Chalk Talk

The Professional Newsletter for Irvington Teachers

Issues:

  • October 2008

  • November 2008

  • December 2008

  • January 2009

  • February 2009

  • March 2009

  • April 2009

  • May 2009

  • June 2009

Recommended Professional Websites:

    • October 2008 http://www.pbs.org/teachers/vote2008

    • PBS Teachers Introduces Free Elections Resource -- PBS Teachers Vote 2008 offers election-related lesson plans, interactives, RSS feeds and podcasts, as well as an array of new Web 2.0 tools created by public broadcasting radio and television stations across the country. These resources are designed to engage students and encourage them to actively participate in this year's historic election process. Popular features include "Access, Analyze and Act," a new curriculum designed to promote civic engagement and 21st century skills through the use of social media. The curriculum includes lesson plans and activities and an interactive political personality quiz for middle and high school students and three professional development videos for educators.

    • November 2008 http://www.educationoasis.com

    • Education Oasis is an independent site. It was created in the summer of 2003 by K. J. Wagner, M.A., a teacher. The contributors are a diverse group of teachers, parents, and grandparents who believe education is power. The site is intended to be a warm and friendly "oasis" where teachers can come to get ideas, information, and inspiration. Be sure to take a look at the “Book Central” and “Resources” sections.

    • December 2008 http://www.nationalgeographic.com/education

    • The National Geographic website for educators provides lessons and activities sorted by standard and grade-level, interactive classroom activities, print-friendly maps, as well as topic-related photos, news articles, books, and videos. Other great features include maps, quizzes, and photos of the day. ePals is National Geographic’s forum for safe, online, global communication between classrooms. Students can share projects in a broader community of learners with secure email and blogging capabilities.

    • January 2009 http://www.learnoutloud.com/

    • Learn Out Loud is a one-stop-shop for audio and video materials that can be used either inside or outside the classroom. There is a wide selection of audio books, lectures, and speeches that can be uploaded to an iPod or streamed live to a desktop. The homepage hosts a demonstration video that will familiarize users with the site’s many functions. Some media content must be purchased for a fee, but the “free stuff” section gives you open access to thousands of audio and video files at no cost. Additionally, a special kids’ section provides age-appropriate learning tools to complement any classroom lesson plan. Web resources like this one can be found by going to the Digital Directions link off of the Ed Week website.

    • January 2009 http://www.edweek.org

    • Editorial Projects in Education Inc. publishes Education Week, American education's newspaper of record, the Teacher Professional Development Sourcebook, Digital Directions, edweek.org, teachermagazine.org, and TopSchoolJobs.org. The primary mission of this non-profit is to help raise the level of awareness and understanding of important issues in American education among professionals and the public. They cover local, state, and national news and issues from preschool through the 12th grade.

  • February 2009 http://vital.thirteen.org

  • (First visit requires simple, free self-registration.) “Vital New York is a free online library of digital multimedia resources for the K-12 classroom presented by Thirteen/WNET. Featuring dynamic public television video and interactive content, this growing collection is fully aligned to the New York State Learning Standards. VITAL NY brings the world into the classroom by providing real-life applications of concepts that engage students and stimulate discussion and learning. In September 2008 VITAL NY re-launched with a dramatically expanded collection of more than 2,000 resources for teachers and students. This includes 300 resources developed to support the New York State core curriculum in English Language Arts and mathematics for grades 3-8, as well as 1,000+ resources that have been aligned to the New York State Regents curriculum in Global History and Geography, US History, Living Environment, Earth Science, Physics, and Chemistry.”

  • March 2009 http://www.learner.org/

  • Advancing Excellent Teaching in American Schools: Annenberg Media uses media and telecommunications to advance excellent teaching in American schools. This mandate is carried out chiefly by the funding and broad distribution of educational video programs with coordinated Web and print materials for the professional development of K-12 teachers. It is part of The Annenberg Foundation and advances the Foundation's goal of encouraging the development of more effective ways to share ideas and knowledge. Annenberg Media's multimedia resources help teachers increase their expertise in their fields and assist them in improving their teaching methods. Many programs are also intended for students in the classroom and viewers at home. All Annenberg Media videos exemplify excellent teaching.

