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 Argosy University.

Continue to enrich your students' lives while you study to enhance your career in Education at Argosy University. Semester credit hours vary by degree program; many degrees can be earned in 30 months or fewer. Find an Argosy University degree program that could be right for you - Master's, Specialist and Doctorate programs are available. Learn more about advanced degrees for today's education professionals at www.argosy.edu.

==============================================================================

This week's newsletter is sponsored by
American Public University.

American Public University, regionally accredited as a member institution of APUS, offers a variety of M.Ed. and other programs suitable for educators at the Certificate, Associate, Bachelor's, and Master's levels. All courses are online, affordable, and conveniently schedule for the working professional.
Empower yourself through APU.

========================================================================

Volume 11, Issue 40
October 7, 2009

Celebrate Dictionary Day
Build skills every day -- and on Dictionary Day. Dictionary Day commemorates the birth of Noah Webster (October 16, 1758), who was the "father of the American dictionary." Celebrate the day by planning a dictionary scavenger hunt, playing Scrabble, creating a classroom dictionary, or any of the dozens of other ideas presented on this special Education World Lesson Planning page.

Fire Prevention Week
"Stay Fire Smart: Don't Get Burned" -- that's the message of Fire Prevention Week 2009 (October 4-10).

Once Upon a Time...
Fables, fairy tales, folktales, legends, myths, and tall tales -- six literary genres that are sure to engage student interest -- can be used in the classroom to inspire creative thinking and writing. This week, Education World presents lesson plans that introduce students to those genres -- and to their own imaginations. Included: Graphic organizers, student work sheets, more.

Fall Lessons
Looking for fall lessons? We've g'autumn!

Celebrate Character Counts Week
October 18-24 is Character Counts Week. Click the link above for character education lessons and articles from Education World. Click here to learn more about CC Week.

Hispanic Heritage Month
Ideas and, resources for teaching about Hispanic culture.

Explorers
Land ho! From Columbus to Cousteau... Education World has "discovered" great sites, lesson plans, and new ways to help you and your students as you explore the world of the explorers. From the New World to new worlds in space, travel with us as we share a boatload of teaching ideas. Included: Dissecting Columbus, celebrating Lewis and Clark, exploring America's westward expansion, much more.

More Timely Lessons
Bullying Prevention Week (October 4-10) Lessons
Spark Interest in Spelling
Hispanic Heritage Month
Teaching With Popcorn

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.
Go West With Columbus - Game teaches map skills. (Grades K-5)
'Character Counts' Week - Ten ideas for October 19-25. (PreK-12)
Halloween Party Alternatives - Ideas from UNICEF. (PreK-12)
Where Did Foods Originate? - Explore Old World/New World foods. (K-12)
Space Tourism Brochure - Sell tourists on space travel. (6-12)
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/archives/dailylp.shtml

Education World's Work Sheet Library includes hundreds of free printables for use across the grades and across the curriculum. You will find a sampling of our printables below. Visit our Work Sheet Library for a complete selection. Math Fact Practice Math Fact Practice Work Sheets Use these printables for addition, subtraction, and multiplication math fact practice. Coming soon: division. Free Work Sheets From TLS Books The School of Fine Arts Use information in a table to answer the questions. Every-Day Edits Primary Edits Animals A to Z: Flamingo. Ele-Middle Edits Gandhi, 1929 Stock Market crash... Writing Bug Story Starter I ran down the street, my Halloween candy flying in every direction. You will never believe what had just happened to me... Hunt the Fact Monster Primary Hunt October hunt #2 Ele-Middle Hunt Hunt #6 Build a Fab Vocab Vocab-u-lous! Activity Words that begin with H. Where in the World Is Mrs. Waffenschmidt? Mrs. W: Week 4 Which South American landmark is she visiting? It All Adds Up Puzzle #4 Find the missing numbers so "it all adds up." Word Search of the Month October Word Search How many words can you find? More Printables Work Sheets from Teacher Created Materials 100+ printables for all subjects, grades. Phonics Word Search Puzzles A puzzle a week all school year long. Sudoku Puzzles Challenge students with number fun.

Learning Game of the Week
A life-size tic-tac-toe review game.

News for Kids
Mini T. rex Fossil Surprises Scientists
A new dinosaur find looks a lot like a T. rex, but it is different in some important ways.

Friday Fun
This art activity offers monstrous Halloween fun.

From Our
Early Childhood
Activity Bank

Special Activities for This Week
Pumpkin Search
Pumpkin Sauce
Boo! to You: A Word Game
Make a Pumpkin Word Wheel
Magic Pumpkin Seeds
Pumpkin Poem
Create a Halloween Ghostie (Art)

The Math and Science Corner

Vicki Cobb's Show-Biz Science
Discover how 3-dimensional shape strengthens paper, aluminum.

The Science Lab
My Soil
Has Layers!
A demonstration of the properties of soil in relation to density and sedimentation.

The Writing Center

Letters to Home
Alicia Harman's letter-writing lesson opens lines of communication between school and home.

