Instructor (1990) articles from March 2004

Instructor (1990) archives from March 2004

The power of science.(Editor's Note)(Editorial)
March 1, 2004... As the Instructor staff gathered to work on this issue through the snowy and bitterly cold days of January, we were warmed by how many of our stories this month are about the wonderful ways teachers and students are engaging with science in the...

Meeting the standards.(Illustration)
March 1, 2004... ARTICLE PAGE SCIENCE GRADE Teaching for a 19 Understands relationships among 3-8 Healthier Earth organisms and their physical environment;...

Walk this way.(News & Trends)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Walking to school, an activity that once seemed relegated to the past, is back with a twist. Children in Chicago, Illinois, and other school districts around the country are taking "walking school buses" to and from school. Here's how it works:...

Big TVs: little kids.(News & Trends)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Television viewing by very young children is on the rise, according to a new study by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. 2 hours a day Average amount of time babies and young children from six months to six years old spend watching...

No dissing.
March 1, 2004... This year, make the first week of March "No Name-Calling Week!" Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing; the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN); and more than 30 other partners are proud to sponsor the first ever "No...

Boosting latino achievement.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... It's time to look more closely at the schools and districts that are making notable progress in closing the achievement gap between latino and white students, according to the nonprofit group Education Trust. Schools that are closing the gap...

Einstein spotted: in local school.
March 1, 2004... Albert Einstein's March 14th birthday is a day to celebrate at Helena Middle School, in Helena, Montana. Started over ten years ago in an effort to promote science and academic excellence, Einstein Day has grown more popular with each year. The...

Dick Blick linoleum block print contest.(Contests)
March 1, 2004... Budding printmakers are invited to submit works made from cut linoleum to Dick Blick's annual contest. Categories: Grades 4-6; 7-9; 10-12 Deadline: March 31, 2004 How it works: Entries will be accepted in any size and color,...

National Women's Hall of Fame essay contest.(Contests)
March 1, 2004... The National Women's Hall of Fame, in Seneca Falls, NY, is sponsoring its 24th annual essay contest celebrating Women's History Month in March. Grades: 4-12 Deadline: March 31, 2004 How it works: Projects must relate to an...

The Gloria Barron Prize for young heroes.(Contests)
March 1, 2004... The Gloria Barron Prize honors out-standing young leaders who have made a significant positive difference in the lives of people and on our planet. Ages: 8-18 Deadline: April 30, 2004 How it works: Teachers, librarians, and other...

ETS discourse challenge.(Contests)
March 1, 2004... The Educational Testing Service is sponsoring a competition for districts and schools that focuses on the benefits of using their free, downloadable Discourse Starter Edition for teaching and learning. Grades: K-12 Deadline: April 15,...

TeachNet.(Giveaways)
March 1, 2004... Free to teachers: TeachNet provides more than 270 hands-on, innovative lesson plans searchable by grade level and subject area, including activities on the stock market, weather, and fairy tales. Grades: K-12 How to get it: To...

Free captioned media.(Giveaways)
March 1, 2004... Free to teachers: The Captioned Media Program loans a variety of captioned media to those who work with the deaf and hard of hearing. More than 4,000 videos and DVDs are available, including many special-interest and educational videos perfect...

EPS teaching resources.(Giveaways)
March 1, 2004... Free to teachers: The Educators Publishing Service is now offering free online teaching materials to complement their products. Download worksheets on vocabulary, comprehension, critical thinking, and much more. Visit now for a chance to win...

Free pinhole Cameras.(Giveaways)
March 1, 2004... Starlight Cameras donates one Little Merlin pinhole camera and one Print 1-2-3 black-and-white photography kit to eligible schools each week. How to get it: For details, visit www.paintcancamera.com

Free classroom calendar.(Giveaways)
March 1, 2004... The Eisenhower National Clearinghouse offers a free online calendar with links to seasonal math and science topics such as patterns, the senses, and inventions. The cross-curricular activity ideas available here are tied to national mathematics...

DIRECTV goes to school.(Grants)
March 1, 2004... DIRECTV provides qualified K-12 schools throughout the country with satellite television systems free of charge. Among the channels included in the package are Animal Planet, BBC America, The History Channel, National Geographic Channel, and...

mimioGrant.(Grants)
March 1, 2004... Virtual Ink offers qualified teachers a substantive discount on their products, including mimio[R], a digital collaboration technology that attaches to any whiteboard and electronically captures everything that is written or drawn. ...

Wireless Foundation ClassLink Program.(Grants)
March 1, 2004... The Wireless Foundation ClassLink Program donates wireless phones and airtime minutes to public schools nationwide. The program was created because many classrooms have neither a telephone nor the ability to install computer and phone lines due...

The California Pizza Kitchen Foundation.(Grants)
March 1, 2004... The California Pizza Kitchen Foundation makes grants and provides fundraising opportunities to support children and youth in communities where the company has restaurant locations. Deadline: Open To apply: Contact Sarah Goldsmith,...

