Monday, September 28, 2009:
1. Yom Kippur: This year Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, comes at a particularly somber time following revelations of a previously hidden Iranian nuclear facility and more missle tests by the Revolutionary Guard. Click here to learn more about this holy Jewish holiday.
2. Natalie Merchant: On Sunday, Merchant fulfilled a 10-year-old dream of performing at the Shaker Meeting House in Colonie. Click here for a history on this property.
3. ACORN: The city's ACORN chapter, the only one of its kind in New York state outside the New York City area, is still alive despite having no leader since August, members of the organization say. Click here to learn what ACORN is and what they do.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009:
1. Census poverty: The Capital Region has a lower poverty rate than the rest of the state and country, according to data the U.S. Census Bureau is releasing Tuesday. Click here for a math lesson plan involving percentages, fractions and rates.
2. Albany Children Zone: A group of educators, parents and elected officials has been quietly laboring for a year to bring a children’s zone to Albany that would provide comprehensive healthy, social and academic services to some of the city’s neediest families. Click here to learn about the Children Zone in Harlem. Community offerings pages are great for younger grades.
3. Flywheel: Glenville site of proposed flywheel project. Click here to learn how flywheel energy is related to physics. Click here for a lesson plan.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009:
1. Longer day: President Barack Obama wants to extend the school year. This story will focus on local reaction. Click here to learn what the common school year length is around world. What are the pros and cons of a longer school day? Click here for a comparing and contrasting lesson plan.
2. Holidays in September: Retailers are putting up holiday displays earlier than ever. What gives? Analysts point to economic anxiety. Click here for Halloween and other October classroom activities.  
3. Boys soccer: A midseason report on the sport. Click here to learn the health benefits of soccer and sports which increase heart rate.

Thursday, October 1, 2009:
1. Karner Blue: It’s been 17 years since the Karner blue butterfly went on the federal endangered species list. Now, despite years of efforts to save the butterfly and the creation of a 3000-acre preserve in Albany County to protect their habitat, their numbers continue to sink ominously. Click here to learn more about the Karner Blue butterfly. Click here for a biology class lesson plan on butterflies.
2. Caskets: The occupants, if any, of the caskets beneath Mona Terrace will have to wait another day. Click here to learn the Dutch history of Albany.
3. Hawk: Employees at Green Tree farm nursed a red-tailed hawk back to health. Click here for a biology lesson plan about the red-tailed hawk and its habitat.
4. Recipes: Click here for a lesson plan that uses recipes to teach math.

Friday, October 2, 2009:
1. Gravestone: Civil War historians researching Albany Rural Cemetery have discovered the grave of an African-American soldier from Albany who fought with the first all-black regiment in the Union Army, but who died relatively unknown and rested for years in an unmarked grave. Click here for a great resource that teaches about the black regiments in the Civil War. This also includes multiple lesson plans and teaching activities. 
2. Budgets: Both Albany and Troy released their proposed budgets. Click here for a budgeting lesson plan.
3. Dairy crisis: A look at how the dairy industry crisis is affecting farmers in the Capital Region. Click here for a great lesson plan that teaches milk life cycles and how its made.

Monday, October 5, 2009:
1. Birds: Curator finds feathered victims of collisions with Empire State Plaza buildings to use as specimans. Click here for multiple lesson plans on birds and the conservation of birds.
2. Prematurity: Birth comes early for approximately 13 million babies a year. Click here for some health lesson plans on birth defects and why they may occur--for middle schoolers.
3. Heritage: Museum opens in Colonie to showcase contributions of Italian Americans. Click here to learn about the Italian heritage in Albany.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009:
1. Cancer doc: Dr. Fred Shapiro doesn’t stay still for long. It’s not surprising he likes to race motorcycles. He moves fast even on his feet. To learn more about cancer and the different types of cancer, click here.  Click here or a great health lesson information and education on cancer prevention-- relates to biology.
2. Afghanistan: The White House, facing mounting pressure over Afghanistan, says pulling out of the Central Asian country is not an option that President Obama is considering. Click here for more on the culture, geography, and history of Afghanistan.
3. GlobalFoundries: GlobalFoundries chairman Hector Ruiz says that in addition to China, Russia and Brazil were vying for the $4.2 billion computer chip factory being built in Luther Forest. Click for more educational information on China, Russial and Brazil. Click here for information on the 2016 Olympics.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009:
1. Mayor Corning: Mayor Erastus Conring 2nd would have turned 100 years old today. The nation’s longest-tenured mayor, elected to a record 11 terms, who died in office in 1983 and whose legacy still casts a long shadow across the city’s political history, was born in Albany on October 7, 1909. Click here for a history and background on Mayor Corning. 
2. Firefighters: The name of volunteer fire policeman David P. Meron, Sr., who died in the line of duty while serving as a member of the Hoosick Falls Volunteer Fire Department, will be inscribed on the New York State Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Albany. Click here for educational resources on fire prevention. 
3. Energy: National Grid set to announce projected natural gas heating bills this winter, which will likely be lower due to lower commodity prices. Click here for what you can do to conserve this winter season.

Thursday, October 8, 2009:
1. 40 days: The 2010 Saratoga race meet is expanded to 40 days, the New York Racing Association announced today. How many days will that increase the length of the racing season by? How will that affect sales for NYRA? Click here for the direct answers. Click here for a great lesson plan that teaches how a business is directly corresponded to its revenue.
2. Civil War: A dedication ceremony for the new headstone for Civil War soldier William Francis, a sgt. With the all-black Massachusetts 54th Regiment who died in 1897 and was mostly forgotten until research revived the record of his service. Click here for an educational resource guide and lesson plans on the Civil War.
3. Food: Sen. Chuck Schumer will announce plans to introduce a bill requiring schools to have a standardized approach to dealing with students’ food allergies. Click here for more on food allergies and health lesson plans that help teach about them.
4. Athlete of the Week: This feature moves from Monday to Thursday – allowing for more focus on it. Click here for controversial article on athletic icons that could be used in the classroom.

Friday, October 9, 2009:
1. Foliage: The federal government is funding a study at the University of Vermont to learn what kind of impact climate change will have on autumn colors in the Northeast. What causes leaves to change color? Click here for an educational answer to why this happens.
2. Voice of Myers: Six eighth-graders at Stephen and Harriet Myers Middle School are vying to be the Voice of Myers – the student who makes the morning announcements each day. Click here for an interesting explanation for the science of linguistics.
3. Hudson: Schoolchildren from School 12 in Troy, along with the Rensselaer County Children’s Museum of Science and Technology, will be among environmental education centers and school classes all along the Hudson River estuary that will be collecting scientific information and share it to create a picture of “A Day in the Life of the Hudson River.” Click here for a brief synopsis on the Hudson River and here for an ecological lesson plan.
4. Genome: GE Global Research Center scientists receive $1.3 million in federal funds to develop ways to more quickly map the human genome. Click here for multiple genetic lesson plans including some that touch on ethics in biology.

Monday, October 12, 2009:
1. Columbus Day: More schools are presenting a look at a less-savory aspect of the explorer's adventures. Click here for a controversial lesson plan that might spark some debate on the classic voyager.
2. Roundabouts: State study finds Slingerlands roundabout scene of more fender-benders but fewer people getting hurt. Click here for multiple great lesson plans on engineering and building.
3. Strangers: Cops on alert, parents on edge after attempted abduction reports. Click here for a stranger-safety lesson plan.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009:
1. Troy crows: As temperatures sink and darkness descends earlier, thousands of crows fly to the warmth of city lights. Click here to learn more about crows and the way they migrate.
2. Orienteering: A picture from the Empire Orienteering Club. Click here for a social studies lesson plan on maps, legends, compasses. 
3. Nano: Professor at Albany NanoTech is combing music and nanotechnology in special concert next month. How do we as teachers encouraged to combine art/music with the standard four subjects? Click here for some interesting concepts that combine aethetics with traditional courses of study.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009:
1. Mercury: State Assembly hearings into the environmental impact of mercury indicated the state could be moving toward keeping a much closer eye on coal fly ash, a fine gray powder residue of distilled pollution produced by coal-fired electric power plants. Click here for a chemical explanation of Mercury and its affect on the environment--this also includes lesson plans involving Mercury.
2. Saratoga Park: National Park Service names Saratoga Battlefield as one of the Top 10 National Parks for taking fall foliage photos. Click here for a history lesson plan on the Battle at Saratoga and the American Revolution.
3. Golf: First day of Section II golf tournament. Click here for a complete curriculum guide on the game of golf and how it works.

Thursday, October 15, 2009:
1. Deep Freeze: Hundreds of local airmen are preparing to fly in perhaps the most dangerous mission of their careers, but it’s weather, not war, that concerns them. This year’s first contingent of New York Air National Guardsmen leave Scotia next week for Antarctica. Click here to learn the effects of extreme cold, hypothermia and Antarctica.
2. Corning Forum: The Times Union and WAMC will present a panel discussion October 22 to highlight the legacy of the late Erastus Corning 2nd, who served as Albany’s mayor from 1941 to his death in 1983. Click here to learn about mayor Corning and his effect on Albany’s landscape.
3. Bethlehem foods: Kids in the Bethlehem Central School District will learn about the importance of local food during a week of farm field trips, farmer visits to the classroom, local foods in the cafeteria and a food drive drawing upon the harvest from the middle school garden. Click here to learn why buying from local farmers market can be good for local economic stimulation as well as very healthy.
4. Eric Carle: Timed well with the 40th anniversary of “The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” The Egg will host an Eric Carle-themed show. Click here to learn about Eric Carle and his books. Click here for lesson plans and activities to help connect these books to your classroom.

Friday, October 16, 2009:
1. Where the Wild Things Are: The movie opens tomorrow. Click here for a literacy resource guide made especially for educating using the story "Where the Wild Things Are."
2. Weather: This weekend’s chill, and potentially snowy, forecast might leave residents wondering where fall went. Click here for an elementary lesson plan on the fall leaf life cycles.
3. Longhouse: Woodland Hills Montessori students in grades four through six will begin re-constructing their Longhouse, as part of their studies of the Iroquois. Click here for lesson plans and activities on Northern Native Americans and the Iroquois Indians.
4. Creepy places: A story about 10 unintentionally scary places. Click here Halloween happenings in the Capital Region this month.

Monday, October 18, 2009:
1. Trouble After School: The video cameras come out at 3 p.m., when the school doors swing open and students pour out onto Delaware Avenues. Click here for education on school violence and ways it can be prevented. 
2. Global Warming: Activists lamenting Paterson's decision to use money elsewhere. Click here for educational resources and multiple lesson plans and activities on global warming.
3. Technology War: Disruptive technologies are devastating to established order. They underlic Congress` consideration of the most wide-ranging legislative challenges it has faced since the New Deal: health care and energy. Click here great educational resources on natural gas.


Tuesday, October 19, 2009:
1. Champlain bridge: Gov. Patterson promised action as quickly as possible to get the bridge back open. Click here to learn more about Champlain and his significance in New York history- click here for a lesson plan.
2. School fire: Myers Education Center in Saratoga is closed until at least Wednesday after a weekend fire at the BOCES facility. Click here for a kindergarten fire safety lesson plan.
3. High speed rail: Vermont’s application for high-speed rail funding would add service between Albany and Rutland and extend at least one of those trains to downtown Burlington, which last saw passenger service in 1953. Click here to learn how high-speed rail operates, how this is economically smart decision and also an extremely useful scientific model. 

Wednesday, October 20, 2009:
1. Proctors: Proctors Theatre is getting into the television business. Click here for a history on Proctors Theatre.
2. Pine Bush: An environmental group is suing the state and the city of Albany to block the planned expansion of the city’s Rapp Road dump into the Pine Bush. Click here for biological education on the different habitats on Earth. Click here to learn about the Karner Blue Butterfly.
3. Girls, Inc.: More than 150 girls from the Troy City School District’s Doyle Middle School will participate in a day-long series of workshops hosted by Girls, Inc. Click here for a great educational resource that can be used for teachers who want to teach empowerment, self-reliance and independent thinking to students. Click here for a self esteem curriculum guide.

