Advance excellent teaching with Annenberg Media.
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*** In the Spotlight for June ***
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- Mathematics Illuminated Wins Award
- Linking to Current Events
- Record Programs During Last Months of the Annenberg Channel
- This Month on the Channel
- School's Out!
- Connect Learning with Special Days
o Anniversary of "Gone With the Wind" Publication
o World Refugee Day
o Summer Solstice
o National HIV Testing Day
o Effective Communications Month
- Distance Learning/Telecourse Information
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*** Mathematics Illuminated Wins Award***
Mathematics Illuminated a new series on the history, theories and beauty of mathematics has won a WebVisionary Award in the education category. The awards are presented in conjunction with the WebVisions Conference held in Portland, Oregon. Check out the Mathematics Illuminated Web site, produced by Oregon Public Broadcasting, and explore the many dimensions of mathematics online at http://www.learner.org/channel/courses/mathilluminated/
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***LINKING TO CURRENT EVENTS***
Unfortunately, natural disasters have dominated the news recently.
> "Earthquakes," Program 9 of Earth Revealed, discusses the forces that fuel earthquakes and includes actual footage of earthquakes and their aftermath. <http://www.learner.org/resources/series78.html> Faults, waves, and the transfer of energy from the epicenter are explained, and histories of the seismograph and Richter scale are presented.
> An earthquake epicenter is used as a real-life illustration of a parabola, with its various measures and characteristics (focus, directrix, vertex, etc.), in "Circle and Parabola," Program 11 of Algebra: In Simplest Terms. <http://www.learner.org/resources/series66.html>
> Learn the relation of earthquakes and volcano eruptions to plate tectonics by viewing "The Engine That Drives the Earth", Session 4 of Essential Science for Teachers: Earth and Space Science. <http://www.learner.org/channel/courses/essential/earthspace/session4/index.html>
> The atmosphere is a critical system that helps to regulate Earth's climate and distribute heat around the globe. With "Atmosphere," Unit 2 of Habitable Planet, discover the fundamental processes that cause atmospheric circulation and create climate zones and weather patterns, and learn how carbon cycling between atmosphere, land, and ocean reservoirs helps to regulate Earth's climate. The online text book adds detail about climate, weather, and storms <http://www.learner.org/channel/courses/envsci/unit/pdfs/unit2.pdf> and includes a world map showing global circulation and climate. The unit also addresses how hurricanes and mid-latitude cyclones are formed <http://www.learner.org/channel/courses/envsci/unit/text.php?unit=2&secNum=7> and how the maximum velocity of tropical cyclones (hurricanes) is restricted by natural limits of vertical temperature gradient, evaporation, friction, and heat transfer of sea spray. Watch the fascinating animation on the subject at <http!
://www.learner.org/channel/courses/envsci/visual/animation.php?shortname=anm_maximum_velocity>.
> Did you know that light has an effect on weather? See how at <http://www.learner.org/channel/workshops/sheddinglight/workshop8.html>.
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***RECORD PROGRAMS BEFORE THE ANNENBERG CHANNEL ENDS***
With the Channel ending October 1, now is the time to store the programs--without cost--whether you are a school district or an individual. Although satellite distribution will cease October 1, 2008, free program access will continue online at www.learner.org. You will not be able to download them, however.
[Broadcast providers should note that programs recorded from the satellite feed may continue to be rebroadcast through the end of the program's broadcast rights. The broadcast rights term varies by series. The rights expiration date for each series is available at <http://www.learner.org/channel/licenses/attachmenta.html>. ]
You may continue to use programs you have (or record in the future) for non-broadcast purposes for the life of the tape. If you record programs from a PBS station or a cable channel operated by a school district, Department of Education or other nonprofit organization, you may want to contact them to ask if their schedule includes programs you are interested in or if they have recorded them for presentation in the future. Annenberg Channel licensees have free access to all Annenberg Channel programs, but they are not required to air specific titles. Therefore, only the local agency can tell you if they plan to broadcast your favorite programs. You can, however, find out when programs are being fed by satellite and thus available to your local rebroadcaster for recording.
To access the satellite schedule for your favorite programs:
-Visit our Website at www.learner.org.
-Select the program by discipline from our home page, or type in the title/subject in the search box.
-Click on the series title to visit the series overview page.
-Click on "Broadcast Dates" in the box on the right side of the screen.
This will show you the dates and times each program in the series will be fed by satellite. There are two opportunities for rebroadcasters to record each program, as all programs are repeated 12 hours after the time shown, e.g., programs fed at 6 PM will repeat at 6 AM.
For more information about program rights and the end of the satellite feed, see the Annenberg Channel Licensee FAQ at http://www.learner.org/faq/faq_licensee.html.
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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://www.learner.org/channel/chnnl_schedule.html> for many more programs and partial series airing in June.
ARTS
> Connecting with the Arts: A Teaching Practices Library, 6-8 <http://www.learner.org/resources/series198.html>
EDUCATION
> Minds of Our Own (K-12)
<http://www.learner.org/resources/series26.html>
> Surprises in Mind (K-8)
<http://www.learner.org/resources/series130.html>
LITERATURE & LANGUAGE ARTS
> American Passages: A Literary Survey (college level) <http://www.learner.org/resources/series164.html>
> Engaging With Literature: A Video Library, Grades 3-5 (middle/high school) <http://www.learner.org/resources/series182.html>
> Signature: Contemporary Writers (college/high school) <http://www.learner.org/resources/series55.html>
> Teaching Reading K-2: A Library of Classroom Practices <http://www.learner.org/resources/series162.html>
> Voices & Visions (college/high school) <http://www.learner.org/resources/series57.html>
MATHEMATICS
> Learning Math: Data Analysis, Statistics, and Probability (K-8) <http://www.learner.org/resources/series158.html>
> Learning Math: Patterns, Functions, and Algebra (K-8) <http://www.learner.org/resources/series140.html>
> Teaching Math: A Video Library, 5-8
<http://www.learner.org/resources/series33.html>
> Teaching Math: A Video Library, 9-12
<http://www.learner.org/resources/series34.html>
SCIENCE
> Journey North (K-12)
<http://www.learner.org/resources/series127.html>
> The Mechanical Universe...and Beyond (college/high school) <http://www.learner.org/resources/series42.html>
> Unseen Life on Earth: An Introduction to Microbiology (college/high school) <http://www.learner.org/resources/series121.html>
SOCIAL STUDIES & HISTORY
> Death: A Personal Understanding (college/high school) <http://www.learner.org/resources/series108.html>
> Economics U$A (college/high school)
<http://www.learner.org/resources/series79.html>
> Growing Old in a New Age (college/high school) <http://www.learner.org/resources/series84.html>
> Human Geography: People, Places and Change (college/high school) <http://www.learner.org/resources/series85.html>
> Out of the Past (college/high school) <http://www.learner.org/resources/series45.html>
> Primary Sources: Workshops in American History (high school) <http://www.learner.org/resources/series135.html>
> The Western Tradition (college/high school) <http://www.learner.org/resources/series58.html>
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Find general information about the Annenberg Channel -- including free licensing -- at <http://www.learner.org/channel/channel.html>
Be sure to download the Channel Program Guide, 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://www.learner.org/channel/broadband/video.html> also closed captioned <http://www.learner.org/channel/broadband/video-cc.html>.
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*** SCHOOL'S OUT! ***
As the school year draws to a close, new opportunities present themselves for learning, working, service, and recreation. Segue into summer with lessons that emphasize the productive use of students' leisure time, or take one of our courses yourself. Many offer college credit. Summer is also the perfect time to review content or teaching technique with our professional development workshops.
> Many students may be traveling abroad during their summer vacation. Draw on the lessons of Teaching Foreign Languages K-12: A Library of Classroom Practices <http://www.learner.org/channel/libraries/tfl/>. High school teacher Pablo Muirhead takes students into the local community to sample food and music and meet local Spanish speakers as a means of exploring cultural aspects of a society in Program 26, "Routes to Culture." Also watch Fran Pettigrew's 11th grade Spanish class focusing on vacations in Program 28, "Creating Travel Advice." Click on "Enter the Series Web Site" and then on "Video Organizer Chart" for more detail about the lessons and on "General Resources" for coordinated materials.
> In Making Civics Real: A Workshop for Teachers Program 6, "Civic Engagement" <http://www.learner.org/channel/workshops/civics/workshop6/>, 11th and 12th grade geography teacher Bill Mittlefehldt shows how students can be encouraged to fulfill needs in the community.
> For the benefit of older students who may be taking advantage of job
> or business opportunities -or facing real life after
> graduation-consider planning a lesson based on The Economics Classroom
> <http://www.learner.org/resources/series159.html> Workshop 4,
> "Learning, Earning, and Saving" (featuring a high school "millionaire"
> game.) Or consider Workshop 8, "Growth and Entrepreneurship"
> (particularly the second segment, in which students present the
> realistic business plans they've developed.)
