IMC InfoShare - www.imcinfoshare.blogspot.com

Summer Reading @ Collins Middle School 2009

2009-06-28T09:17:00.000-07:00

Collins Middle School will soon introduce its new website. In the meantime, information about the Summer Reading Program, including the letter of explanation to students, parents and guardians, reading list, graphic organizer and other supporting materials, is available by following the link above.

The CMS Library will be open to Collins students who wish to borrow summer reading books from July 7 through August 27, on Tuesdays from 9:00am to noon, and on Thursdays from 11:00am to 2:00pm. Best wishes for a relaxing summer vacation, full of fun and great reading!

Massachusetts Children's Book Award 2009-2010: Nominated Titles

2009-05-20T08:46:00.000-07:00

Looking for something fun to read? You'll find great choices among these books, nominated for the 2009-2010 Massachusetts Children's Book Award. Happy reading!

The Castle Corona, by Sharon Creech
Two orphaned peasant children discover a mysterious pouch, the contents of which lead them to the majestic Castle Corona, where their lives may be transformed forever.

Elijah of Buxton, by Christopher Paul Curtis
In 1859, eleven-year-old Elijah Freeman, the first free-born child in Buxton, Canada, which is a haven for slaves fleeing the American south, uses his wits and skills to try to bring to justice the lying preacher who has stolen money that was to be used to buy a family's freedom.

The Lemonade War, by Jacqueline Davies
Evan and his younger sister, Jesse, react very differently to the news that they will be in the same class for fourth grade and as the end of summer approaches, they battle it out through lemonade stands, each trying to be the first to earn 100 dollars. Includes mathematical calculations and tips for running a successful lemonade stand.

The London Eye Mystery, by Siobhan Dowd
When Ted and Kat's cousin Salim disappears from the London Eye ferris wheel, the two siblings must work together--Ted with his brain that is "wired differently" and impatient Kat--to try to solve the mystery of what happened to Salim.

Goldwhiskers, by Heather Vogel Frederick (Spy Mice, #3)
During a London vacation, Oz Levinson must deal with the bullying Priscilla Winterbottom, while mouse spy Glory Goldenleaf tracks the whereabouts of a valuable jewel, missing orphaned mouselings, and two evil ministers of rats.

Barack Obama: Our 44th President, by Beatrice Gormley

Found, by Margaret Peterson Haddix (The Missing, Book 1)
When thirteen-year-olds Jonah and Chip, who are both adopted, learn they were discovered on a plane that appeared out of nowhere, full of babies with no adults on board, they realize that they have uncovered a mystery involving time travel and two opposing forces, each trying to repair the fabric of time.

Horns and Wrinkles, by Joseph Helgerson
Along a magic-saturated stretch of the Mississippi River near Blue Wing, Minnesota, twelve-year-old Claire and her bullying cousin Duke are drawn into an adventure involving Bodacious Deepthink the Great Rock Troll, a helpful fairy, and a group of trolls searching for their fathers.

Billy the Fish, by Charlie James
After eating Dad's experimental fish food, Ned's little brother turns into a cod and finds himself sharing an aquarium tank with Kylie the killer whale.

Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat, by Lynne Jonell
When Emmy discovers that she and her formerly loving parents are being drugged by their evil nanny with rodent potions that can change people in frightening ways, she and some new friends must try everything possible to return things to normal.

Weedflower, by Cynthia Kadohata
After twelve-year-old Sumiko and her Japanese-American family are relocated from their flower farm in southern California to an internment camp on a Mojave Indian reservation in Arizona, she helps her family and neighbors, becomes friends with a local Indian boy, and tries to hold on to her dream of owning a flower shop.

The Green Glass Sea, by Ellen Klages
In 1943, eleven-year-old Dewey Kerrigan lives with her scientist father in Los Alamos, New Mexico, as he works on a top secret government program, and befriends an aspiring artist who is a misfit just like her.

Swindle, by Gordon Korman
After unscrupulous collector S. Wendell Palamino cons him out of a valuable baseball card, sixth-grader Griffin Bing puts together a band of misfits to break into Palomino's heavily guarded store and steal the card back, planning to use the money to finance his father's failing invention, the SmartPick fruit picker.

Rules, by Cynthia Lord
Frustrated at life with an autistic brother, twelve-year-old Catherine longs for a normal existence but her world is further complicated by a friendship with a young paraplegic.

The Big Field, by Mike Lupica
When fourteen-year-old baseball player Hutch feels threatened by the arrival of a new teammate named Darryl, he tries to work through his insecurities about both Darryl and his remote and silent father, who was once a great ballplayer, too.

Abby Takes a Stand, by Pat McKissack
Gee recalls for her grandchildren what happened in 1960 in Nashville, Tennessee, when she, aged ten, passed out flyers while her cousin and other adults held sit-ins at restaurants and lunch counters to protest segregation.

Out of Patience, by Brian Meehl
Twelve-year-old Jake Waters cannot wait to escape the small town of Patience, Kansas, until the arrival of a cursed toilet plunger causes him reevaluate his feelings toward his family and its history.

How to Steal a Dog, by Barbara O'Connor
Living in the family car in their small North Carolina town after their father leaves them virtually penniless, Georgina, desperate to improve their situation and unwilling to accept her overworked mother's calls for patience, persuades her younger brother to help her in an elaborate scheme to get money by stealing a dog and then claiming the reward that the owners are bound to offer.

Bread and Roses, Too, by Katherine Paterson
Jake and Rosa, two children, form an unlikely friendship as they try to survive and understand the 1912 Bread and Roses strike of mill workers in Lawrence, Massachusetts.

Pizza, Pigs, and Poetry: How to Write a Poem, by Jack Prelutsky

Simon Bloom, the Gravity Keeper, by Michael Reisman
Nerdy sixth-grader Simon Bloom finds a book that enables him to control the laws of physics, but when two thugs come after him, he needs the formulas in the book to save himself.

