ABCCLIO Schools Subscription Websites

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ABC-CLIO SchoolsSubscription Websites Overview
of State Geography www.stategeography.abc-clio.co
m 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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State GeographyCurrent Events
The home page includes features such as
U.S. News
Feature Story
Term of the Day
Where in the United States?
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State GeographyCurrent Events
U.S. News

• Daily UPI news stories focusing on events from
  around the United States
• Provides immediate information about an important
  news item. Click on the photo or the Read the
  Story link to access the full article
• The More News and Recent News List sections
  provide additional articles
• To access past news stories, use the Advanced
  Search function or use the Select a State Profile
  pull-down menu

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State GeographyCurrent Events
Feature Story

• The Feature Story offers an in-depth look at
  issues facing the nation and individual states
• Click on the photo or the Read the Story link to
  bring up the the article
• Two additional tabs provide Background and Point
  of View sections. Each section also provides
  links to related items
• To access past feature stories, go to Advanced
  Search, select the Feature Stories category, and
  click Search
• A new Feature Story is posted every other week

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State GeographyCurrent Events
Term of the Day

• 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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State GeographyCurrent Events
Where in theUnited States?

• A geography trivia activity, the Where in the
  United States? feature presents a photo and
  several clues pertaining to a particular
  geographic location
• Users can test their state geography knowledge
  and check the answer immediately
• A new Where in the United States? question is
  posted every other week

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State GeographyCurrent Events
Teaching Tips

• Cultivate student awareness and ability to
  analyze issues in state and national news by
  assigning a student each week to give an "In the
  News" presentation
• - Allow students to select the top news story,
  the feature story, or one of the stories from the
  Recent News List
• - Encourage them to investigate the related
  entries as well, in order to provide the class
  with a richer understanding of current events
• Use "Term of the Day" as your inspiration for a
  daily "What is ?" geography question to post on
  the board
• - For example, "What is acid rain?"

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State GeographyResearch

• Six ways to begin researching
  
• State Profile
• Site Search
• Advanced Search
• Subject Search
• U.S. Map 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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State GeographyResearch
State Profile

• Select a State Profile from this drop-down menu
• Profiles provide quick access to all reference
  material related to a particular state, organized
  by category
• Located near the top of the home page, to the
  left of the Site Search

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State GeographyResearch
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 used
• Use or to find either word (for example,
  Jefferson or Washington), use - to exclude a
  word
• For an exact phrase, enclose in quotation marks

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State GeographyResearch
Advanced Search

• Search by text, country, and/or reference
  category
• 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, select a category or
  categories from the Reference and Additional
  Resources list
• Additional Resources include archives of the
  feature stories found on the home page U.S. News

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State GeographyResearch
Subject Search

• Access many of the subjects on the website,
  including biographies, documents, news, and
  organizations, by a set of preselected subject
  keywords
• Then search by state and category, or a
  combination of these elements

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State GeographyResearch
U.S. Map Search

• Users may navigate through the site's reference
  content by clicking on any state using the U.S.
  Map
• Clicking on a state name brings up the state's
  profile, including all reference material related
  to that particular state, organized by category
• The U.S. Map includes a link to the site's
  National Perspective section, which includes
  information that would not normally appear in a
  state-by-state presentation of facts

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State GeographyResearch
Teaching Tips

• Use Advanced Search to access our image library
  as a resource to create PowerPoint presentations,
  illustrated charts for the classroom, and other
  visual materials
• Type a subject in the text box and/or select a
  state
• Go to Advanced Search, check the "Images"
  category, and click "Search"
• Select relevant images from the list
• Use Advanced Search to access primary source
  documents (including acts, declarations,
  speeches, etc.) to examine how legislation and
  public opinion shape policies affecting states
  and regions
• Enter a topic in the text box
• Check the "Documents" category and click
  "Search"
• Select relevant documents from the list
• Help students develop skills to interpret and
  analyze information by having them compare data
  between states (statistics on population, labor
  and industry, finances, transportation, etc.)
• Select a state from the "Select a State
  Profile" drop-down menu
• Click the Facts and Figures tab
• Choose the category of data under investigation

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State GeographyLessons
Topic Explorations

• Guided Topic Explorations place reference entries
  in context, helping students better understand
  the history, culture, and government of different
  states
• Access the Topic Explorations by clicking on the
  link in the left side toolbar

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State GeographyLessons
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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State GeographyLessons
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 topics related to
  the current topic exploration
• Hyperlinks throughout the essays provide further
  research on areas of interest

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State GeographyLessons
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 section of
  the site

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State GeographyLessons
Close-Up on Primary Sources

• Choose from a variety of documents, such as
  these, which examine the controversy surrounding
  a mural project commissioned as a result of the
  New Deal
• 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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State GeographyLessons
Teaching Tips

• Present an interactive multimedia lesson to the
  class with Close-Up on Primary Sources
• - Click on the photographs 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 homework
  assignments or in-class activities
• Use the Discussion Questions for each Topic
  Exploration to stimulate class discussion or use
  them as essay questions on your exams

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State GeographyStudents Tools
Tools for Students
Can be accessed on the home page and include
Ask the Cybrarian Submit a question and receive
an experts answer by email
CLIOview The CLIOview feature allows for easy
comparison of statistical information between
states
Research Lists Student access to resources
hand-picked by faculty members for their
relevance to the topic being studied
eBooks Available with a subscription to 3 or
more websites. 15 eBooks per database, designed
to complement the subject
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State GeographyStudents 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 site
• 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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State GeographyStudents Tools
CLIOview

• Users may select one or more states to compare
  using up to three categories of statistical data
• Step One Add states from the list on the left to
  the field on the right, then click the submit
  button
• Step Two Use the category pull-downs to select
  the information you want (up to three statistics
  at a time) then click submit
• Step Three Review and sort the statistics as
  necessary

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State GeographyTeachers Tools
Staff Edition

• The staff edition of the State Geography 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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State GeographyTeachers 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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State GeographyTeachers Tools
Correlations

• Website content can be correlated by
• - Academic Standard
• - 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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State GeographyTeachers Tools
Research Lists

• Create and post lists of reference or curriculum
  items
• Use the Test Creator to create quizzes for
  students
• 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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State GeographyTeachers 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 of the websites 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
State Geography website
State Geography Awards
2003 Award of Distinction The Communicator
Awards 2003 Readers' Choice Award K-12
Instructional Software eSchool News 2003
Curriculum Web Site Hall of Fame District
Administration 2003 EDDIE Award Winner ComputED
Gazette 2002 Curriculum Web Site Awards, Premium
Award District Administration