Tuesday, March 30, 2004

Helping Your Child Use the Library

Helping Your Child Use the Library. Details ways that parents can help their children learn to use the library.



From the site:



You don't have to have a house overflowing with books to give your children this kind of experience. Your local public library is home to an abundance of books, plus many other valuable resources.



One of the most exciting and innovative areas in the library today is the children's section. Most public libraries now offer a wide variety of children's books and magazines. Some even offer selected materials in foreign languages (most often Spanish, French, and some Asian languages). Usually there is a children's librarian specially trained to help find just the right book--whether it's Mother Goose or how to do a science project. In addition to printed materials, libraries often lend audio- and videocassettes of children's books and movies. They may sponsor special programs, including story hours for youngsters (from toddlers on up), summer reading programs, and homework help. Many libraries also provide valuable resources for teenagers, such as term paper "clinics" and information and referral services.



Keep in mind too that a visit to the library can help enrich your life as an adult. Whether you are seeking information or just a "good read,"" your local public library has a lot to offer.

Sunday, March 28, 2004

Using Microcomputers in Elementary Language Arts Instruction.

Using Microcomputers in Elementary Language Arts Instruction. Despite the age of this piece (it is from 1985) the concepts expressed are still good.



From the site:



The best way to integrate computers into the language arts curriculum is to focus on the student and the curriculum -- not on the computer. Of course, it is important to understand the capabilities that computer hardware and software offer for language instruction. However, the key to using the microcomputer wisely is to consider it in relation to teachers' and students' goals and needs.



WHAT ARE THE GOALS OF THE LANGUAGE ARTS CURRICULUM?



Elementary language arts instruction is usually devoted to helping children understand language critically and express themselves in speech and writing. But individual students' needs differ from the first years of school. Some children are able to write long pieces fluently, while others struggle with the mechanics of handwriting. Spelling is more difficult for some students than others. Some children like to write, and they write a great deal. Others don't like to write but are quite talented orally. Such diversity is a problem for elementary school teachers because meeting individual needs requires sensitivity to a variety of students, orchestration of the elements of the classroom environment (desks, books, visual aids, sounds), and ideas for stimulating all children to use language in many ways.



WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE COMPUTER IN THE LANGUAGE ARTS CURRICULUM?



One of the main reasons some teachers find computers attractive is that computers can present and monitor "individualized" instruction to many students -- each at his or her own pace. Many computer programs provide spelling and grammar drills that students can work through, pursuing supplementary or "branched" lessons that are presented if they give incorrect answers. Such programs free teachers from having to repeat the same information many times.

Friday, March 26, 2004

Children's Literature On-line Lectures

Children's Literature On-line Lectures. A set of lecture notes for an children's literature course by John Corbally. Notes provide insight into what makes a classic.



From the site:



On these pages, you will find lectures that go along with the readings. Please read them carefully; they should help focus your reading and give you some ideas for your writing and discussion; they may also raise some questions you might want to post to the message board.

Wednesday, March 24, 2004

Teaching Creative Writing in the Elementary School.

Teaching Creative Writing in the Elementary School. Personally, my observations with primary students is that despite their big imaginations, creative writing is beyond most of them. This paper does not agree with me.



From the site:



Most children enter school with a natural interest in writing, an inherent need to express themselves in words (Graves, 1983). Couple this with the child's love of stories and nursery rhymes (Who has not seen a goggle-eyed group of kindergartners lost in the world of imagination as their teacher reads them a favorite story or nursery rhyme?) and you have the basis for building an emotionally involving and intellectually stimulating creative writing program for your students. This "Digest' should help teachers with that task.



THE NECESSITY OF CREATIVE WRITING



Tompkins (1982) suggests 7 reasons why children should write stories (these reasons, of course, also apply to writing poetry): 1) to entertain; 2) to foster artistic expression; 3) to explore the functions and values of writing; 4) to stimulate imagination; 5) to clarify thinking; 6) to search for identity; and 7) to learn to read and write.



With these compelling reasons in mind, it is hard to justify not making creative writing an important part of the elementary school classroom day. It is important that the reasons for writing be made clear to administrators and parents, who may automatically categorize creative writing as merely frivolous play, something akin to recess. While writing certainly should be enjoyable, and children should have opportunities to choose their own subjects and methods of writing, the importance of creative writing in developing children's cognitive and communication skills cannot be underestimated (Tompkins, 1982).



By being actively involved with, and actively interrogating their involvement with the elements that make up our written and oral communication, these young writers of fiction will gain an intuitive and intellectual understanding of its operations. This kind of understanding will elude those who merely observe it in its final, polished, professionally produced presentation. Simply put, one can best understand how something is constructed by attempting to put it together yourself.