Paint the Wind, by Pam Muñoz Ryan
After her overprotective grandmother has a stroke, Maya, an orphan, leaves her extremely restricted life in California to stay with her mother's family on a remote Wyoming ranch, where she discovers a love of horses and encounters a wild mare that her mother once rode.

My Haunted House, by Angie Sage (Araminta Spookie, 1)
Araminta enlists the help of several ghosts in an attempt to stop her Aunt Tabby from selling Spook House.

Listen!, by Stephanie Tolan
During her solitary convalescence from a crippling accident, twelve-year-old Charley finds a wild dog, and the arduous process of training him leads her to explore her feelings about her mother's death two years earlier.

Feathers, by Jacqueline Woodson
When a new, white student nicknamed "The Jesus Boy" joins her sixth grade class in the winter of 1971, Frannie's growing friendship with him makes her start to see some things in a new light.

District IMC Staff Meeting - February 25, 2009

2009-02-25T08:13:00.000-08:00

During today's session, we'll:

* have an opportunity to address any questions about the Destiny system's catalog, circulation and/or back office modules that may have emerged since we last met. Please bring along any questions or problems you may have encountered in your use of any of the features of the Destiny system, so that we can share strategies, solutions, etc. Also, please feel free to bring along a few items you'd like to catalog - I've reserved the computer lab for our use during Wednesday's meeting;

* preview the District Library Resources web site, and discuss ways in which this fledgling resource can better meet the needs of IMC staff members trying to assist students and teachers with their information and recreational reading needs;

* review ways in which we can stay informed about reading programs, award-winning books for elementary, middle and high school readers, and recent newspaper and magazine articles about books, authors, school libraries, and other topics relating to literacy;

* further explore the many terrific NMRLS and NOBLE full-text magazine and journal collections, newspapers, encyclopedias, primary documents collections, and other research databases available to the Salem Public Schools research community;

* check out Twitter-com, one of the many social networking sites (others include del.ic.ious and goodreads) available to students and teachers today;

* share book fair experiences, challenges, and successes; and

* discuss any other issues of interest or concern.

Looking for a Good Book? Trying to Keep Track of What You’ve Already Read? Let a Social Networking Site for Readers Help!

2009-01-25T12:57:00.000-08:00

Wondering what your friends and colleagues are reading? Tired of trying to remember the title of that book your aunt recommended when she visited during the holidays? Let a social networking site for readers, like goodreads, Shelfari, BookRabbit, BiblioPhil, or LibraryThing help you find great books to read, keep in touch with reading pals, and more!

A reader's site will allow you to rate books, write reviews, and maintain a record of books you’ve already read, keep track of those books you want to read, exchange book suggestions with friends, join a virtual book discussion group (or form your own :-), answer challenging trivia questions, and more. You can even “place” books on virtual bookshelves organized by any subjects you wish to assign, from standards like “favorite recipes” and “whodunits”, to others more elaborate - “Grab a Kleenex before you read this one – you’ll need it!”.

Visit the sites below to learn more or to become a member. (Also, please visit my own goodreads bookshelf, where you will find books I have read and rated. This small and selected collection of titles is a work in progress, so feel free to visit from time to time!)

Check out these swell sites for bibliophiles:

goodreads

shelfari

BookRabbit

LibraryThing

BibliPhil

ConnectViaBooks

FeedYourShelf

Booksconnect

District IMC Staff Meeting - December 17, 2008

2008-12-16T05:57:00.001-08:00

Welcome to today's meeting, facilitated by Joanne O'Keefe, Collins Middle School Library Media Specialist (joanneokeefe@salemk12.org). During our session today, we'll:

1. review the basic features of the Destiny System, including the catalog, circulation and reporting features;

2. have an opportunity to review the many terrific NMRLS and NOBLE full-text magazine and journal article collections, newspapers, encyclopedias, primary documents collections, and other research databases available to the Salem Public Schools research community;

NMRLS databases and collections include:
- eLibrary - eLibrary features information gathered from books, magazines and newspapers. Also included are photos, maps, and TV and radio transcripts
- Grolier Online - Grolier Online features two terrific resources:
* Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia (designed for students in middle school and up, and including 36,000 entries); and
* New Book of Knowledge (intended for students in grade 3 and up, as well as for new English language learners, and including 9,000 articles)
- ¡Informe! - this collection offers users full text and images from popular Hispanic magazines, as well as full-text pamphlets about health care and many other topics
- Massachusetts Newsstand - this resource includes the full text of the Boston Globe (1980-present) and the Boston Herald (1991-present)
- InfoTrac Thomson Gale Group's InfoTrac database collection includes:
- Biography Resource Center - This resource features biographical information about people from throughout history, around the world, and all disciplines and subject areas
- Academic OneFile - Academic OneFile features peer-reviewed, full-text articles from more than 3,000 highly regarded journals and reference information sources. Subject coverage includes the arts, literature, medicine, the physical sciences, social sciences, technology, and more. (This is a great resource for teachers who are enrolled in graduate programs.)
- Junior Edition - This collection is designed for students in middle school, and includes more than 330 full-text magazines, newspapers and reference books with information about the arts, current events, government, health, history, people, popular culture, science, sports, and more
- Student Edition - This database, designed for high school students, includes more than 1,100 full-text periodical titles, as well as access to indexed newspapers, podcasts, and reference books
- Kids InfoBits - Kids InfoBits is designed for beginning researchers (students in kindergarten through grade 5) and features a user-friendly and developmentally appropriate visually graphic search interface. The collection includes curriculum-related and age appropriate full-text content from elementary reference sources and magazines, about the arts, current events, geography, government, health, history, people, science, sports, and more

3. learn about Follett.com's Follett-Talk discussion group, and have an opportunity to subscribe to this free and helpful resource. Through Follett-Talk, described by Follett as a "customer helping customer forum", Follett product users may submit questions, comments, and suggestions to this online discussion group, and receive feedback from other Follett customers. Through Follett-Talk, we can take advantage of the expertise of other Destiny users, and, in in time, contribute helpful information to assist our library colleagues.

