Hot Stuff: Good Stuff for Teachers

Credit: William Duke

The Language of Politicians
The Language of Advertising Claims

$28.95 each for poster sets; Prestwick House www.prestwickhouse.com

The most crucial lesson a student -- or a consumer or a citizen, for that matter -- can learn is critical thinking: separating the fact from the fiction, the hyperbole from the understated. This poster set lays out the many manipulative techniques the most flagrant manipulators of public perception, politicians and advertisers, use. Now, students will recognize when political leaders employ the straw man technique (setting up a fake argument just to knock it down), or when advertisers use weasel words (seeming to promise something without actually promising anything). Each set also includes a study guide for sparking classroom discussion. Ready, set, deconstruct!

Credit: William Duke

A Force More Powerful: The Game of Nonviolent Strategy

$19.95 for CD-ROM (ages fourteen and up) www.afmpgame.com, www.aforcemorepowerful.org

Since when did action-hungry video gamers forgo the allure of blood and guts for peaceful protest and civil disobedience? Since now. With A Force More Powerful, a new way of perceiving the age-old battle of good and evil comes to video games. Developed in part by the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict and inspired by recent history, the game requires its players to strategically assess situations of unrest and devise nonviolent tactics that will secure the rights of all citizens. Ten political scenarios (based on nonviolent movements in South Africa, Chile, and Poland, among others) are included, but players can also create their own. Take it to the classroom and you'll find your students discussing abstract ideas -- and inventing peaceful solutions for tomorrow's conflicts.

Credit: William Duke

Encouraging Your Child's Talent: The Involved Parents' Guides

$14.95 for book series; Prufrock Press www.prufrock.com

Parents: Is your child constantly measuring the height and weight of Legos, perfecting a bug collection, or filling dozens of notebooks with imaginative stories? The first -- and possibly the most important -- step in the process of developing great talent is great encouragement. These guidebooks (Encouraging Your Child's Math Talent, Encouraging Your Child's Science Talent, and Encouraging Your Child's Writing Talent) can help the parents of a budding Gödel, Einstein, or Hemingway not only recognize and appreciate their child's aptitudes but also design home and school enrichment activities (such as science projects and writing workshops) that'll keep the sparks flying.

Credit: William Duke

Gaggle.net

Free, subscription, or licensed user versions ($1.75-$4.25 per account, plus server fee for licensed users); discounts available 1-800-288-7750, Gaggle.net

The twenty-first-century classroom is hardly complete without a set of online tools. This kid-safe and teacher-monitored email and blogging site connects educators, students, schools, and districts in a way that keeps education in and inappropriate content out. All messages are scanned and filtered for spam, language, and pornography; anything questionable is directed back to the teacher. If you don't mind a few pop-up ads (also monitored and approved), the user-friendly service is free.