Grades 5-12: Interview Eric Walters in March 2011

Greetings VC Friends!

We (Berrien RESA) are again partnering with York Region District School Board to bring you the ASK programs with Eric Walters.

ASK (“Authors, Specialist and Knowledge”) is an organized process that provides students with the opportunity to interview an author or a subject specialist in the topic they are reading about in a book.

We are using the ASK format loosely. If you can't get copies of the book and read it ahead of time, you can still join us to ask questions about the writing process.

Availability: March 7-9, 2011
Cost: $75 CDN per class (we're splitting the cost of Eric Walters among the participating schools). We also need to fill the spots so that Berrien and York Region don't have to pay for the unused spots. Please sign up ASAP!

Trapped in Ice: Times in Eastern (grades 5-8)
Based on true events surrounding the ill-fated Canadian Arctic Expedition of 1913, Trapped in Ice is a riveting, fast-paced adventure set in a marvelous but brutal world of ice and snow.

March 7
9:30 (3 openings)
10:45 (3 openings)
12:45 (3 openings)
2:00 (FULL)
March 8
9:30 (FULL)
10:45 (2 openings)
12:45 (FULL)
2:00 (FULL)

Wounded: Times in Eastern (Grades 8-12)
(Red Maple Award)
Walters’ newest title, Wounded, tells the story of the long-anticipated reunion between a Canadian Special Forces officer returning from a gruelling tour of duty in Afghanistan and his family living on base back home. To the novel’s benefit, Walters avoids the pitfalls of the typical YA “issue” novel by delaying that reunion until deep into the story, giving ample time for the reader to get to know the novel’s real protagonist, Marcus, a 15-year-old base kid trying to keep his family together.

March 9
9:30 (3 openings)
10:45 (3 openings)
12:45 (3 openings)
2:00 (1 opening)

Hope you can join us this year! Information and registration is online:

• ASK Process
• Trapped in Ice registration
• Wounded registration

Let me know if you have any questions. I can also help if you get stuck with registration. We NEED you to participate!!

Janine

Janine Lim
Instructional Technology Consultant
Berrien RESA
janine.lim@berrienresa.org
(269) 471-7725x1101
Blog: www.vcoutonalim.org

Grades 4-12: Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, and Ida B. Wells

Harriet Tubman – an African-American abolitionist, humanitarian, and Union spy during the American Civil War. After escaping from slavery, into which she was born, she made thirteen missions to rescue hundreds of slaves using the network of antislavery activists and safe houses known as the Underground Railroad. She later helped John Brown recruit men for his raid on Harpers Ferry, and in the post-war era struggled for women's
suffrage.

2. Sojourner Truth – an African-American abolitionist and women's rights activist; her best-known speech on racial inequalities, Ain't I a Woman?, was delivered in 1851 at the Ohio Women's Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio. During the Civil War, Truth helped recruit black troops for the Union Army; after the war, Truth tried unsuccessfully to secure land grants from the federal government for former slaves.

3.

3. Ida B. Wells - one of the great pioneer activists of the Civil Rights movement. A precursor of Rosa Parks, she was a suffragist, newspaper editor and publisher, investigative journalist, co-founder of the

NAACP, political candidate, mother, wife, and the single most powerful leader in the anti-lynching campaign in America. Ida's unflagging efforts on behalf of civil rights were the cornerstone in the fight

against Jim Crow laws and were at the heart of the Civil Rights movement of the 50s and 60s.

? TARGET AUDIENCE: Students in grades 4 - 12

February 9, 2011

? TIME: Two sessions: one at 9:00 AM CENTRAL TIME and one at 10:00 AM CENTRAL TIME

? COST: Cost for a videoconference session is $75 to cover some of the expenses in preparing the videoconference and testing and delivering the videoconference.

? FORMAT: Approximately 45 minutes in length. Format is about 25-30 minutes for the presentation and 15-20 minutes for an interactive question and answer session with the students and presenter.

Patsy Partin, M.Ed
Director, Virtual School
Vanderbilt University
2007 Terrace Place
Nashville, TN 37203
(615) 322-6384
www.vanderbilt.edu/virtualschool

Grades 4-12: CHINA: Xinjiang Province

THURSDAY, Feb. 10, 2011- "CHINA: Xinjiang Province" (Windows on the World series)

Presenter: Stacey Irvin, Award-winning photographer and photo journalist

REGISTER online: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/virtualschool/registration.htm

See descriptions on www.vanderbilt.edu/virtualschool to read more about the lives of this famous women and to share with your students.

