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May 2005
Theme:
Science
Dear %%NAME%%,
Welcome to the premier issue of our ProQuest
Teachable Moments Newsletter. This free issue is designed to introduce you to our newest
email newsletter, which will officially launch later this summer. Don't miss an issue.
Update your account today and add ProQuest Teachable Moments to your monthly deliveries!
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Each month, readers will receive
hands-on activities and related ProQuest resources connected
to a timely theme or curriculum area. This issue focuses
on Science.
Have an idea or feedback concerning this new
offering? Send email to tim.mclain@il.proquest.com. We'd love
to hear from you!
CultureGrams
Garbage, Garbage Everywhere
Grades 3-6
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Did you know
that the United States is the world's leading producer
of... garbage? And by a wide margin with its nearest
competitor. Ask students to write out who they think are
the top five countries that produce the most waste.
Then, write this information from the latest
CultureGrams Environmental Data Table on the board. Were
they close?
Annual waste (Tons)
United States of America: 209,664,000
Japan: 55,706,000
Russia: 55,116,000
Germany: 40,759,000
Mexico: 32,267,000
Activity: Get students
involved in reducing the amount of trash their families
produce by researching answers to these central
questions: Draw a picture of your house and write three
ideas for each room about how you could reduce trash in
each one; write a list of the things in your yard and
identify the wasteful things you find and idea for
reducing waste; list five ideas for things you and your
family could change in your daily life to reduce the
amount of waste your create.
CultureGrams
subscribers can access concise, reliable, and up-to-date
country reports on more than 182 cultures of the world,
along with illuminating data tables that explore more
than a dozen topics. A multimedia demonstration of
CultureGrams is available.
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SIRS Researcher:
Leading Issues
Pollution
Grades 3-8
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Pollution is a broad term encompassing
all that makes the environment undesirable due to human
activities that contaminate it. The many types of
pollution include air, water, soil, noise, light and
atmospheric pollution. Vehicle exhaust, industrial waste
and radiation are among the top contaminators.
Viewpoint 1: Some people view pollution as a
governmental concern. They argue that the world's supply
of natural resources such as fresh water and arable land
will never be depleted and believe that technological
advances will find ways to clean pollutants out of the
environment.
Viewpoint 2: Others argue that most
pollutants cause irreversible damage to the environment,
which in turn compromises plant, animal and human life.
They believe that more action should be taken to educate
the public and to enforce anti-pollution laws.
Activity: Have students conduct searches to
determine 10 sources of pollution in the environment,
and provide one possible solution to cleaning it up.
Suggested keywords include pollution; air pollution;
water pollution; noise pollution; light pollution;
Environmental Protection Agency; and pollutants.
SIRS subscribers can access more information
about the top social issues of our day by accessing the
Leading Issues feature. A multimedia demonstration of
this feature is available.
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SIRS Decades
1920's: Technology and the Consumer Revolution
Grades 7-9
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After World War I, a strong economy and a boost in wages fostered the development of more consumer products. Many new labor-saving devices, such as electric washing machines, irons, vacuum cleaners and refrigerators, were introduced during the 1920s. Women took advantage of these new machines to ease housework. Home sewing all but disappeared, thanks to mass-produced clothing. The Sears and Roebuck catalogue found its way into many American homes.
Although mass-circulation magazines had entertained the public since the 1880s, electronic media began its first steps. On November 2, 1920 Americans heard the first commercially licensed radio broadcast from KDKA in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Soon radio became a family experience. Everyone would gather around the radio listening to news, comedy shows and music.
In an effort to differentiate their products from the competition and win customer attention, companies employed aggressive and sophisticated advertising. Since advertising was unregulated, there were no limitations on what marketers could claim a product would do for the buyer. American Tobacco Co. implied in its ads that Lucky Strike cigarettes were healthier for women than candy. Movie and sports stars were often used to help sell products. For those who could not afford the purchase price, buying on credit or the installment plan was introduced. Millions of Americans went into debt to pay for items that advertising promised would make them stronger, smarter, or happier.
Activity: Have students research examples of this kind of advertising from the time period. What impact do students think these early ads had on the American public? Do they think current rules to limit overzealous product claims are necessary or unnecessary, and why? What limits would students place on specific product advertising, and do they agree with current rules to ban advertising of certain products in specific media outlets?
SIRS Decades: 20th Century American Sources, is a new online resource containing Primary Source and reference content from the 20th century. Content is organized into curricular topics pertaining to American History, culture, and daily life of the time.
ProQuest subscribers can learn more about SIRS Decades by viewing a pair of multimedia demonstrations containing a basic overview
and tips for browsing the resource.
