LOOKING EAST  The United States-Eurasian Awards for Excellence in Teaching, administered by the American Councils for International Education, are accepting applications for the 2003 program year. American Councils is a nonprofit education, training and consulting organization, offering teachers of humanities, social studies and language arts in grades 6 and above the chance to participate in a two-week exchange program in one of 10 Eurasian countries, including Russia and the Ukraine. Participants are selected based on innovation in teaching methods, interest in Eurasian foreign language teaching methodology, desire to share experiences and knowledge with Eurasian colleagues, and commitment to develop and sustain partnerships with Eurasian colleagues beyond the program period. For information on the program, e-mail tea@americancouncils.org or visit www.actr.org/programs/mini-sites/teatimes/index1.htm.

LEGEND HAS IT  Oral legends, set down in story form, of how the world came to be are the focus of Nelson Mandela's Favorite African Folktales. The 144-page hardback, published by W.W. Norton & Company, is filled with four-color illustrations, a foreword by Nelson Mandela and a collection of popular African creation myths and fairy tales, both old and new. Also featured is a map of Africa, indicating where each of the book's 32 tales most likely originated. The book, which hits stands this month, costs $24.95, and one-third of proceeds go to benefit Mandela's organization for children. Look for it in bookstores near you.

DEEPER QUESTIONS  The Kids Philosophy Slam is a national K-12 academic contest that asks students to dig for the deeper meaning. The topic for this year is "What is the meaning of life?" Younger students from K-4 respond to the question with artwork, while older students create poetry and essays about the topic. Four high school finalists are selected each year to debate the question in front of an audience to determine "the most philosophical student in America." Each grade level has its own national winner. There is also a national school award, as well as awards for special-needs students. For details, visit www.philosophyslam.org.

FREE RESOURCE  Scholastic has just launched a set of Web tools designed to help educators create customized lesson plans, assignments, tests, quizzes and presentations aligned to state standards. The online resource is available free of charge to all teachers registered on the site. This "Teacher Toolkit" also features a database of state-by-state standards to help educators link lesson plans and other curriculum materials to specific state educational requirements. Visit www.scholastic.com/teachertoolkit.

DRY LEARNING  The Weather Channel's "Weather Insights" newsletter offers valuable interdisciplinary lesson plans for students in grades 6-12. The back-to-school edition offers several exercises tied to the multi-year drought now gripping much of the nation, along with suggested research projects on autumn leaf colors. The newsletter and activity guide are provided free to educators every other month throughout the school year. You can register to receive copies by calling 800/471-5544. You may also visit www.weather.com/ education to browse and print the online version of the newsletter.

HEROIC SERVICE  Marvel Comics has recently launched a new series of comics aimed at portraying real-life heroes in public service. The series, entitled "The Call of Duty," focuses on three different story lines: life in a New York City firehouse, on the police beat and in emergency medical service. Students can view free issues by visiting Marvel Comics online, www.marvel.com. (Note: Comics featured on the Web require a Macromediaplug-in.)

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