Fall

Cooler temperatures mixed with busy school days always make me feel like Fall has truly arrived. The past couple of weeks have had plenty of both! I introduced all of the 5th and 6th graders to the book review process we're starting this year and there was a great response, as you can see from the ticket filled circulation desk.

Sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas I'll do a drawing for prizes from all of the tickets, so the kids were glad to learn that the more books they read and review, the better chance they have of winning.

Today, I started the 6th grade current events project, which will go throughout the year. The students will select two themes, like science, art, or health, to follow throughout the year. The scope of news that they will focus on will vary from one trimester to the next. The first trimester it will be national, the second will be European, and the third will be Latin America. Each week the students will be expected to find and paraphrase articles, ask essential questions, and make presentations periodically. We went over the expectations, the resources on the LiveBinder, and reviewed the paraphrasing process today:

1. Read the article once through without taking notes.
2. Read the article a second time, underline/highlight, and take notes while thinking about your essential questions.
3. Write your summary and respond to essential questions without looking at the article. Reference back for specific spelling, dates, and names. 

In class, the students read through and entire article and then I asked them to tell me some facts. Of course, they relayed the information in their own words and I pointed out that this is exactly what they will be doing on their own, except writing the information down instead of saying it out loud. 

A couple of the classes met in the Lower School Learning Commons, since the lab was being used. They were excited to sit on the story steps and were in aw of the new smart board. These classes seemed more engaged than usual, so I may change the scenery more often!  

Wildwood, by Colin Meloy, illustrated by Carson Ellis

When Prue McKeel's baby brother, Mac, is swept into the Portland sky by a murder of crows she's simultaneously dumbfounded, scared, and heartbroken. However, there is no time to dwell in her feelings as she chases them into the uncharted area just outside of the city known as Wildwood.

This area is rarely, if ever, entered and Prue quickly finds out it's a world entirely its own. Just before she enters the woods she happens to run into a boy from school, Curtis, who insists on going along for the ride. Soon, they encounter a group of coyotes in military uniform that kidnap Curtis, leaving Prue all alone. The two have different, but equally wild experiences, as they happen upon good and back creatures, including a wise owl, a helpful rat, an eagle that is a general, the evil governess, a rabbit that is a constable, a mystic name Iphigenia, and a melting pot of creatures that make up a group of bandits. All creatures walk, talk and act like humans in this area made up of Wildwood, Northwood, and Southwood. The creatures of each area have their own ways, but overcome their differences when all of The Wood is threatened by the governess who intends to sacrifice Mac to the ivy, so that it will take over and she can rule supreme.

Prue and Curtis both find that they have inconceivable family ties to The Wood and each are forced to make very difficult decisions that, in turn, ensure the safety of Mac and in some cases change their lives foreer. The combination of Meloy's melodious magical narrative with Ellis' deliciously detailed pen and watercolor illustrations is beyond captivating. So, turn on some Decemberists and snuggle up by the fire with this book that goes hand-in-hand with all the magic of Fall. 

Opening up about the shutdown

My morning commute always begins with NPR, so I found out about 6 hours after the initial announcement at midnight that the government is, in fact, being partially shutdown. Though, many of us, including myself, will continue to go to work and be paid, there are a number of people who won't. To even think about the stress they must be under makes my shoulders tense up. However, the simple fact of the matter is that most people will go on about their daily tasks without a second thought, since it doesn't affect them directly. Though, the reality is that we are all affected in some way. 

I realized this while checking my daily blog feed when I ran across this post by The Institute of Museum and Library Services:

"The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is closed due to a partial shutdown of the  United States Government.  As a result, IMLS is not engaged in any grant-making or other agency activities.  During this time, we will not be able to review or respond to any form of communication.  No payments for grant programs or contracts will be made by IMLS until the agency is reopened.  The agency website will remain accessible, but will not be updated until operations resume. Please refer to www.imls.gov for additional information."

This is a source I use regularly to make sure I'm up to date on the current news and trends in libraries. I, along with everyone else, will now be without this useful resource for an unknown amount of time and all work at these institutions will come to a standstill. The resources at these institutions that aren't online will not be accessible and the librarians will not be available to provide assistance or continue to maintain, add, and make resources available to the public.

Then, I decided to Google information about the shutdown and found this:

The link led to this article:

You read correctly, today is the 123rd anniversary of the opening of Yosemite National Park and it will not be visited by a single person. 

I write about this,not to give an opinion on the current events, but to present a perfect opportunity for educators to make this into a learning experience for our students. What series of events led to this point? What parts of the government dealt with this issue? What is the stance of our local and state politicians on this issue? Has this happened in the past? How can this issue be resolved?

Also, beyond the facts of this situation, teachers can bring to light the fact that this headliner is taking the spotlight from other historical events, like the roll out of open enrollment; the first phase of the The Affordable Care Act. Was this intentional? How have various news sources covered this event? What is The Affordable Care Act? How is our state dealing with the enrollment?

What a great opportunity to work on those research skills and have a hearty debate on current issues! One of my favorite news sources for kids that I recently ran across is Newsela. You can register for free as a student, teacher, or parent to access articles that are written about issues around the world that can then be read at various reading levels. There are also quizzes provided to test for comprehension and teachers can see their students' results instantly. 

Though, this is not an event to be proud of as a nation, it is one to be learned from. Our students are our future politicians, so start the discussion now. That way they will be fully prepared to discuss and compromise with the best of them when they are the ones in Washington.

The Terrible Thing that Happened to Barnaby Brocket, written by John Boyne and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers

"Only, to his great surprise, Barnaby didn't enjoy feeling like the rest of them" (p.50).

Barnaby Brocket was born to defy the norm, and by norm I mean the law of gravity. From the time he was born, his feet never touched the ground, unless, he was tied or weighted down, of course. Barnaby didn't ask for this, though, his oddly normal parents are convinced this is a lifestyle choice. 

They are so inept at dealing with their son's state that he is not allowed to go outdoors until he is old enough to go to school, at which time, they send him to "The Graveling Academy for Unwanted Children." Here, he finds others that don't quite fit the mold; like a boy with no hands and a girl who speaks backward. This odd boy finally starts to feel normal when a disaster shuts down the school and sends him back to his dreadfully normal parents.

Though, his siblings are glad to have their brother back, his parents are less than amused. They are so discontented, in fact, that while on a walk to the beach, Banaby's mother lets the sand out of the sandbags that are keeping him grounded, sending him floating away. Floating into the unknown, without parents, friends, or even a compass, Barnaby is overcome with fear of the unknown. All, at the ripe old age of eight. 

This terrifying experience turns out to be Barnaby's saving grace, as he floats into the loving arms of Ethel and Marjorie who are on a hot air balloon adventure. They take him in and do all in their power to grant his wish to return home to the parents that so heartlessly let him go. Along the way Barnaby finds a number of other outcasts that have found their way: an artist shunned from his wealthy family and a disfigured art critic not given the time of day by his famous family until he runs in the same famous crowd. Though, these sweet souls only have his well-being in mind, the evil circus director that kidnaps him has other intentions. 

Floating from Sydney to New York to Toronto, Barnaby encounters many architectural landmarks and passes a number of life landmarks as well, as he comes to terms with who he his, who people want him to be, and who he will choose to be. 

This is an impeccably told story that can be enjoyed by a younger crowd for the surface value of witty characters and unbelievable adventure, but can also be the starting point for some deep discussion about how people that don't fit society's traditional definition of "normal" are currently treated and should be treated. For the older reader, it's evident that Ethel and Marjorie are a couple and Vincente's partner is a cross-dresser, but for readers of all ages it is easy to see the many examples of how people can be so horribly mistreated and even disowned for the way they were born.

From research to book trailers

As the last 5th grader printed out their citations from NoodleTools today I breathed a sigh of relief. A lot of information was covered in the four days I had with them. We went over plagiarism, taking notes, paraphrasing, searching databases, and citing their material with the aid of NoodleTools. Whew!

Now that they are off on the right foot for research in the coming year, it's time to move on to the next class. Over the next week, I'll be working with the 5th and 6th graders on using the library catalog and taking part in this year's book recommendation program that I discussed in a previous post. We'll go over searching the catalog and putting books on hold. Follett Destiny is fairly easy to navigate, but the kids still have to be shown where everything is located. In addition to the handwritten book reviews I'll be introducing them to Novelist and hopefully have them create their own book trailers...later on.

As a source of inspiration (hopefully), I created a book trailer for Doll Bones using Slide.ly. I've used JayCut and Animoto in the past, but due to the addition of subscription fees or transitioning to a Black Berry format(?), I needed to find something else. It was easy to upload photos and I simply typed the text in word, took a screen shot, and saved them as a jpeg in order to upload them. There's a plethora of music to choose from, which is credited automatically. I included the links to the pictures I used at the end. Also, the effects are simple, but effective. I'll definitely be using this tool again!

