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Enclosed is this month's free newsletter for eLibrary® 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.
New eLibrary: Live!
Last month, our family of eLibrary learning solutions received a long-anticipated graphical makeover, which rounded some corners, brightened up colors, tightened up spacing, and in general brought our award-winning platform solidly into 2006.
In addition, several of our advanced search options moved slightly to provide a more streamlined search experience for users at all levels of proficiency.
Tune into our Flash video to take a tour of the changes, or sign up for our Announcements or eLibrary podcasts to view the video inside Apple's popular (free!) iTunes software.
Free Online Training Modules: Updated
Have 20-30 minutes to spare? Interested in learning more about your ProQuest subscriptions, integrating content into your classroom or library, or just honing your searching skills?
Our multimedia training modules make it easy to brush up on every aspect of our tools at your own pace. And best of all, our trainers spent the summer updating more than 90% of our modules to match new interfaces, content, user flows, and more.
Tap into our rich collection of free online training modules at our K-12 website today. You’ll be glad you did!
Feature Reminder: BookCarts & Professional Development
Did you know that BookCarts can also be used in professional development and in-service activities for teachers? Most teachers and librarians assume that BookCarts are intended for student research activities and reading assignments.
Department chairpersons can create BookCarts with articles and websites that help teachers stay current. They can focus on current educational issues and use more than 100 education magazines and journal to select appropriate resources. Or they can create resources that help teachers stay current in their subject area.
This is particularly valuable in science because of the constant and dramatic changes taking place every day. Textbook-only teaching of science is not recommended when the typical science textbook is five years old.
To review the ProQuest Professional Development BookCart collection, use the following procedures.
- Logon to eLibrary.
- Access the eLibrary Teacher Edition.
- Click the BookCart Admin link.
- Click the ProQuest Carts tab.
- Click the Professional Development folder.
- Copy any BookCarts to your local collection using the Copy icon under Actions.
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ELIBRARY PODCAST + TIPS & TRICKS
Let’s face it--no matter how many times we visit our favorite online learning resources, we’re bound to miss a feature or two. This month, our free video podcast focuses on one of the least-known but most useful feature sets of your eLibrary subscription: Search within this
topic.
Help your students make the grade with eLibrary. This month, we’ll show you how to harness the power of one of the most helpful advanced searching techniques available within your eLibrary subscription –- topic
searching.
Chances are you’ve used eLibrary’s topic search many times. Researchers can click the topics tab to easily find relevant eLibrary resources, as well as editor’s choice websites, linked to tens of thousands of subjects.
Just choose a high-level topic, then continue clicking until you reach a subtopic of interest. Presto – eLibrary resources and vetted educator website links appear. Once researchers reach a subtopic of interest, one of our newest and most powerful advanced searching techniques appear – search within this topic.
Click the red link at the top of the page to continue: Search within this topic. You’ll be sent back to the main search page, and you’ll notice that this subtopic has been added to the advanced search pane. Enter one or more keywords in the search box, along with any additional advanced search parameters you’d like to add, then click search.
Your refined search results will appear. You’ll notice that the results are much more precise.
Try using “search within this topic” today with several queries. We know you’ll find this once-hidden gem a real time saver – both for yourself and time-crunched students.
Now you’re in the know! We hope this month’s tip and trick bring you closer to being a true eLibrary power user. Be sure to sign up for our free video podcast (no iPod necessary!) to stay up-to-date.
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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
September is National Hispanic Heritage Month. The Hispanic population of the U.S. is the largest and the fastest growing of all the minority populations. Most Hispanics are immigrants from Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Central American countries. Latino culture has had a significant influence on our music, art, food, and language. Spanish has become the most relevant world language taken in school by non-Hispanics.
Unfortunately, the illegal immigration problem has affected public attitudes toward Hispanics, especially when they demonstrate for rights and amnesty for illegals. This problem has been growing since 1986 when the current immigration law was passed.
The federal government has not enforced that law and since that time more than 12 million Hispanics have entered the country illegally across the Mexican border. Almost all are working productively at jobs that U.S. citizens generally will not consider at the wage level they are paid. Many experts indicate that these immigrants provide benefits that exceed any costs of providing services to them. Despite this, many citizens and the House of Representatives want to deport all illegal aliens and then have them reapply for legal entry into the U.S. as part of the normalization process.
The President and the Senate are more liberal and would allow the existing illegals to remain but would have to register, pay a fine, and also any back taxes.
Activity: This would be a good time for students to learn more about our Hispanic citizens and those who may become citizens. This popular culture has had a major impact on many aspects of our lives regardless of the outcome of the illegal immigrant issue. eLibrary provides excellent historical and other information about major ethnic groups of American citizens to help students explore their own ethnic identities as well as to celebrate National Hispanic Month. Oral reports will provide a way of each students sharing expertise so that all students can learn about Hispanic history from each other.
- Click the Topics search tab
- Click “United States History” > Special Subjects > Hispanic-American History
- You will see a variety of subtopics that can be assigned to students for oral reports
eLibrary also provides many Spanish language periodicals to use in practicing translation skills for students taking Spanish courses. You can copy these BookCarts to your collection: Dias de Fiestas Culturales; La Guerra Contra el Terrorismo; and La Vida en Cuba Desde 2000, and Rights of Illegal Aliens.
To access these BookCarts and 420 more logon to the Teacher Edition and click BookCart Admin. Use the Copy icon to copy from the ProQuest Carts tab to your local tab collection. You can sign up for online training with BookCarts here.
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PROQUEST® PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: ELIBRARY & SIRS
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 eLibrary and SIRS 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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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.
