Maupin House's Blog

Helium writing contest for education professionals

2009-07-13T22:54:00.004-04:00

Welcome to the Helium Education Professionals Contest!

We’ve created a contest just for education professionals at Helium. It will tap their unique knowledge and experience.

To participate, you need to have one of these badges at Helium for Teachers, School Administrators, School Counselors, and University Professors

The contest submission period starts Wednesday, July 8, at 16:00 GMT, and ends 28 days later on Tuesday, August 4, at 23:59 GMT. (Figure your local time from GMT here.) Winners are usually announced the following Wednesday (eight days after the contest ends), after sufficient rating has taken place.

When contests shift to the “Awaiting Calculation” status, all titles within that contest will be closed to further submissions and Leapfrogs. This will allow the rating system to fairly evaluate the submitted articles. Once the contest is closed and the results announced, the titles to that contest will reopen for general writing submissions.

If you are a member and an education professional and want to participate in this contest, but don’t yet have one of our education professional badges, email us with a state licensing website link with information needed to verify your credentials online to experts@helium.com. Be sure to include your Helium About Me page URL. Barbara Whitlock and the Helium team will verify your information and you’ll be able to enter the contest quickly.

A few words about contest points:

Points will be awarded for articles rated in the top 55% for each title—the higher your rank at contest end, the more points you earn. But watch out: You’ll get negative points for articles ranked by your peers in the lower 45%.
New articles are always inserted at the 50th percentile; as a result a new article will not earn or lose points until the community has rated the article against other articles submitted to the same title.
Ties in ratings can and do occur. These ties are not displayed as a tie on the site. To illustrate, consider the case of a tie in ratings when there are only two articles to a title. It is possible that neither article will earn points because they are tied and each is considered at the 50th percentile even though one is displayed above the other.
Looking for more great prospects for writing and earning? Check out Helium Marketplace, where Helium teams you up with publishers looking for freelancers.

Winners earn:

1
1st Prize at $60

1
2nd Prize at $40

1
3rd Prize at $30

How to earn points:

5 points - over 95th percentile
4 points - over 85th percentile
3 points - over 75th percentile
2 points - over 65th percentile
1 points - over 55th percentile
0 points - over 45th percentile
-1 points - over 35th percentile
-2 points - over 25th percentile
-3 points - over 15th percentile
-4 points - over 5th percentile
-5 points - 0- 5th percentile

Be sure to read a copy of Helium’s Writing Standards before you enter the contest.

This week's contest titles:

A summer vacation survival guide for teachers teaching summer school
Classroom management strategies for handling students on field trips
Factors to consider for teachers transitioning to school administrator roles
Guide to appropriate friendships among college professors and students
How professors can network with businesses to create student opportunities
How school administrators can build teamwork among teachers
How school principals can build closer relationships with students
Strategies for engaging students in summer school
Summer school trends: Kindergarteners put in reading summer school
Teacher tips: How to help homeschoolers transitioning to high school
Teacher tips: How to organize a successful field trip for high school students
Teacher tips: How to use your summer vacation to improve your teaching
The dangers to college students who revere their college professors
The pros and cons of college teachers moonlighting for online degree programs
What teachers should consider before choosing to teach summer school

"How can I get my students to read more non-fiction?"

2009-07-06T16:19:00.005-04:00

Non-fiction graphic novels, which have been on the rise with young adults for over eight years, can be used in both the English language arts (ELA) classroom and the social studies (SS) classroom. Perhaps even more important, non-fiction graphic novels will align to the standards (or themes) in both content areas.

Maupin House and social networking

2009-07-02T11:52:00.004-04:00

Become a fan of Maupin House on Facebook

Follow Maupin House on Twitter

Read Maupin House's blog

Read the Teaching Graphic Novels blog

Join the Maupin House group on LinkedIn

Check out our videos on YouTube: About the Bag Ladies and the Pony Tail Band Book Project

Search online for Maupin House savings with the Florida Backyard Card

Free resources from Education Reporting

2009-07-02T11:42:00.002-04:00

Check out this article from Education Reporting for a list of nearly 30 online resources helping teachers with classroom management, multimedia in the classroom, and pedagogy.

Resource round-up: virtual schools

2009-07-02T11:12:00.003-04:00

Articles

Organizations

Sloan Consortium. "A consortium of individuals, institutions, and organizations committed to quality online education."
International Association for K-12 Online Learning. iNACOL's mission is to "ensure all students have access to world-class education and quality online learning opportunities that prepare them for a lifetime of success."

