%%NAME%%,
Enclosed is this month's free newsletter for ProQuest® Platinum 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.
Don't miss our online archive for access to past issues, and to make changes to your newsletter options.
PROQUEST EDUCATION SOLUTION UPDATES
Our product development team is constantly reviewing customer feedback and making changes to our learning resources to meet your needs. Several updates or content additions were recently completed, and we wanted to bring them to your attention.
Full Training: Podcast via iTunes
As you know, we offer large, Flash-authored training files for all of our K-12 solutions. Our newest Platinum-focused training course is now available as a series of video podcasts –- all playable inside a free copy of 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 (November 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!
New ProQuest K-12 Catalog Available
Don’t miss the latest information about ProQuest’s full line of popular K-12 learning solutions. From eLibrary to SIRS to CultureGrams and beyond, you’re sure to find a new solution that will help students at all grade levels learn at their own pace--online. Get your copy of the PDF version today.
[ TOP ]
PLATINUM CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
November 16 marks the annual Great American Smokeout day, which is sponsored by the American Cancer Society. November is also Lung Cancer Awareness Month providing additional reason to have students learn more about the hazards of smoking.
This day is dedicated to actions that remind people that smoking is responsible for a variety of diseases and other problems. The goal of the Smokeout is get smokers to quit, and non-smokers not to begin this addictive habit. Many teenagers continue to start this habit despite all the education and other efforts to point out hazards and unbecoming side effects.
Providing a research activity on this topic in Health classes can support the “Great American Smokeout” as well as provide essential information to convince young people not to start smoking and if they are, how and why to quit.
Activity: Click the Topics search tab and type “smoking and disease” in the Search box. The results from this search will provide a variety of subtopics that can be used to divide the assignment into individual and engaging mini-research assignments:
Smoking
Smoking AND Public health
Smoking AND Health
Smoking AND Cardiovascular disease
Smoking AND Disease
Smoking AND Smoking cessation
Smoking AND Tobacco industry
Smoking AND Bans
Smoking AND Tobacco
Smoking AND Cigarettes
Smoking AND Legislation
Disease
Emphysema
Here are four examples of research assignments that can be developed from these subtopics: legislation against smoking; diseases caused by smoking; campaigns to stop smoking; and tobacco industry settlement awards to states and how they’re used.
Students should use and cite three resources on the subtopic assigned to them. Oral reports and presentation of three minutes are an excellent way for student to share the results of their research. When teachers permit a brief Q&A session, this helps students develop critical thinking skills and discourages plagiarism. It is also an excellent way for students to learn essential presentation skills that are reflected in state standards and needed for success in college and careers.
[ TOP ]
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. SIRS Decades places these resources into a relevant framework for understanding 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.
Below are links to several primary source documents. To access the material, sign up for a free trial, login, and then click on each link.
Primary source types include: Advertisements, Editorial Cartoons, Letters, Memos, Messages, Maps and Charts, Original Documents, Original Works of Art, Photographs, Poems and Literary Works, Posters, Published Articles, Speeches and Addresses. Users will be able to save time by exploring thousands of primary sources in one integrated, user-friendly resource. Students will also be able to use these primary source documents to understand how historical events affected politics, popular culture, and the media.
Find out more about SIRS Decades at our K-12 website.
[ TOP ]
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:
South Africa
- Capital: Pretoria
- Population: 44,344,136 (rank=27)
- Area, sq. mi.: 471,445 (rank=24)
- Area, sq. km.: 1,221,043
- Real GDP per capita: $10,346
- Adult literacy rate: 84% (male); 81% (female)
- Infant mortality rate: 53 per 1,000 births
- Life expectancy: 47 (male); 50 (female)
Did You Know?
- Soccer, rugby, and cricket are the most important sports in South Africa.
- South Africa is the richest country in Africa.
- Among many ethnic groups, the groom must pay a lobola (bride-price) in the form of cattle or money to the bride's parents before a wedding can take place.
Greetings
Of the numerous greetings used in South Africa, the English phrases Hello and Good morning are understood by most people. Afrikaans speakers say Goeie môre (Good morning). Young English speakers say Howzit (slang for “How are you?”) to friends. A more formal Good morning or Good afternoon is common among adults. The Zulu and Swazis greet each other with Sawubona (literally, “I see you,” meaning “Hello”) or Kunjani (How are you?). An acceptable response to either is Yebo (Yes).
The Xhosa greeting, Molo, and the Sotho phrase, Dumela, have similar meanings to Sawubona. On parting, most South Africans use a phrase that assumes a future meeting. In other words, people rarely say good-bye. Rather, one says See you in English, Tot siens (Till we see each other again) in Afrikaans, or something like the Sotho Sala gashi (Go well in peace).
The Arts
South Africa boasts a diversity of musical styles. Choirs are common, and traditional folk songs have been integrated into choral music. The popular mbaqanga dance music originated in apartheid-era townships. Kwaito music, a favorite of young South Africans, mixes African melodies and lyrics with hip-hop and reggae. Kwela incorporates the distinctive penny whistle. South Africans are also devoted to the fine arts, and major cities host performances of the symphony, ballet, and opera. Gumboot dancing, developed by African gold miners, has become a popular performance art.
Economy
More than half of all of South Africa’s export earnings come from minerals and metals. South Africa is one of the world's largest producers of platinum and gold, and it also exports diamonds, chrome, and coal. Low gold prices on world markets have sometimes slowed that sector's growth. Wine and tourism are fast-growing industries. The industrial base is large and diversified, and new investment is allowing for growth. The government has privatized (in whole or in part) some of the largest state enterprises to improve market conditions and raise capital. Strong growth and investment will be necessary to reduce high unemployment and poverty.
Education
As in other areas of South African life, apartheid-era segregation in public education has been dismantled. However, it will take some time before all children receive the same opportunities within a uniform system. Many schools are without adequate texts or supplies. Schooling is compulsory to age 15. Africans receive instruction in their native language until the seventh grade, and then they usually are taught in English after that. Afrikaans is also offered as a language of instruction. In urban areas, an increasing number of primary schools teach in English. There are 19 universities in South Africa.
To find out more about CultureGrams, connect to our website today.
[ TOP ]
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.
[ TOP ]
TOP 3 WEBSITES
Each month, our SIRS® WebSelect and SIRS® 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.
Becoming Human:
Paleoanthropology, Evolution, and Human Origins
Organization: The Institute of Human Origins (IHO)
Discover what makes us human in this paleoanthropology site, which "includes an interactive documentary, educational exhibits, research tools, and the latest news from scientists across the globe." (IHO)
Green Fluorescent Protein
Organization: Marc Zimmer (Connecticut College)
"Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) has existed for more than one hundred and sixty million years in one species of jellyfish. In 1994 it was cloned. Now GFP is found in laboratories all over the world where it is used in every conceivable plant and animal. Flatworms, algae, E. coli and pigs have all been made to fluoresce with GFP." (MARC ZIMMER, CONNECTICUT COLLEGE) Learn about the history and structure of GFP and view interesting photos, including one of a pig with a fluorescent yellow snout and hooves.
Moyers on America: The Net at Risk
Organization: Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)
This companion site to "The Net at Risk" contains multimedia, resources, and questions regarding net neutrality and the future of the Internet. Watch the preview to learn "how mega-media corporations could restrict the democratic possibilities of the Web's new future." (PBS)
[ TOP ]
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 an ProQuest Platform (Platinum+) 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.
[ TOP ]
CALL FOR USER TESTIMONIALS
What features of Platinum do you and your students find the most useful? Have you recently used or are planning to use it 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.
[ TOP ]
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
|
