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Resources
Breaking through Isolation
First year teachers retain their optimism when they can openly talk about classroom traumas.
EXCERPT
"...As the new teachers realized that they weren't the only ones having difficulty in their first year, they drew strength from the group and were able to see their issues from multiple perspectives. The groups provided these teachers with the chance to share their successes and failures, raise questions and concerns, and in the process provide each other with much-needed social and emotional support."
From isolation to conversation
By Dwight L. Rogers and Leslie M. Babinski
135 pp. $17.95 paperback (State University of New York Press)
To order, visit www.sunypress.edu.
In her first year in the classroom, Rebecca, who teaches third-grade in the rural South, said: "I never expected my first year to be like this. I never thought I'd feel so down and so incompetent ... there have been times I've felt so small that I couldn't even scrape myself off of the floor."
According to From Isolation to Conversation, Rebecca is not alone. In fact, for many new teachers, the first year of teaching is stressful, discouraging and disorienting.
Isolation and lack of community are among the biggest obstacles faced by beginning teachers, say the authors. This is why the pair set out to document the devastating effects that isolation can have on those new to the profession.
To help alleviate this isolation, the authors created "New Teacher Groups" to assist beginning teachers and better understand their problems. Led by university facilitators, 49 new teachers met biweekly in small groups for three years to discuss issues and challenges.
During the group time, new teachers presented the problems they were having in their classrooms and worked together to gain a clearer conception of the problem, and an appropriate resolution.
This book is a collection of their efforts. Its pages are filled with research about new teacher issues, as well as comments from the participating teachers that candidly narrate the challenges common to many novices.
The most important lesson the book offers: Providing regularly scheduled, thoughtfully structured opportunities for beginning teachers to talk with, listen to, and help each other work through the myriad of challenges they encounter during their first years.
The authors contend that in order for beginning teachers to develop into successful teachers who stay in the profession, there must be a "safe place" for them to "air their uncertainties and to get the kind of feedback necessary to reduce the anxiety about being a good teacher."
The absence of this "safe space," they say, contributes to feelings of isolation, which helps drive nearly 50 percent of new teachers out of the profession within their first five years.
What makes New Teacher Groups different than other beginning teacher support initiatives, they write, is the relevance it has to new teachers' daily work. Participants used their time together to focus on individual children and their families, working with other adults, school policies and politics, and classroom management.
"It is through these collaborative conversations with colleagues that these new teachers begin to ask who they are and inquire more seriously into what kind of teachers they want to become," write the authors.
Nearly two-thirds of the group members said the process provided them with the kind of support they needed.
"It's one thing to talk to your mentor about things... but the other beginning teachers [In New Teacher Groups] can relate to you so much more because they are going through the same thing," says Lucille, a participating third-grade teacher.
For anyone who is implementing a new teacher support program, this book provides valuable insights. It would also help those first-year teachers who are struggling to realize that they're not alone in their feelings.
--By Dina S. Gómez
New from the NEA Professional Library
MegaSkills: Moments for Teachers
By Dorothy Rich
204 pp. $9.95 NEA Members
$11.95 nonmembers
#2006-5-00-FN
Looking for a collection of "daily affirmations" just for educators? Dorothy Rich, the creator of MegaSkills--a program designed to build children's achievement in school and beyond--found that educators who taught MegaSkills renewed themselves as well. Now she has harnessed that renewal into this book. Through vignettes and questions, you'll learn how to easily and quickly turn everyday problem situations into opportunities for personal and professional growth. An inspiring gift for beginning and seasoned educators alike!
To order, call 800/229-4200, or check the Web at www.nea.org/books.
Books by NEA Members
Putting Words Into Your Mouth: A Collection of Witticisms and Inspirational Sayings
By Charles E. "Skip" Bird
This book, published on CD-ROM, contains more than 600 pages and 11,000 humorous and inspirational quotes. The author is a retired swimming coach and English teacher who started the book by filling a file folder with some quotes--similar to what teachers might have in their desks. Numerous quotes by noted personalities are also included. $19.95 plus $4 S&H. Send check to Bird Publishing, 1600 Edgewater Beach Road, Valparaiso, IN 46383-1185.
