Dear Education Leaders,

Welcome! This free newsletter is published weekly by Education World®, the largest free, independent resource on the Web for educators. If you enjoy this newsletter, please feel free to forward it to others. If this newsletter has been forwarded to you, you may sign up at http://www.educationworld.com/maillist.shtml. To ***, see instructions below. Education World remains a free resource thanks to the support of our advertisers -- so please click on ads of interest and visit our advertisers' sites. Thank you.

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This week's newsletter is sponsored by Online Degree Directory.

FREE Information from Online Universities -
Online Degree Directory.

http://www.educationworld.com/OnlineDegree.shtml

This week's newsletter is sponsored by Casio.

Want to know what teachers and administrators everywhere are finding out? Casio is making math easy! Casio’s new graphing calculator, the fx-9860G Slim has a slim, sleek design, icon menu and easy-to-read screen. It does everything a graphing calculator can do…and more! Find out for yourself by taking the free, self-paced Online Training Course to learn about the functions of the fx-9860G Slim Graphing Calculator. Receive a $100 Debit Card after completion of this course. And if you buy 30 fx-9860G Slim Graphing Calculators, you’ll receive a free Casio projector!

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Volume 11, Issue 42
October 23, 2007

Bats in the Classroom: Activities Across the Curriculum
October -- the perfect time to work bats into the curriculum, to teach about some of the misconceptions often held about these interesting creatures of nature.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson031.shtml

More for Halloween
Visit our Halloween archive for spook-tacular lesson ideas.
http://www.educationworld.com/holidays/archives/halloween.shtml

Substitute Survival
Whether you are a substitute teacher whose lessons fall short of filling up the day or a permanent classroom teacher whose days involve lots of transitional moments, these lessons will work for you. Included: Ten fun activities for anytime.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson198.shtml

Lesson Plan of the Day
See last week's lessons; search lessons by subject.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/archives/dailylp.shtml

More Timely Lesson Themes
Take Your Pick of Pumpkin Lessons
Historical Figure Day
Writing Halloween Epitaph Poetry
Computer Sabotage Lesson Plan
Fall Lessons? We’ve G’autumn!
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson323.shtml
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr284.shtml
http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/curr033.shtml
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson141.shtml
http://www.educationworld.com/holidays/archives/autumn.shtml

Friday Fun: Dictionary Deception
This fun game builds vocabulary and creativity.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/friday/friday024.shtml

Learning Game of the Week
Practice math facts with the "Math Fact War" game.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/learninggame/learninggame005.shtml

Vicki Cobb’s Show-Biz Science: A No-Brainer for the Eye
Discover the pupil reflex.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/showbiz_science/showbiz_science040.shtml

News for Kids
Baby Animals Debut at Zoos
In recent weeks, a handful of zoos have witnessed the births of baby animals.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/newsforyou/newsforyou075.shtml

Box Cars and One-Eyed Jacks Math Games With Joanne and Jane
This week: "Productive Products" teaches multiplying 3-digit numbers.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/boxcars/boxcars028.shtml

Early Childhood Teaching Themes
More Pumpkin Activities
Halloween Fun
http://www.educationworld.com/a_earlychildhood/newsletters/newsletterV01N02.shtml
http://www.educationworld.com/early_childhood/newsletters/newsletterV03N19.shtml

Winifred Witch Was a Sight to See!
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/writing_bug/writingbug012.shtml

Bulletin Boards That Teach: We’re Nuts About Reading
In the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, track students’ reading on this bulletin board.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/bullboard/bullboard024.shtml

Teacher-Submitted Lesson Plans
Teacher-Submitted Lesson #1 Students "discover" the concept of volume.
Teacher-Submitted Lesson #2 Students earn bonus quiz points for following foreign-language directions.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_tsl/archives/06-1/lesson015.shtml
http://www.educationworld.com/a_tsl/archives/06-1/lesson014.shtml

From the Math Machine
Tangram Game is a fun Web site for teaching students to recognize and manipulate shapes and for problem solving. (Grades K-6)
http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/mathmachine/mathmachine009.shtml

