Welcome to TSTA

Watch for Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine at Your School
This September, Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine will begin a new Keep Texas Wild student section for teachers and families to introduce children to the world of nature and the outdoors. Elementary schools with fourth grades and secondary schools are on the mailing list.

The kid-friendly, four-page section will include fun facts presented with a lively writing style, eye-popping photos, and a creative, whimsical design. Each topic will be Texas-specific, with special attention to current conservation issues. The section will also include hands-on activities that cross the spectrum of school curricula (such as art, math, science and social studies) and a call to action that encourages students to get outdoors and get involved in hands-on learning. The theme for the September issue of Keep Texas Wild is predators.

Companion web pages for Keep Texas Wild will also be available. Teachers or parents can download material in printable PDF format in the "Teacher Tool Kit" resource area on the Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine web site. From the magazine site, those who want to delve deeper can also link to lesson plans, additional activities and supplemental information for students and teachers. Teachers also can sign up to receive monthly e-mails with links to Keep Texas Wild sections. www.tpwmagazine.com

BubbleWrap® Competition for Young Inventors
This innovative contest for grades 5-8 incorporates national and state academic standards in the fields of engineering design, problem-solving, entrepreneurship and all of the core curricular subjects, while offering prizes for students and their teachers. The deadline is November 3, and applications may be received via hard copy mail, email or FAX. The details for the competition are available on our web site at www.nmoe.org.

National Veterans Day Poster and Essay Contest
This year’s contest theme is: Veterans: Thank You for Your Service. Using their own words and creativity, children can express their understanding and appreciation of the many contributions veterans have made to our country. The poster contest is open to students in grades 1-4, and the essay contest is open to students in grades 5-8. Entries must be received by October 10, 2008. For contest rules, visit www.pva.org. 10/10/08

Fulbright Teacher Exchange Programs
The Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad Program provides opportunities for overseas experience. The program is open to educators and administrators with responsibilities for curriculum development in fields related to humanities, languages, and area studies. Included are round-trip economy airfare, room and board, fees, and program-related travel within the host country (ies). Participants are responsible for a cost share, $400. The Summer 2009 application and reference form deadline is September 12, 2008. Apply online at http://e-grants.ed.gov/egWelcome.asp. There are always a variety of opportunities in the offing. Read about the programs and download applications at http://www.fulbrightexchanges.org/View/ViewOtherOpps.asp.

Multi-Disciplinary Art Project: Individual Expression Becomes Large Collective Artwork
The Fundred Dollar Bill Project is a unique artwork made of millions of drawings. Students’ drawings will be part of a giant performance and collective creative action! This is a national project intended to support the rebuilding of New Orleans by making the environmental conditions safer for its residents. The "artworks" created by your students will be collected by armored truck and delivered to Washington D.C. where an even exchange of the value of their art currency for actual funds will be requested. The awareness raised by FUNDRED is intended to support a citywide solution to health and quality of life issues still challenging the post-disaster city. It is a method for your students to have a meaningful hand in a coordinated national process.

The project is appropriate to introduce social studies, political science, or art and design. Their goal is that students’ contributions will demonstrate that their creative actions can make a difference. If you have a student from New Orleans this project can be a method of reconnecting with their home in a positive and tangible way. A simple lesson plan is available for download at http://www.fundred.org. Password: Paydirt. If you have questions or are interested in your school being a collection center, email questions@fundred.org.

Diversity-Democracy
The National Diversity Education Program engaged educators from across the country to explore the question, "Why and how is diversity the foundational and functional basis for American democracy?" The result is an innovative, highly accessible approach for teaching diversity. www.janm.org/about/depts/education/ndep.php

Resources and Free Professional Development
Thinkfinity's "endless possibilities for learning" include an interactive graphic organizer for outlining comparative essays; a lesson on Pearl S. Buck's views on immigration in the 1930s; a lesson about the benefits of recycling; a lesson on the symmetry and transformation behind Archimedes' Puzzle; and much, much more. Thinkfinity's comprehensive collection of resources, along with free professional development, enables learning to happen across the country every day. Visit www.thinkfinity.org.

A Chance for Kids to be Published Authors or Illustrators
Launch Pad: Where Young Authors and Illustrators Take Off! is a new print magazine dedicated to publishing fiction, nonfiction, poetry, book reviews, and artwork written and created by children ages 6-12. The magazine will be published six issues a year. They are currently accepting children's writing and works of art, as well as book reviews. http://www.launchpadmag.com

Lesson Plans from the Smithsonian
Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum offers lesson plans for teachers. more

Scholarships Available for Natl Board Certification
The GlaxoSmithKline Endowed Scholarship Fund is offering financial assistance to middle and high school science teachers who are seeking this voluntary, advanced teaching credential. http://www.nea.org/takenote/nbcschol.html

