Teaching Theme of the Week

from NEA member Eric Eisner

On the final day of the year, I usually throw one more literary life-lesson at my students. The following activity is my last gesture of hope to those students with whom I will part ways.

Subjects: Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, Health & P.E.

Grade Levels: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12

Time to Complete: 15-20 minutes.

Objectives
Students will:

• practice discerning symbolism and metaphor;
• draw a metaphorical connection between the classroom and the outside world; and,
• see that what is learned in the classroom -- those invaluable lessons -- can be utilized beyond the walls of the classroom.

Materials

• a couple of hundred fruit seeds
• "Symbolic Seed" Letter handout
• "Symbolic Seed" Instructions handout

Procedure

1. Distribute letters and seeds.
2. Students first read letter, then open the packaged seed. (I use tinfoil.)
3. Teacher may hold a brief, or extended discussion of the topic, if necessary.

National Teaching Standards: This lesson requires students to understand the concept of symbolism (i.e., the seed represents opportunity), as well as metaphor (i.e., the seed figuratively is an opportunity to be nurtured -- like one's education).

Copyright © 2008, EducationWorld.com, used by permission

Teaching Theme of the Week

from Education World®

A class crossword puzzle makes a great back-to-school activity or bulletin board.

Subjects: Language Arts

Grade Levels: preK-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12

Objectives
Students will:

• share unique information about themselves,
• listen as others share information about themselves, and
• solve a crossword puzzle based on clues that come from the information they shared.

Keywords
crossword puzzle, puzzle, icebreaker, back to school, back-to-school, bulletin board

Materials Needed

• information about each of your students
• an online crossword-puzzle tool (find links below) or crossword-puzzle making software

Procedure
This is a fun activity for the second day of school, or anytime. Students solve a crossword puzzle that includes clues about the students in the class.

At the start of the year, you often do icebreaker activities that help you and your students get to know one another. As you do those activities this year, take notes about some of the unique things you learn about each student. You will use those unique characteristics as clues for creating a crossword puzzle that has each student's name in it.

Once you have compiled a list a clues -- one clue per student -- you are ready to create the crossword puzzle grid. Use one of the following online tools to create a crossword puzzle that includes the first names of each of your students.

• PuzzleMaker
• Instant Online Crossword Puzzle Maker
• Create a Crossword Puzzle On-Line

In each of the puzzle makers above, you will type in the student's name followed by the clue that relates to that student. If you have two or more students with the same name, you might include their last initials (for example, JenniferB, JenniferM…). In order to fit all of your students' names in a puzzle, you might need to submit the puzzle clues more than once or expand the dimensions of the puzzle.

Share the puzzle you have created with students. If you use it on the second day of school (based on information students shared on the first day), the students' abilities to solve the puzzle will be a good indicator of the level of their listening comprehension skills.

Extension Activity
Transform the crossword puzzle you created into a giant crossword puzzle bulletin board under a clever heading such as Our Class Has a Clue, We Fit Together, or Working Together to Solve Problems.

Assessment
How well did students listen when their classmates shared information about themselves? Which students successfully completed the crossword puzzle?

Copyright © 2008, EducationWorld.com, used by permission

Teaching Theme of the Week

from Education World®

Students work in small groups to find fascinating facts about the Summer Olympic Games and Olympic history.

Subjects: Social Studies, Language Arts, Educational Technology

Grade Levels: 6-8, 9-12

Objectives
Students will:

• define the word trivia,
• research information about the Olympics, and
• work together in cooperative groups.

Keywords
Olympics, trivia, game, history, summer

Materials Needed

• Olympics Trivia Challenge ( PDF, 92K,1pg.) student printable work sheet and Answer Key
• writing paper
• pens or pencils
• computers with Internet access or printouts from the Web sites listed in the Lesson Plan, or library resources about the Olympics

Procedure
Ask students to define the word trivia. Tell students they are going to compete in a trivia challenge game about the Olympics. Divide the class into small groups. Distribute the Olympics Trivia Challenge ( PDF, 92K,1pg.) work sheets. Tell students they have a specific amount of time to find the answers to the questions on their game sheets. Students may use library resources or the following Web sites:

• An Olympic Games Primer
• Olympic Facts
• Interesting Olympic Facts
• Frequently Asked Questions About the Ancient Olympic Games
• Olympic Fun Facts

Assessment
Check answers with students. The first group to complete the challenge with all correct answers is the winner.

Copyright © 2008, EducationWorld.com, used by permission

Teaching Theme of the Week

from Education World®

Students create Venn diagrams comparing and contrasting today's Olympic Games with games held during the days of the ancient Greeks.

Subjects: Educational Technology, Language Arts, Social Studies

Grade Levels: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12

Objectives
Students will:

• research the history of the ancient Olympic Games,
• read current news reports and watch TV coverage of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games,
• use a graphic organizer (Venn diagram) to show how history has changed the Games, and
• write a brief essay that compares the Games of today to the Games of the ancient Greeks.

Keywords
ancient, essay, graphic organizer, Greece, Olympic Games, Venn diagram, winter, writing

Materials Needed

• Venn diagram forms
• library and/or Internet resources about the Olympic Games

Procedure
Students can complete this activity in the classroom, the library or media center, or the computer lab.

Provide students with a simple Venn diagram form. If you wish to integrate technology, provide students with Education World's editable Venn diagram ( MS Word, 71K, 1pg.). Copy this diagrma onto a disk so students will have a personal copy. They can type into each of the diagram's three fields, then save their completed diagrams to the disk. When they are finished students can print out their comparative diagrams.

Alternative Venn diagram sources:

• Laura Candler's File Cabinet: Graphic Organizers
• abc-teach's Graphic Organizers

In this activity, students work in the library or online to learn about the Olympic Games of ancient and modern times. How are the games similar? How are they different? What do they have in common? Students use a Venn format to create a diagram showing the similarities and differences. The students write information specific to the ancient Olympic Games in Section A of the diagram (the part of the left circle that does not intersect with the other circle). They write information specific to today's games Section B of the diagram (the part of the right circle that does not intersect with the other circle). They write information that is common to both in the area where the two circles intersect/overlap.

Following are some online resources students might use as they learn about the Olympic Games:

• The REAL Story of the Ancient Olympic Games
• The Olympic Festival in Antiquity
• The Ancient Olympics
• Go for the Gold: Olympic Games History: The Rise of the Games
• Go for the Gold: Olympic Games History: Modern Olympics
• The Ancient Olympic Games Virtual Museum
• International Olympic Committee: Olympic Games
• Olympic Games Primer
• From Ancient Greece to Modern-Day Australia (Scholastic)

Assessment
Students use the Venn diagrams as a reference as they write brief essays comparing and contrasting the games of ancient Greece with those of modern times.

Copyright © 2008, EducationWorld.com, used by permission

Teaching Theme of the Week

from Education World®

Help students put the standard measure of clock time -- the minute -- in perspective.

Subjects: Mathematics

Grade Levels: preK-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12

Objectives
Students will:

• put the length of time one minute in perspective,
• write about what they learned about a minute as a result of the activities.

Keywords
Time, measurement, telling time, clock, hours, minutes, seconds, watch

Materials Needed

• clock with a second hand, watch with a second hand, or a stopwatch
• list of spelling words (optional)
• a math facts speed-test sheet with basic addition facts (optional)
• a Dr. Seuss book such as The Cat in the Hat or Green Eggs and Ham (optional)
• a list of ten grade-appropriate words (optional)
• an index card with a letter of the alphabet written on it [common letters only], one card per student (optional)
• Internet access to the Industrious Clock (optional)

Procedure
This lesson helps students put the minute in perspective.

• a day = 24 hours,
• an hour = 60 minutes, and
• a minute = 60 seconds.

• Have students place their heads on their desks. Say "Go" and then use a clock, watch, or stopwatch to measure exactly one minute. When students think one minute is up, they should quietly raise their hands without looking up. At the end of the activity, identify those students who raised their hands closest to the 60-second mark.
   
• Try the activity again. Have students place their heads on their desks. This time, ask them to quietly sit up when they think exactly one minute has passed.
   
• Have students repeat the activity in pairs or groups of three, timing one another. Have each student take several turns and record the results. (How many actual seconds had passed when each student indicated a minute was up?) Which students seem to have the best concept of a minute?
  
  If you have in your classroom Internet access and a projector that allows you to project a computer image on a screen, you can use a fun Web site as the timer for the above activities. Students will be mesmerized by the Industrious Clock! Time your "Go!" direction in the above activities to start when the "seconds" area of the Industrious Clock registers 00.

• How many of their spelling words can students write/copy in exactly one minute?
   
