Infonews n°167 du 03/11/2002
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" A la une", two super websites with country profiles, "In
the News", some
links to complete coverage of The American elections, sites with and about
words and writing, some sites about technology and science including a
contest, two site about geography, to add to the sites "A la une", sites
about interactive testing, some sites to learn the alphabet, for the
youngest, and two site about teaching practice, including one to discover
the FCAT.
Next week, I'll be in Brussels for the "Spring Teachers" meeting, so there
will be no Infonews next week....
Back to you the following week!
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Sommaire
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A la Une : Country profiles
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The World Fact Book 2002 ~(from The Scout Report -- November 1)
BBC News World Edition: Country Profiles (from [LIIWEEK] October 31)
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In the News
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American Senate Elections
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Words and writing
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Word Weavers Project (from Top 8 Web Sites)
Words, words, words (from Annie Gwynn on e-teach)
Dictionary of Slang
Cooperative writing exercises (from Brainwaves: 360° of Education - October 18)
Story Matrix (The Classroom Flyer Wednesday Edition 10/16/02)
Ye Old Sayings
Origin of phrases
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Science and technology
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Theater of Electricity (from The Classroom Flyer Friday Edition 10/18/02)
Frontline "Roll Over: The Hidden History of the SUV" (from PBS Teacher
Previews: October 20-27)
History of Inventions (The Classroom Flyer Wednesday Edition 10/16/02)
Astro-Venture (from Education World Site Reviews Vol. 7 Issue 42)
Frank Lloyd Wright ( from Top 8 Web Sites)
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Writing Contest
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Engineers Changing the World Essay Contest (from TheHomeSchoolMom's Free
Homeschool Resources Newsletter)
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Geography
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State Reports (from Brainwaves: 360° of Education - October 18)
Reports on countries of the world (from Brainwaves: 360° of Education -
October 18)
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Interactive testing
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Grammar and writing PowerPoint Presentations (The Classroom Flyer Wednesday
Edition 10/16/02)
Interactive Testing Practice (The Classroom Flyer Wednesday
Edition 10/16/02)
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Resources for primary school
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Learning Planet: Alphabet Action
Literacy Center
Little Explorers
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teaching practice
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Teaching tips (The Classroom Flyer Wednesday Edition 10/16/02)
What every teacher should know about FCAT (The Classroom Flyer Wednesday
Edition 10/16/02)
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A la Une : Country profiles
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The World Fact Book 2002 ~(from The Scout Report -- November 1)
----------------------
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/
New from the US Central Intelligence Agency comes The World Fact Book 2002.
This annual publication contains a wide range of information on every
recognized country in the world. Once chosen, visitors can view a map of the
country and its flag, as well as read facts on its geography, people,
government, economy, communications, transportation, military, and
transnational issues including international disputes and illicit drugs.
Geographic information provided includes brief descriptions of the country
location, coordinates, area, climate, terrain, land use, and more. One of
the interesting features of the site is the flags of the world link, which
displays every country's flag on one page, with links to larger pictures of
each and a description. As a public domain document, the publication can be
freely downloaded, printed, and viewed by anyone.
BBC News World Edition: Country Profiles (from [LIIWEEK] October 31)
----------------------
Profiles provide an "instant guide" to news, history, politics,
event timelines, and economic background of world
countries. Presents country overviews, basic facts, Web
links, and details on leaders and media. Includes news
stories and audio and video clips from the BBC archives.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/bsp/hi/country_profiles/html/
[ two very useful site to make the students use all type of comparative and
superlatives, and become able to select relevant information inside a long
text. à partir de la 4ème, idéal en LP ou classes en difficultés et pour
des recherches en autonomie, sur des sujets diférents.]
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In the News
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American Senate Elections
----------------------
Complete coverage from:
ABC News :
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/DailyNews/election2002_subindex.html
Washington Post : http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/politics/elections/2002/
CNN : http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2002/elections/index.senate.html
Time magazine : http://www.time.com/time/2002/elections/
Newsweek : http://www.msnbc.com/news/829366.asp
an article from Voice of America :
http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=D9DDDFC9-081B-4088-905E382D790CCC36
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Words and writing
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Word Weavers Project (from Top 8 Web Sites)
----------------------
Teachers know that students love to write for an audience.
Here's a new online project that encourages students at all
grade levels to write to a global audience on a wide variety
of topics using different writing styles. In addition to
authoring essays, poems and reports, project participants
also serve as editors, commenting on the writing of others.
Join today!
http://65.42.153.210/kidspace/start.cfm?HoldNode=4415
[ a site to find projects or promote your own and publish your students' work.]
