Welcome to Our
"Of Particular Interest" Archives

FUTURE OF EDUCATION
Here's a new social network for educators who have at least one eye on the future of teaching and learning. Established by Steve Hargadon, creator of the popular Ning-based network “Classroom 2.0,” this community focuses on emerging education policies and global interconnectedness. A recent activity: live-streaming video of a discussion between “World is Flat” author Tom Friedman and students in Qatar. You can view the archive, along with a debate about the obligation of schools to “successfully prepare students for flat world global challenges," by following links on the site's homepage.

TEACHING TOLERANCE IN YOUR SCHOOL
The Internet Scout Report highlighted one of our favorite magazines recently - it's Teaching Tolerance, published by the Southern Poverty Law Center as part of its free Teaching Tolerance curriculum. As the Scout says, “the magazine is loaded with wonderful information and creative ways to teach tolerance.” The Spring 2009 issue includes stories like “The Lonely Language Learner” (you can guess) and “Lies Our Students Tell Themselves,” reflections of a teacher about students' self-image problems. In “About Us,” the magazine's editors write: "Scientific surveys demonstrate that our programs help students learn respect for differences and bolster teacher practice."

STUDENT-LED PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES
It's fun to see good ideas made new again. The student-led parent conference, which came into vogue in the late 1990s, has been rediscovered (by the New York Times) in this recent story about Tefft Middle School, located in a working class suburb of Chicago. School leaders say more parents are attending meetings and the discussions are more focused on students' academic progress. If you have an interest in developing such conferences, see this NMSA article by Carol Smith. Or download this excellent kit (complete with forms) developed by a Louisville KY middle school.

AMAZING RESOURCE: TEACHERS NET GAZETTE
We've long been fans of Teachers Net Gazette, the major feature of a vast website created by and for educators. Each monthly issue of the Gazette (laid out in colorful newspaper style) offers major features by middle grades teachers like Alan Haskvitz ("I Used to Educate Students, Now I Prepare Them for the Test"), and authors like Harry Wong, Alfie Kohn, brain expert Eric P. Jensen, principal leader Todd R. Nelson and many more. The Gazette has gained new energy under the leadership of editor Kathleen Carpenter. Check out, for example, the December 2008 issue, featuring a story by Bill Page on "Teaching At-Risk Students." No-cost subscribers receive regular email reminders of new content.

SCIENCE: ALTERNATIVE FUELS
Lower costs, Barbara J. Feldman notes, "are not the only benefits to alternative fuels. They also produce fewer emissions (better for the environment) and can usually be produced in the United States (increasing our self-reliance)." At her Surfing the Net with Kids website, you'll find Feldman's five favorite Internet resources on the subject, including five-star picks from CNN, PBS and the website How Stuff Works. There's plenty of science -- and plenty of social studies, too.

PERSONAL LEARNING NETWORKS FOR STUDENTS
Vicki Davis, a.k.a. "Cool Cat Teacher," has become a major source for web-based teaching ideas. Blogging from her Georgia schoolroom, Davis keeps readers and tweeters abreast of the work she and her students are doing in activities like Digiteen, a global citizenship project that this year includes students from the US, Bangladesh, India, Australia, Spain, Canada and Qatar. In this article from Edutopia, Davis tells how she's helped her students become globally aware through the development of their own Personal Learning Networks. "I think the ability to create a PLN," Davis says, "is a fundamental information-management skill that will help my students succeed in the future."

MAKING TIME FOR LEARNING
The way time is allocated and used for student learning is one of the few variables that can be directly influenced by school leaders, says professor and middle grades researcher J. Howard Johnston. "Fortunately, it is also a variable that has shown consistent links to student performance." In this succinct essay, Johnston reviews the research and offers four ideas for schools ready to "seize the time." Source: the Principals Partnership website: http://principalspartnership.com

EDMODO: SAFE BLOGGING FOR STUDENTS
Many teachers and schools understand the potential value of student blogging but avoid it, either out of concerns about safety at typical blogging services -- or because district firewalls prevent access. EDMODO is a free service created expressly to provide a private micro-blogging platform for use by teachers and students, who can share notes, links, and files. Teachers also have the ability to send alerts, events, and assignments to students, and choose whether to post any private item in a more public way. On this page, see the teacher-created video explaining how EdModo works. We suspect IT directors may be willing to whitelist this excellent service after checking it out.