To subscribe to Follett-Talk:

* go to Follett-Talk

* complete and submit the online form (PLEASE NOTE: You will need to enter your Follett Customer Number.)

4. check out Goodreads.com and del.icio.us.com, and learn about the ways in which these nifty web-based resources can help you in your library; and

5. discuss any other issues of interest or concern.

Massachusetts Children's Book Award 2008-2009: Nominated Titles

2008-05-20T09:15:00.002-07:00

Looking for something fun to read? You'll find great choices among these books, nominated for the 2008-2009 Massachusetts Children's Book Award. Happy reading!

Whales on Stilts, by M. T. Anderson
Racing against the clock, shy middle-school student Lily and her best friends, Katie and Jasper, must foil the plot of her father's conniving boss to conquer the world using an army of whales.

The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs, by Betty Birney
Eben McAllister searches his small town to see if he can find anything comparable to the real Seven Wonders of the World.

Shakespeare's Secret, by Elise Broach
Named after a character in a Shakespeare play, misfit sixth-grader Hero becomes interested in exploring this unusual connection because of a valuable diamond supposedly hidden in her new house, an intriguing neighbor, and the unexpected attention of the most popular boy in school.

Free Baseball, by Sue Corbett
Angry with his mother for having too little time for him, eleven-year-old Felix takes advantage of an opportunity to become bat boy for a minor league baseball team, hoping to someday be like his father, a famous Cuban outfielder. Includes glossaries of baseball terms and Spanish words and phrases.

Chicken Boy, by Frances O'Roark Dowell
Since the death of his mother, Tobin's family and school life has been in disarray, but after he starts raising chickens with his seventh-grade classmate, Henry, everything starts to fall into place.

The Sacrifice, by Kathleen Benner Duble
Two sisters, aged ten and twelve, are accused of witchcraft in Andover, Massachusetts, in 1692 and await trial in a miserable prison while their mother desperately searches for some way to obtain their freedom.

Swordbird, by Nancy Yi Fan
Warring factions of blue jays and cardinals call on Swordbird, the heroic bird of peace, to rescue them from the evil machinations of Turnatt, the tyrant hawk lord who plans to enslave them.

Escape! The Story of the Great Houdini, by Sid Fleischman
A biography of the magician, ghost chaser, aviator, and king of escape artists whose amazing feats are remembered long after his death in 1926. Profiling his early years, personal life, and great accomplishments in show business, the story of the famous magician, Harry Houdini, comes to life through a review of his greatest tricks and most amazing feats, complete with index, photos, and author's notes.

I, Coriander, by Sally Gardner
In 17th century London, Coriander, a girl who has inherited magic from her mother, must find a way to use this magic in order to save both herself and an inhabitant of the fairy world where her mother was born.

The Homework Machine, by Dan Gutman
Four fifth-grade students--a geek, a class clown, a teacher's pet, and a slacker--as well as their teacher and mothers, each relate events surrounding a computer programmed to complete homework assignments.

Double Identity, by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Thirteen-year-old Bethany's parents have always been overprotective, but when they suddenly drop out of sight with no explanation, leaving her with an aunt she never knew existed, Bethany uncovers shocking secrets that make her question everything she thought she knew about herself and her family.

Martin Bridge: Ready for Take Off!, by Jessica Scott Kerrin
Meet Martin Bridge-a most special and ordinary boy whose well-meant plans sometimes go awry. In three illustrated stories, Martin encounters two bus drivers with very different ways of relating, makes a tough decision about a friend's pet and takes on an extremely competitive model rocket project that almost costs him a friendship. The daily rhythms, struggles and triumphs of childhood-at home, at school and with friends-are evoked with warmth, understanding, honesty and humor.

Regarding the Trees: A Splintered Saga Rooted in Secrets, by Kate Klise
n this story told primarily through letters, Principal Russ wants the middle school trees to be trimmed before his administrative evaluation, but the project is interrupted by a town gender war, dueling chefs, student tree protests, and a surprise wedding.

The Year of the Dog: a Novel, by Grace Lin
Frustrated at her seeming lack of talent for anything, a young Taiwanese American girl sets out to apply the lessons of the Chinese Year of the Dog, those of making best friends and finding oneself, to her own life.

Drita, My Homegirl, by Jenny Lombard
When ten-year-old Drita and her family, refugees from Kosovo, move to New York, Drita is teased about not speaking English well, but after a popular student named Maxine is forced to learn about Kosovo as a punishment for teasing Drita, the two girls soon bond.

Gossamer, by Lois Lowry
While learning to bestow dreams, a young dream giver tries to save an eight-year-old boy from the effects of both his abusive past and the nightmares inflicted on him by the frightening Sinisteeds.

Punished!, by David Lubar
Logan and his friend Benedict are playing tag in the library. Logan gets caught when he runs into a mysterious man. When Logan doesn't apologize sincerely, the mysterious gentleman punishes him by causing him to speak in puns. Only finding seven examples each of oxymorons, anagrams and palindromes within the time limits will return Logan to normal.

Miracle on 49th Street, by Mike Lupica
After her mother's death, twelve-year-old Molly learns that her father is a basketball star for the Boston Celtics.

All of the Above: a Novel, by Shelley Pearsall
Five urban middle school students, their teacher, and other community members relate how a school project to build the world's largest tetrahedron affects the lives of everyone involved.

Clementine, by Sara Pennypacker
While sorting through difficulties in her friendship with her neighbor Margaret, eight-year-old Clementine gains several unique hairstyles while also helping her father in his efforts to banish pigeons from the front of their apartment building.

