resources for program administrator resources for infant toddler professionals resources for out-of-school time professionals resources for out-of-school time professionals resources for infant toddler professionals resources for program administrator
 
 
 
 

 

Resources for Out-of-School Time Professionals

2008 Archived Curriculum Articles - School Age
TThe following Research Articles were posted to the Web site on January 3, 2008.

Parents often wonder if they can help with homework when the subject matter is beyond their educational level.
The US Department of Education has developed suggestions that all parents can use to assist their children with homework efforts. Homework tips are available in both English and Spanish at the following web site: http://www.ed.gov/parents/academic/involve/homework/part_pg2.html

Engaging Youth...On Their Turf: Creative Approaches to Connecting Youth through Community
A new publication from Healthy Teen Network focuses on how adolescent health professionals can utilize creative approaches to engaging youth in positive youth development. The publication highlights six examples of programs that reach out to youth in non-traditional communities through parental engagement, athletics, service-learning, art, mentoring and youth empowerment approaches. The publication provides next steps for professionals to develop or adapt creative approaches in existing programs for youth.
http://www.healthyteennetwork.org

New State Profiles and Federal Resource Database
The Afterschool Investments Project has updated its state profiles to provide snapshots of the "state of afterschool" in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. These fact sheets are designed for providers and policy makers alike. The Afterschool Investments project has also compiled a resource database on federal afterschool information, including tips on starting and operating programs, funding and curriculum. The state profiles are available at http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/afterschool/statep.html. The federal resource database is available at http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/afterschool/fed_resources.pdf.

2007 Archived Curriculum Articles - School Age
The following Research Articles were posted to the Web site on September 19, 2007.

Try Science!
This is a fun, kid-friendly website that can be used by teachers and school age children alike. It provides instructions for interactive experiments that can be done at home or in the classroom. Most require very little setup time, and best of all, are done using simple materials. Some experiments have an option for performing the experiment online. In addition, there is a resource link available for teachers and parents containing information about how to integrate science at home and in school.
http://www.tryscience.org

Scholastic Activities
Browse this extensive list of educational activities for school age children grades K-2 and 3-6. Activities cover areas such as art, social studies, literacy, math, cooking, and science. From arts and crafts activities to math and science experiments, there is a little bit of something for everyone, with hours of fun and interactive learning experiences.
http://www.scholastic.com/schoolage/activities/k_2/index.htm
http://www.scholastic.com/schoolage/activities/3up/index.htm

100 Ways to Use Digital Cameras
Computers are often viewed as the only technology appropriate for use in the school age classroom, and often with limited use. However, the emergence of new technologies continually challenges teachers to explore new and creative ways to integrate technology into the classroom. This list explores the many ways teachers can use a digital camera in the classroom, enhancing the curriculum with a broad range of activities from photo projects and passports to classroom videos.
http://content.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3122


The following Research Articles were posted to the Web site on May 21, 2007.

A Self-Study Guide for Managers and Staff of Primary Support Programs for Young People
How young people spend their out-of-school time is a longstanding concern of the public and of organizations and individuals that provide the voluntary activities, programs, and services for children and families. Meaningful participation in primary support programs by young people, can support healthy development, foster self-direction, and help build identities as individuals who believe that they can and should contribute to their communities. This self-study guide is intended to help primary support organizations that serve young people aged six to eighteen years consider how their programs contribute to healthy development and how those contributions might be enhanced. The guide offers four key program components and describes basic qualities within each component. It can help staff set goals and work towards improvements.
www.chapinhall.org/article_abstract.aspx?ar=1279

The Power of Choice Helping Youth Make Healthy Eating and Fitness Decisions
This interactive learning program helps guide youth to healthier eating and living lifestyles. The Leaders Guide provides motivational tools that help children build skills and empower them to make healthy choices.
www.fns.usda.gov/tn/Resources/POC_intro.pdf

Teaching Children How to Succeed / Language: English
Author: Manglallan, Sue
Publisher: University of Illinois Cooperative Extension (1993)
Description: This newsletter article gives school-age staff ideas for supporting children's ability to persevere and succeed at challenging tasks.
www.nncc.org/SACC/sac25_teach.succeed.html


The following Curriculum resources were posted to the Web site on January 8, 2007.

Fun Science Guides
The NIH Curriculum Supplement Series are interactive teaching units that combine cutting-edge science research discoveries from the National Institutes of Health, one of the world's foremost medical research centers, with state-of-the-art instructional materials. Each supplement is a teacher’s guide to two weeks’ of lessons on science and human health. Curricula are designed for elementary, middle and high school students.
http://science.education.nih.gov/supplements

KidsHealth
A great site that provides information, and specific sites to enter, for parents, kids and teens. School age program leaders can find useful lesson plans under the “teachers” tab.
www.kidshealth.org

Check out CrypoKids - America’s future Codemakers and CodeBreakers
This site offers information on codes and ciphers, and provides games and activities for children. There is also information about the National Security Agency/Central Security Service. This is a fun and interesting way to teach children about the government and math.
www.nsa.gov/kids

2006 Archived Curriculum Articles - School Age
The following Curriculum resources were posted to the Web site on March 17, 2006.