MEDIA LITERACY: THOSE SUPER BOWL ADS
Frank Baker may be the most media-literate educator in America. Baker, who keeps the Media Literacy blog at the National Council of Teachers of English website, also maintains a media literacy clearinghouse under his own "brand name." It's chocked full of great lesson ideas to increase students' media savvy. This month Baker targets the Super Bowl, an American tradition that has become as much about the ads as the football. Learn about the Free the Bowl anti-alcohol advertising contest (for students aged 13-20), try out some of Baker's discussion questions on your students (Why ARE sponsors willing to pay almost $3 million for just one 30 second ad?), or learn where you can access past Super Bowl advertising for classroom analysis.

THE FORGOTTEN MIDDLE
The National Middle School Association highlighted this new report from ACT with the observation that "students who are not on track for college and career readiness by eighth grade are not likely to attain that level of readiness by high school graduation." As NMSA notes, the research developed by ACT (the college admissions testing company) indicates that the level of academic achievement students attain by eighth grade has a bigger impact on college and career preparedness than any single factor examined, including courses taken, grades earned in high school, or student testing behaviors. "Armed with this knowledge," NMSA concludes, "we believe it has never been more critical for our nation to focus on students in the middle grades." Read the report, which NMSA and NASSP have described as "astounding," by downloading the PDF at the link above.

PRACTICAL TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION
The NYC-based TeachersCount, an organization devoted to promoting the teaching profession, regularly interviews accomplished teachers on topics of interest to other educators. Their latest is a dialogue on "Technology Integration and Assessment" -- not, perhaps, the kind of title designed to excite wide readership. But don't be deceived. It's a meaty, classroom-focused chat with Marsha Ratzel, a math and science teacher in the Blue Valley (KS) School District, who spent several years as a tech integration coach before returning to her middle grades classroom. Marsha talks about her own daily teaching practice and  share ideas about ways teachers can add more tech strategies. Here's her test: "Is the time I invest teaching how to use the technology worth the payoff kids get in learning this concept? If the answer is yes, then I use technology."

ABE LINCOLN THROUGH A TEACHER'S LENS
The Abraham Lincoln Research Site is produced by Roger Norton, who taught middle grades American history in Downers Grove IL for 28 years before retiring to Florida. It's a terrific resource for All Things Abe, and Roger continues his long-standing offer to answer questions about Lincoln from anyone who emails him. (Good guest for a live Internet chat with your students?) When you land on the site's homepage, you'll see some quick links to intriguing episodes in Lincoln's life -- and death. We think middle schoolers might be drawn, for example, to his discussion of "Grave Thieves: The 1876 Attempt to Steal Mr. Lincoln's Body." (It was a ransom scheme by notorious counterfeiters)

SCIENCE NETLINKS
This high-quality site developed by the American Association for the Advancement of Science provides a lab full of resources for K-12 science educators who are looking for "meaningful standards-based Internet experiences for students." In addition to a searchable database of lesson plans, you'll find fully annotated links to many "tools" (often sites focused on specific science content) available on the Web, also sorted by grade level and learning benchmarks. A recent (Gr 6-8) lesson, "Social Ramifications of Alcohol Abuse,"  serves to kick off an AASA project raising awareness of the negative impacts of alcohol on the bodies of still-growing adolescents.

THE BOOK-LOVING TEACHER
"Bookmarks" is that rarest of magazine creatures these days -- a periodical devoted entirely to the bound and published word (both fiction and non-fiction). One of the magazine's many appealing features is the "Have You Read?" column, which invites subscribers to submit a list of book recommendations. The Nov/Dec issue includes 10 picks by Vermont teacher Janice Prindle around the theme "life, death and loss." One suggestion, "The Whistling Season," particularly caught our eye. Prindle writes, in part: "(it is) a powerful fictional argument for rural schools, which is not to be dismissed as nostalgia for those of us who teach in them." Bookmarks is a great way for busy book-lovers to keep up. We tout it here not because we're getting paid (we aren't) but because we don't want it to go away. Plus, as the holidays approach, there might actually be time to read a book! Subscribe here.

