Que de thèmes pour Avril : le printemps, Pâques, Passover, et Earth Day le 22! Vous trouverez dans ce numéro des adresses sur ces thèmes, le dossier de Scout Report sur le génome humain, un dossier sur les jeux olympiques de 1896 et, comme d'habitude, des ressources pour les enseignants et des réflexions sur les pratiques. Ne manquez pas l'excellent travail ***de Disney learning Partner 'Cooperative and Collaborative Learning', la webcam dans un taxi new yorkais** et l'article de USA today sur les armes à feu dans les familles.
Bonnes vacances à ceux qui y sont, bon courage aux autres!

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A la une
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Is your class learning about the importance of Freedom of Speech? ( TheSchoolDaily 06 April )

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In The News
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First Complete Sequence of the Human Genome (The Scout Report -- April 7)

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April Themes
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SPRING HAS SPRUNG! (CHALK TALK Update for Elementary Educators)
April School Days (special dates and observances)
Earth Day- April 22nd
Spring Holidays (Passover, Easter, and Spring itself)
April Highlights (wNetSchool Bulletin - April 2000)
HarlemLive students focus on teen smoking
Global Warming -- original lesson plan for grades 7-12
Earth Day and Ecology Resource List
The Great Plant Escape
Genetically Modified Pest Protected Plants (The Scout Report -- April 7)
EASY EARTH-FRIENDLY ACTIONS (CHALK TALK Update for Elementary Educators)

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Olympic Games 1896
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History, sports and winners (STUFF> TeacherStuff - April 6)

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Violence in the USA
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* 22 MILLION CHILDREN HAVE ACCESS TO FIREARMS AT HOME (Ed.Net Briefs April 10)

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Resources for Teachers
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Outstanding Resources on 'Discovery Channel School'! (WATCH> K12 TechWatch 4/5/00)
ISTE Redefining The Boundaries of the K-12 Classroom! (WATCH> K12 TechWatch 4/5/00)
**Visit New York aboard a cab!
Educational Online Dictionary (STUFF> TeacherStuff - April 6)
English Weights and Measures (STUFF> TeacherStuff - April 6)

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Teaching Practice
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***Cooperative and Collaborative Learning (wNetSchool Bulletin - April 2000)
DÉCOUVREZ LE PORTFOLIO ÉLECTRONIQUE (bulletin de l'Infobourg 7 avril)

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Internet
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Netscape 6 Preview Release 1 (The Scout Report -- April 7)

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A la une
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Is your class learning about the importance of Freedom of Speech? ( TheSchoolDaily 06 April )
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Forwarding from Paris....
Paris, 29 March 2000
For immediate release
Press Freedom in the Schools
*From today's news find
1. An example of freedom of speech being exercised.
2. An example of freedom of speech being supressed.
3. Do you have freedom of speech at school? Give examples.
The World Association of Newspapers has created a package of classroom exercises to help children understand how freedom of expression -- or the lack of it -- affects their lives...
--> http://www.theschooldaily.com/articleView.asp?articlePK=2313
--> http://www.wan-press.org
[ c'est une newsletter d'australie et nouvelle zélande qui signale ce site formidable pour faire réfléchir les élèves à la liberté de la presse. Ce
site est français!!! Diffusé en Français, anglais, allemand et espagnol, il peut permettre un travail interdiciplinaire. La date pour cette manifestation est le 3 mai, ce qui vous laisse un peu de temps pour l'organiser. Voyez les suggestions d'activités dans 'Newspaper Exercise kit for Schools'
--> http://www.fiej.org/3may/niekit/index.html   ]

