By Michael Gose

Finally, a book about teaching that tells it how it is. Michael Gose is a teacher who has made mistakes—and magic—like all of you. There's the time he attempts to teach The Owl and the Pussycat to a classroom of teenage boys. (A mistake.) And the time he saves a would-be dropout by showing up at his house every morning at 5:30. (The magic.) He knows what it's like to wait desperately for a bathroom break. He knows what it's like to wait desperately for a paycheck.

In his foreword, former NEA Executive Director Don Cameron writes, "In this excellent book, What it Means to Be a Teacher... Gose clearly and cleverly conveys to the reader what every good teacher knows: that a meaningful learning experience for the student(s) is also a meaningful learning experience for the teacher."

But the book itself is a great learning experience for those who should walk a mile in your shoes. We particularly love Gose's chapter on teaching conditions, and would like to send it to the school board members who mutter about summer vacations: "How would you like to work in a 900-square-foot office with at least 30 other people? Do you know any other job that typically requires one to make 1,200 decisions a day? Would you want to go to a school that long to work for that pay?" The answers could inform the popular debate on teacher compensation.

173 pp. $27.95 from Rowman & Littlefield Education. Visit Rowman & Littlefield Education to order.

Unstated Social Rules & Idiomatic Expressions

Fans of the 2007 Hidden Curriculum calendar: The 2008 edition is now available! 

Although the Hidden Curriculum calendar was written with a specific audience in mind—children and adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD)—the content could be useful to any educator working with students who need additional coaching on how to behave around others and how to interpret idiomatic expressions.

The calendar offers one "hidden curriculum" tip a day (including one for the weekend) that has an unstated rule or custom or an idiomatic expression that some children find confusing. The tips provide a good springboard for talking about social situations, and the 4" x 5" pages could be cut up, laminated, and used as discussion starters for future classes.

It's not just individuals with ASD who need to review these rules and expressions. Read a few entries and see if you agree:

Friday, January 4, 2008
A real friend will never ask you to cheat, steal, or do something illegal. If somebody asks you to do something you know is wrong, that person is not really your friend.

Saturday/Sunday, March 29-30, 2008
It is okay to tell your friends you are not feeling well. However, if you tell them something is wrong with you every day, they may not want to be around you anymore.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Do not give out private family information to a stranger on the phone or on the Internet. Some people pretend to be someone else on the phone or Internet where you cannot see them so they can get personal information and use it to hurt you. Know your parents' rules about what information is just for family to discuss.

This calendar, as well as a book about teaching the hidden curriculum, is available for purchase from the Autism Asperger Publishing Company.

Related Links

The Puzzle of Autism—A succinct informational guide for all education personnel who work with students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

Early Diagnosis of Autism—A CDC campaign to help caregivers act early.

Do the Right Thing—A Web site promoting thoughtful, respectful behavior. (NEA)

By Kate Banks

Max's brothers collect stamps and coins, but they won't share. In a moment of inspiration, Max decides to collect words. From magazines and newspapers he cuts them—big words, little words, as many as he can find. Soon Max has enough for a story, and it isn't long before his brothers are interested, too. What is his story about? You’ll have to read Max's Words to find out. Ages 4–8. 32 pp. $16 from Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

For information, go to www.fsgkidsbooks.com.

By Dr. Thomas Brown

An assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine presents a scientifically up-to-date text that dispels myths and provides insights into and practical recommendations for managing ADD/ADHD in children and adults. Case histories from Brown's practice illuminate the syndrome and how it is best treated. 360 pp. $27.50 from Yale University Press.

Visit www.yalepress.com.

By MaryAnn Kohl

According to children's art expert MaryAnn Kohl, freedom to create and satisfying results are prime motivators for children ages 5 to 8. Her activities call for easily obtainable materials and simple techniques to help children create works of art that they can display with pride: Easy Squeezy Batik, Jellie Dangles, and more. 191 pages. $19.95 from Gryphon House, Inc.

Available at www.gryphonhouse.com.

by Marie LeTourneau

Children (and adults) will love this tale of Chef Marcel, culinary genius and restaurateur, and his seven sons, who make the best cheese soup in Paris—thanks to a secret ingredient. Disaster looms when a food critic arrives for a surprise tasting and Marcel discovers that his secret supply has run out. Les sept frères start the soup, but it is their little soeur, Petite Michelle, with her unerring culinary instinct, who saves la soupe and the day. 30 pp. Ages 4–8. $15.95 from Tanglewood Press.

Visit www.tanglewoodbooks.com.

By Mary Kay Carson

For millennia, humans have looked to the heavens to make sense of the universe. In Exploring the Solar System: A History with 22 Activities, Mary Kay Carson traces our journey from ancient times to the age of satellites and space shuttles. The highly readable narrative includes activities such as designing a reentry vehicle, as well as color photographs and illustrations. Ages 9 and older. 168 pp. $17.95 from Chicago Review Press.

Available at ipgbook.com.

By Leonard Bertstein, Edited by Jack Gottlieb

In 1958, Leonard Bernstein broadcast the first of 53 Young People’s Concerts with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. In Leonard Bernstein: Young People’s Concerts, editor Jack Gottlieb presents a selection from the maestro’s Emmy- and Peabody-winning lectures that exemplify his genius for making music accessible to young and old alike. 400 pp. $22.95 from Amadeus Press.

Order at www.amadeuspress.com.

By Robert Evert Cimera

Parents and teachers of developmentally delayed children will find advice here to help them raise and educate able, independent citizens. Cimera dispels myths about retardation while looking at issues like social skills, education, maturation, and vocational options, and includes information about support groups and other resources. 296 pp. $26.95 from Rowman & Littlefield Education.

Go to www.rowmaneducation.com.

