February 2004 Table of Contents In this Issue Cover Story Features Getting Organized NEAFT Retirement People Last Bell ESP Health & Fitness Spotlight Departments Editor's Note President's Viewpoint Up Front Rights Watch State Report Leading the Way Debate Dilemma Resources Books by NEA Members Online Change Your Address/ Write a Letter Past Issues

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Improving Comprehension:
Ten Research-Based Principles

NEA Success in Reading Series

Gerald Duffy, Editor
72 pp. $10.95 NEA Members, $12.95 nonmembers
NEA Professional Library, www/nea.org/books

[ BOOK EXCERPT ]

Text Is More Than Books

We tend to think of text as books. While classrooms should have many books, there should also be many other forms of text at all grade levels. There should be lots of student-produced texts, instructional charts, posters, magazines, and computers, to name just a few examples.

Because reading is used in all subject matter, it cuts across the school day and includes many different kinds of texts. Consequently, comprehension must be taught at all grades and in all school subjects. It cannot be confined to "reading/language arts time." Although we sometimes think of reading as a general skill, different texts require different kinds of reading. Reading fairy tales, for instance, calls for different strategies than reading a set of instructions, a historical treatise, a math word problem, or a recipe. How we read depends on what we read. Thus, children need to learn to comprehend different kinds of text in many different situations.

Different Kinds of Text

Three major kinds of text that children learn to comprehend are narrative text, expository text, and procedural text. Students frequently encounter stories in primary grade reading materials such as basal textbooks. Besides stories, students may encounter such narrative text forms as drama, fairy tales, folk literature, biographies, epic poems, fables, historical fiction, and mythology. Each form of narrative has a distinguishing structure, and each structure requires a slightly different approach to comprehension. The more experience a reader has with various narrative structures, the more he or she is able to use that experience to anticipate meaning.

There are also many different kinds of expository text. Readers may encounter historical texts, news articles, scientific articles, journal entries, and Internet text. As with narratives, the more students know about various kinds of expository text, the better they will comprehend, because they use prior knowledge about a text's structure to help them construct meaning.

Being able to comprehend procedural text—such as recipes, sets of directions, and math word problems—is increasingly critical to functioning in the world outside the classroom.

Different strategies are needed for different texts. Summarizing an expository text, where the focus is usually on the main ideas, requires different strategies than summarizing a story, where the focus is usually on the characters, setting, problem, and related events. Moreover, summarizing is usually an appropriate strategy for a narrative, for example, but not for complex directions.

Because a reader's comprehension strategies change depending on the text being used and the situation in which it is being used, we can expect comprehension instruction to vary from one subject to another.

To order, contact the NEA Professional Library or call 800-229-4200.

Help with Reading

NEA Resources

Word Power: What Every Educator Needs To Know About Teaching Vocabulary

By Steven Stahl and Barbara Kapinus

NEA Success in Reading Series
A good vocabulary is critical for success in reading, and every content area has vocabulary to master. Whether you're teaching a third-grade math lesson or high school science, Word Power offers K-12 classroom teachers proven techniques for effective vocabulary instruction. Learn how to provide multiple exposures to meaningful information about a word, and employ both definitional and contextual information about word meanings. This book gives teachers the tools they need to turn students into "wordophiles."
NEA Professional Library

Meeting the Challenge: Special Education Tools that Work for All Kids

By Patti Ralabate

Effective teachers need effective strategies to use with students struggling to overcome academic or behavioral difficulties. Meeting the Challenge gives you the tools you need to teach a classroom full of students with various skill levels and special needs. This tool kit provides specialized resources and time-saving strategies, as well as sample checklists, IEP goals, lesson plans, rubrics, and more. You'll find planning sheets and other resources you can copy and use or modify to your own special needs.
NEA Professional Library

Books Your Kids Will Talk About! A Guide to Children's Literature for Teachers and Parents (K-6)

By Susan Hepler and Maria Salvadore

Kids enjoy talking about their favorite books, and encouraging kids to talk about what they've read is a powerful learning tool that can motivate and inspire. Books Your Kids Will Talk About! helps educators and parents navigate the ever-expanding universe of children's literature. This comprehensive, multicultural, annotated booklist is organized around themes germane to a child's world. Teachers will find suggestions on how to integrate these books into their curriculum. Parents can use the books as a suggested reading list to foster lively discussion and self-exploration among young readers.
NEA Professional Library

