Schools

Histories of Everyday Life in Totalitarian Regimes – “Highly recommended. All libraries. All levels.”

Posted on April 21, 2016

Guided by a five-person advisory board of distinguished scholars, examine what life was like during the twentieth century under totalitarian rule with Histories of Everyday Life in Totalitarian Regimes, 1st Ed. This set spans multiple disciplines and holds a wealth of information for various college courses as well as high school teachers encouraging the analysis of primary and secondary sources.

This title review was recently published by Choice Reviews Online. Read what they had to say!

Read moreHistories of Everyday Life in Totalitarian Regimes – “Highly recommended. All libraries. All levels.”

Gale Helps Cody High School Discover MeL Resources

Posted on April 21, 2016

By Tracey L. Matthews

Some schools acquire Gale resources on a state-wide level, offering broad access to our authoritative resources. But not everyone knows they’re available. Detroit’s (MI) Cody Academy of Public Leadership is one example.

In the course of setting up a mentoring program nearly two years ago with Cody High School’s Academy of Public Leadership, one of the first things we learned was that the staff was unaware they had access to any reference content. Like many other schools in the Detroit school district, their media specialist positions had been eliminated, leaving busy and challenged teachers with no help identifying resources for their students, who not surprisingly relied primarily on Google for their research needs.

Our first service to Cody was to hold a training session with Cody staff to introduce them to the Michigan Electronic Library (MeL), through which they had easy access to a wide variety of reference and periodical databases, including Gale products like Opposing Viewpoints In Context.

Read moreGale Helps Cody High School Discover MeL Resources

Look Up in the Sky – What Do You See?

Posted on April 19, 2016

By Candy Jones-Guerin

Did You Know… that we can actually see the past? Light from distant stars take a very long time to reach the Earth, so when we look at a star through a telescope we are looking at the light that left the star several hundred, thousands or even million years ago!

Take your students on a journey that is sure to be out of this world on May 14th for International Astronomy Day. Gale has great resources to get you started!

Space and Astronomy Experiments Sourcebook, 1st Edition
December 2016
Space and Astronomy Experiments Sourcebook, part of the Science Experiment Sourcebooks series, features approximately 50 experiments on topics such as planets, stars and sunlight, and astrophysics, along with analysis and findings. These hands-on, user-friendly experiments for middle and high school students meet national science standards, require readily available materials, communicate directions clearly to student and teacher, and relate the activities performed to real-life situations.

Read moreLook Up in the Sky – What Do You See?

Introducing Gale Interactive: Science: Make Science Come “Alive”

Posted on April 14, 2016

“Equipped with his five senses, man explores the universe around him and calls the adventure ‘science.’” – Edwin Powell Hubble

Famed astronomer Hubble articulated simply what great science teachers have always known:  science is based on exploration, interaction, and engagement. When students connect with concepts in a meaningful, tactile way, they learn in a more meaningful way.

That belief is the foundation of Gale Interactive: Science, a new resource with interactive 3-D models and authoritative, curriculum-aligned digital content that helps students experience science, not just study it.

Read moreIntroducing Gale Interactive: Science: Make Science Come “Alive”

Global Issues In Context Product Update 3/31/2016

Updated May 24, 2016

Original Posting March 31, 2016

Global Issues In Context has been updated to reflect the standard user interface found in all the other Gale In Context products. Customers will be migrated to the new version of the product August 5, 2016.

During the continued soft launch – running through the month of July – here’s what you’ll find:

  • Spotlight stories will track current events.
  • New and updated portals will be called-out (flagged) so they are easy to find.
  • Google integration tools like Google sign-in, download to Google Drive, and Classroom Share capabilities.
  • A mobile optimized interface for ease of use on any device.
  • Additional features familiar to users such as, Highlights and Notes and additional language translation options.

Read moreGlobal Issues In Context Product Update 3/31/2016

Equip Students for National Poetry Month

 

Posted on March 22, 2016

By Candy Jones-Guerin

April 2016 marks the 20th anniversary of National Poetry Month.  Started in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets, it has become the largest literary celebration in the world.  Each year schools, publishers, libraries, booksellers and poets take time in April to celebrate how poetry has shaped our world and cultures.

Let’s begin the celebration with some of these great Gale resources.

Encyclopedia of American Poetry, 2nd Edition
December 2016
Encyclopedia of American Poetry, Second Edition is an indispensable guide to American poetry with more than 1,100 entries, ranging in length from 500 to more than 3,500 words. Part of the Companion to Literature series, this updated and invaluable resource explores the various writers, works, themes, and movements of this intriguing literary genre.

Read moreEquip Students for National Poetry Month

Earth Day 2016: What will you be studying?

Posted on March 16, 2016

By Candy Jones-Guerin

Earth Day is the largest secular observance in the world, celebrated by more than a billion people every year. March 20th marks a day of action to encourage changes in human behavior and provoke policy change for our planet.

Schools across the world will be talking to their students about our precious resources and encouraging them to think about how to care for their future.  Will you be joining the conversation?

Here are some recent titles to help you get the conversation started:

Projects with Recycling and Reusing, 1st Edition
March 2016
Readers will learn how to care for their environment as they make all sorts of fun crafts with supplies that can be found around the house. See how to make a bird feeder from a milk carton, a pocket pouch from cloth, musical shares from plastic bottles which are just a few of the projects you’ll find. In addition they will learn important facts about conversation and waste with insightful text and engaging photos.

Read moreEarth Day 2016: What will you be studying?

Fact-Checking Movie “History”with Gale Resources

Posted on March 14, 2016

By Traci Cothran

I love the way movies inspired by historical events bring the past so vividly to life, especially for students who have never heard of these past events or notable people. But sometimes films stray from the facts in favor of presenting a stronger cinematic experience. I watched “Race” – the story about Jesse Owens and the 1936 Olympics – and wondered what was factual and what was “movie magic.” Students can use their brains and fingertips to search Gale databases –  like U.S. History In Context, Students Resources In Context, and Research In Context – to find out the truth, by investigating the following:

  • Following Jesse Owens’ gold medal wins, did Hitler shake Owens’ hand? (Bonus question: Did US President FDR ever welcome Owens to the White House?)
  • Were Owens and other African-American students allowed to live in student housing at Ohio State University?
  • Did German athlete Luz Long mark the takeoff area to help Owens qualify for the long jump?
  • Was that part in the movie where Owens had a romance with another woman (not his future wife) during college factual?
  • Did Owens capture 4 world records within 45 minutes at the 1935 Big Ten Track & Field Championship?
  • Why were US sprinters Marty Glickman and Sam Stoller scratched from the 4 x 100 event?

Read moreFact-Checking Movie “History”with Gale Resources

Hitting the Right Note

Posted on March 11, 2016

By Candy Jones-Guerin

Music in Our Schools Month is the National Association for Music Education’s annual celebration during March which engages music educators, students, and communities from around the country in promoting the benefits of high quality music education programs in schools. It initially began as a single statewide Advocacy Day and celebration in New York in 1973 and transformed itself into a month-long celebration of school music starting in 1985.

Take some time this month to learn about some of history’s great musicians with these eBooks available on the GVRL platform.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, 1st Edition
October 2015
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart introduces young readers to one of history’s greatest composers. They will trace Mozart’s life from his childhood touring Europe as a musical prodigy through his years in Italy, Salzburg, and Vienna. They’ll learn about his struggles for independence and his musical innovation.

Read moreHitting the Right Note