April 2007

ARKANSAS GOVERNOR’S ACADEMIC COMPETITION QUIZ BOWL BECOMES TWO-DAY EVENT
Saturday, April 21, 5-8 p.m.
Sunday, April 22, 1-4 p.m.

The questions come fast.  The answers come fast.  Dare to test yourself and join in at home.  AETN brings you Quiz Bowl live!  Stay alert and be prepared to answer at the buzzer.

Due to the addition of classifications, this year’s Quiz Bowl will be broadcast in two parts.  There will be seven matches involving 14 teams.  Join in and cheer for your favorite team.

NATIONAL CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION MONTH
http://www.preventchildabuse.org/index.shtml

The AETN production A Walk Upstream is focused on preventing child abuse.  For more information, visit http://ideas.aetn.org/productions/edu/a_walk_upstream.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS – FREE ADMISSION TO AETN FAMILY DAY, MAY 12!

Join us to celebrate AETN Family Day – refreshments, performances, giveaway materials and a wonderful time.

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ARKANSAS STUDIES

CURRENTS OF HISTORY JOINS POCAHONTAS CELEBRATION
Wednesday, April 25, 6:30 p.m.

This special examines the history of Pocahontas, Ark., as the citizens there celebrate their Sesquicentennial over three weekends:  Sept. 21-23, Sept. 28 – Oct. 1st and Oct. 5-8, 2006.

THE OLD GRAY LADY: THE STORY OF THE ARKANSAS GAZETTE
Friday, April 13, 9 p.m.

Academy Award winning actress Mary Steenburgen lends her voice to the telling of the long and proud history of "The Old Gray Lady," the Arkansas Gazette.  This documentary covers her story from the Gazette's beginning in 1819, before Arkansas was even a state, to her final day on October 18, 1991.

BLANCHARD SPRINGS CAVERNS “WILD CAVE ADVENTURE”
http://www.ozarkgetaways.com/blanchard_springs_caverns_wildcave_tour.html
Do you have a spirit of adventure?  Are you anxious to see the undeveloped region of Blanchard Springs Caverns?  The “Wild Cave Adventure” is the thing for you.   This multi-level cavern complex has two upper levels open for guided tours along paved and lighted trails – a civilized and tidy tour. 
Visitors to the “wild cave” can expect to get dirty as they crawl up and down steep slopes, squeeze through areas with low ceilings, scramble over large boulders and experience a four- to five-hour physical workout. They are rewarded with spectacular views of the cave, including the Titan Room (a cluster of missile-shaped formations).
SOURCE: Craig Ogilvie, travel writer, Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism

HISTORIC BRIDGES OF ARKANSAS, SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 9 P.M.
http://www.aetn.org/ahbridges/

Some bridges still standing in Arkansas are nearly as old as the state itself, but each year several of these structures are being lost to the ravages of time and the demands of a modern roadway system. Learn the stories of these bridges.

OZARK FOLK CENTER OPEN HOUSE
www.ozarkfolkcenter.com
ozarkfolkcenter@arkansas.com
April 20-22, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Ozark Folk Center State Park

Admission is free into the Ozark Folk Center's Craft Village Ozark Folk Center Craft Village during the 2007 Arkansas Folk Festival. You can see demonstrations of traditional pioneer crafts such as blacksmithing, pottery, soap making, quilting and many more.
CONTACT:
Ozark Folk Center State Park
P.O. Box 500
Mountain View, AR  72560
Ph: (870) 269-3851
OBSERVE THE ARKANSAS SKY
http://www.arksky.org/index.php?pid=36

Visit the Arkansas Sky Observatories to see what is happening in Arkansas skies this month.  The calendar is based on the “Solar Calendar” data presented by the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Arkansas Sky Observatory

The gas giant Jupiter is emerging in the morning skies and Venus dominates the western sky after sunset.  Uranus and Neptune are now rising in pre-dawn skies, but are somewhat difficult to find.  Look for Pluto high overhead at sunrise.  Lyrids meteor peak is April 22.
“ALBINE HINOJOSA: EXTREME REALISM” EXHIBIT IN TEXARKANA
March 3 - April 29, 2007
Historic Regional Arts Center
Admission: Free
The exhibit inspires both realistic and abstract art. Hinojosa's works are like a moment in time captured on canvas.
Regional Arts Center
P.O. Box 1171
Texarkana, Texas 75504
(903) 792-8681

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ART AND MUSIC

IN PERFORMANCE AT THE WHITE HOUSE: THELONIOUS MONK INSTITUTE OF JAZZ
Wednesday, April 4, 7 p.m., repeat Friday, April 6, 9 p.m.

