click on skeleton above
for more detailed descriptions of
programs

To order specimens, go to www.carolina.com or call 1-800-334-5551. Cost varies.

If you have never ordered from them before, your school must set up an account first. Allow 10
days for delivery. (Longer
if you need to set up an account.)

SCIENCE

Adventures in Medicine and Science
Practical Anatomy, Saint Louis University (K-12)

AIMS was created so that students could enrich their scientific learning. School year programs introduce students to human anatomy, stimulate awareness of good health practices, provide information about injury prevention and lead students to a better understanding of career choices in medicine. Doctors and other experts guide students in the following topics over interactive videoconference on these dates:

• You Are What You Eat: Teen Nutrition (MS, HS)
• Dental Health: Disease and Injury, Prevention and Treatment (MS,HS)
• The Straight Story on Methamphetamines (MS, HS)
• Organ Transplant (MS, HS)
• Your Role in the Environment (MS, HS)

These programs can be scheduled upon request:

• Anatomy of the Human Brain (MS, HS)
• Anatomy of the Human Heart (MS, HS)
• Anatomy of the Eye/ Pig Eye Dissection (MS, HS)
• Mr Bones (ES)

The following 60 minute programs can also be scheduled upon request, preferred days are Thursdays and Fridays:

General Cadaver Demonstration- Students will participate in an interactive cadaver demo via videoconferencing.
Forensic Autopsy Demonstration (Pre-requisite: General Cadaver Demo) - Students will participate in an interactive cadaver demo via videoconferencing. The demo will discuss the basic procedure of a cadaver demo, during which the principles of objectivity, scientific method and evidence gathering will be outlined.
General Sports Medicine Demonstration(Pre-requisite: General Cadaver Demo) - Students will participate in an interactive cadaver demo via videoconferencing that will outline most of the common sports injuries of the shoulder, elbow, knee and ankle. Basic principles of injury management will also be discussed.

Dissections (MS & HS): Pig Heart, Sheep Brain

Select from two starting times, 9:00 a.m. OR 10:15 a.m. CT; elementary programs are 45 minutes, middle and high school programs are an hour; limited number free to New Links members, then cost is $100 for all programs; for nonmembers, all cadaver demonstrations are $200, other programs $175.

Cost for the series of three videoconferences is $650 for New Links members; non-members $700.The first videoconference is always at 4:00 p.m., and the last two are at 9:30 or 11:00 a.m. OR 1:00 or 2:00 p.m. (see schedule).Student videoconferences last for an hour.

Dates and topics for 2009-2010:

Winter Holidays Around the World
Teacher Session: Thursday, November 5, 2009 @ 4 pm CT
Session I: Tuesday, November 24, 2009 @ 11 am CT
Session II: Tuesday, December 15, 2009 @ 11 am CT

Creative Writing- NEW! Science Fiction
Teacher Session: Thursday, April 15, 2010 @ 4 pm CT
Student Session I: Thursday, April 29, 2010 @ 11 am CT
Student Session II: Wednesday, May 12, 2010 @ 11 am CT

Nonfiction Writing: Fact vs. Opinion
with Arlene Zarembka, co-author of To Establish Justice with Pat McKissack
Ms. Zarembka has been an attorney in private practice in St. Louis since 1981. She has also represented lower-income residents who were fighting displacement from their neighborhoods by urban redevelopment corporations. She is the author of The Urban Housing Crisis: Social, Economic, and Legal Issues and Proposals and has written numerous commentaries on civil rights and social and economic justice.

NEW! STORY HOURS New Links to New Learning is pleased to share that award winning author Patricia McKissack will conduct three, 60 minute story-hour sessions during the fall of 2009. Pat reads the selected books (see below), she’ll talk about (her) inspiration, and she will take questions from students. These story hours are for students in first through fifth grades (depending on the book). The cost is $200 for New Links members and $250 for non-members.

Just in time for Halloween: Pat will read select portions of The Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural on October 23, 2009 at 11 am central. This book is for students ages 9-12; “these 10 spine-tinglers range from straight-up ghost stories to eerie narratives. The tales in this winner of the 1993 Coretta Scott King Award depict racism, haunting and vengeance in a manner that can be read out loud around a campfire or savored privately, offering middle readers thoughtful exposure to important, though frightening, historical themes.” (Amazon.com)

On November 24, 2009, Pat will read from Stitchin’ and Pullin’: A Gee’s Bend Quilt at 2:30 pm central. This book is for students ages 9-12; “Mother and daughter, grandmother and granddaughter, aunt and niece, friend and friend. For a hundred years, generations of women from Gee’s Bend have quilted together, sharing stories, trading recipes, singing hymns—all the while stitchin’ and pullin’ thread through cloth. Every day Baby Girl listens, watches, and waits, until she’s called to sit at the quilting frame. Piece by piece, she puzzles her quilt together—telling not just her story, but the story of her family, the story of Gee’s Bend, and the story of her ancestors’ struggle for freedom.” (Amazon.com)

