Those who study modern China know that the Communist government struggles with the yearnings and demands of its 55 ethnic minorities. What immediately comes to mind are the calls from Tibetans for more autonomy, or independence itself, and the complaints of the Uyghur people concerning religious and political discrimination in Xinjiang, the the northwest part of China. The majority Han people have been moving into both Tibet and Xinjiang, thereby changing the native cultures there.
In the last few months, we have been hearing complaints from the Mongolian people in China. Mongols are upset that so many Han have moved into Inner Mongolia and disrupted their pastoral way of life. The Mongols have staged protests against the environmental damage that comes with settled agriculture, the strip-mining of coal, the building of highways, the damming of rivers, and the overgrazing of land.
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| Inner Mongolian grasslands |
Background. The Mongols and Han have a long history of interactions. The nomadic Mongols invaded China many times, attracted to the relative wealth of the more settled Chinese. In fact, the Mongols even ruled China from 1279 to 1368, setting up the Yuan dynasty with its capital at Tatu, which is present-day Beijing. The Yuan dynasty was known for its religious toleration, especially of Muslims, Daoists, and Buddhists. During Mongol rule, the country prospered because the Mongols encouraged foreign and domestic trade. Eventually, the Han Chinese became dissatisfied with Mongol rule and threw them out. Since then, the Han have dominated their Mongol neighbors. Now the Peoples Republic of China rules Inner Mongolia.
A Recent Novel. By coincidence, this spring I read a novel about the Han and the Mongolians in Inner Mongolia. Wolf Totem by Jiang Rong tells the tale of Chen Zhen, a Chinese Han who travels there in the 1960s during the Cultural Revolution and falls in love with the traditional Mongol way of life. He and two other Han young people work and live in a community that raises cattle, sheep, and horses on the steppe. While there, Chen learns from a local wise man of Mongolian lore and spritual life and the important place that wolves play in both.
By: Midge,
on 6/22/2011
Blog: Amsco Extra! (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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Fireflies are actually winged beetles. The 2,000 species of fireflies that exist are found in temperate and tropical habitats around the world. They are also known as lightning bugs and even as glowworms (particularly in their larval phase) and they have these names because of their “conspicuous crepuscular use of bioluminescence to attract mates or prey” (per Wikipedia). In other words, they emit light at twilight to communicate with other insects. The light is produced by a chemical reaction that occurs within a special organ in their lower abdomen. Each species has its own pattern of light flashing to find mates.
Most firefly species are active at night, when their flashing light can be readily spotted. Some species of fireflies are active during the day, but they tend not to be luminescent. However, all firefly larvae glow, presumably as a way to warn would-be predators of their nasty chemical taste. As adults, the light usually signals a willingness to meet and mate. At least one species uses its flashing light for a different – and deceptive – purpose. The female of this type mimics the mating flashes of other fireflies; when a hopeful male responds, he ends up being dinner, not a mate. So much for a “light” dinner!
Of course, I am not the only person who loves watching these bugs. There is a magic to watching children run through a field trying to capture fireflies. Professional institutions are also dedicated to the study of fireflies. The Museum of Science in Boston teams up with university researchers to study firefly sightings each year. Volunteers around the country help them count fireflies as a way of tracking their numbers. It seems that their population has been decreasing, and this could be due to environmental influences. There is even the Kumejima Firefly Museum in Okinawa, Japan, that is dedicated to this amazing insect. The museum celebrates the fact that there are seven species of firefly thriving on Kumejima because of the island’s clean ecosystem.
So, the next time you see some bug flying near you, please don’t reach out to swat it. Just keep an eye on it and you may be rewarded by the glow of a bioluminescent love signal.
Carol
4 Comments on Fireflies: Bright Lights in June, last added: 6/24/2011
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By: Adam Hinz,
on 6/20/2011
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Social Education, the official journal of the National Council for Social Studies, recently published a lesson plan on Starbucks. The lesson plan is great, as it analyzes American culture and consumerism through an analysis of Starbucks. It also inspired me to think of an interdisciplinary project that social studies and science teachers could co-teach on Ethos water.
