April 13th - 19th Earn $5 Donors Choose Gift Cards

An earlier post included information about Bing's Earth Day photo contest for students. The deadline has closed. However, it's time to vote! From April 13th - 19th Bing will be giving $5 Donors Choose gift cards each day to the first 20,000 people to cast votes on the students' Earth Day photos.

https://www.earthdayphotocontest.com/?fbid=5NAwLzbsAi1#

Projected Population and Climate Change Maps

Below is a link to an interactive database with maps you could share with students when discussing population change, climate change, or mathematical projections.

http://www.populationaction.org/Publications/Interactive_Databases/climate_map.shtml

ePals

Do you think your students would benefit from connecting to students in other parts of the world? Check out this award winning program website that creates ePals among classrooms from around the globe.

http://www.epals.com/

If you plan to incorporate this into your instruction, make sure you have enough computers and Internet connection. Also, make sure your administration and students' parents approve.

If your students are completing environmental stewardship projects...

If your students are - in any big or small way - conducting environmental cleanup or conservation projects have them take a look at this website. It encourages students to submit digital photos and an essay. The winners will win monetary awards and their project will be posted on the website.

http://www.wildernessproject.org/volunteer_apprentice_ecologist.php

NASA contest

Excite students about space exploration. Their names can be added to a space-bound microchip.


Hitch a Ride on the Glory Satellite (All Grade Levels)
Do you want to hitch a ride on NASA's next climate monitoring satellite? Join the Glory
mission, which will launch no earlier than Oct. 1, 2010, by surfing over to the Send Your
Name Around the Earth Web page. Names will be recorded on a microchip built into the
satellite, and you will get a printable certificate from NASA acknowledging your
participation. There are already 226,323 names on the chip, but there's still plenty of room.
You may not submit your name more than once.

http://polls.nasa.gov/utilities/sendtospace/jsp/sendName.jsp

Internship for seniors accepted into college

Below is a link to an internship with the federal commerce department. Students must have received a 2.9 GPA and are accepted into a post-secondary institution.

http://www.govbenefits.gov/govbenefits_en.portal?_nfpb=true&locateFederalFlow_1_actionOverride=%2FLocateFederalFlow%2Freport&_windowLabel=locateFederalFlow_1&locateFederalFlow_1bid=820&locateFederalFlow_1_code=70&_pageLabel=gbcc_page_locate_federal

UNITE Teacher in the News

Nathan Dolenc hosted a Rube Goldberg competition at Prosser High School. He plans to host another one next year. He is a good resource for anyone interested in starting a student team and competing.

Here's a link to an article about the event.

http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2010/03/rube-goldberg-competition-gets-teens-excited-about-stem.ars

Earth Day Photo Contest

Bing is hosting an Earth Day photo contest for students. There are monetary prizes. The contest starts March 29th. April 11th is the deadline.

https://www.earthdayphotocontest.com/

FREE RESOURCES from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Here's a link to free resources. http://www.hhmi.org/coolscience/resources/SPT--Home.php

Info on Using Library's YOUmedia Space

http://youmediachicago.org/18-high-school-workshops/pages/22-overview-reservation-policy

The Harold Washington Library now has a floor dedicated to digital media specifically for youths. As part of their initiative, teachers are invited to bring students to the library to learn about what is being offered and other resources that are now accessible.

Besides the link to the field trip information, you should take some time to review the website and the programs being offered to teens.

Chicago Humanities Festival Opportunity for Students

Hey high school teachers-do you have a student who's full of ideas? Helpful and energetic? The Chicago Humanities Festival's Youth Advisory Council is looking for new members for the 2010-11 school year. Council members get to weigh in with ideas for CHF programs, promote the spring and fall festivals to their schools, peers,and communities, and gain an understanding of arts and nonprofit administration.This year's council has 6 members who meet with Festival staff on a monthly basis.

The council is open to students who will be in grades 9-12 during the next school year. The commitment is approximately 1 hour per month, September through May, and students can receive community service credit for time served on the council.

Teachers and students interested in learning more about the council may call 312.661.1028 ext. 17 or contact Associate Director, Marketing & Communications Jara Kern at jarak@chfestival.org.

Readability Website

This tool can be used to determine the reading level of a news article, website, or any non-grade level labeled text you would like to use with your students. Enter the text where indicated. The readability explanations are straightforward.

http://www.readabilityformulas.com/free-readability-formula-assessment.php

Essential Question (from Trent)

Another possible essential question:

How do banks make money?

Trivia Question

Trivia question you could share with your students:

List all the state abbreviations that are also periodic table element abbreviations.

If... a poem

IF

If you think you are beaten, you are.
If you think you dare not, you don't.
If you'd like to win, but think you can't,

It's almost certain you won't.
If you think you'll lose, you've lost.
For out of the world we find
Success begins with a fellows will.
It's all in the state of mind.
If you think you're outclassed, you are.
You've got to think high to rise.
You've got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.
Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster person.
But sooner or later the person who wins
Is the one who thinks they can.

Anonymous

Internships for Students

This is an out-of-town internship. The application deadline is March 1st.
http://www.training.nih.gov/student/sip/info.asp
Summer programs at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) provide an opportunity to spend a summer working side-by-side with some of the leading scientists in the world, in an environment devoted exclusively to biomedical research. The NIH consists of the new 240-bed Mark O. Hatfield Clinical Research Center and more than 1200 laboratories located on the main campus in Bethesda, MD as well as in Baltimore and Frederick, MD; Research Triangle Park, NC; Phoenix, AZ; Hamilton, MT; and Detroit, MI.

http://www.rush.edu/rumc/page-1160429718539.html
The SAME Network High School Internship Program operated by the Department of Community Affairs of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois, will offer students in grades nine through twelve, an opportunity to participate in year-round after school and summer learning activities.

http://www.motorola-jobs.com/job/CHICAGO-CXD-High-School-Program-Summer-2010-Internship-Job-IL-60290/707881/?utm_source=Linkup&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=J2W_Linkup
Minimum Sophmore standing in high school and pursuing extra curricular art/design education in graphic design photography painting drawing and digital/multimedia arts.
The CXD summer internship program will provide students with a close-up view of careers in design, meaningful practical experience, and insight into the role of design in Motorola's product development lifecycle.Candidates should be initiative-takers who are flexible in their approach and eager to learn. Proven leadership, persistence, creative thinking, and proficiency in design-related software tools such as Photoshop, Illustrator, PowerPoint are a plus. Excellent verbal and written communication skills are required.