Infonews n°184 du 03/05/2003
~~~~~~~~ Sommaire ~~~~~~~~
A la une this week, a new trend which is much debated at the
moment in the US : those little figurines called "Homies" that children get
from vending machines. You will find a lesson plan from the NYT about them
and the notion of role model, and several links to learn more about the
Homies ( the real ones and the figurines) and also to discuss about role
models.
Another trend in the US is geocaching and letterboxing : discover
it! Then, make young students act : make handflower paper for Mother's Day,
build a kite, or act a play in english. Find also four sites for history,
geography and social sciences in English, including a very interesting text
from the NYT about building democracy in Iraq and a data basis of audio
files of historical documents.
For older students, find also plays that they can write and/or act
out, poems to read and/or recite, and free booknotes to understand the
classics. Then some sites for those who study fashion clothes or music, and
for teachers, a site about Emotional Intelligence.
Have a nice week!
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Sommaire
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A la Une : The Homies
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A lesson plan from the New York Times
The official Homies site
Items for vending machines
Homies Figures from Cabinfever.com
Streetgang.com Magazine
The real Homiesunidos
Audio clip and transcript
Role models
~~~~~~~~
New Trend
~~~~~~~~
The new Hide and Go Seek ! (from Classroom Flyer, May 2nd)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Resources for primary school
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Handprinted Paper Flowers (from Classroom Flyer, May 2nd)
20 Kids * 20 Kites * 20 Minutes (from Surfnetkids Newsletter)
Zoom Playhouse (Library Hot Five #180)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
History / Geography / Social sciences
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Talking History (from LIIWEEK May 1)
ISS Earth Kam ( from Classroom Flyer, May 1st)
Internet Geography (from The Scout Report -- May 2)
Building democracy is not a science (from NYT)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Resources for secondary school
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Theater plays and scripts for the classroom
Try poetic Journalism! ( from Classroom Flyer, May 1st)
A Brief History of Fashion (from LIIWEEK May 1)
FreeBooknotes.com (from LIIWEEK May 1)
~~~~~
Music
~~~~~
Musicals101.com (from LIIWEEK May 1)
Oddmusic.com (from LIIWEEK May 1)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Teaching practice
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence (from The Scout Report --
May 2)
************************************
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A la Une : The Homies
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A lesson plan from the New York Times
-------------------------
Modeling Reality : Examining Various Ways in Which Role Models Are Represented
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20030502friday.html
Based on the article:
Two-Inch Latino Role Models, for Good or Ill, By JO NAPOLITANO,May 2, 2003
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/featured_articles/20030502friday.html
"In this lesson, students identify what a role model is and what
characteristics such a person should possess. They discuss a new trend in
character role model figurines, which some believe perpetuate racial and
ethnic stereotypes, and debate issues surrounding the effectiveness of
these role models. Finally, students each draw and describe a role model
figurine that he or she feels reflects his or her value and belief systems."
[ this text is a bit too long, but presents this new cultural phenomenon of
the Homies figurines and the problem of role model. Are those figures
merely reflecting reality or are they pushing youngsters towards gangs and
violence by offering a bad role model?
From this starting point or without it, you can present this cultural fact
to your pupils and discuss the problem with them. Here are some addresses
that you can also use:
The official Homies site
-------------------------
http://www.homies.tv
including the pictures and names of all the plastic figurines in the
different families, and comic strips which give ideas of how to play with
them....
Items for vending machines
-------------------------
Homies are found in vending machines. Discover on this site what type of
items are to be found there.
http://www.123vending.com/homforvenorc.html
Homies Figures from Cabinfever.com
-------------------------
http://www.cabinfever.org/cf_homies.html
a short page, in simple and easy English, showing who the Homies are, what
Homies mean, and that they try to promote Chicano culture and not glorify
gangs.
Streetgang.com Magazine
-------------------------
http://www.streetgangs.com
This magazine claims to provide "Daily news and commentary on the key
issues related to urban affairs". You will find there lots of information
about the gangs, their indentification and their problems, including a
history of gangs. This site can be a good resource for teachers or students
who want to deal with this subject (it doesn't promote gangs).
