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Our March Blog: A Reason to Teach. We're talking about remembering why you became an educator and the importance of remaining positive in a sometimes futile educational system.

March 2011 Picks

Teacher Resources | Parent Resources | Technology Tips |

March seems to be filled with creativity. Not only does this month focus on Music, Arts, and Poetry, but we have the invention of the first paper money, the first basketball game, and the first published U.S. Map. Celebrate the birthdays of Big Bird, Albert Einstein, and Dr. Seuss. It's Potato Chip Day, St. Partick's Day, Daylight Savings, and the first day of Spring. You'll have to visit our monthly newsletter to see all the details. Below are just a few highlights!

WHAT'S HAPPENING THIS MONTH?

Here are just a few of the March events that you can integrate into your classroom lesson plans.

1. MUSIC IN OUR SCHOOLS MONTH - Music is an amazing tool for learning. I4C has a really large list of resources on music education, including printables, worksheets, and audio's. Find music sheet templates, a glossary of music terms, musical theory, fraction bars, percussions, classicals, links to different symphonies, and name-that-tune song quizzes.


2. YOUTH ART MONTH - Celebrate the arts with our arts topics page. Find links to resources on Dance, Theatre, Music, Museums, High School Art Lesson Plans, and General Art Activities and Projects.


3. NATIONAL CRAFTS MONTH - There are craft projects and activities for almost every age on our site. Here are Pre-K arts and crafts. We also have a page designated to Kindergarten arts and crafts. Use craft month to incorporate language arts standards, by teaching students how to follow directions while they complete art projects and activities.


4. POTATO CHIP DAY (3/14) - Did you know the potato chip was invented on accident? Read about how the potato chip got its start. We have a page dedicated to all kinds of timelines, including a food timeline in number 16. Do a keyword search from A-Z and discover the history of your favorite food.


5. ST. PATRICK'S DAY (3/17) - Find everything you need for St. Patty's Day, including St. Patrick's Day lesson plans, activities, online games, and craft ideas.


6. BIG BIRD'S BIRTHDAY (3/20) - Celebrate the Big Yellow Bird's ageless birthday with fun online educational games. Practice math with Big Bird's numbers game. Learn shapes and colors with this online Big Bird math game. Click on Number Six to play an alphabet game and learn your letters with Big Bird.


7. CHILDREN'S POETRY DAY (3/21) - We have a big selection of poetry resources for all ages. Find Kindergarten rhyming words resources in our Language Arts Skill Builders section. There are Elementary poetry lesson plans. Explore an overview of poetry, how to understand and practice writing poetry, and take a poetry knowledge quiz in our Fifth Grade Literary Genres section. For Middle and High School levels: find 180 poems to enjoy a poem a day throughout the school year; Take a virtual field trip to learn about the many types of poetry; and find 30 lesson plans and samples for "30 days of poetry."


8. FIRST U.S. MAP WAS PUBLISHED (3/31/1784) - I4C has Geography resources, on maps in particular, covering printable maps. Find Third Grade Social Studies map lessons and interactive practice and quizzes. Explore online Fifth Grade Social Studies map skills, like longitude, latitude, and topographic symbols.

TEACHER RESOURCES

1. ASSESSMENT TESTING RESOURCES - Take advantage of our Assessment Test Help section to find a comprehensive list of links by topics, like:
   
   Science Assessment Tools
   Social Studies Assessment Help
   Grammar and Reading + Language Arts Assessment Assistance
   Released tests to print
   Interactive assessment test resources by grade level
   Assessment Test Taking Assistance - Practice Tests for every grade
   
2. Find assessment resources on: Fractions, Graphing, Sequencing, and Fact and Opinion.


3. INTERACTIVE SKILL BUILDERS SECTION - Find online Assessment Practice tests, games, and quizzes, organized by grade:
   
   Interactive Online Sequencing Resources:
   1st grade sequencing tools
   2nd grade sequencing tools
   3rd grade sequencing tools
   4th grade sequencing tools
   
   Interactive Online Fractions Resources:
   1st grade fractions
   2nd grade fractions
   3rd grade fractions
   4th grade fractions
   5th grade fractions
   6th grade fractions- add and subtract fractions
   6th grade fractions - dividing fractions
   6th grade fractions - multiplying fractions
   7th grade fractions
   7th grade fractions - comparing fractions and decimals
   8th grade fractions
   
4. Plus generate your own bubble sheets for practice assessment tests.


5. Visit Teacher tools for all of your classroom needs.


6. Go to our grade level help for lesson plans, activities, instructionals, and tools organized by grade and subject.

PARENT RESOURCES

1. Enjoy the luck of the Irish and celebrate St. Patrick's Day with these fun activities you can do in class or at home.


2. Get your kids ready for Assessment Testing with these test prep guides and testing strategies. When our children feel comfortable testing, they perform better.


3. Giving our students access to IPods and IPads is becoming more the norm. Put their minds to the test with these educational apps. It's a great way to keep our children learning while they think they are playing games to pass the time.
   
4. Need autism resources? Visit I4C's Parent resources section on Autism to learn about autism screening, early signs, family life, how to prepare your child and your child's school, and more.


5. Parent Zone - A comprehensive list of everything school related, including homework help, reading help, all subject areas, and educational games.
   
   

TECHNOLOGY TIPS

1. Quick Zoom - Want to make the text on your computer screen look bigger or smaller? For a PC, hold down the CTRL key and push the + (plus) sign to go bigger. Push the - (minus) sign to go smaller. The same applies to a MAC, but hold the Command key instead of CTRL. *You can also roll the mouse scroll wheel up and down while holding down the CTRL key to get the same effect.


2. Is Your Screen Upside Down?? - It's a frequent occurrence in school computer labs. The computer screen turns upside down. There is an easy fix! Hold down the CTRL key, the ALT key, and the up arrow. Wah lah.


3. "Send Your Parents a Tech Support Care Package" - Teacherparentstech.org is a great site for finding tutorial videos to send to beginner computer users. Fill out the online form provided, selecting which computer skills you'd like to send, and enter in the recipient's email address. They will receive an emailed "care package" of links to simply click on and watch. It's a must have for anyone just starting out in the tech world. You can also click on "view all videos" and take advantage of the tutorials yourself!

We also have other basic instruction in Microsoft Office, including Word 2007, Excel 2007, Powerpoint 2007.

OTHER AREAS OF INTEREST

1. Resources for Educators - In this section you can find classroom resources for Exceptional Children, Smartboards, Character Education, Web 2.0 Resources and other topics.
2. Resources for Parents - Parents can find resources
   on assisting their children with homework, time management, Internet Safety, subject area resources, grade level resources and more.