School-Wide Olympic Events Spur Excitement, Learning

In schools all around the world, teachers are capitalizing on Olympic excitement as students learn needed skills, information about countries and cultures, and lessons in teamwork. Are you taking advantage of this great teachable moment? If not, you might learn from these schools that are making “Olympic” efforts to develop students’ knowledge and skills.

OLYMPICS TEACH CULTURE AND TEAMWORK

At Pine Meadow Elementary School in Sartell, Minnesota, a two-week competition got underway last week with a Parade of Nations and the lighting of the Olympic flame. The events -- organized by the school’s phys ed, art, music, and media specialists -- aim to leverage Olympic excitement across the curriculum. Students in each class represent a different country as they read and learn about that country and its culture.

One second-grade class, for example, represents the country of South Korea. Teacher Angela Paulson chose that country because one of her students’ mothers was born there. Paulson and the schools’ specialists are teaching lessons about the country and its culture. For example, in art class, students translated their names into calligraphy, because South Korea is noted for its calligraphy. (See an online Korean calligraphy translator.) In music class, students are learning the national anthem of Canada, the Olympic host country, and listening to music from their adopted country. And during the next two weeks, students in phys ed classes will compete in events such as curling, where students sweep bean bags into targets, and skiing, where students “ski” on swatches of carpet. (Read a St. Cloud Times news story, Olympics Offer Cultural Lessons for Sartell Students.)

A SCHOOL-WIDE READING OLYMPICS

In Mishawaka, Indiana, parents and students at the K-6 Beiger Elementary School recently competed in a Reading Olympic event. In games such as the A to Z Race, Amazing Anagram Dash, and Riddle Run, students exercised their bodies and their reading skills.

This is the second year in a row for the evening event, which aims to entice families to begin reading together, according to co-organizer Beth Schwier. She hopes parents might play some of the fun reading games they learn that night with their children at home. “Anything a family does together as a family is good,” she told the South Bend Tribune. (Read the article, Games Put Reading Skills to Test.)

At Donlin Drive Elementary School in Liverpool, New York, students recently completed an Olympic-sized reading challenge. Students read more than 2,400 books in a community-wide effort that increased reading enthusiasm at school and home.

Principal John Sardella and the school’s reading teachers organized the event, in which the Olympic torch was passed between classrooms each time students completed 80 books. The torch traveled through 23 cities on its way to Vancouver. The entire trip was tracked on a map in the school’s main hallway.

“It’s a fun competition,” Sardella told the Eagle Newspapers. “It also falls under our goal to keep increasing our New York State scores.” (Read the article, Donlin Drive Goes for an Olympic Reading Record.)

MORE OLYMPIC RESOURCES

If you didn’t hold a Winter Olympics event this year in your school, perhaps you will use some of these resources to plan one for next year. Winter is a great time to focus students on reading, and these Olympic events can be held every year, not just during Olympic years.

Let the Games Begin! Let the Learning Begin!
Check out these lesson ideas from Education World.

Science of the Olympic Winter Games
Explore the science that makes athletes swifter, higher, stronger, in this resource from NBC Learn and the National Science Foundation.

Tips for Hosting a Reading Olympics in Your School
This printable (pdf) document offers valuable tips and ideas to consider.

Reading Olympics
More fun activity ideas from FamilyFun.com.

Reading Olympics: A Competition to Build Reading Comprehension
Help your students discover an excitement for reading with this time-saving handbook that shows you how to create a reading competition in your classroom or school.

The More Kids Read, the Better They Read: Motivating Kids to Read School-Wide

The faculty at Case Middle School in Watertown, New York, is going all out to keep students reading. Their theory is that it doesn’t matter what students are reading so long as they are reading. To that end, the school is beefing up school and classroom libraries with a wide variety of books, including traditional novels, books of poetry, and books written in screenplay format. They’ve developed new programs, too, including the “Caught Reading at Case” program, which rewards kids who are caught reading after they finish a test or during lunch and other free-time periods.

Read more about what the faculty at Case Middle School is doing in this article from the Watertown Daily Times:
Case Work: Give Students Reason to Read

With the NEA’s Read Across America event just around the corner (March 2) and Get Caught Reading Month coming up in May, I thought this might be an ideal time to share some excellent resources that you can use in your school to encourage reading across the grades.

