Attention
Student Members
Photo: Photodisc
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The Jack Kinnaman Scholarship helps college students defray the cost of higher
education. The scholarship was created in memory of NEA-Retired Vice President
and former Advisory Council member, Jack Kinnaman. To be considered for the
scholarship, applicants must meet the following criteria:
- be an active participant
in the NEA Student Program on the local, state and/or national level
- be able to demonstrate
financial need
- carry a 2.5 or
better grade point average.
Go to www.nea.org/student-program/programs/kinnaman.html to
print and submit a completed application by April 15, 2005. In addition, include
two (2) letters of recommendation—one
from the faculty advisor of your NEA Student Program chapter—the other
from someone who is not a relative. For more, contact NEA-Retired at 202-822-7149.
Spruce Up Your school
The Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation awards more than $2
million annually to diverse organizations across the United States through
community and public school improvement projects and education scholarships
for trade disciplines. The Foundation provides funding only to 501 (c)(3) organizations
in communities where Lowe's operates stores and distribution centers.
School improvement projects include: playground enhancements, landscaping and
painting, and outdoor learning environments such as educational gardening programs.
For more, go to their
Web site.
Calling Captain Planet
The Captain Planet Foundation offers grants between $250 and $2,500 for environmental
projects that:
- promote
understanding of environmental issues
- focus on hands-on
involvement
- involve children and
young adults 6–18
- promote
interaction and cooperation in the group
- help young people
develop planning and problem solving skills
- include adult supervision
- commit to follow-up
communication with the Foundation.
All applicant organizations or sponsoring agencies must be exempt from federal
taxation under the Internal Revenue Code Section 501 to be eligible for funding.
Deadlines for submitting grant applications are March 31, June 30,
September 30, and December 31. Grant proposals are reviewed over a period of three months
from the date of the submission deadline. Proposals must be submitted online.
For more information, or to apply, go to www.captainplanetfdn.org/.
Help for Music Progams
The Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation
Melody Program provides musical instruments
and instrument repairs to existing K–12 school music programs that have
no other source of financing to purchase additional musical instruments and
materials. Grant applications are accepted throughout the year for instruments
and instrument repairs between $500 and $5,000. No cash awards are given. To
be eligible, applicant schools must:
- have an ongoing
music program that is at least three years old
- have a recruitment
plan for its instrumental music program
- offer a well-balanced
musical instruction program with budgets or monies made available annually
to cover the costs of additional expenses
- have adequate facilities
for lessons, practice, rehearsals and secure storage of instruments.
In addition, all schools must offer one group or private lesson per week that
stresses instruction on a student's instrument. Elementary schools must
offer at least one rehearsal/class per week that reinforces the lesson; middle
schools must offer at least two rehearsals/ classes per week that reinforce
the lesson; and high schools must offer three rehearsals/classes per week to
qualify.
Handwriting Contest
Zaner-Bloser Educational Publishers announces its 14th Annual National Handwriting
Contest for grades 1–8. Schools should select one winner in each grade
to enter. State and national winners will be selected in each category and
one student will be selected as the Grand National Champion.
National Champions in grades 1–3 win a Fisher-Price PowerTouch Learning
System. National Champions in grades 4–8 win a Zire 21 Handheld PDA.
Winners' schools receive gift certificates from Zaner-Bloser. The Grand
National Champion receives prizes valued at more than $1,000. To be eligible,
schools must use Zaner-Bloser Handwriting as their handwriting program.
For more information, including how to enter, visit www.zaner-bloser.com/html/HWcontest.html.
Entries must be postmarked by March 1, 2005.
On The Web
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"With an Even Hand: Brown v. Board at Fifty" is
an online exhibition that examines precedent-setting court cases
that laid the ground- work for the Brown v. Board decision,
explores the Supreme Court argument and the public's response to
it, and closes with an overview of this profound decision's aftermath.
