Fantasy Frenzy!

Hi there, fantasy readers! December is Fantasy Frenzy month in the library. This contest will work just like all of our other Genre of the Month contests- if you read one title,  you get a small prize (think candy, bookmarks, stickers, bubbles, etc.). If you read three fantasy books this month, you'll receive a raffle ticket for a Barnes and Noble card!

Not sure what to read? Here are some titles that would certainly qualify:

*any book in the Harry Potter series
*any book by Rick Riordan (except 39 Clues books)
* any Artemis Fowl book
*Wayfarer by RJ Anderson
                                          *The Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry
                                          *Secondhand Charm by Julie Berry
                                          *Dragon's Keep by Janet Lee Carey
                                          *Stork by Wendy Delsol
                                          *Dragon Flight by Jessica Day George
                                          *Half World by Hiromi Goto
                                          *any book by J.R.R. Tolkien
                                          *The Shifter by Janice Hardy
                                          * any book in the Warriors series by Erin Hunter
                                          *A Wrinkle in Time or any other book by Madeline L'Engle
                                          *The Boy Who Could Fly by James Norcliffe
                                          *Melting Stones by Tamora Pierce
                                          *No Such Thing as Dragons by Philip Reeve
                                          *Mirrorscape by Mike Wilks
                                          *The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman
                                          *The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
                                          *Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
                                          *any book in the Eragon series by Christopher Paolini
 

New books!

Hello fellow readers!
Thanks to the MAMS PTA, proceeds from the October book fair were donated to our library! We cashed in our Scholastic dollars to get a bunch of NEW books, as well as purchase some extra copies of older favorites. Check out our Animoto video above to see what's new on our shelves!

-Ms. Emili

Dansereau, 10/3

Hi Mr. Dansereau's classes,

Below are some places online that you can go to find great books to read. You can also check out the Authors sites on the right side of this screen.

Great Middle School Reads:
http://tinyurl.com/3oq6cbl

No Flying, No Tights (Graphic novels for teens)
http://www.noflyingnotights.com/index2.html

Teen Reads.com:
http://www.teenreads.com/

Guys Read:
http://www.guysread.com/

Reading Rants! Out of the Ordinary Booklists:
http://www.readingrants.org/

Good Reads: Popular Middle School Books:
http://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/middle-school

Amazon's list of Best Middle School Books:
http://www.amazon.com/Best-Middle-School-Books/lm/FF9FVRSTMM91

ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults:
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/bestficya/bfya2011.cfm

Fall into Reading

A few things happening in the library:

*Our first Lunch Bunch of the year will take place on TUESDAY, OCTOBER 18. Miss Linda from the public library will be here to do a craft and book-talk some new titles. Sign up to attend and eat your lunch in the library that day.

*6th grade orientations will be coming up soon in Language Arts classes, just as soon as NWEA testing (finally!!!) ends.

*Most of our new books are on the shelves and more have been ordered. Please let Ms. Emili know if there are any titles that you want to read that we seem to be missing! There is also now a suggestion box in the library where you can recommend book titles.

Happy reading!
Ms. Emili

What's what in the MC

In case you haven't been to the media center in a while, here are a few answers to common questions:

*How many books can I check out at a time?
   You are allowed to have 2 books out at any time. Magazines and newspapers do not circulate, but you may read them in the library.

*How long can I keep my books?
Reference books may be kept overnight only. All other books may be checked out for up to 2 weeks. If you can't finish your book within 2 weeks, you may renew for another 2 weeks.

*What happens if my book is late?
You will owe $.05 per book, per day. For your convenience, there is a library dropbox in the main hallway, right across from the library- if you don't have time to come into the library, drop your books in there (provided they are on time).

*When can I come to the Media Center?
There are three times during the day: Advisory, lunch, and during class with your teacher and classmates. To visit during Advisory, you must get a pass from your teacher. If you'd like to stop in during lunch, drop by BEFORE going to the cafeteria to make sure we will be open and to get a pass. Then go eat your lunch, and return after eating. No food may be eaten in the library, so please do not bring your lunch with you.

