Instructor (1990) articles from October 2001

Instructor (1990) archives from October 2001

Put to the TEST.(standardized testing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... NO MATTER WHOM YOU TALK WITH in the field of education, standardized testing sparks difficult questions, highly charged political arguments, and emotional reactions. We expected controversy when we embarked on this issue. We still do. To...

Space Day.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... This year, the sixth annual Space Day (to be held May 3, 2002) is all about the red planet-Mars! As in previous years, teachers and students can participate in the annual Space Day online "Design Challenges" contest. The contest is divided into...

Space on the Web.
October 1, 2001... If you haven't checked out the Space Day Web site, you might want to take a look. This interactive Web site has something for everyone-even teachers. From space puzzles and other intergalactic games to lesson plans, teacher links, information...

Franklin Giveaway.(Franklin Electronic Publishers Inc.)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... If your students are struggling with spelling and vocabulary, and you're looking for that extra something to help them along and engage them in the process, these products, developed by Franklin Electronic Publishers, might do the trick. And if...

Classroom Freebies.
October 1, 2001... Want a bookmark for that avid reader in your class? Or maybe a poster to remind your students about proper hygiene? You can get both and more for free from the Kane/Miller book publishers Web site. Kane/Miller, an independent publisher of such...

Toshiba Grants.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... The Toshiba America Foundation will give 75 grants of up to $1,000 to encourage hands-on teaching of math and science to students in kindergarten through sixth grade. Any kindergarten through sixth grade teacher in a public or private school is...

ask MARY.
October 1, 2001... EVERYDAY ADVICE FROM A VETERAN TEACHER Recess Ease Q What are same of your best ideas for safe, fun, well-supervised recess periods? A If you truly want successful recess periods, you will need to get involved. Your participation...

Frightening Flash Cards.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Fold the paper before cutting to create witch flash cards that have a hinge at the top. Write the question on the front and the answer on the inside for math practice that's both educational and fun. Substitute upper and lower case letters or...

Pick a Pack of Pencils.
October 1, 2001... Help keep student desks clean and insure that each student will have a pencil handy with the creation of their own pencil box. Die-cut the box and fold on the perforations for box assembly. Students will enjoy personalizing their pencil box...

Discover Christopher Columbus.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Insure that students know why they are getting the day off on October 8 with the study of Christopher Columbus. Whether you are a fan or foe of this legendary explorer, chronicle his activities with a bulletin board featuring student reports on...

I Have a Student Who Doesn't Care.
October 1, 2001... Q I think it's important to praise students for positive attitudes and behaviors. It has always helped me build relationships and a healthy classroom community. But this year I have one student, Adrienne, who couldn't care less. Nothing I say...

GATHERING THE SUN: AN ALPHABET IN SPANISH AND ENGLISH.
October 1, 2001... By Alma Flor Ada, illustrated by Simon Silva. HarperCollins, 2001; 40 pages; $6.95 (Gr. K-8). This beautifully illustrated alphabet book is dedicated to Cesar Chavez and recounts stories of his time using each letter of the alphabet. For...

THE BIRTHDAY SWAP.
October 1, 2001... Written and illustrated by Loretta Lopez. Lee & Low Books, 1999; 32 pages; $6.95 (Gr. K-3). This is the story of the birthdays of two young girls who live in a border town. First, it is Cookie's birthday and all of the relatives are coming...

FROM THE BELLY BUTTON OF THE MOON & OTHER SUMMER POEMS.(Review)
October 1, 2001... By Francisco X. Alarcon, illustrated by Maya Christina Gonzalez. Children's Book Press, 1998; 32 pages; $15.95 (Gr. K-3). In this bilingual poetry collection, Alarcon recalls his childhood trips to visit family in Mexico. He tells us...

SNAPSHOTS FROM THE WEDDING.
October 1, 2001... By Gary Sow, illustrated by Stephanie Garcia. Penguin Putnam, 1998; 32 pages; $5.99 (Cr. K-4). The traditional Mexican-American wedding is described through the words of Gary Soto and the sculpted clay of Stephanie Garcia. The narrator,...

TOO MANY TAMALES.
October 1, 2001... By Gary Soto, illustrated by Ed Martinez. Penguin Putnam, 1996; 32 pages; $6.99 (Gr. K-5). Christmas spirit means the whole family pitches in to make tamales. In this enjoyable story about a favorite holiday tradition, Maria looks forward...