TIPS FOR MOTIVATING KIDS TO READ, READ, READ…

Get Caught Reading, which was started by former Congresswoman Pat Schroeder and is supported by the Association of American Publishers, has a great poster series that features dozens of celebrities -- from sports and entertainment stars to members of Congress and even Clifford the Big Red Dog -- all of whom were “caught reading.” Use this order form to order from 1 to 12 of the posters for just $5.00 shipping and handling. A handful of those posters are even available as downloadable wallpaper for your school’s computer screens. The folks at Get Caught Reading also provide ideas for “catching” students reading in your school. For example,
● Dedicate 30 minutes each day to "Get Caught Reading Time."
● Take pictures of kids and community members who were caught reading.
● Invite local personalities and community figures to read aloud to children.
● Ask children to draw their own version of someone or something that "got caught reading" and post the drawings on bulletin boards. (One student in New Jersey got her picture displayed on a billboard!)

Another organization deeply involved in the belief that kids who read more read better is Reading is Fundamental. They offer a wide variety of resources, including these resources for parents that you should feel free to adapt for use in your school-to-home newsletters.
● 20 Ways for Parents to Encourage Reading
● Getting the Family Excited About Magazines
● Getting Your Child to Love Reading
● How to Nurture a Growing Reader
● Increasing Motivation: Tips From Kids
● Simple Things Families Can Do to Help Their Child Become a Reader
● Children Who Can Read, But Don’t… (How to Lead Reluctant Readers Age 9-13 Back to Books)
Find all of those articles at this Reading is Fundamental link: Motivating Kids to Read.

Finally, the folks at Read Across America provide tons of resources to help you create a most special day in your school. Perhaps you will invite students to send an e-card about a book they are reading to a friend or family member or to print out colorful calendar pages. And, of course, Read Across America offers great ideas for special reading events as well as activity ideas that include a Read Across America song (sheet music provided) and The Reader’s Oath. And new this year: produce a video about kids and reading like the video below that shows parents at one school engaging kids in reading and cooking up a special treat of green eggs and ham; then post your video to the Read Across America Channel on SchoolTube.



What is one thing you are doing in your school to encourage readers to read more? Thanks 1,000,000 for adding your comment below so other school leaders might benefit from your ideas.

School Service ProjectsTeach Many Lessons

Whenever I see a news story about kids who are using their energy to do good in their community or for others far away, I always stop to read it. Among the stories I’ve in recent days are these three about projects that are teaching kids the curriculum as they instruct valuable lessons in giving back to their communities and others in need.

A budget crunch in Sewickley, Pennsylvania, has forced the community's public library to cut back its hours of operation. The library is closed on Fridays now, and Saturday hours have been cut back too. News of the cutbacks sent fifth graders in two of the community’s elementary schools into action. Students in Nina Strelec’s art classes designed note cards to sell for the benefit of the library’s children’s department. The students designed cards, carved their designs into linoleum blocks, and printed them. The cards were packaged eight to a bundle and sold for $5. More than 1,000 sets were pre-ordered, and the card packs are also available for sale in the library, where the children’s designs are on display. “I wanted students to understand that they can use their talent as artists to help others,” Strelec told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (read the news story). The project helped students understand the business of art from the creative side to production, assembly, and distribution, she added.

When Massachusetts teacher Andrea Boyko was looking for a unique way to help her third graders in Springfield learn the value of the number 1,000, she came up with the idea of collecting 1,000 quarters to help children half a world away. Boyko has spent many of her school vacations working at schools in Ghana, West Africa. Her experiences there led her to found an organization, Future Leaders of Ghana, which helps children orphaned by the AIDS epidemic. The $250 her students raised as part of their math lesson is being used to provide school lunches for kids in those Ghanaian schools. Those students typically don’t get any lunch at all while they are in school, Boyko told the Springfield Republican (read the story). The project turned out to be a real eye-opener for Boyko’s students. They learned that they can barely budge a pile of 1,000 quarters. In addition, their connection to students in Ghana has taught them that, even though many consider themselves to be “poor,” they have much for which they can be grateful.

In Falls Church, Virginia, middle school students in Owlin Burke’s family and consumer sciences classes help to create quilts that provide a sense of safety for children in foster care. The project begins in the school’s geometry classes, where students design quilt patterns. Then students in Burke’s classes choose a design with which they want to work. Many of the students who make quilt squares as part of the class also volunteer their time after school to help assemble the quilts. Besides learning sewing skills, the students are also learning about responsibility for others. “The project gives them an opportunity to give back to the community,” Burke told the Washington Post (read the story).

In school after school, projects such as these involve students in learning as they think about and help others in the community -- or the wider world -- who can benefit from a little time and love.

