Friday, July 30, 2004

NASA/MSU-Bozeman CERES Project Educational Activities

NASA/MSU-Bozeman CERES Project Educational Activities Classroom-ready astronomy activities and lessons for levels K-12. Created by a team of master teachers, university faculty, and NASA researchers.



From the site:



These classroom-ready activities for K-12 students represent a robust combination of contemporary teaching/learning strategies from the National Science Education Standards (NRC, 1996), exciting and current NASA science data, and Internet pointers to an endless supply of accurate and timely resources.

Wednesday, July 28, 2004

Amazing Trees

Amazing Trees On-line collaborative project where groups of students in grades 3-8 research and investigate trees in their local environment.



From the site:



Come on and tell us about a special tree in your playground, park or neighbourhood!



You can certainly tell us about more than one tree if you want to.



To do this you may need to visit Terrific Trees, Tree Resources, search the Internet, talk to an expert and visit a Library.



We would like to get your stories, poems, drawings, pictures, descriptions and other details of your special tree or trees.



Monday, July 26, 2004

Teaching about George Washington. ERIC Digest.

Teaching about George Washington. ERIC Digest. Here is a nice essay on teaching about George Washington from the former ERIC Clearinghouse for Social Studies/Social Science Education. I know most elementary schools in the USA teach about President Washington.



From the site:



No generation in American history has matched that of the founding era for its array of talented and influential political thinkers and actors. John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and George Washington all possessed certain traits of character and intellect that significantly shaped the new United States of America and its direction for generations that followed. Among these personalities, George Washington is the most difficult for students to know. Compared to Jefferson, Hamilton, or most other important historical figures, our common images of Washington--seen on the dollar bill and quarter, crossing the Delaware River, or enshrined in the impersonal Washington Monument--are cold and distant. Today's perceptions of Washington seem to validate Ralph Waldo Emerson's maxim, "Every hero becomes a bore at last."



Do most students understand the importance of George Washington as a military and political leader during a time that demanded extraordinary leadership? The bicentennial of Washington's death in 1999 is an appropriate time to reflect upon his role and place in the school curriculum.

Friday, July 23, 2004

THE BIG MYTH - a study of world creation myths in Flash animation

THE BIG MYTH - a study of world creation myths in Flash animation An experimental learning module designed for use in European primary school classrooms. It is a sociology textbook for the comparative study of world creation mythology. The myths are told using Flash animation and are accompanied by an overview of the culture, the pantheon of the gods and a series of exercises based on that culture.



From the site:



How do people from different cultures view themselves, the world and their origins?



The Big Myth is a new experimental learning module designed for use in European primary school classrooms. It is a sociology textbook for the comparative study of world creation mythology. The myths are told using Flash animation and are accompanied by an overview of the culture, the pantheon of the gods and a series of exercises based on that culture. The Big Myth combines the internet and Flash animation as a presentational medium with a highly progressive group learning method known as complex instruction. Teachers are advised to start in the teacher's section for more complete instructions. The Big Myth consists of the Mythology section, Links and Bibliography for further research, a Write Your Own Creation Myth section for students, the Teacher's Guide and a Discussion Forum where an off-line debate is held over the material.

Wednesday, July 21, 2004

Educational Ideas from 5-6 Connection

Educational Ideas from 5-6 Connection Ideas, tips, and lesson plans created by an international group of teachers belonging to the 5-6 Grade Connection Listserve.



From the site:



Welcome to our educational site!



5-6 Connection is a group of teachers from all around the world who have come together to form a 'virtual teachers' lounge' and share ideas from management to subject lessons to recipes! We intend to present some of the ideas we have come up with to you... but if you want more, maybe you should think about joining us!



This is what our 'Listmom' has to say about 5-6 Grade Connection...



'5-6gradeconnection is a "connected" group of teachers world wide who do a lot of sharing and creating materials besides discussing various topics and concerns with each other. Connection also stays connected having an email prayer chain, and creating a directory of its members.

