District Administration - February 2007 - (Page 22)

Warning : session_start : The session id contains invalid characters, valid characters are only a-z, A-Z and 0-9 in /mnt/data/www.nxtbook.com/fx/config_1.3/global.php on line 9 Warning : session_start : Cannot send session cache limiter - headers already sent output started at /mnt/data/www.nxtbook.com/fx/config_1.3/global.php:9 in /mnt/data/www.nxtbook.com/fx/config_1.3/global.php on line 9 Warning : Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by output started at /mnt/data/www.nxtbook.com/fx/config_1.3/global.php:9 in /mnt/data/www.nxtbook.com/fx/config_1.3/global.php on line 10 CurriculumUpdate • Trout in School Ken Royal la ssroom aquaria most often contain pet ﬁ sh, but classrooms from Maine to California at all grade levels are raising trout to make a real life connection to ecological curricula and a local environmental impact. Students raise the trout or salmon depending on the school’s locat ion , from eggs to alevin to fry to ﬁ ngerlings in their classroom. Through grants, gifts from parents and school groups, local wildlife or state department s of environmental protection and Trout Unlimited organizations, the $1000 set up is usually covered. These partnerships make ﬁ nding a place to put the tank more of a problem than the cost. The great thing is that once a school has the equipment it can be reused for future classes. Jer r y Rickart, a Trout in the Classroom Northeast regional coordinator, oversees twenty school trout tank projects and says supplies include the tank usually 55 gallons , chiller the most expensive item , sterilizer, ﬁ lter, pump, aerator, and of course, trout eggs, which are usually supplied by the state or local environmental organization. While the project differs slightly depending on the state, or the sponsori ng agency, the outcome is always more than science and lab notebooks. Students learn ecology and a respect for life, with curriculum connections in math, language arts, and even art and music. Some students have sung trout release songs, or recited poems while emptying a fondly named ﬁ ngerling from a plastic cup into its new river home. R ivers, like the Pootatuck in Newtown, Connecticut, have been sites of ecological study and clean up. Students, through the Trout in the Classroom project, play a part in actually replenishing these resources. That makes classroom science more concrete. Dr. Anthony Salvatore, assistant principal at the Reed Intermediate School in Newtown, Connecticut, says it’s a perfect connection for their sixth grade Water and Weather, Population and Ecosystems, and Science and Technology units. He adds, “Teachers and students think it’s a great idea and it’s thrilling to watch them grow”. At release time, students and trout take a ﬁeld trip to a designated river or lake, where students splash and ﬁ sh swim free. www.tu.org C Sharing Curriculum Ideas Carla Baird, began the Web English Teacher site in 2000 when her student teacher was spending hours trying to ﬁnd language arts and literature ideas for classroom lessons. This media specialist/English teacher from Connersville, Indiana thought that someone should make that information more accessible. Well, Carla did just that, and the Web English Teacher Web site was born. Today, Carla’s site is unique in the way it shares speciﬁc curriculum links, lessons, sources, and ideas for writing and literature. Instead of a listing of links, curriculum specialists and teachers can use this free online source to complement their existing literature, writing, English, and language arts curricula, as well as share ideas. “Think of it as the faculty library and workroom on a global scale,” says Carla. Teachers can search a subject, book, or author and get quick results. www.webenglishteacher.com CL ASSROOM ECOLOGY Middle school students in Connecticut raise trout in their science lab to replenish the Pootatuck River. 22 February 2007 District Administration DA_207_currup.indd 22 1/17/07 10:12:37 AM Warning : Unknown : The session id contains invalid characters, valid characters are only a-z, A-Z and 0-9 in Unknown on line 0 Warning : Unknown : Failed to write session data files . Please verify that the current setting of session.save_path is correct /var/lib/php/session in Unknown on line 0 http://www.tu.org http://www.webenglishteacher.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - February 2007

Contents
Editor's Letter
Update
Inside the Law
Curriculum Update
Tackling Health Care Together
Administrator Profile
District Profile
Curriculum Hotspots
New Information Systems Track Student Progress
Students Wanted!
Spread the Word
Mentors Boost Student Reading Levels
The Online Edge
Speaking Out
Research Corner
Problem/Solution
Leadership Books
New Products
Calendar of Events
Professional Opinion

District Administration - February 2007