• Given a sheet of simple addition math facts problems (for example, 4 + 3 and 6+5), how many problems can students solve in exactly one minute? (You might try subtraction or multiplication facts to see how students do with those compared to addition facts.)
   
• Have students read aloud a section of familiar text as fast as they can. (One of the popular Dr. Seuss books might be a good book for this activity.) Who can read the most words in exactly 60 seconds?
   
• Write ten grade-appropriate words on a chart. Give students one minute to look over the words. Then cover the chart. Give them one minute to write down as many of the words as they can remember. Which student(s) remembered the most words?
   
• Give students a list of ten grade-appropriate words to alphabetize. (You might use the same list as used in the previous activity.) When the time begins, they write a 1 next to the word that comes first in alphabetical order, a 2 next to the word that comes second, and so on. How many students accomplished the task in one minute? (For younger students, you might provide a pack of 26 cards with the letters of the alphabet written on them. Have students spread the cards across their desks and, when time begins, arrange those cards in ABC order.)

One-Minute PE Test
The activities above might open students' eyes to how quickly a minute can pass, however, a minute can seem to pass slowly during a test of physical endurance. For example, have students stand on one foot with both hands raised above their heads for exactly one minute, or have them remain in the up position of a push-up for exactly one minute. Does a minute feel longer during some activities than it does during others?

Follow-Up Activity
At the end of the one-minute activities, repeat the heads-down test to see if students now have a better concept of the length of a minute.

Challenge Activities

• We know that a day is made up of 24 hours and an hour is made up of 60 minutes. But how many minutes are in a day? Have students work in pairs to calculate the total number of minutes in a day. When they are done, see which pairs got the correct answer. (24 x 60 = 1440 minutes) Have those teams explain how they got the answer.
   
• If that was too easy, have students calculate the number of seconds in a day. (1440 x 60 = 86,400 seconds)
   
• Have students write their birth dates (month, day, and year) on a piece of paper. Challenge them to calculate how many days or minutes old they are. [Since most students will not know exactly what time of day they were born, for this activity you can count the current day and their birthdays as a full day.]
   

One More Fun Activity: A Verb a Minute
Write a letter of the alphabet on each of 30 index cards. Have students sit in a circle, and then randomly distribute a card to each student. Give students one minute to write on the card a verb that begins with the letter on the card. Then have students pass their cards to the student on their left (clockwise!). Give that student a minute to write a different verb for the letter. When students are stumped, repeat verbs, or write words that are not verbs, they must leave the game.

Assessment
Have students write a couple of statements describing what they learned from the activities about the length of a minute. Give them -- you guessed it! -- one minute to think of a reply and one minute to write it down. Some students might point out that a minute seems to go quickly some times (when racing to complete a math facts test, for example) and more slowly at other times (when standing on one foot, for example). Others might note that they learned that a lot can be accomplished in a minute; that a minute can be a valuable unit of time; or that they were amazed to learn how many minutes they already have lived.

Alternative Assessment
Have students write a haiku to explain what a minute is. (This activity breaks slightly from the haiku pattern. Haiku are usually about nature. A "minute" is not a natural phenomena; the nations of the world have agreed on what a minute is.)

Copyright © 2008, EducationWorld.com, used by permission

Teaching Theme of the Week

from Education World®

Students complete a tutorial on Web literacy and use what they learn to successfully find information in an online scavenger hunt.

Subjects: Educational Technology

Grade Levels: 6-8

Objectives
Students will:

• learn to evaluate Web site content.

Keywords
technology, Internet, literacy, content evaluation, critical thinking, media literacy

Materials Needed

• computer with Internet access
• Website Content Basics
• Critical Evaluation of a Web Site: Middle School Level, ten copies for each group
• printed copies of five to ten questions from the Internet Scavenger Hunt, one copy for each group

Procedure
Depending on the number of computers available, students can do this activity in a group or independently.

1. Explore with students, or ask students to independently explore, the Website Content Basics tutorial.
    
2. Organize students in groups of five.
    
3. Choose five to ten questions from the Internet Scavenger Hunt and provide a copy of the questions to each group.
    
4. Distribute five to ten copies of the form for Critical Evaluation of a Web Site: Middle School Level to each group. Provide one evaluation form for each question used from the scavenger hunt.
    
5. Ask groups to search online for the answers to the scavenger hunt questions. Have students complete a Web evaluation form for each site at which they obtain answers.
    
6. Encourage students to compare their answers and the sites they use. Discuss any discrepancies in the answers and review the evaluation forms for the sites. Ask students to predict which answer is correct, based on the site evaluation forms.
    
7. Have students find additional sites that verify the correct answers.

Assessment
Evaluate students on their answers to the scavenger hunt questions and the information they provide on the Web site evaluation forms.

Copyright © 2008, EducationWorld.com, used by permission

Teaching Theme of the Week

from Education World®

After reading short biographies of the men who signed of the Declaration of Independence, students write letters to some of the signers.

Subject: Economics

Grade Levels: 6-8, 9-12

Objectives
Students will:

• identify sources of income,
• distinguish between fixed and variable expenses,
• distinguish between needs and wants, and
• develop a personal budget.

Keywords
budget, income, expenses, needs and wants, consumer, money

Materials Needed

• an overhead projector
• a transparency of the Sample Budget
• My Spending Plan (one copy for each student)
• computers with Internet access (optional)
• Jumpstart's Reality Check (optional)
• Calculate Income (optional)

Procedure

1. Use a projector to display this Sample Budget to the entire class, or copy the budget onto the chalkboard. Have students take a few minutes to look over the budget and discuss the items listed.
    
2. Ask students to rank the budget items in order of importance and then determine whether each item is a "want" or a "need." Have students figure out what percentage of the total income each item represents and determine whether there is a relationship between the importance of an item and the percentage of the budget it represents.
    
3. Provide a copy of My Spending Plan to each student, and ask students to complete a personal budget.

Extension: Invite students to go to Jumpstart's Jumpstart's Reality Check or The Mint's Calculate Income to determine how much money they will need to earn to support their desired adult lifestyles.

Assessment
Evaluate students on their participation in class discussion and on the appropriateness of their personal budgets.

Copyright © 2008, EducationWorld.com, used by permission

Teaching Theme of the Week

from Education World®

After reading short biographies of the men who signed of the Declaration of Independence, students write letters to some of the signers.

Subject: Social Studies, Language Arts, Education Technology

Grade Levels: 6-8

Objectives
Students will:

• learn about the men who signed the Declaration of Independence,
• demonstrate critical and creative thinking skills, and
• write letters.

Keywords
Founders, biography, Declaration of Independence, letter, signer

Materials Needed

• paper
• pens or pencils
• computers with Internet access or printouts of biographies from Biographies of the Founding Fathers

Procedure

1. Review with students some of the important points about the Declaration of Independence. Have students view the document at the site The Declaration of Independence or on an overhead projector. Ask students to closely view the signature section. Tell students that 56 men signed this document.
    
2. Have students look up the site noted in the Materials Needed section, or if Internet access is not available to everyone, print out the main page and distribute copies to students.
    
3. Assign each student one name from the list. Have students look up that person via the hyperlinks on the site, or print out the biographies you choose.
    
4. Have students read the biographies and then write letters to their assigned signers. Tell students to include questions and/or comments about the individual's life or his work on the Declaration of Independence.

Assessment
Group the class into pairs. Have students exchange letters with their partners; they can offer comments and gentle critique about the letters.

Copyright © 2008, EducationWorld.com, used by permission

Teaching Theme of the Week

from Education World®

Students work in small groups to create editorial cartoons about topics in the news.

Subjects: Language Arts, Education Technology

Grade Levels: 9-12

Objectives
Students will:

• study and develop editorial cartoons, and
• work together in cooperative groups.

Keywords
newspaper, editorial, cartoon

Materials Needed

• examples of editorial cartoons from various newspapers or from PoliticalCartoons.com
• current news topics written on 3-in. by 5-in. index cards
• a paper bag
• drawing paper
• crayons, colored pencils, or markers
• a computer drawing program, such as HyperStudio (optional)

Procedure

1. Show students examples of political cartoons from different sources. Discuss the cartoons. Ask students what they think the cartoonist's intent or main point was in each one.
    
2. Divide the class into small groups. Have each group choose a card from the bag..
    
3. Tell students that each group must work together to create an editorial cartoon on the topic noted on the card..
    
4. When the cartoons are complete, have each group present and explain its cartoon to the class.

Variation
Have each group create a cartoon using HyperStudio or another computer-drawing program.

Assessment
Evaluate students' cartoons and presentations.