Let's Teach Smarter, Not Harder
By Wanda M. Hordyk
This is a simplified guide to help teachers ensure that all students achieve active learning and higher level thinking skills while incorporating "real-life" concepts in the daily lessons. The book includes rubrics, checklists, and various reproducible resource sheets to help teachers assess and evaluate lessons as well as teaching techniques. Here's the proof in accountability! $29.95 plus $3 S&H. To order call toll free at 877/260-5414, e-mail to 16115@go.com, or send checks to Wanda Hordyk, P.O. Box 73207, Puyallup, WA 98373-9778. (Bulk discounts available.)
Philosophy
By James E. Kasmarek
This senior high electives series presents a view of the behavioral sciences that explores relevant topics of sociology, psychology, anthropology, and philosophy in a systematic manner so that students can pursue these studies scientifically, using higher level thinking skills. The teacher edition ($37.95) contains 40 lesson plans and 64 reproducible student handouts. The student edition ($10.95) contains all of the handouts in the teacher edition. S&H charges apply. Order from The Center for Learning by calling toll free 800/767-9090.
Life's Literacy Lessons: Poems for Teachers
By Steven L. Layne
NEA member Steven Layne has gathered 40 of his favorite poems about literacy and teaching into this unique collection that will touch the heart of anyone who has ever been a classroom teacher. The poems range from serious to hilarious as Layne delightfully takes poetic license with the stuff of teachers' daily lives: beginning readers, grammar, spelling, composition instruction, adolescent literacy issues, reading aloud, and teaching standards. $9.95 through the International Reading Association. Members receive a 20% discount. Call 800/336-READ, x266 to order.
Wolves in Sheep's Clothing
By Amy C. Laundrie
NEA member Amy Laundrie has authored six children's books. Wolves in Sheep's Clothing is about Kayla who gets lost on a trail ride and stumbles on a house in the woods. An older man screams at her to leave, but before Kayla turns to go she spots an elderly woman in the window who mouths the words, Help me. Kayla decides to investigate. $7. Order from Amy Laundrie, 918 Pine Drive, Wisconsin Dells, WI 53965.
TV Tips
Egypt: The Land of the Gods
The History Channel, April 8-9, 9:00 p.m., ET, check local listings.
This two-part series explores the religion of Egypt. Emphasizing the role of the supernatural and ancient myths and truths, this program examines the transformation of religion throughout the history of Egypt. The program explores the Pyramid Power, Moses, and worship of Ra, the Sun God. Following this world premiere, Egypt: Beyond the Pyramids will re-air April 10-11 to collaborate the Egyptian theme week.
Resistance: Untold Stories of Jewish Partisans
PBS, April 4, 10:00 p.m., ET, check local listings.
In honor of Holocaust Remembrance Month, this documentary takes a look at the heroic Jewish resistance efforts against the Nazis and their collaborators during World War II, told through the accounts of 11 participants. The men and women reveal how they overcame enormous obstacles in their attempts to defeat the Nazis. They also remember the bittersweet aftermath when they, like other Holocaust survivors, were faced with the grave reality of what they had lost. For related information, including lesson plans, go to www.scetv.org/holocaustforum/contents.html.
CNN Presents: Kids Under Pressure
CNN, April 13-14, 10:00 p.m., ET, check local listings.
For today's high school seniors, getting into the right college requires a top-notch resume reflecting a life jammed with clubs, activities, sports, jobs, and good grades. Producers of this CNN Presents special spent a year with three "kids under pressure" as they navigate their crowded lives, moving from band to baseball practice to class, from homework and to friends. How much is too much? How much does it matter? This special provides interviews with the three seniors, their parents, their friends, and the admission officers who ultimately make the decision.
Antarctica: A Frozen History
The History Channel, April 15, 9:00 p.m., ET, check local listings.