CHINA not only has the world’s largest population (over 1.4 billion), but it also is an extremely large country (more than 9.5 million square kilometers) with immense geographic and cultural diversity. In fact, China should be viewed as an assemblage of pieces much like Europe. To teach about China and Chinese culture, it is essential to understand the geographic and ethnic diversity in China in order to avoid creating or strengthening the stereotypes of China. It is important to understand that not all Chinese are alike or eat the same foods or talk the same way, or even think the same.

The Uyghur people are a Turkic ethnic group living in Eastern and Central Asia. Today, Uyghurs live primarily in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China. An estimated 80% of Xinjiang's Uyghurs live in the southwestern portion of the region, the Tarim Basin.

Come join award-winning photographer, Stacey Irwin for a photographic journey to the Xinjiang Province of western China. Hear an eye-witness account of her travels to the Uyghurs and learn about their culture.

? TARGET AUDIENCE: Students in grades 4 – 12

? TIME: Two sessions: one at 9:00 AM CENTRAL TIME and one at 10:00 AM CENTRAL TIME

? COST: Cost for a videoconference session is $75 to cover some of the expenses in preparing the videoconference and testing and delivering the videoconference. ? FORMAT: Approximately 45 minutes in length. Format is about 25-30 minutes for the presentation and 15-20 minutes for an interactive question and answer session with the students and presenter. Hope to see you on next week on February 9 and 10! Patsy Patsy Partin, M.Ed Director, Virtual School Vanderbilt University 2007 Terrace Place Nashville, TN 37203 (615) 322-6384 www.vanderbilt.edu/virtualschool

Grades 3-5: Pollution Solutions

Pollution Solutions - Target Audience Grades 3-5 (ages 8-11), February 24, 2011 3:15-4:15EST

Pollution Solutions will show how a person can stop and prevent pollution in a lake and a community. What can you do to help keep our world clean. To register: http://www.cilc.org/calendar_event_detail.aspx?id=264

Bev Mattocks

Consultant / Project Manager

Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration (CILC)

Transforming Learning Through Collaborative Technologies

_________________

251 E. Ohio Street, Suite 960

Indianapolis, IN 46204

765.435.2360 office

765.366.1815 cell

www.cilc.org

http://kc3.cilc.org

Grades 4-12: How Do You Fight: Learning to Manage Conflict

February 17, 2011 - "How Do You Fight: Learning to Manage Conflict"

Lesson Plan - http://www.vanderbilt.edu/virtualschool/programs/hot-topics/manageconflict.htmDAY,

SPECIAL ONE HOUR session at 9:00 AM (central time) only.

REGISTER online: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/virtualschool/registration.htm

TARGET AUDIENCE: grades 4-12

TIME: ONE HOUR session at 9:00 AM (central time) only.

COST: Cost is $75 to cover some of the expenses in preparing, testing, and delivering the videoconference FORMAT: Format is ONE HOUR interactive presentation including question and answer session with the students. Join us for this one-hour interactive session, which presents the ideas of conflict and resolution through story and activities, creating an unforgettable experience. Students and teachers will walk away with a new approach on how to deal with conflict within their own lives, classroom and surrounding community. The session ends with the documented success of Larry Bridegsmith’s ventures working with Nashville youth. Key concepts: The Three C’s Conflict is Constant – Can we find opportunity in it? Communication is Critical – What talking tools do we use? Consciousness is Crucial – Are you aware of your input and output? We hope to see you next week for these three exciting videoconferences! Space is limited, so register quickly. All the Best, Patsy Patsy Partin, M.Ed Director, Virtual School Vanderbilt University 2007 Terrace Place Nashville, TN 37203 (615) 322-6384 www.vanderbilt.edu/virtualschool

Grades 4-12: MLK and the Civil Rights Movement

February 16, 2011 - "MLK and the Civil Rights Movement"

Lesson Plan - http://www.vanderbilt.edu/virtualschool/programs/a-a-history/martinlutherking.htm

