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Build-A-Body: Nervous System - GameUp - BrainPOP.

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In this free science game, players use a drag and drop interactive to build a human nervous system. Then, case studies test their knowledge!

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Build-A-Body: Excretory System - GameUp - BrainPOP.

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In this free science game, players use a drag and drop interactive to build a human excretory system. Then case studies test their knowledge!

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Build-A-Body: Digestive System - GameUp - BrainPOP.

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In this free online science interactive game, students learn about the organs and organ substructures within the digestive system.

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Build-A-Body: Circulatory System - GameUp - BrainPOP.

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In this free science game, players use a drag and drop interactive to build a human circulatory system. Then, case studies test their knowledge!

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In this free educational science game, students can create a human cyborg from individual parts! Discover the basic components and functions of the circulatory system, respiratory system, and digestive system, as well as the interplay of these body systems.

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TED-Ed lessons on the subject Nutrition. TED-Ed celebrates the ideas of teachers and students around the world. Discover hundreds of animated lessons, create customized lessons, and share your big ideas.

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What different systems make up a person?

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Definition of Homeostasis

Homeostasis is a key concept in understanding how our body works. It means keeping things constant and comes from two Greek words: 'homeo,' meaning 'similar,' and 'stasis,' meaning 'stable.' A more formal definition of homeostasis is a characteristic of a system that regulates its internal environment and tends to maintain a stable, relatively constant, condition of properties.

Homeostasis is happening constantly in our bodies. We eat, sweat, drink, dance, eat some more, have salty fries, and yet our body composition remains almost the same. If someone were to draw your blood on ten different days of a month, the level of glucose, sodium, red blood cells and other blood components would be pretty much constant, regardless of your behavior (assuming fasting before drawing blood, of course).

No matter how much water you drink, your body doesn't swell up like a balloon if you drink tons, and it doesn't shrivel like a raisin if you drink very little. Have you ever wondered about this? Somehow, our bodies know how much fluid we need to keep, and then maintain a constant level regardless of how much water we drink.

This maintenance of body size is an example of homeostasis. And we don't even have to think about it for this to happen! Aren't our bodies amazing?

There are several other examples of homeostasis. For example, our concentration of salts and glucose (sugar) is constant; our body temperature is usually around 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit); the amount of blood in our bodies is about 5 liters, the osmolarity (number of solutes) of our blood remains about 300mOsm. The normal value of a physiological variable is called its set point.

How is Homeostasis Achieved?

So, how does our body regulate all these variables and compensate for changes in the environment? Well, it turns out we have tons of sensors in our body that monitor the temperature, salt composition of blood, blood pressure, osmolarity, and other things. These detectors signal the brain, the control center, when some value has deviated from normality and trigger compensatory changes that will try to restore that value to normal.

For example, imagine that you go outside and it's really hot. This will start changing your body temperature. Temperature sensors in our brain monitor body temperature, and if it starts rising (moving away from its supposed set point), this activates an effector tissue or organ that will help bring the temperature back to its set point. For example, if your body temperature rises, then you start sweating. This is a compensatory response by your body to lower your temperature back to normal.

The control center, sensors, and effector together form what is known as a control system. Control systems are everywhere; a thermostat that regulates room temperature is a classic example of a control system. Control systems that tend to reduce the difference between the desired value of a variable and the observed value are called negative feedback systems, or error correction systems.

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what is homeostasis? - definition & examples - video & lesson transcript | study.com

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What Is Homeostasis? - Definition & Examples - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com

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Homeostasis is a key concept in understanding how our body works. It means keeping things constant and comes from two Greek words: 'homeo,' meaning 'similar,' and 'stasis,' meaning 'stable.' A more formal definition of homeostasis is a characteristic of a system that regulates its internal environment and tends to maintain a stable, relatively constant, condition of properties.

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BBC - GCSE Bitesize: Removing waste products

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A secondary school revision resource for AQA GCSE Additional Science about homeostasis

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The muscular system helps you move! There are three types of muscles. Watch the video to learn about the three types and what else the muscular system helps you do. Be sure to fill out your Human Body Review Sheet as you watch the video. We will review the correct answers in class. Remember to take the quiz when you finish. It will help you with filling out the Human Body Review Sheet.

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The muscular system helps you move! There are three types of muscles. Watch the video to learn about the three types and what else the muscular system helps you do. Be sure to fill out your Human Body Review Sheet as you watch the video. We will review the correct answers in class.

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The excretory system: From your heart to the toilet (video) | Khan Academy

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Suzanne Fantar

Suzanne Fantar has been writing online since 2009 as an outlet for her passion for fitness, nutrition and health. She enjoys researching and writing about health, but also takes interest in family issues, poetry, music, Christ, nature and learning. She holds a bachelor's degree in biological sciences from Goucher College and a MBA in healthcare management from the University of Baltimore.

A systems of the human body consist of specific organs, tissues and cells that work together to perform specific functions. These body systems work in complementary ways to maintain your overall health. Your body systems include the endocrine, nervous, musculoskeletal, urogenital, respiratory, circulatory, immune and digestive systems, as well as the skin and related structures.

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The bones, cartilage, ligaments and muscles of your musculoskeletal system give your body shape and support, and enable voluntary movement. In addition to protecting internal organs, your bones serve as attachment points for your muscles and tendons, produce blood cells, and act as calcium and phosphorus storage banks.

The immune system protects your body against harmful organisms, such as bacteria, viruses and parasites. The immune system includes the lymph nodes and an array of specialized cells that patrol your body organs and tissues and fight invading germs. Immune cells produce many types of specialized proteins that aid in the protective function of this system.

Reviewed by: Tina M. St. John, M.D.

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A systems of the human body consist of specific organs, tissues and cells that work together to perform specific functions. These body systems work in complementary ways to maintain your overall health. Your body systems include the endocrine, nervous, musculoskeletal, urogenital, respiratory, circulatory, immune and digestive systems, as well as...

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Owen Bond

Owen Bond began writing professionally in 1997. Bond wrote and published a monthly nutritional newsletter for six years while working in Brisbane, Australia as an accredited nutritionalist. Some of his articles were published in the "Brisbane Courier-Mail" newspaper. He received a Master of Science in nutrition from the University of Saskatchewan.

The brain has many nutritional requirements that help it perform its roles. It requires glucose as an energy source, a compound that is easily metabolized from carbohydrates. Various vitamins and antioxidants help protect the brain from injury, while certain vitamins and fatty acids also carry out specific roles that help brains cells function. The best brain foods contain many of these important nutrients in an easily digestible form.

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Cooked and ground whole grains, such as wheat, oatmeal, barley and millet, are healthy carbohydrates that can be digested quickly to yield glucose sugar. A convenient way to consume whole grains is as baked breads, although crackers and cereals can be just as nutritious. Information described in "Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism" points to glucose as the main fuel for the brain, with daily consumption of at least 100 g of carbohydrates needed to provide enough glucose to power brain functions. Whole grains are also good sources of B vitamins, selenium and soluble fiber. Soluble fiber can regulate blood cholesterol levels, which reduce the risks of cardiovascular diseases and brain injury, such as stroke.

Fatty fish -- such as salmon, mackerel, tuna, herring and sardines -- are rich sources of essential fatty acids. Perhaps the most important of these are omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential for brain and nervous system function. A study in "Biochemical, Physiological and Molecular Aspects of Human Nutrition" reports that omega-3 fatty acids are required for myelin synthesis; myelin is the protective sheath around nerves that allows for speedy flow of brain impulses. Further, omega-3 fatty acids play crucial roles in behavior and cognition; deficiencies have been associated with depression, dyslexia and attention-deficit disorders.

Blueberries are especially rich in antioxidants, which act to protect blood vessels and the brain from the oxidative stress created by free radicals. One of the antioxidants is vitamin E, which can combat age-related loss of cognitive abilities. A study conducted by researchers at the University of Barcelona, Spain, and published in "Nutritional Neuroscience" in 2005 found that diets rich in blueberries significantly improved the learning capacity, memory and motor skills of aging rats. Further, the anthocyanins in blueberries were found to promote new neuron growth in the amygdala region of the brain.

Many nuts and seeds are good sources of protein, minerals, vitamin E, omega-6 fatty acids and some essential amino acids. As an example, pumpkin and sesame seeds are both rich in tyrosine, the amino acid required for dopamine synthesis. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that regulates mood and coordinates movement. Many nuts and seeds are good sources of B vitamins. Information published in "Vitamins: Fundamental Aspects in Nutrition and Health" indicates that vitamin B-6 is needed to produce dopamine and serotonin, which are both essential for communication between neurons. Folic acid is needed by the brain to maintain memory and concentration. Vitamin B-12 is associated with higher brain functions, and its deficiency leads to symptoms very similar to Alzheimer's disease. Examples of particularly healthy nuts and seeds include walnuts, almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, flaxseeds and sunflower seeds.

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The brain has many nutritional requirements that help it perform its roles. It requires glucose as an energy source, a compound that is easily metabolized from carbohydrates. Various vitamins and antioxidants help protect the brain from injury, while certain vitamins and fatty acids also carry out specific roles that help brains cells function.

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Dr. Leslie Stoklosa

Dr. Leslie Stoklosa has been writing since 2010. She has a Doctor of Chiropractic and a Master of Science in applied clinical nutrition from New York Chiropractic College. Stoklosa also has a Bachelor of Science in biology from State University of New York College at Fredonia.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, with 50 percent of those deaths men and 50 percent women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Although there are risk factors that cannot be changed, such as family history, making lifestyle changes can significantly lower your risk of damage to your heart and circulatory system.

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Exercise of 30 minutes or more, most days of the week is advised to improve the health of your heart and circulatory system. Physical activity can help manage your weight and reduce your risk of developing other conditions that make your circulatory system work harder, like high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol. Exercise is even effective when broken down into shorter sessions.

Smoking and using tobacco products significantly increases your risk for heart disease. Damage to your heart and circulatory system by the chemical compounds in tobacco can cause atherosclerosis, which may lead to heart attack. Once you quit smoking, your risk of heart disease significantly decreases over the next year, according to the MayoClinic website. Regardless of how long you have smoked or used other tobacco products, you will notice the benefits of quitting as soon as you do.

Your food intake can significantly improve the health of your circulatory system and heart. Diets containing five to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy products are most beneficial to the circulatory system. Avoiding processed foods, foods that are high in saturated and trans fats, and excessive alcohol consumption can also improve your circulatory system health.

Managing a healthy weight plays a major role in the health of your circulatory system. Being overweight can increase risk of high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol, all of which put you at increased risk for heart attack and other circulation problems. By just losing 10 percent of your body weight, you can significantly increase the odds of not developing these chronic diseases.

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Four Ways to Keep Your Circulatory System Healthy

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Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, with 50 percent of those deaths men and 50 percent women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Although there are risk factors that cannot be changed, such as family history, making lifestyle changes can significantly lower your risk of damage to your...

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When your digestive system is healthy, it effectively processes the nutrients from the foods you eat and produces consistent bowel movements that are soft, bulky and easy to pass. If your digestive system becomes sluggish, first see your doctor to rule out more serious causes such as inflammatory bowel disease. When you need to kick-start a sluggish digestive system, the prevailing advice is to increase your fiber intake. Fiber plays a crucial role in digestive health.

Fiber is the indigestible part of plants known as roughage. Even though this plant material passes through your body undigested, it plays a critical role in digestive health. You get two types of fiber from your diet. Soluble fiber dissolves in water and turns into a gel during digestion. Some types of soluble fiber can help lower blood sugar and cholesterol. The other type, called insoluble fiber, doesn't dissolve in water. Most fiber-containing foods have a mixture of both types.

Both types of fiber play a role in keeping your digestive system healthy. The gel that soluble fiber forms helps to slow digestion, which keeps you feeling full longer. The roughage that insoluble fiber creates acts as a broom, sweeping food along and keeping it moving quickly through your digestive tract, which promotes regularity and prevents constipation. It also adds bulk to stool, making it softer and easier to pass. In addition, fiber helps prevent diverticular disease, which occurs when small pockets develop on the lining of the colon and become inflamed.

Focus on insoluble fiber-rich foods if your digestive system is sluggish. Whole grains like bran and whole wheat as well as beans and legumes are particularly rich in insoluble fiber. Good vegetable sources of insoluble fiber are asparagus, fresh beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, green beans, kale, frozen okra, sweet potatoes, peas, spinach and turnips. Some fruits are also good insoluble fiber sources, including apples with skin, apricots, blueberries, figs, mangoes, oranges, peaches, pears, kiwifruit, plums, raspberries and strawberries.

Avoid increasing your fiber intake all at once. This can cause uncomfortable digestive symptoms such as gas and bloating. Instead, gradually raise your intake over the course of a few weeks, and be sure to drink plenty of water. Adults should get 25 to 38 grams of fiber daily, according to the Institute of Medicine. Older adults need slightly less. Avoid changing your diet without first having your doctor rule out other possible causes. Increasing fiber in the presence of digestive disease can make symptoms worse.

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How to Kick-Start Your Digestive System | Livestrong.com

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When your digestive system is healthy, it effectively processes the nutrients from the foods you eat and produces consistent bowel movements that are soft, bulky and easy to pass. If your digestive system becomes sluggish, first see your doctor to rule out more serious causes such as inflammatory bowel disease.

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Your muscular system consists of hundreds of muscles--from the very large gluteus maximus muscle, or your butt, to the very small muscles that control your fingers. Your muscular system is responsible for movements such as walking, lifting or running and holding your body in postural alignment. Muscles have a good blood supply, are red in color and respond well to the stresses placed upon them. One such stress is exercise. By working out regularly and eating a balanced diet, you can keep your muscular system in tip-top shape.

Work out with weights. Strength training, sometimes called weight training or resistance training, will improve your muscular strength and endurance. Perform two to three whole-body workouts per week on non-consecutive days to get the most from your training. You can work out by using resistance machines, dumbbells, barbells, resistance bands or body weight exercises--all of which are effective for improving the condition of your muscular system.

For every pushing exercise, perform a pulling exercise. Your muscles are arranged in pairs on opposite sides of your joints--for example, your biceps and triceps oppose each other across your elbows. Exercise each muscle equally to ensure you do not develop any potentially injurious muscle imbalances.

Change your workout every six to eight weeks. Once your muscles have become accustomed to a particular workout, that workout ceases to be as effective. Change the exercises, weights, sets and reps regularly so that your progress does not grind to a halt.

Stretch your muscles often. Your muscles need to be stretched regularly to keep them in good shape. Stretch all of your major muscles at least after each workout and preferably every day. Muscles often tighten between after exercises, as a result of sitting for long periods and as part of the aging process. Stretching will lengthen your muscles and prevent exercise- and age-related shortening. Stretch your muscles gently, holding each stretch for 30 seconds or more. You might also consider a yoga class, which involves a lot of stretching.

Eat a balanced diet. Your muscles need vitamins, minerals, water, protein, carbohydrates and healthy fats so that they can function at their best. Eat a diet rich in natural whole foods such as fruit, vegetables and grains to ensure you are getting adequate nutrients to keep your muscles in good shape. Your muscles are made up of around 70 percent water so make sure you drink at least eight tall glasses of water a day to stay well hydrated.