Monday, March 22, 2004

First Grade Plus

First Grade Plus. Free stories, coloring pages, follow up exercises, and teaching hints to supplement drug prevention curriculum.



From the site:



An educational website where primary teachers will find free materials to supplement their drug prevention curriculum. Featuring Tuckertown and its fascinating cast of animal characters. Download this entertaining and fun program free. Stories, coloring pages, follow up exercises, and teaching hints all included!



Enter our site and discover one of the most innovative educational programs available anywhere....Tuckertown. Meet the cast of characters who live there. They're waiting to be invited into your classroom and give your children educational experiences they'll never forget! Drug awareness stories (values and ecology to be released soon) taking place in a little home for distressed animals called TuckerTown. Many first grade teachers abhor the idea of exposing their children to the world of drug abuse, but in Tuckertown they have nothing to fear. They'll find well conceived stories free of anything frightening or threatening..... educational entertainment in a fun atmosphere.

Saturday, March 20, 2004

Multicultural Education in Elementary and Secondary Schools.

Multicultural Education in Elementary and Secondary Schools. This is an essay on the role of multicultural education in the curriculum. Our curriculums have always been diverse. This essay wants to broaden them even more.



From the site:



Schools have introduced numerous programs and activities to recognize achievements of a wide range of various ethnic groups in the beliefs that a multicultural education helps to prepare students for life in an ethnically diverse society and can bring about cognitive and affective benefits to students.



GOALS



Generally, the introduction of multicultural activities has been motivated by at least four intentions: (1) to remedy ethnocentrism in the traditional curriculum; (2) to build understanding among racial and cultural groups and appreciation of different cultures; (3) to defuse intergroup tensions and conflicts; and (4) to make the curricula relevant to the experiences, cultural traditions, and historical contributions of the nation's diverse population.



ACHIEVEMENT EFFECTS ON STUDENTS



Many educators now assert that a growing body of evidence links multicultural education and improved academic learning. For example, Hale (1986) described cognitive gains achieved by children in a pre-school program integrating material on African American culture throughout the curriculum. Zaslavsky (1988) demonstrated how elements of African and other cultural traditions can be used to teach complex mathematics concepts to inner-city students. A study (Fulton-Scott, 1983) using three elementary programs for Hispanic children not English-proficient revealed that the math, reading, and language scores of students in bilingual and multiculturally-integrated English as a Second Language programs were significantly superior to scores of students enrolled in bilingual ESL without the multicultural integration.

Thursday, March 18, 2004

School Reform in Massachusetts: Comparing Educational Initiatives in 1893 and 1997

School Reform in Massachusetts: Comparing Educational Initiatives in 1893 and 1997. There always seems to be new reform ideas coming to our schools every year. Clearly, teachers are inept and we need politicians and college professors to keep retraining us. At last in Massachusetts, they only mess with the schools every century or so.



From the site:



The concept of reforming and changing schooling is not a new idea. This desire to make schools better has a long tradition. There are many examples of this throughout American history. However, one good example is the case of schools in Massachusetts. Two documents demonstrate the different ways educational reform has been approached. This essay will examine the written record of a speech made by Charles Eliot in 1893 where he laid out six key changes he felt were necessary for grammar schools in Massachusetts. This essay will also look at report published in 1997 by the Massachusetts Department of Education examining five years of state mandated educational reform initiatives in schooling. Surprisingly, many of the themes addressed by Eliot in 1893 are still being thought about in 1997 although there are also many differences in the documents.



Description of the 1893 Speech



Charles Eliot, the President of Harvard University, gave a speech at the Massachusetts State Teachers' Association Conference in December of 1893. The speech was titled, "The Grammar School of the Future." A written version of this speech was included in a collection of Eliot's work, Educational Reform: Essays and Addresses, which was published in 1898. As such, the written version of the speech has been edited and probably reads slightly different that what was presented at the conference. However, as the written version was published only a few years later and was prepared by the same author it is reasonable to assume the intellectual content remained unchanged.



As President of Harvard University, Eliot was in a position that was respected and his words would have been given serious consideration by the conference attendees. Further, Eliot had developed a reputation as an educational reformer. Although the speech was delivered to Massachusetts educators, it is reasonable to assume that Eliot intended for his ideas to be disseminated nationally and be given consideration beyond Massachusetts. This is evidenced by the inclusion of the speech in Educational Reform: Essay and Addresses. This speech then was delivered with the purpose of influencing the reform of schools nationwide.