Be a Sport
What is your favorite sport to watch?
Acting Like a Little Kid
Tell about the last time you acted like a little kid.

Writing Lessons
Ten Prompts for Student Writing
Ten prompts for engaging writing assignments.(Grades 3-8)
Headline News
Create simple stories using words cut from newspaper headlines. (Grades 3-12)

The Reading Room

Reader's Theater
Lace Up against Bullying
When they learn that a new classmate was bullied for wearing shoelaces with unusual colors, two students create a unique plan that rallies everyone in their school to take a stand against bullying.

Reading Feature
Reading Aloud: Are Students Ever Too Old?
Do you read aloud to your students? Is there ever a time when students are too old to be read to? Many teachers are firm believers in reading aloud -- even at the high school and college levels.

More Lesson Ideas

Teacher-Submitted Lesson Plans
Teacher Lesson #1
Learn foreign language vocabulary with this "In the Pumpkin" lesson idea.
Teacher Lesson #2
A fast-paced BINGO-like game for reviewing spelling words.
Teacher Lesson #3
Compare Cinderella to the native tale The Rough-Face Girl.

Bulletin Boards That Teach
FALL-ing for Riddles -- This fun October-themed bulletin board can help develop students' thinking skills.

5-Minute Fillers
Volume 20.

Just for This Month!
See our October Month of Fun, October Word Search, and October Coloring Calendar. PLUS! Create your own work sheets for this month's holidays and special days.

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...The Life Cycle Best Books for Teaching About...Math Concepts See more great books for students and classroom teaching themes.

Ken Shore: The ABCs of Bullying Prevention
Understanding School Bullying
Bullying takes place when a stronger or more powerful child intentionally and repeatedly hurts, threatens, or torments a more vulnerable child.

Ruth Sidney Charney: The Responsive Classroom
The Importance of Modeling
Modeling classroom rules involves teachers demonstrating the specific behaviors and language patterns of an expectation.

Emma McDonald: The New Teacher Advisor
Sparking the Hearts and Minds of Students
Being passionate about your subject area communicates fascination and energy to your students. They soak up that energy and return it back to you double-fold.

Joe Martin: The Teacher Motivator
Raise Your Standards
We teachers face enough negativity from the public. This month, therefore, I'm asking you to raise your standards for your colleagues.

Fred Jones's Tools for Teaching
Exploiting Structured Practice
A key part of teachers' jobs is to create perfect practice. Creating bad habits is the alternative. Teaching it right the first time is easier than breaking bad habits.

Eric Baylin's Songs to Brighten a Teacher's Day
Chewing Gum in School
It's a sticky issue any way you look at it. What to do? Exact penalties and punishments or let them chew? (Try explaining that to the cleaning staff!) What to do? Let's sing!

Mr. Ivan:
The Principal Poet
Education World's resident poet, Mr. Ivan, presents a poem that is sure to bring grins to school leaders everywhere. This week's poem is...
"Front of the Line"
Education World's resident poet, Mr. Ivan, presents a poem that is sure to bring grins to school leaders everywhere. This week's poem is "Front of the Line."
I like a lot of things at school.
Some things I like a bunch.
But the thing I like most of all
Is...
Read more...

School Adopts Yoga for Wellness, Behavior Management
Yoga, once linked primarily with Eastern religions, has found its way into the mainstream of life and U.S. classrooms. One Illinois school reported better test scores and fewer discipline problems after adopting a school-wide yoga program. Included: Benefits of a school yoga program.

Wire Side Chat
Different Strokes for Little Folks: Carol Ann Tomlinson on "Differentiated Instruction"
Professor Carol Ann Tomlinson understands the challenge of providing appropriate learning experiences for all students. Once a classroom teacher who had to simultaneously meet the needs of kids struggling to read at grade level and those who were ready for Harvard, she turned to differentiated instruction.

Strategy of the Week
Journal Writing
Journal writing in the classroom can take many forms and serve many purposes. Whatever the intent or structure, however, for many teachers journal writing is an integral part of the curriculum.

Partners for Student Success
Brushing Up on Parenting Skills
Planning workshops for parents was a new concept at one Wisconsin elementary school. However, with several workshops under her belt, the program coordinator reports that "workshops are a wonderful way to help bring the school community closer together."

Classroom Management Article of the Week
The Power of Written Praise
Being roused from a sound sleep by a parent can be a rude awakening. But in one case it got educator Max Fischer reflecting about the power of written praise to raise student achievement.

Template of the Week
October Bookmark and Bookplate
Encourage a love of books with these October templates.

This Week's Techtorial
A Techtorial
Learn the steps for creating a podcast for your K-12 classroom.

Podcasting Sites to See
A baker's dozen resources to help you understand podcasting -- and introduce it to your students.

Tech Lesson of the Week

Upping the Odds on Standardized Tests
Students research test-taking tips and then present the information -- in a variety of fun projects -- to other classes. (Grades 6-12)

Technology Integration Ideas That Work
The Education World Tech Team offers lessons and activities to help educators make better use of technology tools for instruction, and to help students improve their technology skills within the regular curriculum.