Thursday, October 21, 2009:
1. Gang prevention: Albany schools announce a new gang prevention program for sixth graders. Click here for some great educational resources that help teach gang prevention.
2. Earthquake: A small earthquake shakes southern Albany County. Click here to learn what causes earthquakes.
3. GE cancer: GE announces breakthrough in cancer research in partnership with Lilly. Click here for a great health lesson plan designed to teach how to maintain your overall health.
4. Amelia: An interview with Hilary Swank, the star of a new movie about Amelia Earhart. Click here to learn all about Amelia Earhart.
5. Grapes: Some wonderful recipes using the fruit – also New York is one of the leading grape producers in the country – though this year’s grape crop has been down. Click here for a whole educational resource guide to grapes!

Friday, October 22, 2009:
1. Corning: The Times Union and WAMC present a panel discussion Thursday to discuss the legacy of Erastus Corning 2nd, who served Albany as mayor from 1941 until his death in 1982. Click here for more information Corning.
2. Hugh Carey: The University at Albany Foundation presents the former Governor with its Citizen Laureate Award. Click here to learn about the responsibilities of a govener.
3. Bobsledder: A profile on a local man who is chasing his dream of becoming an Olympic bobsledder. Click here for a lesson plan on the physics of bobsledding.
4. Article Writing: Click here for a great lesson plan on article writing aimed at Middle School Students.

Monday, October 26, 2009:
1. Wind Power: Advocates say regulation will impede shift to key clean power technology in the Empire State. Click here for an entire curriculum guide to wind turbines and wind power energies.
2. Pumpkins: Sunday was the third annual Pumpkin Party at Rotterdam Square in Rotterdam. Click here for all sorts of great pumpkin activities and lesson plans for your classroom.
3. Torah: Morris Losice, a member of the board for the Maimonides Hebrew Day School, carries the new Torah scroll during a procession Sunday. Click here for education on the Torah and scroll writing.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009:
1. Budgeting: Gov. David Paterson’s call for the Legislature to return for a special budgetcutting session on Nov. 10 may be well-timed: It will likely come as the state enters what finance experts call a month-to-month “negative cash flow” situation for the first time in recent memory. Click here for a simple, yet effective budgeting lesson plan.
2. NASA: When he was 12 years old, Steve Davis got a hobby rocket as a Christmas present and immediately trudged over to a snow-covered cornfield near his home off Albany Shaker Road and fired it again and again until the can of fuel ran out and his fingers went numb. Click here for NASA's official education resource site-- loaded with lesson plans and classroom activities.
3. Unions: Finch Paper LLC came to a quick contract agreement with its two largest unions, highlighting what might be the best relationship between labor and management at the Glens Falls paper mill in decades. Click here for a curriculum guide on US labor union's and their history.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009:
1. License Plates: County clerks have launched a series of petition drives to protest the newest financial toll facing New Yorkers: a requirement that, starting in April, motorists must buy new $25 license plates when their vehicle registrations come due. Click here for multiple lesson plans on taxes.
2. Swine Flu: The H1N1 influenza virus has officially infiltrated the Capital Region, filling doctors’ waiting rooms and leaving some school desks empty. Click here to learn all about the H1N1 virus and ways you can prevent its spread.
3. Saving Pine Bush: Environmentalists trying to block a planned hotel in the environmentally sensitive Pine Bush got a half-a-loaf ruling from the state’s highest court. Click here for the Department of Environmental Conservation's teachers formation resource guide.

Thursday, October 29, 2009:
1. Hudson River: As the first season of the nation’s largest river-pollution cleanup project winds down, the biggest lesson learned has its roots in the Hudson River’s long-ago heyday as a center for the logging industry. Click here for ecology river lesson plans designed for the Hudson River.
2. U.S. Airways: Struggling US Airways said Wednesday it will cut some 1,000 jobs next year, shift nearly all of its flying to its three hubs and Washington, and suspend several international routes. Click here for several "physics of flight" lesson plans.
3. Halloween Cooking: Before you take your own family of goblins and their fiendish friends out for a hard night of trick-or-treating, be sure they start out with a nice meal. Click here for some fun Halloween recipes.

Friday, October 30, 2009:
1. Swine Flu: First it was the rush for hand sanitizer. Then it was the quest for the vaccine. Now, as increasing numbers of children are coming down with swine flu, more parents are facing yet another anxiety-provoking chase: the hunt for liquid Tamiflu for kids. What is Tamiflu? Where can it be found? Click here to find out everything about this anti-viral medicine.
2. Alcohol: The guys who worked at Savemore Discount Beverage Center in Halfmoon had a bet going that “Poppy,” an alcoholic and frequent customer, wouldn’t last two days as an employee. Click here for a great health lesson plan on alcohol and how to treat teenage abuse.
3. Tree-planting: Capital District Community Gardens and adult volunteers and students from Rensselaer High School and the Doane Stuart School join in a tree-planting project at Riverfront Park in Rensselaer Thursday. Click here for a lesson plan on forest ecology and the importance of trees in the "food web."

Monday, November 2, 2009:
1. Ethics: As the trial of former Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno begins today, state ethics laws, as much as the powerful Republican leader himself, will be on trial. Click here for a great curriculum guide and lesson plans which help teach ethics and other character traits to kids.
2. Horses: The 177 thoroughbreds housed at Ernie Paragallo’s breeding farm were forgotten animals, essentially left to die. Click here for a collection of puzzles, activities and facts on horses.
3. Suicide: After an 11th-grade girl from Guilderland High School took her own life Oct. 8, school officials resolved to learn from the experience of Schenectady High School, where four students committed suicide. Click here for some very helpful NYS suicide prevention resources for educators.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009:
1. H1N1: Albany and Warren counties have reported their first deaths associated with the H1N1 influenza virus. Click here to learn more about H1N1 and it's possible effects.
2. Pasta Tradition: A tradition of the local political culture is to eat a spaghetti lunch at St. Mary’s Catholic Church on the afternoon before Election Day and return for dinner if you’re running for office. Food has a way of bringing people together, especially pasta. Click here for fun lesson plans on traditional Italian foods.
3. Kenwood Convent: For most of its 160-year history, the parklike property in south Albany has been a busy home for young women training to become nuns or retired sisters, along with students of the Doane Stuart School. Click here to learn what convents and other church-related buildings are used for today.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009:
1. Ballots: Capital Region voters decide scores of local races as new ballot machines meet the test. How do the new ballot machines work? Click here to find out how they are all used. Click here for a social studies lesson plan on polls.
2. H1N1: The vaccine is now only being distributed to those most at risk for developing serious illness from H1N1: people ages six months to 24 years old; pregnant women; caregivers of newborns. Which vaccine is right for you? Click here for the latest updates on the H1N1 vaccinations-including difference between intranasal and intervenous methods.
3. Railroad: Legendary investor Warren Buffett is making what he calls an “all-in wager” on the U.S. economy — $34 billion to buy a major railroad that hauls everything from corn to cars across the country. Click here for Obama's newest high-speed rail map for the U.S. Click here for great lesson plans on the railroad system.

Thursday, November 5, 2009:
1. AMD: Cuomo sues Intel Corp., a bitter rival of AMD, as e-mails reveal bare-knuckle world; billions at stake. Click here to learn what kind of high-technology is expected to come out of the new AMD.
2. Seaweed: A massive and much-anticipated development planned for the Rensselaer waterfront has been stalled by a humble and gentle adversary: seaweed. Click here for educational resources on seaweed.
3. Dutch Cuisine: Food historian and writer Peter G. Rose is a familiar speaker among civic groups looking to learn about what once filled the plates of Dutch settlers in the area. Click here for a lesson plan on Albany's Dutch heritage. Click here for educational information on Dutch cuisine.

Friday, November 6, 2009:
1. Unemployment: Congress on Thursday decisively approved an extension of unemployment benefits for almost two million people out of work nearly a year or more as the U.S. continues to lose jobs. Click here for a lesson plan on percentages.
2. Wind Turbines: Sen. Charles E. Schumer on Thursday implored the Obama administration to withhold federal funds from a planned West Texas wind farm because it will rely on turbines manufactured in China. Click here to learn how wind turbines work. Click here for multiple lesson plans and activities on wind turbines.
3. Uncle Sam: From a chamber pot to kitsch, the facts and legends that surround Uncle Sam will be depicted in a new permanent exhibit at the Rensselaer County Historical Society. Click here for educational resources on Uncle Sam and his role in American history.

Monday, November 9, 2009:
1. School Lunch E. Coli: The chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee wants an investigation into the risk of deadly E. coli getting into school lunches. Click here for a lesson plan which discusses food born diseases like E. Coli and Salomonella.
2. Watershed: As New York gears up for gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale, state officials have made a potentially troubling discovery about the wastewater created by the process: It’s radioactive. And they have yet to say how they’ll deal with it. Click here for a teachers guide to watershed and its effect on the environment--includes multiple educational links and resources.
3. Click here for a great literature lesson plan using the classic text Catcher in the Rye.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009:
1. Sesame Street: If you were a kid during the 1970s and ’80s, you probably can’t see a rubber duck without hearing Ernie’s voice or you might feel a small lump rise in your throat at the mention of Mr. Hooper’s name. Click here for some elementary lesson plans and activities you can do in the classroom built off of this classic show.
2. Mexican Food: Chef brings restaurant-worthy Mexican fare to Union College. Click here to learn all about Mexican food history and culture traditions.
3. Nonprofits: On Friday, the Center for Disability Services gathered some of its employees together and delivered an unpleasant message: Cuts to its services are looming. Click here for kidscorp.com--resources for teachers to get involved.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009:
1. Veteran's Day: A Marine color guard holds the colors during a 234th birthday celebration for the Marine Corps Tuesday aboard the USS Slater in Albany. Click here for a history unit lesson guide to the civil war.
2. Rabies: A cancer patient receiving chemotherapy may have to get rabies shots if the cat that bit her is not found soon. Click here for an educational tutorial webpage on rabies and rabies prevention for kids.
3. Intel Chips: With GlobalFoundries Inc. building a $4.2 billion computer chip factory just to the south, officials in Wilton are hoping to capitalize on the project. Click here for a lesson plan on computing and chip creation.

Thursday, November 12, 2009:
1. Tobacco: State’s deficit-defraying fee based on overall sales of tobacco products affects both large, small operators. Click here for a health lesson plan on smoking and its health hazards.
2. Pollution: People who live near the massive smokestacks of the Lafarge cement plant have wondered for years if pollution might be making them or their children ill. Almost half a century after the plant opened, two studies will examine that question — one conducted by the state, the other by private experts from Harvard University. Click here to learn the effects of smoke pollution in the air.
3. Protest: Albany High School play takes a look at controversial issues in wake of hatemongering protests. Click here for multiple multiculturalism and tolerance lesson plans.

Friday, November 13, 2009:
1. Unemployment rates: With ranks of unemployed growing, White House to seek outside advice on job creation at summit. Click here for a lesson plan on graphing.
2. Technology Day: General Electric Co. volunteers help a a group of 50 inner-city school girls who toured GE Energy in Schenectady to make their own wind turbine, above, as part of “Women in Technology Day” organized by Girls Inc. on Thursday afternoon. Click here for a wind turbine lesson plan.
3. Massage: Who doesn’t like a good massage and a little couple time? With couples massages, you can have both. And, at White Sands massage in Troy, you can feel like you’re having that massage in a beach-side cabana. Click here to learn the health benefits of the art of massage.

