Working together to improve teaching and learning

May 2005 Issue 55

Time Warner Cable - Your Education Connection

The May issue of Time Warner Cable’s education newsletter is featuring Cable in the Classroom free educational resources for teachers, students, and parents that are available for you to videotape and download off the Internet for use in your classroom or at home.  Website links are provided for downloading lesson plans. 
For more information on CIC or questions about this newsletter, contact Kathy Johnson at kathy.Johnson@twcable.com.

TWC National Teacher Awards

The winners of the 2005 Time Warner Cable National Teacher Awards have been announced and include recipients from Maine to Hawaii.  Now in its 16th year, the program recognizes classroom projects that use the free resources Time Warner Cable provides to schools as tools to enhance the classroom learning experience. 
 
Twenty teachers and/or teacher teams were chosen from entries submitted from areas served by Time Warner Cable divisions around the country.  Winners will receive a $1,000 cash prize and a Crystal Apple sculpture, as well as an all-expenses paid trip to Washington D.C. for a gala Awards celebration.
http://www.timewarnercable.com/corporate/aboutus/ntawinners05.html

Articles about Engaging Community and School Leaders to Support Student Achievement

Families & Schools
How to support the involvement of families -- an effort that pays off for students, teachers, and communities.
Why should educators spend time and energy involving the parents and caregivers of their students? Because family involvement has been proven to improve student achievement. Because more students will go to college. Because the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) mandates it.

Partners in Community
When community groups forge partnerships with school districts in support of curriculum goals, everyone wins.
In the hilltop neighborhood of Tacoma, Wash., community ties were sadly missing from the middle-school experience. "Middle-school students didn't know what existed outside their own little world," says Kurt Miller, program director of Tacoma's TEACH initiative. 
 
Reach Out for Success
How to make schools more community-oriented -- and how that helps students.
Thousands of schools throughout the U.S. are taking part in an educational revolution -- one that is focused on connecting schools with the full range of educational stakeholders in their communities. By forging expanded and coordinated partnerships with child- and family-service agencies, community groups, businesses, universities, and parents, community schools are fostering new ideas about how, where, and when adults can best help students develop, think, and succeed...

Articles about The Cutting Edge of Science & Math

Interacting with Images
A picture is worth a thousand lectures: new technologies and teaching strategies make abstract math and science concepts more understandable.
It's not a typical math class that asks students to zip across the classroom, but on this day, the elementary-school students could see their motion animated on a computer within seconds. They converted the data into a graph constructed from the functions of position and time...

When Worlds Collide
Marilyn Fenichel takes a look at the powerful learning that results when formal and informal settings merge.
The students head for Mission Control as soon as they enter the space station. One group of students sits in front of computer consoles, communication headsets in place. A second group pores over data from a comet...

Educational Resource Guides
Download, print, and forward these subject-specific guides to educational video and online resources that can help you teach.

• Arts Beethoven, Mozart, opera, and more
• English/Language Arts Jazz-Age literature, Mark Twain, and more
• History World War II, ancient Egypt's leaders, and more
• Math Graphical data, triangles, stock charting, and more
• Languages Spanish- and French-language Web sites and more
• Preschool Online phonics game, music videos, and more
• Science/Health Modern medicine, the solar system, and more
• Social & Personal Development Closing cultural gaps, divorce, and more
• Social Studies Racial segregation, Spain, Social Security reform, and more 

Educational Resources for Teachers, Parents, and Students

A&E Classroom
Biography--F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Great American Dreamer
This program profiles the American writer whose lifestyle and works, such as The Great Gatsby, epitomized the excesses of his time.
Airs May 2 at 7:00am ET. A&E Network (1:00) 
http://www.aetv.com/class/admin/study_guide/archives/aetv_guide.0074.html

Biography--Beethoven: The Sound and the Fury
This program profiles the composer and features concert performances and interviews with experts.
Airs May 17 at 7:00am ET. A&E Network (1:00) 
http://www.aetv.com/class/admin/study_guide/archives/aetv_guide.0265.html

Biography--Harry S. Truman: A New View
This program profiles the Midwest farm boy and failed businessman who won one of the greatest political upsets of all time and brought WWII to a close.
Airs May 27 at 7:00am ET. A&E Network (1:00) 
http://www.aetv.com/class/admin/study_guide/archives/aetv_guide.0187.html

AOL @ School
News for Educators
Get the latest education headlines from:
 ■ CNN.com
 ■ eSchool News
 ■ Teacher Magazine
http://www.aolatschool.com/teachers/news/index.adp

Sign up for the new, improved free AOL@School software that will help you integrate the power of the Internet into the curriculum: http://www.aolatschool.com/order/index.adp

BET Classroom
The Naked Truth 3
In the third installment of this series, African American individuals and families discuss homophobia, the rising rates of HIV infection, how discrimination and disenfranchisement affect personal decision-making about sexual health, and the importance of social networks. Mature subject matter.
Airs May 1 and 29 at 3:00am ET. Black Entertainment Television (0:30) 
For lesson plan email vicki.johnson@bet.net.

