Free Toolkit Encourages Kids to Become Inventors

What do multi-positional training wheels, a hand-held stress toy for pediatric patients, and a chess game for three players have in common? They were invented by children, ages 5–12.

NEA has announced a partnership with By Kids For Kids that makes the company’s Inventive Thinking Toolkit available to NEA members as a resource to excite kids about learning and inventing. The toolkit is designed to spur creative thinking using a project-based approach. Tool-kits contain a teacher’s guide, student guide, access to streaming video, and links to information about child inventors, past and present. The toolkits are targeted to reach K–12 students with a special appeal to grades 4–8. Coming soon: leveled lessons and student materials. The toolkits, lesson plans, and activities can be downloaded at www.bkfk.com . (While there, check out all the marvelous inventions by and for kids!)

Free Poster-Sized Pamphlet on the American Revolution

Bring the men and women of days gone by to life with American Revolution at a Glance. The National Park Service and the Federal Citizen Information Center have teamed up to offer this free, poster-sized pamphlet that’s filled with just enough information and a few simple maps to outline America’s war for independence. There are three ways to get your publication:

Send your name, address, and a check or money order for $2 (to cover postage) to American Revolution at a Glance, Pueblo, Colorado, 81009.

Visit www.pueblo.gsa.gov to place your order online or to read or print this and hundreds of other publications.

Call toll free (888) 8 PUEBLO. That’s (888) 878-3256 weekdays 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern time.

NEA Friend of Education Award

The Friend of Education Award is the Association’s highest honor and may be bestowed on an individual or organization whose leadership acts or support have significantly benefited education, education employees, or students on a national scale. This year, the deadline to nominate candidates for the award is April 2, 2007. Letters of nomination must include:

Name of the nominee

Nominee’s position and/or organizational affiliation

Nominee’s mailing address (or organization mailing

address)

Name of the nominator or affiliate

Signature of nominator or affiliate officer

Name of nominator’s local affiliate , if applicable

Nominator’s mailing address and telephone number.

If the nominator is an NEA member, send proof of membership (e.g., an NEA Today mailing label with membership number).

In 100 words or less, indicate the reason for your nomination and summarize the nominee’s qualifications for the award.  Nominees will be evaluated based on leadership, acts, and support of education on a national scale. Supporting materials, such as publications or videos, may be submitted along with the nomination information. Submit all nomination information and materials to: NEA Friend of Education Award Committee; Executive Office; Attn: Joyce Parker; National Education Association; 1201 16th St., N.W., Washington, DC 20036. You may also fax nomination information to (202) 822-7974.

Teach the History of Labor

The United Teachers Los Angeles (NEA/AFT) Collective Bargaining Education Project is the only full-time secondary social studies program dedicated to teaching students about unions and the labor movement. It features lessons aligned with social studies standards that bring these labor issues alive:

Contemporary labor-management contract negotiations

Union organizing campaigns

Important strikes in labor history

A case study on globalization in the clothing industry.

Teachers and students engage in problem-solving activities centered on issues of power and justice in the workplace, and students explore their rights, responsibilities, and possibilities in the world of work. Included are complete lesson materials, a CD-ROM, and video resources. The cost is $10. Make checks payable to United Teachers Los Angeles and mail to:

Collective Bargaining Education Project

c/o UTLA, 3303 Wilshire Blvd., 10th Floor

Los Angeles, CA 90010

For more information, contact Linda Tubach at (213) 386-3144 or cbep@lausd.k12.ca.us .

Mock Trials for Aspiring Lawyers

The New Jersey State Bar Foundation and the North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers invite qualifying high school students to compete against top finalists from all parts of the country in the second American Mock Trial Invitational (AMTI) May 2–4, 2007, at the New Jersey Law Center at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Contestants will have the opportunity to try a challenging case, enjoy a private dinner and educational tour at Ellis Island Immigration Museum in New York Harbor, and stay at a hotel in New Brunswick, a college town less than one hour from New York City. They will also receive certificates, suitable for documentation on college applications. The cost to register a team is $200. For more information, contact Sheila Boro at (732) 937-7519 or sboro@njsbf.org .  The deadline to register is April 6, 2007.