In 1773, Captain James Cook crossed the Antarctic Circle and discovered a new continent--Antarctica. Since then explorers from all over the globe have set out to conquer this frozen wilderness. From Ernest Shackleton to Roald Amundsen to Robert Scott, this one-hour presentation looks at the stories of courage, human fortitude, and deception around the brave explorers who set out to conquer Antarctica.
Broken Silence
Cinemax, April 15-19, ET, check local listings
In honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day, Yom Hashoah, Cinemax is airing Broken Silence, a five-part Holocaust documentary series presented by Steven Spielberg and the Shoah Foundation. A key part in a global effort to increase awareness of the Holocaust as a means of countering the devastating impact of intolerance in the world, each foreign-language documentary in the series resonates with the language and culture of the film's director. Documentaries include: I Remember (Poland), Eyes of the Holocaust (Hungary), Some Who Lived (Argentina), Hell on Earth (Czech Republic), Children of the Abyss (Russia).
Frontier House
PBS, April 29, 9:00 p.m., ET, check local listings.
This six-hour "hands-on" history series provides a unique account of one of the most important, and often romanticized, periods in American history. Three modern-day American families are transported back in time to live in the Montana wilderness for six months as settlers from the 1880s. Viewers watch as the families set out in covered wagons with only the tools and technology of the period. They build their own houses, work the land, slaughter animals, and dress just as the pioneers before them. The months prove difficult, and the families face many challenges, including blizzards, coyotes, and hunger. However, their frustrations and their triumphs offer an extraordinary glimpse into American history.
Great Books
The Discovery Channel, April, ET, check local listings.
In conjunction with its prime-time theme week, two episodes of Assignment Discovery's literature-studies series will explore American history through Upton Sinclair's The Jungle and Tom Wolfe's The Right Stuff.
The Rockies
The History Channel, April, ET, check local listings.
This four-part series from the History Channel Classroom explores the history of Colorado's Rocky Mountains through the explorers, historic events, and technological advances that helped create it. This program takes a look at the men and women who made a fortune out of its wilderness and also the people who lost that great wilderness, the native Indians who once hunted the valleys and fished the mountain streams.
Oceans: Going to Great Depths
CNN, CNN Student News, April, ET, check local listings.
This CNN Student News presentation looks at the development of underwater technology. Throughout the program, viewers will learn how robo-cams and mini-subs are used underwater to locate everything from shipwrecks to deep water organisms. A companion Web site containing additional information and resources can be found at www.CNNstudentnews.com.
Flipped
MTV, check local listings.
This half-hour series uses Hollywood's best illusionists in special effects, make-up and set design to create simulated scenarios. The series places teens in a number of settings from prisons to schools to hospitals; and enlists the help of real doctors, teachers, and police officers to enhance the authenticity of each situation. The simulated scenarios that result are so real they have the power to transform the teen's perspective forever. "Flipped" follows its subjects through their experiences to witness the epiphanies, the heightened sense of understanding, and the appreciation that results from walking in someone else's shoes. Episodes cover various subjects such as racism, homophobia, drugs, gangs, and parental relationships. Additional informational resources can be found on the MTV website at www.mtv.com.
Beyond the Border
PBS, April 2002, ET, check local listings.
This documentary traces the painful transition made by four sons who leave their family in Mexico to seek "la vida buena" (the good life) in Kentucky. By following the Ayala brothers as they relocate to the Bluegrass region, Beyond the Border presents the range of complexities surrounding the immigration experience, including the responsibility to family, community, and culture. Viewers see firsthand the results of the way the U.S.- Mexico border is policed and learn the effects of economic and racial discrimination on Mexican immigrants.
The Blue Planet: Seas of Life
Discovery Channel, May 5, 7:00-11:00 p.m. ET, check local listings.
The seas and coasts of the world come alive on the Discovery Channel's special on life below the water's surface. Amazing images accompany narration by Sir David Attenborough in the four episodes. You can see how climactic changes produce different kinds of life under the sea in Seasonal Seas, and how the coral reef is a complex ecosystem on which millions of animals survive in Coral Seas. Also, learn more about tidal changes and how certain sea life are dependent on the tides in Tidal Seas. Lastly, in Coasts, you can see the different wildlife that thrive on the coasts.