*How do I find out about special events happening in the Media Center?
Any special events or contests (Lunch Bunch, genre of the month contests, etc) are advertised in the morning announcements. They will also be posted here on the library blog, and fliers are usually hung up around the school as well.

*What if I need help with research?
Just ask! Seriously. Stop by and ask for help. Also, any materials that we go over when your class comes in are posted under your teacher's last name under "Tags" on the right side of this page.

New Resource: Britannica Online

Hi there,
Hope your school year is off to a great start! Our school district has access to Britannica Online this year. This will be a GREAT resource to help you with projects and research in every subject area. In addition to having encyclopedia articles on tons of subjects, EB also contains: timelines, video clips, a dictionary/thesaurus, a world atlas, statistics for every state in the US, and news articles designed for students (this will help if your teacher requires current events write-ups!). If you have an email address,  you can create your own Workspace to collect materials and return to them later.

Teachers: EB also contains related curriculum standards for each article, vocabulary help, and a read aloud option. Click here for a guided tour : http://corporate.britannica.com/k12_us_middle_tour.pdf

To access from SCHOOL just click on this link and then select Middle School: http://www.school.eb.com/

To access from HOME: click on the same link and then enter "marsd" for the username and "marsd" for the password.

As always, see me with any questions on how to access or use this resource.
-Ms. Emili

Welcome back!

Dear teachers and students,
Welcome to a new school year! If you're new to this site, let me introduce you to our library blog. Before we get down to business, you may want to save this site as a Favorite (to do so: click the star on the left side of your browser and then Save to Favorites). Ok, now on to what's here...

 First and more importantly: whenever your class comes in to work on a project, resources will be posted to the blog. Posts appear in reverse chronological order, so if your class came in a few weeks ago and you need to go back to something, you may have to scroll down a bit. You can also click on your teacher's name under "Tags" on the right-hand side of the screen. Once you click on their name, all posts for that teacher will come up. You may also find general sites to help you with research under the tag "Research." 


Lots of stuff goes on in the media center throughout the year! Aside from coming in with your teachers to work on projects and research papers, we have contests throughout the year and special events (like Lunch Bunch). Check into our library site to find out what's happening, and to check out pictures from past events! Also, if you're looking for something new to read: check out the Authors section on the right side of this site! 


Have a GREAT start to the school year! I look forward to seeing you in the Media Center. 


Happy reading,
Ms. Emili





 

Elsbree- 6/2 Today's directions

Here are today's directions:

Write a rough draft of a spoken word poem, using one of the topics that you brainstormed yesterday. If you came up with a better topic, feel free to use that as well.

You may utilize the rhyming dictionaries and resources provided by Miss Emili in the previous 2 posts. You should type the poem in Microsoft Word and make sure you include all required elements listed on the previous post.

If you finish, switch computers with a friend and peer edit each other's poems by providing constructive criticism and helpful suggestions for improvement/revisions.

Elsbree- 6/2 Poetry Slamming Tips & Resources

Mrs. Elsbree's classes:

Directions for your poetry slam poems:
- Create an original "spoken word poem" (poetry slam) on a topic of your choosing and prepare to perform in front of a live audience


Requirements:
-at LEAST 30 lines
-may or may not have a rhyme scheme
-MUST use at least 5 examples of figurative language (metaphor, simile, personification, alliteration, hyperbole, onomatopeia)
-Make sure you use your "voice"! (Examples: humorous, serious, sad, sarcastic, etc.)
-Be aware of  your audience and write to connect with them or engage them
-Remember that you will be reciting this out loud, so prepare to use appropriate body language, gestures, and facial expressions to enhance your poem's effect

Here are some resources to check out to help you write your poems. If you get stuck, try a rhyming dictionary. When you're ready to perform, check out the tips below.

