, 2004... Free to teachers: To celebrate their re-released Green Light Readers, Harcourt Children's Books is sponsoring a drawing for teachers. All entrants will receive a free "I Love to Read" poster with artwork by Keith Baker. One grand-prize winner...

A journey through our eyes CD-ROM.(Giveaways)(American Optometric Association)
January 1, 2004... Free to teachers: Educational software that teaches intermediate students about vision is offered by the American Optometric Association. The cross-curricular activities encourage research, reading, and writing skills. Grades: 4-7 How...

School integration lesson plan.(Giveaways)(National Park Service )
January 1, 2004... Free to teachers: The National Park Service has developed a unit on school integration which focuses on the transitions achieved by two schools in Virginia. The unit is part of a series of lesson plans based on historic places. How to get...

UN Refugee Agency teaching materials.(Giveaways)
January 1, 2004... Free to teachers: The UN Refugee Agency provides free videos, lesson plans, magazines, and posters that can help teachers explain the circumstances of refugees in more than 115 countries. How to get it: For details, go online to...

Shakespeare resources & video.(Giveaways)(The National Endowment for the Arts )
January 1, 2004... Free to teachers: The National Endowment for the Arts has developed a resource packet for teaching the work of Shakespeare that includes an educational video, an audio CD, ideas for lesson plans, and a timeline poster. How to get it: To...

Web teaching resources.(Giveaways)(Intel)
January 1, 2004... Free to teachers: Intel is offering three new educational programs to promote the use of technology in education, including a program to help encourage student interest in engineering and a collection of projects that assist in integrating...

Free science posters.(Giveaways)(Wright Center for Science Education)
January 1, 2004... Free to teachers: The Wright Center for Science Education offers free science-themed posters with accompanying teacher's guides and lesson plans on topics such as cosmic evolution, geology, the human genome, and much more. Grades: 6-8 ...

Media Literacy Kits.(Giveaways)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Free to teachers: The Center for Media Literacy has created the CML MediaLit Kit, a framework for teaching students how to understand and ask the right questions about all types of media. The curriculum is based on current research and includes...

Earthwatch education fellowships.(Grants)
January 1, 2004... Earthwatch Institute is offering fellowships to fund K-12 educators in joining research expeditions around the world. Learn about the crocodiles of Cuba, Australia's forest marsupials, and more. Deadline: Applications are accepted on a...

AT & T Foundation Grants.(Grants)
January 1, 2004... The AT & T Foundation awards grants to support education, civic and community service, and arts and culture. Most grants applications are solicited by invitation only; however, some unsolicited grants are reviewed each year. To apply: Send...

"We the People" Bookshelf Grants.(Grants)
January 1, 2004... The American Library Association is partnering with the National Endowment for the Humanities in the "We the People" Bookshelf program, which will donate themed books and materials to more than 500 school libraries. The libraries are asked to...

General Mills youth fitness and nutrition Grants.(Grants)
January 1, 2004... General Mills is offering 50 grants of $10,000 each to non-profit, community-based groups that develop creative ways to help young people improve their eating and physical activity patterns. Deadline: February 2, 2004 To apply: Go...

National School Fitness Foundation Grants.(Grants)
January 1, 2004... The National School Fitness Foundation provides free fitness centers to qualifying schools in the following states: Alaska, Florida, California, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Washington. ...

NEA Fine Arts Grant Program.(Grants)
January 1, 2004... The National Education Association will award 10 $2,000 grants to teachers implementing fine arts programs for students at risk of failure. Programs may focus on music, theater, dance, painting, sculpture, photography, design, or folk arts....

Hewlett Packard Technology for Teaching Grants.(Grants)
January 1, 2004... The HP Technology for Teaching initiative will award 150 schools HP tablet PCs, multimedia projectors, and $500 stipends to teachers who have developed a collaborative approach to implementing technology in their schools. Preference is given to...

