Click here for NYSUT's ad on Benefit Programs! 5/08

Updated May 2008

Dr. Seuss can help ELLs

The Dr. Seuss Story Maker Web site leads students through several steps to create a dialogue between two Dr. Seuss characters. This portion of the site could be helpful for English language learners to practice English. See www.seussville.com/games

Green grants

Teachers can grow a stronger environmental education program through the National High School Challenge, a partnership of the Weather Channel and the National Environmental Education Foundation.

Individual teachers can secure as much as $10,000 to bring innovative environmental themes into coursework. Course integration grants are for teachers who want to include environmental themes into courses.

Professional development grants are for teachers who want to learn more about creating engaging lessons on the environment.

Proposals are due by June 20. For details, visit www.neefusa.org/programs/ce_grant.htm

. The Most Terrifying Video You'll Ever See

Oregon science teacher Greg Craven became an Internet sensation when his YouTube video on climate change—"The Most Terrifying Video You'll Ever See"—went viral last summer.

Millions viewed it and thousands left comments, prompting Craven to spend his entire summer on part two. The result, "How It All Ends," was what Craven calls his "Magnum Opus and midlife crisis and nervous breakdown."

"Global climate change is one of the driving forces of my teaching career," says Craven. And now, with a global classroom, he's sounding the alarm to millions of people around the world.

"It's amazing how one schmo can post a video, and days later five million people can watch it—it starts with a few, and grows exponentially in a nonlinear way," Craven says. "Climate change shares that characteristic. When you cross a tipping point, it causes extreme agitation."

Ready for a good scare?

http://www.nea.org/neatoday/0805/terrifyingvideo.html

Abe's Big Makeover

The redesigned $5 is the latest addition to the public education program offered online through the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and the Federal Reserve Board.  Go to www.moneyfactory.gov/newmoney for free educational materials for parents, teachers and students.  Materials, which have been designed to educate audiences about the bills, include interactive animations of each bill and its security features as well as educational posters on the new color of money.

The Subject was Bullies

The National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center has complied several online resources to help parents become strong partners in the fight against school bullying.  Included on the site is information on bullying warning signs, facts about the scope of the problem, specific tips for parents whose children are either being bullied or are bullying others.  The information is available at www.safeyouth.org.  Select "Bullying" from the list of topics.

Students can sharpen their reading skills over the summer-while helping less fortunate children do the same-by participating in Scholastic's Summer Reading Buzz.  At the site,   www.scholastic.com/buzz , students can sign up and start a reading log.  For every 4 books a child reads and logs online, Scholastic will donate a book to Room to Read, a growing nonprofit organization that establishes libraries and schools in underprivileged communities in the developing world.  Other activities include summer reading motivation, author Q&A, e-cards and "Buzz Boards" where kids can connect and talk about the books they are reading.

Updated April 2008

Council brings speakers to school

The New York Council for the Humanities Speakers in the Schools program offers free lectures by leading scholars on a wide variety of humanities subjects for high school students across New York State.  The council covers the speaker's honorarium and travel expenses.  Visit www.nyhumanities.org for more info.

Solve Environmental Problems
The Captain Planet Foundation funds hands-on environmental projects to encourage youth around the world to work individually and collectively to solve environmental problems in their neighborhoods and communities. Generally, the foundation’s grants range between $250 and $2,500.
Deadline: Quarterly; next round ends on March 31, 2008
Click Here for More Information

Promote a Positive School Culture
Through the Sprint Ahead for Education grant program, the Sprint Foundation will award grants to school districts and individual schools to fund the purchase of resource materials, supplies, equipment and software that facilitate and encourage character education among K–12 students. The foundation will accept applications for character education programs that promote youth leadership, youth volunteerism, school pride and a positive school culture. The Sprint Ahead for Education initiative will award individual school grants up to $5,000 and school district grants up to $25,000. In 2008 the Sprint Foundation plans to award up to $600,000 in combined grants to schools and school districts.
Deadline: April 15, 2008
Click Here for More Information
 

