So You Want To Write Children’s Books

Here’s your chance: Enter “What’s the Story?” a contest for teachers who have written an original children’s book or poem. Sponsored by SRA/McGraw-Hill, the contest seeks creative, original, and imaginative stories and poems (fiction and nonfiction) written for students in preK–6—anything you think your own students would enjoy. Submit as many entries as you like in either English or Spanish. Story winners will receive a cash prize of $1,000. Winning poets will receive a cash prize of $500. Winners will be published in a preK–6 reading and language arts curriculum. Go to http://stories.sraonline.com/splash.html. Entries must be received by December 31, 2006.

National Inclusive Schools Week

The 6th annual National Inclusive Schools Week, December 4–8, highlights the progress our nation’s schools have made in using inclusive practices to ensure a quality education for an increasingly diverse student population, including students with disabilities, those from low socioeconomic backgrounds, and English-language learners. This year’s theme is Charting an Inclusive Journey Through School, Work, and Life: Successful Transition Planning for All Students.

The event will highlight resources that educators and families can use to prepare students to manage and embrace change, as well as tools to teach self-advocacy and self-determination skills. Numerous resources, materials, and products are available on the Web site throughout the year to help schools plan for the week and spread the message that inclusive practices benefit all students. Go to www.inclusiveschools.org/default.asp for information, including an organizing kit with free and reproducible materials.

Making Sense of Math Curricula

What are the most important math topics to teach at the elementary, middle, and high school levels? To bring clarity and coherence to diverse mathematics curricula in use across the United States, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics has released Curriculum Focal Points for Prekindergarten through Grade 8 Mathematics: A Quest for Coherence. Developed with the participation of mathematicians, math educators, curriculum developers, and classroom teachers, the Focal Points can help drive discussions and analyses about how to organize critical mathematical topics and objectives and provides a framework for states and districts to design more focused curricular expectations and assessments for preK–8 curriculum development. Go to http://nctm.org/focalpoints to read or download for free.

Library of Congress Resources

According to the Department of Education, more than 10 million digitized historical artifacts are available at the Library of Congress’ Web site, ranging from ancient manuscripts to Civil War maps, classic blues recordings to Coca-Cola commercials, Dust Bowl photographs to Thomas Edison’s first films. These unique primary sources bring students into close personal contact with the people, places, and events of our nation’s past. K–12 classroom teachers are provided with tools to bring these collections to life on the Teachers page.
Over 70 original lesson plans provide ways to integrate primary sources into the curriculum. Interactive activities, historical and cultural timelines, and online feature presentations provide accessible introductions to major periods in our nation’s growth. The materials on the Teachers page are free, with no login required, and new materials are added regularly. Go to www.loc.gov/teachers.

Refresher Tests for Paras

Many school districts use the ParaPro Assessment test developed by ETS to determine whether paraprofessionals who have not completed two years of college meet requirements to be “highly qualified” under the No Child Left Behind law. In order to help individuals practice for the test, NEA has created three short, interactive online refresher quizzes in math, reading, and writing, based on the kinds of questions asked on the ETS test. The practice tests can also be helpful to any ESP who needs to demonstrate proficiency in reading, writing, and math—no matter what the job category. To take the tests, go to www.nea.org/esphome/issues/refresher-test2.html.

Don’t Get Sidelined by the Flu

Flu season is approaching. According to the National Association of School Nurses (NASN), children are two to three times more likely to get sick with the flu and spread the virus to others, causing high rates of absenteeism. Because flu outbreaks are a major concern to schools nationwide, NASN has launched a new campaign, “Don’t Get Sidelined by the Flu,” designed to help school nurses educate parents and students about seasonal influenza.

Go to www.nasn.org/Default.aspx?tabid=316 for information and to download copies of a flu flyer, fact sheet, outbreak advisory, an advisory for special-needs students, and a template newsletter article. Materials are in English and Spanish.