Phyllis' Favorites

ASPCA Animaland — the website for kids who love animals!
http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=kids_home

vozMe – From text to speech
http://vozme.com/index.php?lang=en
Enter text in English, Spanish, Italian, Hindi or Catala
Select male or female voice. An mp3 file is created and
you can hear what you have written.

Sites found in:
ResourceShelf Newsletter
http://www.resourceshelf.com/
November 16-22 2007

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New Science Tracer Bullet: Extraterrestrial Life
http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/tracer-bullets/extraterrestrialtb.html

Extraterrestrial life is life that originated any place but on Earth. Although its existence remains purely hypothetical, due to the lack of universally accepted scientific evidence, there are several hypotheses about how and where life might have emerged elsewhere in the Universe, and whether or not those origins resemble the origins of life on Earth. The origin of all life and the search for its existence in extraterrestrial locales is the focus of this Science Tracer Bullet

[NOTE: For Selected Internet Resources, click on the last item on the list.
http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/tracer-bullets/extraterrestrialtb.html%23internet ]

Source: Science, Tech, and Business Dept, Library of Congress

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National Endowment for the Arts Announces New Reading Study
+ Executive Summary (PDF: 819 KB)
http://www.nea.gov/research/ToRead_ExecSum.pdf
+ Full Report (PDF; 3.3 MB)
http://www.nea.gov/research/ToRead.pdf

Today, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announces the release of To Read or Not To Read: A Question of National Consequence, a new and comprehensive analysis of reading patterns in the United States. To Read or Not To Read gathers statistics from more than 40 studies on the reading habits and skills of children, teenagers, and adults. The compendium reveals recent declines in voluntary reading and test scores alike, exposing trends that have severe consequences for American society.
…
Among the key findings:

Americans are reading less - teens and young adults read less often and for shorter amounts of time compared with other age groups and with Americans of previous years.

Less than one-third of 13-year-olds are daily readers, a 14 percent decline from 20 years earlier. Among 17-year-olds, the percentage of non-readers doubled over a 20-year period, from nine percent in 1984 to 19 percent in 2004.
On average, Americans ages 15 to 24 spend almost two hours a day watching TV, and only seven minutes of their daily leisure time on reading.
Americans are reading less well – reading scores continue to worsen, especially among teenagers and young males. By contrast, the average reading score of 9-year-olds has improved.

Reading scores for 12th-grade readers fell significantly from 1992 to 2005, with the sharpest declines among lower-level readers.
2005 reading scores for male 12th-graders are 13 points lower than for female 12th-graders, and that gender gap has widened since 1992.
Reading scores for American adults of almost all education levels have deteriorated, notably among the best-educated groups. From 1992 to 2003, the percentage of adults with graduate school experience who were rated proficient in prose reading dropped by 10 points, a 20 percent rate of decline.
The declines in reading have civic, social, and economic implications – Advanced readers accrue personal, professional, and social advantages. Deficient readers run higher risks of failure in all three areas.

Nearly two-thirds of employers ranked reading comprehension “very important” for high school graduates. Yet 38 percent consider most high school graduates deficient in this basic skill.
American 15-year-olds ranked fifteenth in average reading scores for 31 industrialized nations, behind Poland, Korea, France, and Canada, among others.
Literary readers are more likely than non-readers to engage in positive civic and individual activities – such as volunteering, attending sports or cultural events, and exercising.

Source: National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)

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Merriam-Webster Launches Visual Dictionary Online, Free!
Vision Quest!
http://visual.merriam-webster.com/
Is your world composed of an ever-increasing number of whatchamacallits and thingamajigs? Have we got a site for you! Announcing the newly-launched Visual Dictionary Online —featuring thousands of stunning images enhanced by clear and precise definitions from the visionaries here at Merriam-Webster. Search by entry word or explore 15 major themes—from astronomy to sports and games.

Over 6,000 entries.

Source: Merriam-Webster`

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Library of Congress Updates “Science Fair” Science Tracer Bullet
http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/tracer-bullets/scifairtb.html

Selected sources provide guidance to students, parents, and teachers throughout the process of planning, developing, implementing and competing in science fair activities. Sources range in suitability from elementary to high school levels. This guide updates LC Science Tracer Bullet 01-4. Not intended to be a comprehensive bibliography, this guide is designed–as the name of the series implies–to put the reader “on target.”

[NOTE: For Selected Internet Resources, click on the last item on the list.
http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/tracer-bullets/scifairtb.html%23internetresources%20%20%5d

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Gary Price
Editor, ResourceShelf
gary@resourceshelf.com
The ResourceShelf & DocuTicker Team
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"Post via ResourceShelf"
for even more resources visit
http://www.resourceshelf.com/
http://www.docuticker.com/

---------Forwarded Message--------
Site of the Day for Thursday, November 22, 2007

Artcyclopedia
http://www.artcyclopedia.com/
[NOTE: Previously posted. - Phyllis ]

Today's site, one of the premiere art search facilities, provides an
excellent resource for tracking down fine art online. Gentle Subscribers
may find this a convenient specialty database for artwork images online.

"Our mission is to become the definitive and most effective guide to
museum-quality fine art on the Internet ... We have compiled a
comprehensive index of every artist represented at hundreds of museum
sites, image archives, and other online resources. We have started out by
covering the biggest and best sites around, and have links for most
well-known artists to keep you surfing for hours. ... We have now indexed
over 2,300 art sites, and offer over 95,000 links to an estimated 180,000
artworks by 8,200 renowned artists." - from the website

The site provides listings of bricks and mortar museums which have
digitized all or portions of their collections to enable online
presentations. The database may be searched primarily by artist's name,
with less robust capability for artwork by title or by name or location of
a museum. A highlight of the site is the browsable section, encouraging
visitors to stroll through examples of artwork from movements such as art
nouveau, impressionism and magic realism, along with categories of subject,
medium and nationality. In addition, the site offers an extensive
collection of feature articles on art and artists as well as current art
news, updated daily.

Amble over to the site for a noteworthy fine art reference at:

http://www.artcyclopedia.com/

A.M. Holm
view the List archives on the web at:
http://www.freelists.org/archives/sotd

Browser Books
http://staff.prairiesouth.ca/~cassidy.kathy/browserbooks/index.htm
From the site:
“This website was created to allow beginning readers to read books on their web browser. Readers can click on the triangle in the lower right-hand corner of each page to turn the pages. If they are unsure of a word, they can click on it to hear a child's voice read the word to them.”

Jamit Fractions
http://www.jamit.com.au/welcome.html
From the site:
11 Lessons and Fun Games for learning and mastering fractions.

Precalculus
http://www.surfnetkids.com/precalculus.htm
From the site:
“William Mueller (see Wmueller.com below) describes precalculus as the bridge between the math you know, such as arithmetic and algebra, and a wondrous, fertile land ahead: calculus. In order to cross the bridge, you need a good understanding of how functions describe the relationship between two variable quantities.”
Page includes 9 links to related sites (5 annotated, 4 honorable mentions)

Sites found in:
=======
The Scout Report
November 23, 2007
Volume 13, Number 45
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The Scout Report on the Web:
Current issue: http://scout.wisc.edu/Reports/ScoutReport/Current/
This issue: http://scout.wisc.edu/Reports/ScoutReport/2007/scout-071123.php

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College Algebra Online Tutorials
http://www.wtamu.edu/academic/anns/mps/math/mathlab/col_algebra/

The introduction to this site remarks, "If you need help in college algebra,
you have come to the right place." Their statement is accurate, as the staff
members at the West Texas A&M University's Virtual Math Lab have done a fine
job creating a series of online algebra tutorials for students and anyone
else who might be returning to the world of algebra. First-time visitors
should look at their online guide to the tutorials to learn how their
tutorials are organized. After that, they should feel free to browse through
any of the 59 tutorials offered here. Each tutorial contains information
about learning objectives, full explanations, and numerous examples of how
to correctly solve problems. [KMG]

[SEE ALSO: Beginning Algebra - 36 Tutorials (previously posted)
http://www.wtamu.edu/academic/anns/mps/math/mathlab/beg_algebra/
Intermediate Algebra – 42 Tutorials
http://www.wtamu.edu/academic/anns/mps/math/mathlab/int_algebra/
- Phyllis ]

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Interactives: The Periodic Table
http://www.learner.org/interactives/periodic/index.html

It can be tricky to remember the position of lanthanides within the periodic
table of elements, but this interactive feature from Annenberg Media's
"Interactive" series will keep students in the know about those so-called
"rare earth" elements. This particular feature begins with "Atomic Basics",
which provides an overview of the atom and its various functions. After
completing this section, visitors can test their knowledge with the "Name
That Atom" game. The game is full of protons, neutrons, and electrons, but
it should be no problem for students who've been paying attention to this
lively exploration of the atom. Moving on through the site, visitors will
learn about the periodic table's organization, isotopes, and the groups
within the table, all the way from the alkali metals to the boron family.
[KMG] [NOTE: Other Interactives from Annenberg Media
http://www.learner.org/interactives/ - previously posted. - Phyllis ]
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AllPsych Online: The Virtual Psychology Classroom
http://allpsych.com/

For instructors or students looking for material on many aspects of
psychology, the AllPsych Online site may prove to be indispensable. The site
was started in 1999, and it contains eight primary sections which cover
everything from classic psychology studies to an extensive reference area.
First-time visitors may wish to start by looking through the "Reference"
area, which features an expanded timeline of psychology through the ages, a
dictionary, and biographies of prominent persons in the field. People
interested in entering the field of psychology will want to click on over to
the "Careers and Education in Psychology" section for the materials on
various academic programs in clinical, counseling, and school psychology.
For a bit of a diversion, the site also has a "Fun and Games" area where
visitors can take a look at some optical illusions and crossword puzzles.
[KMG]

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The Educational Multimedia Visualization Center [Quick Time]
http://emvc.geol.ucsb.edu/

Teachers looking for ways to incorporate dynamic visuals into their earth
science courses need look no further than this fine site. Created by staff
members at the department of earth science at the University of California,
Santa Barbara, the site contains dozens of interactive animations and
visualization tools that can be used in the classroom to demonstrate various
processes. These resources are contained within the "Downloads" section, and
visitors can peruse the table of contents for specific features. The table
of contents includes global tectonics, regional plate tectonics, Ice Age
earth, and four other chapters. Some of these animations include the
deglaciation of North America, the South Atlantic spreading, and the
Himalayan collision. [KMG]

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BioEd Online: Food and Fitness [pdf, Real Player]
http://www.bioedonline.org/workshops/workshop.cfm?cme_activityid=72&cmepage=cme_info#cmeinfo
Shortened URL: http://tinyurl.com/56xyme

BioEd Online continues in their fine tradition on online teaching resources
with the release of the Food and Fitness professional development workshop
for teachers and other interested parties. Created with funding from the
National Space Biomedical Research Institute, the workshop provides "an
opportunity to explore research that uncovers ways to reduce space-related
health problems through diet, exercises or rehabilitation." The materials
include seven classroom activities which are designed to help students
examine techniques to make life-long healthy meal and activity choices.
Additionally, users of the site can learn about the workshop's educational
objectives, their peer review board, and also examine their disclaimers and
disclosures. [KMG]
[NOTE: Other pages from http://www.bioedonline.org/ previously posted. - Phyllis ]

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BBC: Archaeology
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/archaeology/

It's a fairly difficult endeavor to reconstruct an Iron Age roundhouse, what
with all of the archaeology training required and such. Persons with such
interests who lack the necessary training need worry no longer, as the BBC
has created a rather fine site that lets users take in many facets of
archaeology, including the aforementioned roundhouse. From their homepage,
visitors can delve into the latest archaeology news or go straight away to
the "Excavations and Techniques" section. Within this section, visitors will
find more detailed subsections, including "Techniques", "Recording Finds",
"Types of Archaeology" and "Reconstructions". The "Types" section includes
overviews of various fields of archaeology, complete with first-hand
commentaries and photographs. The "Techniques" area includes a feature
titled "The Story of Carbon Dating" and a piece on the relationship between
archaeology and metal detecting. The site is rounded out by the
"Reconstructions" area, where visitors can view that roundhouse and also
look into the reconstruction of an Iron Age chariot. [KMG]

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Science NOW: The Latest News Headlines from the Scientific World [Last
reviewed in the Scout Report on October 29, 1997]
http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/

Keeping tabs on important developments in the world of science can be rather
exhausting, especially considering the number of websites dedicated to
various fields of scientific endeavor. One very helpful way to do this is
through the ScienceNOW site, which features daily news items from both
ScienceNow and weekly news from Science magazine. First-time visitors
should spend a few minutes just looking at some of the recent postings,
which could include items on the use of genetically modified crops to land
reclamation schemes in South Africa. Visitors can access all news items from
the previous four weeks at no charge, and they may also wish to sign up to
receive email alerts and RSS feeds. [KMG]

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The Oscar Wilde Collection
http://www.oscarwildecollection.com/

Added after its initial publication, the preface to The Picture of Dorian
Gray allowed Oscar Wilde to directly address some of the initial
criticism of his rather controversial novel. Perhaps one of the most well-
known epigrams offered in that statement is "There is no such thing as a
moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is
all." Visitors to this site can read this preface (and the complete novel),
along with many other works by Wilde. These works include "The Happy Prince
and Other Stories", "A House of Pomegranates", and plays like "An Ideal
Husband" and "The Importance of Being Earnest". Of course, visitors should
not overlook his masterful poem, "The Ballad of Reading Gaol". [KMG]

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The Battle of the Somme
http://www.iwm.org.uk/server/show/nav.00o

When the Battle of the Somme ended in November 1916, over one million people
were dead as a result of the intense fighting that had dominated the long
battle front along the River Somme. Through the use of diaries, letters,
maps, and photographs, this compelling online exhibit from the Imperial War
Museum examines that long and difficult World War I land battle. These
items are all contained within three sections: "The Battle", "Personal
Stories", and "The Somme Revisited". In "The Battle", visitors can learn
about the various aspects of this military endeavor and read essays on the
German and Commonwealth armies. Moving on, "Personal Stories" features the
recollections of 21 different persons involved in this conflict, including
the first-hand memories of Robert Graves, who would go on to author the
moving memoir, "Goodbye to All That". Finally, "The Somme Revisited" offers
up some insights into the modern interpretations of this epic battle and a
few short film clips of cameramen who were present along the Western Front.
[KMG]
[NOTE: Other pages from http://www.iwm.org.uk/ previously posted. - Phyllis ]

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Georges Seurat: The Drawings [Adobe Flash Player, Adobe Reader]
http://www.moma.org/exhibitions/2007/seurat/

This Web exhibition from MoMA accompanies Georges Seurat: The Drawings,
currently on view at the Museum, a major show including 4 sketchbooks,
around a dozen oil sketches and paintings, and over 120 single sheet
drawings. While only a few examples of all these artworks are included at
the Web site, the value of the online format is proven with the sketchbooks
- it is possible to page through the sketchbooks and look at 9 or 10
selections from each - far more than can be shown at the Museum, where the
sketch books are displayed open to only one particular page, at least on any
given day. It's also easier to display background information in context on
the Web, as evidenced by the lengthy section on conservation, which explains
how the handmade paper that Seurat used to draw on was made as well as how
the paper affected the look of his drawings. [DS]
[NOTE: Other pages from http://www.moma.org/exhibitions/ and
http://www.moma.org/onlineprojects/ previously posted. - Phyllis ]

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>From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout 1994-2007.
http://scout.wisc.edu/

lingro.com
http://lingro.com/
From the site:
“…translate and learn words in their original context.”
lingro's mission is to create an on-line environment that allows anyone learning a language to quickly look up and learn the vocabulary most important to them.”