The Effective Reading Series

This helpful series includes seven free pamphlets based on scientific research. For an effective reading program, check out the following titles: Characteristics of Teachers Who Are Effective in Teaching All Children to Read; Characteristics of Schools That Are Effective in Teaching All Children to Read; Beginning Reading Instruction: The Rest of the Story from Research; Ten Research-Based Principles of Comprehension Instruction; Advice on Reading from Experts; Steps for School-Wide Reading Improvement; and Research-Supported Characteristics of Teachers and Schools That Promote Reading Achievement.
NEA Student Achievement

Other Resources

Promising Practices for Urban Reading Instruction

Pamela A. Mason and Jeanne Shay Schumm, Editors

As the reading profession faces the challenge of high-stakes testing and standards-based curricula, it's essential that educators who plan and implement reading programs in urban settings have a professional development resource that speaks directly to urban education and diversity. This collection of articles is based on an International Reading Association position statement outlining what children need to become competent readers and writers.
International Reading Association, Inc.

Reading to Learn: Lessons from Exemplary Fourth-Grade Classrooms

By Richard L. Allington and Peter H. Johnston

Fourth graders around the country face new, high-stakes standardized tests, drawing increased attention to the need for effective literacy instruction in the upper-elementary grades. This book offers a classroom view of the techniques and strategies highly successful teachers use to engage students, help them develop as thoughtful readers and writers, and bolster self-directed learning and literate conversation.
Guilford Press

Subjects Matter: Every Teacher's Guide to Content-Area Reading

By Harvey Daniels and Steven Zemelman

Finally, a book about content-area reading that's just as useful to math, science, and history teachers as it is to English teachers. Lively, and practical, Subjects Matter points the way to activities and materials that energize content and engage students across all subject areas. The book includes:

23 classroom activities that help students understand and remember what they read in mathematics, science, English, and more; an analysis of today's textbooks, along with specific ways to use them more effectively; and a new "balanced diet" of reading, including 150 real books of interest to teenage readers. Subjects Matter shows how young people can read and succeed across the curriculum, and how their teachers can help.
Heinemann

Differentiating Instruction for Students with Learning Disabilities: Best Teaching Practices for General and Special Educators

By William N. Bender

Whether your challenging students are identified as learning disabled or low-achieving, the strategies and tactics in this book can lead to significant gains in reading comprehension, language arts, and math. This book describes the type of differentiation in instruction certain students require and shows, step-by-step, how to implement the best teaching methods, reading and literacy instruction, criterion-referenced testing, peer-assisted learning strategies, and more.
Corwin Press and the Council for Exceptional Children

After Early Intervention, Then What? Teaching Struggling Readers in Grade 3 and Beyond

Rachel McCormack and Jeanne Paratore, Editors

Even with effective early intervention, many students continue to need expert, intensive, and focused reading instruction well beyond the primary-grade years. This resource helps intermediate and middle school educators develop instructional strategies for these struggling students. The chapters address the needs of children in a range of instructional settings such as general, special, and bilingual classrooms and learning contexts such as classroom, small group, individual, and tutorial.
International Reading Association, Inc.

Strategies for Integrating Reading and Writing in Middle and High-School Classrooms

By Karen Wood and Janis Harmon

This book is about dissolving the boundaries among subject areas and uniting them via literacy. The authors' main purpose is to improve students' understanding of content by increasing the amount of time they are engaged in actual reading and writing activities. The authors translate literacy research into classroom practice, providing teachers with strategies for improving students' performance and interest in course content. Each strategy is illustrated with classroom examples spanning all the subject areas.
National Middle School Association

Small-Group Reading Instruction: A Differentiated Teaching Model for Beginning And Struggling Readers

By Beverly Tyner

Author Beverly Tyner presents a model for effective reading instruction that combines guided reading and word study in small groups, allowing you to address the needs of beginning and struggling readers in a regular classroom setting. Each chapter has easy-to-implement lesson plans and activities to support the five stages of reading—emergent, beginning, fledgling, transitional, and independent—and the appendixes offer instructions on using the Early Reading Screening Instrument, word study materials, and word scramble and writing activities.
International Reading Association

Grants, Awards, and Competitions

It's never too late to apply for grants from The NEA Foundation

Do you have an innovative idea that will improve student achievement, but lack the funds to implement the project? The NEA Foundation's Innovation Grants can help.

