Persuasive Text

I just found out that Upfront Magazine has a link to their Debate articles.
These are super models of persuasive text. Check it out at...

http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/indepth/upfront/debate/index.as
p?article=pastdebates

Recycled Holiday Cards

A simple and fun activity is to reuse holiday cards by cutting up used cards
and pasting the art/designs onto another card or onto recycled paper. The
"recycled" cards can be given to teachers, sold as a fundraiser, or sent to
a local organization such as a senior center or a veterans association. We
sent our cards to Bunkers in Baghdad, Inc. 665 Main Street, Suite 400
Buffalo, New York 14203 so soldiers will receive them by Christmas. Remember
to tell your friends, families and colleagues to save their cards.

Awesome Water Project Resources

Now that we're finished with Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF, check out
water-related resources for the Tap Project at
http://youth.unicefusa.org/tap/.

Slow Food

Cool website on Slow Food - grow it - eat it. Good resources for school
garden projects. Check-out the detailed how-to guide.

http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/programs/in_schools_detail/get_started/

Libraries in Brazil

Numerous education reform bills passed by Brazilian legislature this year
In the first semester of 2009, the Brazilian legislature¹s Education and
Culture Committee voted on 82 proposals related to education, 55 of which
were passed. Approved measures include...requiring the installation of
libraries in all public primary and secondary schools...

[posted: International Baccalaureate Americas Newsbrief, August 13, 2009]
Source: Agencia Brasil, ³Comissao de Educacao e Cultura votou 82 propostas
no primeiro semester de 2009,² O Globo, 27 de julio de 2009

Library Grant Contest

The Scholastic Library Publishing National Library Week grant will award
$3,000 to a single U.S. library for the best public awareness campaign
during National Library Week 2010. All types of libraries and library
organizations are welcome to apply.

This year's grant focuses on the National Library Week theme, "Communities
thrive @ your library®." All proposals must use this theme. Deadline:
October 16, 2009

http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/pio/natlibraryweek/nlwgrant.cfm

Annenberg Media

You gotta sign up for the Annenberg Media newsletter with links to a ton of
free video-on-demand resources to help you with your lessons. Here's a
teaser from their latest newsletter..

Social Studies/History/Civics:
The article "Creating Strategies and Conditions for Civil Discourse
About Controversial Issues"
http://www.learner.org/workshops/civics/workshop7/otherlessons/index$2.html
by John Rossi is valuable reading if you're facilitating class
discussions specifically on the use of atomic weapons or on other
controversial topics.

OR
Science/Physics:
The Perseids are an annually observed meteor shower associated with
Comet Swift-Tuttle. The meteor shower can be seen from the latter part
of July until the latter part of August, this year peaking around August
12. For a peak experience on August 12, observe the sky just before
moonrise to avoid a glaring gibbous moon's interference with the display.
For information about meteors and their impact on Earth, visit the
following Learner.org resources: Mathematics Illuminated
http://www.learner.org/courses/mathilluminated/units/13/textbook/03.php

OR English/Debate/Current Events:
For literature that addresses racial profiling, see the work of
Ishmael Reed http://www.learner.org/workshops/hslit/session5/aw/work1.html
in The Expanding Canon: Teaching Multicultural Literature in High School.
Making Civics Real: A Workshop for Teachers, Workshop 7,
"Controversial Public Policy Issues"
http://www.learner.org/workshops/civics/workshop7/ in which high school
teacher JoEllen Ambrose of Champlin Park High School in Minnesota
actively engages her 12th-grade law class in the issue of racial
profiling. The Web site includes the lesson plan, student perspectives,
and more.

Sign-up for Taking It Global Ed Blog

TIGed blog at http://www.tigblog.org/group/tiged.

Taking It Global

Present at NCSS 2009 and Attend for Free!
The TIGed program is currently seeking an educator to give a one-hour
presentation on its behalf at the National Council for the Social Council
for the Social Studies annual conference, to be held November 13-15 2009 in
Atlanta, Georgia. For more information about this opportunity, please
contact Katherine Walraven katherine@takingitglobal.org, Education Program
Manager. For more information about the conference, please visit the
conference website. http://www.socialstudies.org/conference

Teachers can Backpack in CA for Credits

[from SD Coast Keeper newsletter]

Get an Insider View of California's Coasts

Coastwalk California is offering hiking adventures up and down the West
Coast through September. Coastwalks are multi-day hiking/camping adventures
along the California Coastal Trail led by volunteer hike leaders who are
knowledgeable in coastal ecology, history and more. Check out Coastwalk's
Website for an outdoor adventure near you. Teachers can earn credits.
http://www.coastwalk.org/Hikes/hikes.htm

Yong Zhou's is Inspirational

From Yong Zhou, ELDA Conference, June 11, 2009, University of San Diego.