In addition to dictionaries in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Polish and Swedish, you can put in a URL and all the words on that page become clickable with definitions popping up.

Note of Caution: The new $5 bill
http://www.portfolio.com/interactive-features/2008/02/New-Five?TID=st092007ab
Shortened URL: http://tinyurl.com/3xtr5r

Site includes an interactive tour of the new features of the $5 bill. Mouse over the numbers for an description of the new features.

Also on the site:

Note for Note: The euro is tougher to forge than U.S. currency.

History in Your Wallet
$5 bills from 1861, 1866, 1896, 1923, 1963, Current, New
From the site:
“The $5 bill, first issued in 1861, has featured portraits of not just Abraham Lincoln but also Ulysses S. Grant, Alexander Hamilton, Andrew Jackson, and even Civil War general Philip Sheridan. There have been many other changes, minor and wholesale, made over the years to preserve confidence in the security of U.S. currency.”

SEE ALSO:
Paper Trail
How money is made.

Don't Buy It, Get Media Smart!
http://pbskids.org/dontbuyit/
From the site:
“Don't Buy It: Get Media Smart is a media literacy Web site for young people that encourages users to think critically about media and become smart consumers. Activities on the site are designed to provide users with some of the skills and knowledge needed to question, analyze, interpret and evaluate media messages.”
[NOTE: Previously posted. - Phyllis ]

Sites found in:
Librarians' Internet Index
Websites you can trust!
NEW THIS WEEK, November 22, 2007

Read This Online : http://lii.org/cs/lii/print/news/125
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King Tut's Face Unveiled to World
This November 2007 article describes how "the face of Egypt's most famous ancient ruler, King Tutankhamun, has been put on public display for the first time." Includes photos of a reconstruction of Tut's face and of Tut's skull, and photos and a video clip of the removal of Tut's mummy from its sarcophagus. Also discusses how King Tut may have died. From the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
URL: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7077423.stm
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24909

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Tutankhamun: Anatomy of an Excavation
The aim of this site is "to make the complete records of Howard Carter's excavation of the tomb of Tutankhamun available." Features a list of all items found (with selected photos), archaeologist Howard Carter's pocket diaries (1922-1930), eyewitness accounts of the opening of the tomb, maps and drawings, and a gallery of photos. Also includes background about King Tut and Carter. From the Griffith Institute, part of the University of Oxford.
URL: http://griffith.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/gri/4tut.html
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24907

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A Glossary of Archaic Medical Terms, Diseases and Causes of Death
"List of archaic medical terms with their old and modern definitions. The primary focus of this web site is to help decipher the Causes of Death found on Mortality Lists, Certificates of Death and Church Death Records from the 19th century and earlier." Includes terms in English, German, French, and other European languages. Also includes a bibliography and links to related sites. From an enthusiast using a "collection of antique medical books and online reference web sites."
URL: http://www.antiquusmorbus.com/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24889

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Federal Bureau of Investigation: Organized Crime
Background and updates about organized crime, with an overview of the FBI's organized crime program, news and issues, details about specific investigations, and a brief glossary. Includes material about Italian organized crime (Sicilian Mafia, Camorra or Neapolitan Mafia, 'Ndrangheta or Calabrian Mafia, Sacra Corona Unita or United Sacred Crown, and American La Cosa Nostra), Eurasian organized crime, Asian and African criminal enterprises, and sports bribery. From the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
URL: http://www.fbi.gov/hq/cid/orgcrime/ocshome.htm
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24886

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Scoop08
Website for a national student newspaper "dedicated to providing in-depth and innovative coverage of the 2008 presidential election." Features articles and editorials (in blog format) from student correspondents from universities and high schools across the country, descriptions of beats and how to get involved as a correspondent, and details about the contributors and advisors (journalism professors and journalists from national media outlets).
URL: http://scoop08.com/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24940

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The Franklin Pierce Pages
This amusing site about 14th president Franklin Pierce bills itself as "a moving tribute to America's most obscure (and best looking) president." Includes nifty facts about Pierce, a description of events during Pierce's term of office (1853-1857), and a discussion of Pierce's involvement in allowing the first Jewish synagogue in Washington, D.C. Also includes a quiz. From a group of enthusiasts.
URL: http://www.mindspring.com/~dbholzel/pierce/pierce.html
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24905

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Sojourner Truth Institute
Website for this organization dedicated to preserving the message of Sojourner Truth (1797-1883), a former slave who "traveled the country as a forceful and passionate advocate for the dispossessed, using her quick wit and fearless tongue to fight for human rights." Features an extensive biography of Truth, a timeline, images, speeches, an exhibit of art about Truth, a quiz, and details about the Sojourner Truth monument park in Battle Creek, Michigan.
URL: http://www.sojournertruth.org/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24888

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Thank you for using Librarians' Internet Index.

Librarians' Internet Index
Websites You Can Trust!
http://lii.org/
Copyright 2007 by Librarians' Internet Index.

---------Forwarded Message--------

From: Gilder Lehrman Institute gli@gilderlehrman.org
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2008 22:37:32 -0400 (EDT)
To: anker@hslc.org
Subject: New Issue of History Now: The Supreme Court


The Gilder Lehrman Institute is pleased to present the fifteenth issue of History Now, a quarterly online journal for history teachers and students, available at http://www.historynow.org/

In this issue, History Now examines the functions of the Supreme Court, its composition, and the philosophical differences that have emerged within its membership over the centuries. It also provides a case study of one of the major crises in the history of the modern court: Roosevelt's "court packing" plan, and provides a portrait of one of the justices, Sandra Day O'Connor. Each of these essays can serve as the basis for critically important lessons for our nation's future voting citizens.

Don't miss this issue's interactive feature -- 15 Supreme Court Cases Every High School Student Should Know: http://www.historynow.org/04_2008/interactive.html

Click on the links below for each feature:

The Form and Function of the Supreme Court
by Charles Anthony Smith
http://www.historynow.org/04_2008/historian.html

The Supreme Court Then and Now
by A.E. Dick Howard
http://www.historynow.org/04_2008/historian6.html

The Marshall and Taney Courts: Continuities and Changes
by R.B. Bernstein
http://www.historynow.org/04_2008/historian3.html

FDR's Court-Packing Plan: A Study in Irony
by Richard G. Menaker
http://www.historynow.org/04_2008/historian4.html

Sandra Day O'Connor: A Life of Action
by Meryl Justin Chertoff
http://www.historynow.org/04_2008/historian5.html

Site found in:
The Innovative Teaching Newsletter
Volume 10, Issue 3 - November 2007

Virtual Timelines
http://surfaquarium.com/NEWSLETTER/virtual_timelines.htm

Fast Facts: Cinco de Mayo 2008
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/011613.html
Shortened URL: http://tinyurl.com/5gfgza
Stats and facts about Mexican Americans, trade with Mexico, etc.
From the site:
“Cinco de Mayo celebrates the legendary Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, in which a Mexican force of 4,500 men faced 6,000 well-trained French soldiers. The battle lasted four hours and ended in a victory for the Mexican army under Gen. Ignacio Zaragoza. Along with Mexican Independence Day on Sept. 16, Cinco de Mayo has become a time to celebrate Mexican heritage and culture.”

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Sites found in:
Librarians' Internet Index
Websites you can trust!
NEW THIS WEEK, May 3, 2007
Read This Online : http://lii.org/cs/lii/print/news/96

Cinco de Mayo
Resources for party and activity ideas for celebrating Cinco de Mayo. Includes crafts (maracas and Mexican flag), recipes (guacamole and tortilla soup), and activity pages. Also includes quick facts and history about this holiday that "is the anniversary of a battle that took place between the Mexicans and the French in 1862" and is "mainly observed in the state capital of Puebla" and in the U.S. From the Kaboose Family Network.
URL: http://holidays.kaboose.com/cinco-de-mayo/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/23727
[NOTE: Other pages from http://holidays.kaboose.com/index.html (formerly http://www.kidsdomain.com/holiday/ ) previously posted.
- Phyllis ]

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The History of Cinco de Mayo
Brief background about "the holiday of Cinco De Mayo, The 5th Of May, [which] commemorates the victory of the Mexican militia over the French army at The Battle Of Puebla in 1862. ... It is not, as many people think, Mexico's Independence Day, which is actually September 16." From Mexonline, a guide to Mexico founded by an author and radio host.
URL: http://www.mexonline.com/cinco-de-mayo.htm
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/23726

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Librarians' Internet Index
Websites You Can Trust!
http://lii.org/
Copyright 2007 by Librarians' Internet Index.

May is Jewish American Heritage Month

Online Exhibition and Other Resources for Jewish American Heritage Month via Library of Congress
The Library’s extensive holdings include numerous items pertaining to Jewish history and Jewish Americans. Some of these items were featured in an exhibition titled “From Haven to Home: 350 Years of Jewish Life in America,” which is accessible online at http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/haventohome/ .

A Jewish American History Month Web site is accessible at http://www.jewishheritagemonth.gov. This Web portal is a collaborative project of the Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum with information on educational programs and links to online exhibits.

American Epic
http://americanepic.org/demos/
Some of the 12 demos are entire units and some are for demonstration purposes only. Even the demos include useful introductions and timelines. Grade levels vary. Most are social studies.

For list of current online materials: http://americanepic.org/

From the list:

The Margaret Garner Story
http://www.detroitoperahouse.com/mg_ed/mgarner.html
Margaret Garner was an African American slave who killed her own daughter rather than see the child returned to slavery. Her story was the inspiration for the novel Beloved by Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison.

From the site:
“The attached K-12 lesson plans and activities were created by the Michigan Opera Theatre's Curriculum Committee. They can be projected in your classroom by using a computer and LCD projector, viewed individually by students in a computer lab or at home, or printed out for individual student viewing.”

World War II Remembered
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/wwii/index.htm
From the site:
“Relive the WW II experience through the memories of those
who survived.”

Site includes: American Home Front, Anne Frank’s Story of Courage, Attack on Pearl Harbor, and Hiroshima: A Survivor’s Story.

---------Forwarded Message--------
From: Thirteen/WNET membership@thirteen.org
Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2008 10:04:21 -0500 (CDT)

Subject: Carrier Premieres this Sunday on Thirteen
http://www.thirteen.org/carrier/

It's a bright May morning, and 5,000 sailors and Marines are saying
farewell to loved ones before departing aboard the nuclear aircraft
carrier USS Nimitz, deploying to the Persian Gulf for the next six
months as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Tune in beginning Sunday, April 27 at 9pm, and join these brave men
and women on an intimate, unprecedented journey as Carrier takes you
on an edge-of-your-seat, exhilarating look at the life on a nuclear
aircraft carrier at war, and the toll it takes on the daily lives of
those aboard.

Throughout the series, the "floating city" reveals emotional,
real-life drama as sailors deal with family crises, love, patriotism,
rites of passage and more while performing their dangerous jobs.
Sleeping below a runway and above a nuclear reactor does not lessen
the pressure.

Airing over five nights next week, mark your calendars now with this
episode guide:

* Sunday, April 27 - All Hands - The Nimitz pulls out: cooks
prepare 15,000 meals a day and one airman learns his girlfriend
is pregnant; Controlled Chaos - The perilous life on a carrier
is analyzed, as is the tight fraternities that form as a result.

* Monday, April 28 - Super Secrets - From nuclear reactor details
to sexual encounters, secrets aboard are plentiful; Squared Away
- Port calls allow sailor to blow off steam, but things can get
out of control.

* Tuesday, April 29 - Show of Force - The Nimitz arrives in the
Gulf: pilots battle 120° weather and six-hour missions;
Groundhog Day - After two months at war, days become
indistinguishable from one another.

* Wednesday, April 30 - Rites of Passage - Heading home, a violent
storm erupts and landing turns into a nail-biting drama; True
Believers - Faith in self, shipmates, the ship's mission and
religion are examined.

* Thursday, May 1 - Get Home-itis - A six-month absence causes
relationship stress, the Navy counsels sailors on what to expect
upon return; Full Circle - The Nimitz returns home, sailors
reflect on their journey before emotional reunions.

Get the complete Naval experience at Carrier online for series
previews, a story archive of those who have served in the Navy and the
opportunity to share your words and videos.
http://support.thirteen.org/site/R?i=7bJ5jMwbjXBDyofpPrL5hg..%20%20

Sites found in:
******************************************
PBS Teachers Newsletter: April 27-May 3, 2008
******************************************

Nature
Penguins of the Antarctic
On-Air & Online
Gr. 6-8 / 9-12
Sunday, April 27, 2008
8 - 9:00 pm
Emperors and kings, chinstraps and Adélies -- the penguins of
Antarctica all make their home in one of the most unforgiving
environments on Earth. (CC, Stereo, 1 year)
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/antarcticpenguins/index.html

------

NOVA
Sinking the Supership
On-Air & Online
Gr. 6-8 / 9-12
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
8 - 9:00 pm
In April 1945, the Yamato, the pride of Japan's fleet, sailed
to a solo confrontation with the 1,500-strong United States
Navy. (CC, Stereo, 1 year)
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/supership/
[NOTE: Teaching guide pasted below. Previously posted (2005). - Phyllis ]

------

Secrets of the Dead
Escape From Auschwitz
On-Air & Online
Gr. 9-12
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
8 - 9:00 pm
This episode tells the story of two young Slovak Jews, Rudolph
Vrba and Alfred Wetzler, who escaped Auschwitz and wrote a
detailed account of atrocities being committed by the Nazis at
the camp. (CC, Stereo, 1 year)
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/?p=8

-----

Copyright 2008 PBS Online

******
--------Forwarded Message--------
[NOVA Teachers] "Sinking the Supership" airs April 29, 2008

Hello Educators,

In next week's repeat broadcast of "Sinking the Supership," NOVA
draws on historical records, archeological evidence, and eyewitness
accounts to investigate the sinking of Japan's Battleship Yamato.
(Subjects covered: social studies, technology/engineering)

Regards,
Karen Hartley
Teachers Editor
NOVA Web Site
http://www.pbs.org/nova/teachers/
E-mail: NOVA_Teachers@wgbh.org

* * * * * * * *

NOVA presents "Sinking the Supership"
Broadcast: Tuesday, April 29, 2008
http://www.pbs.org/nova/supership
(NOVA airs on PBS at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Check your local listings as
broadcast dates and times may vary. This program can be used up to
one year after it is recorded off the air.)

