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Themes:
Education V2.0, Fossil Fuels + More
Dear %%NAME%%,
Welcome to this month's issue of ProQuest Teachable Moments. This issue focuses on a myriad of topics, including Fire Prevention Week, Energy Management Month, Computers in Education Month, National Book Month, and much more.
Our monthly enewsletter delivers a set of hands-on learning activities that encourage students to conduct quality research and produce meaningful results to increase their knowledge and understanding of everything from basic math to literature to history and beyond. Keep in mind that these activities are not duplicated in our other monthly newsletters, which also contain ready-made lessons.
Have an idea or feedback concerning this newsletter? Send email to tim.mclain@il.proquest.com today.
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SIRS® Researcher
Global Warming
Grades 6-12
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Training & Educator Resources
| Free 30-Day Trial
October is Energy Management Month. This is an excellent time for students to examine the implications of our national energy policy and its continued reliance on the burning of fossil fuels, especially oil.
Burning these fossil fuels results in the release of excessive amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which creates a phenomenon called the greenhouse effect. This slowly raises the temperatures of the oceans and results in dramatic changes in weather and climate over time. Many scientists report that these changes can be observed, particularly in the polar regions, where glaciers retreat and melting sea ice opens waterways that have been frozen and impassable for millennia.
The recent destruction created by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama also provides circumstantial evidence for those who argue of the dangers of global warming. Ocean warming creates the basic energy supply to spawn and sustain an increasing number of these Category 4 and 5 hurricanes that have extreme destructive potential.
Activity: Click Leading Issues in SIRS Researcher. Select Global Warming. Students will need to be assigned a variety of engaging essential questions to motivate and focus their mini-research activities on this topic. Here are some examples of these questions:
- How do we know that there is global warming?
- How do we know that global warming is caused by the burning of fossil fuels, predominantly oil?
- What other explanations might there be for global warming?
- What should the government do to conserve oil?
- What should the government do to encourage the development of alternative and renewable sources of energy?
- What are some of the hazards to the U.S. and world that will result from additional global warming?
Use this template to help students organize their oral reports in a unique PowerPoint format designed specifically to support Leading Issues.
This is an excellent way for all students to share their new learning and conclusions. Students are motivated to present their ideas and other students are motivated to challenge them using a teacher-organized system. This helps develop essential communications skills, integrates critical thinking, addresses state standards, and minimizes the problems of student plagiarism.
Find out more about SIRS Researcher and SIRS Leading Issues at our K-12 website.
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ExploreLearning® Gizmos
Computers in Education Month
Grades 7-11
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Math & Science Solution Resources
| Free 30-Day Trial
Computers in Education Month helps teachers celebrate the many new visual and interactive teaching and learning methods that are now possible using the power of the computer and new digital learning applications.
Students can dynamically explore complex science and math concepts and phenomena using their more efficient visual learning styles. This increases their motivation, understanding, and achievement on standardized and state tests. This is especially important in education at this time because of the expanded emphasis on the study of math and science.
Gizmos can help many teachers who may not be certified in science and math, or who are inexperienced, or are teaching an area of science or math that’s not their strength. By providing visual reinforcement and activities, these teachers can provide learning experiences far superior to those that can be delivered by textbooks or Internet research alone.
Gizmos can help bring a new round of student success in these areas and empower teachers whose best tool in the past was a blackboard.
Activity: October is the month to celebrate and study a variety of science-related topics and themes that Gizmos can help students understand more clearly: Crime Prevention, Explorers, and Energy Management.
Crime Prevention: DNA Fingerprint Analysis, Mystery Powder Analysis
Explorers: Ocean Mapping, Orbit Simulator, H-R Diagram, Doppler Shift, Black Hole
Energy Management: Energy Conversion in a System, Household Energy Usage
Each Gizmo is accompanied by teacher lesson plans and student activities and worksheets that help reinforce the concepts highlighted in the Gizmos.
Tap into the entire collection on a trial basis today.
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Reading A-Z™
Printable Online Books
Grades K-10
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Reading A-Z Resources
| Free 30-Day Trial
October provides a variety of themes to celebrate in your school while developing student reading skills and knowledge: Vegetarian Awareness; Dinosaurs; Bugs and Insects; and Explorers.
Most of the Reading A-Z leveled readers are non-fiction so students can learn academic content in the core curriculum while they build essential reading skills. Teachers have long complained that extended reading time takes away from subject area knowledge and development. Not so with RAZ books.
Activity: Here’s a sampling of titles that teachers can provide their students to read to learn more about these themes and complete the worksheets:
Vegetarian Awareness
All Kinds of Farms; What Animals Eat; Making Salsa; The Food We Eat; Making Rice; Foods Around the World; An Apple a Day; All about Chocolate
Dinosaurs
Discovering Dinosaurs; The Tinosaur; Dinosaurs
Bugs & Insects
Ants, Ants, and More Ants; Life at the Pond; Extreme Insects; Insect Life Cycle
Explorers
Sally Ride; Daniel Boone; Amelia Earhart: A Legend in Flight; Storm Chasers; Galapagos Wonder; Discovery in the Americas; The Yanomami: Deep in the Amazon; Mapping the Woods: Maps and Cartography; Climbing Mountains; The Story of Lewis and Clark Book 1: Up the Missouri River; The Story of Lewis and Clark Book 2: To the Pacific Ocean; and Pyramids.
You can connect to each book by clicking the ALL BOOKS tab at www.readinga-z.com.
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eLibrary®
Education V2.0
Grades 7-12
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Training & Educator Resources
| Free 30-Day Trial
October is Computer Learning Month. More and more studies confirm that when quality digital information technology is employed by well-trained teachers, student achievement increases in both academic content and in the essential skills of reading, writing, and critical thinking.
Scientific research confirms that when students solve problems and resolve issues that are related to their world and interests, permanent learning takes place. Using the teacher and student tools and content of eLibrary with BookCarts is an excellent model for using proven pedagogy to integrate technology across the curriculum.
Contrast this engaged teaching and learning pedagogy with the traditional and dominant model of teaching and learning in schools today: lectures and note-taking, memorization of facts from textbooks, multiple-choice testing, and moving on without student mastery.
The good news is that the use of technology supports many of the traditional proven practices in education but also adds some new possibilities: learning can take place anytime and anywhere; world-class resources are available to all students; significant non-learning time is saved in using inquiry-based activities; and learning resources can be customized for individual learning styles and reading levels.
Activity: Students will want to know how computers and the Internet are being used in other schools in their region and in other states. Use Computer Learning Month to motivate students to research some of the new ways of learning, testing, and communicating made possible by the use of computers, software, and the Internet.
Assign students a different topic. Here are some examples: online testing and mentoring; educational computer games and simulations; information technology; laptops and hand-helds; email; digital textbooks; eBooks; podcasts and netcasts; blogs; cyber schools; and online courses.
- Type “technology and computers in education.”
- Type “computers or internet or education” in the Document Title box of Advanced Search, then click Search.
- In the Results List, select Date in the Sort By box to get the most current documents.
Each student should select three articles that can be summarized for a two- to three-minute oral report on their topic. Oral reports provide practice in developing lifelong essential communications skills, address Language Arts standards, and help to create interest and added learning through the sharing information.
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eLibrary® Elementary
Fighting Forest Fires
Grades K-6
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Training & Educator Resources
| Free 30-Day Trial
Fire Prevention Week is celebrated each year in early October. Elementary students are particularly motivated by spectacular examples of fires, fire fighting, and fire prevention. Forest fires, wildfires, Smoke Jumpers, and Smokey the Bear are great topics for kids to investigate to celebrate Fire Prevention Week, especially in the Western states.
Activity: Teachers are always looking for great resources to teach topics that are correlated to state standards. These are topics designed for environmental awareness and applied technology that helps people and animals.
Teachers are always interested in saving valuable classroom and library time while integrating technology into the curriculum. eLibrary model BookCarts provide this combination to support teachers. ProQuest has created a BookCart titled “Fighting Forest Fires” that is designed to support the K-6 curriculum and standards.
- Logon to the eLibrary Elementary Teacher Edition.
- Click the BookCart Admin link.
- Click the ProQuest Carts tab to get the complete listing of 470 model BookCarts.
- Click the eLibrary Elementary BookCarts folder.
- Scroll to the Fighting Forest Fires BookCart.
- Click the Copy icon under the Actions column.
- Click Local Carts tab to return to your school collection and view the new BookCart.
Teachers should design and assign subtopics such as smoke jumpers, wildfire causes, forest-fire prevention to students for a two-minute oral presentation. Oral presentations provide students valuable experience and develop confidence in presenting ideas to others. Oral reports can also help other students to learn more about the overall topic.
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CultureGrams™
Cultures: Similarities & Differences
Grades 6-10
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Training & Educator Resources
| Free 30-Day Trial
October 31 is National UNICEF Day. UNICEF is The United Nations Children’s Fund.