Find Solutions for Helping English Language Learners
Sign up at The Big Deal Book Web site for hELLo!, a free monthly ELL e-newsletter that includes information about new grants, upcoming contests, the latest educational research and a wealth of information on interactive print and online resources for students, teachers, librarians, principals and others involved in the education of English language learners.
Click Here to Sign Up for Free Newsletter
 

Integrate Geography Across the Curriculum
Rand McNally Classroom contains more than 1,800 reference, special topic and history maps that can be printed, viewed and saved. The site’s new interactive history maps and its numerous interactive games and activities will engage your students, while the lesson plans and assessments will help you implement all the site has to offer. A correlation search tool shows you how the site’s content aligns with your state standards and how to integrate the site’s features across the curriculum in reading, math, science and social studies. Special features include weekly current events articles and discussion questions, as well as daily “Where in the World?” photo features. In addition, “Traveling Teddies” photos and postcards describe places in the world where a traveling bear has visited, and “Ask the Geography Sleuths” gives students the opportunity to submit their geography questions to Rand McNally’s resident experts. Rand McNally Classroom is a 2008 CODIE Award finalist.

Click Here for More Information and Free Trial
 

Address Social Issues
A set of illustrated stories from MyYoungChild.org attempts to address issues (sharing, dealing with bullies, respecting others and taking responsibility for actions) that children face every day. The free online stories are intended to be an enjoyable and playful tool that can be used to teach social values. Accompanying each story are discussion questions and activities as well as parent tips designed to complement the story’s message and reinforce the impact. The nine stories include “Rosa the Rabbit Learns to Be Fair,” “Ramon Sticks Up for Himself” and “Gilbert the Goat Learns Respect.”
Click Here to Access Free Online Stories

Updated March 2008

Can-Do Children

CVS Caremark and Scholastic have partnered to launch the All Kids Can Learn Program, a $25 million commitment to support children with disabilities.  The centerpiece of the program is the All Kids Can Learn Teacher's Guide.  There are also companion take home activities.  Teachers can request a copy of the curriculum by sending an email to communitymailbox@cvs.com .

Updated February 2008

Check out www.pueblo.gas.gov and click on the education tab for links to hundreds of free publications from the Federal Citizen Information Center, including a "We the People "Pursuit of Happiness" Poster" and "Smart Saving for College".  Ordering instructions can be found on the sire where you can also sign up for updates on new publications.

Becoming Water-wise

Engaging children at an early age is the key to developing a foundation of water-wise habits.  The free Explorations Into Water curriculum lets students in grades 3-6 explore the critical role water plays by linking abstract ideas and scientific concepts through hands on outdoor activities and classroom demonstrations.  The curriculum can be downloaded at www.rainbird.com/iuow/education.htm .

So That We Remember and Learn...

The Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum was created to honor victims, survivors and rescuers of the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building-the most significant act of domestic terrorism on American Soil.  The remains of the building, along with two damaged adjacent structures, were demolished and the entire 3.3 acre site dedicated to the Memorial and Museum, which educates visitors about the impact of violence, informs about events surrounding the bombing and inspires hope and healing through lessons by those affected. 

This website contains many resources for teachers, including professional development opportunities, curriculum ideas, and planning for visits.  Take a virtual tour of the site to appreciate the beauty and serenity of this memorial.

Websites for Kids, Teens and Adults-Learning about Money

www.choosetosave.org/resources click on "Kids-Learning about money for links to activities for kids 2 and up, including AG Edwards' "Big Money Adventure" (featuring counting games and a story for youngsters), and "Savings Quest"(kids build a character, pick a job, and save toward a purchase).  Other sires let kids explore imaginary towns and planets, learning about money as they go.  Visit www.orangekids.com , www.moneyopolis.org , www.frbsf.org/education/fedville .

