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Enclosed is this month's free newsletter for SIRS Knowledge Source® subscribers. This newsletter is designed to help teachers, librarians, and administrators stay informed about the latest changes to their SIRS subscription(s), while providing classroom resources and giving tips for using their ProQuest solutions in a variety of settings.
Check out our online archive to read past issues.
In this issue:
- What's New @ SIRS
- SIRS Decades: Classroom-Ready Primary Sources
- Professional Development Program
- Lesson Plans
- CultureGrams in Focus
- Top 3 Websites
- Get Credit: Free Training Opportunities
- Call for User Testimonials
- Email Service Information
WHAT'S NEW @ SIRS
Our product development team is constantly reviewing customer feedback and making changes to our learning resources to meet your needs. Several updates to our SIRS family of products were recently completed and we wanted to bring them to your
attention.
SIRS Knowledge Source Updates
Our SIRS team worked hard all summer, and is proud to announce the following updates to SKS:
- All Supreme Court cases in SIRS Government Reporter now have summaries.
- A new branch has been added in SIRS WebSelect. Click Culture, Language and Communication, then Foreign Language Dictionaries.
Free Podcast Training via iTunes
Don’t miss this month’s SIRS podcast, focusing on our popular That’s
Debatable feature!
As you know, we offer robust, Flash-authored training files for all of our K-12 solutions. (Be sure to view many of our newly revised offerings!)
Beginning this month, we're proud to roll out a series of monthly video podcasts, along with smaller versions of our larger training files – all playable via iTunes.
Download your free copy of iTunes today, and subscribe to our free podcasts with a click of your mouse.
Maps of the World Feature
Don’t miss our recently updated Maps of the World feature. More than 3,000 detailed, printable maps are available as an online reference almanac. The maps include all 50 United States, the provinces and territories of Canada, as well as nations and regions of the world including Europe, Persian Gulf, Czech Republic, the Baltics, and Times Zones of the World. It also includes U.S. Historical, World Historical, and Outline Maps.
Newest Articles & Graphics
Our editorial team updates SKS every day with new articles and resources. Here’s a short list of the timeliest and most topical articles added to your product this month. Publication dates may vary due to the editorial selection process.
Renaissance's Literary Corner
Don’t miss SIRS Renaissance's Literary Corner! You’ll find a curricular study of prominent authors in every major literary period and region, along with fresh author profiles. To connect, click the link to SIRS Renaissance on the main search page, and you’ll see a large Literary Corner link on the right side under Database
Features.
SIRS Leading Issues: This Month’s Top Picks
Our popular SIRS Leading Issues feature is dynamically updated daily with new content! New topics are added monthly along with "Your Top 10 Choices"--a list solely driven by end-user searches. Here's a list of some of the more commonly accessed topics by our subscribers:
- Emigration and immigration
- Marijuana
- Abortion
- Gangs
- Capital punishment
- Same-sex marriage
- Global warming
- Teenage pregnancy
- Child abuse
- Eating disorders
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LESSON PLANS
August is National Inventors Month. The inventions that promise to do more for education than any other technology are the computer and the Internet.
Combined, these inventions provide powerful tools for teachers to do what they’ve always tried to do, without the traditional obstacles that got in their way. These inventions are already revolutionizing education in many schools by providing previously unavailable learning and teaching resources, accessible at school or at home, even during the summer break or extended illnesses. These technologies provide information access, learning simulations, email for parent-student-teacher communication, online courses, and other applications that exemplify today’s revolution in learning.
Activity: Every research activity should include essential questions about the topic and its importance. These question help student search more productively through results lists for relevance. More important, they give motivation and purpose and require critical thinking and the use of multiple resources to answer them effectively. Here are some samples of essential questions, but teachers should create several others.
- In what ways have other schools implemented today’s educational technologies?
- Compare those ways with what’s happening or not happening in your own school.
- How is learning with technology different from traditional learning?
- Is learning with technology better or worse than traditional learning, and why?
- What will the school of the future look like, especially in terms of technology?
- How will the use of technology change the role of the teacher?
- Click the Topic Browse tab.
- Click Science under SIRS Researcher.
- Click Technology > Subject Index > Educational Technology.
- There are currently more than 40 resources for students to use. Select three!
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SIRS® DECADES: PRIMARY SOURCES IN YOUR CLASSROOM
The use of source documents offers students a direct glimpse into the past. But without context, these sources can confuse as often as illuminate. Our newest offering places these resources into a relevant framework that enriches both the content and student understanding of the material.
