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Education World's Learning Machine Explore the coolest teaching resources on the Web. From the Math Machine Planet Blaster is a fun Web site for teaching basic computation or algebra. (Grades 2-7) From the Science Machine Use Flower Pollination to explore the topics of biology and flowering plants. (Grades 3-12) From the Reading Machine Synonym Toast is a great way to reinforce vocabulary, synonyms. (Grades 3-12)

Two Crucial Conversations
Five crucial conversations drive educational excellence. The first two are about unsupportive leaders and failing teachers.

Handprints Across the World
David Anderson's collaborative project helps students learn about other cultures -- and share their own.

The Book Whisperer
A chat with Donalyn Miller about her almost mystical success in getting kids to read.

Strategy of the Week
Parent Open House
Open house night is the perfect opportunity to make connections with parents. With a little planning, your school can improve open house attendance and make a good first impression too.

Ken Shore: The Classroom Problem Solver
The Unmotivated Student
When working with an unmotivated student, you first have to convince him that he can be successful, and then you must figure out how to capture his interest.

Ms. Powell's Tips for Organizing Your Classroom
Pockets of Real World Reading Material
Store real-world reading materials in an attractive and child-friendly way.

Classroom Management Article of the Week
Class Meetings: A Democratic Approach to Classroom Management
Patterned after family meetings in her own home, teacher Donna Styles established a format for class meetings that enabled her students to share their thoughts and solve classroom issues on their own.

From Our Classroom Tips Library
Classroom Management: Easy Seat Assignments
Behavior Management: Make-Up Work, Chat Busters
Motivating Kids: Engage Them With Props
Book Report Makeover: Character Interview
Homework Tips: Excuses, Excuses
Best Idea: Calendar Art
Testing Tips: Just in Time

Emma McDonald: The New Teacher Advisor
Developing Positive Parent Partnerships
If we are to reach our goal of producing successful students, we must partner with the people ultimately responsible for those students -- their parents.

Fred Jones: Tools for Teaching
Weaning the Helpless Handraisers (Part 2)
Developing and implementing a "Visual Instruction Plan" can reduce the duration of your helping interactions with helpless handraisers from 30 seconds to 5 seconds.

Ruth Sidney Charney: The Responsive Classroom
From Our Hopes and Dreams Come the Rules
The quest for rules helps us achieve our hopes. "If we are going to learn math...make friends...what rules do we need?" Rules help the good things happen.

Eric Baylin: Songs to Brighten a Teacher's Day
Thank Goodness for Weekends
The concept of a day of rest dates to ancient times, but the notion of a two-day buffer between five-day work weeks is a relatively new innovation. And what a brilliant, sanity-saving innovation it is.

Meet other members of Education World's Professional Development columnist team.

THE MATH AND SCIENCE CORNER Wendy Petti's Math Cats Math Magic Math magic tricks can create a sense of wonder and curiosity about math. Featured Math Article And the Winner Is...Math Competitions for Students More than a dozen math competitions, including the world's largest math event! The Tall and Short of It Figure out the names and heights of eleven students in a line. Squeeze Play Review place value and "between-ness." (Grades 2-3) Math Mnemonics Roman numerals (in order) for 50, 100, 500, and 1000. THE SCIENCE LAB I Can Create Lightening A demonstration of how static electricity is involved in lightning and weather.

How to Write a Five-Paragraph Essay
Help students develop their writing skills with these step-by-step instructions for planning, outlining, and writing a five-paragraph essay.

Meeler's Web Log Class
Hillary Meeler's students blog their way to better writing skills.

Writing Bugs
Inquiring Minds Want to Know
Become a news reporter.
Time for a Change
If I could change one thing about myself...

Tomie dePaola's Adelita: A Bio Poem
Write a bio poem about Adelita. (Grades K-2)

Art Imitates Life
Study postcards of WWI; create postcards that reflect your life. (Grades 3-12)

Cathy Puett Miller: The Reading Coach
Getting Parents in the Literacy Loop
What is the literacy background of your students' families? Learn how to best approach each type of parent and involve them in their child's literacy learning.

Reader's Theater
How the Camel Got Its Hump
At the beginning of the world, there is much work to do. But while others carry the load, the camel refuses to help. So the magical Wizard of All Deserts teaches the lazy animal a lesson.

Reading Feature
Checkpoints in Reading
The Council for Educational Development and Research (CEDaR) has created a list of “checkpoints in reading” -- for kindergarten and grades 3, 6, 9, and 12 -- to help parents better understand their child’s reading development.

Best Books for Teaching About...
Constitution Day
Fitness

More from Our Professional Development Archive Have you seen our Science Machine? Part of our Learning Machine series (which also includes a Reading Machine and a Math Machine), the Science Machine links to three dozen online resources to help you teach and reinforce important science concepts and skills. Use them with your whole class or schedule students to use the activities individually on computers in your classroom science center. Either way, these resources provide you with 36 ready-made science lessons -- and they make great “reward time” activities too.