CNN Classroom
CNN Student News
CNN Student News is a 10-minute, cost-and-commercial-free educational program airing Monday-Friday throughout the school year on CNN Headline News at 3:12am ET.  CNNStudentNews.com offers the full 10-minute CNN Student News program streamed on the Web.  A daily e-mail, the “Daily Education Alert,” allows educators to obtain free daily curriculum and features the day’s top story as well as the latest industry news from the education section of CNN.com.
http://cnnstudentnews.com
http://cnnstudentnews.cnn.com/fyi/retelecast/

C-SPAN Classroom
C-SPAN & Time Warner Cable--Students & Leaders: New York
Leaders from a variety of fields visit schools across New York City to discuss their careers, how they got where they are, the decisions they made along the way, and their advice for young people today.
The Web site includes an archive of streaming video footage from each visit.
http://www.studentsandleaders.org/newyork/index.asp

Court TV Classroom
Choices and Consequences: Working Together to Keep Our Communities Drug Free
On this program hundreds of Boston-area residents, including students, parents, educators, and elected officials, gather to discuss effective ways to communicate the risks of drug abuse.
Part 1 of 2 airs May 6 and 20 at 5:00am ET. Court TV (0:30) 
Part 2 of 2 airs May 13 and 27 at 5:00am ET. Court TV (0:30) 
http://www.courttv.com/choices/

DiscoverySchool
All-Star Fitness
This program explores the pressure on celebrities to be thin, the drastic measures they take to stay in shape, and the consequences of such unhealthy actions.
Airs May 2 at 5:00am ET. Discovery Channel (1:00)
http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/allstarfitness/

Prescribing Beauty
This program explores how beauty standards are programmed into the human brain and looks at the growing world of plastic surgery.
Airs May 3 at 5:00am ET. Discovery Channel (1:00)
http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/prescribingbeauty/

Eating for Your Future
This program explores the effects of nutrition and lifestyle choices and the need for dietary balance, variety, and moderation.
Airs May 4 at 5:00am ET. Discovery Channel (1:00)
http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/eatingforfuture/

Recovering from Bad Eating
This program looks at the growing trend of obesity and digestive disorders in America, including a profile of a man who decides to undergo gastric-bypass surgery.
Airs May 5 at 5:00am ET. Discovery Channel (1:00)
http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/recoveringbadeating/

High Performance
This program explores the physical, mental, and social benefits and drawbacks of student involvement in athletics.
Airs May 6 at 5:00am ET. Discovery Health Channel (0:30) 
http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/highperformance/

Overcoming Eating Disorders
This program compares the lives of two people struggling with nutritional health, one suffering from obesity and one from anorexia.
Airs May 6 at 5:00am ET. Discovery Channel (1:00)
http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/overcomingdisorders/

Troubled Leadership
This program looks at new clues about King Tut's death and examines the controversial decisions that drove Ottoman Empire ruler Suleiman into seclusion.
Airs May 10 at 5:00am ET. Discovery Channel (1:00)
http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/troubledleadership/

Freedom Fighters
This program explores the struggle against racial segregation by examining Nelson Mandela's path from demonstrator to political prisoner to international statesman as well as the current state of U.S. race relations.
Airs May 11 at 5:00am ET. Discovery Channel (1:00)
http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/freedomfighters/

Puzzlemaker: Math Square
Using this Discovery Channel online teaching tool, educators can create customized math squares for students that vary in size and calculation method, with printed directions for students included. Math squares can be printed directly or saved for future use.
http://puzzlemaker.school.discovery.com/MathSquareForm.html

Allergies and Asthma Center
Discovery Health Channel Web site offers allergy and asthma quizzes, an index of various common allergies, background on allergies and their causes, information about coping with allergies and their symptoms.
http://health.discovery.com/centers/allergyasthma/allergyasthma.html

Disney Classroom
Buffalo Dreams
This 2005 film tells the story of Josh Townsend, who tries to acclimate to his new life in New Mexico by working with a Navajo teenager herding buffalo.
Airs May 3 at 3:00am ET. Disney Channel (1:30)
http://psc.disney.go.com/disneychannel/cableintheclassroom/index.html
http://psc.disney.go.com/disneychannel/buffalodreams/index.html