Our biggest population is 5th and 6th, but we do have other levels besides LD, ED, Sped, Music, Principals, and various others on our list.

Monday, July 19, 2004

Primary education - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Primary education - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This is the Wikipedia article for Primary Education. This encyclopedia allows visitors to alter articles so change it if you want to improve. be warned, this place is real good at catching vandals and sloppy writers so if you don't do a good job your work is liable to be reverted.



From the site:



Primary or elementary education is the first years of formal, structured education that occur during childhood. In most Western countries, it is compulsory for children to receive primary education (though in many jurisdictions it is permissible for parents to provide it).



Primary education generally begins when children are four to seven years of age. The division between primary and secondary education is somewhat arbitrary, but it generally occurs at about twelve years of age (adolescence); some educational systems have separate middle schools for that period. Primary and secondary education together are sometimes (in particular, in Canada and the United States) referred to as "K-12" education, (K is for kindergarten, 12 is for twelfth grade).



Typically, primary education is provided in schools, where (in the absence of parental movement or other intervening factors) the child will stay, in steadily advancing classes, until they complete it and move on to secondary schooling. Children are usually placed in classes with one teacher who will be primarily responsible for their education and welfare for that year. This teacher may be assisted to varying degrees by specialist teachers in certain subject areas, often music or physical education. The continuity with a single teacher and the opportunity to build up a close relationship with the class is a notable feature of the primary education system. Over the past few decades, schools have been testing various arrangements which break from the one-teacher, one-class mold.



The major goals of primary education are achieving basic literacy and numeracy amongst all their students, as well as establishing foundations in science, geography, history and other social sciences. The relative priority of various areas, and the methods used to teach them, are an area of considerable political debate.



Traditionally, various forms of corporal punishment have been an integral part of early education. Recently this practice has come under attack, and in some cases been outlawed, in Western countries at least.

Friday, July 16, 2004

Crossroads: A K-16 American History Curriculum

Crossroads: A K-16 American History Curriculum Thirty-six units for elementary through high school. Includes essays, activities, and enrichment ideas. There is a lot of good stuff here for primary age students.



From the site:



In 1992, The Sage Colleges (Troy, NY) and the Niskayuna School District (Niskayuna, NY) received a three-year grant from the Fund for the Improvement and Reform of Schools and Teaching (FIRST) of the U.S. Department of Education to develop a seamless K-16 curriculum in American history. The curriculum, called Crossroads, is composed of thirty-six units equally distributed among elementary, middle, and high school grade levels, as well as course syllabii for preservice social studies educators on the subjects of American history and history education. The curriculum is chronologically organized into twelve historical periods--each covered by a unit at each of the three grade levels.



Each unit begins with an essay on the history and historiography of the period written by the project historian, Richard B. Bernstein, an Associate of the Council for Citizenship Education at The Sage Colleges and an adjunct faculty member at New York Law School and distinguished historian. The unit plans were then written by teams of Niskayuna and Sage teachers after a year-long seminar in American history and historiography with Professor Bernstein. Following their preparation, elementary and middle school units were field tested within the Niskayuna District and in the Albany City School District. The middle school curriculum was also field tested in two Ohio districts. All units were reviewed by an advisory panel. The project is directed by Stephen L. Schechter, a Professor of Political Science and Director of the Council for Citizenship Education at The Sage Colleges, and by Henry E. Mueller, Niskayuna Middle School Social Studies Coordinator. The project is administered by the Council for Citizenship Education.

Wednesday, July 14, 2004

CanTeach - resources for educators

CanTeach - resources for educators Features classroom management resources, children's songs and poetry, planning tools, and free lesson plans.



From the site:



Welcome to CanTeach! With hundreds of lesson plans, thousands of links, and tons of other resources, we hope you find something useful to help you out.



Try the links to the side to explore our elementary resources including lesson plans and songs & poems. Click up top to join one of the discussion lists, or look down below for some of the thousands of links we've categorized.

