Education Newswatch February 2005

In Brief
Raptors in the City
How do you catch a glimpse of the fastest creature on earth? Go online! "Raptors in the City" is a real-time, inquiry-based science and technology program for grades 4-6 that stars the peregrine falcon.

One of the great success stories in the field of wildlife conservation, the peregrine has recovered from near extinction and was removed from the endangered species list in 1999. The online portion of "Raptors in the City" guides children through nesting season as they watch the still rare falcons live via cameras mounted on skyscrapers. The curriculum supports one semester of study, and the students learn environmental, biological and technological lessons, as well as research skills, all tied to national science and technology standards. Curriculum materials and books for falcon study are available at low cost.

Raptors season begins in this month. To subscribe to the free "Falcon Flash" e-newsletter, weekly bulletins and pictures from the program's study nestsite during nesting season, e-mail
raptors@optonline.net with "subscribe" written in the subject line.

For more information, visit www.raptorsinthecity.org

Bluegrass Film Released
The International Bluegrass Music Association released a new educational film called "Discover Bluegrass: Exploring American Roots Music," targeted at young audiences ages 8-13.

The film introduces young viewers to an original, joyful and uniquely American genre of acoustic roots music. Six instructional units, each roughly ten minutes in length, explore the history and evolution of bluegrass music, starting with its old-time music roots and continuing through contemporary styles.

Demonstrations include a look at the vocal harmony structure used in bluegrass music, along with information on the instruments used and their roles within a band.

Individual lesson plans for each unit, designed to address educational performance standards in a cross section of 30 states surveyed, may be downloaded and printed from the dvd format.

"Discover Bluegrass" is available for educational use only – in schools, associations, libraries, youth groups, bluegrass events, and with home-school families.

The DVD is available to educators and associations for $5 each (for one or two DVDs, and includes shipping and handling), or at $3 each plus actual shipping expenses for more than three DVDs. VHS copies are available at $6 each (for one or two videos, including postage and handling) or at $5 each plus actual shipping expenses.

To order, contact Nancy Cardwell at IBMA at 888-438-4262 or e-mail her at nancyc@ibma.org

Amazon Rainforest Scholarship
Educators have the opportunity to win a $1,000 scholarship to travel to the Amazon River and work with scientists in one of the most diverse environments in the world.

The Amazon Rainforest Workshop for Educators, scheduled July 5-14, 2005, is a professional development opportunity for teachers to experience a quarter-mile canopy walkway and visit the indigenous peoples who call the rainforest their home. Academic credit is available.

The final deadline for the scholarship is March 8, 2005. The scholarship covers half of the $1,998 cost. The application form can be found on the Environmental Expeditions website at www.travel2learn.com For more information on this and other programs, contact Dr. Frances Gatz at 800-669-6806 or via e-mail at fgatz@earthlink.net

2004 Aesop Awards
The Children's Folklore Section of the American Folklore Society announced the two winners of the 2004 Aesop Awards. The awards are given for books of folklore which accurately reflect culture, cite their sources and further a child's understanding of folklore.

• Ayat Jamilah: Beautiful Signs: A Treasury of Islamic Wisdom for Children and Parents by Sarah Conover and Freda Crane (Eastern Washington University Press, 2004, ISBN: 0-910-05594-7). A collection of 39 stories from Islamic traditions. Most of the stories are folktales, although some are from the Qur'an or the Hadith.
• The Magic Gourd, written and illustrated by Baba Wague´ Diakite´ (Scholastic, 2003, ISBN: 0-439-43960-4). Rewarded for his kindness with a magic gourd, a rabbit can feed his family and take care of their needs. Completing this attractive example of folklore, are several pages of cultural notes on the Mali storytelling experience and songs. For more information about the society go to www.afsnet.org

Free Books!
The Literacy Empowerment Foundation, a non-profit organization, invites your school or other literacy project to apply for free books for Read Across America Day on March 2, 2005.

During the past year, the foundation has distributed over 3,000,000 books to schools across the country for Read Across America Day and other literacy projects.

Resources are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Orders must be received by February 8, 2005. For more information, check out http://LEFbooks.org The foundation can also be reached at 717-791-6210 or 610-719-6448.

CreativeEnergy Challenge
The fourth annual Igniting Creative Energy Challenge is an educational competition designed to encourage students to learn more about energy and the environment.

Students are asked to submit entries that reflect the competition theme "Igniting Creative Energy," and demonstrate an understanding of what they can do to make a difference in their communities. Students may express their ideas on energy conservation and the environment in the form of science projects, essays, stories, artwork, photographs, music, video or website projects. The deadline is February 19, 2005.

Three winning students, one in each grade cluster and one teacher, will receive a trip to Hawaii April 26-30, 2005. For more information, go to www.ignitingcreativeenergy.com

2004 Ellison Exception Awards
The Ellison Company is seeking submissions for its eighth annual "Ellison Exceptional Awards" contest.

As submissions for the contest are gathered, the many inspiring entries provide real life examples of how the innovative tools of this family–owned business have enriched the education process.

Ellison wants to hear how educators uniquely use their equipment to better students and the community through educational or craft programs. The deadline is March 1, 2005 and the winners will be announced on May 1, 2005 and will be featured in Ellison's Fall Educator catalog. Winners will receive a $5,000 donation to their program.

Past winners of the award have demonstrated exceptional use of Ellison products with extraordinary results. For example, last year's winning project taught a group of Minnesota middle school students with learning difficulties how to gain independence by applying for a job, working, selling and managing their "pay." Students made cards, created using Ellison dies and machines and sold them. They celebrated their hard work by throwing a monthly reward party with their earnings.

Requirements are very broad and Ellison welcomes diverse submissions. Download a submission form at www.ellison.com or write to Cheryl Skeie at 25862 Commercentre Dr., Lake Forest, CA, 92630-8804 to request one.

Research Paper Released
Despite the logical notion that school libraries help foster student achievement, each year, most public schools have to battle to sustain their meek library budgets.

In an effort to take a more proactive role in demonstrating the impact of strong libraries on student achievement, Scholastic Library Publishing, has released a new research paper called "School Libraries Work!" The paper cites the work of several experts in the field and key research studies from several states over the past decade.

To get a copy of the research paper online, go to www.scholastic.com/librarypublishing.com