History on Tap

The Keizai Koho Center and the National Association of Japan-America Societies are sponsoring a ten day fellowship to Japan in the summer of 2009.  Teachers in grades 8-12 who teach Economics, Social Studies, and History are eligible. 

Air transportation, accomodations, and some meals are covered.  The itinerary includes time in Tokyo, as well as a visit to one destination outside of Tokyo. 

There is a homestay with a Japanese family during this fellowship!

Applications are due by February 28, 2009 and applicants will be notified in writing by March 31, 2009.

Check out the link above for more information and the appliation procedure and requirements.

The VA Pilot began their six part series on Massive Resistance yesterday.  The series includes a quiz, podcasts, video, an interactive timeline, editorials, and transcripts of letters and speeches.  It is a very interesting series with a wealth of useful information.  Save your newspapers, add the links to your favorites-I think this information will come in handy when teaching about Massive Resistance. 

http://hamptonroads.com/2008/09/special-report-fighting-massive-resistance

There’s also an article about the events Norfolk has planned to commemorate school integration.  They have quite a few events planned, but the one I want to mention is on February 1, 2009.  On that date the Chrysler Museum will waive it’s admission fee and have an open house for the exhibit “50 years Later:  The Lessons of Massive Resistance.”

http://hamptonroads.com/2008/09/norfolk-officials-announce-events-commemorate-school-integration

Here’s an interesting article published last week by National Geographic.  It discusses plans to build an underwater museum in Egypt, where visitors can veiw artifacts from Cleopatra’s palace.  It would be the world’s first underwater museum.  The article also includes a few pictures of artifacts as well as the proposed museum. 

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/09/080916-underwater-museum.html

There is an on-line quiz (ten questions) in today’s Pilot about Massive Resistance in Virginia.  This year marks the 50th anniversary of Virginia’s response to court ordered desegregation of public schools.  The Pilot will start a series on Massive Resistance on Sunday, September 28th, so be sure to check that out.  It will probably be a good resource to save and use later this year. 

http://hamptonroads.com/2008/09/how-much-do-you-know-about-massive-resistance

Here is a great website put together by PBS.  It’s the PBS Teachers Vote 2008:  Access, Analyze, Act:  A Blueprint for 21st Century Civic Engagement. 

The site includes lots of free lesson plans for elementary and secondary, which are organized by topic (such as the campaign trail, political parties, Congress, etc) as well as interactive quizzes and games for students.  (There’s a political personality quiz, and a budget game as well as other web based tools.) 

You can also subscribe to podcasts or watch videos on the lastest issues so that you’ll be up to date.  Take a few minutes to check it out, there’s lots of great things you could use in your classroom.  Especially when the election is only about 43 days away! 

http://www.pbs.org/teachers/vote2008/

If you’ve got a great idea for your classroom, make sure you check out the Portsmouth Schools Foundation Innovator Grant!  You can receive up to $500 to purchase materials for your activity.  Applications are due on October 10th, and winners will be announced at Convocation on October 21st. 

Innovator Grant application

There are three more ODU workshops coming up in case anyone is interested!  They are great workshops with lots of materials!

Picture This!  Bulletin Board Economics

Tuesday, October 7, 2008       4:30 – 6:30pm

Virginia Beach Higher Education Center

Receive a set of 12 posters when you attend this workshop.  These posters, illustrating economic and financial literacy concepts, give teachers innovative teaching tools to cover the SOL economics strand.  During the workshop we will review the K-3 economics concepts and learn great tips on teaching them in your classroom.  Connect the concepts with the provided list of children’s literature and you have ready-made interdisciplinary lessons. 

To register please provide your name, school, grade you teach, and phone number to Ruth Cookson by email

(rcookson@odu.edu) or by phone (683-5570). Free

Economics, Money and Children’s Literature

Wednesday, November 19, 2008      4:30 – 7:30pm

Virginia Beach Higher Education Center

Personal Finance and Children’s Literature is a resource manual with

15 lesson plans on popular children’s trade books that teach about money skills and math. Lessons are designed for children in grades K-3 and provide literature connections with the following books: Annie’s Pet, Beatrice’s Goat, Bunny Money, Glow goes Shopping, The Case of Shrunken Allowance, My Rows and Piles of Coins, Pigs will be Pigs, Matilda The Moocher, Doggone Lemonade Stand, plus seven more titles.   Participants will receive a copy of the curriculum. 

To register please provide your name, school, grade you teach, and phone number to Ruth Cookson by email

(rcookson@odu.edu) or by phone (683-5570). Free

Risky Business: What Every Teenager Needs to Know About Living Smart  for Grades: 6-12

Thursday, November 6, 2008  4:30 p.m. -  7:30 p.m. 

Tri- Cities Higher Education Center, Portsmouth (College Drive)

Risky Business shows your students how sound economic decision-making can empower teenagers to enter their adult years with skills to be healthy, wealthy, and secure. This complete DVD teaching resource contains four 15-20 minute video segments that are complemented by 12 lessons and activities (3 for each video). Workshop participants receive the DVD (a $99

value) which is also a wonderful resource for meeting several of the newly mandated Economic Education & Personal Finance Literacy Objectives.

To register please provide your name, school, grade you teach, and phone number to Ruth Cookson by email (rcookson@odu.edu) or by phone (683-5570).

Available for recertification credit.  Limited to 12 participants!

I’ve had a few questions/problems lately with the powerpoints on the blog.  Slideshare.com may be a blocked site if you’re using a school computer.  A request was put in to unblock the site, although I’m not certain if this has been done yet.  I’m looking into it.

To download a powerpoint from the blog (so that you can make it full screen) you should only have to click on the Slideshare logo in the bottom righthand corner of the powerpoint.  That should take you to the Slideshare website where you can download the file.  I had problems with that this morning.  So what I have done is add the web address of my Slideshare profile, where all of the powerpoints are stored, to the blog.  If you click the link it will take you to the profile and you can click on the powerpoint you want and download the file.  I have added the link under all of the pages under a heading which reads “Slideshare Profile for Powerpoints.”  I’ll also post it here for quick access.

http://www.slideshare.net/sita0519

I’ll keep that address on the pages until the problem is fixed.  I hope it helps! 

Please let me know if you have anymore problems with the powerpoints or blog and I’ll do what I can to fix it.

Here’s an article from CNN.com today that discusses the execution of the Rosenbergs in 1953 for espionage.  Their sons have proclaimed their innocence until recently, when they admitted their father was a spy for the Soviet Union. 

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/09/18/rosenberg.sons.ap/index.html

I know USII isn’t up to USII.7 yet, but you might want to favorite this article or print a copy so that you can use it later during class.  I won’t post it on the USII page because I think that CNN articles are only good for a certain amount of time, then the link goes dead.  So print a copy and save it for later this semester!

Here is the agenda for the VGLA meeting on Tuesday, which contains important things to remember, as well as the list of SOL verbs that Sarah discussed.  If you have any questions (content or activity related) let us know.

Agenda

SOL Verbs