Ethos water is owned by Starbucks and sold in their stores. Branding itself as a responsible company, Ethos claims its mission is to help bring clean drinking water to children throughout the world. A 20-ounce bottle of Ethos water costs $1.80. Out of the $1.80 paid for each bottle of Ethos water, Starbucks will donate $.05 toward their mission. According to the article in Social Education, “they are charging customers 15 to 20 percent more than other companies . . . in other words, they charge customers to feel good about themselves.” Interviewing, an important skill for budding social scientists, could be used to determine why people are buying an overpriced bottle of water. Is it because of the “clean water” mission? Is it out of convenience? Is it for another reason altogether?
As an entry point into this project, science and social studies teachers can use the debate over whether or not Ethos does more harm than good. Students could research which regions of the world are in need of clean drinking water, and the political and environmental issues that create that need. Students could also investigate the environmental impact of drinking bottled water, as well as issues regarding tap water versus bottled water. For instance, if students determine that tap water is safer than bottled water, they could argue for drinking tap water and donating the saved money to help bring clean drinking water to “dehydrated communities.” Another student might research statistics on charitable donations and determine that people who are saving money by drinking tap water would just buy something else rather than donating their savings. In that case, Ethos is invaluable, as the donation is built into the purchase.
Editorial writing is another skill that could be incorporated into this project. Students could write an editorial to support or discredit Ethos. Of course, these editorials could be published in a class blog instead of a traditional paper. Then students would read each other’s opinions, include relevant links, and comment on their peers’ work.
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Amsco’s La Gran Aventura de Alejandro by Abby Kanter is a great start. This reader gives students in the early stages of learning Spanish the pleasurable experience of reading simple material of significant value in language and culture.The book tells the story of Alejandro, a young Mexican boy who goes on vacation with his family to Spain
While having fun, this book will help students keep up with their Spanish during their free time. Enjoy the summer!
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By: Midge,
on 6/15/2011
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On June 6, 2011, the Joint Working Party on the Discovery of Elements of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) and the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) announced the addition of two new elements to the Periodic Table—element 114 and element 116. For now, element 114 is called ununquadium and element 116 is called ununhexium. These names are based on their atomic numbers. By officially acknowledging the collaboration between researchers from Lawrence-Livermore National Laboratory in California and Russia’s Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, these researchers will get to suggest names for the new elements. The names will go through a review process before being adopted and the elements will be assigned a symbol by the IUPAC Council.
Scientists produced these elements by bombarding curium (#96) atoms with calcium (#20) nuclei. In a few milliseconds, element 116 decays into element 114 which lasts about half a second before decaying into copernicium (#112). In other experiments element 114 was produced by bombarding plutonium (#94) with calcium nuclei. Notice that 96 + 20 = 116 and 94 + 20 = 114.
There are three more elements waiting to be recognized: 113, 115, and 118. According to IUPAC, “Review of the claims associated with elements 113, 115, and 118 are at this time not conclusive and evidences have not met the criteria for discovery.” As soon as I hear anything more, I will let you know.
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By: the Editor,
on 6/14/2011
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Flag Day! What's that? On this day in 1777, the Second Continental Congress adopted the stars and stripes as the nation's flag. In 1916, President Wilson officially proclaimed June 14 to be Flag Day. Since then, it has been a day to commemorate the American flag. Consider it a warm up for Independence Day.
Like apple pie, the bald eagle, and Lady Liberty, the flag symbolizes our nation: it is a visible sign of invisible things. Look at the pictures in the collection that follows and for each ask yourself the question, "What does the flag represent here?" Share your answers by writing a comment below.
