From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Thursday, July 18, 2002 10:09 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Wonders of the Web (W.O.W.)
bigchalk's W.O.W. Newsletter Week of July 15 - July 21, 2002 http://www.bigchalk.com Welcome to this week's issue of W.O.W. (Wonders of the Web), sponsored by Start Something. http://i.bigchalk.com/U/targetstart02 Each week, bigchalk brings you links to a select group of fun, theme-oriented Web sites to help you get through your weekend and beyond. *******************ADVERTISEMENT******************** Start Something is a program designed to help kids from 8-17 discover their dreams and interests, and take steps toward achieving them. http://i.bigchalk.com/U/targetstart02 **************************************************** THIS WEEK'S THEME: Cotton The look, the feel, the history of cotton -- it's all in this week's W.O.W. newsletter! 1. Standard Cotton Fabrics http://i.bigchalk.com/U/W-022801 All of us know that cotton T-shirts are made from -- you guessed it -- cotton. But, there is vast array of not-so-obvious fabrics that are also made of cotton. Some of these include terry cloth, velour, cheesecloth and canvas. Cotton is an incredibly versatile material that can differ in thickness, strength and design. Find out more about this amazing natural resource -- online. ++ Teaching & Learning Link http://i.bigchalk.com/U/W-022801LL -- 2. Cotton: From Field to Fabric http://i.bigchalk.com/U/W-022802 "So, you're telling me that my shirt came from a plant?" Although it seems unlikely, all of our cotton belongings start out as a cotton "boll" on a blooming cotton plant. For decades, farmers have planted cottonseeds, harvested the plants and transported the cotton to mills where it's processed, woven and prepared for manufacture. Follow the path of cotton from the farm to the department store at this in-depth destination. ++ Teaching & Learning Link http://i.bigchalk.com/U/W-022802LL -- 3. Eli Whitney http://i.bigchalk.com/U/W-022803 In 1794, Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin. The gin (short for engine) revolutionized cotton production by mechanizing the culling process. Whitney created several versions of the engine before he developed one that truly worked. Many historians list Whitney as one of the most important American inventors. ++ Teaching & Learning Link http://i.bigchalk.com/U/W-022803LL -- 4. The Cotton Mather Home Page http://i.bigchalk.com/U/W-022804 Cotton Mather was a minister and instigator of the infamous Salem witch trials of the late 1600s. Mather, the spiritual leader of Boston's Old North Church, believed strongly in the existence of devils, witches and other forms of the supernatural. He delivered numerous sermons on this subject while urging locals to act against those who seemed to possess such devilry or witchcraft. Scores of innocent people were killed. Find out more about these shocking occurrences. ++ Teaching & Learning Link http://i.bigchalk.com/U/W-022804LL ******************ADVERTISEMENT******************* Get Microsoft Office XP Standard for Students and Teachers for only $149, almost 70% off! Write professional reports. Analyze data. And create dynamic presentations. Visit today! http://i.bigchalk.com/U/msft85021 ************************************************** 5. Desert Cottontail http://i.bigchalk.com/U/W-022805 These furry creatures could definitely give Bugs Bunny a run for his money! The desert cottontail is a quick, medium-sized rabbit with long ears, brown-and-black fur and a fluffy tail that looks remarkably like a cotton ball. They prefer to live in the bushy areas of California and Texas, where they can access existing burrows. Desert cottontails may raise one to two litters of baby cottontails each year. Hop on over to this Web page to find out more about these fluffy animals. ++ Teaching & Learning Link http://i.bigchalk.com/U/W-022805LL -- 6. The Boott Cotton Mill of Lowell, MA http://i.bigchalk.com/U/W-022806 The Boott Cotton Mill of Lowell, MA, is one of the best examples of U.S. industrial and technological advancement. These complex mills, built in the mid-1830s, evolved over the next century from using waterpower, to steam power and eventually to electricity. Millions of tons of cotton have run through these mills. Today, the Boott Cotton Mills are part of the Lowell National History Park. ++ Teaching & Learning Link http://i.bigchalk.com/U/W-022806LL -- 7. Cotton's Journey http://i.bigchalk.com/U/W-022807 Learn about the history of cotton and how it has become one of the most important and prevalent fabrics in the world. Understand how the plant was first discovered and how cotton processing has evolved