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ET Art, Holiday, & Events Digest
Friday, September 10th, 2010
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1. THE DAILIES
SEPTEMBER 10TH, 1846
Who invented the sewing machine? It might not be who you think, because it's not a household name (though perhaps it should be). It was on this day that American inventor Elias Howe received the first U.S. patent for a sewing machine. It's the name "Singer" we remember however; Isaac Singer perfected the Howe machine, but still used Howe's stitching components -- already patented. Howe won a lawsuit and the ensuing royalties, though both Howe and Singer became millionaires as a result of their respective sewing machines.
INVENTOR WEB TREK
[ANSWER KEY]
Students in grades 5 through 9 will visit various selected websites on inventors and their Innovative Lives for this web trek, and then answer the guided student questions. An Answer Key & Extension Activities are included.
INVENTING A NEW KIND OF PENCIL:
Here's a great way to engage your students in critical thinking and science, with a wonderful project in creating (drum roll for your students please)... a pencil! Find guidelines and suggestions here for an innovative class project.
THE INVENTOR'S TOOLBOX & GADGET ANATOMY:
[LINK2] [LINK3]
From the Da Vinci exhibit at the Museum of Science, students will learn all about different tools and the elements of simple machines, and then reinforce their learning with the interactive Gadget Anatomy at the 2nd link above. A lesson plan for sketching Gadget Anatomy is listed at the 3rd link above, and should be used after the two preceding interactive lessons.
INVENTING MODERN AMERICA:
Innovation, like Sir Isaac Newton so famously suggested, rests upon the ideas of the giants that go before. Students will understand the connections between inventions with this online and interactive exhibition.
CREATE, DESIGN, & INVENT WITH PLASTIC:
Recycle your plastic and make it look beautiful - with inspired art projects. Find ideas here to create tangrams, weavings, and sculpture - all with plastic.
HOW EDISON ARE YOU?
Flash makes this exhibit flashy - click on the timeline in Edison's life to find out what he created and what his career spanned.
FRIDAY POSTER:
You can change out your classroom posters weekly with our quotable posters series. Today's printable poster features an inspirational quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson.
2. ARTS & CRAFTS
MORE COOL SCHOOL TOOLS . . .
CHENILLE STEM NOTEBOOKS:
Your students are going to love these notebooks, where colorful chenille stems are lined up and glued on vertically to a spiral bound notebook. It's a great back-to-school project!
SECRET CODE BACKPACK CHAINS:
These bead chains are actually codes - which will help students to remember their locker combinations. What other uses can you find for them?
PENCIL PALS:
We bet your students will get pretty creative with this project, where pieces of a kneaded art eraser become character heads on pencils. Throw in some paper clips, beads, chenille stems, etc. and your students will make some unique creatures to top their pencils! We suggest using craft foam instead of felt for ease of use.
STRETCH BULLETIN NOTEBOOKS:
It really won't take much to finish this project, but we're betting your middle school students are going to love it! Get as many colors of the bands as you can to add pizzazz.
BOOK BLANKETS:
Older students can customize basic journals with this method of covering books, by using felt (or other non-fraying fabrics) to make book blankets.
MAGNETIC FOAM LOCKER POCKETS:
A bit of colorful craft foam, some glue, and magnets will make these locker pockets - handy little units to attach to locker doors and hold small items such as pencils, small calculators, etc. Allow students to decorate them beyond the flower shown here, with glitter paints or paint pens. A squared off design might prove more stable for holding more objects; fold like a brown envelope instead of the card envelope style shown here.
LUNCH MONEY LOCKETS:
We love this clever idea for stowing lunch money (or any other monies that need to be transported to school), and we bet parents will appreciate it too! Turn a miniature mint tin into a stylized and stylish money pendant following these instructions. If you don't wish to add the plastic animals, simply have students paint and decorate their tins as they wish.
DECOUPAGE PENCIL BOXES:
The Sunday comics would work very well for these decoupage pencil boxes, as suggested here. Or let students cut out images from magazines, making a collage that personalizes something unique about each of them, or that allows them to make a statement about their likes, dislikes, or who they are. You can collect recycled and cleaned aluminum cans for this project as well; simply make sure you use the can-opener which removes the full lid, leaving no jagged edges.
