Spotlight

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Vocabulary words in video. A-List Education has created a large number of videos using pop culture and humor to get a message about using words everyday. Many of the vocabulary words are done as parodies of current television shows like Lost, Gossip Girl and The Office. There is a small subscription for this service with discounts for custom licensing. If you can't afford the fees, then have your own students create this type of classroom instructional video.

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The underground Railroad has roots around the whole of the East coast. Many routes passed through the county were I live. The local tourist bureau runs tours showing guests the routes, homes and various locations where slaves were moved or stayed on their run for freedom. Scholastic has put together this site: Underground Railroad: Video, Audio, Timelines providing resources, worksheets, and reference material for teachers. There are many links on the page, so don't forget to scroll all the way to the bottom for some additional curriculum resources.

There is a teacher's guide, along with a web hunt, vocabulary, timelines and maps that follow the many routes.

Other Links:

1. National Geographic Underground RR site
2. PBS information about URR
3. Scholastic sources
4. William Still
5. National Underground RR Freedom Center
6. 42Explore many links and resources
7. Kennett Square URR Center
8. If you have an account, DiscoveryEducation resources
   

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• Relive history at these B&Bs with Underground Railroad ties (gadling.com)

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This site, Movie Sheets, offers you some guides worksheets to go with movies. There are categories for many movies, or you can create your own and upload it to share with others. There are worksheets to go with Bill Nye science movies, Scott Resources, NOVA, and the Eyewitness Series. Here is a sample of what worksheets are available for the topic of English:

Akeelah and the Bee	2006
Are We Done Yet?	2007
Catch a Fire	2006
Equilibrium	2002
Oedipus Rex (1957)	1957
Romeo + Juliet (DiCaprio)	1996
Shakespeare in Love	1999
The Luck of the Irish

There are many more topics to explore.

If you missed the virtual conference from DiscoveryEducation SciCon then you can see the archives of the day's activities here! There are videos, presentations and downloadable pdf files of documents you can use in your classroom. Other links on the page lead to DiscoveryEducation Science Class, Integration Station, and Learning Lab. You don't even have to log in to Discovery to get to this page of resources., or this page of Thinking Green. There is also a link to homework helpers for science at this link.

It is worth looking around the site to find some little nugget you can use in your curriclulum! Enjoy :)

This site has vintage ads for products from alcohol to candy. Some of the ads are print from the 1800's. You might like to use these in any type of lessons. In art you could compare the color schemes to today or the style as compared to an artist of the time period. Math could compare prices of the items from different times. In geography students might research where the products are manufactured and make a time line of the progress of production. Language arts might use these are writing prompts or have students write an ad campaign for the product for today's consumers. Music students could write a jingle for the product, or compare the product's jingle to today's product jingles. Science can examine the chemistry of the products and their ad claims. Health students should see what products have good health claims in the past and find research that backs their claim or disproves the claim. Use your imagination to share these old time products with students.

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PBS has a series "They Made America" coming to television. The companion website includes a video of the trailer, links, teacher resources, transcripts, behind the scenes interviews and primary sources to examine. You students can take part in the tournament on the page as well. Creative innovators are in the spotlight like Ruth Handler who created the first "Barbie" and Samuel Insul who was an apprentice to Thomas Edison with the dream of cheap electricity for everyone.



"Read about the four films, and access transcripts and film credits.
The series includes:

"Revolutionaries"
Four early American innovators who got the new nation up and going.

"Newcomers"
Three immigrants who helped create modern urban America.

"Gamblers"
Three mid-20th century figures who contributed to American commercial dominance.

"Rebels"
Two 21st-century American media entrepreneurs."

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It seems as if autism and asberger's syndrome are getting most of the attention these days. But dyslexia continues to be present in our schools and children, albeit in small numbers. This site, Symptoms of Dyslexia, offers a great starting point for learning about dyslexia. It has a nice layout and organization so you can find information quickly. Starting with identifying warning signs, the site goes on to describe issues that show up in school including rote memory, directional issues, sequencing, handwriting and math difficulties.

There is a link to share celebrities that have adapted to their dyslexia, including Whoopi Goldberg, Tom Cruise, Leonardo daVinci, Edgar Allen Poe, Jules Verne, John Lennon and Patrick Dempsey. Some of the people have written articles for this site, others have a small biography included.