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4 Comments on What Does the American Flag Symbolize?, last added: 6/14/2011
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By: Abigail Johnson,
on 6/10/2011
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The big question is… What will we read? While on the beach; in the car heading towards a vacation destination; on a plane; sitting on that park bench; or in bed at night, when the cicadas are singing and the breeze is warm… What will you be reading? Me? Oh. Well, thanks for asking: Jamaica Kincaid’s At the Bottom of the River Lawrence Durrell’s Alexandria Quartet  Legson Kayira’s I Will Try Kenzaburo Oe’s Rouse Up O Young Men of the New Age! Richard Wright’s Native Son Norman Mailer’s An American Dream Arthur C. Clarke's Rendezvous with Rama A collection of poetry by Walt Whitman Naguib Mahfouz’s Midaq Alley Probably something as racy and beach-worthy as Janet Evanovich’s Smokin’ Seventeen And my favorite to-be-read-aloud-to-friends-at-a-picnic book: Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass 
4 Comments on Ice Cream, Tan Lines, and Other-World Time Travel: Summer Is Here!, last added: 6/13/2011
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By: the Editor,
on 6/8/2011
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 We are very proud to have received the HOMEEducators Resource Directory Seal of Approval! How did we earn this honor? The same qualities that have established Amsco as a classroom favorite, also make us a go-to resource for secondary-level homeschoolers. Ten Qualities Homeschoolers Appreciate
1 Comments on Ten Reasons Homeschool Teachers Count on Amsco, last added: 6/12/2011
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By: Uriel Avalos,
on 6/6/2011
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 One of the things that has always bothered me about the Common Core Curriculum is the idea of teaching for "understanding." On the surface, this seems like a term that is so vague that it is almost useless. How do you know when a student understands? Then I started to read Adding It Up: Helping Children Learn Mathematics—the CCSS borrows freely from this report. As per Adding It Up, conceptual understanding is about making connections and organizing ideas. Students need to learn how to represent situations in different ways and know how different representations can be useful for different purposes. In particular, students need to explore similarities and differences among various representations. Students need to learn why ideas are important. Let's look at some examples of varying difficulty.
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 A healthy brain can be taught a new word in less than 15 minutes, according to scientists. This discovery will deprive many students of their excuse for not studying a foreign language. Cambridge neuroscientists found that all you need to do is to listen to a word 160 times over a span of 15 minutes. The secret is just hearing a word repeatedly. After that, the brain will have formed a completely new network of neurons specifically tasked with remembering that word. Dr. Yury Shtyrov and his team reached this conclusion after placing electrodes on the heads of 16 healthy volunteers to monitor their brain activity. They recorded the pulses generated when the subjects listened to a familiar word. Then the volunteers were made to listen to a made-up word, over and over again. Initially, the brain had to make an effort to recognize the new word. However, after 160 repetitions over 14 minutes, the new memory traces were "virtually indistinguishable" from those of the already familiar word, said Dr. Shtyrov. I guess that hearing a word 160 times does not seem like a particularly amusing way to learn a language, but at least it gives one hope that becoming comfortably proficient in a foreign language is possible. This research gives us a hint of the importance of recycling content throughout lessons when you are teaching a foreign language. It is not a secret that the more you see or hear something, the more you will remember it. On the other hand, maybe the key to retaining information is to forget that you are trying to learn it in the first place. 
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  The balneario (public beach resort) has been designated a “blue flag beach.” This means it meets very high standards (water quality, facilities, management, etc.). The beach itself is wide, so there is ample room to pick your favorite spot. If you are melanin challenged, you may look for a shady spot because you will burn in a New York minute. Luquillo Beach is very popular with locals and tourists alike, and it can get incredibly crowded. An alternative spot for snorkeling enthusiasts, Playa Azul (Blue Beach), is a few minutes away. La Pared (The Wall) and La Selva (The Jungle) offer good medium-range surfing waves, if you’re interested in that kind of action.
