Instructor (1990) articles from November 2006

Instructor (1990) archives from November 2006

Standards.
November 1, 2006... All of the ideas in Instructor connect to the standards you need to teach. READING AND WRITING GR. K-2 Time to Celebrate Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of literary and informational texts...

Teacher.scholastic.com.(five reasons to visit weblogs)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... 1. Kids can travel on the Mayflower. As part of our new interactive, multimedia mini-site on Thanksgiving, students can tour the famous ship, and listen to and read along with actual passenger accounts. When they hit land, they can compare...

Packed with pumpkins.(we hear you)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2006... October's issue of Instructor was jam-packed once again with great ideas. Yay for you guys! The seasonal activities are just great. So many great uses for pumpkins! I just wish my issue would come sooner. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SHARE...

Grant Wood's first-grade fans.(we hear you)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2006... Thank You for the Grant Wood American Gothic Masterpiece poster in your October issue. Each year, I have my first grade students create their own "American Gothics," with pictures of themselves and their family members. They are so charming and...

The homework debate continues.(we hear you)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2006... Thank you for publishing Alfie Kohn's article "Down with Homework" (September, 2006). My experience with out-of-control homework led me to start homeschooling my daughter. In kinder-garten, she received homework three days a week. And if...

Cell phone talk.(we hear you)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2006... Worry over cell phones in schools is much ado about nothing. (Teachers' Lounge, September 2006). Our students are simply required to turn phones off during the day. Any student who uses a phone or whose phone rings during class has the phone...

We asked you.(parents particpation in education)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... "What's your favorite way to get parents involved in your classroom?" * I HOST DONUTS WITH DADS. Once or twice a month, a Dad comes in first thing in the morning with donuts and juice and does a presentation for the class about what they...

Some of our favorites (and yours).(from the editors)
November 1, 2006... When I was in fifth grade, one particularly heavy, brightly-wrapped Christmas present turned out to be filled with the whole Anne of Green Gables series. (Thank you, Santa!) I was thrilled. By the end of the day, I wanted Anne as a friend. By...

Memories of teaching, a helpful magazine: happy birthday, Instructor!(Editorial)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... Instructor 115 YEARS Recently we heard from Monica Schoeneck of Walthena, Kansas: "When I hear the word Instructor my mind is filled with memories. I am 103 years old and I taught in rural Kansas for 52 1/2 years. Normal Instructor and...

Teaching English to Tarzan: these winning teachers light up a Broadway star.(making a difference)
November 1, 2006... A few weeks into the school year, Fairfield, Connecticut, social studies teacher Penny Proskintopoulus was surprised to find that one of her students had a secret identity: Tarzan. By day, Alex Rutherford is an inspired student at Roger Ludlowe...

Don't miss out--the best new resources for teachers.(free stuff)
November 1, 2006... Did you know? All the great Web sites listed here are just a click away at www.scholastic.com/instructor. COOL CONTESTS Tell What Makes a House a Home Enter kids' essays and DVDs in our My Home: The American Dream contest,...

Do guys learn better from guys?(survey of teachers by Thomas Dee)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... A provocative new study suggests a teacher's gender matters, and in fact, affects learning outcomes. Boys learn better from male teachers, girls from female teachers, says Swarthmore College professor and researcher Thomas Dee. His study was...

Today, we're going to make a classroom.(Cartoon)
November 1, 2006... Today, we're going to make a classroom heating system entirely from items you brought from home! [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Lawyers in the teachers' lounge.(real world classes)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... This November 29th, several hundred MiamiDade, Florida, professionals will experience the teaching life in the Great American Teach-a-Thon. Lawyers, engineers, bank tellers, and other volunteers will come into the classroom to teach one-hour,...

Keeping schools safe for cupcakes.(as childhood obesity is increasing)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... As schools across the country target obesity, rainbow-sprinkled cupcakes and other traditional treats are under attack. But some districts are fighting back. Last year, the Texas legislature passed the Safe Cupcake Law, guaranteeing parents'...

Gay History Month belongs in schools.(Philadelphia school district faces criticism)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... The Philadelphia school district stood up to a firestorm of criticism this past month for including Gay History Month on the official calendar mailed home to all families. Officials call it an important effort to be inclusive. "This gives me...

Ten thousand for teaching math.(recruitment bonuses by Guilford, North Carolina under "Mission Possible")(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... Guilford, North Carolina, is the most recent district to offer recruitment bonuses in order to bring in teachers. Under the plan, called Mission Possible, new math teachers in any of eight low-performing schools will receive a one-time $10,000...

