Lesson 4 - Gale Virtual Reference Library

I began my exploration of the Gale Virtual Reference Library by selecting the "literature" link. I then selected the "world mythology" link. SinceI teach a semester long elective in world mythology, I thought I might find a useful resource at this link, and I did when I found the UXL Encyclopedia of World Mythology. After reviewing the content of this encyclopedia by looking at the table of contents, I began my survey of this source by checking out the information on Beowulf, which is one of the myths we study in detail. What I found there that I liked is a "Read, Write, Think, Discuss" feature that refers to John Gardner's telling of the story from Grendel's point of view and then asking students to examine how the point of view affects the telling of a story. "What factors cause a single set of events to be described in two vastly different ways?" is the question students are asked to discuss. I plan to use this question as part of a lesson in my mythology class.
For my basic search key term while examing the Gale Virtual Reference Library, I typed in "quilts." I wanted to see if I could find some information to supplement one of the posters, a picture of various quilts, in the Picturing America collection that I received through a grant last year. I also received a grant to go to Boston to the Democratic Vistas conference, and as part of that conference, a speaker from the New England Quilt Museum talked about quilts as pieces of American history. When I typed in "quilts, " I was directed to a section on quilting in the Dictionary of American History. I found material there that I plan to use with my students in the American literature course that I teach when we discuss alternatives to written literature and discuss quilts (especially the ones in the Picturing America poster) as one of those alternatives.
I found the Gale Virtual Reference Library useful and easy to navigate.