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Bridges4Kids
Featured
Resource:
Khan Academy
You can
learn anything. For free. For everyone. Forever.
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Soshiku – Tracking Homework
with Cell Phones - Soshiku, a website created by 17-year old Andrew
Shaper, is a simple and elegant web-based tool for tracking school
assignments. Launched this September, I stumbled across it via a note on
Twitter and I have to say I’m completely impressed.
As Homework Grows, So Do Arguments Against It - The nation's
best-known researcher on homework has taken a new look at the subject, and
here is what Duke University professor Harris Cooper has to say: Elementary
school students get no academic benefit from homework -- except reading and
some basic skills practice -- and yet schools require more than ever. High
school students studying until dawn probably are wasting their time because
there is no academic benefit after two hours a night; for middle-schoolers,
1 1/2 hours. And what's perhaps more important, he said, is that most
teachers get little or no training on how to create homework assignments
that advance learning.
New AOL Site Aims to be Tops in
Homework Help - When it comes to educational search, AOL is
determined to be at the head of the class. On August 9, the company launched
a free search engine that scans thousands of teacher-approved Web sites for
information to help students with everything from algebra homework to
history reports. Youngsters who visit AOL's newly launched StudyBuddy
search-engine site can access information culled from a database of 350,000
teacher-approved journals, encyclopedias and Web sites.
An Interview with Alfie Kohn: About the Homework Book - ”I began with
the premise that, as parents know, homework is often responsible for stress
and family conflict, that it gets in the way of other things kids would like
to do after they finish six or seven hours of school, and that homework is
viewed so negatively by children that it may diminish their interest in
learning. But teachers continue to assign homework (in ever greater amounts,
in fact, at least in the elementary grades) and parents continue to put up
with it – presumably because they assume that the benefits outweigh the
costs.”
Students Find Homework Help on Other Side of World - It was almost 3
a.m., Alex Del Monte recalled, and he was cramming. He gulped can after can
of Red Bull to stay awake, but he knew he would flunk his statistics exam
later that day if he didn't call his tutor for help. But so late? No problem
if your tutor works 8,500 miles away and 9 1/2 hours ahead in Bangalore,
India. In an hour-long session that cost $18, the Indian tutor, who said his
name was Mike, spent an hour walking Del Monte through such esoteric
concepts as confidence intervals and alpha divisions. He got an A on the
final exam.
MA
Students Lament Loss of
Study Halls, Added Homework Load - Massachusetts kids want time to do
their assignments in school and not have to lug their books home.
Where Some Give Credit,
Others Say It's Not Due - Teachers frequently ask themselves: If a
student shows significant effort but averages a D on her tests, should her
hard work result in at least a C? Or does that render grades meaningless?
UK
The Head Who Banned
Homework - Spiritualists believe the village of Marlborough, in
Wiltshire, lies at the heart of the modern-day crop circle phenomenon. Last
week, however, a local headmaster achieved something even more mystical: he
made homework disappear.
How to Help
Students with Their Assignments - There were the complaints from the
teachers: The students don’t do their homework. How am I supposed to teach
when they do not come prepared? The students lose everything I give them.
They never bring their materials—no pencils, no papers, and no signed
papers!
Numbers Game Scores -
MATHCOUNTS, a problem-solving version of a spelling bee that celebrates the
unpredictability of mathematics, has spread to about 6,000 U.S. schools and
continues to grow.
Education World's Educational Website Reviews (3/04)
The Molecular Workbench - A simulation that
teaches molecular structure.
The U. S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Education Page -
Invaluable resources for a key historical topic.
National Mental Health Information Center - The
Department of Health and Human Services site on mental health info.
Grand Rapids Academic
Summer Program For All Michigan Kids: The GRASP program is a
nine week correspondence summer program written by Grand Rapids Public
Schools staff in math and reading. It is designed for children who
have completed grades K-8. Children receive a packet of materials for
the nine weeks of summer, and mail in a lesson a week. The lessons are
scored, results recorded, and lessons returned to the children.
UK
Homework Fails to Make
the Grade - Children have long
suspected it, and now research confirms it: homework is a waste of
time. Anxiety, boredom, fatigue and emotional exhaustion are all
side-effects of bringing schoolwork home, according to a review of 75
years of study into the issue.
Homework help for your kids - The
do’s and don’ts of helping your child with school assignments.