Monday, November 16, 2009:
1. Clean Water: Aging sewer systems in the Capital Region are dumping more than a billion gallons of watered-down, untreated sewage into the Hudson River each year, according to a report by the Capital District Regional Planning Commission. Click here for a lesson plan on clean water and its extreme importance.
2. Animal Shelters: Capital Region counties have received a total of $142,075 in state homeland security funding to pay for explosive-sniffing dogs and animal sheltering equipment in case of a disaster. Click here for lesson plans and educational resources designed to engage teens (high-schoolers) in the drive to help abused/ mistreated animals.
3. Teacher Skill Assessment: The policy-making board will consider new requirements for incoming teachers to demonstrate knowledge of a subject and classroom skills that can be linked to effective instruction. Click here to view the current requirements and for other teacher's board resources.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009:
1. Zhu Zhu Pets: What would the holidays be without an impossibleto- find, must-have toy? This year, it’s Zhu Zhu Pets. What is a Zhu Zhu Pet? Click here to find out. Click here for an online resource for educational toys and games.  
2. H1N1: Though New York’s H1N1 cases are on the rise and an increasing number of people are ending up in hospital emergency rooms as a result, colleges are seeing fewer sick students in recent weeks. Click here for a health lesson plan on cleanliness and good hygene.
3. Writer's Institute: The New York State Writers Institute celebrated its 25th anniversary Monday with old friends such as author Doris Kearns Goodwin and former Gov. Mario M. Cuomo. Click here for the Writer's Institute's educational resources. Click here for a lesson plan on biography writing.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009:
1. Breast Exams: Despite new recommendations that women should start breast screening at 50 rather than 40, many doctors said they were simply not ready to make such a drastic change. Click here for a health lesson plan on female breast exams and breast cancer prevention.
2. Siena Basketball: The Siena College men’s basketball team beat Northeastern, 59-53, on Tuesday in what might as well have been called, “The Lunch Break Classic.” Click here for a lesson plan for younger students that teaches how to mathematically calculate field-goal and free-throw percentages.
3. RFID chips: Scientists at GE’s Global Research Center in Niskayuna are developing sensors smaller than a penny that could be worn by their users to warn of chemical hazards in the air. Click here to learn the destruction of chemical warfare.

Thursday, November 19, 2009:
1. Geography Awareness: Click here for a full curriculum guide to Geography Awareness Week. This includes great lesson plans, activities and materials for teachers and students.
2. Tires: The mounds of tires that covered 40 acres at the end of School House Road and fueled fires and lawsuits are gone. Click here for multiple lesson plans on recycling and reusing.
3. Cheese: Cheese maker, gourmet market owners make ideal pairing in Cohoes. Click here for information on cheese production.

Friday, Novemeber 20, 2009:
1. Convention Center: The Albany Convention Center Authority today will unveil a proposed design for the massive hall planned for downtown Albany. Click here for a curriculum guide on architecture and buildings.
2. Christmas Lights: Program Director Paul Stallings checks a string of lights Thursday as volunteers prepare for the Albany Police Athletic League’s annual Capital Holiday Lights in Albany’s Washington Park. Click here for Christmas coloring printables and worksheets you can do in the classroom.
3. Vampire Hype: Romantic fantasy more than supernatural danger lures girls into the “Twilight” realm. Click here to learn the history on the vampire legends and myths. 

Monday, November 23, 2009:
1. Mummies: Children were able to make their toys into mummies Sunday during a program at the Albany Institute of History & Art. The event was part of the 100 Years of the Albany Mummies program at the institute, which featured a talk by noted Egyptologist Peter Lacovara of Emory University in Atlanta. Click here for a lesson plan on Egyptian history and mummification rituals.
2. Energy: Turning off lights, turning down the heat and buying with an eye toward energy efficiency is saving New York more than $3.1 million so far this fiscal year. Click here for a green energy curriculum guide with multiple lesson plans.
3. Resume: Desjardins wants to stand out from the pile. In about a year, his resume will be deep in a stack on someone’s desk. The master of business administration student at Union Graduate College wants to make sure it gets noticed. Click here for a resume resource guide for seniors in highschool.

Tuesday, Novemeber 24, 2009:
1. Heroin: The Albany County district attorney and a local drug treatment center say they are seeing more heroin problems in the Capital Region. District Attorney David Soares and leaders from St. Peter’s Addiction Recovery Center held a joint news conference yesterday to warn the community about heroin. Click here for a health lesson plan on heroin.
2. Thanksgiving: Volunteer Lori Myers, above, removes turkey breasts from cooking trays at the Capital District Rescue Mission in Albany in preparation for Thursday’s Thanksgiving Day dinner to be held at the Mission. Click here for useful Thanksgiving educational materials.
3. Solar Energy: Pickett, the executive director of Family and Children’s Service of the Capital Region, on Monday unveiled the family counseling organization’s new 32-kilowatt solar electric system located on the roof of its building at 650 Warren St. Click here for educational material on solar energy power.

Happy Thanksgiving! Lesson plans will resume on November 30th, 2009.

Monday, November 30, 2009:
1. Vietnam: Steven Weinstein first thought something was amiss a few months ago when he pulled into a convenience store outside Saratoga Springs and noticed a vehicle that, like his own, was bearing a Vietnam veteran license plate. Click here for lesson plans and classroom activities on the Vietnam war.
2. Cathedrals: The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception hadn’t received a fresh coat of paint since 1946. This presented a special challenge for Jed Ellis, historic paint specialist, who has restored a dozen state capitols and 19th-century theaters to their goldleafed glory. Click here for educational material for kids on Cathedrals and their history.
3. War Drones: Barbara Murphy doesn’t believe having the military hunting down terrorists in Pakistan and Afghanistan with drone planes piloted from an air field in Syracuse is good for the country, even though it may be saving the lives of U.S. soldiers. Click here for material on drone planes and what they are designed for.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009:
1. AIDS: Cleve Jones makes one promise about his talk tonight at Hudson Valley Community College on World AIDS Day: It won’t be boring. Click here for multiple health lesson plans and activities on AIDS prevention.
2. Banking Law: To help spur small business development in the Capital Region and across the country, U.S. Rep. Scott Murphy, D-Glens Falls, wants to repeal what he said is an outdated banking law. The Banking Law of 1993 will be updated. Click here for the New York State banking laws homepage for information.
3. Cross Country: Otis Ubriaco capped off a thrilling month for himself, and his Burnt Hills boys’ cross country teammates Saturday by winning his race at the Nike Cross Country Nationals New York State qualifier in Wappingers Falls. Click here to learn all the health benefits of cross country running.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009:
1. Electric Power: Ten years after its creation, a non-profit “utility” that’s supposed to provide New York consumers with a reliable and affordable flow of electricity is spending heavily on consultants. Click here for multiple science electrical energy lesson plans.
2. Winter: Three Capital Region cities announced winter events Tuesday, including the annual Victorian Stroll. Click here for a list of upcoming Albany events for the coming season.
3. Turbine Energy: In the early 1990s, the operators of natural gas-fired power plants were up against a major challenge: There was tremendous heat loss and inefficiency whenever temperatures soared beyond 2,300 degrees. Click here for a complete curriculum guide with great lesson plans on wind energy/turbines.

Thursday, December 3, 2009:
1. Stem Cell: The Obama administration on Wednesday approved the first human embryonic stem cells for experiments by federally funded scientists under a new policy designed to dramatically expand government support for one of the most promising but also most contentious fields of biomedical research. Click here for a science lesson plan on the human embryo.
2. Hydropower Plant: Green Island Power Authority has gotten another big break in its quest to build a 100-megawatt hydropower plant above Cohoes Falls. Click here for educational material on hydropower plants.
3. Girl Scouts: Incensed by the Girl Scouts’ decision to sell a Washington County camp, a group of former scouts have gathered in a bid to purchase the camp. Click here for the Girl Scouts of America's learning resources.
4. Homemade X-mas Treats: The simple fact that we need to eat to survive means most of us are at least a little handy in the kitchen. All it takes is a solid recipe and a few rudimentary cooking skills to turn a bunch of ingredients into something worth tying up with a bow. Click here for some homemade Christmas recipes kids can make.

Friday, December 4, 2009:
1. Warm Weather: It seems incongruous, but Thursday’s record-breaking temperature brought many people outdoors donning warm-weather apparel to prepare their holiday decorations. Click here for a lesson plan on the effects of global warming.
2. Wharf Renewal: C.D. Perry & Sons, a Troy-based construction company that is working on the first phase of wharf replacement at the Port of Albany, has been awarded the contract to tackle the rest of the job. Click here for a timeline on wharf production in the U.S.
3. Musical Talent: When she started piano lessons at 5, she played notes that weren’t on the sheet music so the song sounded the way she wanted. Click here for multiple music lesson plans.

Monday, December 7, 2009:
1. Victorian Stroll: Lydia Zotto of Troy, at left above, poses on a staircase on bustling Second Street as her mom, Deborah, far right, takes a photo Sunday during the 27th annual Victorian Stroll in Troy. Click here for a lesson plan on the Victorian Era.
2. Gift Giving: She wears comfortable shoes and browses with the strap of her Hannah Montana purse slung across her chest, the compartment containing her gift-buying list — in large elementary-schooler print — resting snugly on her hip. Click here for some great gift giving ideas kids can do from home.
3. Cat Shelters: Whiskers Animal Benevolent League always has animals for adoption. Click here for a lesson plan on felines.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009:
1. Law Ethics: The conviction of former state Sen. Joseph L. Bruno gives several lawmakers and government reform advocates plenty of material as they seek ethics and disclosure law amendmens, they said. Clcik here for a lesson plan on ethics in government.
2. New Appliances: Cash for Clunkers? Done and gone. The Great Appliance Swap Out? Ready to begin. Click here for a complete curriculum guide and great lesson plans on energy and energy conservation.
3. Property Tax: County property taxes will increase by 5.9 percent and more than 100 employees will not face layoffs under next year's operating budget passed Monday night by lawmakers. Click here for a percentages lesson plan.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009:
1. Jobs: President Barack Obama and Congress are ending the year as they began it, at work on an economic stimulus package of tax cuts and spending, with the latest effort likely to bring the total cost of anti-recession measures to the $1 trillion range that some economists had urged last winter. Click here for a great lesson plan on economic stimuli and government spending.
2. USS Slater: Members and volunteers on the USS Slater, above and at left, work together to move the Cannon-class destroyer escort from the Albany side of the Hudson River to the Rensselaer side Tuesday. The ship is the only one of more than 500 destroyer escorts produced during World War II that remains afloat. Click here for multiple lesson plans, activities and printables on World War II.
3. Energy Technology: Three local energy technology companies have been awarded $200,000 each through an expansion program run by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. Click here to learn the latest and greatest energy technologies being made.

Thursday, December 10, 2009:
1. New Hope: Krank Street — where both K’s have faded off the street sign, changing the name to “ran Street,” and where plywood covers the windows of a house on the corner — the headquarters for the New Day Art Program can’t be missed. Click here for some great art lesson plans.
2. Snow Storm: Wednesday’s first real shot of wintry weather may have been a blast for kids who stayed home from school, but it was anything but that for motorists and shovelers dealing with a record snowfall for the day. Click here for precautions for bad winter weather (for kids).
3. Chili: Pie in the Sky Bakery, Café & Catering in Albany won the people’schoice award for most creative chili for its concoction that includes alligator meat, andouille sausage, beer and melted chocolate truffles. Click here for a history on chili and where it originated.

Friday, December 11, 2009:
1. Legislative Corruption: Federal authorities who oversaw the prosecution of Joseph L. Bruno said they will continue to investigate allegations of corruption within the state Legislature, and that the FBI’s resources for such cases have more than doubled in recent years. Click here for a history lesson plan on federal corruption.
2. Wind Energy: General Electric Co. said Thursday it sealed a $1.4 billion contract to provide wind turbines to an Oregon wind farm that will be the largest in the United States. Click here for multiple science lesson plan on wind/alternative energy.
3. Flowers: There’s a fitting way to bury a florist. With lots and lots of flowers. Click here for a lesson plan on flower botany.

