Advance excellent teaching with Annenberg Media.

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*** In the Spotlight for July ***
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 -  New Book by Popular Annenberg Series Host
 -  Make This a Professional Development Summer
 -  This Month on the Channel
 -  Connect Learning with Special Days
     o Independence Day
     o Earth at Aphelion
     o World Population Day
     o Moon Day
     o Health and Happiness with Hypnosis Day
     o National Day of the Cowboy

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*** NEW BOOK BY POPULAR ANNENBERG SERIES HOST ***

Dr. Philip Zimbardo, host of our popular series "Discovering Psychology: Updated Edition" <http://learner.org/redirect/july/psy1.html>, has recently come out with a new book, "The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil" (Random House, 2007). The book provides a psychological explanation for the dark side of human nature, and also considers how people can resist the situational social pressure to do harm to others and take personal responsibility for doing good instead.

Dr. Zimbardo is best known for his now-classic Stanford prison experiment conducted in 1971, in which ordinary college students, placed in a prison setting, quickly assumed the roles and behaviors of prisoners and prison guards to a startling degree. The present book further explores those findings, while linking the analysis with more recent revelations of torture in Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison.

Watch an account of the original prison experiment in "The Power of the Situation" <http://learner.org/redirect/july/psy2.html>, Program 19 of "Discovering Psychology: Updated Edition. Program 20, "Constructing Social Reality," is also relevant to the topic.

For more information about "The Lucifer Effect" and its thesis, visit the book's official Web site <http://www.lucifereffect.com/index.html>.


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*** MAKE THIS A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SUMMER ***

Take full advantage of summer by taking up to 54 professional development hours or up to five graduate credits toward fulfilling your professional development requirements. Visit our Workshops & Courses section <http://learner.org/redirect/july/pdev3.html> for information on Certificates of Completion, graduate credit, and online registration, as well as a list of offerings.

Note that the last day to enroll for graduate credit is July 2, 2007 if you wish to obtain credit before September.

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*** THIS MONTH ON THE CHANNEL ***

The following series begin this month on the Annenberg Channel. Be sure to scroll down on the pages linked below for specific broadcast dates and times. Consult the full broadcast schedule <http://learner.org/redirect/july/sched4.html> for many more programs and partial series airing in July.

ARTS
> "The Art of Teaching the Arts: A Workshop for High School Teachers" <http://learner.org/redirect/july/hsart5.html>
> "Exploring the World of Music" (college/high school) <http://learner.org/redirect/july/mus6.html>
> " A World of Art: Works in Progress" (college/high school) <http://learner.org/redirect/july/woart7.html>

EDUCATION
> "The Whole Child: A Caregiver's Guide to the First Five Years" <http://learner.org/redirect/july/child8.html>

FOREIGN LANGUAGE
> "Teaching Foreign Languages K-12 Workshop" <http://learner.org/redirect/july/tflw9.html>

LITERATURE & LANGUAGE ARTS
> "Artifacts & Fiction: Workshop in American History" <http://learner.org/redirect/july/artf10.html>
> "Developing Writers: A Workshop for High School Teachers" <http://learner.org/redirect/july/dwrit11.html>
> "Engaging With Literature: A Workshop for Teachers, Grades 3-5" <http://learner.org/redirect/july/ewlw12.html>
> "The Expanding Canon: Teaching Multicultural Literature in High School" <http://learner.org/redirect/july/canon13.html>
> "Making Meaning in Literature: A Workshop for Teachers, Grades 6-8" <http://learner.org/redirect/july/mmlw14.html>
> "Signature: Contemporary Writers" (college/high school) <http://learner.org/redirect/july/sig15.html>
> "Teaching Multicultural Literature: A Workshop for the Middle Grades" <http://learner.org/redirect/july/tml16.html>

MATHEMATICS
> "Insights Into Algebra 1: Teaching for Learning" <http://learner.org/redirect/july/ialg17.html>
> "Learning Math: Data Analysis, Statistics, and Probability" (K-8) <http://learner.org/redirect/july/data18.html>
> "Learning Math: Measurement" (K-8) <http://learner.org/redirect/july/meas19.html>
> "Learning Math: Number and Operations" (K-8) <http://learner.org/redirect/july/num20.html>

