Don’t Be Succinct; Bloviate About Context Clues

Subject: English/Vocabulary
Grade(s): 7 and up

Overview
No matter what a student’s reading or vocabulary level is, context clues are a great way to help decipher and understand the meaning of new or unusual words. Here are four types of context clues that can help your students comprehend new vocabulary with aplomb.
Objectives
Students will:
Recognize different types of context clues for determining the meaning of an unknown word
Write sentences using context clues as a means to clarify the meaning of an unknown word

IRA/NCTE Standards for the English Language Arts
Standard 3: Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).

Materials Needed
· WordTeasers: College Prep

Getting Started: Ask students if they know what the word prevaricate means? Acknowledge those students who indicate that they know the definition. Then say, “For those of you who don’t know what the word means, I’m going to use it in a sentence.” Ask: “Is there ever a good reason to prevaricate?” Then say, “How many of you now think you know the meaning of prevaricate?” Acknowledge those students. Finally, tell students that you are going to use the word in a different sentence that may give students a clue to the definition of prevaricate. Ask: “Is there ever a good reason to prevaricate rather than to tell the truth?” Ask how many think they now know the definition of prevaricate. Why? Discuss with students why this last question helped them understand the definition of prevaricate. (They were able to infer from the context of the sentence that to prevaricate is the opposite of to tell the truth.)

Development: Tell students that one way to understand new words in a sentence or a passage in their reading is to look for context clues. Explain that there are many different types of context clues. Write the following four types of context clues on the board along with the pair of sentences that illustrates each context clue. Discuss each pair of sentences with the class.

· Linked Synonyms—an unknown word is linked with similar words or synonyms in a series.
Sentence Sample: Name a food you abhor.
Linked Synonyms: Name a food you hate, detest, and abhor.
· Appositive — a phrase that provides additional information or a definition about a preceding noun.
Sentence Sample: Argue for or against a meritocracy.
Appositive: Argue for or against a meritocracy, a system in which people are rewarded based on talent or

ability.
· Compare/Contrast — an antonym or phrase with an opposite meaning to an unknown word that is used to

define that unknown word.
Sentence Sample: Name something that makes you feel timorous.
Appositive: Name something that makes you feel timorous, rather than confident.
· Cause/Effect — the cause for or result of an unknown word enables the meaning of the unknown word to be

inferred
Sentence Sample: Who would you like to emulate?
Cause/Effect: Because the student admired her coach, she wanted to emulate her.

Activity: Prepare the following handout, which includes five statements and questions adapted from the WordTeasers: College Prep Challenge Cards. Each statement or question includes a context clue to the meaning of the word in bold. Have students write a definition for each word in bold. Then, have them identify which of the four types of context clues is used to help clarify the word’s meaning.

1. If you could give up an onerous or difficult task, what would it be? (Type of Context Clue: Linked Synonyms)
2. Name someone in your class who is so frugal they won’t even spend a nickel for a soda.
(Type of Context Clue: Cause/Effect)
3. What time of day are you most lethargic as opposed to energetic? (Type of Context Clue: Compare/Contrast)
4. Name your biggest proponent, such as a parent, older sibling, or teacher. (Type of Context Clue: Apposition)
5. Show how you would act in a gregarious, friendly, and outgoing manner to a new student. (Context Clue: Linked Synonyms)

Extension 1: Have each student select a WordTeaser Challenge Card from the box. Allow time for students to revise or rewrite the challenge question or statement on the card, using one of the four types of context clues to help clarify the meaning of the word in bold. Then allow time for students to read aloud their original and their revised WordTeaser question or statement. Discuss how the context clue helps clarify the meaning of the word.

Extension 2: Challenge students to write a sentence with a nonsense word, but with enough context clues to reveal the meaning of the nonsense word. Allow time for students to read their sentences aloud and challenge other students to guess the meaning of their nonsense words. For example: Jose was synerambulent about a 9:00 pm. curfew for teenagers, rather than firm in his opinion. (Meaning: ambivalent; indecisive; having two opposing opinions; Context Clue: Compare/contrast.)

Next Week: Population Explosion: A Geography Lesson Plan with WorldTeasers: World Culture & Geography

Source: WordTeasers: College Prep — An educational game designed to help high school students improve vocabulary and have fun at the same time. Grades 7 + . Available at SchooDoodle.com.

