FOUR WORDS IN HISTORY
While many remember the Supreme Court’s landmark school desegregation decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, an equally compelling chapter in the court battle for civil rights will be recognized on May 31. On that date in 1955, the high court ordered states to begin the work of desegregation, as required under Brown, “with all deliberate speed”—a phrase that is still studied and discussed by historians today. An overview of the order and it’s impact on American society, complete with annotated manuscripts, is available in the “American Treasures” collection of the Library of Congress online. Visit www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trr007.html.

HEARING AND SPEECH
May is the month when healthcare professionals launch an information campaign to educate the public about the 41 million Americans who have hearing and speech problems. Leading the effort is the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, which is offering a free Windows screen saver to raise public awareness, along with other outreach materials. For details, visit www.asha.org.

DRIVING SENSE
The Driving Skills for Life Web site offers resources to help curb vehicle crashes, the No. 1 killer of teenagers in America. Visit www.drivingskillsforlife.com for tips to help young drivers improve their behind-the-wheel abilities in four key areas: hazard recognition, vehicle handling, space management and speed management. Driving Skills for Life is coordinated by the Ford Motor Company; there is no charge for the materials, which can be used not only by young drivers, but also by educators and parents in school or community settings.

BREAKFAST CONTENST
The “got breakfast?” Essay Contest is open to schoolchildren nationwide between the ages of 5 and 18. All are invited to sharpen their pencils, put on their creative hats, and write a poem, essay or even a song about why breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Submissions can be in English or Spanish, 75 words maximum. The four winners from across the United States will each have their smiling face featured on a fall 2006 edition of the “got breakfast?” poster, to be displayed in schools in their area. They will also win a Dell laptop computer. Essay contest winners will be announced in July 2006, and will be chosen by a committee of judges made up of representatives from each of the campaign’s partners. For more information and rules, go to www.gotbreak
fast.org.

HISTORY-MAKING
Nominations are open for the Outstanding History Educator Award, which honors a teacher who has made outstanding contributions to history education through the National History Day program. The winner will receive a $5,000 award and a plaque. The deadline for nominations is May 20. The program also will select a Teacher of Merit winner, who will receive $1,000 and a plaque to recognize his or her use of National History Day as part of the curriculum. Nomination materials for the merit award are due May 15. The National History Day program is a cooperative venture with the History Channel, the University of Maryland and other groups to disseminate curriculum materials in an effort to help teachers meet educational standards in history. For details, visit
www.nhd.org.

EMERGENCY PLANNING
The Ready America Web site offers several free materials to help educators and parents talk to kids about emergency preparedness. The site was developed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and covers such topics as making a home kit of emergency supplies and developing a “just-in-case” family emergency plan. Also available are downloadable activity books for home and school, and links to resources from other emergency-preparedness organizations. Materials are available at www.ready.gov/kids.

CONSTITUTION LESSONS
Teachers can find five new lesson plans dealing with the U.S. Constitution by visiting Junior Achievement on the Web. JA Worldwide deals with such issues as personal property, for grades K-2; taxation and representative government, for grades 3-5; and the Bill of Rights, for grades 6-8. The site also offers two high school lessons: one about privacy, and the other on business and the Bill of Rights. To download the lessons, visit www.ja.org/programs/programs_supplements_constitution.shtml.

SUMMER READING
The Reading Rockets Web site has compiled a useful “Summer Reading” section that offers tips for teachers and students. The section offers teachers five easy ways to encourage students to read during their weeks away from school, and information on the latest research showing the strong ties between student achievement and summer reading. Also featured is a 10-week program of summer reading adventure for students that was developed by Reading Is Fundamental. Visit www.readingrockets.org and click on “Summer Reading” in the articles section.

SUN SENSE
The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center offers a number of free and low-cost materials to help classrooms observe National Melanoma/Skin Cancer Prevention and Detection Month in May. Visit www.mdanderson.org/departments/projectsafety for a variety of fact sheets on skin cancer prevention geared to students in grades 4-12. Also available are videos, teachers guides and other information to highlight the importance of daily sun protection, particularly for young people.