Behind the Scenes
http://www.pbs.org/nova/supership/producer.html
Learn why this film embodies the fulfillment of a lifelong
objective for producer Keiko Hagihara Bang. (Grades 9-12)

Survivor Stories
http://www.pbs.org/nova/supership/survivors.html
Read firsthand reports of the sinking in interviews with two of
the Yamato's survivors. (Grades 6-8, 9-12)

Anatomy of Yamato
http://www.pbs.org/nova/supership/explore.html
Click on a diagram of the Yamato to explore its artillery,
engines, living quarters and more. (Flash plug-in required;
non-Flash version available.) (Grades 6-8, 9-12)

Yamato's Final Voyage
http://www.pbs.org/nova/supership/last.html
View a slide show of archival images that chronicle the sinking
of Japan's supership. (Flash plug-in required; non-Flash version
available.) (Grades 6-8, 9-12)

Teacher's Guide
http://www.pbs.org/nova/teachers/programs/3212_supershi.html
In this classroom activity, students use a viewing guide while
watching the program and discuss program themes after watching.
(Grades 6-8, 9-12)

Program Transcript
http://www.pbs.org/nova/transcripts/3212_supershi.html
The site includes a complete narration for this program.

Plus Watch a Preview and Links & Books.

Dear Blog Readers,

I will be away for a week. Postings will resume when I return.

- Phyllis

Phyllis Anker
anker@hslc.org

270toWin.com!
http://www.270towin.com/
From the site:
“270towin.com is an interactive Electoral College map for 2008 and a history of Presidential elections in the United States. Since electoral votes are generally allocated on an "all or none" basis by state, the election of a U.S President is about winning the popular vote in enough states to achieve 270 electoral votes, a majority of the 538 that are available. It is not about getting the most overall popular votes, as we saw in the 2000 election, when the electoral vote winner (Bush) and the popular vote winner (Gore) were different.”
[NOTE: Previously posted. Site updated for 2008. - Phyllis ]

USA History: 1800-1990
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USA.htm
[NOTE: Previously posted. Site updated. - Phyllis ]

A look at the history of the United States from a British perspective.

SEE ALSO: Home page: Spartacus Educational
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/
[NOTE: Previously posted. - Phyllis ]

United States History
http://www.tntech.edu/history/usa.html
Internet Resources Last Updated March 5, 2008
[NOTE: Some sites from this list previously posted. - Phyllis ]

History Sites by Subject
http://www.tntech.edu/history/subject.html

Internet Resources in History
http://www.tntech.edu/history/resources.html

Sites found in:
******************************************
PBS Teachers Newsletter: April 20-26, 2008
******************************************

Nature: The Gorilla King
On-Air & Online Sunday, April 20, 2008, 8 - 9:00 pm
Grade Range: 6-8, 9-12

Titus, king of the mountain gorillas of Rwanda, is one of only 700 of his kind alive today. Ian Redmond documents Titus' extraordinary life, from his early days to his rise to power as a silverback. (CC, Stereo, HD, 1 year)
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/gorillaking/index.html

-----

NOVA: Car of the Future
On-Air & Online Tuesday, April 22, 2008, 8 - 9:00 pm
Grade Range: 6-8, 9-12

Tom and Ray Magliozzi of NPR's "Car Talk" take viewers on a roller-coaster ride into the world of cars as NOVA takes a look at the latest and greatest in the automotive industry. (CC, Stereo, HD, 1 year)
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/car/
[NOTE: See teaching guide pasted below. – Phyllis ]

----

National Geographic's Strange Days on Planet Earth: Most Dangerous Catch/Dirty Secrets
On-Air & Online Wednesday, April 23, 2008, 9 - 11:00 pm
Grade Range: 6-8, 9-12

"Most Dangerous Catch": Over-fishing is affecting life far beyond the shoreline, including Earth's own life support systems. "Dirty Secrets": Striped bass are succumbing to flesh-eating bacteria in the Chesapeake Bay. Coral reefs are weakening under a growing assault of invisible contaminants. How are these mysteries related? (CC, Stereo, HD, 1 year)
http://www.pbs.org/strangedays

-----

American Experience: Roberto Clemente
On-Air & Online Monday, April 21, 2008, 9 - 10:00pm
Grade Range: 9-12

Baseball great Roberto Clemente was more than an exceptional baseball player — he was also a committed humanitarian who challenged racial discrimination and worked for social justice. (CC, Stereo, HD, 1 year)
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/
[NOTE: See Teaching Guide pasted below. – Phyllis ]
----

Secrets of the Dead: Aztec Massacre
On-Air & Online Wednesday, April 23, 2008, 8 - 9:00 pm
Grade Range: 9-12

A grisly discovery of more than 400 mutilated bodies in Mexico is turning history on its head. Aztec Massacre paints a new picture of the violent relations between the Aztecs and the Conquistadors, and rewrites much of what we thought we knew about the Aztec civilization. (CC, Stereo, HD, 1 year)
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/

Copyright 2008 PBS Online.

***************

--------Forwarded Message------------
Date: Wed, 16 Apr 2008 18:00:19 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [NOVA Teachers] "Car of the Future" airs April 22, 2008

Hello Educators,

In next week's airing of "Car of the Future," NOVA follows NPR "Car
Talk" hosts Tom and Ray Magliozzi as they hit the road to examine
options for cleaner, more energy-efficient vehicles. (Subjects
covered: physics, energy, technology/engineering)

NOVA is launching its first ever open content Web site with this
program. The site contains more than 200 one- to three-minute video
clips shot during the making of the film that you and your students
can download and use to make your own videos.

A Teachers section will provide you with tips for how to use these
clips, ways to help your students create their videos, and ideas for
incorporating these clips into your curriculum. Find the open content
site at

http://www.pbs.org/nova/car/open

We've also set up a PBS Educators' Forum discussion board for this
program. We hope you'll visit the board after the program airs to
talk with other educators about the show's topics, share discussion
themes and activity ideas, and recommend relevant resources. Find the
board at:

http://discussions.pbs.org/viewforum.pbs?f=185
Regards,
Karen Hartley
Teachers Editor
NOVA Web Site
http://www.pbs.org/nova/teachers/
E-mail: NOVA_Teachers@wgbh.org

* * * * * * * *

NOVA presents "Car of the Future"
Broadcast: Tuesday, April 22, 2008
http://www.pbs.org/nova/car
(NOVA airs on PBS at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Check your local listings as
broadcast dates and times may vary. This program can be used up to
one year after it is recorded off the air.)

Watch the Program
http://www.pbs.org/nova/car/program.html
Watch the entire program online after the broadcast date.
(QuickTime or Windows Media required.) (Grades 9-12)

Beyond Technology
http://www.pbs.org/nova/car/greene.html
Find out why it is critical to become less dependent on oil, what
the challenges are to replacing petroleum, when various new
technologies may come into play, and more in this interview with
energy expert David Greene. (Grades 6-8, 9-12)

History's Innovative Autos
http://www.pbs.org/nova/car/past.html
Explore in this interactive slideshow nine automotive innovations
-- from as early as 1896 -- that could help drive the car of the
future, including a turbine-engine car, a nuclear-propulsion
concept car, and a steam-powered car. (Flash plug-in required;
printable version available.) (Grades 6-8, 9-12)

My Car of the Future, Today
http://www.pbs.org/nova/car/my.html
Meet individuals from all over the United States who currently
drive cars powered by electricity, vegetable oil, and other
alternative fuels. (Grades 6-8, 9-12)

Model of Efficiency
http://www.pbs.org/nova/car/efficiency.html
View photos and listen in this six-part audio slideshow to
physicist and energy expert Amory Lovins talk about his
lightweight, fuel-efficient concept vehicle called the Hypercar.
Total running time: 10 minutes 2 seconds. (Flash plug-in
required.) (Grades 6-8, 9-12)

Car of the Future Open Content
http://www.pbs.org/nova/car/open
Find more than 200 downloadable, one- to three-minute video clips
from the program -- including interviews with leading experts and
scenic footage -- that you can use make your own videos. (Grades
6-8, 9-12)

Car of the Future Open Production
http://www.pbs.org/nova/car/production
See how our audience got involved while we were producing the
program. (Grades 6-8, 9-12)

Teacher's Guide
http://www.pbs.org/nova/teachers/programs/3507_car.html
In this classroom activity, student teams research and develop a
proposal to decrease the carbon footprint of their city's public
transportation system through the use of various new technologies
and/or alternative fuels. (Grades 6-8, 9-12)

Program transcript
http://www.pbs.org/nova/transcripts/3507_car.html
The site includes a complete narration for this program.

Plus Watch a Preview and Links & Books.

--------Forwarded Message--------

Subject: AMERICAN EXPERIENCE hits a grand slam with ROBERTO CLEMENTE
Date: Fri, 18 Apr 2008 17:10:11 -0400

News from AMERICAN EXPERIENCE
http://www.pbs.org/americanexperience

-----

On TV Monday: ROBERTO CLEMENTE
Monday, April 21 at 9pm on PBS (check your local listings)
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/clemente

On December 31, 1972, Roberto Clemente, a thirty-eight-year-old baseball player for the Pittsburgh Pirates, boarded a DC-7 aircraft loaded with relief supplies for survivors of a catastrophic earthquake in Managua, Nicaragua. Shortly after take off, the overloaded aircraft plunged into the Atlantic Ocean, just one mile from the Puerto Rican coast. Roberto Clemente's body was never recovered.

On Monday, April 21, PBS's AMERICAN EXPERIENCE premieres ROBERTO CLEMENTE, a
one-hour documentary about an exceptional baseball player and committed humanitarian, who challenged racial discrimination to become baseball's first Latino superstar. From independent filmmaker Bernardo Ruiz, the film features interviews with Pulitzer Prize-winning authors David Maraniss (CLEMENTE) and George F. Will (MEN AT WORK: THE CRAFT OF BASEBALL), Clemente's wife Vera, Baseball Hall-of-Famer Orlando Cepeda, and former teammates, to present an intimate and revealing portrait of a man whose passion and grace made him a legend.

WATCH A PREVIEW
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/clemente/

Visit the web site for a sneak peak at ROBERTO CLEMENTE.

PUERTO RICAN MEMORIES
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/clemente/cepeda/

Read excerpts from an interview with legendary first baseman Orlando Cepeda, an All-Star slugger who ranks among top hitters like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Albert Pujols. Cepeda remembers meeting Clemente in Puerto Rico in the Fifties, and describes the two worlds they both lived in.

ROBERTO CLEMENTE IN THE NEWS
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/clemente/press

From the start of his career in the early Fifties to his tragic death in 1972, Roberto Clemente commanded press attention. Sportswriters chronicled his feats on the baseball diamond; they also wrote about Clemente's many ailments and sometimes mocked his poor English.

SHARE YOUR STORY
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/clemente/memories/

Decades after his tragic death, Roberto Clemente's memory lives on. Many have been inspired by his humanitarian deeds. And many think he was one of baseball's all-time greats. What do you remember about Clemente?

AMERICAN EXPERIENCE Stories to Go
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/podcasts.html

In the first of this week's two podcasts, go behind the scenes with filmmaker Bernardo Ruiz as he explains why he was drawn to Roberto Clemente's story. Then, New York Yankees relief pitcher LaTroy Hawkins explains why he wanted to wear Clemente's number, and how Clemente's legacy lives on today.

--------Forwarded Message--------

Hi! It's Saturday, November 17, 2007 and time for Foreign Languages at
ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
How To Learn Any Language
http://how-to-learn-any-language.com/

This website was recommended by ClickSchooler extraordinaire, MaryAnna. She
wrote:

"I know I've recommended plenty of sites in the past, but this one is really
a goodie! It offers excellent advice for the independent language learner.
The site owner is an experienced polyglot and his website is full of
information from general advice about choosing and learning a language to
more detailed info about each language, its difficulty, related languages,
advantages and disadvantages to learning it, and even links to online
learning resources for each language. As an experienced language learner
myself, I have to say this guy is really on track. Five stars!"

She's right! You better bookmark it now, because there is no way you can see
all of the resources provided here on one visit. When you get to the site
read the introduction and click on the embedded links to further
information, or use the drop-down menu at the top of your screen, or the
stationery menu on the left to explore the site. You will find suggestions
and activities for learning all of the following languages:

. Arabic
. Cantonese
. Czech
. English
. Esperanto
. Finnish
. French
. German
. Greek
. Hungarian
. Italian
. Japanese
. Korean
. Mandarin
. Portuguese
. Russian
. Serbo-Croatian
. Slovak
. Spanish
. Thai
. Turkish

Use the handy Language Profile page to get a quick overview of the
difficulty and popularity of the language. The direct link is:
http://how-to-learn-any-language.com/e/languages/index.html

Under the basic "Guide" on this site, don't miss the article on "How To
Raise Polyglot Kids." It includes general advice along with suggestions for
inexpensive as well as costlier resources you can use. You'll also find
information and advice on how to get the most out of language camps and
immersion programs. This site even provides free downloadable software so
you can make your own foreign language flash cards!

Note: On some of the pages at the site, the Google ads appear at the top of
the page. It can give the illusion that there is nothing else on the page.
You have to scroll down the page below the Google ads to find the text and
resources. It's a minor inconvenience. :)

This site is a fantastic resource that foreign language learners will refer
to again and again.

Diane Flynn Keith
for ClickSchooling
Copyright 2007, All Rights Reserved
http://www.Homefires.com/
http://www.Carschooling.com/
http://www.UniversalPreschool.com/


Note: We make every effort to recommend websites that have content that is appropriate for general audiences. Parents should ALWAYS preview the sites for suitable content.

Click Schooling (Clickschooling) is a Federally Registered Trademark.

