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December 2007, Volume 2

	Dear Teacher, Ring in the New Year with our printables and activities about the holiday. Explore U.S. traditions, and discover how other countries celebrate New Year's Eve and Day, from South America to Europe to Asia. Encourage your students to expand their imagination, with our creative writing resources. You can provide them with daily writing prompts, instructions for writing a haiku or shape poem, the rules for writing a play, and much more. You may be surprised by the wonderful worlds your students can create through story- and poetry-writing. Help your class brush up on their math skills regarding decimals, fractions, and percentages. Show them how these three topics are related, and how they can master them. It's cold out there! Research the polar regions of the earth, and be glad you don't live in Antarctica or on the North Pole! Finally, find printable awards and certificates to celebrate your students' achievements this semester. Happy Holidays! The Editors of TeacherVision.com FEATURED THEMES New Year's Celebrate the New Year with our references and activities. New Year's Eve New Year's Day New Year's Resolutions New Year's Etymology and Creative Writing Activity North and South America New Year Celebrations European New Year Celebrations Asian New Year Celebrations More New Year's Resources Creative Writing Let your students demonstrate their creativity with writing exercises and activities. Daily Writing Prompts Printable Book (1-4) Write a Time-Travel Dialogue Haiku Five Elements of a Story Writing a Play or Story Shape Poems The Middle Ages: Medieval Towns Activity Packet Quick! Get Me a Bandage! Composing Great Titles Creating a New World Story Writing Printable Book (4-6) Can You Make a Piggy Giggle? Teacher's Guide Winning By Losing: Writing an Anecdote Guide to the Symphonies Activities Compose a Jingle Crazy Cats and Dirty Dogs: Alliteration It Would Be Silly If... When I Was Little Other Worlds, Other Times Mad Libs®: Write Your Own Writing a Character Sketch More Creative Writing Resources Decimals, Fractions, & Percentages Review basic and advanced concepts related to decimals, fractions, and percentages. Popular Fraction Printables, Grades K-2 Popular Fraction Printables, Grades 3-5 Popular Fraction Printables, Grades 6-12 Popular Decimal Printables Jazz and Math: Rhythmic Innovations Connecting Fractions, Decimals, and Percents Comparing Fractions with Unlike Denominators Using Journaling Ecology: Fractional Terms Ratio, Proportion, and Percent: Critical Thinking Exploring Equivalent Decimals Fraction Strips Decimal Place-Value Charts Pizza Pieces Tree Decorations Math in Science: Percent More Decimals, Fractions, & Percentages Resources Polar Regions Learn everything there is to know about the polar regions of the earth: the Arctic and Antarctica. Snow Globes The Arctic Tourists on Antarctica How Can You Make a Thermometer? Let It Snow! Viewing Snowflakes Observing Crystals Map of the Arctic & Antarctica Klondike Quest A Distant Enemy Frostbite Polar Bears and the Harsh Arctic Environment Daily Warm-Up 6 for Gr. 1 & 2: Animals Peary, Henson, and the North Pole Daily Warm-Up 54 for Gr. 3 & 4: Science More Polar Regions Resources TEACHING TOOLS Awards & Certificates Use these free, printable awards and certificates to show your appreciation for your students' achievements. Awards, Certificates, and Notes for the Classroom (Slideshow) Star Performer Certificate Student of the Day Award Perfect Attendance Award Good Citizen Award Homework Pass Certificate of Outstanding Achievement Reading Award Ecology: Wrist Awards A Friendship Award Herpetology Bookmarks and Awards More Awards & Certificates				Christmas Slideshows   Enjoy these slideshows about Christmas activities and get some gift ideas. Favorite Christmas Art Activities Favorite December Holidays Activities, Grades K-4 Top 10 Stocking-Stuffer Gift Ideas Top 10 Christmas Movies More Slideshows   Puzzles Need a quick break from grading papers? Try our Word Searches, Crossword Puzzles, and other online games. There are new ones each day! New Literature Guides for Teachers   Utilize our new literature guides in your Reading and Literature classes. Judy Blume's Fudge Series Larger-Than-Life Lara Discussion Guide Perfect Timing Educator's Kit Teacher's Guide to Cam Jansen Series The Henry Books: A Teacher's Guide Bowery Girl Teacher's Guide Karen Cushman's Novels: A Discussion Guide Floridious Bloom and the Planet of Gloom Readers Theater A Teacher's Guide to the World of Keiko Kasza More Literature Resources   Reading Daily Warm-Ups (Gr. 3 & 4) Start each day's class with a printable warm-up activity to encourage critical thinking. Daily Warm-Up 1: Animals Daily Warm-Up 17: Biography Daily Warm-Up 33: American History Daily Warm-Up 55: Science Daily Warm-Up 81: Fairy Tales and Folklore Daily Warm-Up 97: Historical Fiction Daily Warm-Up 119: Contemporary Realistic Fiction Daily Warm-Up 135: Mystery/Suspense/Adventure Daily Warm-Up 145: Fantasy More Reading Resources Timely Topics   First Crossword Puzzle (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