Copyright © 2008, EducationWorld.com, used by permission

Curriculum Resources for Flag Day, June 14

The first recognized formal observance of Flag Day took place in a Wisconsin school house in 1885 (we have grade school teacher Bernard J. Cigrand to thank for that). But it wasn’t until 1916 that Woodrow Wilson officially proclaimed June 14 as Flag Day. Not until 1949 did it become National Flag Day through an Act of Congress.

Today, we help you continue the Flag Day tradition in your classroom with these lesson ideas and curriculum resources.

1. Our Flag Throughout History
   Students create a timeline of the history of the flag, which serves as a quick visual reference point for discussions of history as well as an interactive learning tool.
    
2. Hang a Flag Mural
   What better way to greet visitors to your school (or to your Town Hall) than with a student-created flag mural?
    
3. A Flag Divided
   Students learn about the flags of the Union and Confederacy, explore the symbolism of those flags, and create flags of their own.
    
4. This Is America! Flag Collage
   Students cut up magazines and newspapers to create an American flag collage -- a visual essay of their thoughts about "What America Means to Me."
    
5. Flags of Nations
   Students illustrate flags of countries where Spanish is the official language.

More Activity Ideas

Citizenship. Begin your celebration by taking a look at The Pledge of Allegiance in English, Spanish, French, or German. Then discuss the meaning of the words.

History -- create a timeline. Ask students to read The History of the American Flag, It's a Grand Ol' Flag, or the Evolution of the United States Flag, or History of the Flag. Then have them create a timeline of the ten dates they consider most important in our flag's history. Discuss with students the dates they chose and why they are important. Adjust the number of dates used according to the age and ability of your students.

Math -- explore proportion. Explain to students that United States flags may be different sizes, but all flags must be the same shape and corresponding parts of the flag must be in specific proportion to one another. Have students study the flag proportions determined by the United States government. Then ask them to use those specifications to determine the fly, star diameter, and stripe width of flags of different hoists. For example, you might ask what the fly of a flag should be if the hoist is 2 feet.

Current events -- stage a debate. Older students can stage a debate about the Constitutional Amendment Issue regarding flag burning. Encourage students to explore online and library resources to learn more about the issue and then ask for volunteers to present each side of the debate. Following the debate, discuss the issue and the points raised with students. Online, students can learn more about the issue at Citizens Flag Alliance, Inc. and The Flag-Burning Page. Some might consider those pages controversial, so please preview them to determine their suitability for your students and community.

Art -- draw a flag. Invite students to draw a picture of their country's flag, write a brief description of the flag's symbolism and history, and send the drawings along with photographs of themselves, to the Kidlink Flag Project. Students can visit the site to view previously submitted drawings of flags of many countries and see photographs of the artists.

Language -- write a speech. Encourage older students to read Flag Makers, a speech delivered by then Secretary of the Interior Franklin K. Lane on Flag Day, 1914. Discuss the meaning of the speech. Invite students to also visit Inspiring speeches to read additional examples of historic speeches. Then have students write a speech about what their country's flag symbolizes for them. Ask volunteers to read their speeches to their classmates.

Extend the Celebration

Extend your Flag Day activities to include the study of state, tribal, maritime, and international flags.

Geography -- explore latitude and longitude. Provide students with a list of latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates and ask them to find the country at each location. Then have them explore Flags of All Countries. Here students can learn more about the geography, economy, government, and people of many countries. You might ask students to find a specific piece of information about each country you've highlighted in the activity. (For example, the "Geography" page connected to many flags offers information about the size of the country, including total land area and a simple comparison to the size of a U.S. state.)

Explore symbolism. Encourage your youngest students to visit Maritime Signal Flags Page, type in their name, and see it displayed in maritime flags. Older students can use International Signal Flags to write or translate signal flag messages.

Play a game. Invite students to play Flag Trivia and identify state flags.

Social studies -- make a map of Native American tribes. Invite students to go to Flags of the Native Peoples of the United States, scroll down to the section beneath the teepee, and choose a Native American tribe. Have students click the name of that tribe and read about the tribe's flag, history, and culture. Ask students to note the present locations of tribal lands. Then have students create one or more facsimiles of their chosen tribe's flag. On a classroom bulletin board, display or create a large map of the United States and have students attach their flags to the correct locations on the map. Repeat the activity until the locations of all the tribes are identified on the map. Encourage students to explore additional links and resources to learn more about each Native American group.

More art -- design a flag. Encourage students to visit the home page of flag designer Dave Martucci to learn about Vexillology. Ask them to scroll down the page until they find the link to Vexillology, where they can read about the basic tenets of flag design and click and explore many different flag designs. Then invite students to design a personal or family flag. You might also want to arrange students into groups, have each group design a classroom flag, and vote for the winning design.

Language arts/spelling -- make a word list. Ask students to create words using the letters in Vexillology. Words could include vex, lily, loll, lox, golly, ox, yell, gel, gill, ill, go, logy, and log. Older students might use their words to create a word search and then challenge other students to solve it.

Social studies -- learn about your state. Encourage students to locate and learn about their state flag. Then ask them to explore library and online resources to learn about the history of their state and its flag and to discover the symbolism behind its design.

Play another game. Invite students to play Flagtag and match U.N. member countries with their flags. Encourage students to click the name of each member state whose flag they identify correctly to learn more about that country.

Flag Day Resources

Education World Flag Day Holiday Archive

The Flag of the United States
Extensive information about topics such as the evolution of the flag, the history of Flag Day, and historic and current U.S. flags. This site also provides links to information about the White House, the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the Federal Judiciary. Here, visitors can locate their Congressperson, read every Inaugural Address from George Washington's to George Bush's, read the Constitution of the United States, locate resources in the Federal Government, find Congressional email listings, take a virtual tour of the Library of Congress, view sights in Washington, D.C, and visit Mount Vernon.

Purchase a U.S. Flag
Learn how to purchase a flag that's flown over the Capitol, find members of Congress by name and by state, and visit congressional offices' home pages.

Flags of the World
Choose to view flags of countries by country name, on a clickable world map, or through a map index.

Flags and Anthems
Contains flags and anthems of many countries, including the United States.

Copyright © 2005, EducationWorld.com, used by permission

Teaching Theme of the Week

from Education World®

Students create a timeline of the history of the flag, which serves as a quick visual reference point for discussions of history as well as an interactive learning tool.

Subjects: Language Arts, Visual Arts, Math, Social Studies, U.S. History

Grade Levels: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12

Objectives
Students will:

• create a timeline,
• properly document on the timeline important dates in the history of our flag, and
• attach images of presidents, flags, and other important historical visual references.

Keywords
timeline, president, flag, state, graphic organizer, symbol

Materials Needed

• red, white, and blue construction paper
• glue
• images of the presidents and of the U.S. flag throughout history; sources provided in the Lesson Plan section below

Procedure

In this activity, which students can do as a whole class or in smaller groups, challenge students to use library and/or Internet sources to create a timeline(s) illustrating the history of the U.S. flag. Tell students they should include on the timeline important events in the history of the flag and images of the flag throughout history. Have students particularly note the new states represented by each change in the flag. To provide additional historic reference points on the timeline, students might also include the names and/or photographs of the relevant U.S. presidents, and information about other important historical events.

Encourage students to make the timeline red, white, and blue! Have students cut a 2-inch strip of red construction paper and mark on it the "Year" reference points; mount a 2-inch strip of blue construction paper below the red strip, and mount a 2-inch strip of white construction paper below the blue. The blue and red areas of the timeline create a backdrop for photos or student-drawn images, including images of U.S. presidents, historic events, and the flag throughout history. The Presidents of the United States Web page, which is part of the White House Web site, provides a good source of presidential images. Several sources of flag images are noted below. The white strip makes a nice backdrop for timeline text.

Internet resources for flag images: If you or your students have Internet access, the following sites are excellent resources for this activity:

• Flag Timeline
• Flag Picture Gallery

Display the timeline(s) on a classroom bulletin board.

Assessment
Create a ten-question quiz about the completed timeline(s). Students will use the timeline(s) displayed as a source as they answer the questions. They should correctly answer at least eight of the ten questions.

Copyright © 2008, EducationWorld.com, used by permission

Teaching Theme of the Week

from Education World®

Students consider a father's responsibilities and write letters to their fathers or caregivers.

Subjects: Language Arts

Grade Levels: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12

Objectives
Students will:

• describe the responsibilities of fathers,
• review the format for a friendly letter, and
• write letters to fathers, parents, or caregivers to express thanks.