In order to help your students imagine the lives of children around the world, have each one read one of the following reports from the CultureGrams Kids Edition: Haiti, Mexico, Hungary, Senegal, Tanzania, China, and Singapore.
Students should pay particular attention to categories dealing with daily life in another country: Games and Sports, Food, Life as a Kid, Schools, Getting Around, etc.
Activity: Have each student browse through his or her assigned country’s photo album from the CultureGrams Online Edition.
Instruct students to focus most on those pictures that display people, activities, food, and living conditions. Then assign students to write a short story in which they imagine what their life might be like if they lived in their assigned country.
They could write about an ordinary day, a holiday, or a social event of some kind. Some of the information in their stories may be taken from the CultureGrams report and the pictures, but students should also be encouraged to use their imaginations in deciding what life in the foreign country might be like.
Put the students in groups according to country. Have them read their stories to each other and talk about the similarities and differences they notice.
You may also want to have a discussion in which you talk about the similarities that all cultures share (i.e., basic human needs such as food, shelter, clothing, etc.; holiday celebrations; the importance of familial relationships; etc.) and the ways that geography, climate, economy, language, and history shape different worldviews.
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BookCarts™ & QuizCarts™
In-Service & Professional Development Support
Grades: K-12
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Training & Educator Resources
| Free 30-Day Trial
eLibrary BookCarts are primarily used as tools to create customized digital resources to support student research activities and in-depth learning. Did you know that BookCarts can also be designed to support in-service and other professional development activities?
eLibrary and eLibrary Curriculum Edition contain more than 100 professional journals and magazines as well as hundreds of other publications that deliver the latest news and developments in a variety of academic subject areas. This combination of resources can support both the content and pedagogy needs of teachers either independently when taking graduate credit, or collectively through in-service programs.
Department chairmen and staff developers can use the power of technology to create custom BookCarts of resources that can be used for readings and other activities in preparation for in-service days, or for in-depth learning after an in-service day.
Activity: Take a look at the list of BookCarts that are already available to school leaders for in-service activities for teachers. Copy any or all of these to your local collection and use them immediately. Each can be easily adapted for local needs.
- Logon to the eLibrary or eLibrary CE Teacher Edition.
- Click the BookCart Admin link.
- Click the ProQuest Carts tab.
- Click the Professional Development folder.
- Click the Copy icon under the Actions column for the BookCart you want.
- Return to My Local Carts tab to view the BookCart you copied.
- Repeat the process for other BookCarts of interest.
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eLibrary® Science
Disease Prevention & Control
Grades 6-12
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Training & Educator Resources
| Free 30-Day Trial
UNICEF is out to change the world for children and with children -- vaccination by vaccination, blanket by blanket, biscuit by biscuit, book by book.
In most of America, these things are considered completely ordinary. But in many parts of the developing world, they can save a child's life. That is why “Trick or Treat” kids are using Halloween to help collect money for UNICEF and other kids who need the “treats” more than we do in the United States.
In support of UNICEF's work, the U.S. Fund for UNICEF focuses on five major priorities: education, emergencies, HIV/AIDS, immunization, and malnutrition.
Activity: eLibrary Science provides many resources for students to better understand the threats of HIV/AIDS, other diseases such as malaria, and malnutrition can pose. The importance of expanding immunizations for diseases and which ones respond to them is appropriate study of science for students.
eLibrary Science BookCart collection includes a new one titled “Vaccines for Disease Prevention and Control.” This BookCart helps students and teachers save time in researching this significant world-centric topic by providing a collection of the best scholarly journal science resources and relevant websites without extensive searching.
Students will still need to use critical thinking to select three resources and use them effectively to report on progress on specific vaccines for specific diseases around the UNICEF world. All BookCarts include space for the creation of Essential Questions for Critical Thinking including this one about vaccines.
These are models for teachers who are motivated to create additional ones to guide students in the research process while they integrate the critical thinking and original thought that increase essential skills and science content.
- Logon to the Teacher Edition of eLibrary Science.
- Select the BookCart Admin link below the Search box.
- Click the ProQuest Carts tab.
- Select the eLibrary Science--BookCarts folder.
- Scroll to “Vaccines for Disease Prevention and Control” BookCart.
- Click the Copy icon at the right under the Actions column.
- Select My Local Carts tab to return to your collection edit the copy.
- Search for “Copy of” that precedes the title to begin editing.
Students should be assigned one of the diseases for which vaccines have been developed or are being developed and use three of the resources in the BookCart to investigate and answer one or more of the essential questions in the BookCart Description box or others that the teacher may create for this topic.