Free Parent Involvement Activity - "Better Than..." - Grades 1-3

Expressing Ideas, Critical Thinking, Persuasion Skills, Sentence Structure

Debate Team -- Ask your child for input as you select a topic of debate (speedboat vs. sailboat, cat vs. dog, pancakes vs. waffles, etc.) and let him choose which side of the "debate" he wants to take.

You and your child will each write down five points that support your individual position and then compare them. Talk about the relative merits of the written statements and decide whether or not either of you was able to sway the other's opinion.

Some examples of arguments to use in a debate about speedboats vs. sailboats might include the following: "Seppedboats go fast." "Sailboats are quiet and peaceful." "Speedboats can pull a water skier." "Sailboats don't pollute."

Braggart -- In this game you and your child take turns one-upping each other with more and more far-fetching claims (going father, higher, faster, etc.)

You can begin by writing a statement such as, "I rode my bike to the middle of downtown!" Your child can counter with, "I rode my bike to Montana!" You might then boast, "I rode my bike across the Atlantic Ocean and back!" etc. Before long, one of you will be claiming to have ridden your bike around the universe while standing on your head with your eyes closed!

Source: Smart & Simple Writing Activities to do with your Child, Grades Kindergarten to 3rd Grade, Ages 5-9. Available at Schoodoodle.com.

Free Parent Involvement Activity - "Blocks & Sticks" - Age 2

Motor Skills, Creativity

Cut floral foam blocks into various sizes, and gather ten or more sticks (dowels, chopsticks, or twigs). Place the foam blocks and sticks in front of your child and show him how they can be joined together. Then let him create his own unusual structures.

CAUTION! Monitor your child closely during this activity. Put away the materials immediately after play. Always use non-toxic materials.

Source: Bright and Beyond, Smart & Simple Age 2 Activities to do with your Child, Age 2, 24-36 months. Available at Schoodoodle.com.

Chicago School Supply and CHITAG featured on NudeHippo.com

Chicago School Suppy attended the Chicago Toy and Game Fair this past November. We displayed large SandLock Sandboxes full of Moon Sand and Insta-Snow.

Our booth was a hit with the 1-8 year old children. They played in our booth for 20-30 minutes at a time!

The NBC 5 NudeHippo crew was also at the fair conducting interviews with vendors and attendees. Chicago School Supply was featured on their website!

Visit NudeHippo.com and view their Toy Fair 2007 video report and checkout the interview with Chicago School Supply's founder - Michael Ockrim.

Thanks NudeHippo!

Free Teacher Quote - "How You Make Them Feel"

People will forget what you said,
people will forget what you did,
but people will never forget
how you made them feel.

Quote by: Maya Angelou

Free Teacher Joke - "Man's Best Friend"

I was sitting in a hospital waiting room watching a young mother helping her son finish a crossword puzzle.

"Mom," he asked, "what fits here?"

"It's Man's best friend," she hinted.

The boy thought for a second then guessed,

"Duct tape?"

* * * *

Well, it's the last weekend of January 2008 already. I don't know about you, but I'm ready for warmer weather. Right about now I like to plan a nice vacation just to by-pass the chilly weather. A nice trip to a tropical island is where I'd like to be about now. If you need to decorate your bulletin boards or want ideas of how to warm up your classroom, check out our catalog. Just follow this link and above all, enjoy your weekend!

On the Fence with Idioms

Subject: Language Arts
Grades: 4-6

Overview
Don’t leave your students “on the fence” over idioms. Help students understand idiomatic expressions with this game of charades.

Objectives
Students will:
· Demonstrate their understanding of idiomatic expressions.

IRA/NCTE Standards for the English Language Arts
Standard 4: Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
Standard 6: Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts.

Materials Needed
· WordTeasers: Idioms
· (Optional) Index cards to make your own Idiom Charades cards

Preparation
Select 30 to 40 Idiom Challenge cards from the WordTeasers: Idioms box. Be sure to select those cards with idioms that can easily be acted out. Put those selected cards in the box and set the other cards aside.

Getting Started
Write these two sentences on the chalkboard.

Alice is sitting on the fence about who to vote for in the school election.

Pete is sitting on a fence thinking about his favorite candidate, Bill.