Sites found in:
17 November 2007 Earth Science Sites of the Week

A TAPESTRY OF TIME AND TERRAIN: THE UNION OF TWO MAPS - GEOLOGY AND
TOPOGRAPHY (suggested by Cher Cunningham, Science Information and
Education Office, USGS), This interactive site allows the user to
digitally combine geologic and topographic maps of the United States by
state or physiographic regions. The site includes excellent explanatory
information about the geologic time scale and 47 interesting geologic
features across the US.

http://tapestry.usgs.gov/Default.html
[NOTE: Previously posted. - Phyllis ]

-----

ANIMATIONS: Physics Applets (Last reviewed in the Scout Report on
March 14, 1997) [Macromedia Flash Player] (suggested by Scout Report),
Multimedia instructional tools for the physical sciences are rather in
vogue these days, and a number of universities and colleges have
developed creative resources in this area. One such set of resources
happens to be the Physics Applets collection, created by staff members
at the University of Oregon's physics department. The interactive
applets are divided into four sections, including mechanics,
thermodynamics, astrophysics, and energy & environment. In total, there
are over thirty different applets, and they include those that
illustrate the concepts of potential energy, Kepler's Third Law, and
atomic emission. The site also includes a listing of credits, a help
section, and information about this initiative. [KMG]

http://jersey.uoregon.edu/vlab/
[NOTE: Previously posted. - Phyllis ]

-----

Mark Francek
Professor of Geography
Central Michigan University
http://webs.cmich.edu/resgi/

Site found in:
INFOMINE Email Alert Service
Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2007
http://infomine.ucr.edu/

----------------------------------------
NYPL Digital Gallery : Pictures of Science: 700 Years of Scientific and Medical Illustration
----------------------------------------
URL: http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/explore/dgexplore.cfm?col_id=197%20
Shortened URL: http://tinyurl.com/6es8w8
Record Id: 673328
Created: 2007-11-09 12:24:17
Categories: arts,bioag,physci

Historic scientific illustration, represented by 340 images from
astronomical atlases, medical anatomies, and geology texts.

[NOTE: Other collections from NYPL Digital Gallery previously posted. - Phyllis ]

---------Forwarded Message--------
Public Agenda Alert -- April 17, 2008
* Bush Proposes Voluntary Greenhouse Gas Limits
==============================================

President Bush proposed voluntary emissions limits
this week designed to stop the growth of greenhouse
gases in the U.S. by 2025. Lawmakers are already negotiating
a bill in the Senate that would halt emissions
growth by 2012, and the United Nations climate panel
says emissions would actually have to fall by 2015 worldwide
to prevent major changes.

Climate change has grown as a public concern in the past
few years, and the public clearly sees it as a global
problem that needs a global solution. In our Confidence
in U.S. Foreign Policy Index, we found nearly three-quarters
of Americans said they worry about global warming (four
in 10 say they worry "a lot.") Six in 10 say it's
realistic to believe that international cooperation can
reduce global warming. But only 37 percent think
the U.S. government can do "a lot" about this.

Broadly speaking, when surveys ask people to choose between
the environment and the economy, answers change depending
on how well the economy is doing, and many resist the choice
even during prosperous times. When the economy was doing well
in 2000, two-thirds of Americans said they favored protecting
the environment even at the expense of economic growth.
But during the sluggish times of 1992 and 2003, less than
half of Americans favored giving priority to the environment.
And while most Americans say there should be stricter laws
to protect the environment, only a modest majority says "people
should be willing to pay higher prices" to do so. Even during
the boom of the 1990s, however, most Americans said it’s not
necessary to choose between protecting the environment and
economic growth.

Read the Washington Post story:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/16/AR2008041600337.html
Shortened URL: http://tinyurl.com/6p6suy
[NOTE: Site may require free subscription. – Phyllis ]

Find out more in our Confidence in U.S. Foreign Policy Index:
http://www.publicagenda.org/foreignpolicy/index.cfm

Find out more in our Red Flags on the Environment:
http://www.publicagenda.org/issues/red_flags.cfm?issue_type=environment
Shortened URL: http://tinyurl.com/6bgk92

----
Copyright (c) 2008 Public Agenda
http://www.publicagenda.org

Site found in:
Librarians' Internet Index
Websites you can trust!
NEW THIS WEEK, November 15, 2007
Read This Online : http://lii.org/cs/lii/print/news/124

----------------------------------------------------------------
Remembering Suez
This series of articles and features recounts the Suez Crisis of 1956, which "erupted over the Egyptian president's decision to nationalise the Suez Canal." Provides background material, commentary, maps, a timeline, images, audio and video clips, and articles on topics such as parallels with Iraq, and the Suez Crisis and the media. From BBC News.
URL: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5199392.stm
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24844

----------------------------------------------------------------

Librarians' Internet Index
Websites You Can Trust!
http://lii.org/
Copyright 2007 by Librarians' Internet Index.

History Announces the Launch of the 2008-2009 Save Our History Grant Program!

This year, History will again award grants of up to $10,000 to fund
partnerships between schools or youth groups and history organizations
on projects that teach students about their local history and actively
engage them in its preservation.

History is proud to support the preservation of local history across
the country. From oral history projects, to archiving documentary
footage, to capturing some aspect of a school or town's past, these
projects can span a diversity of formats and themes. To date, History
has awarded over 1 million dollars to fund 109 student projects across
the country, distributed free educational resources to over 60,000
teachers reaching approximately 1.5 million students, hosted Save Our
History teacher training sessions and honored dozens of teachers and
students for their commitment to local history education and
preservation.

To read descriptions of past Save Our History grant projects and to
apply for a grant, visit http://saveourhistory.com/ . The grant
application will be posted online in January 2008 and is due Friday,
June 6th, 2008.

The Art of Chivalry
http://www.humanities-interactive.org/medieval/chivalry
From the site:
“He has been celebrated as a hero and satirized as a fool, canonized as a saint and anathematized as a devil. No doubt about it: The knight in shining armor is one of the most compelling and contradictory figures who ever rode across the landscape of history.”

Home Page: Select an Exhibit Collection
http://www.humanities-interactive.org/a_base_UD.html

For Educators
http://www.humanities-interactive.org/extra/for_teachers.html
From the site:
“As schools move ever closer to the use of online curricula, Humanities Texas works to place its humanities resources in the hands of teachers and librarians. On this page you will find suggestions for using the Humanities-Interactive website in your classroom. Please make yourself at home and enjoy our resources.”

[NOTE: Other pages from http://www.humanities-interactive.org/ previously
posted. – Phyllis ]

Sites found in:
=======
The Scout Report
November 16, 2007
Volume 13, Number 44
-----

The Scout Report on the Web:
Current issue: http://scout.wisc.edu/Reports/ScoutReport/Current/
This issue: http://scout.wisc.edu/Reports/ScoutReport/2007/scout-071116.php

-----

Interactives: Dynamic Earth [Macromedia Flash Player]
http://www.learner.org/interactives/dynamicearth/

Conveying the dynamism of various geologic processes can be hard in the
classroom or on the web, but this interactive feature from the Annenberg
Media's Learner.org site does quite a fine job of introducing students to
plate tectonics, plate boundaries, and such perennial favorites as
earthquakes and volcanoes. In the "Earth's Structure" section, visitors can
roll the mouse over such features as the crust, the mantle, and the outer
core of the Earth to learn about each feature. Moving on, the "Plate
Tectonics" area includes the "Continents Over Time" interactive feature
which asks visitors to place images of the continents in the correct
geologic order. Perhaps the most dynamic area of the site (with good reason)
is the "Slip, Slide & Collide" area. Here visitors will learn about what
happens at different types of plate boundaries through the use of colorful
graphics and explanations that are easy to understand. Overall, the site is
a great overview of some basic principles of geology, and one that can be
used with students of different ages. [KMG]
[NOTE: List of all interactives on the Annenberg Media's site
http://www.learner.org/interactives/ previously posted. - Phyllis ]

-----

Physics Applets
http://www.mip.berkeley.edu/physics/appletindex.html

Created as part of the Museum Informatics Project at the University of
California, Berkeley, this website serves as a clearinghouse of high-quality
physics applets that can be used in a variety of settings. The site is
divided into a few basic topical areas, such as mechanics, waves, properties
of heat and matter, and optics. While a search engine isn't provided,
visitors can use the "Find" function provided by most browsers to look for
specific items of interest. It is worth noting that the applets dealing with
various fields of optics are quite strong, and visitors will no doubt locate
at least a handful of applets here that they can use in the classroom or
just to increase their own understanding of physics. [KMG]

[SEE ALSO: Things of Interest: Downloads, Movies, and Images
http://www.mip.berkeley.edu/physics/interest.html

------

Maps: Finding Our Place in the World [Macromedia Flash Player]
http://www.fieldmuseum.org/maps/

How do we find our way through the world, geographically speaking? Do we all
carry around a type of "mental map" in our head, formed through experience
and repetition? Some would say yes, some would beg to differ. Maps remain a
powerful way to represent the world in all its spatial glory, and this
online exhibit from The Field Museum explores the history of maps and their
history over the millennia. Designed to complement an ongoing exhibition at
the Museum, the site includes a photo gallery, information about the
participating institutions, and about researchers at the Museum who use maps
and mapping technology in their own work. The interactive feature is
definitely worth a look, as visitors can examine two dozen different maps in
detail from Chicago to the Marshall Islands. One can imagine that this
remarkable site could also be used in classrooms to expose students to the
wide variety of maps that have been created by human hands. [KMG]

--------

Mark Twain Project [pdf]
http://www.marktwainproject.org/

Mark Twain knew plenty about crafting a great narrative, but things like
metadata encoding and primary user functionality were a bit before his time.
Fortunately, all of these important tools of modern digital archive work and
information science are put to their best use within this very comprehensive
site. Dedicated to providing access to more than four decades' worth of
archival research by editors at the Mark Twain Project, this site provides
access to thousands of his letters and other writings. The ultimate goal of
the Project is to produce a digital critical edition, fully annotated, of
everything Twain wrote. It's a very ambitious goal, and one that draws on
the collaborative strengths of the California Digital Library, the
University of California Press, and The Bancroft Project. What is equally
impressive is the Project's user guide, which walks users through all of the
many search options available to them. Additionally, visitors can also use
the "My Citations" option to automatically generate standardized citations
for future reference. Over the coming months and years, additional works
will be added to the archive, including "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" and
"Roughing It". [KMG]

-----

>From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout 1994-2007.
http://scout.wisc.edu/

---------Forwarded Message--------
Site of the Day for Thursday, November 15, 2007

Stop, You're Killing Me!
http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/index.html
[NOTE: Previously posted. - Phyllis ]

Today's site serves up a harvest of mystery novels for the genre's devoted
fans and newcomers. Gentle Subscribers will find the perfect spot to
uncover a previously overlooked writer or find the latest heralded new
author on the scene.

"Stop, You're Killing Me! is a resource for lovers of mystery, crime,
thriller, spy, and suspense books. ... created by Bonny Brown in 1998. ...
'I love a good mystery! When I find new authors, I want to read everything
they've written. I like to go back to the beginning title and follow the
development of a writer's work. With the exception of Sue Grafton and her
alphabet series, it can be difficult to find an author's first book. So I
have searched online and in reference books to list the books featuring
series characters in the order written.' ... We list nearly 2,200 authors,
with chronological lists of their books (over 26,000 titles), both series
and non-series." - from the website

The site's strength rests in its lists, and is both searchable by author or
main protagonist, as well as being browsable by writer and character. One
of the highlights of the site is its historical index which offers mystery
titles by period, from “ancient” settings prior to the fall of Rome to
those of Victorian times or the roaring twenties. Additional indices list
suspense novels by location while a new one related to the occupation of
the main character is currently under way. The site also features a handy
reference for the best books in the mystery genre by headlining the winners
of the most prestigious prizes in the U.S., Canada and Australia, among
them the Agatha, Anthony, Edgar, and Ned Kelly Awards but only for the past
two years.

Sleuth over to the site for a convenient reference for whodunits for every
taste at:

http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/index.html

A.M. Holm
view the List archives on the web at:
http://www.freelists.org/archives/sotd

Louisa May Alcott: The Real Woman Who Wrote Little Women
http://www.alcottfilm.com/
From the site:
“The film is currently in production and is slated to premiere on WNET's American Masters on PBS in 2008”
Site will eventually include teaching materials, discussion guides, film transcripts, etc.

The Life of Louisa May Alcott
http://www.alcottfilm.com/real_life.php

Louisa May Alcott Through the Years: An Interactive Timeline
http://www.alcottfilm.com/real_world.php

Links
http://www.alcottfilm.com/links.php

English Language Difficulties
http://www.elearnenglishlanguage.com/difficulties/difficulties.html
From the site:
“There are various mistakes commonly made in English, even by native speakers. Here is the index of current and upcoming lessons on English difficulties.”

Sites found in:

ResourceShelf
http://www.resourceshelf.com/
November 9-15, 2007

------
Databases for Educators: NY Times Lesson Plan Archive; Gateway to Educational Materials; ASN State Standards Viewer

Search (keyword) or Browse by Topic, “hundreds of free lesson plans for grades 6-12.”
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/archive.html
[NOTE: Previously posted. - Phyllis ]
Limit your search by grade level (6-8, 9-12, 6-12) and pre-defined subject (also browsable).

New: Lesson Plan Units

The Learning Network has developed lesson plan units that use recent New York Times articles as springboards for examining important curricular topics in interesting and exciting ways. Use the lessons in these units in your classroom, or share them with teachers in other content areas and collaborate on interdisciplinary units.

-----

See Also: Gateway to Educational Materials
http://www.thegateway.org/
[NOTE: Previously posted. - Phyllis ]
You can limit results by: Grade Level, Type of Material, and more.

The database can also be browsed using these criteria:
+ Subject
+ Type
+ Level
+ Keywords
+ Mediator
+ Beneficiary
+ Price (Free, Fee, Partially Free)

-----

See Also: Database: ASN State Standards Viewer (Achievement Standards Network)
http://www.jesandco.org/asn/viewer/
The ASN provides tools and databases that enable access to and interaction with the authoritative collection of learning and content standards from states and national content groups.

******

November, 2007 Library of Congress Wise Guide Now Online (November, 2007)
http://www.loc.gov/wiseguide/nov07/index-flash.html
[NOTE: Other issues previously posted. - Phyllis ]
Articles include:
+ Experiencing the War
+ Toni Frissell, American Photographer
+ The Turkestanskii Al’Bom (Turkistan Album)
+ Event of the Month
+ A Native Prescription
+ The Homowo festival in Portland, Oregon
+ New Lewis and Clark Materials

See Also: Previous Issues of LC’s Wise Guide
http://www.loc.gov/wiseguide/archives.html

********

GovernmentAttic.org: (Rummaging in the U.S. Government’s Attic)
http://governmentattic.org/

In past posts we’ve listed sites that are permanently archiving U.S. government web content. Other sites are digitizing older materials.

Today, a quick intro to GovernmentAttic.org. A new site digitizing materials accessed using the Freedom of Information Act.

If they gain access to it, similar to the work being done by National Security Archive and Cryptome) they will digitize and make available.

From the site:

The aim of this web site is to make available materials unavailable elsewhere. There is no topic-oriented theme to our content.