Tips

If you are new to working out, start gradually and build up slowly. Get professional help in designing a resistance training program. Always warm up before any kind of strenuous exercise.

Warnings

Always work within your limitations. If your workout hurts, you may be doing more harm than good.

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Your muscular system consists of hundreds of muscles--from the very large gluteus maximus muscle, or your butt, to the very small muscles that control your fingers. Your muscular system is responsible for movements such as walking, lifting or running and holding your body in postural alignment.

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The skeletal system comprises 206 bones, along with their associated cartilages, ligaments and joints. A healthy skeletal system consists of strong bones and stable, yet supple, joints. Osteoarthritis and osteoporosis are among the most common ailments of the skeletal system. These unrelated conditions, associated with deterioration of joints and weakening of bones, are at least partially preventable by observing certain do's and don'ts of exercise and nutrition.

Do This

Regular exercise is important for maintaining strong bones. When it comes to building and maintaining bone mass, choosing the right type of exercise is key. Weight-bearing exercises refer to those in which your muscles work against the force of gravity. This type of exercise stimulates an adaptive response in the body that leads to increased mineral density of the bones. Healthy bone mineral density makes bones less susceptible to fractures.

Don't Do That

Contact sports and other activities that increase the risk of joint injuries increase the likelihood of arthritic degeneration of the joints in future years. A study published in September 2009 in the "Journal of Physical Activity and Health" reported that more than 40 percent of retired football players younger than age 60 reported arthritis compared to fewer than 12 percent of age-matched men who did not play football 1. The increased incidence of early-onset osteoarthritis in football players was attributed to injuries to ligaments and tendons during their playing years. Proper equipment and conditioning are important for injury prevention. Injuries to joints should be properly rehabilitated to minimize complications later in life.

Eat This

Consuming adequate amounts of calcium and vitamin D is critical to keep the skeletal system healthy. The authors of a study published in January 2011 in "Nutrition Research" suggest that inadequate vitamin D intake is common. They found low vitamin D levels in more than 40 percent of Americans. This prevalence suggests that it may be necessary for some people to take a vitamin D supplement to meet the minimum daily recommendation of at least 600 IU. Supplementation may also be necessary for some adults to meet the 1,200 mg recommended daily intake of calcium. People who avoid dairy due to allergies or sensitivities should consider supplementation. Other micronutrients needed for optimal bone health include magnesium, potassium and vitamins K and C. These are usually easy to obtain in a diet high in fruits and vegetables. Eating 5 servings of assorted fruits and vegetables daily usually provides adequate intake of these important nutrients.

Don't Eat -- or Drink -- That

While eating the right foods can help maintain healthy bones, certain dietary choices can contribute to bone mineral loss, potentially leading to osteoporosis and increased fracture risk. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, salty foods may weaken bones 3. Research presented at the 2013 meeting of the Endocrine Society appears to confirm the association between high salt intake and increased bone fragility 4. Avoiding processed or canned foods can help lower the amount of salt in the diet. Eating too much meat may also lead to a net loss of calcium in the bones. The National Osteoporosis Foundation also recommends moderation in consumption of alcohol, coffee, tea and soft drinks 3.

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The skeletal system comprises 206 bones, along with their associated cartilages, ligaments and joints. A healthy skeletal system consists of strong bones and stable, yet supple, joints. Osteoarthritis and osteoporosis are among the most common ailments of the skeletal system.

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The musculoskeletal system

Current time:0:00Total duration:6:52

The musculoskeletal system

Video transcript

So in this video we're going to be talking about skeletal structure and then the function of those skeletons and specifically human skeletons is what we're interested in but before we talk about human skeletons let's talk about bug skeletons or the skeletons of arthropods are insects and so I'm going to draw a little ladybug here and our little ladybug being an arthropod has what is called an exoskeleton and the XO and XO skeleton actually first the fact that this skeleton is outside of the ladybug so "exo" is actually Greek for outside or external humans on the other hand we are vertebrates and as vertebrates we have this amazing network of bones located on the interior of our bodies and so we have what are called endo skeletons and endo is greek for within or inner referring to the location of the skeleton is being inside of our bodies as opposed to outside now as humans our endoskeleton performs a variety of pretty vital functions the first of which is it supports our body and provides a framework for movement so what does this mean are our body is supported by the network of our bones which allows us to sit up and stand and provide some sort of structure for our body and then the limbs of our body in particular and various joints in our body provide a framework for movement that allows you to run around to kick a soccer ball to type on a keyboard another important function of our skeleton is that it protects our most vital organs so if you look at the skull for example it houses our brain and the ribcage it protects our heart and lungs and other organs and the third function of our skeleton is is that it performs a variety of physiological roles in our body namely the storage of calcium and what is called hematopoeisis, which is the production of all the cellular components within our blood so our blood is made up of many different components plasma proteins among other things and the cellular components of our blood which are red blood cells white blood cells and platelets are all formed within the bone marrow of my bones and so those are the main functions of the bones that form our skeleton now one way of classifying bones is differentiating between those that form the axial skeleton and then those that form the appendicular skeleton now the axial skeleton is made up of our skull and ribcage and our vertebral column that is the axial skeleton it forms sort of the axis of our body right right in the center down the midline and then the bones of the forelimbs and our pelvis form what is called the appendicular skeleton and so go are four appendages form the appendicular skeleton which is attached to our central or axial skeleton another classification system for the bones in our skeleton is the difference between flat bones and long bones now what are flat bones some examples of flat bones are the bones that make up your skull the different bones that make up your ribs and then also the bones in your pelvis and so flat bones really are describing the shape of the bone these bones are made up of an inner spongy or cancellous bone and then the outer shell is made up of compact bone there's an inner spongy cancellous bone in an outer shell of compact bone and flat bone serve primarily to protect our organs and serve as a site for him at 0 police's now long bones on the other hand some examples of those would be the humerus in your upper arm or say the femur and your lower leg and if I draw a long bone out here there are a few different terms to be familiar with when you're referring to different parts of the long bone the long middle portion of a long bone is called the diathesis and then the end of a long bone is called the APIs and there is the small area of bone in between the two are in the middle of the diathesis and the purposes is called the metaphysis and the metathesis contains the growth plate which is present in the long bones of children and these long bones are made up of the same inner spongy cancellous bone with an outer shell of compact bone just like flat bones and these long bones really are the ones that provide a framework for movement like we talked about before and they also serve as a side of hematopoiesis. And speaking of hematopoiesi, where exactly does this Hematopoiesis occur? I mentioned that it occurs in bone marrow which is contained within bones and there are two different types of bone marrow there is what is called red bone marrow and then yellow bone marrow now red bone marrow serves as the primary site for hematopoiesis, which makes sense because the red blood cells from hematopoiesis actually make red bone marrow look red to the naked eye so you can remember that red bone marrows for blood or hematopoiesis and you can typically find red bone marrow within flat bones and then in the epiphyses of long bones. And then yellow bone marrow on the other hand is primarily a site for fat storage made up of fat cells called adipocytes and generally you can find yellow bone marrow within the diocese of long bones

Biology is brought to you with support from the Amgen Foundation

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Skeletal structure and function (video) | Khan Academy

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In this video we will explore the structure and function of the human skeleton in depth, as well as some animal skeletons.

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Kelli Cooper

Kelli Cooper has been a writer since 2009, specializing in health and fitness. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Rutgers University and is a certified personal trainer with the American Council on Exercise.

You can promote respiratory health in many ways beyond not smoking. Whether using these strategies preventatively or to reduce symptoms of a condition such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, you can make a positive difference in the health of your respiratory system.

Video of the Day

Exercise in cleaner conditions, such as side streets or parks away from busy thoroughfares. Walking or jogging on the side of busy streets leads to breathing in harmful fumes. Check air quality reports for your area so that you don't exercise outside on heavily polluted days.

Talk to your doctor about using supplements that might promote lung health. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, supplements linked to better respiratory health include magnesium, l-carnitine, ginseng, n-acetyl cysteine, lobelia and mullein.

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How to Keep the Respiratory System Healthy

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You can promote respiratory health in many ways beyond not smoking. Whether using these strategies preventatively or to reduce symptoms of a condition such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, you can make a positive difference in the health of your respiratory system.

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Every time you take a breath, oxygen makes it way into your lungs. Follow along on that journey! Rishi is a pediatric infectious disease physician and works at Khan Academy.

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Advanced Placement Source With thousands of full-text academic journals and magazines, and over half a million photos, maps and flags, students are provided with the essential research materials to reach academic heights in honor, AP or IB programs. Advanced Placement Source supports students in multiple areas of study covering a wide range of subject areas.

This database contains full text for a variety of popular middle school magazines. All full-text articles are assigned a reading level indicator (Lexiles). Full text is also available for thousands of biographies and historical essays. Includes primary source documents and more.

ontains full text for hundreds of popular high school magazines covering a wide-range of subject areas including history, science, careers and much more. This comprehensive database contains full text for top high-school magazines including America's Civil War, American History, Archaeology, Astronomy, Bioscience, Careers & Colleges, Congressional Digest, Discover, History Today, Nation, National Review, New Republic, New Scientist, Popular Science, Science News, Scientific American, Smithsonian, World War II, and much more. It also provides full text for tens of thousands of biographies and primary source documents, hundreds of reference books (including the Columbia Encyclopedia and the CIA World Fact Book), an Image Collection containing photos, maps & flags, color PDFs and expanded full-text backfiles (back to 1975) for key magazines.

Newspaper Source provides cover-to-cover full text for more than 40 national (U.S.) and international newspapers. The database also contains selective full text for more than 330 regional (U.S.) newspapers. In addition, full-text television and radio news transcripts are provided from CBS News, CNN, CNN International, FOX News, NPR, etc.

TOPIC Search This current events database allows researchers to explore social, political and economic issues, scientific discoveries and other popular topics. Students can use either the dropdown menus for Current Events or Topics to easily locate relevant articles. TOPICsearch contains full text for over 150,691 articles from 475 diverse sources including international and regional newspapers, EBSCO's unparalleled collection of periodicals, biographies, public opinion polls, book reviews, pamphlets, and government information.

Gale Student Resources in Context - [ P/W: leopards ] With a Web-like user experience, this Gale Student Resources provides information on all core subject from Science to Literature to History. From the eye-catching, media-rich homepage to the fast navigation options, Student Resources in Context helps covers the spectrum of student-focused subject matter. Contains periodical and newspaper articles, primary sources, and multimedia records including video and audio content from NBC, NPR and many other respected sources.

Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context - [ P/W: leopards Opposing Viewpoints in Context is the premier online resource covering today's hottest social issues, from Offshore Drilling to Climate Change, Health Care to Immigration. Opposing Viewpoints in Context helps students research, analyze and organize a broad variety of data for conducting research, completing writing assignments, preparing for debates, creating presentations and more. Gale's unprecedented collection of content and curriculum-focused tools that help students explore issues from all perspectives include:

Pro/con viewpoint essays, Topic overviews, More than 300 primary source documents, Biographies of social activists and reformers, Court-case overviews, Periodical articles, Statistical tables, charts and graphs, Podcasts, including weekly presidential addresses and premier NPR programs.

- ] This accessible database features content from Facts On File's extensive literature collection; hundreds of Harold Bloom's essays examining the lives and works of great writers; thousands of critical articles published by noted scholars under the Bloom's Literary Criticism imprint; extensive entries on literary topics, themes, movements, genres, and authors; and almost 2,200 video clips. Users can search by education standards, and browse characters, authors, and works. Entries can also be searched by date, author type, literary genre, and nationality, and users can now refine their searches using multiple criteria at once. A new Performance Video gateway page provides easy access to all full-length videos of classic productions.

Literature Resource Center - [ P/W: leopards ] The world's most current, comprehensive and reliable online literature database, Literature Resource Center is uniquely relevant to today's researcher. Its rich critical, biographical and contextual content supports interdisciplinary approaches, information literacy and the development of critical-thinking skills.

Full-text articles from scholarly journals and literary magazines are combined with critical essays, work and topic overviews, full-text works, biographies, and more to provide a wealth of information on authors, their works, and literary movements. Researchers at all levels will find the information they need, with content covering all genres and disciplines, all time periods and all parts of the world.

- (An EBSCOhost Research Database) [ The premiere database of reading recommendations, available through libraries around the world. It is a comprehensive source of information about books that includes expert recommendations, read-alikes, reviews, articles, lists and more.

Active History - ] An interactive history site with topics that specifically match IB units of study.

Take a short video Churchill Archives - [U/N: DubaiAmerAC P/W: DubaiAmerAc - both case sensitive] tour to see the features of the Archives. Churchill Archive is a digital library of modern international history. It includes more than 800,000 pages of original documents, produced between 1874 and 1965, ranging from Winston S. Churchill's personal correspondence to his official exchanges with kings, presidents, politicians, and military leaders. This is more than a fantastic collection of primary source material; it is a unique online resource offering new insight into a fascinating period of our past.

] World History in Context moves chronologically over 5,000 years from antiquity to the present and geographically around the globe, to ensure that the events, movements and individuals that defined, informed and shaped world history are covered with a sense of balance. This database offers students and researchers unparalleled access to a broad collection of scholarly analysis and award-winning full-text periodicals, reference works and primary documents.

Lincoln Library of American History - ] Our subscription includes access to the Explore the 50 States, Native American History, and The American Civil War sources. For Elementary & Middle School use.

] Presents the Full Scope of World History from the 15th Century to the Present. Modern World History Online covers the full scope of world history from the mid-15th century to the present. Thousands of fully hyperlinked subject entries, biographies, images and videos, maps and charts, primary sources, and timeline entries combine to provide a detailed and comparative view of the people, places, events, and ideas that have defined modern world history.

] The most comprehensive collection of classical music available online offering over 1,442,200 tracks of Classical music, Jazz, World, Folk and Chinese music. It includes the complete BIS, Chandos, Hänssler, Hungaroton, Marco Polo, Naxos, Ondine and selected titles of other leading independent labels, with over 1,000 albums added monthly. Very useful for IB Music students .

] A useful additional resource for Psych students, t his user-friendly database includes videos, illustrations, and a regularly updated "Health in the News" section. This resource provides reliable information on today's most pressing health topics and key social concerns. Search results include tabbed results and suggested searches. Results also include a citation generator .

Provides access to over 540 professional journals from around the world and includes full text studies as well. This database also provides particularly strong coverage in child & adolescent psychology and various areas of counseling.

] This user-friendly database includes videos, illustrations, and a regularly updated "Health in the News" section. This resource provides reliable information on today's most pressing health topics and key social concerns. Search results include tabbed results and suggested searches. Results also include a citation generator .

Health Source - ] An EBSCOhost Research Database. This resource provides over 500 scholarly full-text journals focusing on many medical disciplines. Coverage of nursing and allied health is particularly strong.

] Offers a comprehensive, curriculum-oriented overview of a broad range of scientific disciplines in a variety of useful formats. The accessible content is organized by subject area and type of resource, as well as by STEM standards. Users can follow an extensive network of hyperlinks and suggested searches to related topics, and tabbed search results help users easily find their desired results quickly and easily.

