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Volume 11, Issue 42
October 21, 2009

Halloween Fun
Boo! Ghosts and goblins are about. Witches walk among us. Princes, princesses, fairies, and knights fill schools and classrooms. Is there any doubt that Halloween is here? If you are not quite ready to celebrate in "spooktacular" fashion, you're sure to find a fun idea or two right here.

Historical Figure Day
Move over Halloween, it's Historical Figure Day.

Halloween Poetry
Have your students scare up some poetry in this fun epitaph-writing exercise.

The Stock Market Crash (October 29) and the Great Depression
The anniversary of Black Tuesday is the perfect opportunity to teach your students about the causes and the effects of the Great Depression. Education World offers a dozen great Internet-based activities. Included: Activities for use across the curriculum and across the grades.

Celebrate Character Counts Week
October 18-24 is Character Counts Week. Included: Lessons, articles, more.

Computer Sabotage Lesson Plan
When computer teacher Tom Guy found his students coming to him with every minor glitch that occurred in the computers in his lab, he decided to give the kids a "crash course" by sabotaging a computer each day and putting the students on the case.

Once Upon a Time...
Fables, fairy tales, folktales, legends, myths, and tall tales -- six literary genres to engage student interest.

Teaching With Current Events
Young Americans today know less about what's going on in the world than students of previous generations did. So what can be done to raise students' interest in and awareness of news headlines? These 25 activities will help teachers make use of -- and help students make sense of -- the news. Included: Ideas for connecting current events to all subjects.

More Timely Lessons

Celebrate Dictionary Day (October 16)
Spark Interest in Spelling

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.
Postmark U.S.A. - Track postmarks on a classroom map. (Grades K-8)
Into Space - Consider the top ten reasons for going into space. (6-12)
Bueno Brothers' Bean Dip - A simple, fun spelling game. (K-8)
"War of the Worlds" - Re-create the famous 1938 radio broadcast. (6-12)
Tabloid Tales - Write a story for an unbelievable headline. (3-12)
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 Capitalization Practice Read the sentences and underline the words that should be capitalized. Writing Bug Story Starter Winifred Witch was a sight to see! She... Every-Day Edits Primary Edits Animals A to Z: Gorilla. Ele-Middle Edits Eleanor Roosevelt, Tecumseh, Sputnik... Hunt the Fact Monster Primary Hunt October hunt #4 Ele-Middle Hunt Hunt #8 Build a Fab Vocab Vocab-u-lous! Activity Words that begin with I. Where in the World Is Mrs. Waffenschmidt? Mrs. W: Week 5 Which Australian landmark is she visiting? It All Adds Up Puzzle #5 Find the missing numbers so "it all adds up." Make Your Own Work Sheet Worksheets for Halloween Create an activity for any subject. 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. Work Sheet Library See our entire library of free printables.

Friday Fun
Adapt this active game for any math skill you are currently teaching.

News for Kids
Galápagos Islands Aim to Control Tourism, Mosquitoes
Tourism and mosquitoes are threatening to change the Galápagos landscape forever.

Learning Game of the Week
Quiz math facts, spelling words, more in "Heads Up, Study Up."

From Our Early Childhood Activity Bank
Special Activities for This Week
It's Pumpkin Time
Let's Go Pumpkin Hunting (Following Directions)
Make a Shape-O-Lantern
Halloween Mice and Halloween Cookies
A Great Big Boo! (Art)
Counting Pumpkins in the Patch

From the Learning Machine
Explore the coolest resources on the Web.
From the Math Machine
Cookie Dough is a fun Web site for teaching place value and the spelling of number words. (Grades K-5)
From the Science Machine
Use KODAK: Close to Perfection to explore the topics of biology, insects, nature, and photography. (Grades K-12)
From the Reading Machine
The Grammar Gorillas reinforces parts of speech. (Grades 2-8)

The Math and Science Corner

Math Mnemonics
The measure of an angle.

Vicki Cobb's Show-Biz Science
A karate chop with a dollar bill breaks a pencil.

The Science Lab
Light Bulb
Air Current
And Wind
A demonstration of how air currents and wind relate to each other.

The Writing Center

Ten Tips for Young Writers
Elise Howard, editor in chief of Avon/Tempest Books for Teen Readers, offers ten tips for teen writers who want to be published.

A+ Ideas for Creative Writing.
Susan Schweiker has a unique approach to building creative, confident writers: She promises all her students A's.

A Halloween Who, When, Where Story
Write a Halloween Story.
The Worst Invention Ever
I think the worst invention ever is the...

Writing Lessons
What a Pair
Students team up in this cross-grade writing activity.
Guide-Word Sentences
Write sentences using guide words on a dictionary page.

The Reading Room

Cathy Puett Miller:
Sustained Silent Reading
Independent silent reading has been a time-honored educational tool. Yet today, many teachers argue that there are more effective ways to spend the time. What do the experts say?

Reader's Theater
Rapunzel's Rap
Queen Beetifah, the leader of a hive near Rapunzel's tower, raps about a princess who was locked away -- and then rescued by a music-loving prince.

Reading Feature
Model Sustained Silent Reading to Devleop Independent Readers
Whether SSR is an independent activity, or a discussion or writing motivator, most experts agree that one thing is essential to its success: It's crucial that teachers participate in the process.

More Lesson Ideas

Teacher-Submitted Lesson Plans
Teacher Lesson #1
A yummy lesson: use gummy bears to teach simple subtraction.
Teacher Lesson #2
In this lesson, a sandwich serves as a metaphor for good writing.
Teacher Lesson #3
Card game reinforces positive, negative integers.