Finally, before the holidays on December 15, 2009 at 2:30 pm central, Pat will read from The All-I’ll-Ever-Want Christmas Doll. This book is for students 5-8; “It is Christmas, and Nella is beside herself with excitement! She and her sisters have been given a real gift – a beautiful Baby Betty doll. But it’s hard to share something you’ve waited your whole seven-year-old life for, and Nella grabs the doll for herself. It isn’t long before she discovers that a doll can’t do the fun things she and her sisters do together. So, as Christmas day fades, Nella shares it with her sisters. Set in the Depression era South, here’s a heartwarming story that captures the essence of the holiday.” (Amazon.com)

Author Visit with Carolyn Lesser (2-12; Professional Development)

Custom-designed writing videoconference for educators and/or students………. This program is offered to give the most flexibility to planners and educators. Embedded in this program is total control over the content, the number of presentations, the issues and concerns most important to your district or schools, making your enrichment dollars pinpoint accurate at addressing your needs. Collaborative planning is one of the riches of this custom planning as it brings the element of support and professional development for the efforts of educators concerning writing. It is a real collaboration between educators and an author. To view some of the possibilities, visit Carolyn’s website for presentation options (www.carolynlesser.com). Cost…….. to be negotiated with Carolyn

Writing Nonfiction Prose or Poetry…#1…………………………Cost: $1,350
Session #1… 30 minute conference call from teachers to plan for students
Session #2… 45 minute interactive presentation to students…assignment
Session #3… 45 minute interactive reading/positive feedback to student-read work
• Carolyn will choose writing topics appropriate for grade level of students
• Students will participate in a professional nonfiction writing process
• Teacher input is very important…come to conference call with any ideas
• Carolyn will engage students with enthusiasm for the nonfiction process

Writing Nonfiction Prose or Poetry…#2……………………………Cost: $1,875Session #1…45 minute conference/call from teachers to plan for students
Session #2…60 minute interactive presentation to students…assignment
Session #3…60 minute interactive reading/positive feedback to student-read work
• Specific writing topics chosen by teachers/students
• Carolyn's professional nonfiction writing process tailored & relevant to specific curriculum, teacher requests, goals
• Teacher input/requests/goals discussed in the conference call
• Time has been added for student questions
• Carolyn will bring inspiration and enthusiasm to each session

Writing Nature Prose or Poetry……………………………………Cost: $1,450
Session #1… 45 minute conference/call from teachers to plan for students
Session #2… 50 minute interactive presentation to students…assignment
Session #3… 50 minute interactive reading/positive feedback to student-read work.
• Sessions will concentrate on nature writing specific to relevant curriculum
• We will connect science with the writing/research process in prose or poetry
• Research will be stressed for scientific accuracy for topics
• Teacher input is very important…come to conference call with any ideas
• Carolyn will engage students with enthusiasm for her nonfiction process

Multigenre Nonfiction Writing………………………………………Cost: $1,875
Session #1… 45 minute conference call from teachers to plan for students
Session #2… 60 minute interactive presentation to students… assignment
Session #3… 60 minute interactive reading/positive feedback to student-read work.
• Teacher input/requests/goals discussed in the conference call
• Each nonfiction topic will be written in poetry, prose, letter, journal entry, dialogue, newspaper article, broadcast, report, etc.
• My professional nonfiction writing process tailored & relevant to specific curriculum, teacher requests, goals
• Specific writing topics chosen by teachers/students
• Time will be taken each session for student questions
• Each session will be full of inspiration, enthusiasm, and positive feedback

Crafting a Play………………………………………………………..Cost: $2,000
Session #1….60 minute conference with teachers to plan for students
Session #2….60 minute presentation to students… assignment
Session #3….60 minute presentation of scenes from students’ plays… feedback to and from groups
• Professional playwriting techniques presented
• Teacher input/requests/goals discussed in the teacher conference/call
• Curriculum for the basis of the plays discussed with teachers
• Topics chosen by teachers/students
• Time for student questions in each session
• All sessions interactive

Custom add-ons bring depth and relevance to students and staff
• Student/teacher handouts available thru e-mail/fax………Cost: $ 65
• Additional teacher sessions (before/interspersed/after) for teacher writing PD (per session)… Cost: $625
• Additional student session to present revision…………………. Cost: $625
• Additional student session to read revised work………………. Cost: $625
• Carolyn’s fee to read/critique hard copies of  work…… Cost: $400

Reading, Writing and Computer Graphics Fun with
Author/Computer Illustrator Bill Dallas Lewis
(2-12; Professional Development)

A Dartmouth College graduate and trained in Silicon Valley, multitalented and good-natured Bill Dallas Lewis shares with students the importance and fun of reading, and the joy of writing! From his home (or on the beach!) in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, he shares the exhilaration of taking your creation to the public, be it friends and family or the world, via computer graphics. You can see his works at www.sillybilly.com. Bill offers three presentation options. Dates and times are upon request and set to meet your needs.

