Free reproducible language and early literacy activities in English and Spanish

Developed by Angela Notari-Syverson, Ph.D. and Kristin Rytter, Ph.D, with Judy Challoner, Faith Haertig Sadler, Young Sook Lim, Ph.D., Marilyn Sturm, and Rodd Hedlund (2005), these materials include forty-six home and community activities for adults and preschool children that encourage early language and literacy development in young children. They are appropriate for children with disabilities as well as children who are developing typically.

Each of the forty-six activities includes 1) An activity description, 2) Hints for making the activity fun and developmentally appropriate, and 3) A brief self-evaluation form that cues parents and other caregivers to notice their children's skills, and also cue adults to examine and grow their own interactions with their children.

The materials are specifically designed to address the three key skills of 1) language development, 2) phonological awareness, and 3) general print awareness. The materials are made available by Angela Notari-Syverson and colleagues, and may be copied and distributed as long as they are not sold.

To download materials go to www.walearning.com and click on the purple button that says "Free Parent Education Handouts" on the home page.

Using the Internet in Teaching and Learning

Internet Access in U.S. Public Schools & Classrooms: 1994–2005 presents 11 years of data (no survey was conducted in 2004) on Internet access in U.S. public schools by school characteristics. It provides trend analyses on the percent of public schools and instructional rooms with Internet access and on the ratio of students to instructional computers with Internet access. The report contains data on the types of Internet connections, technologies and procedures used to prevent student access to inappropriate material on the Internet, and the availability of handheld and laptop computers to students and teachers. It also provides information on teacher professional development on how to integrate the use of the Internet into the curriculum and the use of the Internet to provide opportunities and information for teaching and learning. Click here for the free report.

(from WEMTA Big Deal Book eNewsletter, Aug 1, 2007)

Learning in a Digital World

Launched in 2006 at NECC, the NETS-S Refresh Project convened students and major stakeholders in town-hall-style meetings around the country during the past year, inviting feedback on the update. The outgrowth of that feedback, National Educational Technology Standards for Students: The Next Generation, is available for free downloading. Find out what students should know and be able to do to learn effectively and live productively in an increasingly digital world. Click Here to Download Free Report.

(from WEMTA Big Deal Book eNewsletter, Aug 1, 2007)

Interactive Science Lesson Plans

WGBH Teachers’ Domain has launched its new Open Educational Resources—downloadable, shareable, re-mixable video segments, interactive activities and lesson plans in the disciplines of Earth Science, Engineering, Life Science and Physical Science. Click here to access the free resources.

(from WEMTA Big Deal Book eNewsletter, Aug 1, 2007)

How Kids are Doing, State by State

Get data on the well-being of children in each state! Data from the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 2007 KIDS COUNT Data Book are now available in an easy-to-use database, “State Level Data Online,” which allows you to generate custom graphs, maps, ranked lists and state-by-state profiles; or to download the entire dataset as delimited text files. Pull-down menus allow you to read the book online or view the book in PDF.

(from WEMTA's Big Deal Book eNewsletter, 8/1/07)