ABCCLIO Schools Subscription Websites

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ABC-CLIO SchoolsSubscription Websites
Overview of American History
www.americanhistory.abc-clio.com
Where Reference Curriculum Connect
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The Premier Social Studies Websites

• 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
website sections
Research (The Library)
Lessons (The Classroom)
Current Events(Home Page Section)
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American HistoryCurrent Events
The home page includes features such as
This Day in History
Living History
Spotlight On...
Term of the Day
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American HistoryCurrent Events
This Day in History

• The This Day in History feature highlights
  significant historical events for each calendar
  day
  
• To display reference material related to the
  featured event, along with a detailed listing of
  more events for that day, click on the photo or
  the More link
• To view events that occurred on any given day
  from the calendar year, select a month and day
  from the drop down menus and click Go

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American HistoryCurrent Events
Living History

• Living History articles offer a look at history
  in the making by lending historical significance
  to newsworthy events
  
• A new Living History is posted every other week
• Access the full text and related entries by
  clicking on the graphic or the Read More link
  
• Search for past articles through the Advanced
  Search page

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American HistoryCurrent Events
Spotlight On...

• Spotlight On stories feature an in-depth
  examination of a particular historical event or
  issue related to curricular subjects
  
• A new Spotlight On is posted each month
• Access the full text and related entries by
  clicking on the photo or the Read More link
  
• Search for past Spotlight On stories through the
  Advanced Search page

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American HistoryCurrent 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 HistoryCurrent Events
Teaching Tips

• Stimulate class discussion by demonstrating the
  connection between current events and historical
  events with Living History articles

• For example
• Assign a Living History article (and related
  entries) as an outside reading assignment to
  prepare for a class discussion. Lead a discussion
  in which students are encouraged to make
  connections between todays news stories and the
  historical events and forces that have
  contributed to the current situation. What line
  of reasoning can they construct to explain why
  the situation is what it is today?

• Use the This Day in History feature as your
  source for posting short historical trivia
  tidbits on the board each day. Underline the
  hyperlinked terms to indicate to students that
  more info is available on the ABC-CLIO website

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American HistoryResearch

• 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 HistoryResearch
Site Search

• Located at the top left of every screen, Site
  Search offers a quick text search of all content
  areas of the website
  
• 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 HistoryResearch
Advanced Search

• Get instant access to thousands of reference
  resources by choosing one or a combination of
  criteria, then clicking 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 HistoryResearch
Teaching Tips

• Use our image library as a resource to create
  PowerPoint presentations, illustrated timeline
  charts for the classroom, and other visual
  materials

• In Advanced Search type your subject in the Text
  box, and check Images under Category, then click
  the Search button

• Assign students the task of photo editor or
  museum curator to select and exhibit a visual
  history

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American HistoryResearch
Teaching Tips

• Create a custom-made collection of primary source
  documents, timelines, and contextual overviews
  for any unit under study
  
• In Advanced Search, check Documents under
  Category, and select a time period under Topic,
  then click the Search button
  
• Assign readings and have students engage in panel
  discussions, debates, and/or role-playing, etc.

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American HistoryLessons
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 on the left side toolbar

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American HistoryLessons
Topic Explorations

• The Topic Explorations are a great starting point
  for research or review
  
• First, choose the relevant time period
• Once a time period has been chosen, students can
  then select a major theme within a smaller time
  frame

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American HistoryLessons
Topic Explorations

• Use the toolbar to navigate through overviews,
  quizzes, biographies, discussion questions,
  research lists, and moreall centered around a
  main theme
• Related Entries offer access to primary source
  documents, images, and other topics related to
  the current topic exploration
  
• Hyperlinks throughout the essays provide further
  research on areas of interest

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American HistoryLessons
NEW FEATURE!
Close-Up on Primary Sources

• Digitized versions of primary source materials
  (including letters, photographs, maps, government
  documents, works of art, advertisements, etc.)
  
• 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 websites

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American HistoryLessons
Close-Up on Primary Sources

• Essays introduce and provide background to the
  document, such as this etiquette handbook from
  the 19th century
  
• 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 HistoryLessons
Teaching Tips

• Present an interactive multimedia lesson to the
  class with Close-Up on Primary Sources
  
• Click on the images displayed on the
  introductory screen one at a time, and use
  the zoom, draw, and move tools to examine
  the source more closely. Use the Get a Clue
  link for brief descriptions and a suggested line
  of inquiry
• For a homework assignment, divide the class
  into groups and assign each group the
  primary source analysis worksheet for one
  of the documents. Discuss the student
  responses in class the next day
• Use Topic Exploration Activities as guidance 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, and/or as exam questions of
  your own

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American HistoryStudents Tools
Tools for Students
Can be accessed on the home page and include
Ask the Cybrarian Submit a question and receive a
n experts answer by email
Research Lists Student access to resources handpi
cked by faculty members for their relevance to
the topic being studied
eBooks Available with subscription to 3 or more
websites. 15 eBooks per database, designed to
complement the subject
Dictionary Built-in dictionary from Merriam-Webst
er
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American HistoryStudents 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 this 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 HistoryTeachers Tools
Staff Edition

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

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American HistoryTeachers 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 HistoryTeachers Tools
Correlations

• Website content can be correlated by
• Academic Standards
• Textbook
• Topic
• Results page shows the major categories within
  the website that match the selected standard or
  textbook
  
• Choose a specific topic to view in-depth content

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American HistoryTeachers 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 top right corner of 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 HistoryTeachers Tools
Account Information

• Displays all site information specific to an
  account, including
  
• Name of site
• Name of site administrator
• Expiration date
• Staff access code
• Student access code
• ABC-CLIO Schools customer service information
• Usage Statistics for each website

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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 History website
American History Awards
2004 EDDIE Award Winner ComputED Gazette 9th Ann
ual Education Software Review Awards
2003 Readers' Choice Award K-12 Instructional
Software eSchool News 2003 Curriculum Web Site H
all of Fame District Administration 2003 Best S
oftware in High SchoolWebsite
ComputED Gazette 2002 Curriculum Website Awards,
Premium Award District Administration 2002 Awa
rd of Excellence The Communicator Awards 2002 Aw
ards Portfolio Winner Media Methods Magazine