The Scout Report -- Volume 22, Number 16

This course, taught by Professor of American History and Director of the Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition at Yale University, traces the American Civil War from its antecedents in the 1840s to its effects in the late 1870s. Taking into account national, sectional, racial, constitutional, individual, social, intellectual, and moral meanings that the war has held for American politics and civic life, the course is a must for readers serious about understanding America's bloodiest war. Interested readers may like to begin by exploring the syllabus before delving into the 27 lectures of the course (under the Sessions tab). Each lecture features an introduction and an embedded video (complete with transcript), as well as Lecture Chapters that help divide the content into easily digestible pieces. [CNH]

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NASA's Global Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet website features a diverse set of resources related to the measurement, analysis, and dangers of global climate change. Here readers will find a collection of Interactive Features all designed to bring to life the sometimes abstract conclusions of scientific articles on climate and its effects on human and other life on Earth. For example, the Climate Time Machine allows readers to go backward and forward through four different key climate indicators, including Sea Ice, Sea Level, Carbon Dioxide, and Global Temperature. Perfect for educators who are looking for impactful visual representations of the rising temperatures on the planet, the interactive makes these measurements visceral in a way that charts and graphs are seldom able to do. Other interactives on the page include the Global Ice Viewer, Quizzes, The Sun: A Virtual Tour, The Water Cycle, and others. [CNH]

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Annenberg Learner is known for providing well designed resources for teachers, and these eight sessions dedicated to getting educators ready to teach physical science to elementary school students are no exception. Educators may like to peruse the Course Overview and Course Structure sections before delving into the Workshop Sessions themselves. In sum, these sessions are designed to help elementary school teachers brush up on their basic science so that they can better guide their students in outcome motivated learning. Sessions cover such topics as What is Matter?, The Particle Nature of Matter: Solids, Liquids, and Gases, Physical Changes and Conservation of Matter, Chemical Changes and Conservation of Matter, and others. By participating in this free, online course, educators will gain much needed background knowledge in the physical sciences, allowing them to better introduce their students to these fascinating subjects. [CNH]

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With its $100 million annual budget, the Brookings Institution, which celebrates its centennial this year, is one of America's most powerful shapers of policy on a range of issues. This section offers readers a peak into the Institution's latest analyses on defense and security issues. Topics include a somewhat pessimistic view of America's attempts to retake the city of Mosul from ISIS fighters, a call for modest expectations in the Obama administration's diplomatic efforts to institute further arms control measures with the Kremlin, and a report about Saudi Arabia's new diplomatic overtures toward India (and away from Pakistan). For readers looking for educated opinions on the state of America's security situation, and developments of defense around the world, these blog posts, opinion pieces, and other informative bits will provide an erudite overview of the latest news. [CNH]

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This self-paced online course from Harvard University begins on May 3, 2016 and covers the diverse range of beliefs and practices Buddhists have engaged with over time and across a multitude of geographies. Led by Yehan Numata Senior Lecturer in Buddhist Literatures, Charles Hallisey and doctoral student Alexis Bader, the course uses scriptural and informational readings to take readers into the complex matrix of art, devotional acts, and literary works that make up the ancient religion. No prior experience is required. To sign up, simply select Enroll Now and provide the required information (email, username, password, and a few other questions). From there, readers will begin receiving information as the course begins before proceeding at their own pace. There is option to either audit the course (free) or receive a verified Certificate of Achievement ($50). [CNH]

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Discovery Education has assembled this lesson plan to unpack the Power of Fiction. Intended for the high school English classroom, this activity examines Upton Sinclair's muckraking novel, The Jungle, as well as student-selected works with strong social-action themes. The lesson plan begins by reviewing the main literary elements of Sinclair's novel (setting, plot, characters, and central conflict), before explaining the historical context of the early 20th century, in which workers were placed in unsanitary and often dangerous conditions. Students then discuss whether they believe The Jungle is successful in its message before having them look closely at their own novels. Suggestions are provided for possible titles within the categories of Civil Rights, Women's Rights, International Issues, and the Immigrant Experience. [CNH]

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The United States Congress established the James Madison Memorial Foundation in 1986 in order to better teach the constitution in high schools across the country. Fellows are drawn from students who plan to become teachers. In exchange for graduate school funding, selected students agree to teach history and civics for at least one year after graduation. This page gathers together various "powerful" lesson plans composed by past fellows on topics related to constitutional history and government. The lessons are divided into sections that cover Articles I-VII of the constitution, Lessons About Constitutional Connections, Lessons on the Federalist Papers, and Freedom and Slavery in the Early Republic. [CNH]

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Financial reporting, in the form of balance sheets, profit and loss statements, financial notes, and disclosures, is an essential means of communicating information about the financial condition of a company or other organization. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), in turn, are the guidelines that help accountants with that communication. This site, from the Financial Accounting Foundation (FAF), helps readers understand the ins and outs of GAAP. Readers not familiar with the field may like to begin with About GAAP, before moving on to tabs dedicated to GAAP & Private Companies and GAAP & Not-For-Profits. Other interesting sections include GAAP & Public Companies, GAAP & State and Local Governments, and Simplifying and Improving GAAP. There is also a section dedicated to videos that explain basic GAAP principles. [CNH]