LOW SELF ESTEEM IN GIRLS
92% of girls want to change at least one aspect of their appearance. Dove believes all girls deserve to see how beautiful they really are and is committed to raising self-esteem in girls everywhere. Great resources for families and girls can be viewed at LISTEN TO REAL GIRLS! 
www.campaignforrealbeauty.com/

SUPPORT YOUNG LITERACY CRITICS
Afterschool programs focusing on literacy can become a part of the Spaghetti Book Club, an online organization that posts book reviews written by children. Afterschool programs and school groups are given a home page, as is each young critic, where they may post individual profiles, book reviews and illustrations. The Spaghetti Book Club provides a curriculum focusing on developing critical reading and writing skills and computer literacy. For information and specifics about membership fees, please visit:
www.spaghettibookclub.org or email info@spaghettibookclub.org.

FIGHT CHILDHOOD OBESITY
We Can!, a new obesity prevention program sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, is offering a variety of resources, including a community toolkit, posters and wristbands, as part of an initiative to prevent obesity through community action. The educational program is designed to help children ages eight to 13 maintain a healthy weight. For further information, please visit:
www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/wecan/.

Featured Article for School-Age Practitioners
The following Curriculum resources were posted to the Web site on January 6, 2006.

Dr. Ken Shore's Classroom Problem Solver: The Backtalker
If you have a student who talks back to you, it's important to bear in mind that her insolent comments often are unrelated to anything you've said or done. In some cases, she might be venting frustration about other events in her life; you just serve as a convenient outlet for her distress. Keeping your composure in the face of a verbal assault isn't easy, but it is the most effective reaction in the long run. Scolding the student, or threatening or lecturing her, might only give her what she wants and make her more likely to repeat the disrespectful behavior.

WHAT YOU CAN DO
Don't take it personally. Listening to a student attack you without reacting emotionally can be difficult. Try to remind yourself that her offensive comments probably have little to do with anything you've said or done. She might be upset or hurt about other concerns and simply taking out her frustrations on you. Appreciating that fact might encourage you to look beyond the student's expression of anger and identify the source of her distress.

Calmly inform the student that her language is inappropriate. Remaining calm in the face of a verbal barrage isn't easy, but yelling at the student or lecturing her might give her the attention she wants and strengthen her impulse to act disrespectfully. If you feel as though you are about to lose your temper, take a few deep breaths and then tell the student in a low-key but firm manner that you expect her to speak respectfully to you. Do not give in to her demands for attention. You want the student to realize that her backtalk is making it harder for her to get what she wants. After briefly giving the student that message, return to what you were doing without engaging her in debate or argument.

Have a one-on-one talk with the student. The student who talks back probably expects a stern reprimand from you; surprise her by talking with her in a supportive manner. Tell her that although her words came across as disrespectful, you don't think she meant them that way. Let her know that you're aware that students sometimes use a disrespectful tone when they are upset about something. Ask her if she is upset about something or if you did something to frustrate her. Find out what you can do to lessen her frustration. Tell her you expect her to treat you in a respectful manner and that you will treat her the same way. If the student is agreeable, shake on it.

Let the student know when her behavior is disrespectful. She might talk back so often that she doesn't realize when she's doing it. If you suspect that's the case, establish with her a private signal you can use to cue her when she's acting in a belligerent manner. The signal might be as simple as calling her name and raising your eyebrows.

Write down the student's comments. Make sure she sees you writing. If she asks what you're writing down (or even if she doesn't ask), tell her you're recording what she's saying so you'll have an accurate record to keep in your files and show her parents. That alone might deter her from using offensive language.

If the student continues to talk back, take action. If her persistent backtalk disrupts your lessons and undermines your authority, a consequence probably is called for. You might give a younger student in "time out" or keep an older student after school or in for recess. She might argue with you about your decision to discipline her, but resolve to stay the course and to not engage her in debate.

Article by Dr. Ken Shore
Education World®
Copyright © 2003 Education World,
www.educationworld.com

Featured Article for Middle School Practitioners

Dr. Ken Shore's Classroom Problem Solver: The Rude Student
The basic mission of school is to teach children the three R's, however a fourth R merits teachers' attention as well. That R stands for respect. Just as students need to master reading, writing, and arithmetic, they also need to learn the importance of acting respectfully toward their teachers and classmates.

