Instructor (1990) back issues from April 2003:
A "peace" of cake. (Editor's Note).(Brief Article)(Column)
Apr 01, 2003 ... One year during the early 1970s, my third graders enthusiastically proclaimed that "peace" would be our class motto. We festooned a colorful peace banner across the classroom door, discussed the word and its meaning, and wrote in our Peace Journals. After several months of serene classroom ...
Our history in Space. (News & Trends).(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2003 ... To commemorate a century of aviation in the U.S., this year's Space Day, to be held May 1, explores the history of aviation and aerospace in our nation. The Space Day 2003 theme, "Celebrating the Future of Flight," encompasses various programs to engage students' interest in science, ...
An Internet safety superhero. (News & Trends).(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2003 ... There's a new superhero to keep children safe on the Internet, and he's a mean, green, Web site-safety machine, He's Dewie the Turtle! This kid-friendly cartoon mascot is part of a new Internet privacy and security initiative developed by the U.S. Federal ...
PBS series on race. (News & Trends).(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2003 ... The issue of race has always been a complex and divisive one in the U.S., and is deeply woven into the fabric of American life. Throughout history, scientists, philosophers, educators, and others have made assumptions about people based on race. It has also been fundamental to discussions ...
Kindergartners suspended. (News & Trends).(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2003 ... In the Cleveland, Ohio, public school system, any student who hits a teacher may be suspended, even if the student is in kindergarten. Though school officials say kindergartners make up a small percentage of the students suspended in the district, it is an option. And Cleveland isn't ...
Power of literacy. (News & Trends).(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2003 ... Imagine what your life would he like if you couldn't read. As many teachers are painfully aware, millions of students and adults across the nation are illiterate. But there are efforts to help struggling readers to get on the road to literacy. On April 12, Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores ...
Out of pocket spending. (News & Trends).
Apr 01, 2003 ... <Pre> Out of Pocket $pending K-12 teachers spend an average of $400 a year of their own money on materials and supplies. For example, 58 percent of teachers surveyed ...
All-American Teachers. (Contests).
Apr 01, 2003 ... USA Today is accepting nominations for its annual All-USA Teacher Team, which honors 20 teachers from across the U.S. Anyone can nominate a K-12 teacher by sending in a written example of the teacher's ...
Young Heroes award. (Contests).
Apr 01, 2003 ... If you know a kid aged 8-18 who has shown leadership, courage, and generosity by creating a non-school-related project that has benefited his or her community, living creatures, or the environment, nominate that student for the Gloria ...
Scoop of the USA contest. (Contests).
Apr 01, 2003 ... Dreyer's/Edy's Grand Ice Cream celebrates it's 75th birthday with a challenge to kids ages 8-14 to invent an ice cream flavor that reflects the uniqueness of America. Kids should submit essays describing how their ice cream flavors show the unique appeal of their home states. Fifteen ...
Learning Wrap-Ups giveaway. (Giveaways).
Apr 01, 2003 ... Exclusive to Instructor readers! Learning Wrap-Ups, a self-correcting, hands-on learning tool, is giving two lucky teachers their choice of either a math resource kit or a math classroom kit, The resource kit includes six sets each of addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and ...
Free Laptops for teachers. (Giveaways).(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2003 ... Need a computer? Register with the Teacher Laptop Foundation to get one. This national non-profit organization wants to give teachers laptops to help them enhance student learning with computers in the ...
Adopt-a-classroom program. (Grants).(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2003 ... Public-school teachers in need of classroom supplies can register to have their classroom "adopted." Once a classroom is adopted by a sponsor, a $500 credit will be ...
SMARTer Kids grants.(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2003 ... The SMARTer Kids Foundation is offering $40 million in grants to help schools purchase a variety of SMART whiteboard equipment. Schools can apply to receive discounts of 20 to 70 percent from SMART. To apply: ...
A Bug's--eye view. (New & Noteworthy).(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2003 ... Your students will go buggy when they discover the wonder of ladybug metamorphosis. Insect Lore's new Ladybug Land habitat allows children to witness up-close the life cycle of the ...
Games in an Instant. (New & Noteworthy).
