February, 2012

Blog Bits


Here are some interesting resources about books and reading!

• Things to do while reading

• In defense of e-reading

Have you wondered how to "read" QR codes - those funny 3D barcode "boxes" popping up everywhere? Watch this video tutorial . . .

• How to read a QR code

Tumblebooks Now Work with iPad and iPhone

About 50 Tumblebooks in various languages have now been configured to work with Apple devices such as iPads, iTouches and iPhones [link will work from school].  This should be good news for parents as it enables convenient mobile access to this wonderful multilingual resource.  Also, we have iTouches in the library to use in connection with our Mac media lab.  Is anyone interested in piloting a small iTouch learning experience with Tumblebooks?  I would envision possibly dividing a class into two groups and alternating 15 minutes of listening to  several Tumblebooks with time for book checkout.  Perhaps we could ask each group to do a quick "book talk" about the book that they read.  Please let me know if you have ideas about how to use this new potential!

New Look to OASIS Library Catalog

The library catalog has a new look!  The OASIS program has been upgraded -- it mostly works the same.  One exception is the Enhanced Search.  To search for PYP units by subject, you must Browse, select the PYP subject heading for the unit, then click on Copy.  That will put the heading in the Subject search window.  From there on, all works as before.

Clickers Add Interest to Classes

Third, fourth and fifth graders have had lots of fun with Mimeo Vote, the new interactive board voting system that we are using in the story room.  Third graders have voted on their favorite books, fourth graders have practiced deciphering citations in a bibliography and fifth graders have expressed their opinions on how to properly paraphrase text.  The overwhelming conclusion?  Clickers make everything more fun!

Special thanks to our IT colleagues for giving us the
 opportunity to pilot the Mimeo program in the Story Room. 

Did You Know?

• Number of books checked out by Grades 2 through 5 so far this school year - Over 6,000!
• Number of ebooks for PS students -  Over 750 ebooks in various languages through our Ebook Library with EBSCO [accessible through our Oasis library catalog], Tumblebooks, Sylvan Dell and Bookflix.
• Total number of books read based on AR quizzes passed this school year - 2,478 (as of Feb. 27)
• New books in the PS Library  - Over 500 added to the catalog so far this school year. 
• Mac Media Lab - The library has four Mac computers with large monitors and ten iPod Touches available to PS classes especially for work with video, audio, photos and other forms of visual media.  

Flat Classroom Book Club

We are still looking for some teachers who imagine a global classroom collaboration in their future to join us in reading (and sharing ideas about) the newest book by Julie Lindsay and Vickie Davis, entitled Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds: Move to Global Collaboration One Step at a Time.   We can read the book, which was released in February,  at a pace which fits the group -- when several teachers put their minds together, interesting things can happen.  We want the library to be prepared when the classrooms flatten and the walls come down . . . come think and learn with us about what the journey might look like.  Send any one of us here in the library an email expressing your interest and we will get back to you with more information.

Curriculum Review

We are presently reviewing the K-12 information literacy curriculum in light of the Standards for the 21st Century Learner of the American Association of School Librarians.  Those standards include benchmarks for the end of grade two and grade five, as well as grades eight, ten and twelve.  We hope to send a very brief questionnaire out soon, asking you to identify where in your grade certain information literacy skills are taught.  As these skills are transdisciplinary in nature, we know that much great work is accomplished in the classroom and by other specialists.  We want to make sure that our new written curriculum and the taught curriculum are consistent as we all help students make progress toward these benchmarks.  We look forward to your responses and appreciate your taking your time to respond to the questionnaire!

Language Book Talks and the Anytime Book Clubs

We are continuing with language book talks in French, German and Spanish approximately once during each unit.   Pascale, Elke and Lucie respectively will be posting about the books that they shared with Grades 4 and 5 on the Anytime Book Clubs blog.  If you teach those grades, please encourage your students to add comments.  We want to know what they think of the books and we want to encourage discussion about books in all languages throughout the spring.  All comments are moderated.