Experiencia:
Program Connects Classroom and Home Instruction Through Immersive
Learning for 3rd - 6th Graders - What is
Experiencia? Experiencia is pioneering a proprietary learning system,
Immersive Learning™, that enhances and connects classroom and home
instruction with vivid learning experiences at interactive simulation
sites. Experiencia programs transform teaching and learning by brining
theory and best practices to life. |
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Math
Resources |
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Also see
IEP Issues - Math Resources
Graphing
Puppies
- How do you get a middle schooler stoked about graphs? One word:
puppies!
Home
Design-Inspired Activities for Kids
- What better way to learn about geometry and other core concepts
than designing a room or even a whole home?
10 Enjoyable
Math Crafts And Activities For World Maths Day
- If your student thinks they’re destined to hate math because they
prefer to use the creative side of their brain, give a few of these
activities a try.
70 Cool Math
Games
- If you disguise math as a game (or 70!), kids won’t mind learning
arithmetic.
Cooking with
Recipes
- Kids won’t be able to resist learning about fractions,
multiplication and division if their favorite recipe plays a part.
This lesson also has customizable, printable worksheets.
Featured Resource:
Khan Academy - You can
learn anything. For free. For everyone. Forever.
Featured Resource!
Math Doctor - Algebra Help
Mike's Math
Club: Math can be fun! Check out Mike's
"Do the Math" downloadable activities and
Teacher-directed activities that will bring your math lessons to
life!
Bridges4Kids Book Review: The Monstrously Fun Fraction Book -
click here.
Despite High School
Algebra Focus, More Students Need Remedial College Math -
Five years ago, California took a bold step and began requiring
algebra of every graduating high school senior. The grumbling ran
deep. The work was hard. The underlying equation came through loud
and clear: More math in high school would equal more students
prepared for college. For many, it hasn't added up.
CA
At L.A. school, Singapore Math Has Added Value - Here's a
little math problem: In 2005, just 45% of the fifth-graders at
Ramona Elementary School in Hollywood scored at grade level on a
standardized state test. In 2006, that figure rose to 76%. What was
the difference?
Parent Resource Sharing: Exceptional Math Homework Sites
- "On these websites, you can ask
mathematicians to help answer homework and other math questions for kids.
We've done it and they're fantastic!" Check out
Mike's Math Club and
Dr. Math
today!
The Online
Math League - Here's a great new contest to get students
excited about learning math: The Online Math League! You'll get:
challenging, but fun tests that are aligned to State of Michigan Grade
Level Content Expectations, separate grade-level contests for students
in 3rd through 8th grade, plus separate Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra
2, and Advanced Math contests, instant scoring, and impressive plaques
and trophies. Individual schools, classrooms, and even students can
participate. No computers are required to take the tests. If you've
never had your students participate in a math contest such as this,
you will be amazed at the enthusiasm it can generate. They will be
thrilled as they watch scores show up online in real time. For more
information about the Online Math League's 2005-2006 contests, to
download free sample tests, or to register visit their website.
Why American Kids Aren't Learning Math - A simmering controversy
about the math programs in the Penfield schools should be of equal interest
to a good number of other school districts that have been using "reform"
mathematics programs. An article about the Penfield dispute characterized
the disagreement as if it were a question of style: "The new curriculum
encourages students to develop problem-solving strategies instead of giving
them a list of formulas to memorize." But this is not the issue. Arithmetic
is not trivial mathematics, and it certainly will not be "discovered" by
school children. It must be taught, and practiced. A good mathematics
program takes advantage of the mathematical discoveries of thousands of
years of civilized effort, while Penfield has them counting with sticks,
starting history all over again.
The One-size-fits-all Way Girls Are Taughts Explains Their Differences
With Boys - A distinguished Harvard professor suggests women
may be innately less capable of scholarship at the highest levels and
asserts that the pursuit of an academic career will cause a woman's
body to shunt blood away from the uterus toward the brain, rendering
that woman "irritable and infertile." A flurry of press coverage
ensues.
No Simple Solution on U.S. Math Classes -
Confused by the latest ''good news-bad news" headlines about
how US students compare in math with their peers in foreign lands?
Wondering whether the math program at your child's school is teaching
addition better than another program might?