By Michele Domínguez Greene

Martika Gálvez’s parents have separated and her dad and his girlfriend are already vacationing; she shares a tiny apartment with her Mom in a gang-filled neighborhood; and to top it off, she has nightmares about a jaguar and discovers she has unusual powers. Add a kidnapping that involves a Mayan statue, and in Chasing the Jaguar you've got a great summer youth read. Ages 12+. 240 pp. $16.95 from HarperCollins Publishers.

Go to www.harperteen.com.

By Eric Schlosser

If you've ever wondered what's in french fries or what life might be like for a chicken before it becomes a McNugget, Chew On This by Eric Schlosser (author of Fast Food Nation) presents an exposé of fast food that will fascinate children. They'll learn about mistreatment of animals, what consumption does to their bodies, and environmental impact. Ages 12+. 320 pp. $8.95 from Houghton Mifflin.

Go to www.houghtonmifflin.com.

By Amy, Allie, and David Dennison

Amy and Allie were eight years old and their brother, David, was four the night their dad died suddenly in his sleep. To help them cope, their mother suggested they keep diaries, and for two years they used them to sort out their thoughts, feelings, and confusion. The result is a record of their journey through time and grief. Any child who is grieving for a loved one will find healing help for broken hearts in this book. For children and teens. 128 pp. $9.95 from Free Spirit Publishing.

Go to www.freespirit.com.

Edited by Susan and Michelle Israel

Getting students to appreciate poetry can be challenging, but Poetic Possibilities: Using Poetry to Enhance Literacy Learning has answers. This anthology contains literacy-focused poems culled from 30 years of The Reading Teacher magazine. Each poem is accompanied by prompts to get educators and students thinking about the poem, along with ideas and activities to integrate poetry into lessons and encourage students to write their own poetry.

130 pp. $19.95 from the International Reading Association. To order, go to www.reading.org.

Edited By David Roessel and Arnold Rampersad

Poetry for Young People: Langston Hughes brings the verse of one of the foremost icons of the Harlem Renaissance to young readers. Twenty-six of Hughes' most notable poems are accompanied by brief background information and vibrant paintings from renowned American artist Benny Andrews.

Ages 9–12. 48 pp. $14.95 from Sterling Publishing. Go to www.amazon.com.

By Phillip Carroll Morgan

Written for adults, the poems in The Fork-In-The-Road Indian Poetry Store can provide older students an introduction to contemporary American Indian poetry. Inspired by his Choctaw/Chickasaw heritage, Morgan's powerful, beautiful, and nature-filled verse gives readers a unique glimpse into the life of a modern American Indian.

High school and up. 140 pp. $16.95 from Salt Publishing. To order, go to www.saltpublishing.com.

By Kathy Ross

You'll find plenty of illustrated activities in Kathy Ross's All New Crafts for Earth Day. Using simple materials like egg cartons, blue jeans, and soda bottles, children can learn about recycling while making earth-friendly crafts.

Ages 4–8. 47 pp. $7.95 from Millbrook Press. Go to www.amazon.com.

Edited by Elise Paschen

Ninety-five children's poems from 73 acclaimed poets fill Poetry Speaks to Children. To bring the experience alive, the book comes with a CD-ROM on which 52 of the poems are read aloud, many by their authors, including Robert Frost, Ogden Nash, Joy Harjo, and MaryAnn Hoberman.

Ages 4–8. 112 pp. $19.95 from Sourcebooks Inc. Go to www.amazon.com.

ABC, Monday, February 26 , 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT and
Saturday, March 3, 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT

This year, Oprah Winfrey opened a Leadership Academy for some of the poorest and brightest girls in South Africa who showed leadership potential. Oprah believes that it is only through education that South Africans will build a brighter future for themselves and their country.

Oprah Winfrey would like to invite you and your students to follow these special 7th and 8th grade students on their journey as they leave their homes and families to meet new friends, test their skills, and face unexpected challenges with the hope that they'll be invited to attend the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls-South Africa.

For Your Classroom

Let Building a Dream: The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy open your students' eyes to the lives of students in South Africa. Encourage them to watch this special primetime event with their family and friends. Then, lead your students through a meaningful conversation following the program.

1. What did you learn about education in South Africa? What were some of the obstacles students like Zodwa and Mahlatse faced every day just to attend school? How would you feel in their situation?
   • Facts to share: In the United States, the government provides all children with a free education and requires them to attend school. Some of the smartest South African children from disadvantaged and dangerous communities do not have the opportunity to go to school. Their families cannot afford to send them because of the cost of required uniforms and annual school fees.
   
   
   
2. Do you know how many South African women between the ages of 15 and 24 can't read?
   
   

   1 in 5

   1 in 10

   1 in 20

   
   
   
   • Facts to share: Almost 1 in 10 South African women between the ages of 15 and 24 can't read because they have not been able to attend school. When girls learn to read, they are empowered to improve their lives and the lives of their children.
   • Follow-up: What does an education mean to girls like Lesego and Thando? What do they hope to achieve for themselves and their country? How are they similar or different from the dreams you have?
   
   
   
3. What did you learn about AIDS/HIV in South Africa? What does it mean for the future of South Africa?
   • Facts to share: In 2005, 5.5 million South Africans were living with HIV/AIDS. An estimated 18.8 percent of adults ages 15 to 49-the generation responsible for raising children, running government, working for and owning businesses-were living with HIV. That's almost 1 out of 20 adults.
   
   
   
4. Ask your students to write a letter to Oprah and the girls about their dreams for the future. What would they do to make the world a better place? How will they be a leader in their own lives? What are their hopes for the girls attending the Leadership Academy?

For more discussion questions and ideas for your classroom, visit www.oprah.com/presents/2007/academy/kids/kids_questions.jhtml.

School-based social workers, counselors, psychologists, mental-health professionals, and educators who need ready access to information on mental health and social services might want to have this reference book on hand.

