Infonews n°303 from 06/05/2007

A la Une this week, discover ideas to deal with the latest school shooting in class, including an innovative way to learn about cultural facts from cartoons and an old teaching unit about school shootings in 1992, still containing an interesting way to help students understand a video news report. Then I listed some sites where you can find special reports about the French Elections. The resources for primary school this week are worksheets for written work about vocabulary, and the resource for secondary school teachers is an adress to request a guide about inventive innovations (including a cdrom with videos and audio resources!) provided for free by Thirteen (educational TV channel linked to PBS). At the end of the letter, you'll find some articles about the use of new media at school and lists of comments to write on our students reports.
I wish you all a nice week, whatever the results of the elections might be...

Christine Reymond

Sommaire

A la Une : Virginia Tech shootings

Sources
Class Activities
For advanced students
School shootings de NewsBusters

The French Presidential Elections

Resources for Primary School

Which room in the house? (Everyday Teaching Newsletter, Fri., May 4th)
Prepositions (Everyday Teaching Newsletter, Fri., May 4th)

Resources for Secondary school

INVENTIVE INNOVATIONS (from Thirteen Ed Online Bulletin -- May 2007)

Teaching Practice

May Educators eZine Articles
Comments ideas for report card (Everyday Teaching Newsletter, Fri., May 4th)


A la Une : Virginia Tech shootings

Sources

You can easily find many special reports about the school shooting in Virginia Tech on April 16th, for example those from CNN, Newsweek, CBS, the Guardian or France 24.
http://edition.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2007/virginiatech.shootings/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18248298/site/newsweek/
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/virginiatech/
http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/virginiatechshooting/main501803.shtml
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usguns/0,,182056,00.html
http://www.france24.com/france24Public/en/special-reports/20070417-Virginia-Tech-shooting.html
or you can find resources in the pages created by Michèle Henry (excellent!) or myself about Violence in School and Columbine, with facts, but also statistics, analysis and advices.
http://www.ac-nancy-metz.fr/enseign/anglais/Henry/civiviolence.htm#youth
http://lycees.ac-rouen.fr/pascal/infonews/themes/violenceinschools.htm
http://lycees.ac-rouen.fr/pascal/infonews/themes/violencepupils.htm

Class Activities

On eteach, a colleague asked for suggestions to deal with the event in class.
Stéphane Roger from Nice suggested:
- inviting the students to individually use the interactive report from the New York times to create their own report, using connecting words and the passive form
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/v/virginia_polytechnic_institute_and_state_university/index.html?8qa
- creating your own text or using an article from the special reports above
- working from the site of Virginia tech. [ now the spring term has started and there is not longer emphasis on the massacre.] and, as a final task for the unit, inviting the class to write a letter to the students there and really sending it.
http://www.vt.edu/

Sandrine Babayan from Le Raincy suggested using an article from the International Herald Tribune, stressing the new features from this magazine : "listen to the text" and "printer-friendly". [ Hearing the text read is really interesting for us! Although using a written document for an aural comprehension isn't recommended, listening to the text as they read it a second time can help the students memorize the pronunciation of the key words. As an exemple, here is an article presenting the feelings of the students after the massacre, with a memorial in mind as for 9-11.]
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/05/04/america/NA-GEN-US-University-Shooting-Hall.php

And Catherine Serreau from Versailles recommended the cartoons on Gaggle
http://cagle.msnbc.com/news/VirginiaTechShootings/main.asp