For teens, the National Endowment for Financial Education's High School Financial Planning site, http://hsfpp.nefe.org , offers a mix of serious learning units student articles, and interactive games.  It's Teen Resource Bureau, www.ntrbonline.org , grabs teens with a music loaded home page and features including "Ask Madam Moolah" and "Financial Fun".

For Parents and Young Adults, www.bankrate.com  financial literacy series (Under spotlight) offers information for everything from budgeting to taxes, plus real-people money makeovers, and celebrity Q&As.  www.mymoney.gov is a wealth of information and resources .  Take the "Money 20 Interactive Quiz" (under features).  Click on financial planning to link to "Building Wealth", a tutorial on handling money like an adult.

Updated January 2008

ORDER IN THE CLASSROOM
Let's be honest. Maintaining discipline is one of the biggest challenges educators face. But the good news is, we can help. Check out these NEA resources full of practical tips and tools to get your classroom in order.

24/7 Let's Go! for Healthy Students

Thousands of children around the state are marching toward good health through NYSUT's 24/7 Let's Go! healthy lifestyles program.  The kit gives teachers ideas in designing lessons in healthy eating and exercise.  It was developed by NYSUT's Health Care Professional Council.  For details, see www.nysut.org .  Kits are free to members and can be ordered by specifying the quantity of kits that you require-each student gets a kit!  Send an email to orders@nysutmail.org to request your kits, or call (800)342-9810 ext 6260.

Grant Information:

www.neafoundation.org/grants.htm NEA annually awards about $2.3 million in grants.  Get deadlines and samples grant packages here.

http://e-grants.ed.gov/eghome.asp The fed's site requires registration, but it's free and simple, and it includes a helpful, personalized system for tracking your application package.

www.fundsnetservices.com/searchresult.php?sbcat_id=6 a vast collection of links to public and corporate grants for education programs.

www.k12grants.org/newsletter.htm A helpful resource for grant novices.  The bimonthly e-newsletter is free.

www.learningis4everyone.org/content/category/1/47/2/ A roundup of grants from such groups as Nickelodeon television netwoek, Best Buy and the US Senate.

http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/business/grants.html A listing of sites to help you find grants for everything from math and science to reading and libraries.

www.teachers.net/archive/grants.html A no frills site, but it clearly lays out the basics for writing each portion of a grant.  Extra goodies include a sample cover letter and an exhaustive list of resources.

Check out www.kidshealth.org for a health related website designed specifically for educators of grades PreK-12.  It includes more than 100 teachers guides, activities, reproducible handouts and quizzes, all aligned to the national health education standards.

Student Homework Responsibility
From S. Schiffelbein, a fourth grade teacher at Alta Brown Elementary School in Garden City, Kansas:

"To help students be responsible for their homework, I devised a letter to the parents on which the students must fill in the blanks. The first paragraph starts, ‘I am writing this letter to you because I chose not to do my homework. I was supposed to turn in my assignment on…’ The second paragraph starts, ’I chose not to do it because...’ The last paragraph states, ‘I need to bring my completed homework tomorrow and this note that has been signed by you. I also have to miss one recess per day that I don’t return the homework and this signed letter.’ The student, teacher and parent signs and dates the letter, and I make a copy. I put the copy in the student’s file as documentation. If the letter does not get returned, the parents are called." (neatoday)

MY DEBT, MY LIFE
A new NEA Today story shows how educators are struggling with student loan debt of unprecedented proportions -- and why it matters, even if your college days (and bills) are a thing of the past. Share your own student loan story, give feedback on our report, or respond to what readers are saying about it in our NEA forum.

 DROPOUT PREVENTION: KEEPING IT REAL
From Massachusetts to Hawaii, schools are developing programs that emphasize real-world skills in order to reach students who might otherwise fall through the cracks.