Do you want to undertake professional development that will benefit your students and your colleagues? Look to the Foundation Learning & Leadership Grants. Did you miss the early February application dates? Don't worry. The NEA Foundation accepts applications for these grants on an ongoing, year-round basis, so it's never too late to apply for a grant of your own. NEA members just like you have applied for and received hundreds of grants throughout the years. Read about their projects at www.nfie.org, then submit your own idea.

Innovation Grants and Learning & Leadership Grants are available for all subjects, including the arts, literacy, science, and technology. Additional funding for arts education is available through Fine Arts Grants and Arts@Work Grants.

All members who are practicing U.S. public school teachers in grades K-12, education support professionals, or higher education faculty and staff at public colleges and universities are encouraged to apply. We now offer bigger and better grants—up to $5,000 per project—to fund your BIG ideas. Applying for a grant is easy, so why wait? Visit www.nfie.org today for more information on all of our grant programs, including guidelines and an application, or call 202-822-7840.

Orphan Foundation Scholarships

The Orphan Foundation of America offers approximately 350 scholarships a year, ranging from $1,500 to $6,000, to students attending college. To be eligible, a student must have aged out of the foster care system having spent at least the one year prior to their 18th birthday in care. They also must be accepted into or enrolled in college or a vocational training program. The scholarship is renewable through the Bachelor's degree, but must be reapplied for every year. Applications are due April 1, 2004. Application forms are available at www.orphan.org.

Teacher Training Grants

The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) offers grants to teams of educators looking to help students link local history inquiry with community service learning projects. The teacher training grants are part of "CiviConnections: Constructing the past, creating the future," a project funded by a grant from the federal Corporation for National and Community Service. CiviConnections will involve more than 297 teachers and 7,425 students nationwide in grades 3-12. A team of three teachers can apply for a $7,500 grant to cover their costs for attending a summer workshop, implementing the program during the fall of 2004, and attending the 2004 NCSS Annual Conference in Baltimore. CiviConnections will engage selected teachers and their students in these activities: 1) students and teachers choose a current issue of concern or need in the local community; 2) students investigate the issue through their community's history; 3) students compare their local findings with learning about the selected issue in our nation's history; 4) students look at how the issue is impacted by one or more government documents, such as the Bill of Rights; 5) students design and conduct quality service learning activities to work on the issue and strengthen their community; and 6) students create a public display to educate the community and celebrate their collaborative service projects.

Teachers will develop and adapt these activities based on their students' interests and abilities, the needs or problems in the local community, and their local social studies curriculum requirements.

Interested educators must:

• apply in a team of three teachers from grades 3-12 in the same school district
• be members of the National Council for the Social Studies (or agree to join if your application is accepted)
• partner with at least one local community agency
• involve at least 25 students per teacher in at least 20 hours of service each (this may include community interviews, advocacy activities in the classroom, service with individuals in the community, and creation of the public display)
• attend one three-day summer 2004 workshop and the 2004 NCSS Annual Conference in Baltimore (all funding for the workshop and conference is to be paid from the $7,500 grant)
• implement the program during the fall of 2004
• comply with grant evaluation and reporting procedures.

For more information about CiviConnections or the application process, contact civiconnections@ncss.org. Applications are due April 30, 2004.

Middle School Awards for Positive Change

The Christopher Columbus Awards challenge middle school students to explore opportunities for positive change in their communities. Teams of up to four students and a coach identify a community issue and use the scientific process to solve it. Finalist teams win an all-expense-paid trip to Walt Disney World where they compete for U.S. Savings Bonds and the $25,000 Columbus Foundation Community Grant to help bring their idea to life in their community. Past winners have included a group of Native American girls who built a study hall out of straw on the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana, and a group of students from New Jersey who developed a technology to help deaf athletes communicate with their coaches while on the playing field.

For more information and competition guidelines, call 800-291-6020 or visit www.christophercolumbusawards.com. Coaches may be teachers, parents, community leaders, or mentors. Teams do not need to be affiliated with a school to enter. The deadline for receipt of entries is February 17, 2004.

The Christopher Columbus Awards program is sponsored by the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation with support from the National Science Foundation. It is endorsed by the National Middle School Association.

