Advance excellent teaching with Annenberg
Media.
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*** In the Spotlight for March ***
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- Linking to Current Events
- New! Closed Captions on VoD
- World Math Day
- Connect Learning with Special Days
o National Grammar Day
o Pi Day
o Freedom of Information Day
o Vernal Equinox
o World Folk Tales and Fables Week
o National Women's History Month
o Music in Our Schools Month
o Youth Art Month
o Optimism Month
- Upcoming Conferences
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*** LINKING TO CURRENT EVENTS ***
Conflict in Gaza
After a nearly two-year siege of Gaza followed by an extensive 23-day land and
air offensive that left the area destroyed, the people of Gaza must pick up the
pieces -- and Israeli civilians remain vulnerable to rocket fire. For background
on the history of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and of the region, look at
these Annenberg Media resources.
> In our Teaching Geography series, see Workshop 4
<http://www.learner.org/workshops/geography/wkp4intr.html> for a case study
of the Israel-Palestine conflict as it plays out in Jerusalem. The case study is
followed by a classroom lesson on Gaza: Two Perspectives featuring Ungennette
Brantley Harris and her ninth grade class. The lesson plan, including
correlations to national standards, is available online as a Word document
<http://www.learner.org/workshops/geography/4harrles.doc> or in PDF format
<http://www.learner.org/workshops/geography/4harrles.pdf>. Link to the video
transcript in the Programs & Activities section. The workshop also includes a
clickable map and an interactive timeline.
> Observe Justin Zimmerman's sixth-grade lesson about the Middle East conflict
in Social Studies in Action: A Teaching Practices Library, K-12, program 21:
"The Middle East Conflict"
<http://www.learner.org/libraries/socialstudies/6_8/zimmerman/> and read
background on the lesson and top on the library Website:
<http://www.learner.org/libraries/socialstudies/6_8/zimmerman/>. The
workshop "Dealing with Controversial Issues"
<http://www.learner.org/libraries/socialstudies/issues/issues/>, in the same
series, may also be of interest.
> Travel back to the beginnings of Islam to understand the individuals and
factors behind its spread through the Middle East and beyond. Program 7: "The
Spread of Religions" from Bridging World History
<http://www.learner.org/courses/worldhistory/unit_main_7.html> traces the
spread of Islam, as well as that of Buddhism and Christianity.
---
Use our free Video on Demand feature
<http://www.learner.org/view_programs/view.programs.html> to view programs
anytime.
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*** NEW! CLOSED CAPTIONS ON VOD ***
We are very pleased to announce that our free Video on Demand is now available
with closed captions. Most of our video series are available with captions.
Just click on the "CC Turn On" button displayed just below the video screen.
When turning captions on or off, the video rebuffers and starts from the
beginning of the program. Note: These captions only work with Microsoft Internet
Explorer for Windows and Microsoft's Windows Media Player.
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*** WORLD MATH DAY ***
World Math Day -- March 4, 2009 -- is an opportunity for your students to enjoy
math challenges simultaneously with students from around the world, and compete
for prizes. All ages and ability levels are encouraged to participate in this
free program. Last year, more than a million children in 160 countries answered
182,455,169 questions correctly!
To participate in World Math Day, teachers can go to the World Math Day Web site
<http://www.worldmathday.com>
and click on "Register here" to register their class or school. Students whose
schools are not participating may register individually. On the Web site, go to
FAQs for minimum system requirements and additional information about the event.
Browse our list of math titles
<http://www.learner.org/resources/browse.html?discipline=5>, visit our math
interactives
<http://www.learner.org/interactives/>, or use our open search tool
<http://www.learner.org/search/> to find resources that may help you to
prepare for this event.
Dip in and out of several Web sites for fun "extra credit" activities for
yourself and your classes.
Don't just believe that the Pythagorean Theorem works, prove it for yourself
through Learning Math: Geometry, session 6:
<http://www.learner.org/courses/learningmath/geometry/session6/part_b/constructing.html>
Scale a little person up to monster size by playing with Quadperson from
Learning Math: Patterns, Functions, and Algebra, session 4: Proportional
Reasoning,
<http://www.learner.org/courses/learningmath/algebra/session4/part_c/index.html>
or play around with high math concepts with the interactives on the Web site for
Mathematics Illuminated:
<http://www.learner.org/courses/mathilluminated/interactives/index.php#game>
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*** CONNECT LEARNING WITH SPECIAL DAYS ***
National Grammar Day (March 4)
> "Usage and Mechanics"
<http://www.learner.org/workshops/hswriting/workshops/workshop5/>, Workshop
5 of Developing Writers: A Workshop for High School Teachers, reviews effective
strategies for teaching grammar. Web materials include an interactive to help
you assess your own methods of assessing student work.