******

National Archives (UK): Churchill and the Bomb - the inside story
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/releases/2007/november/weapons.htm
Shortened URL: http://tinyurl.com/4cjjjn
Churchill’s reasoning behind the adoption of the atom bomb is revealed in Cabinet Notebooks just released. You can now read his actual words, as recorded by the Cabinet Secretary, for the first time.

See Also: Part 2
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/releases/2007/november/weapons-part2.htm
Shortened URL: http://tinyurl.com/4kwpvg

*****

GPO Creates Its First Ever On-Line Guide To Members Of Congress
http://www.memberguide.gpoaccess.gov/

From the announcement:
The U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) creates a one stop website with easy searchable information on all Members of Congress. A simple click will bring the user to a picture and biography of any current member of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. This information previously was available in separate databases, but now can be accessed from one central point.

------
Gary Price
Editor, ResourceShelf
gary@resourceshelf.com
The ResourceShelf & DocuTicker Team
--------------------------------------------------------------------
"Post via ResourceShelf"
for even more resources visit
http://www.resourceshelf.com/
http://www.docuticker.com/

---------Forwarded Message--------
Site of the Day for Wednesday, November 14, 2007

The Antikythera Mechanism Research Project
http://www.antikythera-mechanism.gr/

Today's site, from a collaboration of academic, scientific, technical and
museum experts, presents an exhibit on one of the most significant
archeological discoveries ever made -- the Antikythera Mechanism. Gentle
Subscribers will find an extensive and informative report on this ancient
scientific artefact found off the coast of Greece.

"More than a hundred years ago an extraordinary mechanism was found by
sponge divers at the bottom of the sea near the island of Antikythera. It
astonished the whole international community of experts on the ancient
world. ... For decades, scientific investigation failed to yield much light
... However research over the last half century has begun to reveal its
secrets. It dates from around the 1st century B.C. and is the most
sophisticated mechanism known from the ancient world. " - from the website

The exhibit's Frequently Asked Questions section, which is divided into two
parts, provides a helpful introduction to this amazing artefact, outlining
its origins, purpose and discovery. The second section is devoted to
explaining the history of astronomy and the periods displayed on the
Antikythera Mechanism. Additional features of the exhibit include images of
the collected segments of the artefact, using Polynomial Texture Mapping,
and a complete copy, in PDF format, of the topic paper which appeared in
the scientific journal "Nature".

Dive over to the site for information on this ancient and unique
astronomical device at:

http://www.antikythera-mechanism.gr/

A.M. Holm
view the List archives on the web at:
http://www.freelists.org/archives/sotd

[NOTE: See Also: Themes
http://www.ted.com/index.php/themes - Phyllis ]

---------Forwarded Message--------

Hi! It's Tuesday, April 8, 2008, and time for Science at
ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
TED.com
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/202

Ages: 12 and up (The content is presented with adult viewers in mind. However, in my opinion, much of this material is suitable for younger children with parental supervision. Parents, as always, should preview the material to determine suitability of content.)

ClickSchooler Angela Palermo recommended today's website where you can watch a 9-minute video of the founder of the Tinkering School identify 5 dangerous things you should let your kids do. Allowing kids the freedom to explore instead of overprotecting them, he says, will make them stronger and smarter and actually safer.

Can you guess what the 5 dangerous things you should let your kids do are before you visit the site? I'll give you a hint - most of what he proposes involves science.

Not only can you watch the video at this site, but after you do, and the synapses are firing, take a look around at the amazing content TED.com has to offer.

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design and it sponsors an annual conference that "brings together the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes). This site makes the best talks and performances from TED available to the public, for free." There are about 200 talks on video archived at TED with new material continuously added - so bookmark this site to return again and again.

Angela wrote, "My teen boys and I love this site. TED.com has many, many wonderful educational videos to help you think outside the box."

For example she points to a video in which nanotechnologist Paul Rothemund shows you how to "cast a spell" with DNA!.

She also recommends a lively show with "mathemagician" Arthur Benjamin "who races a team of calculators to figure out 3-digit squares in his head, performs a massive mental calculation, and guesses a few birth days. How does he do it?" Find out how.

This website gets a ClickSchooling Award for Excellence!

DID YOU MISPLACE A ClickSchooling Review? Do you need to find an educational website - fast! Visit the ClickSchooling archives at: http://www.homefires.com/clickschool/archive.asp.

Diane Flynn Keith
for ClickSchooling
Copyright 2008, All Rights Reserved
http://www.Homefires.com/
http://www.Carschooling.com/
http://www.UniversalPreschool.com/

Note: We make every effort to recommend websites that have content that is appropriate for general audiences. Parents should ALWAYS preview the sites for suitable content.

Click Schooling (Clickschooling) is a Federally Registered Trademark.

Site found in:
Thirteen/WNET New York
Thirteen's Highlights eNewsletter

THURSDAY, APRIL 17 AT 8PM

"PRIMO"

"Primo" is a one-man play recounting the Holocaust experiences of Primo Levi, the Italian chemist whose young life was shattered by his internment at Auschwitz in the final year of World War II. Written by and starring renowned South African actor Sir Antony Sher in the title role, the play is adapted from Levi's classic memoir SURVIVING AUSCHWITZ, and made its critically acclaimed debut at London's National Theatre before transferring to Broadway in the summer of 2005. THE NEW YORK TIMES lauded the "crystalline" tone and staggering buildup of horrific detail in director Richard Wilson's stage production, writing "Grandeur may seem a strange word to describe the modesty, selflessness and accumulation of small, exact gestures that are the keynotes of Sir Antony's interpretation. But from the beginning to end of 'Primo,' grandeur is what fills the stage."

The program premieres on Thursday, April 24, 2008 (check local listings);
watch for the launch of the Web companion on Thursday, April 17, 2008.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/shows/primo/

---------Forwarded Message--------
AASC Feature of the Month: April 2008
Lynching in the Jim Crow Era
http://www.oxfordaasc.com/public/features/current/index.jsp

The Oxford African American Studies Center’s Feature of the Month has been updated.

Each month, the editors of the Oxford African American Studies Center provide insights into black history and culture, showing the ways in which the past and present interact by offering socially and historically relevant short articles, picture essays, and links that will guide the reader interested in knowing more.

This month, the editors have chosen to discuss the violence against African Americans, specifically lynching, that plagued the Jim Crow Era, which represents the nadir of race relations in post-Civil War America. While lynching is both a painful and provocative topic, fully acknowledging this period of our history helps to ensure that tragedies such as the ones discussed here will never be repeated.

A CLOSER LOOK
Defined as execution without due process of law, lynching was most rampant in the South during a fifty-year period following Reconstruction, claiming 3,386 known black (mostly male) victims between 1882 and 1930. The actual number of victims, however, is undoubtedly much higher. Lynching was, in short, a means of terrorizing, disenfranchising, and brutalizing the black community by a white majority determined to maintain a racist status quo. For a more in-depth look at this topic, a Photo Essay is available. http://www.oxfordaasc.com/public/features/current/photo_essay.jsp?page=1

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The editors have also selected a number of subject articles, biographies, and primary source documents in order to provide greater context in this area. For a full list of these additional sources, click here.
http://www.oxfordaasc.com/public/features/current/index.jsp

Greetings Blog Readers:

Phyllis has sent you an e-card from The Literacy Site!

Click the following link to view your e-card:

http://www.theliteracysite.com/clickToGive/viewecard.faces?siteId=6&ecardId=870550&recipient=panker4@gmail.com&link=ctg_lit_viewecard_from_ecardemail

Shortened URL: http://tinyurl.com/4nex5z

(You can also copy and paste this link into your Web Browser's address window and hit enter.)

You'll be able to view your e-card for the next 14 days. We hope you enjoy it!

Sincerely,

The Literacy Site Customer Service
1-888-355-4321
http://theliteracysite.com/

P.S. Send your own e-card to friends and family and help spread the word even further:
http://www.theliteracysite.com/clickToGive/sendecard.faces?siteId=6&link=ctg_lit_sendecard_from_ecardemail

Lowcountry Africana
http://lowcountryafricana.net/
From the site:
“Lowcountry Africana:dedicated to records that document the family and cultural heritage of African Americans in the historic rice-growing areas of South Carolina, Georgia and extreme northeastern Florida, an area that scholars and preservationists have identified as a distinct culture area, home to the rich Gullah/Geechee culture.
Access to the entire content of Lowcountry Africana will always be 100% free.”

1968
http://www.history.com/1968
Interactive site explores the important year
American history through an examination
four movements and events: civil rights, music,
the Vietnam War, and hippie culture.

---------Forwarded Message--------
Site of the Day for Thursday, November 8, 2007

The March Towards War
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~MA04/wood/mot/html/introduction.htm

With Veteran's Day in the U.S. and Remembrance Day in Canada looming on the
horizon, today's powerful site from the University of Virginia's American
Studies program offers a compelling and timely exhibit. Gentle Subscribers
will discover an in-depth consideration of the influential "March of Time"
radio show and news reel from the corporation which published the
quintessentially American Time and Life magazines.

"Beginning in the 1920s, Henry Luce's media empire, including Time and
Fortune magazines, reached an audience of millions and offered a
trend-setting format that blended news and feature-writing. Luce then
expanded his empire by creating The March of Time, a radio show founded in
1931 primarily to advertise Time magazine and later Life magazine. In 1935
Luce further entrenched The March of Time brand with a dramatic monthly
newsreel of the same name, which by 1937 played in over 9,800 theaters in
America and was seen by as many as 26 million people each episode." - from
the website

The presentation provides a wide-ranging exploration of the radio show,
"The March of Time", as well as the news reel which subsequently rode in
tandem on the brand's success, a powerful combination of agenda-driven
journalism with factual news coverage. Among the themes explored in the
exhibit are the "Time Empire" itself, and the March of Time production as a
document of the period. The pre-war coverage includes its views on Germany,
Russia, the League of Nations, as well as the Spanish civil War, the defeat
of Ethiopia by Italy, and Japanese conquests prior to Pearl Harbor. The
exhibit is accompanied by extensive audio clips from the original
broadcasts, news reel footage as well as contemporary reviews of the
broadcasts. A useful timeline is also available:
[http://xroads.virginia.edu/~MA04/wood/mot/html/timeline.htm ]

Stride over to the site for a fascinating examination of this pre-World War
II media production at:

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~MA04/wood/mot/html/introduction.htm

A.M. Holm
view the List archives on the web at:
http://www.freelists.org/archives/sotd

Sites found in:
Librarians' Internet Index
Websites you can trust!
NEW THIS WEEK, November 8, 2007
Read This Online : http://lii.org/cs/lii/print/news/123

----------------------------------------------------------------

Maritime Safety, Science & Environmental Protection, Including Famous Shipwrecks & Other Major Marine Disasters
This collection of research materials covers topics related to the U.S. Coast Guard and maritime safety, the environment, merchant and fishing vessel casualties, shipwrecks, oceanography, and marine inspection. Highlights include a page on lost cutters, the accident report on the sinking of the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald, and an oral history from a whaling inspector. Include bibliographies, research guides, photos, government documents, and more. From the U.S. Coast Guard.
URL: http://www.uscg.mil/history/MARINESAFETYindex.asp
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24808

----------------------------------------------------------------

Asians of the Century
This magazine feature from 1999 profiles influential Asians from the 20th century, such as Emperor Hirohito, Ho Chi Minh, Pol Pot, Issey Miyake, Sun Yat-sen, Mohandas Gandhi, Mao Zedong, King Rama, Akira Kurosawa, and the Dalai Lama. Includes an overview article and related pieces on global capitalism, women in Asia, and related topics. From Time magazine.
URL: http://www.time.com/time/asia/asia/magazine/1999/990823/cover1.html
Shortened URL: http://tinyurl.com/5ueqc9
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24814
[NOTE: See Also: 60 Years of Asian Heroes
http://www.time.com/time/asia/2006/heroes/index.html - Phyllis]

----------------------------------------------------------------

Dr. Sun Yat-sen Museum
Website for this Hong Kong museum dedicated to Dr. Sun Yat-sen, "a world-renowned revolutionary who devoted his entire life to overthrowing the Qing Dynasty and setting up the Republic of China." Provides descriptions of architectural features of the museum and the bronze statue of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, rotating images of selected items from the permanent collection, visitor information, and links to related websites.
URL: http://hk.drsunyatsen.museum/en/index.php
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24815

----------------------------------------------------------------

Jack London: Author and Adventurer
Companion to a collection of material about fiction and nonfiction author Jack London. Features a London chronology, an overview of the voluminous papers in the collection, and highlights of images (such as a photo of London as a teen, a page from the manuscript for "White Fang," letters, and a photo of London and his wife Charmian aboard their ship the "Snark"). From the Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.
URL: http://www.huntington.org/LibraryDiv/index.html
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24798

----------------------------------------------------------------

Special Report: India
News and analysis of topics about modern India, such as religion, child labor, relations with Pakistan and Europe, and its nuclear program. Also includes an "interactive guide to Britain's pullout from India and the disaster that followed," created on the occasion of the 60-year anniversary of the partition of India and Pakistan (2007), and historical coverage of the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948. From Guardian Unlimited, the website of British newspaper The Guardian.
URL: http://www.guardian.co.uk/india
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24573

----------------------------------------------------------------

AT&T Technology Timeline
This timeline features descriptions of telecommunication, sound, and data technology developments starting with the birth of the telephone in 1876. Some of the of the events include fax service (1924), sound motion pictures (1926), synthetic speech (1936), the first mobile telephone call (1946), the first direct-dial transcontinental telephone call (1951), UNIX and the Internet (1969), and quantum computing (1999). From AT&T.
URL: http://www.corp.att.com/attlabs/reputation/timeline/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24810
[NOTE: Previously posted. - Phyllis ]

----------------------------------------------------------------

DARPA Urban Challenge
Website for this 2007 competition of driverless cars, sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), U.S. Department of Defense. The challenge "features autonomous ground vehicles maneuvering in a mock city environment, executing simulated military supply missions while merging into moving traffic." Includes a description of the project, background about teams, rules, schedule of events, photos, a technical FAQ, and links to previous DARPA challenges.
URL: http://www.darpa.mil/grandchallenge/index.asp
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24811

----------------------------------------------------------------

Storm Warning: Advancements in Marine Communications and Forecasting
This presentation, created in 2000 on the 25th anniversary of the sinking of the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald, looks at developments in marine communications and forecasting since that disaster on Lake Superior. Some of the topics include forecast and warning definitions, numerical weather prediction, advances in scientific understanding, and radars and satellites. From the National Weather Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
URL: http://www.crh.noaa.gov/mqt/fitzgerald/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24806

----------------------------------------------------------------

The Psychedelic '60s: Literary Tradition and Social Change
Information about the social movements of the 1960s in the United States, with emphasis on the literature of the period. Features articles and images on the Beats, Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters, Timothy Leary, the Black Mountain Poets, hippies, Woodstock, illicit drugs, protests, and much more. Includes images of handbills, posters, and other memorabilia from the 1960s. From the University of Virginia Library.
URL: http://www.lib.virginia.edu/small/exhibits/sixties/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/4505
[NOTE: Previously posted. - Phyllis ]

----------------------------------------------------------------

Librarians' Internet Index
Websites You Can Trust!
http://lii.org/

Copyright 2007 by Librarians' Internet Index.

