First Stavros Workshop of the Year

Mysteries of Nations: Why Are Some Rich, and Others Poor?

Where: DeVoe Moore Conference Room 150E
First floor of the Bellamy Building
FSU Campus

When: Monday, September 17, 2007
5 PM to 8 PM

Topic Mysteries of Nations: Why Are Some Rich and Others Poor?

Workshop Leader: Mark C. Schug
Professor of Economics and Director of the University of Wisconsin -Milwaukee Center for Economic Education and Senior Fellow for the National Council on Economic Education.

For Whom: All teachers, Grades K through 12

About the Workshop

In the upcoming presidential race, all sorts of policies are being proposed from universal health care to abolishing tax cuts. Candidates make competing claims about which policies will enhance the wealth of individual citizens. How should social studies teachers respond? This workshop focuses on strategies that successful nations have followed to build wealth for the long term. How can it be that one nation has an economy that is 20 times larger per person than another nation when the two share the same border and culture? Does the answer lie in natural resource endowments? Population size? Oil reserves? This workshop will use data from various "mystery nations" to develop an understanding of why some nations have become economically successful.

Please contact Harriet Crawford (850-644-4772) or E-mail (hcrawford@fsu.edu) if you would like to attend this workshop.

Note: Sandwiches and other light refreshments will be served during the workshop.

About Mark C. Schug

Mark C. Schug is Director of the Center for Economic Education and Professor of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Wisconsin‑Milwaukee. He is a Senior Fellow with the National Council on Economic Education. Professor Schug has taught for over 30 years at the middle school, high school, and university levels. A widely recognized scholar, he has written and edited over 180 articles and books. He has co-authored numerous curriculum materials for the National Council on Economic Education, including Capstone: Exemplary Lessons for High School Economics, United States History: Eyes on the Economy, Economics and the Environment: EcoDetectives, Learning from the Market: Integrating the Stock Market Game Across the Curriculum, Teaching Ideas for Social Studies, Economics and Business Classes, The Great Economics Mysteries Books for Grades 4-8 and 9-12, Financial Fitness for Life: Bringing Home the Gold, and Learning, Earning and Investing. He has won national awards for research, curriculum writing, and leadership in economic education. Professor Schug often speaks about economic and financial education issues in urban schools. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Milwaukee Urban League Academy of Business and Economics, Association of Private Enterprise Education, and Economics Wisconsin.

Evening at the Fed

Evening at the Fed

The United States in a Global Economy
Tuesday, September 25 ▪ 5:00-8:30pm
Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta – Jacksonville Branch

…Join us for a complimentary dinner, speaker presentation and reception.

The Evening at the Fed program provides a forum for school administrators and educators to explore current economic and financial topics that assist them in helping students translate theory into real-world lessons.

The program will feature Karsten Jeske from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta . Dr. Jeske's presentation on the role of the U.S. in a global economy will include discussion of labor movements, trade flows, and financial flows.

There is no charge for this program, but registration is required. The registration deadline is Thursday, September 20, 2007. Space is limited. Dress is business casual.

For more information, please contact Sarah Arteaga at sarah.e.arteaga@atl.frb.org, or by phone at 904.632.1132.

Register online at: http://www.frbatlanta.org/atlantafed/econ_ed/calendar_of_events.cfm

World Wise Schools

World Wise Schools Correspondence Match Program

The Peace Corps has a dynamic exchange program for U.S. teachers, and you do not even have to leave your classroom! Connect with a Peace Corps Volunteer serving overseas, communicating through an exchange of letters, stories, pictures, souvenirs, and artifacts. The program enriches classrooms enormously and touches the hearts of students and teachers alike. Its effect is life long, and it costs no more than a few pennies' postage.

Volunteers in countries all over the world are waiting to write to teachers and their classrooms in the U.S. Four thousand teachers nationwide are participating. Why not make it 4,001?

To participate, contact the Peace Corps Coverdell World Wise Schools program at wwsinfo@peacecorps.gov.
Classroom teachers can also apply to be matched online at www.peacecorps.gov/wws/correspond.

UNICEF Pilot Program - Check it out

From an email I received from Susan Fountain of UNICEF:

The US Fund for UNICEF is looking for teachers in the United States to pilot its new "TeachUNICEF" curriculum materials for grades 6-8 and 9-12. These lesson plans are based on UNICEF's 2006 "State of the World's Children Report". They examine the lives of children in developing countries, and what UNICEF is doing to overcome challenges to their survival and development. Each lesson plan is aligned to national curriculum standards, and includes links to maps, statistical tables, and streaming videos. Topics include:


--Martha from Sierra Leone (this lesson focuses on children and armed conflict),
--Himal from Nepal (children and poverty),
--Ali from Jordan (child labor)
--The Root Causes of Exclusion
--Measuring Success: The Millennium Development Goals

The lesson plans can be viewed at http://www.teachunicef.org/. (Click on “Lesson Plans and Resources”.)

Piloting can take place any time between Sept. 1 and Nov. 15, 2007, and registrations will be accepted through Sept. 28. Participating teachers will be asked to give a short pre-test to their classes, carry out the lessons, give a short post-test, and complete an online teacher evaluation form.

For more detailed information, or to register to participate, contact:
Susan Fountain, Evaluation Outreach, US Fund for UNICEF
shfountain@msn.com
845-485-3266

First Day of School in the Books

Well, we made it through the first day of school. For me, it was the first day teaching sixth graders - a new challenge for the year.

I've got what after one day seems to be one challenging class. Overall, the kids seem great.

More later.

Opportunity from NG and Lowe's

This looks like a great opportunity for science and social studies teachers. One of my goals this year is to get my students "in the field" more, so I may apply for this one.



Mission
To provide outdoor, hands-on science education to students in grades K-12 and assist schools in enhancing their core curriculum in all subjects.

Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation, International Paper and National Geographic Explorer! classroom magazine have partnered to create an outdoor classroom grant program to provide schools with additional resources to improve their science curriculum by engaging students in hands-on experiences outside the traditional classroom. All K-12 public schools in the United States are welcome to apply.

This school year, the program will award grants up to $2,000 to at least 100 schools. In some cases, grants for up to $20,000 may be awarded to schools or school districts with major outdoor classroom projects. The grants can be used to build a new outdoor classroom or to enhance a current outdoor classroom at the school.

This program only considers outdoor classroom proposals. Please submit all other grant proposals for community improvement projects and K-12 public school initiatives to the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation at www.lowes.com/community.

Click here to begin your online grant application.

To view a list of 2005 Outdoor Classroom grant recipients, click here.

Support the Teaching Geography is Fundamental Act

From National Geographic:

Help Congress Put Geography on the Map!Through the My Wonderful World campaign, you are a powerful voice for geographic literacy. Please consider writing your Senators and Representatives in Congress, and urge them to support and cosponsor the pending Teaching Geography is Fundamental Act (TGIF). Did you know that of the nine core subjects included in the No Child Left Behind legislation, geography is the only one without designated federal funding? TGIF will rectify this by funding professional development for educators to ensure all young people acquire the vital geography skills and experience they need. Thus far, the Senate version of TGIF (S. 727) has attracted 18 cosponsors, and the House version (H.R. 1228) has 39 cosponsors. We have made it easy to contact your lawmakers to tell them this bill is a priority. You can also spread the word and urge your friends, family, and co-workers to notify their lawmakers about TGIF. Thank you for sharing your voice.