Apr 01, 2003 ... Help kids build essential skills with the super-fun, ready-to-go Instant File-Folder Learning Games series. Each title comes ...
Heart's D'Zire. (New & Noteworthy).(Palm Computing Inc.)(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2003 ... Palm's new Zire handheld is easy to learn and easy to use. Available coursework management software lets teachers keep track of students' ...
Count on Learning. (New & Noteworthy).(Learning Resources)(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2003 ... Bring money and basic math skills to life with the new Teaching Cash Register from Learning Resources. Students can practice coin ...
Keep on Track. (New & Noteworthy).(School Zone Interactive)(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2003 ... School Zone's award-winning e-workbooks creatively guide kids through focused learning objectives in specific skill ...
Mastery in a flash. (New & Noteworthy).(Flashmaster)(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2003 ... This easy-to-use alternative to traditional flashoards helps kids master math facts. Visual and audio ...
On the mat. (New & Noteworthy).(Painless Learning)(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2003 ... Bound to become a classroom favorite, these durable and attractive mats help children learn new skills, ...
Come inside. (New & Notewothy).(Scholastic Corp.)(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2003 ... Want to teach poetry with confidence and passion to middle-schoolers? Paul Janeczko's ...
Universal math . (New & Noteworthy).(Wildridge Education )(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2003 ... Students can study the connections between astronomy, math, physics, history, and mythology with Wildridge Education's Math & the Cosmos ...
Handling a rude student. (Advice on).
Apr 01, 2003 ... Mary Rose, Lake Sybelia Elementary, FL, Grade 4 There is a very thin line between standing firm on one's expectations and becoming part of the problem because of one's inflexibility. I've found that the trick is to stand on that line by picking my battles carefully. When ...
Easy colorful graphs: digital spreadsheets can make a math lesson fun, interactive, and educational. (Electronic Learning).(related article included)
Apr 01, 2003; ... Most teachers use graphs and charts regularly in their teaching, and not just with math. In some classrooms, graphs are large and colorful depictions of objects students have counted. In other classrooms, they might display the results of surveys students have conducted or information ...
Marilyn Burns demystifies long division.
Apr 01, 2003 ... Q My students really have difficulty getting the steps involved in long division. Any advice?--Tamara Henry, Fresno, CA MARILYN ANSWERS: Let's face it. Long division is not easy to learn. Fat one thing, it is the first mathematical procedure kids learn that operates from right ...
From tangerines to algorithms.(related article included)
Apr 01, 2003; ... "I can't imagine teaching math without manipulatives," says Louise Fiori, a teacher at Stanford Middle School in Long Beach, California. It's no secret that early elementary teachers across the country consider manipulative materials a godsend for reinforcing basic math concepts. But Fiori ...
Math out loud! Heard the word? Talking and writing about math boosts understanding in a big way.
Apr 01, 2003; ... Allan had been in the United States for less than a year. A nonnative speaker, he was hesitant to speak up in my math class, although his math abilities were good. While Allan knew the basics of working through a problem, he was unable to explain how he had done so. For all ...
This year's poetry stars: meet the students and teachers who made Instructor's fourth annual poetry contest shine. (Announcing).
Apr 01, 2003; ... Just as the charcoal skies and bone-chilling cold of late winter were really starting to get to me, I was asked to help judge Instructor s Fourth Annual Poetry Contest. Zing! My mood lifted, brightened by each entry that crossed my desk, sang in my ear, tickled my funny bone. It was like ...
M.C. Escher. (Masterpiece of the Month).(related article included)
Apr 01, 2003; ... Meet the Artist Born on June 17, 1898, in Leeuwarden in the Netherlands, Maurits Comelis Escher struggled with his school studies, especially math. But he loved art class, where he learned to make linoleum cut prints. Though Escher didn't successfully complete high school, he ...
Create tessellations like M.C. Escher. (Art Workshop).
Apr 01, 2003; ... Mary Bussman's fourth- and fifth-grade students at Ohlone Elementary School in Palo Alto, California, really know how to put the pieces together! Inspired by the striking work of M.C. Escher, the students turned math into art as they experimented with colorful shapes and interlocking ...