High School Essay Contest

The Holocaust Remembrance Project, sponsored by the Holland & Knight Charitable Foundation, is a national essay contest for high school students designed to encourage and promote the study of the Holocaust. High school students across the United States and Mexico are invited to incorporate the project into their study of the Holocaust and to use it as a means to personally react to the messages of the Holocaust. Scholarships and other prizes will be awarded to students in first, second, and third place categories. First place winners will participate in an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., to visit the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and other historic sites. In addition, scholarships of up to $5,000 will be awarded to the first place national winners.

Students responding to this year's contest should study and research the Holocaust and then, in an essay of no more than 1,200 words: 1) analyze why it is so vital that the remembrance, history, and lessons of the Holocaust be passed to a new generation; and 2) suggest what they, as students, can do to combat and prevent prejudice, discrimination, and violence in our world today.

For complete contest rules, guidelines, and entry forms, go to http://holocaust.hklaw.com.

In Print

Serving Proudly

African-Americans have played a large role in many American conflicts from as early as the Revolutionary War all the way up to today. American Patriots: The Story of Blacks in the Military from the Revolution to Desert Storm discusses how African-Americans have fought for freedom in foreign lands, even when they did not have that same freedom at home. This edition has been adapted for young readers by Tonya Bolden from author Gail Buckley's award-winning book of the same name. 240 pp. $15.95 from Random House. To order, go to www.randomhouse.com or call 800-733-3000.

Young, Gifted, and Black

Young, Gifted, and Black comprises three unique essays by college professors Theresa Perry, Claude Steele, and Asa Hillard. Their writings dissect the performance of Black students, examine the stigmas attached with achievement in the classroom, and provide new and compelling information on the ongoing debate between the disparity that exists between white and African-American students. 192 pp. $16 from Beacon Press. To order, visit www.amazon.com.

The Quilt That Clara Built

Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt, by Deborah Hopkinson with paintings by James Ransome, is a coming-of-age story of a young slave girl separated from her parents and sent away to live on a plantation. Clara learns to sew and decides to make a map that is actually a carefully crafted quilt that shows neighboring lakes, plantations, and roads. The quilt helps her find the mother she was separated from and find her way to freedom in Canada. The quilt helps others to freedom as well. 40 pp. $15.95 from Random House. To order, go to www.randomhouse.com/kids or call 800-733-3000.

A Smile as Big as the Moon

Author Mike Kersjes shares his amazing story as a small-town special education teacher who leads his learning disabled and emotionally impaired students to NASA's "Space Camp" for astronaut training. With his faith and persistence, Kersjes in A Smile as Big as the Moon turned his obstacle of getting support from administrators to getting his kids to camp, where they exemplified a triumph of the human spirit. 274 pp. $13.95 from St. Martin's Griffin.To order, visit www.stmartins.com.

The Write Stuff

The written word has been around for a long time, having evolved from pictures scrawled on a cave. In Write Around the World: The Story of How and Why We Learned to Write, authors Vivian French and Ross Collins enlist the help of six goofy birds to tour the world and show readers the evolution of writing from its earliest stages, to art, slang, and even secret codes. 32 pp. $16.95 from Oxford University Press. To order, go to www.oup.com or call, 800-451-7556.

Give Them Poetry!

Teachers can bring poetry into the classroom with Glenna Sloan's Give Them Poetry: A Guide for Sharing Poetry with Children K-8. Sloan, a poetry-passionate professor, features rich examples of classroom poetry and basis poetry and verse as a promoter of literacy. The book also has successful strategies for encouraging teachers to use poetry study with students. 91 pp. $17.95 from Teachers College Press. To order visit, www.teacherscollegepress.com.

A Letter to my Teacher

What do students wish teachers knew about them and about how they best learn? In Fires in the Bathroom by Kathleen Cushman, 40 high school students from urban areas advise teachers on how to better engage, motivate, and challenge; the crucial bargain students make with their most successful teachers; and how to improve student-teacher relationships. 190 pp. $24.95 from The New Press. To order, visit www.thenewpress.com.

The Handy Science Book

Why do golf balls have dimples? Why do leaves turn colors? The Handy Science Answer Book includes 1,700 of the most interesting, unusual, and frequently asked questions in this expanded centennial edition compiled by the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. 660 pp. $21.95 from Visible Ink Press. To order, call 734-667-3211 or visit www.visibleinkpress.com.