At the moment, the Homies are present in all their pages with this title :
"do they promote violence or gang stereotypes?".....and you can also buy
them from the site ;)
See how some figures appeared in a Snoop Dogg ( a famous rapper) video
http://www.streetgangs.com/homies/snoopvideo.html
Read an article trying to show that those figures are not bad for children....
http://www.streetgangs.com/homies/
The real Homiesunidos
-------------------------
it "is a non-profit gang violence prevention and intervention organization
with projects in San Salvador, El Salvador and Los Angeles, California"
whose "vision is to see all youth living in a world free of violence and
discrimination"
http://www.homiesunidos.org/
Audio clip and transcript
-------------------------
here you can hear an audio clip about Magdaleno Rose Avila and Homies
Unidos, and read the transcript. An interesting interview about gangs and
action to stop them.
http://www.changemakers.net/studio/avila/avila.cfm
Role models
-----------------
Some celebrities offer themselves as role models:
http://www.rolemodel.net/
The site features Christopher Reeve ( former Spiderman, now quadriplegic)
as the role model of the month. An interesting story, even if it seems a
little "too much"....
Another site stresses the fact that even role models are not perfect. Among
the role models discussed are Nick Nolte and Bill Clinton, and problems
with sex and drugs are also tackled, so this site is only for older,
responsible students...
http://www.happinessonline.org/MoralCode/RoleModel/
For older students too, this article about Snoop Dogg and children choosing
this type of role model
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1459056/20021209/story.jhtml
Role Model, by Eminem
Like all Eminem songs, it is full of rude words and shocking images and I
wouldn't advise you to study it in class, but many of our pupils listen to
that type of song, and Snoop Dogg, Marilyn Manson and Eminem are all
conscious that they are accused of being negative role models and pushing
kids towards violence and drugs. In this song, Eminem says:
"Follow Me And Do Exactly What The Song Says
Smoke Weed Take Pills Drop Outta School Kill People And Drink
And Jump Behind The Wheel Like It Was Still Legal "
lyrics:
http://www.absolutelyric.com/a/view/Eminem/Role%20Model/
download the midi file:
http://www.findmidis.com/download.go/141
~~~~~~~~
New Trend
~~~~~~~~
The new Hide and Go Seek ! (from Classroom Flyer, May 2nd)
-------------------------
Find out about letterboxing and goecaching! It is a way to mix treasure
hunt and hiking, and can be efficient for children or people who don't see
the point of going for a walk, a hike or a treck, who don't enjoy just the
pleasure of walking, breathing fresh air and being outside, but need a
goal, a reward for their efforts......
In class, this text is a good material for written comprehension for
students who have studied English for at least 4 years, because it deals
with something nobody knows about and that the class will discover
together. It will develop their skills for global comprehension, like
scanning a text for information and inferring the global meaning from a few
well selected clues.
And then the students can debate about the interest of this
sport/hobby....and if they find it is a good idea, why not get into the
project and do it in France? This could make American people want to come
and visit France!
http://www.riverdeep.net/current/2002/04/042202_letterbox.jhtml
Here are some links to other site dealing with the subject, that you can
use to build a webquest or a treasure hunt:
http://www.letterboxing.org/index2.html
http://www.smithsonianmag.si.edu/smithsonian/issues98/apr98/letterboxing.html
(from the Smithonian, a short article explaining how it started)
http://freespace.virgin.net/g.sargent/letter.htm
(the origninal from
Dartmoor, UK)
http://walking.about.com/library/weekly/aa073001a.htm
( with interviews
from walkers to read)
http://www.geocaching.com/ (about
orientation)
http://members.aol.com/Letterboxr/stamps.html
(about how to carve stamps)
http://dmoz.org/Recreation/Outdoors/Letterboxing/
(a very long page of links)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Resources for primary school
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Handprinted Paper Flowers (from Classroom Flyer, May 2nd)
-------------------------
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/flowers/handprintflower/
This is a very innovative art project, and quite easy for all
grades to accomplish... Create a whole bouquet of different
colors, simply with construction paper, pipe cleaners, and a
pair of scissors.