"My brightest student freezes up on big tests. He spends much of his time erasing and rewriting answers. How can I help him?".(Can You Help?)
March 1, 2004... Make Resources Available. It's as important to teach testing strategies as it is the material itself. I like to introduce the testing "golden rule" (what does the question want to know and how should I respond?). You can also offer to review...

The new gender gap: why are so many boys floundering while so many girls are soaring?
March 1, 2004... Picture a student in your class who is really struggling with reading and writing. This student doesn't like to read, has difficulty sitting still and paying attention, and turns in crumpled, half-completed homework. We've all had students like...

Teaching for a healthier Earth: sustainability education has young students (and teachers!) seeing the world in a new way.
March 1, 2004... When you think about the future, what kind of lives do you imagine for your students? We all have hopes for our students--hopes for future happiness, good jobs, and success. We want their world to be a healthy, stable, and peaceful place. A...

Science dude: Bill Nye, whose Emmy-award winning "The Science Guy" continues to inspire on DVD and video, talks with Jon Runnalls and his science students from Helena Middle School in Montana. Plus: How to use the Science Guy to bring new excitement to your classroom!(Interview)
March 1, 2004... The afternoon my students and I were scheduled to talk with Bill Nye, my room was abuzz with excitement. The kids had spent weeks preparing questions, and they were eager to interview the Science Guy himself. As the time drew near, however, the...

March activities from our readers.
March 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 Editor, c/o Scholastic Inc., P.O. Box 711, New York, NY 10013-0711. If...

Take It Apart!(Activities)
March 1, 2004... Each year, Paula Franko's fourth graders at Evergreen Elementary School, in Scotch-Plains, NJ, look forward to "Take-It-Apart Day," a special classroom event filled with hands-on science learning and exploration. And parents are invited to...

Sequencing with Clifford: practice sequencing and build literacy using favorite books about Clifford The Big Red Dog.(Activities)
March 1, 2004... Using the Reproducible [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Children will love using puppets to retell their favorite Clifford books, such as Clifford The Small Red Puppy and Clifford's Good Deeds. After reading each story, invite children to share...

Puzzled over paragraphs? A-plus activities to help kids master the building blocks of great writing.(Activities)
March 1, 2004... Getting Started Launch your writing explorations by having students review what they already know about paragraphs and list what they'd like to learn. Explain that a paragraph is a group of sentences about the same topic. To help students...

The amazing world of volcanoes: show your students the secrets of the fire-breathing mountains with these learning-filled activities.(Activities)
March 1, 2004... Did you know that there are more than 600 active volcanoes on Earth? To explain their origins, it helps to hold up an apple: If our planet were the size of the apple, its crust would be about the same thickness as the apple's skin. Below...

Women making music!(Cyberhunt Activities)
March 1, 2004... Send students on a trip through time to meet the many women who have influenced the world of music! Before you begin, distribute the CyberHunt Reproducible on page 48. Then extend the learning with these Internet-based classroom activities. ...

A journey to Japan: take an imaginary class trip with these purposeful activities on Japanese language, culture, and life.(Activities)
March 1, 2004... While Japan has a similar land area to California, its population is almost four times as big. Most of Japan's 127,000,000 citizens live in large, dense cities such as the country's capital, Tokyo. With these activities, invite your students to...

Big numbers: blast off with your students on an exploration of big numbers.(Activities)
March 1, 2004... What's a Googol? Give students hands-on experience with one of the very biggest numbers! Introduce the word "googol" and explain that one googol is the number 1 followed by 100 zeroes. Then divide up 100 paper plates among students and ask them...

2004 teacher raves: instructor's spring product guide for teachers, by teachers.(Buyers Guide)
March 1, 2004... Sound Sorting Kits These fabulous hands-on phonics kits are filled with small objects for kids to touch and sort. www.primaryconcepts.com; Gr. K-2; $39 & up. Product Info Card #77 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Reading Rods[R]...

Biographical journeys.(Book Talk)
March 1, 2004... Share these inspiring tales about real-life legends with your students--and give them role models for life. MOTHER TO TIGERS (GR. K-3) By George Ella Lyon. Atheneum, 2003; 32 pages; $16.95. This tender biography tells the story of...

Super science sites.(Web Sitings)
March 1, 2004... Whether your students are studying the moon or their own backyards, these sites offer terrific resources to support their learning. THE SCIENCE EDUCATION GATEWAY http://cse.ssl.berkeley.edu/SegwayEd This site, supported by NASA...

Let's make a deal: forget sports stars--it's teachers who should be landing those million-dollar endorsement deals.(End of the Day)
March 1, 2004... It seems like every time an advertising company has something to sell--whether it's potato chips, pain reliever, or Pontiacs--the first group they always look to for spokespeople are professional athletes. Why just them? What about us? I, for...