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In The News
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First Complete Sequence of the Human Genome (The Scout Report -- April 7)
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On April 6, Celera Genomics announced that it had completed the sequencing phase of one person's genome. It will now begin the process of assembling the sequenced fragments into their proper order with the aid of powerful computers. Work on this project began in September 1999 using a method called "whole genome shotgun sequencing," a quicker method than that used by the international Human Genome Project, which has completed about two-thirds of its own, more thorough, sequence of the human genome. Although talks between Celera and the Human Genome Project over the sharing of data broke down earlier this year, they have since resumed and the company has stated that it will cooperate. While this is just the first step towards understanding the human genome, it only reveals the order of the nucleotides, not what the genes do, it is certainly an important milestone, with broad implications for biology and medicine. Users can begin with the company's press release and then read reports from the BBC, the _New York Times_ (free registration required), CNN, National Public Radio's All Things  Considered, and the _Times of India_. Additional related resources are available from the Human Genome Project site and Doubletwist.com.  [MD]
Company Press Release
--> http://www.pecorporation.com/press/prccorp040600.html
"Celera Closes on Genome Goal" -- BBC News [RealPlayer]
--> http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_704000/704290.stm
"Analysis of Human Genome Is Said to Be Completed" -- _New York Times_ [RealPlayer]
--> http://www.nytimes.com/library/national/science/040700sci-human-genome.html
"Researchers report completing first step in mapping human genes" -- CNN
--> http://cnnfn.com/2000/04/06/companies/genomics/
"Genome Jigsaw" -- _All Things Considered_
--> http://www.npr.org/ramfiles/atc/20000406.atc.01.rmm
"US firm sequences human genome" -- _Times of India_
--> http://www.timesofindia.com/today/07hlth13.htm
Human Genome Project
--> http://www.ornl.gov/TechResources/Human_Genome/home.html
Doubletwist
--> http://www.doubletwist.com/

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April Themes
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SPRING HAS SPRUNG! (CHALK TALK Update for Elementary Educators)
-----------------------------------
Looking for links and lesson plans for Easter, Passover, Earth Day, or just the Spring season in general? The three links below represent hours of scouring the web, looking for the best stuff for K-6 teachers. Enjoy!
[K-6 educators, comme son nom l'indique, s'adresse aux enseignants de la  dernière année d'école primaire. Les activités conviennent donc à des élèves de primaire encadrés ou au collège, mais les sites peuvent convenir  à des élèves de lycée]

April School Days (special dates and observances)
--> http://k-6educators.about.com/library/blapril.htm
[ des liens vers toutes les journées à thème d'Avril!!!]
Earth Day- April 22nd
--> http://k-6educators.about.com/library/blearthday.htm
[ des liens et des idées d'activités]
Spring Holidays (Passover, Easter, and Spring itself)
--> http://k-6educators.about.com/library/blspring.htm
[ des liens vers des explications de ces jours. Voyez 'Easter at the White House' qui aura des webcams en direct le 24 avril
--> http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/glimpse/Easter/   ]

April Highlights (wNetSchool Bulletin - April 2000)
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This month's theme is Earth Day and Ecology. Take a look at our related features.

Students' Take --HarlemLive students focus on teen smoking.
--> http://www.thirteen.org/wnetschool/studentstake/
[ un site fait par les élèves, illustré des anti-pubs de Adbusters dont le célèbre Joe Chemo.
--> http://adbusters.org/spoofads/tobacco/
Les élèves disent ce qu'ils pensent de la cigarette, fournissent une page de fait pour convaincre et proposent des trucs et solutions pour arrêter de fumer. Un site à faire lire aux élèves de lycée]

Global Warming -- original lesson plan for grades 7-12.
[Une leçon centrée sur l'étude comparative du climat aux USA, expliquée pas à pas
--> http://www.thirteen.org/wnetschool/origlessons/global/b.html
accompagnée d'une fiche de liens pour les élèves
--> http://www.thirteen.org/wnetschool/origlessons/global/orga.html.
Utilisable en autonomie en lycée, ou en interdisciplinarité encadrée dès la quatrième, en sélectionnant les sites]

Earth Day and Ecology Resource List -- hand picked Web sites with great information on the Earth and its environment.
--> http://www.wnet.org/wnetschool/resources/earthday.html
[un site de liens pour Earth Day.
Voyez par exemple comment les grandes compagnies ne tiennent pas leurs promesses
--> http://www.earth-day2000.org/publications/dont_be_fooled_2000.htm
Pour info,découvrez la seule manifestation européenne listée Eco festival  2000 au Millennium Dome
-> http://www.earthday.net/dir/detail.asp?d=1&r=4&c=47&s=&i=978&w=1 ]

The Great Plant Escape -- Selected Site, Earth Science, grades 4-5.
--> http://www.thirteen.org/wnetschool/selectedsites/plant.html
[ pour primaire encadrés ou collège en collaboration avec le professeur de SVT. Un intéressant travail sur les plantes, idéal pour faire quelquechose  de concert pour Earth Day]