This program showcases an evening with President and Mrs. Bush at the White House as they honor the jazz music genre and the Thelonious Monk Institute.

ART IN THE 21ST CENTURY LESSON: "CARTOON COMMENTARY"
http://www.pbs.org/art21/education/abstraction/lesson2.html  
High School

Compare and contrast the work of political cartoons found in newspapers and magazines with political commentary found in contemporary art.

SOURCE: PBS Teacher Previews
http://pbs.org/teachersource/preferences/

POSTCARDS FROM BUSTER ACTIVITY: "BEATS BY THE BAY"
http://pbskids.org/buster/parentsteachers/pdf/Buster_Lessons_25-26.pdf
Elementary School

Watch and talk about hip hop music and dancing, and practice some dancing moves.

SOURCE: PBS Teacher Previews
http://pbs.org/teachersource/preferences/

ANNENBURG :CONNECTING WITH THE ARTS" WORKSHOP
http://learner.org/redirect/march/conartw4.html
Video library http://learner.org/redirect/march/conartl5.htm
Middle School

These resources help teachers devise ways of integrating the arts with subjects across the curriculum in the middle grades.

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EARLY CHILDHOOD

HOW TO DEAL WITH CHALLENGING BEHAVIOR
http://www.pbs.org/parents/experts/archive/wheeler-challengingbehavior.html

John Wheeler, Ph.D. is an expert in the emotions and behavior of children. He's answering your questions about how you can respond to your child's challenging behavior.  Learn how to deal with a 12-year-old's violent and secretive behavior.  Get tips on structuring routines for your kids.  Plus, find out what you can do to encourage your preschooler to be more verbal.

SOURCE: PBS Parents
http://pbs.org/parents/preferences/index.html

BETWEEN THE LIONS: WORD PLAY
http://pbskids.org/lions/games/wordplay.html

Build a child's vocabulary with a look at morphing words.

UNDERSTANDING AND RAISING BOYS
http://www.pbs.org/parents/raisingboys/?campaign=parentsnews_1_rasingboys

It's tough being a boy in America today. The PBS Parents Guide to Raising Boys will help you understand what it's like. Learn how to help your boy adjust to school and what schools can do to adjust to boys.  Plus, get tips on how to nurture your boy's emotional intelligence and help him grow up to be caring and responsive.

SOURCE: PBS Parents
http://pbs.org/parents/preferences/index.html

BUILD A NEIGHBORHOOD WITH MISTER ROGERS
http://pbskids.org/rogers/R_house/build.htm?campaign=parentsnews_3_rogers

This interactive Web site allows children to create their own neighborhoods.  They can make a neighborhood picture by clicking and dragging to learn that there are all kinds of communities made up of many different types of people.

SOURCE: PBS Parents
http://pbs.org/parents/preferences/index.html

GRANTS, AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIPS

VALUABLE SOURCE FOR ONGOING GRANT INFORMATION: http://www.publiceducation.org/newsblast_grants.asp for grant opportunities

SHOW ME THE MONEY: TIPS & RESOURCES FOR SUCCESSFUL GRANT WRITING
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/profdev/profdev039.shtml

Do you have a project that requires outside funding? Have you just been assigned the responsibility for writing a grant?  This quick and easy guide will help you with the grant writing process, and links will guide you to additional resources.

GREEN WORKS GRANT APPLICATIONS
http:// www.plt.org
Deadline: April 30, 2007
Grant Amount: $5,000

Project Learning Tree has expanded the GreenWorks! Service-Learning Program.  A total of $100,000 will be awarded for environmental projects that involve youth and their communities.

ART COMPETITION, GRADES 5-8
http://www.clintonlibrary.gov   
Deadline: April 23, 2007

The Clinton Presidential Library, the /Clinton Foundation and the THEA Foundation are sponsoring an art competition.  The theme is “Arkansas Impressions: Home Through the Eye of the Artist.”