Parents: "we're not pushy".(poll on parents pressure on students)(Statistical table)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... Parents: "We're Not Pushy" Do parents put too much pressure on kids for school success? Some experts say yes, but the American public is not convinced. (Pew, 2006) 56% say parents do not put enough pressure on students. ...

Teachers' picks: Web sites.(educational sites)(Product/service evaluation)
November 1, 2006... Here's this month's selection of Web sites reviewed by teachers and recommended for the classroom. * THANKSGIVING FROM THE OTHER SIDE www.nativeamericans.com spans Native American poems, myths, stories, as well as facts and images of...

Make Fridays fun! Great learning games for the classroom, chosen and tested by teachers.(teachers' picks)
November 1, 2006... BEST WAY TO TEACH MEASUREMENT The MeasureWorks Board Game is a perfect math center for K-5 students. "Measurement is a concept many kids struggle with," said our teacher testers. "With this game, it's hands-on all the way!"...

The Thanksgiving lesson: not every teacher would take first graders to homeless shelters or to visit the mayor's office. I do.(a teacher's story)(Cover story)
November 1, 2006... WHAT I LOVE ABOUT FIRST GRADERS is they aren't afraid to ask difficult questions. One day, while we were talking about plants as a food source, a girl asked, "Why do some people not have enough food and other people have lots?" This led us to...

TEACHERS PICK THE TOP50 KIDS BOOKS EVER.
November 1, 2006... Max. Ramona. Junie B. Favorite students may come and go, but these irresistible kids will never leave your side. Thank goodness! What would we do without the beloved heroes of children's books? From Harry Potter's arrival at Hogwarts to...

Picasso: bird vase.(masterpiece poster)(Pablo Picasso's cubism painting)
November 1, 2006... FRIENDLY FACES The French title for this work translates as "large bird and black face." Ask students: What expressions do the two faces show? (The bird's face looks solemn and alert, while the human face in the center appears to be...

Amazing teacher trips (get packing!) Here's our advance list of unforgettable summer adventures just for you.
November 1, 2006... Calling all ocean explorers, amateur historians, and language lovers. For teachers, that's all of us! Get ready to embark on a world adventure that will feel like a vacation, while enriching your teaching in new and surprising ways. Best of...

Instructor 115 years of teaching ideas: the best, most surprising, and funniest advice from the longest running teacher magazine.
November 1, 2006... 5 Tips From Our First Issue They still work! Maybe 1891 wasn't so long ago after all! 1. "Don't ignore the suggestions of parents. Investigate them and if worth adopting, adopt them; if not, reject them, explaining your motives." ...

Time to celebrate! Holidays around the world.(grades k-2)(Jackie Howes )
November 1, 2006... Second-grade teacher Jackie Howes and her students always host a multi-cultural celebration in December. Here are some of Howes' favorite activities. (For more holiday ideas, as well as book and Web site recommendations, visit...

Learning about money: hands-on math.(maths teaching)
November 1, 2006... The holiday season is a great time to introduce kids to money basics. Get started with one of these fun games. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] HOW MANY WAYS? TARGET SKILLS: Sorting, calculations, telling time WHAT YOU CAN DO: How many...

Help kids solve writing dilemmas: teaching revision.(grades 3-5)
November 1, 2006... Too many pronouns? Flat language? Try these fresh ideas from Sarah Glasscock, author of the new Scholastic series Revision Mini-Lessons. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] WRITING DILEMMA #1: "She" Is All Over the Place * WHAT'S GOING ON:...

Charts, tables, and graphs--made fun!(grades 3-5)(teaching techniques)
November 1, 2006... These hands-on activities will take the dread out of working with data, pencil, and paper. Try them all and kids will be ready for test time! SENTENCE STRIP TABLES Play a carnival-style game to gather data for a table. Divide a...

What kids can do now--and all year long: Service Learning.(grades 6-8)
November 1, 2006... Want to reach out to your community during the holidays? Here Cathryn Berger Kaye, author of The Complete Guide to Service Learning, shares ideas for December projects--and ways teachers and kids can extend the spirit of the season throughout...

Beyond Jeopardy: 5 review games: test prep and review.
November 1, 2006... Does your class play Jeopardy when studying for an upcoming test or quiz? Here's a quick guide to adapting other TV game shows for classroom review. 1 FAMILY FEUD Family Feud lends itself to topics with lots of facts to memorize. To...

Marc Brown: ten questions from teachers and their students for the creator of the wildly popular Arthur series.(pop quiz)(Interview)
November 1, 2006... 1. Is it true that Arthur is based on your own childhood? Many of my own experiences have made their way into the Arthur books. For example my eighth-grade homeroom teacher, Ms. Marini, became Ms. Sweetwater. She let me and Terry Johnson...