Experiments and activities: more than 1,100 science experiments and activities, indexed by grade range, subject category, and time required.

Full science and mathematics coverage: Intuitive access to thousands of reference articles and news stories

"Today's Science Feature": handpicked articles from Today's Science highlighting recent scientific events and discoveries

Images, videos, and animations: more than 9,400 printable diagrams, illustrations, and images

Science Reference Center - ] An EBSCOhost Research Database. Topics covered in Science Reference Center include biology, chemistry, earth and space science, environmental science, health and medicine, life science, mathematics, physics, science and society, science as inquiry, scientists, technology, and wildlife.

An EBSCOhost Research Database. The Education Resource Information Center provides access to educational literature and resources. This database provides access to information from journals included in the Current Index of Journals in Education and Resources in Education Index.

An EBSCOhost Research Database. Designed for professional educators, this database provides a highly specialized collection of nearly 520 high quality education journals, including more than 350 peer-reviewed titles. This database also contains more than 200 educational reports. Professional Development Collection is the most comprehensive collection of full text education journals in the world.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The log in is case sensitive. Make sure to select the appropriate level (Elementary, Middle or High School) before starting your search. We also have access to Britannica ].

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
] The log in is case sensitive. Make sure to select the appropriate level (Elementary, Middle or High School) before starting your search. We also have access to Britannica ]. ImageQuest [

**** New Database: Digital Theatre Plus: www.digitaltheatreplus.com. [U/N: students_daa@gemsedu.com P/W: students] Watch high quality films of leading theatre productions; Discover how plays are brought to the stage in interviews with the creative teams; Learn about interpretive choice through detailed analysis of play texts; Teach key plays with stimulating and relevant support.

. Create a free NYTimes.com account New York Times Online: Visit using your school email address. Access to daily newspaper, as well as Historical articles: Unlimited access to articles in the date ranges 1851 - 1922 and 1981 - now.

Advanced Placement Source With thousands of full-text academic journals and magazines, and over half a million photos, maps and flags, students are provided with the essential research materials to reach academic heights in honor, AP or IB programs. Advanced Placement Source supports students in multiple areas of study covering a wide range of subject areas.

This database contains full text for a variety of popular middle school magazines. All full-text articles are assigned a reading level indicator (Lexiles). Full text is also available for thousands of biographies and historical essays. Includes primary source documents and more.

ontains full text for hundreds of popular high school magazines covering a wide-range of subject areas including history, science, careers and much more. This comprehensive database contains full text for top high-school magazines including America's Civil War, American History, Archaeology, Astronomy, Bioscience, Careers & Colleges, Congressional Digest, Discover, History Today, Nation, National Review, New Republic, New Scientist, Popular Science, Science News, Scientific American, Smithsonian, World War II, and much more. It also provides full text for tens of thousands of biographies and primary source documents, hundreds of reference books (including the Columbia Encyclopedia and the CIA World Fact Book), an Image Collection containing photos, maps & flags, color PDFs and expanded full-text backfiles (back to 1975) for key magazines.

Newspaper Source provides cover-to-cover full text for more than 40 national (U.S.) and international newspapers. The database also contains selective full text for more than 330 regional (U.S.) newspapers. In addition, full-text television and radio news transcripts are provided from CBS News, CNN, CNN International, FOX News, NPR, etc.

TOPIC Search This current events database allows researchers to explore social, political and economic issues, scientific discoveries and other popular topics. Students can use either the dropdown menus for Current Events or Topics to easily locate relevant articles. TOPICsearch contains full text for over 150,691 articles from 475 diverse sources including international and regional newspapers, EBSCO's unparalleled collection of periodicals, biographies, public opinion polls, book reviews, pamphlets, and government information.

Gale Student Resources in Context - [ P/W: leopards ] With a Web-like user experience, this Gale Student Resources provides information on all core subject from Science to Literature to History. From the eye-catching, media-rich homepage to the fast navigation options, Student Resources in Context helps covers the spectrum of student-focused subject matter. Contains periodical and newspaper articles, primary sources, and multimedia records including video and audio content from NBC, NPR and many other respected sources.

Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context - [ P/W: leopards Opposing Viewpoints in Context is the premier online resource covering today's hottest social issues, from Offshore Drilling to Climate Change, Health Care to Immigration. Opposing Viewpoints in Context helps students research, analyze and organize a broad variety of data for conducting research, completing writing assignments, preparing for debates, creating presentations and more. Gale's unprecedented collection of content and curriculum-focused tools that help students explore issues from all perspectives include:

Pro/con viewpoint essays, Topic overviews, More than 300 primary source documents, Biographies of social activists and reformers, Court-case overviews, Periodical articles, Statistical tables, charts and graphs, Podcasts, including weekly presidential addresses and premier NPR programs.

- ] This accessible database features content from Facts On File's extensive literature collection; hundreds of Harold Bloom's essays examining the lives and works of great writers; thousands of critical articles published by noted scholars under the Bloom's Literary Criticism imprint; extensive entries on literary topics, themes, movements, genres, and authors; and almost 2,200 video clips. Users can search by education standards, and browse characters, authors, and works. Entries can also be searched by date, author type, literary genre, and nationality, and users can now refine their searches using multiple criteria at once. A new Performance Video gateway page provides easy access to all full-length videos of classic productions.

Literature Resource Center - [ P/W: leopards ] The world's most current, comprehensive and reliable online literature database, Literature Resource Center is uniquely relevant to today's researcher. Its rich critical, biographical and contextual content supports interdisciplinary approaches, information literacy and the development of critical-thinking skills.

Full-text articles from scholarly journals and literary magazines are combined with critical essays, work and topic overviews, full-text works, biographies, and more to provide a wealth of information on authors, their works, and literary movements. Researchers at all levels will find the information they need, with content covering all genres and disciplines, all time periods and all parts of the world.

- (An EBSCOhost Research Database) [ The premiere database of reading recommendations, available through libraries around the world. It is a comprehensive source of information about books that includes expert recommendations, read-alikes, reviews, articles, lists and more.

Active History - ] An interactive history site with topics that specifically match IB units of study.

Take a short video Churchill Archives - [U/N: DubaiAmerAC P/W: DubaiAmerAc - both case sensitive] tour to see the features of the Archives. Churchill Archive is a digital library of modern international history. It includes more than 800,000 pages of original documents, produced between 1874 and 1965, ranging from Winston S. Churchill's personal correspondence to his official exchanges with kings, presidents, politicians, and military leaders. This is more than a fantastic collection of primary source material; it is a unique online resource offering new insight into a fascinating period of our past.

] World History in Context moves chronologically over 5,000 years from antiquity to the present and geographically around the globe, to ensure that the events, movements and individuals that defined, informed and shaped world history are covered with a sense of balance. This database offers students and researchers unparalleled access to a broad collection of scholarly analysis and award-winning full-text periodicals, reference works and primary documents.

Lincoln Library of American History - ] Our subscription includes access to the Explore the 50 States, Native American History, and The American Civil War sources. For Elementary & Middle School use.

] Presents the Full Scope of World History from the 15th Century to the Present. Modern World History Online covers the full scope of world history from the mid-15th century to the present. Thousands of fully hyperlinked subject entries, biographies, images and videos, maps and charts, primary sources, and timeline entries combine to provide a detailed and comparative view of the people, places, events, and ideas that have defined modern world history.

] The most comprehensive collection of classical music available online offering over 1,442,200 tracks of Classical music, Jazz, World, Folk and Chinese music. It includes the complete BIS, Chandos, Hänssler, Hungaroton, Marco Polo, Naxos, Ondine and selected titles of other leading independent labels, with over 1,000 albums added monthly. Very useful for IB Music students .

] A useful additional resource for Psych students, t his user-friendly database includes videos, illustrations, and a regularly updated "Health in the News" section. This resource provides reliable information on today's most pressing health topics and key social concerns. Search results include tabbed results and suggested searches. Results also include a citation generator .

Provides access to over 540 professional journals from around the world and includes full text studies as well. This database also provides particularly strong coverage in child & adolescent psychology and various areas of counseling.

] This user-friendly database includes videos, illustrations, and a regularly updated "Health in the News" section. This resource provides reliable information on today's most pressing health topics and key social concerns. Search results include tabbed results and suggested searches. Results also include a citation generator .

Health Source - ] An EBSCOhost Research Database. This resource provides over 500 scholarly full-text journals focusing on many medical disciplines. Coverage of nursing and allied health is particularly strong.

] Offers a comprehensive, curriculum-oriented overview of a broad range of scientific disciplines in a variety of useful formats. The accessible content is organized by subject area and type of resource, as well as by STEM standards. Users can follow an extensive network of hyperlinks and suggested searches to related topics, and tabbed search results help users easily find their desired results quickly and easily.

Experiments and activities: more than 1,100 science experiments and activities, indexed by grade range, subject category, and time required.

Full science and mathematics coverage: Intuitive access to thousands of reference articles and news stories

"Today's Science Feature": handpicked articles from Today's Science highlighting recent scientific events and discoveries

Images, videos, and animations: more than 9,400 printable diagrams, illustrations, and images

Science Reference Center - ] An EBSCOhost Research Database. Topics covered in Science Reference Center include biology, chemistry, earth and space science, environmental science, health and medicine, life science, mathematics, physics, science and society, science as inquiry, scientists, technology, and wildlife.

An EBSCOhost Research Database. The Education Resource Information Center provides access to educational literature and resources. This database provides access to information from journals included in the Current Index of Journals in Education and Resources in Education Index.

An EBSCOhost Research Database. Designed for professional educators, this database provides a highly specialized collection of nearly 520 high quality education journals, including more than 350 peer-reviewed titles. This database also contains more than 200 educational reports. Professional Development Collection is the most comprehensive collection of full text education journals in the world.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The log in is case sensitive. Make sure to select the appropriate level (Elementary, Middle or High School) before starting your search. We also have access to Britannica ].

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
] The log in is case sensitive. Make sure to select the appropriate level (Elementary, Middle or High School) before starting your search. We also have access to Britannica ]. ImageQuest [

**** New Database: Digital Theatre Plus: www.digitaltheatreplus.com. [U/N: students_daa@gemsedu.com P/W: students] Watch high quality films of leading theatre productions; Discover how plays are brought to the stage in interviews with the creative teams; Learn about interpretive choice through detailed analysis of play texts; Teach key plays with stimulating and relevant support.

. Create a free NYTimes.com account New York Times Online: Visit using your school email address. Access to daily newspaper, as well as Historical articles: Unlimited access to articles in the date ranges 1851 - 1922 and 1981 - now.

Advanced Placement Source With thousands of full-text academic journals and magazines, and over half a million photos, maps and flags, students are provided with the essential research materials to reach academic heights in honor, AP or IB programs. Advanced Placement Source supports students in multiple areas of study covering a wide range of subject areas.

This database contains full text for a variety of popular middle school magazines. All full-text articles are assigned a reading level indicator (Lexiles). Full text is also available for thousands of biographies and historical essays. Includes primary source documents and more.

ontains full text for hundreds of popular high school magazines covering a wide-range of subject areas including history, science, careers and much more. This comprehensive database contains full text for top high-school magazines including America's Civil War, American History, Archaeology, Astronomy, Bioscience, Careers & Colleges, Congressional Digest, Discover, History Today, Nation, National Review, New Republic, New Scientist, Popular Science, Science News, Scientific American, Smithsonian, World War II, and much more. It also provides full text for tens of thousands of biographies and primary source documents, hundreds of reference books (including the Columbia Encyclopedia and the CIA World Fact Book), an Image Collection containing photos, maps & flags, color PDFs and expanded full-text backfiles (back to 1975) for key magazines.

Newspaper Source provides cover-to-cover full text for more than 40 national (U.S.) and international newspapers. The database also contains selective full text for more than 330 regional (U.S.) newspapers. In addition, full-text television and radio news transcripts are provided from CBS News, CNN, CNN International, FOX News, NPR, etc.

TOPIC Search This current events database allows researchers to explore social, political and economic issues, scientific discoveries and other popular topics. Students can use either the dropdown menus for Current Events or Topics to easily locate relevant articles. TOPICsearch contains full text for over 150,691 articles from 475 diverse sources including international and regional newspapers, EBSCO's unparalleled collection of periodicals, biographies, public opinion polls, book reviews, pamphlets, and government information.

Gale Student Resources in Context - [ P/W: leopards ] With a Web-like user experience, this Gale Student Resources provides information on all core subject from Science to Literature to History. From the eye-catching, media-rich homepage to the fast navigation options, Student Resources in Context helps covers the spectrum of student-focused subject matter. Contains periodical and newspaper articles, primary sources, and multimedia records including video and audio content from NBC, NPR and many other respected sources.

Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context - [ P/W: leopards Opposing Viewpoints in Context is the premier online resource covering today's hottest social issues, from Offshore Drilling to Climate Change, Health Care to Immigration. Opposing Viewpoints in Context helps students research, analyze and organize a broad variety of data for conducting research, completing writing assignments, preparing for debates, creating presentations and more. Gale's unprecedented collection of content and curriculum-focused tools that help students explore issues from all perspectives include:

Pro/con viewpoint essays, Topic overviews, More than 300 primary source documents, Biographies of social activists and reformers, Court-case overviews, Periodical articles, Statistical tables, charts and graphs, Podcasts, including weekly presidential addresses and premier NPR programs.

- ] This accessible database features content from Facts On File's extensive literature collection; hundreds of Harold Bloom's essays examining the lives and works of great writers; thousands of critical articles published by noted scholars under the Bloom's Literary Criticism imprint; extensive entries on literary topics, themes, movements, genres, and authors; and almost 2,200 video clips. Users can search by education standards, and browse characters, authors, and works. Entries can also be searched by date, author type, literary genre, and nationality, and users can now refine their searches using multiple criteria at once. A new Performance Video gateway page provides easy access to all full-length videos of classic productions.

Literature Resource Center - [ P/W: leopards ] The world's most current, comprehensive and reliable online literature database, Literature Resource Center is uniquely relevant to today's researcher. Its rich critical, biographical and contextual content supports interdisciplinary approaches, information literacy and the development of critical-thinking skills.

Full-text articles from scholarly journals and literary magazines are combined with critical essays, work and topic overviews, full-text works, biographies, and more to provide a wealth of information on authors, their works, and literary movements. Researchers at all levels will find the information they need, with content covering all genres and disciplines, all time periods and all parts of the world.

- (An EBSCOhost Research Database) [ The premiere database of reading recommendations, available through libraries around the world. It is a comprehensive source of information about books that includes expert recommendations, read-alikes, reviews, articles, lists and more.

Active History - ] An interactive history site with topics that specifically match IB units of study.

Take a short video Churchill Archives - [U/N: DubaiAmerAC P/W: DubaiAmerAc - both case sensitive] tour to see the features of the Archives. Churchill Archive is a digital library of modern international history. It includes more than 800,000 pages of original documents, produced between 1874 and 1965, ranging from Winston S. Churchill's personal correspondence to his official exchanges with kings, presidents, politicians, and military leaders. This is more than a fantastic collection of primary source material; it is a unique online resource offering new insight into a fascinating period of our past.