There are six main reforms considered in Eliot's speech. To begin with, Eliot wanted every grammar school to have a playground. He thought this was important for both the health of the students and to create a better learning environment. Secondly, he believed that schools should purchase curriculum materials such as books and maps. He did not believe that a bare classroom where only the teacher had the textbook was conductive towards a learning environment. Not surprisingly, Eliot also thought that additional funding was necessary as a reform in and of itself. Further, he was appalled at the large class sizes of the day, which had one teacher with fifty or sixty students. Eliot wanted to move towards a teacher/student ratio near 25 to 1.

Tuesday, March 16, 2004

Collaborating on a Newspaper in the Elementary Classroom.

Collaborating on a Newspaper in the Elementary Classroom. Here is a write up of a fun activity elementary school teachers can try.



From the site:



"One of the oldest of living language activities, almost as old as printing itself, is the newspaper...Every school should have one..." (Backes, 1995). Indeed, in my experience, collaborating with students on a school or a classroom newspaper, watching them putting it together bit by bit, appreciating it when it is printed, and then sitting back and waiting for the audience's reaction has to be one of the most rewarding experiences an educator can have. This Digest will discuss the experience of publishing a classroom newspaper.



More than a decade ago, I spent several years teaching in a multicultural elementary school in downstate Illinois where about one-third of the students were not born in the United States and were in various stages of learning English. Ironically, my job was not to teach the children English but rather to keep the dozen or so Brazilian and Portuguese youngsters registered in the school from totally forgetting their Portuguese while they were in the United States. They were the children of Brazilian and Portuguese graduate students, and they would all eventually return to their countries of origin.

Sunday, March 14, 2004

Cynthia Leitich Smith Children's Literature Resources

Cynthia Leitich Smith Children's Literature Resources Includes children's and young adult literature bibliographies, author-illustrator interviews, publishing and library news, curriculum information, and state awards.



From the site:



Award-winning children's and young adult book author Cynthia Leitich Smith welcomes you to her official Web site. Cynthia is the author of three books for young readers: JINGLE DANCER (Morrow Junior Books)(ages 4-up); INDIAN SHOES (HarperCollins)(ages 7-up); and RAIN IS NOT MY INDIAN NAME (HarperCollins and Listening Library)(ages 10-up) She has also published middle grade short stories in recent Harper anthologies.



Cynthia lives in Austin, Texas with her husband, children's author, Greg Leitich Smith. Greg's debut novel, a middle grade comedy, was titled NINJAS, PIRANHAS, AND GALILEO (Little Brown, 2003). It won a Parents' Choice Gold Medal and was named a Junior Library Guild selection. 05/013/04 update: NINJAS is now available on audio from Recorded Books!



This Web site includes substantial teacher support information about Cynthia's books as well as tremendous resources related to the entire body of children's and young adult literature.

Friday, March 12, 2004

Selected Issues in Elementary Guidance.

Selected Issues in Elementary Guidance. This article looks at issues facing elementary school counselors. There are a lot of issues...



From the site:



Many of the problems which interfere with the elementary educational experience arise from difficulties outside the school. Some are the result of such changes in the traditional family structure and function as increased numbers of working mothers with school-age children, higher divorce/separation rates, increased numbers of single-parent families, and increased geographic mobility.



Other problems may stem more specifically from ineffective parent-child relationships. Whatever the source, the elementary school counselor is in a unique position to help students, school personnel, families, and the community to work toward overcoming these difficulties.

Wednesday, March 10, 2004

A World of Kindergartens

A World of Kindergartens. Nancy Yost, a kindergarten teacher at Indiana University of Pennsylvania's lab school, provides a variety of resources for teaching young children.



From the site:



To assist teachers in locating information on topics that are being investigated in their classrooms, I have filed ideas and information alphabetically. The information was originally shared on list serves and email messages to me. I collected it into one site to assist you in your classrooms. Happy surfing.

Monday, March 8, 2004

Improving the Use of Elementary Social Studies Textbooks.

Improving the Use of Elementary Social Studies Textbooks. Some elementary teachers are better than others at using textbooks in class. This essay has ideas for all of us in being better at integrating social science textbooks in class.



From the site:



Basal textbooks are a common means of instruction in elementary social studies classrooms. They are useful sources of knowledge and may serve as a core for social studies instruction. However, even the best textbook is a limited teaching tool which must be used in combination with other media and materials to adequately address important learning objectives pertaining to cognitive skills and civic participation. Teachers who depend only on textbooks are likely to deprive students of important learning experiences.