Rhyme Zone:

http://www.rhymezone.com/

Find rhymes, near rhymes, synonyms, antonyms, similar sounding words

Lexemic

http://rhymes.lexemic.com/

Another rhyming site

Rhyme Brain:

http://rhymebrain.com/

you might want to check out the Alliteration Aid!

Taylor Mali’s Tips for Performing Poetry:

http://web.mac.com/tmali/Bakers_Dozen_/Start_%3E.html

(He did the poem “On Girls Lending Pens” that we viewed)

How to Write Slam Poetry: Tips

http://www.ehow.com/how_2058321_write-slam-poetry.html

How to Write a Slam poem

http://www.ehow.com/how_6909687_write-slam-poem.html

Elsbree- 6/2 Poetry Slam Video Links

Hi Mrs. Elsbree's classes,

Here are the links to the poetry slam videos we watched in class. Steve Colman's "I Wanna Hear a Poem" is posted above. You might not be able to watch the YouTube ones in school- watch them at home if you need some inspiration!

“I wanna hear a poem”- student version

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJeEm0_LG4I&feature=related

What is a poetry slam?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFaY8zpwrEE&feature=related

"Well, Then"- HS girl performing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpW-xoCkRFE&NR=1&feature=fvwp

“Hands"- Sara Kay performing on Def Poetry Jam

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuAbGJBvIVY&feature=related

“Voices”- iCon

http://www.poetryslam.com/index.php?option=com_psivideo&view=all&Itemid=131

“On Girls Lending Pens”- Taylor Mali

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44sXwJgqUyc&feature=related

“Scratch and Dent Dreams”- Eric Darby

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfTa4B7wQ_8

Jersey City slam: Mia Fiore

http://videos.nj.com/jersey-journal/2011/02/mia_fiore.html

      

How to cite your online sources

This post goes out to you, Miss Sobieski's classes. Creating your Works Cited list is so easy nowadays- as long as you have all of the information (title, author, publication year, etc) online citation generators do all the formatting for you!

The citation site that we'll be using is http://easybib.com/. Once there, select what type of resource you're citing (website, book, journal article, etc). I would use the manual entry button to put in your info (when you Autocite, it sometimes doesn't gather all the info you need). Then click "Create Citation."

Once you have all of your sources in a list, click on Save as Word Doc. Then open it and save to your documents folder. And you're done!

Research Resources- Sobieski, 5/24, 5/25, 5/27 (part 2)

Hi Ms. Sobieski's classes. Today we went over how to avoid plagiarism by taking careful notes and keeping track of your sources as you go. We also covered how to find copyright-friendly images, using Google Images and I pointed out two other image sites you can use. Here are the directions for Google Images, and the other site:
To find images in Google Images:
-Go to Google and click on Images
-Click "Advanced Image Search"
-Under "Usage Rights," Click "labeled for Reuse"
-Put in search terms as usual and search
-You must cite that this image came from Google Images

Edupic: http://edupic.net/

Research Resources- Sobieski, 5/24, 5/25, 5/27

Hi Ms. Sobieski's classes! Here's where you will find some resources to help you with your research. Good luck! 

For this project, you are to use: books found in our library (use Infocentre to find materials on your topic), databases (Ebsco Student Research Center and Facts on File), and websites. You may start with the websites listed below. DO NOT USE: Wikipedia, Yahoo Answers, WikiAnswers, Buzzle.com.

To access the databases: Go to Start, Teacher/Student Share/Research Links and then either Ebsco or Facts on File.

Here are some online places to search for information. (Because everyone has a different topic, many of these sites are broad). The first two, are places to search (GREAT alternatives to Google).