LOVE TO MAMA: A TRIBUTE TO MOTHERS.
October 1, 2001... Edited by Pat Mora, illustrated by Paula S. Barragan. Lee and Low Books, 2001; 32 pages; $16.95 (Cr. K-8). A Latino collection of poetry, Love to Mama celebrates the individual and powerful bond between mothers and their children. The...

DE COLORES AND OTHER LATIN-AMERICAN FOLK SONGS FOR CHILDREN.
October 1, 2001... Edited by Jose-Luis Orozco, illustrated by Elisa Kleven. Penguin Putnam, 1999; 48 pages; $6.99 (Gr. K-3). Jose-Luis Orozco shares his festival of children's songs from Latin America. The songs are fun to sing and can be accompanied by...

MY VERY OWN ROOM.
October 1, 2001... By Amada Irma Perez, illustrated by Maya Christina Gonzalex. Children's Book Press, 2000; 30 pages; $15.95 (Gr. 2-4). The heroine of this story is a little girl who lives in a very crowded house with her five brothers and her parents. She...

TOMAS AND THE LIBRARY LADY.
October 1, 2001... By Pat Mora, illustrated by Raul Colon. Alfred A. Knopf, 2000; 32 pages; $6.99 (Cr. K-A). This story is based on the life of Tomas Rivera, who started out as a migrant worker and later became Chancellor at the University of California at...

THE RAINBOW TULIP.
October 1, 2001... By Pat Mora, illustrated by Elizabeth Sayles. Viking Penguin, 1999; 32 pages; $15.99 (Gr. K-3). This is a classic immigrant story, based on Mora's own mother's childhood in the 1920s, about a Mexican-American child who experiences conflict...

UNDER THE LEMON MOON.
October 1, 2001... By Edith Hope Fine, illustrated by Rene King Moreno. Lee & Low Books, 1999; 32 pages; $15.95 (Or. K-3). Rosalinda loves the lemon tree in her backyard. One night she awakens to see a man running away with a sack of lemons. Within a week,...

PACIFIC CROSSING.(Review)(Children's Review)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... By Gary Soto. Scholastic, 1998; 144 pages; $3.95 (Gr. 4-8). This is a story of Mexican-American culture meeting Eastern culture. Two 14-year-old friends, Lincoln Mendoza and Tony Contreras, are asked by their principal to go to Japan as...

ESPERANZA RISING.(Review)(Children's Review)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... By Pam Munoz Ryan. Scholastic, 2000; 262 pages; $15.95 (Gr. 5-7). Esperanza Ortega is a rich girl in Aguascalientes, Mexico, when tragedy strikes. Her father is killed and the life of the family is changed forever. When they leave Mexico,...

MY NAME IS JORGE: ON BOTH SIDES OF THE RIVER.(Review)(Children's Review)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... By Jane Medina, illustrated by Fabricio Vanden Broeck. Boyds Mills Press, 2001; 48 pages; $14.95 (Gr. 2-8) These poems explore the struggles of a Mexican boy in his first year of school in the United States. His experiences at school are...

VOICES FROM THE FIELD.(Review)(Children's Review)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... By S. Beth Atkin. Little Brown, 2000; 96 pages; $12.95 (Gr. 4-8). A collection of interviews and photographs of children who have spent their lives working with their parents in the fields. The voices resonate with stories of family and...

WHITE BREAD COMPETITION.(Review)(Children's Review)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... By Jo Ann Yolanda Hernandez. Arte Publico Press, 1997; 208 pages; $9.95 (Gr. 5-8). An unusual thing has happened in San Antonio, Texas, or so it seems. A bilingual student, Luz, has won the spelling bee and will represent her district...

Put to the Test.(strategies for taking on standardized tests)
October 1, 2001... Experienced teachers share their strategies for taking on standardized tests In the children's book Testing Miss Malarkey by Judy Finchler (Walker, 2000), an approaching test sends the school into a frenzy of pop quizzes, yoga classes, and...

Testing Pitfalls.(guiding students through taking of standardized tests)
October 1, 2001... (and how to help kids avoid them) When it comes to taking standardized tests, students are bound to have a range of reactions from nervousness to confidence. Below are three scenarios of student reactions that we'd like to share with you....

5 myths about spelling DISPELLED!(teaching spelling)
October 1, 2001... What this means for teaching and learning Misunderstandings about how and what to teach our children abound in education. And no subject seems to be more misunderstood than spelling. In these pages, I will try to clarify some issues by...

