Infonews n°197 du 19/10/2003

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Sommaire
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"A La Une" this week : discover activities to learn how to take
notes efficiently. "In the News" I have put together as much as I could
about Elephant, the film about the Columbine massacres which is released in
France on October 22nd (next Wednesday). The critics are rather
controversial, but what stroke me most is that one of the main actors
"Elias", is a homeschooler : so he acts only on what he thinks happens in a
school, and it is all second hand. I think one of the things the students
must realise is that it is someone's reconstruction of the events and not
reality, even if it claims to be objective.... read also what some other
critics think, see the trailers, the resources about the real events and
Bowling for Columbine, and the new teacher's guide on Michael Moore's site.
Then look for Halloween activities, and discover lesson plans,
games and activities for primary school. The "resources for secondary
school" offer resources for everyone : those who study fashion, design,
architecture, sciences, food, art, and also resources about Divali and
about bullying. Then visit some sites about life skills, literature, two
sites by French teachers for oral comprehension, and several sites about
teaching practice : fillers, how to control anger, and class management and
discipline. At the end, discover a free software to record voices, change
them, slow them down, etc.
There will be no Infonews during our midterm holidays, so the next
issue will be on November 9th. Enjoy your holidays!

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Sommaire
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A la Une
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Take Note: Five Lessons for Note-Taking Fun
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In the News : Elephant
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Official site
Comments
Reviews
Trailers and clips
About the real event
To find more articles and resources
New : a teacher's guide on Mickaël Moore's site
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Halloween
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Halloween writing web (from Riverdeep's Classroom Flyer October 15th)
Library Hot Five #198 offers 5 addresses about Halloween
Pick a Pumpkin Activity (from Education World Newsletter Vol. 7 Issue 42)
Halloween (from Education World Newsletter Vol. 7 Issue 42)
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Resources for Primary School
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Online Montessori math games
A to Z lessons plans
Free worksheets from Kiddyhouse
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Resources for Secondary school
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Divali, October 25th (from Jean Sahai)
Bullying (from Jo Montagne)
English through Art (from Jack Pillemer on Etni)
Le Corbusier (from Scout Report)
A theater of Electricity (Riverdeep's Classroom Flyer October 16th)
The Roman Baths, Bath ([LIIWEEK] October 16)
Aids in South Africa (from Guy Mazurais on e-teach)
Bissonnette on Costume ([LIIWEEK] October 16)
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Life Skills
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Career Voyages ([LIIWEEK] October 16)
I want a credit card -- or do I? (Riverdeep's Classroom Flyer October 16th)
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Literature
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How to write a biography (from Riverdeep's Classroom Flyer October 15th)
1984 and Brave New World ( from Claude Covo-Farchi on e-teach)
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Sites à visiter
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Tout sur le Son (from Yvan Baptiste on e-teach)
Comprehension exercises
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Teaching practice
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5-Minute Fillers (from Educational CyberPlayGround Teacher Lesson Plans
Vol. 5, Issue 41)
Techniques for working with behavior challenges (Riverdeep's Classroom
Flyer October 16th)
Controlling Anger ([LIIWEEK] October 16)
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Internet Tools
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Free Natural Voice Reader Standard 2.9 ( from The Scout Report -- October 17)

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A la Une
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Take Note: Five Lessons for Note-Taking Fun
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http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson322.shtml
"If recent surveys are any indicator, cheating and plagiarism are on the
rise. As teachers, however, we might be able to reverse that trend by
teaching our students to take good notes. Included: Five fun lessons that
teach needed note-taking skills."
[ Educational CyberPlayGround has assembled those addresses for teachers in
Education World Lessons Newsletter Volume 5, Issue 41 October 15, 2003. You
will find there some surveys, and tips and activities for efficient note
taking.]

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In the News : Elephant
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Official site
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http://www.elephantmovie.com/
see the page with the trailers, synopsis, and Diane Keaton's comments
http://www.elephantmovie.com/production/9diane.html

Comments
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Commentaries on Rotten Tomatoes (50% for and against...)
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/Elephant-1123443/
commentaries written by people who saw the film.

a critic
http://leonardo.spidernet.net/Artus/2386/tor03.htm (day 2)
"There are various angles one could take on the massacre: one could simply
say it was a tragedy, cutting down young people in their prime; one could
blame guns, or videogames, or bad parenting, or the competitive nature of
US schools; one could see it in terms of the high-school idyll and
fetishisation of youth that's so much a part of American culture; one could
see it in wholly abstract terms, as an event that can only be described,
not dissected, part of the inexorable flow of Life.
The trouble is that ELEPHANT does ALL those things, jumping from one to the
other."

