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