Country Insights
http://www.intercultures.ca/cil-cai/country_insights-en.asp?lvl=8
From the site:
“Country facts and cultural information on the countries of the world.”
Selecting a country from the drop-down list provides you with an overview and an additional menu of cultural topics.

Circus Historical Society
http://www.circushistory.org/
From the site:
“Founded in 1939, the Circus Historical Society, Inc. (CHS) is a tax-exempt, not-for-profit educational organization dedicated to recording the history of the American circus from the first one in Philadelphia during 1793 to today.”

This site is full of fun facts about circuses of the past, plus images, research links, historical resources and more.

Origami Resource Center: Origami: the Art of Paper Folding
http://www.origami-resource-center.com/
From the site:
“This origami resource center provides information about the art of paper folding. We provide links to diagrams, databases, book reviews, and ways to be a part of the paper folding community.
In Japanese, the word “ori” means “to fold” and the word “kami” means “paper”. So, “origami” means “to fold paper”. But there’s more to origami than its name. Where did it come from? Were the Japanese really the first people to fold paper? Why do we think of paper cranes when we think of origami? Who folds paper and why do we still do it? Click onto the links below to find the answers.”

Alphabet Geometry
http://www.misterteacher.com/abc.html
From the site:
“Transformations: The word “transform” means to change. In geometry, a transformation changes the position of a shape on a coordinate plane…The movies below show a letter…in their original positions before being transformed. By clicking the play button, we are able to watch the path the letter takes while being transformed…”

A Century at a Glance...
A Graphical History of Baseball
http://home.istar.ca/~mbein/baseball.html
Includes batting, pitching, and fielding statistics from 1900 to the present.

Sites found in:
NEAT NEW STUFF, November 9-16, 2007

Maps in the News
http://www.mapsofworld.com/mapinnews/maps-news/index.html
Learn world geography one news event at a time. Earthquakes, cyclones,
the cricket world cup schedule, and international agreements become
learning tools. See also the Maps of Current Interest at the Perry-
Castaneda Library Map Collection at the University of Texas,
<http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/ >.

----

A Quick Guide to Gaming in Libraries
http://oedb.org/blogs/ilibrarian/2007/a-quick-guide-to-gaming-in-libraries/
Shortened URL: http://tinyurl.com/5kmymq
A great place to start boning up on the topic, with links to
presentations, reports, news stories, blog posts, case studies, and
books.

-----

Neat New Stuff I Found This Week
http://marylaine.com/neatnew.html
Copyright, Marylaine Block, 1999-2007.

---------Forwarded Message--------
Thu, 10 Apr 2008 21:18:34 -0400
News from AMERICAN EXPERIENCE http://www.pbs.org/americanexperience

THE PRESIDENTS Online. On TV. On the Go. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/presidents/2008/
How do you end a war? Can the President abuse his power? When is it okay to lie? What do you think? Log on to THE PRESIDENTS Online and watch film clips from the biographies of seven 20th century presidents: FDR, Truman, LBJ, Nixon, Carter, Reagan, and coming in May, George H.W. Bush. Then, register for free to participate in the online discussion, and read comments from fellow viewers.

Sites found in:****************************************** PBS Teachers Newsletter: April 13-19, 2008 ******************************************
Masterpiece A Room with a View On-Air & Online 6-8 / 9-12 Sunday, April 13, 2008 9 - 10:30 pm In Andrew Davies' adaptation of E.M. Forster's novel, Elaine Cassidy stars as Lucy Honeychurch, who is disappointed upon her arrival at a guest house in Florence, Italy, because her room has no view. Timothy Spall and son Rafe Spall play Mr. Emerson and his eccentric son, George, who offer Lucy their room -- which has a view. (CC, Stereo, 1 year) http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/roomwithaview/index.html

Visit Masterpiece Online for more on A Room with a View:
Screenwriter Andrew Davies explains his inspiration for a new ending.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/roomwithaview/synopsis.html

[NOTE: Site includes E.M. Forster Biography– Phyllis ]
-------

American Experience
Walt Whitman
On-Air & Online
9-12
Monday, April 14, 2008
9 - 11:00pm
This program tells poet Walt Whitman's life story, from his
working-class childhood in Long Island to his years as a
newspaper reporter in Brooklyn to his death in 1892 at age 72.
In HD where available. (CC, Stereo, HD, 1 year)
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/whitman/
[NOTE: See guide pasted below. – Phyllis ]

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Poetry Everywhere
Interactive/Online Activity
6-8 / 9-12

Produced by WGBH Boston and David Grubin Productions, in
association with the Poetry Foundation, Poetry Everywhere is
designed to take a fresh look at poetry using a variety of
production approaches.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/poetryeverywhere

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Copyright 2008 PBS Online


---------Forwarded Message--------
Thu, 10 Apr 2008 21:18:34 -0400
News from AMERICAN EXPERIENCE http://www.pbs.org/americanexperience ******* On TV Monday: WALT WHITMAN Monday, April 14 at 9pm on PBS (check your local listings) http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/whitman Walt Whitman is one of the most-recognized figures in American literary history: poet, patriot and faithful advocate of democracy. But in his own time, critics denounced him as a "lunatic raving in pitiable delirium." They pronounced his signature book of poetry, "Leaves of Grass," "slimy," "vile," and "beastly." Whitman's mission was simple, yet grand: to be the voice capable of uniting a polarized nation on the brink of Civil War. On Monday, April 14, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE premieres WALT WHITMAN, a two-hour documentary from acclaimed filmmaker Mark Zwonitzer featuring Academy Award-winning actor Chris Cooper as the voice of America's first great poet. Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Yusef Komunyakaa, novelist Allan Gurganus, poet and essayist Martin Espada, and former Poet Laureate Billy Collins appear to recite some of Whitman's most important works, and reflect upon his enduring influence. The broadcast coincides with the Academy of American Poets' National Poetry Month.

WATCH A PREVIEW http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/whitman/ Visit the web site for a sneak peak at WALT WHITMAN. Quicktime and Windows Media video formats offered. WHITMAN'S NEW YORK http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/whitman/map/ No place influenced Walt Whitman like the city he called home. Explore 19th-century New York, and learn about the places that inspired some of Whitman's most famous poetry and prose. LEARN MORE http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/whitman/more/ Read more about Whitman's inspiration, his views on race and the Civil War, and his signature work, "Leaves of Grass." AMERICAN EXPERIENCE Stories to Go http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/podcasts.html In this week's podcast, listen as contemporary writers, including novelist Allan Gurganus, poet and essayist Martin Espada, and former Poet Laureate Billy Collins, read excerpts from "Leaves of Grass."

All Acronyms
http://www.all-acronyms.com/
From the site:
“All-acronyms.com is a free website with more than 600,000 published abbreviations. Initially, the web site was developed, supported and privately used by a group of acronym enthusiasts. It was moved to public sector in 2005. These days with the support of its editors and users All-Acronyms.com covers more and more abbreviated terms. The main purpose of the site is to have a convenient lookup tool for those who need to quickly find an acronym definition.”

--------Forwarded Message--------
From: site-of-the-day@lists.refdesk.com
Date: Sat, 10 Nov 2007 00:10:02 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [site-of-the-day] FullBooks.com

FullBooks.com
http://www.fullbooks.com/

This site offers thousands of full text free books. With a limited interface, this site will be most useful if you know the title of the book you would like to read.
----
Refdesk Home Page: http://www.refdesk.com

Sites found in:

ConnectEng
The newsletter of Web English Teacher
November 13, 2007

-----

Sites to Check Out

Bernie Poole's EdIndex
http://www.pitt.edu/~poole/edmenu.html
A rich collection of education sites, including background information and
teaching ideas. [NOTE: Previously posted. - Phyllis ]

-----

The Rosetta Project
http://www.childrensbooksonline.org/
I have to like a site that can call itself "the largest collection of
illustrated antique books online . we think." Books are divided by age level
for browsers. If you are interested in a specific title, the site also has a
search engine. This resource is free and accepts donations.
[NOTE: Previously posted. - Phyllis ]

-----

Carla Beard
Web English Teacher
http://www.webenglishteacher.com/
This newsletter is copyright 2007, Web English Teacher.

Alice in Wonderland
http://www.surfnetkids.com/alice_in_wonderland.htm
From the site:
“Writing under the pen name Lewis Carroll, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (1832 – 1898) wrote two children's books filled with nonsense and make-believe that have been enjoyed around the world for more than a century: "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and its sequel "Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There." Discover new ways to enjoy these old classics at the following sites.”
Site includes 9 links to related sites (5 annotated, 4 honorable mentions)

Vincent van Gogh: The Drawings
http://www.metmuseum.org/special/van_gogh

Vincent van Gogh—The Letters
From the site:
“Hear actor Kevin Bacon read excerpts from letters by Van Gogh in a special audio feature.”

Slide Show:
http://www.metmuseum.org/special/van_gogh/slideshow/slide.asp?item=0
Shortened URL: http://tinyurl.com/3ql6fp
From the site:
“View a slide show of images in the exhibition, including two comparative studies.”

How Van Gogh Made His Mark
http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/van_gogh/intro.html
From the site:
“This interactive exploration of four landscape drawings introduces young visitors to the creative genius of Van Gogh the draftsman.”

Vincent (Willem) van Gogh Biography
(1853–90)
http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=9515695
Site features a biography of the painter and
includes a related video clip, a list of his works,
and links to outside resources.

The Art of Ancient Egypt: A Web Resource
http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/newegypt/htm/a_index.htm

From the site:
“This resource has been created to provide an understanding of ancient Egyptian art and its central role in Egyptian civilization…Resources and Curriculum Connections sections are designed to help educators integrate the art of ancient Egypt into their classrooms.” [NOTE: Previously posted. - Phyllis ]

----

The Art of Ancient Egypt: A Resource for Educators
http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/publications/egypt.htm
Edith Watts
The art of ancient Egypt and the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art come together in this comprehensive resource for educators, which includes summaries of ancient Egyptian history and art, lesson plans and classroom activities, and a glossary. The descriptions of the works and other information are aimed at increasing knowledge and pleasure in viewing Egyptian art at the Metropolitan or other museums. The materials can be adapted for students of all ages, interests, and abilities, and can be used to enrich any curriculum.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's teacher-training programs and accompanying materials are made possible through a generous grant from Mr. and Mrs. Frederick P. Rose.

View Individual Pages and Chapters
or View Entire Book
http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/publications/pdfs/egypt/egypt.pdf

The 2007 Periodic Table of Elements Printmaking Project
http://azuregrackle.com/periodictable/table/
From the site:
“Ninety-six printmakers of all experience levels, have joined together to produce 118 prints in any medium; woodcut, linocut, monotype, etching, lithograph, silkscreen, or any combination. The end result is a periodic table of elements intended to promote both science and the arts.”

Ask A Scientist
http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/
From the site:
“Ask A Scientist focuses on questions from K-12 students and teachers that are not commonly found in libraries, reference books or text books.”

Site found in:
======== The NSDL Scout Report for Math, Engineering, and Technology ==
======== July 30, 2004 ===
======== Volume 3, Number 16 ======

The Argonne National Laboratory, Division of Educational Programs offers the
Newton BBS. The program started in November of 1991 as an educational
resource and a place for K-12 science, math and computer teachers and their
students to practice telecommunications, to contact research scientists, and
to connect teachers. Students and teachers can submit a question about math,
science or computers or search the archives of more than 15,000 previously
answered questions. A question and answer is highlighted each week. The
Teacher, Classroom and Curriculum Support section offers web pages by
teachers for teachers. Teachers who would like to post something of general
interest or for classroom use can email it in text format and Newton BBS
will develop the web page and post it. Scientists interested in volunteering
to answer questions can mail in their biographies. [VF]
[NOTE: Previously posted. - Phyllis ]

>From The NSDL Scout Report for Math, Engineering, and Technology, Copyright
Internet Scout Project 1994-2003. http://scout.wisc.edu/

Birds of the World
http://birdix.com/
From the site:
“Birds, in their colorful pride, belong to the most beloved animals in nature. They amaze us with their beautiful appearance and wonderful songs time and again. The wide variety in behavior makes bird watching very interesting. Click on the photo of the birds for sound and sonogram. Have fun!”
Search the alphabetical list or enter bird name.

Science Fair Ideas
http://www.surfnetkids.com/science_fair_ideas.htm
From the site:
“Fretting over your science fair project? Having trouble coming up with an idea that interests you? Jump start your creative thinking by browsing through these science fair sites that list hundreds of projects, along with tips on choosing one that's right for you.”
Page includes 9 links to related sites (5 annotated, 4 honorable mentions)

People & the Planet
http://www.peopleandplanet.net/

peopleandplanet.net provides a global review and internet gateway into the issues of population, poverty, health, consumption and the environment. It is published by Planet 21, an independent non-profit company and a registered British charity recognised by the United Nations. This provides a global gateway to the greatest issue of our time: the future health and wellbeing of the human family as it presses ever more heavily on the natural resources of our planet. Happy browsing in our 16 topic sections and Picture Gallery

Population Pressures
Food and Agriculture
Reproductive Health
Health and Pollution
Coasts and Oceans
Renewable Energy
Poverty and Trade
Climate Change
Green Industry
Eco Tourism
Biodiversity
Mountains
Forests
Water
Cities
Global Action

--------Forwarded Message--------

Hi! It's Monday, November 12, 2007

Recommended Website:
Arcademic Skill Builders
http://www.arcademicskillbuilders.com/games.htm

Age Range: 8 and up (Geared for elementary grade students, but players of
varying ages and abilities will enjoy it too.)

For those of you who wonder if video games can be educational - visit this
website. It offers free arcade games designed to build basic academic skills
in math and language arts.

The founder of this site , Jerry Chaffin, won a lifetime achievement award
from the University of Kansas and gave a speech about the past, present, and
future of educational video games that you can listen to at the website
(access it on the homepage at http://arcademicskillbuilders.com/ ). He
believes anything can be taught through video games.

The software program he developed "was inspired by arcade games and the
intense engagement they fostered between the game and player...the games
embrace research on learning dealing with 'automaticity' and 'fluency.'
Automaticity is fast and accurate object identification at the single object
level." Fluency includes retention of information and the ability to apply
what is learned in new situations.