Monday, December 12, 2009:
1. 70's Flashback: It’s been a trying year in Albany, and one that harks back to the extraordinary political events of 1975. Click here for a history lesson plan on 1970's politics.
2. Industrial Contamination: Ten thousand tons of petroleum-laden dirt and more than 400,000 gallons of contaminated groundwater had to be removed, treated and trucked away before the new Golub Corp. headquarters could be built. Click here for a science lesson plan on water contamination.
3. Synchronized Swimming: Olympic gold medal synchronized swimmer Heather Carrasco, above left, and national and international gold medalist Bill May work with members of the Sculpins synchronized swim team Sunday during a swimming clinic at the Southern Saratoga County YMCA in Clifton Park. Click here for a physical education lesson plan on synchronized swimming the major health benefits for those involved.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009:
1. NY. Courts: Every year, Family Court judges in New York state send an estimated 1,600 youths into private and public facilities, for offenses ranging from truancy to felonies, at a cost of $210,000 a child. Click here for the Advocates for Youth's popular family life education program. Life Planning Education: A Youth Development Program, includes chapters on sexuality, relationships, health, violence prevention, and community responsibility as well as chapters on skills-building, values, self-esteem, parenting, employment preparation, and reducing sexual risk.
2. Girls Inc: The 9-year-old fourth-grader from Keene Elementary School is one of about 200 girls who take advantage of the after-school programs offered by Girls Inc. of the Capital Region at its sites in Schenectady and Albany. Click here for information on Girls Inc. and the educational resources and material that goes along with it.
3. Sustainable Energy: Seeking to further combine architecture with advancements in renewable energy and energy conservation, officials at Albany NanoTech unveiled the trappings of its new National Institute for Sustainable Energy Monday. Click here for the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association's K-12 Curricula Units and multiple great lesson plans.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009:
1. Bridge Construction: D.A. Collins Construction of Mechanicville is building a 350-foot-long bridge span at the Port of Coeymans for the $700 million Willis Avenue Bridge replacement project in New York City. Click here for a lesson plan on the engineering of bridges.
2. 2010 Olympics: Betsy Napier bought her tickets a year ago for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, even though there was no guarantee her son would be competing in them. Click here for a history on the Olympic games.
3. School Restructuring: Class scheduling, instruction for at-risk kids and the way freshmen are welcomed into the high school will change next school year as the district undergoes a federally required restructuring at Schenectady High School. Click here resources on educational motivation.

Thursday, December 17, 2009:
1. Muscular Dystrophy: There is a small boy with muscular dystrophy 3,000 miles away in Chulucanas, Peru, who has a new, $6,000 custom wheelchair thanks to the big hearts and generous natures of two local women. Click here for a health lesson plan on physical handicaps.
2. Holding Court: King Arthur demonstrator shows students how to make, share bread. Click here for a lesson plan on the legend of King Arthur and his court.
3. Retail: Following the burst of shopping that characterized Black Friday, activity fell off, the Retail Council of New York State reported Wednesday in its second Holiday Sales Watch. Click here for a lesson plan on retail and dollars and cents.

Friday, December 18, 2009:
1. Homeless Shelters: With an overnight low of 8 degrees Thursday, after all the beds and mats spread across the floor were filled with homeless men, late arrivals ended up in a place of last resort: a straight-backed chair borrowed from the chapel. Click here for a lesson plan on weather maps.
2. Milk: Dairy farmers who struggled this year to keep afloat amid record-low milk prices are about to get $290 million in federal aid under a plan that benefits smaller, often familyowned farms in the Northeast at the expense of large commercial dairies prevalent in California and Wisconsin. Click here for a lesson plan on dairy.
3. Make-A-Wish: The Make-A-Wish Foundation helped turn eight girls into Disney princesses Thursday at the Times Union Center. Click here for the Make-A-Wish Foundation's ways to help page.

Monday, December 21, 2009:
1. R.E.A.C.H: Club looks to turn hours when teens are at risk into best time of day. Click here to find out what R.E.A.C.H does and for some other educational resources.
2. School Attendance: With schools trying to convince sick students in the age of swine flu to stay home, the Shenendehowa school district is abandoning awards that honor perfect attendance. Click here for a great student-involvement curriculum guide for teachers.
3. Habitat for Humanity: Family to move from city project unit into Habitat for Humanity house. Click here for the Habitat for Humanity houses teacher's website for great educational resources and ways to get involved.

Merry Christmas! Updates will start again on January 4th!

Happy 2010!

Monday, January 4, 2010:
1. Pre K Programs: Albany school district to use new system to eliminate long lines of parents waiting to register students for pre-K programs. Click here for some great Kindergarten curriculum guides and lesson plans.
2. Music Nostalgia: It could takes days to reach him under all that vinyl. “Elvis in Memphis.” The Rolling Stones’ “Beggars Banquet.” A whole boxed set of Art Tatum’s solo piano. Click here a music-rock history lesson plan.
3. Strong Winds: Winds will persist this week, but will be calmer than the rough skies that blew snow into the roads and disrupted air travel throughout the weekend. Click here for a lesson plan on wind.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010:
1. Job Unhappiness: Even Americans who are lucky enough to have work in this economy are becoming more unhappy with their jobs, according to a new survey that found only 45 percent of Americans are satisfied with their work. Click here for a career interest resource webpage for kids teaching the basics in career and vocational exploration.
2. Shakespeare: A poster of English poet and playwright William Shakespeare hangs in the foreground as Circulation Assistant Raymond Rockwell straightens books on shelves Monday at the newly reopened Lansingburgh branch of the Troy Public Library in North Troy. Click here for multiple great high-school Shakespeare lesson plans.
3. AFC VS. NFC: The smart money is on the Colts. Vegas has them as an 8-5 favorite to win the Super Bowl. But don’t forget about the 25-1 Jets. Click here for a fun football lesson plan.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010:
1. Cyber Security: Over three days last month, about $3 million was drained by computer hackers from the bank account of the Duanesburg Central School District and deposited into overseas accounts. Click here for educational multiple great resources/activities/lesson plans on cyber security and computer defense.
2. Police Cameras: Albany police cruisers’ cameras may boost safety, reduce claims. Click here for the D.A.R.E website's educational resource page for guardians and teachers.
3. YMCA: The Washington Avenue YMCA lost more than $300,000 in each of the last three years and is on track for an even more red 2010, the head of its parent organization told a worried and angry crowd of more than 400 Tuesday night. Click here for the YMCA's educational curriculum designed to promote a healthy lifestyle!

Thursday, January 7, 2010:
1. Chip Factory: The $4.2 billion computer chip factory being built here by GlobalFoundries Inc. is expected to be up and running by 2012 — just two years from now. Click here to learn all about microchip production.
2. State Changes: Paterson says tough decisions ahead development plan to replace the Empire Zone system. His new initiative, the Excelsior Jobs Program, would be focused on expanding high-tech and cleanenergy employment through targeted tax credits. Click here for multiple lesson plans on cleanenergy.
3. Trash: Rigs equipped with separate bins for trash and recyclables part of firm’s $14M update. Click here for some great lesson plans and activities on "going green" and recycling.

Friday, January 8, 2010:
1. Cold Temps: As the Omaha, Neb., area battles ice and snow Thursday with most of the Midwest, above, the Capital Region will contend with below-average temperatures and some snow. Click here for a science lesson plan on temperature/weather.
2. E-Tronic Bookreaders: When most people think of electronic book readers, Amazon’s thin, white Kindle probably springs to mind. But that could be about to change. Click here for multiple literature/reading activities and lesson plans.
3. Clean Air: Air in the Capital Region would have to get cleaner under newly proposed smog control rules from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Click here for a lesson plan on clean air facillitation.

Monday, January 11, 2010:
1. Cadmium: Some Chinese companies skirt ban on lead in kids’ jewelry by using an even more dangerous substance. Click here to learn about cadmium metal and its effect on the human body.
2. Online Histoyr: After the New York State Military Museum’s latest expansion of its online databases, even director Michael Aikey located a relative using the new, improved site. Click here for a New York State lesson plan.
3. Car Reproduction: Local students on the Model A Team at the Saratoga Automobile Museum are getting a lesson in how to build a classic car from the frame up. Click here for a lesson plan on automobiles.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010:
1. Mark McGwire: Mark McGwire admits he used steroids when he broke baseball’s home run record in 1998. Click here to learn the damaging effects of using steroids.
2. Birth: Mergers and changes have led to concern and confusion with regard to maternity facilities. Click here for a health lesson plan on teenage pregnancy.
3. Dogs: After nine days on the lam, Luna, the deaf bulldog mix who broke out of her boarding pen at a veterinary hospital, was back in her owners’ arms Monday, a few pounds lighter but none the worse for wear. Click here for a lesson plan on canines/dogs.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010:
1. Budgeting: When times are tight, start reducing: That was the message Tuesday from Gov. David Paterson, who announced plans to merge some state agencies and consolidate work such as call centers to save money. Click here for multiple math lesson plans on budgeting including printable classroom activities.
2. Bridges: 93 structures worse than demolished Champlain; defect handling slow. Click here for an engineering lesson plan on bridge construction.
3. Clouds: Chelsie Schadewald, 16, of Clifton Park, above, puts the finishing touches on a sculpture that includes cloud formations Tuesday at Proctors in Schenectady. Click here for a weather/science lesson plan on cloud formation.

Thursday, January 14, 2010:
1. Haiti Earthquake: For Capital Region families with loved ones in Haiti, time seemed to exist in a suspended state of anguish Wednesday. Click here for KidScoop- a publication and resource site that offers information on how to help and teaching resources. Click here for New York Time's "5 ways to Teach about Haiti" website.
2. Ethics in Government: Hoping to step out of the shadow cast by recent ethical lapses by elected officials, legislative leaders announced an agreement Wednesday on a bill that would tighten disclosure requirements and reshuffle the entities that police state government. Click here for a great ethics lesson plan that focuses on student involvement.
3. Pork: Though pork shoulder may be tougher and take longer to cook, the payoff is economical, succulent versatility. Click here for information all about pork. 

Friday, January 15, 2010:
1. Haiti: Makeshift morgues are appearing everywhere in this earthquake-ravaged capital — on the sidewalks, in highway medians, outside crumbled buildings. A dozen bloated bodies are piled haphazardly outside the general hospital. Click here for a webpage which has information about earthquakes, Haiti and links to learn more--for teachers and parents.
2. Historic Flags: state effort to conserve hundreds of fragile and worn flags carried by New York military units at historic battles will be cut back unless private funds are found. Click here for multiple New York State history lesson plans and curriculum.
3. Bags: People often refer to the contents of their purse (or murse) as “their life.” If you’re a bag lady (or man), your tote goes everywhere you go — from the gym to the men’s room to the office and more. Click here for a lesson plan on weaving/ art.

Monday, January 18, 2010:
1. MLK Day: A program titled “King’s Dream is Our Mission” was held after the march in First United Methodist Church in Schenectady. Click here for some great educational resources, lessons and worksheets.
2. Humanitarianism: Prayers of thanksgiving and cries for help rose from Haiti’s huddled homeless Sunday, the sixth day of an epic humanitarian crisis that was straining the world’s ability to respond and igniting flare-ups of violence amid the rubble of Port-au-Prince. Click here for a great lesson plan on societal humanitarianism.
3. Mercury: A citizens group formed to cut pollution from the Lafarge cement plant said a proposed first-ever state limit on mercury should be cut by more than half. Click here to learn the effects of mercury on the human body.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010:
1. Caffe Lena: The countdown begins to Caffe Lena’s 50th birthday. The intimate venue in Saratoga Springs, billed as the oldest continuously operating coffeehouse in the United States, will turn 50 on May 21, a Friday. Click here for multiple music lesson plans.
2. 1968 Campaign: Soul singer Donald Hyman, who has a flair for the theatrical and is a re-enactor of African-American history, mined his range of skills to produce a dramatic interpretation of the Poor People’s Campaign of 1968. Click here for multiple African-American history lesson plans and curriculum guides.
3. Pre-Paid Phones: The weak economy is driving thrifty consumers to prepaid wireless companies as they search for cheaper ways to stay connected on the go. Click here for math lesson plans on budgeting.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010:
1. State Spending: Governor asks $134B in his spending proposal, but lawmakers are already talking about major changes. Click here for a lesson plan on spending. Click here for an ethics lesson plan.
2. Save Convent: The Kenwood convent in Albany, formerly the Doane Stuart School, was recognized Tuesday by the Preservation League of New York State on its statewide Seven to Save list. The league also listed the Albany County hamlet of Rensselaerville, noting its many 19th century buildings. Click here for a history lesson plan on the 19th century.
3. Solar Electrcity: The Public Service Commission voted Tuesday to keep state incentive money flowing to solar electric and other renewable energy installations across the state. The commission approved $20.9 million — including $12 million for the state’s growing solar electric market — through the end of June. Click here for some great solar power energy lesson plans and activities.

Thursday, January 21, 2010:
1. Republican Party: President Barack Obama grappled Wednesday with the fallout from the stunning Republican Senate election in Massachusetts, a stinging loss that could drive him to stay the course in tough times — like Ronald Reagan in 1982 — or tack toward the center and work more with the Republicans — as Bill Clinton did after 1994. Click here for lesson plans on Ronald Reagan and the Republican party.
2. Refrigerators: Lesson: Chill out in rush to buy refrigerator. Click here for a classroom curriculum on energy conservation.
3. Kiddie Dishes: In her 20s, Caroline Barrett fell in love with food. She and her husband, Paul, worked elbow to elbow in the kitchen, creating dishes like the ones they’d order when they went out to nice restaurants. Click here for a whole site dedicated to traditional kids food and healthy eating habits for kids.