"Jefferson told us where to look to see if a nation is a success.He did not
say to look at test scores. Instead, he said to lookat ³life, liberty, and
the pursuit of happiness.² --Keith Baker (2007)

According to Zhou, if we look not at internatioanl math scores, but at more
important indicators of a country's success, such as national wealth,
quality of life, democracy and patents (innovation and creativity), the US
scores high. It' a myth that lower international standardized math scores
determine a country's future success. Math scores were not an indicator of
the country's future success. So, why are we making policy based on math
scores alone?

At a time when we are testing the art, music, physical education, and
creative process out of our educational system, Zhou forces us to ask
ourselves...

What knowledge is of most worth in the 21st Century?

If we focus on only memorization of rote, archaic facts and algorithms to
pass a standardized test, based on information that is easily retrieved from
known sources, then will we keep our edge? Will we continue to offer the
world unique and innovative, ideas, skills and talents and will the world
contiue to pay us what we "believe we are worth" or that we require to live
a very "abundant" lifestyle?

Take a look at
Baker, Keith (2007).Are International Tests Worth Anything? Kappan, October,
2007.
Zhao, Y. (in press). Catching Up or Keeping the Lead: American Education in
the Age of Globalization. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

What skills do you believe our students will need to ensure life, liberty
and the pursuit of happiness in the 21st Century? What is the role of
assessment in the 21st century classroom? Will there be a need for a
classroom? Will there be a need for a live teacher? What knowledge is most
worth learning for the 21st Century?

Comment today.

Agricultural Biotechnology Resources for Teachers

Visit ucbiotech.org <http://ucbiotech.org/> ­ Science-based information and
resources on agricultural biotechnology, developed by the UCANR
Biotechnology Workgroup. Some activities and informational handouts
available for download. All resources are available on loan; some are
available in Spanish. If you are interested in booking any of these
materials, or have questions, please contact Barbara Alonso, at
balonso@nature.berkeley.edu.

Educational displays - "Foods: Past and Present" and "Genes, Genomics and
Diversity².
"Fun & Games with Foods & Genetics² - Display (baseball ­style) cards and
teacher handout available in Spanish and English.
Tic Tac Grow Game ­ a game designed to help players make connections between
seeds, plants and foods.
GENEie Juice Bar - mimics contemporary juice bars and can be used as a
stand-alone activity or can accompany the Foods display and cards. Includes
all materials needed for DNA isolation.

FW: To post

Serving the good stuff

Battle of the Books: How can we call ourselves Media Teachers if we're not
geeking on the "good stuff" just as hard as the kids. In addition to
twitter, myspace and facebook, check out how these teens took the "battle
of the books" to a new level.

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6655243.html?nid=2413&source=l
ink&rid=274017822

Place-based Learning

Great educators know that learning must be relevant and nothing is more
relevant than collecting real-data and interacting with real-life
environments and local communities. We've done our jobs as educators when
students have the skills, knowledge, understanding and attitudes to act upon
what they've learned and make the world a healthier, safer, more beautiful
place for us all. Check out this KPBS article then go outside!
http://www.pbs.org/teachers/mediainfusion/

We're back

Thanks to a sick day at home, I decided to revive this resource. I want to keep Community Narratives more focused on community and service so I'll post the cool educational links here. Thanks for staying tuned. I'll try to post more often ok. Send me your educational ideas and resources to post. I'll always give you credit if I use it.

Comparing Holocaust to Native American Genocide

Helping students to make connections is so important. As a member of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum's teaching fellows program, Robin Levin is completing a curriculum that draws parallels between the Nazi’s systematic extermination of the Jews during the 1930s and 1940s with the U.S. government’s treatment of Native Americans. Read the article in School Library Journal: