Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Learning About Your World: Selected Information Sources

Learn about the history, daily life and culture of the francophone country you have selected as your research subject by visiting the links below. Are you unable to find the information you need after checking the resources included in this list? Please stop by the IMC, or send an email message (joanneokeefe@salem.k12.ma.us), to ask Mrs. O'Keefe for help.

CultureGrams
(Begin your research by using this terrific database!)
This comprehensive collection features information about the history, culture, and daily life of 187 countries and territories, including detailed statistics, maps, and much more. (Stop by the IMC to obtain the Username and Password you'll need to use this collection.)

Lonely Planet: WorldGuide
"Explore the World" by clicking on a continent or region, or enter the country you wish to learn more about in the search field, to find information about its people, history, culture, and more.

SIRS Discoverer and Web Find
This collection includes newspaper and magazine articles, reference books, pictures, and recommended web sites. Just click on the "Countries" button to find an A to Z list of the world's countries, and click on the one you'd like to learn about. (Stop by the IMC to obtain the Login ID and Password you'll need to use this collection.)

Atlapedia Online: Countries A-Z
This site features maps and a complete encyclopedia entry for each country.

TradePort: Country Profiles from World Trade Press
Just click on a selected country for detailed statistical information.

The World Factbook
This helpful resource offers a detailed entry for each country. "Select a Country or Location" to learn about its background/history, economy, geography, government, people, find a map, and more. Other features include Rank/Order pages and Flags of the World.

Portals to the World: Links to Electronic Resources from Around the World
Visit this site for links to detailed information about nations and territories throughout the world, selected by Library of Congress Area Specialists and other staff members.

Infoplease.com
Enter your country into the search field, and search Infoplease's general almanac, encyclopedia and dictionary simultaneously. This resource includes a map of each country, and a wealth of useful information about its economy, government, history, land, people, and more. Or, go directly to Infoplease's list of "Countries of the World"

BBC News: Country Profiles
This site offers information about the history, politics, and economics of countries, territories and international organizations.

CountryReports.org: Cultural, Historical, & Statistical Country Information!
Visit this site to learn about the history, politics, customs and culture (including family life, socializing, sports & recreation, recipes and fashion) of the country you have chosen as your research subject. This site also features a nice photo gallery.

National Geographic Xpeditions Atlas
Visit this site for maps that you can print and copy.

List of Countries: from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
Find your country in this comprehensive list, for information about its history, geography, languages, culture, and religions, as well as maps, images of landforms, and much more, including links to other information sources.

Student Resource Center
This outstanding collection of full-text encyclopedia articles provides a wealth of information about each country, including: climate, geography, a detailed history, government, judicial system, cultural resources, people, politics, social development, and much, much more. Enter your country into the search field, and view your search results. Select any of the encyclopedia entries described as a "country overview" to locate a detailed article about your selected country. (Stop by the IMC to obtain the ID you'll need to use this collection.)

WorldAtlas.com
Find detailed maps, including landforms and major rivers, and information about your selected country at this site.

WorldClimate.com
Visit this site to find average rainfall, average temperature, and other information, for cities around the world.

PICTURES

PicturesOfPlaces.com

Pics4Learning: Countries

Europe Maps and Pictures
This EurAtlas collection includes a Physical Atlas of Europe and Europe Photos, a collection of more than 500 high resolution pictures of Europe and Mediterranean
landscapes.

SHOW ME (AND TEACH ME ABOUT) THE MONEY!: CURRENCIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
Find images of banknotes from countries around the world, or convert various currencies to U.S. dollars and vice versa, by visiting the links below.

Banknotes.com: World Currency Gallery

Travel Channel Resources: Currency Converter

The Euro: Our Currency

World Paper Money: Image Gallery

Yahoo! Finance: Currency Converter

Friday, October 26, 2007

Vocabulary About Animals / Los Animales - El Vocabulario

Use the full-text collections and selected sites below to find the information you need to complete "Proyecto sobre animales", your assignment for Ms. Smith. Are you having difficulty finding what you need? Please speak with Mrs O'Keefe, who will be happy to help you.
(NOTE: You will need a user name, ID or other password to log in to the full-text resources to which the IMC subscribes on behalf of the CMS learning community. Stop by the IMC to pick up a copy of "Full-Text Resources Available to the CMS Research Community", which offers this log-in information, as well as an overview of each of these full-text collections.)

All About Birds, from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
This comprehensive site features a description, "cool facts", a sound audio clip, and other information about the habitat, food, and behavior of the many bird species included in its database. It also includes a terrific video gallery.

Animals A to Zoo: Your Online Reference to the World of Animals, from Animal Planet, by Discovery Communications.

Animals, from National Geographic.
(Also see the Animals Index.)

List of Animal Names, from Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
Search Wikipedia in English or in Spanish.

Did You Know?: Animals A B C, from didyouknow.org

Science & Nature - Animals, from the BBC.

Animal Photo Galleries, from the Smithsonian National Zoological Park.

Names of Males, Females, Babies, and Groups of Animals, from Enchanted Learning
What do you call a baby koala? A group of turtles? Find the answers to these questions and learn about a great many animals by visiting this fun and interesting site.