TARGET AUDIENCE: grades 4-12

TIME: Two sessions: 9:00 AM CENTRAL TIME and 10:00 AM CENTRAL TIME

COST: Cost is $75 to cover expenses in preparing, testing, and delivering the videoconference FORMAT: Videoconferences are 45 minutes. Format is 25-30 minutes for the presentation and 15-20 minutes for question and answer session with the students. REGISTER online: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/virtualschool/registration.htm How did the contributions of ordinary men and women advance the larger movement for which Martin Luther King, Jr. was a symbol and spokesman? Martin Luther King, Jr., framed the goals and strategies of the Civil Rights Movement for a national audience, and with his message of nonviolent protest, he inspired ordinary African Americans to demand equal rights as American citizens. This videoconference will focus on the power of individual men and women who embraced King’s message and advanced the Civil Rights Movement on a local level. By researching these people and the now historic places where they brought about change, students will discover how the simple act of sitting at a lunch counter in Tennessee could be considered revolutionary, and how, combined with countless other acts of nonviolent protest across the nation, it could lead to major legislation in the area of civil rights for African Americans. Patsy Partin, M.Ed Director, Virtual School Vanderbilt University 2007 Terrace Place Nashville, TN 37203 (615) 322-6384 www.vanderbilt.edu/virtualschool

Grades K-8: Programs from Fort Worth Museum of Science and History

Videoconferencing from the Lone Star State! www.Connect2Texas.net
Connect2Texas provider Fort Worth Museum of Science and History has a NEW program available. What's New in Africa? Friday, February 18th 8:30-9:00 CST or 9:15-9:45 CST Grades 5-8 FREE Our Museum curator and paleobotanist Dr. Aaron Pan just returned from an expedition to Africa and would like to share some of the “newest” findings with your middle school students. After some brief background information, he will focus on four areas: the possibility of a new country in Africa, newly discovered animal and plant species, the newest forest on the continent and his most recent research trip to Ethiopia. Other programs currently available from Fort Worth Museum of Science and History Ask the Expert: Forensic Science (Grades 6-8) Students are fascinated with forensic science! Now they can meet the expert! Ron Singer, Technical Director for the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office, will delve into the life of a crime lab director and the daily forensic science challenges he encounters. Ron will reveal the science, the tools and some of the secrets of a Crime Lab. A portion of the session will be devoted to answering your students’ questions about forensic science. Dates available: March 4 All About Matter (Grades 1-8) Combine bubbles, eyedroppers, air in different states and you have an incredibly interactive program with staff from the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. We will focus on the unusual characteristics of water, use process skills to observe and ask questions using bubbles, and play with components of air in solid, liquid and gaseous states. Your students actively participate with staff throughout the program as they learn more about the interaction between different states of matter. Kit will be mailed which includes supplies needed for student experiment, along with other goodies for your classroom. Dates available: April 5, 6, 11, 12, May 9, 10 Geometric Transformations (Grades 3-8) Ready for a mind-bending, shape-shifting approach to learning the connection between two dimensions and three dimensions? Join Museum staff Anne Herndon in this hands-on geometry session. Using simple materials-scissors, tape and strips of paper-your students will create three dimensional loops, then transform them into unusual two dimensional shapes. We'll even create and explore mobius loops. What a hands-on experience to introduce or reinforce topology. Kit will be mailed which includes supplies needed for student explorations, along with other goodies for your classroom. Dates available: Feb. 9, 15, March 24, April 13 Icy Science (Grades 1-3) Looking for a "chilling" experience using one of the world's most unusual substances that will support your student’s process skill development? Then freeze some water, grab some salt and get ready for hands-on explorations that emphasize observation and questioning skills. During this highly interactive program, your students learn more about the skills they use in science every day and how you can strengthen these skills. While ice seems like a simple phenomenon, investigating ice will uncover important properties of matter concepts— changes of states, freezing point, and molecular structures. A kit with all the material needed (except a freezer) will be mailed to you prior to your program. Dates available: Feb. 16 & 17 The Animals of the Mitten (Grades K-2) "The Mitten" by Jan Brett is a delightful book based on a Ukrainian folktale. A child’s lost mitten plays host to a wide variety of wild animals. In this program, learn the true natural history of the fascinating creatures from the story with Leishawn Spotted Bear, Museum science curator. Your students will act out portions of the tale, meet the Museum's hedgehogs while learning about animal parts (adaptations), animal needs, and predator/prey relationships. Other specimens from our collection will be used to help deepen your class’ understanding of these fundamental life science concepts. You will receive a copy of The Mitten with your registration for this program. Dates available: Feb. 17 To register for any of these programs go to www.Connect2Texas.net .
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