NYT: New Life No Longer Means New Name

Great article for those studying immigration in the Times today:


http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/26/nyregion/26names.html?_r=1&hp

I have known a few people in the last decade or so who have changed their names back to the original names given up by their families at Ellis Island.

NYT: Best Summer Reading Book is Any Book!

Interesting article about the benefits to students of reading anything at all during the summer.  As we have all seen, those two months, if spent doing nothing academic, can be brutal on our students' development and preparedness to return to the classroom.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/02/summer-must-read-for-kids-any-book/?ref=education

Teaching "Lord of the Flies" with the Times

The eighth grade at my school teaches Lord of the Flies, I am sure some this will be useful for them. 

Hopefully, it will be useful for you too!

http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/05/teaching-the-lord-of-the-flies-with-the-new-york-times/?scp=1&sq=lord%20of%20the%20flies&st=cse

Plagiarism Article and Lesson Ideas for the Fall

There was a great article in the Times last week about plagiarism in the digital age.  I will be reading the article with my students in September before we write our first major paper.

It is funny, but at the same time as I want to bring in aspects of their experience outside of school to make the day, lessons, months enjoyable, we also need to put up a wall around academics, tradition, excellence, and the students ownership over their work.

Here is the article and the Learning Networks open thread for students 13 and over:


http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/02/education/02cheat.html?scp=1&sq=plagiarism&st=cse



http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/03/are-you-part-of-generation-plagiarism/?scp=2&sq=plagiarism&st=cse

NY Times Interactive Features are amazing...

The Times has amazing interactive features, these three come to mind:

I use this as a September 11th lesson that teaches itself and also naturally leads into a discussion of why we save artifacts from history:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/09/10/nyregion/20080911-hangar-panos.html


Geography of a Recession:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/03/03/us/20090303_LEONHARDT.html


Anatomy of an Inaugural Speech:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/01/17/washington/20090117_ADDRESSES.html


Here is one that was inspired by the recent discovery of a ship at the World Trade Center site:


http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/07/22/opinion/20100722_Opinion_Archaeology.html?ref=archaeology_and_anthropology

New Exhibit at Smithsonian Air and Space Museum...

Here is the Times article I read about the exhibit. The pictures are completely gorgeous.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/29/arts/design/29museum.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Here is the link the Smithsonian site and images from the exhibition:

http://www.beyondexhibition.net/splash/flash/


http://www.nasm.si.edu/exhibitions/gal211/beyond.cfm

For example: To Kill a Mockingbird

The seventh grade at my school teaches "To Kill a Mockingbird" (thank god) so I will get to read it every year and get all choked up as I read the final chapter aloud to the students and they get to see their teacher cry (kind of...maybe).

Here are some of the links I shared with colleagues...

First is an episode of the Diane Rehm Show:

http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2010-06-16/readers-review-kill-mockingbird-harper-lee


Three guests plus callers discuss the books lasting impact. Great for teachers, some clips great for students...

This is a story about parties planned for the 50th Anniversary of the Book, and how their will most likely be one person missing from the festivities:


http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/25/books/25mock.html?scp=1&sq=mockingbird&st=cse


Of course, the New York Times Learning Network Blogs are outstanding resources:

http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/27/50-years-of-to-kill-a-mockingbird/?scp=2&sq=mockingbird&st=cse


There are over 40 links on this site alone.