September 2006
                                Vol. 3, Issue 2

eLibrary®
eLibrary® Curriculum
Edition
SIRS® Researcher
SIRS® Decades
SIRS Discoverer®
eLibrary® Elementary
eLibrary® Science
BookCarts™ & QuizCarts™
ProQuest® Platinum
ProQuest®
Historical Newspapers
CultureGrams™
ExploreLearning®
Reading A-Z™
Email Service
Information
Themes: Constitution Day, The Seasons +

Dear %%NAME%%,

Welcome to this month's issue of ProQuest Teachable Moments. This issue focuses on a myriad of topics, including Constitution Day, the vernal equinox, National Preparedness 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
Constitution Day
Grades 6-12
Training & Educator Resources | Free 30-Day Trial

Constitution Day was first celebrated in 2005 on September 17, but this year it will be celebrated on Monday, September 18. Congress has mandated that teachers assign activities this day that teach students about the value and importance of our Constitution.

Activity: Debates are a great way to get students interested in giving their opinions on either side of a controversial issue. Today, one of those issues is Amendment IV, the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

This issue has increasingly been in the news because of President Bush's reliance on presidential powers to search phone calls and other media for possible terrorist activities as part of the Patriot Act. How far can a President go without a warrant to search and seize, or detain possible terrorists without trial or formal charge?

SIRS Leading Issues provides the unique learning resources to make this issue come alive for students, either through a debate or through a report/presentation that supports the pro or con view. Click Leading Issues > More Issues > Privacy, Right of, and find information that supports arguments for or against one of the following viewpoints:
Pro Privacy: Privacy rights advocates say government legislation such as the USA Patroit Act erodes citizens' rights to privacy. They also contend that technology such as camera phones, security surveillance, and webcams in daycare centers are collectively infiltrating our society and endangering the privacy rights of all individuals.

Con Privacy: Advocates of surveillance technologies argue a variety of reasons for their legitimacy. The USA Patriot Act, some claim, justifies surveillance for national security reasons; and reductions in crime rates have been cited as justification for video surveillance of public streets.
SIRS Leading Issues is more than a unique way of presenting controversial issues. It also provides the tools to create ways for students to research and express their original thoughts and reasoned opinions. These guides are specifically written to complement the unique format of Leading Issues and are not the generic versions available on most websites.
  1. Click Educator Resources link at the top.

  2. Scroll down to and open the following teacher and student guides:
          Guide to Writing a Research Paper
          Guide to Writing a Mini Research Paper - Student
          Guide to Writing a Mini Research Paper - Teacher
          Guide to Creating a Mini-Debate Outline - Student
          Guide to Creating a Mini-Debate Outline - Teacher
          Guide to Creating a PowerPoint Presentation - Student
Find out more about SIRS Researcher and SIRS Leading Issues at our K-12 website.

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ExploreLearning® Gizmos
The Seasons
Grades 6-12
Math & Science Solution Resources | Free 30-Day Trial

The end of summer and the first day of fall occur on September 23, known as the autumnal or vernal equinox. We have seasons because the rotation axis of the Earth is not perpendicular to its orbital plane, but makes an angle of about 23.44 degrees, the obliquity of the ecliptic; this axis keeps its orientation in inertial space.

As a result, for half a year (from around March 20 to September 23) the northern hemisphere tips toward the sun, reaching its maximum tippage around June 21, while for the other half-year the southern hemisphere is in this position, reaching its maximum around December 21. The two times when the Sun is overhead on the equator are called the equinoxes.

Also at that moment both the north pole and south pole of the Earth are just on the terminator, and therefore day and night are equally divided over the whole globe.

Activity: It's important to understand these Earth Science concepts, and Gizmos make it easier. After all, it was only 500 years ago that Copernicus, a Polish mathematician and amateur astronomer, defied the wisdom of his time (and risked the death penalty for heresy) by declaring that the Earth was not the center of the universe.

His formulation, putting the sun rather than the earth at the center of the universe, is considered one of the most important scientific hypotheses in history. It marked the starting point of modern astronomy and, in turn, of modern science, encouraging young astronomers, scientists, and scholars to take a more skeptical attitude toward established dogma.

Gizmos provide both support for visualizing concepts and activities that make learning fun and permanent:
  1. Click Browse Gizmos tab upper left corner.
  2. Click Grade 9-12 > Earth and space science.
  3. Click Earth, Moon, and Sun.
  4. The first four Gizmos apply to the study of the seasons, the Earth, moon, and sun.

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Reading A-Z™
The Constitution & Citizenship
Grades 4-10
Reading A-Z Resources | Free 30-Day Trial

September 17, 2005, marked the first Constitution and Citizenship Day. Each year on this day (9/18 this year) teachers create activities that help students understand and appreciate the Constitution and the role of government in their lives. The following list of RAZ books provides information on the role of government in the lives of students:

Caretakers; Community Helpers; Money, Money, Money; Getting Ready for School; Police Officers; Famous First Ladies; and Abraham Lincoln: From Log Cabin to the White House.

This would be an excellent time to have students read, complete worksheets, and discuss the role of government in their lives. Here are some discussion questions for teachers to use after the reading assignments:
  • Name at least six different services provided by national, state, and local governments.
  • How are these services the same, or different, at the different levels?
  • In what ways are state constitutions similar or different to the U.S. Constitution?
  • Who are some famous members of Congress, the Presidency, and the Supreme Court, and what did they do?
You can connect to each book by clicking the ALL BOOKS tab at www.readinga-z.com.

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eLibrary®
National Preparedness Month
Grades 6-12
Training & Educator Resources | Free 30-Day Trial

National Preparedness Month was launched in September 2004. It provides Americans with a variety of opportunities to learn about ways they can prepare for an emergency, get an emergency supply kit, establish a family communications plan, and become better aware of threats that may impact communities.

It will also provide them with several opportunities to volunteer to get first aid or CPR training. State and local governments, individual communities, private businesses, and nonprofit organizations will host events or promote preparedness steps around the country during September to encourage all Americans to prepare for emergencies in their homes, businesses, and schools.

Activity: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is part of the new Department of Homeland Security. These agencies have been criticized for lack of preparation, planning, and leadership, especially in the case of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. A study of what went wrong in the hurricane preparedness and FEMA response has led to many recommendations for the future.

Below are examples of essential questions to guide student research on this issue and ensure critical thinking and original thought. Teachers may want to add/substitute their own questions instead:
  • What are three major reasons why the hurricane damage was so severe?
  • What recommendations would you make to prevent excessive damage in the future?
  • What are three major factors in FEMA's mismanagement of the disaster response?
  • What recommendations do you have to prevent this in the future?
  • Should FEMA be independent or continue to be part of the Dept. of Homeland Security?
eLibrary model BookCarts provide immediate support for teachers who are motivated to assign mini-research assignments. Teachers can copy a BookCart to use for this activity by following the procedures below. BookCarts can save time in searching, save teachers time in verifying the authority and relevancy of student searches, and help focus students on specific objectives for the research. Done well, BookCarts become custom digital lesson plans. The FEMA-focused BookCart is ready for your students and so are 400 others for you to copy and use.
  1. Logon to the eLibrary Teacher Edition.
  2. Click BookCart Admin.
  3. Click the ProQuest Carts tab.
  4. Click the SS-Government folder.
  5. Search for the BookCart Hurricane Katrina and FEMA.
  6. Click the Copy icon under the Actions column.
  7. Return to your Local tab. Students can now access this BookCart.
  8. The BookCart will contain additional essential questions for you to assign.

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CultureGrams™
Contributions of Hispanic Americans
Grades 5-12
Training & Educator Resources | Free 30-Day Trial

September 15 marks the beginning of National Hispanic Heritage Month, when the culture and contributions of Hispanic Americans are recognized. This day marks the independence day of Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. Mexico's independence day is the next day, on September 16. Help students gain a better understanding of issues facing Mexico and the U.S. Hispanic community.

Begin by having students study the picture entitled "Hotels in Cancún" in the Mexico photo gallery from the CultureGrams Online World Edition.

Read the caption out loud and discuss the ways in which the United States takes advantage of and benefits from the cheap labor that Mexico provides.

