VC Content Providers: New Programs

Hartley Outdoor Education Center: Abraham Lincoln

The 16th President makes a special appearance in your classroom as he tells the story of his life from childhood to death. Learn all about what made Abe so lucky and some unique educational information about this famous man. You will feel as if you just met him--and you did!

Hartley Outdoor Education Center: Bats

Learn about theses mysterious creatures during this captivating program. We will do some myth busting about these amazing mammals as well as learn some new fun facts.

Hartley Outdoor Education Center: Caterpillars to Butterflies

The life cycle of Butterflies and how they change into adults will be shown through the use of live caterpillars. Students will get an up close look at the stages of this amazing life cycle. Simple butterfly identification will also be taught.

Hartley Outdoor Education Center: Changing Leaves

The why and how of the leaves changing color will be taught to your students as we look at the beautiful colors of Autumn. Many sample leaves will be shown to teach students this mystical event. A short story about the Autumn leaves will be read to students as we wrap up our journey together.

Royal Botanical Gardens (Canada): Chocolate: From Treasure to Treat

From cacao to chocolate - rainforest treasure to luscious treat. Chocolate has been many things to many people over the years. Learn about the life cycle of the Cacao tree, then journey through history to get the complete story behind the tasty treat that we call chocolate. From the time of the Mayans and Aztecs, to pre-industrial Europe and finally to the present, explore how humans have used and processed these bitter tasting seeds. Finally discover the role and impact of chocolate on the rainforest ecosystems where it grows. During the videoconference, test your knowledge of chocolate while learning about this amazing plant and its history. Program Format: 1. Throughout the presentation, we will be answering questions while building a pyramid. 2. Create a cacao plant together. 3. Explore the origin and history of chocolate. 4. Locate where cocoa is produced in the world. 5. Predict the composition of different chocolate products. 6. Time will be allowed for questions and answers. Objectives The participant will: - explore the cacao plant and its role in the rainforest ecosystem - discover the origins and history of chocolate - appreciate what goes into making our favourite chocolate treats

The National Space Centre UK: Earth Moon & Sun

Why do we get night and day? Why does the Moon look different in the sky? In this interactive video conference find out how the Earth, Sun and Moon relate to each other, how we get night and day, why we get phases of the moon and why the Earth experiences seasons

Hartley Outdoor Education Center: Farm Animals

Come on a virtual field trip to the Murphy Farm and meet our farm animals! You will learn all about our animals, their care and feeding, and their characteristics and behavior. Meet Dusty the Donkey, our goats Midget and Charlie Ann, Frisky the Calf, and several other types of animals which may include sheep, chickens, pigs, rabbits, and cats.

Hartley Outdoor Education Center: French Voyageur

Travel with Jean Paul LeFranc through the waterways of the North learning the life of the Voyageurs. Students will participate in the program with learning the different duties the men had within the canoe, the food they ate, their unusual dress, the purpose of the French Voyageurs and the purpose of their trip.

HEC-TV: History in the First Person: Stories of the Civil Rights Movement

Take your study of the Civil Rights Movement to individuals who participated in the struggle. Interact with three individuals whose actions made a difference in civil rights for people in their native St. Louis as well as throughout the nation. What was it like to grow up black in America in the 1940s, 50s and 60s? What did it mean when words like equality and justice seemed to have a different meaning for you than for others in American society? What was it like to be inspired by leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr.? Why would you have chosen to participate in the struggle for Civil Rights? For this very special program, take your study of American history and the Civil Rights Movement in America to the individuals who participated in the struggle. Ask these questions and more as you interact with three individuals whose actions made a difference in civil rights for people in their native St. Louis as well as throughout the nation. Our focus in this program will not be exploring the details of Americas struggle for Civil Rights throughout its history, but it will be to provide students the rare and important opportunity to speak directly with those who lived during one chapter in that time and are excited to share their experiences with others. What would your students like to know about what it was like to live and work during this time? Our guests for both programs were participants in CORE (Congress of Racial Equality), the St. Louis Jefferson Bank boycott of 1963, the 1964 protest for minority employment opportunities at the Gateway Arch, and the creation of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Holiday as well as many other events related to Civil Rights. These four main topics will be used as examples for students to provide both content and context and also an organizational framework for the program. Web resources related to these events as well as short biographies of our guests are included in the pre-program activities for students to use to prepare for the program and develop questions to ask the guests during the program. This program is the first in a recurring series of HEC-TV Live! programs dealing with stories of the Civil Rights Movement in America. Subsequent programs will provide students the opportunity to interact with individuals who made significant contributions in the struggle for rights for other minority groups and women. If youd like to be placed on our HEC-TV Live! e-list to receive updates about future programs in the series, please e-mail us at live@hectv.org.

