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This week's newsletter is sponsored by Marygrove College.

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Volume 2, Issue 24
December 1, 2008

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Leah Davies: The Teacher Counselor
Effective Praise
When educators give genuine praise that is specific, spontaneous, and well-deserved, it encourages continuous learning.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/columnists/davies/davies002.shtml

Ask Dr. Shore About...
A Child With Asthma
I teach sixth grade and have in my class a student who has a severe case of asthma. What are the key things I need to know??
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/shore/shore106.shtml

Dr. Fred Jones: Tools for Teaching
Omission Training for Behavior Problems
Omission Training in conjunction with Responsibility Training has the power to all but eliminate reliance on such sanctions as office referrals and parent conferences.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/columnists/jones/jones018.shtml

Eric Baylin's Songs to Brighten a Teacher's Day
Losing It
Teachers are human and we lose our cool sometimes. Occasionally "losing it" is an understandable response to the incessant demands of the classroom. Perhaps, though, we can lose ourselves in song instead.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/columnists/baylin/baylin030.shtml

Ruth Sidney Charney: The Responsive Classroom
Using Language to Encourage and Empower Children
Three simple structures support encouraging and empowering language. We call those structures "The Three R's": to reinforce, to remind, to redirect. First of a four-part series.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/columnists/charney/charney004.shtml

Emma McDonald: The New Teacher Advisor
Being a Team Player: Collaboration with Colleagues
The days of creating a self-contained classroom world are over. Today’s students need more than just one person to guide their education -- they need a team.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/columnists/mcdonald/mcdonald014.shtml

Surviving Staff Development
Educators often find themselves obligated to attend staff development sessions that fail to meet their specific professional needs. Learn how to get the most out of any staff development workshop.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/columnists/mcdonald/mcdonald016.shtml

Cathy Puett Miller: The Reading Coach
Sustained Silent Reading
Independent silent reading has been viewed as a time-honored educational tool. Yet today, many teachers sacrifice it for direct instruction, arguing that there are more effective ways to spend the time. What do the experts say?
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/reading/ReadingCoach/ReadingCoach005.shtml

The Face of Effective Vocabulary Instruction
Did you know that student vocabulary should increase by 2,000-3,000 words a year -- and about 400 of those words should be taught directly? But how do you do it?
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/reading/ReadingCoach/ReadingCoach006.shtml

Angela Powell: Getting It Together
Storing Big Books
Storing big-Book and books-on-tape can be awkward, but here’s a fabulous idea for keeping them organized.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/organization/organization016.shtml

Paper Organizers
Paper organizers make it easier than ever to distribute notes, flyers, and other forms that students are required to take home.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/organization/organization017.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."

A First-Year Teacher's Guidebook
This practical book can help not only first-year teachers, but also established professionals, with eminently useful ideas for classroom management, using technology, handling parent conferences, and many other topics. Especially handy for the early-career teacher are sections on teaching in rural and urban settings, education issues, and first day / first week / first month ideas.
Click to learn more or to purchase this book.

Democracy and Education
John Dewey's 1916 book on the interrelationship between education and democracy is as important, as it approaches its centennial, as it was when it was first hailed as a master work. The modern reader of education books will find the sweep and clarity of Dewey's approach to be a refreshing break from the highly specialized and jargon-filled books being churned out today. With no hesitancy, Dewey declares his topics to include, "The Significance of Geography and History," "Educational Values," "Theories of Knowledge," and "Theories of Morals." An essential text for the complete education library!
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.

Reader's Theater
A Turkey Takes a Stand
Trevor Turkey calls for a new law that would take turkey off the Thanksgiving menu -- and put an end to a beloved (by almost all!) tradition.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/reading/ReadersTheater/ReadersTheater004.shtml
Holiday Hi Jinks
A feuding cat and dog team up with a mouse named Moose to change a family's holiday plans.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/reading/ReadersTheater/ReadersTheater005.shtml

Total Reader
How Cool Is That!
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/profdev/profdev149.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.
Best Books for Teaching About...
The Five Senses
Oceans
December Holidays
Countries of the World
http://www.educationworld.com/a_bestbooks/archives/students.shtml

Strategies of the Week
Timelines
Timelines provide visual tools for studying brief periods of time -- a day, a year, an individual's life -- or for examining a topic across centuries.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/strategy/strategy033.shtml
Brag Phone Calls
Too often, parent-teacher communication is about negative things students do. Many teachers see the value in calling parents to report good news.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/strategy/strategy039.shtml

From the Writing Center
Kids Can W.R.I.T.E.
A key to better writing is better writing assignments -- and the Web has them.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson126.shtml
Exploring Writing Through Children's Books
How to teach 'paragraph structure' and 'use of details to support topic' through the picture book, When Jesse Came Across the Sea, by Amy Hest.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/columnists/miller/miller015.shtml

Letters to Home
Alicia Harman’s letter-writing lesson opens lines of communication.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/teacher_feature/teacher_feature132.shtml
Write Your Own Life
Sue Flaherty's students contemplate the future.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/teacher_feature/teacher_feature002.shtml

