Edward Cullen Died From the Flu, 7-12

Twilight fans know about the famous vampire. Do they know the back story? Do you suppose Edward was toe-tagged before his death like thousands of others? What caused the 1918 flu pandemic? What’s the connection to WWI? What was it like to live through it? How did medical needs and the war effort clash? American History in Video has a fascinating video called Influenza 1918 that includes primary source information and survivor interviews. You can:
• view the video full-screen
• view the video half-screen and read the written transcript on the side
• keyword search in the transcript to go directly to the exact video frame
• print the transcript and use as a dramatic reading
• embed the URL in a wiki or class homepage
• create a playlist

Use the online database username/password assigned to your school.
http://ahiv.alexanderstreet.com/View/654043

BP Oil Spill, 7-12

http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/oilspill
Want to link science, social studies or political science content to the Deepwater Horizon (BP) oil spill? Check out the collection of free resources gathered by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). There are teaching suggestions for different grade levels, videos of the gulf coast ecosystem, an interactive map showing the spread of the spill, and links to online lessons on everything from how ecosystems naturally purify water (including a virtual tour of an “urban river”) to role-plays on the tradeoffs between development and preservation of the environment. There is also a collection of news articles on the science of the oil spill.
Remember the additional online resources provided by Heartland for teachers and students at home and at school. There are resources on the BP Oil Spill in each of these databases: EBSCO, Discovery Education Streaming, SIRS Researcher, World Book. Go to Com Cat at http://comcat-agent.auto-graphics.com to search all these databases at the same time.

You Can’t Argue With the Numbers, 7-12

http://numbrary.com/
Numbrary® is a free online service dedicated to finding, using, and sharing numbers. It includes economic indicators about inflation, employment, wages, manufacturing, etc. This site has a good set of links to statistics of all kinds, including material from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, The World Factbook, and more. Find data on topics such as global warming, inflation, employment, corporate debt, and many other current issues. While you can't argue with the numbers, your students can certainly use them to argue.

American History, 5-8

http://www.mission-us.org/
Mission US is an innovative multimedia project that features free online interactive games covering events in U.S. history, and related web resources to support game play and classroom teaching. Students are invited to be "players" during pivotal eras in the country’s past. Brought to you by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Hollywood Film Clips for Character Education, K-12

http://www.learn360.com
124 video clips are available online at Learn360. You can embed a hyperlink in a wiki or class homepage. Students will be prompted for the online database username/password assigned to your school to view the video clip.

A Christmas Story
A Walk to Remember
Adams Family
Akeelah & the Bee
Ant Bully
Antwone Fisher
Antz
Apollo 13
Babe
Back to the Future
Batman Begins
Bend it Like Beckham
Big Fat Liar
Billy Madison
Born on the Fourth of July
Boundin'
Bridge to Terabithia
Bringing Down the House
Chariots of Fire
Charlotte's Web
Cheaper by the Dozen
Coach Carter
Cool Runnings
Dead Poets Society
Drumline
Eight Men Out
Fellowship of the Ring
Finding Nemo
Forrest Gump
Glory
Great Outdoors
Hoot
Ice Age
Incredibles
Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade
Into the Arms of Strangers
It's a Wonderful Life
Jimmy Neutron
Kicking & Screaming
Legend of Bagger Vance
Liar Liar
Mean Girls
Mighty Ducks
Monsters, Inc.
Napoleon Dynamite
Parenthood
Pay it Forward
Remember the Titans
Return of the King
Rookie
Sandlot
Saving Private Ryan
School of Rock
Seabiscuit
Secret Life of Zoey
Shrek
Skyhigh
Spirit of America
Star Trek: First Contact
Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country
Star Trek: The Voyage Home
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
Teen Wolf
Truman Show
War
War Games
Wizard of Oz
World Trade Center
X-Men

Deployment, K-12

Here are just a few resources to help students:
Operation Military Kids Backpacks
These bookbags contain activities books to foster resiliency in Iowa students who have a loved one deployed or in the military. The books and activities will help students cope with separation issues, develop problem-solving skills, learn about other cultures and geographical regions, and build pride for their military family members. Reserve online or call reservations:
Grades Prek-K #255986
Grades 1-4 #255984
Grades 5-8 #255985
Grades 9-12 #255986