a negative comment
http://hollywoodbitchslap.com/review.php?movie=8236&reviewer=1
"He takes real events, slightly alters them so as to avoid the need for
historical accuracy, adds a homoerotic twist, and expects that the sight of
blood will be enough to leave us feeling that this was an important film."

another negative critic from the Guardian
http://film.guardian.co.uk/cannes/story/0,13266,963589,00.html
"But the winner [ of the Palme d'or], Elephant, was also loathed by
American critics. Many were suspicious of the way it appeared to exploit a
sensitive issue for the purposes of arthouse shock tactics - and
incidentally represent two American boys as quasi-terrorists. "

A commentary from a gay teenager from an adjacent school
http://www.advocate.com/html/stories/899/899_kim.asp
"I felt sorry for the characters in Van Sant’s gay-straight alliance (which
wasn’t actually in place at Columbine until after the tragedy), but the
kiss between the killers struck me as misplaced and unnecessary.":

some more about this controversial scene
http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/film_review.asp?ID=817
"the tenderness and mystique of Elephant is often betrayed whenever Van
Sant moves too far from the implicit to the explicit."

Reviews
------------
A review from the BBC says
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3038449.stm
"And Elias McConnell, who plays a student interested in photography (called
Elias), added:
"I wasn't affected in the same way because I'm home-schooled. But it scared
me and made me happy I don't go to high school."

A commentary from Indiewire (independent films) says
http://www.indiewire.com/movies/movies_030521eleph.html
"Most provocatively, the director employs a "Rashomon"-like chronological
method in which a few structuring events are seen three different times,
say, from the perspective of three different characters."
explanation for Rashomon : it refers to a film from Kurosawa,
http://www.foreignfilms.com/films/1735.asp
http://www.dailyrepublican.com/kurosawa.html
and means that : "The search for the correct viewpoint which is superior to
all other viewpoints is an error in itself."

from Rotten Tomatoes
http://ofcs.rottentomatoes.com/movie-1123443/reviews.php
from Plume Noire
http://www.plume-noire.com/movies/reviews/elephant.html
from Talk cinema (with interesting comments against the film)
http://www.talkcinema.com/reviews/cannes2003_2.html
it also explains the title:
"Van Sant said the title refers back to the late Alan Clarke's 1989
35-minute BBC film about the violence of Northern Ireland, suggesting midst
all the political posturing by Catholics and Protestant leaders that the
violence was like the metaphorical elephant in the room no one wanted to
recognize.
That the title invokes the Republican party is "Something we mused on," Van
Sant told a foreign journalist. "But the origins of the project were back
after Columbine happened four years ago, and I wanted to make a mainstream
film (for the networks)."

from Wikipedia (with an explanation of the title again)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephant_(movie)

from the Sacramento Bee
http://www.sacticket.com/24hour/entertainment/movies/news/story/892267p-6216217c.html
"The movie was shot in 20 days. There were no scripted lines, and the
students improvised their dialogue, with Van Sant asking them to base their
characters on their own lives."


Trailers and clips
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http://movies.yahoo.com/shop?d=hv&id=1808485843&cf=trailer&intl=us
http://www.cinemovies.fr/fiche_multimedia.php?IDfilm=1975 ( english version
with subtitles)

About the real event
---------------------
an article from 1999 describing the killers and their relation to the
trench Coat Mafia
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/1999/04/22/columbine/
official reports from juvenile diversion program officers about the killers
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/columbine1.html

To find more articles and resources
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about "Elephant", "Bowling for Columbine" and the real events in 1999
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/infonews/themes/violenceinschools.htm

New : a teacher's guide on Mickaël Moore's site
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http://www.bowlingforcolumbine.com/library/teachers/pdf/complete.pdf
[ don't miss this new part of his site : a 60 pages guide, with a lenthy
text in the middle, but lots of useful ideas for lessons and debates around
"Bowling for Columbine".]

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Halloween
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Halloween writing web (from Riverdeep's Classroom Flyer October 15th)
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http://www.theteacherscorner.net/seasonal/halloween/writingweb.htm
Here is a terrific idea to create in your own classroom this month. You
will construct a spider web with yarn on your bulletin board, complete with
story prompts tucked in. Several suggestions for themed prompts are included.
[ this activity can be adapted at all levels.]