A Website Where Students Can Go Figure - UCLA's
problem-solving site demands more critical thinking than multiple-choice
tests. It also lets teachers track students' methods.
Visit http://www.immex.ucla.edu/
for more information.
MI
Michigan Launches New Grade Level Content Expectations (GLCE)
- Michigan’s new nationally recognized GLCE provide schools, teachers, and parents with the detailed information they need to understand what students are expected to know and be able to do at the end of each grade. The new annual
MEAP (Michigan Education Assessment Program) will be aligned to the GLCE. Download a copy of the new grade level content expectations and Michigan
curriculum framework for English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics, as well as teacher professional development materials, a parent guide, a list of frequently
asked questions, and other resources.
UK
Researcher:
Children Who Memorize
Times Tables Multiply Faster and More Accurately
- Speaking at a conference for British math teachers, Dr.
Sylvia Steel said studies indicate that auditory rote learning of
multiplication tables is the most successful way for children to
master multiplication facts. Math teachers say rote learning was less
popular ten years ago, but note that times tables are still being
taught today, along with other numeracy strategies.
An Everyday Effort to
Improve Education - Karen Budd is one of those parents that
school administrators try to avoid. To begin with, she understands
math, having a bachelor's degree in the subject, plus some graduate
work in engineering, from the University of Pittsburgh. Every school
superintendent who has ever attended a PTA meeting knows the
math-savvy parents are the worst.
Mike's Math
Club: Math can be fun! Check out Mike's
"Do the Math" downloadable activities and
Teacher-directed activities that will bring your math lessons to
life!
Math: ENC Online - has gathered nearly 700 lessons & resources for
teaching math & organized them by topic: number & operations, algebra,
measurement, reasoning & proof, problem solving, patterns, history,
careers, geometry, data analysis & probability, applied math, &
advanced math (calculus, discrete mathematics, functions, precalculus,
trigonometry). (ED)
Check out the Math Forum at
http://mathforum.org/students/index.html.
Math Resources:
www.math.com offers tip sheets for
basic math all the way through calculus in a well-organized way.
www.mathpower.com offers
student-created tip sheets for adult math learners, complete with
cheerful music to keep you relaxed while surfing.
TX
By Putting Math to Music, Teacher Captivates Minds - Texas
Educator Uses Rhythmic Methods To Connect With Students, Influence
Peers. (Free registration/login required to read this story.)
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English,
Reading & Language Arts
Resources |
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Online
Guide to Writing and Grammar -
Includes easy-to-follow rules of grammar, sentence construction,
quizzes, how to write an essay and a thesis, PowerPoint tips…in short,
everything you need to properly express yourself.
The Guide to Grammar and Writing is
sponsored by the
Capital Community College Foundation, a nonprofit 501 c-3
organization that supports scholarships,
faculty development, and curriculum innovation.
MI
Michigan Launches New Grade Level Content Expectations (GLCE)
- Michigan’s new nationally recognized GLCE provide schools, teachers, and parents with the detailed information they need to understand what students are expected to know and be able to do at the end of each grade. The new annual
MEAP (Michigan Education Assessment Program) will be aligned to the GLCE. Download a copy of the new grade level content expectations and Michigan
curriculum framework for English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics, as well as teacher professional development materials, a parent guide, a list of frequently
asked questions, and other resources.
"Piers Plowman Electronic Archive"
offers a hypertext archive of the three versions of the William
Langland's 14th-century allegorical poem "Piers Plowman." The poem was
reproduced by scribes & early editors, & the surviving 54 manuscripts
are full of errors -- some the result of incompetence, others the
product of sophisticated re-writing. This electronic edition differs
from most printed editions in that it does not suppress editorial
disagreement among the manuscripts. It embraces the provisional nature
of scholarly editing & proposes a set of solutions to editorial
problems without suggesting they will have the final authority. (NEH)
http://jefferson.village.virginia.edu/seenet/piers/
READING
A-Z
http://www.readinga-z.com
Reading A-Z supports a balanced approach to literacy by providing a
rich selection of resources that will help children become fluent
readers. In addition to 237 leveled reading books, 621 guided reading
lesson plans and worksheets, Reading A-Z
provides phonics resources such as 57 decodable books, 18 read-aloud
books, 116 worksheets, and over 1500 flashcards. All are downloadable
with Adobe Acrobat. You can preview a
sampling of 30 books with accompanying lesson plans and worksheets and
sample leveled readers, decodable books, read-alouds, and alphabet
books. If you decide to join, an
individual subscription is for one person only and can only be used on
that person's work or home computer. A six month subscription is
$29.95 and 12 months is $49.95.