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ProQuest® Historical Newspapers
Explorers
Grades 6-12
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Training & Educator Resources
| Free 30-Day Trial
October is the month to celebrate the courage, vision, and significance of the work and discoveries of Explorers.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers provides the primary source materials for students to read about the many “firsts” that have appeared on the front page of a variety of national and regional historical newspapers since the 1850s. ProQuest Historical Newspapers is an excellent resource for AP courses in History, Economics, and Government because of the wealth of primary sources that help students develop the critical thinking skills to analyze historic events from a variety of perspectives.
Activity: Click the Topics tab and assign your students one of a variety of Explorer themes:
- Early Westward Expansion (c. 1851 - 1865) > Traveling West
- Early Westward Expansion (c. 1851 - 1865) > Beyond the Continent
- Westward Expansion and Imperialism (c. 1865 - 1900) > Expansion in the Pacific
- Westward Expansion and Imperialism (c. 1865 - 1900) > Seward's Folly
- The Roaring '20s (c. 1920 - 1929) > Admiral Byrd's Expedition to South Pole
- The Roaring '20s (c. 1920 - 1929) > Charles Lindbergh
- Eisenhower Era (c. 1953 - 1961) > Sputnik
- Kennedy Era (c. 1961 - 1963) > Space Program
- Turbulent '60s (c. 1960 - 1969) > Moon Landing
- The Reagan and Bush Administrations (c. 1981 - 1993) > Space Exploration
Each student should be able to use and cite three articles from the subtopic of resources listed above. Assign oral reports of about three minutes.
Oral reports/presentations provide students with the opportunity to develop information literacy and critical thinking skills, as well as the essential language arts skills of reading, writing, and presentation. Oral reports and presentations provide a way for students to share what they have learned with other students and they also motivate extra effort and help discourage plagiarism. Oral reports and presentations are required in all language arts state standards.
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eLibrary® Curriculum Edition
National Book Month & Polish-American Heritage Month
Grades 7-10
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Training & Educator Resources
| Free 30-Day Trial
October is National Book Month and Polish-American Heritage Month. Teachers can combine these themes to integrate history content with Literature content made possible by the integration of History Study Center and ProQuest Learning: Literature into the general reference collections of eLibrary Curriculum Edition.
The major emigration of Polish-Americans into the U.S. was through Ellis Island during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The favorite destinations in the U.S. for these immigrant families were the major cities of the Northeastern and Midwestern states because they offered the best opportunity for jobs in factories. Many of these cities still retain significant Polish-American population and cultural heritage, with Chicago being the most famous.
Polish-Americans have contributed greatly to the culture, economics, and overall success of America. Many famous Polish-Americans can be recognized by their names. Many others have changed their names, particularly in business and entertainment, to avoid ethnic prejudice that could ruin their careers.
ProQuest Learning: Literature Activity
Type “Polish Authors” in the Quick Search box and click GO. Also do a search on “Polish American Authors.” Assign students a different author to research and report on:
- The era in which they wrote.
- Any significant events that influenced their works.
- Any special recognition received in world or U.S. literary circles.
- The themes that are most often found in their works.
- The most significant work and why.
eLibrary Topic search provides additional information on many of the authors highlighted in ProQuest Learning: Literature, so you may want students to also include some of this information in addressing the major points listed above: Literature >> World Literature >> Other European Literatures >> Polish.
History BookCart Activity
ProQuest has created a custom BookCart title “Polish-American Heritage Month.” It contains many resources that will help students understand:
- History of Poland Highlights
- Polish Support during the Revolutionary War
- Polish Emigration through Ellis Island
- Famous Polish-Americans--The Arts; Sports; Entertainment; Politics; Science; etc.
- Polish-American Culture--Food; Music; Art; etc.
You can assign students one of the topics above to research with this BookCart. Each student should be able to use and cite three articles from the subtopic of resources listed above.
Assign oral reports of about three minutes because they provide students with the opportunity to develop information literacy skills, as well as the essential skills of reading, critical thinking, writing, and presentation. Oral reports and presentations are addressed in all state standards. Oral reports provide a way for students to share what they have learned with other students and oral reports help discourage plagiarism.
Alternative Activity
Use the same strategies outlined above but substitute additional ethnic historical leaders and authors of countries that have no specific month dedicated to them: India, Arab countries, Greece, and African countries as examples. There are already months to celebrate other ethnic cultures: Asian-Americans, African-Americans, and Hispanic Americans.
