Free US Gov't Resources for Educators

FREE -- Federal Resources for Educational Excellence -- is a site run by the U.S. government that collects teaching and learning resources from dozens of federal agencies. It is organized by subject area: Arts & Music, Health & Phys. Ed., History & Social Studies, Language Arts, Math, and Science. Here are a few sites I found through FREE:

• Amazing Space -  Classroom resources based on the Hubble Space Telescope's discoveries
• World Wise Schools - From the Peace Corps. Offers a way for classrooms to connect with Peace Corps volunteers and to view information posted on the website from volunteers. Also provides lesson plans, podcasts, and insights into global issues. Try the Peace Corps Challenge Game.
• Read.gov - from the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress

Natural Disaster Graphics on BBC Site

The BBC has a nice set of interactive graphics to show how various natural disasters work:

• Hurricanes
• Tornadoes
• Earthquakes
• Volcanoes
• Tsunamis

Good Books Cheap!

A couple of local sources for inexpensive books this week and next....

The Used Book Superstore in Danvers (near Market Basket) is having a 50% off sale on Tuesday, April 21. If you want to get that great discount though, you have to bring in a coupon that is only available to subscribers of their email newsletter. Sign up by Saturday 4/17 and you will get the coupon.

Barnes & Noble is running Educator Appreciation Days April 10-18. Educators get a 25% discount if you have the card.

Field Trip Grants

Target will take Field Trip Grant applications starting on August 1, 2010.

According to their site, $4 million was awarded this school year to educators nationwide to fund 5,000 field trips. Peabody, Salem and many cities in Massachusetts were among the recipients.

Making the Most Out of Science Museum Field Trips

The NY Times Learning Network has an article and lesson plan about making a field trip to science museums, and even uses a trip to the Museum of Science in Boston as an example! There are suggestions for before and after activities as well as ideas for creating a sort of museum scavenger hunt for students. There is an accompanying article, The Thrill of Science, Tamed by Agendas.

Earthquake Information

USGS California-Nevada Real Time Earthquake page shows a map of recent quakes in California and Nevada - all 2000+ of them! Try clicking on United States to see the rest of the country - look how quiet New England is - or go to the World view. The M5+ list shows the location of all recent magnitude 5 and above earthquakes.

The Weston Observatory, run by Boston College gives real-time seismograph displays in New England. While this region is not known for its quakes, we do have them. There's a nice article, Why Does the Earth Quake in New England? It turns out that there are different evolving theories. " Unlike the situation for many plate boundary earthquakes, it is not at all clear whether faults mapped at the earth's surface in the Northeast are the same faults along which the earthquakes are occurring."

Google Search Tricks

The #1 most emailed article on the New York Times right now is 10 Simple Google Search Tricks. They are:

1. Use the “site:” operator to limit searches to a particular site. - This one is particularly useful!
2. Use Google as a spelling aid.
3. Use Google as a calculator.
4. Find out what time it is anywhere in the world.
5. Get quick currency conversions.
6. Use the OR operator.
7. Exclude specific terms with the – operator.
8. Search for specific document types.
9. Search within numerical ranges using the .. operator.
10. Area code lookup. 

Read the article for more details on any of these. 

Common Sense Media Curriculum

Common Sense Media is one of my major go-to sites when I'm trying to determine what content is appropriate. It's particularly good on movies, but they also have some good information on books and web sites and computer games. They also have some great articles about media literacy, issues around cellphones and kids' use of technology.

An article in today's New York Times talks about how they are stepping up their profile in the area of school curriculum to teach today's students about good online behavior and citizenship. It looks like their programs will be worth looking at in more depth and could yield some very useful lessons.

Verizon Foundation Gives Out Grants

Came across the Verizon Foundation today - they award grants in the areas of education, literacy, and Internet safety. Note that they specifically state that they do not sponsor field trips.

New Hominid Discovered

Lots of news reports today about a new hominid discovery in South Africa. The new hominid is called Australopithecus sediba, and it lived 1.78 to 1.95 million years ago. Here are some good reports about it:

• New Hominid Species Discovered in South Africa - New York Times
• Boy, 9, found new hominid species - News 24 (South African news source)
• South African fossils could be 'new human ancestor' - BBC News - includes video

Anxiety Resources

Dear Teachers: 

This annotated bibliography of websites was created as a support to help everyone better understand childhood anxiety.  More and more students who are diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome, OCD, Asperger's Syndrome, PTSD, General Anxiety, or School Refusal are attending Briscoe.  We can provide our anxious students an outstanding education when we understand the types of accommodations they need to  successfully access the curriculum.  I believe you will find that information at the sites below.

-- Mrs. Gillette

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Childhood and Adolescent Anxiety Disorders - KeepKidsHealthy.com
This is an all inclusive article that clearly defines anxiety.  The author, Dr. William Goldman,  defines the symptoms of anxiety, types of Anxiety Disorders, and the causes of anxiety.  Dr. Goldman continues by describing the three major types of interventions for anxiety: psychological, psychopharmocological, and environmental.  Dr. Goldman concludes with a list of resources which includes books and links.

School Psychology Resources Online
This website is a resource for school psychologists and has hundreds of resources specific to school related childhood issues.  From gifted students to ADHD and childhood anxiety, you will find easy articles to read and the resources you are looking for to assist all students on your team.

Living with Anxiety: Children - Anxiety Disorders Association of America
This is the Anxiety Disorders Association of America's Childhood anxiety page.  You will find links to the specific childhood disorders and treatments.  You will also find links regarding anxieties at school, school refusals, and test anxiety.  This is an excellent site with expert advice.

Worry Wise Kids - The Children's Center for OCD and Anxiety
“Transforming the weight of the world into a world of possibilities” is this group's motto.  This website specifically addresses childhood anxiety.  There are specific resources for accommodations in the class room.  Although it is a support for parent site, there is a wealth of information re: IDEA, newslettes, definitions and suggestions for each childhood anxiety disorder, i.e., OCD, Tourette's, School refusal, etc. This is an excellent resource with expert advice.

What is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)? - International OCD Foundation
This is the site of the International Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders Foundation.  The site contains up to date information on treatment for people/children living with OCD.  It also has a clear definition of what life is like for adultls/children living with this anxiety disorder. There is a check list on this site regarding PANDAS, the relatively new discovery that a Strep Throat infection may lead to OCD type symptoms and an antibiotic treatment regimen may resolve these same symptoms.
Excellent site for OCD information.

All Kinds of Minds: Resources
This is Dr. Mel Levine's website.  Here you will find many resources for students with learning disabilities and challenges who we find in classrooms today.  There are printouts available and activities for students. There are teacher suggestions in specific content areas, such as math. These suggestions may be helpful to use with students who would benefit from the use of specific strategies to gain a more thorough understanding of math concepts.