Friday, January 22, 2010:
1. School Evaluation: Albany High School has been named a “persistently lowest achieving” school by the state Department of Education and must now undergo a restructuring that could result in massive layoffs of staff. Click here for the NYS Department of Education's standards required in order to pass evaluation. 
2. Toxic Emissions: A 1960s-era cement plant in Ravena must cut emissions under a national pollution settlement announced Thursday by the U.S. Justice Department and 13 states. Click here to learn what hazardous and harmful emissions could be doing to our atmosphere!
3. Marijuana: Investigators say they uncovered more than 66 pounds of marijuana while making three arrests in Colonie last week — most of it at a couple’s home on a tony Loudonville street. Click here to learn all about marijuana and its effect on the human body.

Monday, January 25, 2010:
1. Earthquakes: The truckers filling Haiti’s mass graves with bodies reported ever-higher numbers: More than 150,000 quake victims have been buried by the government, an official said Sunday. Click here to learn all about earthquakes and how they form.
2. Religious Tapestries: Many churches and cathedrals have tapestries depicting religious scenes or Scripture. Click here for a lesson plan on tapestry making and on the history of tapestries.
3. Jets Vs. Colts: Rex Ryan was frustrated on the sideline, desperately trying to come up with some sort of plan to slow Peyton Manning. Click here for a great lesson plan on football.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010:
1. Math: Little girls may learn to fear math from the women who are their earliest teachers. Click here for some great elementary math lesson plans.
2. Weatherizing Homes: If President Barack Obama is successful in passing his $10 billion “Cash-for-Caulkers” program, Hudson Valley Community College will be ready. Click here for a great all about weather website just for kids!
3. Stem-Cell: Stem-cell treatments can offer relief to arthritic animals. Click here for a science lesson plan on stem-cell research.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010:
1. Historic Preservation: Expect some state parks to be closed this season and others to have reduced hours under budget cuts proposed by Gov. David Paterson, state Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Commissioner Carol Ash told a panel of state lawmakers Tuesday. Click here for the National Historic Preservation's educational resource web page for those interested in teaching preservation and its importance.
2. NBA: Edwin Ubiles is an NBA prospect. Alex Franklin quickly is becoming a front-runner for MAAC Player of the Year. And Clarence Jackson is the most explosive scorer on the Siena roster. Click here for multiple basketball lesson plans.
3. CDTA: New CDTA Web site tools make getting around on the bus, online smoother. Click here for a history on the bus.

Thursday, January 28, 2010:
1. American Debt: Acknowledging Americans’ frustration with the slow pace of the nation’s economic recovery, President Barack Obama dedicated more than half his first State of the Union address Wednesday night to pocketbook themes, from jobs to tax breaks to taming the national debt. Click here for some great economics lesson plans.
2. Taxes: Even with a hiring freeze in effect, there’s one sector of the state work force with plenty of jobs to fill: tax collection. Click here the IRS Taxes teacher and student resource webpage.
3. Lake Champlain: After being severed for more than three months, a link across Lake Champlain between New York and Vermont should be ready in a few days. Click here for Lake Champlain's history including it's bridge and a Lake George history.

Friday, January 29, 2010:
1. Colleges Plummet: Union, RPI among Capital Region schools bruised as private endowments hurt by last year’s economic slide. Click here for The Internationalization of Higher Education: Motivations and Realities webpage--motivational for high school prospects!
2. Slam Poetry: Fifth-graders in the Dual Language class at Delaware Community School in Albany perform slam poetry Thursday. Slam poetry is a form of spoken word in which poets perform their own work and are judged by the audience. The first recorded “Slams” were held in the late 1970s. Click here for a lesson plan on slam poetry.
3. Health: Over the past nine months, a West Hill senior citizen embarked on a healthier lifestyle. Click here for a great new health lesson plan on maintaining an overall healthy body and mind.
4. Sesame Street: I imagined it would be a pint-size nightmare: an ocean of drool, runny noses and Goldfish cracker crumbs with a Sesame Street soundtrack. Click here for a lesson plan based off of the classic educational show for kids: Sesame Street.


Monday, February 1, 2010: 
1. Recession: The Obama administration on Sunday endorsed spending an additional $100 billion to attack painfully high unemployment as it prepared to send Congress a $3.8 trillion budget that would provide billions more to pull the country out of the Great Recession while increasing taxes on the wealthy and imposing a spending freeze on many government programs. Click here for a PBS social studies lesson plan on the recession.
2. Bilingualism: Middle-schoolers visit radio station to learn value of speaking two languages. Click here for a great ESL/Bilingual/Foreign Languages lesson plan and resource webpage for teachers.
3. Sex Crime: Proposed bill would place more offenders on the sex crime registry. Click here for multiple conflict resolution lesson plans.  

Tuesday, February 2, 2010:
1. Budget: Obama urges quick passage of a tough budget plan that carries a record-setting deficit. Click here for practical money skills lesson plans for teens.
2. Toyota Recall: The massive recall to fix accelerator pedals on some Toyota models will flood dealer service shops with repairs for months. Toyota is recalling about 2.3 million vehicles, and announced Monday how the pedals will be fixed. Click here for a vocational lesson plan on car mechanics.
3. Shingles: The pain of shingles can be so sharp that some mistake it for a heart attack. Click here to learn all about the painful-more popular virus.
4. Winter Weather: It’s been a weird winter. Even some of the snow has followed retirees south for the season. Click here for a great webpage dedicated to teaching on weather--includes weather jepordy and other learning activities.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010:
1. Ethics: Gov. David Paterson has followed through on his promise to veto an ethics reform package approved by the Legislature that he believes falls well short of real change. Click here for a lesson plan on ethics.
2. Black History Month: Church of Albany during the state’s kickoff event of Black History Month on Tuesday in Clark Auditorium at the State Museum in Albany. Click here for Black history month lesson plans, activities and printables.
3. TEC-SMART: TEC-SMART stands for Training and Education Center for Semiconductor Manufacturing and Alternative and Renewable Technologies. It will be home to the college’s semiconductor manufacturing and renewable energy programs currently offered at the Troy campus. Click here for a lesson plan on renewable energy.

Thursday, February 4, 2010:
1. Toyota: Eric Rosen, general manager of Lia Toyota of Colonie, stood in the eye of a storm of confusion and wave of panic that peaked Wednesday over a misstatement regarding the massive Toyota recall. Click here for great lesson plans on engineering.
2. Head Injuries: Many of the patients were labeled with the same grim diagnosis: “vegetative state.” Their head injuries, teams of specialists had concluded, condemned them to a netherworld — alive, yet utterly devoid of any awareness of the world around them. Click here for a lesson plan on the workings of the brain.
3. The Arts: We confess: As a newspaper, we have given short shift to high school arts. That is changing. Click here for multiple elementary art lesson plans.

Friday, February 5, 2010:
1. State Tax: A state tax break program intended to encourage cleaning up and rebuilding on polluted land cost state taxpayers more than $362 million from 2008 to 2009. And about 90 percent of that money — or about $327 million — went to subsidize buildings. Click here for  New York State's IRS page for students--includes activities, tax tutorials and simulations.
2. Education: The Albany school district is considering eliminating dozens of teaching positions, cutting a number of academic programs and possibly shuttering two elementary schools to try to close a projected $10 million budget gap. Click here for an elementary lesson plan on good character and cooperation.
3. Art Gallery: Not tongues of fire, plumes of smoke or streams of water could keep the three brothers, each christened with a conqueror’s epic name, from their dreams. Click here for the Crayola lesson plans page for teachers.

Monday, February 8, 2010:
1. New Orleans Victory: The city of New Orleans begins to party into the night Sunday after the Saints’ 31-17 upset of the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl. While etouffee might be the party food of choice in the Big Easy, we all know the Capital Region’s favorite Super Bowl snack. Click here for a great history lesson plan on New Orleans Mardi Gras.
2. Power Plant Blast: A devastating explosion that was heard and felt for miles destroyed a power plant Sunday morning as workers purged a natural gas piping system, killing at least five and injuring many more, emergency response officers said. Click here for lesson plans on natural gas energy safety and its importance.
3. Superbowl Champs: It had to happen this way for the New Orleans Saints, for the fairy tale to be perfect. They could not just win the Super Bowl. Champions from unscarred places do that.They needed a proper New Orleans way to do it. Click here for some great lesson plans and activities having to do with the superbowl.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010:
1. Snow: Children sled down a hill outside the Capitol in Washington on Monday as the District of Columbia and the mid-Atlantic region recover from a weekend blizzard that dropped more than 2 feet of snow on the nation’s capital. Click here for a lesson plan, activities and some printables on blizzards.
2. Indecent disposal: An environmental group has lost its lawsuit seeking to block the planned $41 million expansion of the city dump into the Pine Bush. Click here for an environmental lesson plan on dumping and recycling.
3. Community Sharing: Kaitlyn Wood stands holding her 6-month-old son Levi Wood in what was the firstfloor living room of her family’s home. “We have opened it for community programs that need space,’’ said Wood, 24. “It’s kind of exciting. It doesn’t feel like my old house at all,’’ the communications doctoral student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute said. Click here for multiple great community involvement resources for students.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010:
1. Winter Storm: "Snowmageddon” has an encore. But for the Capital Region, it could be mostly the same song. Click here for some fun winter classroom activities you can do in the classroom.
2. Historical Fire: Feb. 10, 1880, dawned frigid and gusty. By first light, one of the greatest calamities and perhaps most dastardly crimes in the city’s 324-year history was already at hand — and a middle-aged bureaucrat by the name of Wheeler B. Melius was well into his finest hour. Click here for a great 19th Century lesson plan.
3. RPI: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is no longer going to house companies at its famous business incubator off Peoples Avenue in Troy, which has produced some of the region’s biggest success stories, including MapInfo and Vicarious Visions. Click here for some great lesson plans on mapping.

Thursday, February 11, 2010:
1. Aqueduct: Lottery Division subpoenaed to turn over documents related to Aqueduct proposals. Click here for a lesson plan on Roman aqueducts.
2. River Rats: The River Rats have been sold. The question now is: Does another owner want to take a chance on making professional hockey work in Albany? Click here for multiple hockey lesson plans.
3. Valentines Day: Love your sweetheart? Then perhaps you want to do something for their heart this Valentine’s Day, so it can continue to pitter-patter for you for years to come. Click here for a history on Valentines Day and how it came to be.

Friday, February 12, 2010:
1. Health Care: As the nation struggled last year with rising health care costs and a recession, the five largest health insurance companies racked up combined profits of $12.2 billion — up 56 percent over 2008, according to a new report by liberal health care activists. Click here for multiple lesson plans on economics and developing money skills.
2. Olympics: Peter Frenette is an Olympian — one of the youngest on the U.S. team — but he will not march in today’s opening ceremony with his teammates. He wants to be there, he just doesn’t think he should go. Click here NBC's educational website covering the Olympics--includes great educational videos.
3. Horses: Horses work at the pleasure of their owners: from racehorses to trotters, dressage horses to polo ponies, plow horses to carriage horses. But at a farm in Greenfield Center, the horses are retirees. They will never be ridden again, never asked to run under the whip, never again trucked from place to place. At this farm, the horses are just horses. Click here for lesson plans, activities and fun facts on horses.