> Read Dave Barry's humorous views on grammar
<http://www.learner.org/catalog/extras/interviews/dbarry/db05.html> and Andy
Rooney's quibbles on word choice and usage
<http://www.learner.org/catalog/extras/interviews/arooney/ar01.html> on our
News Writing Interviews site.
> Teaching grammar presents certain challenges. The article "To Grammar or Not
to Grammar: That Is Not the Question!" in PDF format
<http://www.learner.org/workshops/middlewriting/images/pdf/W8ReadGrammar.pdf>
emphasizes the importance of teaching grammar in the context of writing. The
article is included in Workshop 8 of Write in the Middle: A Workshop for Middle
School Teachers
<http://www.learner.org/workshops/middlewriting/>.
> Explore sentence syntax as it relates to math and patterns in our Teacher's
Lab Syntax Store
<http://www.learner.org/teacherslab/math/patterns/syntax/syntax_back.html>.
> Is "proper" grammar always best? Poets like John Ashberry
<http://www.learner.org/amerpass/unit15/authors-1.html> challenge readers'
expectations by taking liberties with grammar.
> Scientists have found that grammar and patterns in language are hard-wired in
the brain. Learn more about this, and about how language is acquired, in
Discovering Psychology: Updated Edition Program 6, "Language Development"
<http://www.learner.org/discoveringpsychology/06/e06expand.html>.
Pi Day (March 14)
Celebrate Pi Day on 3/14 in recognition of the approximate value of pi -- 3.14.
To be a bit more precise, pay tribute to the next three decimal places and begin
your pi party at 1:59pm.
> Apparently the value of pi doesn't have to be 3.14159... How can it be
otherwise? Find out in Mathematics Illuminated Session 8, "Geometries Beyond
Euclid"
<http://www.learner.org/courses/mathilluminated/units/8/textbook/06.php>
which discusses curvature and higher-dimensional space. Session 3, "How Big Is
Infinity?" discusses irrational numbers.
> Delve into our unit devoted to circles and pi. See Session 7 of Learning Math:
Measurement
<http://www.learner.org/courses/learningmath/measurement/session7/>, which
investigates the value of pi and its relationship to the measures a circle.
> If you're unsure of the practical applications of pi, visit our Math in Daily
Life exhibit
<http://www.learner.org/interactives/dailymath/decorating.html>. This
section of the exhibit demonstrates its value in home decorating.
> The amazing Rajan Mahadevan has memorized the first 99,000 decimal places of
pi! Video 20 of The Brain: Teaching Modules
<http://www.learner.org/resources/series142.html> shows the feats of this
super-memorist, who also gives tips on how to study for best results.
> Elementary teachers can try the lesson "'Round About Pi" on this page
<http://www.learner.org/workshops/nextmove/materials/workshop3.html>. The
lesson allows elementary students to approximate the value of pi.
Freedom of Information Day (March 16)
Signed into law by President Johnson in 1966 and later amended, the Freedom of
Information Act provides for the release of records and information held by
government agencies. Freedom of Information Day was established to celebrate and
promote government disclosure and to examine the current state of transparency
versus secrecy in government practices. March 16 (or a business day close to it)
was chosen to coincide with the birthday of James Madison, considered the main
author of the U.S. Constitution.
> How much should the government reveal in time of war? What kind of disclosures
by journalists are genuinely in the public interest, and should a confidential
source ever be revealed? Ethics in America II addressed these and related
questions in Program 2, "War Stories: National Security & the News"
<http://www.learner.org/series/ethics2/war_stories/>.
> The original Ethics in America series
<http://www.learner.org/resources/series81.html> considers the limits of the
public's right to information in the final program, "Politics, Privacy, and the
Press."
> News Writing
<http://www.learner.org/resources/series44.html> Program 15, "Media Law,"
discusses the specifics of freedom of information laws in the context of
journalistic practice -- such as open records and open meetings laws that
guarantee journalists access to information and shield laws that protect
journalists from being forced to reveal their sources.
> Watch a lively debate about freedom of information principles in The
Constitution: That Delicate Balance
<http://www.learner.org/resources/series72.html> Program 8, "National
Security and Freedom of the Press." Discussants include former CIA director and
secretary of defense James Schlesinger, former attorney general Griffin Bell,
and other distinguished panelists.
