FableFriends,
With longer days and warmer temps here in the Boston area, we are walking on air. Our "Cool Word of the Month" is a nod to our emerging spring! By the way, my twin brother Paul's birthday was March 16th. If you'd like to drop him a birthday wish - send it to paul@fablevision.com. :)
Hope these last few months of the 2009-2010 school year are creative and fun!
Onward,
(and the FableVision Learning team)
. . . . .
Peter H. Reynolds
Founder, FableVision Learning
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New Get A Clue® Poster - Burgeon!
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Adorn your classroom (and inspire your students to love words as much as we do!) with another brand new poster by Peter H. Reynolds! This month's spring-ish poster shares the derivation of the word "burgeon," one of over 1,000 words featured in Get A Clue, our innovative web-based vocabulary program.
Get A Clue inspires a passion for words and motivates students to learn vocabulary using the patented WATS™ ("Words And Their Stories") system. This unique approach engages students with the stories behind the words. Students are encouraged to use critical thinking skills and inductive reasoning to develop a thorough understanding of each word.
Use this poster to get your kids curious about words - where do they come from, and what do they mean?
To download the poster, click here.
Click here to learn more about Get A Clue or check out the free trial. If you would like a price quote, email us or call 888-240-3734.
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Coming Soon! Peter H. Reynolds Presents...
David Smith's Mapping the World by Heart™
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An Innovative Approach to Learning Geography!
If you placed a blank sheet in front of your students, could they draw a detailed map of the entire world? It may seem hard to believe, but after navigating the innovative Mapping the World by Heart curriculum, students have a comprehensive knowledge of geography that allows them to map the world entirely from memory!
"Before, when I heard the name of a country, I just thought of it as a name, and it didn't really matter to me. After you do a memory map, it's kinda neat because you can picture it in your mind, not only that country and what it's like there, but everything else around it. You have a map in your head wherever you go."
- Seventh Grader in Belmont, MA
This award-winning curriculum is the creation of David J. Smith, a teacher with over 25 years' experience in the middle school classroom. FableVision founder Peter H. Reynolds fell in love with David's breakthrough approach when he and the team at Tom Snyder Productions first published Mapping the World by Heart in 1992. At that time, Peter provided the charming illustrations for the teacher's guide, which remain with the product to this day. Recently, Peter and David connected and decided that FableVision Learning was the perfect new home for this innovative and creative geography curriculum. It is with great pleasure that FableVision Learning has added Mapping the World by Heart to its growing collection of tools for your creative classroom.
To find out more about Mapping the World by Heart, click here or call 888-240-3734.
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Hutch: A Kids' Literary and Art Magazine
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FableVision Learning is proud to support HUTCH, a magazine of kids' stories, poetry, and artwork. HUTCH is produced by The Blue Bunny Book and Toy Store in Dedham, MA - a part of the FableVision Family of Companies. In addition to kids' contributions, the semiannual publication will feature contributions, writing, and art tips by Peter H. Reynolds and other guest authors and illustrators.
If your students are interested in contributing to the next issue of HUTCH, the entry deadline for the Spring 2010 issue is quickly approaching: March 30, 2010. But don't worry if you miss the March deadline; entry deadline for the Fall 2010 issue is September 30, 2010! For submission guidelines or to order your own copy of HUTCH, click here.
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| City of Boston and FableVision Launch Live Wire Learning Community Project |
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On March 19, FableVision co-founders Peter H. Reynolds and Paul Reynolds join Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, Boston Public Schools (BPS) Superintendent Dr. Carol Johnson, and hundreds of students and teachers in Dorchester, MA to launch the all-new Boston Live Wire Learning Community initiative. Building on the Mayor's Community Learning Initiative, the Boston Live Wire Learning Community is an innovative, cross-sector approach to transform education by changing expectations of when and where students learn. This initiative unites schools, libraries, community centers, and families to improve academic achievement and promote creativity, literacy, and 21st century skills. Live Wire program partners include Boston Centers for Youth & Families and Boston Public Library.
The Dorchester neighborhood's classrooms, community center, and library will receive generous donations made possible in part by FableVision, Candlewick Press, and Wacom. Donations include a collection of New York Times best-selling author/illustrator Peter H. Reynolds' storybooks (The North Star, The Dot, Ish), FableVision Learning software (Animation-ish™, SmartMoves™, Stationery Studio®, BrainCogs®, and Essay Express™), Wacom drawing tablets, and professional development support from FableVision Learning and BPS.
Students will use the software to create media/publishing projects, which will then be showcased this summer and next fall in a series of "publishing parties."
To learn more about the Live Wire Learning Community Project, email Michele Norman, FableVision's Vice President of Education Strategy & Advocacy.
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New Grant Opportunities for Educators
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Did you miss the Grants Opportunities document last month? Don't worry! Here is another document with new grant opportunities collected by Lori Collins, our Director of Professional Development. There are so many grants out there to fund innovation in your classroom! These are just a few, so don't hesitate to explore on your own as well.
Click here to download the new document. (For best results, we recommend saving the PDF to your desktop and viewing it in Adobe Reader.)
Let us help you make the most of your district's technology dollars! Our staff can help you maximize the benefits of technology in the classroom. Our workshops can be customized to meet the needs of your school or district. To learn more about our Professional Development Series, click here, call 888-240-3734, or email Lori.
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View Our Catalog Online!
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 Did you get a chance to explore our 2010 catalog yet? The new catalog is available as a downloadable PDF! Get fired up about FableVision Learning's full spread of software programs, customizable professional development workshops, books, and films.
Click here to download the PDF. For best results, save to your desktop and view in Adobe Reader.
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Conferences & Events
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Read on to find out where the FableVision Learning Team will be in the upcoming months!
Boston Live Wire Community Launch
March 19, 2010 at 10:00 am
Dorchester, MA
Troxell Communications' Classroom 2.0 Seminars
FableVision Learning is co-sponsoring these intriguing and informative presentations! See cities and dates below, and click here to learn more or register.
March 21 -22, 2010
Edinburg, TX
Bologna Children's Book Fair
March 23 -27, 2010
Bologna, Italy One Hen Education Event: Introducing Microfinance and Global Issues into the ClassroomApril 8, 2010 from 7:00 - 8:30 pm The Blue Bunny Book and Toy Store 577 High Street, Dedham Square, MA The North Star Film Sneak Preview (Save the date!)April 11, 2010 at 8:30 pm Dedham Community Theater, Dedham, MA The North Star Children's Ramble April 25, 2010 at 8:45 am Endicott Estate, off of East Street in Dedham, MA
NETA 2010 (Nebraska Educational Technology Association)
April 29-30, 2010
Riverton, UT
ISTE 2010 Conference
June 27-30, 2010 Denver, CO
Constructing Modern Knowledge
July 12-15, 2010 Manchester, NH
For more details on conferences and events, click here.
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New Poster by Peter H. Reynolds -
Download for Free!
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For us here on the East Coast, March is the month where winter begins
to thaw and Mother Nature starts getting creative with her green thumb
again. We are so inspired by the coming spring and all the burgeoning
buds that Peter H. Reynolds has created a new poster to encourage you
to get creative too!
Click here to download the poster. For more classroom posters, visit the FableVision Learning website.
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Until next time. . .
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Keep
the creativity flowing and keep your batteries charged! Together we can
make a difference!
Peter and your friends at FableVision Learning
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