Fact Monster Hunts
Primary Hunt November Hunt #1
Ele-Middle Hunt Hunt #9
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/factmonster/factmonster009a.shtml
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/factmonster/factmonster009b.shtml

Every-Day Edits
Primary Edits Animals A to Z: Gorilla
Ele-Middle Edits Eleanor Roosevelt, Tecumseh, Sputnik…
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/animalsAtoZ/animalsAtoZ010.shtml
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/edit/edit10.shtml

5-Minute Fillers Volume 8
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/archives/fillers.shtml

Vocab-ulous!
Words that begin with the letter G.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/vocabulous/vocabulous005.shtml

Just for This Month! See our October Month of Fun, October Word Search, and October Coloring Calendar. PLUS! Create your own work sheets for this month’s themes: Halloween.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/archives/fun_month.shtml
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/archives/wordsearch.shtml
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/archives/calendar.shtml
http://www.educationworld.com/tools_templates/index.shtml#holiday_editable

FROM OUR PRINTABLES LIBRARY

Readers Theater Scripts
Ready-to-read scripts provide hours of classroom fun. Teacher’s Guide included. (Grades 3-6)
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/reading/index.shtml#theater

Coloring Calendars
Use these calendar templates to build student skills and for many other purposes. (Grades Pre-K-12) http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/archives/calendar.shtml

Work Sheets from Teacher Created Materials
More than 250 work sheets organized by subject and grade level.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/worksheets/TCM/index.shtml

Where in the World Is Mrs. Waffenschmidt?
Can you figure out where she is this week based on the clues she provides? (Grades 3-8)
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/archives/waffenschmidt.shtml

Have You Signed Up for Our Free Professional Development Newsletter?
Sign up now for the Professional Development Newsletter, a biweekly newsletter that will keep you connected to our latest professional development content for educators and school leaders.
http://www.educationworld.com/maillist.shtml#profdev

Ask Dr. Shore...
Report Card Reaction
"Dear Dr. Shore,
"My son just brought home his report card and I was very disappointed. Can you give me some pointers on how to convey my expectations without giving rise to an outburst?"
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/shore/shore102.shtml

Angela Powell: Getting It Together -- Tips for Organizing Your Classroom
Make Fewer Trips to the Office
Expanding file folders can reduce trips to the school office. http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/organization/organization003.shtml

Dr. Fred Jones: Tools for Teaching
Body Language Poker
“Students are gamblers. They read your body language to know what they can get away with in your classroom. With your body language you signal your priorities. By reading your body language, students can read your mind."
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/columnists/jones/jones011.shtml

Max Fisher: Voice of Experience
Make a Difference
Educator Max Fischer reflects on a turning point in his career -- one that didn’t occur until his eighth year in the profession when he realized that “Teaching is all about making a difference."
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/voice/voice107.shtml

Reader's Theater
Victor's Victuals
An encounter with a lunchtime bully leads one boy to join the crusade against hunger.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/reading/ReadersTheater/ReadersTheater023.shtml

Wendy Petti's "Math Cats Math Chat"
Halloween Math
"Halloween is a time for math fun -- for estimating and measuring pumpkin weights and waistlines; for drawing spiders with coordinates and discovering the math woven into spider webs; for categorizing costumes; and for graphing candy counts."
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/mathchat/mathchat009.shtml

Math Mnemonics
The Area of a Circle
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/mnemonics/mnemonics012.shtml

Strategy of the Week
Student-Led Conferences
Many teachers and parents speak enthusiastically about the benefits of student-led conferences. Student-led conferences help students set goals and take responsibility for their own learning, teachers say.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/strategy/strategy011.shtml

Teacher Feature
NaNoWriMo
Lisa Corey’s students take part in National Novel Writing Month.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/teacher_feature/teacher_feature048.shtml

Backpacktivity
Family Calendar
Students share the special days their families celebrate.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/homework/pdfs/backpacktivity_012.pdf