Recycling: it's for the birds! Easy spring activities, just in time for earth day!(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2003; ... From Bottle to Birdbath Create this easy-to-assemble birdbath using an empty, two-liter soda bottle and a recycled food tub, such as a large margarine container. Use a nail to make a hole in the bottom of the bottle, then fill with water. Loop twine around the capped bottle's ...
Poetry journals: making poetry scrapbooks allows students to enjoy their work for years to come as they publish their own poems, reflect on inspiring verses by favorite poets, and record classroom poetry exercises. (Scrapbooking in the Classroom).(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2003; ... * Booklet Have students transcribe a poem or the lyrics to a favorite song. Inside, kids can journal their responses. * Cut-out Shapes Add texture and fun to journals using die-cut or hand-made shapes. Here, a journaller writes about the T. S ....
Vocabulary s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-r-s: new ways to learn new words.
Apr 01, 2003; ... ABC Books Are your students slow to use the dictionary? Try writing and compiling your own class dictionaries! At the end of a study unit in science, social studies, or another subject area, alphabetically list key words from the unit on chart paper, leaving space to add more words under ...
Picture book math: read-alouds are great springboards to super math learning.
Apr 01, 2003; ... How Much Is a Million? By David M. Schwartz (Lothrop, Lee, 1985). Along with Marvelosissimo, the Mathematical Magician, kids and their pets explore just how big a million and a billion are. ACTIVITY After reading the book, invite children to figure out how ...
Wonderful world of whales! Swim into super-sized learning with these giants of the deep.
Apr 01, 2003; ... To begin your study, draw a large whale on chart paper and record some facts that children know about whales. Then dive into the following activities! Breaching Whale Masterpieces A whale doesn't just swim--it performs amazing acrobatics in the water, too. Have ...
Pitch-perfect baseball science: get in the swing of spring with these activities of discovery.
Apr 01, 2003; ... * Super Ball Challenge Invite students to use the scientific method to design and build their own super balls! Begin by cutting open a baseball and showing students a cross-section of the cork core surrounded by rubber, woolen yarn, and leather. Provide similar materials (cork pieces, ...
The Brave Little Seamstress. (Fine Folktales).(Book Review)(Children's Review)(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2003; ... By Mary Pope Osborne; illustrated by Giselle Potter. Atheneum, 2002; 32 pages; $16. (Gr. 2-6). As she did with Kate and the Beanstalk (Atheneum, 2000), Mary Pope Osborne has turned the main character of a German tale, "The Brave Little Tailor," into a female, and hoorah for ...
How the Fisherman Tricked the Genie: A Tale within a Tale within a Tale. (Fine Folktales).(Book Review)(Children's Review)(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2003; ... By Kitoba Sunami, illustrated by Amiko Hirao. Atheneum, 2002; 40 pages; $16. (Or. 2-6). When a genie threatens to kill the poor fisherman who has rescued him from a brass bottle in the Arabian Sea, the fisherman tells him three interconnected stories in the hope of saving himself. In this ...
Epossumondas. (Fine Folktales).(Book Review)(Children's Review)(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2003; ... By Coleen Salley; illustrated by Janet Stevens. Harcourt, 2002; 32 pages; $16. (Gr. PreK-2). Every time sweet little parootie, Epossumondas, visits his Auntie, she gives him something to take home, and each time he carries it home the wrong way, according to his Mama. She tells ...
Adelita: A Mexican Cinderella Story.(Book Review)(Children's Review)(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2003; ... By Tomie dePaola. Putnam, 2002; 32 pages; $16.99 (Gr. 1-6). Soon after the birth of her daughter, Adela dies, leaving her merchant husband to care for their child, Adelita, with the help of a devoted housekeeper, Esperanza. Adelita's father marries a haughty widow with two cold ...
This is the House that Hack Built.(Book Review)
Apr 01, 2003; ... By Simms Taback. Putnam, 2002; 32 pages; $15.99 (Gr. PreK-1). The collage illustrations are frantic and fun in this lively version of the classic children's nursery rhyme, first published in 1755. Children will recall and chant the ever-growing rhyme in sequence, as the farmer ...
