May 2009

Interesting Resources to Explore this Summer

Some interesting online resources for you to explore as you think about unit planning for next year . . .

a. World Digital Library - This new offering has primary source materials from all over the world in multiple languages. A search of the resources can be refined by date, by country and by language. Take a look at this library which is promoted by UNESCO and is sure to grow in the future. Try out the time line feature -- pretty nifty.

b. Worlds of Words- Worlds of Words is a website created to bridge cultures and borders by promoting international children's literature for curricululm and global awareness. Kathy Short, for those of you who know of her, is the director of WOW. This website is nicely organized with a wealth of information that can be searched by country, age level or subject.

c. PYP Book Lists - Looking for books that align with the PYP curriculum? Here are some resources that provide lists of books by learner profile and various inquiry areas:

Australed

PYP Library (at Wikispaces)

Library Thing PYP List

Don't Forget to Check the Teacher Cart

We are still adding materials to the teacher cart just outside Dal's office. These are books and videos that we cannot use in the library collection for various reasons. Many of these items could be useful in the classroom. Please come by and take a look! At the end of the school year, we will donate these items so I urge you to make your selections now.

Student Book Checkout Ends May 15

The last day for student book checkout will be May 15 and all library books are due by May 22. Please remind students to return their library books by that date. Also, it would be great if you could have a classroom "scavenger hunt" for library books that are checked out to students. Library books checked out to teachers are not due until the end of the school year, so please hang on to those unit books until the unit is over. LIBRARY CLASS TIMES WILL CONTINUE UNTIL THE END OF THE YEAR.

Summer Reading - Where and Why?

Where are the lists?: The summer reading list is now on Moodle in the separate course category of "Summer Reading". Please remind students to check Moodle for their summer reading information.

Why read over the summer?: According to research that I read through a Georgia Department of Education publication, if we can encourage our students to read 5-8 books over the summer that:

1. they are interested in, and
2. are on their Lexile level

the effects will be the same as going to summer school.

The "Find a Book with Lexiles" website can help parents and students find books that meet the two criteria above. It is helpful to have the student's Lexile score, but the Lexile number is not required. A student can choose areas of interest and the website will identify books meeting the criteria and indicate nearby public libraries where the books may be obtained.