Instructor (1990) articles from October 2004

Instructor (1990) archives from October 2004

Postcards home.(Editor's Note)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... I TAUGHT IN A DIVERSE NEIGHBORHOOD on the lower east side of New York City. Even though I tried hard to create a warm and welcoming classroom, very few of my students' families came to visit the school--that is, until I began a simple practice....

Meeting the standards.
October 1, 2004... ARTICLE PAGE READING AND WRITING GRADES Sailing Through 36 Understands the author's viewpoint in an 2-6 Literature With informational text; Summarizes Christopher information in...

Are you working a double shift? It can be a long day for parents who teach. Our readers share sanity savers.(Teacher Talk)
October 1, 2004... Establish Rituals As a busy teacher, it's easy to feel like I don't give my kindergarten son enough of my time. I try to save my grading until after his bath, when we both sit down to do our "work" (I grade while my son colors or reads)....

Show us the $$$.(News & Trends)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... According to Education Week, a new survey by Educational Research Service shows that since 1993, public school superintendent and principal salaries grew as teacher salaries inched downward. Superintendent salaries increased by more than 12...

Let's go outside.(News & Trends)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... The average American spends more than 20 hours a day inside a closed structure, says DIRT (www.americaneedsdirt.com), an initiative supported by baseball legend Cal Ripken, Jr. and Wisk. The solution for kids? Turn off the computer and send...

Bye-bye books.(News & Trends)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Textbook shortages in Dallas, Texas, drove superintendent Mike Smith to devise an innovative experiment with the help of IBM. This fall, every fifth and sixth grader at Johnson Elementary will receive an IBM ThinkPad, bundled with digital...

Wash 'em up!
October 1, 2004... Many middle schoolers--both girls and boys--flush and then saunter back to class without a second glance at the sink. But a joint program by the CDC and the Soap and Detergent Association (SDA) hopes to change kids' attitudes and get their...

The numbers.
October 1, 2004... $9,000 The difference in property value between a home in a neighborhood where, on average, students receive As as opposed to one in which students receive Bs. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] --Education Policy Analysis Archives 17%...

Trucker Buddy.(News & Trends)
October 1, 2004... Georgia teacher Philonease Fournier reports for Instructor: Every year, my second graders and I take an all-expenses-paid tour of the U.S. without ever leaving the classroom, thanks to the nonprofit organization Trucker Buddy International....

Rumble and shake.(News to Peruse)
October 1, 2004... October 10-16, 2004, is Earth Science Week, an event organized by the American Geological Institute to help students and adults better understand and appreciate the earth sciences, and to encourage stewardship of our planet. This year's theme...

Trick or treat!(News to Peruse)
October 1, 2004... A candy bar may only cost a buck, but that dollar can immunize one child in need against a deadly disease. This Halloween, encourage kids to tote a UNICEF box and collect coins along with candy. Boxes are free. Visit www.unicefusa.org, or call...

Souped up.(News to Peruse)
October 1, 2004... Eat soup, win volleyballs? Kids and families can earn equipment--such as computers, sports supplies, and musical instruments--for your school by collecting the labels from eligible Campbell's[R] products. Teachers can serve as coordinators to...

Words transforming.(Poetry Corner)
October 1, 2004... POETRY IS EVERYWHERE IN A ROOM WHERE ALL'S BEEN SAID. THE QUIETNESS, THE GENTLENESS, THE NOTHINGNESS, OF THAT ROOM, TRANSFORMING INTO WORDS, THEN HOPPING INTO A NOTEBOOK. --Andre Burger, 3rd grade, Somerville...

"End of the Day" photo contest.(Contests)
October 1, 2004... It's your last chance to submit favorite photos from the classroom to our first-ever "End of the Day" photo contest! Deadline: October 15, 2004 How it works: Any teacher-taken photo from a school activity or field trip is eligible....

Cray-pas "wonderful, colorful world" contest.(Contests)
October 1, 2004... Sakura of America invites students to submit their original oil-pastel works. Grades: K-8 Deadline: December 17, 2004 How it works: Works are judged in three grade-level categories. Prizes: Three winners in each category will...

Headsprout giveaway.(Giveaways)
October 1, 2004... Free to teachers: Sign up students during a free trial of the Headsprout Early Reading Program, and you'll be entered into a drawing to receive free Headsprout materials. Grades: K-1 How to get it: Go online to...

Recipes4Success trial.(Giveaways)
October 1, 2004... Free to teachers: For a limited time you can receive a 45-day trial of Tech4Learning's Recipes4Success. Grades: K-8 How to get it: Write to "Scholastic Offer," Tech4Learning Inc., 10981 Mission Rd., Suite 120, San Diego, CA 92108.

