Welcome Back! I hope all of our readers had a great summer vacation and are invigorated for the new school year.

This year, you will be seeing a brand new Roadmap to Success! Based on your feedback to our survey at the end of the 2006 production year, we have upgraded Roadmap and combined it with Nettie's, our newsletter featuring themed lesson plans for your classroom. We hope you enjoy the enhancements and have a great start to your school year.

PLATO Learning's Newest Releases Honored With ComputED EDDIE Awards

Straight Curve™ Mathematics, PLATO® Earth and Space Science, PLATO® Course-Algebra 1, PLATO® Course-Geography, and WorldView® Economics—have received 2006 ComputED Learning Center Education Software Review (EDDIE) Awards. Read More >>

PLATO Learning Launches First Curriculum for the Straight Curve™ Product Line

Over the summer, PLATO Learning released Straight Curve™ Mathematics Series 2. The supplemental curriculum is designed to complement primary textbooks and enrich direct classroom teaching by providing deep instructional focus on the concepts students in grades 3-5 find most challenging—decimals, fractions, measurement, probability, and problem solving. Read More >>

Technology-Driven ELL Instruction Engages, Motivates and Drives Academic Achievement at Wigwam Creek Middle School

Wigwam Creek Middle School has made a school-wide commitment to technology. Read More >>

Report Urges Changes in the Teaching of Math in U.S. Schools
N.Y. Times September 13, 2006

In a major shift from its influential recommendations 17 years ago, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics yesterday issued a report urging that math teaching in kindergarten through eighth grade focus on a few basic skills. Read More >>

Study: High School Dropouts Earn Far Less Money
Associated Press September 12, 2006

Adults who drop out of high school in other parts of the world typically earn about 80% of what high school diploma-holders earns, but in the U.S. dropouts earn only 65%, reports the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development. Yet the groups also found the disparity between what college graduates earn, compared with those who completed high school, is much greater in the U.S. than in other parts of the world. Read More >>

Greetings from Nettie, your PLATO Pathfinder to the Internet. Welcome back for the 2006-2007 school year. We are returning with great new themed lessons for your classroom.

September 2006: Newspapers and the Media
On September 25, 1690, Boston printer Benjamin Harris produced the first newspaper published in America: "Publick Occurrences". Access the lesson plans below to help your students learn about the media and its influence on American culture—while focusing on language arts and writing skills!

Grades K-2

Reading Rainbow—Max
Define the word "hero", find articles or photographs in the newspaper about heroic deeds and discuss why these people are heroes. Read More >>

National Council for the Social Studies Strands     Strand IV: Individual Development and Identity

PLATO Cross Curricular Projects, Level A—Me     Share How You Feel Interviewing: Introduce Your     Favorite People

Grades 3-5

Concepts Across the Curriculum—Covering the News Media
Students read and discuss the First Amendment, research different types of news media and compare newspapers around the country. They willIdentify stereotypes in the news, track the development of a news story and discuss what makes an event newsworthy. Read More >>

Learning Objectives for NWEA     Reading 151-170 (Word Analysis and Vocabulary Development)

PLATO Cross-Curricular Projects, Level E—     News Desk, Press Conference: Writing a News Story

Grades 6-8

PBS Mathline—Is It Really News?
Apply the concepts of fractions and decimals to determine what part of a newspaper is really news. Read More >>

McREL 4th Edition     Language Arts A. Writing Standard 1, Benchmark 2 (Drafting and     Revising)

PLATO Cross-Curricular Projects, Level H—     Maya Mystery, Editors Desk: Editing a Newspaper     Article

Grades 9-12

Worth A Thousand Words: Depression—Era Photographs
Students gain insight into New Deal programs and the experience of Depression-era Americans; to recognize the distinction between observation and inference when drawing information from documentary photographs; to recognize some ways the photographer can influence interpretation of documentary photographs; to gain experience in critical thinking about media. Read More >>

National Council for the Social Studies Strands     Social Studies Strand 6 (Power, Authority and Governance)

Worldview U.S. Government     The Media

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