Virtual Schools

Collaborating with other teachers online

2009-07-02T10:59:00.005-04:00

Looking for free and easy ways to find quality lessons? Going online seems to be your best bet!

SharedSchool is a "knowledge exchange and productivity tool for educators" with which you can manage lesson plans online, correlate your lessons automatically to state standards, and most importantly, help and be helped by fellow teachers by sharing and searching free online lesson content and practice assessments.

MERLOT (Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching) is a "searchable collection of peer reviewed and selected higher education, online learning materials, catalogued by registered members and a set of faculty development support services. MERLOT's vision is to be a premiere online community where faculty, staff, and students from around the world share their learning materials and pedagogy."

Global SchoolNet

2009-07-02T10:49:00.002-04:00

According to their website,

Global SchoolNet's mission is to support 21st century learning. We engage teachers and students in meaningful project learning exchanges with people around the world to develop literacy and communication skills, foster teamwork and collaboration, encourage workforce preparedness and create multi-cultural understanding. We prepare youth for full participation as productive and effective citizens in an increasing global economy.

Teachers can find partners, projects, and competitions worldwide and in all subjects. Take a tour of the site, become a member for free, and start your global collaboration today!

Survey Says: Few people can spell "definitely"

2009-06-19T14:53:00.003-04:00

According to survey results released earlier this week, "definitely" is the most commonly misspelled word in the English language. "Definately" is a fairly common misspelling of it, but "defiantly" also draws high marks. What words filled out the rest of the top-ten list? Check them out:

1. Definitely (Definately)
2. Sacrilegious (Sacreligious)
3. Indict (Indite)
4. Manoeuvre (Maneouvre) [British spelling]
5. Bureaucracy (Beaurocracy)
6. Broccoli (Brocolli)
7. Phlegm (Phleghm)
8. Prejudice (Predjudice)
9. Consensus (Conscensus)
10.Unnecessary (Unecessary)

Many children and adults struggle with spelling -- that's why it's so imperative to teach students spelling rules and variations early. Maupin House authors have researched and developed excellent lessons and tips to do just that.

Check out Teach Spelling So It Sticks! by Jane Bell Kiester, as well as our award-winning Writing Wheels!

Literacy and parent involvement

2009-06-17T09:55:00.003-04:00

Listen to "The Literacy Ambassador," Cathy Puett Miller, in this interview with Allen Cardoza on LA Talk Radio show "Answers 4 the Family," and learn how parents can help improve their children's literacy skills from an early age.

Review: Performance Literacy Through Storytelling

2009-06-15T12:45:00.006-04:00

From Meryl Ironson, 5th-grade language arts teacher, Chester, NJ

As educators, our responsibility is to help children learn to interpret information and to express themselves in this world. It is about challenging and motivating. It is about inspiring our listeners. It is about sharing the passion we feel.
- "Teaching Storytelling" by Meryl Ironson

Performance Literacy Through Storytelling, by Nile Stanley and Brett Dillingham, offers the foundation of the teaching of tale telling in a sequential, logical, and classroom-usable format. Storytelling across the curriculum promotes a skill set that can be developed within any grade level. Skills such as reading with strategic purpose, the organization of thought, writing in sequence and with creativity, the heightening of listening ability and stamina, and oral presentation enhancement are honed through the teaching of performance storytelling. For those who teach the art of language and the love of literature, Performance Literacy outlines key ways to promote communicative strengths among students by actually having them experience a story, reflect upon a story, and then apply what they have learned to the creation and performance of a story. Stanley and Dillingham provide detailed mini-lessons and a plethora of resources that should be considered a gift for all teachers, first-year to veteran. The accompanying audio CD completes the package so that teachers and students can listen to model performances of stories and songs by known storytellers. This book is a year-round, cross-curriculum jewel that breathes new life into the phrase: “Tell me a story!”

Be sure to check out Meryl's articles on reading: "Teaching Storytelling" from Reading Today and "The Teacher Reads Aloud" from Education Week.

Learning Through Writing Series wins Association of Educational Publishers' Distinguished Achievement Award

2009-06-15T10:52:00.003-04:00

The Learning Through Writing Series by Kathleen Kopp won the Association of Educational Publishers' Distinguished Achievement Award! The series earned top honors in the professional development category for differentiated instruction.