Censorship poster.(Giveaways)
October 1, 2004... Free to teachers: Random House is reissuing their popular classroom poster speaking out against censorship of children's books. How to get it: E-mail schooland librarymarketing@randomhouse.com; while supplies last.

Vernier/NSTA technology award.(Grants)
October 1, 2004... Science teachers are invited to apply for this $3,000 prize package, awarded to educators who make use of data-collection technology. Deadline: October 15, 2004 To apply: To find out more and download the application, go to...

Products for learning.(Grants)
October 1, 2004... Fujifilm encourages teachers to submit lesson plans that integrate Fujifilm products, including digital and disposable cameras, rewritable CDs, and more. Selected teachers will be awarded product donations. Deadline: Ongoing To apply:...

"Marc's little brother has Down syndrome. Marc is in my fifth-grade class. He avoids his brother or pushes him away. Is there something I can do to help?".(Can You Help?)
October 1, 2004... Talk About Differences. Siblings of children with a disability or obvious difference often struggle with their fears about how peers may respond. While feelings of embarrassment and anger may be what show on the surface, your student could...

Marilyn burns on ... teaching about elapsed time.
October 1, 2004... MANY TEACHERS ACROSS A RANGE of grade levels ask me about the best way to teach elapsed time. A perfect springboard for teaching this concept is Before and After: A Book of Nature Timescapes, by Jan Thornill (National Geographic Society, 1997)....

Take off! With online learning: professional development has never been so easy or so accessible. Pick your destination and head for the departure gate.
October 1, 2004... Like traveling by air, taking courses online offers several key advantages--an impressive array of places to go and many connections to get you there. Online learning offers freedom, convenience, and the ability to connect with peers all over...

We're all welcome here: inviting ideas to help teachers draw all families into the school community.
October 1, 2004... As a veteran second-grade teacher in Simi Valley, California, Christine Brown prided herself on making personal contact with every one of her students' parents. But when it came to Li, whose family had emigrated from China six years earlier,...

Take a 5-minute Yoga break.
October 1, 2004... Instructor invites you to relax and rejuvenate with a series of Yoga stretches chosen especially for classroom teachers! These poses will center you and boost your energy before students arrive, after lunch, or at the end of a busy day. Before...

T-Shirt Day in the U.S.A.(October Activities from Our Readers)
October 1, 2004... Every year our class sponsors T-Shirt Day to practice geography and graphing skills. We invite the entire school, both kids and staff, to dress down in T-shirts from any one of the 50 states--such as sports-team jerseys or souvenir shirts from...

Nonfiction challenge.(October Activities from Our Readers)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2004... My eighth graders love this quick game to strengthen their nonfiction reading skills. I fill a bag with assorted nonfiction books in several categories--such as countries, animals, and ecosystems. A student pulls out a book at random and lists...

Ghoul school.(October Activities from Our Readers)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2004... This interactive center invites fast finishers to research fascinating science facts. I arrange shapes of ghosts, bats, and pumpkins on a background of brightly-colored bulletin board paper. On each Iaminated shape, I write a fun, seasonally...

Ghostly comparisons.(October Activities from Our Readers)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2004... My sixth graders love this funny ghost activity because it celebrates the season, but I love how it reinforces key measurement skills! To begin, each student traces his or her foot on a piece of graph paper. The heel of each footprint becomes a...

Super skeletons: no bones about it, these exciting activities will help students learn the inside story on their body's internal framework!(Activities)
October 1, 2004... Bone up on the Facts * BONY BABIES: A person has more than 300 bones at birth and only 206 bones as an adult. Over time, small bones fuse together. * FIRST AID: When broken or fractured a bone can actually repair itself. Casts help...

Sailing through literature with Christopher Columbus: focus on Columbus with books and activities that look at the explorer from multiple perspectives.(Activities)
October 1, 2004... Getting Started Launch your unit by asking your students to share what they already know about Columbus. They may be familiar with the basic tale: In 1492, Christopher Columbus "discovered" the Americas when he sailed across the Atlantic. Have...

Math on a roll: build skills in place value, addition and subtraction, multiplication, and more with these easy dice games.(Activities)
October 1, 2004... Jack and the Beanstalk (NUMBER IDENTIFICATION AND COUNTING) Dice games can be played during free time, at a center, or even at home. For a simple introductory game that kids can play on their own, supply a number of beans or coins to use...

