Instructor (1990) articles from May 2007

Instructor (1990) archives from May 2007

Five reasons to visit ...
May 1, 2007... teacher.scholastic.com 1. Find 51 ideas for the end of the year (beyond paper caps and gowns). From a video scrapbook to a "what we know" math show, we've got tons of fresh activities and lesson plans to help wrap it up before summer....

Getting the support you need.(from the editors)(Editorial)
May 1, 2007... For many, the hardest part about teaching certainly isn't the teaching! It's the meetings, the bureaucracy, the conflict. "My kids are great," a teacher-friend confided recently. "It's the grown-ups who are giving me an ulcer." A healthy...

Enter our classroom photo contest.(GET OUT YOUR CAMERA)
May 1, 2007... Springtime field trips, dinosaur dioramas, solar system puppet shows--for classroom activities and inspiration, a picture is truly worth a thousand words. That's why we want to see what's going on behind your classroom door. Send us your...

The "snake group" learns to read: what do you do when 82% of your third-graders are reading below grade level?(making a difference)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... From their first day of kindergarten at Brighton Elementary School in Brighton, Alabama, Betsy Rogers' students have faced adversity. The children arrived at school to find their cubbies were infested with (ugh!) snakes. Kindergarten was...

We're glad it fits!(letters)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2007... The March/April Instructor was tailor-made for me! "Girls & ADHD" was timely, as I have spent months trying to get help for one of my girls. "Mental Math" showed the importance of solving problems in your head. Thank you for including...

ADHD girls at greater risk.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2007... I just finished "Girls & ADHD," by Caralee Adams (March/April 2007). It was fantastic, but I am left with a question. Adams states that "if untreated, [girls] are at greater risk for developing emotional problems..." I just wondered what she...

Found luck with faith.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2007... Finding motivating and meaningful activities for my challenged seventh graders had been difficult for me. Then I decided to try the "Faith Ringgold: Wanted" activities (Jan/Feb 2007). Am I glad I did! Thanks, Instructor; I'm hooked until I...

Principal prep.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2007... I would love to see Instructor help teachers decide whether moving into administration is right for them. You could interview principals and other school officials about their jobs and give teachers a feel for whether it is something they would...

Podcast pride.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2007... I read your article on podcasts (March/April 2007) and wanted to show you the wonderful video podcasts that my fourth and fifth graders are making. You can find them at http://web.mac.com/Ifstudents/iWeb/Site/Podcast/Podcast.html. --Karla...

I won a free trip!(letters)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2007... Thank you for your article "Amazing Teacher Trips" (Nov/Dec 2006). I was ecstatic to be offered a scholarship at the Island School! Experience-based learning and a visit to the Bahamas all in one swoop! --Linda Gordon, Weston, FL

Struggling reader helpline.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2007... Some of my readers seem to give up so easily when faced with any sort of challenge. How can I motivate these kids?--Jesica Thomson, Eisenhower Middle School, Everett, WA We asked Dr. Mark Conley, a reading expert at Michigan State...

Correction.(letters)(Correction notice)
May 1, 2007... CORRECTION: VersaTiles single-user CD-ROM from ETA/Cuisenaire costs $99.95 ("Teachers' Picks: Math Software," March/April 2007). DROP US A LINE. E-mail instructor@scholastic.com or write to Instructor, P.O. Box 713, New York, NY 10013.

Emergency helpline.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2007... "I need five-minute ideas for those hot June afternoons. Can you help?" * PLAY A GAME WITH THE CLASSIFIEDS. I read aloud a real-estate ad. Then I draw two columns on the board, one "high" and one "low." Students take turns guessing the...

Blue whales and beach ball vocab--great teaching ideas to use now.(ideaswap)
May 1, 2007... We mark the end of the year with autograph posters. Each student writes his or her name on a sheet of plain tagboard, and I hang the posters all around the room. On "signing day," each student takes a different color marker and walks around the...

Time to shape up.(teachers' lounge)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... The battle of the bulge is now being fought on school turfs nationwide. In California, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger challenged 20,000 students to be active for 30 to 60 minutes several times a week--rewarding the school with the most...

Censoring the Newbery.(NEWSTOKNOW)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Unless your school library has a banned-book section, this year's Newbery Medal winner, The Higher Power of Lucky, by Susan Patron, probably won't show up on the shelves. The reason: The word scrotum is used, in reference to a dog.

No opinions allowed.(NEWSTOKNOW)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Legislators in Arizona are working on a bill that would preclude teachers from expressing personal political opinions to students. "In any class, any issue could be discussed as long as the instructor is neutral on the issue and not telling you...

Illegal teen toil.(NEWSTOKNOW)(illegal sale of alcohol by the youth)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... A new study from the University of North Carolina shows that U.S. youngsters ages 14-18 who work put in an average of 16 hours a week during the school year. Close to half said they do work that is prohibited by child labor laws, such as using...

NCLB digs deeper.(NEWSTOKNOW)(No Child Left Behind Act of 2001)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Forget being just a highly qualified teacher--NCLB is developing a Highly Qualified Effective Teacher requirement. Educators have five years to achieve HQET status, or their students' parents will be notified. Teachers without HQET status after...

Going to school via robot.(teachers' lounge)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Although she's five blocks away from her third-grade classroom, Jerilyn McLean can raise a hand to answer a question or collaborate on a project. Thanks to PEBBLES, a pair of 160-pound robots with interactive video systems that link her home to...