Vernal Equinox (March 20)
> As spring approaches and milder weather renews the cycle of life, trace the
movements of nature with Journey North
<http://www.learner.org/resources/series127.html>, our international
Web-based program for exploring seasonal change. The Journey North Web site
<http://www.learner.org/jnorth/> offers various resources and information on
how to participate.
> A Private Universe
<http://www.learner.org/resources/series28.html> investigates why even
Harvard and MIT graduates can remain uninformed on the most basic facts of
science. The program looks at celestial movements, the seasons, and how these
are taught in school.
> What is an equinox anyway? Find out with Workshop 7 of our series Science in
Focus: Shedding Light on Science
<http://www.learner.org/workshops/sheddinglight/workshop7.html>. Click on
"Highlights" for a brief explanation related to the Geometry of a Sphere.
World Folk Tales and Fables Week (March 2-8)
> Observe a fourth grade lesson in which students revise an Indian folktale in
the classroom video "Revising for Clarity"
<http://www.learner.org/workshops/teachreading35/classrooms/cv4.html> in the
Teaching Reading 3-5 Workshop. In Session 8, an interactive features students
who listen to a fable, "The Bad Kangaroo," and must retell the story -- allowing
the teacher to check comprehension.
> Literature based on African, Asian, Native American and Mexican folklore in
Sessions 5 and 6 of The Expanding Canon: Teaching Multicultural Literature in
High School
<http://www.learner.org/workshops/hslit/> is taught from a cultural studies
perspective. Download the session guides for folktales, and complete works by
the featured authors.
> A Biography of America Program 9, "Slavery"
<http://www.learner.org/biographyofamerica/prog09/>, discusses the
importance of animal trickster tales to slaves' reimagining of the social order,
an important strategy in day-to-day survival.
> Search the American Passages archive
<http://www.learner.org/amerpass/slideshow/archive_search.php> to see and
hear artifacts related to folk tales including the Mexican folktale La Llorona
and the African American Uncle Remus stories.
> A Cajun folktale lays the foundation for a lesson in Francophone culture
<http://www.learner.org/libraries/tfl/french/granville/> in Teaching Foreign
Languages K-12: A Library of Classroom Practices.
> Middle school students create a culture and transform folktales in Connecting
With the Arts: A Teaching Practices Library, 6-8
<http://www.learner.org/libraries/connectarts68/>. See "Folktales
Transformed," "Breathing Life Into Myths," and related units.
National Women's History Month
This year's theme for National Women's History Month is "Women Taking the Lead
to Save Our Planet."
> Rachel Carson, biologist and author of the groundbreaking book Silent Spring,
has been called the mother of the environmental movement. Her exposé on the
dangers of the widely used pesticide DDT took on powerful corporate interests
and helped to institute a ban on the use of DDT in the United States. Silent
Spring is cited in the online textbook for The Habitable Planet: A Systems
Approach to Environmental Science
<http://www.learner.org/courses/envsci/unit/text.php?unit=7&secNum=5>. Learn
more about the impact of Carson's work in the Faces of America segment of
"Postwar Tension and Triumph"
<http://www.learner.org/courses/amerhistory/units/19/video/>, Unit 19 of
America's History in the Making.
> Read the text of correspondence, "Remember the Ladies" between Abigail Adams
and her husband, John Adams, in 1776
<http://learner.org/redirect/march/adams67.html> and from speeches by
Sojourner Truth
<http://learner.org/redirect/march/truth68.html>
<http://learner.org/redirect/march/truth69.html> on the Web site for
America's History in the Making. Also see the program "Industrializing America"
<http://www.learner.org/courses/amerhistory/units/14/> to trace the
developments leading to women's entry into the workforce en masse. Click on Unit
Reference Materials & Further Reading for links to articles such as "The Hardest
Struggle: Women and Sweated Industrial Labor" and a radio show about immigrant
women.
> "The Constitution: Fixed or Flexible," the third segment of Program 2 of
Democracy in America
<http://www.learner.org/courses/democracyinamerica/dia_2/dia_2_video.html>,
provides a condensed overview of the woman suffrage movement.
> "The Lowell System: Women in a New Industrial Society"
<http://www.learner.org/workshops/primarysources/lowell/introduction.html>,
Workshop 3 of Primary Sources: Workshops in American History, illustrates
through primary source documents just how much industrialization changed the
lives of women. Documents, activities, videos, and lecture transcripts are
available on the Web site.
> Did the feminist movement improve American women's lives? Take the interactive
survey on the Biography of America Web site
<http://www.learner.org/biographyofamerica/prog24/> and decide for yourself!