Rickshaw Girl, by Mitali Perkins
n her Bangladesh village, ten-year-old Naimi excels at painting designs called alpanas, but to help her impoverished family financially she would have to be a boy--or disguise herself as one.

The Mysterious Benedict Society, by Trenton Lee Stewart
After passing a series of mind-bending tests, four children are selected for a secret mission that requires them to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, where the only rule is that there are no rules.

H.I.V.E.: Higher-Institute-of-Villainous-Education, by Mark Walden
Swept away to a hidden academy for training budding evil geniuses, Otto, a brilliant orphan, Wing, a sensitive warrior, Laura, a shy computer specialist, and Shelby, an infamous jewel thief, plot to beat the odds and escape the prison known as H.I.V.E.

Each Little Bird That Sings, by Deborah Wiles
Comfort Snowberger is well acquainted with death since her family runs the funeral parlor in their small southern town, but even so the ten-year-old is unprepared for the series of heart-wrenching events that begins on the first day of Easter vacation with the sudden death of her beloved great-uncle Edisto.
(You may also want to visit the author's blog, One Pomegranate.)

Counting on Grace, by Elizabeth Winthrop
It's 1910 in Pownal, Vermont. At 12, Grace and her best friend Arthur must go to work in the mill, helping their mothers work the looms. Together Grace and Arthur write a secret letter to the Child Labor Board about underage children working in the mill. A few weeks later, Lewis Hine, a famous reformer arrives undercover to gather evidence. Grace meets him and appears in some of his photographs, changing her life forever.

"Poetry: the best words in the best order." -- Samuel Taylor Coleridge

2008-03-31T05:50:00.001-07:00

In 1996, the Academy of American Poets established National Poetry Month, to be celebrated during April. Join the celebration by learning about a poet, or by finding a poem that inspires or motivates you. To get started, visit the links below.

American Literature: Poetry
Read this informative article to learn about the origins, development and different forms of American poetry, from the 1600s to the present.

The Academy of American Poets: Find a Poet
Search the Academy's growing database (it currently includes more than 500 poets) for biographies, photos, and other information.

The Academy of American Poets: Find a Poem
Search the Academy's companion database of poems (1,200 and growing) by keyword for poem text, or browse lists of titles and/or first lines.

Representative Poetry Online: Poet Index
This terrific resource, created by RPO Editors in the Department of English at the University of Toronto Press, displays poets alphabetically and chronologically (by birth day). The Poem Index allows a user to search for a poem by title, first line, or last line.

Poets' Corner
Find the full text of poems by such fine poets as Stephen Vincent Benét, Lewis Carroll, Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, Edward Lear, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and many more, as well as author, title and subject indexes.

Poetry Archives (from eMule.com)
This collection is searchable, by author, title and first line of each poem included in the database. Other features include nice lists of "Top Classical Poems" and "Top Classical Authors".

Ralph Fletcher: Tips for Young Writers
This terrific writer, author of Flying Solo, Spider Boy, and A Writing Kind of Day: Poems for Young Adults, among many other books, offers students great suggestions for getting started with, revising, and publishing their own writing.

Children's Poetry (from Story It: Language Art Resources for children and their teachers)

Poetry Out Loud: Poems to Make, Watch & Hear

National Poetry Month, from infoplease
This site is loaded with links to useful information about poets and their poetry, as well as "Poetry Hangman", "Name the Poet Quiz", and more.

Slam Poetry
Poetry? A competitive event? Learn more about this form of performance poetry, in which the delivery is as important as the quality of the poetry itself.

Background on Slam Poetry
Read about the history of the Poetry Slam as a competitive performance event, and learn the rules, too, by reading this brief article, and checking out some of the links available at this site.

Biography Resource Center
This outstanding database features biographical information about more than 275,000 people from throughout history, around the world, and all disciplines and subject areas. More than 400,000 biographies are included from 90 highly regarded Gale Group publications. (Please note: To access this database, you will need to use your public library barcode.)

SELECTED FAVORITE POETS

LUIS ALBERTO AMBROGGIO
Luis Alberto Ambroggio Watch Ambroggio and others read their poetry in this webcast, from a program featured as part of the Library of Congress celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month.

LEWIS CARROLL

Poetry of Lewis Carroll, from everypoet.com

EMILY DICKINSON
Emily Dickinson: from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This detailed biography features information about the life and writings of the reclusive poet, as well as links to other resources.

Modern American Poetry: Emily Dickinson's Life

Emily Dickinson: The Complete Poems

T.S. ELIOT
Nobelprize.org: T. S. Eliot

Modern American Poetry: T. S. Eliot's Life and Career

ROBERT FROST
The Academy of American Poets: Robert Frost

KRISTINE O'CONNELL GEORGE: writer, poet, tadpole rancher...
Visit this site to read (and hear!) many of the author's wonderful poems. Students will also find links to sites that will allow them to write and publish their own poems.

LANGSTON HUGHES
Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes: from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This detailed biography provides information about the poet's life, career, and political views, as well as a nice list of links to other resources.

EDWARD LEAR
Edward Lear

Selected Poetry of Edward Lear (1812-1888)

HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW
Poetry of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, from everypoet.com

PORTIA NELSON
Autobiography in Five Short Chapters

The Sidewalk of Life: Portia Nelson
This site features a discussion of each of the "chapters" in Nelson's There's a Hole in My Sidewalk: an Autobiography in Five Short Chapters.

Obituaries: Portia Nelson
Scroll down and find a brief obituary about this versatile artist.

SYLVIA PLATH

Sylvia Plath (1932-1963)

Biography of Sylvia Plath

Sylvia Plath: Biography and Much More

CARL SANDBURG

Carl Sandburg: from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Carl Sandburg Home

Selected Poetry of Carl Sandburg (1878-1967)

DR. SEUSS
Dr. Seuss: Seussville

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
The Literature Network: William Shakespeare
Visitors to this site will find a biography of Shakespeare, and links to the full text of his tragedies, histories, comedies, and selected poetry.