[ an activity for children from kindergarten onwards, which can be a good
idea for a handicraft for Mother's Day. Here are some addresses for
different activities of the same type:
http://www.theideabox.com/ideas.nsf/faf3d753eae4e14786256616000ea9d2/d7d82cfae27441568625675500164d90?OpenDocument
http://childfun.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=615
http://kidsdomain.com/craft/handprnt.html
20 Kids * 20 Kites * 20 Minutes (from Surfnetkids Newsletter)
-------------------------
http://www.molokai.com/kites/20kidskites.html
Can a classroom of twenty students make twenty kites, and be
outside flying them in twenty minutes? You betcha! Uncle
Jonathan from the Big Wind Kite Factory on the Hawaiian island
of Molokai shares the kid-tested instructions he's been using
with tour groups for fifteen years. The kites are folded from
8 1/2 x 11 inch paper, so they are smaller than the usual kite,
but the simple directions are easy enough for kindergartners,
yet fun enough for big kids too!
[ easy to do kites, from kindergarten onwards.
Note : bar-b-que shishkabab sticks = small wooden skewers! ]
Zoom Playhouse (Library Hot Five #180)
-------------------------
http://pbskids.org/zoom/playhouse/
Read student-written scripts for plays performed on PBS' Zoom. Students can
act out these scripts or enter their own scripts that may be acted out on TV!
[ short plays easy to use from primary school onwards. You can also works
on the grammar, for example in "a mixed up fairy tale" you will find "the
prettiest of all" repeated so much that the students will memorise it. And
of course, you have the cultural reference to Snow White and Cinderella
which the pupils will easily recognise.
You can also find other useful scripts (some folk tales, African legends,
etc.) on :
http://www.teachingheart.net/readerstheater.htm
like for example the little red hen:
http://raven.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/redhen.htm]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
History / Geography / Social sciences
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Talking History (from LIIWEEK May 1)
-------------------------
This center aims to "provide teachers, students,
researchers, and the general public with as broad and
outstanding collection of audio documentaries, speeches,
debates, oral histories, conference sessions, commentaries,
archival audio sources, and other aural history resources."
Offers a weekly Internet broadcast (focusing on all aspects
of history) and program archives (browsable by date, and
searchable). From the University at Albany, State University
of New York.
http://www.talkinghistory.org/
[ excellent to find and tape audio files about many subjects, but no
transcript.]
ISS Earth Kam ( from Classroom Flyer, May 1st)
-------------------------
http://www.earthkam.ucsd.edu/
Your middle school students can get involved with this excit-
ing partnership program with NASA, whereby digital images tak-
en from the International Space Station and guided by middle
school students involved in related projects are used to sup-
port classroom resources for space science, communications,
and geography. Teacher's guides and student image banks are
also available.
[ very useful lesson plans and annotated pictures.]
Internet Geography (from The Scout Report -- May 2)
-------------------------
http://www.geography.learnontheinternet.co.uk
Created by teacher Anthony Bennett, the Internet Geography Web site seeks to
be a center for shared geographical resources and knowledge. A wide range of
information and teaching tools can be found here, including links to
original works that describe general physical, environmental, human, and
economic geography subjects. Special sections of the site are geared
specifically for students and teachers; the site provides them with homework
help and lessons for teaching geography. Additions are regularly made to the
site, making repeated visits necessary and fruitful.
[ very useful for European classes and transcurricular projects based on
geopraphy. You can also find pictures to make the students talk. Resources
that can be used from lower secondary school onwards.]
Building democracy is not a science (from NYT)
-------------------------
A text and a lesson plan to discuss the future of Iraq in the light of
previous such actions by the US. Very interesting for advanced students
having already reflected on democracy or interested by the subject.
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/featured_articles/20030428monday.html
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20030428monday.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Resources for secondary school
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Theater plays and scripts for the classroom
-------------------------
if you find the plays on PBS ( http://pbskids.org/zoom/playhouse/ ) too
childish for your secondary school students, here are some other places to
visit:
First, the reference site : Aaron Shepard's Reader's Theater Page
http://www.aaronshep.com/rt/
Learn all about Reader's Theater in this guide to scripting, staging, and
performing.
Find scripts for young readers and practice sheets for team scripting.
for other scripts for young readers, try:
http://www.teachingheart.net/readerstheater.htm
and you may even want to set a puppet show : you will find useful tips and
scripts at:
http://www.legendsandlore.com/puppetscript.html
Try poetic Journalism! ( from Classroom Flyer, May 1st)
-------------------------
http://www.riverdeep.net/current/2001/12/120301_osgood.jhtml
Like many people, Charles Osgood (CBS, The Osgood File, anchorman and poet)
often
found the news almost too wacky to be believable, no matter
how true it was. So instead of reporting the five W's in stan-
dard paragraph format, he started using stanzas instead. How
fun can an exercise like this be? After reading about Osgood
and sampling some of his work, let your students try their
hand at beat reporting with the writing activities available at this site.