Monday, February 15, 2010:
1. Politics: Harold Ford Jr. and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand — two political rivals — broke bread together Sunday evening, displaying a fleeting cordiality before Ford gave a speech about his vision for New York and how it is no different from his earlier elective service in Tennessee. Click here for a social/ political science lesson plan.
2. Curling: Combine bocce and shuffleboard and put them on ice and then you’ll understand curling. What is curling? Click here to find out all about this sport.
3. NASCAR: Jamie McMurray held off Dale Earnhardt Jr. to win the Daytona 500 on Sunday, a finish so thrilling it just about made up for a pothole that nearly derailed the Super Bowl of NASCAR. Click here for a lesson plan on NASCAR racing.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010:
1. PCB's: A panel of independent experts this week will begin sorting out two massive technical reports on the first year of PCB dredging from the Hudson River to offer a possible road map for the project’s future. Click here for a lesson plan on the environmental effects of dredging and PCB's.
2. Albany High School: Albany High School Principal David McCalla keeps watch over one of the school’s hallways as students move between classes. McCalla, who took over the top job at the troubled school last fall, has taken steps to instill a sense of order, such as requiring students to make it from class to class within four minutes. He has also reached out to parents to get their help in encouraging students to follow rules. Click here for a lesson plan for teachers who want to intill a sense of order and management in their classrooms.
3. Museum and Planetarium: Rose Petitti, 7, of Slingerlands, above, discovers the movement of electrical circuits during the February Break Week Astronomy and Science Activities on Monday at the Schenectady Museum & Suits-Bueche Planetarium in Schenectady. Click here for a curriculum guide on Astronomy.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010:
1. Olympic Twitter: Before reporters grilled him with questions and friends and family offered well-wishes, more than 500 strangers around the world received Trevor Marsicano’s quick thoughts on his first Olympic race. All thanks to Twitter. Click here for a lesson plan on integrating social media into your classroom.
2. Sleep: Sit by the window in school? Lack of the right light each morning to reset the body’s natural sleep clock might play a role in teenagers’ out-of-whack sleep, a small but provocative school experiment suggests. Specialists say too few teens get the recommended nine hours of shut-eye. Click here for a health lesson plan on sleep.
3. Saratoga Energy Park: Several area businesses and a local attorney have expressed interest in being part of a new “lifestyle” center envisioned for the Saratoga Technology + Energy Park in Malta. Click here for multiple green energy lesson plans.

Thursday, February 18, 2010:
1. NYS Healthcare: New York state pension plan is the best funded in the nation, but lags when it comes to health benefits. Click here for a lesson plan on the American uninsured in heath care.
2. Hudson River: The financially-strapped Hudson River-Black River Regulating District’s plans to collect flood control benefit fees from counties that it receives now from five communities has local officials questioning its fiscal operations. Click here for a lesson plan on the effects of flooding.
3. Brown Rice: While still not as common as white rice, it is gaining in popularity and can be found in more grocery stores and on more menus than ever before. The reason: More people realize it’s healthy. Really healthy. Click here for a health lesson plan on whole grains and the food pyramid.

Friday, February 19, 2010:
1. Iwo Jima: Iwo Jima veterans Fred Bassett, left, Al Huba and Sandy Berkman are joined Thursday by other Capital Region veterans to note their 36-day fight for the tiny island during a ceremonial raising of the flag at the Joseph E. Zaloga American Legion Post in Colonie. Click here for multiple history lesson plans including one on Iwo Jima.
2. Steroids: A state appeals court has reversed an Albany County judge’s ruling 17 months ago that dismissed criminal charges against five operators of an Orlando pharmacy and prohibited prosecutors from re-presenting the case to a grand jury. Click here for a health lesson plan on body image and steroids.
3. Floral Exhibit: For almost two decades the New York in Bloom fundraiser has helped raise money and awareness for the State Museum’s after-school programs. The event features over 100 floral exhibits, and various activities including demonstrations on homestyle floral arrangements, gardening, cooking and crafts with flowers. Click here for a science lesson plan on flowers.

Monday, February 24, 2010:
1. WWII Pilots: At 87, Colonie woman wins recognition for her service as a WASP pilot in World War II. Click here for a history lesson plan on the women aviators of World War II or "Fly Girls."
2. Methodist Church: The pastor said that they wanted the entry to the Remsen Street church, founded by Methodists 150 years ago, to be an “open door to the community.” Below, Colquhoun talks with Cohoes Mayor John McDonald in the church’s second floor sanctuary. Click here for a history on Methodists and their religion.
3. Bobsledding: U.S. bobsledder John Napier, already affected by the death of a Georgian luger at the Olympics, received a letter from an American solider wounded from an explosion in Afghanistan a few days ago. Click here for multiple lesson plans on the winter olymics including bobsledding.

Tuesday, February 25, 2010:
1. Improper Dumping: County Waste will pay almost $1 million for underestimating how much trash it dumped in the Colonie landfill and for improperly accepting “putrid waste” at its Clifton Park facility under a legal settlement announced Monday. Click here for a lesson plan on proper waste disposal and management.
2. Health Care: In a final effort to achieve historic health care changes, President Barack Obama unveiled his most detailed plan yet on Monday. Realistically, he’s just hoping to win a big enough slice to silence the talk of a failing presidency. Click here to learn about health care reform.
3. Rockefeller Drug Laws: A city man serving time for a nearly nine-yearold conviction became the second person in Schenectady County to have his sentence reduced under reforms to the Rockefeller drug laws, which critics say still need to be closely scrutinized. Click here to learn about the Rockefeller Drug Laws and what they do.

Wednesday, February 26, 2010:
1. Snow: Large flakes of snow started to arrive in the Capital Region on Tuesday afternoon, jolting us back to the reality that yes, it is winter, and yes, it snows. Today’s forecast includes more snow, and difficult driving conditions for the morning commute. Click here for some great classroom activities and lesson plans on snow.
2. Marijuana: In Capitol parlance, it’s known as an “evergreen” — a bill or idea that seems to sprout up each year, but never blooms into law. Click here for a lesson plan on medicinal marijuana.
3. Women Empowerment: Nicholas Kristof is surely the only journalist on the planet who submitted this on a newspaper expense form: Purchase of two girl sex slaves in Cambodia, $350. Click here for a lesson plans on women rights and movements.

Thursday, February 25, 2010:
1.

Friday, February 26, 2010:
1. Govenor Paterson: A burgeoning scandal involving one of Gov. David Paterson’s closest aides has paralyzed the Capitol, and is causing the governor to re-evaluate whether to continue his nascent campaign. Click here for a great lesson plan on historical White House scandals.
2. Nordic Gold: The U.S. never won an Olympic gold mdeal in Nordic combined, but that changed when Vermontville’s Bill Demong crossed the finish line Thursday. Demong, 29, won his second medal — he won a silver earlier this week in a relay — in his fourth trip to the Olympics. Click here for an educational nordic sports blogging website.
3. Indoor Excercise: Indoor action When it snows, try skates, more skates, dogs, tumbling and decluttering. Click here for some great indoor activities you can do in a classroom or during a snow day.

Monday, March 1, 2010:
1. Twitter: Through Twitter, Lance Armstrong quickly applauded skier and avid biker Bill Demong for his gold medal. Almost as quick, he called Demong to return to action. Click here for a great modern lesson plan on using social media in the classroom.
2. Earthquake: Heroism and banditry mingled on Chile’s shattered streets Sunday as rescuers braved aftershocks digging for survivors and the government sent soldiers and ordered a nighttime curfew to quell looting. The death toll climbed to 708 in one of the biggest earthquakes in centuries. Click here for a lesson plan on earthquakes.
3. Garden Vegetables: Some students at Sand Creek Middle School want their classmates to eat their vegetables. That’s because the lettuce, tomatoes and carrots are their vegetables, grown by the school’s Germinators’ Club. For the first time this year, the club’s produce will be added to the sandwiches and salads in the cafeteria. Click here for multiple thematic units on the importance of eating vegetables and leafy greens.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010:
1. Wine: Two of the biggest and most politically powerful labor groups in the state — police and teachers — are squaring off over Gov. David Paterson’s proposal to allow wine sales in grocery stores. Click here for an ancient history on wine.
2. Myanmar Refugees: Refugees from Myanmar add their traditions to Albany’s ethnic mix. Click here to learn what Myanmar culture is like.
3. Bible Writing: The television screens flicker all day long at the senior citizens home in Philmont. Phillip Patterson barely notices — he’s down the hall, bent over his desk, 14 hours a day, writing out the entire King James Bible by hand. He calls this project, which he started in 2007 and hopes to finish next year, the “Serenity of Knowing.” Click here to learn all about sanskrit writing.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010:
1. Postal Service: The post office is renewing its drive to drop Saturday delivery — and plans a rate increase — in an effort to fend off a projected $7 billion loss this year. Click here to learn how mail delivery works.
2. Irish Roots: Michael Casey grew up in a tight-knit Irish clan on Van Schoick Avenue in the St. Teresa of Avila parish, where multiple generations put down roots and the passing of years is marked by a block party each September. Click here to learn the truth about popular Irish culture myths and traditions.
3. DNA: California authorities ID Guilderland man; family says wait was frustrating. Click here for a science lesson plan on DNA.

Thursday, March 4, 2010:
1. State Pensions: If he were to call it quits, Gov. David Paterson would enjoy a tax-free annual state pension of well less than half his pay, perhaps as little as $60,500. Click here for a lesson plan on pensions and how they help retirement.
2. Jury: Twelve jurors — six men and six women— have been picked in the trial of Steven Raucci, and opening arguments will be presented Friday. Click here to learn what you do jurors do.
3. Dr. Seuss: Dressed as Dr. Seuss character Thing 2, Riley Albair reads Green Eggs and Ham as cousins Eden Barrett, 3, of Troy and Ava Peruffo, 2, listen during a Dr. Seuss birthday celebration at the Children’s Museum in Saratoga Springs on Wednesday. Click here for multiple Dr. Seuss lesson plans, activities and printables.

Friday, March 5, 2010:
1. Joblessness: The Capital Region’s rate is the highest on record. And the number of unemployed people — 35,400 — in the area is up nearly 13 percent from a year ago. Click here for a career exploration curriculum guide.
2. Inner-City Learning: The Xavier University students gave up a chance to go somewhere warm for spring break, loaded up two vans and drove 15 hours from Cincinnati to study gang violence in West Hill, one of the city’s poorest and most violent neighborhoods. Click here for youth violence instructional materials including lesson plans.
3. Gay-Rights: Forty years ago this month, in March 1970, a group of men got together for coffee in Albany and ended up founding the local gay-rights movement. Click here for a lesson plan on gay rights in America.

Monday, March 8, 2010:
1. Siena Basketball: The Siena men’s basketball can win its third consecutive championship with a victory tonight over Fairfield at Times Union Center. Click here for a basketball lesson plan.
2. Oscars:  “The Hurt Locker” was the big winner Sunday at the 82nd annual Academy Awards, taking home six awards including best picture and best director for Kathryn Bigelow, the first woman to win the award. Click here for a complete history of the Oscars and Academy Awards.
3. Spring Weather: Temperatures in the upper 40s brought many people out to Washington Park in Albany on Sunday. Click here for a great educational hands-on activity that can be done outside!
4. Children's Books: Click here for a HarperCollins Children’s Books education link.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010:

Wednesday, March 10, 2010:

Thursday, March 11, 2010:
1. Tulips: Greenery is evidence the thousands of bulbs planted in Washington Park in Albany will emerge in full bloom when the time is right. Click here for a fun spring lesson plan on tulips.
2. Human Genomes: Three scientists who led the effort to map the human genome will receive the Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research. Click here to learn all about the human genome and its importance.
3. Baking: Jankowich will have her own stove at the Pillsbury Bake-Off, one of the most noted cooking competitions in the United States. Click here for a home-ec lesson plan and hand-outs on baking.

Friday, March 12, 2010:
1. Traffic Bridge: With traffic on the Northway’s Exit 6 bridge now down to four lanes as a new bridge is built, motorists are finding new ways to get around. Click here for a lesson plan on bridge construction.
2. Electric Hybrids: General Motors Co. will keep making big trucks and SUVs because U.S. buyers demand them, but a major portion of them will be gas-electric hybrids in the near future, retiring Vice Chairman Bob Lutz said Friday. Click here for a lesson plan on hybrid vehicles and how they work.
3. Dogs of Valor: Porkchop is a ham. The beagle-dachshund mix stands just off the ground but weighs 37 pounds. His bunny-soft ears flop around his head, and his big, brown eyes communicate kindness. Click here for Clifford's lesson plan page for teachers.