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KIDSNET, a national resource for children's media in Washington, D.C., provides these listings. For additional listings, check the web at www.kidsnet.org.
Web Winners
Students Can Be Part of NASA Mission
Two new curriculum modules that have been developed as part of the NASA Deep Impact mission (currently in development) are being offered free of charge online at http://deepimpact.umd.edu/educ/educres.html. Collaborative Decision Making is designed to engage students in grades 7-12 in activities that focus on collaboration and communication strategies. These activities will strengthen student understanding of and ability to use collaborative processes and communication practices to clarify, conceptualize, and make decisions. Excavating Cratering is designed to engage students in conducting scientific inquiries and in gaining greater understanding of scientific modeling. Launch of the Deep Impact spacecraft is scheduled for January 2004.
Photographs Vividly Capture Changes of Last Century
Old photographs are time machines. They allow us to look back in history, freeze a moment in time, and imagine ourselves as part of the past. Picturing the Century: One Hundred Years of Photography from the National Archives, offers a visual tour of the past century. Immigrants arriving at Ellis Island ... the Wright Brothers fly ... building the Empire State Building ... footprints on the Moon ... war in the Persian Gulf ... and more. This exhibition is arranged in chronological "galleries" as well as seven "portfolios" of talented photographers. Print reproductions available. Go to www.nara.gov/exhall/picturing_the_century.
The Ultimate Resource for Book Shoppers
Don't give up trying to locate that hard-to-find book. A free new Web service, www.bookfinder.com, allows readers to comparison shop for new, used, and rare books from any of 40,000 bookstores around the world. Bookfinder.com is recommended to book lovers by the New York Times and the Library of Congress and for folks who buy and sell books for a living. The site contains more than 30 million titles! Go to www.bookfinder.com.
Paycheck Deductions
This Web site will help you understand all the deductions that appear on your paycheck and that incomprehensible W-4 form. Calculate and print out the data you enter. Related links on this site include payroll and taxes, tax preparation, the IRS, and the Social Security Administration. Go to www.paycheckcity.com/W4/w4instruction.asp.
Eighty Years Later--In Its Sixth Edition
The Columbia Encyclopedia began its existence in the 1920s when Clarke Fisher Ansley and Columbia University Press recognized the need for a "first aide" for those who read. Now in its sixth edition, it continues to serve the purposes for which it was conceived. Containing nearly 51,000 entries and with more than 80,000 hypertext cross-references, the current sixth edition is among the most complete and up-to-date encyclopedia ever produced. Go to www.bartleby.com/65.
Figure This
The award-winning Figure This! Web site--www.figurethis.org-- offers intriguing mathematical challenges such as: "Can FloJo outrun a car?" and "Will women ever earn as much money as men?" New challenges are added to the Web site regularly, so if you haven't checked it out in a while, you are bound to find something new and interesting there. The Web site offers math resources for middle school students and their parents, teachers, and communities. The central feature of the Web site is the collection of math challenges, available in both Spanish and English. All online materials on the site can be downloaded for free and reprinted for distribution. Print copies of the family support materials and of Spanish language challenge booklets are also available by calling 877/GO-SOLVE or by contacting Marji Heberlee at 202/667-0901.
Test of the Endurance
In the frigid winter of 1914, two dozen explorers set sail for Antarctica aboard the Endurance, attempting to be the first ones to cross the unexplored continent. For 22 months, photographer Frank Hurley documented their ordeal and even became somewhat of an explorer himself through the journey. He climbed up the ship's treacherous mast to photograph wildlife and trekked across shaky sheets of ice to take his striking photos. An online journey at www.kodak.com takes you through the voyage, accompanied by Hurley's pictures.
Press Pass
Being a good journalist often requires a lot of hard work and often, a little bit of luck. With USA Today's Virtual Press Pass, students can get an idea of what different writers do on an everyday basis, how managing editors do their job, and general insights about the field of journalism. Many of the writers talk about their backgrounds in the field and how they envision USA Today and journalism in the next ten years. Look at what these men and women have to say at www.usatoday.com/educate/careers/uppindex.htm.