Microsoft Unlimited Potential Grants.(Grants)
January 1, 2004... Over the next five years, Microsoft will distribute more than $1 billion in grants to assist disadvantaged communities in building technology centers. Schools may qualify if they operate after-school and weekend programs for students. ...

Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year Award.(Grants)
January 1, 2004... Wal-Mart stores around the U.S. award grants to schools of nominated teachers. Deadline: March 7, 2004 To apply: Visit your local Wal-Mart or SAM'S CLUB to nominate a colleague. Or go to www.walmartfoundation.org

Three-time newbery honor winner.(Gary Paulsen)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... WRITING * Childhood: Gary Paulsen developed a passion for reading at an early age. After a librarian gave him a book to read--along with his own library card--he was hooked. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * The Beginning: While he was...

About the book.(BookNotes Teachers Guide)(Gary Paulsen's novels)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Millions of readers of Hatchet, The River, Brian's Winter, and Brian's Return know that Brian Robeson is at home in the Canadian wilderness. He has stood up to the challenge of surviving alone in the woods. He prefers being on his own in the...

Thematic connections: questions for group discussion.
January 1, 2004... Survival--In Brian's Hunt, Brian is awakened by a strange animal noise in the night. He searches to find out what animal is making the noise and discovers a wounded dog. The injured dog has a deep and mysterious wound that needs to be stitched...

Connecting to the curriculum.(Gary Paulsen's novels)
January 1, 2004... Science--Brian learns a lot about animals and how they communicate. Encourage students to select one animal that Brian encounters in Brian's Return, The River, Brian's Winter, or Brian's Hunt, and research that animal's method of communication,...

Marilyn Burns: on equivalent fractions and subtraction strategies.
January 1, 2004... Q How can I help my students to understand equivalent fractions so that they can add and subtract unlike denominators?--Misty Covington, Valencia, CA [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] MARILYN ANSWERS: One way to help students understand...

Fill your winter with art & colorful crafts that students will love to use again and again.(New & Noteworthy)
January 1, 2004... Caption: Watercolor Art Kit includes brushes, paper, and a technique guide! $15; www.faber-castell.com [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: Nature's Art Box 50 cool art projects kids will love. $16.95; www.storeykids.com [ILLUSTRATION...

"The parents of one of my students are separating and it is affecting his behavior. He argues when he doesn't get his way, and cries if he is punished. What should I do?".(Can You Help?)(Column)
January 1, 2004... Start a journal correspondence. When a child is facing difficult times at home, it almost always affects his or her behavior in the classroom. Whether a child retreats into himself or acts out, it's important to acknowledge his feelings while...

Author/Illustrators.(Instructor Interviews)(Interview)
January 1, 2004... Five of your favorite picture book authors reveal the secrets behind their creative processes, and the imagination it takes to shape the stories that captivate us [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION...

Take your students to great museums online.
January 1, 2004... Museums provide unique learning opportunities that can help bring your curriculum to life. But you no longer have to schedule a field trip to reap all of the benefits! From virtual tours to lesson plans and activities, the best museum Web sites...

Level the playing field: renowned reading advocate Phyllis C. Hunter discusses why developing your classroom library is one of the best things you can do to improve student reading scores.(Classroom Libraries)(Cover Story)(Column)
January 1, 2004... On a recent school visit to Texas, Abdullah--a well-mannered fourth grader in a Houston Rockets shirt--read aloud to me. The book was Pink and Say, Patricia Polacco's book about two young boys, one black and one white, who fought on opposite...

Make learning memorable[TM] with hands-on activities.(Quilting in the Classroom)
January 1, 2004... Quilting is tactile, ordered--and fun--so it engages students in lessons and gives them concrete examples of the concepts being taught. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] No matter what the lesson might be, die-cut manipulatives make learning more...

Quilting demonstrates math in life.(Quilting in the Classroom)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Most quilts are mathematical, so you can use them in the classroom to teach geometry, tangrams, symmetry and tessellations. Show students how different shapes are combined to make other shapes (e.g., two triangles make a square). ...