November 2011

Blog Bits and Interesting Links

• K12OnlineConference - Going on right now, this event for K12 educators worldwide has a fantastic lineup of speakers - and you can learn at home with a cup of hot chocolate. Lots of great videos here too!  Full program schedule posted at this comprehensive website.
• We Give Books - A great website for reading free digital books AND donating a book to a reading initative of your choice at the same time!  What better thing to do during the season of giving?
• International Education Blogs - Bookmark this LibGuide page with blogs on international education.  What others should I add? 
• Libraries as Learning Labs -  Think a library is just books?  Think again!                    

Language Book Talks Schedule

A language book talks schedule for the rest of the year will be posted in the library and sent by email.  Pascale, Elke, Lucie and I will give book talks in French, German, Spanish and English respectively as shown on the schedule.  We are always available to suggest books and help students, but on these days we will have a special book talk ready to share.

PYP Unit Lists

We are working to update PYP Unit Lists to reflect the changes in central ideas, organizing themes and allocation of subject matter between English and the other languages.

You can help us tremendously by working with us when you check out unit books AND BY: 

• returning unit books directly to library associate Pascale Viala, and
• completing a very short questionnaire about the books at the end of the unit.

When you return the books to Pascale directly, she can ask you for any information she needs to update the unit list. 

If you need help returning books, library staff will be happy to come to your classroom to retrieve books.  Just send one of us an email to that effect.  Thanks!


Request Library Books to Support Curriculum


We count on you to help us identify the best books for library purchase.  Please recommend books that you would like to see in the library.  This link will take you directly to a box where you can enter the title (and whatever other information you have) of the book that you want the library to purchase for its collection.
 

Shadra Strickland Visit Posted on YouTube

During the Fall Book Fair, two of our third grade classes visited with illustrator Shadra Strickland via Skype from the library computer lab.  A portion of that visit is posted on YouTube.  The library is hosting an exhibit of Strickland's original work for five outstanding picture books.  Please watch the video and then visit the exhibit in the library!


Upcoming Library Programming  

Two primary school library events are now on the calendar:

• February - Black Authors Exhibition
• February  - French Book Fair  

Twitter "Hashtag of the Month"

#k12online11

Follow the talk from the K12Online Conference.  Looking for some help with Twitter?  Try this video tutorial from CommonCraft.

Accelerated Reader Update

• Spanish AR books are being labeled as such to make them easier for students to locate.
• Please remind your students that they can check to see if a book has an AR quiz by going to http://www.arbookfind.com/.
• Students who have participated thus far will be acknowledged before winter break.
• Team participation is relatively low, so please encourage your students to take at least one quiz.

Flat Classrom Book Coming Out


Vicky Davis and Julie Lindsay have coauthored Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds: Move to Global Collaboration One Step at a Time, a new book to be released in February.  Davis and Lindsay are the creators and leaders of the Flat Classroom projects.  Would you be interested in participating in an informal book club on the book?  A group is forming now. 

October 2008

Reprise of BrainPop Instructions

BrainPOP has special password information and procedures and several teachers have asked me to republish this information. You will need a password for BrainPOP even at school. There is a special access point for teachers and an after hours password for teachers has been created so that teachers will be able to access the site after school hours from home. Students can only use BrainPOP from home until 5:00 p.m. BrainPOP is the only resource we have with this type of password arrangement. I will put the passwords on the Library and IT bulletin board in Ivana's office.

Update on Language Book Talks
We have now lined up presenters for the Spanish and German language book talks, so we will continue with our language book talks schedule and hopefully make up the missed weeks for those languages later in the year. I am delighted that Mayte S. has generously agreed to present new Spanish books and Astrid S., parent of students in the German track, has graciously agreed to be our German book talk presenter.

Here are the upcoming book talk weeks scheduled for each language:

Spanish
October 27 - October 31
French
November 10 - November 14
German
November 17 - November 21
English
December 1 - December 5

Remember that each language will be featured for an entire week. If you are interested in bringing your class, please let me know the day of the week that is best for you and we will try to work it out. We try to schedule book talks on the days of the week that are best for the greatest number of classes in light of the presenter's schedule.


Request for Book Purchasing Suggestions
Please look ahead to units of inquiry that you will be teaching in spring, 2009, and let the library know of any purchasing requests for library materials to resource the units.

Also, as you reflect on completed units during the planning meetings, please send me an email with purchasing requests based on your experience with the unit and any special needs or weaknesses in the library collection with respect to that unit.

