Basic Discovery Exercise:
1. I clicked on "Title List" and chose "Novels for Students, 1998, Vol. 1". Then on the left, I searched within this resource for Tom Sawyer, and I changed the search to "all volumes". Then The Adventures of Tom Sawyer does come up in Volume 6 of the Novels for Students resource. I selected this title, because one of our fifth grade teachers just requested a copy of this book. Students are usually very interested in the books their classroom teachers read aloud to them, so I thought I might get some questions on this book and its author. The sections on author biography, plot summary, characters, and themes could all be of interest to students. I also liked the sidebar notes. I think "What do I read next?" and "Media Adaptations" would be particularly interesting to students who enjoyed this title.
2. If you do a Basic Search on "foods with zinc," and limit to the nutrient zinc, you can find foods with various concentrations of zinc in them: oysters, beef, chicken, turkey, and yogurt are a few.
If you do a Basic Search on "Huckleberry Finn," and limit the document type to "Plot Summary," you will find a summary of the novel. Then, exploring further, you can look in the resource Literary Themes for Students: The American Dream, and click on "Full Text" and the "Plot Summary" link, and you will get to a section that describes the book in 3 to 6 chapters at a time. The "Listen" feature does work and reads you any section you have highlighted in the resource. Although it isn't eloquent or flawless in fluency, it would be beneficial for ELL students who need to get through a bunch of text in a short amount of time.
3. I read and commented on Mark Kenefick's and Kristi Jones' blog posts. It is interesting to see what others used for searches. Different searches can lead to learning different things about the databases.
Common Core Connections:
I clicked on "Education" on the left sidebar, and then searched for "creativity" within the "Education" subject. There were many articles under this search. One I skimmed was Team Teaching. I like how this article explains how team teaching can encourage creativity. Collaborating is something we want to do as teacher librarians. Part of our job is to work and teach along with classroom teachers so we can best meet the needs of all our students and help them learn in a variety of ways.
Another article I looked at that could be used to tie in to the common core standards is Lifelong Learning.
In The Encyclopedia of Education, lifelong learning is defined as:
Lifelong learning is the development of human potential through a continuously supportive process which stimulates and empowers individuals to acquire all the knowledge, values, skills, and understanding they will require throughout their lifetimes and to apply them with confidence, creativity and enjoyment in all roles, circumstances, and environments. (Longworth and Davies, p. 22)
I think the idea of applying skills such as learning new vocabulary is important. We want students to learn this in school but also keep using the skill throughout their lives as they read and come across words they don't know.
5.L.4 Vocabulary Acquisition and Use:
Strategies
a. context
b. affixes and roots
c. reference materials
To teach this skill, I would copy a page from one of this year's Prairie Pasque books such as "Harry Houdini: The Legend of the World's Greatest Escape Artist" or "The Elephant Scientist" and have students highlight a word they either don't know the definition of or would like to know the exact definition of (even if they "sort of" know what it means). I would model one word like this for the class and show them how I would use the strategies of context, affixes and or roots and reference materials such as dictionary.com to learn its meaning. If using Elephant Scientist, for example, I might model the word "vibrational." Then I would ask them to go through the same process for a word they found. This could be done individually or in pairs.
Works Cited
LONGWORTH, NORMAN, and DAVIES, W. KEITH. 1996. Lifelong Learning: New Vision, New Implications, New Roles for People, Organizations, Nations and Communities in the 21st Century. London: Kogan Page.
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Friday, February 14, 2014
Lesson 5: ProQuest
Basic Discovery Exercise:
1. I did a ProQuest search on elementary library graphic novels, to get some ideas for collection development. There were 2436 results. On the right hand side, there are many options available for narrowing your results. Narrowing it to scholarly journals gives you 1552 results. I particularly like narrowing by publication year for these types of sources, since students are often required to use sources only from recent years. When my search is limited to full text scholarly journal articles in English published from 2010-2013 The related searches box is also nice, especially for students, who may not narrow enough on their first search.
1a. I commented on Pam's Learning Express Library blog entry. She had some good ideas on how to use and improve this online resource. It is great to get ideas from the other participants that we can adapt to our own library lessons.
2. After clicking on the Publications tab at the top of the page, I looked up The Horn Book Guide, a resource one of the public libraries I worked for used for selection/collection development purposes. You are then able to look up specific years and see the ratings for various books. I checked 2009, when my daughter was born, thinking I may have missed some of the intermediate fiction of that year. I noticed they gave a high rating to the Graphic Novel versions of The Boxcar children and #53 in the Hank the Cowdog series. For research purposes, it is good to know the articles will all be full text, since you aren't going to be citing abstracts.
Common Core Connections
3.RI.5 Use text features and search tools (e.g., key words, sidebars, hyperlinks) to locate information relevant to a given topic efficiently.