Talk, Listen, Connect: Helping Families During Military Deployments
This DVD will help young children and families understand that they are not alone as they experience separation. Features Sesame Street Characters. DVD #255979

Mr Poe and Friends Discuss Family Reunion After Deployment

This DVD helps families deal with deployment separation stress. It was written and performed by children and their parents who have experienced deployment and present common family scenarios. The DVD includes a 30 minute video, facilitator's guide with suggested discussion questions, and informational handouts. For ages 6-11. DVD #255980

Military Youth Coping with Separation: When Family Members Deploy

This DVD will help adolescents understand that they are not alone as they experience family separation. It provides tools for students to begin to understand and cope with their feelings and emotions related to military deployment. DVD #255981

Children’s/Young Adult Books
Heartland has some excellent fiction and nonfiction books and picture books that may help students understand different cultures. Examples:
Silent Music: A Story of Baghdad
Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine, and a Miracle
Midnight Tales: A Woman’s Journey Through the Middle East
The Librarian of Basra: A True Story From Iraq
The Golden Sandal: A Middle Eastern Cinderella
Count on Us: American Women in the Military
Children of War: Voices of Iraqi Refugees
Alia’s Mission: Saving the Books of Iraq (graphic novel)
14 Cows for America
Count Your Way Through Afghanistan
Life Under the Taliban
Listen to the Wind: The Story of Dr. Greg and Three Cups of Tea
Nasreen’s Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan
Parvana’s Journey
The Roses in My Carpets
Under the Persimmon Tree
Welcome Afghanistan
The Breadwinner
My Name Was Hussein
The White Nights of Ramadan
The Best Eid Ever
Coming to America: A Muslim Family’s Story

Early Childhood Reading Support, PreK-3

http://www.worldbookonline.com
Early World of Learning is a new database from World Book Online. Log in with the online database username/password assigned to your school. Students can also use Early World at home. If you advertise to parents, be sure to protect the username/password—don’t post on the Internet, or include in a school newsletter (print or electronic) that might be circulated to the community at large. The basic content (and, many stories are in Spanish):
favorite children’s stories read aloud
download the audio story
interactive games and activities
fun facts
numbers, size, sequencing, shapes, time, opposites
colors
place

Teachers and parents will find value in finding just the right story or activity for those special events: riding a bus, reading a map, going to the doctor, seasons, feelings, sharing, loosing a tooth, bike safety, show and tell, birthdays, pets, family, moving, etc.

Educator features:
the read-aloud book has a Lexile scale
download a little foldable book
links to standards
Spanish language text and reading

Click here for a teacher and parent handout.

KU Writing Center, 9-12

http://www.writing.ku.edu/
This University of Kansas site offers writing support for students in the form of writing guides. Although it is designed for KU students, secondary students and teachers will find many useful resources. Writing is an important skill that requires practice and support while learning. The Students section offers many resources, including guides created by the writing professionals at KU’s Writing Center, that cover such topics as academic essays, grammar and usage, and avoiding plagiarism. Students can also view writing samples in the gallery or use the assignment planner to put the writing process in a timeline for completing a research paper on time. Teachers wanting to incorporate more writing into their curriculum can find resources and information on a wide variety of topics.

Webinars for Using Google Apps, K-12

http://groups.google.com/group/IA-Teach-GApps-UserGroup
Join this user group for support, tips, Q/A, and free training on using 2.0 applications in your classroom. You don’t have to have Google e-mail to use these apps or to participate in the group. Free 1-hour webinars begin at 3:30. All live webinars will be accessible at http://iowaec.na4.acrobat.com/googleapps and do not require a pre-registration.
October 21 - Using Google Docs
November 11 - Using Gmail
December 16 - Using Google Groups

Twitter—Why and How?

http://chronicle.com/blogPost/How-to-Start-Tweeting-and-Why/26065/
This article from The Chronicle of Higher Education discusses how Twitter is more than following celebrities—you can actually use it for instruction and for your own professional development. It also explains how to get started.

Twitter—Professional Development

http://www.uwstout.edu/static/profdev/blog/twitter_favorites.html
The University of Wisconsin-Stout has listed some national educators and innovators that you might want to follow. Remember, you don’t have to send a Tweet, you can just follow. Examples: collaborative learning, online learning, digital storytelling, instructional design, Web 2.0, etc.