It’d be great if you could take a moment to share a story from your school or community about students who carried out a project to benefit others as it gave themselves an opportunity to learn and grow. Thank you for adding your comments at the bottom of this blog entry.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Youth Service America
This organization offers ideas and other resources, including grants, for engaging youth ages 5 to 25 years in service to their communities. Their free newsletters are a valuable resource for educators. Click the globe art to the right to learn more about YSA’s Global Youth Service Day, which takes place each April.

Community Service
This Education World archive shares sample projects from teachers who believe that involving students in service projects is an effective strategy for engaging interest in the curriculum and in their communities.

Service-Learning and Community Service in K-12 Public Schools
The National Student Service-Learning and Community Service Survey was designed to measure the extent to which service-learning and community service occur in K-12 public schools. Click the link above to learn the results of that survey.

Kids and Media:Helping Parents Set Limits on Media Use

No doubt you read the news reports about the latest survey of kids’ media use. Last Wednesday’s New York Times headline sums up that news: If Your Kids Are Awake, They’re Probably Online.

The new survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation says that kids ages 8 to 18 spend more than 7-1/2 hours a day using media such as computers, cell phones, and televisions. If you do the math, that means kids are attached to technology more hours a week than most adults spend at work.

Here are just a few of the facts revealed by kids’ responses to the latest survey:
● 66 percent of kids own cell phones (up from 39 percent five years ago)
● 76 percent have iPods and other MP3 players (up from 17 percent)
● Kids spend 33 minutes a day talking on the cell phones; they spend 49 minutes using their cell phones for other purposes (for example, playing games, watching videos…)
● Three-fourths of all kids in grades 7-12 have a profile on a social networking site such as MySpace or Facebook
● The most popular media activities among kids include social networking (22 minutes a day), playing games (17 minutes), and visiting video sites (15 minutes)

Of course the information revealed in the latest survey comes as no surprise to many educators. And it should come as no surprise to media-enabling parents either. But that doesn’t mean we adults are prepared to deal with the statistics or draw the line when technology and social networking get in the way of school or schoolwork.

RULES HELP!

The survey revealed another not-so-surprising concept: rules help.

Twenty-eight percent of kids reported that their parents impose rules on the amount of time they spend watching TV. Even more parents impose rules when it comes to playing video games (30 percent) and computer use (36 percent). So it makes perfect sense that kids whose parents set limits on their use of media spend nearly 3 hours less a day using it. And kids who spend less time using media tend to get better grades.

Perhaps you will consider sharing some of those facts in your next parent newsletter? The facts might just engage more parents in setting time limits on media use. Just as most parents don’t let their children eat junk food all day long or stay out all night, the news of this new survey might get more parents thinking about the impact of media. You might even include in your next parent newsletter these tips for setting media-use limits from the folks at CommonSenseMedia.org.

Start good habits early. Establish boundaries. Start when your kids are young by restricting access to media: Turn the phone off during homework. IM, too. And keep an eye on the clock. The secret to healthy media use is to establish time limits and stick to them.

Keep distractions to a minimum. Try to help kids do one thing at a time. For older kids, make sure that social networking and chatting happen after homework is over -- or at timed intervals.

Be a role model. When kids are around, set an example by using media the way you want them to use it. Keep mobile devices away from the dinner table and turn the TV off when it's not actively being watched.

MORE RESOURCES FROM COMMON SENSE

Parent Advice: Setting Computer Limits Tips
More tips from the folks at CommonSenseMedia.org.

Setting Computer Time Limits
Share this handout with parents. A Spanish version of the handout is also available.

Resources for Educators
Common Sense Media provides many resources, including Workshop kits to help you produce an event that will help parents monitor and set rules for media use at home.

Blog Bits #3: New from Bill Nye Principal Crowned ‘King’ Teaching Financial Responsibility…

My files are full of ideas and stories to share, so from time to time I clean out the files by sharing a few “bits” --- things of interest, things to think about, or things to share with your staff or students. Following is my third batch of Blog Bits of principal concern and interest.

BILL NYE: THE ALGEBRA GUY



Bill Nye, known worldwide as The Science Guy, is back with a new passion -- math! As he did with science, so Bill can add excitement and a new perspective to teaching and learning math. In this original, all-new series from Disney, Bill teaches algebraic principals such as fractions, exponents, and proportions in colorful and unexpected ways. By using Nye’s exciting conceptual approach to learning key mathematic principles, kids everywhere can discover how algebra relates to the world around us.