  • April 2009 http://kathyschrock.net/cooking/

  • Kathy Schrock, Administrator for Technology in the Nauset Public Schools in Cape Cod, is a former library media specialist whose job is to infuse technology in all curriculum areas and at all grade levels. Also a Google-certified teacher, Ms. Schrock has collected several online tools for teacher and student use in this user-friendly site. Highlighted student sites include both elementary and secondary citation makers; a graph-making site that allows children to create bar, line, area, pie, and XY graphs; and “Time Line Maker,” which guides users through the creation of vertical and horizontal chronologies. Tools recommended for teachers include study aides such as Flash Card Exchange (which lets users create, share, study, download, print, and export flash cards) as well as several rubric creation sites.

  • May 2009 www.aft.org/tools4teachers

    • Be sure to visit the Tools for Teachers page of the AFT site to find resources, grants, and discounts to help make your professional life easier. The link above takes you directly to the funding resources page. Find opportunities for funding including Teacher Grant & Awards, Classroom Donation Programs, and Summer Studies and Exchange Programs. The website is updated regularly.

    • In addition to funding resources, on the main page you can find links with resources to support classroom management, working with special populations, new teachers, instruction, and more.

    • Vicki Davis, a.k.a. “Cool Cat Teacher,” has taught middle school, high school, professional development courses, and adult computer literacy. She is currently a teacher and technology administrator for the Westwood Schools in Camilla, Georgia. She has been recognized for unique brand of wiki-based teaching. Davis' site has been recognized by The Boston Globe, has the catch-phrase "teaching content with new tools, enthusiasm, and the belief that teaching is a noble calling!" She writes about her own classroom experience, directs readers to interesting articles about kids and education, and posts videos of her instructional activities.

    • Recommended Professional Reads:

    • Hugging the Middle: How Teachers Teach in an Era of Testing and Accountability by Larry Cuban

    • How to Give Effective Feedback to Your Students by Susan M. Brookhart

  • Empowering Education: Critical Teaching for Social Change by Ira Shor

  • Those Who Dared by Carol Glickman (Ed.)

  • Strategic Design for Student Achievement by Michael S. Moody and Jason M. Stricker

  • To Understand: New Horizons in Reading Comprehension by Ellin Oliver Keene

  • The Flat World and Education: How America’s Commitment to Equity Will Determine Our Future by Linda Darling-Hammond

  • Holding On to Good Ideas in a Time of Bad Ones: Six Literacy Principles Worth Fighting For by Thomas Newkirk

  • Comprehension and Collaboration: Inquiry Circles in Action by Stephanie Harvey and Harvey Daniels

Recommended Elementary Books:

    • "The Boy Who Wouldn’t Swim" by Deb Lucke

    • "Max's Words" by Kate Banks

    • "Naming Liberty" by Jane Yolen

    • "Hate that Cat" by Sharon Creech

    • "Bella & Bean" by Rebecca Kai Dotlich

    • "The Retired Kid" by Jon Agee

    • "More Pocket Poems" by Bobbi Katz

    • "A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever" by Marla Frazee

    • "All in a Day" by Cynthia Rylant and Nikki McClure

Recommended Secondary Books:

    • One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies by Sonya Sones

    • The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

    • Shakespeare Bats Cleanup by Ron Koertge

    • Tender at the Bone: Growing up at the Table by Ruth Reichl

    • The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation: Volume 1- The Pox Party by M.T. Anderson

    • Over a Thousand Hills I Walk with You by Hanna Jansen

    • Amazing Gracie by Dan Dye & Mark Beckloff (Illustrated by Meg Michele Cundiff)

    • Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham

    • The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon