LIBRARY LINES
Volume I, Number 8
Spring Issue
Find out what’s happening in the media center!
ATTENTION
FACULTY:
13,000 Kids Can’t be Wrong!
This headline was in an article in the February, 2004 issue of School Library Journal. According to a new study by professors Ross Todd and Carol Kuhlthau of Rutger’s University Center for International Scholarship in School Libraries, Student Learning through Ohio School Libraries, 99.4 percent of students in grades 3 to 12 believe school libraries and their services help them become better learners. Some 88.5 percent of the 13,123 Ohio students surveyed “say the school library helps them get better grades on projects and assignments, 74.7 percent say it helps with homework, and 92.4 percent say computers in the media center help improve their overall academic work. The study, which also surveyed 879 faculty members – including principals, assistant principals, teachers, and media specialists – shows that students and educators alike strongly believe that school libraries are key to learning.”
(School Library Journal, Feburary, 2004)
Another significant finding was that the survey got a “comprehensive picture” of how school libraries help students.
“We got 10,000 written
responses that talked about help in different ways. The prevailing type that
students spoke about was from library-based instruction – what they got in terms
of what was taught in the class, in groups, or individually that enabled them to
engage effectively with information sources and information technology in the
pursuit of their learning.” (Ibid)
In the library at JFK,
second and third grade students are taught how to look up information and
navigate through library shelves. The emphasis is on how these skills can
become life-long and applied in their academic future.
If any faculty member is interested in weaving a classroom lesson with these
important skills, please speak to Lorna.
SAM THE LIBRARY BEAR:
Sam the Library Bear has returned home to the library. You’ll find him
(currently wearing a Ranger’s jersey) sitting on top of the fiction bookcase in
the library’s entry. It was mentioned in our December issue that over 250 names
had been submitted for the NAME THAT BEAR project. Currently, you can
view these suggestions on the library bulletin board. In addition, you might
have noticed that a new, tremendous, white bear has mysteriously appeared on the
bench in the school’s entry. Please notice his special signs that change
(hopefully!) on a weekly basis.
NEWBERY AND CALDECOTT
AWARDS:
On January 12, 2004, The American Library Association announced its Newbery and
Caldecott winners. Kate DiCamillo,
(Because of Winn Dixie) author of The Tale of Despereaux:
Being the Story of a Mouse,
a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread
won the Newbery Medal and Mordicai Gerstein,
illustrator and author of The Man Who Walked Between the Towers,
won the Caldecott Medal.
This was Kate DiCamillo’s initial reaction to the news that she had won the
award for “the most distinguished contribution to American literature for
children”:
“I’m not a big crier, but I lost it. I kept asking them to
say it again. I thought it was either a crank phone call or I misheard it. It
is such a huge reward. I still can’t believe it." (As reported in
USA Today,
January 14, 2004)
Mordicai Gerstein told The New York Times that “it was a difficult book to sell . . . so immediate and so raw. Some publishers thought it had negative connotations.” The Times also reported that “while Mr. Gerstein was making the illustrations, Mr Gerstein spoke to Mr. Petit, (the subject of the book) and after the book was published, he sent him a copy. He received a three-page
letter in calligraphy in
reply, he said, and he met Mr. Petit for dinner in New York. To Mr. Gerstein’s
delight, Mr. Petit did magic tricks throughout the meal.
Both titles will be available shortly in the media center.
WRITING WEBSITES:
The March issue of School Activities Monthly had an interesting article about Writing Websites. According to their research, “there are many good websites that both help teachers and interest children in learning how to write effectively.” The list of recommended sites are grouped into three basic areas: Grammar, Spelling, and Writing.
GRAMMAR:
American Heritage Book of English Usage http://www.bartleby.com/64/
Common errors in English http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/
The Elements of Style http://www.bartleby.com/141/index.html
Grammar Gorillas http://www.funbrain.com/grammar/
Traditional Grammar: An Interactive Book (by Donald E. Hardy) http://www.engl.niu.edu/dhardy/grammarbook/title.html
Writers’ Workshop: Grammar (U. of Illinois at Urbana – Champaign) http://www.english.uiuc.edu/cws/wworkshop
SPELLING:
Merriam-Webster’s Word Central http://www.wordcentral.com/
National Spelling Bee http://www.spellingbee.com/
Spell Check http://www.funbrain/spell/index.html
Spelling Songs http://gardenofpraise.com/spell1.htm
Spell Web http://www.spellweb.com/
Vocabulary.com http://www.vocabulary.com
WRITING:
A + Research and Writing http://www.ipl.org/div/teen/aplus/
“This excellent site is from The Internet Public Library and features a step-by-step approach to writing and researching. Use the Info Search section for tips on finding information both on the Web and also in the library. Check out the Internet Public Library-approved links to other writing sites on the Web. These links take you to the “handout” pages of the more comprehensive OWLs (Online Writing Labs) on the Web.” (School Library Media Activities Monthly, March, 2004)
Biography Maker http://www.bham.wednet.edu/bio/biomaker.htm
“This site provides a good overview for elementary students of how to write a biography. It offers four steps (Questioning, Learning, Synthesis, and Story-Telling) and includes a separate section on “Six Traits of Effective Writing. It is designed to “help you convert facts into insights, dull and boring information into fascination and magic. It will help you do a good job, but you must provide some of the ‘steam’ to make it work well.””
(School Library Media Activities Monthly, March, 2004)
OWL: Online Writing Lab (from Purdue University) http://owl.english.purdue.edu
“There are many online writing labs (known as OWLs) available for use by students. Most of them are intended for college students at a particular university and have minimal application for elementary school teachers. However, this lab from Purdue University deserves some attention as one of the best examples of and OWL. There are a wide variety of handouts, presentations, and resources related to writing in general. Check out the Resources for Writers: OWL Handouts section to uncover over 120 guides on such topics as General Writing Concerns, Parts of Speech, Sentence Construction, Punctuation and Spelling. There is also a section on English as a second language.” (School Library Activities Monthly, March, 2004)
Writing Lesson Plans http://ericir.syr.edu/cgi_bin/lessons.cgi/Language_Arts/Writing
“…a wealth of lesson plans written by teachers and preservice students. Over fifty lesson plans are included for grades six or lower.” (School Library Activities Monthly, March, 2004)
CITING, COPYRIGHT, AND PLAGIARISM:
Citing Electronic Resources (from IPL) http://www.ipl.org/div/farq/netciteFARQ.html
“This site from the Internet Public Library provides direct links to some of the best sources of recommended electronic information citation guides, including MLA Style: Documenting Sources from the World Wide Web by the Modern Language Association of America and Electronic Reference Formats Recommended by the American Psychological Association by the APA.”
(School Library Activities Monthly, March, 2004)
Copyright and Fair Use in the Classroom, on the Internet, and the World Wide Web http://www.umuc.edu/library/copy.html
“Provides a clear and concise overview of copyright and fair use of materials in the classroom. Answers question such as What is copyright?, What are the Rules for Fair Use for Instructors?, What can be copied?, and When is Permission Required? Also provides generic Student and Faculty Guidelines, describes the permissible amount that can be copied legally, and explains how to get permission to copy.”
(School Library Activities Monthly, March, 2004)
HOT PICKS:
A PLACE TO SLEEP by Holly Meade presents a variety of animals and the places where they might sleep, from a bear snoozing in the arms of a tree to a boy in bed. Sweet dreams!
(Grades K-2)
HOOFBEATS, CLAWS & RIPPLED FINS: CREATURE POEMS edited by poet Lee Bennett Hopkins, is a collection of fourteen poems inspired by Stephen Alcorn’s animal portraits.
(Grades 1-3)
MAP MANIA: DISCOVERING WHERE YOU ARE AND GETTING TO WHERE YOU AREN’T by Michael A. DiSpezio contains a variety of activities designed to help students improve their map skills and figure out where they are going. (Grades 2-3)
NINE ANIMALS AND THE WELL written and illustrated by James Rumford is a fable about a group of animals which strives to bring the perfect present to the Indian raja-king’s birthday party.
This title also discusses how the numerals we use originated in India. (Grades 1-3)
OUR KANSAS HOME: Book Three of the Prairie Skies Series
written by Deborah Hopkinson and illustrated by Patrick Faricy
is a compelling piece of historical fiction. While tension over slavery grows in Kansas Territory, causing the Underground Railroad to shut down, and Papa is away, hiding from a false arrest, Charlie and his family risk everything to hide a runaway slave girl in their cabin. (Grades 1-3)
In PLATO’S JOURNEY Plato travels to Olympia to compete in a nonexistent goat race after he’s told a series of lies by several animals. When he discovers the truth, he returns hurt and humiliated. End pages provide information about Greece and the Olmpic games. This title was written by Linda Talley and illustrated by Itoko Maeno. (Grades 1-3)
SILVER SEEDS: A BOOK OF NATURE POEMS written by Paul Paolilli and Dan Brewer has splendid paintings by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher. It is a lovely, sensitive collection of simple nature poems. (Grades K-3)
SIMON AND MOLLY PLUS HESTER written and illustrated by Lisa Jahn-Clough is a story about Simon and Molly who are best friends. They play together every day, but when Hester joins them Simon thinks that Molly doesn’t like him anymore. (Grades K-1)
WHEN EVERYBODY WORE A HAT written and illustrated by William Steig describes and illustrates what life was like in his neighborhood when he was a boy nearly one hundred years ago.
(K-3)
NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK:
April 18-24 is National Library Week and the library is celebrating it by asking students to create posters depicting their favorite author. The posters will be displayed in the hallway outside of the library. Flyers have been distributed to every classroom. Please promote this project. Thanks!
APRIL IS NATIONAL POETRY MONTH:
FREE! FROM KNOPF A POEM A DAY FOR 30 DAYS “We will deliver them by e-mail during the month of April, 2004. All you have to do is visit us at www.aaknopf.com and sign up for POEM-A-DAY.” (As advertised in The New Yorker)
AN ARTICLE FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES WORTH SHARING:
The piece below was excerpted from the November 11, 2001 issue of The New York Times. It was part of a collection of letters sent to the paper that celebrated beloved teachers (as per a request two weeks earlier from the paper).