Next, to give students an image of what life is like for many Mexicans, display the following pictures: "Boys Fishing," "Children Eating Tortillas," "Making Masa," "Making Tamales," "Schoolchildren," and "Rustic Stove." Discuss why Mexicans, like those from the pictures, might be attracted to work in U.S. factories on the Mexican border, even though they get paid much less than their U.S. American counterparts would for doing the same work.

Introduce NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) by reading the Economy section of the Mexico CultureGrams report as a class. Provide more details as you think necessary, outlining both the pros (increased jobs with higher-than-average wages for Mexicans, increased profits for U.S. companies, etc.) and the cons (U.S. jobs exported to Mexico, unsafe or unregulated working conditions in maquiladoras [manufacturing plants], underpaid Mexican workers, etc.).

Move the desks into a fishbowl formation (one small circle in the center of the room surrounded by a much larger one outside it). Ask for three or four volunteers to sit in the center. Fishbowl rules are: only the students in the center may speak; those on the outside circle must tap the shoulder of a student on the inside circle to trade places; and everyone must participate.

To motivate students to join in, place a candy bowl in the center of the inner circle or award points for participation. Students in the center begin their discussion by drawing from a bowl of questions you have already prepared on the economic, cultural, and ethical ramifications of the use of cheap Mexican labor in relation to NAFTA and immigration (illegal or otherwise). When the discussion dies down, students simply pick another question from the bowl and continue.

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BookCarts™ & QuizCarts™
Professional Development
Grades: K-12
Training & Educator Resources | Free 30-Day Trial

Did you know that teachers can use BookCarts for professional development and in-service activities?

Most teachers and librarians assume that BookCarts are intended for student research activities and reading assignments. Department chairpersons can create BookCarts with articles and websites that help teachers stay current. They can focus on current educational issues and use more than 100 education magazines and journal to select appropriate resources. Or they can create resources that help teachers stay current in their subject area.

This is particularly valuable in Science because of the constant and dramatic changes that take place every day. Textbook-only teaching in Science is not recommended when the typical science textbook is usually five years old.

Activity: To review the ProQuest Professional Development BookCart collection, use the following procedures:
  1. Logon to eLibrary or eLibrary Curriculum Edition.
  2. Access the eLibrary or eLibrary CE Teacher Edition.
  3. Click the BookCart Admin link.
  4. Click the ProQuest Carts tab.
  5. Click the Professional Development folder.
  6. Copy any BookCarts to your local collection using the Copy icon under Actions.

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eLibrary® Science
Telescopes & Cosmic Discoveries
Grades 6-12
Training & Educator Resources | Free 30-Day Trial

The planet Neptune was discovered 160 years ago, in September of 1846. Much has changed since those days of crude telescopes and fragmentary knowledge about planets, galaxies, and stars. A whole new cosmos has been observed, detected, speculated about, and mapped. With the launching of satellite telescopes such as the Hubble, our grasp of the cosmos has expanded to the edges of the universe.

Activity: Telescopes are no longer limited to measuring only visible light, like those in use from Galileo's time through the 20th century. Students will be motivated to research the cutting-edge telescopes in use today. They'll also want to know about other types of information-gathering instruments used in space probes. This modern technology has helped astronomers make amazing discoveries in recent years, including a new planet. For a creative project, have students list the new cosmic discoveries since the turn of the millennium, provide photos, and describe the technology that accomplished this.

Teachers can copy a new ProQuest BookCart (Telescopes and Cosmic Discoveries) from the eLibrary Science model BookCart collection. BookCarts can save time in searching, save teachers time in verifying the authority and relevancy of student searches, and focus students on specific objectives for the research. BookCarts can help meet the demands of AP, IB, and Honors courses in science and mainstream courses as well by using the Lexile reading scores of articles selected for BookCarts. Done well, BookCarts become custom digital lesson plans.
  1. Logon to eLibrary Science Teacher Edition.
  2. Click BookCart Admin.
  3. Click the ProQuest Carts tab.
  4. Click the Science—Earth/Space folder.
  5. Search for the BookCart Telescopes and Cosmic Discoveries.
  6. Click the Copy icon under the Actions column.
  7. Return to your Local tab. Students can now access this BookCart.