NEA Study Reveals Challenges to Hispanic Students
Check out "A Report on the Status of Hispanics in Education: Overcoming a History of Neglect" to see how language, cultural, and socioeconomic obstacles impede the academic achievement of students. Hispanics have poverty rates that are two to nearly three times higher than whites; and 40% of their population is foreign born.
http://www.nea.org/mco/images/hispaniced.pdf

Women's History Web Quest
Challenge students to make use of bookshelf and online resources to create an Encyclopedia of Notable Women for Women's History Month. http://www.nea.org/lessons/tt070226.html

Free Online Test Prep Available
Texas Online Preparation for College Admissions Tests (TOPCAT) provides free online SAT and ACT test preparation materials in English and Spanish to Texas middle and high school students, as well as adults preparing to enroll college for the first time. You'll find prep tutorials, practice sessions, timed sample tests, a vocabulary builder, and test-taking tips. http://testprep.collegefortexans.com.

Free Science Website
A new free website, www.ScienceWithMe.com, offers parents and teachers resources to help make science interesting for kids.

Teaching the American 20s
The Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center at The University of Texas at Austin introduces "Teaching the American 20s," an online educational website designed specifically for K-12 educators. The site features informative academic text on topics related to the 1920s and complements the Ransom Center's exhibition "The American Twenties."

Content on the site is divided into four themes: "Big Debates," about social issues that captured the country's attention; "Small Town, Big City," about the changing concept of modern city life; "America Encounters the Modern," about new forms of creative expression; and "Defining American Culture," about what it means to be American. These themes are explored through an instructive text and illuminated by literature, art, media, music and other popular culture artifacts of the day. http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/teachingthetwenties

Fun with Natural History
OLogy, the American Museum of Natural History's website for kids ages 7-12, is based on the premise that "everyone wants to know something," and is designed as a place for kids to explore, ask questions, get answers, meet OLogists, play games, and see what other kids are interested in. http://www.ology.amnh.org

Tour the K-12 Teaching & Learning Center
The Center offers a 3.5-minute online tour of its resources at www.k12tlc.net/tours/tsta/tsta.htm.

College for Texans Website
Looking for one place to find all there is to know about going to college or technical school in Texas? Go to http://www.CollegeForTexans.com. Admissions, financial aid, and free test prep are just a few areas found on the site.

Free Science Website
A free website, www.ScienceWithMe.com, offers parents and teachers resources to help make science interesting for kids.

Presidential Treasure Trove
A web-based Presidential Timeline (http://www.presidentialtimeline.org) filled with digitized artifacts and historical archives from all of the U.S. presidential libraries has been created through the efforts of the 12 presidential libraries of the National Archives and Records Administration, the Learning Technology Center of The University of Texas at Austin's College of Education and the UT Library system. The interactive web-based Timeline is based on the administrations of 20th century American presidents and is unique in giving educators, archivists and the public one spot where the 12 presidential libraries' impressive array of digitized assets can be accessed.

Free Stuff!
Find teaching and learning resources from federal agencies at http://www.free.ed.gov.

Curriki
Curriki is a nonprofit dedicated to improving education by empowering teachers, students and parents with universal access to free and Open Source Curricula. Curriki is building the first and only Internet site for a complete course of instruction and assessment for K-12. www.curriki.org

Reading Answers
Reading Answers' mission is to help parents to help their children with reading.
http://www.readinganswers.com

Tar Wars is a tobacco-free education program for fourth- and fifth-grade students that is owned and operated by the American Academy of Family Physicians. The program is designed to teach kids about the short-term, image-based consequences of tobacco use, the cost associated with using tobacco products, and the advertising techniques used by the tobacco industry to market their products to youth. A follow-up poster contest is conducted at the school, state, and national level to reinforce the Tar Wars message. http://www.tarwars.org

Preventing Staph Infections in Schools
The State Department of Health has asked the Texas Education Agency to alert school districts about the spread of Staph infections within their student body. Community associated Staph has become a huge issue here in Texas (and the U.S.), particularly in sports. You can order posters for your school and find additional resources and information at http://idcu.org/health/texsas.

Resources for Learning Disabled
The website www.SparkTop.org is for kids 8-12 years old who struggle with learning.

Beach in a Box: Texas State Aquarium Outreach Programs
Experience the Gulf of Mexico in your classroom! Programs vary by grade level and feature interactive opportunities. See "Outreach Programs" http://www.aquariumteacher.com/educator/programs.html#outreach

Free Science Podcasts for Kids
DragonflyTV, the PBS KIDS GO! show that’s all about Real Kids Doing Real Science, announces the launch of free video podcasts on its website at pbskidsgo.org/dragonflytv. Each video is a 5-7 minute science-savvy segment featuring adventurous kids investigating everything from manatees in Florida to model rockets on the Texas plains.

Cultural Exchange Projects
The International Education and Resource Network collects and distributes classroom cultural exchange projects; they also sponsor international exchange programs, student photo contests, and conferences on interactive learning, social bridge building, technology integration, and other subjects. www.iearn.org.