Each of the volume's 114 chapters tackles a different issue, providing a summary of the problem area, easy-to-implement strategies for approaching the problem, and a list of further reading and Web resources. Topics covered include: mental health disorders, developmental disabilities, child abuse, family interventions, conflict resolution, legal issues, policy, ethics, and funding. Comprehensive, yet succinctly written, the book provides evidence-based practice and the tools needed for school-based practitioners to deliver quality mental health and social services to students, families, and communities.

Edited by Cynthia Franklin, Mary Beth Harris, and Paula Allen-Meares. $69.50. 1,224 pages from Oxford University Press.

Click here to order (use promotional code 25908 to receive a 30% discount).

Daily Tips on Unstated Rules in Social Situations

The 2007 Hidden Curriculum calendar was written with a specific audience in mind—children and adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD)—but the content could be useful to any educator working with students who need additional coaching on how to behave around others.

Each daily "hidden curriculum" tip—an unstated rule or custom that some children find confusing—provides a good springboard for talking about social situations. To get more mileage out of the calendar, the 4" x 5" pages could be cut up, laminated, and used as discussion starters for future classes.

It's not just people with ASD who need to review the rules. Read a couple of entries and see if you agree:

Sunday, April 22, 2007
Do not share hurtful information about someone unless it will be helpful in some way. For example, it is generally not helpful to say to a person that she is fat or unattractive. However, it is probably helpful to tell someone quietly that his shirt is buttoned wrong.

Thursday, August 30, 2007
Waiting is a life skill. No matter where you are or what you do, you will have to wait sometimes. Learn how to wait by bringing a book to read, music to listen to, a game to play, etc.

This book is available for purchase from the Autism Asperger Publishing Company.

Related Links

The Puzzle of Autism—A succinct informational guide for all education personnel who work with students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

Early Diagnosis of Autism—A CDC campaign to help caregivers act early.

Do the Right Thing—A Web site promoting thoughtful, respectful behavior. (NEA)

Blueprint for Helping Students Do the Right Things

Do the problems of Centerville Middle School sound familiar?

Students were disrespectful to one another and to adults. Their attitude undermined the teaching and learning process.

Administrators were inundated with disciplinary referrals, which resulted in fewer hours to dedicate to the instructional leadership that affects students' academic performance.

Parents expressed their concerns about the safety and the climate of the school, as well as about test score results and new state requirements.

Counselors, psychologists, and other pupil personnel raised similar concerns at their meetings.

Even students complained about bullies, harassment, and incidents of disrespect by fellow students and some staff members.

Everyone had the same question: What can we do to make things better?

They began by looking at four factors:

• assessing the school's needs
• modeling appropriate behavior
• identifying actions to take in class and schoolwide activities
• monitoring and evaluating their efforts

Today, their entire school community follows the guiding principles of RICE—respect, impulse control, compassion, and equity—to promote the purpose of school.

Their story can be found in Connecting Character to Conduct: Helping Students Do the Right Things by Rita Stein, Roberta Richin, Richard Banyon, Francine Banyon and Marc Stein (ASCD 2000).

Read selected chapters or the entire book—available free online—at the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development Web site.

Related Link

Do the Right Thing -- A Web area promoting thoughtful, respectful behavior. (NEA)
 

A Review of ‘How Students Learn’

By Elizabeth Demarest, NEA

How Students Learn: History, Mathematics, and Science in the Classroom. M.S. Donovan & J.D. Bransford, eds. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press. 2005.
Read the book online free.

Are you looking for good ideas that can significantly improve instruction? NCLB often pushes prescriptive, prepackaged models or "teaching to the test," but research offers better alternatives. This research synthesis focuses on three principles of learning and explains how they can be applied to improve teaching in history, mathematics, and science.

Principles of Learning
This report focuses on a subset of learning principles from a more comprehensive earlier report, How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School by the National Research Council, that was widely recognized as an authoritative synthesis of decades of research in the cognitive and developmental learning sciences. This follow-on report provides a concise explanation of the following three learning principles and significantly extends our understanding of their practical implications for teaching.

1. Connect school knowledge with students' background knowledge. 
   New knowledge always builds upon a foundation of prior knowledge and experience. Students' preconceptions shape how they make sense of the school subjects they are taught. Sometimes everyday ideas are consistent with formal disciplinary knowledge and can serve as building blocks. At other times, students bring misconceptions into the classroom that serve as barriers to learning and are very difficult to change. In any case, learning is facilitated when teachers understand and address students' preconceptions.
   
   
2. Emphasize both concepts and facts.
   Facts must fit within a conceptual framework to be understood and remembered. Concepts take on meaning when they are rich in factual detail. Thus, knowledge of facts and of important organizing ideas are mutually supportive. When teachers "teach for understanding," they use the core concepts that organize the knowledge of experts to organize instruction. This helps students to organize their own knowledge in more productive ways. 
   
   
3. Enable students to take control of their own learning.     
   Effective learners have developed their metacognitive abilities. They know how to monitor their own learning processes and how to initiate corrective strategies, such as rereading or asking questions, when their learning falters. Teachers can improve student achievement by helping students to become aware of the importance of metacognition and to develop the necessary skills. 

Implications for Teaching
After the introductory discussion of principles, the book is divided into three main parts that illustrate how the principles can be used in the teaching of history, mathematics, and science.  Each part begins with a more specific discussion of how the principles apply in the context of that discipline generally and then describes how they can be used in teaching particular topics usually covered at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.  

History. This section explains key disciplinary concepts that characterize all historical understanding—including time, change, empathy, cause, and evidence—and discusses common misunderstandings of these concepts and how to address them. It then deals with one substantive topic, exploration and discovery, and illustrates how it may be taught with increasing sophistication at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.

Mathematics. In addition to the procedural fluency usually sought in teaching mathematics, competence in this discipline is defined to include conceptual understanding, strategic competence, adaptive reasoning, and a productive disposition. Three important mathematical topics are covered at three different grade levels: whole numbers in elementary school, rational numbers in middle school, and functions in high school.

