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Fall 2003
Seven Wonders of the World
A group of students were asked to list what they thought were the present Seven Wonders of the World. Though there was some disagreement, the following got the most votes:
1. Egypt's great pyramids
2. The Taj Mahal
3. Grand Canyon
4. Panama Canal
5. Empire State Building
6. Peter's Basilica
7. The Great Wall of China
While counting up the votes, the teacher noted that one quiet student hadn't turned in his paper yet, so she asked the child if he was having trouble with his list. The reply came, "Yes, a little. I can't quite make up my mind because there are so many." The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have and maybe we can help."
He hesitated, then read, "I think the Seven Wonders of the World are:
1. To touch
2. To taste
3. To see
4. To hear
5. To feel
6. To laugh
7. To love
The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Those things we overlook as simple and ordinary are truly wondrous -- a gentle reminder that the most precious things in life cannot be bought.
Source -- Unknown, quoted as is from Indiana University Southeast Office of Equity & Diversity
Multicultural Math
Ethnomathmatics, by Marcia Ascher
Africa Counts, Math Games & Activities from around the World, and The Multicultural Math Classroom, by Claudia Zaslavsky
African Fractals, by Ron English
-- from Terri Husted's award-winning "Homepage for New (And Not So New) Math Teachers" http://people.clarityconnect.com/webpages/terri/multiculturalideas.html
"We must learn to live together as brothers and sisters or perish together as fools."
-- Martin Luther King, Jr.
World Youth Peace Summit
In October 2004, youth leaders from around the world will gather in Nairobi, Kenya with honored spiritual, civic, arts, and sports leaders and also such guests as Nobel Laureates and international dignitaries in order to plan for the future of the world's youth. They will work to find ways to bring the world's youth leaders together to help in the building of peace, respect, understanding and harmony for each other and for the planet around them. They will look at the tough issues of terrorism, disease, environmental pollution, poverty, and many others and try to work together toward workable solutions. They will try to help young people have a say in their own future. And finally, they will approach world leaders with their issues and ideas and work for change. To keep track of the World Youth Peace Summit and their efforts, visit the website.
Culture for Kids
An excellent source for language and multicultural educational resources is the Culture for Kids catalog. The range of resource products available is very extensive and includes books about manners and etiquette from around the world, a whole section of Cinderella stories from many different cultures, resources for teaching American multicultural studies and cultures from around the world, very extensive resources for holidays and festivals, foods and cookbooks, adoptions, immigrant stories and histories, ethnic American cultures, extensive language studies resources, bilingual books in 30 different languages, social studies, math, literature, music, musical instruments, crafts, games, puppets, and dolls. WOW! You need to see for yourself all the truly excellent resources they have available. You can find them on the web at cultureforkids.com or call 1-800-888-9681 to request a catalog.
"WE DON'T USE THAT LANGUAGE ANYMORE."
The primary tool for preventing school violence, according to the Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence, is "training young people to speak up against put-downs" in order to disrupt "the pattern of thoughtless, habitual name-calling" that dehumanizes some students. The Student Leaders Project aims to "equip and inspire a core group of students to fight bias and prejudice in their school." Students defending one another's dignity in non-violent ways does two things: it lets the harassers know their behavior will not be tolerated, and it lets the targets know they are valued fellow students, not victims.
Partners Against Hate
Provides information and resources (including a free, downloadable peer leadership guide) to reduce juvenile hate-related behavior.
The Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence
P.O. Box 9300
Portland, ME 04104-9300
Kindness is Contagious
A program for K through middle-grade
301 E. Armour, #440
Kansas City, MO 64111
TESA, or "Teacher Expectation and Student Achievement"
Addresses the connection between teachers' expectations of students' abilities and the effect this has on communication and teaching. Teacher expectation can and does affect student attitude and achievement. TESA acts as a guide from the first day, when teachers are forming expectations of students. Teaching toward higher goals can raise performance levels, just as teaching toward lower expectations can significantly lower them. The site provides examples, and outlines a teaching method that bypasses social stereotypes or possible biased information and gives each student a stronger start and higher achievable goals. There is a wealth of usable information on this site. Go to Teacher Expectation and Student Achievement's website.
These newsletters are produced with funds from Community Unity and Harrison County Community Foundation
Seven Wonders of the World
A group of students were asked to list what they thought were the present Seven Wonders of the World. Though there was some disagreement, the following got the most votes:
1. Egypt's great pyramids
2. The Taj Mahal
3. Grand Canyon
4. Panama Canal
5. Empire State Building
6. Peter's Basilica
7. The Great Wall of China
While counting up the votes, the teacher noted that one quiet student hadn't turned in his paper yet, so she asked the child if he was having trouble with his list. The reply came, "Yes, a little. I can't quite make up my mind because there are so many." The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have and maybe we can help."
He hesitated, then read, "I think the Seven Wonders of the World are:
1. To touch
2. To taste
3. To see
4. To hear
5. To feel
6. To laugh
7. To love
The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Those things we overlook as simple and ordinary are truly wondrous -- a gentle reminder that the most precious things in life cannot be bought.