Keywords
Father's Day, composition, letter, essay, writing, dad, male, role model, hero

Materials Needed

• Friendly Letter Format
• paper
• pencils or pens
• computer and printer (optional)

Procedure
Fathers bear responsibilities beyond measure. In addition to providing support for their families, they often share the tough job of making decisions and rules that are sometimes not understood -- or popular -- with their children. However, activities such as this lesson can help kids see that sometimes what dad decides is for the best.

Because students come from varied situations, it is important to be sensitive to children who may not have a "father" at home. The letter assigned in this activity could easily be written to a mother or caregiver and be equally effective.

Begin this lesson with a discussion of the responsibilities of parents. Focus the students on the tasks that fathers may perform and list their suggestions as they brainstorm. These may include but are not limited to:

• working (making money)
• buying groceries, clothing, house items
• car and house maintenance and repair
• managing money (paying bills, saving)
• lawn care
• pet care
• housekeeping
• caring for children
• cooking

Now ask the students to consider what their fathers (or caregivers) do specifically for them. Distribute paper and pencils and have students note three important ways that their fathers care for them.

When they finish, share a story from your experience that describes a decision or rule made by a parent, why you didn't understand it when you were younger, and how you now do understand it. For example, you might explain that you weren't permitted to ride in friends' cars or attend a party with older kids and that you now know that those were not safe practices. Emphasize that you were too young and inexperienced to appreciate the good sense of the rule or decision at the time and why it was the right one. Describe how you recognize that your parent protected you from what could have been a harmful or an uncomfortable situation. Every person has similar revelations throughout childhood -- from not being allowed to cross the street alone to not being permitted to drive without an adult. Discuss some of the experiences your students have had with their parents, particularly their fathers.

Instruct your students to think for a few minutes about a good example of a decision or rule made by their fathers that at the time seemed unfair but now makes sense. Have them make notes about the experience on their paper.

Review the parts of a friendly letter with your students: heading, greeting, body, closing, and signature. You may use your school district's preferred format or the Friendly Letter Format as a guide. On a new sheet of paper, have the students write friendly letters to their fathers or caregivers. Each letter should include an introductory paragraph, a description of three important things the individual does to care for the student, a synopsis of the "memory" of a time when the student didn't understand a decision or rule and how he or she appreciates the logic of it today, and a final paragraph of personal thanks.

Assessment
If time permits, have students read their letters aloud to the group. All acceptable responses will include an introductory paragraph, a description of three important actions performed by the father, a synopsis of a "memory," and a paragraph of thanks.

Copyright © 2008, EducationWorld.com, used by permission

Teaching Theme of the Week

from Education World®

Stop the yawns. Put an end to indifference. Revive those often-deadly skill reviews with a game or two! We have six lessons that use popular game formats to spice up what can be boring reviews and tedious skill practice sessions.

Subjects: Language Arts, Visual Arts, Educational Technology

Grade Levels: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12

Objectives
Students will:

• create a format for the yearbook pages they and their classmates will make.
• create yearbook pages about important memories of the year.
• put the pages together in a yearbook.
• design a cover for the yearbook.

Keywords
yearbook, end of year, graduation, June

Materials Needed

• paper and pens or pencils
• digital camera (optional)
• art supplies

Procedure
In this activity, each student will create a page in a class yearbook. If available, use a digital camera to take pictures that can be printed and pasted on the pages. Ask students to record vivid memories from the school year on the pages. Younger students can dictate.

In the lower elementary grades, each yearbook page might follow a distinct template or format. For example, a photo might appear at the top of the page with lines for writing on at the bottom of the page. In other grades, the format can be more flexible. Students might brainstorm a list of categories or prompts to select from as they create their yearbook pages. Sample prompts about the school year almost completed might include the following:

• a favorite lesson
• a time I really laughed
• the best book I read
• the most challenging lesson
• advice for next year's ___-grade students
• the career I want to pursue
• something I wish I could do over again
• a skill I learned that will serve me well in the future

After students have created their personal yearbook pages (in writing or by using a word processing software program), photocopy individual pages so each student can have a yearbook of their classmates' memories too.

Extension Activities

• Encourage students to create covers for their yearbooks. Stage a cover-design contest. Ask students to share their designs and have them vote for the best design. Allow students to select any classmate's design (or their own) to use as a yearbook cover.
• Include a few pages at the back of the yearbook for students to write messages to one another. (See An Autograph Book from Yesteryear.)
• Post the yearbook online so all students have access to it.

Assessment
Students create thoughtful responses to the yearbook prompts.

Copyright © 2008, EducationWorld.com, used by permission

Teaching Theme of the Week

from Education World®

Stop the yawns. Put an end to indifference. Revive those often-deadly skill reviews with a game or two! We have six lessons that use popular game formats to spice up what can be boring reviews and tedious skill practice sessions.

Lesson Plans

1. Play Ball: A Major League Review Game
   In this game, students advance the bases as they give correct answers to review questions. (Grades K-12)
    
2. "Concentration" Review Game
   Adapt the game of Concentration to review hundreds of skills. Ideas, puzzle sources included. (Grades K-12)
    
3. Four-Corner Fun: A Review Game
   Multiple choice review questions are center stage in this fun activity that can be used to review any subject matter, any skill. (Grades K-12)
    
4. Round Robin Post-It Review
   This small-group activity reviews new skills and preps students for tests.
    
5. Line-Up Review
   "The line-up review is a variation of other teaching strategies I've experimented with," Wisconsin high school teacher Doug Buehl told Education World. "It is ...
    
6. Student-Created Study Guides
   This activity is for all subjects and emphasizes note-taking and outlining skills.
    

Copyright © 2008, EducationWorld.com, used by permission

Teaching Theme of the Week

from Education World®

Field day games make for whole-class fun. Try the Teacher Sled Race, Water Balloon Volleyball, more!

Subjects: Physical Education

Grade Levels: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12

Objectives
Students will:

• follow directions,
• work as part of a team to complete a task, and
• cheer on their team members and show good sportsmanship.

Keywords
Field day, games, sled, beanbag, balloons, horseshoes, volleyball, hoop

Materials Needed
Following are some materials required to run all the whole-class games listed below; refer to each activity for specific requirements.

• string or yarn
• balloons
• beanbags
• Hula Hoops
• volleyballs
• shower curtain rings
• a cheap plastic sled
• tug-of-war rope

Activities
The activities in this lesson plan are whole-class activities that could be part of a fun field day.

For additional field day activities, see this week's lessons that offer field day ideas for individual students or small-group/team relays.

Note: A handful of these activities are adapted from ideas published by other sources. Links are provided to those sources. We encourage you to refer to those sources for additional fun ideas.

Balloonathon. Provide each class with a length of string or yarn 50 feet long. (Younger students might use a shorter strand.) Tie together the two loose ends of the yarn, and arrange it on the ground to form a large circle. Arrange students evenly inside the circle and provide each class with a balloon. Explain to students that they must hit or tap their balloon to keep it aloft as long as possible. The team's time ends when the balloon touches the ground or any part of a player's body touches the ground outside the circle. You might give students a couple of practice rounds to help them learn how to control the balloon before the official class-vs.-class competition begins. All classes might do this activity at the same time or, if there are multiple classrooms at each grade level, you might do one grade level competition at a time.

Beanbag Horseshoes. Set up a game area as you would to play horseshoes; instead of setting up stakes, however, lay two Hula Hoops on the ground about 15 to 25 feet apart. (The distance can vary by grade level.) Arrange students into two groups and station each group behind one of the hoops. One at a time, students in one group toss a beanbag toward the hoop at the opposite end of the playing area. Students earn 2 points for each beanbag that lands in the hoop, and 1 point for each beanbag touches the hoop but is not completely inside it. Tally that group's score, then let the other team play. If the teams are two different classes from the same grade, the team with the highest score wins. If the teams are from the same class, add their points together to get a class total.

Hoop Monster. At the beginning of this game, one student holds a Hula Hoop and stands in the middle of an area roughly the size of a basketball court. The other students line up at one end of the court. At a signal, students attempt to walk, run, or otherwise move to the other end of the court. As students move across the court, the "Hoop Monster" tries to catch them by gently snaring them in the hoop. Each student who is caught is given a hoop and named an "Assistant Hoop Monster." When all the students who are not caught reach the other side, another signal is given and students try to move back across the court. Students move back and forth across the court in that manner until all are caught by the Hoop Monsters. How long does it take to capture all the students? (For a variation on this game, and for more hoop games, see the Five Things To Do With a Hoop Web Page from Ayden Elementary School in Pitt County, North Carolina.)