Ask students: Where is Alice? (We don’t know.) Where is Pete? (He’s sitting on a fence.) Who is Alice going to vote for? (She hasn’t decided.) Who is Pete going to vote for? (Most likely Bill.) What is the difference between the saying “sitting on the fence” and “sitting on a fence”? (Sitting on a fence means to literally be sitting on a fence. Sitting on the fence is an idiomatic expression meaning "to be undecided.”)

Development
Explain to students that there are many phrases in English that don’t mean exactly what the individual words might suggest. These phrases are called idioms. “Sitting on the fence” is an idiomatic expression that means to be undecided or unsure of something. Tell students you’re going to play to see how many idiomatic expressions they know or can guess. It’s a game of charades. (Explain the game of charades, if necessary.)

Activity
Have students come up to the front of the room one at a time, pull out a WordTeaser Challenge Card from the WordTeasers: Idioms box (or from a box of idioms cards that you've made) and then act out the idiom (the words in bold) on the card. They can act out one word at a time or try to act out the whole idiom at once (by indicating a “picture frame” with their hands for “the whole picture” or sweeping their arms through the air for “the whole concept”). See who can guess the correct idiom. After they guess the idiom, ask the class what the idiomatic expression means. How do they think the expression got started? (See Origin on the back of the WordTeaser Challenge card for an explanation.)

Variation: For a faster, easier variation of this activity, write the idioms that you’ve selected on the chalkboard. Students can refer to this list as their classmates act out their idioms. Or divide the room into teams. See which team can guess the most number of idioms.

Next Week: Bloviate But Don’t Prevaricate — A High School Vocabulary Lesson with WordTeasers: College Prep

Source: WordTeasers: Idioms — An educational game designed to get kids talking, laughing, thinking, writing…and improving language arts skills. Ages 9+ . Available at SchooDoodle.com.

Free Parent Involvement Activity - "Brain Busters" - Ages 7 and Up

What is the Rule of 72?

Sock Drawer -- So as not to wake up his brother, Mark leaves the light off while looking for a pair of socks. He knows he has twelve black socks and eight blue socks in the drawer. What is the minimum number of socks he will need to pick out in order to ensure that he has a matching pair? (Hint available*)

Generous Grandparents - Grandpa wants to help you save up for a new bike. he says that as long as you start with one penny in your piggy bank he will add enough money each day to your bank to double the amount already in there. After you put the penny in, Grandpa puts in one cent the first day, two cents the second day, four cents the third day, etc. On the twelfth day your piggy bank is full. On which day is your piggy bank half full?

Not to be outdone, your Grandma decides that she will also give you one cent on the first day, two cents on the second day, four cents on the third day, etc. With both grandparents now contributing, on which day would your piggy bank be half full? (Hint available*)

Age of Reason - If I add two times my age two years from now to three times my age three years from now, the result is six times my current age. How old will I be four years from now?

(Hint available*)

Source: Bright and Beyond, Smart & Simple Thinking Activities to do with your Child, Ages 7 and up. Available at Schoodoodle.com.

Hints:

Sock Drawer -- Three socks. If Mark picks three socks the possibilities become black/black/black, blue/blue/blue, black/black/blue, or blue/blue/black. There is a pair in each possibility.

Generous Grandparents -- When only Grandpa contributes, the piggy bank will be half full on the eleventh day (i.e., the day before the last day). Remember, the amount doubles each day! When Grandma chips in too, the piggy bank is half full a day earlier (Grandpa's one quarter fill plus Grandma's one quarter fill equals half full), so the piggy bank will be half full two days before the final day (day ten). (If a quantity doubles every day, then, today's amount is half of tomorrow's amount.)

Age of Reason -- Seventeen years old. (Begin by figuring out his current age (x). 2(x+2) + 3(x+3) =6x, then add four.)

Free Parent Involvement Activity - "Mix & Match" - Age 1

Visual Discrimination, Sorting

Gather up pairs of socks, mittens, or spoons. Mix them up and encourage your child to try to match them. Or, mix up several pairs of shoes, then give your child one shoe from the pile and ask him to find the mate. Matching socks can also be a great way for your child to help with the laundry folding!

Source: Bright and Beyond, Smart & Simple Age 1 Activities to do with your Child. Available at Schoodoodle.com.