 TEACHING STUDY SKILLS: IDEAS THAT WORK
Faced with poor student performance, teachers often recognize that the root of the problem lies not in the material or in how it is taught, but in how students choose to study it. Discover how teachers in the trenches are introducing students to better ways of studying effectively.
 

MLK DAY RESOURCES
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is less than two weeks away. Our collection of curriculum resources will help students put in perspective Martin Luther King, Jr.'s life, his impact on the Civil Rights Movement, and his significance to American culture and history.

Participate in an Internet-based Fundraising Program
Knowledge Adventure has announced the Easy School Fundraising Program, which allows schools to earn cash, while benefiting parents and friends who may want to purchase at-home learning tools for their children. When schools register for Knowledge Adventure’s Internet-based fundraising program, they will receive a customizable letter to send home with their students, announcing the school’s participation. Then any parent, relative, family friend or community member can go to the Knowledge Adventure Web site, select the school and purchase award-winning software titles. For any order of $25 or more, 25 percent of the purchase price will automatically be sent to the school, and the software will be delivered straight to the purchaser’s doorstep. Plus, for every $1,000 a school earns through the fundraising program, Knowledge Adventure will donate $500 in educational software for use in the classroom. There are no time limits or caps on what a school may earn. For complete details, email fundraising@adventure.com or call (800) 871-2969 ext. 9.
Deadline: Ongoing
Click Here to Visit Web Site

Send a Tribute of Thanks to Teachers
To acknowledge America’s 3 million public school teachers, the National Education Association and the Parent Teacher Association are building the Nation’s Largest Teacher Thank-You Card. It’s easy to participate: either personalize a provided template or mail in a special one-of-a-kind design. All submissions will be compiled into a larger-than-life card that will be unveiled in Spring 2008 and travel to major cities throughout the year.
Click Here to Sign the Thank-You Card

Design Your Own Flag
You’re one in 7 billion. Create a flag that conveys your uniqueness. Using the digital art on this site, you can make your own flag. First let your mouse wander over the flags that others have created on this site. Read about the dreams reflected in their flag designs. Then design your own flag by combining elements of the flag from your home country, the flag from another country that has affected you and the flag of a country to which you’ve dreamed of going. Be sure to check out the meaning of colors and shapes in different countries before you create your flag.
Click Here to Visit Web Site

Explore the World of Science
San Francisco’s Exploratorium was one of the first science museums to build a site on the World Wide Web. The site features dozens of online learning activities and exhibits. Students can make a mold terrarium, pinhole projector, telescope or hair hygrometer. They can explore the brain, biodiversity, Antarctica, DNA, frogs, structures or illusions. They can learn about magnetism, electricity, motors, eyeballs, perception, Mars, chocolate, seasonings or the science of cooking, sports and music. And they can search more than 3,000 photos and movies and watch Webcasts of science demonstrations by teachers.
Click Here to Visit Web Site

Find Out About the Mathematics Behind Polls
In Cast Your Vote!, students follow a year in a fictitious election campaign for an inside look at the mathematics behind the polls and the news they hear everyday.
Click Here to Visit Web Site

Updated December 2007

Create Online Quizzes
ProProfs.com has launched ProProfs Quiz School, a free learning tool that enables educators to utilize the power of the Internet to create online quizzes and practice tests for their students. The site also provides a sizable free quiz library, where teachers can browse through the categories or simply search to find quizzes of interest. Teachers can also share quizzes with their colleagues or post quizzes on their class Web page.
Click Here for Free Quiz Tool

Honor Everyday Heroes
The National World War II Museum honors the many heroes of World War II by celebrating their deeds and the values that they carried with them into the struggle. But we don’t need to have a war to have heroes. To encourage students to seek positive role models in their own community and show appreciation to those people who make a difference in their lives, the museum invites youth, aged 18 or younger, to honor their Everyday Hero by submitting his or her name to the museum’s Everyday Heroes Certificate Program. After students fill out an online form, the museum will mail their Everyday Hero a personalized certificate along with a letter explaining the program.
Deadline: Ongoing
Click Here for More Information and Online Form

