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Spotlight: March and Beyond
Art Through Time Now Available Online
Annenberg Media's newest course resource Art Through Time: A Global View covers art history throughout time and in many cultures across the globe by examining hundreds of painting, drawings, sculpture, photos and objects used for domestic or ceremonial purposes. The 13 video programs with accompanying online text units take a thematic approach by considering how, for example, portraits were created to convey political power, wealth or to call attention to the hierarchy of the social order. More than 125 scholars, art curators and artists comment on the works and the themes and more than 250 can be viewed and sorted on the course web site.
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Heavy Snow and El Niño
While snow is a vivid symbol of cold weather, those wondering "How does this fit with global warming?" are asking the wrong question. According to experts, the El Niño phenomenon — a cyclic warming of temperatures and related climatic patterns — is to blame for the heavy snowfall that has blanketed large areas of the country this winter. Even frozen precipitation requires moisture in the air, and moisture in the air increases with warmer temperatures.
The Habitable Planet: A Systems Approach to Environmental Science discusses El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in the online textbook for unit 3. The text includes an illustration of normal versus El Niño conditions.
Watch Planet Earth program 3, "The Climate Puzzle," for a compelling look at forces influencing global climate. Our Weather interactive begins with a description of the El Niño phenomenon and related weather effects as an example of how cyclical changes have played a role in Earth's climate over thousands and millions of years. Back to top
The Census
The Census was mandated in the Constitution in Article 1, Section 2: "The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct." This is in reference to the apportionment of direct taxes and Representatives. In the 14th Amendment there is also mention of "counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed."
This March, the U.S. Census Bureau is set to mail out census forms to households all over America, requesting that they be filled out and returned by April.
This year, walk your students through an exploration of the U.S. census — and what it can teach us about American society — with the help of primary source documents. See the workshop "The Census: Who We Think We Are" from the series Primary Sources: Workshop in American History, which includes historical documents, activities, and more.
In The Habitable Planet: A Systems Approach to Environmental Science, see unit 5, "Human Population Dynamics," plus interviews with demographers Martha Farnsworth Riche and Deborah Balk.
A Biography of America program 19, "A Vital Progressivism," deals with a variety of ethnic groups and the changing demographics of America. For a look at how drastic changes in demographics can affect a country, see Human Geography: People, Places, and Change program 6, "Population Transition in Italy." The program looks at economic and social factors in the dramatically declining birthrate in Italy.
Rural Communities: Legacy & Change examines population shifts in rural America in program 2, "Economic Base," and 10, "The Will to Grow." For some history of the U.S. census and a mathematical look at the mathematics behind it, watch Against All Odds: Inside Statistics Program 13, "Blocking and Sampling." The segment begins at approximately 13:00 into the program.
Teaching Geography workshop 3, "North America," shows how geography can be used as a tool to analyze the relationship between urban economic and demographic data. The Web site includes lesson plans in both Word and PDF format. Back to top
World Maths Day
World Maths Day — March 3, 2010 — is an opportunity for your students to compete with students around the world in solving fun math challenges. All ages and ability levels are encouraged to participate in this free program, which also awards prizes to the winners. In 2009, almost 2 million students from 204 countries answered 452,681,681 questions correctly!
To participate in World Maths Day, teachers can go to the World Maths Day Web site and click on "Register here" to register their class or school by March 1. Students whose schools are not participating may register individually. On the Web site, click on "Guides" for an FAQ, technical guide, posters, and more.
Browse our list of math titles, visit our math interactives, or use our open search tool to find resources that may help you to prepare for this event. Dip in and out of several Web sites for fun "extra credit" activities for yourself and your classes.
Don't just believe that the Pythagorean Theorem works, prove it for yourself through Learning Math: Geometry, session 6.
Scale a little person up to monster size by playing with Quadperson from Learning Math: Patterns, Functions, and Algebra, session 4: Proportional Reasoning, or play around with higher math concepts with the interactives on the Web site for Mathematics Illuminated.
