Advance excellent teaching with Annenberg Media.
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*** In the Spotlight for April ***
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- Linking to Current Events
- This Month on the Channel
- Connect Learning with Special Days
o April Fool's Day
o World Health Day
o Taxes Due
o Earth Day
o Shakespeare's Birthday
o Arbor Day
o Week of the Young Child
o National Poetry Month
- Focus: Mathematics
- Upcoming Consortium Meetings
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*** LINKING TO CURRENT EVENTS ***
Last month, the literary community felt the loss of Octavia Butler, notable
African American science fiction author, who died February 24 at the age of 58.
Butler is the only science fiction writer to have received a "genius grant"
fellowship from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Other honors
include science fiction's prestigious Nebula Award for her novel "Parable of the
Talents" in 2000, as well as for two earlier short stories, "Speech Sounds" in
1984 and "Bloodchild" in 1985. She also earned a lifetime achievement award from
the PEN American Center in 2000.
Read about Octavia Butler and her works on the Teaching Multicultural Literature
Web site
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/Butler1.html>. The site includes audio
clips, an interview transcript, and details about her featured work, "Parable of
the Sower." Find a lesson plan for teaching "Parable of the Sower" at
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/lesson2.html>.
A list of works by and about Octavia Butler can be found at
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/author3.html>.
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*** THIS MONTH ON THE CHANNEL ***
The following series begin this month on the Annenberg Channel. Be sure to
scroll down on the linked pages for broadcast dates and times. Consult the full
broadcast schedule
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/sched4.html> for many more programs
and partial series airing in April.
ARTS
> "Art of the Western World" (college/high school)
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/art5.html>
> "Connecting with the Arts: A Teaching Practices Library, 6-8"
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/cwalib6.html>
> "Exploring the World of Music" (college/high school)
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/music7.html>
EDUCATION THEORY & REFORM
> "The Learning Classroom: Theory Into Practice" (K-12)
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/theory8.html>
> "New American Schools: Getting Better by Design" (K-12)
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/nas9.html>
LITERATURE & LANGAUGE ARTS
> "Conversations in Literature" (grades 6-12)
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/convers10.html>
MATHEMATICS
> "Insights Into Algebra 1" <http://learner.org/redirect/april/iia11.html>
> "Private Universe Project in Mathematics" (K-12)
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/pupm12.html>
SOCIAL STUDIES & HISTORY
> "Democracy in America" (high school)
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/dia14.html>
> "Inside the Global Economy" (college/high school)
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/igecon15.html>
> "Teaching High School Science"
<http://www.learner.org/redirect/april/hssci16.html>
> "The World of Abnormal Psychology" (college/high school)
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/abnorm17.html>
---
Find general information about the Annenberg Channel at
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/channel18.html>. Click on the left-hand
links for the downloadable Program Guide and information on free licensing.
Catch the live stream of the Channel at
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/video19.html>, closed captioned at
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/videocc20.html>.
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*** CONNECT LEARNING WITH SPECIAL DAYS ***
April Fool's Day (April 1)
> Read about the trickster tales of Uncle Remus, created by Joel Chandler Harris
based on traditional African American folktales, on the American Passages Web
site at
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/remus21.html>.
> Search "trickster" in the American Passages archive
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/archive22.html> to find Uncle Remus
images and other items related to the trickster character.
World Health Day (April 7)
Take full advantage of our video series to better understand the basics of human
disease and how critical health issues are being addressed --
both by medical science and in our schools and classrooms.
> Learn about infectious diseases, HIV and AIDS, and cell biology and cancer
with the programs of "Rediscovering Biology: Molecular to Global Perspectives"
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/bio23.html>. The series also considers
medical implications of microbial diversity and genetically modified organisms.
On the series Web site, explore interactive case studies
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/bio24.html>, an image and animation
archive
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/bio25.html>, and an online textbook
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/bio26.html>.
> Our microbiology series "Unseen Life on Earth"
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/unseen27.html> surveys the invisible
threats to our health in Program 9, "Microbial Control;" Program 11,
"Human Defenses;" and Program 12, "Microbes and Human Diseases."
> In "The Power of Place: Geography for the 21st Century"
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/pop28.html>, Program 19, "Strength To
Overcome," considers geographic factors in Kenya's AIDS epidemic. The related
series "Teaching Geography"
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/geog29.html> shows teacher Shirley
Hutchins addressing the AIDS epidemic in her 8th-grade classroom in
Workshop 5, "Sub-Saharan Africa."
> Students and teachers of history will appreciate "Primary Sources"
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/primary30.html> Workshop 7, "Disease and
History." The workshop focuses on the case of Mary Mallon, or "Typhoid Mary" to
demonstrate what can be learned by examining primary source documents. Find
links to the lecture transcripts at
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/primary31.html>.
> Our investigative series on education, "The Merrow Report"
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/merrow32.html>, reviews a few health
related topics. Program 13, "Healthy Children, Healthy Learning," goes into
America's school-based clinics to see how immunization, contraception, and other
health issues are being tackled. Program 9, "Attention Deficit Disorder: A
Dubious Diagnosis?" reconsiders the ADD/ADHD epidemic, while Program 27, "Living
With AIDS--and Teaching" tells the story of one educator's fight against HIV.