From Chaos to Coherence: Managing Teacher Stress
"’I'm totally stressed out.’ Listen carefully when teachers say that. That stress could affect their performance, students, and personal lives. But stress doesn't have to take a toll -- not with these stress-fighting strategies in your arsenal."
http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin413.shtml

From Our Archives
Awesome Summary Notes Make Studying a Breeze
The Awesome Summary Notes system provides students with an easy and efficient method for organizing information and studying for tests. Included: Directions for creating summary notes and tips for using them for studying and review.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/profdev062.shtml

Teaching Study Skills: Ideas That Work
Faced with poor student performance on tests and assignments, teachers often recognize that the root of the problem lies, not in a lack of understanding, but in poor study skills. Discover how three teachers introduce students to more effective ways of studying.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/profdev064.shtml

You Can Always Go to Law School...
Taylor Mali, a one-time middle- and high-school teacher turned performance poet, shares his thoughts about "what teachers make."
http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/issues357.shtml

The Secret's In the Little Things
Twelve quick tips to make managing your classroom a breeze -- including ideas for getting to know your students, communicating with parents, getting your day of to a good start, and more.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson134.shtml

Classroom Management Tips
Getting Parents Involved
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/management_tips/management_tips012.shtml
How Big Is Your Bulletin Board?
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/management_tips/management_tips048.shtml

Contests and Competitions
National Vocabulary Contest
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/archives/contests.shtml

Tips Library
Classroom Management: Parent Partners
Behavior Management: Five Steps, Three Strikes, Sing a Song
Motivating Kids: Make Sure They Understand
Book Report Makeover: Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down?
Homework Tips: Homework BINGO
Best Idea: Review on the Fly
Testing Tips: Word Perfect
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/management_tips/management_tips012.shtml
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/behaviortips/behaviortips012.shtml
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/motivation/motivation012.shtml
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/bookreport/bookreport012.shtml
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/homeworktips/homeworktips012.shtml
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/bestidea/bestidea012.shtml
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/testing/testing012.shtml

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NEW! FROM EDUCATION WORLD!

The Best of the WRITING BUG

If you enjoy Education World's weekly WRITING BUG feature, you'll love this book! Education World and the National Education Association (NEA) have joined forces to create a handy, pocket-size booklet with 44 of the most popular Writing Bug story starters. Use these Writing Bug activities to engage your students in effective writing. Each writing prompt will spark students' imaginations, tickle their funny bones, and motivate their pencils.

Included: In this booklet you'll find these Writing Bug titles and many more:

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Nancy Willard's Cyber Savvy
Youth Risk Online: An Overview
“Youth risk online must be viewed from the perspective of overall adolescent risk. Those children and teens who are already 'at risk' also are more vulnerable online."
http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/columnists/willard/willard001.shtml

And Now Showing...
Joe Robinson’s future scientists make it big on the big screen.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/teacher_feature/teacher_feature055.shtml

Sites to See
Falling for Autumn
Celebrate fall with 16 sites full of K-4 resources on autumn foliage, including printouts, online games, ideas for songs and books, collaborative projects, and even breaking news on the genetics of the changing colors.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/sites/sites069.shtml

Tech Lesson of the Week
Tech in Science
Students track leaf changes, input data found at one Web site into another, and then graph foliage changes with a free online tool.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/techlp/techlp015.shtml

Templates of the Week
Story Map
Help students write or analyze a story with this graphic organizer.
http://www.educationworld.com/tools_templates/template_StoryMap.doc

Interactivity
Google Lit Trips
Google Earth and Great Literature take students on the greatest road trips of all time.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/archives/interactivity.shtml

From Our Archives
Online Safety Tips for Parents
Provide students’ families with a printable version of these 10 tips for keeping their kids safe online.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech235.shtml

Technology-Training Programs That Work
Find out what members of the Education World Tech Team say about the effectiveness of technology-training programs at their schools. How does your school compare?
http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech165.shtml

EdTech Tips of the Week
Make the Most of Computer Time
http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech_tips/tech_tips011.shtml

