Instructor (1990) back issues from March 2004:
The power of science.(Editor's Note)(Editorial)
Mar 01, 2004; ... As the Instructor staff gathered to work on this issue through the snowy and bitterly cold days of January, we were warmed by how many of our stories this month are about the wonderful ways teachers and students are engaging with science in the classroom and in their communities. ...
Meeting the standards.(Illustration)
Mar 01, 2004 ... <Pre> ARTICLEPAGE SCIENCE GRADE Teaching for a 19Understands relationships among 3-8 Healthier Earth organisms and their physical environment; Knows that all organisms ...
Walk this way.(News & Trends)(Brief Article)
Mar 01, 2004 ... Walking to school, an activity that once seemed relegated to the past, is back with a twist. Children in Chicago, Illinois, and other school districts around the country are taking "walking school buses" to and from school. Here's how it works: A parent, or "driver," leads the walking bus, ...
Big TVs: little kids.(News & Trends)(Brief Article)
Mar 01, 2004 ... Television viewing by very young children is on the rise, according to a new study by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. 2 hours a day Average amount of time babies and young children from six months to six years old spend watching tv or playing video games. ...
No dissing.
Mar 01, 2004 ... This year, make the first week of March "No Name-Calling Week!" Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing; the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN); and more than 30 other partners are proud to sponsor the first ever "No Name-Calling Week" from March 1-5, 2004. ...
Boosting latino achievement.(Brief Article)
Mar 01, 2004 ... It's time to look more closely at the schools and districts that are making notable progress in closing the achievement gap between latino and white students, according to the nonprofit group Education Trust. Schools that are closing the gap focus on the following: * Provide ...
Einstein spotted: in local school.
Mar 01, 2004 ... Albert Einstein's March 14th birthday is a day to celebrate at Helena Middle School, in Helena, Montana. Started over ten years ago in an effort to promote science and academic excellence, Einstein Day has grown more popular with each year. The event now includes creative problem-solving ...
Dick Blick linoleum block print contest.(Contests)
Mar 01, 2004; ... Budding printmakers are invited to submit works made from cut linoleum to Dick Blick's annual contest. Categories: Grades 4-6; 7-9; 10-12 Deadline: March 31, 2004 How it works: Entries will be accepted in any size and color, ...
National Women's Hall of Fame essay contest.(Contests)
Mar 01, 2004; ... The National Women's Hall of Fame, in Seneca Falls, NY, is sponsoring its 24th annual essay contest celebrating Women's History Month in March. Grades: 4-12 Deadline: March 31, 2004 How it works: Projects must relate to an ...
The Gloria Barron Prize for young heroes.(Contests)
Mar 01, 2004; ... The Gloria Barron Prize honors out-standing young leaders who have made a significant positive difference in the lives of people and on our planet. Ages: 8-18 Deadline: April 30, 2004 How it works: Teachers, librarians, and ...
ETS discourse challenge.(Contests)
Mar 01, 2004; ... The Educational Testing Service is sponsoring a competition for districts and schools that focuses on the benefits of using their free, downloadable Discourse Starter Edition for teaching and learning. Grades: K-12 Deadline: April 15, 2004 How it works: ...
TeachNet.(Giveaways)
Mar 01, 2004; ... Free to teachers: TeachNet provides more than 270 hands-on, innovative lesson plans searchable by grade level and subject area, including activities on ...
Free captioned media.(Giveaways)
Mar 01, 2004; ... Free to teachers: The Captioned Media Program loans a variety of captioned media to those who work with the deaf and hard of hearing. More than 4,000 videos and DVDs are ...
EPS teaching resources.(Giveaways)
Mar 01, 2004; ... Free to teachers: The Educators Publishing Service is now offering free online teaching materials to complement their products. Download worksheets on vocabulary, comprehension, critical ...
Free pinhole Cameras.(Giveaways)
Mar 01, 2004; ... Starlight Cameras donates one Little Merlin pinhole camera and one Print 1-2-3 black-and-white ...
Free classroom calendar.(Giveaways)
Mar 01, 2004; ... The Eisenhower National Clearinghouse offers a free online calendar with links to seasonal math and science topics such as patterns, the senses, and inventions. The cross-curricular ...
DIRECTV goes to school.(Grants)
Mar 01, 2004; ... DIRECTV provides qualified K-12 schools throughout the country with satellite television systems free of charge. Among the channels included in the package are Animal ...
mimioGrant.(Grants)
Mar 01, 2004; ... Virtual Ink offers qualified teachers a substantive discount on their products, including mimio[R], a digital collaboration technology that attaches to any ...
Wireless Foundation ClassLink Program.(Grants)
Mar 01, 2004; ... The Wireless Foundation ClassLink Program donates wireless phones and airtime minutes to public schools nationwide. The program was created because many classrooms have neither a telephone nor the ability to install computer and phone lines due to ...
The California Pizza Kitchen Foundation.(Grants)
Mar 01, 2004; ... The California Pizza Kitchen Foundation makes grants and provides fundraising opportunities to support children and youth in communities where the company has restaurant ...
"My brightest student freezes up on big tests. He spends much of his time erasing and rewriting answers. How can I help him?".(Can You Help?)
Mar 01, 2004; ... Make Resources Available. It's as important to teach testing strategies as it is the material itself. I like to introduce the testing "golden rule" (what does the question want to know and how should I respond?). You can also offer to review actual tests with your students. If a student ...