OUTDOOR CLASSROOM GRANT PROGRAM FOR THE NATURAL SCIENCES
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=pg&p=AboutLowes/outdoor/index.html
Maximum Award: $2,000
Eligibility: K-12 schools in the United States
Deadline: N/A

Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation, International Paper and National Geographic Explorer! Magazine have joined to create an outdoor classroom grant program whose focus is to engage students in hands-on natural science experiences across the core curriculum.

GRANTS TO IMPROVE TEEN DRIVER SAFETY
http://www.sfprojectignition.com/00home/
Maximum Award: $10,000
Eligibility: Students grades 9-12
Deadline: April 15, 2007

State Farm and the National Youth Leadership Council are sponsoring Project Ignition which funds programs that give high school students and their teachers the chance to work together to address the issue of teen driver safety.

INFORMATION SOURCE FOR NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC AWARDS AND GRANTS FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS
http://www.ngsednet.org/news/announcement_detail.cfm?id=34

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HEALTH, SAFETY AND FITNESS

FAT: WHAT NO ONE IS TELLING YOU
Wednesday, April 12, 8 p.m.

As the number of obese Americans climbs to frightening levels, the quest for answers is becoming even more urgent.  What is this complex human puzzle that is driving this epidemic and causing such pain?

THE FORGETTING: A PORTRAIT OF ALZHEIMER'S LESSON: "HOW ALZHEIMER'S AFFECTS THE BRAIN"
http://www.pbs.org/theforgetting/resources/sciencehealth.html  
Middle/High School

Examine how Alzheimer's affects different parts of the brain and sketch a healthy neuron labeling its parts. Diagram brain changes during the early and late stages of Alzheimer's.

SOURCE: PBS Teacher Previews
http://www.pbs.org/previews/

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HISTORY AND SOCIAL STUDIES

REVISED SOCIAL STUDIES FRAMEWORK AVAILABLE FOR ARKANSAS TEACHERS
http://arkansased.org/teachers/curriculum.html

MONTANA PUBLIC TELEVISION SITE: "WHY SAVE A LANGUAGE?"
http://www.montanapbs.org/WhySaveALanguage/
Elementary/Middle/High School

Many Americans know little or nothing about the indigenous languages of North America. Explore this Web site to learn how Native languages reflect and embody the culture, and hear about why these languages are central to cultural revitalization efforts.

SOURCE: PBS Teacher Previews
http://www.pbs.org/previews/

WHATEVER FLOATS YOUR BOATS LESSON PLAN
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/lessons/lp_dday.html
Cross-curriculum: History/Science
Middle/High School

The problems of wartime often require creative solutions. The Battle of D-Day was no exception. This activity has students learning about some of those historic innovations and designing their own creations, while at the same time learning about buoyancy and Archimedes' Principle.

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LIBRARY, LITERATURE AND READING

MASTERPIECE THEATRE “THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS:
Sunday, April 8, 8 p.m.

Climb into the passenger’s seat to experience Toad’s wild ride.  This 90-minute film is a delightful adaptation of Kenneth Grahame’s delightful Edwardian children’s book.  Join the eccentric Toad as he abandons the mundane task of cleaning his home to go on a “great adventure.”  Watch as his obsession with automobiles and love of speed send him across the countryside.  Only his trusty friends Badger, Ratty and Mole can save him from his profligate habits – and the police.

MASTERPIECE THEATRE “BLEAK HOUSE”
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/bleakhouse/index.html
Sundays, April 22 - May 13 at 8 p.m.

What do the writing skills of a talented court reporter, a generations-old legal battle, spontaneous human combustion and an endless Victorian court system have in common?  When the talented court reporter is Charles Dickens, the combination results in Dickens’ Bleak House.  Since Dickens wrote for installments in London newspapers, he was a master of cliffhanger endings.

Some things for your students to think about as they watch:

• How did Dickens draw on his experiences as a court reporter?
• According to Dickens, “The one great principle of the English law is to make business for itself.”  How is that sentiment reflected?
• How was Bleak House groundbreaking?  Consider the two contrasting narratives, the first English whodunit and the first sleuth in English fiction.
• How did the format – publicatuin in 19 monthly installments – impact the story?
• Although Dickens eventually won his case against the publisher of A Christmas Carol, the publisher declared bankruptcy and Dickens was forced to pay all the court costs.  How would that shape his opinion of the English court system?

