ABCCLIO Schools Subscription Databases

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ABC-CLIO SchoolsSubscription Databases Overview
of American Government www.americangovernment.abc
-clio.com Where Reference Curriculum Connect
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The Premier Social Studies Databases

• THE ONE-STOP SOCIAL STUDIES SOLUTION FOR
• STUDENTS, TEACHERS, AND LIBRARIANS
• Comprehensive and in depth
• Incorporates current events, curricular units
  and activities, and primary and secondary
  sources
• Supports inquiry-based learning by providing
  clear organization, overviews for
  context, and links to related entries
• Aligned to state and national standards and
  textbook units

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Three Main Sections
Provides a comprehensive learning solution for
social studies students through three main
database sections.
Research (The Library)
Current Events(Home Page Section)
Lessons (The Classroom)
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American GovernmentCurrent Events
The home page includes features such as
Washington News
Political Commentaries
Feature Story
Political Cartoons
Term of the Day
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American GovernmentCurrent Events
Washington News

• At the top of the home page, Washington News
  features daily articles on current political
  issues from the Associated Press news service
• Access the full article and related entries by
  clicking on the graphic or the Read the Story
  link
• Search for past Washington News stories using the
  Advanced Search page

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American GovernmentCurrent Events
Political Commentaries

• Political Commentaries, located on the right side
  of the home page, provide differing political
  points of view on current issues
• Two columns written by Bill Press and Robert
  Novak are featured each week
• Access the full-length column by clicking on the
  Read Commentaries link

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American GovernmentCurrent Events
The Feature Story

• The Feature Story, located below the Washington
  News articles, provides balanced perspectives and
  in-depth analysis of current government issues
• Helps develop students' critical thinking
  abilities
• A new Feature is posted each month
• Access the full text and related entries by
  clicking on the photo or the Read the Story link
• Search for past Feature Stories using the
  Advanced Search page

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American GovernmentCurrent Events
Political Cartoons

• Political Cartoons are located on the right side
  of the home page
• Provides students with a model for evaluation and
  analysis skills
• One cartoon is featured each week
• To display the full image click anywhere on the
  cartoon

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American GovernmentCurrent Events
Term of the Day

• At the bottom of the home page, Term of the Day
  provides quick and informative definitions of
  relevant vocabulary terms
• The Term of the Day changes daily
• More terms can be found in the Glossary by using
  the Advanced Search feature

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American GovernmentCurrent Events
Teaching Tips

• Stimulate critical thinking and class discussion
  by using the Political Commentaries as a
  springboard for weekly/monthly debates
• NOTE New Commentaries are posted every few days
  and previous postings are not archived.
• Guide students through the process of
  interpreting the political cartoon critically and
  analytically. Print copies of the political
  cartoon and/or make a transparency to show on an
  overhead projector in class. Have students
• - identify the topic or issue it deals with
• - list what is pictured, and what each element
  symbolizes
• - identify any exaggerations, distortions,
  stereotypes depicted
• - identify what is happening in the cartoon
• - identify the message the cartoonist is trying
  to communicate
• - discuss students reactions to the cartoon and
  their thoughts about the issue

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American GovernmentResearch

• Three ways to begin researching
  
• Site Search
• Advanced Search
• Lessons and Activities
• Entries include primary and secondary sources
  such as documents, illustrations, maps, photos,
  video clips, and graphs
• A variety of entries help students in different
  grade levels with different research needs

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American GovernmentResearch
Site Search

• Located at the top left of every screen, Site
  Search offers a quick text search of all content
  areas of the database
• Searches look for all words entered
• Use or to find either word Example Jefferson
  or Franklin
• Use - to exclude a wordExample Jefferson, -
  Thomas
• For an exact phrase enclose in quotation
  marksExample Jefferson or Franklin

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American GovernmentResearch
Advanced Search

• Get instant access to thousands of reference
  resources by choosing one or a combination of
  criteria, then click on the Search button
• To narrow a search by time period, select a
  specific topic or subtopic
• To further narrow a search by type of resource,
  select a category (or categories) from the
  Reference List
• The red Additional Resource list offers an
  archive of the Living History and Spotlight On
  feature stories found on the home page

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American GovernmentResearch
Teaching Tips

• Jump-start a new unit with a compelling quote on
  the subject. Start a discussion about the quote
  to generate interest and to see how much your
  students know before beginning the lesson. Using
  Advanced Search
• Check Quotes under Category
• Click the "Expand to Subtopics" link next to
  Topics
• Check the desired subtopic
• Preview and then select a quote from the list of
  results
• Using the information in the Directories,
  encourage students to let their voices be heard
  by contacting those in positions of power and
  influence. Directories list names, mailing
  addresses, and email addresses of government
  agencies, elected officials, watchdog agencies,
  political groups, media outlets, and more. Using
  Advanced Search
• check "Directories" under "Category"
• click the topic hyperlink in the results list
  that appears most relevant