FOR TEACHERS WHO BLOG -- OR MIGHT
Teachers who blog in public places should know the basics of media law and their employment contracts in order to avoid lawsuits, employer disciplinary action, and other problems, says this article from Edutopia magazine. It includes tips from popular blogger Bud Hunt (Bud the Teacher), who recommends that educators use their real names in public web spaces to promote personal accountability and "lessen the likelihood of launching online character assaults." Hunt makes no secret of who or where he is, but makes it clear that the views expressed on the site are his own and not those of his employer.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD MATH TEACHER?
Apparently, nobody knows. The SmartBrief e-newsletter, published five days a week by ASCD and circulated to more than 200,000 subscribers, recently listed its top 10 "most clicked" stories of 2008. This story from Education Week ranked #5. It summarizes findings in a February report from the National Mathematics Advisory Panel that "research does not show conclusively which professional credentials demonstrate whether math teachers are effective in the classroom," or "what college math content and coursework are most essential for teachers." Nor does it show "what kinds of preservice, professional-development, or alternative education programs best prepare them to teach." You can go straight to the report here.

SPECIAL GIFTS
We love the holidays and love to include something here, each year, that represents for us the spirit of caring that's truly one of the hallmarks of the education profession. This essay was written last year for Teacher Magazine by long-time MiddleWeb friend Laurie Wasserman, a special needs teacher at Andrews Middle School in Medford MA. It's titled, simply, "Special Gifts" and shares stories about some of Laurie's special kids, who gave her "the gifts that can't be wrapped." Bless us every one.

TIME TO GET REAL ABOUT COLLABORATION
Teachers may buy into the value of collaboration, but who can blame them for being skeptical -- even wary -- about the issue of time? In the November 2008 edition of NSDC's The Learning Principal, writer Valerie von Frank describes schools that are backing up their expectation for collaboration by carving out the regular chunks of time teachers need to work together effectively. Fundamental changes begin when teachers can really talk about how they're going to help students become more successful, principal Michael Jeffers tells von Frank. But "you've got to give teachers the time to work on things like common assessments and teaching strategies, and to talk about results." Otherwise, the article suggests, teachers have to assume that leaders are just going through the motions of promoting collaboration. In another story, learn what happened in a K-8 school when teachers did get the time to collaborate.

SCIENCE: THE DESKTOP UNIVERSE
This recent story in Edutopia highlights the free Celestia software program which makes it possible for teachers and students to "traverse space right from their desktops." While the story describes how a high school teacher uses the program, there are many aspects of interest to middle grades educators eager to expose their students to highly engaging simulation software. The story also includes a description of how a K-8 school is using Microsoft's Worldwide Telescope to create virtual tours of the Universe. Such web-based programs are "like having your own personal astronomer or having your own personal planetarium," says an education analyst at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. "It's an experience, as opposed to just information."

STUDENT FRIENDLY LEARNING GOALS
It's always interesting to see what middle school teacher Bill Ferriter is buzzing about on his popular blog The Tempered Radical. A couple of weeks ago he wrote about the expectation of many principals (and education researchers) that teachers should write "learning goals" on the board for students. Once a skeptic, Bill is now a convert -- provided the goals are "student friendly." Read how Bill groped his way toward goals that meant something to teacher and student, then check out the extended dialogue in the Comments section of his blog post. It was so lively, in fact, that Bill followed up with a second post on the topic.

TWO BOOKS TO STRENGTHEN LITERACY LEARNING
In two new book reviews at the Teacher Leaders Network website, school-based instructional coach Gail Ritchie points teachers toward resources which she believes can significantly strengthen literacy learning in middle and upper elementary classrooms. Her review of the second edition of Ralph Fletcher's Craft Lessons describes it as "a sharper, clearer version of the lessons that transformed writing in my classroom and countless others. It is a polishing of the stone, and the result is a vibrant, beautifully simple resource for scaffolding the development of young writers." Ritchie is equally enthusiastic about Spaces & Places, a book by Debbie Diller that uses before-and-after photos and simple step-by-step instructions to help "all of us" de-clutter and organize classroom spaces in which every available inch is being utilized "to create a purposeful, inviting literacy-rich classroom in just about any circumstances."