The new series includes two DVDs, that would make great gifts for the math teachers in your school.
● Solving for X: Pre-Algebra, Volume 1
● Solving for X: Algebra, Volume 1
Learn more about these DVDs and others in the Disney lineup at Disney Educational Videos: Math and Science.

PRINCIPAL CROWNED ‘KING FOR A DAY’

When Principal Greg Alexander turned 40, the kids and teachers at Sacajawea Elementary School in Caldwell, Idaho, gathered in the gymnasium. There they had positioned a king’s throne in the center. They sat Alexander down on his throne and presented him with a crown, scepter, and a cape signed by all the kids and teachers.

That special birthday celebration stands as testament to Alexander’s special brand of “servant leadership,” which resulted in his school being named one of three Distinguished Schools in Idaho for 2009.

Read more about Greg Alexander and his success at Sacajawea in an Idaho Statesman article, Principal Rallies Kids to Read at Caldwell’s ‘Distinguished School’.

$AVING OUR FUTURES:
TEACHING FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Saving Our Futures: A Financial Responsibility Program for Young People is a free online curriculum that teaches young people in middle and high school about financial responsibility. The curriculum contains six chapters and 26 modules that can be used in whole or in part to teach students about budgeting, saving, and more. The curriculum, from AmericasPromise.org, also includes extensive resources and provides opportunities for quality service-learning projects. Learn more about the Saving Our Futures curriculum, perfect for classroom and after-school program use.

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY: TEACHER FELLOWS PROGRAM

Habitat for Humanity’s Teacher Fellows program educates teachers about Habitat for Humanity and the volunteer opportunities available to engage their students in Habitat’s mission. During a weeklong summer build, participants will build with Habitat and learn about the local community and educational resources Habitat provides. Participants will then lead a new Habitat project with the students they work with in the year following the trip and share their knowledge and resources with colleagues.

To learn more, or to fill out an application, go to the Web page Habitat for Humanity: Teacher Fellows.

MATH FUN FOR STUDENTS

If your school includes students in the upper elementary or middle school grades, provide them with the math problems below to solve. (Answers are shown in orange.) Do students notice the symmetry of the answers that result?

Before presenting the problem, you might set a few ground rules:

Name please. Write your name at the top of your paper.

“Show me the work!” The detailed math must be shown for all steps of the problem.

Watch for the Prize Patrol. All correct answers will be entered into a contest. One winner’s paper will be drawn at random and the winner will be presented with a special prize. (If you have a deep prize drawer, you might even have multiple winners. How about a winner at each grade level?)

What a fun -- and educational -- way to keep kids engaged on a rainy indoor-recess day!

9 X 9 + 7 = 88
98 X 9 + 6 = 888
987 X 9 + 5 = 8888
9876 X 9 + 4 = 88888
98765 X 9 + 3 = 888888
987654 X 9 + 2 = 8888888
9876543 X 9 + 1 = 88888888
98765432 X 9 + 0 = 888888888

School Projects Support the Troops

Third-grade students sing a sincere thank you to the men
and women who protect us in times of war and peace.
It was around Veterans Day last year that music teacher Michael Souders was searching for a special song -- a song that his students might sing as a thank you to soldiers who are serving and veterans who have served our country. When he couldn’t find a song that sounded like it came from the kids’ hearts, he and his wife, Angela, wrote one.

Soon after his students at Tussing Elementary School in Colonial Heights, Virginia, performed his song, “Thank You, Soldiers,” Souders posted it to several video-hosting Web sites. Those videos have received tens of thousands of hits, but way more heartwarming have been the letters and emails that Souder, his wife, and their students have received from active soldiers, veterans, and their families all around the world.

The Souders have posted the sheet music of the song on their Web site, Restored Ministries. There you will find a link to a free download (pdf) of the song lyrics and music for your school, church, or community group.

T-SHIRTS FOR THE TROOPS

When Principal Michael Murphy approached students at Royalton-Hartland High School in Middleport, New York, about doing something special for the troops, he found them ready and eager. As a project, students in Deborah Rey’s class decided to create T-shirts for 56 members of the Marine Wing Support Squadron-472 (MWSS-472).

Before they could create the shirts, however, they had to raise money for the needed materials. To do that, students turned their classroom into a “coffee shop” for a day. They made baked goods and sold them to members of the school’s senior class. With cash in hand, they went to work creating T-shirts that had the Marine Corps logo and platoon name on the front and the words “Roy-Hart High School’s got your back” on the reverse. The T-shirts were individually gift-wrapped and sent to the troops along with pictures of the students working on the shirts.