Science. The introduction to this section encourages teachers to move away from teaching the "scientific method" in a lock-step manner to an approach that enables students to understand what it means to generate and justify scientific knowledge and to participate in a scientific community. Three science topics are covered: light and shadow at the elementary school level, gravity at the middle school level, and genetics and evolution at the high school level.

This book provides practical ideas for implementing advances in knowledge about learning and teaching. Rich in content for teacher professional development, it can be used either by those planning professional development for teachers or directly by school-level teacher professional communities to support instructional improvement. 

Read the entire book online free.

Free Education Program Fostering Cultural Understanding

One World: Connecting Communities, Cultures, and Classrooms

This free, NEA-endorsed, 10-lesson education program is designed to help 4th-6th graders understand and appreciate diversity. The program -- an interdisciplinary, multi-tiered curriculum for educators, students, and families -- fills a void, giving teachers and parents materials not previously available to help them address critical issues surrounding cultural understanding.

One World was developed through the support and vision of the NFL and NFLPA (Players Association) -- partners of NEA's Read Across America -- and created and written in collaboration with Scholastic Inc. and Facing History and Ourselves, a national civil rights education organization.

Find free copies of all materials, as well as online interactive challenges for students, at http://scholastic.com/oneworld. All materials are reproducible and designed to be downloaded and printed from the Internet, and all lessons are based on national standards.

NEA's Read Across America's Selections for K-12 Students

African American Book List
A list of 100 titles that celebrate African American heritage, tradition, and achievement.
http://www.nea.org/readacross/resources/afambooks.html

Asian American Book Lists
Titles are listed by grade level and include fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.
http://www.nea.org/readacross/resources/aabooks.html

Bilingual (Hispanic) Book Lists
Lists are by grade level, include books that have Spanish and English editions in fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.  
http://www.nea.org/readacross/resources/bilingualbooks.html

Best Bet Book Lists & Awards
Book lists and book awards for elementary students through young adults.
http://www.nea.org/webresources/bestbooklinks.html

Additional Reading Lists

NEA’s Read Across America
http://www.nea.org/readacross/index.html

Which includes 50 Multicultural Books Every Child Should Know (from the Cooperative Children's Book Center, School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison)
http://www.nea.org/readacross/resources/50multibooks.html

Read Free Chapter on How Language Affects Learning

Good teachers do more than teach children skills. They build emotionally and relationally healthy learning communities. Teachers create environments that produce technically competent students, but also caring, secure, actively literate human beings.

Choice Words (Stenhouse 2004) shows how teachers accomplish this using their most powerful teaching tool: language. Throughout, Peter Johnston provides examples of how ordinary words, phrases, and uses of language are pivotal in the conducting classroom.

Read a free chapter of the book, "The Language of Influence in Teaching," on the Stenhouse Web site.

Free Online Chapter on Word-Learning Strategies

The Vocabulary Book (copublished by Teachers College Press and the National Council of Teachers of English, 2006) offers a research-based program with classroom examples and strategies that teachers can use.

In the free online chapter, "Teaching Word-Learning Strategies," author Michael F. Graves discusses five ways to help students become competent at learning words on their own: using context, word parts, dictionary and related reference tools, developing a strategy for dealing with unknown words, and adopting a personal approach to building vocabularies.

Learn more about The Vocabulary Book, browse the contents, and read the free online chapter.

Enjoy Reading a Chapter Free Online

Read a chapter free online from Far Away and Long Ago: Young Historians in the Classroom (Stenhouse Publishing, 1997), about a teacher who made teaching history more meaningful to her students and more rewarding for herself.

Find out how author Monica Edinger, a fourth-grade teacher, working with co-author Stephanie Fins, an anthropologist, moved from teaching strictly by the textbook to developing more open-ended units. In the first chapter, "Teaching About the Past," Edinger talks about looking beyond the textbook by first learning more about history herself.

Find out more about the book and the authors and start reading chapter 1.

Read Free Book Chapter Online

Want to create a school environment that ensures effective practice?

Do you believe -- as authors Judy F. Carr, Nancy Herman, and Douglas E. Harris do -- "In a learning community, adults and children alike are learners as they experiment, give and receive feedback, and use and offer support"?

Then you'll want to read more from their new book, Creating Dynamic Schools Through Mentoring, Coaching, and Collaboration (2005).

Their publisher, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, is providing a chapter of the book free online. Find out more about the book. 

Practical Teaching Ideas in Free Online Chapter

In If This Is Social Studies, Why Isn't It Boring? from Stenhouse Publishing (1994), twenty-three teachers explain their successful strategies for teaching the social studies disciplines in a whole language context. The book covers contemporary subjects (the Gulf War), traditional topics (students as historians), well-known projects (Scottish Storyline), social studies in the community, and multicultural matters.

The free online chapter was written by high school teacher Janet Allen. After listening every day to her English students complain about their required history courses, she came up with an idea. Building on the successful strategies students were already using in her English classes, she introduced her students to adult and young adult historical fiction to help make history come alive for them.

Find out more about the book, download the chapter, and start reading.

Enjoy Reading This Book Free Online

Stenhouse Publishing is currently offering readers a chance to read one of their new books for free online. Practice with Purpose: Literacy Work Stations for Grades 3–6  by Debbie Diller shows teachers of grades three-to-six how to structure their classrooms so that all students can be successful doing meaningful independent work using literacy work stations.

Practice with Purpose offers teachers ways to establish routines for independent reading and response writing, as well as step-by-step instructions on how to set up and manage a variety of hands-on literacy work stations appropriate for intermediate students.

Find out more about the book, select a chapter, and start reading.

Related Link

Reading Resources -- Annotated links to some of the best reading and literacy resources on the Internet.