DATA SIMULATIONS: COKE VS. PEPSI
Data simulation helps math and science students visualize abstract statistical concepts and see dynamic processes behind the gathering, analysis, and interpretation of statistics. The NSF-sponsored Pedagogy in Action site includes sample data simulation activities, teaching tips, assessment ideas, and references. This link leads to an activity where students design a blind taste test of the world's two most popular colas, then determine how well it met the standards of a good experiment. Click in the left margin to explore all of the site's resources and activities.

THE POWER OF AUDIENCE
More students are coming to class with no desire to please teachers and no vision of the role school might play on their path to success, says educator Steven Levy. "The most effective way to engage these students in learning is to create an authentic audience, giving them a sense that someone else (besides teachers and parents) cares about their work." Levy's article on audience appears in a recent issue of Educational Leadership with the theme "Giving Students Ownership of Learning." He begins the piece with a useful description of a teacher's first attempts to engage her sixth graders in this way. Students can meet standards as they learn content and develop skills to complete the product, Levy says. But first, they "need to have a vision of a product that matters." See other articles from the November 2008 Ownership issue.

ANCIENT ROME 3D CURRICULUM COMPETITION
Here's a chance for teachers who have a knack for lesson design to learn stuff and win stuff. Google's "Ancient Rome 3D Curriculum Competition" introduces a rich virtual model of ancient Rome developed by the search-engine giant as an educational tool. It's not only a cool teaching environment that will engage your students, it's a chance for teachers (individually or in teams, in any content area) to win serious prizes by designing curricula around this new virtual experience. Along the (Appian) way, you will likely learn a lot more about the teaching potential of Google Earth. Warning for the faint-hearted: there's a bit of a learning curve. Deadline is February 8.

ARE WE WRITERS — OR TAKERS OF WRITING TESTS?
The need to prepare students for the eighth-grade writing assessment ("a strict, dry, five paragraph essay formula") is running counter to English teacher Ariel Sacks' emerging "Writing Outloud" strategy, which she's designed to help students translate their rich class discussions into equally thoughtful pieces of writing. "I'm stuck at that familiar crossroads where I'm sure many other teachers in this country find themselves throughout the year," she says in this recent post at her On the Shoulders of Giants blog. "Teach for the child or teach for the test?" Ariel's reflections draw good comments from other ELA teachers. Consider adding your own.

WHAT KIDS CAN DO: IN OUR GLOBAL VILLAGE
Three summers ago, Barbara Cervone of What Kids Can Do worked with a dozen secondary school students in a remote East Africa village to document daily life there. Although the resulting book became a best seller, the Tanzanian students weren't convinced that anyone outside their village would truly care about their lives and challenges. Now more than 35 groups of youth and their adult mentors on five continents have created photo essays about their own "village" (whether it be Los Angeles, a hamlet in Vietnam, or Homewood, Alabama). Students from grades 3-12 have participated with teachers in language arts, social studies, science, media and arts. WKCD's online library lets you see the amazing books being created. There's also curriculum material and information for those interested in joining the project. "At a time when so many tensions strain our global ties," WKCD says, "this small project shows the power of young people and their adult allies to make common ground."

TAMING THE DRAGON OF CHAOS
"My classroom is not neat and tidy and shiny like some," writes long-time MiddleWeb friend Cossondra George. "It has that homey, lived-in, loved look. The tables are never quite in perfect straight lines, the computer cords are twisted and tangled, and my teacher desk looks like a recycling center exploded on it." So how does the semi-organized teacher hold the Mighty Dragon of Chaos at bay? At her teaching blog Middle School, Day by Day, Cossondra shares 10 "stolen" secrets that help her and her kids stay focused on learning. Our personal favorite is the NO NAME folder. Simple and oh so needed!

BIG VIRTUAL SCIENCE FAIR ARCHIVE
We agree with the Internet Scout— you'll find "tremendous science education resources" on this website, which compiles award-winning projects exhibited at the Canada Virtual Science Fair since 1999. The contest, open to all Canadian students in grades K-12, has produced notable projects like "Harvesting Our Nature's Gas Station," "Ice: A Slippery Topic," and (how about this) "The Effects of Humanoid Avatar Gaze on Chat Communication in Virtual Worlds." There's a large selection of "Green Issues" projects, plus a blog and an online forum. Click on "all projects" links to reach a search/selector tool. Then choose award categories, grade level, and science content area.

