Phyllis' Favorites

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Site of the Day for Thursday, October 9, 2008

Liquid Sculpture
http://www.liquidsculpture.com/
http://www.liquidsculpture.com/fine_art/index.htm

Today's site, from Portland, Oregon photographer Martin Waugh, presents the
visually stunning images of fluids captured in motion. Gentle Subscribers will
discover an arresting gallery of pictures where art soars in collaboration with
technique.

"What you see on this site are high-resolution photographs of liquids in motion,
captured with high-speed flash photography. ... the smooth and effortless curves of
liquid, eliciting a childlike sense of fun and whimsy. ... free-flowing photography
evokes images from rolling, rhythmic oceans to drops of water falling upon a lake,
taking one on a spiritual journey bounded only by imagination. ... We hope you
enjoy the fun, whimsy and wonder of these selected works from Martin Waugh. Please
take a moment and see where your imagination takes you." - from the website

The exhibit presents a hundred spectacular images arranged either by title or by
"serendipity". Created by altering such aspects as the size, color, speed,
viscosity, and surface tension of fluids, the images are captured using a digital
camera and flash. Visitors can opt for a nicely designed slideshow to view the
photos or can simply click on an image at random. Hovering over most of the images
with a mouse reveals a small defined rectangle, which when clicked, zooms in to
expand a particular section of the photo. Additional details about the
photographer, his work and notes on the history of high speed photography are also
available.

Glide over to the exhibit for an intriguing look at these singular images at:

http://www.liquidsculpture.com/
http://www.liquidsculpture.com/fine_art/index.htm

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

Influential Black Women
http://www.oxfordaasc.com/public/features/archive/0409/index.jsp

Six times a year, the editors of the Oxford African American Studies Center provide insights into black history and culture, showing ways in which the past and present interact by offering specially commissioned featured essays, photographic essays, and a selected list of articles that will further guide the reader. This month the Focus On article highlights African American women who have worked towards the common goal of social justice.

Photo Essay
http://www.oxfordaasc.com/public/features/archive/0409/photo_essay.jsp?page=1
Shortened URL: http://tinyurl.com/d427zb

Featured Articles
http://www.oxfordaasc.com/public/features/archive/0409/index.jsp#featured_articles
Shortened URL: http://tinyurl.com/d4bbfy

Sites found in:
October 11, 2008 "Earth Science Sites of the Week"

MINERAL DATABASE, David Barthelmy (Sean Ellison) This mineral database contains 4,442 individual mineral species descriptions with links and a comprehensive image library. Visit the "What's New" section for details.
http://webmineral.com/

[NOTE: Previously posted. - Phyllis ]

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METEOROLOGY, NASA (Arlene S. Levine) An Educator's Resource for Inquiry-Based Learning for Grades 5-9 is written as a supplement to existing Earth and space science curricula for grades 5-9. The guide may be used in both formal and informal educational settings as well as at home. It should be used in conjunction with lectures, discussions, textbooks and other teaching material. This guide is not intended to be a complete course in meteorology; rather, its function is to assist educators in instilling excitement in learning about meteorology by permitting the learner to take increasing responsibility for his/her learning. The learner should experience "how we arrive at what we know," rather than memorizing what we know. This publication was developed to enhance the understanding of inquiry-based learning from the educator/teacher¹s perspective as well as from the learner¹s perspective. Inquiry-based learning has many levels. There are four levels of inquiry defined in this publication, confirmation-verification, structured inquiry, guided inquiry and open inquiry. The levels will be further defined and explained in the introductory chapter. The resource is free and is on-line to down-load.
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/science/met-guide.html

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KINESTHETIC ASTRONOMY, Cherilynn Morrow & Michael Zawaski (Chelsey Nichols) This will get the kids outside in a structured way while they learn basic astronomy. Most of our middle schoolers are not up to the abstract learning in most astronomy units. (Books are changing though.)
http://education.sdsc.edu/teachertech/downloads/k_astronomy.pdf

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Mark Francek
Central Michigan University
Resource Page: http://webs.cmich.edu/resgi

Sites found in:
******************************************
PBS Teachers Newsletter: May 3-9, 2009
Current PBS Teacher Previews Newsletter
http://www.pbs.org/teachers/newsletter/
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WORLD WAR II: BEHIND CLOSED DOORS Web site Launches Educator Resources
http://www.pbs.org/behindcloseddoors/

In secret meetings held throughout the duration of World War II, Joseph Stalin, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Winston Churchill sparred and negotiated for the political and economic interests of their nations -- making deals that often had more to do with expediency than right or wrong. In the PBS special WORLD WAR II: BEHIND CLOSED DOORS (airing in May), historian and filmmaker Laurence Rees tells the unknown story of Stalin's backroom dealings -- first with the Nazis and then with Roosevelt and Churchill. The program's companion Web site http://www.pbs.org/behindcloseddoors/ includes a host of additional educational resources including lesson plans, activities, more than 30 articles, an essay by a famed historian, interactive maps, primary sources, witness testimonies, archival film footage, video clips from the series itself, and photographs.

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May Media Infusion: The IslandWood 2.0 Team

In the May Media Infusion, representatives from IslandWood, a 250-acre residential environmental education center that serves nearly 4,000 students each year, discuss environmental education, place-based learning and the use of technology.

"We're often asked, "Why would an outdoor education center use screen-based tools to connect kids with nature?," writes the IslandWood team. "Yes, it's a bit counterintuitive, but we've identified a few key reasons why we, and classroom teachers, should actually use them more."

The IslandWood team offers strategies to help connect students to their own neighborhood environment and community by using PBS resources such as the newly launched companion Web site THE NATIONAL PARKS: AMERICA'S BEST IDEA, NOVA and more.

PBS Teachers invites educators to visit Media Infusion in May and ask questions, comment on IslandWood's suggestions or offer some of their own. http://www.pbs.org/teachers/mediainfusion/

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Masterpiece Classic
The Old Curiosity Shop
On-Air & Online
Gr. 6-8 / 9-12
Sunday, May 3, 2009
9 - 10:30 pm
A teenage girl and her grandfather lose everything to a
maniacal moneylender and flee his relentless pursuit. The saga
of Little Nell, Grandfather and their tormentor, Daniel Quilp,
is one of Charles Dickens' most heartrending tales. Derek
Jacobi ("I, Claudius") stars as Grandfather, with Sophie
Vavasseur ("Northanger Abbey") as Nell and Toby Jones
(Frost/Nixon) as Quilp. (CC, Stereo, HD, 1 year)
http://www.pbs.org/masterpiece
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/curiosityshop/index.html

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Nature
Eagles of Mull
On-Air & Online
Gr. 6-8 / 9-12
Sunday, May 3, 2009
8 - 9:00 pm
From its powder-white beaches to snow-capped mountain peaks,
the island of Mull, off the coast of western Scotland, hosts an
amazing diversity of life: golden eagles, rare white-tailed
eagle gulls, oystercatchers, curlew and skylarks in the air;
minke whales, bottlenose dolphins, grey seals and basking
sharks in the sea. (CC, Stereo, HD, 1 year)
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/eagles-of-mull/introduction/4957/

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WWII Behind Closed Doors: Stalin, the Nazis and the West
"Unlikely Friends" (Summer 1939 to Autumn 1941)
On-Air & Online
Gr. 6-8 / 9-12
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
9 - 11:00 pm
Historian and filmmaker Laurence Rees tells the unknown story
of Stalin's backroom dealings -- first with the Nazis and then
with Roosevelt and Churchill. The first episode lays bare a
history of secret allegiances that Stalin wanted to hide.
Before he was allied with Churchill and Roosevelt, Stalin
offered help to Hitler and the Nazis -- much more help than the
rest of the world knew. Part 1 of 3. (CC, Stereo, HD, 1 year)
http://www.pbs.org/behindcloseddoors/

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Online NewsHour EXTRA
Swine Flu Sweeps Across Globe, Raising Fears of Flu Pandemic
Online
Gr. 6-8 / 9-12

A new strain of the swine flu, a disease in pigs that sometimes
infects humans, has killed more than 150 people in Mexico and
has spread to Europe, Asia and the United States.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/health/jan-june09/swineflu_04-28.html
Shortened URL: http://tinyurl.com/dcldhr
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Copyright 2008 PBS Online

FamilySearch.org: Family History and Genealogy Records
http://www.familysearch.org/

Welcome to the FamilySearch Internet Genealogy Service. We have designed our site to give everyone, from beginner to expert, the training and tools they need to do family history research. To begin, just click one of the tabs (Home, Search, Share, or Library) across the top of the screen to go to corresponding sections.
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Source: Refdesk: http://www.refdesk.com

The Most Often Misspelled Words in English
http://www.alphadictionary.com/articles/misspelled_words.html

From the site:
“The alphaDictionary has now provided a one-stop cure for all your spelling ills. Here are the words most often misspelled (misspell is one of them). Each word comes with a drop of memory medicine that will help you to remember how to spell the word. Master the orthography of the words on this page and reduce the stress on your spellchecker. You will also write better when there is no spellchecker around.”

[NOTE: Home page: AlphaDictionary
http://www.alphadictionary.com/index.shtml - previously posted. - Phyllis ]

Masterpiece Match: Interactive
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/powerofart/view.php?page=eclassroom

From the site:
“Fourteen masterpieces. Eight artists. How much do you know about art?
Test your skill at identifying people, places, and art terms related to great works of art featured in SIMON SCHAMA'S POWER OF ART.

[NOTE: Home Page: Power of Art http://www.pbs.org/wnet/powerofart/
- previously posted. - Phyllis ]

--------Forwarded Message--------
Site of the Day for Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Svalbard Global Seed Vault
http://www.regjeringen.no/en/dep/lmd/campain/svalbard-global-seed-vault.html?id=462220

If the above URL wraps in your e-mail client, enter it all on one line in your
browser or use this TinyURL:

http://tinyurl.com/4e76lh

Today's site, from Norway's Ministry of Agriculture and Food, offers information on
one of the positive achievements of global cooperation of the past few years in
order to preserve a biodiversity of food supplies. Gentle Subscribers will find an
informative and upbeat presentation on the establishment of a facility designed to
benefit the entire world.