Stories live forever on quilts.(Quilting in the Classroom)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Some students struggle with learning concepts that are taught using traditional methods. These students respond favorably to lessons that incorporate hands-on learning activities, such as quilting. In fact, quilts are effective in reaching...

Piecing it together: with these collaborative quilting projects, the whole truly is greater than the sum of the parts.(Quilting in the Classroom)(Editorial)
January 1, 2004... Recycled Sort Quilt One person's trash is another's treasure. Encourage your students' resourcefulness by having them create this earth-friendly masterpiece. First, have children gather an assortment of recyclable materials, such as...

Quilt square math: make math connections colorful, fun, and inviting to students with a unique unit on the geometry of quilting.(Quilt Math)
January 1, 2004... Discovering Shapes What better way to bring your math lessons to life than with a hands-on quilting unit? Before you begin, gather together books and photographs on quilts, or find a few real quilts to display in your classroom. What kinds...

Faith Ringgold: share the artist's wonderful story quilt Tar Beach, then invite your students to create their own autobiographical squares.(Masterpiece Lesson & Poster)
January 1, 2004... Story quilts are complex artworks, rich with personal details and meaning. They can tell the tales of our own history, or link us to the shared experiences of our community. The Masterpiece poster in this issue presents a story quilt that does...

Create a story quilt like: Faith Ringgold.(Art Workshop)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Inspired by Faith Ringgold's Tar Beach, Liann Sumner's third graders at Hoover Elementary School, in Redwood City, California, worked individually and collaboratively to create a stunning class quilt. Follow their creative project step by step!...

Teaching value & color.(Make Learning Memorable[TM] with Classroom Quilting)
January 1, 2004... Value is the darkness or lightness of a color in relation to other colors. Black has the darkest value, white the lightest. Color and value not only add to the visual interest and "readability" of a quilt, they help create the mood or...

Quilting covers communities.(Social Studies)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Social Studies Activities: Discuss and make a list of different types of jobs you can find in your own community, and how each job contributes to your community. Each student can choose one of the jobs from the list and create a visual of...

Give your fundraising program a lift!(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Raise more money by raising the quality of projects you sell! Invite local artists or parents who quilt to help students make precious keepsake quilts that bring high prices. It's fast and easy to cut quilt pieces with AccuCut[R] dies and the...

Activities from our readers.
January 1, 2004... Win a $50 Scholastic gift certificate! Do you have an innovative classroom activity or super organizing tip that you'd like to share? Mail it to Instructor Activities, c/o Scholastic Inc., P.O. Box 711, New York, NY 10013-0711. If we...

Ground hog and other compound words: each February 2nd, on Groundhog Day, we pay a visit to our furry friends to ask about the coming of spring--extend the celebration by digging into a lesson on compound words with these fun-filled activities.(Activities)
January 1, 2004... Compound Word Whistle Use this role-playing game to help students to identify compound words. First, ask children to search the room to find 10 compound words in print or to find items that are represented by compound words. Have them...

Life in the Arctic tundra: take students on an imaginary expedition to the frozen desert of the Arctic tundra.(Activities)
January 1, 2004... Getting Started Set up a wintry reading display of tundra-themed books (see "Arctic Resources," page 47). Add laminated articles or photos from magazines such as National Geographic Kids and Science World, and props such as toy animals,...

What makes a sentence? Strengthen students' writing skills with 10-minute mini-lessons.
January 1, 2004... Sentences Are Complete Thoughts Teach your beginning writers that a sentence expresses a complete thought or idea. Let students pick any topic, then model writing sentences about the topic on the board or a chart. Include one or two...

Halfway day: [the 90th day of school].(Activities)
January 1, 2004... Instead of the 100th day, try marking your progress in a new way. Celebrate the halfway point in the school year as you explore the concept of one half with marvelous math activities ********** Super Symmetry Symmetry is all...