Program #1 FOR STUDENTS (2-12)In this single, one hour presentation, Bill shares with students that he went to school where Dr. Seuss went to school. He shares how he read all he could about Dr. Seuss, learning about writing. Bill then graphically takes students through the writing process and the rewriting process. Finally, Bill demonstrates how he uses state of the art, computer graphics applications that can make any thing look real, from image manipulation, to animation, to sound. He lets students know that he has all of this fun, because he reads lots of books.
Cost: $150 for New Links members, $175 for non-members

Program #2 FOR STUDENTS (4-12)This is a three session presentation, running 1 hour and fifteen minutes each. In the first session, Bill interacts with teachers to discuss their interests and questions about the sessions. He then tailors his presentations to meet their interests. Many schools have worked with him to create 30 minute animated cartoons, real children's hardback books, or even interactive CD's. In the second session, Bill takes the students through the writing process. He takes the students through the process of story boarding the project. He uses his beyond PowerPoint presentation methods to make the process descriptive and lots of fun. Towards the end of the session, Bill goes in depth into image manipulation and basic animation techniques. In the third session, Bill picks up on more in-depth animation techniques, goes into the world of interactivity, logic and basic fun coding. He then explores the fun of non-linier video editing, and the new world of working with sound.
Cost for all three sessions:
$450 for New Links members, $525 for non-member

Program #3 FOR TEACHERS Learn Flash, a fun in-service! This is four, two hour classes. Flash is really fun, but it's really complex. Bill has taught Flash to 5th and 6th Graders, the Senior Graphics Designers in New York, the Graphics Specialists of the United States Coast Guard in Petaluma, CA as well as designers at The Gap in the Bay area. Teachers, Bill not only teaches Flash, he shares with you how you can integrate it into your classroom, school or school district. Flash makes any curriculum come to life. Times and dates are set to meet your needs. Contact the author directly to negotiate the cost at sillbill@well.com

Program # 4 FOR STUDENTS (4-12) We’ve moved into a new electronic, interactive age. This interactivity is all about the Code. Video games, cell phones, DVD players, websites, even our cars. Many of us have been led to believe that you have to be a rocket scientist to make up a videogame or a website. Bill would like to have fun with your students sharing with them how computer games are made on a basic and easy to understand basic. Let’s talk about variables, functions, arrays and how math makes games fun. Bill would like to open the minds of students that might want to concentrate on this big new world.
Cost: $150 for New Links members, $175 for non-member

Author Visit with Barri Bumgarner (4-12)
Cooperating School Districts is pleased to have a partnership with author Barri Bumgarner! She will participate in several interactive videoconferences throughout the course of the year. We had Barri as a guest author last school year (see photo) and her program was extremely well received. To read more on Barri, visit her website: http://www.barrilbumgarner.com/.

Peer Pressure September 24, 2009
$200 for New Links members, $250 for nonmembers
8:30 am: High School and 10 am: 7 & 8th grade
Discussion of peer pressure in and outside of school; we recommend/suggest students have read part or all of author Barri Bumgarner’s acclaimed book, Dregs.

Ask the Author Videoconference October 29, 2009
$200 for New Links members, $250 for nonmembers
Two sessions: 8:30 a.m. for 8-12th grade students and 10 a.m. for 4-7th graders
What does it mean to be an author? Where do ideas for books come from? Have your students meet with Missouri author Barri Bumgarner for a question and answer session. Barri is the author of young adult and adult fiction books. We ask participating students take a look at her website to read about her multigenre works prior to the videoconference.

‘Monsters’ Writing Workshop (two-part) January 29 and February 19, 2010
Two session times: 8:30 a.m. for High School and 10 a.m. for 7th and 8th grade
Barri will lead a discussion on who/what are the monsters in a person’s life, how did they become monsters, and how to deal with them. This is a two part writing workshop. In the first session, Barri will give the writing assignment to the students and give them tips and tricks for writing, and in the second session, the participating students will share their work and get constructive criticism from the author.

