GSO to GO The Monthly Teacher Resource Newsletter from GeorgiaStandards.Org NEWS FOR MARCH 2008 General Information Top Ten Issues to Watch The Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education prepares a yearly report that focuses on how trends and developments can impact education in Georgia. This annual publication is titled Top Ten Issues to Watch in 2008 and it gauges educational policy, legislative and programmatic issues that may affect the 2008-2009 school year. According to the president, Dr. Stephen D. Dolinger, of Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education, this yearly report provides information to, "... guide conversations among policymakers, educators, and community and business leaders." In summary, here is the list of educational issues from this detailed report: 1. Poverty, Diversity, and the Reality of Georgia's Demographic Changes 2. Zero to Five: Critical Needs for Critical Years 3. Georgia's Still Unfinished Business in Teacher Quality 4. Charter Schools and Vouchers: Weighing Georgia's "Options" 5. The Turbulent Debate Over School Funding in Georgia 6. No Child Left Behind: The Federal Landscape and Georgia's Lingering Achievement Gaps 7. Great Expectations: Increasing the Rigor of High School Education 8. The Crisis of High School Dropouts and Unskilled Graduates 9. Measuring What Matters: Building a Better Information System 10. Replacing Random Acts with a Deliberate Educational Plan > Download the Top Ten Issues to Watch in 2008 GSO Categories General Information 1 Continuing Education 4 Celebrating March 6 New GSO Content 8 March 2008 Tell Us Your Story We are always interested in hearing how GeorgiaStandards.Org helps teachers, parents, and students. If you have a success story you'd like to share with us, please let us know. Send stories to: Kathy Politis Georgia Department of Education - Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools - 1 Georgia Read More Guarantees Minty Fresh Breath! For the perfect center during reading block, have students huddle around the class- room computer to watch this month's featured Georgia Read More video of the book, Dog Breath: The Horrible Trouble With Hally Tosis. Some lucky Union County Elementary School students received the checkered flag to listen to NASCAR sensation Bill Elliot read this great tale about a dog who eventually becomes a house- hold hero because of doggy breath. Dav Pilkey is both the author and illustrator of Dog Breath: The Horrible Trouble With Hally Tosis. Teachers can also download a PDF copy of the vocabu- lary words of the story. After watching this month's video, it will have you and your students craving for some peppermint. The Georgia Department of Educa- tion has implemented a literacy program aimed at third grade students called the "Georgia Read More" program. The concentrated efforts of the Library Media Services Department have resulted in this award winning series. This program encourages children to read, supports parent-child interaction, and promotes literacy and librar- ies. Simply select from the many videos of dignitaries and celebrities reading a children's book aloud to a group of students. Each video supplies a link to a vocabulary list that accompanies the story and some of the videos are also available in Spanish. Included with most books are a Lexile score and links to author websites. Integrating RATA with Science and Math ELA has a Student Work and Teacher Commentary webpage that serves as a valuable resource for teachers implementing the Georgia Performance Standards. This page is not only for English Language Arts and reading teachers. Math and science teachers should take some time to watch the excellent video series available to them that presents effective reading habits and strategies for their respective content areas. Both video series are formatted in short segments that offer demonstrations of teachers and students in action using Read Aloud Think Aloud reading (RATA). Here are the playlists of a math teacher using the math textbook and a science teacher using nonfiction text as it relates to unit concepts through RATA strategies with students: Math Science 1. Teacher Modeling RATA 2. Instructions for students using RATA 3. Students practicing RATA 4. Students discussing RATA benefits 5. Teacher interview 1. Instructions for students using RATA 2. Students practicing RATA 3. Students discussing RATA 4. Whole group discussing knowledge gained during RATA 5. Teacher Interview GeorgiaStandards.Org Data Points Year-To-Date (As of 1/2008) Visitors to GeorgiaStandards.Org 333,181 Unique Visitors 159,524 Page views for all visitors 1,561,782 Average Time on Site 4 minutes 58 seconds Number of Units that are Approved and Searchable in GSO 1,167 Number of Georgia Educators trained on GSO 4,062 Educators signed up to have access to GSO Unit Builder 12,894 Number of GSO Teacher Groups 857 Number of GSO Training Videos 191 Bytesize Science Podcasts Every Monday! The world's largest scientific society is The American Chemical Society. The ACS has over 160,000 members and is a non-profit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. In early November 2007, ACS announced Bytesize Science a podcast series that targets K-12 students. The Bytesize Science archives reveal some great science topics such as health, medicine, energy and food. New Bytesize Science podcasts are available every Monday and are usually about five minutes in length. Bytesize Science has some catchy titles like Carbon dioxide