For this standard, I would have students use ProQuest to practice research skills. The following list of questions could be a worksheet, or done together in groups or as a whole class on the Smartboard.
1. Type in "2014 Olympic Games" in the ProQuest search box. On the sidebar, narrow search results to:
Source Type: Newspapers
Language: English
Publication Year: 2014
How many articles fall under this search? (431)
2. Type in "Cal Ripken, Jr. AND Children's author" in the Proquest search box. How many results are there? (41)
3. Choose the link to the magazine article from "Parenting" magazine called "Five Minutes With. . .Cal Ripken, Jr." Here Cal Ripken is giving advice to parents whose children participate in sports. Compare this advice to advice given by Coach, Connor, or Connor's Dad in Hothead. Do his characters reflect his beliefs on sports?
4. Type in "Rah, Rah, Radishes" in the ProQuest search box. On the sidebar, narrow search results to:
Publication Titles: Kirkus Reviews (3)
Scan the titles of the articles, then answer:
What are the names of two other books that April Pulley Sayre has written that are food chants like Rah, Rah, Radishes?
5. Stay in your list of titles from #3 above. Click on the link for each review. Look for word count in each. Which of the three books has the most words? (268--Go, Go, Grapes)
1. I did a ProQuest search on elementary library graphic novels, to get some ideas for collection development. There were 2436 results. On the right hand side, there are many options available for narrowing your results. Narrowing it to scholarly journals gives you 1552 results. I particularly like narrowing by publication year for these types of sources, since students are often required to use sources only from recent years. When my search is limited to full text scholarly journal articles in English published from 2010-2013 The related searches box is also nice, especially for students, who may not narrow enough on their first search.
1a. I commented on Pam's Learning Express Library blog entry. She had some good ideas on how to use and improve this online resource. It is great to get ideas from the other participants that we can adapt to our own library lessons.
2. After clicking on the Publications tab at the top of the page, I looked up The Horn Book Guide, a resource one of the public libraries I worked for used for selection/collection development purposes. You are then able to look up specific years and see the ratings for various books. I checked 2009, when my daughter was born, thinking I may have missed some of the intermediate fiction of that year. I noticed they gave a high rating to the Graphic Novel versions of The Boxcar children and #53 in the Hank the Cowdog series. For research purposes, it is good to know the articles will all be full text, since you aren't going to be citing abstracts.
Common Core Connections
3.RI.5 Use text features and search tools (e.g., key words, sidebars, hyperlinks) to locate information relevant to a given topic efficiently.
For this standard, I would have students use ProQuest to practice research skills. The following list of questions could be a worksheet, or done together in groups or as a whole class on the Smartboard.
1. Type in "2014 Olympic Games" in the ProQuest search box. On the sidebar, narrow search results to:
Source Type: Newspapers
Language: English
Publication Year: 2014
How many articles fall under this search? (431)
2. Type in "Cal Ripken, Jr. AND Children's author" in the Proquest search box. How many results are there? (41)
3. Choose the link to the magazine article from "Parenting" magazine called "Five Minutes With. . .Cal Ripken, Jr." Here Cal Ripken is giving advice to parents whose children participate in sports. Compare this advice to advice given by Coach, Connor, or Connor's Dad in Hothead. Do his characters reflect his beliefs on sports?
4. Type in "Rah, Rah, Radishes" in the ProQuest search box. On the sidebar, narrow search results to:
Publication Titles: Kirkus Reviews (3)
Scan the titles of the articles, then answer:
What are the names of two other books that April Pulley Sayre has written that are food chants like Rah, Rah, Radishes?
5. Stay in your list of titles from #3 above. Click on the link for each review. Look for word count in each. Which of the three books has the most words? (268--Go, Go, Grapes)
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Lesson 4: SIRS Discoverer and SIRS Researcher
Basic Discovery Exercise:
1. I looked up ocelot in the SIRS Disoverer search box, and it gave me fifty different options to check out including 4 newspapers, 27 magazines, 13 reference sources, and 5 graphics. The ones with the camera icon do have pictures of the cat. 12 of the articles would be on a typical elementary school student's lexile range (1st to 5th). Of course the articles can be used in many ways and all would not necessarily have to be read completely in order to find out information about the ocelot.
2. In Country Facts, I selected St. Kitts and Nevis. According to SIRS Discoverer, "St. Kitts and Nevis is the smallest independent nation in the Western Hemisphere." I thought it was interesting that the country didn't gain its independence from Great Britain until 1983 and that St. Kitts was earlier named by Christopher Columbus.
Next, I looked at the map for St. Kitts and Nevis under the maps of the world link in the Database Features section. For teaching purposes, I could ask students to find out from the map what body of water this country lies in, what is the country's capital city's name, or what other countries besides Great Britain colonized in this area.