Children can be cruel. We only need witness the unkind things they do to one another -- name-calling, pulling a chair out from under a classmate, making a snide comment, excluding another child from a game, and so on -- to appreciate a child's capacity for cruelty. But if children have a capacity for cruelty, they also have a capacity for caring. An important part of helping students learn to act in a respectful manner is to stimulate their innate potential for kindness.

WHAT YOU CAN DO
Establish a class signal to alert students to disrespectful behavior. Develop a non-verbal signal -- such as a thumbs-down sign -- to let a student know he is saying or doing something rude or disrespectful. (You may need to say the student's name first to get his attention.) In that way, you can nip in the bud disrespectful behavior with minimal disruption to the rest of the class. You might even start seeing your students give the signal to one another.

Catch students being kind. Acknowledge students when you see them acting in a kind or helpful manner. Describe the specific behavior you observed. Do it publicly (unless you think it would embarrass him) in order to spur other children to engage in acts of kindness as well. As an example, you might say to a student: "Jesse, it was so nice of you to sit with Julio after he hurt himself on the playground. That was a very caring thing to do." Make a special effort to find something positive to say about students who are prone to unkind behavior.

Teach the vocabulary of kindness. Make it easy for students to talk kindly to one another by giving them the words and phrases they need. On the bulletin board, post a list of "Terms of Respect," phrases that can be used to convey courtesy and caring. The list might include such phrases as "please;" "thank you;" "excuse me;" "I like the way you ...;" "Do you want to play with us?;" "You did a great job;" and so on. Encourage students to suggest additional phrases.

Role-play social situations with students. Pose some common school scenarios (for example, a student calling a classmate a name or cutting in front of him in line). Ask students how they might handle the situation in a respectful manner. In this way, students can hear what their classmates might say and do, and also have a chance to try out their own responses.

Have a courtesy display on the bulletin board. When you observe an act of kindness performed by one of your students, describe the act on a 3 x 5 card or a heart-shaped piece of paper, write the student's name on it, and tack it to a bulletin board display. Encourage students to nominate classmates for inclusion on the display, or have students create cards for their classmates and submit them to you. That might lead to a chain reaction of compliments, one that has a contagious effect on your students.

Article by Ken Shore
Education World®
Copyright © 2003 Education World
www.educationworld.com

2005 Archived Curriculum: School Age
The following Curriculum resources were posted to the Web site on September 30, 2005.

A Puzzle a Day Provides Practice that Pays
These puzzle activities help students exercise their critical thinking skills while providing practice in math, science, English, and other curriculum areas.
www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson336.shtml

Education World
Education World gives educators a place to not only exchange ideas, but to find research materials, lesson plans, curriculum ideas and resources for children of all ages. 
www.educationworld.com

Fun Science Resources Especially for Students
Includes links to various websites containing information and activities for avid science lovers.
www.reachoutmichigan.org/resources.html

Just the Facts: Five Games for Teaching Math Facts
Knowing math facts is the foundation of future math learning.  These website links contain games that not only test basic math skills, but make learning fun.
www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson339.shtml

Leadership for the 21st Century
These leadership development activities encourage the children to get to know not only themselves but their peers as well, while still striving to help others.
www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Instruction/leadership/main/activities/index.html

Learning Games for Grades 3-5
This article contains website links with interactive online games.  All games may not be specifically academic, but they help develop skills necessary for academic growth.
www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech168.shtml

Michigan Reach Out!
This program, sponsored by the University of Michigan, offers science mentoring to children, as well as teachers and parents.  The website contains numerous science activities and lessons for all grades of school-age children.
www.reachoutmichigan.org

Teaching Grammar Without the Hammer: Five Fun Activities
While many students consider grammar to be a very boring subject, these activities help bring the fun back into grammar by using various approaches that focus on different grammatical skills. 
www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson334.shtml

BEST PRACTICES – School Age

Classroom Problem Solver
Encountering and dealing with children with behavior problems is part of the world of child care.  These articles provide helpful techniques and solutions to problems  stemming from children’s behavior issues.
Angry Outbursts
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/shore/shore026.shtml
The Aggressive Student
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/shore/shore040.shtml
The Arguer
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/shore/shore015.shtml
The Backtalker
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/shore/shore018.shtml
The Rude Student
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/shore/shore001.shtml
The Student who Lies
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/shore/shore042.shtml
The Student who Swears
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/shore/shore007.shtml
The Unmotivated Student
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/shore/shore060.shtml

Dealing with Sensitive Issues
This article provides techniques on how to answer any sensitive question asked by the children.
www.glencoe.com/sec/health/teachres/sensitive.shtml