> Summer can be especially rewarding when some of the free time is spent in service. Emphasize this point using lesson ideas from Social Studies in Action: A Teaching Practices Library, K-12 Program 7, "Caring for the Community" <http://www.learner.org/channel/libraries/socialstudies/k_2/lerner/index.html>. To view the program, follow the link to "Watching the Video."
> How can we encourage young children's creativity this summer? The Whole Child: A Caregiver's Guide to the First Five Years <http://www.learner.org/resources/series59.html> Program 11, "Creativity and Play," offers practical suggestions and sound techniques for fostering self-expression.
> A list of professional development workshops and courses is available at <http://www.learner.org/channel/workshops/workshop_list.html>. View workshop videos by yourself or with a group of colleagues-at your convenience-using Video on Demand.
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*** CONNECT LEARNING WITH SPECIAL DAYS ***
Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind, still one of the best-selling novels of all time, was published on June 30, 1936. That title may not be on your must-read list, but our resources are sure to whet your literary appetite, and that of your students.
> Share creative strategies for bringing novels to life with In Search of the Novel <http://www.learner.org/resources/series111.html>, or expand students' reading horizons with Native American, African American, Asian American and Latino works using The Expanding Canon: Teaching Multicultural Literature in High School. <http://www.learner.org/channel/workshops/hslit/about.html> In addition to innovative strategies for introducing multicultural literature, the series Website offers a comprehensive list of authors and titles at <http://www.learner.org/channel/workshops/hslit/session3/resources/aw.html>.
> Have you ever thought about writing a novel? Do you have students with a passion for creative writing? Signature: Contemporary Writers offers insight into the creative process and offers tips for turning experiences into compelling writing. <http://www.learner.org/resources/series55.html>
> If your reading preference is poetry, you'll enjoy the lush videos of Voices & Visions <http://www.learner.org/resources/series57.html> that explore the life and works of 13 of America's most famous modern poets. Pick your favorite and get more information about their lives and works through links to other Websites at <http://www.learner.org/catalog/extras/vvspot/>.
> It is likely that many students will use their reading skills this summer on the Internet, instead of -or hopefully, in addition to-a book. Share the interactive exercise available at <http://www.learner.org/channel/workshops/teachreading35/session5/intpop.html> to help students evaluate Websites. This useful exercise is a part of the resources of the Teaching Reading 3-5 workshop.
World Refugee Day (June 20)
> World Refugee Day was established by the UN General Assembly in 2000 to promote awareness of the vast numbers of refugees worldwide. This year's theme is refugee safety. The United States has a tradition of welcoming refuges, and its history is filled with the contributions refugees have made.
> "Industrializing America", Unit 14 of America's History in the Making <http://www.learner.org/channel/courses/amerhistory/units/14/> documents how the combination of improved industrial methods and the arrival of masses of immigrants, fleeing religious and political persecution or poor economic conditions, launched a new era of mass production in the U.S.
> The positive concept of universal human rights rose out of horrific twentieth-century events, as seen in "Global War and Peace," Unit 22 of Bridging World History. <http://www.learner.org/channel/courses/worldhistory/unit_main_22.html> In the audio clip at <http://www.learner.org/channel/courses/worldhistory/unit_perspectives_22.html>, Patrick Manning of Northeastern University uses the example of the Rwandan genocide of the 1990s to discuss how conceptions of world order can create as well as prevent conflict.
> A particularly unique set of resources, Teaching "The Children of Willesden Lane" <http://www.learner.org/resources/series206.html>, takes a close look at the tragedy of child refugees through the true story of Lisa Jura, who escaped from Nazi persecution on the eve of World War II.
> Teaching Geography Workshop 4 <http://www.learner.org/channel/workshops/geography/wkp4intr.html> looks at competing claims to Jerusalem and what it means to live as a refugee in occupied territory. After a brief video overview of the history, observe Ungennette Brantley Harris's 9th grade lesson about the consequences of the conflict and possible solutions to the refugee problem.
> In "Migration From Latin America" <http://www.learner.org/channel/libraries/socialstudies/9_12/weir/index.html>, Program 24 of Social Studies in Action: A Teaching Practices Library, K-12, Mavis Weir's 10th-grade class creates artistic group projects representing the various obstacles faced by emigrants coming to the U.S. This includes those fleeing their own countries as refugees. The series Website offers lesson information, Video on Demand, standards, and background on migration trends in several Latin American countries.
Summer Solstice (June 21)
> How did the summer solstice help Greek mathematician Eratosthenes calculate Earth's circumference more than 2000 years ago? Find out in the notes for Session 5 homework <http://www.learner.org/channel/courses/learningmath/measurement/session5/notes_homework.html> of Learning Math: Measurement.