"So What?" is a unique SIRS Decades feature. This content is often found in Topic Essays, and helps students relate a historical topic to modern-day issues, encouraging critical thinking and the continued study of history with a “past meets the present” perspective.
Scientific research shows that students learn best when they can relate what they are learning in school with similar issues and problems in their current world. Without this teacher support tool, many lesson plans are focused on memorizing dates, people, and events of history that have limited interest and provide only temporary learning for most students.
Linking to the best of SIRS articles provides the “So What?” feature with engaging and relevant current information to make history come alive, resulting in more interest and an increase in permanent learning and understanding. Don’t miss out on over 100 “So What’s” available within SIRS Decades!
Here are links to several examples. To access the material, sign up for a free trial, login, and then click on each link:
The 1920s: Crime
The 1940s: World War II--Returning Soldiers
The 1960s: Civil Rights
The 1970s: Watergate--Break-In and Cover-Up
The 1990s: The Age of the Internet
Find out more about SIRS Decades at our K-12 website.
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PROQUEST LEARNING PAGE RESOURCES
ProQuest LearningPage can make your life easier with a great selection of educational resources for the coming school year. Now is the perfect time to be sure you have everything you need to help make successful learners out of all the young people in your life.
A subscription to any of the ProQuest LearningPage websites will bring thousands of developmentally appropriate resources to your desktop, 24/7, 365 days a year. Our online store of resources is full of books, lessons, worksheets, and other valuable materials. ProQuest LearningPage has quality materials for every reading need and level at very low prices, available at the click of a mouse.
Reading A-Z: Get instant access to thousands of developmentally appropriate books, lesson plans, worksheets, and activities. Print as many copies as you need at any time, all for one low annual price! The website also offers Spanish, French, and U.K. versions of various books.
Vocabulary A-Z: Build hundreds of customized vocabulary lessons to match the subjects you’re teaching. The categorized word bank has approximately 4,000 words to choose from, with more added regularly. Topics include science, social studies, math, health, language arts, music, physical education, and everyday words.
Raz-Kids: Combine kids' love of cartoons with effective reading instruction. Raz-Kids offers interactive books at 17 levels to motivate students and help them learn to read. The website also provides online quizzes, printable worksheets, and an online management system for teachers.
Reading-Tutors: Print hundreds of lessons and materials for use by tutors, parents, or teachers to provide students with extra support in key reading areas, helping them to improve their reading skills.
Download free samples to try out any of these great low-priced products. We've made it easy for you by placing all the samples in one convenient location.
For information on any of the ProQuest LearningPage websites, please call 866.889.3729 or email razsupport@readinga-z.com.
We have everything you need for back to school--quality, affordable educational resources at your fingertips, anytime, anywhere!
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CULTUREGRAMS™ IN FOCUS
CultureGrams can help you broaden your students' understanding of the world and its peoples. The 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:
Morocco
Did You Know?
- The movies Lawrence of Arabia, The Mummy, and Black Hawk Down were all filmed in Morocco.
- Saffron crocuses (a kind of flower that grows in Morocco) supply saffron, the most expensive spice in the world.
- Morocco was the first country to recognize the United States as a country.
Pirates!
The pirates off the coast of northern Africa (called the Barbary Coast because of the Berbers) were so powerful it took the navies of many countries to defeat them. During the 17th century, Morocco was a headquarters for pirates who captured ships and sailors or else demanded a tax from anyone going by. Even the young United States had to pay them $10,000 a year to let their ships go by. These pirates remained a menace until the mid-1800s.
Schools
Moroccan children typically study from eight in the morning until noon. They walk home for lunch and then return to school to study from two until five. Moroccan children go to both private and public schools; private schools are often taught in French. Each public school has its own color of uniform. Girls often wear a tablier (which looks like a lab coat) over their clothes.
Many classes have 30 to 40 students. Kids study Arabic and French in elementary schools and then add English, Spanish, or German as they get older. They also have art and gym classes, but must pay for private lessons if they want to study music or learn how to play an instrument. All students study Islam, the main religion.
Elementary school kids have about an hour of homework per day; older kids have two hours’ worth. Many poor families cannot send their kids to school. Almost half of the population cannot read or write.
Getting Around
In Morocco, most people walk or ride bicycles, while others use buses, taxis, or cars to get around. Trucks transport heavy materials, but many Moroccans use horse-, mule-, and donkey-driven carts to move food or goods. On the south side of the Atlas Mountains, where the Sahara desert begins, camels are vital. They may be grumpy, but they can go places cars can’t, and they don’t run out of gas very often! Their wide feet are good in sand and their milk is good to drink.
To find out more about CultureGrams, connect to our website today.
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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.
Learning About Allergies
Organization: The Nemours Foundation
"Achoo! Every time you go near your best friend's cat, your eyes water and you start sneezing up a storm. And every spring and fall, your dad gets a runny nose when he takes you for hikes in the woods. What's going on? Well, you and your dad may have allergies." (NEMOURS FOUNDATION)
How Earthquakes Happen
Organization: British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
"Earthquakes are among the most destructive natural events. Use this animated guide to see how they happen." (BBC)
Brain Geography
Organization: Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)
"What about your brain? It's with you everyday. It regulates your breathing, tells your feet when to walk or run, and allows you to be happy and sad. But where exactly inside your head does all that stuff happen? With a little help from your hands, a friend, a small ball, and a pencil, you can become your own brain geographer, and find out." (PBS) Click on the link to "brain geography" to learn the structure of the brain, using your hands as a model.
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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 an eLibrary 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 eLibrary 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.
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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
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