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3 Comments on It's Time For Fun In The Sun, last added: 6/22/2011
By: Henry the Elder,
on 5/31/2011
Blog: Amsco Extra! (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Social Studies, Science, War, Archeology, World History, History, Add a tag
In the summer of 1935, Himmler founded the Ahnenerbe, an organization devoted to the study of German ancestral heritage. The organization was intended to give scientific credibility to Nazi racial theories and to strengthen German nationalism. Its mission was to investigate German history and mythology, using as their principal tools the disciplines of archeology and anthropology. The Ahnenerbe’s most important task was to investigate the origins and spread of the Aryan race. It was in pursuit of this task that Himmler ordered the Nazi expedition to Tibet (1938–1939). Five Ahnenerbe scientists, all SS officers, aided by Indian and Tibetan guides and porters, suffered considerable hardships making their way through Indian monsoons and freezing Himalayan passes before entering Tibet and spending two months in the area around the capital city, Lhasa. Tibet was a strange place to search for the origins of the tall, blond, blue-eyed Aryans of Germanic mythology. However, scientists of the 19th and early 20th centuries believed that the highland plateau of Tibet was a likely place in which to find evidence of human origins and evolution. There the superior Aryans originated, aided in their cultural development by survivors of the lost continent of Atlantis. The leader of the expedition was 28-year-old Ernst Shafer. A respected scientist who had studied zoology and geology at Gottingen University, Shafer had gai
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By: Cindy,
on 5/27/2011
Blog: Amsco Extra! (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Writing, English Language Arts, Fiction, Add a tag
Not Cynthia. It seems so formal, so tea and crumpets. Cindy is OK, though it sounds blond, and I’m a brunette. All the other Cindys I grew up with were blonds. But as adults, not all Cynthias are stuffed shirts. In fiction, certain names conjure up stereotypical images. We expect Buffy to be a bubbly cheerleader and Rebel or Snake to be bikers. If we’re wrong, and Buffy winds up being the dental hygienist, we might feel tricked. According to T.L. Cooper’s “Naming Characters in Fiction,” names create relationships between the characters and readers. Names show how the characters feel about themselves. And nicknames clue you in on how they feel about each other. In two of my own stories, minor characters named “Madman” and “Sorehead” told you these stories were set in a challenging, dysfunctional world. Also in Cooper’s article was a list of Don’ts, to be aware of, when naming your characters. For one thing, you can’t use the same name for two different characters. It creates total confusion. (I mean, why would you even want to use the same name, unless they’re father and son? Then you could call them William and Billy.) Also a no-no is using names that begin with the same letter (like Gary and Greg) or that are too similar, period (like Gary and Gerry). It’s also a hassle when your character has no name (“the big-nosed girl,” “the red-headed guy”). Trust me, it’s hard to keep up with that. If a character figures largely enough in my story, I come up with a name. Jack Oceano’s “Five Tips for Naming Your Characters in Fiction” helps us when we’re stumped. 0 Comments on How to Name Your Fictional Characters as of 5/27/2011 4:36:00 PM
 Common Core State Standards: these four words are becoming a veritable mantra in the hallways of schools across the nation. Here at Amsco, we’ve also been spending quite a bit of time analyzing the documents, dissecting the Standards, and planning for the future.In my travels through the English Language Arts Standards and their appendices, which are available here, I’ve discovered a gem that I think is going to make a world of difference in preparing students for college: Tier Two words.In Appendix A of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, the architects discuss vocabulary acquisition in terms of tiers. They refer to words as Tier One, Tier Two, and Tier Three. Tier One words are defined as those we use in everyday speech, the kinds of words one would find in simple narrative text, those that readers simply have to decode in order to comprehend. Tier Three words are domain-specific words, like osmosis and onomatopoeia. Nestled neatly between Tiers One and Three are the Tier Two words.  Tier Two words are referred to in the Common Core State Standards as “general academic” words. They are the words that grant students access to academic discourse, words that are used to discuss, persuade, and explain across disciplines, words like argument, significance, characteristic, and question. They could also be words that describe more specifically or that elevate tone, like writing mention instead of tell, or fortune instead of luck.
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By: Midge,
on 5/24/2011
Blog: Amsco Extra! (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Technology, Astronomy, Science, Science Fiction, Space, Add a tag
  The radio telescopes of the Allen Array are dedicated to searching for alien intelligence. The array was built by the SETI Institute. SETI is short for the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. Up until now, funding to operate the Hat Creek Radio Observatory, where the Allen Array is located, has come from several sources: private donations, the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), and the state of California. Seth Shostak, SETI senior astronomer reported that, “As it happens, Berkeley’s budget is way down—the state of California is in terrible financial circumstances because of the economic downturn. Consequently, they don't have the money to keep the doors open and pay the electric bills and pay the staff at the antenna. And we don't either, because we run our SETI projects mostly based on private donations, and those are down as well." As of April 15, the Allen Telescopes have been put into hibernation to protect them and allow them to function again in the future. However, all is not lost; SETI astronomers can still collect data during downtime on other telescopes. Instead of having a 24-hour sky watch, they will have to depend on a few hours here and there to collect their data. This will significantly diminish their chances of finding a signal. Until the Allen Telescopes are back online, I guess ET will just have to wait for us to pick up our phone again. 