Bulletin Boards That Teach
We're Nuts About Reading -- In the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, track students' reading on this bulletin board.

5-Minute Fillers
Volume 22.

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...Election Day Best Books for Teaching About...The Human Body See more great books for students and classroom teaching themes.

Ken Shore: The ABCs of Bullying Prevention
A Bullying Prevention Program
Discover what steps educators should take to implement bullying prevention programs in their schools.

Emma McDonald: The New Teacher Advisor
Helping Students Survive Standardized Tests
You might recognize the feeling -- butterflies in the stomach, sweaty palms.... But testing is a fact of life for students. It's up to teachers to guide them through the process and help them overcome the fear.

Joe Martin: The Teacher Motivator
More Who, Less What
I'm sure you've heard the saying, "No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care." Well, I would go even a step further by saying, students also need to know WHY you care.

Eric Baylin's Songs to Brighten a Teacher's Day
Parent-Teacher Conferences
It's not that most parents aren't supportive of the work that we do. They are. But there is always that one meeting that throws you off kilter; the parents who are always right and have no intention of listening to anything you say. Perhaps a song would help?

Fred Jones's Tools for Teaching
Making "Say, See, Do Teaching" Affordable
In the Say, See, Do Teaching method, you tell students what to do, you show them what to do, and then you have them do it. The process is repeated as students learn by doing...one step at a time.

Keeping in Touch With Families
In our hectic school days, finding the time to reach out to parents can seem daunting, but it's the core of effective communication and building positive relationships.

Teacher Feature
Gaming Night and Day
Marcia Baldanza's students game their way to greater understanding.

Strategy of the Week
Parent-Teacher Conferences
When it comes to parent-teacher conferences, it's a toss up as to who least wants to be there -- the nervous parents or the teacher who must deliver news that isn't always expected or appreciated. We have resources for both.

"Extreme Read--Warrior Style" Connects Kids, Parents, Teachers Through Books
Teams of "warriors" at Adams Middle School in Tampa, Florida, read and discuss novels as part of the school's annual "Extreme Read." The experience not only supports the students' literacy skills but gives them the chance to see those around them -- peers, parents, and even the math teacher -- as fellow readers. Included: A few simple practices help make Extreme Read a resounding reading success.

School Bus Discipline
School Bus Safety Week is October 19-23, 2009. Learn about two schools' policies.

Partners for
Student Success
Camp Out Lures Dads to Get Involved
The Dad's Club Camp Out is one of the most looked-forward-to events of the school year. This is not just another event; it's involvement for the entire family -- the entire community. The most amazing part is that each year the event grows in size and scope.

Wire Side Chat
A "Nuts and Bolts" Approach to Classroom Successes
A former teacher, Dr. Jane Bluestein turned her pages of tips for teachers about classroom management and organization into a book and then a business. She works with educators seeking new ways to improve their teaching and interactions.

On the Big Screen
Joe Robinson's future scientists make it big on screen.

Students Map Neighborhoods With GIS
Geographic Information Systems (GIS), mapping and analysis software employed by the U.S. government, NASA, and other agencies, now is helping students locate and document hazards in their communities.

Larry Ferlazzo's Best...
Thirty top Web 2.0 applications for education.

Cooperative Computing
How to best implement group tech activities in your classroom.

A Techtorial
A PowerPoint countdown clock keeps students on task.

What can you do with SchoolNotes? Check out Mrs. Brown's Brainy Bunch.

From Our Classroom Tips Library
Classroom Management: Get Parents Involved
Behavior Management: Supplies, Noise, Buddy Rooms
Motivating Kids: Celebrate Success
Book Report Makeover: Prove It!
Homework Tips: Countdown to Comprehension
Best Idea: Two "Sense" Worth
Testing Tips: There's a Problem!

More from Our Professional Development Channel This ten-part series from the Department of Education explores the components of a successful strategy for educating children with ADHD. Part 4 Successful Instruction for Students With ADHD: Conducting Lessons Effective teachers periodically question children's understanding of the material, probe for correct answers before calling on other students, and identify which students need additional assistance.

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
When was the classroom in which you teach built or last renovated?

Last Week's Survey Results
What do you think of President Obama's plan to extend the length of the school year in order to make America more competitive globally?

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."

What Great Teachers Do Differently: Fourteen Things That Matter Most
Todd Whitaker is one of the prolific education writers who continually remind us that teaching is primariliy an art, though it is surrounded by a lot of science (and pseudo-science). As such, Whitaker looks at great practitioners and focuses on what they do that distinguishes them from less-than-great teachers. Among the intriguing chapter headings are: "Restoring Trust," "The Angry Parent," "Handling the High Achievers," and "Treat Everyone As If They Were Good."
Click to learn more or to purchase this book.

The Elementary Math Teacher's Book of Lists
Subtitled, "with Ready-to-Use Patterns Worksheets," this book brings list-mania to math. We often forget, in thinking about math as driven by the familiar symbols for operations, that learning math is as much about learning the meaning of a universe of concepts as it is about learning specific operational skills. This approach offers the practicality of worksheets and activities along with the more conceptual value of covering the major groups of concept words in elementary math.
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.

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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:

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For a modest $24.95 PER YEAR, upgrade to Personal Edition, "Super SchoolNotes," with thousands of resources linked to your state's standards.

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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.

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LEAVE 'EM LAUGHING
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