I also selected the Fiction section of the Database features. This is a great way to add fiction from literary magazines to the classroom/library that don't fit into the school or library's budget. I found a story called "The Perfect Valentine," by Teresa A. DiNcola and illustrated by Marsha Winborn, which could be used this week! There are topics and subtopics listed to the right hand side of the screen that allow you to narrow your search, too.
Works Cited
"St. Kitts and Nevis." SIRS Discoverer: Country Facts. 2013: n.p. SIRS Discoverer. Web. 08 Feb. 2014.
SIRS Issues Researcher
1. I clicked on "Marijuana, Law and legislation" in the Pro vs. Con Leading Issues section of SIRS Issues Researcher. It has an overview of the topic under "At Issue:" and has sides for and against and major arguments under "Pro/Con Issues and Essential Questions." Sources are broken down into newspapers, magazines, viewpoints, reference, graphics, and webselect sites. These can be sorted either by date, or lexile level. The research tools are interesting with the little icons such as the timeline, statistics, or note organizer. All of these would be beneficial for 6 through 12 grade in research skills and report writing.
2. Under "Curriculum Pathfinders," I selected Algebra. It has a wide variety of information on the subject, such as articles on whether or not the subject is required for high school graduation, a dictionary/encyclopedia entry defining the subject, as well as summaries and addresses for websites that can help you practice your algebra skills online.
Common Core Connections
5.R.1.7 Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently.
In teaching this standard, I would want students to be able to "identify multiple credible sources" and "use digital sources to locate information to answer a question and solve a problem" as it is written in the I Can statement versions of the standard.
I would ask students to provide 3 facts on the 2014 Winter Olympics from three credible digital sources using SIRS Discoverer. If they type in "Winter Olympics 2014 in the search box, they will get 30 results broken down into newspapers, magazines, reference, graphics, and webFind sites. If they chose a graphic, they could include a picture of the Laura Biathlon and Ski Complex in Souchi, Russia, to share the location of the games. If they chose a webFind site, they could watch a video on how athletes train for the Winter Olympics in a certain sport (snowboard cross, for example). In they chose a magazine article, they could tell about how female ski jumpers will get to copete at the Olympic games (from ScienceSpin magazine). This lesson could follow lessons on using SIRS and its features and how to decide if a source digital or print is credible. It is nice for teachers and librarians to have the common core link so you can quickly check standards in the grade level you are preparing for. The standard I chose above, 5.R.1.7, would go along with Fifth Grade's Reading Content Standards Indicator 5: Students can access, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate informational texts.
1. I looked up ocelot in the SIRS Disoverer search box, and it gave me fifty different options to check out including 4 newspapers, 27 magazines, 13 reference sources, and 5 graphics. The ones with the camera icon do have pictures of the cat. 12 of the articles would be on a typical elementary school student's lexile range (1st to 5th). Of course the articles can be used in many ways and all would not necessarily have to be read completely in order to find out information about the ocelot.
2. In Country Facts, I selected St. Kitts and Nevis. According to SIRS Discoverer, "St. Kitts and Nevis is the smallest independent nation in the Western Hemisphere." I thought it was interesting that the country didn't gain its independence from Great Britain until 1983 and that St. Kitts was earlier named by Christopher Columbus.
Next, I looked at the map for St. Kitts and Nevis under the maps of the world link in the Database Features section. For teaching purposes, I could ask students to find out from the map what body of water this country lies in, what is the country's capital city's name, or what other countries besides Great Britain colonized in this area.
I also selected the Fiction section of the Database features. This is a great way to add fiction from literary magazines to the classroom/library that don't fit into the school or library's budget. I found a story called "The Perfect Valentine," by Teresa A. DiNcola and illustrated by Marsha Winborn, which could be used this week! There are topics and subtopics listed to the right hand side of the screen that allow you to narrow your search, too.
Works Cited
"St. Kitts and Nevis." SIRS Discoverer: Country Facts. 2013: n.p. SIRS Discoverer. Web. 08 Feb. 2014.
SIRS Issues Researcher
1. I clicked on "Marijuana, Law and legislation" in the Pro vs. Con Leading Issues section of SIRS Issues Researcher. It has an overview of the topic under "At Issue:" and has sides for and against and major arguments under "Pro/Con Issues and Essential Questions." Sources are broken down into newspapers, magazines, viewpoints, reference, graphics, and webselect sites. These can be sorted either by date, or lexile level. The research tools are interesting with the little icons such as the timeline, statistics, or note organizer. All of these would be beneficial for 6 through 12 grade in research skills and report writing.