The new gender gap: why are so many boys floundering while so many girls are soaring?
Mar 01, 2004; ... Picture a student in your class who is really struggling with reading and writing. This student doesn't like to read, has difficulty sitting still and paying attention, and turns in crumpled, half-completed homework. We've all had students like this. But chances are, as you picture this ...
Teaching for a healthier Earth: sustainability education has young students (and teachers!) seeing the world in a new way.
Mar 01, 2004; ... When you think about the future, what kind of lives do you imagine for your students? We all have hopes for our students--hopes for future happiness, good jobs, and success. We want their world to be a healthy, stable, and peaceful place. A growing global movement suggests that teaching ...
Science dude: Bill Nye, whose Emmy-award winning "The Science Guy" continues to inspire on DVD and video, talks with Jon Runnalls and his science students from Helena Middle School in Montana. Plus: How to use the Science Guy to bring new excitement to your classroom!(Interview)
Mar 01, 2004; ... The afternoon my students and I were scheduled to talk with Bill Nye, my room was abuzz with excitement. The kids had spent weeks preparing questions, and they were eager to interview the Science Guy himself. As the time drew near, however, the room got quiet--I share many of Nye's videos ...
March activities from our readers.
Mar 01, 2004 ... Win a $50 Scholastic gift certificate! Do you have an innovative classroom activity or super organizing tip that you'd like to share? Mail it to Instructor Activities Editor, c/o Scholastic Inc., P.O. Box 711, New York, NY 10013-0711. If we publish your idea, you'll receive a ...
Take It Apart!(Activities)
Mar 01, 2004; ... Each year, Paula Franko's fourth graders at Evergreen Elementary School, in Scotch-Plains, NJ, look forward to "Take-It-Apart Day," a special classroom event filled with hands-on ...
Sequencing with Clifford: practice sequencing and build literacy using favorite books about Clifford The Big Red Dog.(Activities)
Mar 01, 2004; ... Using the Reproducible [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Children will love using puppets to retell their favorite Clifford books, such as Clifford The Small Red Puppy and Clifford's Good Deeds. After reading each story, invite children to share their favorite parts of the ...
Puzzled over paragraphs? A-plus activities to help kids master the building blocks of great writing.(Activities)
Mar 01, 2004; ... Getting Started Launch your writing explorations by having students review what they already know about paragraphs and list what they'd like to learn. Explain that a paragraph is a group of sentences about the same topic. To help students visualize it, compare a paragraph to a ...
The amazing world of volcanoes: show your students the secrets of the fire-breathing mountains with these learning-filled activities.(Activities)
Mar 01, 2004; ... Did you know that there are more than 600 active volcanoes on Earth? To explain their origins, it helps to hold up an apple: If our planet were the size of the apple, its crust would be about the same thickness as the apple's skin. Below Earth's thin, hard crust comes the mantle, ...
Women making music!(Cyberhunt Activities)
Mar 01, 2004; ... Send students on a trip through time to meet the many women who have influenced the world of music! Before you begin, distribute the CyberHunt Reproducible on page 48. Then extend the learning with these Internet-based classroom activities. WOMEN IN TIME ...
A journey to Japan: take an imaginary class trip with these purposeful activities on Japanese language, culture, and life.(Activities)
Mar 01, 2004 ... While Japan has a similar land area to California, its population is almost four times as big. Most of Japan's 127,000,000 citizens live in large, dense cities such as the country's capital, Tokyo. With these activities, invite your students to explore both the modern pace and ancient ...
Big numbers: blast off with your students on an exploration of big numbers.(Activities)
Mar 01, 2004; ... What's a Googol? Give students hands-on experience with one of the very biggest numbers! Introduce the word "googol" and explain that one googol is the number 1 followed by 100 zeroes. Then divide up 100 paper plates among students and ask them to trace the inner circle of the plates to ...
2004 teacher raves: instructor's spring product guide for teachers, by teachers.(Buyers Guide)
Mar 01, 2004 ... Sound Sorting Kits These fabulous hands-on phonics kits are filled with small objects for kids to touch and sort. www.primaryconcepts.com; Gr. K-2; $39 & up. Product Info Card #77 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Reading Rods[R] Readers ...
Biographical journeys.(Book Talk)
Mar 01, 2004; ... Share these inspiring tales about real-life legends with your students--and give them role models for life. MOTHER TO TIGERS (GR. K-3) By George Ella Lyon. Atheneum, 2003; 32 pages; $16.95. This tender biography tells the story of Helen Martini, the Bronx Zoo's first ...
Super science sites.(Web Sitings)
Mar 01, 2004; ... Whether your students are studying the moon or their own backyards, these sites offer terrific resources to support their learning. THE SCIENCE EDUCATION GATEWAY http://cse.ssl.berkeley.edu/SegwayEd This site, supported by NASA scientists, contains ...
Let's make a deal: forget sports stars--it's teachers who should be landing those million-dollar endorsement deals.(End of the Day)
Mar 01, 2004; ... It seems like every time an advertising company has something to sell--whether it's potato chips, pain reliever, or Pontiacs--the first group they always look to for spokespeople are professional athletes. Why just them? What about us? I, for one--and a number of other teachers I ...