| By Gale Staff | Mars has held a fascination for people since ancient times, and for centuries they’ve wondered, surmised, hoped, or feared that it was inhabited. Even telescopes didn’t resolve the issue completely. In fact, the pattern of straight lines that can be seen on the surface of Mars convinced astronomer Percival Lowell … Read more
| Cynda Wood | During my 15 years teaching high school social studies, I approached every new school year with the same goal: urging students to think critically about the world around them. Each class would cover different skills and concepts, but the mission was ultimately the same. We want every student to think critically … Read more
| By J. Robert Parks | The Korean War is sometimes called the Forgotten War, given that it followed soon after World War II and was overshadowed by the Vietnam War a decade later. It probably doesn’t help that even U.S. history classes tend to gloss over the Korean War given its unresolved ending and … Read more
| By J. Robert Parks | Some movies are culturally significant because almost everyone sees them, and they function as touchstones. Casablanca is one of those, as is The Godfather. Even people who haven’t seen those movies quote them without realizing it. A few movies, however, go beyond that and actually change the culture. Jaws … Read more
| By Gale Staff | The American Revolution arguably receives the most attention when students are taught U.S. history, beginning with Paul Revere’s ride and the Declaration of Independence in elementary school to Thomas Paine and John Locke in high school and college. That’s likely to become especially true over the next several years, as … Read more
The 75th Anniversary of Jackie Robinson | By Shirelle Phelps| On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s long-standing color barrier when he debuted for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Since 2004, Major League Baseball (MLB) has celebrated this historic date annually. One way the MLB honors Robinson is by having all Major League players and on-field … Read more
| By Traci Cothran | Inspiration for life-long learning comes from all kinds of places. Recently my teen got tickets to a music concert by the French artist, Jain. I knew nothing of her or her music, but played my role as the transportation provider for this event. The show, it turned out, was great—Jain’s … Read more
| By Traci Cothran | When pop sensation Lizzo appeared on Saturday Night Live in December, her guitarist, Celisse Henderson (pictured at left, below), paid tribute to the late Sister Rosetta Tharpe (at right) via her guitar, outfit, and shredding. But who was Sister Rosetta and what should we know about her? Her career as … Read more
| By Michelle Lee | Gale In Context: For Educators includes exclusive lesson plans and classroom activities that target core curricular topics and are aligned with national and state standards. The lesson plans, which include links to content from the Gale In Context suite of databases, help teachers and students by providing customized instruction using engaging … Read more
| By Julie Pitlock | As an instructional designer and content strategist, I was thrilled when the opportunity arose for me to work on Gale’s new product, Gale In Context: For Educators. I knew this was finally the chance for teachers to easily experience Gale’s quality content in their classrooms. We have an embarrassment of … Read more