Instructor (1990) articles from May 2001

Instructor (1990) archives from May 2001

turning on the LIGHTS.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2001... Early in the fall of 2000, I became a part-time tutor at a public elementary school in Brooklyn. The first thing I noticed was this: All the teachers to whom I was assigned needed help in one area--literacy. Never mind that some of the kids...

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2001... Approval for the Arts Thank you for your wonderful issue on the arts! As a former teacher and children's author, I'm a devoted arts advocate. I'm also a long-time subscriber and fan of "Book Talk" columnist, Judy Freeman. Keep up the good...

Breaking Barriers.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2001... Sharon Robinson's program Breaking Barriers: In Sports, In Life is breaking new ground with kids. Robinson is the daughter of Jackie Robinson, the first African-American to play major league baseball. Her program aims to extend the positive...

Social Promotion Declining Steadily.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2001... The number of teachers whose schools practice social promotion has dropped from 41 percent to 31 percent in the last four years, according to a report by Public Agenda, a nonpartisan public opinion research organization. Teachers also reported...

Call Them "Mister".(Brief Article)
May 1, 2001... A new Clemson University program is encouraging more young African-American men to consider teaching as a profession. Over the next four years, 240 participants will receive full college tuition, room and board, and a small stipend in exchange...

Time To Celebrate Teachers.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2001... The annual "Week of the Classroom Teacher" celebrations will be held May 6--12, 2001, across the nation. This year's theme is "Teachers Touch Tomorrow--Inspiring the Promise of the New Millennium." The celebration is sponsored by the...

A New Program For Financial Literacy.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2001... Chase Manhattan Bank has recently launched a $1 million initiative to increase students' financial literacy. Visit www.jumpstartcoalition.org for free educational materials.

Samsung "Book About Me" Winners.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2001... Three lucky fourth graders from elementary schools in New Jersey, Missouri, and California won the third annual Samsung Camera's "Book About Me" photo composition contest. The winning students are: Adrian Pizarro, PS 5, West New York, NJ; Grant...

Target offers "Arts in Education" Grants.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2001... Target is awarding grants of $1,000 to $5,000 to schools with arts programs that help extend the arts from the classroom to the home. The grants will be awarded to schools that provide art exhibits, classes, or performances that help make the...

"Kids in Need" Grants.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2001... The SHOPA Foundation for Educational Excellence has $100,000 in grants available for innovative class-room projects. Certified K-12 teachers with fresh, new curricula-related projects are urged to apply. Winning teachers will receive grants of...

"Wakin' Up the Music".(Brief Article)
May 1, 2001... The GRAMMY Foundation and Folgers[R] Coffee recently announced a new program called "Wakin' Up the Music" to support music education in elementary schools. All schools registered in the program will receive free educational materials including...

ADHD: THE DIFFICULTIES & THE JOYS.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2001... 10 tips to make life easier and more productive for you and these special students ANYONE WHO HAS SPENT SOME TIME in a classroom has most likely come across a child diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. In my 30...

QUESTIONING THE TEXT.
May 1, 2001... A surefire fire strategy to improve students' reading comprehension Have you ever read an editorial that made you so mad you couldn't finish it, a short story that reminded you of your childhood, a poem that confused you? Those thoughts...

SPELLING STRATEGIES THAT WORK.
May 1, 2001... Easy lessons to help kids spell well in school and beyond "I can't figure out what to teach when!" "How will I ever find the time to teach it all?" These are comments I hear all the time about spelling. But teaching it doesn't have to be...

New thinking on READ-ALOUD.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2001... New research helps you reap the biggest benefits from read-aloud There is no question that reading aloud to children is good practice. But new research is showing that certain conditions surrounding read-aloud will ensure the greatest...

Teacher Treats.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2001... Combine die-cuts with suckers for a sweet treat at a year-end party or birthday celebration. Attach a sucker through slits in the die-cut or punch holes with a 1/4" hole punch for sucker placement.

Nifty Name Tags.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2001... Help parent volunteers learn student's names for field trips or classroom parties with a name tag for each student. Xyron the paper before die-cutting for name tags that stick right on clothing. Punch 1/8" holes on larger shapes and lace with...

