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May 2011
Cultural Heritage, New Platform & More
Welcome to the new issue of the ProQuest Teachable Moments email newsletter.
This month, you'll find 21st-century, standards-linked lessons focusing on
Jewish, Asian, and Pacific Islander heritage celebrations, reading and graphic books, brain research, Donald Trump in 2012, school tuition debates, Planned Parenthood,
and more.
ProQuest Platform Update
Auto-migrations Begin August 2011
Starting in early August, many school and public library ProQuest subscribers will begin to automatically move to the all-new ProQuest platform.
If you are a current ProQuest platform subscriber (database listing), you won't have to do a thing—other than enjoy all the new features!
- Simple, web-like search that queries your full array of ProQuest collections—from historical to current content
- Customizable icons that let users target content in subjects you've chosen to spotlight
- Easy-to-review results that feature highlighted hit terms, document previews, thumbnail images, and more
- Personal My Research accounts and social tools that help users save, organize, cite, and share findings
- Plus, all the award-winning functionality that you're already familiar with—and so much more
Can't wait to search, find, use, and share content in exciting ways? You can still migrate your account at any time prior to August—it's easy. Learn how.
Watch your email for more upcoming details; or contact your account representative.
Not a ProQuest platform subscriber? See what it's all about!
Please note: If your institution subscribes to other services, such as CultureGrams, eLibrary, HeritageQuest and/or SIRS, these resources will continue to be available from ProQuest, accessible via their current platforms. To see a list of databases available on the new platform, go to proquest.com/go/dbsupported.
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Reminder: SIRS & eLibrary | Spring Releases
World conflicts move, Essentials, CODiEs
Recently, our development team brought several important enhancements live within your subscriptions. In eLibrary, these changes make finding critical content inside ProQuest Essentials (new video) much easier, and allow you to share direct links to specific publications and individual articles with anyone, anywhere. (Details.)
SIRS Issues Researcher now delivers the content, context and connections for research and analysis of the Leading Issues surrounding the most debated and protracted World Conflicts Today. (Release notes.)
With so many improvements and refinements in recent months, it's no wonder both research solutions have been named finalists in the 2011 Yahoo! CODiE Awards.
eLibrary is in the running as Best Education Reference Solution, while SIRS Issues Researcher is poised to grab the Best Social Sciences Instructional Solution. (Details.)
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SIRS Discoverer
Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is a month-long celebration of the culture, traditions, and history of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States.
Students: Who are the four largest ethnic groups that are known as Asian Americans? How do these ethnic groups compare in terms of culture and religion? What famous people come from each group—name two and what they do in each group?
SIRS Discoverer is the perfect place to start.
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eLibrary
Labor Unions: Fighting for Survival
Although much smaller compared to their peak membership in the 1950s, labor unions remain an important political factor (especially within the Democratic Party), both through mobilization of their own memberships and through coalitions with like-minded activist organizations.
Did you know that May is Labor History Month in the U.S.?
ProQuest's eLibrary BookCart learning activities provide a one-stop source of model research activities linked to any topic.
You may copy this month's model—"Labor Unions and Collective Bargaining"—and edit it to add additional resources, student research directions, print resources, an optional quiz, and essential questions for critical thinking for learners to address.
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eLibrary Science
Mental Health & Brain Research
Science is rapidly developing new research techniques to help them understand how the brains of people with mental disorders is different from a healthy brain.
ProQuest has created a BookCart learning activity for your students to use to explore this topic: "Mental Health & Brain Research--ELS." It includes several examples of essential questions for critical thinking, ready for student research.
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SIRS Decades
Privatize Medicare?
In April, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) offered his and the Republican balanced budget plan that included significant reforms of major spending programs. The most controversial reform proposed would be to privatize Medicare.
Assign students to address the Document Based Questions (DBQ) included with this topic: "Summarize the rationale behind President Lyndon Johnson's Medicare program, and describe some of its major benefits."
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SIRS Issues Researcher
Budgets & Planned Parenthood
Last month, a bipartisan House of Representatives compromise established a new and higher federal budget debt ceiling. The compromise averted a shutdown of the federal government.
Part of the compromise was the last-minute agreement by the Republicans to remove several attached riders they had attached to the spending bill. One of these riders targeted the funding for Planned Parenthood that some in the GOP viewed and promoted inaccurately as a major provider of abortions.