Massive Funding Cuts To 'Reading First' Generate Worries For Struggling Schools

The reading coaches, professional-development programs, and instructional materials that are the cornerstones of the Reading First program and are credited with improving instruction in struggling schools may be threatened by a deep cut included in the 2008 federal budget, officials and observers say.

The reduction of more than 60 percent—from nearly $1 billion each year since the program was rolled out in 2002 to $393 million for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1—will likely inhibit further improvements and test the sustainability of the changes Reading First has fostered over the past six years.

The cut is part of an omnibus spending bill President Bush signed into law last month. “A 60 percent cut—this is huge,” said Joni Gillis, who oversees Oregon Reading First.

Her state is expecting its funding to drop this fiscal year from nearly $10 million to less than $4 million. The program “is not going to be like it was, but the best practices, the solid core instruction, how we look at data to inform that instruction,” she said, are “behavior changes [that] will stick.”

To view the complete article, click here.
(Education Week 01.16.08)

Teacher Absences Are Hurting Learning

A year is a long time in a child's education, the time it can take to learn cursive writing or beginning algebra.

It's also how much time kids can spend with substitute teachers from kindergarten through high school — time that's all but lost for learning.

Despite tremendous pressure on schools to increase instructional time and meet performance goals, the vacuum created by teacher absenteeism has been all but ignored — even though new research suggests it can have an adverse effect in the classroom.

The problem isn't just with teachers home for a day or two with the flu. Schools' use of substitutes to plug full-time vacancies — the teachers that kids are supposed to have all year — is up dramatically.

Duke University economist Charles Clotfelter, among a handful of researchers who have closely studied the issue, says the image of spitballs flying past a daily substitute often reflects reality.

"Many times substitutes don't have the plan in front of them," Clotfelter said. "They don't have all the behavioral expectations that the regular teachers have established, so it's basically a holding pattern."

To view the complete article, click here.
(msnbc/The Associates Press 01.16.08)

Free Teacher Motivational Quote - "Supporting Education"

We have an obligation and a responsibility
to be investing in our students and our schools.
We must make sure that people who have the grades,
the desire and the will, but not the money,
can still get the best education possible.

Quote by: Barack Obama

Geography Lesson Plan: Just Deserts

Subject: Geography; World Culture
Grades: 4-6

Overview
Even though this lesson plan is just about deserts of the world (no, sad to say, not about desserts of the world), student will gain cross-curricular practice in language arts, social studies, and technology skills as they read and interpret a WorldTeasers: Just Deserts chart and also research and complete a second chart about deserts of the world.

Objectives
Students will:
· Describe the four major types of deserts.
· Use a map of the world to locate the four major types of deserts according to their continents.
· Compare and contrast the similarities and differences among the four types of deserts.
· Interpret questions to figure out what information is wanted and use a chart to answer those questions.
· (Optional) Use Microsoft Excel or other graphing software to create a bar chart to display information.

National Geography Standards
Standard 7: The physical processes that shape the patterns of Earth’s surface.
Standard 8: The characteristics and spatial distribution of ecosystems on Earth’s surface.

NCTE/IRA Standards for the English Language Arts
Standard 7: Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and non-print texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.

National Educational Technology Standards
Standard 3: Technology productivity tools: Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity.

Materials Needed
· Just Deserts Charts (See below for directions for creating the Charts or go to www.wordteasers.com and click on Ideas for Using WordTeasers for a copy of the charts that you can print out.)
· Just Deserts Challenge Cards from WorldTeasers: World Culture & Geography
· (Optional): Computer with Internet connection and Microsoft Excel or other graphing software

Getting Started
Ask students what words come to mind when they think about a desert? Write those words on the board. (Some likely words might be sand, hot, cactus, camels.) Tell students that those words can describe one type or category of desert — very hot deserts called Subtropical deserts — but that there are other types of deserts as well. Tell students that, in fact, the largest desert in the world is actually very cold. It’s called a Polar desert. Do they know where that desert is? (The Antarctic desert on the continent of Antarctica.)

