March 2006
Vol. 2, No. 7

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Paula Whitmer and Leanna Prater are
District Wide Technology Resource Teachers who can help
out with your technology needs. We hope in this newsletter
you might find some interesting ideas, websites
and lessons to keep you up to date with technology integration.

Favorites from
Riverdeep's Classroom Flyer

Independent Learning Contracts

If you are encouraging some of your students to take on independent learning projects, you may wish to support and strengthen the commitment with this independent learning contract.

QUIZ STATION

Teachers can create an interactive, online quiz for their
students, complete with animation and music, with this free
tool. Registration is required.

Metamorphic Magic

A great lesson that teaches understanding of how erosion happens and that this is part of the rock cycle

NASA Bookmarks

NASA has supplied printable bookmarks to download here
on numerous space topics of interest to students and
teachers. Several include student classroom activities;
try downloading the ISS bookmark and then having your
students build their own space station with plastic
soda bottles.

Techie Tip from Kim Overstreet

Old Favorite

Changing the homepage and organizing links in IE

When you open Internet Explorer, do you have a web page coming up first that you wish you could change? Here's how you do it:

Open Internet Explorer
Navigate to the page you want to use as your home page
Choose Tools from the menu bar
Then select Internet Options
You will see a box that is labeled Home page
In that box, click the button that says Use Current.
That will set the page you are currently on to be your home page.
Just click OK and you are done.

Have you saved so many links in your Favorites in Internet Explorer that you can never find the ones you want? You can organize these into folders that will make finding the ones you want easier.

Open Internet Explorer.
Select Favorites from the menu bar.
Click Organize Favorites.
Now you can create folders for the different types of sites you have saved (i.e. light and sound, space, chemistry, earthquakes, etc.) by clicking the Create Folder button.
Then drag the links on top of the folder they should go into.
Now whenever you save a new site, you will click Favorites.
Then Add to Favorites.
Then to see all your folders, click the Create in button.
Double click on the folder you want to save that link in and then click OK.

New Favorite

How many undo's can I make?

Have you ever wondered how far back you can go in undoing mistakes in the programs you use? Here's the answer:

Access	1 *
Excel	16 *
FrontPage	30 **
Outlook	unlimited
PowerPoint	150 ***
Publisher	20 **
Word	unlimited

* You can change the number of undo's in some of these programs by editing your registry, but I wouldn't recommend that for the average user. You can really mess things up if you mess up your registry.

** FrontPage and Publisher allow you to do multiple undo's at one time by clicking on the dropdown arrow next to the undo arrow.

*** The default in PowerPoint is set to 20, some would recommend that you cut back on the number of undo's because if it's too high it uses more memory and can confuse PowerPoint. You can do this easily in PowerPoint by going to Tools -> Options -> Edit tab -> changing the Maximum number of undo's. (You can also increase it up to 150 here if you need more than 20.)

Dance Mat Typing
Do your students need to brush up on their typing skills? This is a great site from BBC! You can even print off paper versions of the lessons.

Do you have a student who has written a proficient or distinguished piece of writing worthy of publication? We are looking for submissions for our spring edition of Fayette County Literary E-zine (online magazine).

Questions? Please contact Leanna Prater

St. Patrick's Day

Theme Units
You'll find lots of lesson plans and links for St. Patrick's Day here

Make A Leprechaun Trap
Students will use their knowledge of force and motion to make working leprechaun traps.

Graphing Lucky Charms
Neat lesson using a kid favorite cereal

Activities from A to Z teacher
Lots of neat activities here!

Personal Educational Press

Create free educational worksheets such as flashcards, game boards, and quizzes to print directly from your browser. Simply choose a word list and an output style.

Getting Ready for Testing

3rd Grade Math and Language Arts Skill Builders

4th Grade Math and Language Arts Skill Builders
4th Grade Science Skill Builders

5th Grade Math and Language Arts Skill Builders
5th Grade Social Studies Skill Builders

Check out these great resources from KY EncycloMedia!