KIDS LEARN BY LISTENING TO THEMSELVES
Student-produced podcasts bolster knowledge and communication skills, says this story at Edutopia, which highlights the classroom of fifth-grade teacher Brent Coley, whose kids' eyes "light up" when they see their schoolwork displayed in the free podcast section of the Apple iTunes store. The "ColeyCasts" feature studies of poetry, the solar system, and the early English settlements in North America, among other content. With minimal equipment, the story reports, Coley and other pod-savvy teachers give their students a global audience and another reason to engage in learning. Plenty of "how-to" information and links to get you started.

OUTRAGEOUS INSTRUCTION
With the rise of high-stakes testing, has there been a narrowing not only of WHAT content is taught, but HOW it is taught? Is there less teacher discretion and creativity? Stanley Pogrow suspects so. The creator of the HOTS (Higher Order Thinking Skills) program for Title I and LD students, Pogrow says his visits to schools and educator conferences in recent years reveal a general assumption "that content should be taught in a direct, linear, straight, no-nonsense approach. There seems to be less discussion of alternative, more creative strategies." In this article highlighting ideas from his new book, Teaching Content Outrageously, Pogrow proposes "a better methodology for using creative instruction so that it can effectively and efficiently increase content learning and increase students' engagement."

MATH HAS A HISTORY?
How does history fit into the math curriculum? Not as an extra unit, say the experts at the NSDL Middle School Portal, but as context that enhances the standard curriculum. "Students find it hard to believe that mathematics is a human endeavor — created and invented by real people to solve real problems. Teaching how such mathematical ideas as numerals and number systems, scale and measurement, geometry and probability developed over time presents the material on a wider stage and goes a long way to explaining its relevance." You'll find all the necessary background info for teachers, including a companion website, "Using Historical Problems in Middle School (Math)." It's your usual top-notch Portal project.

SCHOOL BEHAVIOR DOT COM
This site is one of several recommended to us by middle grades school counselors as helpful to both teachers and counselors themselves. Developed by psychologist and school consultant Leslie Packer, the site focuses on "awareness, empathy and skills." Dr. Packer writes in her introduction: "Knowing that most educators welcome practical knowledge and tools that they can use, I created this site to help educators learn about neurobehavioral disorders — the 'hidden' disabilities that can impair a student's academic, behavioral, and social-emotional functioning and that can occasionally create chaos in your classroom."

SEVEN NEW-WORLD SURVIVAL SKILLS
We're picking up conversation from all over "ed world" about Tony Wagner's recent book, The Global Achievement Gap, which includes Wagner's list of "seven survival skills for the new economy." Wagner's article in the October issue of ASCD's Educational Leadership titled "Rigor Redefined" concisely summarizes his views. Two of the top skills? Asking good questions and engaging in good discussion. Are you working on those in your school? Teachers are discussing the article at the Classroom 2.0 social network. There's also a selection from Wagner's book, available at Google, which includes a discussion of all seven skill sets.

WHAT KIDS WISH TEACHERS KNEW
When Laurie Wasserman sat down with Talia to reminisce about the high school sophomore's middle school days, the Massachusetts middle grades teacher soon found herself jotting down "candid insights from the other side of the teacher's desk" for this recent Teacher Magazine essay. Part of the magazine's Teaching Secrets series for novice educators, Wasserman's report on what middle school kids want teachers to know about their learning preferences includes useful reminders for any educator who hopes to reach and engage young adolescents.

EMPOWERING STUDENTS BEYOND POWERPOINT
Are your students' presentations bogged down in "powerpoint-itis"? Learn to help them make the leap into video podcasting through this not-so-mysterious tutorial prepared by teacher Matthew Needleman for the K12 Online Conference. Needleman offers tips on storyboarding, selecting shots, strengthening content, and recapturing "lost opportunities to teach media literacy and higher level thinking via video production." We enjoyed his "noir detective movie" opening, too! Needleman's blog "Creating Lifelong Learners" was recently highlighted by ASCD for its "rich discussion" of 21st century classroom relevancy. Needleman, an Apple Distinguished Educator, teaches in the elementary grades, but this one's for everybody.

