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 Monthly Newsletter    Issue 19  

      Writing, Math, and Educational Apps
 NOVEMBER 2010
In This Issue
What's Happening
Teacher Resources
Parent Resources
Technology Tips
We Need Your Help
Quick Links 
Join Our Mailing List 
Read Our Blog
Why Students Should Write - The Importance of Journal and Blog Writing
Take Our Survey
 
 
Greetings!      

Hello! Thanks so much for using Internet4Classrooms with your students and children. Our mission is to help you find the best educational online resources available to meet your individual needs. Our monthly newsletter focuses on sharing information, tips, and ideas on everything related to schooling inside the classroom and at home. Each month we'll be featuring resources and information on a variety of topics. We are constantly upating information on our site, and urge you to visit often!
 
Keep in Touch! 
If you need help, please email us. We answer questions about almost any subject matter/grade level.  We feel that this is a very important part of Internet4Classrooms. Internet4Classrooms is maintained and built for educators, parents, and students and this site is yours.  Comments and suggestions are appreciated and welcomed. Don't be afraid to email and ask!
 
Follow us on Twitter (internet4classr). Stay up to date with offerings and new sources/links for great educational and technology information for you, your students, and children.
  What's Happening This Month?
November is full of events to recognize in your lesson planning. There is everything from Aviation History Month and Readers Week to Author's Day and of course Thanksgiving. We've also got Geography Awareness Week, America Recycles Day, and even National Sandwich Day.  Here are some ways you can celebrate these events in your classroom.

Aviation History Month
Who isn't intrigued by flying objects? From kites and hot air balloons, to airplanes, helicopters, jets, and space shuttles. The history of aviation is fascinating. Use your imagination to incorporate flight into your classroom. Learn about the Wright Brothers. Make model airplanes. Scroll to the bottom of this page to find aviation crafts making planes out of paper, foam, and popsicle sticks. Write stories about methods of aviation, including an experience students have had taking a trip. NASA also has great resources on space with games, print outs, pictures, and more.

National Author's Day   NOV 1
Celebrate the many children's authors around the world. Learn about some of the best writers, like Eric Carle, Shel Siverstein, and Shakespeare. Browse an alphabetical directory of authors and illustrators. By using our story writing tools and elementary writing resources, you can turn your children into novelists. Give students the opportunity to publicize writing assignments with these ways to publish student works.

National Sandwich Day    NOV 3
Every kid loves a sandwich! This fun holiday can bring out the creativity in your lesson planning. Each sandwich creation involves a step by step process. Incorporate the value of learning sequencing while using National Sandwich Day. Find sequencing games on how to make a peanut butter jelly sandwich, pizza, and even toast. Have your students write and describe their favorite sandwich. Have a fun discussion about all who invented the first hamburger (which happens to be one of the most popular American sandwiches). Each student can describe the way they prefer their hamburgers prepared.
 
National Young Readers Week    NOV 8 - 14
Everyone knows how important it is to read to our children. Teachers can honor readers week by emphasizing how fun reading can be. Start a classroom book club. Have your students discuss and/or write about their favorite stories. Talk about libraries, how to utilize them, and the importance of library books. There are many types of libraries, from physical and virtual libraries, to presidential libraries and beyond. Find individual language arts help, including current standards. We provide grammar and language assessment help. Also offered are online stories and reading passages.

I Love to Write Day    NOV 15
Writing is an excellent way for students to express themselves while sharpening spelling and grammar skills. Start here with a comprehensive list of Language Arts resources. Find writing lessons and journal writing resources on essays, story writing, and poetry. We have links to tools on story mapping, writing prompts, and transition words help. Develop writing skills by learning how to write friendly letters. Read, listen, and download a wide range of online audio books for children. Here is a comprehensive list of online stories, picture books, and more audio books. We also have a ton of Middle and High School language arts resources on grammar, poetry, worksheets, root words, prefixes, suffixes, vocabulary, interactive lessons, and much more. You don't want to miss this page that has links to everything from proofreading exercises and reading tests, to bibliographic style and English teacher resources.

Geography Awareness Week     NOV 14 - 20
There are lots of ways to reuse everyday scraps like buttons, ribbon, paper, cardboard, egg cartons and more in your classroom. Recycling can not only save you money on supplies but provide opportunities to get really creative. These binoculars made out of recycled cardboard are fun for lower grades. Elementary level recycling projects like homemade drums using an old pie tin, empty yogurt containers, and shoe boxes can get students on the path to going green. Elementary and middle grades can enjoy recycling crafts like making a magazine pocket out of materials found in our homes. Remember to use America Recycles Day as an opportunity to discuss recycling and its effects on our environment. Water bottle vs. tap water? Here is an interesting article on the importance of recycling plastic bottles in our community. Get your students thinking about what they can do.