Development
Discuss with students the definition of a desert. Explain that there are four main types of deserts: Subtropical deserts, which are the hottest, Cool Coastal deserts, where the average temperature is much cooler than subtropical deserts, Cold Winter deserts, which are very hot in the summer, but as cold as 10°F in the winter, and Polar deserts. Tell students that whether hot or cold, all deserts have one thing in common. Can students guess what that is? (All deserts receive little or not rainfall.) Deserts get less than 10 inches of rain per year. Ask: How many inches of rain do you think we get here in [name of your city or town]? Give students time to research on the Internet the average yearly precipitation in their city or town? (For average precipitation in your zip code area, go to www.weather.com on the Internet, type in your zip code in the box next to Localweather, click Go, and then page down and click Averages.)

Activity
Write the following WorldTeasers: Just Deserts chart on the chalkboard. (Or print out enough copies of the chart for each student or pairs of students.) Give students time to study the information in the chart. Then, ask students various grade-appropriate questions about the information on the chart. For example:
1. What is the name of the largest Subtropical desert named on the chart? (Great Victoria)
2. On what continent would you find the oldest desert on earth? (Africa)
3. How much bigger is the wettest desert on earth than the driest desert on earth? (66,000 square miles)
4. How are the Namib and the Atacama deserts similar? (They’re both Cool Coastal deserts.)
5. How is the Sonoran desert different from the Gobi desert? (The Sonoran desert is a Subtropical desert and the Gobi desert is a Cold Winter desert.)

Allow time for teams of students to formulate their own WorldTeaser Challenge questions based on information in the chart and then challenge classmates with the questions.

Next, write the WorldTeasers: Just Deserts II chart on the chalkboard (or print out a copy from www.wordteasers.com. Divide the class into teams to research and fill in the blanks under each category.

Extension
Have students locate on a world map the 12 different deserts mentioned in the Just Deserts charts I and II.

Extension (optional)
Using the information in the chart and Microsoft Excel or other graphic software, have students create a bar graph to show the relative size of the six deserts named in the chart.

Assessment
Challenge students to take the WorldTeaser Challenge. Put the six Just Deserts Challenge Cards on a table. One at a time, ask a volunteer to come up and select a challenge card and read it out loud to the class. See by a raise of hands who can win the WorldTeaser Challenge.

Creating the Charts
Chart 1: WorldTeasers: Just Deserts I
Open the Insert Table window in Microsoft Word. For Number of Columns, put 7 and for Number of Rows put 6. Fill in the rows as follows:
Row 1: WorldTeaser Fact, Driest desert on earth, Wettest desert on earth, Coldest desert on earth, Oldest desert on earth, Desert name for a queen, 4th largest desert on earth
Row 2: Name of Desert, The Atacama, Sonoran, Antarctic, Namib, Great Victoria, Gobi
Row 3: Continent, South America, North America, Antarctica, Africa, Great Victoria, Asia
Row 4: Type of Desert, Cool Coastal, Subtropical, Polar, Cool Coastal, Subtropical, Cold Winter
Row 5: Land Area, 54,000 sq. mi, 120,000 sq. mi, 5.5 million sq. mi, 13,000 sq. mi, 250,000 sq. mi, 500,000 sq. mi.
Row 6: Location, Northern Chile; Ariz., CA, Mexico; Antarctica; Angola, Namibia; Southern Australia; China, Mongolia

Chart II: WorldTeasers: Just Deserts II
Open the Insert Table window in Microsoft Word. For Number of Columns, put 7 and for Number of Rows put 6. Fill in the rows as follows:
Row 1: WorldTeaser Fact, Largest non-Polar desert, Largest U.S. desert, Largest desert in Americas, Desert with longest sand dunes, Largest Asian desert, Most northern desert
Row 2: Name of Desert, blank cell, blank cell, blank cell, blank cell, blank cell, blank cell
Row 3: Continent, blank cell, blank cell, blank cell, blank cell, blank cell, blank cell
Row 4: Type of Desert, blank cell, blank cell, blank cell, blank cell, blank cell, blank cell
Row 5: Land Area, blank cell, blank cell, blank cell, blank cell, blank cell, blank cell
Row 6: Location, blank cell, blank cell, blank cell, blank cell, blank cell, blank cell

Next Week: “On the Fence” with Idioms

Source: WorldTeasers: World Culture and Geography — An educational game designed to help upper elementary grade students supersize their global knowledge with fascinating, intriguing, and amusing trivia about countries and their culture. Grades 4 +. Available at: SchooDoodle.com.