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By: Adam Hinz,
on 5/18/2011
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I recently attended Our Mutual Estate, an education conference organized by the NYC Association of Assistant Principals Supervision– English (NYCAAPSE) and Long Island University (LIU). Writing was the focus of this year’s conference, and I decided to participate in the Teaching the Academic Essay workshop. I felt it aligned closely with the new emphasis on informational reading and writing in the English Language Arts classroom outlined in the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).  The Problem The workshop I attended was organized by a professor from LIU, and a high school English teacher who has also taught at the university level. The guiding question for the session was, “What is the role of the personal in the academic essay?” I jumped in to point out that the CCSS are asking teachers to stop just asking students for their personal reflections, and to require them to make sound arguments based on evidence from the text(s). Other teachers in the room quickly agreed with me, and shared stories of how their students include personal anecdotes in academic essays once they run out of evidence. In other instances, they believe students have provided personal experiences rather than text-based evidence to support their arguments because they struggle to actually understand the text they were assigned. Our opening discussion finally ended with a teacher confessing, “Although we complain about it when we grade essays, English teachers seem to spend more time on task asking students to share their personal reactions to a plot, character, etc. Then, we hold this against them when they are asked to write an academic essay.” I found it particularly interesting that this confession was addressed several weeks ago by David Coleman, “the architect of the CCSS,” who argued that teachers need to stop simply asking students what they think about a text, and instead require them to go back to the text and provide specific evidence to support a claim.
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By: Abigail Johnson,
on 5/16/2011
Blog: Amsco Extra! (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Formal Education, College, Studying, Conversation, Philosophy, Questions, Opinion, Comics, Reading, Math, Economics, Research, Graduate School, Add a tag
This morning I turned in the last piece of homework I will ever have. I submitted my final research project: my master’s thesis.There was no parade, no trumpets or cymbals to herald my victory. No “three cheers!” to mark the completion of my efforts. Just the simple knowledge that I have finally finished.  They won't hand me my diploma until later this month, but the reality is that today marks the end of my years of formal education. Added up, 18 years of teachers, classrooms, professors, projects, presentations, and dreaded papers. Over. When I think back on the memories of school, what stick out most are not the facts I learned or the books I read, but what I recall are all the relationships I made and the fun I had when I wasn’t studying in the library alone. School offers us just that, the opportunity to find new experiences that we wouldn’t have otherwise discovered. Because of a middle-school French-class trip to nearby Québec, I learned that my friend Emma would always find ways to get us into the most fun kind of trouble, and that I love all things maple-syrup related. Because of reading I Will Try during library hour in elementary school, I have made it my mission to travel across Africa (although not exactly the way the author did, when he decided to walk from Malawi towards America for his education). And because of spending countless hours at the local pub after economics class, I have learned that while philosophical entanglements often leave one feeling unfulfilled, beer and good company always leave one in better spirits. We would spend hours there, after Economics Development class, after History of Economic Philosophy class, after Statistics class: my peers and I, in time spent not studying, but taking what we learned in lecture and talking about it, openly, with opinions, with our own theories and smart colleagues to bounce ideas off of.  Though my years of formal education might be complete, they leave me with the knowledge that power lies in asking questions, and life is a learning curve that I will always be trying to bend. I may be out of the classroom, but I will forever be a student. Do you have favorite memories, or wisdom to share about your education experience? Leave a comment below!