Free 'Best Practices' Guide on Math
This guide features a compilation of research on the value of mentoring, combined with 15 case histories of programs, each of which includes information on program design and results. Click here for the guide. If you prefer a hard copy, please send an email to ASA@ACTFND.org

Battling Girl Bullies
For females, the worst bullies are often their best friends. Long aware of the symptoms of social aggression, educators are now trying to find the ingredients for a cure. Also learn how you can recognize and stop cyber bullying. www.nea.org/neatoday/0605/cyberbully.html

Summer Reading Picks for Educators
Take a break from policy tomes or curriculum planners and check out this slew of education-themed books NEA has compiled. You'll find reads for rejuvenating the spirit, refreshing skills, freeing your imagination, and sharing with kids. www.nea.org/neatoday/0605/readandrenew.html

TEACH
Award-winning director Davis Guggenheim 's documentary TEACH is available online for free at www.teachnow.org. This half-hour program follows the challenging and rewarding first year experiences of four public school teachers. TEACH was produced for use as a powerful teacher recruitment tool for schools of education, public libraries, community colleges, and organizations that support teaching.

Free Teaching Kit for Grades 8-12
"One Survivor Remembers" tells the story of Gerda Weissmann Klein's six-year ordeal in Nazi labor camps and a forced death march. Though her experience was horrifying, Klein also remembers wonderful acts of decency and normalcy, testaments to the greatness of humanity. The free kit, which can be ordered at http://tolerance.org/teach/resources/survivor.jsp, includes:

Students Needed to Make Storybooks
The Memory Project is currently in need of students in writing and art classes to make children's books for children living amidst a war in Uganda. To escape the danger, some 40,000 village children flock to the cities every night, where they sleep in shelters or on sidewalks. Each morning,
they walk miles back to their villages to go to school or work. While striving to survive the war, the children of Uganda also struggle to hang onto childhood. One purpose of the books is to help the children find momentary peace of mind. Another purpose, given that the war disrupts their education, is to help them learn to read. The national language of Uganda is English. The project is open to students at any level. Visit www.thememoryproject.org/childrensbooks for details.

Math-A-Thon helps to fund St Jude Children's Research Hospital, which is internationally recognized for its pioneering work in finding cures and saving children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases. No family ever pays for treatments not covered by insurance, and families without insurance are never asked to pay.

Students, grades K - 9, obtain sponsors, then complete a funbook by solving a variety of math problems such as hidden messages, puzzles and pure arithmetic operations. Awards are earned depending on total funds collected. Students have the opportunity to win T-shirts, sport bags, super slim cd player and free passes to Six Flags. Schools can earn prizes for donations of $3,000 or more, ranging all the way up to a printer or microwave or TV/DVD combo for $10,000 or more. For more information, visit www.stjude.org or call 800-822-6344.

Free Online Grade Book
Grade Connect has created a free online grade book and course management system. Any teacher, school, district or system is welcome to use it. It can be found at www.gradeconnect.com.

What Makes a Teacher Worth Listening To?
What would make students care more about school? What would make them pay more attention to teachers? Find out on "The Way We See It," a video created by youth production teams from around the country. It's available on DVD for $6.95, including shipping and handling. To request a copy, go to www.listenup.org/education.

Disney Grants for Youth Service to Communities
DisneyHand Minnie Grants for DisneyHand and Youth Service America want kids to get involved in service to their communities. DisneyHand Minnie Grants of $500 each are available to engage young people between the ages of 5 and 14 to plan and carry out service projects that respond to community needs for National and Global Youth Service Day. Read about more mini-grants

Free Shakespeare Materials
The National Endowment for the Arts has developed a free packet of Shakespeare-related educational materials, including an educational video, "Shakespeare in Our Time," about the Bard and his influence on modern culture; an audio CD; a teacher's guide; a recitation contest booklet; and "Fun with Shakespeare" brochures. To review, register and order the packet, go to www.vpw.com/partner/shakespeare.

A Tour of Washington and a $5000 Scholarship
Through the annual United States Senate Youth Program, established in 1962 by U.S. Senate Resolution, two student leaders from each states spend a week in Washington experiencing their national government in action. Students visit Capitol Hill, the White House, Supreme Court, Pentagon and State Department and are awarded a $5,000 college scholarship for undergraduate studies. The William Randolph Hearst Foundation will pay all expenses for the Washington Week, including transportation, hotel accommodations and meals. Applications may only be acquired through high school principals or state level education administrators. Refer to the selection contact page.

Hispanic Scholarship Fund
Since 1975, the Hispanic Scholarship Fund has awarded more than 61,000 scholarships in excess of $115 million to Hispanic students from all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Go to http://www.hsf.net/ for more information on the scholarships. Read about more scholarships and awards.