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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 subscriptions, 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
- Professional Development Program
- Building Young Readers
- Vocabulary Lesson Generator
- Applied Learning
- CultureGrams in Focus
- Top 3 Websites
- Free Online Training
- 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.
New Training & Support Resources
As you may know, ProQuest is home to a group of dedicated road warriors (also known as trainers) who are constantly on the move, bringing hands-on information about our popular solutions to schools across the U.S., Canada, and beyond.
At every stop, the team collects feedback about our K-12 website. What do staffers like about the site? Is ProQuest offering the right mix of training documents and presentations? What could we change to make it more useful and effective?
Recently, the volumes of feedback we've received since September has resulted in the launch of an all-new Training & Support page. The page now fits in most browsers without the need to scroll down, and contains all the links you've come to rely on, presented in a clearer, multi-button format. Check it out today--and thanks for helping us make our website more useful for schools around the world!
We also recently launched new versions of existing training and product information resources, including:
ExploreLearning.com: Codie Finalist X 3
We're proud to announce that ExploreLearning.com is a finalist in the Software and Information Industry Association's (SIIA) 21st annual Codie Awards!
ExploreLearning is a Finalist in three categories, including:
Best Instructional Solution: Web-based or Online
Best Instructional Solution: Science
Best Instructional Solution: Mathematics
"ProQuest is honored to be selected as a finalist for these three Codie awards," said John Campbell, Senior Vice President of K-12, ProQuest Information and Learning. "This honor reflects our commitment to providing quality materials that support math and science curricula. We are proud that our peers have recognized ExploreLearning as a product that consistently supports student achievement in these critical areas."
With the objective of helping learners make sense of complex scientific and mathematical principles, ExploreLearning offers interactive online simulations that drive conceptual understanding of math and science in grades 6-12. ExploreLearning helps students build lasting knowledge of mathematical and scientific principles through hands-on exploration. Its growing base of inquiry-based learning materials provides a powerful enhancement to the way teachers teach and students learn.
Read the full press release online.
SIRS Government Reporter: Historic Documents
All Historic Documents now have summaries included. On the Government Reporter main page under Database Features, click Historic Documents. Once you click into the full text of a document click on the Summary Icon to view the summary.
SIRS Interactive Citizenship: Graphics Update
In an effort to provide the most current and accurate information, Interactive Citizenship has added a photo of new Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke to Chapter 11: Money and Banking of the What Citizens Need to Know About Economics content set. This graphic replaces an outdated photo of longtime Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan. Related articles, below the chapter text, include biographies of both Bernanke and Greenspan and analysis of how Fed policies may change under the new leadership.
That's Debatable! Poll
Check out the That's Debatable! online poll. This feature allows users to vote on a timely topic, connecting students to major issues of the day. Students can voice their opinion and view the results of others. Additionally, users can link to related articles for more information, thereby becoming vested in the research 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, including Edna St. Vincent Millay. 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.
Subject Tree Updates
At SIRS we're continually reviewing the Subject Trees to provide a more comprehensive search function that reflects the carefully selected content available in the database. New Subject Tree additions for Renaissance include: Under LITERATURE, a new branch for Historical Fiction has been added. Under ARCHITECURE & DESIGN, a new branch for Green Architecture has been added.
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.
SIRS Leading Issues: This Month's Top 10
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:
Marijuana
Capital punishment
Gangs
Abortion
Teenage pregnancy
Child abuse
Cloning
Same-sex marriage
Eating disorders
Censorship
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PROQUEST LEARNING PAGE: BUILDING YOUNG READERS
Learning Page is celebrating March with special activities in honor of this month's events--St. Patrick's Day, National Nutrition Month, and the beginning of spring. You won't want to miss:
- Clover counting
- Themed sorting activities
- The ABCs of spring
- A St. Patrick's Day word search
- A creative writing exercise
- And more!
You'll also find three great printable books in this month's
Spring-Fun activities:
It Is Spring, a celebration of things that come with springtime
Foods Around the World, a culinary trip around the world
Tommy Goes to Ireland, an adventurous tale of rainbows, leprechauns, and missing treasure
Next month, Learning Page will celebrate "Amazing April" with an assortment of activities related to National Poetry Month, life cycles, baby animals, Earth Day, and Arbor Day.
All of the thousands of resources at Learning Page are free! If you aren't already a member, register today for access to all the materials at Learning Page. It's quick and easy!
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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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APPLIED LEARNING
March has a variety of themes. One timely theme is Ethics Awareness. Over the last few years, many new stories have featured ethics abuses both in business and in government. The public is looking for new leaders who have the courage to legislate new rules that will encourage ethical behavior in business and in government.
Activity: Teachers can create a variety of assignments that deal with ethics abuse and ethics reform. Assign students either a business ethics abuse or a government ethics abuse. Students should select a specific example of an ethics violation from the results list:
- Type business ethics in the Subject Heading box.