The Association of Educational Publishers’ Distinguished Achievement Awards recognize the year's most outstanding materials in the field of teaching and learning. These awards honor the top products within the categories of curriculum, periodicals, and professional development.

About Learning Through Writing
The Learning Through Writing Series includes fun, authentic writing activities for language arts, math, science, social studies, and health/nutrition. It takes students in grades three to five through the entire writing process, from brainstorming to publishing, while letting imaginations soar.

Each ready-to go activity can be easily differentiated and includes lesson plans, extensions, rubrics, student worksheets, and examples. Each book contains publishing ideas, bibliographies, student checklists, and correlations to commonly taught writing standards and craft skills. It also offers Tier 2 RTI support.

Grade 3
ISBN-13: 978-1-934338-30-8
MH# 200
$19.95

Grade 4
ISBN-13: 978-1-934338-31-5
MH# 201
$19.95

Grade 5
ISBN-13: 978-1-934338-32-2
MH# 202
$19.95

Buy all three for $50.00
MH# 122

About the Author
Kathleen Kopp is an elementary school curriculum specialist in Citrus County, Florida. She has nearly 20 years of teaching experience for first through fifth grades and has written several professional books on content-area learning and technology.

Wordnik

2009-06-11T11:31:00.003-04:00

Wordnik is an online dictionary that expands and changes as the English language does. But it's more than just a dictionary: Wordnik will show you real-time search results for words on Flickr and Twitter and even let you know how many Scrabble points a word is worth! Watch the video interview with Wordnik creator Erin McKean below from TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design).

One millions words

2009-06-09T20:31:00.005-04:00

From CNN:

English contains more words than any other language on the planet and will add its millionth word early Wednesday, according to the Global Language Monitor, a Web site that uses a math formula to estimate how often words are created.

The site estimates the millionth word will be added Wednesday at 5:22 a.m. Its live ticker counted 999,985 English words as of early Tuesday evening.

For more fun with the English language, check out Active Word Play and Exploring Idioms.

Kids are quick

2009-06-08T13:51:00.001-04:00

An email forward but definitely good for a laugh today!
_______________________________________________________
TEACHER: Maria, go to the map and find North America ...
MARIA: Here it is.
TEACHER: Correct. Now class, who discovered America?
CLASS: Maria.
_______________________________________________________
TEACHER: John, why are you doing your math multiplication on the floor?
JOHN: You told me to do it without using tables.
_______________________________________________________
TEACHER: Glenn, how do you spell 'crocodile?'
GLENN: K-R-O-K-O-D-I-A-L
TEACHER: No, that's wrong
GLENN: Maybe it is wrong, but you asked me how I spell it.
(I Love this kid)
_______________________________________________________
TEACHER: Donald, what is the chemical formula for water?
DONALD: H I J K L M N O.
TEACHER: What are you talking about?
DONALD: Yesterday you said it's H to O.
_______________________________________________________
TEACHER: Winnie, name one important thing we have today that we
didn't have ten years ago.
WINNIE: Me!
__________________________________________
TEACHER: Glen, why do you always get so dirty?
GLEN: Well, I'm a lot closer to the ground than you are.
_______________________________________________________
TEACHER: Millie, give me a sentence starting with ' I. '
MILLIE: I is..
TEACHER: No, Millie..... Always say, 'I am.'
MILLIE: All right... 'I am the ninth letter of the alphabet.'
_______________________________________________________
TEACHER: George Washington not only chopped down his father's
cherry tree, but also admitted it.
Now, Louie, do you know why his father didn't punish him?
LOUIS: Because George still had the axe in his hand....
_______________________________________________________
TEACHER: Now, Simon, tell me frankly, do you say prayers before eating?
SIMON: No sir, I don't have to, my Mom is a good cook.
_______________________________________________________
TEACHER: Clyde, your composition on 'My Dog' is exactly the same
as your brother's. Did you copy his?
CLYDE : No, sir. It's the same dog.
_______________________________________________________
TEACHER: Harold, what do you call a person who keeps on talking
when people are no longer interested?
HAROLD: A teacher

LEGO Smart Creativity Contest

2009-06-08T10:21:00.002-04:00

LEGO Education is hosting a very cool opportunity for teachers and educators of all grades and subject areas! The LEGO Smart Creativity Contest challenges you to "create an activity using only the bricks included in a LEGO Smart Kit," which LEGO provides to you upon request.