Library Hot Five #198 offers 5 addresses about Halloween
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http://www.classroom.com/community/email/archives.jhtml?A2=ind0310&L=hot5&F=P&S=&P=347

Pick a Pumpkin Activity (from Education World Newsletter Vol. 7 Issue 42)
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http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson323.shtml
Pumpkins are the ultimate October icons -- the fruit of the month, if you
will. (Yes! Pumpkins are a fruit.) This month, celebrate pumpkins with
these across-the-curriculum activities. Included: Art, science, language,
and math activities.

Halloween (from Education World Newsletter Vol. 7 Issue 42)
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http://www.educationworld.com/holidays/archives/halloween.shtml
Ready to celebrate in "spooktacular" fashion? You're sure to find fun ideas
right here!

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Resources for Primary School
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Online Montessori math games
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http://www.our-montessori.com/home.html
various shockwave online games, to play with math in English.

A to Z lessons plans
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http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/themes/
lots of lesson plans organised by themes like halloween, pumpkins, bats,
spiders, monsters....

Free worksheets from Kiddyhouse
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http://www.kiddyhouse.com/Worksheets/
various worksheets for primary and lower secondary school

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Resources for Secondary school
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Divali, October 25th (from Jean Sahai)
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http://www.palli.ch/~kapeskreyol/ki_nov/divali.html
[ lots of information in French and lots of links to sites in
English where you will find everything you want to know about this Indian
festival. Don't forget to at least mention it on the 25th ]

Bullying (from Jo Montagne)
---------------------
http://www.oneworld.org/blast/bz/bullying.html
ansite about bullying with an interesting article, and a link to a guide
for young people
http://www.kidscape.org.uk/kidscape/childrenteens/childrenteensindex.shtml

English through Art (from Jack Pillemer on Etni)
---------------------
I have created a project "English through Art" for the upper grades. I
haven't tried it out yet but I intend to do so soon. Feel free to use it
and adapt it to your needs. Oral presentation has not been included as I'm
not sure yet how I'm going to do this.
For those who asked me to send the them all the useful Art sites I
received, they can be found at the end of the project.
http://www.geocities.com/jackpillemer/art.htm
[ for those who want to work on art, here is a well designed unit, with
interactive pages and an interesting chart to evaluate the project at the
end. ]

Le Corbusier (from Scout Report)
------------------
The Scout Report from October 17 has selected this very interesting site
about architecture with lots of links to le Corbusier sites, but also to
architecture in general, and resources and information to better understand
architecture. A must for those who are interested in architecture or want
to discover it.

A theater of Electricity (Riverdeep's Classroom Flyer October 16th)
---------------------
http://www.mos.org/sln/toe/toe.html
Use the Teacher's Guide available here to explore all the many resources
and learning opportunities provided at this online exhibit and gallery.
Included are Tesla Coils, Franklin's Kite, the history of electricity, and
more.
[ for all those who study sciences.]

The Roman Baths, Bath ([LIIWEEK] October 16)
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This monument, located in Bath, England, is "the best preserved Roman
religious spa from the ancient world." The site includes an online tour and
a history of the baths as well as a searchable and browsable database of
selected items from the Roman Baths Museum's holdings of archaeological and
historical materials. Also includes information for children.
http://www.romanbaths.co.uk/

Aids in South Africa (from Guy Mazurais on e-teach)
---------------------
In collaboration with photographer Gideon Mendel, Guardian Unlimited
presents an interactive movie that tells the story of South Africans with HIV.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/aids/0,7368,405525,00.html
Aids is a global epidemic, affecting as many as 40m people. 30m of these
are African, yet the vast majority cannot receive the antiretroviral drugs
that have changed the lives of victims in the west. In a unique
collaboration with the photographer Gideon Mendel, Guardian Unlimited
presents an interactive movie that tells the story of South Africans who
experience this harsh divide, through panoramic imiages, audio and written
testimony.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/flash/mendel.swf
[ videos or audio files with transcripts, for upper secondary school.]

Bissonnette on Costume ([LIIWEEK] October 16)
---------------------
A Visual Dictionary of Fashion This site invites you to "enter the world of
fashion and witness the change in silhouettes, accessories, lingerie and
hairstyles from the 18th to the 20th century." It features annotated
photographs of fashions, with an emphasis on female dress from Europe and
the United States. Also includes information about male and children's
fashions, and costumes of India, Greece, Japan, Turkey, China, and central
Asia. Browsable. From a curator at the Kent State University Museum.
http://dept.kent.edu/museum/costume/
[ for all those interested in clothes and fashion.]

