Education World Lesson Planning Newsletter -- Volume 10, Issue 29

Dear Education Leaders, Welcome! This free weekly Lesson Planning newsletter features summaries of lesson plans recently published on Education World®, the largest free, independent resource on the Web for educators. If you enjoy this newsletter, please feel free to forward it to others. If this newsletter has been forwarded to you, you may sign up at http://www.educationworld.com/maillist.shtml. To unsubscribe, see instructions at the bottom of this newsletter. Education World remains a free resource thanks to the support of our advertisers -- so please click on ads of interest and visit our advertisers' sites. Thank you. ============================================================================ This week's newsletter is sponsored by Online Degree Directory. What do curriculum developers, education consultants and course developers have in common? Their skills are attainable 100% online. Explore their latest theories and practices – with an M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction, Higher Education Affairs, Special Education or Leadership. Be all you can be – and help your students and faculty become all they can be. And discover more available programs with FREE Information from Online Universities - Online Degree Directory. http://www.educationworld.com/OnlineDegree2.shtml   =========================================================================== Volume 10, Issue 29 July 16, 2008 A World of Geography Lessons Geography lessons can make a "world" of difference in students' knowledge -- and in their test scores. That's because geography is multidisciplinary by nature. These lessons from our geography archive teach geography -- and math, language, and cultural literacy. Included: Dozens of ideas for teaching about the world of geography. http://www.educationworld.com/soc_sci/geography/index.shtml Volcanoes Use these lessons to teach about nature's explosive spectacle. http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson189.shtml More Write Stuff Engage students with activities that involve them in writing round-robin stories, "indescribably" excellent descriptions, persuasive alien essays, tabloid news stories, and books about younger students they interview. http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson255.shtml Web Literacy: An Important Skill Lessons and resources for teaching Internet literacy in the classroom. http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson230.shtml More Timely Lesson Themes Phone Book Math Hold a Read-In Quick-Tivities: Activities in Ten Minutes or Less Harry Potter Haiku Financial Literacy http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson270.shtml http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson057.shtml http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson220.shtml http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson180.shtml http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson232.shtml   Lesson Plan of the Day Click the link above to see dozens of recent Lesson Plans of the Day, including the lessons below that were posted last week. Just four lessons last week, due to the Independence Day (U.S.) holiday. Estimation Fun - How many listings in a phone book? (Grades 3-12) Graphing Greenery - Plot coordinates for a leaf's shape. (3-8) Up-to-Date Aesop - Rewrite fables in modern language, setting. (K-12) Weekly Math Challenge - Activities for a classroom center. (3-12) Every Day Is Presidents' Day - Role play being president. (K-3) http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/archives/dailylp.shtml   Learning Game of the Week Practice math facts with the "Math Fact War" game. http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/learninggame/learninggame005.shtml Friday Fun Use the clues to learn which "mystery state" is being described. http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/friday/friday033.shtml From the Math Machine Tangram Game is a fun Web site for teaching students to recognize and manipulate shapes and for problem solving. (Grades K-6) http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/mathmachine/mathmachine009.shtml Vicki Cobb's Show-Biz Science Gravity -- the force that's with us. http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/showbiz_science/showbiz_science019.shtml Reader's Theater Neila in the Neighborhood Neila, a visitor from another planet, stops in a small town and visits a store, library, school, restaurant, gas station, and bank. Everywhere she goes, Neila's confusion and odd behavior cause chaos. http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/reading/ReadersTheater/ReadersTheater015.shtml Go Figure How Many Squares? How many squares can students create using the dots in this puzzle? http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/math/go_figure/go_figure007.shtml Math Mnemonics The Area of a Circle http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/mnemonics/mnemonics012.shtml Box Cars and One-Eyed Jacks Math Games With Joanne and Jane This week: "Productive Products" teaches multiplying 3-digit numbers. http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/boxcars/boxcars028.shtml Tech Lesson of the Week No Place Like Home: Interpreting Photos in a Tech-Rich History Lesson Students learn to "read" digital content as they analyze photographs of high plains sod homes and read accompanying narratives. http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/techlp/techlp044.shtml Writing Bug Inquiring Minds Want to Know -- Be a tabloid news reporter! http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/writing_bug/writingbug090.shtml 5-Minute Fillers Forty volumes of activities -- for turning transition times into into meaningful moments. http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/archives/fillers.shtml Best Books for Teaching About… Each week, Education World presents our Editors' Choices for the best books for teaching about popular classroom themes. Check out our choices and add your own recommendations to the Readers' Voices section of this week's themed booklists: Best Books for Teaching About... Insects and Other Bugs Words http://www.educationworld.com/a_bestbooks/archives/students.shtml MORE LESSON PLANNING FEATURES FOR ALL YEAR LONG Teacher-Submitted Lesson Plans See hundreds of teacher lessons organized by subject. Work Sheet Library Hundreds of free printables for teaching a wide variety of skills across the grades. Holiday Archive Browse our archive of holiday teaching ideas for new lessons and resources to use in the months ahead. FROM OUR PRINTABLES LIBRARY Backpack-tivities These @ home learning activities are great family fun -- and learning. (Grades K-4) http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/archives/homework.shtml Math Cross Puzzles Just like crosswords, but with math. (Grades 4-9) http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/archives/numbercross.shtml Geography A to Z Learn about world geography one letter at a time. (Grades 4-8) http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/archives/geography_az.shtml Just for This Month! See our July Month of Fun, July Word Search, and July Coloring Calendar. PLUS: Create-your-own work sheet templates.   