What You Should Know About H1N1
A short video of important information for teachers about the H1N1 virus.

Newsletters 'R Us
Copy and paste this free content into your teacher or school newsletters.
The ABCs of Student Success H is for Homework
Caught on the Web Fall Fever (All grades)
Newsletter Clipart Library Columbus Day, Halloween...
Fun Facts Volume #6
Parent Newsletter Template Halloween
Math @ Home The Game of Pig

Education World Introduces RSS! Want to be alerted whenever Education World updates one of your favorite Channels or adds content related to a subject of interest? Subscribe today to our RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds to get new content delivered directly to your desktop! Learn about the latest new content posted to our Lesson Planning, Professional Development, Administrator's Desk, or Technology Integration Channels. Be notified when we add new content related to the teaching of Reading, Math, Writing, or Science. Be the first to see new Classroom Management resources. Sign up for a special RSS feed especially created for New Teachers. See new content related to Parent Involvement. Let us inform you when we add new resources to our Tools & Templates area. Sign up today for one or more of Education World's RSS alerts Learn more about RSS

Each week, we ask readers to cast their votes in The Weekly Survey. Cast your vote in this week's question of interest to all educators.

This Week’s Survey Question
Has the flu hit your school this year?

Last Week’s Survey Results
How many years have you been teaching?

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."

Strategies That Work: Teaching Comprehension for Understanding and Engagement
This useful book by Stephanie Harvey and Anne Goudvis takes as its first chapter title and as its philosophy, "reading is thinking," and builds upon that fundamental realization beautifully. The book, however, is not a simple collection of tips for teaching reading, but really a marriage of practical suggestions and an underlying model for how students learn to read better and, importantly, how to think more effectively.
Click to learn more or to purchase this book.

The Psychology of the Child
An essential book in the history of educational theory, this is a great introduction to the work of Jean Piaget. First published in French in 1966, this book lays out Piaget's six stages of sensory-motor intelligence and goes on to build upon that foundation a schema that tries to encompass the development of cognitive abilities right up to adulthood. Surprisingly brief and readable, this is one of those books every education library should contain.
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 the WRITING BUG

If you enjoy Education World's weekly WRITING BUG feature, you'll love this book! Education World and the National Education Association (NEA) have joined forces to create a handy, pocket-size booklet with 44 of the most popular Writing Bug story starters. Use these Writing Bug activities to engage your students in effective writing. Each writing prompt will spark students' imaginations, tickle their funny bones, and motivate their pencils.

Included: In this booklet you'll find these Writing Bug titles and many more:

==========================================================================

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.
Techtorials Tutorials take the terror out of tech.

==========================================================================
LEAVE 'EM LAUGHING
==========================================================================

A Ride to School

The new family in the neighborhood overslept, and their six-year-old daughter missed her school bus. The father, though late for work, said he would drive her to school if she'd direct him there. They rode several blocks before she told him to turn the first time, several more before she indicated another turn... This went on for 20 minutes -- but when they finally reached the school, it proved to be only a short distance from their home. The father, much annoyed, asked his daughter why she'd led him around in such a circle. The child explained, "That's the way the school bus goes, Daddy. It's the only way I know."

Playground Treat

Student: What kind of candy do kids eat on the school playground?
Teacher: I don't know.
Student: Recess pieces.

Science Matters

On a recent science quiz, a teacher in northern Florida asked her fourth graders to identify the three states of matter. In response to the question, one student wrote: Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi.

Little Johnny Strikes Again

Teacher: What is the chemical formula for water?
Little Johnny: HIJKLMNO.
Teacher: What are you talking about?
Little Johnny: Yesterday you said it's H to O!

==========================================================================

If you enjoy this Lesson Planning Newsletter, please feel free to forward it to other teachers! If this newsletter has been forwarded to you, you may sign up for it -- and any of the other Education World newsletters -- at http://www.educationworld.com/maillist.shtml.

SIGN UP FOR OUR OTHER NEWSLETTERS

Have you signed up to receive the...
Education World SITE REVIEWS NEWSLETTER?

Each week, Education World's Site Reviews Newsletter reviews three new Web sites of interest to PreK-12 educators. The weekly reviews spotlight some of the best resources on the Web for teachers and students. At least a couple times a month, we also shine the spotlight on a topic of wide interest to teachers; we present five or more great resources for teaching about that topic.

Would you like to see a sample of the Education World Site Reviews Newsletter? If so, simply click the link below:
http://www.educationworld.com/newsletters_images/sr_sample.shtml

If you would like to subscribe to the Education World Site Reviews Newsletter, simply click the following link:
http://www.educationworld.com/maillist.shtml#reviews

If the Site Reviews Newsletter is not of interest to you, do you know somebody else who might benefit from it? Perhaps you could pass this information along to that person.

==========================================================================

Education WorldŽ
http://www.educationworld.com/
newsletter-lessons@educationworld.com

Education World
1062 Barnes Road Suite 205
Wallingford, CT 06492

==========================================================================