Good Times With School-Age Children
The article allows providers the opportunity to “get to know” early school-age children, with information about their developmental ages and stages.
www.nncc.org/series/good.time.sac.html

Programming Tips for School-Age Children
This article contains planning ideas and guidelines for school-age afterschool programs.
www.nncc.org/SACC/sac41_program.tip.sac.html

Save Your Sanity – Plan Your Afterschool Program
This newsletter article discusses how to plan an effective school-age program by using a four step process: assessing, planning, carrying out, and evaluating.
www.nncc.org/Curriculum/sac12_save.sanity.html

Supporting Students in their Transition to Middle School
Contains information on how to make the transition from elementary to middle school easier and more manageable for students.
www.nmsa.org

CURRICULUM – MIDDLE SCHOOL

Books in Education: The Top Ten Titles in Middle School Literature
Teacher recommended top ten books in middle school literature.
www.educationworld.com/a_books/books067.shtml

Building Self-Esteem: Health Lesson
Everyday, pre-teens and teenagers are bombarded with images of “perfect people” , from television to magazines.  By constantly comparing themselves to these people, the self-esteem of teens can drastically plunge.  This lesson lets students a chance to get to know themselves, through writing and drawing.  Through learning about their strengths, they will love and appreciate everything about themselves.
www.school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/selfesteem

Connect With Music: Lessons any Teacher can Teach
These lessons show educators how to integrate music in their curricula.
www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson303b.shtml

Education World: History Center
Lesson plans and activities for teaching history to students.
www.educationworld.com/history

Education World: Science Center
Lesson plans and activities for teaching science to students.
www.educationworld.com/science

Education World: Visual and Performance Arts Center
Lesson plans and activities for integrating visual and performance art into curricula.
www.educationworld.com/arts

Get Real: Math in Everyday Life
This website, sponsored by Education World, allows students to apply their math skills to real life situations.
www.eduationworld.com/a_curr/curr148.shtml

It’s Up for Debate!
These debate strategies and lessons help students improve grammar and public speaking skills, while learning about various, interesting topics.
www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/00-2/lp2208.shtml

Leadership for the 21st Century
These leadership development activities encourage the children to get to know not only themselves but their peers as well, while still striving to help others.
www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Instruction/leadership/main/activities/index.html

Technology in the Classroom, Sites to See: Grammar
Website includes links to sites containing resources, games, and interactive activities for teaching grammar to students.
www.educationworld.com/a_tech/sites/sites063.shtml

Ten Activities to Improve Students Self-Concepts
Ten lessons that help promote student individuality and self-esteem.
www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson085.shtml

Ten Great Sites Every Middle School Educator Should Know
Website includes links to sites designed particularly for the interests of middle school educators and students.
www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr174.shtml

To Your Health! Lessons to Build Health Awareness
These lessons help students learn about health and the dangers of substance abuse.
www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson207.shtml

Twenty-five Activities for Building Student Character
Twenty-five activities that teach students honesty, respect, kindness towards others, and how to be good people.
www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin364.shtml

BEST PRACTICES – Middle School

Classroom Problem Solver
Encountering and dealing with children with behavior problems is part of the world of child care.  These articles provide helpful techniques and solutions to problems  stemming from children’s behavior issues.|
Angry Outbursts
www.educationworld.com/a_curr/shore/shore026.shtml
The Aggressive Student
www.educationworld.com/a_curr/shore/shore040.shtml
The Arguer
www.educationworld.com/a_curr/shore/shore015.shtml
The Backtalker
www.educationworld.com/a_curr/shore/shore018.shtml
The Rude Student
www.educationworld.com/a_curr/shore/shore001.shtml
The Student who Lies
www.educationworld.com/a_curr/shore/shore042.shtml
The Student who Swears
www.educationworld.com/a_curr/shore/shore007.shtml
The Unmotivated Student
www.educationworld.com/a_curr/shore/shore060.shtml

Dealing with Sensitive Issues
 This article provides techniques on how to answer any sensitive questions asked by the children.
www.glencoe.com/sec/health/teachres/sensitive.shtml

Helping Middle School Students Make the Transition into High School
This website discusses how providers can ease students' transition into high school by providing challenging and supportive middle school environments and by designing transition activities that address the needs of students and their parents and that facilitate communication between middle school and high school educators.
www.kidsource.com/education/middlehigh.html

Middle School Age Care
This fact sheet is full of do's and don'ts to starting and running a program for middle school-age care.
www.nncc.org/SACC/middle.sac.html

Save Your Sanity
Plan Your Afterschool Program
This newsletter article discusses how to plan an effective school-age program by using a four step process: assessing, planning, carrying out, and evaluating.
www.nncc.org/Curriculum/sac12_save.sanity.html