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September 2, 2008
Timely reminders, fabulous freebies, best sites & more "worth the surf"
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In Partnership With:
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Turning
Technologies’ K–12 Grant Program will provide
TurningPoint® Student Response Systems to 15 K–12 classrooms
across the United States in order to increase awareness and use of
student response systems in K–12 classrooms. The grant is open to
all accredited, public and private K–12 educators within the United
States, including those in charter schools, and is distributed on a
competitive basis. Grant recipients will be contacted and announced
September 30, 2008. Upon receipt of the student response system,
educators will work with Turning Technologies to share best
practices, lesson plans and other materials that will facilitate
further discussion and integration of response technology in K–12
classrooms.
Deadline: September 15, 2008
Click Here for More Information
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The
Dollar General Youth Literacy Grants help schools implement or
expand literacy programs for new readers, below-grade-level readers
and readers with learning disabilities. To be eligible for a grant of
up to $3,000, schools must be located in Dollar General’s 35-state
operating territory and within 20 miles of the nearest Dollar General
Store.
Deadline:
September 24, 2008
Click
Here for More Information
Click Here for Store Locator
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Toshiba
America Foundation’s Education Grants contribute to the
quality of science and mathematics education in U.S. communities by
investing in projects designed by classroom teachers to improve
science and mathematics education. K–12 teachers in public or
private (nonprofit) schools are eligible for the $1,000 grant.
Deadline: October 1, 2008
Click Here for More Information
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EBOOK DESTINATION
NEW
Look! MORE Savings!
Join
the growing list of teachers enjoying the eBookDestination Rewards
Program. On the first day of each month, a digital coupon
(representing 5 percent of your total purchases in the previous
month) will be added to your shopping cart. You’ll then be notified
via email of the presence (and amount) of this coupon.
There’s
no application to complete, no points to collect, no cards to carry,
no codes to enter and (most important) no fees to pay. Quite simply,
you are repaid for your loyalty with a 5 percent credit toward future
purchases. It’s as easy as that!
Browse
the eBookstore now! You’ll receive an automatic discount
on thousands of ebook titles, many of which are bundled
with downloadable audio MP3 files, from major educational
publishers. Plus, there’s always a selection of the most popular
titles on sale!
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Sign
up at The Big Deal Book Web site for hELLo!,
a free monthly ELL e-newsletter that
includes information about new grants, upcoming contests, the latest
educational research and a wealth of information on interactive print
and online resources for students, teachers, librarians, principals
and others involved in the education of English language learners.
Click Here to Sign Up for Free Newsletter
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The
TASH/Wal-Mart Breakthroughs in Inclusive Education Awards
honor contributions of individuals and school districts in advancing
inclusive education and equitable opportunities for students in
kindergarten–grade 12, particularly those with significant
disabilities and support needs. Awardees will be selected from these
categories: Inclusive Education Administrator of the Year; Inclusive
Education Teacher of the Year; Inclusive Education Advocate of the
Year; Most Promising Inclusive School; Most Promising Inclusive
School District. The award includes a library of books about
inclusive best practices from Brookes Publishing.
Deadline: September 20, 2008
Click Here for More Information
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Students
in grades 3–5 can let their teachers know how special they are by
choosing them for a chance to go to a cool math and science camp next
summer. The Mickelson ExxonMobil 2009 Teachers Academy offers
a five-day program, with camps in New Jersey, Texas and Louisiana,
designed to provide teachers of grades 3–5 with the knowledge and
skills necessary to motivate students to pursue careers in science
and math. The award includes an all-expenses-paid, five-day program
in July 2009.
Deadline: October 31, 2008
Click Here for More Information
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For
high school teachers and mentors who would like to capitalize on
young people’s interest in the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign,
Google and the National Writing Project have teamed up
to create Letters to the Next President: Writing Our Future,
an online writing and publishing project that will
launch on September 16. The project invites young people to write
about the issues and concerns they would want the next president to
address and, with the support of their teachers, to publish their
writing online for a national audience. Topics are chosen by the
students themselves to reflect their specific personal, regional and
age-related interests, and teachers will be able to support student
writing and publishing in a way that most directly fits their local
curricula and educational goals.
