October 2009
SIRS Discoverer & eLibrary Elementary: What's New?
Greetings from ProQuest! We hope you enjoyed your August issue of Explorations, which arrived just in time for back to school.
This month's first-ever update email newsletter (which will arrive monthly between our full Explorations issues) is designed to be a quick read, filled with short bits of information to fill you in on what's new with a minimum of clutter.
As always, don't miss our full set of support resources for your subscriptions at proquestk12.com, free webinars, lesson-rich newsletters, videos, and more.
Content Updates @ Your Subscription
Christina Chappell, a ProQuest product developer, constantly reviews customer feedback and makes changes to this pair of K-8 online resources. Click a product icon to access full details of the latest content releases from ProQuest:
Lessons: Christopher Columbus & Explorers
Christopher Columbus grew up in Genoa, Italy, helping his father in his wool business. Little is known about Columbus's education. He knew Italian, Spanish, and Latin. He also had to learn mathematics and astronomy to become a navigator. He'd read the maps of Ptolemy and the writings of Marco Polo. Both men's work inspired Columbus.
Assign students to select two other famous explorers of the New World from two different countries to research using SIRS Discoverer. Students should address our essential questions for critical thinking in their reports to maximize learning.
While he didn't discover the new trade route to the Far East, he did open up exploration of the New World to the European countries, and particularly Spain. Many other explorers from France, Portugal, and England would follow, using the routes discovered by Columbus.
We've created an eLibrary Elementary BookCart activity (tool details) for your students to use: "Explorers of the New World." Learn how to copy this free lesson to your local subscription today.
Current Events, Political Cartoons, Maps & More
Every day, our editorial team updates SIRS Discoverer with new articles and resources.
Below is a short list of the timeliest and most topical articles added to your product in recent weeks.
- 'Gossip Girl' Among Top 10 Books Eyed for Ban
- T. Rex No Match for a One-Celled Killer
- Ice on Mars More Extensive Than Thought
Promote your library with a PDF poster that invites users to
"Live. Learn. Laugh. Love. Your Library."
The new 2010 ProQuest K-12 catalog (PDF) is available!
Hands-on Research Activities—Spotlights & Challenge Quests
National Hispanic Awareness Month is held annually from September 15 to October 15 in honor of the anniversary of several Latin American nations' independence.
Learn more about notable Hispanic Americans and trace Hispanic culture's unique impact on the American experience in our new SIRS Spotlight of the Month.
Judge Sonia Sotomayor was confirmed as a Supreme Court justice on August 6. SIRS asks: Sotomayor is a first-generation American, born in the Bronx, New York. What is her heritage?
Each month, our SIRS team scours the Internet for top-quality websites for schools and students. Dive into this month's selections: Halloween, Vinson Massif, Leaves. (More)
CultureGrams can help broaden your students' understanding of the world. Visit
Lithuania in our
World
Edition.
Did You Know? Lithuania was the first Soviet republic to declare independence from the U.S.S.R.? (More)
Grab this funding feed for your webpage!
