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Star Wars Can Teach History?

x wingIt is one of the most beloved film franchises of all time, and now Star Wars has been examined and presented as a means to teach world history. A new book entitled Star Wars and History claims that the epic space story parallels many earthly historical events. Star Wars creator George Lucas has denied any intentional links to actual events, but admits that due to the films' overall narrative of good vs. evil and war and rebellion, it would be impossible to avoid any similarities.

Nonetheless, authors Nancy Reagin and Janice Liedl have created an interesting way to present world history to students via a pop-culture phenomenon that is almost universally loved. CNet sat down with Liedl for an interesting look behind the making of the book. Read the interview here.

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In the News: Would you Want YOUR face...

In the News:
Bell Ringer Activity:

The Winter Games are about to begin. There is a building~called the MegaFace~ at the Olympic Village where people will get to see their faces(giant versions) on the side of the MegaFon Pavilion. It's kind of like a huge Mt. Rushmore for "regular" people. The side of the building has a screen with 10~000 pins that can extend to the shape of a person's face.Those who wish to see their face on the side of the Pavilion first need to...

Heralding A New Week: Four Books a Month

  • I teach! My content is AP Human Geography and Constitutional Law. My students are the center of the work and are 15-16 years old in AP Human Geography; they are also 17-18 years old in Constitutional Law. The process we use in both classes is a flipped Socratic seminar pedagogy.
  • We have four groups of five students in each learning team. In the next three months, each team will select a different book from an esoteric list of 25 recommended content rich texts. Each class then...

Groundhog Day Information to use with...

Perhaps, you'd like to share the following with your students on the Monday after Groundhog Day.
Groundhog Day is Sunday, February 2nd

Groundhog Day is Sunday,February 2nd. Its a time when people look to a groundhog to find out whether or not we will be having six more weeks of winter. The idea dates back hundreds of years when people looked to hibernating animals such as badgers, hedgehogs and bears to see when they might wake up from their winter sleep. According to the...

Leading for Meaning, Change, and Promise

  • My role is unique in contemporary education: I teach and lead. It is as easy as birlingdown a raging river drinking hot tea! The role adds meaning to "walking and talking the talk". While there are a myriad of reasons to say that can't happen in my organization because we are too large, we are too small, we are too diverse, we are too international, or we are too specialized, the reality is that I have always been a teaching principal in schools as large and diverse as 3400 and as small...

Twice Exceptional- Emphasize the...

If your child is weak in mathematics and strong in music, we usually get him a math teacher and not a piano teacher. If you did in fact focus on his strengths and not his weakness, that same child could become a great musician, and then he can hire an accountant to do his math.
Deepak Chopra

According to Joseph Renzulli and Sally Reis in their book, Light Up Your Childs Mind, the student was a young boy, who loved taking nature photographs, but he also had a disability that...

Life Long Learning: What Does This Mean?

  • As educators, we hear and even banter the phrase "life-long-learning". What does it mean and how does it apply to me as a teaching principal? Certainly, I have any number of excuses to say, "I am a life-long learner as I have my dual roles." Or, I can always quip, "I am busy enough with these dual roles and of course I am always learning! I am after all, a teacher with a myriad of lessons and faculty demonstrations of my teaching." But to really be a life-long-learner, I believe there...

Educating, Engaging and Mobilizing...

Earlier this month, we at the Learning First Alliance were pleased to welcome our newest member, Parents for Public Schools (PPS). As we work to advance public education nationwide, we recognize the important voice that this organization and those it represents brings to the school improvement conversation.

PPS has local chapters throughout the country that work to elevate the role of parents in public schools from passive...

How to Spot a Gifted Kid

Whether you are a counselor, school psychologist, or classroom teacher, your job involves identifying potentially gifted students. Depending on where you work, you may also be responsible for screening and testing students for a gifted program.

Either way, you need to be on the lookout.

So what do you look for anyway when trying to identify giftedness? While each school district will have different criteria and guidelines, I thought it would be helpful to dedicate...

Celebrating the Magic of a Moment:...

The National PTA Reflections Program was founded in 1969 by Colorado PTA President Mary Lou Anderson with a simple objective: to encourage students to explore their talents in the arts and deepen their self-expression through those experiences. Eleven years ago, the US Department of Education started a Student Art Exhibit Program, and each year they recognize many of the student Reflection winners as part of the ribbon cutting...

Character: And the 30-foot Statue of MLK

  • Today we celebrate a man of character, compassion and conviction. We as leaders, teachers, and thinkers know that the quality of these ideals should guide our decision-making into the future to build the capacity of our school communities.
  • These are his words and our challenges:
  • 1. "We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope."
  • Change is hard and students, teachers, and parents need to know we do not expect perfection but we do expect...

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