Geography Fun for Young Explorers

"What does geography have to do with me?" A lot. Find out the differences and similarities that we have with other people around the world. Make Thailand's watermelon slush or predict the weather with your own weather station. Geography Fun: Cool Activities for Young Explorers offers fun ideas for discovering your world. 144 pp. $14.95 from Sterling Publishing. To order, visit www.sterlingpub.com or call 800-805-5489.

The Bangles Business

Learn how five young women with very little money from Bangladesh, Pakistan, begin their different businesses in Ginger Howard's A Basket of Bangles, for grades K-3. Sufiya's dream of owning a business turns into a reality. However, the women must learn to read and write and understand banking principles before they successfully operate businesses, selling items such as bangles. 25 pp. $21.90 from Millbrook Press. To order, go to www.millbrookpress.com.

On TV

Mighty Times: The Legacy of Rosa Parks
HBO Family, February 8, 7 p.m., ET/PT.

You might think you know her story, but this documentary peels away one more layer. "Mighty Times" shows us Rosa Parks as part of a strong community that instantly supported her on that day in December 1955 when she refused to give up her bus seat to a white man. After Rosa was released from jail, fliers were published overnight: "Do Not Ride the Bus." A popular DJ makes announcements over the radio about meetings, bicycles are brought in, and churches buy station wagons to take workers to their jobs. The boycott also launched the career of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who at 26 was chosen over other pastors to lead the community's response. The bus boycott lasted 381 days, which was the length of time it took for her case to make its way to the Supreme Court. From Tell the Truth Pictures, this documentary was nominated for an Oscar. KIDSNET has produced a study guide on Rosa Parks, which can be downloaded for free at www.kidsnet.org/pdf/rosaparksguide.

Nat Turner: A Troublesome Property
PBS, February 10, 10 p.m., ET, check local listings.

Nat Turner's slave rebellion is a watershed event in America's long and troubled history of slavery and racial conflict. A groundbreaking exploration of race, violence, and memory in American life, this film tells the story of that violent confrontation and the ways the story has been continuously re-told since 1831. Nat Turner was a "troublesome property" for his master and he has remained a "troublesome property" for the historians, novelists, dramatists, artists, and many others who have struggled to understand him.

INNOVATION
PBS, February 10, 17, 24, and March 2, 9 p.m., ET, check local listings.

This series examines technology and science from a first person perspective. One narrative follows two retired CIA officers who now train FBI agents in anti-terror surveillance, adapting techniques they developed in the Cold War. Another segment is about a blind woman who undergoes risky brain implant surgery to see again. Beyond the first person focus, viewers will appreciate the jargon-free, easily accessible presentation of science in this series. A companion site with materials is available from the series producer, Channel Thirteen in New York (www.thirteen.org). Other outreach activities will occur at science centers and museums across the country, and a special Sparks of INNOVATION magazine is available by request at guiderequest@thirteen.org.

Jazz Heroes
Ovation, February 10, 1:30 p.m., ET, check local listings.

Part of a series examining the world of jazz from 1946 to 1966, this episode, "Ella Fitzgerald: The Singer Not the Song," explores the overall impact of the legendary vocalist's life and career. The 30-minute show can be taped and used in the classroom for one year. Teaching materials are available at www.ovationtv.com/artszone.

Forced to Flee: Famine and Plague
Discovery Channel, February 16, 9 a.m., ET.

This documentary explores how Ireland's potato famine drove Irish immigrants to America and how the bubonic plague helped end feudalism in medieval Europe. Can be taped and used in the classroom for one year. Teaching materials will be available at www.discoveryschool.com.

JFK: A Presidency Revealed
History Channel, February 16 (part 1), February 17 (part 2), and February 18 (part 3), 6 a.m., ET.

This three-part profile of our 35th president includes White House audiotapes and Soviet footage from Kennedy's superpower summit. Can be taped and used in the classroom for two years. Teaching materials are available at www.historychannel.com/classroom.

On TV listings are provided by KIDSNET, a national resource for children's media in Washington, D.C., www.kidsnet.org and by Cable in the Classroom's Access Learning magazine at www.ciconline.org.

Diversity Calendar

February

February 1-29—Black History Month

Started by Carter G. Woodson in the 1920s as Negro History Week, the commemoration was expanded to a month to reflect on the culture and accomplishments of Blacks in America. For more, go to http://search .eb.com/blackhistory/.