Shakespeare of Stratford

"Search Oxford Shakespeare"

SHEL SILVERSTEIN
Shel Silverstein

WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS

William Carlos Williams: from Answers.com
This site offers a collection of biographies, a timeline of the works of this writer/physician, and an extensive list of links to other informative resources.

William Carlos Williams (1883-1963)
This page, part of Modern American Poetry's comprehensive site, offers readers a detailed Williams biography, as well as the full text of many of his poems.

SITES FOR TEACHERS

April is National Poetry Month!, from ReadWriteThink (International Reading Association/National Council of Teachers of English)

Teach Now! National Poetry Month

Education World: Poetry Month

Modern American Poetry

Poetry Forms and Terminology

Glossary of Poetic Terms

WordPlay & NumberFun

2007-12-21T02:43:00.001-08:00

Finished your homework? Looking for something fun to do? Visit the sites below to improve your spelling, vocabulary, writing and math skills. (Be warned - spending time at the sites below will make you smarter! You'll have fun, too.)

Free Rice
For every word you get right as you play this vocabulary game, Free Rice, a sister site of Poverty.com, will donate 20 grains of rice through the United Nations World Food Programme to help end world hunger. Just think of it - you'll be helping others AND having fun- at the same time!

Gamequarium.com: the Site that Swims with Learning Fun!
Visit this site to find an outstanding selection of math, reading & language, and other games, as well as resources for teachers and parents, technology tutorials, and much more.

A.Word.A.Day
Linguaphiles, rejoice! Subscribe to A.Word.A.Day, and receive one entertaining and informative e-mail message each day, including information about the origin of the featured word, its definition(s), and an example of its use in a sentence. Each week's words are connected by theme - recent examples include "words related to food", "words named after people", and "slang/informal terms". (Finally - e-mail you can look forward to!)

Funbrain
Check out Classic Funbrain's Plural Girls and Grammar Gorillas, and the Reading, Math and Flash Arcades.

Wordplays.com
Try Boggler, Word Morph, Crossword Helper, Scrabble, or any of the other games available at this site!

Interesting Things for ESL Students: A Fun Study Site for Learners of English as a Second Language

SuperKids Vocabulary Builders
Test your vocabulary skills by tackling the Word Puzzles, Word Scrambler, Mumbo Jumbo, and other games at this site!

Puzzles.COM
Start at the Puzzle Playground, and continue your exploration of this terrific collection of puzzles, games and more.

East of the Web's Children's Short Stories and Wordgames

Sudoku
Sudoku: from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Learn about this placement puzzle, based on logic (and known as "Number Place" in the United States), including its history, solution strategies, and the mathematics behind this wildly popular new challenge.

Daily SuDoku
This terrific site features logic puzzles for kids, as well as "classic" and "monster" puzzle challenges (each is rated easy, medium, hard or very hard). In addition to a new puzzle offered each day, an archive of the puzzles offered throughout the previous twelve months is also available.

Solving Sudoku
This site features solution tips for basic and more advanced puzzles.

Destiny, Databases, and More: September 5, 2007 Professional Development Day

2007-08-26T11:49:00.000-07:00

Welcome to today's meeting, facilitated by Christine Morin, Salem High School Library Media Specialist (christinemorin@salem.k12.ma.us), and Joanne O'Keefe, Collins Middle School Library Media Specialist (joanneokeefe@salem.k12.ma.us). During today's session, we will have an opportunity to discuss the following:

1. Proposed 2007-2008 district IMC staff meeting dates/times

2. All About Destiny™ - review/discussion of the following topics:
- inventory project update
- subscribing to Follett-Talk (Please see the "Join Follett-Talk™!" instructions, posted on May 9, 2007.)
- handling of duplicate patron records
- cataloging of materials (including use of Alliance Plus™)
- production of material barcodes & spine labels
- review of TitlePeek™ features
- review of material types (and how to change/edit)
- accessing Destiny™ from within district schools, and from home
PLEASE NOTE: The link to Destiny™, above, is provided for remote access to the system. To access Destiny™ from any school within the district, just enter destiny in the address field.

3. Review/Update of the many excellent NMRLS (and NOBLE) full-text magazine and journal collections, newspapers, encyclopedias, primary documents collections, and other research databases available to the Salem Public Schools research community, and discussion of the ways in which these resources can be integrated into your work both for and with students, faculty and administrators

NMRLS databases and collections include:
- eLibrary - eLibrary features information gathered from books, magazines and newspapers. Also included are photos, maps, and TV and radio transcripts
- Grolier Online - Grolier Online features two terrific resources:
* Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia (designed for students in middle school and up, and including 36,000 entries); and
* New Book of Knowledge (intended for students in grade 3 and up, as well as for new English language learners, and including 9,000 articles)
- ¡Informe! - this collection offers users full text and images from popular Hispanic magazines, as well as full-text pamphlets about health care and many other topics
- Massachusetts Newsstand - this resource includes the full text of the Boston Globe (1980-present) and the Boston Herald (1991-present)
- InfoTrac Thomson Gale Group's InfoTrac database collection includes:
- Biography Resource Center - This resource features biographical information about people from throughout history, around the world, and all disciplines and subject areas
- Academic OneFile - Academic OneFile features peer-reviewed, full-text articles from more than 3,000 highly regarded journals and reference information sources. Subject coverage includes the arts, literature, medicine, the physical sciences, social sciences, technology, and more. (This is a great resource for teachers who are enrolled in graduate programs.)
- Junior Edition - This collection is designed for students in middle school, and includes more than 330 full-text magazines, newspapers and reference books with information about the arts, current events, government, health, history, people, popular culture, science, sports, and more
- Student Edition - This database, designed for high school students, includes more than 1,100 full-text periodical titles, as well as access to indexed newspapers, podcasts, and reference books
- Kids InfoBits - Kids InfoBits is designed for beginning researchers (students in kindergarten through grade 5) and features a user-friendly and developmentally appropriate visually graphic search interface. The collection includes curriculum-related and age appropriate full-text content from elementary reference sources and magazines, about the arts, current events, geography, government, health, history, people, science, sports, and more

4. Other items of interest

Massachusetts Children's Book Award 2008 Nominees

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Peter and the Starcatchers, by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
Soon after Peter, an orphan, sets sail from England on the ship Never Land, he befriends and assists Molly, a young Starcatcher, whose mission is to guard a trunk of magical stardust from a greedy pirate and the native inhabitants of a remote island.

