Summer 2007

UNCOVER RESOURCE RICHES ONLINE
http://www.free.ed.gov/

There are so many resources at this government-sponsored site, it’s easy to get lost or distracted.  You can search a comprehensive resource base to simplify the process.

PBS TEACHER PREVIEWS KEEPS YOU INFORMED
http://pbs.org/teachersource/previews/previews.shtm

PBS Online offers a special weekly newsletter just for educators! Visit http://pbs.org/teachersource/previews/previews.shtm to learn more about
PBS Teacher Previews.

THE ABCS OF DTV
http://www.ket.org/cgi-bin/cheetah/watch_video.pl?nola=kabcd+000101

Want to know about the change from analog to digital broadcasting?  Check this video.

ARKANSAS STUDIES

SMITHSONIAN EDUCATION
http://free.ed.gov/resource.cfm?resource_id=44

This site offers more than 1,200 education resources aligned with standards of learning in every state.  Enter your state in the search engine to find lessons, exhibits, photos, art work, and research on the Apollo missions, U.S. presidents, marine science, minerals and gems, money, shape-note singing, spiders and snakes, and more.

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ART AND MUSIC

AFRICA THUMB PIANO TUNES ACTIVITY
http://pbskids.org/africa/piano

Listen to music on an online thumb piano from Africa. Learn what thumb pianos are made from, print sheet music of four easy-to-play songs and create your own thumb piano tunes.

RARE VISIONS AND ROADSIDE REVELATIONS
http://www.kcpt.org/rare_visions/
Grades: 6-12

Explore this interactive Web site designed for those who appreciate the road less traveled. This site highlights the best of art from across the country.

RAGTIME
http://free.ed.gov/resource.cfm?resource_id=1880

This site presents sheet music, essays, video and sound clips related to this distinctly American music.  This music style appeared during the 1890s mainly in the South and Midwest.  Learn about Scott Joplin.  Hear segments of his "Maple Leaf Rag," which helped spread the ragtime craze across the U.S. and to Europe.

EARLY CHILDHOOD

PREPARING CHILDREN FOR SCHOOL
http://www.pbs.org/parents/experts?campaign=parentsnews_2_barbour

Ann Barbour, a child development expert and advisor to the award-winning daily PBS series "A Place of Our Own," is taking questions about what parents and caregivers can do to prepare preschoolers for school.  Get advice on what you can do to help make sure your child's first school experience is a rewarding one.

SOURCE: PBS Parents
http://pbs.org/parents/preferences/index.html

CAILLOU “PALEONTOLOGIST PUZZLE” INTERACTIVE/ONLINE ACTIVITY
http://www.pbskids.org/caillou
Grades: PreK

Caillou has a new immersive Web site designed with options for individual play or parent-child joint play. Kids can try the new online paleontologist puzzle that explores excavation and fossils.

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GRANTS, AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIPS

SHOW ME THE MONEY: TIPS & RESOURCES FOR SUCCESSFUL GRANT WRITING
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/profdev/profdev039.shtml

Do you have a project that requires outside funding? Have you just been assigned the responsibility for writing a grant?  This quick and easy guide will help you with the grant writing process, and links will guide you to additional resources.

DOLLAR GENERAL AND SUAVE PRESENT $10,000 ESSAY CONTEST
http://www.suaveessaycontest.com

Information about this and other contests and scholarships available at this Web site.

HEALTH, SAFETY AND FITNESS

TEENS AND THE WEB
http://www.pbs.org/parents/childrenandmedia/article-teensandweb20.html?campaign=parentsnews_1_teensonline

It's very likely that the Web your teen is using is very different from the one you know. Today's Web is more participatory, more social and more flexible.  Learn more about social networking, personal broadcasting, mashing and other online trends. Plus, find out what skills teens need to be successful in the emerging participatory culture.

SOURCE: PBS Parents
http://pbs.org/parents/preferences/index.html

IS YOUR CHILD A PICKY EATER?
http://www.pbs.org/parents/talkingwithkids/news/index.html
PreK-8

Is your child a picky eater? Well, here's some comforting news.  It is normal for children between the ages of 2 and 5 years to resist eating new foods. But it is still frustrating if your child only wants to eat french fries for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

What can you do? Check out these tips on how you can help make healthy foods all-time favorite choices in your home.

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HISTORY AND SOCIAL STUDIES

THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION COMES TO THE CLINTON LIBRARY!

It is a rare opportunity that a document which is this important actually comes to Little Rock for viewing.

Viewing dates and hours:

Saturday	Sept. 22, 2007	10 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Sunday	Sept. 23, 2007	10 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Monday	Sept. 24, 2007	10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Tuesday	Sept. 25, 2007	10 a.m. – 10 p.m.

 

Reserve your space to view the Emancipation Proclamation beginning August 1, 2007 by calling 501-244-2856.

NOVA: "POCAHONTAS REVEALED”
http://www.pbs.org/nova/pocahontas
Grades: 6-12

The exploits of the swashbuckling John Smith, the wily, venerable chief Powhatan and his infatuated daughter, Pocahontas, have been retold until they gather the status of an epic founding myth of the new nation.

Now, science is revealing the truth behind the myth. Archaeologists have just discovered the site of Chief Powhatan's capital, Werowocomoco. NOVA has
covered the excavation of this site and for the first time reveals the Native-American side of the Jamestown story.

Download this lesson plan in which students rewrite the story of Pocahontas based on archeological and historical evidence.