> Learn about what causes the seasons-and why the northern hemisphere receives the most hours of daylight on the summer solstice-by watching "Sun and Seasons," Workshop 7 of Science in Focus: Shedding Light on Science <http://www.learner.org/channel/workshops/sheddinglight/workshop7.html>. At about 38 minutes into the program, the lesson demonstrates how students can make specific observations about the summer solstice by observing changes in shadow length and position over a period of days.
> In A Private Universe <http://www.learner.org/resources/series28.html>, see why even Harvard graduates hold common misconceptions about what makes the seasons.
> Learn about photoperiods (hours of sunlight and darkness) in the Journey North <http://www.learner.org/jnorth/mclass/index.html> segment "Sunlight and Seasons," in which students investigate a mystery location using this data.
National HIV Testing Day (June 27)
> Turn testing day into learning day with Rediscovering Biology: Molecular to Global Perspectives Session 6, "HIV and AIDS" <http://www.learner.org/channel/courses/biology/units/hiv/index.html>. A case study on the same site, "The Genetics of Resistance to HIV Infection" <http://www.learner.org/channel/courses/biology/casestudy/hiv.html>, explains how a few people are naturally resistant to HIV-and how this might help scientists looking for a cure.
> Physician Greg Robinson discusses his range of emotions after learning he is HIV positive in Death: A Personal Understanding, Program 3, "Facing Mortality." Program 8, "Grief and Bereavement," looks at the issue of facing HIV/AIDS from a family member's perspective. <http://www.learner.org/resources/series108.html>
> "Health, Mind, and Behavior," Program 23 of Discovering Psychology: Updated Edition <http://www.learner.org/discoveringpsychology/23/e23expand.html>, examines psychosocial factors in both transmission of the HIV virus and its progression to AIDS within individuals.
Effective Communications Month
> What does it take to craft an effective message? Find out with the programs of News Writing <http://www.learner.org/resources/series44.html>, which cover a range of topics that includes public relations writing, feature writing styles, and column and editorial writing. In the related "News Writing Interviews" <http://www.learner.org/catalog/extras/interviews/>, celebrated columnists Joel Achenbach and Dave Barry give their views on writing, news, humor, and more.
> Whether the application is personal or professional, nearly everyone has a need to communicate effectively in writing. English Composition: Writing for an Audience offers valuable information for improving general composition skills and effectively reaching a variety of audiences.
> Communicating effectively in a foreign language presents special challenges. Teaching Foreign Languages K-12 Workshop Session 3, "Delivering the Message" <http://www.learner.org/channel/workshops/tfl/session_03/index.html> looks at elements of an effective oral or written presentation, including understanding the audience and use of feedback.
> The Art of Teaching the Arts, Workshop 6, "Fostering Genuine Communication" <http://www.learner.org/channel/workshops/hsarts/program6/>, illustrates the crucial role that communication plays in creativity. Effectively communicating an idea to an audience is an important part of self-expression.
> In "Social Justice and Action" <http://www.learner.org/channel/workshops/tml/workshop7/index.html>, Workshop 7 of Teaching Multicultural Literature: A Workshop for the Middle Grades, see 5th-grade teacher Laura Alvarez guiding her students through communication techniques that develop and refine critical literacy skills and give young people an opportunity to make their voices heard.
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Visit our Web site for information about our FREE Video on Demand and other viewing options.
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*** TELECOURSE/E-LEARNING BULLETIN ***
> Begin your planning for Fall, 2008, now. Mathematics Illuminated, a 13-part multimedia course, is available now for preview. The course explores major themes in the field of mathematics, from mankind's earliest study of prime numbers to the cutting edge mathematics used to reveal the shape of the universe. Unit topics include symmetry, topology, chaos and infinity. The groundbreaking videos, interactive Web exploration, text materials, and group activities reveal the secrets and hidden delights of the ever-evolving world of mathematics. Contact Nancy Williams at telecourses@learner.org or call 1-800-LEARNER (532-7637) X 3 to receive preview materials which will include a sample DVD and Guide chapter. Mathematics Illuminated course licenses will be available for Winter/Spring, 2009. Go to www.learner.org to complete an Intent to License form.
> Note the new price of student DVDs for Fall 2008 will be $50 per set.
> ACT Media makes all Annenberg Media course videos available via a download to student hand-held devices. Please call 1-800-745-5480 for more information.
> If your institution or consortium is hosting a meeting this Fall, please let us know at telecourses@learner.org so we can either attend or send materials.
> Don't forget to send in your Spring enrollment numbers and your Fall license requests.
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