Surf Swell Island: Adventures in Internet Safety
This Disney Channel Web site offers interactive adventures and materials for children that promote Internet safety and includes a glossary, a parent's guide, a teacher's guide, and safety information.
http://disney.go.com/surfswell/index.html

ESPN Sports Figures
Running on Metrics/The Elastic Racquet
Track athlete Marion Jones discusses the differences between the metric and U.S. measurement systems; tennis player Chanda Rubin explores elastic energy.
Airs May 2 at 4:30am ET. ESPN2 (0:30) 
http://sportsfigures.espn.com/sportsfigures/lp_running_metrics.jsp?iAm=null
http://sportsfigures.espn.com/sportsfigures/lp_elastic_racket.jsp?iAm=null

Ice Ain't Easy/Breaking Energy
Figure skater Sasha Cohen explains heating curves, heat of fusion, and calorimetry; Tiger Schulmann uses karate to demonstrate kinetic energy, stress, and work.
Airs May 9 at 4:30am ET. ESPN2 (0:30) 
http://sportsfigures.espn.com/sportsfigures/lp_ice_easy.jsp?iAm=null
http://sportsfigures.espn.com/sportsfigures/lp_energy.jsp?iAm=null

Scale Basketball/Terminal Velocity
Basketball pro Vince Carter calculates ratios and units; street luger Darren Lott increases his speed using physics principles.
Airs May 16 at 4:30am ET. ESPN2 (0:30) 
http://sportsfigures.espn.com/sportsfigures/lp_scale_basketball.jsp?iAm=null
http://sportsfigures.espn.com/sportsfigures/lp_terminal_velocity.jsp?iAm=null

Track's Slippery Slope/Inline Inertia
Track athlete Marion Jones shows how graphical data relates to numerical relationships; X Games champion Jenny Curry uses physics to calculate drag time.
Airs May 23 at 4:30am ET. ESPN2 (0:30) 
http://sportsfigures.espn.com/sportsfigures/lp_slippery_slope.jsp?iAm=null
http://sportsfigures.espn.com/sportsfigures/lp_inline_inertia.jsp?iAm=null

Crashing Impulse/The Drag of Drag
Dave Mirra demonstrates impulse, collision, and momentum through extreme sports; Olympic swimmer Janet Evans illustrates motion, drag time, and pressure.
Airs May 30 at 4:30am ET. ESPN2 (0:30) 
http://sportsfigures.espn.com/sportsfigures/lp_drag_drag.jsp?iAm=null

Food TV Classroom
Cooks with Your Kids: Recipe for Success
This program explores child-friendly businesses, such as a coffee shop with play areas and cooking classes for kids.
Airs May 14 at 4:30am ET. Food Network (0:30) 
To request free videos and teacher’s materials, please contact Judy Green. Jgreen@scrippsnetworks.com

Cooks with Your Kids: Deep Space Slime
Host Alton Brown, working as a consultant on a sci-fi movie set, creates spooky, yet tasty, gelatin molds.
Airs May 28 at 4:30am ET. Food Network (0:30) 
To request free videos and teacher’s materials, please contact Judy Green. Jgreen@scrippsnetworks.com

HGTV TV Classroom
Restore America 2005
HGTV, in conjunction with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, visits 12 restoration sites across the country.
Airs May 2 at 5:00am ET. Home and Garden Television (0:30) 
To request free videos and teacher’s materials, please contact Judy Green. Jgreen@scrippsnetworks.com

Generation Renovation
This program profiles homeowners who revitalize once-neglected structures into personalized residences.
Airs May 16 at 5:00am ET. Home and Garden Television (0:30) 
To request free videos and teacher’s materials, please contact Judy Green. Jgreen@scrippsnetworks.com

History Classroom
History of Memorial Day
This History Channel Web site explores how this holiday came to be with a section on its history, streaming video clips of veterans speaking about their war-time experiences, a veterans' forum, a chronological list of America's wars, and more.
http://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/memorial/memorial.html

Time Machine: Cinco de Mayo
This program tells the story of the 1862 battle in Puebla, Mexico, between the French army and an ill-equipped Mexican army.
Airs May 5 at 6:00am ET. History Channel (1:00) 
http://www.historychannel.com/classroom/guides/
http://www.historychannel.com/classroom/admin/study_guide/archives/thc_guide.2847.html
Spanish Version