Book About Big Sacrifices/Small Salaries

Teachers Have It Easy weaves together statistics, analysis, and the voices of teachers from around the country to debunk myths about the profession, show the impact of low teacher pay, and explore some solutions being tried around the country.

Read an excerpt on the Campus Progress Web site.

Teachers Have It Easy: The Big Sacrifices and the Small Salaries of America's Teachers (2005) by Dave Eggers, Nínive Clements Calegari, and Daniel Moulthrop. 368 pp. $25.95.

Related Links

Teachers' Salaries-- Resources on teachers' wage issues. (NEA)

Professional Pay -- Resources on all educators' pay. (NEA)

Inflation Outpaces Teacher: Salary Growth in More Than 40 States -- Press release about NEA study that finds teacher salaries are not keeping up with cost-of living increases.

On Fridays, Watch " TLC  Elementary School"

Designed by teachers for teachers, this award-winning series keeps the learning styles of elementary-age children in mind. "TLC Elementary School" airs on The Learning Channel every Friday morning. Each half-hour program consists of several short segments so you can easily incorporate one or more into your existing lesson plans. As a service of Cable in the Classroom, each program is commercial-free and can be taped and used in the classroom for up to two years.

Here is the line-up:

November 4, 2005 & December 30, 2005
Scientific Inquiry, Episode 1
Investigate why clean air and water are crucial to all life on the planet with students in grades K-2.

November 11, 2005 & January 6, 2006
Scientific Inquiry, Episode 2
Take students in grades 3-5 on a trip that starts in outer space and ends deep inside our planet. Along the way, you'll introduce them to astronomy, meteorology, biodiversity, and geology.

November 18, 2005 & January 13, 2006
Scientific Inquiry, Episode 3
Explore the celestial objects in our galaxy -- and what can happen when they fall to Earth -- with sixth graders. Then examine how plants make their own food and what adaptations allow birds to fly.

To learn more about the programs, visit this Web site:
http://school.discovery.com/ontv/tlc.html

Here Are Some Answers to Those Thorny Questions

Public education has always been an important part of our lives. And a hot topic when community members worry out loud about what's happening in our schools. Perhaps you've found yourself in the middle of a discussion where you've had to defend public education. Or explain why it's important for every educator to join the Association. If so, you're not alone.

But don't worry. Now you can have the answers to the most commonly asked "tough" questions right at your fingertips -- in a book from the NEA Professional Library:

Q&A - I Am the NEA: The Most Provocative Questions Asked of Education Professionals Today and How to Answer Them. 
By David L. Smith and Lynn Coffin. 96 pp. Member Price: $9.95.

----------------
Here is an excerpt from the book:

We've heard that public  schools are failing our kids. Why aren't our kids getting a good education? 
Despite all the hand-wringing in some quarters about the sorry state of public education, America can and should be very proud of its schools. Today, dropout rates are lower than ever; students in the 4th and 8th grades are scoring higher than ever on the reading and math portions of the National Assessment of Educational Progress; SAT scores have trended steadily upwards since the 1970s; and more students than ever are going on to post-secondary education.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 48.2 million students will walk through the doors of American schools this year -- that's over 48 million young people with incredibly diverse backgrounds and abilities. The figures indicate the breadth of diversity: 7.9 percent are English language learners; 13.3 percent are special needs children; 36.6 percent are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches. No other nation on earth attempts to educate all of its children to the extent that America does – not Japan, where only a tiny minority of students attend university, not Germany, where students are rigorously separated at an early age into career tracks, not Korea, where the population is virtually homogeneous. Americans expect every child to have a solid K-12 education and access to a post-secondary education if he or she so chooses.

So where does the notion that American kids aren’t doing well come from? Well…to some extent it comes from individuals who favor privatizing public education and creating a marketplace where schools compete for students. It is not to the advantage of the privatizers to admit that schools are doing well – it ruins their argument. Having said that, however, it is also true that there are schools in the United States that don’t measure up and there are students at the bottom of the achievement scale. Let’s look at the reasons behind this.

According to education analysts, the United States has both one of the top educational systems among industrialized nations and also one of the worst. Not surprisingly, the problem begins the funding. Unlike other industrialized nations and states such as Japan, Korea, and Hong Kong, which tend to both administer and fund their schools centrally, American depends heavily on local property taxes to carry most of the burden. Because of this, affluent neighborhoods have a huge advantage over low-income ones. In many cases, affluent neighborhoods spend more than three times as much per student as low-income neighborhoods in the same state. The curriculum is the same, the standards for teachers are the same, but the outcomes are often dramatically different. It seems that America has two education systems, one for the affluent, and one for the poor.

The challenges that educators face in these underfunded schools are enormous. Imagine the frustration of trying to meet state requirements with only obsolete – or even no – textbooks available. Imagine teaching children in schools overrun with rates and infested with termites, which eat not only bookshelves, but books and school records as well. Imagine pupil-teacher ratios of over 40 to 1. No wonder children who go to these schools lag behind their peers!

So what can be done to erase inequities so that all students actually have the opportunity to succeed in school? Look at some of the facts:

• Seventy-five percent of our nation’s schools are either outdated or overcrowded.
  
  
• Title I funding for disadvantaged students is well below the level that would provide all eligible children with Title I services.
  
  
• The number of teachers leaving the profession outnumbers those entering it by 23 percent. Overall, teacher salaries are about 20 percent below the salaries of other professionals with comparable education and training.
  
  
• Only 34 percent of 4th graders, 51 percent of 8th graders, and 53 percent of 12th graders report having newspapers, encyclopedias, magazines, and books at home.
  
  
• The proportion of 17-year-ods who have said they read for fun at least once a week declined by 17 percent between 1984 and 1999.
  
  

As we pointed out earlier, American students are, on balance, doing very well. If America truly wants to ensure that we leave no child behind, however, our leaders must make a commitment to closing the achievement gap between poor and minority students in under-resourced schools and their more affluent counterparts.