Shark Life: True Stories about Sharks and the Sea, by Peter Benchley

The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy, by Jeanne Birdsall
While vacationing with their widowed father in the Berkshire Mountains, four lovable sisters, ages four through twelve, share adventures with a local boy, much to the dismay of his snobbish mother.

The World According to Humphrey, by Betty Birney
Humphrey, pet hamster at Longfellow School, learns that he has an important role to play in helping his classmates and teacher.

The Last Holiday Concert, by Andrew Clements
Life is usually easy for popular fifth grader Hart Evans, but when his music teacher puts him in charge of the holiday concert, Hart must use all of his leadership skills to unite the other students.

Sing a Song of Tuna Fish: Hard to Swallow Stories from Fifth Grade, by Esmé Raji Codell
Hilarious, quirky, and poignant, this unusual memoir recounts episodes from the transformative fifth-grade year of an acclaimed author.

The Legend of Spud Murphy, by Eoin Colfer
When their mother starts dropping them off at the library several afternoons a week, nine-year-old William and his brother dread boredom and the overbearing librarian, but they are surprised at how things turn out.

The Big House, by Carolyn Coman
When Ivy and Ray's parents are sent to jail, and they are left in the custody of their parent's accusers, they decide to look for evidence that will "spring" their parents.

Lionboy, by Zizou Corder
In the near future, a boy with the ability to speak the language of cats sets out from London to seek his kidnapped parents and finds himself on a Paris-bound circus ship learning to train lions.

The People of Sparks, by Jeanne DuPrau
Having escaped to the Unknown Regions, Lina and the others seek help from the village people of Sparks.

Last Shot: A Final Four Mystery, by John Feinstein
After winning a basketball reporting contest, eighth graders Stevie and Susan Carol are sent to cover the Final Four tournament, where they discover that a talented player is being blackmailed into throwing the final game.

A Writing Kind of Day: Poems for Young Poets, by Ralph Fletcher
This collection includes twenty-seven short poems on a variety of subjects.

Eager, by Helen Fox
Unlike Grumps, their old-fashioned robot, the Bell family's new robot, Eager, is programmed to not merely obey but to question, reason, and exercise free will.

Ghosthunters and the Totally Moldy Baroness!, by Cornelia Funke (Book #3 of the Ghosthunters series)
Mrs. Worm and Gloomsburg castle are taken over by ghosts.

The Liberation of Gabriel King, by Kelly Going
In Georgia during the summer of 1976, Gabriel, a white boy who is being bullied, and Frita, an African American girl who is facing prejudice, decide to overcome their many fears together as they enter fifth grade.

Princess Academy, by Shannon Hale
While attending a strict academy for potential princesses with the other girls from her mountain village, fourteen-year-old Miri discovers unexpected talents and connections to her homeland.

Ida B…and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World, by Katherine Hannigan
In Wisconsin, fourth-grader Ida B spends happy hours being home-schooled and playing in her family's apple orchard, until her mother begins treatment for breast cancer and her parents must sell part of the orchard and send her to public school.

Blow Out the Moon, by Libby Koponen
A fictionalized account of the author's childhood experiences moving from the United States to London, England, and attending a boarding school.

Leon and the Champion Chip, by Allen Kurzweil
Employing scientific methods learned in Mr. Sparks's class, fifth-grader Leon competes in a potato chip tasting contest and takes revenge against Lumpkin the bully.

Worth, by A. LaFaye
After breaking his leg, eleven-year-old Nate feels useless because he cannot work on the family farm in nineteenth-century Nebraska, so when his father brings home an orphan boy to help with the chores, Nate feels even worse.

A Dog’s Life: The Autobiography of a Stray, by Ann M. Martin
Squirrel, a stray puppy, tells her life story, from her nurturing mother and brother to making her own way in the world, facing busy highways, changing seasons, and humans both gentle and brutal.

Stink and the Incredible Super-galactic Jawbreaker, by Megan McDonald
Seven-year-old Stink Moody discovers that he can get free samples by writing letters to candy companies and plans a surprise for his best friend's birthday.

Project Mulberry, by Linda Sue Park
While working on a project for an after-school club, Julia, a Korean American girl, and her friend Patrick learn not just about silkworms, but also about tolerance, prejudice, friendship, patience, and more. Between the chapters are short dialogues between the author and main character about the writing of the book.

The Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan (Book #1 of the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series)
After learning that he is the son of a mortal woman and Poseidon, god of the sea, twelve-year-old Percy is sent to a summer camp for demigods like himself, and joins his new friends on a quest to prevent a war between the gods.

Listening for Lions, by Gloria Whelan
Left an orphan after the influenza epidemic in British East Africa in 1918, thirteen-year-old Rachel is tricked into assuming a deceased neighbor's identity to travel to England, where her only dream is to return to Africa and rebuild her parents' mission hospital.

Join Follett-Talk!

2007-05-09T09:17:00.000-07:00

As we begin to familiarize ourselves with Destiny's many capabilities, Follett offers us Follett-Talk, one of its many resources that may prove to be very helpful.

Follett describes Follett-Talk as a "customer helping customer forum". Follett product users may submit questions, comments, and suggestions to this online discussion group, and receive feedback from other Follett customers. Through Follett-Talk, we can take advantage of the expertise of other Destiny users, and, in time, contribute helpful information to assist our library colleagues.