The path to freedom: use these meaningful activities to help students begin to understand life on the Underground Railroad.(Activities)
January 1, 2004... Do your students know that the Underground Railroad was not a railroad at all? Rather, it was a group of loosely organized paths and trails, used by enslaved African Americans traveling north. Slaves would travel these hidden routes hoping to...

Ben Franklin.(Cyberhunt Activities)(Benjamin Franklin)
January 1, 2004... Invite middle- and upper-graders to celebrate Ben Franklin's January 17 birthday with the CyberHunt Reproducible on page 64, then try these Internet-based activities. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Practice Inventing ...

History & lore.(Book Talk)(teaching of historical fiction and narrative nonfictions to the students)
January 1, 2004... These great new historical fiction and narrative nonfiction titles will encourage children to connect with the past. [GRAPHIC OMITTED] HOMESPUN SARAH (Gr. K-3) By Verla Kay, illustrated by Ted Rand. Putnam, 2003; 32 pages; $15.99. In...

Get clicked into the arts.(Websitings)
January 1, 2004... Go online to these terrific Web sites, and with the click of a mouse, you'll fill your classroom with creative ideas. [GRAPHIC OMITTED] ARTSEDGE: CURRICULUM WEB LINKS http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org Click on the teaching...

Laughter in the classroom: last May, we invited readers to send in entries for our "End of the Day" contest. Here, the winners share their funniest tales of life in the classroom.(End of the Day)
January 1, 2004... The Gooey Dance The daily schedule for my first-grade class is always posted on the wall. My students look forward to reading it because there is always a surprise--our end of the day activity is typically something unusual and fun. One...

Growing as a teacher: from collaboration to yoga, 16 teachers talk about how they reflect and rejuvenate, personally and professionally.
January 1, 2004... "Growing as a teacher requires feeding and nurturing the soul. This takes a combination of reading, thinking, reflecting, discussing, and seeking new methods. When you feel enlivened, you can seek out the small-but-viable opportunities that...

5 Keys to reading nonfiction: learning about text features and structure gives students new strategies for comprehension.
January 1, 2004... research has shown that your students' ability to comprehend nonfiction or expository text--text that explains facts and concepts--is critical to their success on standardized tests, in their future education, and beyond. But reading...

Reproducible nonfiction bookmarks: share these bookmarks with your students to remind them of some of the key features of nonfiction text.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Quick Clues for Reading Non-fiction [check] Preview the article. [check] Read the title, introduction, and headings to discover the main ideas. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [check] Make a prediction about the article's subject. ...

The internet in the classroom: it's changed the way we teach and the way students learn.
January 1, 2004... "Students are thrilled by the possibilities going online can bring to any assignment--and their excitement motivates me," explains teacher Dawn Flowers Thomson, and she's hardly alone in her enthusiasm. Technology is changing many areas of...

Can a master's program really make a difference in students' reading skills?
January 1, 2004... absolutely! Just ask the Washington state teachers who enrolled in the Walden University distance learning master's in reading and literacy and saw their students' test scores soar! In the age of accountability, every teacher needs an...

Motivating kids to read: strategies to help instill both the skill and the will to read.
January 1, 2004... One of the problems teachers find most heartrending is the child who hates to read. When young children are turned off by reading or simply unmotivated to open a book, they miss out on wonderful opportunities to learn more not only about the...

Real-world vocabulary: enrich word learning by showing students how new words relate to familiar concepts.
January 1, 2004... When children read social studies, math, and science texts, they often confront the language of historians, mathematicians, and scientists for the first time. The vocabulary is unfamiliar because so many words are unique to certain subject...

Fluency: a vital key to comprehension; The more fluently students read, the more they understand.
January 1, 2004... "The (pause) d (stop and pause) og (stop and pause) ran a (stop and pause) way." every teacher is familiar with the sound of a student reading aloud in this herky-jerky, stop-and-go style. The child who is reading on level can read...