Uncovering China
A comprehensive guide to China and its rich history, this Web site provides details of the country's past starting with 1839. It also provides a list of cities in China and their importance, both today and historically. Finally, you can take a quiz to see how much you learned and participate in a poll or post your thoughts about the country on a message board. Go to http://library.thinkquest.org/26469/history.
Homonym Helper
Homonyms, or words that sound the same but have different meanings, can often be confusing when writing. With http://wsuonline.weber.edu/wrh/words.htm, though, you can figure out the differences between some of those problem words like effect and affect, lie and lay, or allusion and illusion. The site has a link to common errors in English at the bottom of the page that is also helpful. Improve you grammar and help your students learn about the subtle differences in the English language through this site.
Animals Galore
Animal lover? Well then, www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals is the site you want to check out. If you have a question about bears, monkeys, lions, elephants, or any one of the 14 categories on this site, check out the animal fact files section. You can also learn the ancestry of your pets and how best to take care of them. To top it off, you can post opinions and questions on the Animal Message Board. Learn more about your favorite animals and have fun doing it!
Connect the Dots
Let kids put the alphabet in correct order to uncover a hidden picture by combining connect-the-dots and letters of the alphabet. Kids will love finding out what the mystery drawing is and they can click on the next game link to play the same game, but with a different object. A simple game, but full of surprises for younger children who are learning the alphabet. Go to www.kidport.com/Grade1/LanguageArts/Workbook/Lang1_ConnectDots.htm.
Expanding Boundaries
Right as you enter this site, you can see how the United States has expanded from the 1650's all the way to the 20th century. It is a helpful site to see how state's borders have moved around so frequently and what the final picture of the United States looks like. Surprised at how frequently state boundaries change? Well, just click on Animation and United States counties to see how rapidly our counties become bigger or smaller. Go to www.ac.wwu.edu/~stephan/48states.html for the main site.
Developing Drawings
Get your students interested in drawing just by using basic shapes such as circles and squares to produce animals like penguins, bears, and frogs. Each animal picture comes with a drawing sheet, which takes kids through the process of creating these cute figures. The key to these drawings is their simple shape, and kids will be excited to come up with these animal pictures themselves. Visit www.billybear4kids.com/Learn2Draw/Learn2Draw.html to get your students started on drawing.
Learn and Earn
Here's a Web site that provides financial education for kids. It's about encouraging learning through inquiry and getting kids started out on the path to money smarts. It's also about showing kids that money smarts isn't just earning until you're blue in the wallet. Money smarts means working hard, saving, and investing. And giving back to the people who helped you out when you needed it. Each time your students learn about financial concepts, they'll be earning points which your school can redeem for technology-based rewards. In the FleetKids program, each child investigates an array of mathematic, financial, and social concepts, including setting goals, saving and budgeting, balancing "needs" and "wants," and learning to work with teams developing solutions. In keeping with the hands-on nature of the site, FleetKids activities reflect real-world experiences. Go to www.fleetkids.com/fleet/home.b.html.
African Americans in History
Did you know that Lewis Temple was the inventor of the whaling harpoon or that Mary Eliza Mahoney was the first African American graduate nurse in America? The Web site, www.bridgew.edu/HOBA/thumglry.htm, serves as a detailed and educational guide to leading African Americans in history, starting with Crispus Attucks in 1723. Click on one of the 30 portraits to learn more about these Americans and their achievements.
Messages for Future Generations
At the end of 2003, the satellite KEO will be launched into space. It will return to Earth 50,000 years later to offer our future generations messages that we can write to them through www.keo.org. Once in orbit, KEO will circle the planet with the millions of messages and in the distant future, while orbiting, it will create an illuminating aurora borealis that will light up the sky. Submit your message of what you want future generations to know.
Dynamic Dynos
Dinosaurs--always fascinating and mysteriour creatures, but often misunderstood. At the U.S. Geological Survey's site, http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dinosaurs/, you can get some of the myths about dinosaurs cleared up. Questions like how dinosaurs are named, what they ate, and how long they lived are answered here.
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