Head, Body, Legs: A Story From Liberia. (More Fine Folktales).(Book Review)(Children's Review)(Brief Review)
Apr 01, 2003; ... Head, Body, Legs: A Story From Liberia By Won-Ldy Paye and Margaret H. Lippert. Henry Holt, 2002 (Cr. PreK-3). This whimsical African pourquoi and creation tale explains how people came ...
Mrs. McCool and the Giant Cuhullin: An Irish Tale. (More Fine Folktales).(Book Review)(Children's Review)(Brief Review)
Apr 01, 2003; ... Mrs. McCool and the Giant Cuhullin: An Irish Tale By Jessica Souhami. Henry Holt, 2002 (Gr. K-A). This delightful tall-tale comedy about two legendary Celtic heroes, illustrated with cheerful cut-and-tom ...
Can You Guess My Name? Traditional Tales Around the World. (More Fine Folktales).(Book Review)(Children's Review)(Brief Review)
Apr 01, 2003; ... Can You Guess My Name? Traditional Tales Around the World By Judy Sierra, illustrated by Stefano Vitale. Clarion, 2002 (Cr. PreK-2). For each of five European folktales--"The Three Pigs," "The Bremen Town Musicians," "Rumpelstiltskin," "The Frog Prince," and "Hansel and ...
Yonder Mountain: A Cherokee Legend. (More Fine Folktales).(Book Review)(Children's Review)(Brief Review)
Apr 01, 2003; ... Yonder Mountain: A Cherokee Legend By Robert H. Bushyhead and Kay Thorpe Bannon. Cavendish, 2002 (Gr. K-6). To find a worthy successor, elderly Chief Sky instructs three young men to climb to the top of a great nearby mountain and bring back to him what they find ...
Favorite Poem Project. (Powerful and Playfull Poetry).(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2003; ... www.favoritepoem.org Robert Pinsky, a recent United States poet laureate, started the Favorite Poem Project because he believed strongly that poetry, especially when spoken out loud, "connects us with our deep roots [and] our interdependence upon one another not only in space ...
Giggle poetry. (Powerful and Playful Poetry).(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2003; ... www.gigglepoetry.com And now for something completely silly. Here your students will discover a wild mix of poems by kids--some really witty, some just goofy--and a fun chance to read 'em and rate 'em. Be forewarned, however: The jokes in some ditties on the site, like Bruce ...
Online poetry classroom. (Powerful and Playful Poetry).(Academy of American Poets)(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2003; ... www.onlinepoetryclassroom.org Give yourself plenty of time to browse here, because this site is loaded. Run by The Academy of American Poets, it's one of the most extensive teacher-centered sites out there. Not only does it include more than 12,000 poems, biographies, and other ...
E-verse. (Powerful and Playful Poetry).(Milkweed Editions)(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2003; ... www.milkweed.org/3_1.html E-verse delivers "a new poem--current or classic" to brighten up your inbox every Monday. It's a free service of Milkweed Editions, a nonprofit literary press that believes literature is a "transformative art uniquely ...
Poetry in Motion. (Powerful and Playful Poetry).
Apr 01, 2003 ... Paul Janeczko www.poetrysociety.org/motion This Web site documents the Poetry in Motion program, which was developed in 1992 by the Poetry Society of America and the New York City Transit Authority with the distinctly poetic dream of making public transit ''a more ...
A student with vision: by taking on life "with both hands," David showed me that there was nothing to fear. (End of the Day).(a blind student in the fourth-grade class)
Apr 01, 2003; ... Retinitis pigmentosa. It sounded scary. It's basically the deterioration of a person's eyesight over time. For me, it meant I would have a blind student in my fourth-grade class. I was terrified. I had taken for granted being able to show students examples of how to do something; now ...
Grow with poetry: Instructor's 4th annual poetry contest winners.(Brief Article)(Poem)
Apr 01, 2003 ... <Pre> Grow With Poetry: Instructor's 4th Annual Poetry Contest Winners The Growing Flower A pink and yellow rose starts as a tiny seed. Then it grows; Its stem pops up and then a leaf, very green. And then a bud like a raindrop Opens up like an umberlla It poses ...
Escher symmetry drawing.(Dutch graphic artist M.C. Escher)(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2003 ... Dutch graphic artist M.C. Escher (1898-1972) is best known for his drawings of fantastic visual illusions that seem to ...