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.