The engaging games at this site provide focused repetition practice that
enables students to achieve fluency quickly. You can play with one or
multiple players. When you get to the site you will see a menu of games with
descriptions that include:

MATH:
-Meteor Multiplication
-Demolition Division
-Alien Addition
-Minus Mission

LANGUAGE ARTS:
-Coconut Vowels
-Word Frog
-Word Invasion
-Verb Viper

You can set the speed of each game for challenge and success. You'll also
find a "Teacher's Manual" that provides guidance on how to use these games
for optimal learning. It encourages adaptation of the materials "in any way
possible" to ensure a positive experience for every student.

Bookmark this site, your kids will want to return often. :)

Diane Flynn Keith
for ClickSchooling
Copyright 2007, All Rights Reserved
http://www.Homefires.com/
http://www.Carschooling.com/
http://www.UniversalPreschool.com/

Note: We make every effort to recommend websites that have content that is appropriate for general audiences. Parents should ALWAYS preview the sites for suitable content.

Click Schooling (Clickschooling) is a Federally Registered Trademark.

Power Reporting
http://www.powerreporting.com/
In partnership with the Columbia Journalism Review, this site offers "Thousands
of free research tools for journalists." Includes a Newsroom Treasure Hunt, its
Top 100 web sites, and a tutorial on web searching.
[NOTE: Previously posted. - Phyllis ]
Site found in:
Neat New Stuff I Found This Week
http://marylaine.com/neatnew.html
Copyright, Marylaine Block, 1999-2003

Web searching
http://powerreporting.com/altavista.html
From the site:
“Web searching: a tutorial on search strategy and syntax.”

Power Reporting: Top 100 sites
http://powerreporting.com/category/Top_100_sites/
From the site:
“Here are the editor's choices for the most useful resources at Power Reporting, listed alphabetically.”

2008 Central
http://www.2008central.net/

2008 Central seeks to become the single most comprehensive information source for the upcoming 2008 Presidential Election. What you can expect from 2008 Central: Non-partisan coverage of candidates; campaign analysis; access to videos of campaign stops, speeches and interviews; press releases, quality information, and frequent updates.

Sports Illustrated Vault
http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/
SI Vault - "explore the 54 years of Sports Illustrated history including over 150,000 stories, 2,800 covers, 500,000 photographs, a Wiki sports encyclopedia and links to historical videos."

-----

Site found in:
ResourceShelf
http://www.resourceshelf.com/2008/03/22/new-database-sports-illustrated-unlocks-si-vault-archive/
Shortened URL: http://tinyurl.com/2q2kr2
March 22, 2008

Sports Illustrated Unlocks SI Vault Archives
http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/

A must for all sports fans follows.

Search, review, and read (free!) more than 54 years of Sports Illustrated content including full text stories, images (including covers), video, and more. Search by keyword. An advanced interface is available but you cannot limit by date or date range before you run a search.

HOWEVER, you can refine a search by date and/or date range via an interface found at the top of all results pages. You can also click to refine by type of content (articles, photos, galleries, video, and covers). Finally, you can also refine results to material from Sports Illustrated (the magazine), SI.com (the web site) and/or both publications. It’s also possible to sort results by date or relevance.

Be prepared to spend some time here. Yes, once again, it’s all free.

----
Gary Price
Editor, ResourceShelf
gary@resourceshelf.com
The ResourceShelf & DocuTicker Team
--------------------------------------------------------------------
"Post via ResourceShelf"
for even more resources visit
http://www.resourceshelf.com
http://www.docuticker.com

A celebration, this is’
http://www.sylviaplath.info
From the site:
" ‘A celebration, this is’ began in the winter of 1998 and has gone through many face lifts in the attempt to bring you a well-presented, informational website on Sylvia Plath…My intention is to provide researchers, fans and others with information on the life and works of Sylvia Plath.”

Red Files
http://www.pbs.org/redfiles/

Gain a better understanding of the Soviet Union
through never-before-seen images from the Russian government archives,
compelling personal stories, and powerful interviews with key Russian
participants and Western experts on Soviet sports, propaganda, space
and espionage.

[NOTE: Previously posted. - Phyllis ]
Copyright 2001 PBS Online

Amelia Earhart (In Search Of)
http://www.biography.com/broadband/main.do?video=amelia-earhart&category=explorers
Shortened URL: http://tinyurl.com/6pqff9
From the site:
“Amelia Earhart's disappearance somewhere over the Pacific Ocean on July 2nd, 1937 is still one of the world's great mysteries. This segment chronicles her rise to fame, examines the last flight in detail and explores the various theories which have emerged since the world's most famous female flyer suddenly vanished. This video courtesy of THE HISTORY CHANNEL”. [NOTE: Video starts with a 15 sec. commercial – Phyllis ]

Sites found in:

******************************************
PBS Teachers Newsletter: April 6-12, 2008
******************************************

American Masters
Zora Neale Hurston: Jump at the Sun
On-Air & Online
3-5 / 6-8
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
9 - 10:30 pm
This is a profile of author Zora Neale Hurston, one of the most
celebrated -- and most controversial -- figures of the Harlem
Renaissance, the creatively expansive era in the 1920s when
"the Negro was in vogue." (CC, Stereo, 1year)

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/hurston_z.html

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Nature
What Females Want and Males Will Do (Part One)
On-Air & Online
6-8 / 9-12
Sunday, April 6, 2008
8 - 9:00 pm
In the animal world, females decide. But their decisions may
not always be what others expect. What is it they are looking
for? Monogamy? Variety? A special sound or smell? A touch of
red? Babysitting skills? It could be any or all of the above.
(CC, Stereo, HD, 1 year)

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/females/index.html

-----

NOVA
Cracking the Maya Code
On-Air & Online
6-8 / 9-12
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
8 - 9:00 pm
NOVA takes a definitive look back at how a handful of pioneers
deciphered the intricate system of hieroglyphs developed by the
Maya. (CC, Stereo, 1 year)

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/mayacode/

[NOTE: See teaching guide pasted below. – Phyllis ]

-----

American Experience
Amelia Earhart
On-Air & Online
9-12
Monday, April 11, 2008
Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly solo across the
Atlantic and the first to cross the North American continent
alone. Seemingly invincible, Earhart tirelessly traveled and
lectured, a champion of aviation and equal opportunity for
women. (CC, Stereo, 1 year)

[NOTE: See promo: http://www.pbs.org/search/redir/http:/www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/earhart/promo/ - Phyllis ]

----
Copyright 2008 PBS Online

********


--------Forwarded Message--------
[NOVA Teachers] "Cracking the Maya Code" airs April 8, 2008

Hello Educators,

In next week's airing of "Cracking the Maya Code," NOVA explores the
centuries-long effort to understand the Maya's complex hieroglyphic
script and reveals the breakthroughs that led to the code being
deciphered. (Subjects covered: anthropology/archeology, social
studies, world history).

Regards,
Karen Hartley
Teachers Editor
NOVA Web Site
http://www.pbs.org/nova/teachers/
E-mail: NOVA_Teachers@wgbh.org

* * * * * * * *

NOVA presents "Cracking the Maya Code"
Broadcast: Tuesday, April 8, 2008
http://www.pbs.org/nova/mayacode
(NOVA airs on PBS at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Check your local listings as
broadcast dates and times may vary. This program can be used up to
one year after it is recorded off the air.)

Watch the Program
http://www.pbs.org/nova/mayacode/program.html
Watch the entire program online after the broadcast date.
(Quicktime or Windows Media required.) (Grades 6-8, 9-12)

Time Line of Decipherment
http://www.pbs.org/nova/mayacode/timeline.html
Use this interactive time line to trace key discoveries over the
centuries to understand Maya script. (Flash plug-in required;
printable version available.) (Grades 6-8, 9-12)

A Masterpiece Revealed
http://www.pbs.org/nova/mayacode/masterpiece.html
Tour this interactive mural to see archeological illustrations of
how the San Bartolo's North Wall glyphs might have originally
looked, and learn about the ancient Maya elements depicted in the
painting. (Flash plug-in required.) (Grades 6-8, 9-12)

Decode Stela 3
http://www.pbs.org/nova/mayacode/translate.html
Follow the decipherment of a passage of Maya glyphs carved onto
an ancient stone monument, hear the ancient Maya spoken, and
learn the meaning behind the glyphs in this interactive. (Flash
plug-in required.) (Grades 6-8, 9-12)

Map of the Maya World
http://www.pbs.org/nova/mayacode/map.html
Navigate this interactive map to learn more about 15 of the
better-known Maya sites, including Chichen Itza and Copan. (Flash
plug-in required; printable version available.) (Grades 3-5, 6-8,
9-12)

Teacher's Guide
http://www.pbs.org/nova/teachers/programs/3506_mayacode.html
In this classroom activity, students learn out how scientists
began to understand the meaning of Maya glyphs and determine
their own birth date using the Maya Long Count calendar system.
(Grades 6-8, 9-12)

Program transcript
http://www.pbs.org/nova/transcripts/3506_mayacode.html
The site includes a complete narration for this program.

Plus Watch a Preview and Links & Books.

Site found in:
======== The NSDL Scout Report for the Physical Sciences ===
======== September 5, 2003 ===
======== Volume 2, Number 18 ======

The Physics of Baseball
http://webusers.npl.uiuc.edu/~a-nathan/pob/
[NOTE: Previously posted. Site revised: March 27, 2008 - Phyllis ]

This site is created and maintained by University of Illinois at Urbana-
Champaign physics professor, Alan M. Nathan. Professor Nathan shares a
generous amount of material from his physics classes at this site, such as
lectures in HTML and PowerPoint format. You can also watch a 50-minute video
on the physics of baseball that was given as part of the Jefferson
Laboratory Science Series. Links to journal articles and other documents on
unique topics such as the dynamics of baseball-bat collision, the acoustics
of baseball, and wood versus aluminum bats are also provided. Other topics
include information on aerodynamics of the baseball, the juiced baseball
issue, and NCAA batting standards. This authoritative and interesting site
is perfect for physics students and interested baseball fans alike. [TJS]

>From The NSDL Scout Report for the Physical Sciences, Copyright Internet
Scout Project 1994-2003. http://scout.wisc.edu/

Glossopedia
http://www.globio.org/glossopedia/Default.aspx
From the site:
“Glossopedia is a multimedia online interactive encyclopedia, connecting kids to the world by supporting discovery of nature, animals, science, and culture.”

Sites found in:
The Cool Tricks and Trinkets Newsletter # 480 11/8/2007

-----

Beatles Lyrics Archive

Arguably the greatest band in the history of rock n' roll, the music of
"The Beatles" has inspired hundreds of millions of people over the past
forty years. Fans will love "The Beatles Lyrics Archive", an amazing
online resource that contains nearly every word written by the legendary
band from Liverpool.

Hop into your yellow submarine and cruise through this easy-to-use virtual
archive, which lets you search for your favorite tunes by "Album" or "Song
Title". In addition to the site's alphabetical archive of awesome Beatles'
songs released between 1963 and 2003, there is also a section on "Pictures"
as well as links to other Beatles-loving website.

http://www.beatleslyricsarchive.com/

----

Ugly Critters

Most animals are adorable, but Nature's graceful hand has created some
creatures that only a mother could love. Check out this fun list of "The
10 Ugliest Animals", which includes aesthetically-challenged critters like
the Naked Mole Rat, the Horseshoe Bat, and the Star-nosed Mole.

http://wildworld-man.blogspot.com/2007/11/top-10-ugliest-animals.html
Shortened URL: http://tinyurl.com/3bz9bb
-----

History of the Necktie

Whether or not you like to dress formally, there is no denying that a nice
tie can make or break the man. This cool piece, courtesy of
CuriousExpeditions.Org, unveils the rich history of the modern necktie.

http://curiousexpeditions.org/?p=105%20

----

Newspapers of the World

Despite the rapid growth of the World Wide Web and 24-hour cable news, many
people still enjoy getting their news from traditional newspapers.
NewspaperIndex.Com is a cool site that helps you find the right newspaper
for you, with reviews of publications from major cities and countries all
around the world.

http://www.newspaperindex.com/
[NOTE: Previously posted. - Phyllis ]

-----

Aesop's Fables

While Aesop's Fables are legendary, little is known about the man who is
authored them or if he even existed at all. Believed to be an Ancient
Greek slave and storyteller who lived during the 6th Century B.C., Aesop's
name has become a blanket term to describe fables and stories that use
simple incidents to teach children (and adults) great truths.

This online collection of Aesop's Fables has been up and running for 11
years, and continues to grow in size and scope. Visitors can search the
site's collection of over 650 Fables by "Title" and "Moral of the Story" to
find such classic tales as "The Boy Who Cried Wolf", "The North Wind and
the Sun", and "The Tortoise and the Hare".

http://www.aesopfables.com/
[NOTE: Previously posted. - Phyllis ]

------

Disco Disco!!!

Disco may not be as hip as it was in the 1970's, but it still has a lively
home on the Internet thanks to this cool website. Disco-Disco.Com
showcases the biggest stars of the Disco era, its most popular clubs, and
the legendary DJs who mixed the beats.

Visitors can read about the history of the Disco Era, including the most
influential disco record labels, DJ's, clubs, artists, and other
wide-collared taste-makers. Other cool features include the "Discotheque"
where you can mix your own music, a section called "On The Turntable" which
features favorite singles, and links to other disco-dancing website.

http://www.disco-disco.com/

Sites found in:
==============================================
Public Agenda Alert -- April 3, 2008
http://www.publicagenda.org/
==============================================
* U.S. to Set Standard Measure for Dropouts

The federal government will require all states to
use the same formula to calculate school graduation
rates, Education Secretary Margaret Spellings
announced this week. Prior to this, each state
used it's own method of calculating dropouts, a
procedure that some experts say conceals serious
problems.

For example, a change last year in North
Carolina's dropout formula cut its graduation rate
from 95 percent to 68 percent. In cities like Detroit,
Indianapolis and Cleveland, fewer than 35 percent
of high school students graduate on time, according
to a separate study released this week. An estimated
1.2 million U.S. students drop out annually.

In Public Agenda's research, we've found minority parents
are far more likely than whites to report "too many students
dropping out" as a serious problem in their school.
Some 48 percent of Hispanic parents and 38 percent of
black parents say dropouts are a "very serious" problem
in local schools. That's compared to 18 percent of whites
in our Reality Check 2006 survey.

But black parents are also more skeptical about what
high school diplomas mean for their children, with four in 10
saying getting a diploma is "no guarantee" that a student
has learned the basics. Only 26 percent of white and Hispanic
parents have the same reservations.