I chose this last idea and selected several cartoons which I saved on my key to be able to show them to the whole class with a video projector and I printed one of them for each student. Then I put all the pictures on the desk and invited the students to come and chose one. Then they had to work on a presentation to the class, stressing the cultural element in the drawing or the reference in the text, linking it to the event, describing how the picture manages to get a reaction from the viewers and provoke thought. They started individually, then went around the class to find if other students worked on the same theme and then did their presentation together. They also asked around about references and in each class there was a student who knew about uncle Sam, the Purple Heart, Columbine. I was surprised to discover that Columbine was remembered only by those who studied it in class (which means it is no longer a current event but an academic topic!) and that the pledge didn't ring a bell....
My aim was to provide those students of terminale with a list of common symbols and references in the present US. Some of those cartoons are simple enough for lower intermediate , I listed the most difficult at the end.
here is what my intermediate students found:
Uncle Sam
http://cagle.com/caglecards/main.asp?image=/news/VirginiaTechShootings/images/fitzsimmons.jpg
http://cagle.com/caglecards/main.asp?image=/news/VirginiaTechShootings/images/heller.gif
http://cagle.com/caglecards/main.asp?image=/news/VirginiaTechShootings/images2/nease.jpg
http://cagle.msnbc.com/news/VirginiaTechShootings/images3/olle.jpg
school, purple heart, students and parents
http://cagle.msnbc.com/news/VirginiaTechShootings/images3/wright.jpg
http://cagle.msnbc.com/news/VirginiaTechShootings/images3/kelley.gif
the religious or popular reference to "as we sow we reap", and the Reaper
http://cagle.com/caglecards/main.asp?image=/news/VirginiaTechShootings/images2/sack.jpg
the death in Irak as compared to this massacre
http://cagle.com/caglecards/main.asp?image=/news/VirginiaTechShootings/images/christo.gif
http://cagle.com/caglecards/main.asp?image=/news/VirginiaTechShootings/images2/bilicki.jpg
their future was destroyed (with a reference to dickens and a list of jobs)
http://cagle.msnbc.com/news/VirginiaTechShootings/images3/plante.gif
http://cagle.com/caglecards/main.asp?image=/news/VirginiaTechShootings/images2/sherffius21.jpg
http://cagle.com/caglecards/main.asp?image=/news/VirginiaTechShootings/images/rice.jpg
the reference to what should have been done between the two shooting, in the dorm and in the classrooms, as compared what should have been done since the first school shooting
http://cagle.com/caglecards/main.asp?image=/news/VirginiaTechShootings/images3/siers.jpg
http://cagle.com/caglecards/main.asp?image=/news/VirginiaTechShootings/images2/cohen.jpg
http://cagle.com/caglecards/main.asp?image=/news/VirginiaTechShootings/images2/davies.gif
the NRA and the second amendment
http://cagle.msnbc.com/news/VirginiaTechShootings/images2/benson.gif
The NRA and the students
http://cagle.msnbc.com/news/VirginiaTechShootings/images3/bado.jpg
http://cagle.com/caglecards/main.asp?image=/news/VirginiaTechShootings/images2/schopf.jpg
Bumper stickers and "guns don't kill, people do"
http://cagle.com/caglecards/main.asp?image=/news/VirginiaTechShootings/images2/sheneman00.gif
http://cagle.msnbc.com/news/VirginiaTechShootings/images3/koterba.gif
the links between the NRA, the congress, the president (lobbying, corruption)
http://cagle.com/caglecards/main.asp?image=/news/VirginiaTechShootings/images/lane.gif
http://cagle.com/caglecards/main.asp?image=/news/VirginiaTechShootings/images2/lowe.gif
the hokkie and what it refers to on the site of Virginia Tech (importance of sports in a university, cheerleading and mascots, etc.)
http://cagle.com/caglecards/main.asp?image=/news/VirginiaTechShootings/images/mccloskey.jpg
http://www.hokiesports.com/whatsahokie.html

For advanced students

Here is what my students worked a lot on and found difficult:
this one, but theydiscovered what the pledge is:
http://cagle.com/caglecards/main.asp?image=/news/VirginiaTechShootings/images2/ohman.gif
this other referring to the safety of the state, border patrols, port and airport security
http://cagle.msnbc.com/news/VirginiaTechShootings/images2/summers.jpg
these about looking for excuses
http://cagle.msnbc.com/news/VirginiaTechShootings/images3/allie.jpg
http://cagle.com/caglecards/main.asp?image=/news/VirginiaTechShootings/images3/trever.gif
*** and this excellent blame game (I hadn't seen the skull!!!!)
http://cagle.msnbc.com/news/VirginiaTechShootings/images3/fitzsimmons.jpg
they didn't want to choose this cartoon presenting Liviu Librescu, but I find it efficient : we will study it together as a whole group.
http://cagle.com/caglecards/main.asp?image=/news/VirginiaTechShootings/images2/crowson16.jpg
I also selected this one, comparing the shooter to a religious fanatic, but some Muslim students might be shocked by want is said
http://cagle.com/caglecards/main.asp?image=/news/VirginiaTechShootings/images/drybones.gif

