Dear Education Professionals,

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This week's newsletter is sponsored by American Public University.

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This week's newsletter is sponsored by Penn State World Campus.

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

John Steinbeck: The California Novels
A guide to the key works of one of America's greatest writers.
http://educationworld.com/awards/2008/r1008-17.shtml

Neurons: Animated Cellular and Molecular Concepts
Take high school students on "field trip" into the nervous system.
http://educationworld.com/awards/2008/r1008-15.shtml

Cyber Nations
A massive multiplayer persistent simulation (whew!), very useful for secondary social studies.
http://educationworld.com/awards/2008/r1008-13.shtml

John Steinbeck: The California Novels
A guide to the key works of one of America's greatest writers.
http://educationworld.com/awards/2008/r1008-17.shtml

REVIEW: A+
Students who are studying Steinbeck will find this site especially useful. Visitors to the site can learn about such classics as The Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men, East of Eden, and other greats as well as the places where these works were set. Each of the works are summarized by chapter, include hyperlinks to more information and a map of the area where the events of the story took place, a list of characters, and publishing information. Included in each section are related images and other information about the book and its author. A nice list of links to other related Websites and information is also provided.

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Neurons: Animated Cellular and Molecular Concepts
Take high school students on "field trip" into the nervous system.
http://educationworld.com/awards/2008/r1008-15.shtml

REVIEW: A+
These animations and presentations could be useful to the science or health teacher to supplement curriculum and to enhance the learning experience in the classroom. The content is divided into eight chapters including Anatomy of a Neuron, Axonal Transport, Ions and Ion Channels, Resting Membrane Potential, Action Potential, Neurotransmitter Release, Postsynaptic Mechanisms, and Removal of Neurotransmitter. Each of the sections includes explanations with hyperlinks for viewing the images or animations. Users can also review the pages in a chapter by clicking the page numbers in the bottom left corner of the pages. Included is a “How to Use the Program” with helpful hints for navigating the site and a list of all the available animations that can be downloaded for non-commercial purposes.

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Cyber Nations
A massive multiplayer persistent simulation (whew!), very useful for secondary social studies.
http://educationworld.com/awards/2008/r1008-13.shtml

REVIEW: A+
This is a great site for social studies students and teachers to practice the skills learned in the classroom. Users can create their own or a class nation anywhere in the world. Give the nation a name and capital; choose the type of government, religion, ethnicity, tax rate and currency type. Practice your economics, government and sociology skills by building your nation into a thriving environment for your citizens by purchasing infrastructure, land, technology, and military. Develop national improvements to build your nation, develop your own foreign policy and trade agreements, and rule your people according to your choosing and see how your nation progresses among other nations.

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."

No Contest: The Case Against Competition
One of the most prolific education writers, Alfie Kohn is also one of the most entertaining and thought-provoking. This book makes perhaps the most profound argument Kohn has ever fielded -- that "healthy competition" is an oxymoron, that competition is not an essential or desirable aspect of human nature, but rather a part of our animal nature that we must transcend. Of course our educational system has a love-hate relationship with competition: we don't want kids to feel like losers, but our society demands that schools identify a small number of winners. A truly essential read!
Click to learn more or to purchase this book.

The Absorbent Mind
Maria Montessori's classic underscores her belief that learning is a natural characteristic of the human being, and that the process of education is best conducted as a nuturing of that natural impulse, rather than something that has to be imposed on one's otherwise savage little charges. Along with this is her belief, much more radical in its time than now, that people's personalities are not fixed at birth, but that a child's early years are in fact crucially formative.
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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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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For a modest $24.95 PER YEAR, upgrade to Personal Edition, "Super SchoolNotes," with thousands of resources linked to your state's standards.

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MORE FEATURES OF INTEREST!
Reader’s Theater More than two dozen scripts, perfect for the classroom.
Best Books for Teaching About… Booklists for 30 popular teaching themes.
Sign Up for Our Newsletters Ten free newsletters full of practical ideas.
Special Education Center Tools for the special education community.
TGIF Kick back and start your weekend off on a light note.
Education World Techtorials Our tutorials take the terror out of technology.
The Template Library A wide variety of templates to meet educators' needs.
Wire Side Chats Each week, Education World chats with an expert in the field.
Printables Library You're sure to find great resources here. Hundreds of printables!
Meet Our Columnists Meet our team of columnists from many corners of the "education world."
Teaching Themes for Early Childhood Sue LaBella offers teaching ideas for popular EC themes.
Stress Relief Kit Take a deep breath. Then take a look here for great reading.
Classroom Management 101 Real teachers share what they are doing to manage real classrooms.
News for Kids News of our world written with kids in mind. Teacher's Guide included.

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