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December 2007, Volume 1

	Dear Teacher, With so many distractions at this time of year—Christmas shopping, winter vacation, and family gatherings—your students may find it hard to stay focused on classwork. Keep them learning (and entertained!) with our educational holiday resources. We have Christmas activities for social studies class, math printables with holiday themes, and poetry worksheets about the season. You'll also find articles about the history of Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa crafts and activities, and much more. Show your students that mathematical word problems are nothing to be afraid of. We have tips for completing word problems, tons of printable worksheets, and cross-curricular word-problem activities to help your students "forget" they're doing math. They'll enjoy tackling these problems in no time! Be prepared to give your students a thorough evaluation during this report-card period, with our suggested comments and phrases. Plus, print out our advice for parents on how to deal with disappointing report cards. Happy Holidays! Best Wishes, The Editors of TeacherVision.com FEATURED THEMES Christmas Celebrate Christmas (December 25) with our fun and educational printables, activities, and lesson plans. Decorate a Tree Popular Christmas Activities for Social Studies Rudolph: An American Christmas Character Christmas Eve Collage Christmas Tree Poem: "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" Popular Christmas Art & Music Activities Holiday Tree with Trimmings Itty-Bitty Decimal Gifts The Elves and the Shoemaker Top Ten Christmas Movies Slideshow December Bookmarks Find the Christmas Object Hands-On Christmas Tree or Wreath Printable December Calendar Advent Holiday Poems Bouncing Tree Add 'Em Up for Santa More Christmas Resources Kwanzaa Introduce your students to the traditions of Kwanzaa, the African-American celebration of ancestry. Kwanzaa begins on December 26 and lasts for seven days and nights. What Is Kwanzaa? Kwanzaa Activities Kwanzaa Craft Kwanzaa Candles Kwanzaa, the African-American Celebration of Ancestry African Storytellers An Overview of Kwanzaa Coloring Page of Dr. Maulana Karenga Kwanzaa Symbols and Celebration More Kwanzaa Resources Word Problems Strengthen your students' math skills with word-problem practice. Popular Word Problem Printables, K-2 Popular Word Problem Printables, 3-5 Popular Word Problem Printables, 6-12 Printable Book: Word Problems and Problem-Solving Activities (K-4) SIR RIGHT: A Strategy for Math Problem-Solving Holocaust Facts and Figures Vitamin Math Picture Frame Perimeter Mathematical Scavenger Hunt Through the Human Body Printable Book: Word-Problem Practice Sheets (Gr. 4) Recycling Word Problems Bar Graph and Word Problems The Middle Ages: Schools and Universities Activity Packet Can You "Gauss" the Answer? U.S.A. Math Liz and Lizard Probability Baseball Fun More Word-Problem Resources TEACHING TOOLS Report Cards Speed up the report-card process, with these suggested comments, phrases, and parental advice sheets. Report Card Comments & Phrases: Math Report Card Comments & Phrases: Academic Achievement & Improvement Report Card Comments & Phrases: General & Handwriting Report Card Comments & Phrases: Reading & Language Arts Report Card Comments & Phrases: Personality & Attitude Report Card Comments & Phrases: Work Habits Report Cards: Advice for Parents When Report Cards Don't Make the Grade: Advice for Parents Understanding Report Cards Positive Descriptions of Student Behavior Assessment Categories of Evaluation Report Cards Poll More Report-Card Resources				Hanukkah Need a few ideas for incorporating Hanukkah into your lesson plans? We've got you covered with plenty of activities. Your students will enjoy all of our December Holidays resources. Arts & Crafts Printables   Enjoy these arts and crafts printables with your daily lessons, from literature to science. Children from Australia to Zimbabwe Excerpts Creepy Creatures: Do They Scare You? Activity Iza Trapani's Tips for Aspiring Illustrators Pictures at an Exhibition Illustrator's Notes The Master Magic Wand Maker's Guide to Creating Wonderful Wands Popular Art Printables, Grades K-5 Popular Art Printables, Grades 6-12   Endangered Animals Introduce your students to endangered species. Will We Miss Them? Activity The Endangered Species Turnaround Some Endangered Animals Little Books Threatened, Endangered, Extinct Endangered Animal Species Who Gives a Hoot? Science, Technology, & Society: Fish Story Science & Social Studies: Species Extinction & the Community Daily Warm-Up 15 for Gr. 3 & 4: Animals Environmental Science Activities & Resources: Printable Book (6-10) More Animal Resources for Teachers Timely Topics   AIDS Awareness Day (December 1) Rosa Parks Arrested (December 1, 1955) International Day for the Abolition of Slavery (December 2) National Cookie Day (December 4) Hanukkah Begins (Sundown) (December 5) Japanese Attacked Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941) DNA First Synthesized (December 14, 1967) Boston Tea Party (December 16, 1773) Crossword Puzzle Created (December 21, 1913) Christmas (December 25) Kwanzaa Begins (December 26) Louis Pasteur's Birthday (December 27, 1822) New Year's Eve (December 31) New Year's Day (January 1) Ellis Island Opened for Immigration (January 1, 1892) Moon First Photographed (January 2, 1839) Louis Braille's Birthday (January 4, 1809) Amelia Earhart Flew Solo Across Pacific (January 11, 1935) Clean Off Your Desk Day (January 14) Ben Franklin's Birthday (January 17, 1706) Martin Luther King Day (January 21) Auschwitz Concentration Camp Liberated (January 27, 1945) Challenger Shuttle Exploded (January 28, 1986) National Puzzle Day (January 29) Jackie Robinson's Birthday (January 31, 1919) Thirteenth Amendment Abolished Slavery (January 31, 1865) More December Events More January Events