Acronyms
NEH -- National Endowment for the Humanities
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Science
Resources |
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NEW!
An Overview of Simple Machines: A Resource Developed by Marcus
Kirby, Student
TestToob Allows Young
Scientists to Collaborate -
TestToob, an online community where young people can collaborate on
science, was "born in the backyard and incubated on the kitchen
table," its founder says. Now the promising Louisville startup is
leaving the nursery.
Who's Afraid of Intelligent Design? - My favorite high school
teacher, Al Ladendorff, conducted his American history class like an
extended version of "Meet the Press." Nothing, not even the textbooks
other teachers treated as Holy Writ, was safe from attack. I looked
forward to that class every day. My biology class, sadly, was another
story.
Visit NASA – The
National Aeronautics and Space Administration where you will find
special sections for students, teachers, researchers, etc. and the
latest information on space travel and exploration as well as
fascinating looks into how space exploration is affecting research on
earth.
"Exploring Earth:
Visualizations" features more than 100 animations & images that
illuminate key concepts in earth science. Animations show coal
forming, nuclear fission, the growth of a continent, tectonic plate
movement, volcanoes & earthquakes, fault motion, the formation of the
Himalayas, a geyser eruption, how waves move, tornadoes, hurricanes,
thunderstorms, & more. Students can observe a single place on earth
from multiple views, 3-D models of water & common molecules, images of
different climate zones, & seasonal changes in the amount of sunlight
reaching locations on earth. Visualizations are organized by topic:
earth as a system, earth's structure & motions, rocks, atoms to
minerals, plate tectonics, volcanoes, earthquakes, mountain building,
weathering & erosion, water, wind & currents, atmosphere, weather,
oceans, planets, & others. (NSF)
http://earthsci.terc.edu/navigation/visualization.cfm
"Science: ENC Online" has collected more than 400 lessons & resources
for teaching science & organized them by topic: earth & space science,
history of science, life science, physical science, careers, &
informal education. (ED)
"Teachers' Domain" is a digital library of multimedia for teaching &
studying life sciences -- ecology & ecosystems, evolution, adaptation,
genetics, the cell (structure & function, DNA, differentiation), &
more. It includes more than 150 broadcast clips & video modules from
WGBH Boston's programs such as NOVA, A Science Odyssey, & ZOOM;
interview segments; out-take footage; & interactive web-based
activities. Photos, animations, images, & text are catalogued &
presented with contextual information designed to help teachers
present science concepts & for independent study by students. (NSF)
http://www.teachersdomain.org
Education links and resources:
Links to Sites About Science
"Exploring Earth: Investigations"
provides more than 75 earth science investigations. Each
investigation is organized around a
question: What stories do rocks tell? Could
Mars support life? How can one volcano
change the world? Photos & text (& sometimes video) help
students answer each question. Among the
topics: earth's layers, rocks,
volcanoes & plate tectonics, earthquakes &
mountains, surface & ground water, wind &
currents, atmosphere & weather, climate
change, oceans, our moon & solar system, &
earth's history. (NSF)
http://earthsci.terc.edu/navigation/investigation.cfm
"Red Rock Adventures: A Teacher's Guide to Canyon Country Outdoor
Education" provides 100 science
activities for Grades 1-6. Topics
include the water cycle, air & weather, rocks, seasonal
changes in plants & animals,
habitats, ecosystems, biodiversity,
geological features & geographical concepts,
& microorganisms of the desert & wetlands.
The guide also outlines 18 one-day field
trips. While best suited to the high desert
of southeastern Utah, many field trips can be
adapted for other sites. (NPS)
"Watershed Ecology" introduces basic
watershed ecology concepts. It examines
physical forces that shape watershed
ecosystems, plants & animals that inhabit
watersheds, typical watershed structures, &
how watersheds function -- at different
geographic scales & over time. (EPA)
http://www.epa.gov/owowwtr1/watershed/wacademy/acad2000/ecology/
Acronyms
EPA -- Environmental Protection Agency
NPS -- National Park Service
NSF -- National Science Foundation |
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