Instructor (1990) articles from March 2001

Instructor (1990) archives from March 2001

The "more" of tech. (Editor's Note).
March 1, 2001... When I was in elementary school, "educational technology" pretty much meant filmstrips and movies. (In my memory, most of these seemed to be about Christopher Columbus.) Today, of course, this seems quaint compared to what we mean when we talk...

300 Incredible Things to do on the Internet. (Teacher Raves).
March 1, 2001... Ken Leebow (VIP Publishing 2000) Good things really do come in small packages--this soft-cover, 121-page book is filled with Web sites guaranteed to give you all the resources you need for information, lesson plans, services, products, and...

The Civil War: A New View in Close-Up 3-D. (Teacher Raves).
March 1, 2001... Marc E. Frey (Running Press, 1999) Within the pages of Frey's book, colorful images of the first modern war literally pop out at young readers. This unique book offers a 3-D perspective on the life and times of the average American soldier...

Rationales for Challenged Books, CD-ROM. (Teacher Raves).(Evaluation)
March 1, 2001... (NCTE in partnership with IRA) For as long as books have been in print there have been people and organizations who wanted books banned. Now there is a CD-ROM that can help teachers keep these important books on the shelves. The...

People are buzzing about. (What's the Buzz?).
March 1, 2001... Andy Rash's The Robots Are Coming...and Other Problems (Scholastic, 2000). This witty and wonderful book of poems about cowboy androids, abominable snowman, X-ray vision, giant ants, and more may be just the thing to jump-start your students'...

Compaq Computer grants. (Grants).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... Compaq Computer Corp. is offering grants to K-12 educational programs that enhance math, science, reading, and computer skills. To apply for a grant, schools should send: a summary that describes the proposed request; details the populations...

21st-Century Community Learning Centers. (Grants).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... The U.S. Department of Education is offering $200 million in funding to establish high-quality after-school community learning centers. Schools wishing to apply for after-school funding should collaborate with other public and nonprofit...

Instructor in your Palm. (Grants).(Scholastic Wireless, software)(Evaluation)
March 1, 2001... Quick and easy lesson ideas and activities are now available via the Palm Pilot! With a new program called Scholastic Wireless at www.soholastic.com/wire less, teachers can use the Palm to access essential classroom-tested K-B resources from...

California teacher shortage hardest on poor. (Education News).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... California's teacher shortage strikes hardest in city schools that serve mostly poor and minority children. California's poorest children are nearly four times as likely as the most affluent kids to have uncredentialed instructors. Nearly half...

Kindergarten makes a difference. (Education News).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... A six-year federal study of 22,000 children indicates just how much children learn in public and private kindergarten. Tracking the kindergartners into a second year, the Education Department study shows that five times as many children as a...

Cincinnati approves merit pay. (Education News).(payment according to performance)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... In Cincinnati, Ohio, an effort is underway that could become the model for the biggest change in how teachers are paid in 80 years. This fall, the city passed a measure that will make it the first in the U.S. to pay teachers based on their...

More teachers earn national certification. (Education News).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... "A record number of teachers gained the top rank in their profession this year," says a report by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. The nationwide total of 4,694 teachers gaining national certification is nearly twice the...

A passion for teaching. (Education News).(study on teachers' feelings about their work)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... A new report or show teachers regard the profession suggests that critics and decision makers may be on the wrong track about what is needed to attract new teachers and improve public schools. A Sense of Calling: Who Teaches and Why; a study...

Quia.com.(educational web site)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... Pronounced "KEEuh" (it stands for Quintessential Instructional Archive), this free site allows teachers to create interactive learning activities, as well as to tap into a huge database of activities designed by other educators. The templates...

BrainPOP.com. (Web Sites).(online education)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... At BrainPOP.com, upper elementary and middle school students will enjoy exploring "The Mysteries of Life" with Tim, an animated teenager, and Moby, his robot sidekick, who host short, educational cartoons on science, health, and technology...

Space explorers invade D.C. Schools. (What the Buzz?).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... What is the adventurous life of a space explorer really like? District of Columbia Public School (DCPS) students will soon find out. In the DOPS community, a team of over 40 local scientists and engineers will conduct workshops for hundreds of...