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For more information and to order the book, see the NEA Professional Library site.

Read This Free Chapter from Creating Strategic Readers

Enjoy a free read of "Fluency," a chapter in Creating Strategic Readers, a new book from the International Reading Association. The book provides techniques and modeling procedures to help students develop competency in the five essential components of reading instruction (identified in the 2000 National Reading Panel report) – phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

Select "Sample chapter" at the Book page. 

Find out more about this association for literacy professionals at the International Reading Association Web site.

Related Link

Reading Resources  -- Annotated links to some of the best reading and literacy resources on the Internet.

Honoring 6 Million Jews Killed in the Holocaust

Paper Clips (2004) is a moving documentary about middle school students from rural Whitwell, Tennessee, and their decision to collect six million paper clips to honor Jews killed in the Holocaust. The story grew out of a principal’s desire to help her students open their eyes to the diversity of the world beyond their insulated valley.

The film has received many awards including being named one of the five best documentaries of 2004 by the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures.

"Paper Clips is a vivid learning experience that has changed the lives of students and teachers associated with it," said Robert M. Johnson, co-producer and CEO of The Johnson Group, the Virginia company responsible for capturing the story on film.

Related Link

German railcar to house the clips -- See Desson Thomson review, "Compelling story makes documentary 'Paper Clips' worth watching." (Washington Post, February 4, 2005)

New Books -Reviewed in NEA Today, November 2004

Fiction

Arrowhawk
By Lola M. Schaefer

Based on a true story, Arrowhawk uses prose and vivid illustrations to tell the tale of an endangered bird, a red-tailed hawk, that beats the odds after it is struck by a poacher's arrow and rescued by humans. The book is beautifully illustrated by Gaby Swiatkowska. 32 pp. $16.95. From Henry Holt and Company Books for Young Readers.

Santa's Secrets Revealed
By James Solheim

When Stevie decides he doesn't believe in Santa and publicly says so, worldwide naughtiness surges. So Santa decides to make a believer out of Stevie by taking him on a behind-the-scenes look at Kringle Industries. Author James Solheim and illustrator Barry Gott fill Santa's Secrets Revealed: All Your Questions Answered About Santa's Super Sleigh, His Flying Reindeer, and Other Wonders with lots of humor and imagination. For ages 5–8. 40 pp. From Carolrhoda Books.

Thanksgiving on Plymouth Plantation
By Diane Stanley

In Thanksgiving on Plymouth Plantation , time-traveling twins take a trip back to 1621 for a Plymouth Thanksgiving with a little help from their Grandma. K–5 readers can join the twins as they learn about being a Pilgrim during their three-day feast in this tale rife with historical details. 48 pp. From Joanna Cotler Books.

Nonfiction

Remember: The Journey to School Integration
By Toni Morrison

Toni Morrison has collected a treasure chest of archival photographs that depict the historical events surrounding school desegregation in Remember: The Journey to School Integration. These unforgettable images serve as the inspiration for the simple, provocative text—a fictional account of the dialogue and emotions of the children who lived during the era of "separate but equal" schooling. The book is a unique pictorial and narrative journey that introduces children to a watershed period in American history and its relevance to us today. 80 pp. From Houghton Mifflin.

Putting It All Together
By Gloria A. Neubert and Elizabeth A. Wilkins

In their hands-on textbook Putting It All Together:   The Directed Reading Lesson in the Secondary Content Classroom , Neubert and Wilkins use their directed reading framework to help secondary education students develop their own reading lesson plans involving different content areas in the classroom. 256 pp. From Allyn and Bacon/Longman Publishers.

Sanity Savers for Early Childhood Teachers
By Sharon MacDonald

What do you do when a child has painted not only the paper, but his clothes and the wall as well? How do you cope with an area too small to hold all the learning tools you need? You'll find tips for dealing with these and a myriad of classroom problems in MacDonald's Sanity Savers for Early Childhood Teachers: 200 Quick Fixes for Everything from Big Messes to Small Budgets. Witty and creative, this easy-to-use book offers solutions and moral support for new and veteran teachers. 128 pp. From Gryphon House.

Books by NEA Members - Reviewed in NEA Today, November 2004

Safe from Strangers

By Gerri Willever

Useful for educators but designed primarily as a guide for parents, Safe from Strangers offers practical methods and effective strategies to prevent abductions and keep children safe. Twenty-five accessible, succinct tips are given that include everything from reminding kids to keep personal information to themselves to Internet safety. A retired teacher and black belt wrote the book with contributions from FBI Special Agent David Freyman. 64 pp. From Franklin Mason Press.

Growing Your Musician

By Tony Bancroft

With valuable advice and meaningful anecdotes, this practical, step-by-step guide is written for parents who want to help their young musicians excel in the school band or orchestra. Compiling practice strategies and other tips into accessible charts and sidebars, a credentialed band director allows all parents, regardless of their level of experience, to be involved in their child's musical development. 118 pp. Growing Your Musician is from MENC: The National Association for Music Education. To order, call 800-828-0229.

KidTips

By Kathy Young

Written by a veteran special education teacher, this book provides students in grades 3–8 with more than 250 simple, field-tested study tips, arranged in a program format, to help them succeed. The tips cover content areas such as reading, math, and spelling, as well as skills such as completing projects and self-advocacy. KidTips includes a CD-ROM with PDF files of tip cards, so teachers can print them out for their own use. 145 pp. From Attainment Company, Inc.   

Related Link

Books by NEA Members -- An archive of books by NEA members recently seen in NEA Today or NEA Today Online.

