January 2001
Newsletter
A FREE newsletter edited by teacher, speaker and author
Marjan Glavac. http://www.thebusyeducator.com/
New Year's Day January 1
New Year's Holiday (New Zealand) January 2
Christmas (Julian Calendar Eastern Orthodox) January 7
Coming of Age Day (Japan) January 8
Martin Luther King Jr. Day (USA) January 15
Chinese New Year January 24
Australia Day January 26
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It's been wonderful Christmas and New Year's holiday. Very relaxing, yet
very busy shovelling the snow! Just when I think the snow is all gone, we
get another dumping and another and yet another. In between snowfalls,
I've managed to flood the backyard for a skating rink. This is my first time
in making the skating rink that the temperature has managed to stay below
freezing long enough to make the rink in December. Usually I manage to
make the rink at the end of January, beginning of February, the coldest
months here in Southern Ontario Canada. Wherever you are in the world,
I hope that you're in the company of loved ones, staying warm and enjoying
the New Year. Wishing all of you the best for the year 2001.
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Thank you to Mrs. Sharon A. Townsend, Technology Coordinator at
Wadsworth School in Chicago, Illinois USA for sending the following
note about my book The Busy Educator's Guide To The World Wide
Web 2ND Edition: "I've started using the book and sharing URLs with the computer classes
and we both just love it. Your book has truly made it much easier for me
to find the web sites I need without any frustration."
Thank you Sharon.
Marjan Glavac editor http://www.thebusyeducator.com/
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To subscribe (FREE) to The Busy Educator's Newsletter please e-mail me
at: marjan@glavac.com with subscribe in the subject line.
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in the subject line.
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In This Issue:
*WEBSITE UPDATES
*CLASSROOM TEACHER'S EMERGENCY LESSON PLANS
*PRINTSVILLE
*THE MICROBE ZOO
*INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION FACTBOOK
*TEACHERS GUIDE TO INTERACTIVE COLLABORATION ON THE
INTERENT
*MRS. ABC'S SPELLING AND PHONICS CURRICULUM SITE
*SCIENCEMAN
*THE HARRIS MIDDLE SCHOOL
*SOUTH KNOX ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
*CAN DO!
*ESSAYPUNCH.COM
*PARAGRAPHPUNCH.COM
*TEACHERSITES.COM
*THE SCIENCE SPIDERS
*BUSY EDUCATOR'S AWARD
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WEBSITE UPDATES
http://www.thebusyeducator.com/
My own website has been down the past week due to technical problems.
It should be up within the next couple of days (I hope!)
ONLINE EDUCATION, INC. has a new Web site address:
http://www.learnersonline.com. The old address is http://ole.net/ole
Problem of the Week is now located at: http://www.potw.net
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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!
PORTRAIT OF YOUR TOWN
Write a portrait of your town or neighborhood that conveys your thoughts
and feelings about living there.
Your portrait could include references to: the town's history, business and
industries, politics, cultural life, significant events, landmarks,
geographical features, town heroes, town 'characters', customs, recreations,
celebrations.
Draw a map of your town or neighborhood and label it.
List 20 photos you would include if your 'Portrait of Your town' were
going to be published.
List 3 books you have read in which the locale is vividly described. For
each book, relate 3 details about the setting that still stick in your mind.
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PRINTSVILLE
http://www.hp.com/go/printsville
Did you know that Hewlett-Packard has developed a fabulous website
where you can access over 150 printing projects absolutely FREE?
Visit the Printsville website and discover unlimited printing possibilities
using your HP DeskJet printer. In Printsville, you can print all kinds of
useful and fun projects instantly, plus get tips to make your printouts clear
and sharp every time. Explore local favourites like the Party & Gift Shop,
Business Works, Kids Clubhouse, the Seasonal Gallery, Craft Corner
and more.
Make everything from birthday cards to business cards, party hats
to yard sale signs, by following these 3 simple steps:
1. go to http://www.hp.com/go/printsville
2. download any project
3. print it on your HP DeskJet printer
Simple as that!
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Some time ago, Busy Educator subscriber Nona Pryor from the beautiful
state of North Carolina USA sent me these two sites:
THE MICROBE ZOO
http://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/
This site is great for Science 6th grade and up. It has great stuff for
the environment, yeast, bacteria, etc area of the curriculum. The
approach is novel and well done. Kids love it. It touches on many aspects from the sixth grade curriculum. Level is really a little higher than 6th, but
graphics and short items make it work.
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INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION FACTBOOK
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/reference/factbook/
Another NASA site we used in sixth grade while studying space exploration
was very good. It is well organized and timely. The students listed it as one
from which they learned the most - and we looked at 7 - 8 sites.
Thank you Nona!
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My good friend, fellow educator, and Busy Educator subscriber Diane
Midness, Program Coordinator International School Partnerships through
Technology at The University of North Carolina sent in this site:
TEACHERS GUIDE TO INTERACTIVE COLLABORATION ON THE
INTERNET
http://www.ed.gov/Technology/guide/international/index.html
The Teacher's Guide to International Collaboration was developed to help
teachers use the Internet to "reach out" globally. These materials were
prepared as part of the Department of Education's International Education
Initiative.