What can you do with SchoolNotes?
Check out Mrs. Bailey's site to find out!
http://www.schoolnotes.com

Weekly Folders Deliver News from School to Home
Need an easy and inexpensive way to reach parents with important news from your school? Many elementary and middle schools have found a simple answer: the "weekly folder," which packages all communication from school into one folder that is sent home on the same day each week. Included: See how some schools track home/school communication through weekly folders.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin463.shtml

Pete Hall's Always Strive To Be a Better You!
Who’s Your Joey Amalfitano?
Have you ever had one of those days? You know the kind: You wake up late, you burn the toast, the cat vomited on the rug and you find out by stepping in it, you leave the house just barely behind schedule but then have to stop for gas… and it doesn’t get much better from there. That’s the day you have to find your Joey Amalfitano.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/columnists/hall/hall020.shtml

Sandra Harris's BRAVO Principals
BRAVO Principals... Create a Shared Vision for Student Success
Creating a shared vision does not mean telling the faculty what your vision is. Harris walks through steps involved in creating an all-staff Vision Day. Plus ideas for sustaining that vision once developed.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/columnists/BRAVO/BRAVO001.shtml

The Principal Poet
Mr. Ivan, Education World's Principal Poet, presents "Wearing Costumes to School.”
I’d like to wear my costume
For Halloween…to school.
But my teacher says to leave it home.
She said that is the rule…
http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/columnists/ivan/ivan004.shtml

Meet the other members of Education World's Columnist Team.

Take Five for…
Recognizing and celebrating student achievement and behavior (part 2).
http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/takefive/takefive024.shtml

Pawlas on PR
What makes super teachers super?
http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/pawlasPR/pawlasPR017.shtml

Partners for Student Success
Adult "Buddies" Boost Confidence, Skills
“Barnum Buddies” provide one-on-one attention to help preschoolers overcome hurdles.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/partners/partners015.shtml

Exceptional Event
Drinking and Drug Awareness Week pancake breakfast.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/exceptional_events/exceptional_events011.shtml

From the Principal Files
More Bulletin Boards: Powerful Teaching, Community-Building Tools
Bulletin boards loaded with student work add personality to school hallways and speak volumes about what teachers value most. Included: Ed World's "Principal Files" team speaks about the power of bulletin boards from the primary grades to high school.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin462.shtml

How I Handled…
A 25% failure rate on state reading tests.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/how_i_handled/how_i_handled037.shtml

Principal Ideas #24
"Constructing” relationships, business cards for teachers, more…
http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/ideas/ideas024.shtml

Instant Meeting #33
A quick and fun idea for introducing change.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/meetingidea/meetingideas033.shtml

Grant of the Week
Check out our latest additions to the Grants Center.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/grants/additional_grants.shtml

Morning Math
Questions for Week #9
http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/archives/morning_math.shtml

Join the Conversation
On our "School Administrators" message board.
http://forums.educationworld.com/

Newsletters 'R Us
Copy and paste this free content into your teacher or school newsletters.

Math @ Home Numbers in the News http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/archives/newsletters.shtml

 

Cooking with Joy
It’s Time for a Fresh Start
Everyone has food in cabinets, shelves, and the refrigerator that is beyond usefulness or even beyond recognition. To get ready for a new wave of essentials, Joy Rotondi offers pantry-purging tips.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/columnists/joy/joy002.shtml

This Week's Fit To Be Taught Page:
Fit To Be Taught Vol. 12
Schools offer nutrition lessons both in and out of class; undoing the hold of fast food; developing a long-term plan so kids can keep weight off; video games moving into PE classes.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/fittobetaught/fittobetaught012.shtml

NEW! This Week's NCLB Updates
States Receive Grants to Assess Students With Disabilities
The U.S. Department of Education awarded more than $14 million to help states meet requirements for students with disabilities under the No Child Left Behind Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/archives/NCLBupdates.shtml

