| Volume Two Issue Eight | June 2002 |
| Global Connections Inspiring Stories Featured Themes Teacher Discoveries Student Explorations The Lighter Side |
|
Global Interactions Foster Talented Students
Welcome to June!
Summer has arrived and with it we prepare for the end of another school year. As we head into the final stretch of the 2001-2002 school year, we invite all our monthly subscribers and daily visitors to join us as we as we explore the numerous online resources available to celebrate the many themes and special days in the month of June.
In addition to this newsletter, keep checking Vital Picks. We have been highlighting resources teachers will find useful for the classroom. We have also been highlighting accomplishments of teachers and urge you to nominate teachers for our Vital Award.
Join us at our discussion board. Current threads include Harry Potter, discipline at school, student drug use, Boston Public, and using the Internet as a tool for plagiarism. We'd love to hear your thoughts on these and other issues!
Don't forget to visit our new resource links! Visitors may now search for resources based on the grade level and subject they teach. We've included the best we can find on the World Wide Web. We will continue to add more and welcome any sites you may wish to submit.
Laughter of Lilacs
Rainbows of roses.
Songs of the robins.
Lily of the valley borders.
Sunshine to warm the heart.
Oh what joy this season does impart!
- Anne Morrow Lindberg
The spring and summer seasons seem to bring us closer to nature and the many gifts bestowed upon us by Mother Nature. Perhaps it is only fitting that we celebrate World Environment Day during the month of June. Take some time to visit the following sites where you can find resources for celebrating this special day with your students:
Visit the United Nations Environment Program where you can find resources for celebrating World Environment Day and see how it is celebrated around the world. Also, jump on the U.N. Cyber School Bus.
Check out Planet Arc, which bills itself as the most comprehensive source of environmental news on the Internet.
Global Ed has World Environment Day related case studies for use with students of all ages. They include Teacher's Notes and Student Activities.
Send ecard greeting to friends and other students around the world in celebration of World Environment Day through dgreetings.
Visit First School for activities and coloring for celebrating our environment.
Finally, check out the Environmental Bulletin Board at Teachnology.
A Creed to Live By
"Don't undermine your worth
by comparing yourself with others.
It is because we are different
that each of us is special.
Don't set your goals by what
other people deem important.
Only you know what is best for you.
Don't take for granted the things closest to your heart.
Cling to them as you would your life,
for without them life is meaningless.
Don't let your life slip through your fingers
by living in the past or for the future,
By living your life one day at a time.
Don't give up when you still have something to give
nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.
Don't be afraid to admit that you are less then perfect.
It is a fragile thread that binds each of us to each other.
Don't be afraid to encounter risks.
It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.
Don't shut love out of your life by saying it impossible to find.
The quickest way to receive love is to give love;
The fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly;
And the best way to keep love is to give it wings.
Don't dismiss your dreams.
To be without dreams is to be without hope;
to be without hope is to be without purpose.
Don't run through life so fast
that you forget not only where you have been
but also where you are going.
Life is not a race,
but a journey to be savored each step of the way."
- Nancye Sims
From: Motivating Moments
Like other months of the year, June has special days and themes celebrated around the world. For this section of our newsletter we are going to focus on fishing, Father's Day, Flag Day, and baseball. Check out the following sites where you can find resources consistent with these themes.
June 16 is Father's Day. Among the many sites on the Web, Education World has resources and lesson plan ideas for marking this occasion. You can also find other resources at The Holiday Spot, The Craft Library, 123 Greetings, and Kid's Domain.
Our American friends celebrate Flag Day on June 14. With the recent turmoil in our world community, take some time to celebrate your nation with a visit to Education World, the Learning Network, Enchanted Learning, the National Flag Day Foundation, ChildFun, or the Holiday Zone. You will find some great resources at these sites!
The boys of summer are well into another baseball season, but did you know that the Baseball Hall of Fame was first opened on June 12, 1939? Find other resources for implementing baseball into your curriculum at CBS Kids Zone, Kid's Domain, The Baseball Guru, and the Baseball Almanac.
Kids love fishing and the first week in June is National Fishing Week. Find resources to implement fishing activities into your curriculum at Texas Gulf Coast Fishing, Big Fish Kids Corner, In-Fisher Kids, or Trout in the Classroom.
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Ahhh...the summer holidays. Teachers as well as students eagerly anticipate this time of year. Teachers, especially, however, are busy wrapping up with year-end activities in preparation for the leisure days of July and August. The following sites have resources for planning your year-end activities and for keeping yourself busy over the summer months.
The Teacher's Guide has great ideas for year-end activities as well as suggestions for what kids can do during the summer months. Education World identifies activities for the last day of school and Scholastic has interesting End of the Year Tips. Looking to present your students with end of the year awards? Then visit Certificate Maker, or Certificate Creator.
Looking to continue your professional development over the summer, or for ideas for summer fun for children? Education World has identified a "Summer Reading List" with lots of suggestions to keep you busy on those rainy days. They also identify great ideas and activities for celebrating summer at home or at school! The California Department of Education has identified sites they feel contain good resources for professional development. Finally, find 60 Great Ways to Celebrate Summer!
Students from around the world will be graduating in the month of June and heading of to university, college, or the world of work. Send an ecard with your congratulations from 123 Greetings, EmailCard, or Kids Turn Central.
Students may want to visit Prom and PromDress Home, the Graduation Planning Guide, Graduation Day, Graduation Ideas (for children), or the Graduate Planet.
Congratulations to all graduates whether it be from kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, high school, college, or university!
Nine-year-old Joey was asked by his mother what he had learned in Sunday School.
One day, a girl walked to her mother and looked at her mother's hair and sadly said: "Why are some of your hair white mom?"
The mother replied, "Well, every time that you do something wrong and make me cry or unhappy, one of my hairs turns white.
The girl thought about this revelation a while, and then said, "Momma, how come all of grandma's hairs are white?"
From: Lori's Humor Page
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