Professor Joe Martin: The Educator Motivator A Little Change Will Do You Good I believe we have three choices when it comes to responding to change: we either can get up (do something about it and learn from it), give up (throw in the towel), or shut up (accept it for what it is). http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/columnists/martin/martin007.shtml Emma McDonald: The New Teacher Advisor Working With Difficult People A myriad of situations that will cause you difficulty can arise within the workplace. I can't provide specific answers for each and every one, but here are a few thoughts on ways to help you get through those times with your dignity intact. http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/columnists/mcdonald/mcdonald020.shtml Doug Johnson's Tech Proof Seven Things All Adults Should Know About MySpace What's a teacher to do? Stay informed about student uses of technology. Build student trust by maintaining an open mind about new social phenomena. Teach students about potential hazards of all online environments. http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/columnists/johnson/johnson009.shtml Larry Bell's Somebody Needs You! Creating a Classroom Culture of High Expectations for All Students When I was in the classroom my goal was to make every child feel that he or she is the reason I teach. By doing that, I felt I could create a classroom culture that set high expectations for all students. To accomplish that goal, I employed a handful of tools… http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/columnists/bell/bell003.shtml Lorrie Jackson's Techtorial What Is a Podcast? A podcast is an audio -- and sometimes a video -- recording made available online. The word is a combination of the words "broadcast" and "iPod." But, don't let the word "pod" throw you; you don't need an iPod to listen to or create a podcast. http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/techtorial/techtorial091.shtml Dr. Fred Jones: Tools for Teaching Calm Is Strength; Upset Is Weakness "Meaning business" is the art of dealing efficiently with the normal misbehavior of students. Meaning business means working smart instead of working hard. Meaning business is self-preservation. http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/columnists/jones/jones009.shtml The Principal Poet Mr. Ivan, Education World's Principal Poet, presents this week's poem, "The Lunch Line Pioneer." In history class last Friday I learned of pioneers Who drove their covered wagons Way out West for years… http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/columnists/ivan/ivan027.shtml Dr. Ken Shore: The ABC's of Bullying Prevention Dealing With the Victim Just as bullies warrant your attention, so too do their victims. Your success in counseling those victims will depend largely on your ability to establish trust in the face of embarrassment and reluctance to talk about what happened. http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/shore/shore076.shtml Cathy Puett Miller: The Reading Coach Strategies for Teaching Editing What we must keep in mind at all times, as author and editor Arthur Plotnik reminds us, "We write to communicate to the hearts and minds of others what's burning inside. We edit to let the fire show through the smoke." http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/columnists/miller/miller021.shtml Cooking with Joy Enough With the Green Salad Already! Tasty, exotic alternatives to the everyday side salad are as easy to create as opening a bag of pre-washed greens and make use of seasonal produce. Joy Rotondi has recipes for sumptuous, lettuce-free salads. http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/columnists/joy/joy007.shtml Wendy Petti's "Math Cats Math Chat" Math Heroes Throughout History How much richer an appreciation our students might have for mathematics as a living science if we share with them the budding of new ideas in math heroes past and present. http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/mathchat/mathchat007.shtml Featured Article A Teacher's Back-to-School Checklist Are you ready for the first day of school? These twenty Education World resources can take you from the first day to the last. http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/profdev/profdev081.shtml Strategy of the Week Motivating Reluctant Readers The key to turning reluctant readers into enthusiastic readers is to make sure all students are active participants in their own learning. http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/strategy/strategy051.shtml Partners for Student Success Workshops Nip Behavior Problems in the Bud Sessions offer group support for parents of kids with behavioral issues. http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/partners/partners023.shtml Grant of the Week New grants added every month. http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/grants/additional_grants.shtml Newsletters 'R Us Copy and paste this free content into your teacher or school newsletters. The ABCs of Student Success Helping students achieve from A to Z. Caught on the Web Sites to share with parents. Clipart Library Free art to liven up newsletters. Fun Facts Fun and educational content. Parent Newsletter Templates A different template for each month. Math @ Home Math activities for parents and kids. "QuotED" Educational quotes to inspire. Parent Pointers Ponder these themed parenting tips. http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/archives/newsletters.shtml   ========================================================================== Sign Up for Our FREE Newsletters Did you know that Education World has ten free newsletters for educators? You're sure to find one or two just right for you! It's easy to