MATH: FUN WAYS TO TEACH STATISTICS
How can we help students make sense of the data that overwhelms our modern lives? Try this helpful resource for teachers at NSDL's awesome Middle School Portal. Even at the middle school level, they say, students can work with statistics in real-world situations (newspaper stories, campaign speeches, scientific experiments), whether actual or simulated. You'll find lesson ideas for teaching the core statistical concepts middle schoolers are expected to learn -- plus links to web-based tools that students can use to analyze and display their data. Look at the Activities and Projects pages for materials designed to engage the tween-teen mind.

GAMEROOM HELPS TURN AROUND URBAN MIDDLE SCHOOL
How did a new principal turn around a high poverty urban middle school and meet AYP three years running -- landing in the top quarter on state assessments? Would you believe a gameroom? Of course not. Principal Constance Burnes also addressed discipline, teaching quality, curriculum, and high expectations for all. But the gameroom definitely helped. For children who meet classroom learning goals, Burnes allows 30 minutes of fun each week in a special room stocked with $90,000 worth of big-screen televisions, video games, a pool table, air hockey and arcade games. "I've found that if you give them a little, they give you something back," Burnes says. Get the whole story in this recept report by the Birmingham News. Even the editorial writers liked it.

GOAL SETTING FOR STUDENTS
Teachers and parents alike may want to browse through the articles and tips provided by the author of Goal Setting for Students. John Bishop would like to sell you a book, but you don't have to buy a thing to take advantage of these short pieces, which may also be of interest to guidance folks and anyone in an advisory role.

AMERICAN HISTORY: FACE TO FACE
Here's a great teacher resource for American history (and art) - a blog maintained by the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery (which means you can subscribe via RSS). It's a bit hard to describe but most all the entries are tied in some way to images housed in the Gallery. Recent posts present interesting Presidential and White House historical trivia, a story about the 1930s War of the Worlds radio scare (on Halloween), and the Gallery's first-of-its-kind exhibition on Hip Hop and Contemporary Portraiture. Students, we predict, would be fascinated by the online painting, photography and graffiti. And they can leave work of their own.

PRIMING THE STUDENT LEARNING PUMP
In this Teacher Magazine essay, new-teacher mentor Kathie Marshall tells the story of a novice middle school teacher who learns some important lessons about student engagement. One reader commented: “As a first year teacher, this was a refreshing article to read and relate to. I know that engaging students is the key to their success, but I, too, became overwhelmed with the curriculum and ignored the most important factor of teaching -- engaging the learners!”

SOCIAL STUDIES: CURRENT WORLD AFFAIRS
FRONTLINE/World is a national public TV series that "turns its lens on the global community, covering countries and cultures rarely seen on American television." The Frontline website features a special section for educators, featuring lesson plans and activities for middle and high school that require no more than 1-2 class periods. Schools and teachers focusing on the 21st century skill of "global awareness will appreciate this top-quality content. See for example this recent lesson plan for grades 7-12: “Negotiate Peace for India and Pakistan,” which includes standards, cross-curricular activities, and links to literature.

MIDDLE LEVEL LEADER: ADVISORY PROGRAMS
Patti Kinney is the person behind NASSP's newsletter for middle level leaders (and we'd say that includes teacher leaders). A long-time middle school principal and 2003 national principal of the year, Kinney has also been president of NMSA. She brings insider savvy to the editing of this useful monthly publication. Check out the September issue, which summarizes the lastest thinking about the design and implementation of advisory programs, drawing on the experiences of 35 Rhode Island schools. You don't have to be a member of NASSP to sign up for the no-cost email publication.

GAME-MAKING WITH “SPLODER”
Sploder is a game-making toy that "allows anyone to design and publish their own games" using a web interface. We learned about Sploder from a review in MacWorld magazine, which says: “This is particularly great for younger gamers hankering to get their first taste of game creation without jumping waist-deep into hard-to-understand code and scripting technology.” For a similar but somewhat more sophisticated site (with less shoot-em-up), see Scratch, a new tile-based programming language for game-building, developed by MIT's Media Laboratory and “designed with learning and education in mind.” Check out the educator community and the archives from the first Scratch education conference held at MIT last July.

