Double Your School Fundraiser By Making One Simple Change

Education in schools has taken on a broader meaning than I remember it. Today there are a variety of events and activities that students have available to them outside of the classroom that add to their education. These things usually cost money. With cuts in school budgets, principals and PTA / PTO organizations have to turn to fundraising in order to raise the money needed for them. Many consider fundraising to be sort of like the 3rd rail on a subway system. It can be looked at as something... Read more »

Working with English Language Learners in the Classroom

According to a national census in 2000, almost twenty percent of the population in America speaks a language other than English in the home. With this fact in mind, it shouldn’t be surprising that that there are a lot of children in school who may not speak or understand English very well. In fact, in some schools, one out of every four children is an English language learner. Unfortunately, this situation presents challenges for both students and teachers. For the teachers, English language... Read more »

Teaching Young Readers at School and at Home

Learning to read is a large and difficult task, but children can learn the skill quicker when properly guided by caring teachers and parents. There are several components of guided reading. It is usually taught in a small group of three to six students and the teacher provides an introduction to the material, reading strategies and assistance when the children need it. After everyone has read through the material, the teacher also tries to elicit a response from the students by asking questions about... Read more »

Geocaching Makes Walking Fun for Physical Education Classes

Walking is one of the best exercises for lifetime fitness. But let’s face it - plain old walking can be a boring proposition for students. As a result, the canny physical education teacher will find ways to make a walk more exciting. Thanks to modern technology, there is now a fun activity that combines satellite navigation, orienteering, computer skills, treasure hunting…and walking. It’s a super cross-curricular game that your students will love. Called “geocaching,”... Read more »

Software Technology Helping English-Language Learners

It’s a face of America that shows no slow down — new immigrants finding new lives in the states are bringing children who face the learning curve of both, getting through regular educational material, and learning a second language. And it’s not something that simply effecting big city metros either, immigrant populations are spreading throughout Middle America, into its small towns and local districts. This new swath of Americans creates a big obstacle for educators in the classroom... Read more »

Danger Areas in School Gymnasium and Sport Facilities

Safety is a concern to education administrators in today’s lawsuit-happy society. It should be of particular concern around a school gymnasium because the gym is an area that generates a large number of student injuries. Unfortunately, injuries are often the result of common but inconspicuous equipment and facility hazards. To identify some typical injury risks, I contacted Cliff Knuff, a consultant who performs school safety checks as part of his duties with The Vinyl Doctor out of Val Caron,... Read more »

Strategies for Starting School - Preparation, First Day of School and What to Expect

Several times this month, Fiona Brill and her five year old son have walked to the nearby Primary School. There they play on the monkey-bars, eat a picnic lunch and try out all the drinking taps to discover which ones work - and which ones spray water everywhere. Fiona points out the classroom Nicky will be in this year and the bench she will sit on, when it is time to collect him. In just a few weeks, Nicky will go to school for the first time. Fiona is already working to make the transition as... Read more »

How to Use Fitness Breaks to Keep Your Students Alert

There is not a teacher alive who has not stood in front of a classroom of drowsy students. There is no doubt that teaching effectiveness is much reduced when students can barely keep their eyes open. Fortunately, physical activity can be used to energize such classroom lulls. ENERGY BREAKS A short fitness break of three to four minutes can get the blood pumping again, relieve boredom, reduce tension and increase your students’ level of alertness. The result will be better learning by students... Read more »

How To Read Charts on The Grand Exchange

Newsflash: Runescape Introduces Charting One of the most exciting features post Grand-Exchange has got to be the new price and charting database. For the parents reading this article, Runescape is a multiplayer adventure game played by millions of children worldwide, with at least 100,000 online at any time of the day or night. A tiny part of that game is an automated item trading system started in January 2008, something like a hybrid of the stock market and Ebay. Runescape has recently introduced... Read more »

How Do I Become an Elementary School Art Teacher?

The role of any elementary school teacher is to help a child to develop both academically and socially in order that they may achieve their goals. Through you they will learn how to integrate and socialize with others as well as lay the foundation stones to help them succeed later on in life. But just how do I become an elementary school art teacher for example say? Here we will cover some of the basics of what you need to do to teach art to elementary age students. To begin with, you will definitely... Read more »