Doll Bones, by Holly Black by Slidely - Slideshow maker

Science in a Bag

This week has flown by, but I'm not complaining that Thursday is already coming to a close. :) 5th grade science classes have consumed much of my time this week, as I introduced them to plagiarism, citations, and research in general. Try explaining what a databases is to a 5th grader after recess...it's interesting. Everyone has to start somewhere, though, and the earlier the better. Ms. Stephan and Mrs. Van Wart set up the science in a bag project when we were still out for the summer, so they definitely live by this standard. The basis of the project is for the students to select something that relates to a personal experience and can also be tied to science in some way, find a small object representative of the the idea, experience or thing, find one database article pertaining to the topic, summarize the information on a notebook card, and cite their source. Of course, all of this is then placed in a plastic bag, thus, the name of the project "science in a bag." It sounds simple, because it is just that. Simple. For many of these students, this is the first time they have ever used a database, properly cited a source, or paraphrased an entire article, so a lot is covered in the few days I have with them.

NoodleTools has been a saving grace when it comes to citations. We begin using this online citation tool with 5th graders and it is used continually across subjects and instructors until they graduate. We pay a nominal fee for all of our students have access to all of the features, but you can also used the minimal version at no cost. I used NoodleTools for the first time a few years ago and was blown away by how simple it made citing any resource, no matter the citation format. Boy, do I wish I had it when I was in school! Through the years, the company has continued to improve the layout more user friendly and improved the usability of the additional aspects, like notes, tags, and end-notes.

Another online tool that I don't know what I would ever do without is LiveBinder. This resource has become the go-to place for organizing any project for any great. The layout consists of tabs, much like a file folder, onto which pictures, text, or sites can be loaded. Also, you can make your project password protected, so database log ins can be added without worry. It has a simple and clean layout that is perfect for kids that need as few clicks and as much information in one place as possible.

Short & Sweet

Last week, though shorter, seemed to be packed with just as much activity. Even though we are already well into the school year, I'm still tying up loose ends from last school year. One item that I was finally able to check off was cataloging and covering all of the new books from last Spring. New books on display always make me feel better!

With a feeling of satisfaction after finally completing one book order, I found myself scrambling to finalize another book order. With the addition of FollettShelf last year, another layer is added to the ordering process in first looking to see if a title is available in eBook format and then deciding if it is worth the money. Follett recently added a few more publishers to their deck, but there are monstrous variations in the pricing from one publisher to the next. The book order should arrive soon, which means there will be another stack of books to catalog and cover. One bright side to the eBook headache is that they are instantly available, cataloged, and don't have to be covered!

Speaking of cataloging, I'm in the process of re-cataloging the graphic novels, once again. With the Lower School collection now being in the same space as the rest of the collection it made sense to combine our 5th grade and up graphic novel collection with the Lower School's. Formerly, we signified this section with a green dot, but we will now be using "gn" for this section. We changed how we cataloged graphic novels a few years ago. We went from using the Dewey to using Graphic Novel (GN) or Upper School Graphic Novel (GNUS) first, then, the first three letters of the publisher, like DCC for DC Comics, and the first three letters of the title, like OWL for "Owly and Wormy." For example, the spine label may look like this:

 GN 

DCC

OWL

 The only exception would be if there is a main character, like superman. Since there is a more definite style from one graphic novel publisher to the next this has aided students in going straight to what they like and has also made it possible to keep series and characters together. 

Putting together a book review display kept my eyes from crossing due to all of the cataloging! In the coming year, I want to make the 5th and 6th graders feel more empowered to review books themselves. In the past, I have done book talks and regularly recommend books when classes come in for library day, but the students haven't done much, if any, recommending themselves. In sticking with our movie theme for the year, I put together a theater marque on which the students will then stick their book reviews. 

I purposely kept the sheet simple, so that it doesn't take long to fill out or read. 

If all goes well, I also want to introduce the kids to Novelist , so that they can read and write their own reviews online. This will help the kids to find books pertaining to specific topics and improve their writing. Also, knowing that people other than those at your school will be reading what you write ups the ante a bit.

Like I said, a lot happened in four days, but even the most tedious of tasks have their moments of contentment, making for an enjoyable ride overall.