The Heritage Museum & Cultural Center at the Priscilla U. Byrns Center: Ice Age Imperials

The Ice Age Imperials videoconference features majestic creatures that roamed the extended Great Lakes Region of North America during the last Ice Age. The videoconference is designed to give students an introduction to the Ice Age and to reinforce subject matter taught in the classroom. Most Ice Age megafauna are now extinct. In many cases all that remains are clues to their existence in the form of fossil bones and teeth. For generations, students (even President Thomas Jefferson) have been enthralled by such evidence. Now your students can experience these creatures visually and through interactive experiences: Touch the real fossilized bones and teeth of these long extinct creatures. The videoconference will introduce students to some of the creatures and other artifacts from the era. This program will be interactive and concludes with an activity.

Hartley Outdoor Education Center: Junk to Jewelry

Students will learn the how, what and why of recycling through hands-on activities and educational information. Supplies will be provided for each student to make their very own recycled paper beads during our program. This program is a great introduction to instill the idea of making our Earth a better place by recycling one piece of junk at a time

Berrien RESA: Lest We Forget: Korea War Veteran Interviews

Lest We Forget: US War Veteran Interviews Interview Korea War Veterans. Lest We Forget is based on a series of videos we made of our local veterans. Students watch the video, read articles and bios, participate in lessons on that particular war, and then prepare quality questions for the veterans. This program is offered annually. Please visit the website for dates and availability. For 2012, the Korean War Veterans program is scheduled for April 24, 2012.

Berrien RESA: Lest We Forget: Memorial Day Observance Veteran Interviews

Lest We Forget: US War Veteran Interviews Interview World War II, Korea, and Vietnam War Veterans. Lest We Forget is based on a series of videos we made of our local veterans. Students watch the video, read articles and bios, participate in lessons on that particular war, and then prepare quality questions for the veterans. This program is offered annually. Please visit the website for dates and availability. For 2012, this program is being offered May 24.

Berrien RESA: Lest We Forget: Vietnam War Veteran Interviews

Lest We Forget: US War Veteran Interviews Interview Vietnam War Veterans. Lest We Forget is based on a series of videos we made of our local veterans. Students watch the video, read articles and bios, participate in lessons on that particular war, and then prepare quality questions for the veterans. This program is offered annually. Please visit the website for dates and availability. For 2012, the Vietnam Veterans program is scheduled for May 3, 2012.

Berrien RESA: Lest We Forget: World War II Veteran Interviews

Lest We Forget: US War Veteran Interviews Interview World War II Veterans. Lest We Forget is based on a series of videos we made of our local veterans. Students watch the video, read articles and bios, participate in lessons on that particular war, and then prepare quality questions for the veterans. This program is offered annually. Please visit the website for dates and availability. For 2012, the World War II Veterans program is scheduled for March 29, 2012.

Whirlidurb: Math Mysteries: Build It!

Pattern Blocks is an engaging, minds-on activity to reinforce geometry and spatial reasoning skills. Students will work in teams of 4-6 members to solve problems using one-inch cubes. After a solution is reached, students will illustrate the solution and reflect in their math journals. Participating in a math mystery will enable students to work together to use formal mathematical language to communicate strategies and solutions. Teachers will need to provide each group with a set of one-inch cubes (two of each color--green, red, yellow, blue, and orange).

Whirlidurb: Math Mysteries: Pattern Blocks

Pattern Blocks is an engaging, minds-on activity to reinforce geometry and spatial reasoning skills. Students will work in teams of 4-6 members to solve problems using standard pattern blocks. After a solution is reached, students will illustrate the solution and reflect in their math journals. Participating in a math mystery will enable students to work together to use formal mathematical language to communicate strategies and solutions. Teachers will need to provide the pattern blocks for each group to use.