Sweet Search- Search Engine: http://www.sweetsearch.com/

Internet Public Library Directory: http://ipl.org/

National Center on Physical Activity and Disability: http://www.ncpad.org/

National Center for Learning Disabilities: http://www.ncld.org/

Kids Health: Learning Disabilities http://kidshealth.org/teen/diseases_conditions/learning/learning_disabilities.html

PubMed Health: Obesity

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0004552/

USA Government Site:

http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/All_Topics.shtml

Natural Disaster and Extreme Weather Information Center

http://site.ebrary.com/lib/disaster/home.action

FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) for Kids:

http://www.fema.gov/kids/dizarea.htm

Pew Center on Climate Change:

http://www.pewclimate.org/

Global Climate Change Indicators:

http://www.pewclimate.org/

TIME magazine 50 Best Inventions of 2010

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/0,28757,2029497,00.html

About.com’s A-Z list of Inventions:

http://inventors.about.com/od/astartinventions/a/FamousInvention.htm

Department of Homeland Security: Terrorism

http://www.fema.gov/hazard/terrorism/index.shtm

FBI: Terrorism

http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/investigate/terrorism

FactMonster: Chronology of Fashion

http://www.factmonster.com/spot/fashiontime1.html

How Stuff Works: Nuclear Power

http://www.howstuffworks.com/nuclear-power.htm

Department of Energy

http://eia.doe.gov/

Aerospace Corporation

http://www.aero.org/

    

Hunger Games movie: March 23, 2012!!!!

It's official! The first book in the HG trilogy will be made into a movie and will be released in March of next year. To tide you over during the long wait, check out the movie website for news and updates here: http://hungergamesmovie.org/ and to see who's in the cast, go here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1392170/

If you haven't finished the series yet, what are you waiting for?! We have a few copies of each book in our library or hit up the public library.

May the Games be ever in your favor,
Miss Emili

Animoto volcano project, Mrs. Mescal: Links

Mrs. Mescal's students,
Here are the links for your volcano projects. For directions on your assignment or how to use Animoto, please see the previous post. Have fun researching!


Mount St. Helen’s 
 http://www.fema.gov/kids/volhelen.htm

America’s 10 Most Dangerous Volcanoes:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/05/photogalleries/100518-mount-st-helens-americas-most-dangerous-volcanoes-science-pictures/

Volcanoes from Around the World:

http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/framework.html

 

USGS Site:

http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Outreach/AboutVolcanoes/framework.html

 Michigan Technological University’s Volcano Page

http://www.geo.mtu.edu/volcanoes/world.html

Volcanoes Around the World

http://www.volcanoes.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=47&Itemid=56

PBS Deadly Volcanoes

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/earth/deadly-volcanoes.html

Resources for Schools: Volcanoes
http://www.minerals.co.nz/html/main_topics/resources_for_schools/volcanoes/volcanoes_world_famous.html

FEMA's volcano site
http://www.fema.gov/kids/volcano.htm

Animoto volcano project, Mrs. Mescal 5/19 + 5/20

Hello, Mrs. Mescal's students! Here are the directions for BOTH your volcano research, and how to make your Animoto video.

For your volcano Animoto project you'll be expected to create an original, informative Animoto presentation with specific facts and images of a famous volcano.

Research your volcano using a minimum of 3 reliable online sources and your Science textbook. Make sure to document the 3 best online sources you used on your handout. Include the website name and address!

Please refer to your handout for the 10 required parts of your video.

 Directions for making your Animoto video:

Animoto website: http://animoto.com/

Promo code:  a4emescc8c070

1. Do your research and find your images first! It will be easier to make your video if you have all of your content ahead of time!

2. Sign in using the following email and password:

email: mescalscience6+(yournumber)@gmail.com

password: science6  

3. Click on “Create Video” button in the upper right hand corner of the page.

4. Pick a style (you can NOT use the ones that say “Pro” on them). 

5. Load your images/videos by doing either: Upload (from your Pictures folder), or select from Animoto's collection. To add pictures, click the + button.