Increase Sensitivity to and Understanding of Islam
Do your students have questions about Islam? Here’s a place to go for answers. The Islam Project is a multimedia education and community engagement effort rooted in two widely praised PBS documentaries, Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet and Muslims. The project’s goal is to encourage informed discussion of Islam and its role in the world of the 21st century. Central to the project is an educators’ Web site. Created by teachers for teachers, the site offers a spectrum of materials, including original lesson plans and maps, essays, annotated scripts of the PBS films, biographies, First Amendment guidelines for presenting religion in the classroom and tools that will help teachers create their own lesson plans on Islam or evaluate the lesson plans of others.
Click Here to Visit Web Site

Find Federal Funds
The U.S. Department of Education’s Forecast of Funding lists virtually all programs and competitions under which the department has invited or expects to invite applications for new awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2007 and provides actual or estimated deadline dates for the transmittal of applications under these programs. The lists are in the form of charts, organized according to the department’s principal program offices. The charts include previously announced programs and competitions as well as those planned for announcement at a later date.
Click Here for More Information

Find Fun Facts About the U.S. Presidents
Your students probably know some basic trivia about our U.S. presidents, but do they know which president was drafted by the Green Bay Packers? Which president had a cow that was kept on the White House lawn? Challenge students’ knowledge of these fun facts and more with the U.S. Presidents’ Day Quiz on Answers.com.
Click Here to Access Quiz

Bring History Alive
History buffs! Listen to American History recordings of P. T. Barnum in his first recorded commercial; Teddy Roosevelt during his 1912 presidential campaign; the news of the explosion of the Hindenburg; a montage of World War II radio clips; JFK’s Inaugural Address; Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech—and much more.
Click Here to Listen to Recordings

Join the Geography Challenge
The global classroom comes to life at this interactive site, where more than a million students have participated in the world’s largest online geography contest in which classroom groups compete with other school teams worldwide. To join the Geography Challenge, students simply select which country they will be representing and take the quiz, which consists of trying to locate ten randomly selected countries on a map of the world. The quiz is different every time it’s accessed.
Deadline: Ongoing
Click Here for More Information

Plus: To extend students’ experience, you can purchase the Global Puzzle, a challenging 600-piece mindbender in which each piece is shaped like a country.

FEDERAL PROGRAMS-Loan Forgiveness Programs
The U.S. Department of Education has a variety of federal loan forgiveness programs:

• Stafford loan recipients who received the loan after October 1, 1998, and have taught for five years in a low-income school may be eligible to have up to $5,000 of their loan cancelled.

• Stafford or PLUS loan recipients may have their loans deferred if they are teaching full-time in a federally designated teacher shortage area for a minimum of three years.

• Recipients of Perkins loans prior to June 23, 1992, may receive partial cancellation of their loan for service as a full-time teacher at a low-income school or in certain subject areas, on or after October 7, 1998.

• Recipients of Paul Douglas Teacher Scholarships (formerly the Congressional Teacher Scholarship Program), in or before 1995-96 may be eligible for reduced service obligations if you are teaching in a federally approved teacher shortage area.

NFL and AHA urge students to get fit and stay healthy

The National Football League and the American Heart Association have teamed up to create a program designed to encourage physical activity among youth. With childhood obesity on the rise and the continuing decline of physical education programs in many U.S. schools, the NFL and AHA are spearheading “What Moves U,” a national youth awareness campaign to promote physical fitness and healthy living.

The initiative incorporates several elements: an in-school activity kit created for teachers by teachers, which includes curriculum-based activity sheets, program-specific learning materials and school promotional materials. There’s also an interactive fitness-focused Web site for children.