Free Parent Involvement Activity - "Cluster Count" - Grades K-2

Addition, Multiplication

Take turns with your child rolling a die twice. The first throw determines how many large circles a player will draw on his page, and the second throw designates how many X's are to be drawn within each circle. The player then counts up his X's and writes the total at the bottom of the page.

The second player does the same, rolling twice and counting her X's. The player with the most X's wins the round.

Be sure to point out how the circled groupings of X's relate to the concept of multiplication. for example, if your child creates three groups containing four X's each, then "3 x 4 = 12."


Source: Bright and Beyond, Smart & Simple Activities to do with your Child, Math, Kindergarten to 3rd Grades. Available at Schoodoodle.com.

Free Parent Involvement Activity - "Follow the Toy" - Age 0-6 Months

Sensory Awareness, Large Motor Skills

Attract your child's attention to a rattle you are holding in your hand. Slowly move the rattle across his field of vision, gently rattling it, when necessary, to regain his attention.

As your child's neck muscles strengthen, show him the rattle and then remove it from his view. Shake it gently to one side of him to encourage him to turn his head in the direction of the sound.

Source: Bright and Beyond, Smart & Simple Activities to do with your Child, Baby, 0-12 Months. Available at Schoodoodle.com.

Free Teacher Quote - "Faith"

Faith is taking the first step even when
you don't see the whole staircase.

Quote by: Martin Luther King, Jr.

Free Teacher Joke - "Chicken Little"

One day I was reading the story of Chicken Little to my kindergarten class. I came to the part of the story where Chicken Little tried to warn the farmer.

I read, ".... and so Chicken Little went up to the farmer and said, 'The sky is falling, the sky is falling!'"

When I paused I asked the class, "And what do you think that farmer said?"

Annie raised her hand and said, "I think he said: 'What the hay! A talking chicken!!'"


Free Teacher Jokesclassroom joke, education joke, FREE TEACHER JOKE, Teacher jokes, school joke

Help Increase Student Vocabulary in Only 5 Minutes a Day

Subject: English, Vocabulary
Grades: 7 and up

True or False: In general, people with a larger and more developed English vocabulary earn more money and are promoted faster in business than people with a lesser developed vocabulary.

The answer, of course, is true. A good vocabulary is one of the keys to a successful career. And that belief isn’t based on just anecdotal assumptions. There is, today, a wide body of research that irrefutably supports that claim. In fact, according to the Johnson O’Connor Research Foundation, a nonprofit organization that has been engaged in aptitude and vocabulary research since 1922, a larger vocabulary is not only an indicator of success in business, it is also “the best predictor of overall success in school and performance on the SAT–Verbal and other similar tests.”

John J. Pikulski, Professor of Education at the University of Delaware, and Shane Templeton, Foundation Professor of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Nevada, agree. “Our ability to function in today’s complex social and economic worlds,” they write, “is mightily affected by our language skills and the word knowledge.”

Given the importance of vocabulary, then, how can teachers and parents alike motivate their children and students to continue to increase and improve their vocabulary — and maybe even develop a love for words — beyond the elementary grades?

One answer just might be WordTeasers: College Prep — an innovative new educational game that is as perfect for the classroom as it is for the dinner table. WordTeasers is designed to make learning and using new words fun and enjoyable — one word at a time — both in and out of the classroom.

The idea behind WordTeasers is simple: challenge players to answer a provocative, amusing, or thought-provoking question or statement that uses a new word. For example, a WordTeaser game card might challenge someone to “bloviate about your best friend for 30 seconds”; “make a sound you might hear in an aviary”; or “name a salubrious activity you do every day.” The back of the card provides a definition of the word, word function (or part of speech), and pronunciation guide.

According to Susan Flora, founder of WordTeasers, the game incorporates many of the vocabulary building strategies that researchers say are important in the development of a strong vocabulary. “WordTeasers promotes active engagement in learning; it presents new words in rich and varied contexts; and it promotes group learning,” she says.

“I’ve seen several lively debates develop,” says Flora, “with the WordTeaser challenge question: “Is there every a good reason to prevaricate?” as well as some friendly squabbles with the question, “Who is the most loquacious person in your family?” And in every instance the words “prevaricate” and “loquacious” are now a permanent part of the players’ vocabulary.

