| Volume Two Issue Five | March 2002 |
| Global Connections Inspiring Stories Featured Themes Teacher Discoveries Student Explorations The Lighter Side |
|
Global Interactions Foster Talented Students
Welcome to March!
This month visitors to our web site will notice some significant changes in our Web environment. Our "new look" site contains the same great resources in a user-friendly environment. We hope you enjoy the changes and welcome any feedback you may wish to provide.
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 discipline at school, student drug use, and using the Internet as a tool for plagiarism. We'd love to hear your thoughts on these and other issues!
You will also notice a significant change to our 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.
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.
March is a very active month, especially this year. Students and teachers will enjoy the March break and then will be celebrating St. Patrick's Day and Easter. This month's newsletter will identify resources for celebrating the wearin' of the green and Easter. We also offer a wrap up of the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
The focus on the Olympics is now over and the medals have all been given out. The athletes are returning home and Salt Lake City will try to return to normal, but special memories will remain for years to come. In particular the games were a huge success for the American and Canadian teams and here in Canada we are basking in the glory of hockey gold.
Before leaving the topic of the Olympics, you may want to check out a wrap-up of the event. Check out the medal standings by country or by sport. Have a look at the facts and figures of the XIX Olympic Winter Games.
The Paralympics will begin in Salt Lake City on March 7th and run until the March 16th. Stevie Wonder is to perform at the opening ceremonies. Check this site for the schedule of events.
In 2004, the Summer Olympics return to their birth country, Greece. The city of Athens is anxiously preparing. The 2006 Winter Olympics will be held in Turin, Italy.
An expert in time management was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration those students will never forget. As he stood in front of the group of high-powered overachievers he said, "Okay, time for a quiz" and he pulled out a one-gallon, mason jar and set it on the table in front of him. He also produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar.
When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is this jar full?"
Everyone in the class yelled, "Yes."
The time management expert replied, "Really?"
He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. He dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks. He then asked the group once more, "Is the jar full?"
By this time the class was on to him. "Probably not," one of them answered.
"Good!" he replied. He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in the jar and it went into all of the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, "Is this jar full?"
"No!" the class shouted. Once again he said, "Good." Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked at the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?"
One eager beaver raised his hand and said, "The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard you can always fit some more things in it!"
"No," the speaker replied, that's not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is: If you don't put the big rocks in first, you'll never get them in at all. What are the 'big rocks' in your life -- time with your loved ones, your faith, your education, your dreams, a worthy cause, teaching or mentoring others? Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in first or you'll never get them in at all."
So, tonight, or in the morning, when you are reflecting on this short story, ask yourself this question: What are the 'big rocks' in my life? Then, put those in your jar first.
Stephen Covey
Easter is being celebrated this year on the last day of March. If this seems early, you may want to explore how the date for Easter is determined. You can also use this date finder to see when Easter Sunday falls in the future.
Like other special holidays throughout the year, teachers will be looking for resources to celebrate Easter with their students. The following are a few of the many Internet sites you may choose to visit to find those resources:
Kid Fun 101 has Easter Games and Party Ideas. Find games, Bunny Funnies, secret codes, puzzles, word searches, mazes, links, and more!
The Holiday Spot has games and activities, e-cards, poetry, wallpaper, screensavers, crafts, coloring, history, recipes, stories, links, and more!
ChildFun has recipes, e-cards, coloring, games, songs, stories, poems, crafts, clip art, screensavers, links, and more!
Visit Kid's Domain to Adopt a Chick, or find e-cards coloring, clip art, crafts, activities, puzzles, games, and more!
Like other special days of the year, Billy Bear has a multitude of great resources for celebrating Easter. Find games, clipart, stories, crafts, and more!
Black Dog also has a multitude of resources including games, puzzles, mazes, coloring, screensavers, and more!
"May the Irish hills caress you.
May her lakes and rivers bless you.
May the luck of the Irish enfold you.
May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you."
Visit the many sites on the Internet with loads of resources to assist in your planning of Saint Patrick's Day activities. The following are only a few of the sites worth a visit:
Like other special days, Billy Bear has put together great pages you and your students will enjoy visiting. Find clip art, storybooks, screen savers, coloring, games, and more!
Kid's Domain has e-cards, puzzles, coloring, free graphics, activities, crafts, recipes, games, riddles, and more!
Visit Saint Patrick's Day in the Classroom for history, activities for a wide variety of subjects, limericks, creative writing, and more!
Saint Patrick's Day Games and Party Ideas has games, poems, party ideas, puzzles, word scrambles, jokes, word searches, and other fun activities!
The Holiday Zone has activities, games, crafts, recipes, reading comprehension, songs, and more!
Continue to check out Vital Picks where we highlight sites that will be of benefit to all teachers.
Continuing with the Theme of Saint Patrick's Day, we thought we would highlight a few student created sites that celebrate the Irish heritage. We have also identified a student created site that celebrates the Easter holiday.
Irish Myths and Legends is a site created by students from Newpark School in Dublin Ireland. It was the school's ThinkQuest entry.
Another student created ThinkQuest site is called the Virtual Heritage of Ireland. It is created and maintained by the students of Newbridge College in Ireland.
Interested in how cultures around the world celebrate Easter? Celebrations Around the World is another ThinkQuest site that looks at how special holidays including Easter are celebrated in various cultures.
Are your students creating Web based environments? You may want to consider having them participate in the next ThinkQuest contest. Another Internet based contest you may be interested in is the International Schools CyberFair. Awards are given to the best Web sites created in eight different categories.
Check out the collaborative site created by students from St. Flannan's College in Ennis Ireland and Dr. Losier Middle School in New Brunswick Canada. The Shamrock Project was their entry in the 1999 Telecom Eireann "Information Age Schools Competition."
And finally, like people from around the world, we here in Miramichi, New Brunswick, Canada will also be celebrating Saint Patrick's Day. Miramichi bills itself as Canada's Irish Capital and holds an annual Irish Festival each summer.
Cook l: "What do you think of my Irish stew?"
Cook 2: "It could use a pinch of Gaelic."
What is the Easter Bunny's favorite state capital?
Albunny, New York!
Why was the Easter Bunny so upset?
He was having a bad hare day!
From: Scatty.com
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