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April 1, 2008
Timely reminders, fabulous freebies, best sites & more "worth the surf"
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In Partnership With:
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Do
Something Plum Youth Grants are available to young people who
submit creative proposals to further the growth and success of their
existing community action projects. To be eligible for the $500
award, applicants must be 25 years or younger at the time of
application.
Deadline: Weekly
Click Here for More Information
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Encouraging
21st century educators to LIVE GREEN, Discovery Education
and General Motors will award 40 educators in public middle
and junior high schools across America $1,000 each to implement
inventive classroom lessons on the environment or renewable energy
initiatives. In addition, the winning educators will be invited to
participate in a virtual online professional development program
promoting school-specific “green” initiatives. As part of the
Webinar series, each grant recipient will receive a free
digital camera to use in documenting his or her experience teaching
environmental or renewable energy lessons.
Deadline: May 15, 2008
Click Here for More Information
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The
Troxell Communications Education Scholarship/Grant Rebate Program
makes funding available to any qualifying educational institution
that purchases products made eligible for rebate by participating
vendor partners. An administrator, assigned by the school or
district, must register on the Troxell Communications Web site prior
to the purchase of products. Troxell administers the program by
displaying an accounting of earned funds, in real time, on each
participating customer’s password-protected Web page. There is no
limit on the number of rebates an institution can receive. Find more
details, FAQs and enrollment information on the company’s Web site.
Deadline: Ongoing
Click Here for More Information
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EBOOK DESTINATION
NEW
Look! MORE Savings!
Join
the growing list of teachers enjoying the eBookDestination Rewards
Program. On the first day of each month, a digital coupon
(representing 5 percent of your total purchases in the previous
month) will be added to your shopping cart. You’ll then be notified
via email of the presence (and amount) of this coupon.
There’s
no application to complete, no points to collect, no cards to carry,
no codes to enter and (most important) no fees to pay. Quite simply,
you are repaid for your loyalty with a 5 percent credit toward future
purchases. It’s as easy as that!
Browse
the eBookstore now! You’ll receive an automatic discount
on thousands of ebook titles, many of which are bundled
with downloadable audio MP3 files, from major educational
publishers. Plus, there’s always a selection of the most popular
titles on sale!
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Sign
up at The Big Deal Book Web site for hELLo!,
a free monthly ELL e-newsletter that
includes information about new grants, upcoming contests, the latest
educational research and a wealth of information on interactive print
and online resources for students, teachers, librarians, principals
and others involved in the education of English language learners.
Click Here to Sign Up for Free Newsletter
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The
Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science
Teaching recognize highly qualified teachers of math and science
for their contributions in the classroom and to their profession.
Awards alternate annually between elementary (kindergarten–grade 6)
and secondary (grades 7–12).
Deadline: May 1, 2008 for K–6 nominations; May 1, 2009 for 7–12 nominations
Click Here for More Information
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Discovery
Education and 3M have joined forces to present the 2008
Discovery/3M Young Scientist Challenge (YSC). To be eligible for
the competition, students must be in grades 5–8 and reside in the
United States. To participate in the competition, students must
create a one- or two-minute video about a specific scientific
concept, which they will select from a list of concepts that relate
to the 2008 theme “The Science of Space.” Entries must
demonstrate students’ understanding of the concept and their
comfort level discussing science in general. During the summer, YSC
judges will review the video submissions and choose 51 semifinalists
(one from each state and the District of Columbia). Entries will be
evaluated based on creativity, persuasiveness, classroom suitability
and content standards.
Deadline: June 15, 2008
Click Here for More Information
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Plus:
A new component of the Young Scientist Challenge is the Teacher
Competition. Open to members of the Discovery Education Network
(DEN), the Teacher Competition invites DEN members to create a video
that communicates one of five scientific concepts provided by YSC
judges.
Discovery will
select five teacher finalists and award them with a trip to
Washington, D.C. to compete for the title of DEN’s Science
Teacher of the Year and other prizes.
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Academic
Competitions for Gifted Students: A Resource Book for Teachers and
Parents is a handy reference, published by Corwin Press,
which serves as a guide for using academic competitions as part of
K–12 students’ total educational experience. Covering 170
competitions in several content areas, this handbook offers a brief
description of each event along with contact and participation
information. The authors list criteria for selecting events that
match students’ strengths and weaknesses. The authors also discuss
the impact of competitions on students’ lives, ways to anticipate
and avoid potential problems and strategies for maximizing the
benefits of competitions.