The exhibition features more than 100 items from the Library of Congress'
extensive holdings on this subject, including books, documents, photographs,
personal papers, manuscripts, maps, music, films, political cartoons,
and prints. |
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This breeze-through site offers a short list of interesting school
fund-raising ideas and some new twists on old standards. The next
time your school club needs money, why not sell something useful
like first-aid kits, host a faculty contest, or convince people
to buy goat insurance? (Just see the site). |
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A project of the Education Committee of the American Society
for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR), this site delivers no-nonsense,
illustrated information on the body's support structure, focusing
on areas such as bone structure, bone cells, growth and remodeling,
collagen and bone matrix, hormones that effect bone, bone biomechanics,
diseases of the bone, and exercise and nutrition. Students in high
school to medical school can use this site as a handy biology reference. |
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Interested in whales, oil spills, and the health and fate of
our oceans? Then check out Oceanus magazine online. The site contains
articles and commentary on the meaning and value of ocean research,
engineering, and education at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution,
in addition to features on ocean life, climate change, and exploration. |
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From the Smithsonian Office of Education, this site for grades
3–8 uses five lessons to help students examine misconceptions
about herps (the collective name given to reptiles and amphibians),
discover how humans have viewed herps throughout history, and catalog
the differences and similarities between reptiles and amphibians.
Links to other resources are also included. |
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This Library of Congress site offers multiple online exhibits
examining immigration to the United States in the last few hundred
years. Jewish life in America for the last 350 years, mid to late
19th-century Chinese immigration, images of Ellis Island, a look
at New York's Lower East Side Tenement museum, and interviews with
today's immigrants are all featured, as well as interactive timelines
and maps showing immigration patterns. |
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Why do we pay taxes? If your high school or community college
students (or you for that matter) have ever asked this question,
then look to the IRS Understanding Taxes site. Detailed lesson
plans, interactive activities, simulations, examples of how and
why taxes affect and influence our daily lives, and more explain
the hows of taxes (a primer on tax application) and the whys of
taxes (the theory and history behind taxes). Lesson plans are correlated
to national and state educational standards. |
Diversity Calendar
February
February 1–28—Black History Month
A time to reflect on the achievements, history, and contributions of African
Americans. Created by Carter G. Woodson in the 1920s as Negro History Week,
the celebration became month-long in 1976.
February 12—Abraham Lincoln's Birthday
This 16th U.S. President was born in 1809 and assassinated in 1865. His birthday
is observed as a federal holiday—President's Day—along with
George Washington's on February 22.
February 15—Susan B. Anthony's Birthday
Born in 1820, Anthony crusaded for women's rights and the abolition
of slavery until her death in 1906.
February 20—Frederick Douglass Day
Although Douglass' birthdate in unknown, this African-American journalist
and anti-slavery leader died on this day in 1895.
March
March 1–31—National Mental Retardation Awareness Month
A month set aside to promote awareness of mental retardation and the welfare
of the 7.2 million Americans with this disability. For more, see www.thearc.org.
March 1–31—Music in Our Schools Month
Sponsored by the National Association for Music Education, this month emphasizes
the importance of music in the learning experience. For more, see www.menc.org.
March 1—Korean Independence Movement Day
The Korean Proclamation of Independence is read on this day, which commemorates
the anniversary of the independence movement against colonial Japanese rule
in 1919.
March 8—International Women's Day
The anniversary of the 1857 strike by women textile workers in New York to
protest low wages and inhumane working conditions. In the early 1900s, this
day was named to honor working women.
Books by NEA Members
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By Andrea Warren
With a bleak-looking future in his own country, eight-year-old Long,
an Amerasian orphan whose father was an American, escaped Vietnam at
the end of the war. Through Operation Babylift, which airlifted children
out of Saigon, Long was brought to the United States and became part
of an American family. Long's struggles in leaving his home and becoming
part of a different culture are depicted in this tense and moving real-life
story. 128 pp. |
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By John Kaluta
A technical theater veteran shows it is possible to pull off a fantastic
production on a limited budget in less than 40 days in this volume
covering the nuts and bolts of putting a show together. The book tackles
the most common and complex stage and crew problems, from hanging lights
and repairing sound equipment to painting scenery to preparing tickets
and generating publicity, and will help you turn backstage workers
into the perfect crew. 256 pp. |
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By Marsha Hubler
Angry, 13-year-old, foster kid Skye Nicholson has been in so much
trouble that she faces juvenile detention. Luckily, though, Tom and
Eileen Chambers decide to give her one last chance and take her into
their home. Through her stay on this horse ranch, Skye is introduced
to religion, and through her newfound hope, she is given a chance to
turn her life around. Part of the Keystone Stables series, written
by a foster parent, this book would be appropriate for parents looking
for faith-based ways to guide their adolescent kids. 130 pp. $2.99
from Zonderkidz. |
Take Note
Addressing Legal Issues Around Students' Sexual Orientation
A consortium of national organizations—including NEA—under the
leadership of the National School Boards Association (NSBA), has issued a resource
document to help school leaders address legal issues surrounding students' sexual
orientation and gender identity.