*** and I have just discovered the reference in this cartoon : it shows the same picture as the photo that was taken 37 years ago, on May 4th 1970, when the Ohio national Guard fired at students demonstrating against the Vietnam war on the campus of Kent State university and killed 4 students. Here is the site with the photo, the cartoon and an article from IHT explaining the link
http://www.may4.org/
http://cagle.com/caglecards/main.asp?image=/news/VirginiaTechShootings/images2/rogers.gif
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/05/04/america/NA-GEN-US-Kent-State-Shootings.php

School shootings from NewsBusters

Les Amphi de France 5 and Canal U offer free online courses, complete with the videos, the transcript and worksheets. Those documents are available for free because they are outdated, but some elements can either offer interesting hints on how to proceed, or even short extracts that you can use in class.
http://www.canal-u.education.fr/canalu/sommaire_chaine.php?chaine_id=2
Newsbusters was produced by the university of Nancy in 1992 and aims at providing the students with tools to understand a TV news report. It is a complete teaching unit, with several topics, a progression and an evaluation.
http://www.canal-u.education.fr/canalu/affiche_chaine_30445.php?theme_id=483384&vHtml=0&page=prg&cycle_id=600586&chaine_id=2
see the self-evaluation document : a video and questions as you watch
http://www.canal-u.education.fr/canalu/affiche_programme.php?vHtml=0&programme_id=163706
School shootings is an old report with a complete analysis in French, which I found sometimes unbearable, but which says interesting things.
http://www.canal-u.education.fr/canalu/affiche_programme.php?vHtml=0&programme_id=580218
The report is about Tilden High School in 1992 and the commentary is "arrêt sur image" style : it is a bit outdated but efficient if you don't mind the style of the commentaries in French. It really helps the students find elements to understand the report and build a strategy to watch a report. and there is a full transcript and a long worksheet for students :
http://www.canal-u.education.fr/canalu/affiche_programme.php?programme_id=580218&vHtml=1
I find the whole thing difficult to use in class, both because of the French and the tone of the commentary, but the way it uses the pictures and the sounds to make students understand the report in depth is interesting.

The French Presidential Elections

After the first run I selected some articles for Le café Pédagogique to a picture of the event.
http://www.cafepedagogique.net/lesdossiers/Pages/02052007_Presidentielle_Enanglais.aspx
Here is a shorter list, mainly with special reports where you can find tonight and tomorrow the results and the reactions, analysis, commentaries from the English speaking world. It might be too late to really study it in class, but it might be useful for the binformation of teachers and for some advanced students interested in politics.

France
France 24
<http://www.france24.com/france24Public/en/special-reports/France-elections.html>http://www.france24.com/france24Public/en/special-reports/France-elections.html

UK
The guardian
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/france>http://www.guardian.co.uk/france
the BBC
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/europe/2007/france_decides_2007/default.stm>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/europe/2007/france_decides_2007/default.stm
The Financial Times
<http://www.ft.com/indepth/frenchelection>http://www.ft.com/indepth/frenchelection