By: Midge,
on 5/13/2011
Blog: Amsco Extra! (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Science, Fish, Food, Biology, Zoology, Cooking, Add a tag
 The beautiful lionfish, with its red-striped face and body and long dorsal spines, is a native of the Indian and Pacific oceans. But in recent years it has gotten into the Caribbean Sea. How? It is thought that just a few lionfish escaped from a smashed aquarium tank during a hurricane in Florida. Usually an animal that gets loose in an alien environment is at a disadvantage. But the stealthy lionfish is a clever hunter and a successful breeder, producing thousands of eggs every four days. A few lionfish were first spotted in the waters around the Bahamas in 2005. Within three years, they had taken over the reefs, experiencing a population explosion by eating many of the native fish species, as well as shrimps and crabs. Scientists have found that the lionfish can reduce a reef’s native population by 75 to 80 percent in just a matter of weeks -- very unlucky for the local inhabitants. The same problem is now happening around the Grand Cayman Islands as well. Just why are the lionfish so lucky in their new environment? It appears that, unlike the local reef fish, the lionfish are not infested by parasitic worms. Without parasites or any local predators, their mortality is quite low. And they are voracious predators, able to consume up to 30 times their stomach volume! This has caused a problem for local tourism, since people dive on the reefs to see all the beautiful native fishes--only to see an abundance of lionfish. In addition, their venomous dorsal spines can deliver a painful sting, making them a potential danger to divers who come too close. They are also a threat to the local commercial fisheries, since they are eating up native species. So, what can be done about this fish invasion? Scientists catching a few here and there have not had an impact on their increasing population. But now, unfortunately for the lionfish, the tables have turned and there is one local predator it does have to worry about. Quite recently it has been determined that the lionfish makes a very tasty dish for humans when fried with nice seasonings. And this is turning out to be lucky for local residents and tourists in the Caribbean. Now the fishermen, not just the scientists, are turning their sights on the not-so-lucky lionfish! Posted by Carol 
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By: Henry the Elder,
on 4/26/2011
Blog: Amsco Extra! (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Writing, Latin, Archeology, World History, Add a tag
 “Take a look through these,” Grant said, handing me a pair of binoculars. We were kneeling in the high grass of a hill in Northumberland, England’s northernmost county. My companion was an assistant archeologist employed by the county council. I carefully focused the lens of the binoculars, expecting to see the remains of a 3rd-century A.D. Roman fort. Instead, I saw very modern barbed wire fencing penetrated by an access road along which olive drab jeeps and trucks rolled up to a guard post manned by red caps (British military police). Beyond them were barracks and squaddies drilling on open training grounds. With a shock, I realized that I was staring at Otterburn army base, Britain’s large training and testing facility for heavy artillery and long-range weapons systems. Several possibilities flashed through my mind, including arrest and incarceration for espionage or annihilation by a stray artillery shell. Angrily, I turned to Grant whose grin told me that, once again, he had indulged his passion for practical jokes by guiding me to the wrong location—a very wrong location. “Don’t get your knickers twisted,” the archeologist said. “I thought you would enjoy a look at today’s British military.” As I had seen my share of army bases during my service in the U.S. Army, I was not impressed and told him so. I suggested we get on with our assignment, which was to survey the remains of Roman outpost forts upon which no excavation work or investigation had been done for years. An hour or so later, after making our way across the high moor, we came to another hill. On its summit were the remains of a low wall overgrown with grass and weeds. A dead tree leaned over the open gateway, giving the isolated spot a haunted look—barren and deserted. We were looking at Bremenium, an outpost fort that was part of the marvel of Roman military engineering that comprised the Hadrian’s Wall complex. Bremenium was located north of the wall, its primary function to gather intelligence about the activities of the unconquered British tribes that periodically threatened the peace of the towns and villas of the more civilized province to the south. It was built in the first century and not, therefore, originally a Hadriannic fort. A variety of units had served at Bremenium. In the third century, the fort was manned by the Germans of the First Cohort of Loyal Vardullians. They were Roman citizens, a privileged status not shared by the numerus (irregular troops) of exploratores (frontier scouts) also posted there. Of the vicus, or civil settlement which often grew outside the walls of Roman forts, there was no sign at Bremenium. We concluded that the surrounding countryside was just too rough and dangerous for the usual purveyors of “service industries” to risk settling there. However, the outpost could not have been entirely self sufficient. Periodic supply trains must have been dispatched to the fort.
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Sounds like a great book. It reminds me of the Native Americans' respect and facination with wolves. There is much controversy in the US about wolves in some national parks.
Can someone send a copy of this book to Sarah Palin?
Communist governments care about their subjects’ yearnings or demands? What’s the world coming to?
Their “re-education” camps and firing squads were so efficient . . .