Instructor (1990) articles from October 2005

Instructor (1990) archives from October 2005

Coldwell Banker[R] and Scholastic Professional Magazines Present the "my home: The American Dream" contest.
October 1, 2005... From rural farming communities to high-rise apartment buildings, students throughout America call a variety of places home. But the places in which children live are much more than the materials used to build them. They are also where children...

The challenge of teaching after Katrina.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... All over the country, teachers have added names to their rosters, and squeezed in extra desks to make room for the 327,000 children displaced by Hurricane Katrina. So many have shown so much caring and generosity. "We've enrolled so many...

Sunshine day: visiting two vibrant Florida schools.(Intel and Scholastic Schools of Distinction Awards )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Recently I spent two glorious days visiting winners of the Intel and Scholastic Schools of Distinction Awards (The program was founded by Instructor's editor-in-chief Bernadette Grey). At Lee Elementary, three part-time public-relations experts...

A conversation about tutoring: straight talk about the Sylvan Learning Center method.(interview)(Interview)
October 1, 2005... With Richard E. Bavaria, Ph.D., Vice President of Education, Sylvan Learning Center Dr. Richard Bavaria answers educators' frequently asked questions about the Sylvan Learning Center method. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Q. What is the...

Thank you, Ron Clark!(your say)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2005... Your August 2005 article and poster by Ron Clark, "Insist on Kindness and Respect and Kids Will Follow Your Lead," was well timed. My colleagues and I saw Ron Clark speak at our local library last year and have since applied several of his...

Share the wealth.(your say)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2005... For a teacher/mom like me, Instructor is a double bonus. Your issues are always packed with such affordable and timesaving ideas that often my 7-year-old son and I go through it together and copy articles and activities for him to share with...

Lean on libraries.(your say)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2005... Here's an idea to enhance the information laid out in "Stop the Summer Reading Slide," in the May/June 2005 issue. Tap into the power of public libraries. Our branch had 234 children registered in our Summer Reading Program this year. With no...

A new start.(your say)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2005... I am a teacher in training, embarking on a second career at the age of 50. I look forward to the helpful information in your issues, especially the wonderful advice from seasoned teachers all over the country. I especially enjoyed the article,...

Matchmaker Charles Best puts donors in touch with classrooms.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... When Charles Best was a fledgling teacher at Wings Academy in the Bronx, he wanted to invite a former slave from Mauritania to talk to his history class, but his school didn't have $400 to spend on the speaking fee. That's when he decided to...

Getting a donor to choose you.(making a difference)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Want to fund your project through www.donorschoose.org? Charles Best shares these tested tips for appealing to a potential donor. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * USE EVERYDAY LANGUAGE: Don't fill your proposal with educational jargon. You are...

Shelter from the storm.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... When a community needs help, who can you count on to lend a hand? Teachers. In the days and weeks after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, thousands of teachers have volunteered time, money, and even a place in their homes. Louisiana's...

Dress for homework success.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... There are school clothes and there are play clothes--but what about homework clothes? According to pediatrician and researcher Dr. Ken Haller, a special item of clothing, like a hat or a T-shirt, worn just for doing homework can help put...

Teachers go the distance.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... In August, Olly White, a teacher at Kentisbeare Primary School in Devon, England, swam the English Channel to raise money for the swimming program at his school. In the 11 hours and 48 minutes that it took 27-year-old White to cross the icy...

Pages count.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Twenty years ago, teachers weren't assigning web quests or asking students to contribute to classroom blogs. Does this mean today's teachers are assigning less book-reading than those of two decades ago? Apparently not, according to the results...

Make your classroom a lively reader's theater.(Mercy Watson to the Rescue (Mercy Watson))(The Witch's Walking Stick)(You Read to Me, I'll Read to You)(Earth Mother)(Bad Bears and a Bunny : An Irving and Muktuk Story (An Irving and Muktuk Story))(Day of Tears)(Replay)(Book Review)(Children's Review)
October 1, 2005... Mercy Watson to the Rescue (Gr. 2-5) By Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Chris Van Dusen. Candlewick, 2005; 80 pages; $12.99. The absurd adventures of one very self-absorbed pig. Slapstick pacing and clueless characters guarantee a high-energy...

Calling all future Robert frosts.(cool contests)
October 1, 2005... For the seventh year in a row, we're inviting you to submit your students' most original poems to Instructor's very own poetry contest. PRIZES: Hundreds of dollars in prizes for winners and their schools. DEADLINE: January 31, 2006 HERE'S HOW:...

A workout for their right brains.(children art competition)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Encourage kids to enter the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards of 2006. This national program honors artists and writers in grades 7-12. The teenage Richard Avedon, Andy Warhol, and Joyce Carol Oates are former winners! PRIZES: More than $1.5...

For backyard explorers.
October 1, 2005... National Geographic's Everyday Explorers Challenge asks budding adventurers to submit photos of the places they like to explore along with 100-200 word essays on what they have discovered there. PRIZES: 15 winners will receive a free trip to...

Hallmark, here we come.
October 1, 2005... Kate Harper has an adorable line of greeting cards with kids' quotes (including "You stand out like a strawberry in a bowl full of peas"). She's looking for new material and wants you to submit kids' ideas. PRIZES: Winning quotes are published...

Earth day every day.(cool contests)
October 1, 2005... Enter environmental preservation projects in the Environmental Excellence Awards, sponsored by Sea World, Busch Gardens, and Fujifilm. PRIZES: Eight winning groups will receive a $10,000 grant, a free trip to Sea World, and more. DEADLINE:...

A book deal before high school.(cool contests)
October 1, 2005... Landmark Edition is sponsoring the David Melton Memorial writing contest for kids. PRIZES: Winners will be awarded publishing contracts and receive a paid trip to Landmark's headquarters in Kansas City. DEADLINE: May 1, 2006 (Note that there's...