This digest discusses (1) how social studies textbooks are used by elementary teachers, (2) problems children have in reading textbooks, and (3) procedures for improving textbook use in elementary social studies.



HOW ARE SOCIAL STUDIES TEXTBOOKS USED BY MOST ELEMENTARY TEACHERS?



The hardcover basal textbook dominates teaching and learning in elementary social studies classes (Patrick and Hawke 1982). Too often, social studies instruction involves reading assignments in a single textbook. As with math, science, and health, there is a temptation to allow the textbook to define the curriculum, with the flow of topics determined by consecutive pages.



Many teachers have found ways to expand upon the content of the textbook, adding films, tradebooks, and a variety of projects to help break the monotony of daily use and maintain student interest. In recent years, however, there has been an increase in "textbook alone" instruction, as reductions in school budgets have depleted the supply of up-to-date supplementary materials, and teachers have begun to react to pressures of the back-to-basics movement, state-wide testing, and criticisms of all but the most traditional teaching practices.

Saturday, March 6, 2004

Charter Schools: Are They Needed? Looking at Both Sides of the Debate

Charter Schools: Are They Needed? Looking at Both Sides of the Debate. I know which side of the debate I am on here. My job is on the line. Libraries get cut first when funding drys up.



From the site:



Most reform concepts work by making changes within schools. However, a newer reform idea works by creating entirely new schools. The charter school movement seeks to improve public school by creating new, rival, and competing public schools. The hope is that competition for students will force public schools to improve. However, many do not believe the free market will actually bring this about and may actually harm public schools. Despite the relative newness of the charter concept, the ideas behind it are not new and an examination of education literature can shed a lot of light on the concept.



Description of charter schools



The pro-charter school group, the Michigan Association of Public School Academies (MAPSA), defines on their web page that, "Charter Schools are public schools-free and open to all. They are started by interested parents, educators, and business and community leaders. Each school is created with its own unique curricula and is licensed by a school district, community college or, most often, a state university."



The mostly anti-charter National Education Association, (NEA) furthers the definition by writing on their web site, "These school are deregulated, autonomous and independent of the rules and regulations that govern traditional schools…The theory that underlies the charters is that such freeing of some public schools will hasten educational innovation, improve student achievement, create greater parental involvement, and promote improvement of public education in general. And the theory follows that if there's no educational improvement, the school will be held accountable and the school's charter won't be renewed."



A description of the charter school concept can be constructed including both of the above descriptions and using other sources. Charter schools are public schools that are free from some, but not all, of the regulations that govern most public schools. Any person or group may start their own public school if they can get a charter from an approving educational institution, which is normally a state university. These schools, which are free from many regulations and teachers unions, can attempt to innovate curriculum and learning in ways that traditional public schools can not or will not try.

Thursday, March 4, 2004

Law-Related Education in Elementary and Secondary Schools

Law-Related Education in Elementary and Secondary Schools. This is an essay which looks at programs which teach students about the law. It is a good read on this topic.



From the site:



Law-related education (LRE) in elementary and secondary schools has grown remarkably since the 1970s. A nation-wide curriculum survey (Hahn 1985) reveals that, since 1975, LRE has been added to the curriculum in more than half of the forty-six states involved in the study. Respondents in Hahn's study (state-level curriculum specialists and supervisors) mentioned LRE more frequently than any other curriculum theme as new to the social studies program since 1975. They also ranked LRE fourth as a priority in social studies education; it ranked eleventh in 1975.



It seems that teaching and learning about law in elementary and secondary schools is an important trend in social studies education. This ERIC Digest treats (1) the meaning of law-related education, (2) reasons for including LRE in the curriculum, (3) ways to include LRE in the curriculum, and (4) characteristics of effective LRE programs in elementary and secondary schools.

Tuesday, March 2, 2004

The Foundation for Children's Books

The Foundation for Children's Books. Works to help teachers, librarians, and parents select and use quality children's literature. It includes a calendar of events, information about programs, newsletter, and award information. Located in Boston, Massachusetts.



From the site:



We believe . . .



In order for children to become fluent readers they must want to read. But how do we instill in children the enthusiasm for reading good books? We believe teachers, librarians, and parents are key.



Good books, properly shared in school and family settings, help children develop a love of reading and learning. Good books also offer an invaluable introduction to language, literacy, values, critical thinking, and cultural diversity



Mission



In 1983, a group of educators and children's literature advocates founded The Foundation for Children's Books (FCB), a nonprofit, educational organization. The mission they established endures: to help teachers, librarians and parents select and use quality children's literature in order to instill in children the joy of reading as a prerequisite for literacy and lifelong learning.