December 2003 Newsletter

Edited by teacher, speaker and author Marjan Glavac.

Saint Nicolas December 6
Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day December 7
Chanukah begins December 20
First Day of Winter December 22
Christmas December 25
Kwanza Begins December 26
Boxing Day (Canada, UK, Australia, NZ) December 26
New Year’s Eve December 31
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To subscribe to The Busy Educator's Newsletter please e-mail me at:
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the subject line.
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Pre-K, K, ESE, and Reading Specialists
http://www.1second.com/edu_easy.html

Do some of your students have troubles learning their ABCs?
You don't use "obvious LETTERS" in your classroom yet?
Check out "obvious LETTERS", the 8th best-selling ABC book for 4-8 yr.-olds
on Amazon.com.
"obvious LETTERS" is popular because - it works!
Get a lesson-plan cost-free for visiting http://www.1second.com/edu_easy.html
Special US K-12 purchase orders possible, see hedgehog w/ flag at the site.
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In This Issue:

*FREE LIVE CHAT – RECRUITING AND RETAINING HIGH-QUALITY,
EFFECTIVE TEACHERS
* BOOK AND E-BOOK REVIEWS (TEACHERS AND PARENTS)
* TWO SPACE SITES (K-12)
* WORLD HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY GR. (9-12)
* THE THOREAU READER (TEACHERS)
* CREATIVE ARTS DEPT. MESSA PUBLIC SCHOOLS (GR. 4-6)
* MARILYN WESTERN'S TECHNOLOGY TIPS FOR CLASSROOM TEACHERS
* INTERACTIVE ACTIVITIES FOR FRENCH TEACHERS AND LEARNERS
(GR. 4-12)
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FREE LIVE CHAT – RECRUITING AND RETAINING HIGH-QUALITY,
EFFECTIVE TEACHERS
http://www.edweek-chat.org/

Tuesday, December 9, 2003, 3:00 – 4:00 pm EST

The chat will answer questions related to: how federal No Child Left Behind
requirements related to ensuring “highly qualified” teachers affect recruitment
efforts, what kinds of innovative policies, hiring practices or incentives districts
and schools are putting in place to attract the best and brightest into the field of
teaching – and to match those teachers with the schools that need them most, and what kinds of barriers prevent districts and schools from more effective teacher recruitment.  The chat will also explore whether there is a teacher “shortage” in the United States and in what areas – subjects, geographic locations, or grades – districts and schools are in need of teaching staff. 

For More Information: Contact Kati Elliott, KEH Communications,
410-975-9638, kati@kehcomm.com.
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BOOK AND E-BOOK REVIEWS (TEACHERS AND PARENTS)

DOUBLE-DIGIT GROWTH: HOW GREAT COMPANIES ACHIEVE IT-
NO MATTER WHAT
http://www.thebusyeducator.com/bookreviews.htm

A major goal of all teachers is student growth.  What does Double-Digit Growth:
How Great Companies Achieve It-No Matter What, a business book by
Michael Treacy, a leading management thinker have to offer teachers and
administrators?  Surprisingly, a lot!  Go to http://www.thebusyeducator.com/bookreviews.htm
and find out more.
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eBook -- The ADHD eBook
Reviewed by Gayle M. Bell, Ed.S., Educational Specialist, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
http://hop.clickbank.net/?busyeducat/tchrebks

"The ADHD eBook by Dr. Martin Kutscher is in my estimation one of the very
best, if not the best (eBook) on the Internet. Many parents and children need
information about ADHD, yet often do not know where to turn. This eBook is
the only one to which I refer parents, grandparents and children. One of the
geniuses of the eBook is the chapter written for students of ADHD. It's excellent, readable, short and to the point to help students with ADHD understand themselves better. Included are great illustrations which clarify the meaning of what it’s like to live within a four second window. Dr. Kutscher's eBook is the only one to which I refer parents."
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PLANETARY SCIENCE RESEARCH DISCOVERIES
http://www.psrd.hawaii.edu

PSRD brings the latest discoveries in planetary science to a wide audience. 
Includes archive articles on topics of interest to educators, amateur astronomers,
and general readers. Articles are based on Solar System research published by
NASA-sponsored scientists.  Each article features graphics, bibliographic references, and Internet links to primary sources and supplemental material. Also many links aimed at K-12 educators, including links to classroom activities.

EXPLORING PLANETS IN THE CLASSROOM (GR. 6-12)
http://www.spacegrant.hawaii.edu/class_acts/

More than 25 hands-on science activities are provided in classroom-ready pages for both teachers and students (upper elementary and above) for exploring Earth, the planets, geology, and space sciences.
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WORLD HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY (GR. 9-12)
http://www.studentsfriend.com/

It is the goal of this website to benefit students by offering teachers a useful guide
to teaching world history and geography. Materials available on this website
range from a teaching rationale to classroom activities to a textbook - or, more
accurately, a concise textbook alternative. These materials should be considered
working drafts to be improved upon or replaced with better materials through a
dialogue among teachers. In this way, every teacher need not reinvent the wheel.
Education can become more effective if we build on experience and develop an
institutional memory.
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THE THOREAU READER (TEACHERS)
http://eserver.org/thoreau/thoreau.html

The Thoreau Reader includes annotated versions of Walden, "Civil Disobedience,"
"Walking" and the Ktaadn section of The Maine Woods. Some of Thoreau's
references can be obscure, and the annotations can help. The website format
allows teachers to print separate chapters, and assign them to different students or groups, so that students can learn from each other.
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CREATIVE ARTS DEPT. MESSA PUBLIC SCHOOLS (GR. 4-6)
http://www.mpsaz.org/arts/

Take a look at the resources, materials, and student gallery at the Creative Arts Dept. in Mesa Public Schools. The site shows student work, online computer based art lessons, and links.
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MARILYN WESTERN'S TECHNOLOGY TIPS FOR CLASSROOM TEACHERS
http://www.edzone.net/~mwestern/

Marilyn Western's Technology Tips for Classroom Teachers is a practical, easy to
use website designed for the new and experienced teacher.  Spend some time browsing through Marilyn’s site and you’ll quickly learn why Marilyn Western is one of Michigan's finest resources for technology professional development. 
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INTERACTIVE ACTIVITIES FOR FRENCH TEACHERS AND LEARNERS
(GR. 4-12)
http://www.zut.org.uk/

Zut! provides a comprehensive set of interactive activities for French teachers
and learners, featuring more than 500 exercises, over 100 of which have audio
samples of native French speakers. It is an easily navigated resource,
organized for each year of study and also includes exercises for the interactive
whiteboard.
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Permission to repost this newsletter is granted as long as the link http://www.thebusyeducator.com/ is included.  Thank you for your support.
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Mr. Marjan Glavac author “The Busy Educator's Guide To The World Wide Web” Completely Revised and Updated 2ND Edition (Foreword by Dr. Harry Wong) LONDON, Ontario Canada ISBN 0-9683310-1-7 200 pages <mailto:marjan@glavac.com> FREE subscription to The Busy Educator's Newsletter http://www.thebusyeducator.com/ “There are no boundaries for the journeys of the mind.”
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