Fifteen new learning resources in the arts, science, & social studies -- plus special resources for kids -- have been added  to the FREE website.  Teachers, parents, students, & others may use FREE to find teaching & learning resources from more than 40 federal organizations.

http://www.ed.gov/free/

Among these 15 resources (described below) is the "National Moment of Remembrance" website, which invites Americans to honor those who died in service to our Nation by observing  one minute of silence & reflection at 3:00 p.m. local time  on Memorial Day, Monday, May 28. (WHC/NMR)
http://www.remember.gov

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New Resources at the FREE Website
(Federal Resources for Educational Excellence)
April 24 - May 24, 2001
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Arts
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"Stand Up & Sing: Music & Our Reform History" is a lesson in which students (Grades 7-12) analyze lyrics & images of popular sheet music as part of their studies of the political, social, & economic conditions existing during industrialization & reform in the U.S.
(LOC)
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/99/sing/intro.html

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Kids
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"Fact Sheets for Kids at White Sands National Monument" answers questions about the sand dunes in a mountain ringed valley (near Alamogordo, NM) called the Tularosa Basin:  Where does all the sand come from?  How do the sand dunes move?  What plants & animals live in the dunes & the surrounding Chihuahuan Desert?  (NPS, White Sands National Monument)
http://www.nps.gov/whsa/factsheets.htm

"For Kids at Aleutian World War II National Historic Area" provides a story, coloring pages, & a quiz to help students learn about Fort Schwatka, one of four coastal defense posts built during World War  II to protect Dutch Harbor (the back door to the U.S.).  The fort  is located on Amaknak Island in the Aleutian Island Chain of Alaska. (NPS, Aleutian World War II National Historic Area)
http://www.nps.gov/aleu/ForKids.htm

"Kid's Corner at Cape Lookout National Seashore" offers photos & descriptions of birds, plants, sea turtles, & shells of animals that inhabit a 56-mile stretch of the Outer Banks of North Carolina. (NPS, Cape Lookout National Seashore)
http://www.nps.gov/calo/kids.htm

"NCES's Fun Facts" highlights selected statistics from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the main federal organization responsible for collecting & analyzing data on education in the U.S. & other nations.  Fun facts appear in six areas:  early childhood, elementary & secondary, postsecondary,  international education, libraries, & assessment. (NCES/ED)
http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/topics.html

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Science
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"Bridging the Watershed" presents online activities to assist teachers in helping students develop skills needed for field trips  to Potomac Area National Parks.  Activities include plantidentification, macroinvertebrate identification, & Go Fish, a game that simulates the journey of fish to their spawning ground. (NPS)
http://www.bridgingthewatershed.org/

"Classroom: Educational Resources & Programs for the Field & Classroom" offers activities for elementary students & families visiting Lake Mead National Recreation Area to learn about desert plants, animals, food chains, & "communities" in the Mojave Desert (AZ & NV). (NPS, Lake Mead National Recreation Area)
http://www.nps.gov/lame/classroom

"Multiwavelength Astronomy" shows images of our own galaxy & sun, other galaxies & stars, & other heavenly bodies as viewed from different portions (or frequencies) of the electromagnetic spectrum. (NASA)
http://www.ipac.caltech.edu/Outreach/Multiwave/

"NASAexplores" features new lessons each week on topics related to space.  Articles, learning activities, & background information are offered with each lesson.  Airport efficiency, motion sickness, housekeeping in space, the international space station, prevention of human error, seeing what can't be seen, asteroids, & use of light to speed recovery from illnesses are among the more than 30 topics.  Lessons & materials support national education standards. (NASA)
http://www.nasaexplores.com

"Park Geology: Teacher Feature" provides teacher guides & students activities for learning about topics in geology, paleontology, &  more. (NPS)
 http://www2.nature.nps.gov/grd/edu/index.htm

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Social Studies
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"Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1938" contains more than 2,300 first-person accounts of slavery & 500 black-and-white photographs of former slaves. These narratives were collected in the 1930s as part of the Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) &  assembled & microfilmed in 1941 as the 17-volume "Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States from Interviews with Former Slaves." (LOC)
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/snhtml/snhome.html

 "The Capital & the Bay" consists of 139 books -- first-person narratives, early histories, historical biographies, promotional brochures, & photograph collections that capture this distinctive  region as it developed between the onset of European settlement & the first quarter of the 20th Century. (LOC)
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/lhcbhtml/lhcbhome.html

"Emergence of Advertising in America" presents over 9,000 images related to the early history of advertising in the U.S.  Materials include cookbooks, photographs of billboards, print advertisements, trade cards, calendars, almanacs, & leaflets for various products.  Together, these images illuminate the early evolution of this  ubiquitous feature of modern American business & culture. (LOC)
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award98/ncdhtml/eaahome.html