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MIT Press has been publishing academic literature for more than half a century. They publish over 200 books a year, as well as more than 30 award-winning journals. The MIT Press Podcasts, featured here, are posted about half a dozen times a year. In each episode, a newly published author is interviewed about his or her ideas. For example, in Episode 78, Jeffrey Pomeranz, a visiting professor at the University of Washington, answers queries concerning his book, Metadata, while, in Episode 69 the Romanian-born literary scholar, Marius Hentea, comments eloquently on his newest book, TaTa Dada: The Real Life and Celestial Adventures of Tristan Tzara. With dozens of interviews to choose from, on topics that run the gamut from architecture to physics and back, readers will find much to appreciate in this collection of podcasts from the MIT Press. [CNH]

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In the heat of World War II, at a time when it was not at all certain that the Allies would emerge victorious, the United States Air Force put out a historically unusual call. They asked women to volunteer as pilots. More than 1,000 women answered and became the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). This archive at the Texas Woman's University tells the story of these remarkable women. Here readers will find links to History, Leaders, Training, Planes, and others. Links feature a variety of resources, including explanatory articles, photographs, quotes, and links to resources from around the web. The WASP Major Collection is especially noteworthy as it offers readers a glimpse into the TWU Libraries Virtual Collection of original documents from the WASP collections. Items include regulation handbooks, training artifacts, and a 1942 endorsement for women fliers by Eleanor Roosevelt. [CNH]

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was formed on July 1, 1946. It employs over 15,000 and boasts an annual budget upwards of seven billion dollars. On this page, readers will find links to eleven distinct CDC blogs, each brimming with the latest information on national and international health and disease prevention. For example, readers will find critical information on the CDC Director blog, where Dr. Thomas R. Frieden writes about health developments that concern many Americans, as well as people around the world. Recent topics have included how to protect citizens against the Zika virus and ideas for stopping drug-resistant tuberculosis. Other blogs include the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Science Blog, Public Health Matters, The Topic is Cancer, and others. [CNH]

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The "Big Year" is a concept unique to the birding community, centering around an informal competition among birders to see who can identify the largest number of species of birds within a single calendar year. This site, hosted by the Audubon Society, follows Noah Stryker, a writer, photographer, adventurer, and birder, as he criss-crosses the globe, searching out rare and common bird species in cities, forests, plains, and just about every other conceivable geography. Along the way, readers may enjoy the author's adventures with friendly locals almost as much as his identification of Buff-collared Nightjars and Barn Owls. Spoiler alert: Stryker manages to identify over 5,000 unique bird species during his 365 day trek.[CNH]

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The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has been charged with preserving and documenting United States government and historical records since its inception during the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration. Prologue, the official magazine of NARA, mines the millions of resources available in the organization's archives and presents them to readers in a fascinating narrative form. For instance, an article published in the Winter 2015 edition of the magazine uses the court martial record of an army officer who was hanged for murdering his wife in Manila in 1926. Another article, from the Spring 2012 issue, examines 1940 Census data to examine the employment and income of Americans in the midst of World War II. [CNH]

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More than three million people visit the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in an average year at its location on West 53rd Street in Midtown Manhattan. For those who can't make the trip, however, the esteemed museum's website is an excellent resource and its exhibit of German Expressionism is one of its most comprehensive online offerings. Here readers may view nearly 4,000 German Expressionist works online, including prints, drawings, paintings, sculptures, illustrated books, and periodicals. Readers may like to browse separate sections on Styles, Themes, and Techniques before moving on to the rest of the site, where they may explore categories dedicated to Artists, Print Publishers, Illustrated Books, and Portfolios, among others. The Artists tab, in particular, with more than two dozen artists who shaped the German Expressionist movements in the early 20th century, will pay intellectual dividends for readers looking for an introduction to this important movement. [CNH]

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The Marjorie G. and Carl W. Stern Book Arts & Special Collections Center at the San Francisco Public Library holds a variety of collections relevant to San Francisco history, as well as printing history, calligraphy and lettering, humor, little magazines and zines, and early children's books. Much of this material is available from the website in digital form, along with instructions on how to use print-only resources in person. There are a couple of ways to easily approach the digital material. Book Arts & Special Collections celebrated its 50th anniversary recently, and an essay on collection strengths prepared for that celebration can still be found on the website. There are also persistent links to collection highlights in a left sidebar on all the pages, such as the Robert Grabhorn Collection on the History of Printing and the Development of the Book. As one would expect from a special collection in San Francisco, the Book Arts & Special Collections Center makes use of new technology. Visitors will find a selection of short videos on letterpress printing on YouTube, linked to from the Grabhorn Collection. There are also e-books from the George M. Fox Collection of Early Children's Books, available as high resolution digital books in the Internet Archive. [DS]

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When tech innovator Evan Williams left his post as CEO of Twitter in 2010, he began looking into blogging platforms, and found them lacking. Thus, Medium was born. In sum, it is a blog-like platform where people can share ideas and stories. It is aesthetically pleasing, easy to read, and easy to use as a contributor. Articles that get the most attention on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media, show up most on the site. For readers, this means popular content rises to the surface on its own. Readers may also scout the site by Media, Parenthood, Music, and Top Stories, or use the excellent search function to find material that fascinates. Writers who would like to contribute to the site may simply sign up using Facebook, Twitter, or an email address. [CNH]

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Any.do is a highly accessible task-management app. The system includes time and date reminders, and even geolocation reminders. In other words, if you need to be reminded to buy eggs this afternoon, the program will remind you when you get to the grocery store. Another interesting feature is called "Any.do Moment." This feature reminds you at a set time to check your to-do list. Then it shows you the tasks you've entered for the day, one by one on your computer or phone screen. Any.do does a good job of keeping things simple. It offers users everything they might need without overwhelming bells and whistles. Any.do is available as a web app, a Chrome extension, or a mobile app for iPhone, Android, and Chrome devices. [CNH]

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