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National Grammar Day (March 4)
"I never made a mistake in grammar but once in my life and as soon as I done it I seen it." -Carl Sandburg, from the poem "The People, Yes."
The poet Carl Sandburg celebrates the loosely grammatical vernacular and John Ashberry challenges readers' expectations by taking liberties with grammar. "Usage and Mechanics," workshop 5 of Developing Writers: A Workshop for High School Teachers, reviews effective strategies for teaching grammar. Web materials include an interactive activity to help you assess your own methods of assessing student work.
Read Dave Barry's humorous views on grammar and Andy Rooney's quibbles on word choice and usage on our News Writing Interviews site.
Teaching grammar presents certain challenges. The article "To Grammar or Not to Grammar: That Is Not the Question!" in PDF format emphasizes the importance of teaching grammar in the context of writing. The article is included in workshop 8 of Write in the Middle: A Workshop for Middle School Teachers.
Explore sentence syntax as it relates to math and patterns in our Teacher's Lab Syntax Store. Scientists have found that grammar and patterns in language are hard-wired in the brain. Learn more about this, and about how language is acquired, in Discovering Psychology: Updated Edition program 6, "Language Development." Back to top
The Academy Awards (March 7)
American Cinema examines film history and American culture using clips from more than 300 acclaimed movies and interviews with Hollywood insiders. Visit our online Cinema interactive with sections on screenwriting, directing, producing, acting, and editing, plus interesting links and interactive activities.
In Search of the Novel looks at ten well-loved novels, several of which have been made into well-loved motion pictures. Read the articles "Mass Culture Invasion: The Rise of Motion Pictures" and "Documentary Photography and Film," which discusses the significance of documentary film during the 1930s.
Find historical images in the American Passages archive, such as this photograph of a set and actors for the award-winning 1940 movie The Grapes of Wrath. Try our early movie producer links on the Biography of America Web site.
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Pi Day (March 14)
Pi Day is an opportunity to celebrate the value of pi, approximately 3.14. Begin the festivities at 1:59 as a tribute to the next three decimal places of this irrational number.
Apparently the value of pi doesn't have to be 3.14159... but how can it be otherwise? Find out in Mathematics Illuminated session 8, "Geometries Beyond Euclid," which discusses curvature and higher-dimensional space. Session 3, "How Big Is Infinity?" discusses irrational numbers.
Delve into our unit devoted to circles and pi. See session 7 of Learning Math: Measurement, which investigates the value of pi and its relationship to the measures a circle. If you don't know the practical applications of pi, visit our Math in Daily Life interactive. This section of the exhibit demonstrates its value in home decorating.
The amazing Rajan Mahadevan has memorized the first 99,000 decimal places of pi! Video 20 of The Brain: Teaching Modules shows the feats of this super-memorist, who also gives tips on how to study for best results. Elementary teachers can try the lesson "'Round About Pi" on this page. The lesson allows elementary students to approximate the value of pi. Back to top
Birthday of Albert Einstein (March 14, 1879)
See Mathematics Illuminated unit 8, "Geometries Beyond Euclid," for a discussion of Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. Also see unit 5, "Other Dimensions" for a discussion on time as the 4th dimension.
Appreciate the scope of Einstein's impact on physics and related fields with The Mechanical Universe...and Beyond. In particular, watch program 25, "Kepler to Einstein," and program 43, "Velocity and Time." Elementary and middle school teachers can explore central ideas in physics with Science in Focus: Force and Motion and Science in Focus: Energy. Get a simple explanation of Einstein's famous equation in workshop 3, "Transfer and Conversion of Energy." Back to top
Sunshine Week (March 14-20)
The first national Sunshine Week — an initiative of the American Society of News Editors — took place in 2005. Encompassing the annual Freedom of Information Day observance (March 16), Sunshine Week was established to promote open discussions on the importance of government transparency and freedom of information. Find more information about Sunshine Week as well as materials for download here.
For a recap of government secrecy issues that arose in the 1960s — in connection with the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal — watch (or read) "The Sixties," program 24 of A Biography of America.