Trial by Wire: An ITV High School Project (9-12)

CSD, in collaboration with the St. Louis County Library, is pleased to announce a new project for high school students involving a mock trial via videoconference. Trial by Wire will allow several locations to try a murder case together. This project will entail research by the students and their participation in a videoconference. They will be simulating a court trial (taken from an actual state of Missouri court case). A librarian from the St. Louis County Library will act as judge and will help students research the case. We need three classes from different schools to participate. One will act as the prosecution, one will be the defense, and one will be the jury. Please call with your requested date and time. This fits best with a block scheduling high school, but if you are not on block scheduling and would like to participate, we can arrange this for you. Here is the actual breakdown of the videoconference:

1. Prosecution presents their evidence and argument
2. Defense presents their evidence and argument
3. Both sides present their final arguments; jury is allowed to question the judge before deliberating. Judge instructs the jury as to their task and deliberations; jury deliberates and reaches a verdict.
4. Jury announces their verdict; jury explains their verdict. Judge makes a statement. Students ask additional questions and discuss their learning experiences. (Depending on time, this may have to be done at a second videoconference or over email.)

If you are interested in having your class participate, please call Martha Bogart at 314-692-1258 or email mbogart@csd.org

St. Louis County Library Gale General OneFile & EBSCOHost Workshops (9-12)

St. Louis County Library Coordinator of Electronic Database Training Paul Steensland now presents videoconference workshops on both Gale General OneFile and EBSCOHost’s MasterFILE Elite database. Students can use Gale General OneFile (which “puts approximately 36 million database records at your users’ fingertips“) or MasterFILE Elite to find full-text articles from 1,000+ popular magazines including Time, Discover and American History. During these interactive videoconferences, high school students learn how to search Gale General OneFile or MasterFILE Elite’s database using keyword searching and how to print & email their articles. In order to take advantage of this workshop, it is best if students use computers during the videoconference, but this is not mandatory. Prior to the videoconference, Paul contacts participating teachers to learn about the topics students are researching, so he is able to highlight some specific resources. In addition, this videoconference can also be a professional development session for educators.

TEST PREP
2008-09 dates listed!

Princeton Review ACT Prep Classes (10-12)
Princeton Review PSAT Prep Classes (10-11)

ACT: Through 20 hours of instruction over interactive videoconference, students learn concepts and skills to master the ACT, including revolutionary test-taking techniques and tactics specific to each section of the text, all from an instructor from The Princeton Review. Three real ACT practice tests afford students the opportunity to practice what they learn and track their improvement during the five week course. A computer-generated analysis of each practice test provides detailed information identifying strengths and weaknesses, allowing students and teachers to focus on the areas where students need to improve the most. Cost is $140 per student if registered by deadline (check with Rebecca Morrison for those 2009-2010 dates). Late registration is $190/student. Offered before each ACT exam; minimum of 50 total students required; all participants do not have to be at same site.

For more information about interactive videoconference ACT classes offered by Cooperating School Districts and The Princeton Review, contact Videoconference Coordinator Rebecca Morrison at 314-692-1274 OR rmorrison@csd.org. Registration forms and more information can also be found here.

STAFF DEVELOPMENT

Mental Health in Children and Adolescents
(K-12 educators & support staff)

In a series of videoconferences, educational staff can learn about various mental health issues in children and adolescents. They will learn about their causes, treatment, and how to access mental health professionals if they spot children in their classrooms whom they feel need help. Question and answer session always takes place. Meeting time for all sessions is 4:00-5:00 p.m. CT; free to New Links members; $85 per videoconference for non-members. Dates, Topics, Descriptions:

October 14, 2009: Superheroes & Princesses- The Effects of Media on Gender Identity
Media is the vehicle of pop culture. Music, television, internet, video games, and movies spend billions of dollars to grab the attention of young people. In the meantime, these forms of media send powerful messages about what it means to be cool, attractive, and even male or female. Learn current research on the effects of media on gender roles from preschool to high school and how simple classroom discussions can help empower young people to understand their own gender identity.

January 14, 2010: You Did What?: Sexting, Cyberbullying, and Other High Risk Online Behavior
Welcome to the “soda shop” of the next generation. Online isn’t just an entity, it’s the place to be (and be seen) for young people. When the desire for attention become risky, young people can find themselves in situations for which they aren’t adequately prepared. This presentation will discuss current trends in online behavior and what educators and parents can do to help young people be more pro-active online.

April 8, 2010: This Just In!: News Violence and the Effects on Young People
Around the clock, breaking news is a staple of our culture. We have more access to up-to-the-minute information now that ever before, and so do young people. So, when an event such at the Virginia Tech attack or the failing economy streams nonstop into the lives of young people, does it have an effect on them and their view of the world? Is it a public health concern? Learn when a bounty of information can become too much information, and the role of adults in building resilience in young people.

To find out more about these programs, contact Ruth Litman-Block at 314-692-1272, or Rebecca Morrison at 314-692-1274. To register for these programs, fill out the reservation form and fax it to us at 314-872-9128. 

New Links members receive a limited number of programs from these databases FREE with their membership in New Links to New Learning. Contact Rebecca Morrison at rmorrison@csd.org for more information or to schedule programs.

Visit our blog, The Wired Classroom,
at www.csdtechpd.wordpress.com.