SIRS Decades features more than 5,000 hand-selected primary and secondary source articles highlighting key events, movements, people, and places in 20th-century America.
Each decade features an overview essay, which offers concise, relevant overviews. By reviewing the essay, students can understand the scope of the decade, the major groups or people concerned, key themes and influences, and important laws involved. Inline hyperlinks in the essay help students explore additional resources relevant to the essay’s themes.
These documents may include primary sources from the time period; present-day articles; entries from encyclopedias and almanacs; or government documents such as laws, pamphlets, or forms. In addition, the featured thumbnail image spotlights a high-impact graphic related to the major theme of the decade. Each decade also provides a list of related topics. By selecting a topic, students can access specific primary and secondary sources associated with the topic and further background essays that place the sources in context.
Here are direct links to several examples within SIRS Decades. To access the resources, first sign up for a free 30-day trial, then login, and click these links:
1920s
1940s
1960s
1990s
Find out more about SIRS Decades at our K-12 website.
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PROQUEST PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: SIRS & ELIBRARY
Our professional development training program is a complete package that delivers the key processes to ensure successful program implementation, and the content to support ongoing use and customization across the entire curriculum.
The CEU-eligible program provides educators with research-based technology integration strategies and tools for customizing instruction and assessment using our SIRS and eLibrary online learning solutions. Schools receive the materials they need to build professional development and instructional models that can maximize teacher efficiency and effectiveness, and improve student achievement.
Educators receive rubrics, assessments, activities, and content designed to spur students' information literacy skills, critical thinking, and reading and writing abilities, while increasing their own technology usage. Plus, our flexible model ensures that all instructional staff in a school or system will benefit from the lessons learned.
Our fresh support for our line of SIRS solutions will train your teachers to fuse four types of literacy using SIRS resources with state and national learning standards. Find out more about this new program today--just in time for your spring training dates!
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CULTUREGRAMS™ IN FOCUS
CultureGrams can help you broaden your students' understanding of the world and its peoples. Our World Edition includes 190+ country profiles, written for junior high students and older. CultureGrams also has a Kids Edition and a States Edition, geared for upper elementary students. These editions include kid-friendly profiles of 70+ countries and all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia.
CultureGrams goes beyond mere facts and figures to deliver an insider's perspective on daily life and culture, including the history, customs, and lifestyles of the world's people.
Country:
Liberia (New!)
- Capital: Monrovia
- Population: 3,482,211 (rank=130)
- Area, sq. mi.: 43,000 (rank=100)
- Area, sq. km.: 111,370
- Real GDP per capita: $900
- Adult literacy rate: 73% (male); 42% (female)
- Infant mortality rate: 129 per 1,000 births
- Life expectancy: 47 (male); 49 (female)
Did You Know?
- Freed U.S. slaves established coastal settlements in Liberia in the early 19th century.
- Traditional folk instruments include the tugbar (a percussion instrument), pli (a flute), and nonkpan (a horn).
- English is Liberia's official language but only a small minority speaks it as a first language.
Population
Sixteen indigenous ethnic groups comprise 97 percent of the population. The largest are the Kpelle (15 percent), Bassa (14 percent), and Gio (11 percent). Smaller groups are the Kru, Gbandi, Grebo, Mano, Vai, Lorma, Kisi, Gola, Krahn, Mende, Mandingo, Dei, and Belleh. Most of the population's remaining 3 percent consists of Liberia's two non-indigenous ethnic groups: Americo-Liberians (who descend from immigrants from the United States) and Congo People (who descend from immigrants from the Caribbean).
Religion
About 40 percent of Liberians are Christian. The largest denominations are Baptist, Roman Catholic, United Methodist, Lutheran, and Assemblies of God. Another 40 percent follow indigenous animist religions, which typically focus on the belief that spirits inhabit both living things and inanimate objects. The remaining 20 percent of the population is Muslim. Liberians who follow animist beliefs often incorporate elements from Christianity or Islam into their religious practices. Likewise, many Christians and Muslims still retain some traditional animist beliefs.