Writing Lessons
Up-to-Date Aesop
Rewrite an Aesop fable in modern language and a modern setting. (Grades K-12)
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/02/lp279-03.shtml
Save the Library
Students write letters to save a library from closure. (Grades 3-8)
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/02/lp261-03.shtml
Circulatory System Travel Brochures
Create travel brochures for a trip through the human circulatory system. (Grades 6-12)
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/01-1/lp222_01.shtml
Rewporting Live From the 20th Century
Report live from one of the top news stories of the 20th century. (Grades 3-12)
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/02/lp258-02.shtml

Writing Bugs
Each Person Is...
What does this Native American proverb mean to you?
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/writing_bug/writingbug104.shtml
What Do You Look For?
What three qualities do you look for in a friend?
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/writing_bug/writingbug066.shtml
Name that Tune
Write new holiday lyrics for a familiar tune.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/writing_bug/writingbug060.shtml
Future World
Describe your vision of the world 25 years from now.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/writing_bug/writingbug076.shtml

Math Mnemonics
Dividing Fractions
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/mnemonics/mnemonics016.shtml
Metric Units of Measure
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/mnemonics/mnemonics017.shtml

Math Features
Math Sites for Kids
Do your students complain that math is "boring" or "too hard?" Change their minds with the activities at these interactive math sites, where math is a fascinating field for exploration.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/sites/sites085.shtml
Math Facts Online Resources
These terrific teaching resources will help you reinforce students' math-facts knowledge. Click a link for fabulous math-fact resources.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson339b.shtml#facts

Featured Articles
The First Thanksgiving
Are you teaching the true Thanksgiving story or is the version you're passing on to your students a blend of fact and myth? Ready to set the record straight?
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr040.shtml
The Pilgrims Revisited
The Internet is full of useful materials for exploding myths about the Pilgrims, the Indians, the Mayflower, and the First Thanksgiving. This week, Education World explores the best of those resources.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr103.shtml
Inspiring Artists
An art teacher encourages his students to create art while he explores the nation's parks.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/*****NEED URL*****.shtml
Fugle Flicks
Making movies to teach art concepts has transformed Tricia Fuglestad's teaching and the way her students learn.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/profdev/profdev150.shtml

Tips Library
Classroom Management: Storage on the Cheap
Behavior Management: Bullying, Hall Passes, Tardiness
Motivating Kids: Know Your Students
Book Report Makeover: Sell It!
Homework Tips: First Things First
Best Idea Ever: Using Mnemonics
Testing Tips: What's a...?
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/management_tips/management_tips017.shtml
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/behaviortips/behaviortips017.shtml
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/motivation/motivation017.shtml
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/bookreport/bookreport017.shtml
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/homeworktips/homeworktips017.shtml
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/bestidea/bestidea017.shtml
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/testing/testing017.shtml

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The Principal Poet
Mr. Ivan, Education World's Principal Poet, presents “The Bad Report Card.”
So now I’m sweatin’ daylight,
’Cuz with the rising of the sun
I know my life is changing
And my freedom’s almost done…
http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/columnists/ivan/ivan011.shtml

Carlton Ashby's The Power Is in You
It Can Be Done
If our mental model sees successful children, and if we work diligently to instill that sense of success in our students, they will succeed.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/columnists/ashby/ashby004.shtml

Education Humor With Regina Barreca
Home, Work Families Share Dys-Similarities
The most significant common denominator between the people you grew up with and the people you teach with is as follows: you’re stuck with them.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/columnists/barreca/barreca023.shtml

Pete Hall's Always Strive To Be a Better You!
57 Games
Joltin' Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak -- The Streak -- is untouchable. Or so they say. For "they" who say it can't be beat, Pete Hall says Hogwash! That "can't" attitude is the only thing holding back many schools from breaking achievement records too.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/columnists/hall/hall029.shtml

Paul Young's Young @ Heart
I Just Can't Do It
I hear the phrase “I can’t do it!” a lot. I hear it from students. I hear it from teachers. I hear it from parents. But if my experience as a school principal has taught me one thing, it’s that there is almost always a way to turn around I-can’t-do its.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/columnists/young/young012.shtml

Alma Row's Gadget of the Week
Wordle
Wordle is a speedy tool that will take any group of words and create a graphic in which the frequency of use of each word is represented using font size or other visual clues.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/gadget/gadget015.shtml

Featured Article
Virtual Learning
Learn how schools can drive down costs - and conserve energy -- with technology.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech245.shtml

From the Principal Files
Principals Urge Teachers to Consider the Principalship
The principal's job can be a high-stress one, but it's a job that most principals would never think of giving up. Our "Principal Files" team shares words of encouragement for those considering a career path that leads to the principal's office.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin262.shtml

News for Kids
Pets Are Popular With U.S. Presidents
The Obama family’s choice for a new dog will continue a long history of White House pets.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/archives/newsforyou.shtml

Wire Side Chat
History You Can Touch
Few people think of today's newspapers as tomorrow's history books. But two history teachers have compiled reproductions of newspapers' front pages to help students get a snapshot of events as they were reported.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/chat/chat234.shtml

Template of the Week
Holiday Gift Coupons
http://www.educationworld.com/tools_templates/index.shtml#holiday

Techtorial of the Week
Creating Holiday Worksheets
Learn how to use the features of Microsoft Word to create your own worksheets for the holidays -- and throughout the year.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/techtorial/techtorial049.shtml

School Doodle
Arts education in the age of accountability.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/school_doodles/school_doodles57.shtml

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