NLA INFO: New Resources

Mon Jun 15 18:31:26 EDT 1998

     The following is from the Department of Education.

     Alice Johnson
     National Insitute for Literacy

______________________________ Forward Header __________________________________
Subject: New at FREE (Federal Resources for Educational Excellence)
Author:  edinfo at inet.ed.gov at inet
Date:    6/15/98 12:55 PM

      DOZENS OF RESOURCES have been added recently to FREE, a 
      website that makes 100s of teaching & learning resources 
      from across the federal government available & searchable 
      in one place.

      These newly added resources focus on...

           American painters, folklife, world languages, the Human 
           Genome project, nutrition, space, dinosaurs, 
           astrophysics, global change, hazardous chemical 
           accidents, coal, statistics on agriculture, Sonoran 
           ecosystems, stamps, Hoover Dam, black soldiers in the 
           Civil War, air traffic controllers, trains, Africa, 
           taxes, facts on countries around the world, the U.S. 
           Constitution, & more.

      Below you will find the title, description, URL & sponsoring 
      agency (with a guide to acronyms at the end) of each 
      resource.  All are available by clicking on "What's New" at:

           http://www.ed.gov/free/

     ============================================================ 
     Resources Added to the "Federal Resources for Educational 
     Excellence" (FREE) Website Since Its Unveiling April 8, 1998 
     ============================================================

 ----
 Arts
 ----

"National Museum of American Art" offers the "Pueblo Indian 
Watercolors" teachers guide on interpreting the meaning of 
artistic images, an interactive guide on one of America's most 
powerful African-American painters, William H. Johnson, plus 
other guides & student activity packets.
      http://www.nmaa.si.edu/edu_main.html

"American Folklife Center" features a directory of folklife 
resources in the U.S., migrant worker interviews & photos, ethnic 
folk music from Northern California in the 30s, Brazilian music, 
& more. (LOC)  
      http://lcweb.loc.gov/folklife/

 -----------------
 Foreign Languages
 -----------------

"UCLA Language Materials Project" provides learning resources for 
less commonly taught languages of the world, ranging from 
Armenian to Zulu. (ED)
      http://www.lmp.ucla.edu/

"Center for the Advancement of Language Learning" Partnerships in 
Language highlights foreign languages, including less commonly 
taught languages, from a variety of sources including foreign 
newspapers, socio-cultural studies, & documents such as the 
"Internet -- Goldmine for Foreign Language Resources."  (CIA)
      http://www.call.gov/

 ---------------
 Health & Safety
 ---------------

"The Human Genome Project at MCET" explores ethical, legal, & 
social implications of genetic information & its dissemination. 
It includes an interactive area for students, a forum for 
dialogue among teachers & students, & a resource center.  (NIH)
      http://www.mcet.edu/humangenome/overview.html

"Nutrition & Foods Brought from Home" presents information & 
policy recommendations for child care facilities from the 
handbook, "ABC's of Safe & Healthy Child Care."  (CDC)
      http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/hip/abc/policie8.htm

"The Bike Hub" gives pointers on bicycling safety, statistics on 
cycling related injuries, & links to information on traumatic 
brain injuries, bicycle safety month, & more.  (CDC)
      http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/bike/

"Vaccine Safety Factsheets" lists facts for parents on immunity, 
vaccines, & diseases that can be prevented by vaccines.  (CDC)  
      http://www.cdc.gov/nip/vacsafe/vaxsaft.htm

"The Sibling Support Project" includes assistance & educational 
resources for brothers & sisters of those with special health & 
developmental needs.  The site includes a summary of 
characteristics & needs of such siblings, advice for their 
parents, & a directory of support programs.  (ED)  
      http://www.chmc.org/departmt/sibsupp/

 -----------
 Mathematics
 -----------

"E-math" is a guide to E-mail based volunteer programs designed 
to help students master challenging mathematics & science.  (ED)
      http://www.ed.gov/pubs/emath/

 -------
 Science
 -------

"SpaceLink" provides numerous resources, including a tour of our 
nearest star, a fact sheet on comets & asteroids (and the 
possibility of the earth colliding with one), a project on El 
Nino & its climatic consequences, & a section on human 
exploration & the development of space. (NASA)
      http://spacelink.nasa.gov/.index.html

