December 2000 Newsletter

A FREE newsletter edited by teacher, speaker and author
Marjan Glavac.   http://www.thebusyeducator.com/
Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day December 7
Chanukah December 22
Christmas December 25
Kwanza Begins December 26
Boxing Day (Canada, UK, Australia, NZ) December 26
(Id) al Fitr December 28
 
Thanksgiving Day has come and gone.  Report cards have been distributed and
parent interviews have been completed.  The end of the first term is upon us!
Let me wish all of you Season's Greetings and all the best for your Christmas,
Chanukah, Kwanzaa and Ramadan celebrations.  See you all again in 2001!
 
Thank you to Linda Starr (lstarr@educationworld.com) Curriculum/
Technology Editor of Education World for her e-interview
of me.  The interview is posted at:
http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech060.shtml
 
Marjan Glavac editor http://www.thebusyeducator.com/
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In This Issue:
*WEBSITE UPDATES
*CLASSROOM TEACHER'S EMERGENCY LESSON PLANS
*SOFTWARE REVIEWS
*HAA AI E-MAIL LIST & ARCHIVE OF TEACHER/STUDENT
  RESOURCES
*MIDDLESCHOOLTEACHER.NET
*PULASKI ACADEMY FOURTH GRADE
*THE QUIZ-ZONE
*ART RIGHTS AND WRONGS
*THE WATER ROCKET INDEX
*MRS. FOREMAN'S HOMEROOM
*REACHING OUT: THE EVOLUTION OF COMMUNICATION
*EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES AND LESSON PLANS
*MRS. WOODS' 3RD GRADE CLASS
*BUSY EDUCATOR'S AWARD
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WEBSITE UPDATES
http://www.thebusyeducator.com/
The HyperMusic History site has been expanded to now include sections on the
history of jazz music and musical instruments. There is a more accurate, shorter,
easier to remember, URL: http://www.hypermusichistory.com
Long time Busy Educator subscriber and fellow teaching colleague, Frank
Scarfino<scarfino@look.ca> sent this URL update of The Yuckiest Site On The
Internet:
http://yucky.kids.discovery.com/flash/index.html
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CLASSROOM TEACHER'S EMERGENCY LESSON PLANS
John Philips
jjohnny@csolve.net
ISBN 0-9686403-0-3
These emergency lesson plans come from John Philips new book "Jivin
Johnny's Classroom Teacher's Emergency Lesson Plans for elementary
and high schools."  The book contains over 90 student centered lessons and
projects to help you survive--while your students learn!
GIVING DIRECTIONS
Provide written directions for students to get to the nearest restaurant from
your present classroom.  Your directions should inform students of:
- approximately how long it will take to get there
- significant landmarks students will see along the way to know that they
  are on the right track
- how they will recognize the destination when they reach it
Provide written directions for someone to perform a simple task.
Some suggestions:
- How to sharpen a pencil
- How to erase a chalkboard
- How to make a peanut butter and banana sandwich
- How to ride a bicycle
- How to make a paper airplane
- How to dance the 'twist'
When done, have a student read out the directions while another student--
operating as a robot--follows those directions exactly.  (A robot, of course
can only do what the directions tell it to do.  It cannot 'interpret.')
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SOFTWARE REVIEWS
INGENUITY WORKS INC
http://www.ingenuityworks.com
LAND OF THE INUIT
This entertaining program is packed with interesting stories, photographs, videos,
and information about the North.  Students take an active role in learning about
history, the environment, and the Inuit (religion, culture, lifestyle - even cooking).
A Shaman guide tells the story of the ill-fated Franklin expedition and challenges
students to test their newly acquired skills and knowledge.  Available as a single
copy, lab pack of 5 and site license of 30 cd roms.  Not networkable.
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ALL THE RIGHT TYPE - VERSION 3
The same tried and true 'no nonsense' program that has taught tens of thousands of students, with some new features.  Space age graphics, easier access to the Teacher Utility, enlargeable font, number pad exercise and a race through space are featured in this upgraded program.

The pedagogy remains the same, with students encouraged to follow a sequence
that produces good results in a reasonable time frame.  Available as single copy,
lab pack of 5 and site license (networkable).
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CROSSCOUNTRY CANADA PLATINUM
A real favourite with students, this program has the driver of an 18 wheeler truck
pick up and deliver commodities across Canada.  The truck is equipped with a
laptop computer and cell phone for emergencies and communication.  Students
learn about different products, learn to read maps and use a compass and find out where different cities and towns are.  They also keep track of budgets by
purchasing gas, food, and looking after everyday emergencies, such as traffic
tickets and flat tires. Available as a single copy, lab pack of 5 and site license of 30 cd roms. 

Not networkable.
For more information on these and other software programs, contact:
Susie Youle
Director of Sales - North America
INGENUITY WORKS INC.
1-800-665-0667  Ext 1205
http://www.ingenuityworks.com
http://www.learningwindow.com
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HAA AI E-MAIL LIST & ARCHIVE OF TEACHER/STUDENT
RESOURCES
http://www.egroups.com/group/haa-ai
And from Canada's newest territory, comes this resource from George
Lessard, Media Specialist, Department of Education, Government of Nunavut:
The Haa Ai website and e-mail list is a source of information on
Arctic issues, educational websites and other issues of interest to teachers
and students in Nunavut.  For more information on this source and others,
contact:
George Lessard, Media Specialist
glessard@gov.nu.ca    glessard@edu.nu.ca
Department of Education Government of Nunavut Early Childhood & School
Services
P.O. Box 390
Arviat, Nunavut
X0C 0E0
Vox (867) 857-3066
Fax (867) 857-3090
61.1N, 94.05W
ICQ # 86187186
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MIDDLESCHOOLTEACHER.NET
http://www.middleschoolteacher.net
 
