Kids InfoBits

Take Your Students on a Virtual Field Trip!

| By Traci Cothran | Last fall, some of our Gale database staffers were invited to participate in creating Digital Adventures—a virtual field trip—with Detroit Public TV, the Michigan Electronic Library (MEL), the Detroit Zoo, the Leslie Nature and Science Center, the Organization for Bat Conservation, area teachers, as well as other industry colleagues.  The … Read more

Updates Coming to Gale Resources

At Gale, we truly value your feedback, and are always looking to improve our products in a way that saves time and increases productivity. In response to suggestions and continuous user testing, we are excited to announce that a number of enhancements will automatically become available on February 7, providing increased functionality, easier access to … Read more

National Bullying Prevention Month

By Debra Kirby

When my oldest daughter, now a middle school teacher, brought home her first essay, it was on the subject of bullying. She wrote it after reading Judy Blume’s Blubber for a school assignment. The essay, which I still have, provided a preview of what a kind, compassionate person and awesome teacher she would one day become. As the 10th anniversary of National Bullying Prevention Month approaches this October, I thought I’d do a little research on the subject, which was never the focus of national attention when I was a student. It’s only in relatively recent years that bullying has been commonly recognized as something other than a “natural part of growing up” or rite of passage.

Read moreNational Bullying Prevention Month

Flipped Classroom – Where Were You When I Needed You?

By Debra Kirby

If the flipped classroom concept had existed when I was a student, I might have avoided one of my most vivid and unpleasant childhood experiences — a home visit by my 4th grade teacher after repeated but failed attempts to curb my chattiness in his classroom. Mr. Y was a very nice guy and good teacher and had tried his best by moving my desk to different locations around the classroom, including and lastly right next to his desk at the front of the room, all to no avail. I was happy to talk to him too! Watching Mr. Y get out of his car and head up our walkway was one of those frozen in time memories for me. I can still recall the panicky feeling when I realized he was coming to my house.

Read moreFlipped Classroom – Where Were You When I Needed You?

Microsoft Integration Added to Gale Products

Posted on June 22, 2016

Many of Gale’s products now offer Microsoft Office 365 integration, further enabling users to access Gale content anytime, anywhere, and from any device.

MSFT sample sign in page
After authentication, login using Microsoft credentials. Click to enlarge.anywhere, and from any device.

 

These easy-to-use collaborative tools allow users to:

  • After authentication into your Gale products, login to Microsoft Office 365 with your Microsoft credentials
  • Store, sync, and share files by downloading Gale content to your OneDrive account in the cloud
  • Easily transfer downloaded OneDrive content for use in other Microsoft tools like OneNote and Classroom

Read moreMicrosoft Integration Added to Gale Products

Kids InfoBits: “An Absolute Winner” and “Valuable Resource”

Posted on June 7, 2016

Searching for a “valuable resource” for a young learner’s education? Kids InfoBits provides age-appropriate and curriculum aligned content that covers a broad range of topics. Presented in a modern, colorful interface with easy navigation and design, Kids InfoBits helps young learners develop their skills in database searching.

This review was published in School Library Journal May, 2016

Read moreKids InfoBits: “An Absolute Winner” and “Valuable Resource”

Will You Be My Prom Date?

Posted on May 10, 2016

By Traci Cothran

Our Gale databases cover many serious topics, but did you know they also cover that most hallowed of teen events called PROM?  Yes, it’s prom season, and we’re noting it!  Look at what can be found on this topic:

  • “Is Prom $pending Out of Control? The average American household spent $978 on this annual rite of passage last year. Is that crazy? Two teens sound off.” Choices/Current Health in Student Resources In Context
  • “Choosing a Prom Queen, and Inclusion,” The New York Times in Opposing Viewpoints In Context
  • How about a novel about Prom? Books & Authors has them, from Prom Nights from Hell to The Anti-Prom to Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress.
  • “Hasan Minhaj of ‘Daily Show’ On Prom, Indian Dads and White Folks at Desi Weddings” – audio recording, All Things Considered, in U.S. History In Context
  • “Hospitalized Kids Get a Prom of their Very Own,” PR Newswire in General One File
  • “Having a Ball at our Homeschool Prom,” Practical Homeschooling in Kids InfoBits

So grab that tiara and your best dress or tuxedo, and read up on the issues surrounding that momentous night of each high school year!

What else can you find in our Gale databases?

Read moreWill You Be My Prom Date?

What is Autism?

Posted on April 22, 2016

By Traci Cothran

Have you heard of it?  It’s Autism Awareness Month – the Cairo Tower in Egypt, the Empire State Building in the US, City Hall in Tel Aviv, Burj Khalifa in Dubai, and many other buildings around the world were bathed in the color blue on April 2 to raise global awareness of Autism.

So what do you know about this disorder?  Are you up on the latest medical developments?  No?  Then grab that mouse and start looking in our Gale products for the answers!

Here are a few bits to pique your interest:

  • Did you know that Autism was apparent in people prior to the Civil War (but not diagnosed as such)? See 2016 Smithsonian magazine in General One File
  • You may have heard of animal behavioral scientist and author, Temple Grandin, but are you aware of her widespread impact on the livestock industry? See Biography In Context
  • From our Gale eBooks (GVRL) collection, The Handbook of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders delivers lots of authoritative information
  • Not sure how to approach the topic with younger kids? Try our Kids InfoBits article, “Autism Spectrum Disorder,” (Diseases and Conditions, Gale, 2016) – it offers clear facts at an appropriate reading and comprehension level.

Read moreWhat is Autism?

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

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