And many minority high school students report similar problems
around them every day. In the Reality Check survey, 39
percent of black students and 23 percent of Hispanic students
say having too many students drop out is a "very serious"
problem at their school. Only 12 percent of whites say the same.

Find out more in our Reality Check survey:
http://www.publicagenda.org/research/research_reports_details.cfm?list=98%20

Read The New York Times story on the new policy:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/01/education/01child.html?scp=4&sq=spellings&st=nyt
Shortened URL: http://tinyurl.com/2rma2x

Read the statement from Education Secretary Margaret Spellings:
http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2008/04/04012008.html

Phyllis' Favorites from CJRLC Newsletter, April 2008, Pg. 3
http://www.cjrlc.org/Newsletter/newsletter.htm


American Life in Poetry
http://www.americanlifeinpoetry.org/index.html

AskNumbers
http://www.asknumbers.com/

Biological and Cultural Anthropology Tutorials
http://anthro.palomar.edu/tutorials/biological.htm
http://anthro.palomar.edu/tutorials/cultural.htm

The Classroom Electric: Dickinson, Whitman, and American Culture
http://www.classroomelectric.org/index.html

Earth Science World
http://www.earthscienceworld.org/

eHistory.com
http://www.ehistory.com/

H.I.P. Pocket Change
http://www.usmint.gov/kids/
http://www.usmint.gov/kids/timeMachine/

Imagine the Universe!
http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
http://www.redlist.org/
Links to Other Web Sites (scroll down)
http://www.iucnredlist.org/info/publications_links

Museum of Hoaxes
http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/

Occupational Outlook Handbook 2008-09
http://www.bls.gov/oco/home.htm

A Paleo Perspective... On Global Warming
http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/paleo/globalwarming/home.html

Universal Leonardo
http://www.universalleonardo.org/

--------Forwarded Message--------
Site of the Day for Friday, November 9, 2007

The Worldwide Guide to Movie Locations
http://www.movie-locations.com/

Today's site, by author Tony Reeves, offers a fascinating site for movie
buffs and anyone curious about the seemingly exotic locations presented on
the silver screen. Gentle Subscribers will discover a wide-ranging
collection of locations from an ever-growing list of movies.

"Have you ever wondered 'Where did they film that?' Are you a 'set-jetter'?
The Worldwide Guide to Movie Locations is the essential travel guide to
filming locations of Hollywood blockbusters, indie cult films and arthouse
cinema throughout the world." - from the website

The site features dozens of attention-grabbing movie locations, such as the
entry for "Back to the Future" which displays great photos of real houses
in real neighborhoods in various parts of California, along with
informative notes on the specific locations. A highlight of the
presentation is the author's facility for demonstrating the
inter-connectedness and practicality of some movie-making ventures. For
example, the location of the Roman scenes, with additional computer
generated graphics, filmed on Malta for "Gladiator" was also used for
another blockbuster epic -- "Troy". For some of the films, supplementary
material from off site links is also provided. The collection may be
explored by film title, actor, director or location.

Zoom over to the site for a tour of some notable movie locations at:

http://www.movie-locations.com/

A.M. Holm
view the List archives on the web at:
http://www.freelists.org/archives/sotd

---------Forwarded Message--------
Hi! It's Friday, November 9, 2007 and time for a Virtual Field Trip at
ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
Washing Machine Museum
http://www.oldewash.com/

Age Range: 5 and up

Now here's a quirky website. It offers a virtual tour of the Washing Machine
Museum located in Eaton, Colorado. The owner is Lee Maxwell whose hobby is
collecting antique washing machines. He's written a book about them oddly
titled, "Save Womens Lives: The First Ever History of Washing Machines."
This website serves as a companion to the book (available for sale at the
site), and makes access to the museum available to virtual tourists
everywhere.

When you get to the site you'll see a picture of various antique washing
machine labels. Use the menu on the left side of your screen and click on
"Virtual Tour." A new page opens offering a panoramic view of five areas of
the museum. Use the zoom, speed, and pause buttons to tour the museum at
your own pace. There are over 1,000 antique washing machines at the museum.

Once you've seen the museum, use the menu to learn about the different
machines. Search the "Data Base" by brand name, keyword, machine ID #, and
more to access photos and information about each and every machine.

DON'T MISS THE BEST PART called "Machines with Animations" in the "Data
Base" section. You can watch videos of many of these old clunkers in action!

Be sure to click on "Links" on the menu to visit museum websites devoted to
old-fashioned "manglers" or wringers, irons, and even handmade soap -
complete with a recipe for making your own soap! (Note: I only quickly
glanced at the linked websites, so parents, as always, should preview them
to determine suitability of content.)


Diane Flynn Keith
for ClickSchooling
Copyright 2007, All Rights Reserved
http://www.Homefires.com/
http://www.Carschooling.com/
http://www.UniversalPreschool.com/


Note: We make every effort to recommend websites that have content that is appropriate for general audiences. Parents should ALWAYS preview the sites for suitable content.

Click Schooling (Clickschooling) is a Federally Registered Trademark.

---------Forwarded Message--------

Hi! It's Thursday, November 8, 2007 and time for Social Sciences at
ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
Secret Life of Machines
http://www.secretlifeofmachines.com/index.shtml
[NOTE: Previously posted. - Phyllis ]

Engineer and cartoonist Tim Hunkin developed a series of cartoons with
simple explanations about how machines work. We featured that website, "The
Rudiments of Wisdom," in a review in 2004, that you can access from the
ClickSchooling archives here:
http://www.homefires.com/clickschool/archive.asp?d=2007/01/24

Tim's unique take on explaining the mystery behind the mechanisms, resulted
in a TV series that allowed him to further develop the explanations with
more in-depth cartoons. These cartoons are featured on today's website. When
you get to the site you'll see a brief introduction and then a menu of
cartoon topics that includes:

-elevators
-fax machines
-internal combustion engines
-refrigerators
-sewing machines
-telephones
-televisions
-vacuum cleaners
-video recorders
-washing machines
-word processors
-and many more!

Click on any one and enjoy reading the cartoons that explain how these
machines work.

MaryAnna wrote, "They made a series of videos from the cartoons that
demonstrate the history and inventions of modern conveniences and other
machines. They are really fun to watch and are housed by the Exploratorium
website here:
http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/SLOM/

I went to the site and received error messages when I tried to watch the
videos. I didn't have time to check and/or change my settings to allow
access. But give it a try - as it may work for you! :)

Samples of the videos are also on Google and You Tube and you'll find the
links here:
http://www.secretlifeofmachines.com/dvds_and_videos.htm


Enjoy!

Diane Flynn Keith
for ClickSchooling
Copyright 2007, All Rights Reserved
http://www.Homefires.com/
http://www.Carschooling.com/
http://www.UniversalPreschool.com/

Note: We make every effort to recommend websites that have content that is appropriate for general audiences. Parents should ALWAYS preview the sites for suitable content.

Click Schooling (Clickschooling) is a Federally Registered Trademark.

Site found in:

ResourceShelf
http://www.resourceshelf.com
November 2-8, 2007
-----

Best Inventors (From Archimedes to Isaac Newton to Vannevar Bush to Tim Berners-Lee)
The Best Inventions Of The Year
http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1677329_1677708,00.html
Shortened URL: http://tinyurl.com/ys495g

------
Gary Price
Editor, ResourceShelf
gary@resourceshelf.com
The ResourceShelf & DocuTicker Team
--------------------------------------------------------------------
"Post via ResourceShelf"
for even more resources visit
http://www.resourceshelf.com
http://www.docuticker.com

For those of you who pass on information to teachers in your school, you may be interested in this website created by a teacher in my school. He has created a website for foreign language teachers who use technology in their classrooms. The website is geared towards the use of technology in the foreign language classroom. Most forums cover language use, history and pedagogy, however very few touch upon the use of technology.
http://www.worldlanguagementor.com/

Wayne C. Rush, Librarian
Grover Cleveland Middle School
36 Academy Road
Caldwell, NJ 07006
973-228-9115 (Voice)
973-226-7305 (Fax)

National Chemistry Week October 2008
2008 Theme: “Having a Ball With Chemistry”
http://portal.acs.org/portal/acs/corg/content?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=PP_TRANSITIONMAIN&node_id=1033&use_sec=false&sec_url_var=region1
Shortened URL: http://tinyurl.com/324jrk
National Chemistry Week (NCW) is a community-based annual event that unites ACS local sections, businesses, schools, and individuals in communicating the importance of chemistry to our quality of life.

National Chemistry Week 2008 – Poster Contest
http://portal.acs.org/portal/acs/corg/content?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=PP_ARTICLEMAIN&node_id=1055&use_sec=false
Shortened URL: http://tinyurl.com/yvqzgf
Watch for the rules and contacts - available by Spring 2008.

Sites found in:
=======
The Scout Report
November 9, 2007
Volume 13, Number 43

The Scout Report on the Web:
Current issue: http://scout.wisc.edu/Reports/ScoutReport/Current/
This issue: http://scout.wisc.edu/Reports/ScoutReport/2007/scout-071109.php

-----
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services: Fisheries and Habitat Conservation
[pdf]
http://www.fws.gov/fisheries/

With a penchant for invasive species management and habitat restoration, the
Fisheries and Habitat Conservation Program within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service is interested in creating an environment for both "healthy fish" and
"healthy people" through its various initiatives and partnerships. The
homepage presents a rotating series of photographs that feature various
fisheries facilities, and visitors will find the site quite easy to
navigate. Along with a directory and a sitemap, users can look over topics
that include pollution, restoration, working with Native Americans, along
with eight others. Within each of these areas, visitors will find brief
overviews of each topic, complete with links to relevant policy documents
and external links. The site is rounded out by a "Special Events" area and
information about requesting documents through the Freedom of Information
Act. [KMG]
[NOTE: Other pages from http://www.fws.gov/ previously posted. - Phyllis ]

-----

The World of Chemistry
http://www.learner.org/resources/series61.html

One doesn't have to be a Glenn Seaborg or a Lord Ernest Rutherford to learn
about chemistry, though it probably couldn't help to have some of their
curiosity about the world of chemistry. Young chemists and their teachers
will definitely benefit from this nice resource offered by the Annenberg
Media project. This original video series was produced by the University of
Maryland and the Educational Film Center, and it consists of 26 half-hour
programs. With industrial and research chemists demonstrating a number of
high-intensity experiments and processes, the series is quite a find. The
installments include such titles as "Modeling the Unseen", "The Atom", and
"The Busy Electron". [KMG]
[NOTE: Other pages from http://www.learner.org/index.html previously posted. - Phyllis ]

----

Disappearing Marine Iguanas: A Case of Population Collapse [pdf]
http://www.sciencecases.org/iguanas/iguanas.asp

The National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science has been the host to
dozens of helpful educational resources, and their series of case studies is
one that every science educator should be well acquainted with. One recent
addition to their archive comes from Conrad Toepfer of Brescia University in
Owensboro, Kentucky. This resource deals with the disappearing marine iguana
population in the Galapagos Islands, and it is framed as a conversation
between two friends who grow concerned about this trend and decide to
explore the subject further. It includes well-phrased questions, complete
with tables and charts, and is written in a way that will be compelling to
both students and teachers alike. [KMG]

------

Utah Geological Survey: Teaching Geology Resources [pdf]
http://geology.utah.gov/teacher/index.htm

>From Arches National Park to the towering cliffs at Castle Rock Campground,
Utah has some remarkable geology on display. The Utah Geological Survey
decided to draw on these fantastic "outdoor laboratories" and create a set
of resources designed for science educators. While some of the resources are
geared towards users in Utah, many of the sections contain helpful overviews
that will help all educators remain on a steady foundation of geologic
knowledge. One key area on the site is the "Earthquakes & Geologic Hazards"
section. Here, visitors can find well-composed and straight forward
summaries on topics like liquefaction, ground cracks, and fault lines.
Moving on to the "Teacher Resources" area, visitors will find the delightful
"Glad You Asked" articles and the very useful "Teacher's Corner" column
which provides information on reading a stone wall and geologic stretching.
[KMG]

-----

Hemingway Archives [pdf]
http://www.jfklibrary.org/Historical+Resources/Hemingway+Archive/

Ernest Hemingway was a red-blooded man of letters, and one of the 20th
century's most celebrated and demonized writers. In 1968, Mary Hemingway
arranged to have his papers donated to the Kennedy Library. Over the past
several decades, materials related to Hemingway's long career have continued
to become part of this very extensive collection. The Kennedy Library has
created this specific page to provide both researchers and members of the
general public with some basic information about their holdings, along with
offering access to a selection of these papers. Visitors can start by
clicking over to the "Online Resources" area, which includes essays on
Hemingway by various scholars and a nice piece by Megan F. Desnoyers on how
the collection came to the Kennedy Library. Moving on, the photograph
galleries are a real treat, as they cover everything from Hemingway's youth
in Oak Park all the way up to his last days in Idaho. [KMG]
[NOTE: Previously posted. - Phyllis ]

------

>From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout 1994-2007.
http://scout.wisc.edu/

******************************************
PBS Teachers Newsletter
*******************************************

American Experience: Minik, the Lost Eskimo
Monday, March 31, 2008, 8 - 9:00 pm
Grade Range: 9-12

Minik, the Lost Eskimo
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/minik/
In April 1897, six polar Eskimos arrived in New York City. Far removed from the home they had known in Greenland, where their Inuit community numbered just 234 people, they found themselves in the heart of a teeming metropolis. The youngest of the band was seven-year-old Minik.
The Eskimos were the exotic cargo of explorer Robert Peary, whose ambitious quest to reach the North Pole would leave him unable to oversee the Eskimos' care once he left them in New York. Within months, four of the Eskimos died and one returned home, leaving Minik an orphan. For more than a decade, Robert Peary would persist in his efforts to reach the North Pole, while Minik struggled to create a home and an identity thousands of miles from his native land.
Minik, the Lost Eskimo tells the parallel stories of an Eskimo and an explorer whose meeting forever changed the many lives, and examines an overlooked chapter in the history of American exploration.

Introduction
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/minik/program/intro.html

Teacher’s Guide Online
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/minik/tguide/
[a downloadable PDF of the entire guide (coming soon)]

Related Web Sites
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/minik/more/

-----

Jean-Michel Coustaeu: Ocean Adventures: Return to the Amazon
Wednesday, April 2 at 8pm
Encounter an anaconda, the world's largest snake; jacare, the Amazon crocodile; and pink river dolphins (which don't sound all that dangerous). Visit the Ocean Adventures site for games, adventures and more:
Site includes related links
http://www.pbs.org/kqed/oceanadventures/episodes/amazon/

Educator Guide to Return to the Amazon
http://www.pbs.org/kqed/oceanadventures/educators/amazon/

------

Copyright 2008 PBS Online.