> Learn more about mental health with "The Brain: Teaching Modules"
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/brain33.html>, "The Mind: Teaching
Modules"
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/mind34.html>, "Discovering Psychology:
Updated Edition"
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/psych35.html> (in particular, see
Programs 21-23), and "The World of Abnormal Psychology"
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/abnorm36.html>.
Taxes Due (April 17)
At least this year we have two extra days to procrastinate, thanks to
the fact that April 15th falls on a Saturday.
> Program 3 of "Making Civics Real: A Workshop for Teachers"
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/civic37.html> shows a real high school
class learning about taxes and the federal budget. Students investigate the
interplay between the government and the economy through group work in which
they create and present a $2 trillion draft budget, then simulate a
congressional session to better understand the processes
of fiscal prioritization and compromise.
> "The Economics Classroom: A Workshop for Grade 9-12 Teachers"
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/econ38.html> Workshop 7, "Monetary and
Fiscal Policy," covers federal tax and spending policy. Students in different
classrooms learn about interest rates, the discount rate, the Federal Reserve,
open market operations, and related topics through different teaching methods.
In the end, students' knowledge is tested in an economics competition.
> "Economics U$A"
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/econusa39.html> Program 6, "Fiscal
Policy," explains how the federal government uses
taxes to control economic fluctuation.
> Round out the picture of economics with the broader view of "Inside
the Global Economy" <http://learner.org/redirect/april/globecon40.html>.
Earth Day (April 22)
Doesn't Earth deserve to be better understood and appreciated?
> Learn more about the planet that harbors us with our two instructional series
on earth science, "Earth Revealed"
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/earth41.html> and "Planet Earth"
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/planet42.html>.
> Elementary teachers can review basic science concepts, and learn to more
thoroughly address student's preconceived notions, with "Essential Science for
Teachers: Earth and Space Science"
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/essearth43.html>. Find coordinated
resources on the series Web site at
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/essearth44.html>.
The issues of worldwide pollution and natural resource depletion are
inextricably bound to economics.
> "Inside the Global Economy"
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/globecon45.html> Program 12 examines the
cases of dolphin-safe tuna fishing practices in the Americas and
transnational pollution along the Rhine river.
> "Economics U$A"
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/econusa46.html> Program 21 -- updated in
2002 -- looks at pollution as a cost to be weighed against economic gains. It
also looks at the international response to the phenomenon of global warming.
What's happening to Earth, and how can we fix things?
> When it comes to recycling and resource preservation, maybe we should take
ants and fungi as our role models. Learn how these and other organisms preserve
the natural ecology of the forest with "Unseen Life of Earth: An Introduction to
Microbiology"
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/unseen47.html> Program 10, "Microbial
Interactions."
> "Reactions in Chemistry"
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/react48.html> Workshop 7, "Chemistry and
the Environment," discusses ozone, its role as a greenhouse gas, and how its
depletion in the stratosphere leaves us vulnerable to ultraviolet rays. Other
environmental problems are investigated hands-on by real high school students
and discussed by university professors, with an eye toward devising solutions.
Shakespeare's Birthday (April 23)
> Celebrate William Shakespeare's 442nd birthday with "Hamlet," featured in
Programs 18 and 22 of "Literary Visions"
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/lit49.html>.
> "Hamlet" is also the focus of discussion in "Rethinking," Workshop 5 of our
series "Conversations in Literature"
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/convers50.html>.
> See how statistics has helped safeguard the integrity of Shakespeare's legacy
in Program 20 of "Against All Odds: Inside Statistics" <http://learner.org/redirect/april/odds51.html>.
Arbor Day (April 28)
> Many students will be planting trees this Arbor Day. But how many will know
that trees are made of air? Watch "Lessons from Thin Air," Program 2 of "Minds
of Our Own"
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/minds52.html>, to see why a basic
understanding of photosynthesis escapes even Harvard and MIT graduates.
> The second case study in "Brazil: The Sleeping Giant," Program 23 of "The
Power of Place: Geography for the 21st Century"
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/pop53.html>, considers factors in the
destruction of the Amazon rainforest, as well as logging and farming techniques
that can promote sustainability. Also watch the second case study in Program 20,
"Developing Countries," which shows how economic
factors have strained timber resources in Gabon.
Week of the Young Child (April 2-8)
> Whether you're working with a young child at home or in a classroom or child
care center, "The Whole Child: A Caregiver’s Guide to the First Five Years"
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/child54.html> provides an
excellent overview of the basics of early childhood development.
> "The Whole Child" is also available in Spanish/en Español as "El Niño
Completo" <http://learner.org/redirect/april/nino55.html>.
> "The Developing Child," Program 5 of "Discovering Psychology: Updated Edition"
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/psych56.html> looks at both
environment and heredity as factors in a child's development.
National Poetry Month
> This month, dive deep into poetry with "Voices & Visions"
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/vv57.html>, which examines the lives and
works of 13 American poets. The documentaries on T. S. Eliot, Robert Frost,
Langston Hughes, Robert Lowell, and Marianne Moore are all scheduled to air on
the Channel in April; check the broadcast schedule
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/vv58.html> for details.