Source -- Unknown, quoted as is from Indiana University Southeast Office of Equity & Diversity
Multicultural Math
- Use recipes from other countries in your unit on fractions, ratio and proportion.
- Begin a collection of pictures of architecture and artifacts from other cultures and use it to enrich your lessons on symmetry.
- Use maps from different countries to teach about distance, scale drawings and proportion.
- When you teach algorithms, let your students know and show them that other cultures have different ways of dividing, different ways for finding the least common denominator, and different ways of representing numerals.
- Use the World Almanac as a resource for percent problems, graphs, and statistics.
- Use games from different cultures.
- Try to incorporate how other cultures view geometry and use mathematics in their everyday life.
- Include the history of math in your teaching and include mathematicians and scientists that are African American, Hispanic, or Native American.
- Don't forget to include women mathematicians and their contributions to mathematics.
- Look for guest speakers from different cultures that can serve as role models in your classroom.
- Continue to encourage everyone to pursue mathematics. It is not a field for the chosen few. Don't perpetuate the myth that you are only good in math if you are born with it. Respect and encourage EVERY child.
Ethnomathmatics, by Marcia Ascher
Africa Counts, Math Games & Activities from around the World, and The Multicultural Math Classroom, by Claudia Zaslavsky
African Fractals, by Ron English
-- from Terri Husted's award-winning "Homepage for New (And Not So New) Math Teachers" http://people.clarityconnect.com/webpages/terri/multiculturalideas.html
"We must learn to live together as brothers and sisters or perish together as fools."
-- Martin Luther King, Jr.
|
Hayden's Song
by Patricia Hemming
Hayden's Song is a story about a child who lives in a magical kingdom of great variety where many stories are told and songs are shared and all people are honored for their unique talents. One day a king in a neighboring kingdom becomes uneasy about all the music, laughter, and wild colors enjoyed by his neighbors and issues a royal decree to them for everyone to be the same and like the same things. The kingdom becomes a very quiet place, and people are very unhappy and afraid to speak up...until they hear Hayden's song. This is a sweet book with bright colors and a happy message for young listeners and readers through third grade. --book review by Lyn Humphries, CUERC |
World Youth Peace Summit
In October 2004, youth leaders from around the world will gather in Nairobi, Kenya with honored spiritual, civic, arts, and sports leaders and also such guests as Nobel Laureates and international dignitaries in order to plan for the future of the world's youth. They will work to find ways to bring the world's youth leaders together to help in the building of peace, respect, understanding and harmony for each other and for the planet around them. They will look at the tough issues of terrorism, disease, environmental pollution, poverty, and many others and try to work together toward workable solutions. They will try to help young people have a say in their own future. And finally, they will approach world leaders with their issues and ideas and work for change. To keep track of the World Youth Peace Summit and their efforts, visit the website.
Culture for Kids
An excellent source for language and multicultural educational resources is the Culture for Kids catalog. The range of resource products available is very extensive and includes books about manners and etiquette from around the world, a whole section of Cinderella stories from many different cultures, resources for teaching American multicultural studies and cultures from around the world, very extensive resources for holidays and festivals, foods and cookbooks, adoptions, immigrant stories and histories, ethnic American cultures, extensive language studies resources, bilingual books in 30 different languages, social studies, math, literature, music, musical instruments, crafts, games, puppets, and dolls. WOW! You need to see for yourself all the truly excellent resources they have available. You can find them on the web at cultureforkids.com or call 1-800-888-9681 to request a catalog.
"WE DON'T USE THAT LANGUAGE ANYMORE."
The primary tool for preventing school violence, according to the Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence, is "training young people to speak up against put-downs" in order to disrupt "the pattern of thoughtless, habitual name-calling" that dehumanizes some students. The Student Leaders Project aims to "equip and inspire a core group of students to fight bias and prejudice in their school." Students defending one another's dignity in non-violent ways does two things: it lets the harassers know their behavior will not be tolerated, and it lets the targets know they are valued fellow students, not victims.
Partners Against Hate
Provides information and resources (including a free, downloadable peer leadership guide) to reduce juvenile hate-related behavior.
The Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence
P.O. Box 9300
Portland, ME 04104-9300
Kindness is Contagious
A program for K through middle-grade
301 E. Armour, #440
Kansas City, MO 64111
TESA, or "Teacher Expectation and Student Achievement"
Addresses the connection between teachers' expectations of students' abilities and the effect this has on communication and teaching. Teacher expectation can and does affect student attitude and achievement. TESA acts as a guide from the first day, when teachers are forming expectations of students. Teaching toward higher goals can raise performance levels, just as teaching toward lower expectations can significantly lower them. The site provides examples, and outlines a teaching method that bypasses social stereotypes or possible biased information and gives each student a stronger start and higher achievable goals. There is a wealth of usable information on this site. Go to Teacher Expectation and Student Achievement's website.
These newsletters are produced with funds from Community Unity and Harrison County Community Foundation