SCIENCE
> "Essential Science for Teachers: Physical Science" <http://learner.org/redirect/july/phys21.html>
> "Learning Science Through Inquiry" (K-8) <http://learner.org/redirect/july/inq22.html>
> "Unseen Life on Earth: An Introduction to Microbiology" (college/high school) <http://learner.org/redirect/july/micro23.html>

SOCIAL STUDIES & HISTORY
> "America's History in the Making" (high school) <http://learner.org/redirect/july/ahist24.html>
> "The Economics Classroom: A Workshop for Grade 9-12 Teachers" <http://learner.org/redirect/july/econc25.html>
> "Making Civics Real: A Workshop for Teachers" (high school) <http://learner.org/redirect/july/civic26.html>
> "Out of the Past" (college/high school) <http://learner.org/redirect/july/past27.html>

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Find general information about the Annenberg Channel -- including free licensing -- at <http://learner.org/redirect/july/chnl28.html>.

Be sure to download the Channel Program Guide <http://learner.org/redirect/july/guide29.html>, available in PDF format. The Guide contains satellite and signal information, plus daily and month-at-a-glance program schedules.

With a broadband Internet connection, watch the Channel simulcast <http://learner.org/redirect/july/view30.html> -- also closed captioned <http://learner.org/redirect/july/viewc31.html>.


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*** CONNECT LEARNING WITH SPECIAL DAYS ***

Independence Day (July 4)

> Why the Declaration of Independence? Consider the political context with "America's History in the Making" Unit 4, "Revolutionary Perspectives" <http://learner.org/redirect/july/ahist32.html>. Watch the video and explore images and texts, including an excerpt from the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence.

> Consider many aspects of the American Revolution and Independence as discussed in "A Biography of America" <http://learner.org/redirect/july/boa33.html> Program 4, "The Coming of Independence," and Program 5, "A New System of Government." Also find coordinated resources including maps, timelines, and more.

> "The Western Tradition" <http://learner.org/redirect/july/west34.html> Program 37, "The American Revolution" and Program 38, "The American Republic," places the creation of the new nation within the context of broader developments in Western civilization. For example, consider the points raised in the Course Outline <http://learner.org/redirect/july/westo35.html>, Unit 19.

> "Reactions in Chemistry" <http://learner.org/redirect/july/rchem36.html> Workshop 3, "Energetics and Dynamics," explains the chemistry behind Fourth of July fireworks displays.


Earth at Aphelion (July 7)

While the summer solstice is famous as the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and the official start of summer, the less-known aphelion marks the point in Earth's orbit at which Earth is -- interestingly enough -- farthest from the sun. This year, aphelion falls on July 7 at 00:00 Universal Time.

> Earth's orbit around the sun and degree of tilt on its axis both vary slightly over time, leading to complex cyclical climate change. "Essential Science for Teachers: Earth and Space Science" <http://learner.org/redirect/july/essci37.html> Session 6, "Restless Landscapes," looks at Milankovitch Cycles and the causes of ice ages and glaciation. Also see Session 8, "Order out of Chaos: Our Solar System."

> In the materials for "Fundamentals of Measurement" <http://learner.org/redirect/july/meas38.html>, Session 2 of "Learning Math: Measurement," find a chart comparing the actual sizes of the sun and planets, and showing the distance of each planet from the sun.

> "A Private Universe" <http://learner.org/redirect/july/apu39.html> corrects the common misconception that the changing distance between Earth and Sun is what causes the seasons.

> Watch "The Mechanical Universe...and Beyond" <http://learner.org/redirect/july/mech40.html> which explains the physics of round and elliptical orbits, motions of the heavenly bodies, and other laws and concepts related to planetary movements and their consequences. Programs 4, 9, 19, 21, 23, and 25 may be of particular interest; consult the Lesson Descriptions <http://learner.org/redirect/july/mechl41.html> for an outline of topics.