Wire Side Chat
Why Children Turn Violent
National youth violence expert James Garbarino, the author of Lost Boys: Why Our Sons Turn Violent and How We Can Save Them, talked with Education World about some of the reasons young people become violent.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/chat/chat012.shtml

Whatever It Takes
Poe, Skills-Building Are Center Stage at Bennet
While reading Edgar Allan Poe helps Bennet Middle School students get into the Halloween spirit, science and math teachers are laying the groundwork for more complex lessons.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/WIT/WIT008.shtml

Read About It
What Is Emergent Literacy?
http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/readit/readit048.shtml

Turnaround Tales Article
Seeing Progress in Subgroups
The No Child Left Behind Act has prompted Mobile County, Alabama, school officials to look more closely at the achievement of student subgroups. Focused efforts have led to gains among minority and low-income students.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/nclbwork/nclbwork062.shtml

No Educator Left Behind
How Are District Report Cards Compiled?
http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/NELB/NELB045.shtml

From the Education World Archives:
Author Aims to Help Children Manage Anger
Laura Fox's book, I Am So Angry I Could Scream: Helping Children Deal With Anger, tells the story of a frustrating day for a little girl who finally loses her temper. A sympathetic aunt shows her how she can vent her anger in positive ways.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/chat/chat044.shtml

School Doodle
Fasten Your Seat Belts for a School Transfer
http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/school_doodles/school_doodles54.shtml

School Issues Spotlights
Issues Spotlight 1 Special Education
Issues Spotlight 2 School Safety and Security
Issues Spotlight 3 Recognition of Teachers
Issues Spotlight 4 PTA
http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/glossary/s.shtml#special http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/glossary/s.shtml#security http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/glossary/t.shtml#recog http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/glossary/p.shtml#pta

EdScoops: Current Education News Headlines
http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/archives/edscoops.shtml

 

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THE WEEKLY SURVEY
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This Week's Survey Question
Have your school's reading and math scores increased from two years ago?
http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/survey/survey150.shtml

Last Week's Survey Results
Have you noticed text message-shorthand having an impact on students' spelling?
http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/survey/survey149.shtml

 

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SITE REVIEWS
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This week, Education World reviewed three Web sites of interest to educators.

Discover Antarctica
A "cool" site about the land of the penguins.
http://www.educationworld.com/awards/2007/r1007-19.shtml

We All Use Math Everyday
An NCTM and Texas Instruments site that complements the CBS show Numb3rs.
http://www.educationworld.com/awards/2007/r1007-17.shtml

Sound Junction
A fast-growing site by a group of history teachers.
http://www.educationworld.com/awards/2007/r1007-15.shtml

 

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BOOKS FOR EDUCATORS
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Each week, Education World spotlights books of interest to educators. This week, read a brief summary of two more of our "top 50 books for educators."

Teaching With Love and Logic: Taking Control of the Classroom
Jim Fay and David Funk embody their method of classroom management in the term "love and logic," and follow up this concept with chapters like "Apply Consequences with Empathy." Aimed ultimately at transferring the responsibility for maintaining order from the teacher to the student, this method is a "golden mean," a balanced approach that sees both teachers and students as real human beings. A treasure!
Click to learn more or to purchase this book.

Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools
It's hard to believe that it's been 15 years since this powerful book hit the education scene, and if you've never read it, get this paperback edition and a box of tissues, because these stories from our nation's poorest schools have lost none of their emotional punch. Kozol's more recent books, including "Amazing Grace" and "Shame of the Nation," demonstrate that we have not solved the problems dramatized in "Savage Inequalities," but it's worth returning to this 1992 volume as well, to once hear Kozol's exquisite voice raised in just anger.
Click to learn more or to purchase this book.

Click the icon to the right to see more books and many other products that are available in the Education World MarketPlace.

 

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SIGN UP FOR OUR OTHER NEWSLETTERS
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Would you like to see a sample of the Lesson Planning Newsletter? If so, simply click the link below:
http://www.educationworld.com/newsletters_images/lp_sample.shtml

If you would like to subscribe to the Lesson Planning Newsletter, please click this link:
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