Ancient Mysteries: The Puzzling Pyramids of Mexico
This program explores the ancient city of Teotihuacán, which supported a culture that valued social equality yet practiced human sacrifice.
Airs May 6 at 6:00am ET. History Channel (1:00) 
http://www.historychannel.com/classroom/admin/study_guide/archives/thc_guide.2792.html
http://www.historychannel.com/classroom/admin/study_guide/archives/thc_guide.2267.html
Spanish version

Time Machine--American Eats: History On A Bun
This two-part program explores the origins of typical American foods, from burgers to chocolate chip cookies.
Part 1 of 2 airs May 16 at 6:00am ET. History Channel (1:00) 
Part 2 of 2 airs May 17 at 6:00am ET. History Channel (1:00) 
http://www.historychannel.com/classroom/admin/study_guide/archives/thc_guide.0628.html\

Time Machine--Sell & Spin: A History of Advertising
This two-part program traces manufactuers' and sellers' attempts to entice the public to buy their products throughout history.
Part 1 of 2 airs May 18 at 6:00am ET. History Channel (1:00) 
Part 2 of 2 airs May 19 at 6:00am ET. History Channel (1:00) 
http://www.historychannel.com/classroom/admin/study_guide/archives/thc_guide.0574.html

Mavericks, Miracles & Medicine: The Heart
This series examines the first studies of human anatomy through dissection, heart catheterization, surgery under anesthesia, the heart-lung machine, and more. 
Part 1 of 4 airs May 23 at 6:00am ET. History Channel (1:00) 
Part 2 of 4 airs May 24 at 6:00am ET. History Channel (1:00) 
Part 3 of 4 airs May 25 at 6:00am ET. History Channel (1:00) 
Part 4 of 4 airs May 26 at 6:00am ET. History Channel (1:00) 
http://www.historychannel.com/classroom/admin/study_guide/archives/thc_guide.2347.html
http://www.historychannel.com/medicine/mavs_show.html

Empires of Industry--Textiles: Birth of an American Industry
This program looks at the earliest U.S. industry, which helped the nation declare economic independence from England and is now threatened by foreign competition.
Airs May 30 at 6:00am ET. History Channel (1:00) 
http://www.historychannel.com/classroom/admin/study_guide/archives/thc_guide.0230.html

Languages
N-TV.de
Students studying German can read current events and news stories on this German-language version of CNN's Web site.
http://www.n-tv.de/

CNN Japan
The Japanese-language version of CNN.com allows students to test their Japanese comprehension skills by reading current events stories. Please note your Web browser must have Japanese character sets enabled.
http://www.cnn.co.jp/

Videogaleria de los Tips de Lucy
Galavision Web site offers video clips of television personality Lucy Pereda's gardening tips in Spanish.
http://www.univision.com/content/content.jhtml;jsessionid=4FQIJHYNRRSKACWIAAOCFEYKZAABWIWC?cid=214284

Art Attack de Disney
This Disney Channel Spanish-language Web site offers ideas for arts-and-crafts projects, pictures drawn by other students, and a Caja de Colores (Box of Colors) interactive page where students can draw, color, or paint on preset backgrounds.
http://disneylatino.com/DisneyChannel/Programas/show_45_Art-Attack-de-Disney/sitio/index.html

Disney.it: 100 Anni di Magia
This Disney Channel Italian-language Web site offers a timeline of Disney history over the past 100 years. Students can test their Italian vocabulary and comprehension skills while learning more about their favorite Disney characters' history.
http://www.disney.it/DisneyOnline/100anni/

ESPN Básquet
Students learning Spanish can bolster their vocabulary and comprehension skills while playing this interactive basketball game. Students can put a team together of five players and a coach while staying under the salary cap to compete for prizes.
http://games.espn.go.com/fastbreak/deportes/frontpage

Lifetime Classroom
Intimate Portrait: Marlo Thomas
This program profiles the life and career of the actress, producer, and social activist who became a feminist icon in the 1960s.
Airs May 4 at 4:00am ET. Lifetime (1:00) 
http://www.lifetimetv.com/shows/ip/portraits/0013/0013_index.html

Intimate Portrait: Peggy Fleming
This program profiles the visionary figure skater who became the only U.S. athlete to bring home a gold medal in the 1968 Olympics.
Airs May 11 at 4:00am ET. Lifetime (1:00) 
http://www.lifetimetv.com/shows/ip/portraits/0317/0317_index.html

Nick News
Never Again? From the Holocaust to the Sudan
Linda Ellerbee looks at the history and meaning of the Holocaust and the genocide that is happening in the Sudan.
Airs May 2, 11 and 20 at 6:00am ET. Nickelodeon (0:30) 
http://www.nickjr.com/teachers/lesson_plans/holocaust_sudan_plan.jhtml