Day smoothers: Advice from a veteran teacher on keeping kids riveted during read-alouds and simplifying your morning routine. (Ask Mary).(Mary C. Rose, teacher)(Interview)
March 1, 2001... Q: Even though I choose great books for read-aloud time, my students often get sleepy or restless while am reading. How can I keep their attention? A: Too often when we begin reading aloud a few eyelids droop or children zone out and stop...

8 ways to win: Quick and easy ideas to help struggling students succeed. (Reaching Every Child).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... When a child with special needs having difficulties, it is sometimes hard to isolate the source of the problem. Teachers may benefit greatly by asking the questions below. Perhaps you will find something here, previously unconsidered, that will...

Who is norm and what's he doing in my class? Norm- and criterion-referenced tests: the differences. (Test Wise).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... More than one teacher has asked us plaintively, "Can you tell me in plain English about some key features that distinguish different kinds of standardized tests?" Jargon and buzzwords can confuse anyone in this field. If you too have trouble...

Nonfiction 71 top books of the century. (Book Talk).
March 1, 2001... Nonfiction is a crucial genre to emphasize in the classroom, but teachers don't always have time to research the best. Here, I've selected a number of nonfiction books from the past century that have had an impact on my teaching, broken new...

Fact & Fiction read aloud; Give your students a boost in content-area reading: Read aloud paired nonfiction and fiction text sets.
March 1, 2001... I'm convinced that it was a teacher who coined the phrase, "So much to do, so little time." No matter how hard we try to keep up, there's always more to do. So when I began thinking about ways to expose my students to more nonfiction, the last...

Success for ESL students: 12 practical tips to help second-language learners.
March 1, 2001... There are currently more than 180 different language groups represented by the students in America's schools. Students who speak English as a second language (ESL) constitute a significant percentage of the nation's school population: schools...

Proactive parent communication: Nervous about talking with parents? Be the one to make the first move.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... Over the past 20 years working as classroom teachers, student-teacher supervisors, and university professors, we have found that taking a proactive stance is helpful in ensuring a good working relationship with parents and caregivers. One...

Children & Loss: Teachers serve as a crucial emotional bridge for a child at times of loss. What do we need to know to help students cope?(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... Humans, by nature, are designed to grow, learn, work, and play in groups. By the time a child is 10, he or she has created and maintained dozens of key relationships--parents, siblings, friends, teachers, and more. Throughout life, these...

Animal science: Teach about animal adaptation with these easy, no-fuss science experiments.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... As the sky brightens and the days lengthen, it's an excellent time to take some of your hands-on science lessons outdoors. In the following set of experiments, children will learn about animal adaptation. These experiments take a minimum of...

Dress up your class room contest. (Instructor and Ellison's).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... HERE ARE THE WINNERS! In the August 2000 issue, we challenged teachers to send in their best, original ideas for making their classrooms unique, eye-catching, and inspirational. The winning projects shown here make their classrooms a...

March into shamrock season: St. Patrick's Day activities filled with learning and fun.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... Shamrock Symmetry Create beautiful shamrock cards to take home as you experiment with color and symmetry. Ask students to mix various shades by combining green paint with small amounts of white, black, blue, or yellow. Students draw a half...

March is women's history month.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH honors the great achievements of women such as the three famous Americans pictured above. Can you identify them? (The answers are below.) To learn more about these women, visit www.distinguishedwomen.com Use this month to...

Where do rainy days come from? As spring approaches, take you students out in the rain. Introduce the water cycle process with engaging, hands-on activities! (Activities).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... Rain Cycle Facts EVAPORATION is the process by which water changes from a liquid to a vapor. The Sun's energy warms water droplets until the water becomes a vapor and rises into the air. When water vapor (or droplets) come together in the...

Young scientists. (Activity).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... REMEMBER WEARING GOGGLES AND LAB COATS to face your first Bunsen burner in chemistry class? You can re-create this excitement and sense of scientific discovery in your own classroom with a few dollars and a few stitches. These investments in...

Harry Potter brings magic into the classroom. (Activities).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... Make-Your-Own Trading Cards Making trading cards is a great way to have your class practice recalling facts and details, summarizing, establishing sequential order, and presenting work orally. Ask your students to draw pictures of...

