World Space Week is an annual observance held from October 4-10. It was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1999 to be an international celebration of science and technology and the attendant contributions to the betterment of the human condition.

This year the central topic will be the 50th anniversary of the Space Age. The start and end dates of World Space Week recognize the launch of the first human-made Earth satellite, Sputnik 1, on October 4, 1957; and the signing of the Outer Space Treaty that promotes the peaceful uses of outer space on October 10, 1967.

Young people from all over the world participate in the programs offered during World Space Week, exploring the possibilities of space science and technology applications in our daily lives.

Activity: eLibrary Science has a growing collection of resources that can be customized by teachers for the unique needs of their students, whether they're AP, IB, Honors, mainstream, or reading-challenged.

ProQuest has developed a collection of models that address many of the topics/issues that these students will study. In particular, AP and IB courses require research activities to investigate current science topics/issues. With so much to cover in AP and IB courses, students and teachers need to minimize the time spent searching and evaluating results for relevancy and authority.

eLibrary Science BookCarts help create more time for learning by minimizing the time necessary to get great and student-appropriate results.

Examples include the two new BookCarts:

ISS--International Space Station
Mars Rover and Exploration

To copy these BookCarts to My Local Carts collection for Space Week activities:

• Click the ProQuest Carts tab > eLibrary Science--BookCarts folder
• Click the Copy Icon next to the first title noted above (repeat later for the other)
• Click the My Local Carts to view the two new BookCarts
• Each copied Cart will have "Copy of" preceding its name
• Edit each to include your first and last names as Author and delete "Copy of"
• Save the BookCarts
• Students will be able to open and view them in the Student Edition

Even more important, this model contains all the information that students will need to complete the research assignment. Each contains examples of essential questions for critical thinking that will guide the student's research. Teachers can also include the following information in the Description Box to support students in school or at home:

• ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS FOR CRITICAL THINKING: Each has four (you can create and assign others)
• DIRECTIONS: Include what you want students to do and which questions to answer
• PRINT RESOURCES: Ask your librarian for pathfinders
• ASSESSMENT: Include QuizCart or links to a teacher webpage in the Website section of the BookCart

Photo: Getty Images