] World History in Context moves chronologically over 5,000 years from antiquity to the present and geographically around the globe, to ensure that the events, movements and individuals that defined, informed and shaped world history are covered with a sense of balance. This database offers students and researchers unparalleled access to a broad collection of scholarly analysis and award-winning full-text periodicals, reference works and primary documents.

Lincoln Library of American History - ] Our subscription includes access to the Explore the 50 States, Native American History, and The American Civil War sources. For Elementary & Middle School use.

] Presents the Full Scope of World History from the 15th Century to the Present. Modern World History Online covers the full scope of world history from the mid-15th century to the present. Thousands of fully hyperlinked subject entries, biographies, images and videos, maps and charts, primary sources, and timeline entries combine to provide a detailed and comparative view of the people, places, events, and ideas that have defined modern world history.

] The most comprehensive collection of classical music available online offering over 1,442,200 tracks of Classical music, Jazz, World, Folk and Chinese music. It includes the complete BIS, Chandos, Hänssler, Hungaroton, Marco Polo, Naxos, Ondine and selected titles of other leading independent labels, with over 1,000 albums added monthly. Very useful for IB Music students .

] A useful additional resource for Psych students, t his user-friendly database includes videos, illustrations, and a regularly updated "Health in the News" section. This resource provides reliable information on today's most pressing health topics and key social concerns. Search results include tabbed results and suggested searches. Results also include a citation generator .

Provides access to over 540 professional journals from around the world and includes full text studies as well. This database also provides particularly strong coverage in child & adolescent psychology and various areas of counseling.

] This user-friendly database includes videos, illustrations, and a regularly updated "Health in the News" section. This resource provides reliable information on today's most pressing health topics and key social concerns. Search results include tabbed results and suggested searches. Results also include a citation generator .

Health Source - ] An EBSCOhost Research Database. This resource provides over 500 scholarly full-text journals focusing on many medical disciplines. Coverage of nursing and allied health is particularly strong.

] Offers a comprehensive, curriculum-oriented overview of a broad range of scientific disciplines in a variety of useful formats. The accessible content is organized by subject area and type of resource, as well as by STEM standards. Users can follow an extensive network of hyperlinks and suggested searches to related topics, and tabbed search results help users easily find their desired results quickly and easily.

Experiments and activities: more than 1,100 science experiments and activities, indexed by grade range, subject category, and time required.

Full science and mathematics coverage: Intuitive access to thousands of reference articles and news stories

"Today's Science Feature": handpicked articles from Today's Science highlighting recent scientific events and discoveries

Images, videos, and animations: more than 9,400 printable diagrams, illustrations, and images

Science Reference Center - ] An EBSCOhost Research Database. Topics covered in Science Reference Center include biology, chemistry, earth and space science, environmental science, health and medicine, life science, mathematics, physics, science and society, science as inquiry, scientists, technology, and wildlife.

An EBSCOhost Research Database. The Education Resource Information Center provides access to educational literature and resources. This database provides access to information from journals included in the Current Index of Journals in Education and Resources in Education Index.

An EBSCOhost Research Database. Designed for professional educators, this database provides a highly specialized collection of nearly 520 high quality education journals, including more than 350 peer-reviewed titles. This database also contains more than 200 educational reports. Professional Development Collection is the most comprehensive collection of full text education journals in the world.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The log in is case sensitive. Make sure to select the appropriate level (Elementary, Middle or High School) before starting your search. We also have access to Britannica ].

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
] The log in is case sensitive. Make sure to select the appropriate level (Elementary, Middle or High School) before starting your search. We also have access to Britannica ]. ImageQuest [

**** New Database: Digital Theatre Plus: www.digitaltheatreplus.com. [U/N: students_daa@gemsedu.com P/W: students] Watch high quality films of leading theatre productions; Discover how plays are brought to the stage in interviews with the creative teams; Learn about interpretive choice through detailed analysis of play texts; Teach key plays with stimulating and relevant support.

. Create a free NYTimes.com account New York Times Online: Visit using your school email address. Access to daily newspaper, as well as Historical articles: Unlimited access to articles in the date ranges 1851 - 1922 and 1981 - now.

Advanced Placement Source With thousands of full-text academic journals and magazines, and over half a million photos, maps and flags, students are provided with the essential research materials to reach academic heights in honor, AP or IB programs. Advanced Placement Source supports students in multiple areas of study covering a wide range of subject areas.

This database contains full text for a variety of popular middle school magazines. All full-text articles are assigned a reading level indicator (Lexiles). Full text is also available for thousands of biographies and historical essays. Includes primary source documents and more.

ontains full text for hundreds of popular high school magazines covering a wide-range of subject areas including history, science, careers and much more. This comprehensive database contains full text for top high-school magazines including America's Civil War, American History, Archaeology, Astronomy, Bioscience, Careers & Colleges, Congressional Digest, Discover, History Today, Nation, National Review, New Republic, New Scientist, Popular Science, Science News, Scientific American, Smithsonian, World War II, and much more. It also provides full text for tens of thousands of biographies and primary source documents, hundreds of reference books (including the Columbia Encyclopedia and the CIA World Fact Book), an Image Collection containing photos, maps & flags, color PDFs and expanded full-text backfiles (back to 1975) for key magazines.

Newspaper Source provides cover-to-cover full text for more than 40 national (U.S.) and international newspapers. The database also contains selective full text for more than 330 regional (U.S.) newspapers. In addition, full-text television and radio news transcripts are provided from CBS News, CNN, CNN International, FOX News, NPR, etc.

TOPIC Search This current events database allows researchers to explore social, political and economic issues, scientific discoveries and other popular topics. Students can use either the dropdown menus for Current Events or Topics to easily locate relevant articles. TOPICsearch contains full text for over 150,691 articles from 475 diverse sources including international and regional newspapers, EBSCO's unparalleled collection of periodicals, biographies, public opinion polls, book reviews, pamphlets, and government information.

Gale Student Resources in Context - [ P/W: leopards ] With a Web-like user experience, this Gale Student Resources provides information on all core subject from Science to Literature to History. From the eye-catching, media-rich homepage to the fast navigation options, Student Resources in Context helps covers the spectrum of student-focused subject matter. Contains periodical and newspaper articles, primary sources, and multimedia records including video and audio content from NBC, NPR and many other respected sources.

Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context - [ P/W: leopards Opposing Viewpoints in Context is the premier online resource covering today's hottest social issues, from Offshore Drilling to Climate Change, Health Care to Immigration. Opposing Viewpoints in Context helps students research, analyze and organize a broad variety of data for conducting research, completing writing assignments, preparing for debates, creating presentations and more. Gale's unprecedented collection of content and curriculum-focused tools that help students explore issues from all perspectives include:

Pro/con viewpoint essays, Topic overviews, More than 300 primary source documents, Biographies of social activists and reformers, Court-case overviews, Periodical articles, Statistical tables, charts and graphs, Podcasts, including weekly presidential addresses and premier NPR programs.

- ] This accessible database features content from Facts On File's extensive literature collection; hundreds of Harold Bloom's essays examining the lives and works of great writers; thousands of critical articles published by noted scholars under the Bloom's Literary Criticism imprint; extensive entries on literary topics, themes, movements, genres, and authors; and almost 2,200 video clips. Users can search by education standards, and browse characters, authors, and works. Entries can also be searched by date, author type, literary genre, and nationality, and users can now refine their searches using multiple criteria at once. A new Performance Video gateway page provides easy access to all full-length videos of classic productions.

Literature Resource Center - [ P/W: leopards ] The world's most current, comprehensive and reliable online literature database, Literature Resource Center is uniquely relevant to today's researcher. Its rich critical, biographical and contextual content supports interdisciplinary approaches, information literacy and the development of critical-thinking skills.

Full-text articles from scholarly journals and literary magazines are combined with critical essays, work and topic overviews, full-text works, biographies, and more to provide a wealth of information on authors, their works, and literary movements. Researchers at all levels will find the information they need, with content covering all genres and disciplines, all time periods and all parts of the world.

- (An EBSCOhost Research Database) [ The premiere database of reading recommendations, available through libraries around the world. It is a comprehensive source of information about books that includes expert recommendations, read-alikes, reviews, articles, lists and more.

Active History - ] An interactive history site with topics that specifically match IB units of study.

Take a short video Churchill Archives - [U/N: DubaiAmerAC P/W: DubaiAmerAc - both case sensitive] tour to see the features of the Archives. Churchill Archive is a digital library of modern international history. It includes more than 800,000 pages of original documents, produced between 1874 and 1965, ranging from Winston S. Churchill's personal correspondence to his official exchanges with kings, presidents, politicians, and military leaders. This is more than a fantastic collection of primary source material; it is a unique online resource offering new insight into a fascinating period of our past.

] World History in Context moves chronologically over 5,000 years from antiquity to the present and geographically around the globe, to ensure that the events, movements and individuals that defined, informed and shaped world history are covered with a sense of balance. This database offers students and researchers unparalleled access to a broad collection of scholarly analysis and award-winning full-text periodicals, reference works and primary documents.

Lincoln Library of American History - ] Our subscription includes access to the Explore the 50 States, Native American History, and The American Civil War sources. For Elementary & Middle School use.

] Presents the Full Scope of World History from the 15th Century to the Present. Modern World History Online covers the full scope of world history from the mid-15th century to the present. Thousands of fully hyperlinked subject entries, biographies, images and videos, maps and charts, primary sources, and timeline entries combine to provide a detailed and comparative view of the people, places, events, and ideas that have defined modern world history.

] The most comprehensive collection of classical music available online offering over 1,442,200 tracks of Classical music, Jazz, World, Folk and Chinese music. It includes the complete BIS, Chandos, Hänssler, Hungaroton, Marco Polo, Naxos, Ondine and selected titles of other leading independent labels, with over 1,000 albums added monthly. Very useful for IB Music students .

] A useful additional resource for Psych students, t his user-friendly database includes videos, illustrations, and a regularly updated "Health in the News" section. This resource provides reliable information on today's most pressing health topics and key social concerns. Search results include tabbed results and suggested searches. Results also include a citation generator .

Provides access to over 540 professional journals from around the world and includes full text studies as well. This database also provides particularly strong coverage in child & adolescent psychology and various areas of counseling.

] This user-friendly database includes videos, illustrations, and a regularly updated "Health in the News" section. This resource provides reliable information on today's most pressing health topics and key social concerns. Search results include tabbed results and suggested searches. Results also include a citation generator .

Health Source - ] An EBSCOhost Research Database. This resource provides over 500 scholarly full-text journals focusing on many medical disciplines. Coverage of nursing and allied health is particularly strong.

] Offers a comprehensive, curriculum-oriented overview of a broad range of scientific disciplines in a variety of useful formats. The accessible content is organized by subject area and type of resource, as well as by STEM standards. Users can follow an extensive network of hyperlinks and suggested searches to related topics, and tabbed search results help users easily find their desired results quickly and easily.

Experiments and activities: more than 1,100 science experiments and activities, indexed by grade range, subject category, and time required.

Full science and mathematics coverage: Intuitive access to thousands of reference articles and news stories

"Today's Science Feature": handpicked articles from Today's Science highlighting recent scientific events and discoveries

Images, videos, and animations: more than 9,400 printable diagrams, illustrations, and images

Science Reference Center - ] An EBSCOhost Research Database. Topics covered in Science Reference Center include biology, chemistry, earth and space science, environmental science, health and medicine, life science, mathematics, physics, science and society, science as inquiry, scientists, technology, and wildlife.

An EBSCOhost Research Database. The Education Resource Information Center provides access to educational literature and resources. This database provides access to information from journals included in the Current Index of Journals in Education and Resources in Education Index.

An EBSCOhost Research Database. Designed for professional educators, this database provides a highly specialized collection of nearly 520 high quality education journals, including more than 350 peer-reviewed titles. This database also contains more than 200 educational reports. Professional Development Collection is the most comprehensive collection of full text education journals in the world.

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The log in is case sensitive. Make sure to select the appropriate level (Elementary, Middle or High School) before starting your search. We also have access to Britannica ].

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] The log in is case sensitive. Make sure to select the appropriate level (Elementary, Middle or High School) before starting your search. We also have access to Britannica ]. ImageQuest [

**** New Database: Digital Theatre Plus: www.digitaltheatreplus.com. [U/N: students_daa@gemsedu.com P/W: students] Watch high quality films of leading theatre productions; Discover how plays are brought to the stage in interviews with the creative teams; Learn about interpretive choice through detailed analysis of play texts; Teach key plays with stimulating and relevant support.

. Create a free NYTimes.com account New York Times Online: Visit using your school email address. Access to daily newspaper, as well as Historical articles: Unlimited access to articles in the date ranges 1851 - 1922 and 1981 - now.

Advanced Placement Source With thousands of full-text academic journals and magazines, and over half a million photos, maps and flags, students are provided with the essential research materials to reach academic heights in honor, AP or IB programs. Advanced Placement Source supports students in multiple areas of study covering a wide range of subject areas.

This database contains full text for a variety of popular middle school magazines. All full-text articles are assigned a reading level indicator (Lexiles). Full text is also available for thousands of biographies and historical essays. Includes primary source documents and more.

ontains full text for hundreds of popular high school magazines covering a wide-range of subject areas including history, science, careers and much more. This comprehensive database contains full text for top high-school magazines including America's Civil War, American History, Archaeology, Astronomy, Bioscience, Careers & Colleges, Congressional Digest, Discover, History Today, Nation, National Review, New Republic, New Scientist, Popular Science, Science News, Scientific American, Smithsonian, World War II, and much more. It also provides full text for tens of thousands of biographies and primary source documents, hundreds of reference books (including the Columbia Encyclopedia and the CIA World Fact Book), an Image Collection containing photos, maps & flags, color PDFs and expanded full-text backfiles (back to 1975) for key magazines.

Newspaper Source provides cover-to-cover full text for more than 40 national (U.S.) and international newspapers. The database also contains selective full text for more than 330 regional (U.S.) newspapers. In addition, full-text television and radio news transcripts are provided from CBS News, CNN, CNN International, FOX News, NPR, etc.

TOPIC Search This current events database allows researchers to explore social, political and economic issues, scientific discoveries and other popular topics. Students can use either the dropdown menus for Current Events or Topics to easily locate relevant articles. TOPICsearch contains full text for over 150,691 articles from 475 diverse sources including international and regional newspapers, EBSCO's unparalleled collection of periodicals, biographies, public opinion polls, book reviews, pamphlets, and government information.

Gale Student Resources in Context - [ P/W: leopards ] With a Web-like user experience, this Gale Student Resources provides information on all core subject from Science to Literature to History. From the eye-catching, media-rich homepage to the fast navigation options, Student Resources in Context helps covers the spectrum of student-focused subject matter. Contains periodical and newspaper articles, primary sources, and multimedia records including video and audio content from NBC, NPR and many other respected sources.

Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context - [ P/W: leopards Opposing Viewpoints in Context is the premier online resource covering today's hottest social issues, from Offshore Drilling to Climate Change, Health Care to Immigration. Opposing Viewpoints in Context helps students research, analyze and organize a broad variety of data for conducting research, completing writing assignments, preparing for debates, creating presentations and more. Gale's unprecedented collection of content and curriculum-focused tools that help students explore issues from all perspectives include:

Pro/con viewpoint essays, Topic overviews, More than 300 primary source documents, Biographies of social activists and reformers, Court-case overviews, Periodical articles, Statistical tables, charts and graphs, Podcasts, including weekly presidential addresses and premier NPR programs.

- ] This accessible database features content from Facts On File's extensive literature collection; hundreds of Harold Bloom's essays examining the lives and works of great writers; thousands of critical articles published by noted scholars under the Bloom's Literary Criticism imprint; extensive entries on literary topics, themes, movements, genres, and authors; and almost 2,200 video clips. Users can search by education standards, and browse characters, authors, and works. Entries can also be searched by date, author type, literary genre, and nationality, and users can now refine their searches using multiple criteria at once. A new Performance Video gateway page provides easy access to all full-length videos of classic productions.

Literature Resource Center - [ P/W: leopards ] The world's most current, comprehensive and reliable online literature database, Literature Resource Center is uniquely relevant to today's researcher. Its rich critical, biographical and contextual content supports interdisciplinary approaches, information literacy and the development of critical-thinking skills.

Full-text articles from scholarly journals and literary magazines are combined with critical essays, work and topic overviews, full-text works, biographies, and more to provide a wealth of information on authors, their works, and literary movements. Researchers at all levels will find the information they need, with content covering all genres and disciplines, all time periods and all parts of the world.

- (An EBSCOhost Research Database) [ The premiere database of reading recommendations, available through libraries around the world. It is a comprehensive source of information about books that includes expert recommendations, read-alikes, reviews, articles, lists and more.

Active History - ] An interactive history site with topics that specifically match IB units of study.

Take a short video Churchill Archives - [U/N: DubaiAmerAC P/W: DubaiAmerAc - both case sensitive] tour to see the features of the Archives. Churchill Archive is a digital library of modern international history. It includes more than 800,000 pages of original documents, produced between 1874 and 1965, ranging from Winston S. Churchill's personal correspondence to his official exchanges with kings, presidents, politicians, and military leaders. This is more than a fantastic collection of primary source material; it is a unique online resource offering new insight into a fascinating period of our past.

] World History in Context moves chronologically over 5,000 years from antiquity to the present and geographically around the globe, to ensure that the events, movements and individuals that defined, informed and shaped world history are covered with a sense of balance. This database offers students and researchers unparalleled access to a broad collection of scholarly analysis and award-winning full-text periodicals, reference works and primary documents.

Lincoln Library of American History - ] Our subscription includes access to the Explore the 50 States, Native American History, and The American Civil War sources. For Elementary & Middle School use.

] Presents the Full Scope of World History from the 15th Century to the Present. Modern World History Online covers the full scope of world history from the mid-15th century to the present. Thousands of fully hyperlinked subject entries, biographies, images and videos, maps and charts, primary sources, and timeline entries combine to provide a detailed and comparative view of the people, places, events, and ideas that have defined modern world history.

] The most comprehensive collection of classical music available online offering over 1,442,200 tracks of Classical music, Jazz, World, Folk and Chinese music. It includes the complete BIS, Chandos, Hänssler, Hungaroton, Marco Polo, Naxos, Ondine and selected titles of other leading independent labels, with over 1,000 albums added monthly. Very useful for IB Music students .

] A useful additional resource for Psych students, t his user-friendly database includes videos, illustrations, and a regularly updated "Health in the News" section. This resource provides reliable information on today's most pressing health topics and key social concerns. Search results include tabbed results and suggested searches. Results also include a citation generator .

Provides access to over 540 professional journals from around the world and includes full text studies as well. This database also provides particularly strong coverage in child & adolescent psychology and various areas of counseling.

] This user-friendly database includes videos, illustrations, and a regularly updated "Health in the News" section. This resource provides reliable information on today's most pressing health topics and key social concerns. Search results include tabbed results and suggested searches. Results also include a citation generator .

Health Source - ] An EBSCOhost Research Database. This resource provides over 500 scholarly full-text journals focusing on many medical disciplines. Coverage of nursing and allied health is particularly strong.

] Offers a comprehensive, curriculum-oriented overview of a broad range of scientific disciplines in a variety of useful formats. The accessible content is organized by subject area and type of resource, as well as by STEM standards. Users can follow an extensive network of hyperlinks and suggested searches to related topics, and tabbed search results help users easily find their desired results quickly and easily.

Experiments and activities: more than 1,100 science experiments and activities, indexed by grade range, subject category, and time required.

Full science and mathematics coverage: Intuitive access to thousands of reference articles and news stories

"Today's Science Feature": handpicked articles from Today's Science highlighting recent scientific events and discoveries

Images, videos, and animations: more than 9,400 printable diagrams, illustrations, and images

Science Reference Center - ] An EBSCOhost Research Database. Topics covered in Science Reference Center include biology, chemistry, earth and space science, environmental science, health and medicine, life science, mathematics, physics, science and society, science as inquiry, scientists, technology, and wildlife.

An EBSCOhost Research Database. The Education Resource Information Center provides access to educational literature and resources. This database provides access to information from journals included in the Current Index of Journals in Education and Resources in Education Index.

An EBSCOhost Research Database. Designed for professional educators, this database provides a highly specialized collection of nearly 520 high quality education journals, including more than 350 peer-reviewed titles. This database also contains more than 200 educational reports. Professional Development Collection is the most comprehensive collection of full text education journals in the world.

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The log in is case sensitive. Make sure to select the appropriate level (Elementary, Middle or High School) before starting your search. We also have access to Britannica ].

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] The log in is case sensitive. Make sure to select the appropriate level (Elementary, Middle or High School) before starting your search. We also have access to Britannica ]. ImageQuest [

**** New Database: Digital Theatre Plus: www.digitaltheatreplus.com. [U/N: students_daa@gemsedu.com P/W: students] Watch high quality films of leading theatre productions; Discover how plays are brought to the stage in interviews with the creative teams; Learn about interpretive choice through detailed analysis of play texts; Teach key plays with stimulating and relevant support.

. Create a free NYTimes.com account New York Times Online: Visit using your school email address. Access to daily newspaper, as well as Historical articles: Unlimited access to articles in the date ranges 1851 - 1922 and 1981 - now.

Advanced Placement Source With thousands of full-text academic journals and magazines, and over half a million photos, maps and flags, students are provided with the essential research materials to reach academic heights in honor, AP or IB programs. Advanced Placement Source supports students in multiple areas of study covering a wide range of subject areas.

This database contains full text for a variety of popular middle school magazines. All full-text articles are assigned a reading level indicator (Lexiles). Full text is also available for thousands of biographies and historical essays. Includes primary source documents and more.

ontains full text for hundreds of popular high school magazines covering a wide-range of subject areas including history, science, careers and much more. This comprehensive database contains full text for top high-school magazines including America's Civil War, American History, Archaeology, Astronomy, Bioscience, Careers & Colleges, Congressional Digest, Discover, History Today, Nation, National Review, New Republic, New Scientist, Popular Science, Science News, Scientific American, Smithsonian, World War II, and much more. It also provides full text for tens of thousands of biographies and primary source documents, hundreds of reference books (including the Columbia Encyclopedia and the CIA World Fact Book), an Image Collection containing photos, maps & flags, color PDFs and expanded full-text backfiles (back to 1975) for key magazines.

Newspaper Source provides cover-to-cover full text for more than 40 national (U.S.) and international newspapers. The database also contains selective full text for more than 330 regional (U.S.) newspapers. In addition, full-text television and radio news transcripts are provided from CBS News, CNN, CNN International, FOX News, NPR, etc.

TOPIC Search This current events database allows researchers to explore social, political and economic issues, scientific discoveries and other popular topics. Students can use either the dropdown menus for Current Events or Topics to easily locate relevant articles. TOPICsearch contains full text for over 150,691 articles from 475 diverse sources including international and regional newspapers, EBSCO's unparalleled collection of periodicals, biographies, public opinion polls, book reviews, pamphlets, and government information.

Gale Student Resources in Context - [ P/W: leopards ] With a Web-like user experience, this Gale Student Resources provides information on all core subject from Science to Literature to History. From the eye-catching, media-rich homepage to the fast navigation options, Student Resources in Context helps covers the spectrum of student-focused subject matter. Contains periodical and newspaper articles, primary sources, and multimedia records including video and audio content from NBC, NPR and many other respected sources.

Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context - [ P/W: leopards Opposing Viewpoints in Context is the premier online resource covering today's hottest social issues, from Offshore Drilling to Climate Change, Health Care to Immigration. Opposing Viewpoints in Context helps students research, analyze and organize a broad variety of data for conducting research, completing writing assignments, preparing for debates, creating presentations and more. Gale's unprecedented collection of content and curriculum-focused tools that help students explore issues from all perspectives include:

Pro/con viewpoint essays, Topic overviews, More than 300 primary source documents, Biographies of social activists and reformers, Court-case overviews, Periodical articles, Statistical tables, charts and graphs, Podcasts, including weekly presidential addresses and premier NPR programs.

- ] This accessible database features content from Facts On File's extensive literature collection; hundreds of Harold Bloom's essays examining the lives and works of great writers; thousands of critical articles published by noted scholars under the Bloom's Literary Criticism imprint; extensive entries on literary topics, themes, movements, genres, and authors; and almost 2,200 video clips. Users can search by education standards, and browse characters, authors, and works. Entries can also be searched by date, author type, literary genre, and nationality, and users can now refine their searches using multiple criteria at once. A new Performance Video gateway page provides easy access to all full-length videos of classic productions.

Literature Resource Center - [ P/W: leopards ] The world's most current, comprehensive and reliable online literature database, Literature Resource Center is uniquely relevant to today's researcher. Its rich critical, biographical and contextual content supports interdisciplinary approaches, information literacy and the development of critical-thinking skills.

Full-text articles from scholarly journals and literary magazines are combined with critical essays, work and topic overviews, full-text works, biographies, and more to provide a wealth of information on authors, their works, and literary movements. Researchers at all levels will find the information they need, with content covering all genres and disciplines, all time periods and all parts of the world.

- (An EBSCOhost Research Database) [ The premiere database of reading recommendations, available through libraries around the world. It is a comprehensive source of information about books that includes expert recommendations, read-alikes, reviews, articles, lists and more.

Active History - ] An interactive history site with topics that specifically match IB units of study.

Take a short video Churchill Archives - [U/N: DubaiAmerAC P/W: DubaiAmerAc - both case sensitive] tour to see the features of the Archives. Churchill Archive is a digital library of modern international history. It includes more than 800,000 pages of original documents, produced between 1874 and 1965, ranging from Winston S. Churchill's personal correspondence to his official exchanges with kings, presidents, politicians, and military leaders. This is more than a fantastic collection of primary source material; it is a unique online resource offering new insight into a fascinating period of our past.

] World History in Context moves chronologically over 5,000 years from antiquity to the present and geographically around the globe, to ensure that the events, movements and individuals that defined, informed and shaped world history are covered with a sense of balance. This database offers students and researchers unparalleled access to a broad collection of scholarly analysis and award-winning full-text periodicals, reference works and primary documents.

Lincoln Library of American History - ] Our subscription includes access to the Explore the 50 States, Native American History, and The American Civil War sources. For Elementary & Middle School use.

] Presents the Full Scope of World History from the 15th Century to the Present. Modern World History Online covers the full scope of world history from the mid-15th century to the present. Thousands of fully hyperlinked subject entries, biographies, images and videos, maps and charts, primary sources, and timeline entries combine to provide a detailed and comparative view of the people, places, events, and ideas that have defined modern world history.

] The most comprehensive collection of classical music available online offering over 1,442,200 tracks of Classical music, Jazz, World, Folk and Chinese music. It includes the complete BIS, Chandos, Hänssler, Hungaroton, Marco Polo, Naxos, Ondine and selected titles of other leading independent labels, with over 1,000 albums added monthly. Very useful for IB Music students .

] A useful additional resource for Psych students, t his user-friendly database includes videos, illustrations, and a regularly updated "Health in the News" section. This resource provides reliable information on today's most pressing health topics and key social concerns. Search results include tabbed results and suggested searches. Results also include a citation generator .

Provides access to over 540 professional journals from around the world and includes full text studies as well. This database also provides particularly strong coverage in child & adolescent psychology and various areas of counseling.

] This user-friendly database includes videos, illustrations, and a regularly updated "Health in the News" section. This resource provides reliable information on today's most pressing health topics and key social concerns. Search results include tabbed results and suggested searches. Results also include a citation generator .

Health Source - ] An EBSCOhost Research Database. This resource provides over 500 scholarly full-text journals focusing on many medical disciplines. Coverage of nursing and allied health is particularly strong.

] Offers a comprehensive, curriculum-oriented overview of a broad range of scientific disciplines in a variety of useful formats. The accessible content is organized by subject area and type of resource, as well as by STEM standards. Users can follow an extensive network of hyperlinks and suggested searches to related topics, and tabbed search results help users easily find their desired results quickly and easily.

Experiments and activities: more than 1,100 science experiments and activities, indexed by grade range, subject category, and time required.

Full science and mathematics coverage: Intuitive access to thousands of reference articles and news stories

"Today's Science Feature": handpicked articles from Today's Science highlighting recent scientific events and discoveries

Images, videos, and animations: more than 9,400 printable diagrams, illustrations, and images

Science Reference Center - ] An EBSCOhost Research Database. Topics covered in Science Reference Center include biology, chemistry, earth and space science, environmental science, health and medicine, life science, mathematics, physics, science and society, science as inquiry, scientists, technology, and wildlife.

An EBSCOhost Research Database. The Education Resource Information Center provides access to educational literature and resources. This database provides access to information from journals included in the Current Index of Journals in Education and Resources in Education Index.

An EBSCOhost Research Database. Designed for professional educators, this database provides a highly specialized collection of nearly 520 high quality education journals, including more than 350 peer-reviewed titles. This database also contains more than 200 educational reports. Professional Development Collection is the most comprehensive collection of full text education journals in the world.

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The log in is case sensitive. Make sure to select the appropriate level (Elementary, Middle or High School) before starting your search. We also have access to Britannica ].

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University of Utah Neuroscience Initiative

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What's inside a brain? | Brain Dissection | At-Bristol Science Centre

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Why are brains wrinkly? Which animal has the biggest brain? Nerys of the Live Science Team delves into the grey matter of a pig's brain to find out more about how our brains work. This video was presented by: Nerys Shah, Live Science Team Produced by: Ross Exton, Live Science Video Producer, and Seamus Foley, Big Screen Producer.

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What's inside a heart? Heart Dissection | We The Curious

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Hands-Only CPR can be just as effective as conventional CPR. Learn what Hands-Only CPR is and how to give it.

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What's inside the lungs? | Lung Dissection | We The Curious

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Kidneys play a vital role in your body. Why are kidneys so important? Visit the National Kidney Foundation and find out more details about hypertension, diabetes and other ways they can become damaged. Click this link and find out how to keep those kidneys healthy.

Despite what they may look like from the outside, the kidneys are more than just a pair of little beans. The best way to understand just how complex these organs really are is to visualize what's inside: this series of four diagrams can help you understand how all the bits fit together.

