The Scout Report -- Volume 25, Number 44

Literature enthusiasts and science aficionados alike may appreciate Poetry in Science, an ongoing collaboration between Nautilus Magazine (featured in the 2-06-2015 Scout Report) and the public television series and educational initiative Poetry in America. Launched in May 2019, Poetry in Science aims to "illuminate the rich shared history of poetry and science in [the United States]," in an effort to offer its audience "new ways to learn about and enjoy scientific topics." This project features video conversations between Elisa New, the creator of Poetry in America and a Harvard University English professor, and various scientists, public figures, and poets. For example, in a July 2019 post, New meets with ornithologist Scott Edwards to discuss "You'll know her by her foot," one of Emily Dickenson's bird poems. In addition to these conversations, Poetry in Science also features short essays written by Poetry in America staff, such as Frank Cahill's examination of Marianne Moore's poem "The Fish," as well as posts revisiting previously published Nautilus articles that also explored intersections between poetry and science. [JDC]

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Middle school STEM teachers may be interested in this free climate change curriculum developed by the Environmental Literacy and Inquiry (ELI) Working Group at Lehigh University. Designed to take place over 21 days or class sessions, this technology-supported curriculum "focuses on essential climate literacy principles with an emphasis on weather and climate, Earth system energy balance, greenhouse gases, paleoclimatology, and how human activities influence climate change." Throughout the curriculum's six thematic units, students complete inquiry-based lab activities using tools such as Google Earth, a web-based carbon calculator, and a geologic timeline to investigate these interrelated climate change topics. This comprehensive, standards-aligned curriculum provides all the necessary instructional materials and supporting information, including an instructional framework and sequence, assessments (including a pre- and post-test), Google Earth files, videos, PowerPoint files, handouts, and homework readings, as well as resources for students and background information for each topic. ELI advises that these curricular materials work best using Google Earth version 5.2 or newer and Firefox. It should be noted that access to the assessment files requires a login, which interested teachers can acquire for free by emailing a request to the contact email found in the site's footer. [JDC]

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The Global Countryside: Rural Change and Development in Globalization (Global-Rural) was a major research project based at Aberystwyth University in Wales that ran from 2014-2019. As its name suggests, this project examined the myriad effects that globalization has had on rural societies and economies, using more than 35 case study locations in 14 countries around the world, including Brazil, Canada, and Malawi. Readers can peruse the extensive fruits of this research at the link above. A good place to start are the story maps, which are organized into thematic categories such as Economy and Trade (e.g. dairy, mining), Global Challenges (e.g. climate change, poverty), and Migration (e.g. forced, historical). Readers interested in viewing the project's numerous other outputs, such as data, academic publications, presentations, and more, should visit the Resources section. Those wishing to see an overview of the project's major findings should view the story map entitled "Narrating the Global Countryside," which can be accessed on the main page. Global-Rural was led by Michael Woods, a Professor of Human Geography and of Transformative Social Science at Aberystwyth University, and supported with funding from the European Research Council. [JDC]

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Biology educators and students, as well as those curious to learn more about genetics, may want to check out DNAdots, a free educational resource created by the team at miniPCR bio. DNAdots offers its visitors "bite-sized, simple explanations of modern genetic technologies," making them excellent ways to gain a better understanding of topics such as personal genetic ancestry testing, DNA barcoding, and gene drives. They are organized into four categories: Sequencing, Gene Expression and Physiology, Genome Editing, and Synthetic Biology. Each DNAdot includes a concise, approachable explanation of what the technology is, how it works, and some of what it means in a practical sense. For those interested in reading more about a particular topic, links to several related articles (also written for general audiences) are included at the end of the explanations. Additionally, DNAdots provides several review questions to check understanding as well as critical thinking and discussion questions. Teachers interested in using DNAdots in their classroom can request answer keys for these questions via email, and each DNAdot can be downloaded as a well-formatted PDF. [JDC]

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From the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) comes Math Values, a new blog launched in 2018 that "explores the diverse voices of mathematics and discusses topics related to and affected by mathematics." Here, readers will find informative articles written by professional mathematicians, math educators, and even math students. Examples of article topics include a recently implemented California law mandating a change in how community college students are placed in math courses, interviews with principal investigators of math education research projects that have received grants from the National Science Foundation, and a student's response to a paper critiquing the International Mathematical Olympiad. Math Values is organized into four thematic categories (Inclusivity, Community, Communication, and Teaching & Learning) that can be reached via a menu at the top, where readers will also find the site's search bar. Readers of past MAA blogs may also find new articles from some familiar columns here, such as Devlin's Angle and Launchings, written respectively by Keith Devlin and David Bressoud. Math Values will likely be of particular interest to STEM educators and administrators. [JDC]

