Blog D - Sites for your students to use

Want your students to learn about the environment? With fact-sheets, interactive games, and more, EPA's Web site can help with all sorts of information about EPA and the environment. Air, water, ecosystems, and conservation. All grade levels as well as background information for teachers. http://www.epa.gov/epahome/students.htm

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics has recommended Math Cats "The Web site at www.mathcats.com offers playful explorations of mathematical ideas that will pique students' interest... The most powerful part of the Web site... is the interactive applets that help students explore mathematics in a way that develops understanding... When students enter the door of "Math Cats Love MicroWorlds!" they will find applets for every Content Standard as well as activities just for fun, many involving problem solving... This rich activity site offers mathematics students plenty to explore." Your students will love the trivia, animations, quizzes and games! http://www.mathcats.com/contents.html

Want to give your students a glimpse into real world travel? Lonely Planet is a company that specializes in travel on a shoestring. Not only is it a resource for basic facts about every place on Earth, but the travelers are full of unique and interesting stories. Way better than having your students pick up questionable information from just surfing the net. http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/

Blog C - Teacher Resources – FREE!

Here's a few FREE! Resources for teachers. Use them as supplements, enrichment or as something a little different.

FREE Classroom Projects and Activities From Dover Publications. Each week Dover will send you an email with fun and educational projects and activities -- puzzles and brain-teasers, science projects, stories and poems, nature illustrations, coloring pages, and much more. http://www.doverpublications.com/ts001/index.php?adid=st_teacherresource&lineid=22222

A Free 1-year Subscription to YES! Magazine. YES! is ad-free and published by the Positive Futures Network, an independent nonprofit organization. The latest issue's theme is Foreign Policy. Previous issues have focused on climate and community. http://www.yesmagazine.org/teachersub.asp


EXPLORATIONS™ Sample Activity Booklets for educators in the US and Canada.The books help educators integrate TI technology into their curriculum and everyday instruction, from kindergarten classes all the way through college. There are also free online activities in math and many other subjects. Topics are not limited to math, so browse to see if any booklet might apply to the subjects you teach! http://education.ti.com/educationportal/sites/US/nonProductSingle/global_forms_sampleactivities.html

The US Federal Reserve has a series of comic books devoted to economics. Topics include the history of money, how savings banks work, how credit works, and many other topics such as checks and inflation. Teachers can order up to 35 complementary copies. Some are available free in PDF format. There are also a number of other booklets and guidelines on everything from investing to finding a mortgage. http://app.ny.frb.org/publications/result.cfm?comics=1

Blog B - Technology for use in your classroom

Here are some technologies to help your struggling readers and writers. These are also a great help to teachers:

Annoyed that when your students are in the tech lab they are surfing the Web, IMing or playing games? How about a laptop system that gives you the flexibility of file uploading and saving, and keeps your students focused on their work? With an AlphaSmart NEO2 you can create quizzes, download them to the student's laptop via wireless, and upload their answers. Students can use network printers, save and copy to USB devices such as thumb drives. http://www.alphasmart.com/k12/

Need a way to give deficient readers a leg up? Kurzweil 3000 is a scaffolded reading, writing, and study skills solution for struggling learners. Simply scan in what you want the student to read, click a few buttons, and the Kurzweil software can read the material to your student. In addition, your student can interact with the software, answering popup questions, clicking on multiple-choice answers, or typing right into the document. http://www.kurzweiledu.com/

Help is on the way for those struggling writers who just can't produce the level of work you know they are capable of. Write:OutLoud is a program for all students who struggle with writing. As students type, Write:OutLoud reads their composition aloud while highlighting the word or sentence being read. Revising and editing tools include a dictionary, bibliographer, Franklin talking spell checker. http://www.donjohnston.com/

Blog A - Grants for Teachers

Looking for a project to do with your students, or for a unique learning opportunity for yourself? Check out these teaching-related grants:

Is your school district struggling to make ends meet? Is your town sick of pushing for overrides to avoid cutting the budget? Here's a potential way to make up the deficit and benefit both your students and your community at the same time. The Richard Riley Award provides up to $10,000 as an award for schools that demonstrate they are community learning centers where there is a rich array of social, civic and recreational activities. http://www.richardrileyaward.org/en/Index.asp

Foreign travel, living and learning at its best! Participate in a Fulbright-Hays Seminar Abroad and learn first hand what other countries are doing at all levels (elementary and up) to enhance their curricula. At the same time experience world culture and bring these experiences back into your classroom. How refreshing! Seminars are short (4-6 weeks), fully funded and take place during the summer. Follow the e-grants link to find Fulbright-Hays Seminars: http://e-grants.ed.gov/egHome.asp?APP=

Have an interest in local history? Want to team up with a local history site to do a project, expand your curriculum or enhance a field trip? Here's a chance to turn your students in to 'real-life' historians. Each year, The History Channel awards grants of up to $10,000 to organizations across the country that partner with schools or youth groups on community preservation projects that engage students in learning about, documenting and preserving the history of their communities. How easy is that? http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=Minisite_Generic&content_type_id=51650&display_order=3&sub_display_order=5&mini_id=51103

Got a green thumb? How about an Orange Thumb grant? Fiskars Garden & Outdoor Living offers up to $1500 for gardens and/or gardening projects geared toward community involvement, neighborhood beautification, sustainable agriculture and/or horticultural education are eligible. This is the type of project that gets your students involved in the community, or it could coincide with a community service requirement for graduation or independent study project for those 'hard to reach' students who just need to be outdoors! http://www.fiskars.com/content/garden_en_us/Garden/Community/project+orange+thumb/2008application

Learn, grow, teach....Enjoy!
Kat

Welcome to Teaching By Kat!

Welcome to Teaching By Kat, a blog for teachers. Check back regularly for information about teaching methods as well as great resources for teachers.