World Population Day (July 11)

Following a wave of public interest in "Five Billion Day" on July 11, 1987, the approximate date on which the world's population reached five billion, the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme established World Population Day in 1989. In 2007, the world's population is estimated at 6.6 billion.

> See how seventh-grade geography teacher Becky Forristal addresses population issues with her students through role-playing and simulations in "Social Studies in Action: A Teaching Practices Library, K-12" Program 19, "Population and Resource Distribution" <http://learner.org/redirect/july/ssl42.html>. Click on the various links for details about the class and lesson, as well as Video on Demand.

> "Population Geography," Program 21 of "The Power of Place: Geography for the 21st Century" <http://learner.org/redirect/july/pop43.html>, goes to Latin America to consider the social, economic, and political consequences of population change.

> Connect your math to population issues with this lesson <http://learner.org/redirect/july/ialg44.html> from "Mathematical Modeling," the eighth workshop of "Insights Into Algebra 1: Teaching for Learning." The lesson teaches students to model population growth using exponential functions.

> How can we know the world's population? In "Learning Math: Data Analysis, Statistics, and Probability" Program 9, "Random Sampling and Estimation" <http://learner.org/redirect/july/data45.html>, Professor Gary D. Kader of Appalachian State University introduces statistical estimation through a penguin-counting exercise, demonstrating how probability and random sampling can be used to estimate population. Click on the "Session 9" tab at the top of the page to complete the session's Web-based exercises.


Moon Day (July 20)

Moon Day commemorates that first dramatic moon landing by NASA astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin on July 20, 1969. An estimated 700 million people worldwide watched the moon landing on television.

> Better understand the moon and how to teach about it with "Essential Science for Teachers: Earth and Space Science" Session 7, "Our Nearest Neighbor: The Moon" <http://learner.org/redirect/july/essci46.html>.

> "Tune in to the Moon" with this list of interesting moon-related links and learning activities <http://learner.org/redirect/july/lala47.html> on the Web site for "Looking at Learning...Again, Part 1."

> Visit the Private Universe Project Teachers' Lab <http://learner.org/redirect/july/tlab48.html> to test your knowledge of the moon and astronomy.

> Travel to the moon via "Tales From Other Worlds" from our series "Planet Earth" <http://learner.org/redirect/july/plan49.html> to learn about lunar features and the interrelated histories of the moon and Earth.


Health and Happiness with Hypnosis Day (July 24)

> In "The Mind Hidden and Divided," Program 14 of "Discovering Psychology: Updated Edition" <http://learner.org/redirect/july/psy50.html>, learn how hypnosis can alter people's abilities and perceptions. The program includes two hypnosis demonstrations performed by Dr. Zimbardo himself.

> Observe the potential benefits of hypnosis in "Hypnotic Dissociation and Pain Relief," a brief clip from the series "The Mind: Teaching Modules" <http://learner.org/redirect/july/mind51.html>.


National Day of the Cowboy (July 28)

For the past couple years, National Day of the Cowboy has been proclaimed an official observance by the U.S. Senate. Several U.S. cities also hold annual "Frontier Days" rodeo events in July.

> Explore the significance of the cultural archetype of the "cowboy" in "American Passages: A Literary Survey" Unit 5, "Masculine Heroes" <http://learner.org/redirect/july/apass52.html>. In particular, see the materials related to author Nat Love (1854-1921) and the article "Paradise of Bachelors: The Social World of Men in Nineteenth-Century America" <http://learner.org/redirect/july/apass53.html>. Also be sure to search the archive (using keyword "cowboy") to find numerous images, songs, and documents related to cowboys; click here <http://learner.org/redirect/july/apass54.html> and here <http://learner.org/redirect/july/apass55.html> for samples.

> Read Frederick Jackson Turner's groundbreaking 1893 analysis of the "The Significance of the Frontier in American History" <http://learner.org/redirect/july/prim56.html> -- on the Web site for "Primary Sources: Workshops in American History" <http://learner.org/redirect/july/prim57.html>.


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