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January 2008, Volume 1

	Dear Teacher, Happy New Year! Start fresh this year with all new lesson plans, worksheets, and activities to engage your students' curiosity and imaginations. For Martin Luther King Day (observed January 21), we have plenty of interesting resources for your classroom, including a Dreams Poetry Unit, printable books about his life, and plenty of civil rights resources to help your students understand Dr. King's impact on history. January is National Book Month. Celebrate with our many book guides—for primary, intermediate, and secondary students—and other literature resources, like graphic organizers and scoring rubrics. Use these resources to encourage reading all year long! Learn about the fascinating lives of individuals past and present, with our biography resources. You can fit any life story into your lesson plans, whether it's the story of Anne Frank, Helen Keller, Harriet Tubman, or Milton Hershey that fits your current unit of study. Do you need to gather a collection of printable resources covering every aspect of a single topic? Then check out our library of printable books. They're now all FREE to members! Finally, try out a new means of assessment: portfolios. Then you can gauge your students' progress with fewer tests. Best Wishes, The Editors of TeacherVision.com FEATURED THEMES Martin Luther King Day Celebrate the accomplishments of Martin Luther King this month, whose birthday is observed January 21. Favorite Martin Luther King Activities Slideshow Martin Luther King Printable Book (K-3) Martin Luther King Printable Book (4-8) Ways to Honor Martin Luther King Jr Dreams Poetry Unit MLK Jr Coloring Page Martin Luther King Jr: Civil Rights Leader Brotherhood Book MLK Jr Story My Book About Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. Wordsearch Celebrating Martin Luther King Day More Martin Luther King Jr Resources Literature January is National Book Month. We have plenty of literature resources to cover you this month and all year long. Teacher Guides to Primary Literature Teacher Guides to Intermediate/Middle Literature Teacher Guides to Secondary Literature Most Popular Literature Guides for Intermediate Students Introducing Tolkien and His Worlds Literature Graphic Organizers Slideshow The Bake Shop Ghost Teacher's Guide Describe That Character Macbeth Number the Stars Daily Warm-Up 131 for Gr. 3 & 4: Mystery/Suspense/Adventure The Lemonade War Teacher's Guide Scoring Rubric: Literary Analysis/Interpretation Harry Potter Teacher Resources Popular Multicultural Literature Resources Make Way for Ducklings More Literature Resources Biographies Learn about famous and influential people of the past and present. Princess of Black Poetry: Nikki Giovanni A Teacher's Guide for Good Brother, Bad Brother The Miracle Worker: Synopsis, Ideas, and Writing Connections We Beat the Street Discussion Guide Marie Curie's Discovery An Autobiographical Poem Coloring Book of African-Americans (2-6) The Peanuts Gang: Charles Schulz Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman The Henry Books: A Teacher's Guide A Play about Sacagawea Jacques Cousteau, Oceanologist The Boy Who Drew Birds Teacher's Guide Negro League Baseball Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Greg Heffley's Journal More Biography Resources Printable Books Our library of printable books covers all subjects, from art to science. Chinese New Year Activities and Resources (K-5) Valentine's Day Activities and Resources (K-2) Valentine's Day Activities and Resources (3-5) Math Games (K-2) Measurement Activities and Resources (K-3) Alphabet Activities: S-Z (Pre-K-2) Cursive Handwriting A-M (2-5) Safety Activities and Resources (K-4) World Geography Activities and Resources (3-6) States: Pacific Coast Activities and Resources (3-8) My Family and Me: Activities and Resources (K-2) Community and Careers Activities and Resources (K-4) Black History Activities and Resources (6-12) The Five Senses Activities and Resources (K-4) Playground Physics Activities and Resources (3-6) Nutrition Activities and Resources (K-4) Magnets and Electricity Activities and Resources (K-4) Reading Graphic Organizers (1-12) More Printable Books TEACHING TOOLS Portfolios Assess your students' progress with portfolios. Introduction to Portfolios Portfolios: Types The Portfolio Process Designing and Implementing a Portfolio Program Portfolio Assessment Guide Math Portfolios Working Portfolios Reading Portfolios Preparing an Art Portfolio Photographing an Art Portfolio Professional Portfolios for Teachers Organizing a Professional Portfolio More Portfolio Resources				Letter Writing   Letter-Writing Week is January 6-12. The Parts of a Letter Letter Writing Computer Lesson Independent Letter-Writing Activities Write a Letter to the President Write a Letter to Jesse Owens Questions About Your Future: Writing a Personal Letter A Letter to a Friendly Monster Letter to My Favorite Author Katie Kazoo Classroom Crew Letters Scoring Rubric: Resume and Cover Letter Write a Cover Letter That Sells More Letter-Writing Resources   Benjamin Franklin In honor of Ben Franklin's birthday (January 17), teach your students about this man of many talents by creating a little book and writing a Poor Richard-style almanac. His life can be taught through a cross-curricular exercise for science and social studies, or by reading his essays. Immigration   Ellis Island opened for immigration on January 1, 1892. Show your students how America gained its diverse culture, with these resources. Ellis Island Lesson Immigration Picture Prompts Multicultural Statue of Liberty Angel Island: The Ellis Island of the West Bridge to America Teacher's Guide Ellis Island Printable Immigration Bulletin Board Citizenship Test Homesick: My Own Story An Immigrant's Story More Immigration Resources   Kingfisher Knowledge Guides for Science Books Find teacher's guides to some excellent science resource books. Double Helix Dangerous Creatures Apes and Monkeys Oceans and Seas Solar System Genes & DNA Animal Disguises Rocks and Fossils Timely Topics   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) Groundhog Day (February 2) 15th Amendment Signed (February 3, 1868) Rosa Parks's Birthday (February 4, 1913) Mardi Gras (February 5) National Girls and Women in Sports Day (February 6) Chinese New Year (February 7) Valentine's Day (February 14) Susan B. Anthony Day (February 15) King Tut's Tomb Opened (February 16, 1923) Presidents' Day (February 18) George Washington's Birthday (February 22, 1732) Leap Year Day (February 29) More January Events More February Events