"Dealing with Legal Matters Surrounding Students' Sexual Orientation
and Gender Identity" provides practical guidance on schools' legal
rights and responsibilities with respect to students, school programs, and
curriculum. Using a Q&A format, the publication addresses questions on
student organizations and clubs; dress codes; curriculum and lesbian, gay,
bisexual, and transgendered students; student involvement in school events;
and student harassment. Among the questions answered: What are your legal responsibilities
as a school leader when it comes to student-sponsored clubs such as a Gay-Straight
Alliance? What should you do if you learn students are being harassed because
of their sexual orientation?
Download the publication for free.
Call for Papers
Do you teach, or have you taught, low-income children? Have a story to share?
Catherine Wiley, an English professor at the University of Colorado at Denver
is seeking creative nonfiction essays, 10–30 pages, on teaching low-income
children in public schools. Teaching is defined as classroom instruction, counseling,
on-site administration, nursing, cafeteria work, coaching, etc. "No Child
Left Behind" may be a theme or you may compare teaching before and after
the implementation of NCLB. Comparisons of different kinds of schools, e.g.,
urban vs. rural or suburban schools, may be appropriate. The book is intended
for a general audience, so an academic framework is not acceptable. Send queries
to catherine.wiley@cudenver.edu. Four-page proposals or completed essays must
be received by May 1, 2005.
Teaching Religions From the News
The Thirteen/WNET-produced newsmagazine program Religion & Ethics Newsweekly
offers an online video workshop for high school and college educators that
highlights the special resources that the news can offer for teaching about
world religions. Based on a Colgate University course, the video represents
an example of how to teach about world religions using the news—particularly
the role that TV, radio, newspapers, and other media can play in the classroom.
The Web site course features classroom footage shot on location in 2003–04
and augmented by the course description, syllabus, and exam questions. Check
out the course. Additional
resources for K–12 teachers,
including lesson plans, teaching tips, and a downloadable viewer's guide,
are also available on the Religion & Ethics Newsweekly Web site.
In Print
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The struggle to desegregate America's schools began 100 years before
Brown v. Board of Education when a 5-year-old girl named Sarah was
forced to walk past five white schools to reach her poor and overcrowded
all-Black school. In Sarah's Long Walk: The Free Blacks of Boston
and How Their Struggle for Equality Changed America, Sarah's father,
fed up with his daughter's unfair treatment, sues the city of Boston
on his daughter's behalf. Father and son authors Stephen and Paul Kendrick
recreate this landmark event in the struggle for equality in schools.
320 pp. |
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Michael Jordan isn't a basketball player—at least not this
Michael Jordan. This Michael is the shortest kid in seventh grade.
So when a pretty blond eighth grader named Macy starts to pay a lot
of attention to him, Michael is amazed. Could this girl really like
him? The (Short) Story of My Life by Jennifer B. Jones humorously
captures a boy's anxiety about middle school and girls. 160 pp. |
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With all the colleges out there, how can students be expected to
choose which one will best fit them? A good source of information for
students and their families, Spying on the College of Your Choice by
Steven Oppenheimer acts as a guide through the challenging process
of choosing a college. It includes suggestions on making the most of
your college visit, and brings up issues about college life that most
college guides steer clear of, such as tolerance and drug use. Additionally,
hundreds of ideas are given for useful questions to ask about colleges.
254 pp. |
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Hachiko the dog waits every day at the train station for his owner,
the Professor, to return. Then one day, the Professor does not return
on the train. So Hachiko continues to wait for him…for 10 years!
Inspired by a true story, Leslèa Newman's Hachiko Waits tells
a legendary and heartfelt Japanese story about loyalty and devotion.