SIRS Discoverer and WebFind
Find information about the animals you are researching in the reference books, encyclopedias, magazines, and recommended web sites included in this outstanding collection.
(NOTE: You will need a User Name and Password to log in to this database.)

Student Resource Center
This fine collection features many reference information sources, including several science encyclopedias.
(NOTE: You will need a library ID to log in to this collection.)

Thursday, January 04, 2007

"All in the Family" Vocabulary

Increase your knowledge of the French language words that represent relationships among family members by thinking about the relationships among characters in the terrific novels listed below. (Grade six and grade seven students will recognize several of these as Benchmark Books.) Would you like to recommend a favorite book to add to this list? Please stop by the IMC and speak with Mrs. O'Keefe, or send an email request to joanneokeefe@salem.k12.ma.us!

FREAK THE MIGHTY, by Rodman Philbrick
Learn more about brilliant and severely handicapped Kevin, his friend, Max, who is very large and struggles with learning disabilities, and the other interesting characters in this compelling story, by reading this Common Sense Media book review.

Learn about author Rodman Philbrick by reading his article, "Finding a Voice" (1995).

THE WESTING GAME, by Ellen Raskin
Meet sisters Turtle and Angela Wexler, James Shin Hoo, Judge J.J. Ford, and the many other heirs who must uncover the mysterious death of eccentric millionaire Samuel Westing in order to claim their inheritance, by clicking here.

Learn about the author, and view portions of her original manuscript of The Westing Game, by clicking here.

THE GIVER, by Lois Lowry
Jonas is the protagonist in this terrific novel. His younger sister's name is Lily. For a more detailed list of characters and the relationships among them, please click here.

THE OUTSIDERS, by S.E. Hinton
Ponyboy Curtis serves as the narrator and protagonist of this classic novel. Ponyboy, whose parents died in a car accident, lives with his brothers, Darrell and Sodapop Curtis. For more information about these and other characters in this book, click here.

ANNE OF GREEN GABLES, by L.M. Montgomery
For a lengthy list of the characters in this novel, including Diana Barry's Aunt Josephine, click here.

THE THIEF LORD, by Cornelia Funke
When unpleasant Aunt Esther Hartlieb decides that she wishes to adopt only five-year-old Ben, but not his 12-year-old brother Prosper, after the death of their mother, the boys flee to Venice. To learn more about this novel, click here.

STORY TIME, by Edward Bloor
"Certifiable genius" George Melvil and his niece Kate Peters are the central characters in this funny and thought-provoking novel that touches on "standardized testing, literacy, intelligence, wealth and ignorance", and how they pertain to schools today. To learn a bit more about this very interesting book, click here.

A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS, by Daniel Handler, under the pseudonym of Lemony Snicket
"The series follows the unlucky lives of the three siblings; Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire after their their parents; Beatrice and Bertrand Baudelaire are killed in a fire at their family home. In The Bad Beginning, they briefly live with a friend of their parents, Mr. Poe before being sent to live with Count Olaf who is supposedly either the siblings' third cousin four times removed, or their fourth cousin three times removed."

To learn more about the characters in this wildly popular series, click here.

BEFORE WE WERE FREE, by Julia Alvarez
This terrific novel features a lengthy list of family members, including Anita, the protagonist, her parents, and her many aunts, uncles (one important character is Uncle Toni) and cousins. To learn more about the characters in this book, as well as about its author, click on the these links:

Bookreporter.com review
Teens@Random's "Conversation with Julia Alvarez"

HARRY POTTER series, by J.K. Rowling
Who can resist Harry and his loyal friends Hermione and Ron (and the entire Weasley clan!), as well as the fantastic assortment of interesting characters featured in each of the books in this wonderful series? Learn more about them by clicking here.

GIRL IN BLUE, by Ann Rinaldi

THE BATTLE OF JERICHO, by Sharon Draper

STARGIRL, by Jerry Spinelli

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

Practice makes perfect! Develop your French language reading, writing and speaking skills!

Expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation, reading and writing skills by visiting the links below.

BBC Languages
This terrific site features video clips of Spanish speakers engaged in common, everyday activities (ordering food, travelling, shopping, etc.), and allows a user to listen to them speak in Spanish, and see the spoken words in both Spanish and English. (To listen to the audio and see the video, Real Media and Flash players are required. Links to both, which can then be downloaded, are available from this site.)

Before You Know It
Before You Know It (BYKI) features custom flashcards, multiple choice activities, spelling and pronunciation activities to help users learn French, Spanish and other languages, as well as history, geography, math, science, language arts, and even trivia and pop culture. The "Lite" (free) version of the company's software is available for downloading, but runs only on OS X. (At Collins, OS X is available on computers in the eMac lab, located on the third floor.)

Bonjour!
This site features words and phrases organized into the following categories: greetings and courtesies; numbers, days, months, and seasons; question words, quantities, weather, and time; asking for help and emergencies; banks, taxis, and restaurants; transportation/finding your way and touring/places to see; and soializing and famous expressions. A user can see the word or phrase written in French, and listen to its correct pronunciation.