2. Under "Curriculum Pathfinders," I selected Algebra. It has a wide variety of information on the subject, such as articles on whether or not the subject is required for high school graduation, a dictionary/encyclopedia entry defining the subject, as well as summaries and addresses for websites that can help you practice your algebra skills online.
Common Core Connections
- Strand: Informational Text
- Anchor Standard: Integration of Knowledge
- Grade Level: 5
5.R.1.7 Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently.
In teaching this standard, I would want students to be able to "identify multiple credible sources" and "use digital sources to locate information to answer a question and solve a problem" as it is written in the I Can statement versions of the standard.
I would ask students to provide 3 facts on the 2014 Winter Olympics from three credible digital sources using SIRS Discoverer. If they type in "Winter Olympics 2014 in the search box, they will get 30 results broken down into newspapers, magazines, reference, graphics, and webFind sites. If they chose a graphic, they could include a picture of the Laura Biathlon and Ski Complex in Souchi, Russia, to share the location of the games. If they chose a webFind site, they could watch a video on how athletes train for the Winter Olympics in a certain sport (snowboard cross, for example). In they chose a magazine article, they could tell about how female ski jumpers will get to copete at the Olympic games (from ScienceSpin magazine). This lesson could follow lessons on using SIRS and its features and how to decide if a source digital or print is credible. It is nice for teachers and librarians to have the common core link so you can quickly check standards in the grade level you are preparing for. The standard I chose above, 5.R.1.7, would go along with Fifth Grade's Reading Content Standards Indicator 5: Students can access, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate informational texts.
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Lesson 3: Learning Express Library
Basic Discovery Exercise:
1. I set up an account in Learning Express Library, and looked through the available exams. It offers materials for 4th grade to adult with current practice exams, self-paced courses, and e-books.
2. I chose 4th Grade Algebra and Patterns: Practice 1. I got 14 out of 15 right. I think having tests like these available for kids and adults is good. School districts will be moving towards having more online and standardized type tests, so any practice students can get on these before taking ones that "count" will help them become familiar with taking online exams.
3. Under career resources, I added the course Great Resumes. It's always a good idea to keep your resume updated, even if you aren't looking for a job. Different sources may recommend different things, but some things are stressed regardless of where you look. You can always compare several and see what works best for you and the job you are applying for or audience who will view it.
4. I searched under teaching as a career topic, and found an e-book that looked interesting. I selected Best Careers For Teachers. This book has chapters on many teacher-related careers and guides you through the process of considering if they would or would not be a good fit for you. There are jobs tutoring, assisting homeschooling families, editing, writing, teaching online, and several more.
Common Core Connections:
ELA Reading Standards: Fundamental Skills
Anchor Standard: Fluency
Grade Level: 4
Standard:
4.RF.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
a. Read on-level text with purpose and understanding.
b. Read on-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings.
c. Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.
To teach the standard above using Learning Express Library, I would have fourth grade students add an e-test: Fourth Grade Reading Practice: Poetry 1 to their center and then start the test. They could practice reading the poem out loud to work on fluency and accuracy while reading poetry aloud, and then take the 5 questions test at the end to see how the did as far as comprehension for that poem. If the comprehension is not there the first read-through, students can go back and re-read and look through the answers they did incorrectly.
1. I set up an account in Learning Express Library, and looked through the available exams. It offers materials for 4th grade to adult with current practice exams, self-paced courses, and e-books.
2. I chose 4th Grade Algebra and Patterns: Practice 1. I got 14 out of 15 right. I think having tests like these available for kids and adults is good. School districts will be moving towards having more online and standardized type tests, so any practice students can get on these before taking ones that "count" will help them become familiar with taking online exams.
3. Under career resources, I added the course Great Resumes. It's always a good idea to keep your resume updated, even if you aren't looking for a job. Different sources may recommend different things, but some things are stressed regardless of where you look. You can always compare several and see what works best for you and the job you are applying for or audience who will view it.
4. I searched under teaching as a career topic, and found an e-book that looked interesting. I selected Best Careers For Teachers. This book has chapters on many teacher-related careers and guides you through the process of considering if they would or would not be a good fit for you. There are jobs tutoring, assisting homeschooling families, editing, writing, teaching online, and several more.
Common Core Connections:
ELA Reading Standards: Fundamental Skills
Anchor Standard: Fluency
Grade Level: 4
Standard:
4.RF.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
a. Read on-level text with purpose and understanding.
b. Read on-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings.
c. Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.
To teach the standard above using Learning Express Library, I would have fourth grade students add an e-test: Fourth Grade Reading Practice: Poetry 1 to their center and then start the test. They could practice reading the poem out loud to work on fluency and accuracy while reading poetry aloud, and then take the 5 questions test at the end to see how the did as far as comprehension for that poem. If the comprehension is not there the first read-through, students can go back and re-read and look through the answers they did incorrectly.
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