Kidneys are truly "magical beans" in your body. Need more details and reinforcement on how they work? Visit Khan Academy and get another perspective! Then watch: Parts of a Nephron to get more detail! Sounds complicated doesn't it? Make some sketchnotes!

Within the kidney, the nephrons create a whole other fascinating world of their own. Find out what these twisty apparatus look like, and what their most important tasks are. But remember, this is just one nephron: each kidney contains about one million of these! Here, you can find out more about these fine filters and how they go about cleaning your blood.

What are kidney stones? Sounds horrible, doesn't it? What are some symptoms of kidney stones? Visit the Mayo Clinic and find out. Are you at risk for kidney stones?

If you want a more general overview of this organ duo, you can read all about what they do and why they're important. You can also read about some of the kidney conditions that can cause problems in our bodies-proving that even these magical beans aren't always infallible. What's the latest medical news on kidneys? Visit the Stanford School of Medicine and learn about potential kidney regeneration. Harvard Stem Cell Institute has information on this topic too! For more cutting edge research ideas about the kidney watch and answer the questions in this TED Ed lesson: Printing a human kidney: Anthony Atala.

Think you know a lot about the kidneys? Take the Kidney Quiz. How did you do?

Finally, what makes urine yellow, what can the color tell us, and what makes it change its hue? Here's a guide to urine, to help you figure out what your own is telling you-and when it's a little too neon for comfort. Maybe it's time to take a break and drink that glass of water.

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After drinking a few glasses of water on a hot day, you might be struck with a sudden ... urge. Behind that feeling are two bean-shaped organs that work as fine-tuned internal sensors.

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Nervous System

Credits

ByHealthwise Staff
Primary Medical Reviewer William H. Blahd, Jr., MD, FACEP - Emergency Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer H. Michael O'Connor, MD - Emergency Medicine

WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise

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ByHealthwise StaffPrimary Medical Reviewer William H. Blahd, Jr., MD, FACEP - Emergency Medicine Specialist Medical Reviewer H. Michael O'Connor, MD - Emergency Medicine WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise

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The heart is an amazing organ. It pumps oxygen and nutrient-rich blood throughout your body to sustain life. This fist-sized powerhouse beats (expands and contracts) 100,000 times per day, pumping five or six quarts of blood each minute, or about 2,000 gallons per day.

Your heart is a key part of your cardiovascular system, which also includes all your blood vessels that carry blood from the heart to the body and then back to the heart.

How Does Blood Travel Through the Heart?

As the heart beats, it pumps blood through a system of blood vessels, called the circulatory system. The vessels are elastic, muscular tubes that carry blood to every part of the body.

Blood is essential. In addition to carrying fresh oxygen from the lungs and nutrients to the body's tissues, it also takes the body's waste products, including carbon dioxide, away from the tissues. This is necessary to sustain life and promote the health of all parts of the body.

There are three main types of blood vessels:

They begin with the aorta, the large artery leaving the heart. Arteries carry oxygen-rich blood away from the heart to all of the body's tissues. They branch several times, becoming smaller and smaller as they carry blood further from the heart and into organs.

Capillaries. These are small, thin blood vessels that connect the arteries and the veins. Their thin walls allow oxygen, nutrients, carbon dioxide, and other waste products to pass to and from our organ's cells.

Veins. These are blood vessels that take blood back to the heart; this blood has lower oxygen content and is rich in waste products that are to be excreted or removed from the body. Veins become larger and larger as they get closer to the heart. The superior vena cava is the large vein that brings blood from the head and arms to the heart, and the inferior vena cava brings blood from the abdomen and legs into the heart.

This vast system of blood vessels -- arteries, veins, and capillaries -- is over 60,000 miles long. That's long enough to go around the world more than twice!

Continued

Where Is Your Heart and What Does It Look Like?

The heart is located under the rib cage, slightly to the left of your breastbone (sternum) and between your lungs.

Looking at the outside of the heart, you can see that the heart is made of muscle. The strong muscular walls contract (squeeze), pumping blood to the rest of the body. On the surface of the heart, there are coronary arteries, which supply oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle itself. The major blood vessels that enter the heart are the superior vena cava, the inferior vena cava, and the pulmonary veins. The pulmonary artery exits the heart and carries oxygen-poor blood to the lungs. The aorta exits and carries oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body.

On the inside, the heart is a four-chambered, hollow organ. It is divided into the left and right side by a muscular wall called the septum. The right and left sides of the heart are further divided into two top chambers called the atria, which receive blood from the veins, and two bottom chambers called ventricles, which pump blood into the arteries.

The atria and ventricles work together, contracting and relaxing to pump blood out of the heart. As blood leaves each chamber of the heart, it passes through a valve. There are four heart valves within the heart:

Mitral valve

Tricuspid valve

Aortic valve

Pulmonic valve

The tricuspid and mitral valves lie between the atria and ventricles. The aortic and pulmonic valves lie between the ventricles and the major blood vessels leaving the heart.

The heart valves work the same way as one-way valves in the plumbing of your home. They prevent blood from flowing in the wrong direction.

Each valve has a set of flaps, called leaflets or cusps. The mitral valve has two leaflets; the others have three. The leaflets are attached to and supported by a ring of tough, fibrous tissue called the annulus. The annulus helps to maintain the proper shape of the valve.

The leaflets of the mitral and tricuspid valves are also supported by tough, fibrous strings called chordae tendineae. These are similar to the strings supporting a parachute. They extend from the valve leaflets to small muscles, called papillary muscles, which are part of the inside walls of the ventricles.

Continued

How Does Blood Flow Through the Heart?

The right and left sides of the heart work together. The pattern described below is repeated over and over, causing blood to flow continuously to the heart, lungs, and body.

Right Side of the Heart

Blood enters the heart through two large veins, the inferior and superior vena cava, emptying oxygen-poor blood from the body into the right atrium of the heart.

As the atrium contracts, blood flows from your right atrium into your right ventricle through the open tricuspid valve.

When the ventricle is full, the tricuspid valve shuts. This prevents blood from flowing backward into the atria while the ventricle contracts.

As the ventricle contracts, blood leaves the heart through the pulmonic valve, into the pulmonary artery and to the lungs, where it is oxygenated and then returns to the left atrium through the pulmonary veins.

Left Side of the Heart

The pulmonary veins empty oxygen-rich blood from the lungs into the left atrium of the heart.

As the atrium contracts, blood flows from your left atrium into your left ventricle through the open mitral valve.

When the ventricle is full, the mitral valve shuts. This prevents blood from flowing backward into the atrium while the ventricle contracts.

As the ventricle contracts, blood leaves the heart through the aortic valve, into the aorta and to the body.

How Does Blood Flow Through Your Lungs?

Once blood travels through the pulmonic valve, it enters your lungs. This is called the pulmonary circulation. From your pulmonic valve, blood travels to the pulmonary artery to tiny capillary vessels in the lungs.

Here, oxygen travels from the tiny air sacs in the lungs, through the walls of the capillaries, into the blood. At the same time, carbon dioxide, a waste product of metabolism, passes from the blood into the air sacs. Carbon dioxide leaves the body when you exhale. Once the blood is purified and oxygenated, it travels back to the left atrium through the pulmonary veins.

What Are the Coronary Arteries of the Heart?

Like all organs, your heart is made of tissue that requires a supply of oxygen and nutrients. Although its chambers are full of blood, the heart receives no nourishment from this blood. The heart receives its own supply of blood from a network of arteries, called the coronary arteries.

Continued

Two major coronary arteries branch off from the aorta near the point where the aorta and the left ventricle meet:

Right coronary artery supplies the right atrium and right ventricle with blood. It branches into the posterior descending artery, which supplies the bottom portion of the left ventricle and back of the septum with blood.

Left main coronary artery branches into the circumflex artery and the left anterior descending artery. The circumflex artery supplies blood to the left atrium, side and back of the left ventricle, and the left anterior descending artery supplies the front and bottom of the left ventricle and the front of the septum with blood.

These arteries and their branches supply all parts of the heart muscle with blood.

Coronary artery disease occurs when plaque builds up in the coronary arteries and prevents the heart from getting the enriched blood it needs. If this happens, a network of tiny blood vessels in the heart that aren't usually open called collateral vessels may enlarge and become active. This allows blood to flow around the blocked artery to the heart muscle, protecting the heart tissue from injury.

How Does the Heart Beat?

The atria and ventricles work together, alternately contracting and relaxing to pump blood through your heart. The electrical system of the heart is the power source that makes this possible.

Your heartbeat is triggered by electrical impulses that travel down a special pathway through the heart.

The impulse starts in a small bundle of specialized cells called the SA node (sinoatrial node), located in the right atrium. This node is known as the heart's natural pacemaker. The electrical activity spreads through the walls of the atria and causes them to contract.

A cluster of cells in the center of the heart between the atria and ventricles, the AV node (atrioventricular node) is like a gate that slows the electrical signal before it enters the ventricles. This delay gives the atria time to contract before the ventricles do.

The His-Purkinje network is a pathway of fibers that sends the impulse to the muscular walls of the ventricles, causing them to contract.

At rest, a normal heart beats around 50 to 99 times a minute. Exercise, emotions, fever, and some medications can cause your heart to beat faster, sometimes to well over 100 beats per minute.

Next Article
What Is Heart Disease?

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How the Heart Works & Pumps Blood Through The Human Body

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The heart is an amazing organ. It pumps oxygen and nutrient-rich blood throughout your body to sustain life. This fist-sized powerhouse beats (expands and contracts) 100,000 times per day, pumping five or six quarts of blood each minute, or about 2,000 gallons per day.

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You usually don't even notice it, but twelve to twenty times per minute, day after day, you breathe -- thanks to your body's respiratory system. Your lungs expand and contract, supplying life-sustaining oxygen to your body and removing from it, a waste product called carbon dioxide.

The Act of Breathing

Breathing starts at the nose and mouth. You inhale air into your nose or mouth, and it travels down the back of your throat and into your windpipe, or trachea. Your trachea then divides into air passages called bronchial tubes.

For your lungs to perform their best, these airways need to be open during inhalation and exhalation and free from inflammation or swelling and excess or abnormal amounts of mucus.

As the bronchial tubes pass through the lungs, they divide into smaller air passages called bronchioles. The bronchioles end in tiny balloon-like air sacs called alveoli. Your body has over 300 million alveoli.

The alveoli are surrounded by a mesh of tiny blood vessels called capillaries. Here, oxygen from the inhaled air passes through the alveoli walls and into the blood.

After absorbing oxygen, the blood leaves the lungs and is carried to your heart. Your heart then pumps it through your body to provide oxygen to the cells of your tissues and organs.

As the cells use the oxygen, carbon dioxide is produced and absorbed into the blood. Your blood then carries the carbon dioxide back to your lungs, where it is removed from the body when you exhale.

The Diaphragm's Role in Breathing

Inhalation and exhalation are the processes by which the body brings in oxygen and expels carbon dioxide. The breathing process is aided by a large dome-shaped muscle under the lungs called the diaphragm.

When you breathe in, the diaphragm contracts downward, creating a vacuum that causes a rush of fresh air into the lungs.

The opposite occurs with exhalation, where the diaphragm relaxes upwards, pushing on the lungs, allowing them to deflate.

Clearing the Air

The respiratory system has built-in methods to prevent harmful substances in the air from entering the lungs.

Hairs in your nose help filter out large particles. Microscopic hairs, called cilia, are found along your air passages and move in a sweeping motion to keep the air passages clean. But if harmful substances, such as cigarette smoke, are inhaled, the cilia stop functioning properly, causing health problems like bronchitis.

Mucus produced by cells in the trachea and bronchial tubes keeps air passages moist and aids in stopping dust, bacteria and viruses, allergy-causing substances, and other substances from entering the lungs.

Impurities that do reach the deeper parts of the lungs can often be moved up via mucous and coughed out or swallowed.

Sources

SOURCES:

TeensHealth: "Lungs and Respiratory System."

American Lung Association: "Learn About Your Respiratory System."

American Medical Association: "Respiratory System: Basic Function."

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How the Lungs and Respiratory System Work

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You usually don't even notice it, but twelve to twenty times per minute, day after day, you breathe -- thanks to your body's respiratory system. Your lungs expand and contract, supplying life-sustaining oxygen to your body and removing from it, a waste product called carbon dioxide. Breathing starts at the nose and mouth.

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THIS TOOL DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. It is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment and should not be relied on to make decisions about your health. Never ignore professional medical advice in seeking treatment because of something you have read on the WebMD Site. If you think you may have a medical emergency, immediately call your doctor or dial 911.

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THIS TOOL DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. It is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment and should not be relied on to make decisions about your health.

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"Just a spoonful of sugar... " goes the song. But what happens to that sugar once you swallow it? In fact, how is it that you are able to swallow it at all? Your digestive system performs amazing feats every day, whether you eat a double cheeseburger or a stalk of celery. Read on to learn what exactly happens to food as it makes its way through your digestive system.

What Is Digestion?

Digestion is the complex process of turning the food you eat into nutrients, which the body uses for energy, growth and cell repair needed to survive. The digestion process also involves creating waste to be eliminated.

The digestive tract (or gastrointestinal tract) is a long twisting tube that starts at the mouth and ends at the anus. It is made up of a series of muscles that coordinate the movement of food and other cells that produce enzymes and hormones to aid in the breakdown of food. Along the way are other 'accessory' organs that are needed for digestion: the gallbladder, liver, and the pancreas.

Food's Journey Through the Digestive System

Stop 1: The Mouth

The mouth is the beginning of the digestive system, and, in fact, digestion starts here before you even take the first bite of a meal. The smell of food triggers the salivary glands in your mouth to secrete saliva, causing your mouth to water. When you actually taste the food, saliva increases.

Once you start chewing and breaking the food down into pieces small enough to be digested, other mechanisms come into play. More saliva is produced. It contains substances including enzymes that begin the process of breaking down food into a form your body can absorb and use. Chew your food more -- it also helps with your digestion.

Stop 2: The Pharynx and Esophagus

Also called the throat, the pharynx is the portion of the digestive tract that receives the food from your mouth. Branching off the pharynx is the esophagus, which carries food to the stomach, and the trachea or windpipe, which carries air to the lungs.

The act of swallowing takes place in the pharynx partly as a reflex and partly under voluntary control. The tongue and soft palate -- the soft part of the roof of the mouth -- push food into the pharynx, which closes off the trachea. The food then enters the esophagus.

Continued

The esophagus is a muscular tube extending from the pharynx and behind the trachea to the stomach. Food is pushed through the esophagus and into the stomach by means of a series of contractions called peristalsis.

Just before the opening to the stomach is an important ring-shaped muscle called the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). This sphincter opens to let food pass into the stomach and closes to keep it there. If your LES doesn't work properly, you may suffer from a condition called GERD, or reflux, which causes heartburn and regurgitation (the feeling of food coming back up).