Celebrate the New Year in Different Languages
From Bengali to Zulu . . . say “Happy New Year” in 26 different languages and start 2008 off with an International New Year Celebration in your classroom.
Click Here to Visit Web Site

Immerse Kids in the News
Check out the KidsPost section of The Washington Post Web site, offering articles, games and surveys, all designed especially for young readers. Sections include When I Grow Up, I Want to . . . (profiles of people with interesting jobs), My Name Is . . . (children and families from all over the world), History of Washington (illustrated story of the Washington area from 1600 until now) and Web Resources (cool sites and games).
Click Here to Visit Web Site

Inspire Future Scientists
A bone detective, space geologist and robot designer, among others, inspire future scientists at I WAS Wondering . . . a curious look at Women’s Adventures in Science. Created by the National Academy of Sciences, the Web site encourages young people, especially girls, to pursue an interest in science. Lia, the teenage cartoon character who hosts the site, guides visitors through interactive resources and activities designed for middle school students. The site also includes science labs, games and a parent–teacher guide. It is the companion Web site to the Women’s Adventures in Science book series. The Web site and book series showcase the accomplishments of contemporary women in science and highlight the careers of some of today’s most prominent scientists.
Click Here to Visit Web Site

Design a Planet
Astro-Venture is an educational, interactive, multimedia Web environment highlighting NASA careers and astrobiology research in the areas of Astronomy, Geology, Biology and Atmospheric Science. Students in grades 5–8 are transported to the future where they role-play NASA occupations and use scientific inquiry as they search for and build a planet with the necessary characteristics for human habitation. Supporting activities include chats with real NASA scientists, online collaborations, classroom lessons, student publishing area, and occupation fact sheets and trading cards.
Click Here to Visit Web Site

What Moves U?

The “What Moves U” in-school activation kit has been developed for teachers of various academic disciplines to help them find ways to integrate physical activities into their existing lesson plans.

The activation kit is being provided to more than 22,000 middle schools nationwide; other teachers can download the kit at www.whatmovesu.com.

http://www.nea.org/pay/maps/teachermap.html

Connect with the Troops
In July 2006, Connect And Join, a family support and education-service publishing company, held a nationwide scrapbook initiative to have schoolchildren create the World’s Largest, and Greatest, Scrapbook in support of the troops. Connect And Join has received thousands of scrapbook pages from schools across the country to date and is extending the project to attempt a goal of 120,000 pages! The Connect with the Troops portal offers free tools that allow teachers, classrooms or students to communicate with and express support for U.S. troops or individual soldiers, while tying patriotism into the curriculum. The tools include scrapbooking instructions as well as lesson plans and suggestions on how teachers can make an archival activity into a standards-aligned learning experience for students. Lesson plans include a virtual visit to the Library of Congress, A Road Trip visiting our nation’s monuments, the United States Flag, a Hometown Brochure activity and more.
Click Here to Access Free Tools

Investigate the First Thanksgiving
At the Plimoth Plantation’s You Are the Historian Web site, students become history detectives as they investigate the first Thanksgiving. Some historians think that “The First Thanksgiving” wasn’t really a thanksgiving. They call it “The 1621 Harvest Celebration” because it was more like a harvest festival. On this Web site, students use clues to try to figure out what really happened at the 1621 harvest celebration. They are guided by Dancing Hawk, a Wampanoag whose ancestors were at the harvest celebration, and by Sarah, whose ancestor, Remember Allerton, was at the celebration too. If students don’t know the meaning of a word they encounter, they can use the online Glossary. Or if they want an expert opinion, they can go to Visit the Expert.
Click Here to Visit Web Site

Motivate Children to Explore the World
World Book Kids, an online environment for young students, infuses creativity and wonder in learning. The site includes content from the World Book Student Discovery Encyclopedia, as well as dozens of learning activities and games. Subscribers to World Book Kids receive, at no extra charge, the World Book Online Reference Center, which includes all of the articles from the World Book Encyclopedia, plus thousands more, as well as tens of thousands of pictures, maps, videos and animations, and sounds; the World Book Atlas, which contains approximately 750 maps; and the World Book Dictionary, which contains approximately 250,000 entries. Click below to take a complimentary tour of World Book Kids.
Click Here to Visit Web Site