Explaining Katrina.(free classroom resources)
October 1, 2005... Help kids to understand the science behind the disaster and the hurricane season with a free video from BrainPOP. HERE'S HOW: Visit www.brainpop.com.

Motivational messages.(free classroom resources)
October 1, 2005... Print a free motivational mini-poster that will give kids a quick lift while they're grabbing a drink from the water fountain. HERE'S HOW: Go online to www.print-a-poster.com.

Math and science lesson library.(free classroom resources)
October 1, 2005... Check out over 200 ready-to-use math and science activities on a free CD from Texas Instruments. HERE'S HOW: Go to http://education.ti.com/us/activitycd.

Just-for-you organizer.(free classroom resources)
October 1, 2005... Get a year of access to the online OneCalendar from Trumba, designed to keep you in touch with parents. HERE'S HOW: Go to www.trumba.com/schools.

Dust bunnies be gone.(free classroom resources)
October 1, 2005... According to a recent survey, 96% of you believe more can be done to make your classrooms cleaner and healthier for kids. That's why Clorox is offering info on how to get rid of classroom germs--plus a free sample of their Disinfecting Wipes....

Homework hotline.(free classroom resources)
October 1, 2005... Scholastic's new "Homework Hub" has tons of free resources, including study tips, organizational tools, reference links, and writing help. HERE'S HOW: Go to www.scholastic.com/kids.

Health lessons.(free classroom resources)
October 1, 2005... Get a free 30-day subscription to Discovery Health Connection, which offers complete units on bullying, smoking, and more. HERE'S HOW: Go to www.discoveryhealthconnection.com.

10 ways to ... reach new career heights: as a teacher, you're a natural leader. Here's how to show it.
October 1, 2005... Not so long ago, classroom go-getters looking to flex their leadership muscles had just one potential goal on the horizon: principal. Well, times have changed. Whether you strive to be a reading coach, curriculum planner, or, simply, a more...

Talking with Mel Levine: kids are unprepared for the realities of college and the workplace, says renowned learning expert Mel Levine. He calls it "severe work-life unreadiness" and tells us what you can do to help.(Interview)
October 1, 2005... When you look at a 10-year-old, do you ever think, "I wonder what he'll be like when he's twenty?" Pediatrician and brain researcher Dr. Mel Levine believes that this is not a question for idle contemplation, it's one we should ask every day....

After Katrina: three teachers tell their stories; Looking back at the hardest days of their lives, and forward to an uncertain future.(teachers story of survival)
October 1, 2005... By the time September rolls in, teachers and children alike are ready to settle into a school routine: circle time and readalouds, times tables and textbooks, and so much more. But this year, for some 372,000 students and at least 15,000...

Does Halloween belong in school? Boo humbug ... teachers struggle to adapt old traditions without upsetting Halloween fans or foes.
October 1, 2005... For many teachers, trying to organize a Halloween celebration has become more of a trick than a treat. Some religious groups protest the observance of what they consider a pagan celebration and administrators fret about maintaining security...

Seven surprising things about award-winning schools: this year's Intel and Scholastic Schools of Distinction Award winners are redefining "best practice." Take a look.
October 1, 2005... There are many myths about award-winning schools. Most attribute outstanding school success to money or luck--generous state dollars, corporate sponsorships, that one-in-a-million principal who could run a small country in his spare time. Sure,...

Instructor teacher picks 2005: best tech.
October 1, 2005... Teachers know best what teachers need. That's why we ask you to decide what educational resources are worth buying. Every year, Instructor invites a large team of teachers to our offices in New York City to perform evaluations for our annual...

Bring fall inside by learning about leaves.
October 1, 2005... This seasonal craft also makes for a terrific science and symmetry lesson. Here's how to do it: 1 Pour red, orange, and yellow tempera paint diluted with water into shallow trays. Model how to use a straw to blow paint onto construction...

The building blocks of math: my favorite ways to teach addition and subtraction in the early grades.
October 1, 2005... One of the most important jobs of an early primary teacher is to develop students' abilities to add and subtract and encourage them to use a variety of strategies to do so. It's good to have a repertoire of lesson ideas since you never know...

Masters of multiple choice! Titans of the bubble test! Here's our guide to what trips kids up and how to keep them on top.
October 1, 2005... You probably know all too well that even the strongest students can sometimes miss the tricks of taking multiple-choice tests. Third-grade teacher Audrey Kennan, of New Jersey's Town Center Elementary School, certainly does. "My students are...

Here come the short-passage detectives: five clues middle-school sleuths can use to find the answers.
October 1, 2005... Why is answering comprehension questions a Sherlock-Holmes worthy challenge for readers at all levels? For one, the short passages on tests are decontextualized--covering everything from essential science topics such as photosynthesis to...

25 prizes, just because we like you (and your kids).
October 1, 2005... OCTOBER/NOVEMBER SWEEPSTAKES RULES How to Enter Send a postcard with your name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address to Instructor October/November Sweepstakes (Page #), P.O. Box 713, New York, NY 10013. The page number should...

Instructor catalog showcase: a showcase for your catalogs, products and brochures.
October 1, 2005... Save TIME and Reduce STRESS! The Brain Store brings you brain-based teaching books and other resources that make teaching easier and more fun! Reach every student with practices that work with the brain's natural learning processes. ...

Jane goodall: the great zoologist talks about the teachers who inspired her and her hopes for a threatened world.(Interview)
October 1, 2005... * Was there a teacher who influenced you? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Miss Brooks, when I was 12, and Miss Ludwig later--both English teachers. Miss Ludwig was the first person who seemed to want to hear what I had to say, instead of just...