Kids vs. Teachers Volleyball. Make a volleyball -- or basketball -- team comprised of the oldest students in your school. That student team will play a game against a team of teachers. (If your school is a primary school, the teacher team might have to play sitting down or on their knees!) To make the game more interesting, students will love it if you turn the volleyball match into a game of Water Balloon Volleyball. (See Water Balloon Volleyball below.)

Musical Hoops. This all-class activity is played like musical chairs; the only difference is that students walk around hoops arranged on the ground instead of around chairs. As the game begins, there should be one less hoop than there are students. Students march around the hoops as the music plays. When the music stops, each student must find an empty hoop to jump into. (If two students ended up in the same hoop, the student who touched a foot in the hoop first is awarded the position in the hoop and the other student is eliminated.) The hoop-less student sits off to the side as another hoop is removed and the music starts again...

Ring-On-The-String. Use the string or yarn from the Balloonathon activity above for this activity. Put a ring (a shower curtain ring will work well) on the string, tie the ends of the string or yarn together, and arrange the string into a circle. Students see how quickly they can pass the ring around the circle. Young students might pass the ring around the circle twice; older students might go for five cycles. The fastest team at each grade level is declared the winner. (See additional activities at Unusual Relay Races from funandgames.org.)

Teacher Sled Race. This activity requires a cheap plastic sled. A teacher sits on a sled with a rope attached to it. Students pull the teacher a specified distance. (The distance will vary depending upon grade.) How long does it take each team of students to pull the teacher to the finish line? Announce each team's time at the award ceremony. (See additional whole-class activities at Field Day from Susan's Physical Education Site.)

Water Balloon Volleyball. Add a little excitement to volleyball games by playing with water balloons instead of volleyballs! The rules are the same and the game is the same -- it's just wetter!

Make the game even more interesting. Instead of using their hands, have students hold onto a large sheet. When the balloon comes over the net, students catch it in the sheet and then flip the sheet to send the balloon back over the net.

More Activity Ideas
For additional whole-class activities, see this week's small-group/team relays activity page. Among the relays that might work well as whole-class activities are the following:

• Drop and Pop
• Hooping It Up
• Obstacle Course
• Shoe-er Fun

Assessment
All participants follow the rules and show good sportsmanship.

Copyright © 2008, EducationWorld.com, used by permission

Teaching Theme of the Week

from Education World®

All grade levels celebrate Book Week by having students design new "medals" for children's books!

Subjects: Language Arts, Fine Arts

Grade Levels: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12

Objectives
Students will:

• design a new award for a children's book,
• select a book to receive the award,
• create a "medal" for the book jacket,
• write an explanation of the award and why the book has earned it.

Keywords
medal, book, writing, art, author, Book Week, library, Caldecott, Newbery

Materials Needed

• paper
• pencils
• scissors
• aluminum foil
• toothpicks

Procedure
Even a kindergartner will suspect a book that features a bronze or silver medal on its cover is something special! In this activity, students create their own awards for books, select an appropriate recipient, and design a silver "medal" for the book's cover.

Introduce students to or review with them the Web pages of the Randolph Caldecott Medal and John Newbery Medal. Both medals are awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, part of the American Library Association. The Caldecott Medal goes to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book, and the Newbery Medal is awarded to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. Share with students the titles of some Caldecott or Newbery winners with which they are familiar; you might read aloud some other medal winners and talk about why those books might have been so honored.

Ask students to consider what makes an excellent book. Have them brainstorm qualities they look for in children's books and discuss their ideas. Instruct them to focus on one or a few aspects of a quality book that they have identified and create an award that represents these excellent characteristics. Have the students create a title and description of the medal and draw it on paper.

Next, distribute squares of aluminum foil of about 4 inches on each side. A three-inch circle is a good size for students to work with, but you may choose to allow your students to use any shape that is about three inches in diameter. A small size is preferable to keep the medal from overwhelming the book! Have the students cut the foil into their chosen shape. Also distribute a toothpick to each student. Blunt pencils, pens, or skewers may also be used. (Best is a narrow tool that is not too sharp.) Students should place paper under the foil as they work and draw (engrave) their medal design into the foil with a toothpick.

When the students have finished their medals, they should choose exemplary books that meet the criteria they have set for their awards. Have the students lightly tape their medals to the front of their books and write an explanation that includes the title of the award, an explanation of the award, the characteristics that the award represents, the title of the award-winning book and its author, a description of the book, and how the book meets the award's criteria. Students may present their awards with their honored books and share their original medal creations.

Assessment
Collect written work and display with the award-winning books. Evaluate composition according to grade-level writing standards.

Copyright © 2008, EducationWorld.com, used by permission

by Gary Hopkins, Education World®

The first official Memorial Day celebration was held in the United States in May 1868. On that day, which was then called Decoration Day, people remembered the war dead by decorating their graves with flowers. (To learn more about the history of Memorial Day, see Memorial Day History.)

Today, we still take time to honor those who serve and have served, especially those who gave the ultimate sacrifice of their lives. But do your students understand the true significance of the day? In order to help them put Memorial Day in perspective, we offer...

9 Lessons for Teaching About Memorial Day

1. Memorial Day: Graphing Our History of Sacrifice
   Using an online graphing tool to graph America's history of war dead helps students understand the significance of Memorial Day.
    
2. Thinking About Our Troops
   A handful of ways for kids to connect with America's soldiers serving around the globe.
    
3. The Wall Inspires Letters to Veterans
   Eve Bunting's moving book, The Wall, inspires students to write letters to veterans at local veterans' hospitals.
    
4. Mapping Your State's Role in the Vietnam War
   Teach the significance of Memorial Day by creating a map showing the hometowns of your state's Vietnam War dead. A stunning visual reminder!
    
5. Memorial Day Shoebox Parade
   Create a timeline of U.S. conflict and a Memorial Day Shoebox Parade to commemorate soldiers who fought for freedom.
    
6. Connecting Kids and Soldiers
   While some teachers discuss the war in Iraq with their classes, many others find that both they and their students want to do something concrete to help U.S. troops abroad. We have some suggestions.
    
7. Hang a Flag Mural
   What better way to greet visitors to your school (or to your Town Hall) than with a student-created flag mural?
    
8. Put the "Memory" Back in Memorial Day
   How some teachers are stressing the importance of remembering and honoring our nation's fallen servicemen.
    
9. Wall of Peace
   Commemorate Memorial Day, Veteran's Day or September 11 with this activity for all grade levels.
    

More Memorial Day Lessons

• Organnizers of the Veterans History Project are collecting and preserving "audio- and video-taped oral histories, along with documentary materials such as letters, diaries, maps, photographs, and home movies, of America's war veterans and those who served in support of them." Project organizers invite middle and high school teachers and their students to participate.
   
• How about designing your own Memorial Day WebQuest? Arrange students into groups. Each group will take responsibility for part of a Memorial Day program. Separate groups could handle music, a Memorial Day speech, arranging for special guests, and a poetry reading. Individual students might take responsibility for the opening prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the playing of Taps.

Copyright © 2008, EducationWorld.com, used by permission

Teaching Theme of the Week

by Gary Hopkins, Education World®

Tired of doing the same Mother's Day projects year after year? We have six lesson ideas to help you celebrate mothers on their special day!

Since 1914 -- when Mother's Day was first celebrated as a national holiday in the United States -- the second Sunday in May has always been a special day for children and their mothers. This week, Education World provides five lessons to help you work Mother's Day into your classroom curriculum. Try some Mother's Day Math, turn an old shoe into a memorable gift, or have students consider some simple gifts of time they can give to Mom on her special day. You will find those three activities and two more immediately below. Click any of the five lesson headlines for a complete teaching resource.

Mother's Day Lessons, Activities & Projects

1. Celebrate With Silhouettes
   Students help create keepsake silhouettes, frame them, or use them to make a special Mother's Day card.
    
2. The Best Gift, for Shoe-er!
   Students turn an old shoe into a memorable planter that's a terrific gift for Mother's Day or any other occasion.
    
3. As Good as Gold
   Students create a Mother's Day Coupon Book, full of coupons that can be exchanged for special services rendered by students! A work sheet is included.
    
4. Make a "Memories of Mom" Memento
   Students create a book of collected "memories of mom" as a very special Mother's Day gift. Included: Ten writing prompts for students.
    
5. Motherhood Math: Mothers in the Workforce
   Grades 3-12 examine the increasing numbers of working mothers.
    
6. Mother's Day Magic: Today's Gift, Tomorrow's Treasure
   Ideas for unique, inexpensive, easy-to-make Mother's Day gifts.
    

Mother's Day Sites for Kids

Ideas for Mom! 
Make mom a special bookmark with Billy Bear.