Words, words, words (from Annie Gwynn on e-teach)
----------------------
Do you know these : wormwood , braggadocious, positronic, bluestocking
you may be more familiar with Absquatulate or discombobulate ...
As for zenzizenzizenzic don't worry it is not used any longer it just turns
up from time to time as one of those weird words which is best known for
being held up as an example of a weird word.
and it's .The eighth power of a number.
This website investigates international English from a British
viewpoint. Created by Michael Quinion, the 1200 plus pages is divided
into sections, each with its own theme and index. Sections include
Articles, Reviews, Topical Words, Turns of Phrase and Weird Words.
There is also a free World Wide Words newsletter that goes out every
Saturday.
More at
http://www.quinion.com/words/
Dictionary of Slang
----------------------
http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang
A large online dictionary on the rich colourful language we call
slang. Produced by Ted Duckworth, the website adds new entries every
month. If you are unable to immediately find the term you are looking
for, try the slang search. A short essay giving an outline of the
parameters of this site and brief information on slang can be
accessed on the introduction page.
Cooperative writing exercises (from Brainwaves: 360° of Education - October 18)
----------------------
http://www.coedu.usf.edu/~morris/writact.html
Developing logic skills and working collaboratively are two of the main
focuses behind these various
writing exercises for students. They explore several different kinds of
writing venues, including commercials, cartoons, word bank stories, and more.
[ a list of interesting activities to make your intermediate and advanced
students work together.]
Story Matrix (The Classroom Flyer Wednesday Edition 10/16/02)
----------------------
http://www.knownet.net/users/Ackley/readmatrix.html
Use these instructions for creating a story matrix.
It will help students to organize and classify infor-
mation on their novels for book reports or research
essays.
Ye Old Sayings
----------------------
http://www.rootsweb.com/%7Egenepool/sayings.htm
Explanations of English sayings and customs. Recent additions include
clink, black market, son of a gun, patent leather, done to a turn,
beat about the bush, cut through the red tape, getting tanked,
pitcher, wet your whistle, saved by the bell, threshold, chew the
fat, burning the candle at both ends, giving them the cold shoulder,
getting a square meal, frog in the throat, upper crust, eating humble
pie, turn the tables and clean your plate before you have dessert.
Origin of phrases
----------------------
http://members.aol.com/MorelandC/Phrases.htm
Chuck Moreland's website explores the meaning of common phrases. The
material is organized into two sections. One is a list of phrases
with origins already identified. The other is a list of phrases whose
origin the author is seeking. You can send an email to Chuck Moreland
if you have something to add to a phrase already identified or if you
have information about the origin of a phrase. If he likes your
submission he will add it to the list and give you credit.
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Science and technology
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Theater of Electricity (from The Classroom Flyer Friday Edition 10/18/02)
----------------------
http://www.mos.org/sln/toe/toe.html
There's much to explore at this site, with the history
of electricity, Tesla coils, Franklin's famous kite ex-
periment, and more. A Teacher's Guide with student ac-
tivities and investigations is also available.
[ for upper secondary school pupils interested in sciences.]
Frontline "Roll Over: The Hidden History of the SUV" (from PBS Teacher
Previews: October 20-27)
----------------------
Explore the companion site and access a timeline of the SUV's history
with an emphasis on important regulation decisions, get safety
information for SUV owners and shoppers, read reports of secret
meetings during the Nixon administration that directly impacted the
development of the SUV and more.
http://pbs.org/frontline/shows/rollover/
[ for all those who like cars, this site explores safety and regulation
regarding SUV. ideal to complete a tour of the Mondial!]
History of Inventions (The Classroom Flyer Wednesday Edition 10/16/02)
----------------------
http://www.cbc4kids.ca/general/the-lab/history-of-invention/default.html
Click on the timeline to learn more about each invention;
students may submit their own ideas for the timeline, but
they must first defend why it belongs on the timeline.
Astro-Venture (from Education World Site Reviews Vol. 7 Issue 42)
----------------------
http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/projects/astrobiology/astroventure/avhome.html
Students get to role-play NASA occupations!
[ a super interactive site looking like a video game, for a transcurricular
projet for secondary school intermediate students.]
Frank Lloyd Wright ( from Top 8 Web Sites)
----------------------
The PBS Frank Lloyd Wright Web site is your link to
biographical information, drawings, blueprints, analyses of
parallel architectural movements and classroom activities
focused on one of America's most famous architects.
http://www.pbs.org/flw/
[ for advanced students interested in architecture.]
