Author Archives: edfivecs90

You may know Katniss, but do you know Liesel, the Book Thief?

Posted on March 6, 2012 by edfivecs90

And here’s a look at modern books with strong female characters.  Relying on our old friends at CommonSenseMedia.org, the list is subdivided by age groups: from pre-school to teenager. [EF]

If you think “girl books” are just about princesses, romance, gossipy schoolgirls, and vampires, think again. There are plenty of great books featuring strong female main characters in compelling stories that are sure to appeal to boys as well as girls. Don’t assume that a girl’s name in a book’s title or a picture of a girl on the cover means the book is for girls only. It’s what’s inside that counts…

FULL ARTICLE:  Strong Female Characters in Books

POST SOURCE: commonsensemedia.org

**Editor’s Note:  Click on links within the post field.  The post “title” hyperlink opens another window in Edfive.**

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Do you know what “wigger” means? And that’s just the start…

Posted on February 20, 2012 by edfivecs90

MUST READ! This article lays bare the tension between prejudice and racism and teaching – how do our own biases as teachers impact the conversation.  Regardless of your stance, this piece will evoke reflection.  First, you need to know what “wigger” means.  At the EdFive, we had no idea.  Secondly, the story of Lincoln Brown is also worth watching. [EF]

Lincoln Brown, a 48-year-old Chicago Public Schools teacher, has filed a federal lawsuit against the district after being suspended without pay for five days for using the “n-word” as a part of a lesson highlighting the “perils of racism,” the Chicago Sun-Times reports…

The incident occurred last October when Brown said he used the n-word after two of his students were passing notes with rap lyrics that included it, according to the Sun-Times. The lawsuit alleges Brown used the word during a “teachable moment” in the context of the book Huckleberry Finn in order to show how such language can hurt. But as the words left Brown’s lips, the school’s principal walked in to the Murray Language Academy classroom…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCGHH9OJSqs

FULL ARTICLE: Lincoln Brown, Chicago Teacher, Sues For The Right To Say N-Word In Class.

POST SOURCE: HuffPost Education

**Editor’s Note:  Click on links within the post field.  The post “title” hyperlink opens another window in Edfive.**

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Mental Maps and the World

Posted on February 20, 2012 by edfivecs90

This week’s lesson plan suggestion comes from National Geographic. We’re all familiar with the upside-down maps of the world (McArthur’s probably most known version), but here are some other sample that could be used to teach math (proportions), political analysis (point-of-view), geography, and more. [EF]

Today I noticed a humorous map of the U.S. that highlighted the following of college football in every state, according to the institutions that had the greatest number of fans. I thought it was very clever and probably took a good amount of knowledge to draw up. For instance, in my home state of Virginia, the map shows a greater proportion of maroon (representing Virginia Tech) than blue (for the University of Virginia, VT’s collegiate rival) which is very true. Then I got to thinking about what it was that controlled how this informal cartographer decided to assign the appropriate amounts of school colors all over the 49 states–the absence of Alaska is conspicuous…

Beyond the world of NCAA sports, I remember seeing many maps created simply from a specific perception of the outside world, whether it was truthful (not usually), humorous, or meant as a way to spread awareness of an issue. Here are a few examples of other “mental maps” that I came across…

FULL ARTICLE:  Mental Maps and the World

POST SOURCE:  My WonderfulWorld Blog (National Geographic)

**Editor’s Note:  Click on links within the post field.  The post “title” hyperlink opens another window in Edfive.**

Categories: Blogosphere, Journals, Magazines, & Websites, Lesson Plans | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

How to make more ‘makers’ – and why it matters

Posted on February 20, 2012 by edfivecs90

Ever wonder how you could get the future artists, scientists, and mathematicians together at the same event?  MakerFaire is just that.  AND this little clip could also serve as one more marketing piece for the importance of what we’ve known for a long time: creative thinking is essential in all domains. [EF]

Joey Hudy, a young “maker” from Phoenix went to the White House this week to show off his project, the “Extreme Marshmallow Cannon.” When President Obama saw it, he told Joey: “Let’s try it.” Joey set up the air cannon, which uses a bicycle pump to build up air pressure, and put a marshmallow down the barrel. When he pressed the trigger, a single marshmallow was shot out across the room to the delight of everyone, but especially the president…

…Joey first came to Maker Faire – an event for “makers,” or people who make things with their hands – last year in the Bay Area and he brought the Extreme Marshmallow Cannon with him.

FULL ARTICLE: How to make more ‘makers’ – and why it matters

POST SOURCE: What’s Next – CNN

**Editor’s Note:  Click on links within the post field.  The post “title” hyperlink opens another window in Edfive.**

Categories: Blogosphere, Journals, Magazines, & Websites | Tags: , , | 1 Comment

Teacher who sprayed air-freshener on boy suspended

Posted on February 20, 2012 by edfivecs90

Wow…just another reason to be careful about that spur of the moment decision to protect a student from teasing. [EF]

A Newfoundland teacher who sprayed one of her students with air freshener has been suspended with pay from her job, according to a statement from the school board responsible for Twillingate Island Elementary School…

Christian Roberts, 10, was sprayed with Febreze by his teacher after eating a meal of fish at lunchtime last week, according to his mother. Christian Roberts, 10, was sprayed with Febreze by his teacher after eating a meal of fish at lunchtime last week, according to his mother, Patti Rideout.Rideout said that her 10-year-old son was sprayed with Febreze by his teacher in early February when he returned to class after eating a lunch of cooked capelin. Rideout said her son’s classmates starting teasing him about the fishy smell. The teacher sent her son out of class for one period and then sprayed the air freshener on him.

FULL ARTICLE: Teacher who sprayed air-freshener on boy suspended

POST SOURCE: Mick Harper on 21st Century Fluency Project Sardine Blog

**Editor’s Note:  Click on links within the post field.  The post “title” hyperlink opens another window in Edfive.**

 

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