vacuum slurps up air pollution, Chocoholic science and Dragon's Blood that is sure to catch your students' attention. Free subscriptions to this educational and entertaining podcast are available through iTunes or through a web browser. Georgia Department of Education - Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools - 2 Sprint Ahead for Education Grant Program The Sprint Foundation will be awarding grants to school districts and schools that want to invest in resources, both hardware and software, that encourages character education in the K-12 curriculum. Submitted character education applications should address the areas of youth leadership, youth volunteerism, school pride and promote a positive school culture. The Sprint Ahead for Education Grant is open to all public schools and school districts in the United States. School districts can earn as much as $25,000 and individual schools can receive between $500 to $5,000. Sprint will award a total of over a half a million dollars to schools and districts through this grant. You can start submitting your character education application online starting March 3, 2008. The deadline is set for April 15, 2008. In the meantime, teachers can download the Word formatted document of the 2008 Sprint Ahead for Education Grant Program Application. For more information about this educational grant from Sprint, you can visit this page or review the Sprint Ahead for Education FAQs. MIT Provides FREE STEM Resources to High School Students The Georgia Performance Standards are the result of work that combines state and national standards from high-performing states such as Michigan, Texas, and North Carolina, and nations such as Japan. The guidelines of national groups such as the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and the American Association for the Advancement of Science were also followed by the Georgia Department of Education in the development of the GPS. STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) teachers can now supplement their standards-based classrooms with the world class courses of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Highlights for High School is an MIT website that houses more than 2,600 video and audio clips, animations, lecture notes and assignments taken from actual MIT courses, and categorizes them to match the Advanced Placement physics, biology and calculus curricula. This is perfect timing for high school AP teachers in Georgia, especially with the recent Georgia is a Leader in Advanced Placement press release from the Georgia Department of Education. MIT President Susan Hockfield strongly believes Highlights for High School provides students with a leading edge in an innovation economy. The MIT President also states, "Highlights for High School will provide students and teachers with innovative tools to supplement their math and science studies. We hope it will inspire students to reach beyond their required classwork to explore more advanced material and might also encourage them to pursue careers in science and engineering." For more information, you can watch a video on how Highlights for High School is inspiring young minds. Meet the GSO Staff Kathy Politis 1952 Twin Towers East 205 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive SE Atlanta, GA 30334 p. (404) 463-1280 f. (404) 657-5183 kpolitis@doe.k12.ga.us Beth Caraccio 1952 Twin Towers East 205 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive SE Atlanta, GA 30334 p. (404) 657-3543 f. (404) 657-5183 bcaracci@doe.k12.ga.us Scott J. Wilson, Ph.D. 1952 Twin Towers East 205 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive SE Atlanta, GA 30334 p. (404) 463-6404 f. (404) 657-5183 scwilson@doe.k12.ga.us Lynda Byrne Center for Quality Teaching and Learning Cunningham Center for Leadership Development Columbus State University Columbus, GA 31907-5645 p. (706) 565-3647 f. (706) 565-3648 byrne_lynda@colstate.edu Traci M. Boyd 1952 Twin Towers East 205 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive SE Atlanta, GA 30334 p. (404) 463-1280 f. (404) 657-5183 tboyd@doe.k12.ga.us Tony Vlachakis, MS 1952 Twin Towers East 205 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive SE Atlanta, GA 30334 p. (404) 463-1280 f. (404) 657-5183 tvlachak@doe.k12.ga.us Georgia Department of Education - Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools - 3 Order a Free Science Teacher Kit Are you about to start investigating relationships between force, mass, and the motion of objects with your students? How about having your students explore the scientific concepts of jet propulsion, friction, air resistance and design? Well, A World in Motion has some great science materials available to all K-12 teachers for free! Elementary, middle and high school teachers can request a free science kit by downloading and completing a form. Continuing Education LearningSpace Loaded with GSO Video Tutorials > GPS Tags: S4P3, S5P3, S8P3, SPS10 Give eLibrary Science or CultureGrams Databases a Spin ProQuest, a leader in library-based research provides access to more than 125 billion digital pages, has agreed to let Georgia educators preview two of their databases -- eLibrary Science and CultureGrams. These databases will remain active through April 30, 2008. eLibrary Science offers laser-focused science content and tools along with unique video and dozens of manipulatives found in no other online science reference product. Discover the world with CultureGrams and help your students