ONLINE WORKSHOP: TEACHING THE ARTS
The description touts this online professional development experience as “a workshop for high school teachers” but don't be deceived. Although the video content features high school students, the principles of good arts teaching put forth in this eight-part series from Annenberg Media apply equally to the middle grades. The content covers visual arts, music, theatre and dance and “is intended for use by mixed groups of teachers from all four arts disciplines, to help them improve their practice.” The first program introduces seven principles of effective teaching; then each principle is explored in depth in a subsequent program. This link leads to a website that includes the video programs, other interactive materials, and a downloadable guide. No-cost registration.

SCIENCE & SOCIETY: EXPLORING YOUR OWN DNA
From time to time we tout the great lesson plans at the New York Times Learning Network, linked (literally) to stories in the news. Recently the Times has redesigned its offerings based on teacher feedback. The lessons are now “modestly streamlined” to make them easier to read, print and teach in 1-2 class periods -- and most lessons now include printable student activity sheets (in PDF format) to help guide the work. See for yourself in this recent plan: “Your DNA - What Can You Afford (Not) to Know?,” which considers the societal implications of cheaper genetic mapping.

HELPING NET-KIDS LEARN TO MANAGE INFORMATION
Bill Ferriter, our favorite sixth-grade geek (teacher division), is doing some “second job” work at his own middle school this year, helping “to drive a vision for 21st Century learning in our building's classrooms.” In this blog post, Bill shares how he's using webtools like PageFlakes to help students learn to manage information -- “probably the most important 21st Century skill to teach to our kids." See how Bill and his colleagues are using these tools to help students discern media bias in Election 2008. ALSO: For another interesting view of transformative web tools, read how a wiki has revitalized a science teacher's classroom and her teaching (Edutopia)

FASHION RULES IN GIRLS' FICTION
A friend of MiddleWeb sent us this July story from the New York Times parenting column, thinking that English and language arts teachers might enjoy (?) this reflection on “how girls' fiction of the day conveys values.” It's based on a recent dissertation that analyzes the best-selling “Clique” books and the series “Gossip Girl” and “A-List.” (Total sales 13.5 million.) Columnist Michael Winerip writes: “As others have, Dr. Johnson questions the female characters' preoccupation with looks, thinness, fashion, makeup, wealth -- we're talking spoiled, rich middle-school girls from Westchester County. But what grabbed me as new was her documentation of what she called the 'incessant litany of brand names.'”

PORTRAIT OF A YOUNG URBAN M.S. TEACHER
English teacher Ariel Sacks began her career five years ago, after completing a residency program at New York City's Bank Street College. After a three-year stint in Harlem, Sacks is beginning her second year in a public academy school in Brooklyn. In this Teacher Magazine essay she reflects on the supports, experiences and strategies that give her the ability to continue teaching in the inner city. Novice teachers will appreciate Sacks' description of her classroom organization and management structure. "Not only is this structure practical," she writes, "it also teaches students to be part of a group, to make decisions for themselves and reflect on them, and to begin to take responsibility for the well-being of the class."

CONFRONTING THE PLAGIARISM PLAGUE
English teacher Kim Bochicchio was distressed to learn that graduates of her school system had a reputation for plagiarism among local colleges. Read this June 2008 story from Edutopia magazine to learn what Bochicchio did to address the issue in her own classroom. "The battle lines (were) drawn, but I waged my war against plagiarism, determined that, for my students' sake, I would not -- could not -- lose."

GET STARTED WITH CLASSROOM BLOGGING
Gresham Brown teaches the upper elementary grades, but his advice at the Stenhouse Blog about getting starting with classroom blogging will be helpful to any teacher in grades 4-8 who has wondered whether this particular form of 21st century communication can really serve to advance student learning. Among the pluses Brown cites are writing and thinking-skills development, student engagement, and parent involvement. Brown describes the steps he took to create his blog, gain the necessary buy-in, and assure safety. You can leave questions for him in the Comments section.