"The University of California Museum of Paleontology" features 
online exhibits & activities that allow you to experience the 
excitement of discovering & reconstructing a dinosaur, see 
underwater photos of a great white shark, trace the pattern of 
events that led to the diversity of life, & more.  (NSF)
      http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/

"Careers In Oceanography" profiles careers in the oceanography & 
marine related fields.  (ONR)
      http://www.onr.navy.mil/onr/careers/

"Cosmic & Heliospheric Learning Center" explores the universe 
through interactive activities & learning resources such as the 
question & answer service, "Ask a Physicist."  Students can also 
learn astrophysics basics, or find out the history of cosmic ray 
studies beginning with the Mesopotamian & Egyptian astronomers 
mapping the heavens, & more.  (NASA)
      http://helios.gsfc.nasa.gov/

"MoonLink" allows you to take part in a live space mission 
directly from your classroom.  Also, visit the "Data Site" & 
learn about the equipment used on NASA's Lunar Prospector, its 
position over the lunar surface, & more.  (NASA)
      http://www.moonlink.com/ 

"The Northern Right Whale Monitoring Project" lets students 
listen to dolphin & whale calls & learn about the Navy's effort 
to save the Northern Right Whale from extinction.  (ONR)
      http://www.onr.navy.mil/sci_tech/ocean/Info/NRtWhale/

"U.S. Global Change Data & Information System" maintains global 
change information from 9 federal agencies & offers a question 
answering service, "Ask Dr. Global Change."
      http://www.gcdis.usgcrp.gov/

"Especially For Kids" allows students to learn about oil spills & 
hazardous chemical accidents through experiments that can be done 
at home, in the classroom, or for a science project.  (NOAA)
      http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/kids/kids.html

"The Energy & Environment Wizard -- Cool Science" provides kids 
with resources about the origins of coal & how we use it today, 
Science Bowl questions, & more.  Teachers can go to the "Teachers 
Lounge" to find out what instructional materials are available on 
loan or to complete a survey on what type of energy & environment 
educational materials they would find useful online.  (DOE)
      http://www.fetc.doe.gov/education/education.html

"K-12 Environmental Health Science Education" features professional 
development programs for teachers as well as science word scrambles 
& a spelling bee for students.  (NIH)
      http://www.niehs.nih.gov/od/k-12/k12home.htm

 --------------
 Social Studies
 --------------

"U.S. Air Force History Support Office" outlines historical 
information beginning with the flight of the Wright brothers in 
1903.  Other topics include the Tuskegee Airmen, Women's Army 
Auxiliary Corps, aircraft of the U.S. Air Force, & Operation 
Desert Storm.
      http://www.airforcehistory.hq.af.mil/

"Education Resources from the U.S. Department of Agriculture" 
Introduces kids to statistics & demonstrates their importance to 
agriculture.  Includes teaching resources on investigating your 
environment, backyard conservation, & more.  (USDA) 
      http://www.usda.gov/news/special/edreso.htm

"VA History in Brief" (PDF only) recounts the history of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs.  (VA)
      http://www.va.gov/pubaff/histbrf.pdf

"The Don Henry Story" offers teaching activities using primary 
documents (tied to academic standards) on a student who became a 
leader in campus organizations, volunteered to fight in the Spanish 
Civil War with the Lincoln Brigade, & died on a battlefield in Aragon 
in September 1937.  (NARA)
      http://www.nara.gov/education/teaching/donhenry/dhdocs.html

"Bureau of Land Management Environmental Education" consists of 
teacher resources on topics such as Sonoran ecosystems, 
dinosaurs, the Columbia River, & riparian areas.  Provides 
innovative classroom activities, & information on how to obtain 
lesson plans.  (BLM)
      http://www-a.blm.gov/education/education.html

"Celebrate the Century Mail Page" lets you vote on stamp subjects 
you like best, see the winners as commemorative stamps, find 
stamps for each decade, & learn, through stamps, the events that 
shaped our nation in this century.  (USPS)  
      http://www.usps.gov/ctc/

"Hoover Dam Learning Packet" contains learning activities on the 
impact of Hoover Dam on the environment & its technical & 
historical significance.  Learn about the history, wildlife, 
water resources, & hydroelectricity of Hoover Dam.  (USBR)
      http://www.hooverdam.com/educate/index.html