discover concise cultural and statistical snapshots of every country recognized by the United Nations -- from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. Whether it's Iraq, Canada, or Kenya, each CultureGrams offers an equality of coverage detailing 25 different aspects of the country and its culture. The CultureGrams database includes our World, Kids, States, and Provinces Edition. Teachers can access ProQuest trial information here. Microsoft Offers Global Online Teacher Network You probably already know that GeorgiaStandards.Org offers educators in the Peach State free membership to a Unit Builder through a GaDOE account that is aligned with the GPS. But did you know that Microsoft has developed the Innovative Teachers Network (ITN) a worldwide network for educators? This global online program helps teachers learn 21st century skills for their classroom curriculums. ITN has very active communities that can provide information about the teaching profession with peers from all over the world. In addition to classroom resources, ITN offers teachers the ability to serve as a peer coach to other colleagues through web lessons and tools. ITN also has a Forum where teachers have the opportunity to gleam about their 21st century success stories. GeorgiaStandards.Org (GSO) has set up an e-learning portal and collaborative learning environment for Georgia K-12 teachers and administrators. On the LearningSpace homepage beneath the Course categories section you will see a course titled GeorgiaStandards.Org. From there you can login as a guest to access many narrated video tutorials on how to utilize the wealth of resources available on GSO and the GSO Portal. While visiting the GeorgiaStandards.Org course category be sure to visit the Foundations for Georgia's Performance Standards course. This course offers a number of short vignettes on various aspects of standards-based instruction using the Georgia curriculum. Albany State University ETTC The Educational Technology Training Center located at Albany State University serves Georgia counties in the southwest corner of the state. The Albany State University ETTC offers a variety of technology-enriched courses for PreK-16 administrators, teachers, para-professionals and technical staff. Coursework is approved by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (PSC), and can be applied toward professional learning units (PLUs). The ASU ETTC supports Title IID Competitive Grants by providing consultative services for applying for the grants, providing technical services and instructional services. The Spring 2008 ASU ETTC Course Listing is now available with links to online registration and teachers can also view complete course descriptions. Eighth grade physical science and high school science teachers have the opportunity to register for Science Module Training that is designed to support the implementation of the Science Georgia Performance Standards. The Educational Technology Training Centers (ETTCs) work collaboratively to provide professional learning, consulting, and service for Georgia educators to promote the appropriate use of technology in support of teaching, learning, and leadership. Thirteen ETTC training centers are located throughout the state for your convenience. Georgia Department of Education - Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools - 4 GaDOE Continuing Education Online FREE Thinkfinity Training Thinkfinity (previously known as Marco Polo) was been a Top Pick ever since the GeorgiaStandards.Org site went live in August 2006. Thinkfinity has free online professional development that is offered to help educators engage students and enhance learning using Thinkfinity's online resources. Teachers can attend a twenty minute selfguided training session that provides an overview of Thinkfinity.Org and many of its Content Websites. There is also a one hour educator webinar that is a live session about Thinkfinity.Org, which includes hands-on demonstration of resources. Last but not least, there are free Thinkfinity Literacy Network Offerings. The Thinkfinity Literacy Network sessions are for individuals interested in promoting literacy, volunteerism and literacy skills within their schools or community. Foundations for the Future (F3) Holds FREE Monthly Open House The K12 Explorers Guild, the professional development component of Foundations for the Future (F3), focuses on developing long-term relationships with and among Georgia educators and administrators. On March 27, 2008, 4:30-6:30 p.m., the F3 Explorers Guild will offer a workshop on Using Video Projects in the Classroom in Atlanta, GA. The Explorers Guild is a free monthly open house held in a classroom of the future, where teachers can exchange experiences, learn from each other, and experiment with tools and technology. Professional Learning Units (PLUs) are offered for teachers who attend. For additional informa- tion about the meeting such as location, please visit the Explorers Guild website. While visiting the Explorer's Guild site, check out the Podcasts link. This summer, F3 team member Jim Demmers worked with two middle school science teachers - Joe Baker and Silas Brown - as part of the Georgia Intern-Fellowships for Teachers (GIFT) program. The GIFT program is run by Georgia Tech's Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC). The podcasts that resulted from this collaboration can be played in iTunes and the vodcasts (video podcasts) can be viewed with QuickTime. All The World's A Stage