We are actively engaged in weeding out-dated materials and replacing them with current materials that better align with the curriculum. If you are interested in participating in the collection development planning for your language collection, please let me know. Our collection will be better if you help!


The Book Club Blog

The primary school library e-bulletin board has a blog in place for The Book Club, a fledgling book club for 4th and 5th graders. It has been used in the past, but at present it is dormant and I'd love to get it going again. The students who participated previously were 4th graders and they really enjoyed posting their comments (moderated of course) on the selected books. This is a great way to encourage a variety of transdisciplinary skills and have fun too.

Is anyone interested in working with me to get this project going again? If so, please let me know.

Photos with Creative Commons License

Will your students need photographs for classroom projects? Talk with me about online sources for photos that are available for use under Creative Commons licenses. Creators of these photos have placed them them online with only some rights reserved, meaning that they have given advance permission to allow certain uses of the photos without copyright concerns. This makes these photos more desirable for school projects. Please ask me for information on Creative Commons resources if you are interested.

August 2008

New Online Resources

We have several fantastic new online resources this year! Bookflix is a library of fiction video paired with nonfiction ebooks in a variety of thematic areas, most of which correspond closely to our PYP units of inquiry and/or the organizing themes. We also have Brain Pop for younger students in English AND Spanish -- be sure to take a look! Finally, for the older students, we have a number of new reference materials including a Dorling Kindersley library of reference books by subject and a new Universalis in French. Check with Sharon in the library for more information!

Flexible Checkout

This year all students in Grades 2 - 5 will have the opportunity to come to the library on a flexible basis for book checkout. For second graders, this will be in addition to their regularly scheduled library visit. We hope you will create ways to use this time to support your classroom reading initiatives and that you will encourage all of your students to take advantage of this opportunity. This year, I will be sending you reports on which students are lagging behind in book checkout so that we can work together to keep students reading and practicing their library skills. More information on that coming soon!

Language Book Talk Weeks

Language book talk weeks are back this year. This month look for a schedule of the French, Spanish, English and German book talk weeks ahead. In connection with the language book talks, take a look at the Audio Book Reviews link on the E-Bulletin Board. I am building this section to provide audio information about books in all languages and many of the books from the language book talks will be featured in the audio book reviews.

Book Clubs

Stephen Krashen says that free voluntary reading is a key factor to increased student achievement. Last year, we introduced Accelerated Reader to make reading more fun for the students. This year, I would like to offer several book clubs as a way to involve more students in reading activities. Students engage with books in different ways. Those with strong orientation to the written word and traditional testing will enjoy Accelerated Reader. Students with strong listening skills may like to try a new Listening Book Club which will explore audiobooks and podcasting. For students who enjoy more interpersonal activities, I would like to offer a traditional book club to meet and discuss books one afternoon a week in the library as well as online. What do you think -- would anyone like to help with one of these clubs?

February 2008

Six Traits

Did you know that you can use the library catalog to find a book that is an example of one of the Six Traits. First open the Library Catalog from the computer desktop. In the Subject window, type Six Traits-Voice (or Organization, etc. as the case may be). The results list will be all the books in the library that are cataloged as examples of that trait.

Accelerated Reader

All students in Grades 1 - 5 have attended an orientation on the new web-based Accelerated Reader and many students have begun testing. I will maintain a display board in the library showing statistics on student use of AR throughout the grades. February is the kick-off month for the Accelerated Reader school challenge to be selected by the Student Council. We also plan a webinar for teachers on how to use Accelerated Reader. More information on that coming soon!

Language Book Talk Weeks

Language book talk weeks are off to a great start. This month look for French, English and German book talk weeks ahead. In connection with the language book talks, take a look at the Audio Book Reviews link on the E-Bulletin Board. I am building this section to provide audio information about books in all languages and many of the books from the language book talks will be featured in the audio book reviews. Also look for audio book reviews on summer reading books!

Summer Reading Book Lists

Please begin to work on your summer reading book lists now. Final lists will be due at the end of March and the summer reading book list will be posted on the school website in April! Thanks for your help on this important aspect of our curriculum. Studies have shown that summer reading is vital to maintaining lanugage arts skills and is a key factor in student achievement.