posted 8/4/2010 11:21 AM | comment | view comments (0)

This past Sunday, July 11th, was the 50th anniversary of the publication of To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee.  While this is a high school book in Howell, it's one of my favorites and so I just had to say Happy Anniversary here on my Middle School Library blog!  This novel is still relevant and endearing to most who read it.

Read USA Today's story about the 50th anniversary here.  Also, this month's National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) EDSITEment article highlights To Kill A Mockingbird and includes a list of classic Summertime Favorites.

What are you reading this summer?  Email me (Mrs. Lester) and let me know if you have any good recommendations.

posted 7/14/2010 6:42 PM | comment | view comments (0)

The front page of the Wednesday, June 9th edition of the Livingston County Press & Argus featured the story "Kids encouraged to read in summer" by Lisa Roose-Church (read the article here).  Bravo!  It's a great thing to see the benefits of Summer Reading making headline news. 

However, this article highlights 4th grade scores and feels geared to encourage summer reading for younger children.  However, Middle and High School students should read over the summer too!!!  The 2009 National Assessment for Educational Progress (find data here) shows that Michigan 8th graders rank behind 32 other states and 69% of 8th graders are below proficient rating in reading.

So, Middle School students should definitely chose something they enjoy reading and READ this summer!!  See the blog post below for suggestions about reading.

posted 6/10/2010 4:14 PM | comment | view comments (0)

posted 6/7/2010 4:01 PM | comment | view comments (0)

posted 5/26/2010 7:48 AM | comment | view comments (0)

Most students have been cautioned by teachers about using wikipedia as an exclusive source for their research.  Wikipedia is a site where any registered member can edit any of the articles.  Many of us have heard or read about incidents of incorrect information and “vandalized” articles on wikipedia.

Yet, I see students using sites such as answers.com, yahoo.answers.com, or ask.com for their research.  Take a critical look at these sites and you will see that these sites are similar to wikipedia (actually, worse in my opinion, because they do not receive the same level of scrutiny that wikipedia does).  Anyone can go to these sites and post questions or answers to questions. 

For example, I typed in the question: “What are Hercules symbols?” at answers.com.  The answer I was given was last edited by user LukeSkywalker3000.  Who is this user and what does he know about Greek Mythology?  When I click on his profile, it just says that he is an actor and that he has posted answers to 13 questions.  Hmmm… would you trust his answer to this question?

Please do not use answers.com, yahoo.answers.com, and ask.com for your research.

Everyone should learn to critically evaluate the sources of their information.  Who or what is the source of the information?  Is this a reliable source?  Is it an accurate source?  Is the information biased or one-sided?

Rule of thumb: NEVER use just one source for information for a research project.  Serious research requires at least three sources to verify information. [There are times when wikipedia is useful, but it should never be your only source of information.]

posted 5/13/2010 1:09 PM | comment | view comments (0)

Stop by the library to see this month's featured Picturing America poster Allies Day, May 1917 by Childe Hassam.  This patriotic impressionist painting was perfect to help celebrate the upcoming Memorial Day (May 31st) and Flag Day (June 14th).

About the painting: Allies Day, May 1917 is one of about thirty oil paintings that Childe Hassam made of New York City's flag-decked streets during World War I. On 9 and 11 May 1917 the British and French war commissioners paraded down Fifth Avenue, temporarily proclaimed "the Avenue of the Allies," to celebrate the United States' entry into the war.

posted 5/12/2010 9:49 AM | comment | view comments (0)

The Three Fires Library has new resources for both staff and students to support the anti-bullying program. 

The Revealers by Doug Wilhelm is a fiction book for students recommended by Dr. McEvoy.  Description: Tired of being bullied and picked on, three seventh-grade outcasts join forces and, using scientific methods and the power of the Internet, begin to create a new atmosphere at Parkland Middle School.