Genetically Modified Pest Protected Plants (The Scout Report -- April 7)
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Released on April 5, this widely anticipated report on genetically modified foods from a twelve-member panel of the National Research Council, part of the US National Academy of Sciences, offers a cautious endorsement of biotech foods, but also calls for more oversight and regulation. Focusing only on plants that have been genetically engineered to produce their own pesticides, the report finds no evidence that any foods made from these plants are unsafe to eat. It also finds no inherent danger in the insertion of genes from one species into another. However, the report does advise the government to conduct studies on the long-term health effects of eating biotech foods and recommends that the EPA regulate crops modified to resist viruses. As would be expected, the report has been welcomed by biotechnology companies and blasted by foes of genetic engineering, some of whom accused the panel of a pro-industry bias. A free pre-publication copy of the report is available online at the National Academy Press Website. Users can view the text as page images in HTML format or as .pdf files.[MD]
--> http://www.nap.edu/catalog/9795.html

EASY EARTH-FRIENDLY ACTIONS (CHALK TALK Update for Elementary Educators)
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April 22nd is Earth Day, a global celebration of nature's resources and a call to action. My latest feature article explores several simple ways that teachers can show their students the Earth Day spirit every day!
--> http://k-6educators.about.com/library/weekly/aa033100a.htm
[ des idées d'activités en primaire et collège]

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Olympic Games 1896 (STUFF> TeacherStuff - April 6)
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April 6, 1896 1st modern Olympic games open in Athens Greece:
1896 Olympics in Athens (Information Please)
--> http://www.infoplease.com/ipsa/A0114349.html
1896 Olympics - History and Winners
--> http://www.hickoksports.com/history/ol1896.shtml
1896 Olympics (Britannica) - History of Modern Olympics
--> http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/2/0,5716,115022+15,00.html
The Olympic Games of 1896
--> http://www.orama.com/athens1896/index2.html
[ des adresses pour trouver des informations sur l'histoire des jeux, les   différentes disciplines et les vainqueurs. Un bon début pour l'élaboration d'un dossier ou une webquest]

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Violence in the USA
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*22 MILLION CHILDREN HAVE ACCESS TO FIREARMS AT HOME (Ed.Net Briefs April 10)
-----------------------------------
More than 22 million U.S. children live in homes with firearms. The guns are not locked up or fitted with trigger locks in 43 percent of these homes, according to a new national survey by researchers at RAND in Santa Monica, California. The study, reported in the "American Journal of Public Health," analyzed gun storage practices in 6,990 households with children.
The study found that 9 percent of homes keep firearms unlocked and loaded-homes with 1.7 million children. Another 4 percent of the homes have guns that are unlocked with ammunition nearby. That means that about 2.6 million children had firearms stored in a manner most accessible to children. Many parents know guns should be locked up but there appears to be a disconnect between talk and action. They may think the top shelf of a closet or a sock drawer is secure, but kids are curious and may find them. Experts say parents should not only look at their own firearm storage but ask about weapons at their friends' homes.
Marilyn Elias, "Many children have easy access to guns, study says" USA Today, March 31, 2000, 3A
--> http://www.usatoday.com
-->http://usatoday.elibrary.com/s/usatoday/getdoc.cgi?id=161279279x127y33348w0&OIDS=0Q001D000&Form=RL&pubname=USA_Today&puburl=http:~C~~S~~S~www.usatoday.com&querydocid=1103932@library_q&dtype=0~0&dinst=0
[pour lycée. Un article court et clair, avec d'intéressantes utilisations de 'should' ]

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Resources for Teachers
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Outstanding Resources on 'Discovery Channel School'! (WATCH> K12 TechWatch 4/5/00)
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Discovery Channel School has so many good resources for teachers and administrators that it's hard to decide where to begin! Using the resources of the Discovery Channel, The Learning Channel, Animal Planet, and the Travel Channel, this site links you to great online materials like lesson plans, classroom activities, online expeditions, and special features to support curriculum commonly taught in schools. Highlights include a Learning Adventure section, where you can take interactive learning to a new level. For your school's video and software libraries, the School Store offers great multimedia products to help grab your students’ attention. You'll find plenty of unique ideas for reaching out to students with each click of your mouse!
--> http://school.discovery.com/
[ pour lycée. Voyez leur 'galaxy tour' pour tout savoir sur l'univers et ceux qui s'y intéressent!]