How much should the government reveal in time of war? What kind of disclosures by journalists are genuinely in the public interest, and should a confidential source ever be revealed? Ethics in America II addressed these and related questions in program 2, "War Stories: National Security & the News."
The original Ethics in America series considers the limits of the public's right to information in the final program, "Politics, Privacy, and the Press." News Writing program 15, "Media Law," discusses the specifics of freedom of information laws in the context of journalistic practice — such as open records and open meetings laws that guarantee journalists access to information and shield laws that protect journalists from being forced to reveal their sources.
Watch a lively debate about freedom of information principles in The Constitution: That Delicate Balance program 8, "National Security and Freedom of the Press." Discussants include former CIA director and secretary of defense James Schlesinger, former attorney general Griffin Bell, and other distinguished panelists. Back to top
Vernal Equinox (March 20)
As spring approaches and milder weather renews the cycle of life, trace the movements of nature with Journey North, our international Web-based program for exploring seasonal change. The new Journey North Web site offers various resources and information on how to participate.
A Private Universe investigates why even Harvard and MIT graduates can remain uninformed on the most basic facts of science. The program looks at celestial movements, the seasons, and how these are taught in school. What is an equinox anyway? Find out with workshop 7 of our series Science in Focus: Shedding Light on Science. Click on "Highlights" for a brief explanation related to the geometry of a sphere.
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World Day for Water (March 22)
The theme for World Day for Water 2010 is "Communicating Water Quality Challenges and Opportunities."
The unique properties of water — the substance used more than any other on Earth — are explored in "Water," program 12 of The World of Chemistry. The program also discusses the perils of pollution and the need to purify, protect, and conserve this precious resource.
Programs 19-21 of Earth Revealed examine the relationship of water to different types of earth, the role of water in the formation of landforms and landscapes, and the threats posed by pollution and river evolution. Human Geography: People, Places, and Change explores competing claims to the water of the Truckee River Basin at the California-Nevada border in program 7, "Water is for Fighting Over."
Watch The Power of Place: Geography for the 21st Century program 18, "Oil and Water." The first segment, "Egypt: Gift of the Nile," looks at irrigation, land salinization, and the shrinking of farmlands due to urbanization. Go to program 4 of Science IMAGES to observe a hands-on lesson about water in Marc Heuer's 4th grade classroom in McFarland, Wisconsin. Within the context of a unit on waters of the world, this lesson covers the water cycle, pollution, and water purification. Back to top
World Folk Tales and Fables Week (March 22-28)
Art Through Time: A Global View unit 5, "Cosmology and Belief," introduces artworks depicting cultural myths, such as the Maori creation story — Te wehenga o Rangi Raua ko Papa (The Separation of Rangi and Papa).
Observe a fourth grade lesson in which students revise an Indian folktale in the classroom video "Revising for Clarity" in the Teaching Reading 3-5 Workshop. In session 8, an interactive features students who listen to a fable, "The Bad Kangaroo," and must retell the story — allowing the teacher to check comprehension.
Literature based on African, Asian, Native American and Mexican folklore in sessions 5 and 6 of The Expanding Canon: Teaching Multicultural Literature in High School is taught from a cultural studies perspective. Download the session guides for folktales, and complete works by the featured authors.
A Biography of America program 9, "Slavery," discusses the importance of animal trickster tales to slaves' reimagining of the social order, an important strategy in day-to-day survival.
Search the American Passages archive to see and hear artifacts related to folk tales including the Mexican folktale La Llorona and the African American Uncle Remus stories.
A Cajun folktale lays the foundation for a lesson in Francophone culture and Russian students write their own folktales in Teaching
Foreign Languages K-12: A Library of Classroom Practices.
Middle school students create a culture and transform folktales in Connecting With the Arts: A Teaching Practices Library, 6-8. See "Folktales Transformed," "Breathing Life Into Myths," and related units.
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National Women's History Month
This theme for National Women's History Month 2010 is "Writing Women Back into History."