There Was an Old Lady ... Use these storybook twists on a favorite rhyme to build fluency and strengthen word skills.(Activities)
October 1, 2004... While we may never know why she swallowed that fly, zany storybook spin-offs about everyone's favorite old lady provide the perfect opportunity to teach readers at every level. Begin by reading aloud a few versions of this side-splitting tale....

Teaching with ... Kevin Henkes: introduce or revisit this favorite author with great language-arts activities and an exclusive mini-poster.(Mini-Poster Activities)
October 1, 2004... ACTIVITIES Word Family Fun: Use Kevin's mice stories as a catalyst for studying the -ice word family (as in mice, dice, rice, etc.). To begin, write each -ice word on a pair of cardstock mouse shapes. (For a pattern, go to...

Use your hallways to create a word graveyard.(Activities)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Teacher Michelle Gowan, from Macon, Georgia, likes to use her entire school as a canvas for learning. (See her "Sensational Sidewalks" in Instructor September 2003). So when Gowan grew tired of seeing the same flat words again and again in her...

Best of 2004 products for teachers and kids.
October 1, 2004... We invited dozens of teachers to Scholastic this summer to help us review new classroom-ready materials just for you! We received hundreds of wonderful resources from education companies all around the country--from curriculum-based books and...

Reading & writing.(Product Guide)
October 1, 2004... Match It!-Rhyme Durable puzzle cards are "great for teaching rhyming words" and for centers. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] www.TLJI.com; PreK & up; $9.99. Product Info #66 LeapFrog SchoolHouse[TM]...

Arts & crafts.(Product Guide)
October 1, 2004... Washable Kids' Paints These "colorful," "no muss, no fuss" paints "glide on smoothly," teachers said. Plus, they're "fun to use" and "easy to hold." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] www.craftydab.com; PreK & up; $1.80 & up. Product Info #77...

Math.(Product Guide)
October 1, 2004... Fun-Ominoes[TM] Colorful foam dominoes with pop-out counters are "excellent for learning numeration" and will hold up to classroom use. "Great center activity." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] www.crayola.com; PreK-1; $9.99. Product Info...

Social studies.(Product Guide)
October 1, 2004... Know the USA[TM] 60 cards about U.S. history and government offer "visual reinforcement" and "excellent exam prep." Includes free online activities booklet! www.knowtheusa.com; Gr. 5-8; $9.99. Product Info #93 [ILLUSTRATION...

Science.(Product Guide)
October 1, 2004... Wetland Birds These plush Audubon birds with authentic bird sounds are "great for teaching habitats." www.wildrepublic.com; PreK & up; $7.99/each. Product Info #99 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Owl Puke Owl pellet dissection...

Teacher tools.(Product Guide)
October 1, 2004... Tabletop Pocket Chart Heavy-duty and laminated, this useful chart is perfect for learning centers. "Tabletop set-up is great for independent and small group activity time." www.learningresources.com; Gr. K-3; $16.95/chart; card sets...

Games & learning kits.(Product Guide)
October 1, 2004... NAMITS[TM] The Game of Think[TM] Teachers called this "user-friendly," "fun" game "great for vocabulary building, developing thinking skills, categorization, and classifying." www.namits.com; Gr. K-6; $14.95. Product Info #111 ...

Software & technology.(Product Guide)
October 1, 2004... Growing With Technology Interesting projects and activities help induct the next generation of techies; ideal for "buddy-study on a computer!" www.course.com/growing; Gr. K-5; $18.50 & up. Product Info #119 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]...

Spooky spiders.(Cyberhunt Activities)
October 1, 2004... Introduce your students to the amazing world of spiders with this month's CyberHunt. Hand out copies of the Reproducible, opposite, for recording answers, then send students to www.scholastic.com/cyberhuntkids, where all the Web links are...

Spanish early readers: quality Spanish materials for the ESL classroom can be few and far between. Here's a rundown of some of the best series books and individual titles for primary readers.(Book Talk)(Book Review)
October 1, 2004... El pollito repetido (THE LITTLE CHICKEN) By David Paloma. Editorial Combel, 2002; 24 pages; $5.95. This charmer tells the story of a chick tired of being just like his siblings. Its large size makes it a great choice for read alouds. Many...

All kinds of smart: as teachers, we know that school success is important. As parents, we know it's not the only thing.(End of the Day)
October 1, 2004... As the fall days grow colder and parent-teacher conferences grow closer, I know I am heading for some difficult conversations. I will have to tell some parents hard-to-hear news about their child's academic struggles in my classroom. And, on...