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Everyone from students and casual writers to professional authors can benefit from a little guidance. The Write Practice is a website devoted to "help[ing] you become a better writer faster," based on the core belief that practice is the secret to success. The site offers a Blog filled with articles guiding readers through writing and editing, as well as professionalization. Filter for particular blog topics using a Categories drop-down feature on the right side of the site. Visitors may wish to begin by taking the site's free assessment, which acts as a guide to the Write Practice's resources and subscribes readers to emails with tailored articles intended to match their writing interests and level of experience. The website also features self-guided tutorials on subjects like conducting interviews, writing short stories, and grammar practices. These tutorials are accessible via the landing page or on the right-hand side of the website when viewing the Blog and Resources sections. Other Resources featured include writing guidebooks and overviews of software authors may enjoy. [EL]

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Those trying to master the narrative arc in their own writing, as well as the literary-minded and film lovers, may want to check out Helping Writers Become Authors' Story Structure Database. This "archive of books and movies, recording all their major plot points," houses more than 420 examples (as of this write up). Each entry covers the inciting event, major plot points, climax, and resolution of the story in question. Visitors can choose to browse the database or view an alphabetical index of titles, which is organized by medium (books, movies, short stories, and video games). The Story Structure Database is also searchable, via a query bar on the upper right-hand side of the page. Some of the titles covered in this collection include Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence, the 2018 Black Panther film directed by Ryan Coogler, and the book Gone With the Wind, as well as its movie adaptation. [EL]

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Narrative writers who would like to portray a diverse cast of characters in their work may find a valuable guide in this collection of resources compiled by the instructors at Writing the Other, which focuses on helping writers "learn to write characters very different from you sensitively and convincingly." Here, readers will find links to numerous articles, essays, blog posts, and other freely available resources helpfully organized into categories. To begin, several links address the question "Why should I write inclusive fiction?" These are followed by a section that focuses on writing characters from four broad identity categories: race and ethnicity, gender (including trans and non-binary), sexual orientation, and characters with disabilities. On each category's page, visitors can learn about what Tropes & Stereotypes to Avoid and find suggestions of where to turn for Resources and Research. Several categories also have links discussing language choices and examples of how to write characters from these groups well. Back on the main Resources page, the third section offers links to information on Intersectionality and Characterization as well as "The Cultural Appropriation Primer." Taken together, these resources offer writers a helpful starting point in learning "how to craft characters from any background, no matter how different they are from you." [JDC]

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Based on the belief that "fiction has real power to further human rights education," Amnesty International UK offers primary and secondary school instructors an engaging, natural way to introduce dialogue on human rights into their courses. These three sets of curricula are designed for primary school students (ages 3 and up), upper-level primary students and lower-level secondary students (ages 10 and up), and secondary students (ages 12 and up). Each contains a reading list (of 8, 10 and 16 books, respectively) with information on purchasing the featured books, as well as individualized discussion questions and classroom activity suggestions for each book. For example, secondary students reading To Kill a Mockingbird might discuss themes like justice, dignity, and equality by exploring how Atticus Finch addresses the jury in the novel. Educators can also download the Story Explorer Resource, a "piece of classroom origami," intended to get students contemplating human rights using "questions designed to promote discussion and critical thinking." These questions are not story-specific and can be easily adapted to reading material not listed on the website. All the teaching tools featured on the site are formatted as PDFs and can be downloaded for free. [EL]

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Ever wonder what literary agents do? In search of an agent to help you publish your own writing? If the answer to either question is yes, peruse AgentQuery for "the internet's largest free database of literary agents." This website contains resources for both Writers and Agents, with information on Publishing and E-Publishing, as well as Networking guidance. The Resources tab also lists many external links that guide users to other sites on the craft and business of writing. All these sections are accessible via tabs at the top of the site, and additional resource pages (e.g. formatting tips for query letters) are accessible via a list on the left-hand side of the site. Those in search of an agent can search via a Quick Search query bar, or using a Full Search wherein they can specify keywords, fiction and nonfiction genres (e.g. science fiction or current affairs). Users can also choose whether to search for agents actively seeking new clients, those who accept email queries, and by union affiliation. Under the Community tab, visitors will also find AgentQuery Connect, which contains subject-focused forums (e.g. self-publishing) and a collection of blogs. [EL]

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The official NaNoWriMo site, which we featured in the 11-07-2014 Scout Report, is an indispensable resource for both new and experienced writers. Since then, they have added a Young Writers Program, which budding novelists under 18 and educators should be sure to check out.

Freelance writer Chris Baty declared November as National Novel Writing Month in the fall of 2000. Since then, the number of participants in NaNoWriMo, as it's called, has grown from 21 aspiring authors hacking away at manuscripts to over 700,000. The project's "No Plot? No problem" slogan tells it all. No perfectionistic haute culture here. Participants are simply encouraged to put at least 50,000 words on paper between 12:00 am on November 1 and 11:59:59 on November 30. Readers encountering this project for the first time should visit the What is NaNoWriMo? page for an overview, and for those intimidated by the idea, there are helpful NaNo Prep resources and Pep Talks linked at the bottom. Signing up to participate in the challenge is easy and free, and the website will help track your progress, link you to support in your geographical area, and provide platforms to meet fellow writers in person and online. NaNoWriMo is a great resource for encouraging novice and veteran writers alike to work through their writer's block and delve into their creativity.

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