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ProQuest® Historical Newspapers
The Supreme Court
Grades 6-12
Training & Educator Resources | Free 30-Day Trial

Schools celebrated Constitution and Citizenship Day for the first time last year on September 17. This year's celebration is scheduled for Monday, September 18. Congress has mandated that teachers create lessons and activities that help all students better understand the freedoms guaranteed them under the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and the subsequent amendments that enable the Constitution to grow with the needs of the country and its people.

Activity: The Supreme Court is charged with interpreting the Constitution. The Supreme Court's decisions have varied remarkably over time, especially on civil rights. Here are some examples from different eras:
1. Click the Topics tab.
2. Click Progressive Era (c. 1880 - 1900) > Supreme Court and Progressivism.
3. Click African-American Civil Rights Movement (c. 1950 - 1970) > Brown v. Board of Education.
4. Why did the Supreme Court rule differently in Brown v. Board of Education and Plessy v. Ferguson?

5. Click The Great Depression (c. 1928 - 1939) > Supreme Court and the New Deal.
6. What were the arguments to the Supreme Court for and against the New Deal?

7. Click Turbulent '60s (c. 1960 - 1969) > The Warren Court.
8. How did the Warren Court affect civil rights?

9. Click The Seventies (c. 1970 - 1979) > Roe v. Wade.
10. Why did the Supreme Court rule in favor of abortion?

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eLibrary® Curriculum Edition
The Great Compromise
Grades 7-10
Training & Educator Resources | Free 30-Day Trial

September 17 is Constitution Day. Congress has mandated that schools use this day and/or others to teach about the importance of the unique U.S. Constitution. This is the second year of this mandate, and this year the celebration will occur on Monday, September 18.

The most important document in the United States is the Constitution. It consists of seven parts (known as "articles"), the Bill of Rights, and the Amendments. It's the fundamental written law of the land, and the plan that created the framework of American government (i.e. federal and state government).

It created the powers and responsibilities of its three branches, lists them, and describes the connections between the people and the government (as in the Bill of Rights). It was crafted by the founders at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 to replace the Articles of Confederation. Although it contains specific information, it was also written in a general way so it would endure over the ages and allow for future technologies and social advances. Because of these generalities, it must often be "interpreted" by the Supreme Court before it can be applied to today's situations.

History Study Center Activity: Studying the Constitution gives students an appreciation of the guarantees of individual freedoms in our democracy, especially at a time when the War on Terrorism provides a powerful incentive to abridge some of those freedoms.

Click the following sequence to access these resources: History Study Center > American history > Browse Topic Tree > The United States of America, 1776-1865 > The United States Constitution and the Republic, 1776-1800.

Engaging questions than integrate critical thinking help motivate students to do mini-research activities. Here are some examples and you can create others:
  • How can the Constitution be changed, and should it be?
  • Why is the American Constitution called the "Great Compromise"?
  • How are the Articles of Confederation different from the Constitution?
  • What were the basic principles integrated in the Constitution?
ProQuest Learning Literature Activity: Several of the American leaders who helped write the Constitution were also authors: Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and Thomas Paine, among others.

Use the Author search to find information about each of these authors. Teachers should always create essential questions for each research activity or lead student brainstorming to create them. Essential questions guide the research process and ensure that critical thinking skills are used to generate original thought and conclusions. Here are some examples of essential questions that teachers can use, either as is or as models for their own questions:
  • What was the theme of the works of each of these authors?
  • What literary techniques did they use to communicatetheir ideas?
  • Which of these authors is most important and why?
  • How does the work of these authors influence us today?

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ProQuest® Platinum
FEMA: Learning From The Past
Grades 6-12
Training & Educator Resources | Free 30-Day Trial

National Preparedness Month was launched in September 2004. It provides Americans with a variety of opportunities to learn more about ways they can prepare for an emergency, get an emergency supply kit, establish a family communications plan, and become better aware of threats that may impact their communities.

Activity: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is part of the new Department of Homeland Security. These agencies have been criticized for lack of preparation, planning, and leadership, especially in the case of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. A study of what went wrong in hurricane preparedness and FEMA's response has led to many recommendations for the future.