"Women, Their Rights & Nothing Less" is a lesson that uses primary documents to help students (Grades 9-12) learn about the women's suffrage movement that began in the 1840s & led to women's right to vote nationwide in 1920 (LOC)
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/99/suffrage/intro.html

Acronyms
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LOC  -- Library of Congress
NASA -- National Aeronautics & Space Administration
NPS  -- National Park Service
 NCES/ED -- National Center for Education Statistics, Department of Education
WHC/NMR -- White House Commission on the National Moment of Remembrance

William A. Howe, Ed.D.
Education Consultant for Title IX and Multicultural Education
Connecticut State Department of Education
Bureau of Certification & Professional Development
165 Capitol Ave. Rm 243, Box 150471
Hartford, CT 06115-0427
Tel:  860-566-4100 (voicemail 566-8228)
Fax:  860-566-8929
email: william.howe@po.state.ct.us
website: http://www.state.ct.us/sde/calendar/index.htm
website: http://www.nameorg.org
*** Please note that as of June 11, 2001 my phone numbers will change to:
Telephone: 860-713-6737
Fax: 860-713-7017.

Quotations and Proverbs, Language and Communication - Multicultural Pavilion
    This website gives multiple encouraging and intellectual quotes that a teacher could post in the classroom at the beginning of each week.  These quotes are from people of many different races like Tejana Chicana, African-American, and German, etc.   The students would be excited to find a quote from someone of their own race that they may carry around with them for the rest of their lives.  This would be a great start for a multicultural lesson plan.

African-American Scientists, Multicultural Reviews - Multicultural Pavilion
    This site introduces a book that can be used for a multicultural lesson or during black history month.  There are over one hundred African-American scientists covered in this book including twenty women!  This book should be used with children over the age of eleven.  A good assignment might be to pick a particular scientist from the book to do a report on or, if possible, try to recreate one of their scientific accomplishments.

Race, Ethnicity and Self, Multicultural Reviews - Multicultural Pavilion
    "In accordance with its subjective themes, Race, Ethnicity, and Self includes a collection of diverse pieces by a collection of diverse contributors. Some sections include 'Native American Indian Identity: A People of Many Peoples' by Roger Herring, 'African American Identity and Its Social Context' by Lee Jenkins, and 'White Racial Identity Development in the United States' by Rita Hardiman."

Weddings, Multicultural Reviews - Multicultural Pavilion
    This site looks at another book that looks at the weddings of the many different cultures of the world.  This could be a fun lesson to do with older children in junior-high or high-school, for a health class or a marriage and family class.

Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow, Multicultural Reviews - Multicultural Pavilion
    "According to the authors, the book "represents our combined effort to create and unthreatening, informal, and intimate forum in which...the reader can meet some of the people from several of the world's cultures." (p. 1) After introducing themselves and their perspectives, they do just that, in essence moving on to the second step of multicultural awareness, which is attempting to understand other cultures, knowing that you're doing so through the lens of your own perspective. Stories of many individuals from many different cultures are woven together with analysis and commentary by the authors. The stories remain the meat of the book, though, as the authors seem careful not to overpower them with their own analysis."

Conferences and Events - Multicultural Pavilion
    This site informs the viewer of all the upcoming conferences and events on the topic of multiculturalism.  Teachers as well as students could go to these to learn more about this topic.  Students might like the idea of being treated more like an adult due to the atmosphere.

Diversity in Action, Multicultural Reviews - Multicultural Pavilion
    This website points out another book that can be used in understanding ethnic differences for students in junior-high or high-school.  This book distinguishes itself from others like it by giving many activities to do with the students that incorporate the student using their own ideas to reflect on their expiernece after the activity.

Voices! Multicultural Poetry & Prose Exchange - Multicultural Pavilion
    This website allows for viewers to read the poems of many poets from a variety of ethnic backgrounds.  The students will probably be inspired to write their own poems when they learn that they can submit their own to this company.  This gives students a sense of self-confidence and self-worth knowing that they are capable of such an accomplishment.

Celebrations Around the World, Multicultural Reviews-Multicultural Pavilion
    This website introduces a book for teachers on how to incorporate multicultural holidays into their classrooms.  This book take holidays from every culture and teaches the students about that culture while they have fun as well.  These holidays can be carried out any day which makes for an exciting school year.

Russian Art and Activity Book, Multicultural Reviews-Multicultural Pavilion
    This website also introduces a book that may be of interest to teacher's interested in incorporating multiculturalism into their classrooms.  Educational art projects are offered for ages K-8.  These projects are fun and teach the children about the russian culture at the same time.