MiddleSchoolTeacher.Net is dedicated to helping middle school teachers
and students integrate technology into their daily classroom activities. It
is primarily a collection of links to internet resources in the following
areas: academic and exploratory subjects, search and research, professional
development, school improvement, teacher timesavers, integrating technology
and tutorials.
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PULASKI ACADEMY FOURTH GRADE
http://www.myschoolonline.com/AR/PAFourthGrade
Teacher Cherryl Hall from Pulaski Academy Fourth Grade is a teacher of
four 4th grade classes (90 plus students).  There are numerous classroom
pets, which are available for the students to take home on weekends, and
they can make reservations online!  This is a big hit!  Much more fun to
email the teacher than to bring a note from home!  In addition, there are
mystery photos that the students can guess and then email their answers.
On a more academic note, the site contains many, many links "kid friendly"
safe sites for students to begin their research projects.
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THE QUIZ-ZONE
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Vines/8255/index.html
The Quiz-Zone is a free interactive test and quiz site offering more than 100
quizzes and student stories. Excellent for grammar practice conceived for the
three levels: beginners, intermediate and advanced. Completely family
oriented and user-friendly. The site's strong penchant for java-based
interactive exercises concentrates on the display and practice of realistic
learning situations involving ESL.Instructions and directions are in French
and English, all within a free and highly interactive stage involving reality
within its myriad levels of perception.
 
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ART RIGHTS AND WRONGS
http://library.thinkquest.org/J001570
This Thinkquest Junior website helps kids appreciate the importance of
copyrights, trademarks, licenses and counterfeiting in their use of the
Internet. Dozens of webmasters, publishers, educators and students
advise kids on obtaining permission.  Artists and digital archivists at
the Library of Congress are interviewed.  There are essays, stories,
illustrations, poems, games and practical tips.  Understanding the
process of getting permission will expand the scope of students'
websites. 
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THE WATER ROCKET INDEX
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/pagrosse/h2oRocketIndex.htm
The Water Rocket Index covers in detail virtually every aspect of building,
launching and recovering these low-cost rockets, including instructions on
how to mount a camera on one. The site is well illustrated with photographs
and diagrams, and, as the United Kingdom's Guardian and Observer education
site says, if there's any better way of getting reluctant students interested in
science than shooting a lemonade bottle 150 feet into the air, then I haven't
heard of it.
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MRS. FOREMAN'S HOMEROOM
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Cottage/7011
Here's a website for focused on online teacher resources. It is helpful for
all grade levels with a link to a page especially for 3rd grade teachers. This
website also contains links to lesson plans, books, first year and student
teacher sites, and ADD and Learning Disability information as well.
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REACHING OUT: THE EVOLUTION OF COMMUNICATION
http://library.thinkquest.org/26451
Reaching Out: The Evolution of Communication is an interactive
educational website showing the progression of communication from the
prehistoric to the present.  There are many interesting and novel sections
such as inventors, inventions, foreign languages, quizzes and a survey.
There is a feedback and a contribution section to let the visitor to this site
leave a message.
 
This site is designed for grades 4 through college.  Many parts of this site
can be used for units in social studies such as the language and country
section. Flags, maps and the information on these countries will be an
excellent introduction for these units.  The recorded foreign languages will
add life to these sections.  Perhaps the teachers could record the languages
of their students as an activity.
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EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES AND LESSON PLANS
http://www.cloudnet.com/~edrbsass/edres.htm
Educational Resources and Lesson Plans is a well-indexed site with over
1000 lesson plan and resource links organized by subject. It also
includes some original material. In addition to pages for all subject
areas, there are sub-pages for homework help, educational history,
special education, and learning theories plus sites for classroom
management, information and lesson plans about Minnesota, multicultural
education, and Internet-based teaching. Most links are annotated.
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FABULOUS FREEBIES FOR TEACHERS
http://www.maxstar.net/teacher.html
 
Fabulous Freebies for Teachers attempts to gather the best absolutely free
resources and offers for teachers from all over the Net.  Worksheets, free
software, posters, and much more can enhance the classroom and learning
environment at no cost to teacher or school with help from this free site.
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MRS. WOODS' 3RD GRADE CLASS
http://www.familyeducation.com/MI/mrswoods
Mrs. Woods' 3rd Grade Class is a site designed to improve
communication with the parents and students in her classroom.  It has a
monthly calendar that tells the parents and students of homework assignments
and of events that occur for the entire school.  There is also helpful
information for parents to read that would further aid them with family issues.
Mrs. Woods has included sections of her site to assist other educators with
constructing their own websites as well as helpful information for planning
their curriculum
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BUSY EDUCATOR'S AWARD
If you have a web site or know of one that you feel merits the Busy
Educator's Award, please feel free to send me your suggestions.
The award is given out to web sites that contain excellent content for
busy educators.
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Send us those tips, insights or web sites that have helped you with your class
and students. We will share these in future updates. Please send to:
marjan@glavac.com
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Mr. Marjan Glavac author "The Busy Educator's Guide To The World Wide Web"
Completely Revised and Updated 2ND Edition
LONDON, Ontario Canada   ISBN 0-9683310-1-7 200 pages
speaker, teacher, author   marjan@glavac.com
FREE subscription to The Busy Educator's Newsletter http://www.thebusyeducator.com/
              "There are no boundaries for the journeys of the mind."
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