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STEM-ING WITH THINKFINITY

Prepare your students for tomorrow with STEM-related resources that are sure to grab their attention and exercise their minds! View a sample of our STEM collection below.

Unravel DNA with Extracting DNA, where students learn about the process of DNA extraction through modeling. The animated video From Cell to DNA breaks down the nucleus of a cell from chromosomes, to DNA strands, to nucleic acids.

In Green Roof Design, students make design decisions that affect the transfer of energy between a building and the outside environment.

Solving the Math Curse: Reading and Writing Math Word Problems uses reading, writing, listening and speaking on a math word problem to bridge the gap between reading and math.

INTERACT WITH ME!
Have an interactive whiteboard and looking for great resources to use with it? Many of Thinkfinity’s interactive resources are whiteboard friendly – here are three of our top resources to try: Acrostic Poems Comic Creator Letter Generator

IN THE NEWS
Hurricane High Season Hurricane season is upon us and continues through November 30. Learn more about these ferocious storms with this collection of Science NetLinks lessons and resources that help teachers and students learn more about hurricanes, wind and other weather. From Science NetlLinks, Grades K-12

WEB 2.0 KIDS

Students are returning to school eager to use technology to learn new things and share their experiences. Put the power to learn and create in the hands of your students with Thinkfinity’s Web 2.0 collection that spans every subject and grade level. Here are some great ideas to get you started.

Using Microblogging and Social Networking to Explore Characterization and Style - students trace character development while reading a novel such as Jane Austen’s Emma.
Blog About Courage Using Photos encourages students to take photos that represent courage and then write a blog about the experience.
Using photo sharing tools with resources such as Snapshots in Time (On the Water), students can share photos of maritime activities via a Flickr group.

PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT NEWS

New EconEdLink Webinar
EconEdLink, the leading source of online economic & personal finance lessons and resources for educators, students, and afterschool providers, has redesigned! See what the new site has to offer by attending our newest webinar – A Tour of EconEdLink!

Community Update – Explore Our Groups
Did you know that many states have Thinkfinity groups to keep teachers up to date with the latest state policies and Thinkfinity activities? Join your state’s group today and then be sure to check out our other groups that match your interests. Here are just a few:

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

National Hispanic Heritage Month is September 15- October 15
Celebrate the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America with Thinkfinity’s Hispanic Heritage Month’s collection. Below are some of our favorites:

Bittersweet Harvest: The Bracero Program, 1942 - 1964 from Smithsonian's History Explorer The bracero program, a little-known chapter of American and Mexican history, was originally created to fill the labor shortages of World War II. Both bitter and sweet, the bracero experience tells a story of exploitation but also of opportunity.
Esperanza Rising: Not Being Afraid to Start Over from EDSITEment In this lesson students look behind the story Esperanza Rising at the historical, social, and cultural circumstances that help account for the great contrasts and contradictions that Esperanza experiences when she moves to California.
Investigating Names to Explore Personal History and Cultural Traditions from ReadWriteThink Students investigate the meanings and origins of their own names in order to establish their own personal histories and to explore the cultural significance of naming traditions, using a passage from Sandra Cisneros' The House on Mango Street as a model.

National Council for Teachers of Mathematics Regional Conferences

Reward yourself and your students by enhancing your professional skills, knowledge and career. NCTM will be having a Regional Conference and Exposition in three separate locations this year, each offer more than 200 presentations to help you move in the right direction.

Smithsonian Teachers’ Night
Friday, October 22, 2010 7:00pm-9:30pm
National Museum of American History, Washington, DC

The Smithsonian's History Explorer team and educators from all Smithsonian museums will be on hand to share free curriculum materials for K-12 teachers. Find classroom-ready resources, meet Smithsonian educators and attend demonstrations of the school programs and materials at the Smithsonian’s annual education expo. The event is free and online registration is now open.

NCSS: National Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference
Vistas, Visions & Voices
November 12-14, 2010
Denver, Colorado

Travel West and join NCSS in Denver, the Mile High City, this fall to celebrate 90 years of the nation's premier social studies professional development conference. With the theme Vistas, Visions & Voices, the 2010 NCSS Annual Conference will bring together top professionals in social studies education and highlight the central role of social studies in our schools-preparing 21st century citizens who have learned from the voices of the past to envision an interdependent global society of the future.

National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Annual Convention
Teachers and Students Together: Living Literate Lives
November 18-21, 2010
Orlando, FL

The the theme for this 100th Convention, Teachers and Students Together: Living Literate Lives, is intended to stimulate and inspire everyone through bold and spirited discussions about how schools can utilize and develop this country’s rich cultural, ethnic, racial and linguistic diversity. These resources will help all students acquire the knowledge, skills and dispositions needed so their personal, social and civic interactions can move our nation toward a more democratic and just society, and a more harmonious and sustainable world.

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