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SIRS Spotlight
Infectious Diseases
Grades 6-12
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SIRS SKS WebSelect's Spotlight on Infectious Diseases focuses on general public health
information about bacterial and viral infections and
provides further information about infectious diseases,
including HIV/AIDS, SARS, anthrax, smallpox, and the
West Nile virus. Learn more about these public health
issues through this sampling of Web sites featured on
SKS WebSelect.
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC)
Epidemic! The World of Infectious
Disease
HIV & AIDS
West Nile Virus
Smallpox
Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)
View more
Web sites from our current SIRS Spotlight of
the Month by logging on to SIRS Knowledge
Source.
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Reading A-Z
Introduction to Oceans
Grades K-2
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Kids love the ocean! In this activity,
designed for students in grades K-2, students will
develop an awareness of oceans through activities
featuring marine life (undersea and seashore) and
physical, geographical and environmental aspects of
oceans. Students will be able to use the term "globe"
and point to and name the five oceans.
Activity: If your
school is located at a distance from a coast, ask the
class if they've been to the ocean. Then ask, What is an
ocean? What do you know about the ocean? Consider all
answers, prompt if necessary. Ask, What would you like
to know about oceans? List these items on a sheet of
butcher paper displayed on the wall. Keep it there to
refer to throughout the unit.
ProQuest
subscribers can download the full lesson plan at Reading
A-Z's LearningPage.com site.
A collection of more than
two-dozen handouts, coloring pages, and reading-related
Ocean activities can also be found at the site.
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eLibrary
Standards-Based Activity
Animal Habitats
Grades K-2
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Children remember and learn more when
they are actively engaged. The act of doing or making is
powerful in getting kids not just to learn about
something and retain what they learned, but more
importantly to develop an excitement and intrigue for
learning. In this activity, students create a habitat
using a variety of materials as a way to learn about
animals and their habitats.
Activity: In this activity,
students will research a mammal, reptile, fish, insect
or bird on eLibrary and find out what kind of habitat it
lives in. Based on their research, students will work in
small groups to make a habitat using a variety of
collage materials.
Students will gather pictures
of animals by doing a search on eLibrary Elementary.
Have a different animal for each child. To search in
eLibrary:
1. Login to eLibrary
Elementary.
2. Start at the main search screen;
if you are not on the main search screen, click Search
at the top of the page.
3. Type the name of the
animal into the search box and press Start.
4.
Click the red picture icon at the top where the source
types are displayed. Pictures will be sorted first in
the list of documents.
5. Click on the picture
document link to view pictures or click the red picture
icon to the left of each document title.
6.
Children will view pictures and decide which animal they
want to study. Children will print out their animal and
write their names on the back of the pictures.
eLibrary subscribers can retrieve the full text
of this standards-based learning activity online.
ProQuest offers more than 40 hands-on activities that
make use of eLibrary at our K-12 Website.
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eLibrary Bookcarts
Einstein 2005
Grades 7-12
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The year 2005 marks be the centennial
anniversary of Einstein's revolutionary special theory
of relativity. Many of the inventions and discoveries
made since that time have been dependent on the theories
and equations that Einstein developed. The atomic and
hydrogen bombs have helped to defend us, and at the same
time, threaten us during the Cold War through today. The
principles of quantum mechanics and the study of
particles smaller than atoms have given scientists the
tools to create a whole new series of inventions such as
lasers that will improve the quality of life and enhance
our understanding of the universe and our place in it.
Activity: Today, many experiments are under way to
confirm, expand, or refute Einstein's theories. Many of
these experiments are made possible by the space program
and our new ability to put scientific devices on space
probes that can be launched outside the influence of the
earth's radiation, gravity, atmosphere, and magnetic
field. Many of these experiments have already begun and
will continue in 2005 and beyond. What will we learn and
how will that help to make life better in the future?
Research activities can focus on present and
future experiments that will challenge or confirm
Einstein's theories and what impact that may have on our
thinking and our world.
1. Pick an experiment
from a variety that will be listed in your research
results and summarize it--show the theory and how it
will be tested and what the possibilities are for the
knowledge that will be gained.
2. Also learn
more about Einstein as a person. Summarize what you
think were his most human characteristics and why?
Use a ProQuest BookCart to help students find a
variety of information about Einstein, his theories, and
his life. BookCarts ensure quality of information and
save valuable classroom and library time for teachers.
To copy this BookCart from the ProQuest collection:
Access the BookCart Admin tool through your eLibrary Teacher Edition. Type PQ BookCart
into the Author box, then enter Einstein Centennial
Celebration in the Title box. Click Search.
Click the Select box next to the title and then
click Copy. Click the back to (your local school site)
BookCarts. The Einstein BookCart has been added to your
local list and available for students when they click
BookCart and search the title.
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Cordially,
Your ProQuest K-12 Team
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