Teachers of grades 4-12 have the opportunity to earn five Professional Learning Units (PLUs) by registering for No Fear Shakespeare, a class which is accredited by the Georgia Department of Education. Learn the newest techniques behind making Shakespeare fun for your students in a casual, relaxed environment. Teachers of grades 3-5 will become acquainted with Shakespeare's stories and explore innovative ways of introducing them to young students. Teachers of grades 6-12 will have the opportunity to blow off the dust of the pages and look at Shakespeare's material differently, making the work more relevant to today's older students. Georgia Shakespeare's professional staff will help make sure your student's eyes don't glaze over at the mere mention of the "bard," ensuring that they achieve the building blocks necessary for future education. When: Monday thru Friday, June 2-13, 2008 Cost: $200 Time: 9:00-2:00 Daily Contact: Allen O'Reilly, at 404-504-3401 Where: Conant Performing Arts Center Accommodation packages offered for out of town teachers. Contact Sales Office at 404-504-3422 6th Grade Mathematics TALKs March 6, 2008 4:00 p.m. Link 1st Grade Mathematics TALKs March 10, 2008 4:00 p.m. Link 4th Grade Mathematics TALKs March 11, 2008 4:00 p.m. Link Grades 4-8 English Language Arts TALKs March 12, 2008 4:00 p.m. Link 7th Grade Mathematics TALKs March 13, 2008 4:00 p.m. Link 2nd Grade Mathematics TALKs March 17, 2008 4:00 p.m. Link 5th Grade Mathematics TALKs March 18, 2008 4:00 p.m. Link Grades K-3 English Language Arts TALKs March 19, 2008 4:00 p.m. Link 8th Grade Mathematics TALKs March 20, 2008 4:00 p.m. Link Georgia Department of Education - Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools - 5 Celebrating March communicate collaborate connect 3 1540 - Conquistador Hernando de Soto entered southern Georgia. 12 1993 - Janet Reno becomes the first woman US Attorney General. Downloads > March calendar template > Nutrition Month Handouts 4 1917 - Jeanette Rankin was elected as the first woman to the U.S. House of Representatives. 20 1852 - Uncle Tom's Cabin is published by white abolitionist Harriet Beecher Stowe. Links > New GSO Content > Franklin Roosevelt Video > New Georgia Encyclopedia 10 1913 - Harriet Tubman passes away. 26 1874 - American poet Robert Frost was born. Themes > Women's History Month > Music in our Schools Month March in Georgia History March is a month full of history for Georgia and The New Georgia Encyclopedia has many articles celebrating these important events. On March 3, 1540, conquistador Hernando de Soto along with his army entered southern Georgia. Savannah harbor was the scene of the Battle of the Rice Boats in early March of 1776, a conflict involving British warships and rice-laden merchant ships. March 1898 is also when George V. Gress donated the Cyclorama a painting depicting the Battle of Atlanta. This enormous cultural treasure, which is currently housed at the Atlanta Cyclorama & Civil War Museum in Grant Park, stands at 42 feet tall and 358 feet in circumference making it the largest painting in the United States. U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt had visited Georgia forty-one times over the course of three decades. Most of Roosevelt's visits were to the pools in Warm Springs that were reported to have healing properties. FDR would seek therapy to try and rebuild his leg muscles from the weakening effects of polio. In March 1945, Presi- dent Roosevelt would visit the Little White House in Warm Springs for the last time, where he would die a few weeks later. A rare video clip of Franklin D. Roosevelt in Warm Springs is provided courtesy of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. March EDSITEment Calendar of Special Events The March calendar from EDSITEment is a month full of holidays, special events, lesson plans and websites for teachers. March 4, 1917 is the day that Jeanette Rankin, peace activist and suffragist, was elected as the first woman to the U.S. House of Representatives. African-American abolitionist and humanitarian Harriet Tubman passed away on March 10, 1913. EDSITEment has a great lesson plan to honor Tubman's achievements by introducing students to the role that spirituals played in African American history. Janet Reno becomes the first woman US Attorney General on March 12, 1993 and along with this accomplishment, EDSITEment offers the lesson plan Women's Equality: Changing Attitudes and Beliefs. Uncle Tom's Cabin is published by white abolitionist Harriet Beecher Stowe on March 20, 1852. American poet Robert Frost was born on March 26, 1874. Here is a lesson plan that ELA teachers in grades 6-8 can use to discuss poems by Robert Frost with students. Women's History Month March is designated as National Women's History month. The chosen theme for 2008 is Women's Art: Women's Vision which honors the originality, beauty, imagination and the multiple dimensions of women's lives through art. A colorful brochure (PDF) that includes a 2008 women's history quiz and a photo gallery of this year's national honorees is available for download. Don't forget to visit Georgia Women of Achievement (GWA), a nonprofit organization that honors extraordinary women of Georgia. A GWA induction ceremony will be held on Thursday, March 13, 2008. You can also watch an introduction to GWA with former First Lady, Rosalynn Carter. Access lesson plans and resources highlighting a Woman of Accomplishment Scavenger Hunt and a Women of the Century: Education World Webquest that is