Then see how other people answered.
> Type in key word "feminism" to find artifacts in the American Passages archive
<http://www.learner.org/amerpass/slideshow/archive_search.php>. The search
brings up over a hundred diverse items related to women's history, including
artifacts related to Susan B. Anthony, Anne Hutchison, Sojourner Truth, and
other famous women, as well as photos of working women, radical feminist
posters, and more.
> The short story "A Jury of Her Peers" by Susan Glaspell serves as the
foundation for our Literature exhibit
<http://www.learner.org/interactives/literature/>.
Music in Our Schools Month
> Our unique program Teaching "The Children of Willesden Lane" features the work
of Mona Golabek, author and classical pianist. As Golabek chronicles her
mother's escape from Nazi persecution, she displays her mother's gift of music.
Go to
<http://learner.org/redirect/march/cwl83.html> to hear musical selections by
Chopin, Debussy, Grieg, and other great composers.
> The Art of Teaching the Arts: A Workshop for High School Teachers
<http://www.learner.org/workshops/hsarts/> presents music instruction in a
range of settings. For an example, see this interactive
<http://www.learner.org/workshops/hsarts/program4/i4/prog4_activity.html> in
which the instructor offers feedback on an ensemble performance.
> "Teaching Music"
<http://www.learner.org/libraries/artsineveryclassroom/video4.html>, Program
4 of The Arts in Every Classroom: A Video Library, K-5, examines the elements of
excellent music instruction at the elementary level. Use the left links to
explore content.
> The American Passages archive contains musical selections, sheet music, and
other historical music-related items. Examples include this brass band rendition
of George M. Cohan's 1917 song "Over There" in MP3 format
<http://www.learner.org/amerpass/archive/9000s/9203.mp3> and this sheet
music
<http://www.learner.org/amerpass/slideshow/archive_search.php?number=8247&fullsize=1>
for the same on piano (Enter serial number 8248 for the next page).
> Explore the elements and genres of music from around the world -- watch
Exploring the World of Music
<http://www.learner.org/resources/series105.html>.
Youth Art Month
> Get fresh ideas for generating art-integrated teaching at the elementary level
with The Arts in Every Classroom: A Workshop for Elementary School Teachers
<http://www.learner.org/workshops/artsineveryclassroom/>. The coordinated
video library
<http://www.learner.org/libraries/artsineveryclassroom/> shows excellent
examples by veteran teachers.
> The fun of making masks and puppets accompanies real learning in the videos of
Connecting with the Arts: A Teaching Practices Library, 6-8
<http://www.learner.org/libraries/connectarts68/>.
> Budding visual and performance artists will be inspired by the video portraits
of A World of Art: Works in Progress
<http://www.learner.org/resources/series64.html>. From the main page, link
to brief biographies of the artists. These programs are intended for older
students and adults.
> The Western Tradition
<http://www.learner.org/resources/series58.html> serves up a visual
smorgasbord of treasures from the Metropolitan Museum of Art to accompany
lectures by Eugen Weber on history from ancient Egypt to the industrialized
world of the late 20th century.
> Introduce your students to the great artists of the West and their
masterpieces, as detailed in the documentaries of Art of the Western World
<http://www.learner.org/resources/series1.html>.
Optimism Month
> Learn about the psychological underpinnings and implications of optimism and
pessimism -- and the benefits of being optimistic. Watch "Motivation and
Emotion"
<http://www.learner.org/discoveringpsychology/12/e12expand.html>, Program 12
of Discovering Psychology: Updated Edition.
> Overarching moods, such as optimism or its opposite, can dominate cultural
forms. Read about a duality in America's disposition in the first half of the
19th century in Unit 6 of American Passages: A Literary Survey
<http://www.learner.org/amerpass/unit06/instructor.html>. The historical
roots of American optimism are also discussed in Units 3 and 4; video programs
explore literary expressions of American Exceptionalism, Manifest Destiny, and
other ideologies.
> How can you express optimism ... in French? Find out with the "Getting Around"
lessons in French in Action
<http://www.learner.org/resources/series83.html>.
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*** UPCOMING CONFERENCES ***
If you're planning to attend either of the following conferences, remember to
stop by our table in the exhibit hall:
NSTA 2009 National Conference
March 19–22, 2009 in New Orleans
Ernest N. Morial Convention Center
NCTM 2009 Annual Meeting & Exposition
April 22–25, 2009 in Washington, DC
Walter E. Washington Convention Center
Session on Mathematics Illuminated at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, April 24
We look forward to meeting you and hearing your views about math, science, and
teaching!
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