A World of Difference
This program encourages students to coach or volunteer for the Special Olympics and discusses the importance of sports training and competition for everyone.
Airs May 4 and 23 at 6:00am ET. Nickelodeon (0:30) 
http://www.nickjr.com/teachers/lesson_plans/a_world_of_difference.jhtml?_template=teachers

Divorce: Caught in the Middle
Linda Ellerbee addresses basic questions that kids have about divorce as they discuss their feelings and cope with their parents' separation.
Airs May 9, 18 and 27 at 6:00am ET. Nickelodeon (0:30) 
http://www.nickjr.com/teachers/lesson_plans/divorce_happens.jhtml?_template=teachers

TLC Elementary School
The Story of the Solar System
This program explores the formation of the solar system, the characteristics of a planet, and the celestial bodies that enter Earth's atmosphere.
Airs May 6 at 6:00am ET. The Learning Channel (0:30) 
http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/storysolarsystem/

Exploring Stars
This program examines the forces that power the Sun, follows the life cycle of a star, and looks at telescopes that photograph objects light-years away from Earth.
Airs May 13 at 6:00am ET. The Learning Channel (0:30) 
http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/exploringstars/

Introduction to Physical Science
This program explains water's different states and how it changes from ice to water to steam; illustrates what happens when heat changes water from one state to another; describes the spectrum of light waves; and introduces the concepts of gravity, force, inertia, and motion.
Airs May 20 at 6:00am ET. The Learning Channel (0:30) 
http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/introphyssci/

Protecting Our Planet
This program explores erosion, minimizing humankind's effect on the Earth, protecting the wildlife of the Galapagos Islands, and the ecosystem of rainforests.
Airs May 27 at 6:00am ET. The Learning Channel (0:30) 
http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/protectingplanet/

The Weather Classroom
Forecast Earth: High Tide
This program explores the ocean's tide patterns and how NOAA has been monitoring tides for the past 150 years.
Airs May 5 at 4:00am ET. The Weather Channel (0:30) 
http://www.weatherclassroom.com/index.php

Elementary Weather
This program explores basic weather concepts through field trips and interviews with experts.
Airs May 9 and 11 at 4:00am ET. The Weather Channel (0:30) 
http://www.weatherclassroom.com/index.php

The Atmosphere
This program explores trade winds, warm and cold fronts, jet streams, and the seasons.
Airs May 23 and 26 at 4:00am ET. The Weather Channel (0:30) 
http://www.weatherclassroom.com/index.php

Contests and Educational Opportunities

Celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, May 1-7, 2005

Each May, Teacher Appreciation Week offers the opportunity for citizens to reaffirm their commitment to parent-teacher partnerships. Not only are teachers the backbone of our nation’s education system, they are a guiding force in helping our children develop into healthy, happy, and successful adults.
http://www.pta.org/parentinvolvement/teacher/index.asp

Education: It Takes a Community

If it takes a village to raise a child, it also takes a community to educate one. We recognize the kinds of leadership that improve education, wherever it occurs in the community. Winners will be announced in mid-May.  Learn about the finalists in Cable's Leaders in Learning Awards at www.leadersinlearningawards.org.

Education and Youth

The Time Warner Foundation supports technology-related projects in four major areas of priority: Equipping Kids for the 21st Century, Extending Internet Benefits to All, Engaging Communities in the Arts, and Empowering Citizens and Civic Participation. Rather than simply providing grant monies, the foundation prefers to enter into sustainable, strategic partnerships with organizations that have demonstrated a commitment to pioneering innovative ways of meeting these priorities. Proposals are reviewed throughout the year, and the foundation responds to requests within 8 to 12 weeks.
http://www.timewarner.com/corp/citizenship/education/index.html

Sign up for Media Smart: Your Family Guide E-Mail Newsletter

Sign up for Media Smart: Your Family Guide to Using Screen Time Well, a free, monthly e-mail newsletter from Cable in the Classroom and the National PTA.  Each issue includes tips for parents and caregivers and recommendations of family-friendly TV shows and Web sites. 
http://www.ciconline.org/Resources/MoreResources/toolsforparents/default.htm

Time for Kids  

Timeforkids.com, the online version of Time for Kids magazine, is the news, information, and exploration destination for kids on the Internet.  The site lets kids create, learn, get involved, explore, play, guess right, guess wrong, exercise their clicking fingers, and generally become news know-it-alls!
http://www.timeforkids.com; AOL Keyword: TFK