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Welcome to November! Cool mornings, bare trees, and frosted windshields tell us here in Canada that summer months are definitely behind us, fall is coming to a close, and winter is just around the corner. Two special holidays are being celebrated this month and, perhaps, it is only fitting they fall in the same month especially with the current climate in our global community. On November 11 Canadians and Americans will be honoring the sacrifices made by members of our armed forces and on November 22 Americans will be celebrating Thanksgiving. These two days certainly give us an opportunity to pause and reflect on those things for which we are truly grateful and give us hope for the peaceful resolution to conflicts occurring throughout the world. So welcome aboard! Join us as we explore the many resources the World Wide Web offers to help celebrate these holidays and the wonderful work students are completing to mark these days. In addition to this newsletter, keep checking Vital Picks. We have been highlighting resources teachers will find useful for the classroom. In particular our Vital Picks have recently focused on support resources for teachers and parents to help deal with the senseless attack against citizens from around the world and, especially, from the United States of America. We would like to resume highlighting accomplishments of teachers and urge you to nominate teachers for our Vital Award. This month we also have a special gift awaiting you and your students in the Activity section of Teacher's Corner. Check it out, and if you have activities that you would like to share with other teachers, please send them along. We'll make sure to post them immediately and to give you credit. Send your ideas to teachers_corner@vitalknowledge.com THEY SHALL GROW NOT OLD
They shall grow not old |
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Using the tools of information technology, students from around the world have found innovative ways to celebrate and honor the many sacrifices our war heroes made in defense of our democratic way of life. We thought we would highlight just a few of these efforts: Students from Prince Rupert Secondary School in British Columbia put together a slide show in honor of sacrifices made by our veterans. Students from Earl Grey School in Winnipeg, Manitoba also put together a slide show. Last year students from Magnolia Middle School in Maryland went on a field trip to Washington D.C. to place wreaths at Vietnam and Korean Memorials. They also created cards that were mailed to more than 300 veterans thanking them for their service, sent flowers to Veteran's organizations, and participated in other school activities designed to honor veterans. Students at Ararat Community College, a school for 7-12 year olds in Australia partnered with other students from around the world in their Faces of War project. We think you will be impressed with what you find on these pages! |
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When remembering the many sacrifices made by our war heroes we often think back to World War II and the persecution of minorities, especially those of the Jewish faith. In the atmosphere of the day throughout Europe, there was one young girl who continued to see hope in the human race despite the fear she faced on a daily basis. Most of us are familiar with the story of Anne Frank and many of us have implemented her diary into our curriculum, especially at this time of year. We thought you would be inspired by quotations from this courageous young girl who like millions of other Jews fell victim to the many atrocities of war. With the events occurring in the today's world, we can certainly see how her statements are still relevant more than fifty years later. "It's a wonder I haven't abandoned all my ideals, they seem so absurd and impractical. Yet I cling to them because I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart." "It's utterly impossible for me to build my life on a foundation of chaos, suffering and death. I see the world being slowly transformed into a wilderness, I hear the approaching thunder that, one day, will destroy us too, I feel the suffering of millions. And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better, that this cruelty too shall end, that peace and tranquility will return once more" "The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature. As long as this exists, and it certainly always will, I know that then there will always be comfort for every sorrow, whatever the circumstances may be. And I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles." "Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don't know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!" "Whoever is happy will make others happy, too." "How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." Are you looking for resources and activities to implement Anne Frank's diary into your curriculum? Try these sites: The Anne Frank Center has a wide variety of resources for teachers and students. The Anne Frank Internet guide highlights some of the many Anne Frank resources found on the World Wide Web. In Search of the Heroes contains several classroom activities to use with your students. Scholastic also offers a wide variety of resources for the classroom teacher. |
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In keeping with the theme of Remembrance Day we thought we would identify some Web sites with resources for celebrating this special days with your students: The University of Missouri has put together several resources for teachers called Helping Students Understand a Day of Remembrance. Enchanted Learning has Veteran's Day Crafts, Projects, and Printouts. The Learning Network has resources that can be implemented in a variety of subject areas. Stem-Net has identified numerous resource links for Canadian teachers to use in the classroom. So has Eagle. Education World also has several suggestions for classroom activities to honor our war veterans. |
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While Canadians celebrated Thanksgiving in the month of October, our American neighbors will recognize this day on November 22. In October's newsletter we highlighted several Thanksgiving Web sites. This month we highlight these sites again for our American friends. Kid's Domain has a wide variety of resources. Find e-cars, recipes, crafts, games, puzzles, coloring, and more! Thanksgiving on the Net also offers a variety of resources and links to other Thanksgiving sites. Billy Bear has online games, puzzles, crafts, clip art, screen savers, and more! Visit the Holiday Spot for recipes, jokes, games, greeting cards, traditions, and more! |
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One of the many advantages information technology offers to students is the opportunity to collaborate with other students from around the world. This month we want to highlight a few of the many resources found on the World Wide Web that you and your students can use to build relationships with students in other geographic areas. First you may wish to visit the Southern Indiana Education Center for suggestions on how to build collaborative activities into your classroom. School World offers links to a number of collaborative projects you and your students may wish to become involved in. ThinkQuest is a global network of students, teachers, parents and technologists dedicated to exploring youth-centered learning on the Net. Over 4 million students and teachers are collaborating, building skills and enhancing learning with ePALS. The Global Schoolhouse provides online opportunities for teachers and students to collaborate, communicate, and celebrate shared learning experiences. Canada's Network of Innovative Schools offers opportunities for professional development, research, collaboration, networking and more. |
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Teacher: You aren't paying attention to me. Are you having trouble hearing? Teacher: Class, we will have only half a day of school this morning. Q: What would you get if you crossed a vampire and a teacher? From: Teaching Jokes |
