December 2011 Word Up! Newsletter
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In Focus: Celebration
December is a great month for teaching and learning about celebrations that occur throughout the world. This month's newsletter highlights just a few of the resources available on AdLit.com.
Culturally Responsive Instruction for Holiday and Religious Celebrations
Fluent readers can read text accurately, smoothly, and with good comprehension. Students who get bogged down in the mechanics of reading have trouble with this skill. With proper instruction, struggling readers can improve their fluency. Read more to find out what challenges adolescent readers face with fluency and how carefully designed instruction can help.
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How to Help Your Child with LD Have a Happy Holiday
The holiday season is a time for family togetherness, fun, and friendship. But children who struggle with social and behavioral problems can feel lonely and excluded during this happy time. This article gives you a dozen ways to help your child join the fun.
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E-Cards for Readers
Motivate the special kids in your life to read and read some more! Send one of the free e-cards below to a child, student, grandchild, colleague, or friend. The e-cards were created for our sister site Reading Rockets by award-winning children's book illustrators Bruce Degen, Betsy Lewin, Peter Sís, Marc Brown, and many others. There are several holiday specific e-cards to choose from. Learn about all the e-card artists.
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Books & Authors
Featured Author: Deborah Heiligman
Deborah Heiligman has written more than 26 books, including the acclaimed Holidays Around the World series. One of her favorite school memories is of her fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Ryan, who created magical reading nooks for her students — like an old clawfoot bath tub where Heiligman would climb in for a long read. Heiligman is an active blogger on the I.N.K. (Interesting Nonfiction for Kids) blog and recently helped establish a companion site for teachers called INK Think Tank, which connects great nonfiction books with curriculum standards.
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Featured Booklist: Books Make Great Gifts
Books make a wonderful, thoughtful gift for tween and teen readers. See our suggestions for books perfect — or independently — to spark conversation, debate, or memories of past events in your own lives.
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In the Classroom
Featured Strategy: Inquiry Chart
When studying about various cultures and celebrations, the I-chart strategy may help students organize their information. The Inquiry Chart (I-Chart) is a strategy that enables students to generate meaningful questions about a topic and organize their writing. Students integrate prior knowledge or thoughts about the topic with additional information found in several sources. The I-Chart procedure is organized into three phases: (1) planning, (2) interacting, and (3) integrating/evaluating. Each phase consists of activities designed to engage students in evaluating a topic.
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Glossary Term: Constructing Meaning
Definition: A process of making sense of text. By connecting one's own knowledge with the print, readers "build" an understanding of what the text is about.
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Featured Contest: eCYBERMISSION Competition
Heading into its 10th year, eCYBERMISSION is a free, web-based science, technology, engineering, and mathematics competition for students in grades 6-9. Your students can compete against other students in their grades for state, regional, and national awards. Teams consisting of 3-4 students and a team advisor would work to solve problems in their community using the scientific method, scientific inquiry, or engineering design process. To date, more than $8.5 million has been awarded to students throughout the country with more to be awarded in 2012. Deadline to register is December 16, 2011.
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Not your everyday calendar, here you can find important events in literary history, authors' birthdays, and a variety of holidays, all with related activities and resources that make them more relevant to students. View by day, by week, or by month.
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Featured Partner: The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education is a national alliance of educator preparation programs dedicated to the highest quality professional development of teachers and school leaders in order to enhance PK-12 student learning. AACTE's reach and influence fuel its mission of serving learners by providing all school personnel with superior training and continuing education. AACTE employs three key strategies to achieve its goals: advocacy, leadership, and service.
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Featured Site: Free Technology for Teachers
Free Technology for Teachers is a site written by Richard Byrne. Free Technology for Teachers shares information about free resources that teachers can use in their classrooms. Byrne is a high school teacher, and he believes that when used correctly, technology has the power to improve student engagement and student achievement. His posts are short, readable, and point to really great resources. Favorite recent posts include one on 11 Infographics and Videos for Teaching Economics and one on Simple Science Videos.
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"I love your website and information! I think you have a lot to offer teachers!" — Nicki W.
AdLit.org helps educators like Nicki W. every day. Support our work by making a tax-deductible donation today.
All the best from AdLit.org
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- Christian Lindstrom, Director, Learning Media
- Joanne Meier, Ph.D., Research Consultant
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