Monthly winners will win LEGO Education products and gift certificates. The contest runs through August 2009, so get your entry in today! You can even check out the contest's blog to see what the competition is doing and to make sure you don't replicate their ideas.

Let Maupin House know if you win or another educator you know wins! Good luck!

End-of-the-Year Teacher Gifts

2009-06-05T10:12:00.004-04:00

It's nearing the end of the school year in most areas, so many of you parents might be conjuring up gift ideas to show your children's teachers how important they are to you! As for teachers reading this, maybe you have kids still in school yourself or want to make your fellow teaching professionals feel appreciated! Some teachers love apple-related gifts, but some might be overwhelmed by them because they are so popular. Try to get original this year!

Here's a quick list of ideas to do just that:

-Rainbows, Head Lice, and Pea-Green Tile by Brod Bagert - This is a hilarious book of poetry all about the profession that any teacher will hold dear! Provide your child's teacher with unforgettable laughs to which he or she can surely relate.

-Hormone Jungle by Brod Bagert - This is the perfect gift for middle school teachers who love to read to their students. It's all about coming of age in those impressionable years!

-Zazzle.com offers great, unique teacher apparel and gifts! Create your own item or browse the clever, pre-created items the site has to offer. At Zazzle, you can find excellent gifts for not only your child's teacher, but also for bus drivers, principals, secretaries, and others!

-Nominate your child's teacher for our blog series about exceptional educators who make a difference! If we select your teacher, he or she will receive a special reward for being outstanding!

Educators who make a difference

2009-06-02T09:17:00.008-04:00

Maupin House is excited to introduce a new series to our blog: "Educators who make a difference." We'll focus on educators who have overcome obstacles, helped others achieve their goals, and shown true dedication to their friends, family, and field. It shouldn't be hard to find these standout citizens--since we all know the difference educators make--but we welcome submissions from our readers. Just contact us through the blog. If we choose to profile the educator you've suggested, we'll send that person a special reward letting him or her know just how much he or she is appreciated. Now read on for our first installment, and thanks in advance for sending lots of positive stories our way!

An article in our local paper, The Gainesville Sun, shared the story of Debby Harris, a former school psychologist and head of the gifted program at P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School here in town. Just a couple months ago, Debby was diagnosed with progressive bulbar palsy, a disease that has weakened her jaw, facial, and tongue muscles, making speaking and eating extremely difficult. Despite losing much of her ability to speak, Debby has found new ways to communicate and, along with her husband and daughter, a new positive attitude on life. Debby's husband, John Schert, praised his wife's contributions and dedication to the community, and it's clear that their family has only been strengthened by the challenge. Here are some inspiring words from Debby Harris:

"I am still here and plan on being here for a very long time," Harris quickly wrote across the page. "I love life, love my friends, family and church and realize more than ever the power of the human spirit and what really matters - not stuff, but the simple things."

For more information on Debby, visit her website. Thanks to Gainesville Sun writer Lashonda Stinson Curry for profiling Debby and to Debby for being an educator who makes a difference.

Increase your students' vocabulary while helping end hunger!

2009-05-29T11:47:00.004-04:00

Do you have students who absolutely love words and are always trying to increase their vocabularies? Perhaps you have students who aren't too fond of spelling or word usage but have a very competitive nature? Then encourage them to check out FreeRice.com!

Here's how it works: A word is displayed in bold and four words or phrases are listed beneath. Pick the word or phrase that defines or is synonymous with the bolded word. The more you get right, the harder each vocab word gets! It's that simple. If you get a question wrong, it may reappear a while later to let you have another chance to get it right. For each correct answer, ten grains of rice are donated through the United Nations World Food Program to help abolish world hunger!

If you have extra time during class, project the website on a white screen and make it a group effort! Have students raise their hands to give the best answer. Perhaps use each bolded word in a sentence and pick one at the end of the day to be the "word of the day" or "word of the week." Let students who use the word correctly in everyday speech pick something from a goodie bag, or just let that word be a bonus word for a spelling test!

Free Rice recently branched out to include other subjects besides just vocabulary, including Art, Chemistry, English, Geography, Language Arts, and Math! Once your students are familiar with how the "game" works, branch out to other subjects. The English Grammar section is great for reaffirming punctuation rules and word usage.

What better way to increase your students' vocabulary than with a healthy dose of philanthropy and fun in the mix? To find out more about this great cause and learning opportunity, check out Free Rice's Facts and Questions page.