96 pp. |
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Using Beverly A. Brownings' Grant Writing for Educators: Practical
Strategies for Teachers, Administrators, and Staff, you will be able
to improve your grant writing skills and increase the odds of receiving
those much-needed grants. This guide provides strategies for finding
funders, dealing with paperwork, writing winning proposals according
to instructions, and more. 120 pp. |
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Anthony Browne's book, My Dad, uses colorful illustrations filled
with imagination and exaggeration as a child describes the accomplishments
of his father. Clad in his comfy bathrobe, the boy's dad can—literally—eat
like a horse and wrestle with giants in this tribute to fathers everywhere.
32 pp. |
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All of the animals at the farm gather together to decide who has
The Best Bottom. Author Brigitte Minne's simple and amusing contest
of tails features all the farm animals admiring the splendor of their
own tails. With some resourceful thinking, however, an unlikely animal
emerges as the winner, showing that creativity counts even when it
comes to tails. For ages 4–8.
32 pp.
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Martin W. Sandler tells the story of American aviation in Flying
Over the USA: Airplanes in American Life. Sandler describes the
exciting stories of the American pioneers in flight, and traces the
path from hot air balloon flight to supersonic jet fighters in this
latest book in the Transportation in America series. 64 pp. |
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John Hollander edited this collection of Animal Poems. Discover
which creatures inspired such literary heavyweights as Dickinson, Tennyson,
and Wordsworth into writing. Vivid illustrations accompany the lively
verse, and kids are sure to love the animal focus. 48 pp. |
Heads Up from NEA Member Benefits
Helping NEA Members and Their Families "Make it Home."
Illustration: Corbis
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Spring is home buying season, and now is the perfect time to think about your
homeownership goals. The NEA Home Financing Program® offers a variety of
home financing programs that make it easier for you to purchase a home or make
the most of your current one. Whether you are a first-time home buyer (adult
children of members are also eligible) or looking to move to a larger home,
refinance, or leverage your home equity to pay for home improvements, we have
a variety of flexible financing options to suit your needs.
Call 1-800-NEA-4-YOU (800-632-4968) for more information about the home buying
process or to get today's rates. Be sure to ask about the complimentary
NEA GetawaySM hotel package you'll receive after closing on a new mortgage
or refinance!
The NEA Members Insurance Trust® works hard to provide cost-effective
and feature-rich life insurance plans to help protect NEA members and their
families. Due to positive claims experience with the NEA Insurance plans,
a new NEA Group Term Life Plan, issued by the Prudential Insurance Company
of America, was introduced this past November and offers rates 10 percent lower
overall than the previous NEA Term Life Plan. In addition, full benefits now
extend to age 70, five years longer than with the old plan. More good news—members' spouses
may apply for the same or greater coverage at even more competitive rates!
For information, call the NEA Member Benefits Member Service Center toll free
at 800-637-4636, Monday–Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (or Saturday, 9 a.m.
to 1 p.m.) ET.
The NEA Home Financing Program has provided over $2 billion in home loans
to NEA members and their families.
What's Up at HIN
Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Promotional Product Available!
Are you having trouble convincing your principal or superintendent to improve
the indoor air quality (IAQ) in your school or school district? If so, EPA
has created "The IAQ Tools for Schools Advantage," a 4-minute VHS
video/CD-ROM package that aims to assist school staff in promoting EPA's
IAQ Tools for Schools program to key decision makers in the school community.
The video or CD can be used to help make the case for implementing the program,
which guides schools on how to identify, prevent, and solve IAQ problems using
low and no-cost solutions. It features media stories on school IAQ problems
and testimonials from school officials on the importance of dealing proactively
with this growing issue. To obtain a copy to assist you with your efforts or
to learn more about IAQ Tools for Schools, contact Jennie
Young or 202-822-7481.
Words Can Work: When Talking With Kids About Sexual Health Book
Words Can Work tells how 12 families talk about sexual health. Teens, in first-person
accounts, take readers into their world, while Dr. David Satcher, former U.S.
Surgeon General, and Dr. Paula Rauch, Massachusetts General Hospital, offer
strategies—and the words—parents can use to talk with their kids
about puberty, values, relationships, sex, birth control, and more. Visit www.wordscanwork.com to learn more or to obtain a copy.