6.  Insert your text. To add text, click on the "a" button. Be brief!!! Rearrange the text and visual boxes by clicking and dragging.

7. Once everything's in the order you want it in, Click Done.

8. Select music from Animoto’s collection.

9. Click “Create video.”

10. Wait for it to finalize (be patient- it takes a few minutes!!)

Tips:

*You can always go back to edit! Go to My Videos and then Edit.

*Click Done periodically to save.

Mystery Month

May is Mystery Month in our library! Read 1 mystery book and receive a small prize. Read 3, and you'll be entered into a raffle to win a Barnes and Noble card! Not sure what to read? We have some mysteries on display in the fiction section. Remember, all fiction books have a genre sticker on the spine- check out a genre guide hanging on the wall to see what the mystery stickers look like! When you finish a book, see Ms. Emili for an entry form.      

Coming up...Get Caught Reading Month!

Hey there,
May is Get Caught Reading Month! In the spirit of all things literary, the library is holding a few events. Here's what's happening:

* "Get Caught Reading" photo contest. See Ms. Emili or Mr. Stevens for details. Winner will receive an iPod Shuffle!

* The library will be teaming up with Student Council to run a book drive. Make sure to listen to the morning announcments for details.

* After NJASK, advisory classes will be holding DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) time.

* Celebrity READ posters have been posted around the school

* May Lunch Bunch will take place on May 17. Sign up- it's the last one for the year!

For more information on Get Caught Reading Month, see the official website: http://www.getcaughtreading.org/


                                                                                  


             
                      
                                                                  

France Tourist Attractions, Burkhardt 4/28

Bonjour, French students! Here are some links to help you with your project on tourist attractions/sites in France.

About France: http://about-france.com/tourism/tourist-attractions.htm

I-Explore France Travel guide: http://www.iexplore.com/dmap/France/Where+to+Go

Nice, France: http://www.lastminutetravel.com/Destination/Nice-Attractions.aspx

Free Tourist Attractions in Toulouse, France: http://www.freeineurope.com/france/toulouse.html

Lonely Planet- Activities in France: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/france/activities

Bonjour La France: http://www.bonjourlafrance.com/france-tourist-attractions/france-tourist-attraction.htm

Regions of France: http://www.bonjourlafrance.com/france-regions/france-regions.htm

CountryGuide 360: http://www.countryguides360.com/france-europe-tourist-attractions.html

French Embassy: Things to do: http://france.embassyhomepage.com/france_holiday_activities_water_sports_france_hiking_paris_touring_cannes_walking_paris_french_embassy_london.htm

USA Today Travel: http://traveltips.usatoday.com/france-tourist-attractions/

Happy Poetry Month!

There sure are a lot of things going on in April! Aside from School Library Month (see our last post), it's also National Poetry Month. We have a bunch of books on display to check out in our library to celebrate. If you're normally not into poetry, you might want to try a "novel in verse." In these books, there's a story/plot unfolding just like in a regular novel-- but they're quick reads because the text is written in poem form. You might want to try Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham, Love that Dog or Hate that Cat by Sharon Creech, or The Red Umbrella by Christina Diaz Gonzalez.

As for online stuff, you might want to check out these great sites:
National Poetry Month
Favorite Poem Project
Teen Ink- Poetry
Fooling with Words

Have a GREAT spring break!
-Ms. Emili

April is...School Library Month!

That's right, we get a whole month to celebrate libraries. Come on in to check out some of the new books we just got (3 big boxes came in last week), attend this month's Lunch Bunch (tomorrow!), or ask Ms. Emili for help with your research paper (she's happy to help!). Tell us what would make our library even better, recommend some books for us to buy for next year, or tell us why you love the library (we like compliments). Happy reading!