February 1—National Freedom Day

Presidential proclamation established this date in 1949 to commemorate the signing of the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery in 1865. For more, go to www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/es/pa/free_1.

February 24—Mardi Gras

This day is also called Shrove Tuesday and is celebrated in Brazil, Germany, and especially in New Orleans and the southern United States. This is the last feast before Lent.

March

March 1-31—Irish American Heritage Month

This period was set aside by a presidential declaration to celebrate Irish history and its influence on American culture.

March 1-31—National Mental Retardation Month

A month set aside to increase and promote educational awareness of the 7.2 million Americans living with disabilities. For more on groups who promote awareness in this field visit www.thearc.org.

March 4—First Woman to Serve in Congress

Jeannette Rankin was the first woman member of Congress—elected four years before the 19th Amendment guaranteed women the right to vote. She started her term as a congresswoman from Montana on this day in 1917. Go to http://womenshistory.about .com/library/bio/blbio_jeannette_rankin.htm.

Heads Up From NEA Member Benefits

 

Our new site?—"Outta sight"...

...is what people are saying about the revamped NEA Member Benefits Web Site. Introduced in December, the Site sports a sleek, new design that makes products and services easy to locate, eliminates multiple layers, and reduces the number of clicks needed to get where you want to go. If you haven't visited recently, sign on to www.neamb.com and peruse the Site's many great features including monthly giveaways and special offers, life cycle consumer guides, financial awareness bulletins, and home buying and retirement planning information with associated financial calculators.

You can also obtain quotes on various products and check your existing account information online. It's all there for you at www.neamb.com.

Looking for a way to make debt* disappear?

The NEA Personal Loan¨ may be your solution. You could consolidate your high-interest debt and save with low rates available exclusively for NEA members. This plan includes affordable monthly payments to fit your budget and terms ranging from 24 to 84 months. No collateral is necessary and it costs nothing to apply. For more information or to apply, call 1-800-545-4094 and mention priority code IRZ7 for a decision in as little as 10 minutes! Or, visit www.neamb.com/pl to apply online. TDD users, call 1-800-833-6262. This account is administered by MBNA America Bank, N.A. *MBNA may prohibit use of an NEA Personal Loan to pay on another MBNA account.

OWL.org

Cooking Up Reading Resources at OWL.org

This year's Read Across America (RAA) on March 2 will be the biggest and best celebration yet—and OWL.org is helping to make it happen! Members looking for ways to participate in RAA activities can log on to OWL.org and find fun-filled activities and resources available nowhere else. Browse through the "Book Buffet" to find a "Bread and Jam"-themed booklist perfect for the peanut butter and jelly set, or try "Eating and Reading Your Way Through History." Whatever your tastes, OWL has yummy book lists for all ages.

If you're looking for an alternative to green eggs and ham, this year's RAA menu includes special book "diets" of reading activities that teachers, education support professionals, and retired and higher ed members can use.

And if you can't resist Read Across merchandise, check out the cat-a-log for members-only items, including sweatshirts, neckties, and commemorative certificates. OWL has all this and more!

And don't forget to shop at your favorite online retailers through OWLShopper—you'll support both RAA literacy activities and OWL.org.

On the Web

 

Black History Biographies

Brush up on your African-American history on this Biography.com site that includes biographies ranging from George Washington Carver to Tiger Woods. Many of the life stories also come with video clips, as well as related links to the person being highlighted.

A Journey Through Slavery

America's journey through slavery is presented in four parts in this site designed by PBS. For each era, you'll find a historical narrative, a resource bank of images, documents, stories, commentaries, and a Teacher's Guide for using the site's content in U.S. history courses.

History Scavenger Hunt

Send students on a Black history scavenger hunt. Students can learn about famous Black Americans while polishing their Internet surfing skills. For students of all ages, the site organizes the scavenger hunts in fill-in-the-blank format with a list of Web sites where the information can be found.

Take the Ocean Challenge

"Clean Water for the 21st Century," part of the Wyland Ocean Challenge, is the first interdisciplinary art and science educational program for grades K-6 that addresses these issues. Developed by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (UCSD) and marine life artist Wyland, the site features free downloadable teacher's guides to enhance student's learning of adaptation, water cycles, environmental stewardship, and conservation.