ON THE SAME PAGE WEDNESDAYS AT 6:30 P.M.

If you enjoy a good book, be sure to tune in as authors share.  Upcoming authors include Jo McDougall (April 4), Billy Collins (April 11) and Ted Kooser (April 18).

A NEW CINEMATIC BRIDGE TO WELL-LOVED LITERATURE
http://learner.org/redirect/march/novel1.html

Author, Katherine Paterson appears throughout the instructional television (ITV) series, most prominently in Workshops 2, 4, 7 and 8.  These are the same workshops in which 6th grade teacher Pauline Moller also models effective techniques for teaching the novel. Program 5, "Why Do I Have to Read This Book?" may also be of interest, since it deals with the common problem of students' taking the "easy way out" by watching the movie version of a novel rather than reading the book.

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MATH AND SCIENCE

NOVA TEACHERS' SURVEY
http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?p=WEB2263N47VHZZ
Elementary/Middle/High School

NOVA is seeking your help to improve its educational offerings  Take a 10-minute survey to evaluate the NOVA Teachers' Web site and lesson plans. Complete the survey and enter a sweepstakes to win five NOVA videos.

SOURCE: PBS Teacher Previews
http://pbs.org/teachersource/preferences/

ARTHUR LESSON: "A MINUTE IN TIME"
http://pbskids.org/arthur/parentsteachers/activities/acts/minute_time.html  
Elementary School

Explore the concept of elapsed time by performing an action as often as possible in one minute. Describe how that length of time feels compared to a minute when no activities are performed.

SOURCE: PBS Teacher Previews
http://www.pbs.org/previews/

WHATEVER FLOATS YOUR BOATS LESSON PLAN
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/lessons/lp_dday.html
Cross-curriculum: History/Science
Middle/High School

The problems of wartime often require creative solutions. The Battle of D-Day was no exception. This activity has students learning about some of those historic innovations and designing their own creations, while at the same time learning about buoyancy and Archimedes' Principle.

POST-SECONDARY AND PRE-SERVICE

NEW PBS WEB SITE FOR TEACHERS
http://www.pbs.org/teachers/?campaign=parentsnews_2_teachers

PBS has launched its new Web site for teachers. "PBS Teachers" is the front door to PBS's many educational resources and services for grades preK-12 teachers.  The site includes thousands of free standards-based lesson plans and activities that, in many cases, can easily be adapted for use at home with your kids.

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

FREE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SESSIONS AT AETN

Dates	Morning Session 8:30-11:30 a.m.	Afternoon Session 1-4 p.m.
April 5	Arkansas IDEAS Learn Now! Workshop	AETN Videostreaming Workshop
April 12	Arkansas IDEAS Learn Now! Workshop	Little Rock Central High Virtual Tour Workshop
April 19	Arkansas IDEAS Learn Now! Workshop	AETN Videostreaming Workshop
April 26	Arkansas IDEAS Learn Now! Workshop	Little Rock Central High Virtual Tour Workshop
May 3	Arkansas IDEAS Learn Now! Workshop	AETN Videostreaming Workshop
May10	Arkansas IDEAS Learn Now! Workshop	Little Rock Central High Virtual Tour Workshop
May 17	Arkansas IDEAS Learn Now! Workshop	AETN Videostreaming Workshop
May 24	Arkansas IDEAS Learn Now! Workshop	Little Rock Central High Virtual Tour Workshop

Workshops are held at the AETN training facilities next to the UCA campus in Conway.  To register or to request on-site training, call Claudia Holt at 501-682-5074, or e-mail education@aetn.org.

BE A SUMMER SCHOLAR ON AETN
http://www.ideas.aetn.org/scholar_channel
Days: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday
Time: 12:01-2:30 a.m.
Start date: June 4, 2007

AETN launches its Summer Scholar broadcast to provide professional development programming for recording, watching and taking assessments.  Summer Scholar was developed in response to teachers’ requests for free professional development courses during the summer.  All sessions are ADE approved, and assessments will be available online.  The full schedule will be included in the May issue of StationBreak News for Educators.  Programs will be available on AETN's primary channel in your area.

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