sign up (and just as easy to unsubscribe if you don't find valuable ideas each week). Click here for a list of newsletters. http://www.educationworld.com/maillist.shtml#profdev ==========================================================================   This week, Education World reviewed three Web sites of interest to educators. U.S.South Pole Station This National Science Foundation South Pole site is c-o-o-l. http://www.educationworld.com/awards/2007/r1107-07.shtml Animal Bytes Sharp site from the great San Diego zoo. http://www.educationworld.com/awards/2007/r1107-05.shtml Adventures in Education A powerful site about preparing and paying for higher education. http://www.educationworld.com/awards/2007/r1007-26.shtml   This Week's Survey Question Do you think your students treat you with appropriate respect? http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/survey/survey145.shtml Last Week's Survey Results How satisfied are you with the level of security in your school building? http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/survey/survey136.shtml   Each week, Education World spotlights books of interest to educators. This week, read a brief summary of two more of our "top 50 books for educators." The Writing Teacher's Book of Lists Subtitled, "with Ready-to-Use Activities and Worksheets," this book adds an extra level of practicality to the idea of a book of lists. Interestingly, the activities and worksheets in each section come before the lists of words themselves, which demonstrates the emphasis the book places on its practical features. The lists represent great variety, with some based on traditional groupings, like synonyms, etc., and others based on such groupings as "Advertising Words," "Words of Folklore," or special lists for student writers such as "Traits of Good Writers" and "Books for Students about Writing and Writers." Click to learn more or to purchase this book. Teacher Under Construction: Things I Wish I'd Known!: A Survival Handbook for New Middle School Teachers One of the books from the revived Weekly Reader presses, this handbook (it's only 110 pages) is a good, brief, practical guide for the middle school educator. Features such as a parent conference checklist, a "5-10-15-20" rule of time management, and other common-sense tips are indeed the kinds of things experienced teachers can usefully offer newcomers. A great balance between the nuts and bolts practicalities and the human aspects of the job, and a book concise enough to fit into your bag! Click to learn more or to purchase this book. Click the icon to the right to see more books and many other products that are available in the Education World MarketPlace. ========================================================================== The Best of LEARNING GAMES If you enjoy Education World's weekly LEARNING GAMES feature, you'll love this book! Education World and the National Education Association (NEA) have joined forces to create a handy, pocket-size booklet of more than 30 of our most popular learning games. PLUS an extra bonus -- ten more games for classroom fun! These classroom games span the grades and the major subject areas -- and inject a healthy dose of fun into the serious business of teaching and learning. Looking to fill the end of a hectic day with something fun and educational? Looking for a great reward for students that will make valuable use of free time? Looking to reinforce basic skills with a fun activity? These games will fill the bill! Included in this 80-page booklet you'll find these games and more: Math Facts Race (Math, grades K-8) You Can Count on Spelling (Math and Language Arts, grades K-12) Find It... Fast! (All Subjects, grades K-12) Concentration Review Game (All Subjects, grades K-12) The Dictionary Game (Language Arts, grades 3-8) Play Ball: A Major League Review Game (All Subjects, grades K-12) Friendly Feud (All Subjects, grades K-12) Plus 35 more games! The Best of LEARNING GAMES is part of the Teacher Treasure Series, an NEA Professional Library Publication. http://store.nea.org/NEABookstore/control/productdetails?item_id=0696800 ========================================================================== Education World now incorporates www.SchoolNotes.com ~ "everybody on the same page!" The leading school-to-home communications platform, with FREE pages for teachers and automatic notification of parents and students when new homework is posted! For a modest $24.95 PER YEAR, upgrade to Personal Edition, "Super SchoolNotes," with thousands of resources linked to your state's standards. Click here for more information. ========================================================================== MORE FEATURES OF INTEREST! Reader's Theater More than two dozen scripts, perfect for the classroom. Best Books for Teaching About… Booklists for 30 popular teaching themes. Sign Up for Our Newsletters Ten free newsletters full of practical ideas. Special Education Center Tools for the special education community. TGIF Kick back and start your weekend off on a light note. Education World Techtorials Our tutorials take the terror out of technology. The Template Library A wide variety of templates to meet educators' needs. Wire Side Chats Each week, Education World chats with an expert in the field. Printables Library You're sure to find great resources here. Hundreds of printables! Meet Our Columnists Meet our team of columnists from many corners of the "education world." Teaching Themes for Early Childhood Sue LaBella offers teaching ideas for popular EC themes. Stress Relief Kit Take a deep breath. Then take a look here for great reading. Classroom Management 101 Real teachers share what they are doing to manage real classrooms. News for Kids News of our world written with kids in mind. Teacher's Guide included. ========================================================================== SIGN UP FOR OUR OTHER NEWSLETTERS We hope you enjoy receiving this Education World e-newsletter. Did you know that Education World offers eight other FREE weekly newsletters? Have you signed up to receive the... Education World LESSON PLANNING NEWSLETTER? The weekly Lesson Planning Newsletter offers links to all new lesson plan content posted to the Education World Web site in the previous week. You will find all our regular features there, as well as links to new tutorials, timely holiday lesson planning ideas, and great lesson plans from our archives. Would you like to see a sample of the Lesson Planning Newsletter? 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