Mom's Day Fun at Kaboose 
Find projects, activities, e-cards, and more.

Mom's Day Crossword Puzzles 
Puzzles at all levels of difficulty.

More Classroom Projects, Activities, Lessons

• Happy Mother's Day (Mrs. Bee's Busy Classroom)
• Mother's Day Crafts (Enchanted Learning)
• Mother's Day Projects (ChildFun)
• Mother's Day Craft Activities (Craft Library of homeschoolzone.com)
• Mother's Day Crafts (Kaboose)

Copyright © 2008, EducationWorld.com, used by permission

Teaching Theme of the Week

from Education World®

Ideas for unique, inexpensive, easy-to-make Mother's Day gifts.

Mother's Day is not a modern-day event. It dates back at least as far as 17th-century England. On the fourth Sunday in Lent, young English apprentices and servants returned home, carrying small gifts for their mothers.

Julia Ward Howe, who wrote the words to the "Battle Hymn of the Republic," introduced the Mother's Day idea in the United States. By 1911, Mother's Day was a national holiday. Although every celebration does not occur at the same time, people in Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, and the United States all celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday in May.

For more on the history of Mother's Day, see The Complete History of Mother's Day.

You can find many inexpensive, easy-to-make, unique, and exciting Mother's Day gift ideas on the Web. Before choosing a project for students to tackle, though, teachers need to remember that not all children live in traditional family units. For those kids who live in one-parent homes, who have two people they call mom, or who live with guardians other than natural parents, making gifts for a "special person" might be a good idea.

This week, Education World explores creative ways children can honor their moms. You can help your students create gifts for this Mother's Day that just might become tomorrow's treasures.

Send a Scent

Easy potpourri. Iram Khan, who teaches in Kamloops in British Columbia, Canada, tells Education World that in past years, her kindergarten and first graders made potpourri for Mother's Day. The students dried petals of fragrant flowers and herbs on large pieces of paper. Khan then ground up the mix in a blender. (If a blender isn't available or practical, kids will love to use two rocks to do the grinding!) Forming a funnel with the paper, Khan poured the dried pieces into baby food jars, one for each child, with these instructions: "Pour this into a bowl and let it sit on its own. Or have an adult help you pour some boiling water over it, and let it work its magic."

For a variant of this activity, have kids pour the dry, fragrant pieces into the middle of a small piece of fabric, gather the edges, and tie them together with ribbon. Everyone loves a sachet to freshen up a drawer or closet. "The children have fun mashing the dried flowers," says Kahn, "and the mothers love it too." For more projects, see Recipes for Homemade Gifts. She has posted many super ideas there.

Decorative soaps. Do you have a microwave available? If so, try Kathy Johnston's method of making decorative soaps, posted on the Kaboose for Kids Web site. "There is no dangerous lye to work with," says Johnston, so "kids like to do this a lot!" To make decorative soaps: Cut bars of glycerin soap into about three pieces each. (Neutrogena bars are great, adds Johnston!) Place one piece each into a microwavable cup or paper cup and heat on high for about 10 to 15 seconds. Pour the melted soap into candy molds or soap molds if available. (Click on the above link for additional details.)

Love and Kisses

Love notes. Students can create "love notes" to place around the house. A variant of this is to type or print "I remember when..." on an index card and attach it to a glass jar. On each strip of paper placed inside the jar, the student can write a different memory about mom or different things mom did that the student appreciated -- and mom can read one every day. For more ideas, check out Billy Bear's Happy Mother's Day Web page.

The ChildFun Mother's Day Projects and Gifts List has a treasure trove of easy, wonderful activities. One idea is to trace your students' hands and then cut them out. After measuring each child's arms, attach a long piece of yarn to each cutout hand. Put the two hands and yarn into an envelope with a note that says, "Mom, [or Grandma, etc.] I love you THIS much!"

Candleholders. Another idea from ChildFun is a Stained Glass Candleholder. The directions are quite simple: Have students cut different-colored tissue paper into small squares. They can use a watercolor brush to paint baby food jars with a glue-water mixture and then stick small pieces of colored tissue paper to it. Have kids glue a thin ribbon around the rim and place a small candle inside the jar. These holders can be customized to any season or event, depending on the colors of tissue paper used. Kids can also use cleaned-out salad dressing bottles to create bud vases.

Mom's Day Cards and Crafts. Make a variety of amazing and amusing Mother's Day cards -- and more crafts too -- at Danielle's Place.

Copyright © 2008, EducationWorld.com, used by permission

Teaching Theme of the Week

from Education World®

Students explore some of the words and phrases used during the Civil War and their meanings.

Subjects: Language Arts, Social Sciences, Technology

Grades: 6-8, 9-12

Objectives Students will:

• identify words and their meanings,
• compare and contrast historical contexts and changes in word meanings,
• demonstrate research skills using the Internet, and
• work together in cooperative groups.

Keywords
Civil War, slang, definition, word, phrase, vocabulary

Materials Needed

• computers with Internet access (or printouts of the material from the Web sites referenced below)
• paper
• pens or pencils

Procedure
Begin by posing the following to students: "Imagine that you are sent back in time to the Civil War. You meet a soldier after a battle and ask him about the war. Do you think you would have any trouble understanding his answer? Do you think people of that period used all the same words and phrases we do today? Let's find out."

1. Divide the class into small groups to study the following online sources. (If Internet access is not available for each group, make printouts of the lists from these sources and distribute to the groups.)
   • Soldier Talk & Civil War Slang
   • Gettysburg: The Soldiers' Battle -- Civil War Vocabulary
   • Civil War Slang
   
   
2. Assign each group a specific number of words (10 to 15) to look up.
    
3. Have students group the words according to ones that are or are not still in use today; or words that have the same or different meanings today.
    
4. Compile the lists in folders and place them in a classroom learning center or library.
    

Extension Activity: You might have students work on their own or in their groups to use some of the new vocabulary to write a brief conversation that might have taken place on or near the Civil War battlefield.

Assessment
Evaluate students on their ability to write sentences or short paragraphs using words from the Civil War slang and vocabulary lists.

Copyright © 2008, EducationWorld.com, used by permission

Teaching Theme of the Week

from Education World®

Students identify sources of home hazardous waste and create posters to educate the community about how to handle hazardous wastes.

Subjects: Visual Arts, Health, Science, Social Studies

Grades: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12

Objectives
Students will:

• create a list of sources of hazardous waste,
• identify those products in the home that might be considered hazardous,
• learn why some products are hazardous,
• learn how to dispose of a variety of hazardous wastes,
• create posters to educate community members about hazardous waste and how to dispose of it, and
• complete a quiz about hazardous waste in the home.

Keywords
waste, hazard, trash, recycle, chemicals, poster, safety

Materials Needed

• Internet access or material printed from the Hazardous Waste pages of the Garbage: How Can My Community Reduce Waste? Web site.
• art supplies for creating posters

Procedure
Explain to students that some kinds of waste are more dangerous to the environment than others. Ask them to identify the types of waste that they know to be "hazardous" waste. Make a list of students' ideas. Ask which types of hazardous waste might be found in the home. Highlight those home-based sources of hazardous waste.

If students have Internet access, let them explore the pages of the Hazardous Waste Web site to learn what makes waste hazardous. Then ask them to take the quiz to see how much they know. If students do not have access to the Web, share the material at the site, then invite students to add to the class list the sources of hazardous waste in the home that they learned about. They should end up with a lengthy list that includes paint, motor oil, bug sprays, prescription drugs, household cleaners, drain openers, lightbulbs, batteries, and air fresheners.

Have students work individually or in small groups to create a three-column chart with the following headings:

• Hazardous Waste in the Home
• Why It Is Hazardous
• How to Dispose of It

Students will use what they learned to complete the chart.

Finally, Ask students to choose one form of hazardous waste and create a poster that will inform the community about that hazard and how to dispose of it. Build community awareness about hazardous waste by arranging to have students' posters displayed in the community -- in places such as supermarkets, drug stores, restaurants, the library, and the town hall.

Assessment
Prepare a list of five sources of hazardous waste that are found in the home. Students should identify for each source (1) why that waste is considered hazardous and (2) how the waste should be properly disposed of. Students will earn one point for each "why" and "how" they correctly identify. Eight out of 10 points will constitute a passing grade.

Copyright © 2008, EducationWorld.com, used by permission

Teaching Theme of the Week

from Education World®

A camera is all you need to create this fun bulletin board for Book Week (or anytime).

Subjects: Language Arts, Educational Technology

Grade Levels: PreK-2, 3-5, 6-8

Objectives
Students will:

• think critically about a favorite book or a recent read.