Sunday, July 11, 2004

Teaching Math Effectively to Elementary Students

Teaching Math Effectively to Elementary Students. I always had trouble with math in school. I know many primary schools students do as well. This article has some good ideas for teaching this subject to kids.



From the site:



This article describes why certain students achieve poorly in conventional classes and the need to teach global, tactual, and/or kinesthetic elementary- school learners with instructional resources that complement their identified learning-style strengths. It provides practical guidelines for redesigning traditional classrooms to increase their responsiveness to such students and outlines practical curriculum applications and the research basis for this position.

Friday, July 9, 2004

Educating Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing: Inclusion

Educating Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing: Inclusion. This essay has a radical idea. Let's educate deaf children in the smae classes as hearing children. I am sure this can work sometimes.



From the site:



The "inclusion" of students who are deaf refers to their being educated within a classroom of students with normal hearing. Inclusion differs from "mainstreaming" in that mainstreaming may refer to a variety of degrees of contact with hearing students, whereas in inclusion, the student who is deaf is actually placed in a classroom with hearing students. Inclusion may involve an assortment of services including interpreters, notetakers, teacher aides, teachers of students who are deaf, and consultants, but these services are provided within the context of the regular classroom.



Before 1975, although there had been attempts to educate students who were deaf in regular schools, about 80% of students who were deaf in the United States were being served in special schools (Cohen, 1995). This changed with the passage that year of PL 94-142. The "Education of All Handicapped Children" act called for all children to be educated as appropriate in the "least restrictive environment" (LRE), which meant to the greatest extent possible with their "non-handicapped" peers. Although the law resulted in some students who were deaf being educated in the regular classroom, many students with hearing losses were put in self-contained classrooms or resource rooms within regular schools and had contact with hearing students only during non- academic activities. In 1995, more than 60% of students who were deaf were educated in the regular public schools (Cohen, 1995), although it is not clear how many were in being served in a true "inclusion" model.



Inclusion emerged from the Regular Education Initiative (REI) of the 1970s and 1980s and the modification of PL 94-142, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1990. The application of inclusion to the student who is deaf has been a source of ongoing debate, particularly as to how to interpret "least restrictive environment."



Two general positions have emerged from the debate on inclusion. One position is that all students with disabilities have the right to go to school with their non-disabled peers. The other position is usually labeled "full inclusion" and is stronger in its position that all students with disabilities should go to regular schools. The first position is consistent with the range of placements which emerged from PL 94-142 and IDEA, while the latter position is generally consistent with the eradication of all "special education," including the closing of special schools for students who are deaf.

Wednesday, July 7, 2004

Technology Professional Development: A Case Study

Technology Professional Development: A Case Study All of use elementary school teachers and librarians need professional development on a regular basis. This is particularly true with computers. Why give us these pricey toys if we don't know how to teach with them?



From the site:



This study examined the outcomes of a technology professional development initiative for elementary teachers. The professional development model used cohort collaboration, multiple strategies, and job embedded experiences to help teachers incorporate technology into their practice. Five sources of evidence, surveys from administrators and teachers, as well as interviews from teachers, computer aides and the staff developer were used to examine outcomes. The evidence identified a change in teacher practice and belief that included an increase in the self-reported frequency of the use of technology, the use of computers for research and project-based learning, and the Internet for instruction. The changes identified were consistent with the Phases of Instructional Change (Sandholtz, Ringstaff, & Dwyer, 1992).

Monday, July 5, 2004

Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Back when I was in college, none of my teacher ed professors ever mentioned anything about autism. Now, it seems like a couple of kids in my school get diagnosed with this every year. Is it more common now? Or are we just more aware of it?



From the site:



Autism is a developmental disability that affects a person's ability to communicate, understand language, play, and interact with others. Autism is a behavioral syndrome, which means that its definition is based on patterns of behaviors that a person exhibits. Autism is not an illness or a disease. It is not contagious and, as far as we know, it is not acquired through contact with the environment. Autism is a neurological disability that is presumed to be present from birth and is always apparent before the age of three. Although autism affects the functioning of the brain, the specific cause of autism is unknown. In fact, it is widely assumed that there are most likely multiple causes, each of which may be manifested in different forms, or subtypes, of autism. Future research will help us understand the etiologies of autism.



Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is an increasingly popular term that refers to a broad definition of autism including the classical form of the disorder as well as closely related disabilities that share many of the core characteristics. ASD includes the following diagnoses and classifications: (1) Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS), which refers to a collection of features that resemble autism but may not be as severe or extensive; (2) Rett's syndrome, which affects girls and is a genetic disorder with hard neurological signs, including seizures, that become more apparent with age; (3) Asperger syndrome, which refers to individuals with autistic characteristics but relatively intact language abilities, and; (4) Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, which refers to children whose development appears normal for the first few years, but then regresses with the loss of speech and other skills until the characteristics of autism are conspicuous. Although the classical form of autism can be readily distinguished from other forms of ASD, the terms autism and ASD are often used interchangeably.



Individuals with autism and ASD vary widely in ability and personality. Individuals can exhibit severe mental retardation or be extremely gifted in their intellectual and academic accomplishments. While many individuals prefer isolation and tend to withdraw from social contact, others show high levels of affection and enjoyment in social situations. Some people with autism appear lethargic and slow to respond, but others are very active and seem to interact constantly with preferred aspects of their environment.

Saturday, July 3, 2004

It’s About Time! Lengthen Student Writing

It’s About Time! Lengthen Student Writing Article which discusses some techniques which were successful in getting 4th graders to produce longer pieces of writing.



From the site:



Our goal was to engage fourth-grade writers to write longer and more meaningful pieces of writing given the time set aside for writing. Using a convenience sample with 17 fourth-grade students in two classes in a rural West Texas elementary school, we found that when given time as the constraint, children were better able to stay on task and, in fact, they wrote more than students that were constrained by length.

Thursday, July 1, 2004

Teaching History for Citizenship in the Elementary School

Teaching History for Citizenship in the Elementary School. Of all the places to teach history, the primary grades seems to be the best starting point. If they can learn this stuff early enough, maybe it will stick with them.



From the site:



A substantial amount of research and curriculum development completed over the past two decades can be used to improve the teaching of history to young children. This ERIC Digest discusses (1) insights from recent research, (2) insights from recent curriculum development, and (3) connections of research to curriculum development. A list of Web sites which may be used to enhance elementary teachers' history-for-citizenship lessons is provided.



INSIGHTS FROM RECENT RESEARCH



Recent studies on the teaching of history to young children have investigated the development of children's conceptions of historical time (e.g., Barton and Levstik, 1996; Hoge, 1991), children's ability to construct historical narratives (Barton, 1997; Levstik and Pappas, 1987), and their explanations of historical change over time and their ability to interpret, sequence, and date historical events and images (Barton and Levstik, 1996; Foster, Hoge and Rosch, 1999). The following are generalizations selected from the conclusions of this body of research.



Brophy and VanSledright (1997, 23) found that even the youngest elementary students have a sense of history and often bring prior conceptions of the past into the classroom. They note that young students typically have trouble retaining historical information that has not been situated within a context and linked to a prior understanding. They conclude that a barren, textbook-centered approach that treats history as a thin narrative of events that simply happened may prevent students from

"developing the critical, interpretive, and synthetic thinking abilities required for cultivating historical understanding."



Barton's research (1997, 13-16) also revealed that young students, even kindergartners, possess some accurate historical knowledge; for example, that covered wagons came before cars. Older elementary students demonstrate similar understandings -- often gained without formal history instruction -- about clothing, technology, and architecture. Barton determined, however, that pre-fifth grade students "have a very limited understanding of the nature and purpose of the government, politics, and economic institutions." He also found that even when students in the intermediate grades do study these topics, "They tend to interpret them solely in terms of the actions and desires of individuals, and to misunderstand or ignore the role of government and economics." Barton notes that elementary-grade-level students typically know very little about the methods used by historians in the creation of their narratives and, perhaps as a result, uncritically accept printed historical accounts as the truth.