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Life Skills
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Career Voyages ([LIIWEEK] October 16)
---------------------
This Web site tailored for teens and young adults "features detailed
information about the fastest growing industries and occupations, the
skills and education required to prepare for them, job openings by area,
and wages, licensing requirements and growth rates for numerous occupations."
Includes information about "on-the-job training, apprenticeship programs
for skilled trades, and two-year professional degree programs at community
colleges." From the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of
Education.
http://www.careervoyages.gov/
[ lots of information about career, jobs, wages and opportunities in the US.]

I want a credit card -- or do I? (Riverdeep's Classroom Flyer October 16th)
---------------------
http://score.kings.k12.ca.us/lessons/crcard.htm
Online resources and a printable student worksheet supplement this lesson
plan on the costs involved in using credit cards--a life-skills lesson that
high school students could always use.
[ for all those studying social sciences and economy.]

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Literature
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How to write a biography (from Riverdeep's Classroom Flyer October 15th)
---------------------
http://www.hellofresno.com/history/HowToWriteBios.html
Use this outline to have your students write a biography.
[ it is based on the biography of someone from the family, but it can be
trasnfered to any biography.]

1984 and Brave New World ( from Claude Covo-Farchi on e-teach)
---------------------
here are the complete texts of the novels:
http://www.online-literature.com/orwell/1984/
http://www.online-literature.com/aldous_huxley/brave_new_world/
reading guide and summaries
http://www.enotes.com/1984/
http://www.enotes.com/brave/

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Sites à visiter
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Tout sur le Son (from Yvan Baptiste on e-teach)
---------------------
Sur le site de l'académie de Montpellier, ne manquez pas le dossier son
(matériel, technique, sources Internet, etc.)
http://www.ac-montpellier.fr/Pedagogie/Disciplines/anglais/tice/audiofile.html
Vous y trouverez aussi une longue liste de liens de sites où l'on peut
trouver des documents sonores à télécharger.

Comprehension exercises
---------------------
Frédéric Chotard de l'académie de Nantes nous propose sur son site des
animations tirées des interactive guides du Guardian, assorties de plans de
cours et d'activité de compréhension.
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/prof.danglais
j'ai trouvé "London Charging Zone", particulièrement efficace:
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/prof.danglais/London%20access/index.htm

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Teaching practice
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5-Minute Fillers (from Educational CyberPlayGround Teacher Lesson Plans
Vol. 5, Issue 41)
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http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/fillers/fillers011.shtml
Quick activities for those moments when you have 5 or 10 minutes to fill.

Techniques for working with behavior challenges (Riverdeep's Classroom
Flyer October 16th)
---------------------
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/lesson-plans/lesson-7242.html
Every classroom has them and every teacher will experience them--the
behavioral problems that really present a challenge. Find some strategies
here for dealing with them in a positive manner in your own classroom.
and here are some other sites about discipline in the classroom and
behavior management:
YOU CAN HANDLE THEM ALL:
http://www.disciplinehelp.com/behindex/default.htm
TECHNIQUES FOR WORKING WITH BEHAVIOR CHALLENGES:
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/lesson-plans/lesson-7242.html
11 TECHNIQUES FOR BETTER CLASSROOM DISCIPLINE:
http://www.honorlevel.com/techniques.xml
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES:
http://www.inspiringteachers.com/tips/management/index.html

Controlling Anger ([LIIWEEK] October 16)
---------------------
Before It Controls You "This brochure is meant to help you understand and
control anger." Topics covered include: "What is Anger," "Anger
Management," "Strategies to Keep Anger at Bay," and "Do You Need
Counseling." From the American Psychological Association (APA).
http://www.apa.org/pubinfo/anger.html
[ this site deals with personal development for adults. You can either use
it for yourself, or adapt it for students, as a remedy for bullies....]

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Internet Tools
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Free Natural Voice Reader Standard 2.9 ( from The Scout Report -- October 17)
---------------------
http://www.naturalreaders.com/standard_version.htm
This handy program allows users to listen to emails, text selections, and
other written materials via a number of voices included with the software.
With this free edition, users can change the speed of reading, the voice of
reading, the volume of reading, and can also read the text and have it saved
to a .wav file. From the program's Web site, users can read a FAQ section,
and view several screenshots. This edition of Free Natural Voice Reader
Standard 2.9 is compatible with all systems running Windows 98 and higher.
[KMG]

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Une compilation réalisée par :
Christine Reymond
lycée Blaise Pascal, Rouen, France
E-Mail: Christine.Reymond@ac-rouen.fr
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