"The Fight for Equal Rights: Black Soldiers in the Civil War" 
provides lessons (correlated with academic standards) that use 
primary documents such as the Emancipation Proclamation.  (NARA)
      http://www.nara.gov/education/teaching/usct/home.html

"Kids Next Door" lets kids know how they can help the homeless, 
presents personal stories on what young people are doing to help 
their communities, & provides a place for kids to submit their 
own stories.  Children can also take a virtual field trip to the 
library, learn how to go on a scavenger hunt, & more.  (HUD)
      http://www.hud.gov/kids/kids.html

"Garrett A. Morgan Technology & Transportation Futures Program" 
offers a place to tour Washington, D.C. on the Metro (the public 
subway), & a Super Heroes & Heroines page where you can find out 
about transportation pioneers like Senator John Glen (who plans 
to travel back into space at the age of 78) or Shannon Lucid (the 
first female to live in space).  Learn about the history of 
trains, how air traffic controllers do their jobs, & more.  (DOT)
      http://education.dot.gov/

"Community 2020" explores the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban 
Development 21st century agenda for America's communities.  (HUD)
      http://www.hud.gov/2020/2020.html

"President Clinton's Trip to Africa" lets you follow the 
President's visit to Africa & provides lesson plans, speeches, 
photos, & more.  (WH)
      http://www.whitehouse.gov/Africa/

"STAWRS Kids Home Page" allows kids to learn about taxes & how to 
start a business by creating a lemonade stand, lawnmowing service, 
or a band.  (SSA, IRS, DOL) 
      http://www.treas.gov/stawrs/kids/

"Celebrating America's Freedom" consists of 14 essays about 
America's most beloved national symbols & customs, & lists 
possible school activities for Veterans Day.  (VA)             
      http://www.va.gov/pubaff/celebAm/CAIndex.htm

"Lincoln's Spot Resolutions" provides background information & 
lessons (correlated to academic standards) that incorporate the 
use of textbooks, maps, & discussions based on primary documents 
such as the U.S. Constitution.  (NARA)
      http://www.nara.gov/education/teaching/lincoln/home.html 

"CIA's Kids Page" invites students to enter the Secret Zone & 
learn about history, geography, World Factbook, CIA canine corps, 
aerial photography pigeons, & more. 
      http://www.odci.gov/cia/ciakids/safe.html

Other recent CIA additions include:
1997 World Factbook, CIA Maps & Publications, CIA Electronic 
Document Release Center, Chiefs of State & Cabinet Members of 
Foreign Governments, Center for the Study of Intelligence
      http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html 
      http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/mapspub/index.html 
      http://www.foia.ucia.gov/
      http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/chiefs/index.html 
      http://www.odci.gov/csi/index.html

 --------------------
 Vocational Education
 --------------------

"National Center for Research in Vocational Education" includes 
information on educating & preparing all individuals for lasting 
& rewarding employment, & lifelong learning.  (ED)
      http://ncrve.berkeley.edu/

 -----
 Other
 -----

"A Compact for Learning An Action Handbook for 
Family-School-Community Partnerships" helps teams of school 
staff, teachers, parents, & others develop & use "compacts" 
outlining the shared responsibilities of school partners for 
children's learning.  (ED)
      http://www.ed.gov/pubs/Compact/

"Technology Innovation Challenge Grant Projects Home Page" links 
to projects across the country that provide information on 
training teachers in technology, using an ocean-theme curriculum, 
incorporating primary sources & artifacts in the classroom, 
integrating Native American culture into education, & more. (ED)
      http://www.ed.gov/Technology/challenge/grants1.html

 Acronyms
 ~~~~~~~~

BLM -- Bureau of Land Management
CDC -- Center for Disease Control
CIA -- Central Intelligence Agency
ED -- U.S. Department of Education
DOE -- U.S. Department of Energy
DOL -- U.S. Department of Labor
DOT -- U.S. Department of Transportation
HUD -- U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development 
IRS -- Internal Revenue Service
LOC -- Library of Congress
NARA -- National Archives & Records Administration 
NASA -- National Aeronautics & Space Administration 
NIH -- National Institute of Health
NOAA --National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration 
NSF -- National Science Foundation
ONR -- Office of Naval Research
SSA -- Social Security Administration 
USBR -- U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
USDA -- U.S. Department of Agriculture 
USPS -- U.S. Postal Service
VA -- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs 
WH -- White House

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