This guide is designed for online access. On every page, teachers will
find many projects and suggestions to begin or expand classroom projects
that reach across the globe.
In every section of this online guide, we have also provided links to
elementary, middle and high school projects and links to organizations
that are involved in international education via the Internet.
Thank you Diane.
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MRS. ABC'S SPELLING AND PHONICS CURRICULUM SITE
http://www.mrsabc.com
At Mrs. ABC's Spelling and Phonics Curriculum site a student learns
spelling, phonics, alphabetical order, rhyming, punctuation and
capitalization in an interactive, self paced curriculum with built in rewards
and certificates. The site was designed for the beginning speller or a
student needing to review high frequency words. It is also a great source
for parents and teachers with weekly tips, related articles, and a free
newsletter.
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SCIENCEMAN
http://www.scienceman.com
Your ultimate science education source. ScienceMan has high quality,
curriculum matched links, hardware and software reviews, a contact list
of reputable science suppliers, and the latest technology professional
development opportunities. Visit the "video showcase", highlighting the
laboratory work of students in action, demonstrating the latest in science
and technology. ScienceMan is updated daily during the school year with
all the latest news in science instruction. ScienceMan looks forward to
your visit!
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THE HARRIS MIDDLE SCHOOL
http://volweb.utk.edu/Schools/bedford/harrisms/index.htm
This is a middle school site that addresses the needs of teachers, parents
and students. For teachers, there are lesson plans and webquests. Parents
are able to find homework, translations, and links that tie to classwork.
Students' work is also posted. The A-Z page has links that new teachers or
parents would find helpful. There is a message board to increase
communication between the three groups. The ESL page has much
information to aide in working with Hispanic children. Teachers will
certainly enjoy the 26 poetry unit complete with an online test. This site
provides a little something for everyone.
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SOUTH KNOX ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
http://www.sknox.k12.in.us/ske.htm
The South Knox Elementary School web site is brimming with innovative
ideas. The site, created by students, teachers, and staff members, has loads
of content. Its pages include Classroom News, which is updated regularly,
Artist and Student of the Month, an Art Gallery showcasing student work,
and a school calendar. If you re looking for ideas to include in your own
classroom, check out the Classroom Projects page. Extra-curricular
activities such as Spell Bowl, Math Bowl, Art Club, Computer Club, and
Athletics are also spotlighted on the website.
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CAN DO!
http://www.ucando.org
Can Do! is an "ability focused" web site dedicated to inspiring a "can-do"
attitude and approach to life and no matter what the obstacles. The Can Do!
website contains fun and meaningful minds-on activities, stories, lesson
plan ideas, and resources for parents, educators, and students of all grade
levels that can be used in the classroom or at home. It is truly a learning
experience for all!
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Here are two websites to help you out with those writing skills!
ESSAYPUNCH.COM
http://www.essaypunch.com
Essaypunch.com takes users through the actual steps of writing a short essay.
Users develop an idea and write their own short essay, consisting of an
introduction, a two- to three-paragraph body, and a conclusion. Help
prompts guide users step by step through pre-writing, writing, organizing,
editing, rewriting, and publishing. Completed essays may be transferred to
a word processing program, HTML editor, or e-mail application.
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PARAGRAPHPUNCH.COM
http://www.paragraphpunch.com
Paragraphpunch.com takes users through the actual steps of writing a
basic paragraph. Users develop an idea and write their topic sentence,
body, and conclusion. Help prompts guide users step by step through
pre-writing, writing, organizing, editing, rewriting, and publishing.
Completed paragraphs may be transferred to a word processing program,
HTML editor, or e-mail application.
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TEACHERSITES.COM
http://www.teachersites.com
Fellow educator Brian Wasson of New York state USA has designed
this site for educators with the ultimate goal of organizing some of the best
educational and fun web site for teachers (all levels), students and parents.
All sites, and there are currently over 700 of them in over 48 school
categories, have been hand picked by either Brian or have been submitted by
email to him from parents and teachers.
One of the highlights of this site is the constantly updated "Top 10" and
"Site of the Week" pages. All suggestions for these pages are taken only
by emails from visitors.
Links are provided for visitors to buy books, classroom related materials,
all chosen by Brian.
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THE SCIENCE SPIDERS
http://www.sciencespiders.com
This site is focused on two neglected audiences - YOUNG (preK and
elementary) children working on PHYSICAL science (not just life
sciences). All links and materials are annotated. Each one points directly
to the interesting section of the site, and give a brief review of what it can
be used for. There are also clear recommendations on science books, free
science worksheets, science news suitable for young children, etc. Lots of
freebies and goodies.
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South District Technology Support Site
http://www.wsd1.org/southd/
Aaron Benarroch, Technology Support Teacher for the South District of
Winnipeg School Division, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, maintains this site
that is focused on providing support to teachers for web based activities,
professional development and technical instructions. Many websites have
been categorized by curricular topics and has excellent links to other
on-line teacher resources.
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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 (Foreword by Dr.Harry Wong)
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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