Books by NEA Members - Reviewed in NEA Today, October 2004

Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie

By Jordan Sonnenblick

Revealing the emotional struggle of an eighth-grade boy who has found out that his younger brother has leukemia, this novel paints an honest and moving picture of how adolescents deal with tough issues. Written by a middle school teacher from the perspective of a 13-year-old boy, Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie will open up conversation both inside and outside the classroom among students and teachers alike. (When this book was nominated for an award, the author panicked [find out why]). DayBue Publishing, 2004 (Available from Scholastic, after October 2005). 192 pp.

Kaipo & the Mighty 'Ahi

By Leonard J. Villanueva

Concentrating on a young boy's efforts to prove that he is worthy of going fishing with his older brothers, this illustrated children's book teaches kids the value of persistence and patience. Written and illustrated by a fifth-grade teacher, the book's engaging narrative and charming artwork will pull kids into its Hawaiian setting. Kaipo & the Mighty 'Ahi is from BeachHouse Publishing, 2004. 36 pp.

Happy Feet, Healthy Food  

By Carol Goodrow

Written by an elementary teacher and founding editor of www.kidsrunning.com, this workbook is full of simple recipes for healthy snacks and suggestions for fun exercise. Easy-to-read information is paired with physical activity logs so kids can track their daily exercise and the healthy foods they eat. Designed for ages 6–16, Happy Feet, Healthy Food  would be good for the classroom, home, or for use in fitness or running clubs. From Breakaway Books, 2004. 112 pp.

Related Link

Books by NEA Members -- An archive of books by NEA members recently seen in NEA Today or NEA Today Online.

New Books - Reviewed in NEA Today, September 2004

Fiction

Daffodil
By Emily Jenkins

Daffodil and her sisters all look alike and have to don their designated colors each time they dress up, until one day the girls get upset and throw fits. With humor and charm, author Emily Jenkins tells the tale of triplets looking for their own identities based on something more than appearance in the colorfully illustrated Daffodil. 32 pp. From Farrar, Strauss and Giroux/Frances Foster.

Moses Sees a Play 
By Isaac Millman

Moses, a deaf child who goes to a special school with other deaf children, makes a new friend when his class is joined by hearing students from another school for a production by the Theatre of the Deaf. In Moses Sees a Play, different signs and deaf terms are used to teach children about diversity in others and how to connect with them. For elementary school ages. 32 pp. From Farrar Straus & Giroux.

The SOS File
By Betsy Byars, Betsy Duffey, and Laurie Myers

To earn extra credit, 12 students in Mr. Magro's class have written stories about their emergency situations during the year. Now it's time to gather and read them aloud. Each chapter of The SOS File tells another of these tales. Find out why someone doesn't deserve extra credit. This book suitable for ages 8–12. 80 pp. From Henry Holt & Co. 

Nonfiction

The Excellent 11 
By Ron Clark

The Excellent 11 names and explains the importance of 11 different personality traits that Clark feels make a good teacher and a good parent. The traits are intertwined and illustrated with Clark's personal stories and reflections about his experiences as both a student and a teacher. The book expands on Clark's previous work, The Essential 55, but focuses on fewer topics more in-depth. From Hyperion.

Great Books for High School Kids
By Rick Ayers and Amy Crawford

Can—or should—less conventional, controversial books be taught in the classroom? Great Books for High School Kids, compiled by two high school English teachers, considers this question with essays by teachers about the ways their students reacted to, learned from, and came to love the books they encountered in school. The book also includes lists of some classic and not-so-classic books that teach important lessons. 240 pp. From Beacon Press.

Greed and Good
By Sam Pizzigati

Between 1983 and 1998, more than half of the increase in America's wealth went into the pockets of the top 1 percent of Americans. That's one way to measure the sweeping change that is transforming the nation, the subject of Greed and Good by Sam Pizzigati, the former NEA publications director and a veteran writer on the economy. Pizzigati explores how the growing chasm between the richest and the rest of us is damaging American society and democracy. $34.95. From The Apex Press, call 1-800-316-2739.

Growing Ventures 
The National Gardening Association

Growing Ventures: Starting a School Garden Business walks teachers through the process of starting and running a "green" gardening business with their students. The book includes guidelines, activities, diagrams, and resources to engage young people ages 6 to 22 in planning a community-based enterprise. 64 pp. $19.95. Call The National Gardening Association at 800-538-7476, ext. 143.

Investigating Safely
Terry Kwan, Juliana Texley, John Summers

Written by teaching veterans, Investigating Safely: A Guide for High School Teachers quickly brings rookie and veteran science educators up to speed on what they need to make their labs and classrooms safe. Peppered with useful sidebars and examples, the easy-to-read book is organized with the complex needs of today’s high school labs in mind and addresses topics from storing and disposing of hazardous chemicals, to accommodating students with special needs, to the unique safety requirements of specific disciplines. 214 pp. From NSTA Press®. 

Kids Taking Action
By Pamela Roberts

From picking up dog poop to voter registration and awareness, there are many things kids can do in the community to enhance their education experience. In Kids Taking Action: Community Service Learning Projects, K–8 , Roberts describes community service learning and offers 18 project ideas, some more detailed than others. A helpful resource list is included. 126 pp. From Northeast Foundation for Children. (Currently unavailable.)

Polar Bear Math
By Ann Whitehead Nagda and Cindy Bickel

If your elementary school students aren't getting into fractions, tempt them with Polar Bear Math. The right side of the book chronicles the true tale of polar bear cubs Klondike and Snow, who are raised by zoo staff after their mother abandons them. The left side includes lessons on fractions that reflect the math used to raise the cubs: How much should the cubs eat? What fraction of the day do the cubs stay at the zoo? 30 pp. From Henry Holt & Co.

Organizing and Managing the Language Arts Block
By Lesley Mandel Morrow

In Organizing and Managing the Language Arts Block: A Professional Development Guide, reading specialist and educator Lesley Mandel Morrow gives teachers new and creative ideas on how to revive their language arts lesson plans and teaching methods in the elementary school classroom. Morrow uses case studies of different grade levels to illustrate teaching methods, following them up with planning ideas and activities for language arts instruction. 348 pp. From National Professional Resources, Inc.