Stop 3: The Stomach and Small Intestine

The stomach is a sac-like organ with strong muscular walls. In addition to holding food, it serves as the mixer and grinder of food. The stomach secretes acid and powerful enzymes that continue the process of breaking the food down and changing it to a consistency of liquid or paste. From there, food moves to the small intestine. Between meals, the non-liquefiable remnants are released from the stomach and ushered through the rest of the intestines to be eliminated.

Made up of three segments -- the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum -- the small intestine also breaks down food using enzymes released by the pancreas and bile from the liver. The small intestine is the 'work horse' of digestion, as this is where most nutrients are absorbed. Peristalsis is also at work in this organ, moving food through and mixing it up with the digestive secretions from the pancreas and liver, including bile. The duodenum is largely responsible for the continuing breakdown process, with the jejunum and ileum being mainly responsible for absorption of nutrients into the bloodstream.

A more technical name for this part of the process is "motility," because it involves moving or emptying food particles from one part to the next. This process is highly dependent on the activity of a large network of nerves, hormones, and muscles. Problems with any of these components can cause a variety of conditions.

While food is in the small intestine, nutrients are absorbed through the walls and into the bloodstream. What's leftover (the waste) moves into the large intestine (large bowel or colon).

Continued

Everything above the large intestine is called the upper GI tract. Everything below is the lower GI tract

Stop 4: The Colon, Rectum, and Anus

The colon (large intestine) is a five- to seven -foot -long muscular tube that connects the small intestine to the rectum. It is made up of the cecum, the ascending (right) colon, the transverse (across) colon, the descending (left) colon and the sigmoid colon, which connects to the rectum. The appendix is a small tube attached to the ascending colon. The large intestine is a highly specialized organ that is responsible for processing waste so that defecation (excretion of waste) is easy and convenient.

Stool, or waste left over from the digestive process, passes through the colon by means of peristalsis, first in a liquid state and ultimately in solid form. As stool passes through the colon, any remaining water is absorbed. Stool is stored in the sigmoid (S-shaped) colon until a "mass movement" empties it into the rectum, usually once or twice a day.

It normally takes about 36 hours for stool to get through the colon. The stool itself is mostly food debris and bacteria. These bacteria perform several useful functions, such as synthesizing various vitamins, processing waste products and food particles, and protecting against harmful bacteria. When the descending colon becomes full of stool, it empties its contents into the rectum to begin the process of elimination.

The rectum is an eight-inch chamber that connects the colon to the anus. The rectum:

Receives stool from the colon

Lets the person know there is stool to be evacuated

Holds the stool until evacuation happens

When anything (gas or stool) comes into the rectum, sensors send a message to the brain. The brain then decides if the rectal contents can be released or not. If they can, the sphincters relax and the rectum contracts, expelling its contents. If the contents cannot be expelled, the sphincters contract and the rectum accommodates so that the sensation temporarily goes away.

The anus is the last part of the digestive tract. It consists of the muscles that line the pelvis (pelvic floor muscles) and two other muscles called anal sphincters (internal and external).

The pelvic floor muscle creates an angle between the rectum and the anus that stops stool from coming out when it is not supposed to. The anal sphincters provide fine control of stool. The internal sphincter is always tight, except when stool enters the rectum. It keeps us continent (not releasing stool) when we are asleep or otherwise unaware of the presence of stool. When we get an urge to defecate (go to the bathroom), we rely on our external sphincter to keep the stool in until we can get to the toilet.

Continued

Accessory Digestive Organs

Pancreas
Among other functions, the pancreas is the chief factory for digestive enzymes that are secreted into the duodenum, the first segment of the small intestine. These enzymes break down protein, fats, and carbohydrates.

Liver
The liver has multiple functions, but two of its main functions within the digestive system are to make and secrete an important substance called bile and to process the blood coming from the small intestine containing the nutrients just absorbed. The liver purifies this blood of many impurities before traveling to the rest of the body.

Gallbladder
The gallbladder is a storage sac for excess bile. Bile made in the liver travels to the small intestine via the bile ducts. If the intestine doesn't need it, the bile travels into the gallbladder, where it awaits the signal from the intestines that food is present. Bile serves two main purposes. First, it helps absorb fats in the diet, and secondly, it carries waste from the liver that cannot go through the kidneys.

Sources

SOURCES:
National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (Division of NIDDK/NIH).
American Medical Association.

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"Just a spoonful of sugar... " goes the song. But what happens to that sugar once you swallow it? In fact, how is it that you are able to swallow it at all? Your digestive system performs amazing feats every day, whether you eat a double cheeseburger or a stalk of celery.

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Strength training is about more than getting buff
From the WebMD Archives

We all know how important cardiovascular exercise is -- how it's great for your heart, cholesterol, and blood pressure. And whether you choose to walk, bicycle, or jog, you know that any exercise that increases your heart rate helps you burn calories and melt away unwanted pounds.

But that's only half the equation.

For a balanced fitness program, strength training is essential. It can slow the muscle loss that comes with age, build the strength of your muscles and connective tissues, increase bone density, cut your risk of injury, and help ease arthritis pain.

" Strength training is very important, not just for your muscles but for your bones," says certified fitness trainer Debbie Siebers. "It's preventative for [bone-thinning] osteoporosis and other problems."

Studies from the CDC have found that muscle-building exercise can also improve balance, reduce the likelihood of falls, improve blood-sugar control, and improve sleep and mental health.

And let us not forget the weight-loss benefits. Not only does it make you look trimmer and shapelier, but building muscle also helps you burn calories -- even after your workout is done.

"Three to four hours after a strength-training workout, you're still burning calories," says Seibers, a creator of fitness videos including the "Slim in 6" series.

Strength training is especially important for dieters. When you lose weight, up to a quarter of the loss may come from muscle, which can slow your metabolism. Strength training helps you rebuild any muscle you lost by dieting -- or keep you from losing it in the first place.

Getting Started

So you're convinced of strength training's virtues. But just how do you go about getting started?

The weight room at the gym, with all the buff bodies and complicated-looking equipment, can be intimidating to a beginner. Indeed, for someone with back or joint pain, just picking up a weight might seem daunting. Then there's the issue of proper form: Without it, you could do more harm than good trying to build strength.

Your best bet when starting out, the experts say, is one-on-one help from a qualified fitness trainer -- whether it's a personal trainer you've hired, or an instructor at your gym. A trainer can address your personal goals and limitations and can help you with alignment and execution of each exercise.

Continued

"I can't tell you how many people I see with a knee injury because they were not taught correctly how to do a lunge or squat," says Sue Carver, physical therapist with A World of Difference Therapy Services in Little Rock, Ark.

Siebers also recommends checking out books, videos, and/or fitness- and health-related web sites for guidance on exercises and form.

Indeed, good technique, not heavy lifting, should be your primary goal in the beginning, Carver says.

Siebers recommends using a heavy enough weight to feel resistance, but not strain or pain. Your individual body will determine just how much that is, and you should err on the light side at first; five pounds may not seem like a lot, but it's better to be conservative than suffer.

And how much should you work out? According to the American College of Sports Medicine guidelines, beginners should do at least two days per week of any type of strength-training exercise. Your workout should consist of 8 to 12 repetitions each of 8 to 10 different exercises working all the major muscle groups -- chest, back, shoulders, arms, abdominals, and legs. (A repetition is how many times you lift the weight, pull the rubber tubing, do a pushup, or whatever.)

Machines or Free Weights?

Both free weights and weight machines work well, and experts say there's no evidence that one is superior to the other, so this is largely a matter of choice.

Machines are a good idea for people who are overweight and/or out of condition, since the exercises are generally done seated and with back support, Seibers says.

But if machines are not an option, investing a few dollars in a set of light dumbbells and/or some resistance tubing can give you what you need to start toning those muscles.

Whichever option you choose, keep your moves basic at first, the experts say. For the arms and upper body, try these exercises:

Chest presses

Reverse flies for the back

Overhead presses for the shoulders

Bicep curls

Triceps kickbacks or extensions

Continued

For the lower body, don't start out with squats and lunges, which can put too much impact on weak joints. Instead, try:

Quadriceps extensions for the front of the thigh.

Hamstrings curl for the back of the thigh.

Side-lying or standing leg lifts to work the inner and outer thigh.

And don't forget to work on strengthening your "core" muscles -- the ones in your abdominal and lower back area. Core stability is key to avoiding injury, according to Carver. "Somebody with strong upper extremities but no core stability can hurt themselves doing a bicep curl, for example, if they can't stabilize the trunk," she says.

You'll also avoid injuries -- and get the best results -- by varying your workouts. For example, if you work the biceps, back and legs one day, work the triceps, chest and shoulders the next time you train, Siebers says. Alternating between muscle groups gives the ones you worked plenty of time to recover.

Incorporating stretching in your strength program will also help keep injuries at bay, says Carver. Most important, don't push too hard. Carver always cautions people that "feeling some discomfort in the muscle is OK, but feeling it in the joint is not."

If you have a health condition or previous injury, you may need to do modified versions of certain exercises or skip them altogether, she says. That's when it's especially important to work with a fitness trainer.

Staying With the Program

Success comes from structure and constant support, according to Siebers. "Calendar it up," she suggests: Chart your week of exercise out in advance so you know exactly what you're expecting of yourself.

Having a friend to train with is one of the best ways to stick to a program, Siebers says, even if he or she is a cyber-pal.

"Internet chat rooms and support groups really help to motivate," she says. "There are a million people out there in your same situation getting online every night and encouraging each other. People need that day-to-day hand-holding."

But perhaps the most important things you need for a successful strength training program -- or for successful weight loss -- are patience and acceptance, she says.

"The problem is, people look too far down the road trying to see the big picture too quickly," she says. "You have to try to accept and love yourself today and know that each day, you're going to get better."

Sources

SOURCES: Debbie Siebers, certified personal trainer; developer of fitness video/DVD programs. Sue Carver, physical therapist; owner, A World of Difference Therapy Services, Little Rock, Ark. WebMD Live Event transcript: "Staying Fit -- Rich Weil, MEd, CDE," Feb. 25, 2004. WebMD Live Event transcript: "Fall Into Fitness Richard Weil, MEd, CDE," Sept. 2, 2003.

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The Basics: Build Muscle for Better Health

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For a balanced fitness program, strength training is essential. It can slow the muscle loss that comes with age, build the strength of your muscles and connective tissues, increase bone density, cut your risk of injury, and help ease arthritis pain.

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© 2014 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.

The kidneys are a pair of bean-shaped organs on either side of your spine, below your ribs and behind your belly. Each kidney is about 4 or 5 inches long, roughly the size of a large fist.

The kidneys' job is to filter your blood. They remove wastes, control the body's fluid balance, and keep the right levels of electrolytes. All of the blood in your body passes through them several times a day.

Blood comes into the kidney, waste gets removed, and salt, water, and minerals are adjusted, if needed. The filtered blood goes back into the body. Waste gets turned into urine, which collects in the kidney's pelvis -- a funnel-shaped structure that drains down a tube called the ureter to the bladder.

Each kidney has around a million tiny filters called nephrons. You could have only 10% of your kidneys working, and you may not notice any symptoms or problems.

If blood stops flowing into a kidney, part or all of it could die. That can lead to kidney failure.

Kidney Conditions

Pyelonephritis (infection of kidney pelvis): Bacteria may infect the kidney, usually causing back pain and fever. A spread of bacteria from an untreated bladder infection is the most common cause of pyelonephritis.

Glomerulonephritis: An overactive immune system may attack the kidney, causing inflammation and some damage. Blood and protein in the urine are common problems that occur with glomerulonephritis. It can also result in kidney failure.

Kidney stones (nephrolithiasis): Minerals in urine form crystals (stones), which may grow large enough to block urine flow. It's considered one of the most painful conditions. Most kidney stones pass on their own, but some are too large and need to be treated.

Nephrotic syndrome: Damage to the kidneys causes them to spill large amounts of protein into the urine. Leg swelling (edema) may be a symptom.

Polycystic kidney disease: A genetic condition resulting in large cysts in both kidneys that hinder their work.

Acute renal failure (kidney failure): A sudden worsening in how well your kidneys work. Dehydration, a blockage in the urinary tract, or kidney damage can cause acute renal failure, which may be reversible.

Chronic renal failure: A permanent partial loss of how well your kidneys work. Diabetes and high blood pressure are the most common causes.

End-stage renal disease (ESRD): Complete loss of kidney strength, usually due to progressive chronic kidney disease. People with ESRD require regular dialysis for survival.

Papillary necrosis: Severe damage to the kidneys can cause chunks of kidney tissue to break off internally and clog the kidneys. If untreated, the resulting damage can lead to total kidney failure.

Diabetic nephropathy: High blood sugar from diabetes progressively damages the kidneys, eventually causing chronic kidney disease. Protein in the urine (nephrotic syndrome) may also result.

Hypertensive nephropathy: Kidney damage caused by high blood pressure. Chronic renal failure may eventually result.

Kidney cancer: Renal cell carcinoma is the most common cancer affecting the kidney. Smoking is the most common cause of kidney cancer.

Interstitial nephritis: Inflammation of the connective tissue inside the kidney, often causing acute renal failure. Allergic reactions and drug side effects are the usual causes.

Minimal change disease: A form of nephrotic syndrome in which kidney cells look almost normal under the microscope. The disease can cause significant leg swelling (edema). Steroids are used to treat minimal change disease.

Nephrogenic diabetes insipidus: The kidneys lose the ability to concentrate the urine, usually due to a drug reaction. Although it's rarely dangerous, diabetes insipidus causes constant thirst and frequent urination.

Renal cyst: A hollowed-out space in the kidney. Isolated kidney cysts often happen as people age, and they almost never cause a problem. Complex cysts and masses can be cancerous.

Continued

Kidney Tests

Urinalysis: A routine test of the urine by a machine and often by a person looking through a microscope. Urinalysis can help detect infections, inflammation, microscopic bleeding, and kidney damage.

Kidney ultrasound: A probe placed on the skin reflects sound waves off the kidneys, creating images on a screen. Ultrasound can reveal blockages in urine flow, stones, cysts, or suspicious masses in the kidneys.

Computed tomography (CT) scan: A CT scanner takes a series of X-rays, and a computer creates detailed images of the kidneys.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan: A scanner uses radio waves in a magnetic field to make high-resolution images of the kidneys.

Urine and blood cultures: If an infection is suspected, cultures of the blood and urine may identify the bacteria responsible. This can help target antibiotic therapy.

Ureteroscopy: An endoscope (flexible tube with a camera on its end) is passed through the urethra into the bladder and ureters. Ureteroscopy generally cannot reach the kidneys themselves, but can help treat conditions that also affect the ureters.

Kidney biopsy: Using a needle inserted into the back, a small piece of kidney tissue is removed. Examining the kidney tissue under a microscope may help diagnose a kidney problem.

Kidney Treatments

Antibiotics: Kidney infections caused by bacteria are treated with antibiotics. Often, cultures of the blood or urine can help guide the choice of antibiotic therapy.

Nephrostomy: A tube (catheter) is placed through the skin into the kidney. Urine then drains directly from the kidney, bypassing any blockages in urine flow.

Lithotripsy: Some kidney stones may be shattered into small pieces that can pass in the urine. Most often, lithotripsy is done by a machine that projects ultrasound shock waves through the body.