- Click the Business Ethics link OR type political ethics in the Subject Heading box.
- Click the Political Ethics link.
Teachers should assign Essential Questions to ensure students are using critical thinking skills and not just copy/paste summaries. Here are some examples of essential questions that teachers can assign.
- Why do we need ethical behavior in business and government?
- How can business people or government officials be unethical without breaking laws?
- What would you recommend to prevent this type of abuse in the future?
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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 187 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 68 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:
France
- Capital City: Paris
- Population: 60,424,213
- Area: 211,208 square miles (547,030 sq km)
- Real GDP per capita: $26,920
- Adult literacy rate: 99% (male), 99% (female)
- Infant mortality: 4 per 1,000 births
- Life expectancy: 75 (male), 83 (female)
Did You Know?
- Pets outnumber children in France.
- When eating a meal in France, it is impolite to put your hands in your lap.
- The Eiffel Tower was built in 1889 to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the French Revolution. It is 1,063 feet (324 m) high and is painted about every seven years. It takes a team of 25 painters 60 tons of paint and more than a year to complete the task.
Language
French is an important international language. It's an official language of the United Nations and is second only to English in use between nations for communication, business, and diplomacy. The French government has stressed the language so much that almost everyone in France speaks French, despite the different nationalities represented. Even regional dialects have lost their importance in recent years.
Greetings
Shaking hands upon greeting and parting is customary in France. An aggressive handshake is considered impolite. The French handshake is a light grip and a single, quick shake. Generally, a woman does not offer her hand to a man but waits for him to initiate the greeting. Coworkers shake hands upon arriving and departing from work each day. Women customarily are kissed on both cheeks by male and female friends. Men only kiss the cheeks of males who are relatives or close friends. When people give kisses, they generally just touch cheeks and "kiss the air." The number of kisses given varies by region and ranges from two to four.
Diet
The French consider cooking an art, and French cuisine is famous worldwide. The first French cookbooks date back to the Middle Ages, and French standards were the early gauge of fine cooking. Regional traditions are strong. There are several types of cooking, ranging from hearty, inexpensive fare to sophisticated dishes with costly ingredients. Nouvelle cuisine, created in the 1960s, was a reaction to heavy cooking. While still made of expensive ingredients, it is much lighter, portions are smaller, and the presentation is more artistic.
Recreation
The French are enthusiastic spectators, but fewer participate in team sports than might be expected. Soccer and rugby are popular spectator sports. Participation is highest in individual sports: cycling, fishing, tennis, hiking, skiing, and sailing. The annual Tour de France cycling race and the French Open tennis tournament are popular national events. Most people take five weeks of paid vacation each year--four weeks in the summer and one week at Christmas. During August, when many people travel, some shops and factories close.
To find out more about CultureGrams, connect to our website today.
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VOCABULARY LESSON GENERATOR
Finally, educators can generate customized vocabulary lessons with VocabularyA-Z.com, a new website from ProQuest LearningPage. Now you can meet all your classroom vocabulary needs with one great resource!
- Build thousands of customized vocabulary lessons
- Match the subjects you're teaching--science, social studies, arts, health, language, sports, music, and more
- Build lessons to provide materials for a full week of learning
- Get vocabulary lesson plans, assessments, graphic organizers, worksheets, activities, games, and assessments.
- Access the materials from any computer, anytime
- All for an introductory price of less than $30 a year per teacher
Try out Vocabulary A-Z for free, and take advantage of great introductory pricing!
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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.
Career Voyages
Organization: U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) &
U.S. Department of Education (DOE)
This site "is designed to provide information on high-growth, high-demand occupations along with the skills and education needed to attain those jobs... Start exploring career options--whether you are in high school, have graduated, have a vocational certificate, have a 2-year or 4-year college degree, or have knowledge and skills acquired through training centers, on-the-job training, or work experience. Be in demand by knowing about high growth jobs with better wages and a brighter future." (DOL) Learn about occupations in a variety of industries. Tips and tools for career planning are included.
Drop Me Off In Harlem
Organization: John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
"Discover the themes and works that emerged when creative and intellectual voices intersected during the Harlem Renaissance." (JOHN F. KENNEDY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS) Explore the people, places, and themes of the Harlem Renaissance and how they intersected through this multimedia site. Watch Earl Tucker dance, listen to Langston Hughes read a piece of poetry, listen to Fats Waller perform, and more.
Inventing Modern America
Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
"Inventing Modern America: From the Microwave to the Mouse celebrates the best of American ingenuity and inventiveness. In-depth profiles of...inventors tell the often surprising stories of the creation of everyday objects, from Kevlar and the personal computer to the pacemaker. This site explores the life and work of five of these intriguing innovators." (MIT)
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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.
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 course!
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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