Monday, March 15, 2010:
1. Bipartisanship: After weeks of complaints by Republican lawmakers, the Democrats controlling both houses of the Legislature are scheduling bipartisan committees to hammer out a budget. Click here to learn all about bipartisanship and what it means.
2. Census: Census making effort to count college students wherever they may live. Click here for the U.S. Census Bureau's educational resource page with multiple lesson plans and learning activities based on how the census works.
3. Siena Basketball: If the Siena men’s basketball team is partial to superstition, it should be thrilled with its draw Selection Sunday. Click here for a basketball lesson plan.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010:
1. Broadband Plan: Many rural New Yorkers live in neighborhoods bypassed by the information superhighway. The Federal Communications Commission wants to change that. Click here to learn all about WIFI and how it works.
2. PCB's: Feds say work to remove PCBs from Hudson River will continue in 2011 even if it has to go it alone. Click here for a lesson plan on river economics and the harmful effects of PCB's.
3. SuperPower Wire: Specialized wire maker marks 10th anniversary amid hopes of wider market acceptance. Click here to learn what this wire technology is all about.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010:
1. Income Tax Refund: The income tax refund checks will be in the mail, but with a two-and-a-half week delay. Click here for a lesson plan on income tax and its importance.
2. YMCA: More than 100 supporters of the downtown YMCA branch rallied Tuesday to fight its closure, focusing their ire not just on Y leadership but on Mayor Jerry Jennings and others they said have failed to do enough to stave off the facility’s demise. Click here for a health lesson plan on the benefits of staying active.
3. Dairy Farming: Signs went up in the dairy section this winter at Hannaford stores throughout eastern New York urging shoppers to “Keep Local Farms.” Click here for multiple lesson plans on dairy farming.

Thursday, March 18, 2010:

Friday, March 19, 2010:
1. War in Iraq: On seventh anniversary of U.S. invasion of Iraq, public opinion has elements of anger, pain and pride. Click here for political lesson plans on the war in Iraq as well as multiple educational resources for teachers.
2. Whitney Gala: Break out your diamonds and black Ray-Bans, the Whitney Gala will return in August with a “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” theme. Click here for a brief history on the Saratoga Race Track.
3. TV Anchors: TV anchors appear live, seen by large audiences, for hours each week. But they’re not in the same room as those watching them, instead stared at by silent, looming camera lenses, often with words scrolling across the front. Click here for a lesson plan on TV anchoring and public media.

Monday, March 22, 2010:
1. CBA Champions: The Christian Brothers Academy boys’ basketball team has enjoyed an unparalleled run of success in Section II large-school circles by appearing in eight consecutive championship games. Click here for a lesson plan on basketball.
2. Vietnam: After serving in the Gulf of Tonkin and South China Sea aboard the USS Hancock from 1967 to 1970, the Troy man went to college, married his wife, Cindy, and raised three kids while working at Watervliet Arsenal. Click here for a history lesson plan on Vietnam.
3. Pneumonia: Wearing a T-shirt in tribute to his friend, Nyquel Flowers stands to talk about Kyle Gagnon during a memorial service on Sunday at Rotterdam Boys and Girls Club. Gagnon died a year ago Sunday from MRSA pneumonia, and friends and family gathered to mark the anniversary of his death. Click here for a lesson plan on fighting deadly diseases.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010:
1. Albany Charter School: Supporters of Albany’s New Covenant Charter School, above, including students and staff, march and chant during a rally outside the school Monday. The group staged the protest to publicly urge the State University of New York board of trustees to vote today to extend the school’s charter. Click here for a lesson plan on voting.
2. Art Gallery: A painting by James Darcy is on display in the South Concourse of the Empire State Plaza in Albany as part of the art show put on by The Brain Injury Association of New York State. The show opened Monday. Click here for multiple art lesson plans.
3. Energy Program: Cohoes Mayor John McDonald III has a lot of reasons to be a big believer in National Grid’s new smallbusiness- services program. That’s because he was able to get National Grid to pay for substantial amounts of new lighting upgrades at his family’s business, Marra’s Pharmacy in Cohoes, and at several city-owned buildings, including City Hall and the public library. Click here for a science lesson plan on light energy.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010:
1. Google: With a big tip of the hat to Uncle Sam, Lisa Powell Graham, above, leads a salute Tuesday to Google in Monument Square in the hope the company will pick Troy for its ultrafast Internet experiment. Click here for the Google for Educators webpage for multiple lesson plan ideas as well as web resources for teachers.
2. March Blooming: Albany’s Washington Park welcomes spring with some early splashes of color, and this forsythia bush overlooking the bridge, seen Tuesday, is no shy wallflower. Early bloomers they may be, but expect plenty more to follow as the season advances. Click here for Kindergarten lesson plans on Spring's blooming.
3. Communism: Google’s attempted detour around China’s Internet censorship rules was met with countermeasures Tuesday by the communist government, which blocked people on the mainland from seeing search results dealing with such forbidden topics as the pro-democracy movement. Click here for a social studies lesson plan on communism.

Thursday, March 25, 2010:
1. Population Rise: The Rochester and Buffalo areas better look over their shoulders, because the Capital Region is sneaking up from behind. If this decade’s population trends continue, in fact, the Albany-SchenectadyTroy metropolitan area could become upstate’s largest in four decades, according to new census data released this week. Click here for a great lesson plan on interpreting population statistics.
2. Matzos: So when we asked Jeffrey Walton, manager of Ben & Bill’s Deli at Price Chopper in Slingerlands, to test three different brands of unsalted matzos for our monthly Chef-Tested feature, he was a bit skeptical there would be much variation. Click here to learn all about matzos and other Passover traditions.
3. Community Center: The Washington Avenue YMCA will stay open for another 30 days as city officials work with clergy and nonprofit groups to convert the building into something akin to a community center. Click here for multiple lesson plans and activities on community service.

Friday, March 16, 2010:
1. Stimulus Expansion: Even though the state seems broke, the owners of the giant computer chip manufacturing facility under construction in Saratoga County are privately and urgently negotiating with state officials for a new cash incentive package of $300 million to stimulate an expansion and add to the $1.3 billion in public support already committed to the project by New York taxpayers. Click here for multiple lesson plans on state economics.
2. School Closings: Facing declining enrollments and rising budget costs, three Rensselaer County school districts are looking at shutting down four elementary schools to close budget gaps. Click here for a web resource for teachers who want to master the art of lesson plan writing.
3. Art Contest: We know plenty of teens in the Capital Region are making art for school, for family and just for fun. So we want to recognize all that work through a new Youth Arts contest. Click here for multiple great art lesson plans.

Monday, March 29, 2010:
1. Siena Basketball Coaching: The most successful five-year stretch in Siena College men’s basketball history probably cost the school its coach. Fran McCaffery, who took the Saints to three consecutive NCAA Tournaments, is leaving to take over at Iowa. Click here for multiple great lesson plans on coaching and its importance in team-building.
2. Karner Blue Butterfly: The Albany Pine Bush Preserve believes that it needs to be bigger to protect the unique habitat that helps nurture its bellwether species, the Karner blue butterfly. Click here for a learning resource guide to the Karner Blue butterfly.
3. National Guard: National Guard’s 206 Military Police Company, thanks scouts for collecting and sending goods to their base in Iraq. Click here for a lesson plan and curriculum guide on scouting.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010:
1. Spring Activity: Parents and caregivers of Pre-K youngsters were invited to attend the event which focused on a spring season theme and also featured story telling. A youngster decorates a paper coffee filter with a marker to create a bouquet of springtime blooms. Click here for some great springtime activities and arts and crafts for the classroom--includes printables.
2. Passover: A plate of symbolic foods is prepared for a Seder at Congregation Gates of Heaven in Schenectady. Passover celebrates ancient Hebrews’ escape from slavery in Egypt. It began Monday night. Click here for a great lesson plan on this historical escape and Passover.
3. NanoTechnology: The University at Albany’s College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering had an information booth and technology demonstration at Crossgates Mall on Monday as part of its “Nano in the Mall” series designed to bring nanotech concepts to the public. Click here for a lesson plan on nanotechnology.

Wednesday, March 31, 2010:
1. School Aid: The Albany school district was expecting an $8.7 million check from the state today. It won’t be coming. Click here for multiple lesson plans on budgeting and spending.
2. Rain: A rain-soaked Troy Schenectady Road in Niskayuna tests driving skills on Tuesday, the penultimate day in March, as commuters endured yet more dreary weather. In southern states, the rain was able to evoke flooding as well. Click here for a lesson plan on rain and flooding.
3. Terrorism Charges: Jurors deliberating Tuesday in Steven Raucci’s trial sought to clarify issues related to the location of crimes outside Schenectady County, particularly one that led to a terrorism charge. Click here for multiple lesson plans on terrorism.

Thursday, April 1, 2010:
1. Chatroulette: Chatroulette, sort of like speed dating with a mouse, is the latest way to communicate with strangers online. Click here for a lesson plan on the incorporation of video/ chat in the classroom.
2. Mohawk River Flooding: Don DelManzo clears debris from the yard of his Forts Ferry home along the Mohawk River bank in Colonie on Wednesday. The immediate Albany area saw about an inch of rain since Sunday, but East Jewett in Greene County had more than 4 inches. Click here for a lesson plan that uses the Mohawk and Hudson rivers as templates..
3. Easter Decoration: Chick-and-egg cupcakes? Ladybug cupcakes? They may look like a lot of work, but they’re not. Click here for a fun lesson plan that incorporates baking and the creation of decorative sweet treats for the Easter holiday.

Friday, April 2, 2010:
1. Arsony and Vandalism: For a man who once proclaimed he was working on walking on water, Steven C. Raucci’s downfall was certain Thursday. He was convicted of 18 felonies in a case that sent shock waves throughout the school district and city where he worked for three decades. Click here for a forensic science lesson plan that investigates arsony.
2. Catskills: Friar Tuck Inn in Catskill may soon end up in the hands of its bank, Ulster Savings Bank of Kingston. Click here for a science/ecology lesson plan on the Catskill region. 
3. Capital Region Ballot: Who wants to win? We think a lot of people do. That’s why you get two ways: by filling in at least 20 of the categories in the Best of the Capital Region 2010 ballot; and by submitting your own take on what you think is best about the Capital Region. Click here for an educational resource guide to what attracted the Dutch to this region many many years ago.

Monday, April 5, 2010:
1. Tupper Lake: Cuts could have a dire impact in Adirondacks. Click here for a complete curriculum guide with multiple great lesson plans and resources on the Adirondacks and its ecology.
2. Easter Sunday: The Rev. Richard Leskovar blesses members of the congregation with holy water Sunday during Easter service at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Delmar. Churches worldwide marked Easter, one of the holiest days on the Christian calendar. Click here for come great lesson plans centered around the Easter holiday.
3. Motorcycles: Spring’s arrival means drivers need to be more aware of motorcycles. Click here for a lesson plan on "The Mouse and the Motorcycle" kids novel.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010:
1. Economic Recovery: Employers holding out for more evidence that the economic recovery is finally taking hold got some Monday: The nation’s service sector is growing quickly, and contracts for home sales are up. Click here for a lesson plan on economics.
2. Red Emperors: Red Emperors, which are among of the first tulips to bloom, were planted outside the Albany Visitors Center as part of the Journey North Program, in which students install test gardens in order to track a plant’s growth. The information is then shared through a Web-based tracking system. The program aims to educate students on how seasonal changes affect plant growth. Click here for a PowerPoint lesson plan on how seasonal changes affect plant growth.
3. Anchoring: From Bethlehem cheerleader to Albany Law School graduate to anchor of a cable-news program with a daily audience that tops one million. Click here for information for those interested in an achoring career.

Wednesday, April 8, 2010:
1. Methane Gas Explosion: Rescuers held out slim hope Tuesday that four missing coal miners might have survived when a mine — repeatedly cited for improperly venting methane gas— exploded, killing 25 people in the country’s deadliest underground disaster in a quarter-century. Click here to learn all about natural gases and more specifically-methane gas.
2. Dodgeball: “Livin’ on a Prayer” blared in the Washington Avenue Armory, but even Bon Jovi couldn’t give tired legs and arms a lift. The countdown clock behind the Albany Dodgeball side of the court read 2 hours 25 minutes and some odd seconds, more than 29 hours into the 31-hour Guinness World Record attempt for the “longest dodgeball marathon.” Click here for a lesson plan on dogeball.
3. Air-Raid Sirens: People ran out into the downtown streets Tuesday morning when they heard sirens and a loud voice from the sky. “It sounded like the old air-raid sirens,” said Nick Porsia, owner of Spill’n The Beans at 13 Third St. “Everybody coming through the door looked worried.” What people heard downtown and in other parts of the city was Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s warning system. Click here for a lesson plan on the history of emergency sirens and drills.