"The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, which is established in the permafrost in the
mountains of Svalbard, is designed to store duplicates of seeds from seed
collections from around the globe. Many of these collections from developing
countries are in developing countries. If seeds are lost, e.g. as a result of
natural disasters, war or simply a lack of resources, the seed collections may be
reestablished using seeds from Svalbard." - from the website

The presentation provides details on the formulation of this project under the
History heading, noting that the road to a safe storage facility for a world seed
bank was a bumpy ride. Although the first steps of the project were undertaken in
the early eighties, it was essentially abandoned for many years due to
international distrust and conflicting interests. An excellent Frequently Asked
Questions section discusses pertinent inquires such as how long can frozen seeds
remain viable, the storage conditions of the facility, the dangers of permafrost
melt, and the controversial issue of storage for genetically modified seeds.
Additional sections explain why Svalbard, Norway, was selected for the seed vault,
a description of the facility, and its management and operation, while galleries
display photos and videos.

Cruise over to the site for the details on this interesting and forward-thinking
project at:

http://www.regjeringen.no/en/dep/lmd/campain/svalbard-global-seed-vault.html?id=462220

If the above URL wraps in your e-mail client, enter it all on one line in your
browser or use this TinyURL:

http://tinyurl.com/4e76lh

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

Lightning
http://www.surfnetkids.com/lightning.htm

From the site:
“Although it has been studied since the eighteenth century, the mystery of what causes lightning has not been completely unlocked. Beautiful to behold, but occasionally deadly, lightning is a force of nature that must always be taken seriously. Learn more about the science of lightning and lightning safety at the following sites.”

Page includes 9 links to sites (5 annotated, 4 Honorable Mentions)

The Greens: A Site for Kids About Looking After the Planet
http://www.meetthegreens.org/

From the site:
“The GREENS is a site for kids from WGBH about sustainability and green living.

“We think there's nothing more urgent than instilling an environmental ethic in the next generation. This web site is a terrific way to start that important work, and that's why we recommend every family meet the Greens.
– SEVENTH GENERATION

“You might know WGBH as the maker of shows like Frontline, NOVA, Masterpiece Theatre and Antiques Roadshow. Or maybe you've seen ZOOM or Arthur or Curious George on TV. We make those shows too.

“The GREENS is a different kind of project because we've started online. It's not a TV show, at least not yet. The GREENS promotes a strong educational mission, something that is consistent with all of WGBH's work.

“With The GREENS, we get kids thinking about the world and their place in it. The GREENS project is upbeat and optimistic. We encourage kids to make informed choices and meaningful changes. Through the animated episodic adventures, a blog, kids' mail, and regular updates, we explore green living, sustainability, ecology, environmental care, and social equity. We nudge kids to research, to challenge, to discover, and to take action wherever and whenever they can. Green Business named us as one of the "Ten Best Environmental Sites on the Web."

The Anti-Defamation League
http://www.adl.org/main_Education/default.htm
[NOTE: Some pages for this site previously posted. - Phyllis ]

From the site:
“ADL is a leading provider of anti-bias education and diversity training programs that help create and sustain inclusive home, school, community and work environments.”

Voices Of Japanese-American Internees
http://www.adl.org/education/curriculum_connections/Default.asp
“High school lesson that uses video and written oral histories of Japanese American internees about the discrimination they faced before, during and following their internment, and their feelings about the Civil Liberties Act of 1988.”

From the Library:
“Curriculum Connections is a collection of original lesson plans and resources that help K-12 educators integrate multicultural, anti-bias, and social justice themes into their curricula. Each edition is organized around a particular topic or theme, and a new edition is published three to four times per school year.”
Available:
Anti-Semitism and Judaism
Constitutional Issues
Hate and Extremism
Holocaust and Genocide Studies
Name-Calling and Bullying
Native American and Indigenous People
People with Disabilities
Racism and Racial Diversity
Religious Diversity
Sexism and Gender Issues

Subscribe to the free online newsletters:
Curriculum Connections - Anti-bias lesson plans and resources for K-12 educators.
http://support.adl.org/site/PageServer?pagename=education_newsletters_reg

Sites found in:
INFOMINE Email Alert Service
Date: Tue, 07 Oct 2008
http://infomine.ucr.edu/

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The Dream of Flight : A Library of Congress Exhibition
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URL: http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/wb-home.html
Record Id: 681291
Created: 2008-10-06 15:05:13
Categories: arts,govpub,liberal ---

Nearly 100 images with text guide one through the history of flight from myths
of flying to the Wright brother's successful flight in 1903. It includes
discussion of their early experiments and a Timeline of Flight starting with
the invention of kites in China to the first men walking on the moon.
[NOTE: Previously posted. - Phyllis ]

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National Trails System
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URL: http://www.nps.gov/nts
Record Id: 681274
Created: 2008-10-01 17:16:50
Categories: govpub

Information on the network of scenic, historic, and recreation trails
created by the National Trails System Act of 1968. Includes maps,
visitor information for each trail, management plans