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Writing Contest
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Engineers Changing the World Essay Contest (from TheHomeSchoolMom's Free
Homeschool Resources Newsletter)
In 300 to 400 words tell us how you think engineers have changed and
continue to change the world. Focus your essay on one of the following
topics: 1)Engineering's Great Achievements: What engineering achievement do
you consider to be the greatest? Why? 2) History's Great Engineers: Who
would you nominate for an Engineering Hall of Fame? Why? 3) The Future of
Engineering: What is one of the significant technologies that engineers
will develop in the next 50 years? How will it change the world? The
contest is open to ALL students in grades 6-12. Essays will be judged on
the basis of organization, depth of detail, and the author's use of
language (grammar and punctuation). Awards will be given out in two
divisions: grades 6-8 and grades 9-12. Authors of first place essays will
receive $200; second place, ! $100; and third place, $50. Prizes will be
awarded for top essays in each topic area in both divisions. Winning essays
in each topic area will be published on the EngineerGirl website. Entries
must be received by January 17, 2003.
http://www.engineergirl.org/contest
[ A contest open to all students from secondary school. Encourage your
students to try their luck! idéal pour de bons élèves de 1ère SI.]
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Geography
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State Reports (from Brainwaves: 360° of Education - October 18)
----------------------
In addition to traditional reference materials, introduce your kids to a
better way to research the U.S.A.
http://classbrain.com/artstate/publish/cat_index_39.shtml
[starting from an interactive map, you access to lots of information about
each state, including famous people, maps, tourism and statistics....]
Reports on countries of the world (from Brainwaves: 360° of Education -
October 18)
----------------------
http://www.classbrain.com/cb_cr/indexgeo.html
Our Country Report section holds facts, reference maps, guides to tourist
sites, and detailed profiles for every country in the world!
[ maps to find places, and facts to compare the countries. Very useful site
of reference for all levels.]
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Interactive testing
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Grammar and writing PowerPoint Presentations (The Classroom Flyer Wednesday
Edition 10/16/02)
----------------------
http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/powerpoint.htm
Gear up to testing with the tips for grammar and writing in these
downloadable PowerPoint presentations. Several relevant topics are covered.
[ to learn grammar and writing the American way. For intermediate students.
Note: you need Power Point on your computer....]
Interactive Testing Practice (The Classroom Flyer Wednesday
Edition 10/16/02)
----------------------
http://www.getsmarter.org/index.cfm
Not just for FCAT, but for testing the world over in
elementary, middle, and high school levels. This site
offers free interactive, animated quizzes. Scores are
compared to top results internationally.
[ interesting general knowledge testing, at elementary, middle school or
high school levels.]
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Resources for primary school
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Learning Planet: Alphabet Action
----------------------
http://www.learningplanet.com/act/fl/aact/index.asp
Point and click on each letter of the alphabet to hear its name,
and see a corresponding animated word. Many letters have
additional pictures (C is for car and cat) available by clicking
on the small blue plus. For five more alphabet and counting
games, select Activities from the yellow horizontal menu, then
choose Preschool- K. These free games are a teaser for the
Learning Planet subscription service; games which are not
clickable are available only to paying subscribers.
Literacy Center
----------------------
http://www.literacycenter.net/lessonview_en.htm
The Literacy Center uses a modified Montessori approach to
teaching reading, with a selection of four alphabet exercises,
and five more for numbers, colors, and shapes. After choosing
between upper and lower-case, you can click through the alphabet
to see and hear each letter. Clicking on the yellow and green
triangles will toggle you in and out of two different
interactive activities. Although the navigation scheme isn't at
all self-explanatory, the activities themselves are first rate.
Little Explorers
----------------------
http://www.littleexplorers.com/Dictionary.html
What a fun way to surf the Net! Each letter of Little Explorers'
dictionary has dozens of illustrated entries, most of them
linked to additional sites. Explore Africa, acid rain, astronomy
and more. As you roam onto the Net, the Little Explorers'
alphabet frame remains at the top of your screen, so you can
return at any time. The dictionary is also available in
English/Spanish, English/French, English/German,
English/Italian, English/Portugese and English/Japanese.
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teaching practice
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Teaching tips (The Classroom Flyer Wednesday Edition 10/16/02)
----------------------
http://taledo.tripod.com/TammysTeachingTips/id3.html
Find some general teaching tips here to use throughout the school year,
especially for bulletin board ideas and involving parents in the classroom.
[ very american, but you may find some ideas to change from traditional
habits...]
What every teacher should know about FCAT (The Classroom Flyer Wednesday
Edition 10/16/02)
----------------------
http://www.firn.edu/doe/sas/fcat/pdf/fcatguid.pdf
Here is a guide for educators on the FCAT, with suggestions for test
preparation.
[ discover the FCAT.]
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