WordTeasers can be used to help to improve vocabulary in as little as five minutes a day. It can be used in a variety of settings and in a variety of ways. It can be used as a game among small groups; as a discussion starter at the beginning of a class; or as the basis for ideas for writing assignments.

The bottom line, says Flora, is that WordTeasers is a great way to get kids talking, laughing, thinking…and learning new words. And, according to Professors Pikulski and Templeton, building a strong vocabulary is critical to any student’s education. As they conclude: “Perhaps the greatest tools we can give students for succeeding, not only in their education but more generally in life, is a large, rich vocabulary and the skills for using those words.”

Next Week: Just Deserts (A Geography Lesson Plan) with WorldTeasers: World Culture & Geography

Source: WordTeasers: College Prep — An educational game designed to help high school students improve vocabulary and have fun at the same time. Grades 7 + . Available at SchooDoodle.com.

Free Parent Involvement Activity - "All But One" - Grades 1 to 3

Composition, Vocabulary, Spelling

Place small strips of masking tape on a die to cover the dots. On each of the six sides, write a different letter, for example, D, W, G, Y, U, J.

The object of the game is to roll the die and write a sentence that does NOT use the letter you rolled in any of the words. Take turns with your child so she can see you struggle a bit while trying to come up with suitable words.

For example, if the letter "D" is rolled, a possible sentence could be:

The best way to go fishing is with a worm on your hook.

Naturally, it will be easier to refrain from using the more uncommon letters, so you may want to start by putting letters such as J, Q, V, W, X, Z, etc., on the die. As you and your child become more skilled in this activity, you can begin adding more of the commonly used consonants or vowels. For an added challenge, roll a pair of dice and try creating sentences that require you to avoid using two letters instead of just one.

Variation -- Instead of excluding the letter, challenge your child to use the letter as much as possible in a sentence. "Dan didn't dig doodling on dry, dusty dinner dishes."

Source: Bright and Beyond, Smart & Simple Activities to do with your Child, Writing. Available at Schoodoodle.com.

Free Parent Involvement Activity - "Bathtub Boats" - Age 2

Observation & Discovery, Imagination

Egg Carton Boat: Float the top of a foam egg carton in the bathtub. Encourage your child to place different toys or household objects into the boat. She will learn to balance items so that the boat stays afloat, and she will see what causes the boat to sink.

Aluminum Foil Boat: Create a boat by curling up the edgew of a sheet of aluminum foil. How much water will it hold before it sinks? You can also crumple a piece of foil into a ball and place it into the tub along with a flat sheet of foil. Do they sink or float?

CAUTION!: Monitor your child closely during these activities. Never leave your child unattended in or near the bathtub.

Source: Bright and Beyond, Smart & Simple Activities to do with your Child, Age 2. Available at Schoodoodle.com.

State Legislatures May Juggle Education Priorities And Fiscal Needs

The 2008 state legislative season launches this month under a fiscal cloud in a number of states, where ambitious education initiatives—including expanded pre-K programs, college- or career-preparation efforts, and improved teacher pay—may end up being balanced against gloomy revenue projections.

“It looks like we have one more decent year before things fall apart,” Julie Bell, the education program director for the National Conference of State Legislatures, said about the fiscal 2009 economic outlook, coming on the heels of a year in which 15 states have reported deficits or revenue shortfalls.

A revenue slowdown—foreshadowed last month in reports by the Denver-based NCSL and by the National Governors Association and the National Association of State Budget Officers, in Washington—comes as states prepare to tackle such potentially costly issues as education equity and adequacy and the condition of school facilities.

California, for example, is expected to take up school governance and finance in what Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, has said will be the “year of education”—even as he warns of a “fiscal emergency” facing the state, in the form of a projected deficit of up to $14 billion in the next year and a half.

To view the complete article, click here.
(Education Week 01.02.08) Please note: A free registration is required to view this article.

WiFi-Equipped School Bus Makes Rides Educational

As students ride a Sheridan, AR school bus over rural Arkansas roads for upward of 90 minutes a day, they're spending that time working on math equations and taking advanced biology courses.

Unlike others in the Sheridan School District's fleet, bus No. 46's magic comes from a small cellular router and a rooftop antenna that provide WiFi Internet access for laptops and Apple iPods.

The school bus -- a mobile virtual classroom -- is a key component of the new "Aspirnaut Initiative," a pilot project launched in April by Grapevine native and Vanderbilt University professor Billy Hudson in cooperation with his family, the university, the Sheridan district and the Grapevine Historical Society.

