March+Maddness+with+the+ORC




 * What do baseball, bastketball, pi, bloodstone, mercury, equinox, Julius Caesar, St. Patrick's Day, Dr. Seuss and Alberta Einstein have in common? **


 * Answer: **They are all connected to the Month of March!!!

If you're looking to stir up some activity using the ORC resources this month, here is a pathfinder for all grades and subject areas that might come in handy.

Math & Science http://www.weeklyreader.com/pdfs/buffonsexperiment.pdf
 * Buffon 's Pi Experiment** (activity for your students)

Did you know March 14 is designated "Save A Spider Day"? Learn tons more about spiders of all kinds using  **//Amazing Animals; Grolier Multimedia Ency; World Book (all 3 versions).//**

Search **//Canadian Reference Centre//** for magazine, journal, newspaper articles on all things Math and Science related to the discovery of Pi

Explore the history of the NBA March Madness along with player bios using //**eLibrary CE; elibrary Elementary; Grolier Multimedia Ency; World Book (all versions), Canadian Reference Centre/Candian Student Reference Centre; Canadian Points of View Reference Centre**//

Explore current and historical information on baseball and Spring Training using //**eLibrary CE; elibrary Elementary; Grolier Multimedia Ency; World Book (all versions, Canadian Reference Centre/Canadian Student Reference Centre.**//

World Water Day is March 22. Why do we recognize that? What impact does recognizing a day related to H2O have on anything? Learn more about how we deal with water in Alberta in //**Canadian Reference Centre; Canadian Encyclopedia.**//

Explore the concept of "equinox" in relation to astronomy using //**World Book (all 3 versions); Canadian Reference Centre/Canadian Student Reference Centre.**//

Where is the semi-precious gem "bloodstone" found in nature? Why is it considered a "birthstone" for March? Search in //**World Book (Student & Advanced); Canadian Reference Centre; Grolier Multimedia.**//

Be sure to check //**Teachingbooks**//  for fiction/non-fiction books about basketball and baseball, spiders, science concepts, and much more.


 * English/Social Studies **

<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Explore how mercury influenced the term "Mad Hatter" using //**eLibrary CE; Proquest Learning Literature; World Book (Student & Advanced).**//

<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Find out about why we use the cautionary "Beware the Ides of March" using //**Proquest Learning Literature; History Study Centre; eLibrary CE.** J//<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">ulius Caesar was a consummate politician. Fine the text to Shakepeare's Antony & Cleopatra in //**Proquest Learning Literature**// <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">and great background and teaching activities on this text using **TeachingBooks.** <span style="color: #008080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Check for downloadable Shakespeare e-texts in **World Book Advanced.**

<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Dr. Seuss' birthday falls in March. Celebrate with info from //**Teachingbooks. <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Might be a great way to introduce the new movie "The Lorax". **//

<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Learn about why and how Mardi Gras is celebrated this time of year and the origin of the word "lent" using //**World Book (Student & Advanced); Proquest Learning Literature; History Study Centre; Grolier Multimedia Ency; Canadian Reference Centre/Canadian Student Reference Centre; Culturgrams**//

Find //**History Study Centre's**// <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">unit on "Women's History Month" on the main search page; //**elibrary CE**// f<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">or an essential page on "Women's Rights" and the "Women's Movement". Search in //**Canadian Encyclopedia**// f<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">or Canadian women who have made a difference.

<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">March 31 is the last day of the Japanese school year. The Japanese custom of Hanami (enjoying the beauty of flowers) begins about this time. What will that celebration look like in light of the recent catastrophic tsunami and potential radiation leaks? Maybe its time to revisit Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes story for a consideration of how Japanese culture addresses great adversity. Search in //**Teachingbooks; Proquest Learning Literature; History Study Centre; Canadian Reference Centre/Canadian Student Reference Centre; Culturgrams**//