Skype recap

So this post is coming to you a little late, but I wanted to share some pictures of Mrs. Chodkiewicz's 8-9 class Skype visit! On March 15, Mrs. C's class participated in virtual book talks with a partnering school in Rosele, NJ as part of Read Across America. After communicating with their pen pals for several weeks, students finally got to "meet" via video conference. The kids did a GREAT job with their book talks! Take a look.
-Ms. Emili

The Outsiders research project, Elsbree 3/29-4/1

Hi Mrs. Buonomo/Ms. Elsbree's classes! In order to give you some background information on the time period in which The Outsiders is set, you'll be working on a research project on life in the 1960s. This project will require you to use all kinds of resources: websites from a Webquest, books, and database articles. You will be writing a written report with a partner and then creating a Glogster project on your own. A Works Cited is required!!

Directions, resources, and requirements for this project can be found here: http://zunal.com/webquest.php?w=91884. You can access this post 2 ways: by scrolling down until you find it, or by looking under Tags on the right hand side of this page. This post is tagged under: Buonomo, Elsbree, Research, and Webquests. Happy researching!

Animoto projects: Mrs. Joyce, 3/28

Hi Mrs. Joyce's students! This post is where you'll find information for your Animoto Autobiography projects. There are two ways to access these directions: scroll down on the main page until you get to this post OR click on either "Joyce" or "Animoto" under Tags on the right side of this website. Have fun!!!

Directions: You have been assigned to be a producer, director, and main character in a video about...yourself! This will be your autobiography. You won't be writing a paper, researching intense topics, or presenting a long narrative. You will be starring in and presenting to our class a homemade video using the computer-based program Animoto! This will be a timeline of important events in your life. Here are the requirements:
-Catchy title
-Written, directed, and produced by YOU (first name only)
-Dedication
-Music (a song that represents you)
-PICTURES: baby pictures, important happenings in the world on the day you were born (may have to research), toddler pictures, important milestones, school days, best friends and pets, favorite hobbies/sports, dreams and aspirations, your job in 20 years
-Include a caption for EACH picture you use! Be creative!

Here's the link to Animoto:  http://animoto.com/

How to create your video:

1. Brainstorm the content of your video and find any images you will use. Save images to your Pictures folder.

2. You will need to register for Animoto. Click "Sign Up" in upper right corner. Enter your information and click on "Do you have a promo/referal code?" Use Mrs. Joyce's code

3. Once you are signed in, click on “Create Video” button in the upper right hand corner. 

4. Choose a style.

5. Load your video images by either uploading them from photos saved to your account OR select from the Animoto collection.

6. Add photos by clicking "Add more" and text by clicking the "T" button. Arrange the slides in the order you want them to appear. You can go back and edit later if you need to.

7. Then click “Done.”

8. Select music from Animoto’s collection.

9. Click “Create video.” It will take several minutes for Animoto to create your video.

Happy St. Patty's!

Top o' the mornin' to you! Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with these fun games and websites.

St. Patrick's Day Games
St. Patrick's Day Puzzles
St. Patrick's Day Recipes
St. Patrick's Day Crafts
History of St. Patrick's Day
A little about St. Patty's day..

March Madness

In case you haven't heard, our contest for this month is March Madness. Read ANY sports book and receive a small prize- read 3 and you'll be entered to win a Barnes and Noble gift card. Any book that has to do with sports counts- fictional stories, non-fiction books about playing a sport, and athete biographies are all fair "game." (Don't you love puns?)
-Ms. Emili

Check out our Animotos!

Animoto mania hit the library this year! Students in several Language Arts classes created video book trailers, based on their independent reading selections. While all of the videos were GREAT, a few really captured our attention. Check them out!

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins / Video by Nick Page and Brian Slobotsky (7th grade)



Monster by Walter Dean Myers / Video by Jason Dunne (8th grade)


Hoops by Walter Dean Myers / Video by Chris Solomon (8th grade)


If I Stay by Gayle Forman / Video by Isha Najaf (8th grade)


Specials by Scott Westerfield / Video by Fatou Dieng (8th grade)