Departments : Education Newswatch :
Education Newswatch March 2004
News and Grants for Teaching Professionals
In Brief
Celebrate National Poetry Month
Next month is National Poetry Month and Young People's Poetry Week is April 12-18. Celebrate these wonderful events with a free classroom kit from Harcourt Children's Books! Appropriate for grades 1-3, the kit features a full-color poster with a poem from the new book Hummingbird Nest: A Journal of Poems by Kristine O'Connell George. Also included in this kit are ideas for using poetry in the classroom, a listing of poetry titles for children and a set of 25 bookmarks with art and poems from Douglas Florian's Mammalabilia, new in paperback this spring. To receive your free kit, send a self-addressed mailing label to: 2004 Classroom Poetry Kit, Teaching K-8 Offer, Harcourt Children's Books, 525 B St., Ste. 1900, San Diego, CA 92101. Allow three to five weeks for delivery. This offer is good while supplies last.
Keats Foundation Celebrates 40th Anniversary of Whistle for Willie
The Ezra Jack Keats Foundation has just announced that, in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the publication of Whistle for Willie, $40,000 will be awarded to public libraries and public school libraries for innovative and imaginative programs designed to combat illiteracy. This will be the Sixteenth Annual Minigrant Program sponsored and administered by the Keats Foundation. The deadline for submission for proposals for the $350 Minigrant award is September 15, 2004.
"Since we began the Minigrant Program we have awarded almost $400,000 to libraries and schools in every state of the union and U.S. territories," said Deborah Pope, Executive Director of the Foundation. "Programs have ranged from writing books and storytelling festivals to making patchwork quilts. Some children have developed friendships with pen pals in different schools and with children of different ethnic backgrounds." Applications for proposals may be downloaded from the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation website: www.ezra-jack-keats.org
NCSS Calling for Nominations of Outstanding Teachers
The National Council for the Social Studies is calling for nominations and/or applications for the outstanding performance of teachers, researchers and other worthy individuals and programs. NCSS encourages unique and innovative social studies education projects through its award and grant programs.
All grant and award winners receive a commemorative gift, recognition at the NCSS annual conference, an opportunity to present their work at the annual conference and publicity. Several awards also include cash grants. For a complete listing and description of our recognition programs, visit our website www.socialstudies.org/awards To request hard copies of guidelines contact Information Services at 800-296-7840, ext. 106.
Grants
C-Span Teacher Fellowships
C-SPAN and the cable industry offer fellowships to teachers who have demonstrated creative use of C-SPAN programming as a resource in the classroom.
Deadline March 17. A local cable operator must sign applications.
Funds Fellows will receive a $3,000 stipend, a round-trip plane ticket and a $2,000 housing allowance to spend a four-week session at C-SPAN in Washington, DC. Fellows will travel during the summer to work with education programming staff on new lesson plans and programming ideas.
Eligibility Full-time public and private school teachers of middle and high school students. Applicants must be a member of C-SPAN in the Classroom, a free membership service for educators.
Contact C-SPAN, 2004 Teacher Fellowship Program, 400 N. Capitol St. NW, Ste. 650, Washington, DC 20001; 800-523-7586; e-mail: educate@c-span.org; www.c-span.org/classroom/fellowship.asp
Captain Planet Foundation
The mission of the Captain Planet Foundation is to fund and support hands-on environmental projects for children. Our objective is to encourage innovative programs that empower children around the world to work individually and collectively to solve environmental problems in their neighborhoods and communities.
Deadline March 31, June 30, September 30 and December 31
Eligibility All applicant organizations must be exempt from federal taxation under the Internal Revenue Code Section 501. CPF will only review proposals that are submitted using our online application form which is located under the heading, "Application Process."
Areas Projects must promote understanding of environmental issues, focus on hands-on involvement, help develop problem-solving skills and include adult supervision. The range of grants awarded is generally $250-$500.
Contact www.captainplanetfdn.org
