Greetings!
I recently attended the NCCE Convention in Seattle and had a great time. I learned some interesting information and will be sharing some of it with you for the next few posts. NCCE stands for Northwest Council for Computers in Education. I have some cool websites that may interest you and tips and tricks for computers.
Do you use PowerPoint with your students? I learned of a couple of FREE options to use. One is called SimpleBooklet. Templates are available to use. The word is that this was designed for business use rather than educational use, but is still a good alternative for kids. It is FREE which is a good thing. Be advised that you must use Chrome, Firefox, or Safari to create your booklets rather than Internet Explorer. www.simplebooklet.com
Another option for PowerPoint is to use Prezi. Go to prezi.com and click on the “pricing” button, then you should see a bar with “Student and Educator” pricing line. You can use this for FREE. The upgrade is only $59.00 and might be something you choose to do or not. www.prexi.com
If you have your students write papers and wonder why they don’t get the grade they thought they would, there is a program called ‘PaperRater’ which is a simplified version of Turnitin. Many colleges and universities use Turnitin to check for plagiarism, but this is a little different. This FREE service will analyze grammar, spelling, and originality along with a few other options. If the student is 9th grade or higher, it will even give a suggested grade for the paper. I tried it with a student’s paper and was pleased with the information I got. www.paperrater.com
If you are having trouble with students not citing sources correctly, there are multiple programs to help with this problem. Son of Citation Machine is a FREE website that makes this very easy to do. www.citationmachine.net For a FREE bibliography go to http://easybib.com and create a bibliography quickly and easily.
Need an interesting and fun journaling activity? Go to http://oneword.com and press go. A word will appear at the top of the page and a timer is at the bottom. Students have one sixty seconds to write about that word. They can type on the computer using the word that appears on their individual screens or you can project the word onto the screen and have everyone write about the same word. You may think of other things to do with this website, too.
Have you tried Wordle yet? It is such a fun website. You can input text and Wordle will then turn your text into a picture. The words that are used the most will be the largest words and the words that are used the least will be smallest. www.wordle.net Another site that is similar is Tagul. The good thing about tagul is that is does not run on Java and there are more options. http://tagul.com Please note that while both websites are free, you need to sign up for Tagul, but not for Wordle.
I do not want to overwhelm you this week. Try some or all of these sites and see what you could put to use in your classes. I’ll have more next week for you.
Hope you have a great week.
Audrey
Monday, March 26, 2012
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Kindle Survey Results
Greetings!
I know you are busy people, and I thank the few of you who were able to respond to my survey regarding the purchase and use of Kindles or other e-readers. Here are the results of the survey.
Q. Have you thought about purchasing e-readers for your library?
A. One out of five had considered it. One response said that there were so many things that were needed for the school, and e-readers were not at the top of the list.
Q. Do you see these as circulating items or for library use only?
A. Most responses said that they would be used in the library or in the school building only. One respondent said that at first they would be used in the library, but possibly checked out later, and another suggested that it might be library use for lower grades with upper grades allowed to check them out. One person commented that some special needs students might benefit from the use of e-readers which is why they had considered purchasing them.
Q. What are the pros and cons of e-readers in the library for check-out purposes as you see it?
A. Pros: lots of cool features that students can use, might entice the technophiles who view books as “a bit prehistoric”, the price of e-books is often cheaper.
Cons: loss of the device, not enough for everyone to check out, checkout system at the school is consistent, damage to the device, expensive, hard to monitor, unsure students would respect the cost of the device to take care of them, no guarantee that students would read, students would miss the feel of books and the joy of turning the page, would hate to see the world turn its back on actual books and go completely digital.
Q. How do you handle students who bring their personal Kindle to school? Do you supervise their reading? Are they allowed to play games on them at school?
A. None of the respondents were at schools that allowed electronic devices at their schools. No students had them or brought them to school. One teacher said that students would be discouraged from bringing them to school. Another said that she would monitor the reading just she monitors books brought from home. No games would be allowed at school.
Q. Do you or your teachers feel that monitoring e-readers might add an additional burden to your life?
A. No – 1; yes – 1; Probably – 1, Students will usually monitor themselves if presented with clear directions and you have a no tolerance policy – 1; Worry more about damage of the e-reader than regulating them - 1
Q. Are your families ready for this step? Do you think it would be a positive addition to your program?
A. One teacher said that many kids had them already and it could be a positive addition, one teacher said that it would not be either positive or negative but just something the school does. They have some families who would be happy to have their children learning another type of technology and some families who would feel it unnecessary. Two teachers said that it would be a great addition of cheaper books, but did not think the families were ready for this step. One teacher said they have families that really appreciate the school updates the technology and would be impressed that e-readers were available especially if it encouraged their student to read more.
Q. If you did decide to purchase e-readers for your school library, what would you see as the ideal ratio of students to e-readers?
A. Answers ranged from 1:1 (ideally); 1:2; 1:4. One idea was to have one or two in the library for younger students to use and then have one for every 3 or 4 students.
Q. Which e-reader would you consider purchasing and why? Kindle, Kindle Fire, