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| Volume Three Issue Nine | July 2003 |
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Global Connections Inspiring Stories Featured Themes Teacher Discoveries Student Explorations The Lighter Side |
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Global Interactions Foster Talented Students
Welcome to July!
During the month of July, school is probably a subject far from your mind. Therefore, rather than focusing on education related topics in this months newsletter, we offer resources you can explore to ensure you have a safe and enjoyable summer.
So welcome aboard! Join us as we explore the World Wide Web to discover resources relevant to summer and the month of July.
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.
Don't forget to visit 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.
Global Connections
Just the name of the disease itself may cause one to wonder why people in North America should be concerned with the West Nile Virus. This mosquito borne illness, however, knows no international boundaries and appears to have spread across our continent. With summer in full bloom, mosquitoes are an ever-present threat. We urge you to visit the following sites for information on how you can protect yourself against the dangers of the West Nile Virus.
The US Center for Disease Control offers tips to mosquito proof your home, tips for avoiding mosquito bites, maps of West Nile Virus activity, and much more. You may also want to visit this site for information about the SARS outbreak.
Health Canada has created Web pages specifically to contain resources on the West Nile Virus, which appears to have been found in most Canadian provinces. Find surveillance maps, protection tips, statistics, news releases, and much more.
The National Wildlife Health Center has been tracking the appearance of the West Nile Virus throughout North America. Their web site contains maps, fact sheets, health alerts, and more.
Other resources specific to the West Nile Virus can be found at National Atlas, the New York City Department of Health, the National Pesticide Information Center, and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
Inspiring Stories
If you woke up this morning with more health than illness...you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.
If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation... you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.
If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death... you are more blessed than three billion people in the world.
If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep...you are richer than 75% of this world.
If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace... you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.
If your parents are still alive and still married...you are very rare, even in the United States.
If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful...you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.
If you can hold someone's hand, hug them or even touch them on the shoulder…you are blessed because you can offer God's healing touch.
If you prayed yesterday and today...you are in the minority because you believe God does hear and answer prayers.
If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you, and furthermore, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot read at all.
Have a good day, count your blessings.
- Unknown
From: Motivating Moments
Featured Themes
Millions of North Americans will be flocking to the beaches this summer and shredding heavier clothing in favor of swimwear. Caution must be taken, however, to ensure you are protected from harmful rays coming from the sun. Indeed warnings continue to increase about the dangers the sun presents, most of which do not appear until later years.
Visit the following sites to find information on how you can protect yourself from harmful ultraviolet rays.
L’Oreal has a great site with information about radiation from the sun and how it attacks your skin, natural protections you can use, and information about available sunscreens.
The American Sun Protection Association is a non-profit membership organization for the collective sun protection industry. You will be particularly interested in the section of their Web site dealing with protective products and safety at work, home, and school.
The American Academy of Dermatology offers a parents guide to sun protection for Children. Check out the ABCs For Fun in the Sun.
Other resources for protection from the sun can be found at the US Environmental Protection Agency, the National Coalition for Skin Cancer Prevention, and Intersun.
Teacher Discoveries
July is a special month for both the United States and Canada. On July 1st Canadians celebrate Canada Day and on July 4th our American neighbors celebrate Independence Day. To find online resources for celebrating these holidays, check out the following sites.
Canadians will want to visit the Government of Canada’s Heritage Web site. Check out the calendar of events, the Canada Day Youth Award, the Fun Zone, and more! Are you looking for Canada Day activities? DLTK has songs, crafts, coloring, games, and more! Other resources for celebrating Canada Day can be found at About, Kid’s Domain, and Kidzworld.
Our American friends will also appreciate the wealth of resources on the World Wide Web to assist in the 4th of July celebrations. Start by sending ecards to friends and loved ones through American Greetings. Visit USA City Link to find a wide variety of resources. Aristotle Internet Access offers music, postcards, an opportunity to create your own Flash fireworks display, and more! Other sites with great resources for celebrating the 4th of July include ChildFun, CNN, PBS, Web Holidays, Billy Bear, and Kid’s Domain.
Student Explorations
Hopefully your students will spend some of their summer holidays reading for enjoyment. In a previous newsletter, we highlighted novels young people would enjoy reading. We offer them again in hopes our young people will come to obtain a love of reading.
Although most of these books will be of a particular interest to high school students (especially boys), we think the underlying themes of these stories will appeal to all readers. So, in no particular order, here are some of our favorite novels. Encourage your students to read them!
The Lord of the Flies. What happens to the civilized lives of children when they are stranded on a deserted island? Find out by reading this classic novel by William Golding.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. A must read for all high school students. Although Mark Twain’s book has come under criticism for its portrayal of Black Americans, its message is one of tolerance. Young readers will also enjoy Twain’s Tom Sawyer.
The Old Man and the Sea. For baseball fans, fishermen, and fans of the underdog, Ernest Hemmingway’s classic will have you glued to its pages!
The Catcher in the Rye. J D Salinger’s portrayal of a young teenager growing up in New York is a novel young people are sure to enjoy!
Of Mice and Men. John Steinbeck has written a number of classic novels. This heart-wrenching story may well be his best!
The Diary of Anne Frank. The message of this young hero prevails today during this time of global turmoil. A must read!
The Call of the Wild. Join the adventure of Buck in the Klondike region of Canada. A classic adventure novel by Jack London!
Great Expectations. Travel with Pip as he experiences the pitfalls and challenges of Industrial England. This may well be Charles Dickens greatest novel!
Robinson Crusoe. Daniel Defoe’s classic is a great adventure story with an underlying theme of tolerance and equality.
1984. George Orwell classic portrays a future under the watchful eyes of Big Brother. A terrifying novel. Young people will also enjoy Orwell’s Animal Farm.
The Lighter Side
We had big mosquitoes on our vacation. If you swatted them, they swatted you back.
I never saw such big mosquitoes. I had one mosquito in my room and he kept me awake all night. He kept pushing me out of bed.
This summer I saw the biggest mosquitoes I ever saw in my life. They were so big they came equipped with landing gear.
From: School Jokes