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Enclosed is this month's free newsletter for SIRS Discoverer® and SIRS® Discoverer WebFind subscribers. This newsletter is designed to help teachers, librarians, and administrators stay informed about the latest changes to their subscription(s), while providing classroom resources and giving tips for using their ProQuest solutions in a variety of settings.
Check out our online archive for access to past issues.
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 Discoverer: Safe, Educational Sites in 2007
In a few short weeks, SIRS Discoverer will include SIRS Discoverer WebFind as a new content set.
This collection of more than 5,000 educational weblinks delivers high-interest Web content, with guaranteed reliability and online safety. Every day, our editorial team evaluates dozens of new websites spanning the globe.
Following SIRS’ time-tested techniques for vetting and organizing information, each site is carefully selected for its relevance, credibility, appropriateness, and reliability before it’s added to our collections.
How reliable are the links? In a word, very. Special software monitors website content changes throughout the day. When a change is detected, the site is removed until it’s personally reviewed by our staff to ensure compliance to our rigorous standards. Plus, our editorial process ensures that sites are educational in nature, non-commercial, and free from overt advertising.
Organization by SIRS Discoverer topics, keyword search, standards correlations, reading levels, and website summaries make Discoverer the safe and easy choice for kids online.
Find out more about this new addition to your subscription at our K-12 website.
Charts & Graphs Feature
Did you know that Discoverer offers charts and graph activities, geared for the younger researcher?
Students can learn how to read and decipher charts and graphs. Visit our new Activities category in the Database Features, “charts & graphs.”
Political Cartoons in Discoverer
Discoverer now offers political cartoons geared for the younger researcher, from noteworthy sources including Junior Scholastic, Scholastic News, New York Times Upfront and Current Events.
Students can learn how to read and decipher political cartoons, as well as understand the writing devices employed in them (satire, irony, metaphor, etc.). In a hurry? The quickest route to all of our political cartoons is Database Features, Activities, Editorial Cartoons.
Here's just a few timely examples to get you started:
Map Activities in Discoverer
Travel -- with Discoverer! We provide map activities geared for the younger researcher, from noteworthy sources including Scholastic News, Junior Scholastic, and Current Events.
With these new resources, your young students will learn how to read and decipher varied types of maps, and answer discussion questions based on their observations.
Visit a sampling of the following articles to learn more:
Current Events
Our editorial team updates our SIRS products 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.
SIRS Monthly Podcast
Don’t miss this month’s SIRS podcast, focusing on Student Bibliographies: Supreme Court Decisions: SIRS Guilty of Full Coverage.
The U.S. Supreme Court is the real “decider” in U.S. case law. There’s no higher court in the land – and the nine sitting judges on the court make decisions that impact everything from personal freedoms to separation of powers and everything in between.
This month, we’re proud to say that your SIRS Knowledge Source subscription is guilty – guilty of offering many vectors of access to everything you and your students ever wanted to know about the U.S. Supreme Court. Welcome to this month’s SIRS podcast from ProQuest.
To begin, access your SIRS Knowledge Source subscription, and click the SIRS Government Reporter link. (Hear the rest via iTunes!)
Download your copy of iTunes today, and subscribe to our free podcasts with a click of your mouse.
Don’t Miss a Single Teachable Moment:
Free Curriculum & Lesson Plans
On the first of each month, our curriculum specialists deliver a powerful tool to thousands of K-12 teachers worldwide. And best of all, you can sign up to get this free, hands-on and classroom-ready content today at ProQuest.
Our monthly Teachable Moments email newsletter (December issue here) offers a treasure trove of innovative student activities that take full advantage of our complete line of K-12 learning solutions. Most can be easily augmented to fit into any classroom curriculum.
Sign up for Teachable Moments today using the box below, then browse our inventory of back issues. Consider it your own personal teachable moment with a professional development theme!
Suggested Research Topics
Tens of thousands of students mine SIRS resources for the latest information on the leading issues of the day. To provide the most pertinent and safe content, SIRS Editors carefully research topics and issues each day to find age-appropriate materials that bring students to a better understanding of the topics taught in schools and classrooms across the U.S. and Canada.
Be sure to take a peek at some of SIRS Discoverer’s most searched topics and issues over the past 60 days, including:
Thanksgiving
Respiratory System
Dogs
Global Warming
Cats
Hurricane
Pluto
Jamestown
Germany
Ancient Egypt
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DISCOVERER CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
National Chocolate Day is December 29th. "Strength is the capacity to break a chocolate bar into four pieces with your bare hands-- and then eat just one of the pieces." says Judith Viorst, an American author, perhaps best known for her children's literature.
Chocolate is made from the seeds of the tropical cacao tree, theobroma cacao, which means "food of the gods." Cacao grows 15-20 feet tall with fruits shaped like pods. Each pod holds about 20-50 beans.
The first known cacao plantations were established in South America's Yucatan by the Mayans in 600 A.D. According to Aztec Indian legend, the cacao tree came from Paradise and eating its fruit gave man wisdom and power.
It is believed that in 1502, Christopher Columbus brought back cacao beans to King Ferdinand from the New World. The first chocolate bar was made in 1828 when Conrad Van Houten, a Dutch chemist, invented a cocoa press that mixed cocoa butter with finely ground sugar.
Chocolate can be good for you in small doses. Research has shown that the cocoa-based confection, which contains chemicals called flavanols, can improve blood flow and reduce blood pressure. Flavanols are found in apples, red wine, and green tea.
Studies also showed that chocolate contains phenyl ethylamine, the same chemical that your brain produces when you fall in love. So, indulge!