Stop the Violence.(violence and anger in children)
October 1, 2001... Six core strengths that help students to flourish. FIRST IN A SERIES Violence is like a virus. In its many forms--on the news, in movies, on television, and in print--it can insidiously infect our children. Mysteriously, though, this...

DISCOVER THE DICTIONARY.(helping students build vocabulary)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Build vocabulary and reference skills with activities that make the dictionary a student's best friend! Create a Class Pictionary Invite students to create dictionary entries for content-area vocabulary with illustrations to help...

Apple Math.(using apples as a tool in math class)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... (By Mrs. Gray's 2nd-Grade Class) Teacher Joni Gray's second-grade class was so excited about their apple math unit, they wanted to tell Instructor all about it. They sent us the class book they wrote together documenting their many...

Explorers of the Americas.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Send your students on an imaginary stowaway adventure Give your explorers unit a twist and watch students' interest take off. Working in groups, students research and write a first-hand record of an explorer's voyage as if they were stowing...

Andy Warhol--Picasso Faces.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Meet the Artist Born in Pittsburgh, PA, artist Andy Warhol (1928--1937) moved to New York City in 1949. He began as a commercial illustrator, and later brought that sensibility to the art world. Like Picasso, Warhol had a major effect on...

FUN & SPOOKY PUMPKIN POEMS.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Andy Rash's poem "Dim," about a jack-o'-lantern who doesn't want to burn brightly, is a wonderful seasonal poem to share with your class. Use it to teach a rhyming poetry lesson and add fire to your students' own writing. Reading the Poem...

Learning How to Write a Check.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Give students the opportunity to learn how a checkbook works using the reproducible on page 54. Talk with your students about what a check is, how it works, and why people use them. Draw an oversize check on the board and explain each section,...

BUILDING KIDS' Money $kills.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Give kids a sense of real-life math with saving and spending activities Take-out Menu Math Restaurant take-out menus make tasty math worksheets! Give each student or group of students a menu and a lunch money limit. Ask them to record the...

Hoot, Hoot, Hooray! An Owls Theme Unit.
October 1, 2001... Students will hoot over these owl-related activities and become all the wiser about our fascinating feathered friends! With two fun-filled reproducibles. Observe, Wonder, Learn Display a variety of owl pictures, books, and other...

Can Technology Help With Reading?(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) says yes. They've invested $44 million in an early reading program developed by the Waterford Institute for kindergartners and first-graders. Two California districts already using the program...

Live Classrooms Online Soon.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Soon you can watch real classroom lessons online, taught by National Board-Certified Teachers. Kindergarten through 5th-grade lessons are being filmed now by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) and will be available...

A Hands-on Internet Resource.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Don't be fooled by the retro blue and orange cover on this up-to-date Internet resource. We've actually tried out some of the ideas in How To Use The Internet In Your Classroom, $18 (Teachers Network, 2001) and found it to be an excellent...

TIP: Save the Art!(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Place the cursor on the image you want, hold down the mouse button (PC, right click) for a pop-up menu, then select Copy Image. Then, open the application (such as Microsoft Word) you want to paste into, then click Paste. The image will be in...

GRAMMAR, USAGE, VOCABULARY & MORE.
October 1, 2001... The development of grammatical skills, usage, vocabulary, and mechanics, and the strategies for using them, are integral parts of the reading and writing curriculum. Here's a roundup of computer-based activities that can help support this skill...

K - 2 Tech Tips.
October 1, 2001... Getting young children up and running with technology starts with a few easy basics Ask any first grader what schooling is about and they will tell you--it is fun, creative, done with friends, and ever changing. When you listen to their...

THE AMAZING HUMAN BODY.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... OUR BODIES WORK HARD! LEARN HOW WITH THESE FUN ACTIVITIES. Discover the Human Machine The human body is an amazing machine with many systems working all at once! Start by reviewing the names and basic functions of the body's systems:...

MATH MANIA!
October 1, 2001... Absurd Math www.hrmvideo.com/abmath Keep older students challenged and amused with Absurd Math: Pre-Algebra from Another Dimension. This is a truly original problem-solving game series. Players are transported to another world to...

Traditions That Lead to a Legacy.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... I have always been fond of traditions, no matter how big or small. I have especially cherished the traditions I've developed during my more than 30 years of teaching. I am overwhelmingly moved when former students stop by during a college break...