Click Here for More Information
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Each
year during the third week in April, the National Association of
Student Councils (NASC) invites schools to recognize and
celebrate their student leaders during National Student
Leadership Week. This year’s theme, “Step Up!,”
provides an opportunity to recognize student leaders for their
outstanding efforts and achievements in representing their peers and
giving voice to student concerns. Check out the helpful resources on
this site to help plan your activities for April 13–19, 2008.
Click Here to Visit Web Site
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Celebrate
El día de los niños/El día de los
libros (Children's Day/Book Day), also known as
Día, in your classrooms and communities on April 30, 2008
with brochures, posters and bookmarks featuring
Dora the ExplorerTM. Día, which emphasizes the importance of
literacy for children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds, is
sponsored by the Association for Library Service to Children
(ALSC) and the National Association to Promote Library and
Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking
(REFORMA).
Click Here to Visit Web Site
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Atomic
Learning recently announced a free tutorial series
on Google Docs, the free Web-based word-processing
program that allows users to keep documents up to date and allows
selected individuals to update files from their personal computers.
The Atomic Learning series, titled “Google Docs—A Focus on
Docs,” includes more that 60 short, show-and-tell movies
that guide users through the creation, implementation and use of
Google Docs. Topics include working with documents, organizing files,
document options, sharing and publishing, working with collaboration,
and utilizing the edit, insert and revision tab options. The series
is being offered, free of charge, through May 1, 2008.
Click Here to Access Free Tutorial Series
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The
Materials Research Science and Engineering Center at the
University of Massachusetts Amherst is soliciting
applications from middle school and high school teachers for this
summer’s Research Experiences for Teachers program. Ten
teachers will be selected to participate in team research at the
Silvio O. Conte National Center for Polymer Research. Participants
will develop teaching modules based on their research to transfer
their experiences to their classroom curricula. Since research on
polymers includes chemistry, physics, engineering and mathematics,
the modules can readily fit into state-mandated frameworks. The
program begins at the end of June and has a flexible duration.
Teachers can choose to participate for six, seven or eight weeks.
Benefits include a stipend of $1,000 per week, six graduate credits
and 135 professional development points. For those relocating to
Amherst, an additional $1,000 housing allotment is also provided. No
previous research experience is required.
Deadline: April 7, 2008 for applications
Click Here for More Information
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Do
you have questions about research and plagiarism? Laura Hennessey
DeSena, author of Preventing Plagiarism: Tips and Techniques,
focuses on strategies that encourage students to discover self while
still cultivating authority of point of view in the research
process. Learn more about DeSena’s techniques by signing up
for the free Web seminar “Engaging the Subjective
Eye/I in the Authentic Research Experience” on Wednesday, April
9, 4:00–5:00 p.m. EDT. The online session, sponsored by the
National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), will
consider strategies that encourage original expression in the
generation of an original thesis idea and suggest ways that teachers
can help prevent plagiarism in student writing.
Click Here to Sign Up for Free Online Seminar
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The BIG DEAL BOOK TECH CENTER
Interactive Experiences for the 21st Century Classroom
Check out the new look of The Big Deal Book Web site. And be sure to explore the Tech Center, which offers resources and activities for integrating technology into your classroom. In the Tech Center is a feature that changes mid-week, every week, appropriately called Web Wednesday! Here you’ll find new interactive experiences and resources that incorporate 21st century themes and skills into the study of core subjects.
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Adaptive
Curriculum is an online system designed to enhance teaching and
learning of mathematics and science in the middle grades. The system
provides a rich library of Activity Objects, simple and
intuitive learning tools that support the learning and teaching
experience. Aligned to national and state standards, Activity Objects
allow students to participate in virtual experiments,
scientific inquiry exercises and problem-based learning
that help them gain the knowledge and skills necessary to excel in
math and science. For example, students may explore conditions for
hurricane formation; use information from a table, graph or equation
to answer questions about a problem situation; or design a car that
runs on solar power and observe how weather conditions affect its
performance. Browse the Activity Objects Library free of charge
and take advantage of the 30-day trial for free access to some
Activity Objects from Adaptive Curriculum’s Repository.