Activity: Students will enjoy researching and sharing information about especially in preparation for holidays. Oral reports of about two minutes give students and opportunity to share their new knowledge and also to develop essential language arts skills. Select and assign each student a specific subject to research from the list below.
- Click Subject Headings search option.
- Type chocolate in the Search box.
- A list of the following subject headings will be included in the Results list:
Candy, Chocolate (See: Chocolate candy)
Chocolate
Chocolate candy
Chocolate chip cookies
Chocolate industry
Chocolate processing
Chocolate, History
Chocolate, Physiological effect
Chocolate-tree (See: Cacao)
Hot chocolate
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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.
State:
Washington
Did You Know?
- Mount St. Helens is the only volcano in the continental United States to erupt in recent history. The 1980 eruption devastated an area of 250 square miles (400 sq km).
- One of the world’s largest totem poles is in Tacoma. It is 105 feet (32 m) high.
- The Space Needle in Seattle, built for the 1962 World’s Fair, attracts more than a million visitors each year.
Geography
Washington is the 18th largest state in the United States, at about 71,303 square miles (184,674 sq km). Much of Washington is mountainous. The Olympic Mountains lie in the northwest, the Cascade Mountains are in the center, and the Rocky Mountains are in the northeast. Some of these mountains used to be active volcanoes. Between the Olympic and Cascade mountains is the Puget Sound lowland. Because the Sound is connected to the Pacific Ocean, it became an important area for shipping and commerce. Olympia, the state capital, and Seattle are both located on the Puget Sound. The Columbia Plateau covers most of eastern Washington. Dry plains and rolling hills make up this region.
Early Inhabitants
Before Europeans arrived in the area now known as Washington, Native American tribes lived there for thousands of years. These natives lived very different lifestyles depending on whether they were west or east of the Cascade Mountains. The tribes on the coast (Quileute, Quinault, Chinook, etc.) enjoyed a milder climate and had plenty of food. They gathered fruits and nuts, and they caught salmon and other fish. Many lived in houses made of cedar. The tribes on the east side of the Cascades (Okanogan, Spokane, Wenatchee, Yakima, etc.) faced more difficult conditions. The climate tended to be drier and more extreme. These people lived in portable houses made of logs and woven grass, and they moved from place to place depending on the weather and the food supply. Once a year, the coastal and inland tribes met on the Columbia River to exchange goods, dance, and feast.
Mount Saint Helens
In May 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted in Washington, blasting more than 1,300 feet (400 m) off the mountaintop (the mountain went from being the state’s fifth highest peak to the thirteenth highest) and sending volcanic ash across the state. Some towns were covered with as much as 7 inches (18 cm) of ash. The disaster killed 57 people and thousands of animals. It also caused billions of dollars of damage to property, crops, and livestock. In 1983, Mount St. Helens became a national monument.
To find out more about CultureGrams, connect to our website today.
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EXPLORE OUR WORLD WITH CULTUREGRAMS
As world events increasingly affect all our lives, it’s more important than ever to educate students about the world around them. CultureGrams and World Conflicts Today show students how the world’s peoples live... and what’s behind the major conflicts they face.
CultureGrams concise, reliable, and up-to-date information delivers a true insider’s perspective on daily life and culture of the world’s people. Explore 190 country reports that include 25 cultural categories, maps, images, bios, glossaries, statistics, and five local recipes per country.
World Conflicts Today provides new ways to understand the high-profile conflicts currently engulfing many of the world’s nations. Unbiased overviews of the history, background, obstacles, and implications analyze each conflict, alongside primary and secondary sources, interactive maps, slide shows, and other multimedia.
Conflicts include Afghanistan, Basque Country, Chechnya, Colombia, Darfur, Iraq, Jammu & Kashmir, Korean Peninsula, Northern Ireland, and the Palestinian Territories.
Together you get more than facts and figures; you give students unbiased cultural and social insights they won’t find in any textbook, website, or encyclopedia.
Try both today, free for 30 days.
You can save 20% off World Conflicts with purchase of both* by 12/31/06.
And, with district purchases you may be eligible for up to 40% off CultureGrams!
* Existing CultureGrams Online subscribers are eligible
You’ll see why School Library Journal recommends CultureGrams for, “History, geography, foreign language, ESL, and current events teachers…[for] discussions, debates, presentations, research papers, reports, and reading and writing exercises.”
For more information, contact ProQuest toll-free at 1.800.521.0600, or by email at PQSales@il.proquest.com.
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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.
Biodiversity Interactive
Organization: Field Museum
"Did you know that the Field Museum is home to 170 resident scientists who work in more than 75 countries internationally? These globe-trotting men and women comb the planet documenting biodiversity and developing ways to protect it. Travel around the world with the Field Museum researchers as they explore our web of life." (FIELD MUSEUM)
Pyramid Challenge
Organization: British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
"Journey back four and a half thousand years to Egypt's Old Kingdom, to the Pyramid Age. As the vizier, or head of state, you are about to undertake the most important project of your career--the building of the king's pyramid. To succeed in this task, you must be a good all-rounder. Not only should you be able to motivate your workforce, but you must have good observational skills and the ability to steer a barge up the Nile, avoiding hippos and crocodiles. Have you got what it takes to be a pyramid builder?" (BBC)
Want to Read Something Gross?
Organization: The Nemours Foundation
"What's earwax? Why do I have a belly button? What's a burp? You asked and we answered! Check out the answers to all your health questions." (THE NEMOURS FOUNDATION) Visitors to this site can also find out the meanings of expressions such as "Sick as a Dog" or "By the Skin of Your Teeth."
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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 SIRS or additional ProQuest solution course today!
(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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