Instructor (1990) articles from May 2000

Instructor (1990) archives from May 2000

Investing in Childhood.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 1, 2000... Quick question: In dollars and cents, how much is one of your students worth? For simplicity, let's assume he's a boy. Don't answer, of course, until you have made a brief statistical analysis of his dreams and desires, weighed against his...

Olympic Games Excitement!
May 1, 2000... We're carrying a torch for Scholastic at the Olympic Games, an after-school program to be aired on MSNBC television during the Summer Games taking place in Sydney, Australia, from September 15 through October 1. The show will feature events...

Election Extra.
May 1, 2000... Read all about it! Reporters ages 8 to 15, representing Scholastic News Editions 3-4, Junior Scholastic, and The New York Times Upfront, will attend both the Republican Convention in Philadelphia (July 31-August 4) and the Democratic Convention...

Clifford, the Big Red TV Star.(PBS' animated show)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... That lovably large canine, Clifford, is being groomed for TV stardom! On September 3, Clifford the Big Red Dog debuts as a half-hour animated show on PBS, in partnership with Scholastic Productions. Based on Scholastic's much loved,...

Ms. Read to the Rescue.(helping fourth-grade students develop reading skills)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... Advice from a seasoned educator to help you, and your students, in the classroom Dear Ms. Read, My fourth graders have decent reading skills, but their oral reading is still not fluent and smooth. Do you have any tips for improving...

In the Eye of the Beholder[ldots].
May 1, 2000... Images are "seen" upside-down We all need light to see--but not just because we can't see easily in the dark. Explain to your primary-school students that their eyes do not actually see objects, such as flowers, but rather the light that...

Radio to the Rescue.
May 1, 2000... Go "on the air" and produce a play to sharpen listening skills In this age of satellite television, high-speed computers, and constant visual stimulation, it's not surprising that many students lack strong listening skills. You can help...

Baseball Math.
May 1, 2000... Do students have summer fever? Hit a home run with this game Keep everyone excited, focused on math, and having fun right down to the last day of school with baseball math! Students in grades 6 through 8 will enjoy this unique game, which...

Instructor's 88 Great Reads.
May 1, 2000... Bushels of book titles--how many can you read this summer? Check off a box for each book you read, then share the list with your new teacher in the fall! Easy Fiction * Amelia Bedelia 4 Mayor * Bark, George The world's...

High-Wire ACT.
May 1, 2000... As one award-winning school proves, effective reading instruction demands a fine sense of balance In the long-running battle known as the Reading Wars, which side is second-grade teacher Courtney Cooper on? Advocates of phonics would...

THE Roots OF Reading.
May 1, 2000... Through community partnerships, you can help set preschoolers on the road to reading success Once upon a time, it was believed that literacy training could begin only after children's brains had matured-- at about six years of age. But...

Feast of WORDS.
May 1, 2000... A student writing festival yields rich rewards for all. Here's how to start one at your school When seven-year-old Kelsey Drake stepped up to the microphone, she hesitated. Perhaps she felt nervous about presenting her writing before such...

Not for Sale.
May 1, 2000... What's the future economic value of a even-year-old? No one, the author, should be asking that question There is a certain group of children I've come to know over the past decade, children in their early years who have started to poke...

Growing Poets.
May 1, 2000... We were delighted by the response to our first annual Student Poetry Contest, announced in the January/ February issue of Instructor. More than 4,500 entries poured in, many of remarkably high quality. Choosing only one winner and three...

THE BASEBALL FIELD.
May 1, 2000... The stadium was silhouetted against the mountains He walked in like a cat Silence The moonlight glittered on the turf He glanced at the scoreboard But the numbers were nothing but zeroes He looked all around him ...

Winning Words.
May 1, 2000... One of the things that I enjoy most about working with young writers is getting the chance to read so much wonderful student poetry. I am always amazed at the rich imagery and imaginative wordplay that children can create. As judge of the...

Focus ON JOURNALISM.
May 1, 2000... As a child, when I heard adults discussing news and cultural events, I felt like an eavesdropper in a strange world far outside my everyday experience. This world was serious, scary, and sometimes boring. Just the same, I wanted to be a part of...

The Desert Land of Extremes.
May 1, 2000... Ask your students to describe a desert scene, and they will likely respond with the familiar image of a hot, flat, and sandy place devoid of animals and plants. But the real world of deserts is more interesting and varied. Ask the class to...

Time Line Keepsakes.
May 1, 2000... STANDARDS Time, Continuity, and Change * Exposure to a Wide Range of Texts At the end of each school year, I initiate a discussion With my second graders about their future. We talk about the different paths their lives might take,...

Build a Bug.
May 1, 2000... STANDARDS Life Science * Unifying Concepts and Processes * Science as Inquiry As part of a teen teaching project, my high school students visit elementary classrooms to teach youngsters about insects and the concept of camouflage. The...

From Trash to Treasure.
May 1, 2000... STANDARDS Science in Personal and Social Perspectives * Earth and Space To culminate a unit on recycling, I challenge my third graders to create something new out of trash. I send home a letter asking parents to have their children...

Author, Author!
May 1, 2000... Turn your classroom into a publishing center--and watch student motivation soar Once upon a time, the writing process for a nine-year-old we'll call Carlos looked like this: create a rough draft, compose, revise, rewrite, then illustrate....

Word Power.
May 1, 2000... Skill-building software for language arts Computers and CD-ROMs offer new and effective ways to strengthen kids' reading and writing skills at every grade level. With the right software, children can improve reading comprehension, build...

Adventures in E-Mail.
May 1, 2000... Standards-based activities from teachers using tech Imaginative E-mail NCTE Standard: Use of Technological Resources to Create and Communicate Knowledge You can reinforce what students learn from their reading by having them invent...

Poise, Style, Flashy Moves.
May 1, 2000... That's what these seventh graders have. What's happened since I was a kid? After being a chaperone at school dances for 21 years, I've made an observation. Students today definitely have more poise than I or my contemporaries did back...