Take Care of Your Heart this Valentine's Day
Cardiovascular diseases are the number one killer of men and women in the
United States. While the myth persists that heart disease affects men more
than women, in reality these diseases are responsible for one female death
each minute, claiming nearly half a million women's lives each year.
Lower the risks for yourself and your loved ones: start adopting a healthier
lifestyle today. Visit www.neahin.org for new information and links to help
you take care of your heart this Valentine's Day.
On TV
Photo Between the Lions: Corbis/John E. Barrett/© WGBH/Sirius Thinking
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Between the Lions
PBS Kids, check local listings for times and days.
Between the Lions wins Emmys because it helps develop younger viewers'
reading skills with a variety of approaches, from phonemic awareness
to text comprehension. The first of its kind to teach reading that
is research-based, this program is far from dull and plodding. Created
for children ages 4–7, the show begins at a magical library run
by lion puppets, parents Theo and Cleo and children Lionel and Leona.
The family's adventures provide the narrative thread for each half-hour
program, which is supplemented by a number of clever and visually appealing
stand-alone segments. Recent research conducted by two universities
indicates that younger children benefit from watching the program. Check
out their extensive site. |
Holocaust Heroes: Discover Communications, Inc.
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Holocaust Heroes
Discovery Channel, February 7, 9 a.m., ET, check local listings.
This special explores the roots of the Holocaust, the last days of
Anne Frank, and the personal stories of a group of Holocaust survivors.
Can be taped and used in the classroom for one year. |
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Choose or Lose: Vote or Die
MTV, February 7 and 21, 4 a.m., ET.
P. Diddy hits the streets and the presidential conventions to talk
to the powerful and powerless about why young minorities are so disinterested
in politics and disconnected from the political process. The half-hour
show can be taped and used in the classroom for one year. |
Biography Close-Up: Civil Rights Heroes A&E, February 8, 7 a.m., ET. This hourlong program profiles some of the people who have kept the
ideals of the civil rights movement alive in the United States, including
Mae Bertha Carter, Bill Russell, and John Lewis. Can be taped and used
in the classroom for two years with teaching materials available at www.aetv.com/classroom. |
A Fragile Freedom: African American Historic Sites History Channel, February 10, 6 a.m., ET. Explore eight unique African-American historic sites around the country
while learning of the strength of Black communities during the 1800s.
The hourlong show can be taped and used in the classroom for two years
with eaching materials at www.historychannel.com/classroom. |
The Last Days of World War II The History Channel, premiers February 18–24, 8 p.m., ET/PT,
check local listings. Sixty years ago this February, American forces began their assault
on Iwo Jima, Japan's heavily fortified island. Taking this moment as
its starting point, the History Channel developed a documentary series
detailing how the war was won. The island was riddled with underground
tunnels and Japanese gunners would pop up out of the mountain, fire
at the Marines below, and then drop back into hiding. The Marines had
never dealt with this kind of fortification before, and it took days
to come up with a strategy to overtake the underground enemy. Survivors
and historians recount the siege, supplemented by archival film and
photos. Good graphics combined with interviews make this series interesting
for teens and for the rest of us. However, some pictures of dead soldiers
from archival photos may upset younger students. |
SportsFigures
ESPN2, February 28, 4:30 a.m., ET, check local listings.
Professional athletes use sports to demonstrate math and physics in
this series. In this episode, "Gravity Check/Batting the Unknown," Dave
Mirra explains gravity's role in bike stunts and Troy Glaus uses algebraic
variables to determine batting averages. The show can be taped and used in the classroom for one year with teaching materials at www.sportsfigures.espn.com. |
| 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. |
NFL Players Tiki and Ronde Barber Lead the Way!
National Football League stars and twin brothers Tiki and Ronde Barber are
dedicated literacy advocates. That's why they're leading NEA's
Read Across America celebration as honorary Co-chairs and recruiting other
celebrities and star athletes along the way. Tiki, with the New York Giants,
and Ronde, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are also Verizon Literacy Champions.
They'll be donning the familiar Cat in the Hat hat and leading the nation
in reading March 2 as we celebrate the joy of reading and Read Across America
Day. How are you celebrating reading March 2? Pledge your activities and get
a resource kit chock full of posters and ideas.
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