Learning up to the very last minute.
May 1, 2001... Quick tips, creative ideas, and fun activities that tap into students' end-of-year energy We know how it is. As the days get warmer and the end of the year draws near, it's a challenge to keep the learning going and the kids' energy inside...

Georges Seurat.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2001... GEORGES SEURAT (1859-91) was one of the most popular and admired artists of his time. Born in Paris, France, Seurat (Sur-RAH) lived as a child near a beautiful park with lakes, trees, and hills. He enjoyed watching the variety of people who...

Writing a List Poem.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2001... Too often, young poets feel that a poem must be grand and spectacular, about cosmic issues. Actually, some of the best poems are based not on larger truths but on everyday life observed, and they are carefully built with clear details and...

Celebrate 25 Years with ARTHUR.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2001... Arthur's Theatre * Celebrate the 25th anniversary of Marc Brown's Arthur with an easy-to-produce Arthur play. After reading several stories, take a class vote to choose your favorite(s). Ask students to work in pairs on one or more scenes. Have...

LEARNING WORD SKILLS WITH Jokes & Riddles.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2001... Did you hear the one about the teacher who uses riddles to teach language skills? Jokes and riddles hold great opportunities for word and sound recognition, vocabulary development, critical thinking, and creative writing. These activities and...

learning & growing in THE CLASSROOM.
May 1, 2001... Spring is a time for new energy and growth. Why not invite some springtime into your classroom with an easy and exciting indoor garden! We know that to reach all students, we need to teach in many ways, providing varied learning experiences for...

TOOLS FOR LITERACY.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2001... Tech-based support for your reading curriculum More minutes are dedicated to reading instruction than to any other subject, at least during the primary years. So it makes sense to use the best tools available. Here's an overview of some of...

BLUE RIBBON WEBSITES.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2001... Amazing teacher-created sites get top honors in our contest, sponsored Everyone talks about the Web-based revolution going on in American classrooms. But what does that mean, exactly? Instructor wanted to find out how real teachers are...

Class Homepage Builder.(Scholastic Corp.)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2001... Scholastic's Class Homepage Builder tames the Web page design tiger with several templates perfect for classroom news. Just register, choose a class username and password for your students, sign in, and begin building. Choose a page style....

Apple iTools: HomePage.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2001... At this Apple Web site developed exclusively for Macintosh users (running System 9x), you'll find several great looking "Education" templates tailored for classroom or school news, teachers, team sports, and more. Anyone who registers can...

BigChalk.com.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2001... No technical knowledge is required to create a free multi-page classroom, school, media center, or all-purpose Web site with the friendly tools provided at BigChalk.com. This educational portal will also host your site at no charge. Each...

MySchoolOnline.com.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2001... Teachers and students can build a free school Web site using tools, templates and other electronic goodies provided at this Learning Network (formerly Family Education Network) site. Once you've registered, follow on-line instructions to create...

SiteCentral.(Knowledge Adventure Inc.)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2001... Teachers and kids alike can create great-looking sites or pages with SiteCentral, another excellent choice for HTML-free Web page design. From the makers of HyperStudio, it comes with 10,000-plus animations, art clips, photos, and special...

FrontPage 2000.(Microsoft Corp.)(Software Review)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2001... Microsoft's robust Web site manager and page editor FrontPage 2000 (FP2000) features a variety of Themes (i.e., templates) and Wizards to simplify the creation of school, class, or personal Web sites and pages. FrontPage Themes, toolbars,...

Dreamweaver 4.0.(Macromedia Inc.)(Software Review)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2001... Macromedia's Dreamweaver 4 delivers professional-quality tools for Web page design and management. New users can take animated guided tours, complete a tutorial, and work through interactive lessons. The program has much to offer experienced...

Time to Publish!(learning about publishing)
May 1, 2001... Fresh and fun ideas from teachers to help your students share their writing with one another--and the world Publishing is as much a part of writing as is the very first exploration into a topic. Giving children opportunities to share their...

AN OUNCE OF MAGIC.(developing the love for learning)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2001... How the allure of books sparked a love of learning Like a magician, I could make Collin disappear. I simply asked him to write a story, solve a few subtraction problems, or do any other task, and he would vanish before my eyes--under a...