The Sheffield Museum of Rural Life: Meet The Renaissance Man

Interview a man who lived during the English Renaissance and find out what life was like for most people of that time. The presenter will show the students artifacts, answer their questions, and teach them a dance from the era with live bagpipe music. Not everyone living during the Renaissance was a Leonardo da Vinci or Michelangelo. In fact, about 90% of the Renaissance population lived a much more basic existence in the rural communities of Europe. Find out what life was like for these folks through an interview with a farmer living during the English Renaissance, also known as the Elizabethan era, or the time of William Shakespeare. This is an opportunity to interview a person from the past (or the next best thing), live from his home in Elizabethan England. The students and teacher direct the discussion through their questions. This Renaissance man is prepared to discuss many different facets of life in 16th Century England, including work, play, religion, crime & punishment, agriculture, health care, fashion, gender roles, warfare, family life, social hierarchy, and economic conditions. He may also discuss the impact of contact with the New World on the common folk, and to what extent Renaissance ideals had influenced the masses. He will have on hand various artifacts, such as farm tools, coins, weapons, and musical instruments. He can also teach students a Renaissance dance with live music on the bagpipes.

Hartley Outdoor Education Center: Michigan Frogs and Toads

While learning of the 13 species of Michigan frogs and toads we will also learn about the life cycle of Amphibians. We will see the various stages by using live animals. Live animals will also be shown to help with identification and classification.

Hartley Outdoor Education Center: Michigan Owls

Have a hoot of a good time learning about the 10 species of owls in Michigan. See examples of each owl, hear owl calls and learn their natural history. Students will dissect an owl pellet to see what their particular owl ate and match the bones to an owl prey sheet.

Hartley Outdoor Education Center: Native American Beadwork

Take a journey back in time to learn the ways of the People of the Woods. Students will be given a brief history of the Native American life in Michigan, specifically the Saginaw Valley Area. During the field trip, students will be able to make their own sumac bead necklaces.

George Bush Presidential Library: Reading Discovery With First Lady Barbara Bush

Kick-off your celebration of reading by joining the Reading Discovery Distance Learning Program and Videoconference with First Lady Barbara Bush. First Lady Barbara Bush will read excerpts from The Election Book: The People Pick A President followed by a videoconference. Mrs. Bush will answer questions asked by students. Next activities include: Importance of student leadership involvement shared by Jessica Carter, Bryan I.S.D. Jane Long Middle School Teacher; on-stage students accept the challenge of reading buddies; and The Quartet of Singing Cadets at Texas A&M University will perform. Based on first-served registration, verified Texas participants receive a copy of the book.

Cleveland Museum of Natural History: Rocks & Minerals: It's NOT "Hard" Science!

Are you losing your marbles when it comes to getting sedimentary students interested in the rocks beneath their feet? Dont sulphur alonewell help you dig up an avalanche of appreciation for the original hard sciencesthis overview of geology and mineralogy basics will whet your students apatite for Earth Sciences with plenty of hands-on experiments and real specimens from our collections. Is studying rocks fun? Of quartz it is!

Hartley Outdoor Education Center: Slime TIme

Students will learn the states and properties of matter trough this hands-on field trip. We will journey into a molecule and learn what makes matter. Students will make different forms of matter through guided experiments.

Hartley Outdoor Education Center: The Dirt on Recycling

Composting is a very simple and effective way to reduce the amount of waste that enters our landfills. During this program students will learn the concept of reducing waste by recycling and reusing.

Cleveland Institute of Music: Triumph Over Adversity: A Musical Journey Through African American Poetry

Poetic works by Paul Laurence Dunbar, Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou, and other notable African American authors are analyzed and explored in this brand-new videoconference from the Cleveland Institute of Music. Through the videoconference, we will take a look at how musical settings of poetic texts affect their meaning, interpretation and impact. Students will orally interpret various poems, listen to live music performances, and play the role of lyricist as their own poems are set to blues music live during the class.

Alter Enterprise Wildlife Viewing: Valentine's Day Bear

Valentine's Day Bears is a highly interactive program. Students are introduced to the story, The Valentine Bears, by Eve Bunting to see how a pair of love bears spend their Valentine's Day. Students then look at videos and slides to find out what real bears are doing around Valentine's Day. The Program ends with a brief drawing lesson where students create a bear valentine. Format 1. This program begins with a reading of, The Valentine Bears, by Eve Bunting 2. Students discuss what real bears do during the winter especially around Valentine's Day. 3. Students learn the difference between hibernation and denning or winter lethargy 4. Students participate in a drawing activity. 5. Students create a bear valentine to display or take home Objectives 1. Students will discuss the difference between winter lethargy and hibernation 2. Students will observe a bear during the winter months in his den 3. Students will compare the bear in the story to the real bear in the den

Hartley Outdoor Education Center: Wonderful Worms

Worms are so much more than slimy, slithery creatures, they are natures composters. Take a close look into a worm composting bin and see how red worms can decompose simple trash into nutrient rich soil. With this 45 minute program teachers will also receive their own worm bin along with the resources needed to start the composting fun!