[ an interesting activity for advanced students.]
A Brief History of Fashion (from LIIWEEK May 1)
-------------------------
"The history of clothing from the Greeks to the Edwardians."
The site is divided into eighteen periods with each having
drawings, paintings, and other images illustrating men's and
women's fashions and accessories; a glossary of terms for
dress for the period; recommended links and books; and a
timeline of important dates and events. By a theater arts
professor specializing in costume design, costume
construction, and makeup at Furman University, Greenville,
South Carolina.
http://alpha.furman.edu/~kgossman/history/
[ for all students studying clothes and fashion, this site offer pictures
and description of clothes through history, which provides useful
vocabulary. See espécially the pictures corresponding to each period, and
the short descriptions, very easy to use in class:
http://alpha.furman.edu/~kgossman/history/directory.htm
]
FreeBooknotes.com (from LIIWEEK May 1)
-------------------------
This site claims to be "a comprehensive guide to free book
summaries, literature notes, and study guides." Books are
listed alphabetically. Site also offers a few suggestions
for finding other book reviews and summaries.
http://www.freebooknotes.com/
"Say goodbye to Cliff's Notes™ - FreeBooknotes.com has everything you need
when it comes to book summaries and analysis - and best of all - it's free!"
[ of course, there is a lot of advertising on the page, but this is the
price to pay for a free service. And when you come to the end of the page,
you find a long list od book. For each, the page suggests several free
online guides to help you or your students with the study of the book. Very
well done and useful indeed for all those studying literature!]
~~~~~
Music
~~~~~
Musicals101.com (from LIIWEEK May 1)
-------------------------
The Cyber Encyclopedia of Musical Theatre, TV and Film
This site's purpose is to be "a reliable educational
resource celebrating the history of musical theater, film,
and television." Offers detailed histories, bibliographies,
chronologies, a show rights index, reviews, photo galleries,
biographical sketches, script samples, and a calendar of
memorable events. Specific musicals, people, and other
topics are highlighted in special features. Searchable, with
a site map. Maintained by John Kenrick, a musical theater
history expert.
http://www.musicals101.com/
[ For all those interested in musicals, music, films, songs and theatre.]
Oddmusic.com (from LIIWEEK May 1)
-------------------------
A Source for Unique and Experimental Music, Instruments, Players, and
Listeners
This site provides resources and information for "anyone
interested in unique, unusual, ethnic, or experimental music
and instruments." Provides descriptions, photos, and sound
clips for the theremin, didgeridoo, balalaika, clakamore,
and dozens of other instruments. Other resources include a
discussion group, a glossary of musical instruments and
styles, and creative and experimental music links.
http://www.oddmusic.com/
[ for musician interested in a different kind of music.]
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Teaching practice
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence (from The Scout Report --
May 2)
-------------------------
http://www.eiconsortium.org/
Founded in 1996 with support from the Fetzer Institute, the Consortium for
Research on Emotional Intelligence is dedicated to advancing the research
and practice related to emotional intelligence in organizations. With 25
current members from a variety of fields ranging from academic appointments
to consultants, the Consortium continues to fulfill its mandate to "study
all that is known about emotional intelligence in the workplace." First-time
visitors seeking to learn about the basic activities of the Consortium will
want to spend some time browsing through the Research section of the site,
which contains helpful background papers addressing the importance of
emotional intelligence and developing standards for the field. The site also
contains the detailed and recently updated research agenda of the
Consortium, along with profiles of current members. Finally, a detailed
reference section contains a detailed bibliography of scholarship that will
be of interest to those seeking to read additional material within the
discipline. [KMG]
[ For teachers and research : explore this new notion of Emotional
Intelligence in the perspective of what type of training is provided in the
working world, so what skills are expected from our students after school.
Among the many resources, you can read this online technical manual
http://www.eiconsortium.org/research/ECI_Tech_Manual.pdf
which describes EI, lists the expected competencies:
"The Emotional Competence Inventory (ECI) measures 20 competencies
organized into four clusters: Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social
Awareness, and Social Skill." (p6)
and explains how they can be detected, enhanced and how executives can be
coached to develop them.
And then maybe you can think of a way to adapt this to our teaching
practice.... ]
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