In SIRS, select the Visual Browse tab, click Drugs, Health, and Wellness, Birth Control, then select one of the Leading Issues surrounding Planned Parenthood.
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ProQuest Research Library Prep
Trump for President 2012
Have students learn more about the emergence of Donald Trump as a popular contender for the GOP candidate for President in 2012. How can we explain Trump's relatively strong showing in GOP primary polls this Spring, given some of the recent things he has said?
Students: What are the issues that distinguish Trump that are popular with the GOP? What are the qualities that Trump considers to be his strengths? What might the disadvantages be of Trump winning the GOP nomination for president?
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eLibrary Elementary
Reading is Fundamental
Developed by the Association of American Publishers, Get Caught Reading Month (May) is an industry-wide initiative to promote and celebrate reading.
What impact, if any, does access to print material have on our children's reading?
eLibrary Elementary provides a collection of graphic books from the Weekly Reader series that can be printed or read online in a variety of genres and subject areas that supplement school print collections.
Assign students to read at least two graphic books of their choice using the research pathfinders in this month's lesson. Students should write a summary of at least 75 words each of the two books that they select.
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Top 3 Websites
Each month, our SIRS team scours the Internet for top-quality websites for classrooms and libraries. Dive into the new month's selections: Constitution Blog, NatGeo Photographers, NASA.
SIRS Spotlights & Challenge Quests
There are many people of Asian and Pacific Islander descent in the United States, including Chinese Americans, Japanese Americans, and Vietnamese Americans. Despite facing prejudice and hardships during 19th-century America, this diverse group of Americans has persevered and made lasting contributions to American society.
This month, the U.S. observes Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, casting a spotlight on their rich history and legacy.
In 2007, 46% of the students at the University of California, Berkeley, were Asian, despite the standard goal of a public university to be a microcosm of its state's demographics.
Our SIRS Challenge Quest asks:
In 2007, what percentage of California's full population was Asian?
Explore timely, history-related themes inside Retroview and History Happenings.
eLibrary Curriculum Edition
Jewish American Heritage Month
May was the month selected for Jewish American Heritage Month because it captured the spirit of the highly successful May 2004 celebration of the 350th anniversary of American Jewish History.
This major event was organized by the "Commission for Commemorating 350 Years of American Jewish History." Your students can learn more about the history and culture of Jewish Americans by using the BookCart learning activity: "Jewish Americans--Culture & History."
BookCart learning activities are a one-stop solution for teachers and students in conducting 21st Century inquiry-based learning activities.
Great editor-selected resources, essential questions for critical thinking, and student directions ensure that no time is wasted and that students have everything they need to maximize learning.
A pair of lessons for ProQuest Learning: Literature, and History Study Center, which are available as part of a CE subscription, are also available.
CultureGrams
Oral Literature
Each May, one of the largest film festivals in the world is held in Cannes, France. Filmmakers, actors, and audiences from all over the world come together to present films.
Create a classroom film festival in which your students present and discuss short film clips from the
CultureGrams Video Gallery.
Divide students into groups of three or four and assign them the task of planning an international short-film festival. After screening several of the videos in the CultureGrams Video Gallery, each group should select four "short films" (video clips) for inclusion in their program.
They should be able to justify the connections between the films—whether regional, thematic, or otherwise—and the order in which they have chosen to present them. (More.)
Short Videos @ ProQuest
2 Minute Overviews...
Spread the word about your ProQuest research solutions. Send links to our set of two-minute videos to introduce students, staff, and parents to your electronic subscriptions. Click here to begin.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers
Tax Credits: Private School Tuition
Currently, the Supreme Court is hearing the case of Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization v. Winn et al. It involves not direct government spending on an unconstitutional activity but rather a tax credit that serves the same purpose as a spending program.
Have students learn more about the history of the tuition tax credits and/or vouchers for attending private and religious schools in the pages of ProQuest Historical Newspapers.
Students: What are at least three arguments for tuition tax credits and/or vouchers for attending private and religious schools? What are at least three arguments against tuition tax credits and/or vouchers for attending private and religious schools? What is your opinion on this issue? Why?
Sign up for free database training
with a ProQuest trainer. Set aside an hour, grab a phone, and get one-on-one search tips and usage ideas. Don't miss these monthly offerings!
See a current calendar of online courses.
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