over time. This Web link offers great activities and ideas on how to teach and understand the intricate processes of cotton production. ++ Teaching & Learning Link http://i.bigchalk.com/U/W-022807LL -- 8. The Cotton Club http://i.bigchalk.com/U/W-022808 The Cotton Club was one of the most popular jazz venues in the world. Opened in 1922 on Lenox Avenue in New York's Harlem neighborhood, the Cotton Club was a haven for African-American musicians who longed for a venue to develop their craft. After race riots in 1935, the club was deemed unsafe for its white clientele and closed down. It eventually re-opened at a new downtown location. Learn more about this historical venue and the history of jazz. ++ Teaching & Learning Link http://i.bigchalk.com/U/W-022808LL *****************ADVERTISEMENT******************* Searching for an affordable way for everyone at your school to work with an integrated set of digital publishing tools? The Adobe(R) Publishing Tools for Schools licensing suite features Adobe PageMaker(R) 7.0, Adobe Photoshop(R) Elements and Adobe Acrobat(R) 5.0 -- all at a great price. Hurry -- this special offer ends 9.15.02! http://i.bigchalk.com/U/adobepack02 ************************************************** BIGCHALK CALENDAR First Manned Moon Landing On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin set foot on the surface of the moon. Five more Apollo flights carried astronauts to the moon, the last in 1972. What were the top 10 discoveries made by Apollo astronauts? Find out at this Smithsonian destination. http://i.bigchalk.com/U/moon11 BIGCHALK WEB SITE OF THE MONTH The Charters of Freedom: The Declaration of Independence In the spring of 1776, Thomas Paine's pamphlet "Common Sense" had people talking. Suddenly the idea of colonial independence was gaining momentum from Boston to Philadelphia and beyond. Several months later, Ben Franklin and the members of a Committee of Five chose Thomas Jefferson to draft the document that would declare the United Colonies free and independent States. Pick up the story at the National Archives and Records Administration's special Web site as all eyes turn to America this month to celebrate Independence Day. Read the complete Declaration of Independence then browse first-hand accounts of what happened in Philadelphia during the creation of the United States of America. http://i.bigchalk.com/U/july02site COLLEGE ZONE Read advice from myFootpath's admissions counselor in bigchalk's College Zone: "I was not accepted to the college of my choice because my GPA was not high enough. What should I do?" http://i.bigchalk.com/U/czone01 SEARCH BOX Want an easy way to give students and parents instant access to the Internet's largest, most up-to-date directory of learning sites? Add a free bigchalk search box to your Web page. Users can search our collection by keyword and filter their query by grade level. http://i.bigchalk.com/U/bcsearchbx *******************ADVERTISEMENT******************** The new school year is approaching! As you prepare your back-to-school shopping list, don't forget one important homework helper. For $4.99 a month, bigchalk Home Library connects you and your kids to research materials from reputable sources. http://i.bigchalk.com/U/bchomelib02 **************************************************** Thank you for reading this week's W.O.W. newsletter. Be sure to preview each link and try any included projects or experiments before using them with your students. All Web sites included in this publication are subject to the bigchalk Linking Policy. http://www.bigchalk.com/corp/linkpolicy.html We offer several newsletters of interest to students, parents, teachers and Web surfers. To find out more, link to our newsletter signup page today. http://i.bigchalk.com/U/signupw To find out more about bigchalk, connect to our Web site: http://i.bigchalk.com/U/bchomew Looking for an archive of all past W.O.W. sites arranged by theme? Connect to our W.O.W. Collection today. http://i.bigchalk.com/U/wc If you have any questions or comments, please email our newsletter staff via: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ******************************************* For digest instead of individual postings, send the message: set k12newsletters digest to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe, click and send (no body or subject: required) mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] K12 Newsletters mailing list is a service of Classroom Connect - http://www.classroom.com Archives for K12 Newsletters can be found at: http://www.classroom.com/community/email/archives.jhtml?A0=K12NEWSLETTERS **********************************************************