Other recommended fiction books on this topic include:
The Girls by Amy Goldman Koss
Buddha Boy by Kathe Koja
Stargirl by Jerry Spinnelli
Drowning Anna by Sue Mayfield
The Misfits by James Howe

Stop by the Three Fires library if you'd like to take a look at or check out any of these books.

posted 5/3/2010 5:20 PM | comment | view comments (0)

Over 200 staff and students participated in Poem in your Pocket day!!  Thanks to everyone who shared a poem with the library staff!  Watch the bulletin board outside of the library; some of the poems will be displayed there soon.

The Library Scavenger Hunt was also a success.  Students had a great time following clues that took them around the library and said "Yes" they'd like to do this activity again.

posted 5/3/2010 8:48 AM | comment | view comments (0)

In honor of April being School Library Month & Poetry Month, the TFMS library is sponsoring the following activities:

 Tuesday, April 27th at Lunch
 Library Scavenger Hunt
 Eat your lunch, play the library game, have snacks, and be  eligible to win a prize!

 Thursday, April 29th (All Day)
 Poem in your Pocket Day
 Have 5 lines or more of a poem written by yourself or a favorite author in your pocket.  Stop by the Media Center with your Pocket Poem and win a prize!

posted 4/21/2010 4:37 PM | comment | view comments (0)

As an extension of World Culture Day, there is a guest Cultural Exchange Art Exhibit in the Library for two weeks!  This exhibit is a collaboration between St John’s middle and elementary schools and their sister school in Konan City, Japan and contains artwork from both the Japanese and American schools.  It is art of everyday living, so it is interesting to see the contrast between Japanese children’s art styles and subjects as opposed to American styles and subjects.  Thanks to Mrs. Gut for arranging this exhibit.  Please stop by to see it!

posted 4/20/2010 2:16 PM | comment | view comments (0)

In the honor of the fact that April is both School Library Month and Poetry Month... check out the wonderful poem My Library by Varda One at:

http://www.librarysupport.net/librarylovers/mylibrary.html.

posted 4/19/2010 2:17 PM | comment | view comments (0)

Stop by the Media Center to see the picture "Looking Down Yosemite Valley, California, 1865" by Albert Bierstadt from the Picturing America collection.  This picture was chosen for display this month in honor of EARTH DAY which is April 22nd.

You can find some classroom resources from Waste Management and Discovery Education at: Think Green and a Earth Day 40th Anniversary Unit here.

The Three Fires GREEN GROUP is sponsoring an Earth Day Coloring Contest.  You can help support the Green Group by purchasing a coloring sheet for 25 cents at lunch or just donating 25 cents.  The Three Fires Green Group supports the three R's: REDUCE, RECYCLE, REUSE!

posted 4/15/2010 1:52 PM | comment | view comments (0)

Jacqueline Woodson, Walter Dean Myers, and Kathi Appelt are just some of the writers who’ll take part in 30 Poets/30 Days, a celebration of children's poetry during National Poetry Month. 

Every day in April, author Gregory K. Pincus’s GottaBook blog site will feature a previously unpublished poem by a different poet—and it’s completely free and open 24/7.

Pincus says last year’s inaugural 30 Poets/30 Days was such a huge success. All poems from last year are available online, including “I Dreamt I Saw a Dinosaur,” submitted by Mary Ann Hoberman, the Poetry Foundation's current Children's Poet Laureate and a recipient of the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children.

posted 4/12/2010 8:43 AM | comment | view comments (0)

April is:

Poetry Month
Check out Poetry Month information at poets.org from the Academy of American Poets.
Also, go the the 3fires Library Learning Links page on Poetry to find some other great poetry resources.

Jazz Appreciation Month
April is also Jazz Appreciation Month.  The Smithsonian Jazz site has some information about Jazz Appreciation Month as well as other Jazz resources.

March was also Music in our Schools Month.  Thinkfinity has some great Music resources and links.

School Library Month
April is also School Library Month!  There'll be a few events in the library after Spring Break to celebrate!

We may celebrate D.E.A.R (Drop Everything and Read) day and Poem in Your Pocket Day which are both in April!

For a list of other Celebrations and Dates in April, click here.

posted 4/1/2010 11:55 AM | comment | view comments (0)