Historic and contemporary artistic representations of women contribute to a better understanding of women's position in societies
through time and across cultures. See Art Through Time: A Global View unit 13, "The Body" for video, graphic artworks, and commentary. Other units in the series
would also be of interest.
Rachel Carson, biologist and author of the groundbreaking book Silent Spring, has been called the mother of the environmental movement. Her exposé on the dangers of the widely used pesticide DDT took on powerful corporate interests and helped to institute a ban on the use of DDT in the United States. Silent Spring is cited in the online textbook for The Habitable Planet: A Systems Approach to Environmental Science. Learn more about the impact of Carson's work in the Faces of America segment of "Postwar Tension and Triumph," unit 19 of America's History in the Making.
On the Web site for America's History in the Making, read correspondence between Abigail Adams and her husband, John Adams and a speech by Sojourner Truth. Then go to unit 14, "Industrializing America," to trace the developments leading to women's entry into the workforce. Finally, see "Further Readings" for the PDF article "The Hardest Struggle: Women and Sweated Industrial Labor" and a radio show about immigrant women.
"The Constitution: Fixed or Flexible," the third segment of program 2 of Democracy in America, provides a condensed overview of the woman suffrage movement.
"The Lowell System: Women in a New Industrial Society," workshop 3 of Primary Sources: Workshops in American History, illustrates through primary source documents just how much industrialization changed the lives of women. Documents, activities, videos, and lecture transcripts are available on the Web site.
Did the feminist movement improve American women's lives? Take the interactive survey on the Biography of America Web site and decide for yourself! Then see how other people answered.
Type in key word "feminism" to find artifacts in the American Passages archive. The search brings up over a hundred diverse items related to women's history, including artifacts related to Susan B. Anthony, Anne Hutchison, Sojourner Truth, and other famous women, as well as photos of working women, radical feminist posters, and more.
Watch an interview with astronaut Ellen Ochoa, the first Hispanic female astronaut, in the program Calculating Change. For the interview, advance to 45:00 into the program.
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Optimism Month
"When, before the present epoch, had three millions of people full power and a fair opportunity to form and establish the wisest and happiest government that human wisdom can contrive?" -John Adams, 1776
See how optimism is embodied in the painting "The City Rises" by futurist Umberto Boccioni, featured in Art Through Time: A Global View. Learn about the psychological underpinnings and implications of optimism and pessimism — and the benefits of being optimistic. Watch "Motivation and Emotion," program 12 of Discovering Psychology: Updated Edition.
Overarching moods, such as optimism or its opposite, can dominate cultural forms. Read about a duality in America's disposition in the first half of the 19th century in unit 6 of American Passages: A Literary Survey. The historical roots of American optimism are also discussed in units
3 and 4; video programs explore literary expressions of American Exceptionalism, Manifest Destiny, and other ideologies.
How can you express optimism ... in French? Find out with the "Getting Around" lessons in French in Action. Back to top
Music in Our Schools Month
Teaching 'The Children of Willesden Lane' features the work of author and classical pianist Mona Golabek. Learn ways to strengthen your teaching and assessment of performance and musical technique with The Art of Teaching the Arts: A Workshop for High School Teachers.
For examples of excellent music instruction at the elementary level, see The Arts in Every Classroom: A Video Library, K-5 program 4, "Teaching Music." Also consider the related workshop.
Make the connection between music and mathematics with Mathematics Illuminated. Program 10, "Harmonious Math," explores Fourier analysis, the mathematical technique for understanding sound waves. The program also takes a tour of Moog Music, home of the Moog synthesizer, used extensively in electronic music.
Exploring the World of Music looks at the elements of
musical forms throughout the world, as well as the connection between music and culture. At the American Passages archive, use search term "music" to find historic songs and instrumental pieces, readable sheet music, and images related to historic musicians and forms of musical expression.
See how music can play a role in performance art pieces, such as those composed by Goat Island. Watch program 9 of A World of Art: Works in Progress.
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