My Soul Looks Back in Wonder
By Juan Williams    

To honor the 50th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision, Juan Williams tells the stories of more than 30 people who experienced the fight for equality first-hand. The tales in My Soul Looks Back in Wonder: Voices of the Civil Rights Experience , create a fresh, intimate view of history in the making and reveal just how much the battle for civil rights affected the lives of every American. 216 pp. From Sterling Publishing Company.

Books by NEA Members - Reviewed in NEA Today, September 2004

Teaching Self-Control: A Curriculum for Responsible Behavior

By Martin Henley

Written by a professor of education who has taught sixth grade and special education,Teaching Self-Control: A Curriculum for Responsible Behavior helps educators minimize classroom disruptions through its ready-to-use lesson plans to teach children self-control and responsibility. The activities can be integrated into existing content areas and used to involve students in learning self-control skills that include coping with mistakes and failures and getting along with others. 200 pp. $27.95 from the National Education Service  or 800-733-6786.

A,E,I,O…You Win!

By Mary Schaer

This handy notebook by a 24-year teaching veteran gives students a lesson in phonics, spelling, and vocabulary all at once through a hands-on game format that allows them to play and learn together in a fun and enjoyable way. Providing 60 easy-to-photocopy game boards at three increasingly difficult levels, this book makes for a versatile educational tool that is suitable for grades 1–3 and adjustable to each student's level. 70 pp. $24.95 from 1st Place Publishing or 503-313-5395.

Passage: A Dog's Journey West with Lewis and Clark

By Robert Young

Focusing on the classic expedition of Lewis and Clark, this book recounts their journey in a way sure to catch the attention of young students—through the eyes of Seaman, a 150-pound dog that traveled every step of the way with the explorers. Written by a reading specialist, this activity book encourages children to engage in the text as they answer questions about the story and complete unfinished illustrations. 38 pp. $6.95 from Mad Dog Press. To order, send a check to Mad Dog Press, 2901 Norkenzie Road, Eugene, OR 97408.

What Happened to Marion’s Book?

By Brook Berg and Nathan Alberg

This illustrated children's book creatively teaches youngsters the lesson of taking care of their library books. As they read of Marion the Hedgehog's attempts to fix her jelly-stained library book, children learn the importance of responsibility, honesty, and forgiveness. Written in a simple narrative by a district media specialist, What Happened to Marion’s Book? works well for reading aloud to students as a group or one-on-one. 48 pp. $16.95 from Upstart Books.

Related Link

Books by NEA Members -- An archive of books by NEA members recently seen in NEA Today or NEA Today Online.

New Books -Reviewed in NEA Today, October 2004

Fiction

The Best Halloween Ever
By Barbara Robinson 

The troublesome Herdmans are back to stir up mischief in The Best Halloween Ever. To thwart their pranks, the mayor cancels Halloween—including the candy and trick-or-treating—for everyone. Can the Woodrow Wilson School students survive? Can the Herdmans turn the canceled holiday from the worst Halloween ever into the best one? Find out in this humorous book for ages 8 and up. 128 pp.

The Crow-Girl
By Bodil Bredsdorff, Faith Ingwersen (translator)

After the death of her grandmother, a young girl embarks on a journey with two crows and the knowledge her grandmother bestowed upon her in The Crow-Girl, a translated Danish tale by Bodil Bredsdorff. The girl, who earns the nickname "Crow-Girl" while on her journey, also gains life experiences and lessons while in search of a new family. 160 pp.

The Napping House
By Audrey Wood

Re-released for its 20th anniversary with a CD-ROM recording included, The Napping House, written by Audrey Wood and illustrated by Don Wood, delivers the classic tale of a household trying to settle down for naptime and an unexpected visitor who foils everyone's plans. The included CD-ROM features a reading of the story, along with songs. 32 pp.

T Is for Terrible
By Peter McCarty

In T Is for Terrible, Peter McCarty teaches preschoolers and elementary-age readers that the Tyrannosaurus Rex isn't such a bad guy after all. The dinosaur, like many children, simply wants others to like him and tries to explain how he is just like other animals and people—for the most part. Beautiful illustrations enhance the book's gentle humor. 32 pp.

Nonfiction

Exploring the Literature of Fact
By Barbara Moss

K–6 teachers looking to integrate nonfiction trade books into their language arts and other content area curricula may want to check out Exploring the Literature of Fact: Children's Nonfiction Trade Books in the Elementary Classroom. The book provides practical strategies, teacher-created lesson plans, examples of student work, and recommended book lists, all geared to help educators incorporate nonfiction into the classroom. 195 pp.

Many Children Left Behind
Edited by Deborah Meier and George Wood

In Many Children Left Behind: How the No Child Left Behind Act is Damaging Our Children and Our Schools , several education writers share their opinions and ideas about the shortcomings of NCLB. With essays by Alfie Kohn and Theodore Sizer, among others, the book serves as a guide to understanding what's wrong with the law and where we should go from here. 144 pp.

Read-Alouds and Performance Reading
By Christine Boardman Moen

Read-Alouds and Performance Reading: A Handbook of Activities for the Middle School Classroom outlines different ideas on how to make read-alouds and performance reading fun activities for the classroom. Each chapter in this best-practices book focuses on a single read-aloud or performance reading routine and includes sample preparation sheets, log sheets, tip sheets, and grading rubrics.

Keep Your Kids Safe on the Internet
By Simon Johnson

Keep Your Kids Safe on the Internet gives parents a guide to what kids are finding on the Internet and how to protect them from bad sites. Chapters include discussions on how kids can avoid harmful sites and electronic messages; reviews of content-filtering, firewall, and antivirus software; and information on spyware and adware. 336 pp.