For Custodians

CMM Online, provided by Cleaning and Maintenance Management magazine, contains news and feature articles on carpet and floor cleaning, environmental issues, industry trends, and legal and government compliance issues. The site also offers "how to" tips on floor and restroom care and mold remediation. Visitors can access an online bulletin board and e-mail forum.

Books by NEA Members

Meeting the Math Standards with Favorite Picture Books:

Lessons, Activities, and Hands-On Reproducibles That Help You Teach Essential Math Skills and Concepts

By Bob Krech

This book tells how to teach math through good literature—books and stories that inspire, amuse, and provoke kids into making connections and building skills. The collection includes math activities connected to 25 favorite children's books. Krech, an elementary math specialist, writes for learning standards-based math. Each featured title includes a plot summary and a list of primary content standards. (Grades 2-4) 80 pp. $12.95 from Scholastic, Inc.

Free Gondola Ride: A Summer With the Men Behind the Mystery

By Kathleen Ann González

Learn about the history of the gondola and at the same time, take a "free ride" with the author, a high school English teacher, as she uncovers the true lifestyles of Venice's gondoliers. Originally intending to interview these boatmen as a proper journalist, Gonz?lez becomes fascinated with their unique occupation and finds herself drawn into their personal lives—getting to know their families, learning their language, and living an unexpected adventure. Thirty photos are interspersed within the text. 235 pp. $18.

Tundra Teacher: A Memoir

By John Foley

Becoming a schoolteacher in a remote Eskimo village on St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea is not what John Foley imagined. He finds out what it's like to be in the racial minority. His wife feels isolated, lost, and unhappy; eventually they divorce. Thus, Foley tells his story. He speaks candidly about relationships, students, teachers, and village life. Using humor and insight in his difficult teaching situations, he writes about what many teachers face: a lack of self-confidence, frustration, and heart-breaking reality. 160 pp. $14.95 plus s&h from Epicenter Press. Call 800-950-6663.

Inquiry & the Literary Text: Constructing Discussions in the English Classroom

By James Holden and John S. Schmit

Secondary and college practitioners Holden and Schmit offer theory-grounded, classroom-tested approaches for literature study in this book, which includes a primer on discussion-based classes and inquiry-focused instruction. The primer is followed by sections on 1) "how-to-do-it-tomorrow" approaches for enabling active learning and discussion; 2) diverse ways to (re)structure a course around inquiry; and 3) assessment strategies. (Grades 7-16). 189 pp. $31.95 from the National Council of Teachers of English.

What's Up at HIN

Resiliency for Grades 6-12: New Anime Posters

Want a creative, educational way to help students cope with adversity? The NEA Health Information Network introduces a new resiliency poster series for grades 6-12. Each colorful, anime-style poster conveys one of five strategies to help students who are confronting trauma or loss stay resilient. To view or download this popular five-poster series, visit www.neahin.org/programs/mentalhealth/index.htm.

NEA HIN Ryan White HIV Prevention Award

Each year NEA HIN presents the Ryan White HIV Prevention Award to an NEA member or affiliate who has shown a commitment to implementing or supporting innovative HIV prevention education. The award will be presented during the 2004 NEA Representative Assembly in Washington, D.C. To nominate an individual or affiliate contact NEA HIN for a nomination form at 202-822-7787 or e-mail psathrum@nea .org. The deadline for nomination applications is May 1.

Custodian Guide on Indoor Air Quality

NEA HIN, NEA ESP Quality, and the Carpet and Rug Institute have developed a guide for custodians on indoor air quality and how it relates to their work on a daily basis. The guide provides tools, tips, and resources on how custodial staff can help maintain a healthy indoor environment. It also contains simple strategies for developing a local Association indoor air quality action plan. To get your copy, call 202-822-7570 or visit www.neahin.org/programs/environmental/iaq.htm.

Are Your Reading Hats Ready?

March 2nd is almost here—are you ready to celebrate NEA's Read Across America and the joy of reading? In Florida, NEA student members are preparing a Seussapalooza, acting out Seussian style in honor of Dr. Seuss's 100th birthday. In Kansas, high school rodeo champions are rounding up good books to read in their reading rodeo. Looking for more ideas? Go to the Read Across America Web site. You'll find new booklists, recipes for reading, ideas for celebrating reading, and so much more. And let us know what you're doing to spread the joy of reading on or around March 2nd by filling out our pledge forms.