Nephrectomy: Surgery to remove a kidney. Nephrectomy is performed for kidney cancer or severe kidney damage.

Dialysis: Artificial filtering of the blood to replace the work that damaged kidneys can't do. Hemodialysis is the most common method of dialysis in the U.S.

Hemodialysis: A person with complete kidney failure is connected to a dialysis machine, which filters the blood and returns it to the body. Hemodialysis is typically done 3 days per week in people with ESRD.

Peritoneal dialysis: Placing large amounts of a special fluid in the abdomen through a catheter allows the body to filter the blood using the natural membrane lining the abdomen. After a while, the fluid with the waste is drained and discarded.

Kidney transplant: Transplanting a kidney into a person with ESRD can restore kidney function. A kidney may be transplanted from a living donor, or from a recently deceased organ donor.

Sources

SOURCE

Brenner, B. Brenner & Rector's The Kidney, 8th Edition, Saunders Elsevier, 2007.

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The Kidneys: Picture, Function, Conditions, Tests, Treatments

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The kidneys are a pair of bean-shaped organs on either side of your spine, below your ribs and behind your belly. Each kidney is about 4 or 5 inches long, roughly the size of a large fist. The kidneys' job is to filter your blood.

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These popular meals contain good-for-you ingredients your picky eater will love! Don't skip on breakfast because you're short on time. Scramble some eggs and layer on the flavor. Enjoy this guilt-free recipe for chocolate peanut butter cookie sandwiches.

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For some of us, digestive discomfort has become a fact of life, like never getting enough sleep or having too much to do. We complain about everyday ailments such as occasional gas, bloating and irregularity, assuming they are inevitable. But they don't have to be. By paying attention and making a few simple changes, you can help your digestive system do the job it was made to do - absorbing nutrients and keeping things running smoothly. Learn what you can do today to help take care of your digestive system.

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Lose weight & improve your health with a real food diet | Fooducate

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Track what you eat and your activities to see your progress and achieve your goals Browse Fooducate's extensive database to find the healthiest cereal, yogurt or snack for you Harness the power of Fooducate's community to healthify your diet Quick and easy reads to empower you on your diet journey.

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The first, fastest, and most accurate mobile heart rate monitor.

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Learn about human anatomy through websites and hands-on activities on the Exploratorium website. For 40-plus years, we've offered creative, thought-provoking exhibits, experiences, tools, and projects that ignite curiosity, encourage exploration, and lead to profound learning.

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Learn about human anatomy through websites and hands-on activities on the Exploratorium website. For 40-plus years, we've offered creative, thought-provoking exhibits, experiences, tools, and projects that ignite curiosity, encourage exploration, and lead to profound learning.

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BBC - Science & Nature - Human Body and Mind - Interactive Body

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The Skeletal System: It's ALIVE! | Crash Course Biology | PBS LearningMedia

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Hank introduces us to the framework of our bodies: our skeleton, which, apart from being the support and protection for all our fleshy parts, is involved in many other vital processes that help our bodies to function properly.

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Big Guns: The Muscular System | Crash Course Biology | PBS LearningMedia

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Hank tells us the story of our muscular system. This complicated chemical dance allows our skeletal muscles to contract and relax.

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Guts: The Small Intestines and Digestion | PBS LearningMedia

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After Michael Mosley eats a hearty meal, a camera is then inserted into his body to follow his ingestion. Students will see the camera's journey as it makes its way into the small intestines, where students learn about the role that the small intestines play in digestion and the transferring of food into energy.

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Circulatory & Respiratory Systems | Crash Course Biology

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Hank takes us on a trip around the body -- we follow the circulatory and respiratory systems as they deliver oxygen and remove carbon dioxide from cells, which helps make it possible for our bodies to function.

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In this activity, students explore the interrelationship of structure and function in the circulatory system. They begin by naming the parts of the circulatory system and telling what each part does. Then they draw a picture of the heart and describe the pathway of blood through it. They discover how transplants are performed by playing the role of a surgeon in a Web activity. They research various artificial heart designs and compare them to the structure and function of the human heart. In the second part of the lesson, students play a Web game that simulates the job of the circulatory system and then discuss how it interacts with other human systems. They explore the role of red blood cells and how their function can be affected by a gene mutation that causes sickle cell anemia. Finally, students complete a word search puzzle about the circulatory system.

Explore the structure and function of the heart and blood vessels

Learn why and how heart transplants are performed

Compare the structure of artificial and human hearts

Explore the interaction of the circulatory system with other body systems

Learn how a gene mutation can affect the structure and function of red blood cells

Two to three class periods

Use these resources to create a simple assessment or video-based assignment with the Lesson Builder tool on PBS LearningMedia.

1. Show the video From the Heart and discuss the following:

What structures make up the circulatory system in humans?

What role does the heart play in the circulatory system?

How does the heart's structure help it do its job?

What role does each type of branching blood vessel -- artery, capillary, and vein -- serve? How does the structure of each type of blood vessel relate to its function?

2. Have students review the Map of the Human Heart and describe the different pumping jobs of the two sides of the heart. Ask students to make a labeled drawing of the heart and show the pathway of blood from when it enters the right side of the heart until it delivers oxygen to the rest of the body.

3. Explain that because the heart plays such an essential role in the body, people whose hearts no longer function effectively may need to have a heart transplant to stay alive. Have students assume the role of surgeon and perform a virtual heart transplant in the OPERATION: Heart Transplant Web activity. Then discuss the following:

What are some reasons why a person might need a heart transplant?

Where do you think donor hearts come from?

Because human donor hearts are so scarce, doctors have recently begun investigating the possibility of using hearts from different species for transplants in humans. Why might this be problematic?

4. Tell students that due to the shortage of human donor hearts, scientists have begun developing artificial hearts. Ask:

What structures would need to be included in the design of an artificial heart to enable it to function like a human heart?

Have students explore various artificial heart designs on the Web (using the key words "artificial heart" to search) and in the library and report back on their research.

5. In order to survive, every living cell in the body needs a constant supply of oxygen and nutrients and needs to have wastes removed. In the Web activity Cellular Service, students will follow a small sample of blood as it travels throughout the body. The goal of the activity is to keep a few cells located in an extremity of the body alive and healthy. Have students do the Cellular Service Web activity. Afterwards, discuss how the circulatory system interacts with the respiratory, digestive, and endocrine systems.

6. Ask students to describe what they know about the role of blood cells in the circulatory system, and write the information on the board. Show students the A Mutation Story video, then ask:

What is the role of red blood cells and how does their structure relate to their function?

How does a mutation in the red blood cell gene affect the structure and function of red blood cells?

7. Have students complete the word search puzzle You've Got to Have Heart (PDF). Or, have students use the Amazing Heart Facts document and what they have learned in this lesson to make up puzzles about the circulatory system for their classmates to complete. They can search the Web to find sites that will help them make a variety of puzzles, using the key words "puzzles" or "puzzlemakers".

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In this activity, students explore the interrelationship of structure and function in the circulatory system. They begin by naming the parts of the circulatory system and telling what each part does. Then they draw a picture of the heart and describe the pathway of blood through it.

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The nervous system is investigated with this video from IdahoPTV's Science Trek. Learn how the nervous system helps your body function.

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bill nye the science guy full episodes Bill Nye the Science Guy Check out the daily demo, watch a video clip or listen to an audio clips, and learn more about Bill Nye himself.

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KidsHealth.org Search Results : brain-it

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KidsHealth is the #1 most-trusted source for physician-reviewed information and advice on children's health and parenting issues. For parents, kids, teens, and educators, in English and in Spanish.

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Code Fred: Survival Mode - GameUp - BrainPOP.

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Students use this free online health game to explore the science behind the systems of the human body.

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Consider this. You touch a hot object and immediately drop it or withdraw your hand from the heat source. You do this so quickly you don't even think about it. How does this happen? Your nervous system coordinated everything. It sensed the hot object and signaled your muscles to let it go. Your nervous system, which consists of your brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves and autonomic nerves, coordinates all movements, thoughts and sensations that you have. In this article, we'll examine the structure and functions of your nervous system, how nerve cells communicate with each other and various tissues and what can go wrong when nerves become damaged or diseased.

The nervous system:

Senses your external and internal surroundings

Communicates information between your brain and spinal cord and other tissues

Coordinates voluntary movements

Coordinates and regulates involuntary functions like breathing, heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature.

The brain is the center of the nervous system, like the microprocessor in a computer. The spinal cord and nerves are the connections, like the gates and wires in the computer. Nerves carry electrochemical signals to and from different areas of the nervous system as well as between the nervous system and other tissues and organs. Nerves are divided into four classes:

1. Cranial nerves connect your sense organs (eyes, ears, nose, mouth) to your brain

2. Central nerves connect areas within the brain and spinal cord

3. Peripheral nerves connect the spinal cord with your limbs

4. Autonomic nerves connect the brain and spinal cord with your organs (heart, stomach, intestines, blood vessels, etc.)

The central nervous system consists of the brain and spinal cord, including cranial and central nerves. The peripheral nervous system consists of the peripheral nerves, and the autonomic nervous system is made of autonomic nerves. Fast reflexes, like removing your hand quickly from a heat source, involve peripheral nerves and the spinal cord. Thought processes and autonomic regulation of your organs involve various parts of the brain and are relayed to the muscles and organs through the spinal cord and peripheral/autonomic nerves.

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Consider this. You touch a hot object and immediately drop it or withdraw your hand from the heat source. You do this so quickly you don't even think about it. How does this happen? Your nervous system coordinated everything. It sensed the hot object and signaled your muscles to let it go.

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School House Rock - The Nervous System.mp4

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Our body was immaculately designed to heal and regulate itself without any influence from outside factors, other than those essentials to promote health, eating, moving, and thinking well. The power that designed out body and carries out this power is called innate intelligence.

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If you've ever wondered how your brain and nervous system work, this movie about the Nervous System has the answers!

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Here's something to wrap your mind around: The human brain is more complex than any other known structure in the universe. Weighing in at three pounds, on average, this spongy mass of fat and protein is made up of two overarching types of cells-called glia and neurons-and it contains many billions of each. Neurons are notable for their branch-like projections called axons and dendrites, which gather and transmit electrochemical signals. Different types of glial cells provide physical protection to neurons and help keep them, and the brain, healthy.

Together, this complex network of cells gives rise to every aspect of our shared humanity. We could not breathe, play, love, or remember without the brain.

The cerebrum is the largest part of the brain, accounting for 85 percent of the organ's weight. The distinctive, deeply wrinkled outer surface is the cerebral cortex. It's the cerebrum that makes the human brain-and therefore humans-so formidable. Animals such as elephants, dolphins, and whales actually have larger brains, but humans have the most developed cerebrum. It's packed to capacity inside our skulls, with deep folds that cleverly maximize the total surface area of the cortex.

The cerebrum has two halves, or hemispheres, that are further divided into four regions, or lobes. The frontal lobes, located behind the forehead, are involved with speech, thought, learning, emotion, and movement. Behind them are the parietal lobes, which process sensory information such as touch, temperature, and pain. At the rear of the brain are the occipital lobes, dealing with vision. Lastly, there are the temporal lobes, near the temples, which are involved with hearing and memory.

The second-largest part of the brain is the cerebellum, which sits beneath the back of the cerebrum. It plays an important role in coordinating movement, posture, and balance.

The third-largest part is the diencephalon, located in the core of the brain. A complex of structures roughly the size of an apricot, its two major sections are the thalamus and hypothalamus. The thalamus acts as a relay station for incoming nerve impulses from around the body that are then forwarded to the appropriate brain region for processing. The hypothalamus controls hormone secretions from the nearby pituitary gland. These hormones govern growth and instinctual behaviors, such as when a new mother starts to lactate. The hypothalamus is also important for keeping bodily processes like temperature, hunger, and thirst balanced.

Seated at the organ's base, the brain stem controls reflexes and basic life functions such as heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure. It also regulates when you feel sleepy or awake and connects the cerebrum and cerebellum to the spinal cord.

The brain is extremely sensitive and delicate, and so it requires maximum protection, which is provided by the hard bone of the skull and three tough membranes called meninges. The spaces between these membranes are filled with fluid that cushions the brain and keeps it from being damaged by contact with the inside of the skull.

Blood-brain barrier

Want more proof that the brain is extraordinary? Look no further than the blood-brain barrier. The discovery of this unique feature dates to the 19th century, when various experiments revealed that dye, when injected into the bloodstream, colored all of the body's organs except the brain and spinal cord. The same dye, when injected into the spinal fluid, tinted only the brain and spinal cord.

This led scientists to learn that the brain has an ingenious, protective layer. Called the blood-brain barrier, it's made up of special, tightly bound cells that together function as a kind of semi-permeable gate throughout most of the organ. It keeps the brain environment safe and stable by preventing some toxins, pathogens, and other harmful substances from entering the brain through the bloodstream, while simultaneously allowing oxygen and vital nutrients to pass through.

Health conditions of the brain

Of course, when a machine as finely calibrated and complex as the brain gets injured or malfunctions, problems arise. One in five Americans suffers from some form of neurological damage, a wide-ranging list that includes stroke, epilepsy, and cerebral palsy, as well as dementia.

Alzheimer's disease, which is characterized in part by a gradual progression of short-term memory loss, disorientation, and mood swings, is the most common cause of dementia. It is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, and the number of people diagnosed with it is growing. Worldwide, some 50 million people suffer from Alzheimer's or some form of dementia. While there are a handful of drugs available to mitigate Alzheimer's symptoms, there is no cure. Researchers across the globe continue to develop treatments that one day might put an end to the disease's devasting effects.

Far more common than neurological disorders, however, are conditions that fall under a broad category called mental illness. Unfortunately, negative attitudes toward people who suffer from mental illness are widespread. The stigma attached to mental illness can create feelings of shame, embarrassment, and rejection, causing many people to suffer in silence. In the United States, where anxiety disorders are the most common forms of mental illness, only about 40 percent of sufferers receive treatment. Anxiety disorders often stem from abnormalities in the brain's hippocampus and prefrontal cortex.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, is a mental health condition that also affects adults but is far more often diagnosed in children. ADHD is characterized by hyperactivity and an inability to stay focused. While the exact cause of ADHD has not yet been determined, scientists believe that it may be linked to several factors, among them genetics or brain injury. Treatment for ADHD may include psychotherapy as well as medications. The latter can help by increasing the brain chemicals dopamine and norepinephrine, which are vital to thinking and focusing.

Depression is another common mental health condition. It is the leading cause of disability worldwide and is often accompanied by anxiety. Depression can be marked by an array of symptoms, including persistent sadness, irritability, and changes in appetite. The good news is that in general, anxiety and depression are highly treatable through various medications-which help the brain use certain chemicals more efficiently-and through forms of therapy.

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Human Brain: Information, Facts and News

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Here's something to wrap your mind around: The human brain is more complex than any other known structure in the universe. Weighing in at three pounds, on average, this spongy mass of fat and protein is made up of two overarching types of cells-called glia and neurons-and it contains many billions of each.

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At any moment, there is an electrical storm coursing through your body. Discover how chemical reactions create an electric current that drives our responses to everything from hot pans to a mother's caress.