Thanksgiving     NOV 25
Yes it's already that time again! Thanksgiving is here. I4C is your one stop shop for everything turkey-day-related. Have you ever wanted to talk like a pilgrim? Your students can listen to phrases and say them out loud. Find Thanksgiving activities, crafts, poetry, and more. Have your students make these great Thanksgiving place mats for their family tables. This list of Thanksgiving print outs, turkey art projects, mazes, and craft ideas like custom dinner table cards goes on and on!
  Focus On:  Teacher Resources
Internet4Classrooms offers a wide variety of informative online resources, tips, tools, and tutorials regarding your classroom needs. There is always something you can utilize with your students. Each month we'll feature a few links to useful topics. 
 
November focuses on reading and writing resources. With Author's Day, Readers Week, and I Love to Write Day, take advantage of Internet4Classrooms online educational tools.

Find elementary writing resources, stories, reading assessments practices, and practice skills listed by grade all the way up through 8th grade.

Follow current language arts standards. Find the grade level you need, and click on Language Arts under the Current Standards category.You will find tools on communication, writing, researching, literature and more all organized by grade level.

Enjoy a huge assortment of online children's stories, where some are interactive, provide audio, and have wonderful illustrations. It's a great collection of tales and fables as well as children's authors.

Internet4Classrooms offers assessment help for all subjects. Improve test scores using grammar and reading practice with these links to language arts assessment help.

Find numbers and operations, geometry, and elementary math assessment resources. Practice math skills by grade level. General math and special topics like fractions and spacial concepts are also featured.

Prepare students for the college entrance exams with these ACT/SAT practice guides.

As always, one of our most clicked resources is the teacher tools page. You can access everything teachers need for the school year, including forms, planning, bulletin boards, and worksheets. 

Another popular section is our Grade Level Help. Click here for Pre-K - 8th grade level help and here for 7th - 12th grade resources. Find Skill Builders interactive sites for Language Arts and Math.  
  Focus On:  Parent Resources
In addition to our teachers, parents can take advantage of our online resources as well.

Parents can continue classroom education at home with online subject help on topics such as math.  Elementary math, General math, and grade level math practice skills can be utilitized after school hours. Internet4Classrooms provides math assessment help, giving your kids an opportunity to do practice testing at home.
 
Thanksgiving can be a stressful time at home, especially if you're hosting the big meal, have guests coming in town, etc. But there are so many fun crafts and activities to do that make this time of year special. And it will keep the kids busy while you work. Take advantage of these family planners to map out everything from the shopping list to the holiday schedule. Have your kids decorate the house and table tops with these creative Thanksgiving crafts. Paper cup turkeys make great center pieces, and turkey handprints are always a welcomed classic.

American Education Week is Nov 14 - 20th. It is a great time for our parents and students to show our appreciation for our teachers and school staff.  Students can show their support through a picture, thank you note, homemade bookmark, or simply a high five in the halls. Don't forget to acknowledge our educators!

If you don't see something of interest highlighted this month, remember we have a Parent Zone full of resources. Here you can find homework help, special needs resources, language tools, reading help, educational games and activities sorted by grade.
  Technology Tips
Educational apps for students: iPod Touches and iPads are becoming the norm among our students, and can serve as wonderful educational tools. Internet4Classrooms has started an ongoing list of apps for both. Find free educational apps for both iPods and iPads that you can use in your classroom. Keep checking back. It's a work in progress.

Do you know all of the keyboard shortcuts for Windows? Learn how to do everything from saving and opening new windows, and changing fonts, to adding a web page to your Internet Explorer favorites. Keyboard shortcuts will save valuable time when working and planning your class lessons.

Take advantage of the Word Drawing Toolbar. Did you know you can do more than just type text into a Word document? There are ways to draw and insert shapes and text boxes into Word customized with colors, angles, borders and so on. Internet4Classrooms has the Drawing Toolbar broken down and easily explained all on one summary page.
  We Need Your Help
Please click here to fill out a short survey that will help us ensure that the advertising on our site is appropriate for our audience.
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Many thanks!
Internet4classrooms.com is a free educational portal for teachers, parents, homeschoolers and students. Visitors come from around the world to find Internet resources for their educational needs. One can find resources ranging from lesson plans to worksheets, individual grade level resources to templates, and even interactive learning games.  We were very honored when one teacher called the site a "Walmart for Teachers". If you cannot find what you need for instruction on any topic, please feel free to email us and we will help you find resources to fit your needs.
 
Sincerely,

Susan Brooks
Internet4classrooms.com