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ProQuest® Platinum
Alternative Energy Sources
Grades 6-12
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Training & Educator Resources
| Free 30-Day Trial
October is Energy Management Month. Gasoline and the related barrel of oil prices are almost double what they were three years ago. This has caused Americans to persuade the government to rethink its energy policy. The U.S. continues to maintain its dependence on oil from OPEC oil sources, most of them are Arab countries that support and finance terrorism directly or indirectly.
Again, we hear the renewed call for conservation, the development of more efficient ways of producing electricity, the development of more fuel efficient automobiles, and the creation of alternative energy sources. Are we serious about these strategies and is the government willing to subsidize businesses that develop these oil alternatives? A correlated and possibly more significant issue is the impact of the burning of fossil fuels, most notably oil, on the greenhouse effect and global warming.
Many students drive and they and their parents are concerned about the high cost of gasoline. School bus expenses and heating costs in schools will impact increasing school taxes or cutting essential services. What a great topic for students to explore as the whole country and world struggle with the possible solutions to their energy problems.
Activity: Click the Topics search tab. Type “alternative energy sources” in the Search box and click Find Term. The following list will appear and provide students with a variety of topics to research and explore:
Alternative energy sources
Alternative energy sources AND Energy policy
Alternative energy sources AND Fuels
Alternative energy sources AND Research & development
Alternative energy sources AND Solar energy
Alternative energy sources AND Automobiles
Alternative energy sources AND Wind power
Alternative energy sources AND Renewable resources
Alternative energy sources AND Hydrogen
Assign students one of the topics above so that a variety of reports is possible. Each student should be able to use and cite three articles from the topic resources listed above.
Oral reports of two to three minutes are encouraged because they provide students with the opportunity to develop research skills, as well as essential skills of reading, critical thinking, writing, and presentation. Oral reports and presentations are addressed in all state standards. Oral reports provide a way for students to share what they have learned with other students and help discourage plagiarism.
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SIRS® Decades
Organized Crime
Grades 7-12
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Training & Educator Resources
| Free 30-Day Trial
October is Crime Prevention Month. The world has always experienced crime, but the decade of the 1920s is often regarded as the starting point for major organized crime in the U.S. This would be an excellent time to use SIRS Decades to study the roots of organized crime in the U.S. and how it became so powerful.
Activity: Students need to be motivated by a variety of engaging and essential questions about the nature and methods of organized crime. Here are some examples for teachers to use:
- What were some of the methods that allowed organized crime to succeed despite the presence of police and our justice system?
- Who were some of the leaders of organized crime in the 1920s and what were they famous for?
- How did the 18th amendment’s prohibition of alcohol help fuel the growth of organized crime?
- How did the justice system attack organized crime?
- Why were immigrants so much involved in organized crime?
- Why did organized crime get so powerful in a decade of prosperity?
- Why were crime leaders often viewed as celebrities?
Click the 1920s icon and then the Crime topic.
By providing a variety of information and assigning students different essential questions, each report has the potential to provide a unique student perspective and helps to reduce the problem of plagiarism. Oral reports provide an opportunity for students to share perspectives, learn presentation skills, and also help to curb plagiarism.
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SIRS Discoverer®
Early Colonial Period & Revolutionary War
Grades 2-7
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Training & Educator Resources
| Free 30-Day Trial
The 225th anniversary of the Battle of Yorktown which effectively ended the Revolutionary War will be celebrated during October. The Siege of Yorktown (October 19, 1781) was a victory by a combined American and French force led by General George Washington, the Marquis de Lafayette, and the French General le Comte de Rochambeau over a British army commanded by General Lord Charles Cornwallis. The surrender of Cornwallis's army caused the British government to negotiate an end to the American Revolutionary War.
Activity: K-8 curriculum in Social Studies include the early Colonial Period and the Revolutionary War. This is an excellent time to stimulate student interest in learning more about the Battle of Yorktown and any others that led to the defeat of the British.
Assign a variety of topics and people that were involved with the Siege of Yorktown for students to research and report: General George Washington; Marquis de Lafayette; General le Comte de Rochambeau; General Lord Charles Cornwallis; Admiral de Grasse; Yorktown, Virginia; Treaty of Paris; Hessians; Battle of the Chesapeake; and Prime Minister Lord North as examples.
Each student should select two articles and summarize the most significant points in a “who, what, where, when, and why” format for a two-minute oral presentation. Oral presentations provide students valuable experience and develop confidence in presenting information and ideas to others. Oral reports can also help other students learn more about the overall topic.
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