Twitter--Rubric

http://www.uwstout.edu/static/profdev/rubrics/Twitter_Rubric.html
This rubric may be used for assessing use of Twitter for instruction. It addresses content, frequency, hyperlinks, mechanics, comments and contributions.

Twitter—Professional Learning Network

http://www.districtadministration.com/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=2547
This article in District Administration talks about the importance of following vetted educators and participating in a national/international PLN. Includes hyperlinks to education experts.

Twitter—Search

http://search.twitter.com/
Enter a name, organization, or topic. It’s not updated in real time, but lets you know when there’s a new tweet that matches your interests.

Twitter—Directory

http://justtweetit.com/
Browse the listings of the education directory to find other Twitter users that share your interests or add your own listing. Click the hyperlink to view some recent tweets before you add them.

Learn How to Use Web 2.0 Tools, K-12

http://www.classroom20.com/
To learn about Web 2.0 programs and resources, visit Classroom 2.0. Sign up and access all resources and support free from other teachers. This site is especially for those teachers who are beginners in using Web 2.0 resources. Links to just about every educational resource are provided. The site also hosts free workshops and a weekly Saturday webinar where teachers can listen to, read about, and learn about all the programs.

EBSCO Mobile, K-12

We’ve had requests to re-post the instructions for adding the EBSCO Mobile icon to your smart phone or iTouch. The app works with Android, Blackberry, DellAxim, iPhone, Palm750.
1. On your device, go to http://search.ebscohost.mobi/
2. Click the + button on your browser toolbar at the bottom of the screen.
3. On the options menu, select Add to Home Screen.
4. Type in a name for your icon and click Add.

Lesson Plans on the WWW, K-12

http://www.thegateway.org/
The Gateway to Educational Materials (GEM) is a one-stop source for high-quality Internet lesson plans, curriculum units, and other educational resources. It currently contains over 24,000 education resources. This extensive collection is categorized by subject area and grade level, and is keyword searchable. Each collection is reviewed and must meet certain standards to be included in the Gateway. Search results provide a comprehensive list of annotated links. Each record provides a "more info" option that provides the complete GEM review and gives a short description of the resource, including author, title, and location.

FREE Lesson Plans on the Internet, K-12

http://free.ed.gov
Federal Resources for Educational Excellence (FREE) is among the most popular K-12 web sites maintained by the U.S. Department of Education because it makes it easy to find teaching and learning resources from the federal government. These resources are made available by 60-plus government agencies, from the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission to the U.S. Mint. The materials include animations, primary documents, photos, and videos. A detailed subject map allows searching by curriculum area, such as language arts, math, and U.S. history. Access is also provided through an alphabetical listing of specific topics.

Nova, 7-12

Here are 28 of the newer titles available for checkout from Heartland on DVD.

Alien From Earth: The Little People of Flores #809495
America and the Holocaust #809368
Ancient Refuge in the Holy Land #809371
Arctic Dinosaurs: Warm-Blooded Creatures of the Cretaceous? #809490
Battle Plan Under Fire #809367
The Bible’s Buried Secrets #809493
The Big Energy Gamble #809967
Descent Into the Ice #809374
Extreme Ice #809969
Fire Wars #809373
The Great Escape #809366
Hitler’s Sunken Secret #809365
Hunt for the Supertwister #809377
Is There Life on Mars?: Reports From the Phoenix Lander #809507
Mars: Dead or Alive? #809387
The Mummy Who Would Be King #809364
Mystery of the Megaflood #809095
Newton’s Dark Secrets #809370
Nova: Secret of the Wild Child #809182
Ocean Animal Emergency: Troubled Waters for Marine Mammals? #809489
Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution #809386
Saving the National Treasures #809362
Sugihara: Conspiracy of Kindness #809369
Tsunami: The Wave That Shook the World #809378
Typhoid Mary #809372
The Viking Deception #809363
Volcano Above the Clouds #809375
Volcano Under the City #809376

Obesity and Wellness Curriculum, K-5

http://EnergyBalance101.com
Energy Balance is a wellness curriculum for an active, healthy lifestyle in the fight against childhood obesity. It includes standards-based lessons, videos, interactives, hands-on activities, and assessments for grades K-2 and 3-5.