In return, the students received thank you notes and a flag from members of the MWSS-472, the same platoon with which Murphy had served in Iraq some years before.

Murphy says the experience has benefited his students in many ways. “Hopefully, they’ll pay more attention to the news, become more involved in community and government,” he told the Lockport Union-Sun & Journal.

HOW IS YOUR SCHOOL SUPPORTING THE TROOPS?

We’d love to hear your comments about this blog entry. And we’d like to learn what your school is doing to support our troops around the world or to recognize our veterans for their past service. Your comments (below) about this topic might encourage other school leaders to spur school-wide efforts that honor our brave men and women who serve.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Students Rewarded with Visit by Soldiers
Special education students at Memorial High School in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, decided to forgo Christmas gifts in order to send care packages to U.S. troops.

Thank You, Soldiers: A Reprise
The entire student body at Tussing Elementary joins in on the chorus of “Thank You, Soldiers.”

Let’s Say Thanks
Xerox Corporation has created this site, which is designed to deliver millions of cards to servicemen and women overseas with messages of support from home. Each student might choose one of 80 kid-designed postcards to send to U.S. troops and type his or her message on it. The cards will be bundled and mailed to troops with packages sent by Give 2 the Troops. A simple school-wide project!

‘Word of the Day’ Builds Vocab, Test Scores in K-12 Schools

Students at Deltona (Florida) High School have seen test scores rise as a result of the Word of the Day program. The program instructs students in Latin and Greek roots that will help them unlock thousands of words, explains reading coach Mary Thomas.
Many schools present a Word of the Day to students as part of their morning announcement or news broadcast routines. Does yours?

Whether you use a formal program or create their own, Word of the Day is a simple and powerful tool for building students' vocabulary, critical thinking skills, and test scores. In addition, you and your teachers might follow through with the Word of the Day to extend its usefulness.

You might encourage students to share with you - or submit to you - sentences that make use the Word of the Day. Each day, before you share the new Word of the Day, remind students of the previous day’s word and share a sentence submitted by a student. Be sure to spread around the spotlight so many students have the opportunity to be singled out in this way.

If you don’t already present a Word of the Day to students in your school, creating a program couldn’t be easier. Check out this sampling of sources you might use to build a program.

‘WORD OF THE DAY’ RESOURCES

SuperKids Vocabulary Builder
This site includes many tools and games for building vocabulary. The Word of the Day page offers words for students in upper elementary grades (which I find to be totally appropriate for all elementary grades) as well as individual lists for junior high/middle school and grades 9, 10, 11, and 12.

Daily Buzzword from Merriam-Webster’s Word Central
Check in each day for the new Buzzword, or sign up to receive your daily Buzzword via email or RSS. The site also offers a link to the archive of Daily Buzz Words.

WordThink’s Word of the Day
This site offers “insightful and persuasive words you can use every day.” The words are practical, never obscure, and perfect for middle school students.

‘What Does It Mean?’ from Infoplease.com
Listen to the Word of the Day, read a sentence that includes the word, then ask a question to verify that students understand its meaning in context. This source ideally lends itself to a daily classroom activity; students might use their dictionaries to verify their understanding of the word’s meaning. Infoplease’s sister site offers a similar activity: FactMonster.com’s Word Quiz.

Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day
These words are generally appropriate for grades 7 and above. A complete archive of past words enables you to pick and choose. You can even get the Word of the Day in a nicely produced podcast format that you can broadcast as part of your a.m. announcements.

Word of the Day from the New York Times Learning Network
Each entry provides a definition and pronunciation as well as links to NYT articles that include the word so students can read it in context. Words are generally appropriate for middle school and above.

Dictionary.com’s Word of the Day
This list of words is recommended for middle and high school levels. In addition to a definition, the site offers information about each word’s origin and quotes that include the word. Click an audio link to hear the word pronounced. Sign up to receive each day’s word via email.

A.Word.A.Day
This feature of the Wordsmith learning community presents a weekly theme and five words. Generally, these words are appropriate for use with high school students and adult wordsmiths. Click an audio link to hear the day’s word pronounced. Sign up to receive each day’s word via email.

The Quotation Page’s Word of the Day
Each word is defined and presented in the context of a handful of quotations from The Quotation Page’s archive. Sign up to receive each day’s word via email.

SHARE YOUR SOURCE

Do you present a Word of the Day in your school? What source do you use? Please share your source so that other school leaders might learn from your experience.