Make a short film, get free books, and raise money for your school. Plus, more than 20 other opportunities just for teachers. Access all the sites below at www.scholastic.com/instructor.(free stuff)
May 1, 2007... COOL CONTESTS And the Oscar Goes To... Your students! Encourage creativity by entering their short films on any topic in the International Short Film Festival. Students are eligible for the Best International Short Film category. ...

Instructor's 8th annual poetry contest winners!(ANNOUNCEMENT)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Another year and more proof that your students have some serious talent! Again this year, we received thousands of magnificent poems. It wasn't easy, but somehow we managed to narrow it down to a handful of winners. A special thanks to...

Writing tools, grammar games. And the gold stars go to ...(teachers' picks)
May 1, 2007... FRESHEST APPROACH TO ESL Kids will love the interactive nature of E-Blocks. "It's great because students have to listen to directions, sounds, letters, and words. This served well during a small-group instruction in my ESL classroom," says...

Best new summer books.(Cover story)
May 1, 2007... Summer Learning Instructor's 2007 Guide We all want to kick back a little in the summertime--kids and teachers alike! But you can have fun and keep learning too. So hang that hammock, pour some lemonade, and read on for the best new summer...

Best easy summer-learning ideas (that are just plain fun).
May 1, 2007... There's no getting around it: Over the summer months, our students can lose up to 60% of the math and reading skills that they learned during the year. From special ways to say goodbye to fun activities to share with parents, here are over 50...

Frank Stella: Hyena Stomp.(masterpiece poster)
May 1, 2007... MIX AND MATCH Stella's painting is a series of concentric boxes--but no single box stays the same color. Ask students: Do the color changes make it harder or easier to follow the stripes? How do the different colors affect the shapes...

[S.sub.1][p.sub.3][e.sub.1][l.sub.1][l.sub.1][i.sub.1][n.sub.1][g.sub.2][c.sub.3][o.sub.1][u.sub.1][n.sub.1][t.sub.1][s.sub.1]: literacy expert and researcher J. Richard Gentry answers teachers' toughest questions about how to teach spelling.(best practice)
May 1, 2007... Recently, a teacher came to me and shared her frustrations. Her principal was refusing even to consider her and her colleague's request to adopt much-needed research-based spelling books. "After all, everyone has computers," the principal had...

Inquiry starts here: with project-based lessons, you'll deepen kids' learning experience and have more fun teaching.(expert opinion)
May 1, 2007... Inquiry-based learning is about more than moving desks out of those neat rows and avoiding lecture and recitation, says Jeff Wilhelm in his newest book, Engaging Readers & Writers With Inquiry (Scholastic 2007). It's about turning the way you...

Not getting along? How well the adults in a school work together is crucial to student success. Eight signs to look for.(tough topic)
May 1, 2007... When you walk into your school every morning, do you hear whispered conversations behind closed doors? If so, you probably work in a school with an unhealthy workplace culture. (Take our quiz on page 49 for more telltale signs.) ...

"You're a big kid now!" Six fresh writing and speaking activities to help kids commemorate the wonderful year you've had.(End-of-Year Learning)
May 1, 2007... 1 MOVING-ON-UP POEMS Invite children to use poetry to express their enthusiasm over moving up. They can create simple rhymes, shape poems, limericks, words to a familiar chant, or any type of poetry they desire to convey their thoughts. Provide...

Summing up school: these end-of-year games review essential math concepts--as well as how much fun you've had as a class this year!(K-2 Math Review)
May 1, 2007... ADDING AWAY MATH CONCEPTS: Addition, subtraction WHAT TO DO: The end of the school year means throwing away and storing supplies for next year's students. Make a chart of the supplies as you organize them for storage--such as 10 books,...

Sticky, slimy gross-out science: capture kids' attention--even on those hot May afternoons--with these five easy experiments.(Hands-on Science)
May 1, 2007... OLDY MOLDY BREAD WHAT IT TEACHES: How fungus grows, how germs spread, environmental variables WHAT YOU NEED: Two types of bread (such as white and wheat), quart-sized resealable plastic bags, a spray bottle filled with tap water,...

Time to book it to the finish line! New Mexico teachers Jane Mouttet and Mary Cousler team great summer books with favorite field-day games.(Reading + Sports)
May 1, 2007... BABE RUTH BASEBALL TOSS READ: Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Babe Ruth Baseball, by David Adler THEN PLAY: Invite pairs to stand across from one another, starting about an arm's length apart. Have them toss a splash ball or water...

How to be a tech-savvy teacher: we asked Anastasia Goodstein, author of the new book totally wired: what teens and tweens are really doing online, for her best advice on using technology with middle schoolers.(Dos & Don'ts)
May 1, 2007... DO REACH KIDS WHERE THEY ARE. Talk with them and find out how they're using technology. You may be surprised to learn that the student who never turns her essays in on time is a prolific poet online. The trick, Goodstein advises, is to "find...

Teen authors share their secrets: do your middle schoolers tremble at the thought of a creative-writing assignment? Share advice from some of their favorite authors.(Expert Writing Tips)
May 1, 2007... CREATING CHARACTERS WHAT THE PROS SAY: "Novels for me always start with characters and the voice," says Rachel Cohn, author of Cupcake and Gingerbread. "The challenge is staying true to that voice and not imposing your own judgments." ...

Ed Burns: former inner-city teacher and now the producer of HBO's The Wire, Ed Burns doesn't pull any punches.(pop quiz)(Interview)
May 1, 2007... After 20 years as a police officer, Ed Burns turned to another battle-ground: teaching junior high in the Baltimore public school system. His book with coauthor David Simon, The Corner (1997), chronicles a year in an inner-city neighborhood....