To view the complete article, click here.
(Associated Press 12.27.07)

Free Teacher Motivational Quote - "Achieving Destiny"

"The way to develop self-confidence is to do the thing you fear
and get a record of successful experiences behind you.
Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice;
it is not a thing to be waited for,
it is a thing to be achieved."

Quote by: William Jennings Bryan

Free Teacher Joke - "Paperless"

I recently gave a speech at a teacher's conference on "Ways to Go Paperless," I opened the floor to questions.

"I have one," said a fellow teacher. "Where are the handouts?"

****

I hope you have a safe and happy weekend! My weekend will be filled with cleaning my house and getting ready for the new year (even though it's already here). I like to do this after the holidays. Hope you have a good time whatever your activity may be. If you find yourself shopping on-line, please check out our new items at Schoodoodle.com. Here's a link.

SchooDoodle now accepts PayPal and Discover

See, we are listening to your requests!

Our loyal clients have requested that we accept PayPal and Discover Cards as payment methods on SchooDoodle.com.

We are pleased to announce that beginning in 2008, SchooDoodle.com and Chicago School Supply will proudly accept payments from PayPal, as well as credit card payments from Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover.

Coming soon - Google Checkout!

Free Teacher Lesson Plan — Getting an “Upper Hand” on Idioms

Subject: Language Arts
Grades: 4-6

Overview
Help your students get an “upper hand” on idioms with this lesson plan that challenges them to identify idioms (with an Idiom Match-up Game) and then group idiomatic expressions according to different “themes” or “topics.”

Objectives
Students will:
· Recognize idiomatic expressions
· Group idioms by themes
· Use idioms in context in writing and speaking.

IRA/NCTE Standards for the English Language Arts
Standard 4: Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
Standard 6: Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts.

Materials Needed
· Set of blue and white index cards
· Magic marker
· WordTeasers: Idioms

Preparation
Prepare a set of Idiom Match-up Game Cards, using one pair of blue and white index cards for each student in the classroom. (If you have 30 students, for example, you will need 15 blue cards and 15 white cards.) On the white cards, write the first part of an idiomatic expression. For example, your white cards might include: “once in a blue…”; “hit the…”; “throw in the….” On the blue cards, they write the word that completes each idiomatic expression, e.g., you would write the word “moon” on one card to complete the idiom “once in a blue moon.”

Getting Started
Write these two sentences on the board:
BOY: I think my friend has lost his marbles.
GIRL: Maybe we should help him find them.
Call on two students to read the sentences out loud to the class. Then ask: “What do you think the boy meant when he said that his friend had lost his marbles? Do you think he meant that his friend had actually lost a bag of marbles? Why or why not? What else could he have meant?”

Development
Explain to students that there are many phrases in English that don’t mean exactly what the individual words might suggest. These phrases are called idioms. To help students begin to understand and identify different idioms, distribute the blue and white idiom index cards that you have prepared, giving one card to each student in random order. Tell students that when you say “Match-Up,” students should move around the room, trying to find the matching part of their idiom as quickly as possible. As soon as two students “match” their idiom, those two students sit down. When all matches have been made, students read their idioms aloud to the class.

WordTeasers: Idioms Activity
Make five wide columns on the chalkboard. At the top of each column, write the name of a different category of idioms, e.g., Animal Idioms, Body Parts Idioms, Food Idioms, Clothes Idioms. Give students time to brainstorm idioms for each category, e.g., Animal Idioms: bull in a china shop; Body Parts Idioms: green thumb; Food Idioms: piece of cake; Clothes Idioms: stuffed shirt. Let students come to the chalkboard to write as many idioms under each category as they can think of. Then ask them to explain what each idiom means.

Extension

Using the WordTeasers: Idioms game box, let students pull out an Idiom Challenge Card, read the Challenge to a specific classmate, (e.g., “When are you most likely to act as if you had ants in your pants?”), and see what kind of hilarious answer they are likely to get.

Next Week: One Minute Vocabulary Lessons for Every Subject

Source: WordTeasers: Idioms — an educational game designed to get kids talking, laughing, thinking, writing…and improving language arts skills. Ages 9+ . Available at SchooDoodle.com.