Click Here for More Information and Free Trial
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The
National Endowment for the Humanities’ (NEH) Picturing
America initiative offers an innovative way for citizens
of all ages to explore the history and character of America through
some of the nation’s greatest works of art. Picturing America is a
free resource that can be readily used in every classroom and
public library in the country. The resource includes 40
high-quality, laminated reproductions and an illustrated
Teachers Resource Book, with activities organized by
elementary, middle and high school levels. The resource book will
help K–12 teachers use the images to teach core curriculum
subjects: American history, social studies, civics, language arts,
literature, science, math, geography and music. In addition,
participation in the initiative provides access to the Picturing
America Web site, which contains additional information and
resources, including innovative lesson plans. Apply online to
participate in the initiative by April 15, 2008.
Click Here for More Information
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Google
recently unveiled Gadgets for Spreadsheets in Google Docs,
allowing you to create graphical representations of data in
spreadsheets and publish them on Web sites. Google Docs lets you turn
your data into a Motion Chart in a spreadsheet via a Google Gadget.
Google has put up a gallery
of specialty gadgets
to choose from. They include gadgets to display data on a pie chart,
map, time chart, funnel chart, Gantt chart, pivot table and on a heat
map if it’s geographical data. You can even create interactive
charts like those used by Google
Finance
and for Motion Charts. Gadgets will soon be coming to other apps in
Google Docs to help you find relevant content and links.
Click Here for More Information
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Rand
McNally Classroom contains more than 1,800 reference, special
topic and history maps that can be printed, viewed and saved. The
site’s new interactive history maps and its numerous
interactive games and activities will engage your
students, while the lesson plans and assessments will
help you implement all the site has to offer. A correlation search
tool shows you how the site’s content aligns with your state
standards and how to integrate the site’s features across the
curriculum in reading, math, science and social studies. Special
features include weekly current events articles and discussion
questions, as well as daily “Where in the World?” photo
features. In addition, “Traveling Teddies” photos
and postcards describe places in the world where a
traveling bear has visited, and “Ask the Geography Sleuths”
gives students the opportunity to submit their geography questions to
Rand McNally’s resident experts.
Click Here for More Information and Free Trial
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Elementary
and middle schools must do more to lay the groundwork for students’
understanding of algebra and more advanced math classes by
reinforcing the basics, including fractions, with which many learners
struggle, according to the National Mathematics Advisory Panel’s
final Foundations for Success report presented on March
13, 2008 to the President of the United States and the Secretary of
Education.
Click Here to Access Free Report
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Kinetic
City is a collection of science experiments, games and projects
for students in grades 3–5 to enjoy both online and away from the
computer. The Kinetic City Super Crew needs your students’ help to
save their virtual world of Vearth from the science-distorting
computer virus Deep Delete. The more your students play, the more
standards-based science content they will learn! Kinetic City is a
production of the American Association for the Advancement of
Science (AAAS). Sign up online to start a Kinetic City Club;
it’s easy and it’s free.
Click Here to Visit Web Site
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MetaCarta
is a free Web site that maps news articles to their location
on a map. The site indexes more than 1,400 sources, including stories
from the Associated Press, Reuters, and other news sites and blogs.
Search for a place name or zoom into the map to a specific location,
and articles related to that spot will be displayed. Repositioning
the map refines the search. Browse by category, such as health,
politics, sports and world news.
Click Here to Visit Web Site
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Abraham
Lincoln practiced arithmetic problems in a sum book made of
folded paper and stitched in the middle. Historians believe that
Lincoln practiced the problems shown on this Web page in 1824, when
he was 15 years old. Note the verse in the lower left corner
of Illustration 1: Abraham Lincoln / his hand and pen / he
will be good but / God knows when. In Illustration 2, Lincoln
assigned himself the problem of multiplying 342,435 by 342. Attempt
to solve this problem. Once you have your answer, try to check it the
same way Lincoln checked his answer.
Click Here to Visit Web Site
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Using
the MLA Citation Generator, students choose the type of MLA
source they have from the drop-down box. Then they select their
citation type: Book, Multi-Author Book, Reference Book, Multivolume
Set, Magazine Article, Web Page or Song. A form will create an
MLA-style citation for the information the student provides.
Click Here to Generate Citations
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A
new Web-based entertainment program for budding poets offers writing
advice and recitations from well-known poets. Viewers of Borders’
Open Door Poetry also may submit their own work for judging.
Click Here to Visit Web Site
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