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July 2012

Undaunted Courage: Amelia Earhart

Submitted by Joann on Tue, 2012-07-24 18:48


It’s been 75 years since renowned pilot Amelia Earhart mysteriously disappeared over the Pacific Ocean, and her disappearance and ultimate fate continues to fascinate the public to this day. At this writing, an expedition to locate debris from Earhart’s plane is wrapping up near the island of Nikumaroro in the western Pacific. The expedition was prompted by new analysis of photographs of the area from 1937 that appear to show airplane landing gear partially submerged in the water.

Peggy's companion column: 
Summer Slide Busters Week Seven - A "Trashy" Summer
Resources mentioned in this post: 
Amelia Earhart and Transportation
The Flight of Amelia Earhart - Teacher's Guide
Amelia Earhart: Aviation Pioneer

Write On! Teaching the Writing Process

Submitted by Joann on Fri, 2012-07-20 16:48


The late Christopher Hitchens was famous for turning in pitch-perfect articles and columns that he’d dashed off in one fell swoop – no outlines, no preliminary drafts, no revisions. It irritated his fellow writers to no end, as they labored over each sentence while their publication deadlines loomed. Indeed, the overwhelming majority of us often have difficulty with writing at one time or another. Writing can be a messy business, and it often stymies novices and experienced authors alike.

Peggy's companion column: 
Summer Slide Busters Week Six - Keeping Enrichment Alive
Resources mentioned in this post: 
Writing Workshop: Helping Writers Choose and Focus on a Topic
Introduction to the Writing Process
Write Right!

It’s a Classic! Ancient Greece K-12 Resources

Submitted by Joann on Fri, 2012-07-13 08:27

The past is never dead. It’s not even past.
- William Faulkner

The above quotation by William Faulkner was trotted out one year by one of my high school history teachers. Someone in class had been muttering about the “uselessness” of learning ancient history, and Mr. Short’s head snapped around to stare at the offending student. Mr. Short then quoted Faulkner to the class, and asked us what we thought it meant.

Peggy's companion column: 
Summer Slide Busters Week Five - You Learn Something New Every Day
Resources mentioned in this post: 
The Greek Alphabet: More Familiar Than You Think!
The Influence of Religion in Ancient Greece
Coming of Age in Ancient Greece

Bears & Bulls: Learning About the Stock Market

Submitted by Joann on Fri, 2012-07-06 17:45


A few years ago, a second grade teacher told me how she stumbled onto teaching about the stock market to her students. It was pure serendipity, and prompted by a conversation that she overheard by group of students talking about a new guinea pig. The owner of the guinea pig had named it “NASDAQ,” and the other students wanted to know where the name had come from – what the heck kind of name was NASDAQ?

Peggy's companion column: 
Summer Slide Busters - Resource Round-Up
Resources mentioned in this post: 
Play the Market
Risky Business -- or Not!
The Stock Market