[OYAN] Ben's Guide to U.S. Government

[Jennifer Maurer]

In April, I announced that Ben's Guide to the U.S. Government had been updated. (See original email below.) Now there are more enhancements. Here's the information from this announcement: http://www.fdlp.gov/news-and-events/2422-ben-s-guide-to-the-u-s-government-site-enhancements:
After this spring's launch of the new Ben's Guide to the U.S. Government<http://bensguide.gpo.gov/>, we asked for feedback and received a lot of great suggestions from both the FDLP community and educators around the country. In response to those suggestions, the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) has given Ben some new enhancements.
* A glossary<http://bensguide.gpo.gov/glossary> that includes over 80 terms and definitions
* Downloadable, printable activities<http://bensguide.gpo.gov/games?layout=edit&id=185> that include Word Searches and Crossword Puzzles for each age range
* A downloadable graphic<http://bensguide.gpo.gov/for-parents-and-educators/15-parents-educators/184-links-to-ben-s-guide-from-your-web-site> that can be used on library websites to link to Ben's Guide
Stay tuned to FDLP.gov for announcements about future Ben enhancements and additional content, and please continue to provide us with your feedback<http://bensguide.gpo.gov/feedback-suggestions>.
FYI,
Jen

Jennifer Maurer
School Library Consultant
Oregon State Library
250 Winter Street NE
Salem, OR 97301
503.378.5011
jennifer.maurer at state.or.us<mailto:jennifer.maurer at state.or.us>

OSLIS || www.oslis.org
Learn to research. Research to learn.

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From: OYAN [mailto:oyan-bounces at listsmart.osl.state.or.us] On Behalf Of Jennifer Maurer
Sent: Monday, April 27, 2015 12:51 PM
To: oyan at listsmart.osl.state.or.us
Subject: [OYAN] 3 Resources: Ben's Guide to US Gov, CSM's Digital Compass, & "What is a Periodicals DB?" Tutorials

Please pardon the cross-posting. I thought these resources might be helpful in a public library setting, too.

Happy last week of School Library Month (http://www.ala.org/aasl/slm)! Here are three resources that your staff and patrons might want to know about.

Ben's Guide to the U.S. Government: Updated Website from Government Printing Office

"GPO's educational Web site, Ben's Guide, has been redesigned and is now available as Ben's Guide to the U.S. Government<http://www.fdlp.gov/index.php?subid=391&option=com_acymailing&ctrl=url&urlid=2373&mailid=557>. Named for one of our Nation's most influential Founding Fathers, Benjamin Franklin, Ben's Guide to the U.S. Government provides educational content for the public on the workings of the U.S. Government and U.S. history, with a focus on civics. Some highlights of the new site include:

*         Enhanced site content

*         Modernized look and feel

*         New images

*         Reorganized layout for a more intuitive learning experience

*         An educational, interactive game"

http://bensguide.gpo.gov/
http://www.fdlp.gov/news-and-events/2243-gpo-launches-ben-s-guide-to-the-u-s-government

Digital Compass: New Interactive from Common Sense Media
Common Sense Media has a new tool, Digital Compass, designed to help middle school students develop digital citizenship skills. "Learn the fundamentals of digital citizenship through animated, choose-your-own-adventure interactive experiences, designed for grades 6-9. Invite students to explore digital dilemmas, make good (and not-so-good) decisions, and try out possible solutions through stories and mini-games - all without risking their real-world reputations." There's already a game for elementary students in grades 3-5: Digital Passport. Both can be played online or via the related app.

            https://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/digital-compass
http://www.digitalpassport.org/educator/materials
https://www.digitalpassport.org/educator-registration
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/curriculum

"What is a Periodicals Database?": Two Tutorials
Through OSLIS, your students and you have access to periodicals databases from Gale. Your district or school might subscribe to similar databases from EBSCO or ProQuest. But, what is a periodicals database, anyway? (Basically, it's a big pot of informational text, or nonfiction, with articles gathered from newspapers, magazines, journals - that's the periodicals part - that is topped off with content from some reference books and multimedia sources.) Here are two short tutorials designed to answer that question and explain why good researchers don't just rely on the open Internet for sources. The tutorials are probably best for middle and high schoolers. Or, some of your teachers might benefit from watching them.

Gale's Your Library vs. Open Web
            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3N3ircMFy3c&feature=youtu.be (Gale's YouTube channel)

            Collaborative Library Instruction Project's (CLIP) What is a Library Database?
https://www.lanecc.edu/library/instruction/toolkit/tutorial.php?id=13

FYI,
Jen

Jennifer Maurer
School Library Consultant
Oregon State Library
250 Winter Street NE
Salem, OR 97301
503.378.5011
jennifer.maurer at state.or.us<mailto:jennifer.maurer at state.or.us>

OSLIS || www.oslis.org
Learn to research. Research to learn.

Celebrate School Library Month<http://www.ala.org/aasl/slm>!

[SLM2015b]

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