TUBE TOTES:
What a great idea to tote home art projects safely! You could even tape together two paper towel rolls, instead of purchasing cardboard mailing tubes, and make it a recycled art project.
COASTER BULLETIN BOARDS:
Love this bulletin board idea! It's creative, whimsical, colorful, and simply different than the usual rectangular versions you buy in stores. Cork coasters are glued to paper coasters (use cardboad and trace around the cork coaster) to give added depth. Then they are painted and aligned to form a cork board.
3. TEACHING THE HOLIDAYS & EVENTS
CLASSROOM DISCIPLINE/MANAGEMENT . . .
DON'T GO IT ALONE: COLLABORATE!
When the going gets rough, why go it alone? Find some great ideas for collaborating with other teachers from this educator in the know.
CLASSROOM ORGANIZING TIPS:
[LINK2] [LINK3]
Find some great tips in these resources to implement in your own classroom, helping you to organize - and stay organized - and covering topics from attendance to teaching walls.
A GAME PLAN FOR CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT & ORGANIZATION:
This resource is appropriately subtitled, "Developing Rules, Routines, and Procedures". You might just find a gem worth trying in your own classroom this year.
IMPROVING DISCIPLINE:
Ten tips are listed and discussed here to help you establish a firm but fair and positive learning environment in your classroom.
DISCIPLINE TIPS:
Need more discipline tips than the ten listed above? Then here are twelve more for you to consider, posted at the link above.
CLASSROOM RULES MAKER:
In this online and interactive classroom rules generator, you can enter your own set of rules, with consequences when students break them, and print out a copy for each student. Alternatively, hang them up as a poster on a classroom wall.
20 CLASSICAL TEACHING MISTAKES:
I find it always helps to have some mistakes pointed out, so I'll know how to recognize and better deal with them (I've been guilty of the mistake pointed out here, "Does everyone understand?"). In the same manner, I hope these tips will be helpful to you as well.
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT MISTAKES:
Oops! We all make mistakes, but here are some to avoid in your own classroom management practices, from overpraising, to starting class activities before obtaining your students' full attention.
DEALING WITH DIFFICULT STUDENT BEHAVIORS:
From shy students who are reluctant to find their voices in student discussions, to ramblers, know-it-alls, aggressive students, gripers, or hecklers, you'll find some possible responses to each behavior to help you recognize and deal with difficult student conduct in your own classroom.
RESPECT, TALKING, & BEHAVIOR:
Curb the chatty students and expect respect- right at the beginning of your school year - with these lessons for establishing respect and appropriate conduct, including exercises to handle timeouts and inappropriate talking as well.
INTERRUPTIONS:
Before students get out of hand with interruptions, learn how to quickly defer comments and remind students to wait until question time. And if that doesn't work, there are more techniques here to help you out.
CLASS MEETINGS:
Why not try having students participate in problem-solving their own classroom situations, creating a sense of community and responsibility, and endowing your students with skills to help them approach challenges throughout their lives.
VISUAL CUES FOR CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT:
Cards, hand cues, and signs can all contribute to help you manage your classroom. Find out how this educator makes use of visual cues.
THE PROBLEM WITH "BUSY WORK"
Hold on... Before you assign "busy work" in the classroom, make sure you're connecting to actual learning, rather than simply trying to take care of a classroom discipline issue. Read the discussion here.
YOU'RE IN CONTROL! RIGHT?
Calling all new teachers: are you confident as you cross the threshold of your new classroom each morning? If not, never fear; help is here!
DISCIPLINE CHECKLIST: CLOWNING:
Class clowns: students love them, but they often interrupt your class with their antics. Step-by-step, go through these procedures to nip the unwanted interruptions in the bud.
FOUR STEPS FOR BETTER CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT:
[LINK2]
How do you give a reminder, and how do you issue a reprimand... and what is the difference between the two? Find out how to set up a working classroom discipline policy with these four steps. The 2nd URL above reviews four stages of discipline.
4. SUBSCRIPTION & CONTACT INFORMATION
Everyday Teaching resources are member-subscribed services. Our E.T. Digests include:
MON: Early Education PreK-1,
TUE: Primary 1-3,
WED: Upper Elementary 3-6,
THU: Middle-High School 6-12,
FRI: Art, Holidays, & Events
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