sure to pique the interest of any digital detective in your class. Georgia Department of Education - Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools - 6 World Meteorological Day Every year there is a global celebration of weather awareness through World Meteorological Day. This year the event is being observed on March 25, 2008. According to the NASA Aeronautical and Astronautical logs, the first World Meteorological Day was observed by 50 nations in 1961! Kick-off this celebration in your classroom by downloading the official World Meteorological Organization brochure and poster. National Science Teachers Association Calendar Did you know that the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) has a comprehensive science education calendar of national events and programs? Science seminars, travel exhibits, contests, grants and so much more can be tracked on this informative calendar. Site visitors can even submit a science event to the calendar by either completing the NSTA form or through email. Bunsen Burner Day Chemistry teachers should mark their calendars for Bunsen Burner Day, which is on March 31st. Celebrate by watching Using a Bunsen Burner video (Real Player required) with your students. This video was created by the Chemistry Department at Southern Connecticut State University. They also have additional videos on chemistry techniques and lab experiments. Students Would Love a Piece of this Pi March 14 (3/14/08) is Pi Day, a celebration for one of our favorite numbers, 3.14. And if that was not a reason to rejoice with your math students, March 14 also marks the birth date of Albert Einstein. There is a googol of ideas for grades 3-12 teachers including songs, trivia games and poetry over at Education World. Your students can even see Pi with one million digits over at the official Pi Day site. National Nutrition Month Teen Tech Week Teen Tech Week is a national initiative sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association that lasts from March 2 - 8, 2008. This celebration is aimed at teens, their parents, educators and other concerned adults. The purpose of the initiative is to ensure that teens are competent and ethical users of technologies, especially those that are offered through libraries such as DVDs, databases, audiobooks and video games. Teen Tech Week encourages teens to use libraries' nonprint resources for education and recreation, and to recognize that librarians are qualified, trusted professionals in the field of information technology. Teen Tech Week began in 2007 and has a general theme of Get Connected @ your library. National Nutrition Month is a public program that's sponsored every year by the American Dietetic Association (ADA). The campaign goals are to promote healthy food choices and exercise. Teachers are one click away to many ADA educational resources including a Teacher's Guide (MS Word version). Georgia Department of Education - Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools - 7 Celebrating March March is Music in our Schools Month GSO Posters GeorgiaStandards.Org posters are available to all Georgia school systems. This year's GSO poster features Georgia teacher of the year Emily Jennette pictured alongside teacher of the year finalists Anthony Stinson and William Haskin. Contact Kathy Politis for more information for your school posters. Music lovers of all ages should cheer that March is Music in our Schools Month. If you ever wanted your class to produce their own opera, then you should take a look at this article on a second grade opera company. Education World has a link compilation about symphonies, song writing and music education that even Simon, Paula and Randy would idolize. Education Place is highlighting their melody of links and a music writing prompt this month too. Are you Wearing Green? Celebrate St. Patrick's Day this March 17 in your classroom with the many green activities, resources and ideas from Education World. How much do you think your students know about Ireland? Then head on over to History.com and test their history prowess by having them take the History of Ireland Quiz. Student geography skills can be put to the test in the streets of Dublin, Ireland. The map of the official St. Patrick's Festival Parade can be tracked along with all the key event locations of this event. Your students can even interact with a Google Map of Dublin, Ireland by zooming in and out of the emerald isle's capital city or by toggling between map, satellite or terrain views. March GSO to GO Calendar Templates Download the March calendar template now. Other GaDOE News New GSO Content Click here to view the new content that was added to GeorgiaStandards.Org. March Media Matters A newsletter for people who love Library Media Centers. You can also access the Media Matters archives. GaDOE Press Releases Click here to access media information for encouraging K-12 education in Georgia. GSO Press Releases Read all the latest news regarding Georgia Standards. Subscribe to GaDOE Newsletter or Updates If you would like to receive the enewsletter or updates from GaDOE, click here. GeorgiaStandards.Org is a program under the office of Instructional Technology within the Georgia Department of Education 1952 Twin Towers East 205 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive SE Atlanta, GA 30334 Tel. (404) 463-1280 Fax (404) 657-518 Kathy Cox State Superintendent of Schools Georgia Department of Education - Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools - 8