Keywords
book report, reading, SSR, language arts, reading, bulletin board, Book Week

Materials Needed

• camera of any kind (digital preferred)
• construction paper
• markers

Procedure
For this lesson, students can choose a favorite book or a book they recently finished reading. Use a camera to take a close-up picture of the student holding up the book (so the title is readable in the photograph).

Using Technology. If you take pictures with a digital camera, it will be easy to enlarge the photos for printing. Students might do the enlarging and printing of their own photos.

Cut from white construction paper a large "talk bubble" like those seen in comic books and comic strips. (See talk bubble samples 1, talk bubble samples 2 for enlarging.) Have students use markers to write their thoughts about the book inside the talk bubble. Or, instead of leaving this assignment wide open, you might ask all students to respond to a specific question such as

• Why is this book one of your favorites?
• Tell about one of the best parts of the book. (Be careful not to spoil any surprises for others who might read the book.)
• What was the best part of this book?
• Who was your favorite character in the book? Why?
• Complete this sentence: I would recommend this book because...

Using Technology. Students might use a word processing program to type their talk bubble comments.

Position each student's talk bubble in position above his/her photo to create a bulletin board that's perfect for Book Week or any other time. Students will enjoy reading each other's comments, and their comments might motivate peers to so some reading!

Assessment
Assess students based on the thoughtfulness of their comments and the quality of the writing.

Copyright © 2008, EducationWorld.com, used by permission

Teaching Theme of the Week

from Education World®

Grades 3-12 use crayons or markers to learn note-taking skills.

Subjects: Language Arts (Study Skills)

Note: This activity can be used with a selection from literature or nonfiction reading materials related to science, history, and many other subjects.

Grade Levels: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12

Objectives
Students will:

• highlight in color (with crayon or highlighter) words and phrases that relate to their topic of research, and
• use their "crayon notes" to compose a paragraph to support their topic.

Keywords
note taking, notes, study skills, research, Earhart, theme

Materials Needed

• a brief biography of Amelia Earhart ( PDF, 188K) or other grade-appropriate reading selections
• crayons and/or highlighters

About the Lesson
This lesson employs a brief biography of Amelia Earhart ( PDF, 188K) as the starting point for note-taking exercises. The Earhart biography is only a suggested starting point for this lesson, however. You can substitute any piece of literature for the selection, or provide additional note-taking practice by repeating this lesson with a variety of content-rich, subject-related reading material.

Procedure
Very often, students read for a specific purpose rather than general information. For example, if students are working on reports about the causes of the Civil War, they will likely skim many Civil War resources to find the sections of those resources about the specific topic. That means students will be "eliminating" a lot of information as they skim for details about the causes of the war.

In this activity, students skim a brief biography of Amelia Earhart ( PDF, 188K) -- or another reading selection of your choice -- to locate specific information related to the focus of their search.

If you use the brief biography of Amelia Earhart ( PDF, 188K), provide each student with a copy of that bio page. Then you might

• do one or more of the topics/themes below as a class, then have students do the rest on their own or in small groups;
• provide each student with one of the topics listed below;
• arrange students into groups and give each group a theme; or
• write the numbers 1, 2, 3, or 4 (corresponding to the topics below) on slips of paper and have each student draw a slip to determine the topic of his or her research.

Topics/Themes

1. Amelia's Family Life
2. Important Airplane Flights in Amelia's Life
3. Turning Points in Amelia's Life
4. Important People in Amelia's Life

Whichever topic students tackle, they skim their copy of the biography for information related to the topic. They then use a crayon to underline -- or a highlighting marker to highlight -- information that supports the topic. The highlighted text provides a visual representation of the "notes" students might write if they were using library resources to research the topic.

When students complete their highlighting, have them use the most important highlighted information to write in their own words a concise paragraph on their assigned topic or theme.

Extension Activity
After completing this activity, you might encourage students to go beyond the one-page biography and do more in-depth research using library or Internet resources. Provide each student with a different topic to research, for example:

• key events in the childhood of [a president],
• features of [an animal's] habitat, or
• key geographic features of [a country].

Since students should not use crayons or highlighters in library books, have them skim the books to find key phrases and information related to the topic and write the information in note form. They can then use the notes to compose a paragraph or, for more in-depth topics, a brief essay or a full report sharing the result of their research -- written in their own words.

Assessment
Give students a clean copy of a brief biography of Amelia Earhart ( PDF, 188K) and have them cross out all but the most important information related to the following topic:

Reasons Many People Think Amelia Earhart Is a Hero

The following might be among the phrases in the biography article that will be highlighted in marker or underlined in crayon:

• childhood was not always easy; the family split up
• worked as a nurse in a hospital for soldiers
• worked several jobs to earn the money she needed to take flying lessons
• first woman to fly cross the Atlantic Ocean
• flew across the Atlantic on her own in record time
• first woman to fly from Hawaii to California
• participated a cross-country air race for women pilots
• founded an organization of women pilots
• set out to fly around the world

Copyright © 2008, EducationWorld.com, used by permission

Make a Difference on Earth Day!

from Education World® (updated March 2008)

Earth Day is April 22, 2008. It's a time when people around the world hold events to honor our planet -- and to remind everyone about the importance of our ecosystem. Here, we feature activities that have students cleaning up trash-filled areas in their communities, creating public-service announcements about environmental issues, and much more!

Background

Founded in 1970 by Gaylord Nelson, a former United States senator from Wisconsin, Earth Day has grown into a global event. In 1970, 20 million Americans demonstrated in streets, parks, and auditoriums for a healthier, cleaner environment. Each year, hundreds of millions of people in more than 180 countries participate in Earth Day activities around the world.

Earth Day Network Resources

• Earth Day 2008
• Earth Day 2008 Events Worldwide
• Plan an Event: Earthy Day in a Box
• Education & Outreach
• Lesson Plans

Lesson Plans

1. Clean Up Hazardous Waste
   Grades 3-12 identify sources of home hazardous waste and create posters to educate community members about how to handle that waste.
    
2. Community Clean Up
   Students identify community areas filled with trash and work together to clean those areas.
    
3. Cafeteria Compost
   Students create a compost pile in the schoolyard, using lunchroom food scraps and yard clippings.
    
4. Earth Day PSA
   Students develop a short public service announcement (PSA) video to raise awareness about an environmental issue.
    
5. Fund-Raiser for Earth Day
   Students hold a fund-raising activity to raise money to buy seeds, plants, or tree seedlings to beautify school grounds.
    
6. Improving School Recycling
   Students evaluate their school recycling programs and propose improvements.
    
7. Earth Day WebQuest
   In this special Earth Day WebQuest, student teams vie for funding from the fictional Help Our World (HOW) Foundation.
    

Other Resources

EarthLab Live Earth Calculator
Do you use energy efficient light bulbs? How much do you drive, versus taking the bus, the subway/train, or riding your bike? How much do you recycle? EarthLab's Live Earth Calculator will note your conservation habits, and let you know your Earth Conservation Plan (ECP) score. Save your score on their Web site and return to find out how much you've improved your ECP.

© Copyright EducationWorld.com 2003, used by permission

Curriculum Resources for Teachers & Students

from Education World® (updated March 2008)

April is National Poetry Month. The initiative was established by the Academy of American Poets in 1996 as a month-long, national celebration of poetry.

We have gathered a collection of resources that we hope will assist you in introducing students to the pleasure of reading poetry, helping them understand the achievements of American poets, and encouraging them to write an recite their own poetic masterpieces.

Lessons, Activities, Projects

1. Create a Poetry Calendar
   Students research, design, and create a school-year calendar based on the work of famous poets.
    
2. 'P' Is for Poetry
   Students create simple rhymes for each letter of the alphabet, gather them together, and publish them in book format.
    
3. Poetry Slam Hits Schools with Literary Force
   Learn how writer Bob Nelson enlisted educators to bring high schoolers to the poetry performance arena.
    
4. Stage a Poetry Slam!
   This classroom or school-wide activity could serve as a fundraiser or parent's night event.
    
5. Poetry Author's Visit
   Use Mary O'Neill's classic collection of 12 poems about colors (Hailstones and Halibut Bones) to introduce young students to poetry and then help them develop and write their own poems.
    
6. Design a Poet-T
   Grades 3-12 use old t-shirts to announce and illustrate their favorite poems.
    
7. Diamond Poems Across the Curriculum
   Students build vocabulary skills, teach parts of speech, and have fun with diamond poems.
    
8. A Laugh and a Half: Students Make Funny-Poem Mobiles
   Grades K-8 find their favorite funny poems -- and write their own -- to hang from a smile-mobile. (Student work sheet provided.)
    