Below are examples of essential questions to guide student research on this issue and ensure critical thinking and original thought. Teachers may want to add/substitute their own questions instead:
  • What are three major reasons why the hurricane damage was so severe?
  • What recommendations would you have to prevent excessive damage in the future?
  • What are three major factors in FEMA's mismanagement of the disaster response?
  • What recommendations do you have to prevent this in the future?
  • Should FEMA be independent or continue to be part of Homeland Security?
  1. Click the Topics tab.
  2. Type FEMA in the Search box and click Find Term.
  3. Select four articles from the topics listed.

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SIRS® Decades
Women's Suffrage
Grades 7-12
Training & Educator Resources | Free 30-Day Trial

Women's right to vote was granted by the 19th Amendment to the Constitution on August 18, 1920. Studying the arguments against the amendment and its eventual impact on the history and culture of the U. S. is an engaging research activity that helps students celebrate Constitution Day on Monday, September 18 (officially the date is the 17th).

Interestingly, women's suffrage (or right to vote) was first granted at the state level, when Wyoming gave women the franchise 1869. By 1912, eleven states, mostly in the West, also gave women the vote, spurring and supporting the national suffrage movement.

Activity: You'll find the information and resources needed to create answers to these essential and engaging questions in SIR Decades. Click "1910" > Activism and Women's Suffrage.

Engaging questions that integrate critical thinking motivate and ensure that real learning takes place. Research assignments without essential questions lead to one-source copy and paste reports that rewrite encyclopedia articles. Here are some essential questions teachers can use to stretch students' minds:
  • What were some of the arguments against the passage of the Women's Suffrage Amendment?
  • Did any of these predictions come true after women got the vote?
  • Cite some ways that the opinions of women. expressed via the ballot box, brought positive change to the country.
  • Did any women's issues yield negative results?
  • Who were the leaders of the women's suffrage movement and how did they influence the passage of the 19th Amendment?

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SIRS Discoverer®
Meet Our Founding Fathers
Grades 2-7
Training & Educator Resources | Free 30-Day Trial

National Constitution and Citizenship day will be celebrated for the second time in schools throughout the U. S. on September 18. This ongoing annual celebration was mandated by Congress to remind students of the unique freedoms guaranteed to all citizens by the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and a series of amendments made over time.

Activity: Here are some sample questions that students should use in preparing their oral reports and map. Teachers may choose to add or substitute other questions:
  • Who were the "founding fathers" of the Constitution? What were their professions?
  • What were their talents that caused them to be selected for this historic effort?
  • What states did they come from (show map)?
  • What were the goals to be achieved by the Constitution?
Here is a list of these men by state. Students should be assigned a state and two of the signers from this list of 40. Find out more about these men by answering the questions above. Print a map of the original colonies and write the names of each signer in the appropriate state.
Johnson, William Samuel, CT
Brearley, David, NJ
Sherman, Roger, CT
Dayton, Jonathan, NJ
Bedford, Gunning, Jr., DE
Livingston, William, NJ
Broom, Jacob, DE
Paterson, William, NJ
Dickinson, John, DE
Hamilton, Alexander, NY
Read, George, DE
Clymer, George, PA
Bassett, Richard, DE
FitzSimons, Thomas, PA
Baldwin, Abraham, GA
Franklin, Benjamin, PA
Few, William, GA
Ingersoll, Jared, PA
Gorham, Nathaniel, MA
Mifflin, Thomas, PA
King, Rufus, MA
Morris, Gouverneur, PA
Carroll, Daniel, MD
Morris, Robert, PA
Jenifer, Daniel MD
Wilson, James, PA
McHenry, James, MD
Butler, Pierce, SC
Blount, William, NC
Pinckney, Chas, SC
Spaight, Richard Dobbs, NC
Rutledge, John, SC
Williamson, Hugh, NC
Blair, John, VA
Gilman, Nicholas, NH
Madison, James, VA
Langdon, John, NH
Washington, George, VA
  1. Use the Natural Language/Keyword search. Type the name of the signer and his state (example: Daniel Carroll of Maryland).

  2. Click on Maps of the World > Type United States in the Search box > Click 1790: United States Territorial Growth > Print the map.
This activity works equally well with an eLibrary Elementary subscription.

Use the Natural Language Search option and type the name of the signer and the state in the search box (example: Daniel Carroll of Maryland).

Select the Maps icon and type United States in the Search box.

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