To subscribe to Follett-Talk:

1. go to Follett-Talk

2. complete and submit the online form (PLEASE NOTE: You will need to enter your Follett Customer Number.)

Selected Memoirs by Children's and YA Authors

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Do you know a student who has a very favorite author? If so, s/he might enjoy reading that author's memoir. Learning more about an author's own life experiences can provide a reader with additional insight into the author's works of fiction, including greater understanding about his or her choice of subject matter, characters, etc. Here is a selected list of author memoirs that are popular among our middle school students:

Cleary, Beverly. A Gift from Yamhill: a Memoir
Follows the popular children's author from her childhood years in Oregon through high school and into young adulthood, highlighting her family life and her growing interest in writing.

Cleary, Beverly. My Own Two Feet: a Memoir
Follows the popular children's author through college years during the Depression; jobs including that of librarian; marriage; and writing and publication of her first book, "Henry Huggins."

Crutcher, Chris. King of the Mild Frontier: An Ill-Advised Autobiography
Chris Crutcher, author of young adult novels such as "Ironman" and "Whale Talk," as well as short stories, tells of growing up in Cascade, Idaho, and becoming a writer.

Ehrlich, Amy, ed. When I Was Your Age: Original Stories About Growing Up
This collection includes: All-ball / by Mary Pope Osborne -- The great rat hunt / by Laurence Yep -- Everything will be okay / by James Howe -- Why I never ran away from home / by Katherine Paterson -- Reverend Abbott and those bloodshot eyes / by Walter Dean Myers -- Muffin / by Susan Cooper -- Taking a dare / by Nicholasa Mohr -- Flying / by Reeve Lindbergh -- Scout's honor / by Avi -- Blue / by Francesca Lia Block.

Fleischman, Sid. The Abracadabra Kid: a Writer's Life
The autobiography of the Newbery award-winning children's author who set out from childhood to be a magician.

Gantos, Jack. A Hole in My Life
The author relates how, as a young adult, he became a drug user and smuggler, was arrested, did time in prison, and eventually got out and went to college, all the while hoping to become a writer.

Giff, Patricia Reilly. Don't Tell the Girls
Newbery Honor-winning author, Patricia Reilly Giff, recounts her discoveries as she unravels some of the mysteries of her Irish ancestors.

Kehret, Peg. Five Pages a Day: A Writer's Journey
A biography of the author of numerous books for young people, describing her childhood bout with polio, how she became a writer, family relationships, and the importance of writing in her life.

Lowry, Lois. Looking Back: a Book of Memories
Using family photographs and quotes from her books, the author provides glimpses into her life.

Myers, Walter Dean. Bad Boy: a Memoir

Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. How I Came to Be a Writer
Details the career of one writer from stories composed in grade school through first published pieces to novels written to date.

Nixon, Joan Lowery. The Making of a Writer
The author recalls events from her childhood that contributed to her development as a writer.

Nuwer, Hank. To the Young Writer: Nine Writers Talk About Their Craft
Nine writers, including a Hollywood screenwriter, a novelist, and a sportswriter, talk about their craft, including:
Angelo Pizzo: scripting for Hollywood -- Patrick O'Driscoll: covering the news -- Rebecca Kai Dotlich: the joy and tears of poetry -- Dale Ratermann: the sports world -- David Young: the craft of advertising -- Alanna Nash: reviewing the music -- Toyomi Igus: multicultural messages for readers of all ages -- Max Aguilera-Hellweg: a visual storyteller -- Phyllis Reynolds Naylor: the challenges of fiction .

Paulsen, Gary. The Beet Fields: Memories of a Sixteenth Summer
The author recalls his experiences as a migrant laborer and carnival worker after he ran away from home at age sixteen.

Paulsen, Gary. Guts, or, How I Lived the Same as Brian Robeson
The author relates incidents in his life and how they inspired parts of his books about the character, Brian Robeson.

Paulsen, Gary. My Life in Dog Years
The author describes some of the dogs that have had special places in his life, including his first dog, Snowball, in the Philippines; Dirk, who protected him from bullies; and Cookie, who saved his life.

Peck, Richard. Anonymously Yours
The popular author describes how he grew up in Decatur, Illinois, went into teaching, and eventually became a writer, incorporating his earlier experiences into novels intended to reach and change young readers.

Spinelli, Jerry. Knots in My Yo-Yo String: the Autobiography of a Kid
This Italian-American Newbery Medalist presents a humorous account of his childhood and youth in Norristown, Pennsylvania.

Uchida, Yoshiko. The Invisible Thread
Children's author, Yoshiko Uchida, describes growing up in Berkeley, California, as a Nisei, second generation Japanese American, and her family's internment in a Nevada concentration camp during World War II.

Wilder, Laura Ingalls. Laura's Album: a Remembrance Scrapbook of Laura Ingalls Wilder
Photographs and mementos accompany an account of the life and literary career of the author of the well-loved "Little House" books.

Zindel, Paul. The Pigman and Me
An account of Paul Zindel's teenage years on Staten Island, when his life was enriched by finding his own personal pigman, or mentor.

Yep, Laurence. The Lost Garden
The author describes how he grew up as a Chinese American in San Francisco and how he came to use his writing to celebrate his family and his ethnic heritage.

Selected Resources for School Librarians

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Are you looking for bibliographic records for books, recorded books, videos, or other materials you're trying to catalog? Are you interested in learning more about the Dewey classification system? Looking for information about books and their authors? Use the annotated resource list below to help you as you process materials to add to your collection, or to search for information about a particular book or author.

FIND BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORDS

OCLC WorldCat
This outstanding and growing database features more than 82 million records, representing 400 languages, and is searchable by ISBN, Title, Author, Keyword, and many other fields.