Shapes and patterns with Quilting Math: Make math a challenging, hands-on art activity!(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... Designing Squares As your students create their own dynamic and colorful quilt squares, they will build on important geometry concepts. Discuss with your students the way quilt designers combine familiar elements from their lives with...

Grandma Moses.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... ANNA MARY ROBERTSON MOSES (1860-1961), for most of her life, didn't think of herself as an artist. In her youth, the woman the world would come to know as Grandma Moses married Thomas Salmon Moses, worked hard on their farm, and raised...

Spring forward.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... Poets, like scientists, are careful observers. They look closely at the world around them and notice things that others might not see. In "Bee, I'm Expecting You!", a whimsical poem in the form of a letter from Fly to Bee, Emily Dickinson...

Page-turning plots: Tips and techniques to help students build compelling narratives. (Writing Workshop).
March 1, 2001... What's it about? That's the question we often ask when someone recommends a book. The answer that will compel us to read the book will most likely revolve around key pieces of the plot--the problem or conflict, and maybe some of the big events...

Frog & Toad. (Theme Unit).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... Leap into learning about frogs and toads! These cold-blooded creatures have much to teach us. Their lifecycle is fascinating and they play an important role in our natural world. Enjoy Instructor's cross-curricular activities, including an...

Power up Powerpoint! Easy tech-based learning activities by teachers for teachers. (E-Classroom).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... At Instructor, we're bearing from more and more tech-savvy teachers. Here are two projects from our readers that make PowerPoint, a program designed for visual presentations, into a powerful classroom tool. Author Presentations ...

Star software: a roundup of some of the year's best titles for K-8 teachers across the curriculum. (Instructor 2001 Teacher's Tech Guide).
March 1, 2001... Asked to name some of our favorite software choices across the curriculum, we came up with programs that will spark learning excitement and pack the most educational punch for your technology dollar. All run on any late-model Windows or...

Hardware Best Bets. (Instructor 2001 Teacher's Tech Guide).
March 1, 2001... Handware Best Bets We looked at systems from six companies with strong education divisions. Systems were matched as closely as possible for price and features. Price configurations and specifications change often. If cost is an...

Teacher's tool kit: Six software programs that could change the way you teach. (Instructor 2001 Teacher's Tech Guide).
March 1, 2001... Today's educational software offers much more than just great curriculum content--it also offers teaching tools that promise to enhance creativity, address individual learning traits, and spark learning excitement. Here, we share some of the...

Multimedia reference tools: Content-rich classroom encyclopedias on CD-ROM and DVD. (Instructor 2001 Teacher's Tech Guide).
March 1, 2001... Nothing beats the World Wide Web for up-to-the minute information. But for depth and breadth, encourage your students to engage in topical research using an information-rich multimedia encyclopedia on CD or DVD. You can't go wrong with any of...

Tech notes: Noteworthy products to support tech-based learning. (Instructor 2001 Teacher's Tech Guide).
March 1, 2001... Whether you're a newcomer to computing or invented the internet, you'll want to check out the leads below. The peripherals, software, Web sites, and print materials featured here all make computers work in ways that will astound and amuse both...

Web trends: ASPs & Curriculum providers; Application Service Providers offer educators new tools and content via the Web. (Instructor 2001 Teacher's Tech Guide).
March 1, 2001... Since its earliest appearance on the education horizon, the World Wide Web has offered educators new ways to supplement classroom instruction. Today, the Web can also provide useful tools like school calendaring, all kinds of curriculum...

Dinosaurs on the Web. (CyberHunt).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... Take a cyberjourney back to the Mesozoic Era and learn fascinating facts about the dinosaurs that populated the Earth for many millions of years. Dinosaurs were just one of several kinds of prehistoric reptiles that lived during the Age of...

A single smile: One minute that defined my career. (End of the Day).(teaching)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... It was one minute into the first day of the new school year, and already a tiny little second grader in the first row was chattering away with her neighbor. She was saying something about how I was her first "man teacher," how strange it all...

Letters to the Editor.
March 1, 2001... I was recently paging through your November/December 2000 issue when I came upon the article in Book Talk, "Real-life Heroes." At first I thought all the heroes mentioned were going to be white males. However, as I read on, I noticed books...