> In "Literary Visions"
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/lit59.html>, Programs 11 through 17
explore several aspects of poetry, with the help
of poetry readings, dramatizations, mini lectures, and interviews.
> "American Passages: A Literary Survey"
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/ampass60.html> focuses on poetry in
Program 10, "Rhythms in Poetry," and Program 15, "Poetry of Liberation."
> "Engaging With Literature: A Video Library, Grades 3-5"
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/englit61.html> Program 3, "Starting Out,"
provides ideas and tools for teaching poetry in elementary grades, such as the
Poetry Response Chart and Creating Poetry Lessons linked on this page <http://learner.org/redirect/april/chart62.html>.
> "Teaching Multicultural Literature: A Workshop for the Middle Grades"
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/tml63.html> analyzes several poems by
diverse authors. Try the Interactive Workbook
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/wkbk64.html>, which offers two poems
as raw material for exploring different teaching strategies.
> "The Expanding Canon: Teaching Multicultural Literature in High School"
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/canon65.html> (Web site
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/hslit66.html>) shows real students
responding to the poetry of James Welch, Keith Gilyard, Ishmael Reed, Russell
Leong, Abiodun Oyewole, and Lawson Fusao Inada. For the complete poems, select
an author on the series Web site and click on the
left-hand link to download the session guide.
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*** FOCUS: MATHEMATICS ***
April is Math Education Month -- an especially good time to utilize our
broad range of resources for teaching and learning mathematics.
For teachers who want to strengthen their math skills:
> Discover the wealth of information in our five Learning Math courses for
elementary and middle school teachers, available at
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/lm67.html>. The individual course Web
sites include links to free Video on Demand, interactive illustrations to
elucidate concepts (like the one here
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/slope68.html> for calculating slope),
and problems and solutions for reviewing the material.
> Our four Teaching Math courses
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/tm69.html> are available only online.
Material is reviewed through student work, student-teacher dialogues, video
clips showing real teachers and classrooms, a reflection journal, math problems
and solutions, and interactive activities. From the main Web site, click on each
individual level for information on how to take the course.
For teachers who want to improve their teaching practice:
> After a strong start in elementary school, in the middle grades American
children begin falling behind other nations in math. "The Missing Link:
Essential Concepts for Middle School Math Teachers"
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/link70.html> is specifically designed
to address this situation.
> Our series "Insights Into Algebra 1"
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/algebra71.html> and "Private Universe
Project in Mathematics" (K-12)
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/pupm72.html> both begin a full run on the
Channel in April. What's more, every Tuesday on the Channel is devoted to
mathematics. Go to the monthly schedule
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/sched73.html> for programming details.
> Our Teaching Math video libraries offer real-classroom footage to demonstrate
sound, effective teaching practices to add to your repertoire at the K-4
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/k4math74.html>, 5-8
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/midmath75.html>, or 9-12
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/hsmath76.html> grade levels. Note
that these series are now available for purchase on DVD.
> Sign up for a free math course or workshop, or opt for low cost graduate
credit. Go to
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/workshop77.html> for a complete list of
workshops and courses, plus information on enrollment, Certificates of
Participation, and how to receive graduate credit through Colorado
State University.
For students, parents, and adults who want to refresh their math skills:
> Annenberg Media Telecourses (find information here <http://learner.org/redirect/april/tlcrs78.html
for teaching mathematics include "Against All Odds: Inside Statistics"
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/odds79.html>; our college algebra course,
"Algebra: In Simplest Terms"
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/algebra80.html>; and "For All Practical
Purposes: Introduction to Contemporary Mathematics"
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/math81.html>.
> Visit our exhibit, "Math in Daily Life"
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/dailymath82.html>, featuring interactive
activities like this one
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/interest83.html> that helps you
determine whether you can afford to retire -- on savings alone.
> How can we tap into children's innate mathematical ability -- and even make
learning math fun? "Surprises in Mind"
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/surprise84.html> looks at research on how
numerical sense and pattern recognition develop in children and what we can do
to build on children's natural motivation to learn. Video footage of an
experiment tracking the development of a group of students over a twelve-year
period provides convincing documentation of what really works.
> Parents and teachers of young children can start the lessons early with "Math
for All"
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/forall85.html>, then visit our Math
Activities page
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/activ86.html> for activities that can
help children learn about patterns, estimation, probability, and more.
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*** UPCOMING CONSORTIUM MEETINGS ***
The following consortium meetings are on our agenda over the next several weeks.
If you are a consortium member and planning to attend one of these events,
please make a point of stopping by our booth to say
hello and share your thoughts with us.
- National Science Teachers Association, Anaheim, CA -- April 6-9
- National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, St. Louis, MO -- April 26-29
- TeleCOOP, Estes Park, CO -– April 19 and 20
- NILRC, St. Louis, MO –- April 21
- International Reading Association, Chicago, IL -- May 1-4
- North Carolina Distance Learning Alliance, Asheville, NC -– May 15-17
We look forward to seeing you!
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