Twitter and publishing

2009-05-28T13:54:00.003-04:00

Check out this great list of publishing professionals who use Twitter from Highspot. You can find publishers, trade associations, publications, and reviewers. Now that's something to tweet about!

Free e-books

2009-05-28T09:17:00.002-04:00

E-Books Directory offers nearly 2,000 free e-books in about 400 different categories, including children's books, biographies, history, science, writing, and more. Browse by category, popularity, title, and author, or just check out what's new.

Keep the arts in public schools

2009-05-22T16:42:00.003-04:00

Show your support and add your voice to the cause by joining this group on Facebook.

Teaching Graphic Novels blog

2009-05-20T12:44:00.004-04:00

Check out the new Teaching Graphic Novels blog for information on the forthcoming book by Katie Monnin, tips on using graphic novels to promote literacy in your classroom, and more!

Interview with Brett Dillingham and Nile Stanley

2009-05-20T12:26:00.001-04:00

Read this interview with the authors of Performance Literacy through Storytelling from Education News!

Resource round-up: Get thinking!

2009-05-13T13:38:00.004-04:00

Think about current events. Each week, Education World presents a news story for teachers to share and discuss with their students. Stories are chosen based on their timeliness and interest to students. Click here to view past and current events.

Train your brain into shape with mental exercises from Lumosity.com.

Get animated with BrainPOP, an interactive site with lessons and short, animated videos that help explain difficult concepts. Content is subscription based, but with tools for educators and teachers--all aligned to state standards--this site is worth checking out.

Give your brain a rest by bookmarking your favorite K-12 educational resources on the Web at Schoonoodle. You can share, find, and rate resources, all in one spot! The highest-rated content rises to the top of the page.

Last-day and summer activities from NCTE

2009-05-13T12:56:00.004-04:00

NCTE's Inbox e-newsletter (May 12, 2009) offers some great ideas for end-of-the-year and summer activities for students:

Last-Day and Summer Activities
School is winding down across the United States. As students and teachers prepare for some well-deserved time out of the classroom, these activities provide useful options for last-day discussions and projects.

The Voices from the Middle article "Application & Transfer: Powerful Ideas for Ending the School Year" (G) offers a few ideas to explore students' interests, support summer retention of learning, and enhance 21st century literacy skills. The ideas can be easily adapted to any teaching level.

Encourage students to reflect on their school year using the ReadWriteThink.org lesson Writing and Assessing an Autobiographical Incident. Though the lesson recommends the activity as a beginning of school event, its value as a reflective writing assignment is just as clear.

The Language Arts article "Summer Reading: A Reflection" (E) recounts the author's family's summer reading and how she used it as an opportunity to talk with her children about books and, ultimately, about life. On the last day of school, why not invite students to discuss what they plan to read during the summer months?

Looking for books to recommend for summer reading? The ReadWriteThink.org podcast series Chatting about Books (E) and Text Messages (M-S) suggest engaging, quality titles in children's and young adult literature.

"Sharing Ideas for the Tools of Our Trade" (M) from Voices from the Middle includes ideas from several teachers who offer "their best ideas for teaching vocabulary . . . ideas that work even on the last day of school."

Use the ReadWriteThink.org lesson Graphic Life Map (M) to help students reflect on their school year by brainstorming important memories, choosing graphics to represent these memories and constructing a "life map" for the past several months.

Looking for a way to send students off with pride in their work? Check out the fortune cookie idea explained in the College English article "Editor's Choice: The Cookies of Fortune" (G). This activity can be used at any grade level.

Use the last days of class to ask students to ponder their future with the ReadWriteThink.org lesson A Poem of Possibilities: Thinking about the Future. Inspired by John Updike's poem "Ex-Basketball Player," students write poems or prose poems intended for a real audience -- themselves, five years in the future.

How can you apply your summer interactions with readers and writers when you return to the classroom? The English Journal article "What Is Right with This Picture?" (S) describes how one teacher plans to apply lessons learned from a one-week voluntary summer course to his classroom in the fall.

Teachers need to think about their own summer activities as well. In the English Journal article "What Do You Do during Summer Vacation to Help You Reenter the Classroom Refreshed in the Fall?" (G), five teachers share their own stories of rest, reading, exploring, and reinvigorating.

For out-of-school activities for families and community literacy groups, check out the Summer Activities section of ReadWriteThink.org!