ISTE Redefining The Boundaries of the K-12 Classroom! (WATCH> K12 TechWatch 4/5/00)
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The International Society for Technology in Education is the  largest teacher-based, nonprofit organization in the field of educational technology. This group helps you share effective methods for enhancing student learning through the use of new classroom technologies. The ISTE web site is overflowing with great information on the organization's publications, professional development and teacher resources. You'll find a great variety of resources about distance learning, grants information, software and hardware. Best of all, the site is well structured and easy to navigate.
--> http://www.iste.org
[ une très intéressante liste de sites de leçons
-> http://www.iste.org/Resources/index.html
Voyez par exemple 'the Day book'
--> http://www.discoverlearning.com/classroom/daybook/
son site de projets
--> http://www.discoverlearning.com/learning/classroom/internetprojects/coast2coast.html
et des sites de webcams
--> http://www.discoverlearning.com/learnonline/webcams/]

** Visit New York aboard a cab!
-----------------------------------
Voici le site du taxi New Yorkais dont on a beaucoup parlé dans les médias. Je n'ai pas réussi à accéder à la webcam, mais voyez l'Interactive tour' une visite des sites les plus importants, avec des vues panoramiques 360° comme si vous y étiez. Un complément idéal à la webquest sur New York de Speakeasy ( http://www.speakeasy-mag.com/teacher/teacher-bis.html   ).
--> http://ny-taxi.com/

Educational Online Dictionary (STUFF> TeacherStuff - April 6)
-----------------------------------
WordSmith Educational Online Dictionary - American English dictionary with an integrated thesaurus and other lexical resources
--> http://www.wordsmyth.net/
[ un bon dictionnaire en ligne. Mon test habituel pour le mot 'jammer' m'a donné des résultats très satisfaisant sur les sens du verbe 'jam' mais rien de précis sur le mot lui-même]

English Weights and Measures (STUFF> TeacherStuff - April 6)
-----------------------------------
--> http://home.clara.net/brianp/index.html
[un site à conserver des trucs pour traduire les mesures anglaises et américaines, et un convertisseur de degrés centigrades en Farenheit. Et dans 'miscellaneous', vous trouverez la liste des rois d'Angleterre! ]

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Teaching Practice
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*** Cooperative and Collaborative Learning (wNetSchool Bulletin - April 2000)
-----------------------------------
Participate in the popular CONCEPT TO CLASSROOM series. "Cooperative and Collaborative Learning" -- It sounds nice, but how do you do it? Find out in the fifth of our Concept to Classroom workshops. We'll focus on how to use this technique of small, collaborative groups to help improve learning in your classroom.
--> http://www.thirteen.org/wnetschool/concept2class/month5/
[pour enseignants et étudiants. Le cinquième volet de ces excellentes formations est en ligne. Le travail collaboratif y est traité en profondeur, avec des références aux théories éducatives, des exemples concerts, des interviews avec leur transcription. Un travail exceptionnel à ne pas manquer]

DÉCOUVREZ LE PORTFOLIO ÉLECTRONIQUE (bulletin de l'Infobourg 7 avril)
-----------------------------------
--> http://www.infobourg.qc.ca/Affichetexte/webbab.asp?DevId=68
[ une réflexion intéressante de nos collègues canadiens sur cette nouvelle pratique, principalement en primaire, mais la méthode est facilement transférable. L'intérêt par rapport au dossier classique est que l'élève fournit non seulement le résultat de ses recherches, mais aussi sa méthodologie et les apports par rapport à son processus d'apprentissage.
Voyez le reportage complet
--> http://edumedia.risq.qc.ca/songe/songe.htm ]

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Internet
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Netscape 6 Preview Release 1 (The Scout Report -- April 7)
-----------------------------------
On April 5, Netscape announced the availability of the long-awaited new version of its Web browser, powered by the cross-platform/cross-device Gecko Browser Engine. In contrast to previous new releases, Netscape 6 is actually a rather small download at 5.5MB.
The new browser fully implements open Web standards including XML, HTML 4.0, CSS1, W3C DOM Level 0 and 1, JavaScript 1.5, and RDF. Other new features include "My Sidebar," a companion browser that allows users to keep track of customized information (news, stocks, Buddy Lists) through the use of specially created tabs. The browser comes with over 500 tabs already available, but most experienced users will customize the Sidebar to suit their own needs. Netscape 6 also includes a Web search field in the main browser toolbar that is powered by Google and the Open Directory Project, though this also can be customized with different search services. Search results are displayed in the Sidebar. Additional features include "seamless"integration of email and instant messaging with the browser and cookie and password managers. Netscape 6 will run on Mac, Windows, and LINUX systems, and work is underway to port it to other operating systems, including Solaris, HP/UX, AIX, and BeOS. Please note that this a preview release and all the usual caveats apply. [MD]
--> http://www.netscape.com/download/previewrelease.html