Deadline: Register by September 8, 2008
Click Here for More Information
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The
producers of the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer are preparing
the.Vote and
the.Gov—a series of
eleven 4- to 5-minute reports on the 2008 campaign leading to the
inauguration of the next president. After Election Day, the series
will evolve from the.Vote to the.Gov and look at the
process of forming a new government, identifying key issues for the
new administration and new Congress. The video segments,
hosted by the.News journalists, will be provided free
to middle school and high school teachers and their students
throughout the fall campaign. Each segment of the.Vote and
the.Gov is accompanied by online, standards-based
activities that will give students the opportunity to create
multimedia works: you.Edit allows students to rework
and re-edit video material provided by MacNeil/Lehrer Productions,
and you.Report serves as a home for student-generated
content (students’ perspectives on policy issues and the election
process). All segments will be closed captioned. An initial the.Vote
report has been posted online, allowing educators to become familiar
with the.Vote and the educational opportunities it provides.
Regular production will begin in September and run up to the
inauguration in January 2009.
Click Here to Visit Web Site
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SimCity, part C-Span, President Forever 2008 + Primaries
puts the fate of the nation in your students’ hands. Are they ready
to become the most powerful political leader in the world? Encourage
them to prove they can succeed in this political game. Their campaign
will be successful through writing speeches, running ads (including
attack ads on their opponent) and holding a rally. The 2008 election
or past elections can be simulated, with multiple players or a single
player running against the computer.
Click Here to Access Free Demo
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It
is now more than six years since the No Child Left Behind Act was
signed into law, and Congress and educators are involved in critical
discussions regarding its reauthorization. The Act has had a profound
impact on education throughout the United States and in classrooms
serving American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian students.
What have we learned from NCLB, and about teaching and learning in
Native communities, in the meantime? What should the future look
like, in terms of ensuring that Native and other underserved students
have the best possible chance of educational success? These and other
questions will be discussed during the ECHO Culture and Change
Symposium on Native Educational Policy: NCLB and Beyond,
which will take place on October 6–8, 2008 in Choctaw,
Mississippi. The symposium is hosted by the Mississippi Band of
Choctaw Indians in cooperation with the Peabody Essex
Museum in Salem, Massachusetts, and the ECHO partner
organizations.
Click
Here for More Information on the ECHO Symposium
Click Here for More Information on the Peabody Essex Museum
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The
United Star Distance Learning Consortium (USDLC) is offering a
new professional development series called The Future Is Already
Here – Teachers Who Are Bringing the Future to Their Classrooms.
The series will feature interactive sessions in the Second Life
virtual environment with outstanding classroom teachers (USDLC Star
Teachers) and book clubs on the most exciting books in education
today. Events are planned for September 2008, October 2008 and
January 2009 and are available without cost to anyone
interested—Second Life Residents or non-Second Life Residents.
Non-Second Life Residents may participate via radio and text chat.
Click Here to Learn How to Participate
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Global
Kids (GK) aims to transform urban youth into successful students
as well as global and community leaders. Using interactive and
experiential methods to educate youth about critical international
and foreign policy issues, GK provides students with opportunities
for civic and global engagement. Through its professional development
program, GK provides educators with strategies for integrating a
youth development approach and international issues into their
classrooms.
Click Here for More Information
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Including
Everyone: Small Changes to Create a Welcoming Classroom is
the newest offering from RaceBridges For Schools, which
provides tools for teachers and students to help build stronger and
more inclusive communities. The practical advice included in this
free, downloadable guide focuses on small, everyday changes
teachers can make in their classrooms to help students be more open
to difference, to be less judgmental and to be more likely to counter
prejudice in themselves and others.