The French Tutorial
This web-based resource features step-by-step lessons in grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation and everyday French.

The Internet Picture Dictionary
This site offers several fun activities, including flashcards, fill-in-the-blanks, word scramble, "stinky spelling", and straight recall, to help build a student's French language vocabulary. Also available are vocabulary "sets", organized into categories such as animals, body parts, clothing, colors, musical instruments, school, sports, and more. (This site does not offer audio/pronunciation support.)

Full-Text Newspapers
Newspapers from Around the World
This site offers the full text of Le Figaro, Le Monde, and other French language newspapers (updated daily).

Monday, January 02, 2006

Learning About Spanish-Speaking Countries

Learn about the history, daily life and culture of the Spanish-speaking country you have selected as your research subject by visiting the links below. Are you unable to find the information you need after checking the resources included in this list? Please stop by the IMC, or send an email message (joanneokeefe@salem.k12.ma.us), to ask Mrs. O'Keefe for help.

CultureGrams (Begin your research by using this terrific database!)
This comprehensive collection features information about the history, culture, and daily life of 187 countries and territories, including detailed statistics, maps, and much more. (Stop by the IMC to obtain the Username and Password you'll need to use this collection.)

Infoplease.com
Enter your country into the search field, and search Infoplease's general almanac, encyclopedia and dictionary simultaneously. This resource includes a map of each country, and a wealth of useful information about its economy, government, history, land, people, and more. Or, go directly to Infoplease's list of "Countries of the World"

Lonely Planet: Worldguide
Use the drop-down menus to locate and click on the country you want to learn more about. Be sure to check out the At-a-Glance, Fast Facts, Background Information, Image Gallery, Events, and other links.

Student Resource Center
This outstanding collection of full-text encyclopedia articles provides a wealth of information about each country, including: climate, geography, a detailed history, government, judicial system, cultural resources, people, politics, social development, and much, much more. Enter your country into the search field, and view your search results. Select any of the encyclopedia entries described as a "country overview" to locate a detailed article about your selected country. (Stop by the IMC to obtain the ID you'll need to use this collection.)

The World Factbook
This helpful resource offers a detailed entry for each country. "Select a Country or Location" to learn about its background/history, economy, geography, government, people, find a map, and more. Other features include Rank/Order pages and Flags of the World.

Thursday, December 22, 2005

Notable Hispanic Americans

Learn about the lives of notable Hispanic Americans in such fields as music and dance, literature, art, sports, politics, science, education, and more, by visiting the links below. Are you having trouble looking for a particular biography? Stop by the IMC and ask a staff member for help, or send an email message to Mrs. O'Keefe (joanneokeefe@salem.k12.ma.us).

Biographies: Notable Hispanic Americans, A-Z
In addition to an alphabetical list of well-known Hispanic Americans, this terrific resource also organizes these famous individuals into the following categories: athletes, film, television and theater personalities, leaders and activists, musicians and visual artists, scientists, and writers.

Biography Resource Center
This outstanding database features biographical information about more than 275,000 people from throughout history, around the world, and all disciplines and subject areas. More than 400,000 biographies are included from 90 highly regarded Gale Group publications. (To access this database, you will need to use your public library barcode.)

CultureGrams
This comprehensive collection features information about the history, culture, and daily life of 187 countries and territories, including famous people from each of these countries and territories. Click on "Expanded Famous People", and select a country of interest to access a list of brief biographies of notable people from that country. (Visit the IMC to obtain the Username and Password you'll need to access this database.)

Famous Hispanic Americans in the Humanities: 20th Century
This lengthy annotated list includes links to biographies of notable Hispanic American artists, educators, novelists, poets, playwrights, short story writers, essayists, philosophers and religious leaders, and other notable individuals. Be sure to visit the links to other related sites included at the end of this list.

Famous Hispanics in the World and History
This site features an alphabetical list of notable Hispanics, and has also organized these people into the following categories: antiquity, musicians, Nobel Prizes, painters, scientists, sports, U.S. military, women, and writers.

Famous Latinos and Latinas
This site features links to biographical and other information about actors, actresses, authors, historical figures, musicians, and more.

Government Documents Library: Famous Hispanic Firsts
Click "Biographical Sources on the Internet" for links to biographies of Lauro Cavazos, Franklin Chang Diaz, Luis Gutierrez, Octaviano Larrazolo, Antonia Novello, Ellen Ochoa, and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.

Hispanic Americans in Congress
This comprehensive site was developed from Hispanic Americans in Congress, 1822-1995, a print publication prepared by the Government Printing Office. In addition to detailed biographical information, each entry includes a photograph. (To search for Members who have served in Congress since 1995, use the Geographical Location and Chronological Order lists.)

Latino Legends in Sports
This site features biographies (available in some cases in both English and Spanish) of baseball players and boxers, as well as statistics, and audio and video clips.

Latinos in History
This Scholastic.com site features biographies of 25 individuals of Hispanic heritage from throughout history.

Wikipedia
This outstanding resource, searchable and offering its articles in Spanish as well as several other languages, features detailed biographies of many notable Hispanic Americans from many differents fields of work. Each informative article also includes links to other great information sources.