NOBLE Online Catalog
Search the North of Boston Library Exchange (NOBLE) online catalog to locate bibliographic records for books, videos, and other materials available at the Salem Public Library, as well as at 26 other public and college libraries.

San Francisco Public Library Online Catalog
Search this catalog in English or Spanish, by ISBN, Title, Author, Keyword, and many other fields.

Boston Public Library Online Catalog
Search this catalog to find complete bibliographic records for more than 7.5 million books and other materials available at the BPL.

Library of Congress Online Catalog
This catalog includes detailed bibliographic records for more than 110 million items, in many languages, held at the Library of Congress. (This resource is used by researchers around the world. "Peak usage" days/times are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10:00am to 2:00pm. Therefore, plan your use of this catalog accordingly.)

New York Public Library Online Catalog

Yahoo: Libraries
Search for public, school, education, and other specialized libraries from this comprehensive list of links.

LEARN MORE ABOUT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEMS

Libraries FAQ: Classification, Cataloging & Citation

Internet Public Library: Cataloging

Dewey Decimal System of Classification

How to Use the Dewey Decimal System

Understanding MARC Bibliographies: Machine-Readable Cataloging

Dewey Services: Dewey Decimal Classification

MARC Standards

FULL-TEXT RESOURCES FOR INFORMATION ABOUT BOOKS AND AUTHORS

Alex Awards
The Alex Awards are named for Margaret Alexander Edward, who worked for many years as a young adult specialist at Baltimore's Enoch Pratt Library. They are given each year to ten well-written, readable books written for adults, selected from genres that have special appeal to young adults, ages 12 through 18.

Based on the Book
This easy-to-use resource offers a compilation of more than 1,200 books, novels, short stories and plays that have been made into movies from 1980. Users can sort through author, book title and movie title lists, or search by a film's release year.

Best Books for Young Adults
Best Books for Young Adults include "significant adult and young adult" fiction and nonfiction books selected from the current year's publications and recommended for young adult readers ages 12 through 18.

Biography Resource Center
This outstanding database features biographical information about more than 275,000 people from throughout history, around the world, and all disciplines and subject areas. More than 400,000 biographies are included from 90 highly regarded Gale Group publications. (To access this database, you will need to use your public library barcode.)

The Caldecott Medal Home Page
Named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott, the Caldecott Medal has been awarded annually since 1938 to "the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children." This site also features a complete list of all Caldecott Medal winners and honor books from 1938 to the present.

Carol Hurst's Children's Literature Site
Hurst's rich site features book reviews listed by title, author and grade level, literature tie-ins to all areas of the language arts, math, U.S. and world history curricula, and suggested titles for all sorts of themes in children's literature, as well as wonderful profiles of children's and young adult authors.

The Children's Literature Web Guide
Visit this helpful site for information about authors, titles, award-winning books, resources for readers, children's literature online discussion groups, and much more.

Coretta Scott King Award
This award is presented annually to "authors and illustrators of African descent whose distinguished books promote an understanding and appreciation of the "American Dream."

FlamingNet
This site, a favorite among students, features reviews of preteen, teen and young adult books.

Guys Read
This "web-based literacy program", created by author Jon Scieszka to help boys find books they will enjoy, features a searchable (readers can search by author, title, or subject in which they are interested) database of titles for "young guys", "middle guys", and "older guys", as well as links to many author web sites.

KidsReads.com
Visit this site to find author biographies and interviews, book reviews and more.

Margaret A. Edwards Award
The Margaret A. Edwards Award was established in 1988, and honors an author's lifetime achievement for his or her body of work, and its collective popularity over time.

New York Public Library: Teenlink
Look for the "New! On the Shelf" link on this page for suggestions on great new books to read. (This page is loaded with links to other terrific resources, too.)

The Newbery Medal Home Page
Named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery, the Newbery Medal is awarded annually by the American Library Association's Association for Library Services to Children to the author of "the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children."

No Flying No Tights
The best site for information about and reviews of graphic novels, No Flying No Tights includes three "sections" - Sidekicks (for kids), The Lair (for older teens and adults), and, of course, the original No Flying No Tights (for teens).

NoveList
NoveList is an outstanding resource through which readers can learn about books and authors. This searchable database includes information, including descriptions, suggested reading levels, reviews from high quality magazines and journals, and links to related full-text articles and web sites, about picture books, children's chapter books, young adult novels, and books for adult readers. NoveList is updated monthly, and adds about 10,000 new fiction records, along with descriptions, reviews and other information, to the database each year.(Note: You will need a User ID and Password to log into this database.)

The Printz Award
The Michael L. Printz award honors a work of fiction, nonfiction, poetry or an anthology that "exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature."

Reading Rants! Out of the Ordinary Teen Booklists!
Visit this site, created for teens, to find a terrific collection of booklists organized by subject. Examples of reading lists currently available include: "Boy Meets Book"; "Coolest Classics"; "Fanging Around: Teen Vampire Fiction with Byte"; "Historical Fiction for Hipsters: Stories from the Past That Won't Make You Snore"; "Short Cuts: Short Story Collections You Might Actually Want to Read"; and "Word UP! Poetry Both by and for Teenagers."

The Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction
The Scott O'Dell Award for Historicl Fiction is given "to a meritorious book published in the previous year for children or young adults." O'Dell established the annual award of $5,000.00 to encourage other writers to focus on historical fiction.

Teen Ink
Teen Ink includes a monthly print magazine, a website, and a book series - written entirely by teens, and featuring fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, as well as movie, book and music reviews. Before you begin, have a look at the terrific Writing Tips resource. Review Teen Ink's guidelines before you Submit Your Work! for publication.

teenreads.com
This site offers reviews (including Manga - Japanese print comics), interviews with authors, book group discussion guides, and more.

SELECTED SITES OF INTEREST TO SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALISTS

American Association of School Librarians

Massachusetts School Library Association

Z39.50 Resource Page, from the National Information Standards Organization (NISO)