US
CNN
<http://edition.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2007/france.vote/>http://edition.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2007/france.vote/
Council on Foreign Relations (non partisan)
<http://www.cfr.org/region/367/france.html>http://www.cfr.org/region/367/france.html
About.com
<http://worldnews.about.com/b/a/257545.htm>http://worldnews.about.com/b/a/257545.htm
WBZ news radio, Boston
- an excellent interactive page with pictures and short texts presenting the issues
<http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/files/specials/interactives/_international/france_election/index.html>http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/files/specials/interactives/_international/france_election/index.html?
- an interactive presentation of female leaders
<http://hosted.ap.org/specials/interactives/_international/female_leaders/index.html?SITE=WBZAM>http://hosted.ap.org/specials/interactives/_international/female_leaders/index.html?SITE=WBZAM
Washington Post
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/13/AR2007041301401.html>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/13/AR2007041301401.html
Fox News
(about women in power in France)
<http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007Apr28/0,4670,FranceWomeninPower,00.html>http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007Apr28/0,4670,FranceWomeninPower,00.html
VOA (Voice of America)
(audio commentaries from three reporters from France, Algeria end Germany)
<http://www.voanews.com/english/NewsAnalysis/2007-04-26-voa38.cfm>http://www.voanews.com/english/NewsAnalysis/2007-04-26-voa38.cfm

International
Global Voices (about French speaking countries reactions)
<http://www.globalvoicesonline.org/2007/04/26/the-french-presidential-election-a-view-from-outside-the-metropole/>http://www.globalvoicesonline.org/2007/04/26/the-french-presidential-election-a-view-from-outside-the-metropole/

Resources for Primary School

Which room in the house? (Everyday Teaching Newsletter, Fri., May 4th)

Print out copies of this worksheet for your students to learn and practice common household items, sorting where in the house each term goes. (ESL)
http://hackensackhigh.org/comments.html
[ a list of objects that the students have to copy in the square corresponding to the room where they are. There are no drawings, so th students must try and find something in the word refering to a word they know, or use a dictionnary.]

Prepositions (Everyday Teaching Newsletter, Fri., May 4th)

ESL students will gain practice with prepositions by filling in the blanks from the preposition word bank in this printable worksheet. (ESL)
http://www.everydayteaching.com/Worksheets/ESL.Prepositions.pdf
[ difficult for beginners, but this worksheet can be used at higher levels to help them reflect about the use of prepositions.]

Resources for Secondary school

INVENTIVE INNOVATIONS (from Thirteen Ed Online Bulletin -- May 2007)

This hands-on activity guide reflects and extends the messages of new CYBERCHASE episodes. It is available for use by educational and community outreach programs. The guide includes a DVD of related episodes, a CD-ROM of printable handouts and graphics that can be used to develop an exciting CYBERCHASE learning area. To request your free copy of this guide, send an e-mail to <mailto:Cyberchase@thirteen.org>Cyberchase@thirteen.org and include the following information: Name, Title, Organization, Non PO Box Mailing Address, and Phone Number. Be sure to write <mailto:guiderequest@thirteen.org>ACTIVITY GUIDE REQUEST ( guiderequest@thirteen.org) in the subject line.
[ a guide including a cdrom. I have already received several guides from Thirteen. Their lesson plans are usually not what I would have done, but the material provided is interesting.]

Teaching Practice

May Educators eZine Articles

There are several interesting articles in this newsletter this week:
http://www.techlearning.com/outlook/current.php
"It's not your father's telephone : new ways to communicate" an article listing new systems, including links to programs like Skype, etc.
http://www.techlearning.com/story/showArticle.php?articleID=196604408
" New versus old: which is the way to better learning?" an article with interesting statistics and charts regarding things parents and teachers don't know about children's new daily life.
http://www.techlearning.com/story/showArticle.php?articleID=196604406
"cyber bullying"
http://www.techlearning.com/story/showArticle.php?articleID=196604410
"ten free online education newsletter sites"
http://www.techlearning.com/story/showArticle.php?articleID=196604411

Comments ideas for report card (Everyday Teaching Newsletter, Fri., May 4th)

It's not always easy to write an appropriate comment on a report card, or nail exactly what it is you have to say about each student. For these reasons and because the end of the school year is close at hand, try these lists of report card comments. (All)
http://www.teachnet.com/how-to/endofyear/personalcomments061400.html
[ some ideas are interesting, some others can be double edged : "is learning to occupy his time constructively" ;)]
http://hackensackhigh.org/comments.html


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lycée Blaise Pascal, Rouen, France
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