This is my final issue for the 2000-2001 school year. When I began the newsletter three years ago I had no intention of it becoming such a success. Perhaps a few hundred people could benefit from my suggestions through a weekly newsletter, I thought. That would be a good thing. As it expanded over time I would adjust my expectations accordingly, always assuming it couldn't get much bigger. I have gotten to know so many of you through our e-mail exchanges and occasional face to face meetings at conferences, the entire newsletter family is now very important to me. Thank you for all the ways you have touched my life!

I wanted you to know that I am just finishing up my first book entitled Multiple Intelligences and Technology for ISTE (the International Society for Technology in Education) and it should be available this Fall. It's full of practical ideas for using Gardner's theory as the theoretical basis for integrating technology into instruction, including lesson and unit plans and assessment ideas. I am also beginning a Multiple Intelligences discussion group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/M-I where educators can discuss the possibilities for MI in the classroom. It is a group and not just a weekly newsletter, so the mailings potentially can be daily. I hope to build it into more than just a discussion group but an actual virtual community where we can support one another and grow professionally. You can sign up today!

Remember you don't have to unsubscribe over the summer. The newsletter will not go out again until the end of August. Just remain on the list and go enjoy your hard earned summer. Thanks to Jerry as always for his site recommendations. Enjoy!

• America's Freedom Documents - http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson190.shtml
  Education World presents this dynamite collection of lessons and activities ready to go in the classroom. There's a Declaration of Independence Time Line in which students create a time line of events that led to the Declaration of Independence, Interview With the Signers of the Constitution wherein students imagine they are newspaper reporters at the signing of the Constitution, and Creating a Bill of Rights in Space through which students create a bill of rights for a space colony.
• A Capitol Fourth - http://www.pbs.org/capitolfourth/
  PBS presents this dazzling site covering the history of the holiday, recent 4th of July concerts held on the mall in Washington, downloadable wallpaper and screensaver files, the chance to create your own virtual fireworks display right on your monitor, and a Shockwave-based 4th of July puzzle you can manipulate and complete right online. This was the best site of the bunch for design and presentation of content.
• The Continental Congress Broadside Collection - http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/bdsds/bdsdhome.html
  Presented by the library of Congress, this site houses some 270 documents from both the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention. "Items include extracts of the journals of Congress, resolutions, proclamations, committee reports, treaties, and early printed versions of the United States Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Most Broadsides are one page in length, others range from 1 to 28 pages."
• Declaration of Independence - http://www.nara.gov/exhall/charters/declaration/decmain.html
  Our National Archives hosts this virtual presentation of the original document, complete with a transcription of the original text, digital images of the original, and some great articles for secondary students: "The Declaration of Independence: A History," "The Stylistic Artistry of the Declaration of Independence" and "The Writing and Publicizing of the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution of the United States."
• Fourth of July Graphics - http://www.holidaygraphics.com/july4th/
  It is what it says it is: an eight page collection of patriotic graphics in .gif format, some animated, all very colorful. The emphasis on red in the site's formatting is a little hard on the eyes, but if you keep your focus on the goodies within you'll be aptly rewarded.
• Happy Birthday America - http://banzai.neosoft.com/citylink/usa/
  Here's a site from Citylink that presents a breadth of material spanning all eras and perspectives on our nation. There's links on fireworks, history, the flag and the Declaration, but there's also a virtual tour of Mount Rushmore, a child's rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, and a nice list of government resources. As I said up front, it's got a little bit of everything!
• Happy Birthday America! - http://members.tripod.com/~flowerk/July4th.html
  This slow loading page is full of patriotic graphics and animations as well as flag background, all celebrating the birth of our nation. It's definitely more of an elementary site, with some silly downloads that will leave children giggling and an economy of text. More for fun than for information.
• Independence Day on the Net - http://www.holidays.net/independence/index.htm
  Holidays.net offers this elementary-level site full of activities for recognizing the birth of our country. There's a history of the holiday, fireworks movies, an Uncle Sam Folk Art Figure craft project, holiday greeting cards, and lots of side topics designed to give kids the "big picture" of this most American of holidays.
• Independence Day Patriotic Fantasy - http://wilstar.com/holidays/july4.htm
  Wilstar.com presents this wholesome page on the Fourth of July, with every document from the Magna Carta to the Pledge of Allegiance, lots of patriotic midi files, and a virtual fireworks display to boot. The JAVA-based 4th of July word search means students have lots of fun without the clutter of having to print it out on sheets of paper. This would even be a great site to recommend to Moms and Dads at home.
• Larry Crump's Fireworks Pages - http://www.wf.net/~lcrump1/
  Larry is a professional pyrotechnician just outside of Dallas, and he uses this page to share his love of fireworks. There's pictures galore, instructional video, and important information on fireworks safety. My guess is Larry's page gets lots of hits every year beginning right after Memorial Day straight through the beginning of July!
• National Council on Fireworks Safety - http://www.fireworksafety.com/
  This very professionally-done site offers all kinds of information on safety, statistics, state laws, and fire service. The classroom section has Firework Safety lessons (you'll need the free Flash plugin to view this) as well as a safety test with a separate link to answers. This may well be a wise way to spend some time with your students these dwindling days before school's out.
  
• Fourth of July Games - http://www.primarygames.com/holidays/july4/july_4.htm
  PrimaryGames.com is a premier online site for the youngest students, and this page on the 4th of July offers great activities for primary students to enjoy as we await the celebration of Independence Day this July. There's games, coloring pages, virtual fireworks, musical postcards and fireworks stationery great for writing stories. Check it out!
  

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Thanks for a great third year of the Innovative Teaching Newsletter. Have a safe and happy summer!

Please send in URL's of high quality sites which may be of interest to our readers to walter@surfaquarium.com! Also, I'm always looking for new topic ideas and input!

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