Thursday, April 9, 2010:
1. Invasive Species: The state is compiling a hit list of invasive plants, animals and insects — from exotic invaders like a voracious Chinese fish to ornamental shrubs available at the local nursery. Click here for a science lesson plan  
2. Sunshine: Sun worshipers were everywhere on a beautiful and record-tying day in the Capital Region. Some found a glorious spot to bask, above, in Albany’s Washington Park. Meanwhile, at bottom left, Shaker High School players pick up baseballs in Latham following their 3-0 loss to Shenendehowa High School. The noon game was played in 80º temperatures. Click here for a lesson plan dedicated to learning about the sun.
3. Muesli: They’re artists from Oakland, Calif., but they don’t get to paint anymore. They don’t have time to. Lisa Zaccaglini and Mike Shuster have a new creative outlet, and a new source of income: muesli. Click here to learn what muesli is.

Friday, April 10, 2010:
1. Prague Agreement: President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Thursday signed a new arms-control treaty designed to open a new era of harmony between the former superpower rivals while launching an arms agenda extending far into the future. The two leaders met in the gilded majesty of a medieval castle in Prague, once a city at the epicenter of Cold War tension, and formally agreed to bring their nations’ arsenals to their lowest levels in half a century. Click here for multiple lesson plans and activities on the Cold War.
2. Civil Rights: Albany Academy alumnus Heath Twichell still gets choked up when he recalls his assignment as a young Army second lieutenant at Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas in the fall of 1957. He becomes emotional when he describes how he observed at close range the courage and dignity of the African-American students, who came to be known as the Little Rock Nine. Click here for a great Civil Rights lesson plan.
3. Band: The percussion section was empty, the trombone player didn’t know where his tuning slide was, and one clarinet player had the cleaning cloth stuck in her instrument’s barrel while another offered 30-year-old reeds and a blank stare. Click here for multiple helpful band lesson plan ideas.

Monday, April 13, 2010:
1. Environmental Clean-Up: The city is building its dream $20 million public works campus on Foster Avenue, which officials have wanted for decades. But there’s a problem: The city doesn’t own land where the facility is under construction. Click here for an environmental lesson plans, hand-outs and activities.  
2. Caroga Lake: To a state politician, this is just a little beach and some picnic tables, one number on a page. But the tiny state campground slated for closure is the lifeblood of Caroga, population 1,407. In the summer, it brings a steady trickle of customers. Click here for a Lake Ecology lesson plan.
3. Flooding: Five Capital Region counties will go to court to try to stop $4.45 million in state-imposed flood control charges, Rensselaer County Executive Kathleen Jimino said. Click here to learn all about hydroelectric energy and dams.  

Tuesday, April 14, 2010:
1. Church Abuse: The Vatican on Monday made clear for the first time that bishops and other church officials should report clerical sex abuse to police if required by law. But the policy failed to satisfy victims who charge that the church deliberately hid abuse for decades. Click here for a complete history of The Vatican.
2. Presidential Palace: A Polish Girl Scout carries a candle she accepted Monday from mourners to place outside the Presidential Palace in Warsaw in memory of late Polish President Lech Kaczynski. Click here for a social studies lesson plan on Poland.
3. Apple Blossoms: Apple blossoms frame a pedestrian Monday near Empire State Plaza in Albany. Today’s weather should mirror Monday’s, with highs heading toward 60° and a chance of frost overnight. And rain? It’s a possibility. Click here for a lesson plan on apple trees.

Wednesday, April 15, 2010:
1. The Albany Tea Party: The Tea Party Express tour bus makes a stop Tuesday in Albany, drawing about 200 people to a rally in front of the Alfred E. Smith Building. The group heard speeches, political stand-up comedy and even a few songs. The Albany Tea Party is planning a one-year birthday party on Saturday at the Corning Preserve. Click here to learn all about the Tea Party Express and its route.
2. Nuclear Material: Nearly four dozen nations signed a nonbinding agreement Tuesday to secure vulnerable nuclear material by 2014, a goal President Barack Obama said would make the world safer from a stockpile big enough to produce 120,000 nuclear bombs. Click here for an entire unit on current nuclear warfare.
3. Spring Parks: Whether by land or by water, Tuesday presented yet another great opportunity to take stock of the best spring has to offer in the Capital Region. University at Albany graduate Chukwuma Asala of Albany walks past a magnolia tree in bloom at the campus. Click here for a lesson plan on Magnolia trees.

Thursday, April 16, 2010:

Friday, April 17, 2010:

Monday, April 19, 2010:
1. National Polling: Nearly 80 percent of Americans say they can’t and they have little faith that the massive federal bureaucracy can solve the nation’s ills, according to a survey from the Pew Research Center that shows public confidence in the federal government at one of the lowest points in a half-century. Click here for multiple lesson plans on polling and statistics.
2. Gas Drilling: As they move to create rules to oversee natural gas drilling, state environmental officials are keeping an eye on Pennsylvania, where a gas company was banned from drilling because it allegedly contaminated drinking water. Click here for a hands-on experimental lesson plan on natural gases and drillings effect on the environment.
3. Government Interest: Program brings Hispanic students to state Capitol to learn government. Click here for a government lesson plan.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010: 
1. Iceland Volcano: Europe began to emerge from a volcanic cloud Monday, allowing limited air traffic to resume and giving hope to millions of travelers stranded around the world when ash choked the jet age to a halt. Click here for a great science lesson plan on volcanos.
2. Railroads: Repairs at railroad crossing could force people from homes. Click here for a history lesson plan on the railroad.
3. Spring: Everyone is out enjoying the spring weather in Washington Park in Albany. Click here for the National Association of Spring Activities Spring Education website.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010:
1. Salt: America’s long and dangerous love affair with salty food may be coming to an end. Click here for a science lesson plan on salt.
2. Theater Institute: Troy-based theater institute director spends lavishly, hires relatives, state says. Click here for multiple lesson plans on theatre.
3. Docking Access: Marty Colangelo heard stories as a kid that people took the trolley from downtown to a boathouse in his Stockade neighborhood 100 years ago so they could rent canoes to dunk into the Mohawk River. Click here for a lesson plan on the Mohawk River.

Thursday, April 22, 2010:
1. Iceland Volcano: As trans-Atlantic air travel returns to Europe, geologists continue to keep a close watch on the Iceland volcano Eyjafjallajokull as experts observe a change in the eruption pattern. Instead of thick black smoke, the plume was almost white and more like steam than black ash. Click here for multiple great lesson plans on volcanos.
2. Violin Art: Saratoga Chamber Players violinist and artistic director Jill Levy and pianist Aniko Szokody perform Wednesday at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs during an appearance to promote the upcoming SaratogaArts Fest 2010. Click here for a music lessson plan on the string family and violins.
3. Asparagus: I love brightly colored eggs and bunny rabbits as much as the next guy. But if you want a concrete example of rebirth and the potential for new beginnings, just walk an asparagus field in early spring. Click here to learn all about asparagus.

Friday, April 23, 2010:
1. Wall Street: President urges Wall Street titans to support financial reform efforts he expects Congress to pass soon. Click here for a social studies lesson plans on civil service reform.
2. Poetry Readings: This low-key suburban village of 2,700 souls harbors a noisy secret: the place is crawling with poets. April is Poetry Month! Click here for some great poetry lesson plans.
3. Earth Day: Earth Day was celebrated locally in many ways Thursday. For UAlbany freshman Inae Oh, of South Korea, upper left, it amounted to playing Frisbee with friends in a garden on campus. Above, Samantha Hiza, a freshman from Binghamton tosses a recycled bottle towards a basket during a Recycle Toss competition held at the school to mark the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day. Click here for an entire curriculum guide on Earth Day.

Monday, April 26, 2010:
1. Oil Spills: Even before Tuesday’s massive explosion, government investigators had cited myriad potential safety violations involving fires aboard offshore drilling rigs and platforms in the Gulf of Mexico that resulted in more than 20 injuries and two deaths since 2007, accident inspection records and statistics show. Click here for a science lesson plan on oil spills and their effect on the environment.
2. Kindergarten: Signing a child up for kindergarten in the city schools is something some parents traditionally delay — showing up at the school closest to their house the week classes start, assuming that’s all that’s needed. Click here for some great beginning of kindergarten lesson plans.
3. Children's Ballet: Children’s Ballet Mistress for the New York City Ballet, observes as a girl performs a step during auditions for the dance company’s upcoming SPAC performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Click here for a lesson plan on the Nutcracker ballet.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010:
1. PCB Dredging: U.S. to pay for drinking water for towns affected by PCB dredging. Click here for the Hudson River dredging data website.
2. Local Abduction: A woman who said she was attacked and abducted last summer from a Saratoga Springs street described the incident in detail Monday in Saratoga County Court, frequently glaring at Victor Hernandez-Perez, the man accused of forcing her to strip at gunpoint. Click here for a health lesson plan on sexual pressures.
3. Restaurant Week: Rudy Berisic, who owns and operates V & R Restaurant with his wife, Sasha Berisic, cooks up chicken marsala on Monday as part of Downtown Albany´s Spring 2010 Restaurant Week. Click here for a lesson plan where students can design their own restaurant menu.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010:
1. Day of No Pay: Gov. David Paterson will ask the Legislature today to approve putting 100,000 state workers on furlough without pay for one day per week until the state budget has been hammered out. Click here to learn all about a furlough and what it means.
2. Planting: Arriama Matlock-Abdullah plants sweet peas in her 150-square-foot plot in the Lincoln Park Community Garden in Albany on Tuesday. She and many other gardeners had to deal with chilly temperatures — and the possibility of overnight snow in higher elevations. Click here for a lesson plan incorporating gardening.
3. Alcoholism: Richard Broom’s long and tortuous path to a conviction for murdering a man in a drunken haze in 1982 began with stealing a case of beer from Pinehaven Country Club when he was 14. Click here for a complete educational resource guide on alcohol awareness.

Thursday, April 29, 2010:
1. Wind Energy: A whole new way of generating electricity in the U.S. drew a big step closer to reality Wednesday, and it could look like this: 130 windmills, 440 feet tall, rising from the ocean a few miles off Cape Cod. Click here for an entire website for teachers with lesson plans and fun activities on wind energy.
2. Earthquakes: WON-YOUNG KIM of Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, right, sets up the seismometer recording device for seismic activity on the Motschmann farm in Berne. Click here for a science lesson plan on seismograph recordings and earthquakes.
3. Netherland Bond: It was a bond forged in the rubble of World War II, when besieged residents of an occupied Dutch city dug deep during an Allied assault on the Nazis and the grateful citizenry of Albany found a way to thank them for their wartime sacrifice. Click here for lesson plans on different continents and countries of the world.

Friday, April 30, 2010:
1. Albany River Rats: River Rats fans say so long to Rowdy, the team mascot, who skated for the last time Thursday night in Albany along with the players as the team ended its playoff run — and 17 years in Albany — with a 5-4 overtime loss to the Hershey Bears. Click here for a great hockey lesson plan.
2. Muslim Bias: Two Albany Common Council members on Thursday urged the Department of Justice to review terrorism cases that they say unfairly targeted Muslims. Click here for a lesson plan on Islamic culture and religion.
3. Big Band: About 30 musicians sat in front of him, many of whom — like the lone 85-year-old French horn player — hadn’t managed a quarter note in decades. Click here for a great band lesson plan. 

Monday, May 17, 2010:
1. Tasers: Christopher Schmidt has never felt the sting from a Taser. He has, however, been known to test the patience of police. Click here to learn all about this dangerous weapon.
2. Thacher State Park: John Boyd Thacher State Park is now our backyard monument to New York’s failed governance. Click here for a learning guide to Thacher State Park.

In 2008, the Classroom Enrichment Program teamed with SEFCU and WMHT to develop a series of podcasts that accompany our financial literacy curriculum guide. To order the guide, visit our forms page. To view the podcasts, click below.
PODCAST 1                  PODCAST 2                 PODCAST 3