Find Opportunities for Making a Difference
If you’d like to make a difference, Idealist.org will help you find the best option for you. The site lists more than 10,000 volunteer opportunities, which you can search by location, dates you would like to serve, skills and type of service (arts, children, disaster relief, race, wildlife and so on). Sign up for My Idealist, and you’ll be able to get email updates about nonprofit opportunities, join discussion groups and create a profile so that organizations can find you. Idealist.org has a wealth of other information on internships, careers, job fairs and events, and fundraising, plus resources and tips for volunteers.
Click Here to Visit Web Site

Plus: Check out the section for kids and teens who are curious, optimistic, seeking help or looking to help others. Under For Teachers, you’ll find free online resources created to help you introduce issues such as environmental conservation, human rights and artistic expression to your students.
Click Here to Visit Web Section

Raise the Level of Family and School Involvement
UPS Foundation Education Grants fund high-impact philanthropic programs that raise the level of educational instruction, family learning opportunities and school involvement projects. The size of the award varies.
Deadline: Ongoing
Click Here for More Information

Updated October 06

24/7 Let's Go! is targeted for use in a school setting, by classroom and physical education teachers, or school nurses. Of course, health care professionals and others who work with children should use 24/7 Let's Go! to encourage the children they come in contact with to build healthier lifestyles. 24/7 Let's Go! is not a calorie counting or weight loss contest. No student should be singled out because of a problem with obesity. [more]

 http://www.nysut.org/247/educators.html

Updated Sept 06

COOL CITE Dealing with online sources in research papers can be  tricky, but answers.com has developed a number of tools and resources to help students tackle the chore. The site offers a downloadable pdf poster explaining the basics of online citations, along with lesson plan tools. And information found through answers.com can include a fully formatted citation in MLA, Chicago or APA styles.

DEPRESSION INFO The Consumer Reports Medical Guide, is providing free information on its home page on depression in children. Nonsubscribers can access reports on risk factors and prevalence in different age, gender and cultural groups. Also available is an easy-to-read chart differentiating depression in children from other mental health conditions with similar symptoms. The Web site is located at www.consumerreportsmedicalguide.org.

The National Hurricane Center offers a variety of online resources to help students understand the science at work behind hurricanes.  Many of these materials are complied in the Hurricane's Preparedness Week section of the center's website.  Concepts such as storm surges, the hurricane scale and naming conventions for hurricanes are included.  Check it out at www.nhc.noaa.gov .

Look it Up~!

www.thefreedictionary.com is a free website that combines a dictionary, encyclopedia, and thesaurus into one simple search.  Students can find definitions and information about subjects they research for school or are interested in learning about. This site offers standard definitions in addition to pictures, synonyms, antonyms, explanations and related words.

CNN Offers Student News

CNN Student News, the cable network's daily news program for middle and high school students, includes a section for educators.  There is also a section, available Monday through Thursday, which offers recall and critical thinking questions associated with the day's top news stories.  On Fridays, it offers a news quiz that will require quick recall from a week's worth of news.  Check it out at www.cnn.com/education .

Money Activities

Download free money activities from the US Mint for grades K-12.  Activities include the Westward Journey Nickel Series and the 50 State Quarters Program.  Visit them at www.usmint.gov/kids

Adopt a Pilot Program

Southwest Airlines will team your grade 5-7 class with a pilot and lets them track his/her journey.  You will receive free curriculum materials for the 4 week program which teaches about math, science, geography, history, aviation and more.  Registration begins in September.  An online program also allows students to communicate with a pilot via email.  For more info visit http://www.southwest.com/programs_services/adopt/ or email adoptapilot@wnco.com .