Click Here to Download Free Guide
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The
New Americans Web site offers an educational
adventure for students in grades 7–12. The site supplements the PBS
documentary series, which explores the immigrant experience
through personal stories. Interactive sections of the site allow
students to explore the immigration experience through a timeline,
maps and activities in tracking family history and
examining the effect of immigration on the nation. Eleven lesson
plans involve students in activities such as analyzing factual
data or conducting oral histories of first- or second-generation
immigrants. For
workplaces, schools and community organizations that would like to
use shorter stories from The New Americans to increase
understanding of recent immigrants, Active Voice and
Kartemquin Films offer three brief, themed Video/DVD
Modules and Discussion Guides for a nominal fee.
Click
Here to Visit Web Site
Click Here to Order Video/DVD Modules and Discussion Guides
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Plus:
See how much you know about immigrants and immigration in America.
Try this Immigration Myths and Reality Quiz.
Click Here to Take the Quiz
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Autodesk,
Inc. has launched Animation Academy 2009, the latest
version of its visual communications offering for secondary schools
worldwide. The six-part curriculum introduces students to 3-D
animation and visual effects technology while immersing them in core
academic subjects, such as science, math and language arts. Animation
Academy 2009 adheres to numerous academic standards, including those
of the International Technology Education Association (ITEA) and the
United States standards for Science, Technology, Engineering and
Mathematics (STEM). The curriculum includes comprehensive
project-based lessons on astronomy, architecture, the
digestive system, weather systems, forensics and an independent
study.
Click Here for More Information
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The
U.S. Department of Education’s Teaching Literacy in
English to K–5 English Learners provides videos,
slideshows and tools for teaching reading to K–5
English learners. The site’s resources are based on five
research-based recommendations: screen and monitor students’
progress; provide small-group reading interventions; provide
vocabulary instruction throughout the day; develop academic English
competence beginning in primary grades; and schedule regular
peer-assisted learning opportunities, including structured language
practice.
Click Here to Access Free Resources
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THE
BIG DEAL BOOK TECH CENTER
Interactive
Experiences for the 21st Century Classroom
Check
out the new look of The Big Deal Book
Web site. And be sure to explore the Tech Center,
which offers resources and activities for integrating technology into
your classroom. In the Tech Center is a feature that
changes mid-week, every week, appropriately called Web
Wednesday! Here you’ll find new interactive
experiences and resources that incorporate 21st century
themes and skills into the study of core subjects.
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Presented
by National Geographic for Kids, DogEared is a blog
about books—good books, funny books, adventure books; books about
animals, friendship, pirates, faraway places . . . every kind of book
that kids enjoy. Why is the site called “DogEared”? You know when
you read a book and you turn the top edge of a page over to mark your
place? That’s called a “dog-ear”! Students mark (“dog-ear”)
the Web page so they can return to it often in order to read real
kids’ reviews and recommendations. They also share their own
opinions and create their own reading wish list—as if it were their
own online book club.
Click Here to Visit Web Site
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“Martha
Speaks,” the new animated series from the WGBH creators
of “Curious George” and “Arthur,” and Vancouver’s Studio
B Productions, premieres on September 1, 2008 on PBS KIDS
(check your local listings). The series stars Martha, a beloved
family dog, who accidentally is fed alphabet soup that gives her the
power of human speech and the chance to speak her mind to anyone who
will listen. Based on Susan Meddaugh’s book series about Martha the
talking dog, “Martha Speaks” is built on a curriculum designed to
bolster the oral vocabulary of four- to seven-year-olds. Each episode
features two 11-minute stories (including six adapted from the
classic books) that showcase Martha’s linguistic abilities and the
hilarious consequences they provoke—all with a goal of engaging
children and expanding their vocabulary. The “Martha Speaks” Web
site has engaging games, videos and activities
that help youngsters learn new words.
Click Here to Visit Web Site
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Have
your students ever wondered why a camel has a hump? Of if they can
really tell the weather by listening to the chirp of a cricket? Or
why their joints make popping sounds? These questions deal with
everyday phenomena that are often taken for granted, but each can be
explained scientifically. Everyday Mysteries helps students
get the answers to these and many other of life’s most interesting
questions through scientific inquiry.
Click Here to Visit Web Site
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