9. Winter Expressions
   Write a winter "shape poem." Display the unique poems on a classroom bulletin board. (Grades PreK-8)
    
10. A Poem Is a Poem Is a Poem
    A collection of 20 resources found at EducationWorld.com, including lesson plans, activities, projects, best practices, and more.
     

Best Practices & Other Resources

1. Calling on the Muse
   I think that I shall never see ... well-disciplined creativity! How often has that thought crossed your mind? Don't despair! The experts -- working poets who teach their craft -- share their secrets for instructing and inspiring budding poets.
    
2. The Authors' Picks
   Are you looking for books to recommend to your elementary school students? You might want to review some of the books mentioned in this article, so you'll have plenty of recommendations for students. (Poetry for kids included!)
    
3. Visiting Authors
   Sometimes, getting a published author to appear in your classroom isn't possible. Here are some tips on how you can prepare yourself as a guest author.
    
4. How I Staged a Poetry Slam
   A veteran teachers cured the mid-winter blahs with a great activity.
    
5. Haiku, Chaiku, Bless You
   Introducing middle school students to haiku.
    
6. Writing Sonnets
   Students of this junior high teacher are among the most-often published poets in the country.
    
7. Peeing in the Ool and Other Favorite Kids' Poems
   An interview with a children's poet who often visits elementary classrooms.
    
8. Read Across America: April Reading Resources
    
9. Web Resources for National Poetry Month

Elsewhere on the Internet

BONUS LESSONS!
While surfing the Net looking for the best poetry sites for kids, we found lots of terrific lesson plans to help teachers integrate poetry across the grades.

• Fifteen Poems You Can Write Right Now (Grades 4-12)
• Fooling With Words With Bill Moyers (Grades 9-12)
• Virtual Poetry(Grades 1-5)
• Enhancing a Poetry Unit with American Memory (Grades 6-11)
• Make a Poetry Quilt (Grades K-3)
• Can You Imagine . . . Poem (Grades 3-12)
• Poetry Writing With Jack Prelutsky (Grades 2-5)
• Metaphor Unit Poems (Grades 3-12)
• Performance Poetry (Grades 6-12)
• Writing I Spy Riddle Rhymes With Jean Marzollo (Grades 1-6)
• Shape Poems (Grades PreK-5)
• Counting Strong Words in Poetry (Grades 5-12)
• Using a Poetry Slam to Teach the Mechanics of Poetry (Grades 9-12)
• Rock Lyrics As Poetry (Grades 9-12)
• Rock and Poetry: A Thematic Project (Grades 9-12)

ADDITIONAL POETRY RESOURCES

• Billy Collins' Poetry 180: A Poem a Day for American High Schools
• PoetryTeachers.com
• Giggle Poetry
• The English Room: 30 Days of Poetry
• Outta Ray's Head Poetry Lessons
• Online Rhyming Dictionary and Thesaurus
• Poetry Lessons from Scholastic
• Poetry Online: Search By Poet, Title, Timeline, Keyword
• The English Teacher's Poetry Resources (By Poet's Name)

POETRY RUBRICS

• Poetry Rubric
• Poetry Rubric -- Eighth Grade

PUBLISH YOUR STUDENTS' POEMS ONLINE

• Poet's Corner Online Poetry Project
• Surfing the Net With Kids: Publish Your Poetry Online
• Young Poets

2008 Theme: Math and Voting

(Updated March 2008)

Mathematics Awareness Month began in 1986 and is held each year in April.

The 2008 theme is Math and Voting. In a presidential election year, the term "voting" brings to mind national elections. Resources for this year's Mathematics Awareness Month are designed to help explain what makes these votes matter, as well as how the voting system used affects the outcome, regardless of the context of the voting.

Resources from Math Awareness Month 2008

• Math and Voting Theme Essays
• 2008 Downloadable Math & Voting Poster
• Video Contest

Math Lessons, Activities & Projects

1. Math Fun! -- Five 'Invisible' Math Lessons
   These lessons are "invisible" because kids have so much fun they don't realize they are actually doing math.
    
2. Music Math: Create a Clapping Symphony
   Students in all grades read simple music to create a symphony of clapping (plus fraction math for grades 5-up).
    
3. Daily Numbers: A Math Skill Reinforcement Activity
   Use this daily lesson to reinforce skills taught throughout the school year.
    
4. Popcorn Math
   Use popcorn to teach a number of K-8 math concepts.
    
5. ZIP Code Math
   Students in all grade levels add or subtract to solve ZIP Code math word problems.
    
6. Math Fun (Part One)
   Looking for ways to break up a bad case of math monotony? Three lesson, adaptable for all grade levels, get kids out of their sits, having fun, and practicing math skills.
    
7. Math Fun (Part Two)
   Math class doesn't have to be stay-in-your-seat quiet. Two lessons use bulletin boards and photographs to relate math skills to everyday life.
    
8. Phone Book Math
   Did the phone company just deliver new phone books to your door? Don't throw out the old ones -- ask students to bring them to school. Those old phone books offer opportunities for lots of valuable math practice, and extensions into other curriculum areas as well!
    
9. Spelling and Math Vocabulary
   A kinesthetic approach to teaching spelling, and a word game to reinforce math concepts.
    
10. Motherhood Math: Mothers in the Workforce
    Grades 3-12 examine the increasing numbers of working mothers.
     
11. Five Games for Teaching Math Facts
    Practice! Practice! Practice! That's how most students learn their addition facts or times tables. Rote drill is a popular and proven tool for learning math facts. But it's OK to lighten up and add some fun to math-facts learning.
     
12. Around the World
    Grades 3-8 play a game in which they practice timed math activities.
     
13. Celebrate the 100th Day of School
    Try these 100 math activities.
     
14. Works4Me Math Tips
    Find dozens of practical classroom tips — written by teachers, for teachers — aimed at helping you teach math creatively and effectively.
     

Other NEA Resources

• Sports Math Scores Points with Students and Teachers
  Grab students' interest with a site that teams math with sports -- and everyone comes out a winner.
   
• Sites to See: Math Homework Help
  Students (and parents who may wish to help them with homework!) can find expert advice in just a few clicks.
   
• Bookless Math Class Adds Up
  Computers take center stage in this successful classroom.
   
• Math Date: Celebrate Pi Day on March 14
  That is 3.14 - get it?
   
• Math Date: Explore Base 10 on "Powers of 10" Day
  K-12 math activities for October 10.
   
• Math Lesson Plans
  An annotated list of links to math lesson plans on the Web.
   
• Math Lessons in Spanish
  Web site offers interactive lessons for K-8.
   
• Math Resources
  An annotated list of links to math resources available on the Web.
   
• Mathematics & Children's Literature
  An annotated list of links featuring mathematics and literature on the Web.
   
• Mathematics & Science Programs for Girls
  An annotated list of links featuring mathematics and science programs for girls on the Web.
   

Teaching Theme of the Week

from Education World®

Students research, design, and create a school-year calendar based on the work of famous poets.

Subjects: Language Arts, Visual Arts

Grade Levels: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12

Objectives
Students will:

• research print and online resources to learn about five famous poets born in a particular month;
• read 1-2 poems by each of the five poets;
• create a school-year calendar based on the work of famous poets; and,
• work together to choose a cover design for the calendar.

Keywords
Poet, month, calendar, season

Materials Needed

• Wall calendar for display and demonstration (optional)
• Student access to computer(s) with Internet access
• Web sites for research (e.g., Birthdays of Poets)

Procedure
Begin this lesson by displaying a typical wall calendar with a picture on one page and a monthly grid on the facing page. If you don't have a calendar available, go to Calendars.com and find an appropriate calendar -- one with a Disney or animal theme, for example. (Click any calendar and then click the link for other views. Choose the Back Cover view to show students a page with both a picture and a month on it).

1. Arrange students into pairs or small groups and assign a month to each pair or group. Have each student find the names of five poets who were born in his or her group's assigned month, and record on a piece of paper, each poet's birthday and the titles of 1-2 poems by that poet. (Students should read the poems as well.) Also have students record the URL of the Web site or the reference information for the book where they found the information. (1-2 class periods)
    
2. Ask students to share with their groups the information they find, eliminating duplicate poets. The goal is to end up with 8-12 unique birthdays per group. Then invite each student to read to the group his or her favorite poem. After listening to the poems, each group should to decide which poet and what image to feature for the month. Explain that the image can be an original photo, an online photo, an original drawing, a clip-art collage, and so on, but that the goal of the design should be to represent both the month (in terms of seasons, holidays, and so on.) and the month's poets or t