Personal Appearance
Most urban Liberians wear Western clothing. European and U.S. fashions are most popular. T-shirts, jeans, and sneakers are common attire for men, though some men (especially in rural areas) prefer the African boubou, which consists of a long, loose top and baggy trousers. In professional settings, men wear a suit and tie; women wear a blouse, skirt, and high heels. Hairstyles for urban women often include elaborate plaits and extensions. Typically, only urban women wear jeans or skirts. It is common for both urban and rural women to wear a lappa (a brightly colored, ankle-length wraparound dress that ties at the waist) with a blouse and a colorful headwrap (which often matches the lappa).
Family
In rural areas, it is common for the extended family--including parents, children, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins--to live together in a cluster of neighboring homes. Many rural families are polygamous; some men marry as many as three wives. Family members share most responsibilities. Women and girls take care of small children and the elderly, gather water and firewood, and prepare meals. Men and boys are responsible for home repairs and farm labor. Urban families live in nuclear units consisting of a husband, a wife, and children; both parents usually work outside the home.
To find out more about CultureGrams, connect to our website today.
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TOP 3 WEBSITES
Each month, our SKS WebSelect™ and Discoverer WebFind™ editorial teams scour the Internet for top-quality sites that help teachers teach and students learn. Although no Internet site can supplant a quality research database, these vetted resources offer unique resources that are sure to be of interest.
Capture the Moment: The Pulitzer Prize Photographs
Organization: Newseum
"View the first U.S. exhibition to bring together Pulitzer Prize-winning photographs from 1941--the first year a photograph was eligible for the award--to the present day." (NEWSEUM) Short biographies of the photographers are included.
Losing Louisiana
Organization: Zach Wise
This site offers compelling photographs and audio on the effects of hurricanes Rita and Katrina on Louisiana. In addition, visitors can listen to interviews with coastal restoration experts; learn about the history of the levees; and gain an understanding of subsidence, the sinking of the land along Louisiana's coast.
Paris, A Roman City
Organization: French Ministry of Culture and Communication
This spectacular site offers 3D reconstructions of ancient Paris--the Roman city of Lutetia--and its Gallo-Roman monuments. Visitors can learn about aspects of daily life of Roman Paris and take a tour of this marvelous city. There is also a section on archaeology in Paris.
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FREE TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
Our ProQuest product trainers are standing by to help you get the most out of your subscription--and learn more about our other digital learning resources! We offer a wide variety of online training sessions each month.
Plus, all attendees can easily obtain a Certificate of Attendance (right) for any of our online courses! The certificate documents the course name, amount of class time, date, and verifies attendance. You can use the certificate to document attendance in the class and submit it along with the additional documentation your school district requires to award you with continuing education credits.
Be sure to tell your trainer that you would like to receive a certificate via email at the start of each class. They’ll be glad to help!
You can download three ready-to-print versions of forthcoming training dates and times in PDF format.
Our training sessions cover after-school hours within several time zones. Best of all, there's no cost to participate. All you need is a computer with Internet access, a phone, and one hour.
Register for a K-12 course!
(Interested in Reading A-Z programs? Click here.)
You may also sign up for a timely enewsletter to receive training dates each month via email as soon as they're available.
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CALL FOR USER TESTIMONIALS
What features of your SIRS subscription do you and your students find the most useful? Have you recently used or are you planning to use SIRS as part of an assignment or student research project? How do you and other curriculum leaders in your institution use your ProQuest educational resources?
Share your experiences with peers working in schools across the country and around the world--through an upcoming Product News Bulletin! We're waiting to hear from you. Please send your ideas and stories to: tim.mclain@il.proquest.com
If we choose your submission, we'll contact you for additional information and permission to use your story in a future issue.
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FORWARD TO A COLLEAGUE + EMAIL SERVICE INFORMATION
Increase the usage of your digital learning resources! Our forward to a friend service makes it easy to instantly send this product bulletin--and all the great ideas and information it contains--to others in your subscribing institution with a click of your mouse.
Also, be sure to encourage them to sign up for our SIRS, CultureGrams, ProQuest, ProQuest Historical Newspapers, eLibrary, eLibrary Curriculum Edition, and additional enewsletters as appropriate.
To change your email address, sign up for additional newsletter titles, or modify your subscription settings, click here.
Cordially,
Your ProQuest K-12 Team
Your SIRS license agreement gives us permission to send you email about product upgrades, special offers, and new services. If you'd like to discontinue receiving these messages, you may unsubscribe. If you have any questions or are having difficulty, please send email to Tim McLain. Thanks for your interest in SIRS and ProQuest!
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