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LIBRARY, LITERATURE AND READING

A PRIMER ON DYSLEXIA
http://www.pbs.org/parents/readinglanguage/articles/dyslexia/main.html?campaign=parentsnews_1_dyslexia

Dyslexia is a term used to describe a specific kind of reading difficulty in which children have trouble perceiving differences among sounds and remembering how letters and sounds go together.  Learn the facts about dyslexia, how it is diagnosed and how it can be treated. In addition, find resources, including books for children, books for parents, Web sites and organizations that focus on dyslexia.

SOURCE: PBS Parents
http://pbs.org/parents/preferences/index.html


“MARK TWAIN AND THE AMERICAN WEST” LESSON PLAN
http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/lesson_plans/lesson02.htm
Grades: 9-12

Explore the life and literature of Mark Twain and describe the impact he had on the public's view of the American West. Read portions of his book "Roughing It" for examples of stereotypes and truths about the West of his time.

TAKE A VACATION AND JOIN MICHAEL PALIN’S HEMINGWAY ADVENTURE ONLINE
http://www.pbs.org/hemingwayadventure/

Have a virtual adventure following the life and times of Ernest Hemingway.

MATH AND SCIENCE

NATURE “DOGS BY DESIGN” LESSON PLAN
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/dog/educators.html
Grades: 6-8

Explore how a bloodhound's anatomy gives it a keen sense of smell. Compare and contrast different dog breeds' appearance and behavior.

NOVA “WHAT'S UP WITH THE WEATHER?” LESSON PLAN
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/teachers/activities/27gw_warming.html
Grades: 6-12

Search for meaningful trends in regional raw temperature data by using a statistical analysis technique, the moving average.

NOVA “BUILD A STEROID” ACTIVITY
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/julian/steroids.html
Grades: 9-12

Watch as diosgenin from the common Mexican yam transforms in five steps into the adrenal hormone cortisone in this simulation of a chemical change.

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POST-SECONDARY AND PRE-SERVICE

ARKANSAS IDEAS PORTAL PROVIDES VALUABLE RESOURCES
http://www.arkansas.org

The Arkansas IDEAS educational portal provides a broad array of online resources for new and experienced teachers.  Resources are free to Arkansas teachers and administrators.

New teachers may be interested in the 2-session INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES series at the AETN Arkansas IDEAS professional development portal.  To access:

1.  Go to the IDEAS site at http://arkansasideas.org.

2.  Log in.  If you need help, contact the IDEAS help desk at arideastech@aetn.org

3.  From MY COURSES, go to LIBRARY RESOURCES and find your area of interest.

Other workshops include the popular PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT, a 5-course series that presents model programs that are working.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

AETN ANNOUNCES SUMMER SCHOLAR SCHEDULE FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

It is now easier for teachers to earn professional development hours when they need it most, during the summer.

Summer Scholar on AETN is an overnight blockfeed of the same programs found on www.ArkansasIdeas.org.  Beginning June 4, these programs will be broadcast on AETN Monday through Wednesday each week from midnight-2:30 a.m.

Content Area	Course Title	Date and Times
Instructional Strategies Episodes 1-8 Parental Involvement Episodes 5-8	Critical Issues in School Reform	Episodes 1-8 June 4, 2007, 12:00-2:30 a.m. Continued on June 5, 2007, 12:00-2:00 a.m.
Arkansas Studies	It Started Here: Early Arkansas and the Louisiana Purchase	June 5, 2007, 2:00-2:30 a.m. July 25, 2007, 2:00-2:30 a.m.
English Language Arts	Write in the Middle	Episodes 1-8 June 6, 2007, 2:00-1:00 a.m. June 11-13, 2007, 12:00-1:00 a.m. June 18-20, 2007, 12:00-1:00 a.m. June 25, 2007, 12:00-1:00 a.m.
Mathematics & Science	Assessments in Math & Science: What's the Point?	Episodes 1-8 June 6, 2007, 1:00-2:30 a.m. June 11-13, 2007, 1:00-2:30 a.m. June 18-20, 2007, 1:00-2:30 a.m. June 25, 2007, 1:00-2:30 a.m.
Fine Arts	Art of Teaching the Arts	Episodes 1-8 June 26-27, 2007, 12:00-1:00 a.m. July 2-4, 2007, 12:00-1:00 a.m. July 9-11, 2007, 12:00-1:00 a.m.
English Language Arts	Teaching Reading K-2 Workshop	Episodes 1-8 June 26-27, 2007, 1:00-2:00 a.m. July 2-4, 2007, 1:00 -2:00 a.m. July 9-11, 2007, 1:00-2:00 a.m.
Instructional Strategies	Learning Classroom: Theory into Practice	Episodes 1-8 June 26-27, 2007, 2:00-2:30 a.m. July 2-4, 2007, 2:00-2:30 a.m. July 9-11, 2007, 2:00-2:30 a.m. July 16-18, 2007, 2:00-2:30 a.m. July 23-24, 2007, 2:00-2:30 a.m.
Science	Learning Science Through Inquiry	Episodes 1-8 July 16-18, 2007, 12:00-2:00 a.m. July 23, 2007, 12:00-2:00 a.m.
Arkansas Studies	Forgotten Expedition	July 24, 2007, 12:00-1:00 a.m.

Record the programs and watch them whenever it is convenient for you.  Then go online to www.ArkansasIdeas.org  to find support materials for each program and take the assessment.  It’s that easy!

*Schedule subject to change.  For a full schedule, visit the Scholar site at http://ArkansasIdeas.org.

 PBS TEACHERLINE EARNS 21ST CENTURY BEST PRACTICE AWARD FROM THE U.S. DISTANCE LEARNING ASSOCIATION

The prestigious industry award was given to PBS TeacherLine for its excellence in the distance learning field, its innovative solutions and its instructional success.

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