Schools

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

Former First Lady Nancy Reagan: Her Life, Her Legacy

Posted on March 7, 2016

By Traci Cothran

NANCY REAGAN   (July 6, 1921 – March 6, 2016)

The eulogies are pouring in for former first lady Nancy Reagan – an actress, mother, and fierce supporter of her husband, Ronald Reagan.  As her passing happens amidst a contentious presidential race, we are reminded of a time of greater decorum in our democracy.

Read moreFormer First Lady Nancy Reagan: Her Life, Her Legacy

Gale’s InfoTrac Collections Add “Related Resources” Feature

Posted on March 4, 2016

By Sara Constantakis, Senior Content Developer, Journal Aggregation, Gale

Beginning March 7th, users of Gale’s InfoTrac periodical collections—like Academic OneFile, General OneFile, and InfoTrac Newsstand—will enjoy exciting new functionality. When viewing an article, the “Related Resources” feature recommends additional content of interest, providing a more dynamic, relevant presentation of related content.

To view recommended content from within the product, users can click the “Related Resources” button at the top of the article and scroll through the top 12 results, located below the citation. When searching via PowerSearch, results will be pulled from all applicable content.

Read moreGale’s InfoTrac Collections Add “Related Resources” Feature

Flit, Float, Fly Away

Posted on March 3, 2016

By Candy Jones-Guerin

Spring is on the way and we can’t wait to start exploring outside. There are a lot of fun ways to help quench spring fever in your classroom and on March 14th you have the perfect opportunity with ‘National Learn About Butterflies Day’!

Does your school have a butterfly garden? Are there opportunities to watch a butterfly emerge from his chrysalis in your classroom? Do you use butterflies to talk about the life cycle? We have a collection of Gale titles for grade school and middle school classes to help get you going. Take a peek and let us know how you will be integrating these resources and more in your classroom.

Butterflies and Moths, 1st Edition
This book describes and compares the physical characteristics, habitat, behavior, life cycle, diet, and reproduction of these amazing insects.

Read moreFlit, Float, Fly Away

Providing the Right Resources for On-the-Go Students: One School’s Story

Posted on March 2, 2016 Kris Jacobson is a teacher/librarian at a busy high school outside of Chicago. With 3,000 students and a campus that recently went 1:1 with Chromebooks, Kris stays busy, but is constantly striving to make the library more useful for patrons. Kris found that helping students conduct research in multiple information … Read more

CLiC Helps Lighten the Load

Posted on March 1, 2016

By Megan McCarthy

When I was little I used to love reading the Encyclopedia Britannica. We had one full set, and I think it was published in 1968. I would write all my papers using those encyclopedias. It wasn’t until high school that it occurred to me the information might be out-of-date. It was the same with textbooks. There were names of students on my pre-owned textbooks that I knew had graduated college. What’s more, those books were heavy. I remember dragging my loaded book bag to and from school. I thought my arms would break. Now, with CLiC, those days are gone.

CLiC (Classroom in Context) is a digital curriculum that pulls its content from Gale’s award-winning In Context databases. In Context is dynamically updated, so the content is always current. Not only are the six CLiC curriculums designed to meet state, national and Common Core standards, they are also endlessly customizable. Teachers can add in videos, podcasts, articles, and even their own materials. And all of this flexibility is available for students on their tablets and laptops. So out-of-date textbooks and encyclopedias are a thing of the past.

Read moreCLiC Helps Lighten the Load

Kids InfoBits Product Update week of 2/22/2016

Posted on February 24, 2016 You’ll see a few new updates and features added to Kids InfoBits starting March 9th. Here is what you’ll find: Are your students struggling with the meaning or definition of words in articles? Kids InfoBits now has easy access to the Merriam Webster Elementary Dictionary within the product. To assist students … Read more