Holiday Facts and Fun: St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day, celebrated by the Irish and admirers of Irish culture, is shown in all its glory, with parades, dances, and special programs. Students learn that St. Patrick was a well-born youngster whose father was a Roman official in fourth-century England. They discover that the child was kidnapped and carried away to Ireland (called "Juverna" by the Romans), where he became a shepherd for a Celtic tribal leader. They find out that the young man eventually escaped, only to return years later to bring Christianity to the people of the Emerald Isle. They observe and Irish-American family celebrating the holiday today, with special foods, music, and remembrances of family vacations to Ireland. Finally, they learn about the many symbols of Ireland and St. Patrick's Day: the shamrock, leprechauns, the harp, and the shillelagh. Classic

Testwise: The Smart Way to Prepare For and Take Tests

Why are some students better test-takers than others? Is it in the preparation, or are there tricks test-takers can use to push up their scores? As this program shows, it's both. Preparation, as the video explains, is a major factor. Preparation means keeping up with one's assignments and making certain the material is understood well in advance of the test. It also means having a suitable place to study, a reasonable study schedule, and a good strategy for reviewing material. Also important are knowing when the teacher is presenting test material in class, and understanding what the teacher's goals are. Knowing what kind of test the teacher is likely to give can be another helpful factor. Pneumonic devices, lists, memory joggers, flash cards, sleep schedules, and what to eat on test day are also covered, as is working effectively in study groups.

Weather Smart: Tornadoes

Awesome video footage reveals the many sizes, shapes, and colors of tornadoes, as well as the damage they can cause. Tornadoes are examined in detail, while special attention is given to safety and some dangerous myths about tornadoes. What causes these funnels of wind? How, when, and where are they formed? Students learn that most tornadoes are not violent killer storms, and they don't just come out of a calm sky. Students see easy experiments that they can duplicate using simple materials. Waterspouts are also examined, and compared to hurricanes. Vocabulary associated with tornadoes, such as twister, cyclone, and funnel are discussed and defined, both in the program and in the many accompanying exercises.

Witness the conflict between North and South and the South's eventual secession that led to a rush to arms, pitting countryman against countryman. This program utilizes exciting re-enactments, artifacts, and interviews to explore key battles of the Civil War, life on the Northern and Southern home fronts, and the role of African Americans in the War. Concludes with the Emancipation Proclamation, the Battle of Gettysburg, and the fall of the Confederacy.

Too Many Tamales

Based on the classic children's book by Gary Soto. Everyone is coming for Christmas dinner at Maria's house. She and her mother prepare by kneading the "masa" to make tamales. When her mother takes off the ring, Maria tries it on - and is beside herself, when hours later, she thinks it has been kneaded into the tamales. How many can you eat? Part of the Weston Woods Series.

Henry Hikes to Fitchburg

The classic children's book by D. B. Johnson comes alive! It isn't how fast you get someplace, but what you do along the way: that's the philosophy behind this story about two friends who agree to meet 30 miles away in Fitchburg. In this story inspired by Thoreau's "Walden," Henry elects to take a very long nature walk, while his friend chooses to work to earn his train fare. A step-lively narration by James Naughton and music to hike to make this journey fun and thought- provoking, too.

Is Your Mama a Llama?

Based on the classic children's book by Deborah Guarino. Lloyd the llama is looking for his mama. "Is your mama a llama?" he asks a bat, a swan, a cow, a seal, and a kangaroo. Young children will share Lloyd's delight when the answer to his question is finally, "Yes!" With rhyme and riddle, and the perfect narration by Amy Madigan, this charming story will soon become a favorite. Animated by Virginia Wilkos. Part of the Weston Woods Series.

So You Want to Be President?

In the time-honored tradition of political commentary, author Judith St. George and Caldecott Medal winner/illustrator David Small celebrate the public and private lives of forty-two Presidents with humor and flair. Imparting much information and many laughs, this rip-roaring look at the men who have all wanted to be President deserves a place on every library and classroom shelf. Narrated with wit and wisdom by Stockard Channing. Based on the book by Judith St. George and illustrator David Small. Part of the Weston Woods Series.

Westing Game, The

The strange will of Samuel W. Westing pairs sixteen heirs for a tricky and dangerous game. A unique cast of characters compete in this puzzle-knotted, word- twisting plot.

Mysteries---A suspense-filled portion of Zilpha Snyder's The Egypt Game is dramatized. Donald Sobol's Encyclopedia Brown and Virginia Hamilton's The House Of Dies Drear are among the outstanding books that introduce young readers to the attributes of good mystery stories.

Word Wall Activities

Interactive Word Wall suggestions and lessons

Word Walls from ABC Teach

Word Wall Activities

Word Wall Knowledge

Word Wall Cheers

Tons of Information, Printables and Lessons on Elementary Reading

Missed KTLC 2006?
Check out some these resources shared from different sessions:

Gifted Sources
A resource for all teachers!

Simulations in the Classroom
A listing of lessons that contain simulations as well as virtual simulations

Power of 2
Resources from University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning

Do U Txt Msg? IM? Chat? Your Kids Do! (Session Handout in PDF form)
Session Handout from Amy Johns

Contents of this web site are intended to be used for the enhancement of instruction only.