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American GovernmentLessons
Topic Explorations

• Guided Topic Explorations place reference entries
  in context, helping students better understand a
  topic or time period in history
• Access the Topic Explorations by clicking on the
  link in the left-hand toolbar

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American GovernmentLessons
Topic Explorations

• The Topic Explorations are a great starting point
  for research or review
• First, choose the relevant topic, (organized
  thematically)
• Next, select a subtopic for in-depth study

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American GovernmentLessons
Topic Explorations

• The toolbar allows you to navigate between
  overviews, discussion questions, quizzes,
  illustrations, and more, centered around a main
  theme
• Related Entries offer access to primary source
  documents, images, and other entries related to
  the current topic exploration
• Hyperlinks throughout the essays provide further
  research on areas of interest

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American GovernmentLessons
NEW FEATURE!
Close-Up on Primary Sources

• Digitized versions of primary source materials,
  including letters, photographs, maps, government
  documents, works of art, advertisements, and more
• Guides students through the process of evaluating
  the resource
• You can find the Close-Up on Primary Sources
  feature within the Topic Explorations on each of
  the databases

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American GovernmentLessons
Close-Up on Primary Sources

• Choose from a variety of documents, such as the
  Montgomery police report detailing the arrest of
  Rosa Parks
• Essays introduce and provide background to the
  document
• Click on the Get a Clue link for historical
  context and help analyzing the document
• Use special tools to enlarge, highlight, and
  reposition the document

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American GovernmentLessons
Teaching Tips

• Use the eight Topic Explorations under "Skills
  for American Government" to help students
  cultivate the skills they need to participate in
  the democratic process, including how to vote,
  how to run for office, how to debate, how to
  conduct a mock congress, and more
• Use Topic Exploration activities as guide for
  outside-of-class research and in-class
  presentations
• Use the discussion questions for each Topic
  Exploration to stimulate in-class discussion on
  the unit currently under study, to prepare
  students for exams, or as exam questions

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American GovernmentStudent Tools
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American GovernmentStudent Tools
Ask the Cybrarian

• Who is the Cybrarian? It's actually a team of
  editors with subject expertise who provide
  assistance in finding the answers related to the
  material on each website
• The Cybrarian shows students where to look for
  answersthe question wont be answered for them
• Includes frequently-asked questions and their
  answers

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American GovernmentTeacher Tools
Staff Edition

• The staff edition of the American Government
  database contains tools intended for teachers and
  librarians only
• Access this page through a special staff username
  and password
• Includes features such as Test Creator,
  Correlations, and Research Lists

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American GovernmentTeacher Tools
Test Creator

• Test knowledge of a particular topic or concept
• Create tests from a bank of multiple choice,
  true/false, and matching questions
• Tests can either be printed out or added to a
  Research List

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American GovernmentTeacher Tools
Correlations

• Database content can be correlated by
• Academic standard
• Textbook
• Topic
• The results page shows the major categories
  within the database that match the selected
  standard or textbook
• Choose a specific topic to view in-depth content

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American GovernmentTeacher Tools
Research Lists

• Create and post lists of reference or curriculum
  items
• Use the Test Creator to create quizzes for
  students, then add them to a Research List
• Add to list by clicking on Add to Research List
  on the top right-hand corner of the topic page
• Create lists for different grade levels, classes,
  or topics
• Add directions to each list
• Research Lists can be accessed anytime and
  anywhere by students

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American GovernmentTeacher Tools
Account Information

• Displays all information specific to an account,
  including
• Name of database
• Name of database administrator
• Expiration date
• Staff access code
• Student access code
• ABC-CLIO Schools customer service information
• Usage statistics for each of the databases you
  subscribe to

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Thank You!
For more detailed information on the topics
featured in this presentation or other features
available, please visit the user guide on the
American Government database.
American Government Awards
2003 Readers' Choice Award K-12 Instructional
Software eSchool News 2003 Curriculum
Web Site Hall of Fame District
Administration 2002 Curriculum Website Awards,
Premium Award District
Administration Best Reference Sources 2001
Library Journal 2001 Distinguished
Achievement Award in Educational Technology
The Association of Educational Publishers,
EdPress 2001 Best Software in High SchoolWeb
Site ComputED Gazette 7th Annual Best
Educational Software Awards (BESSIES)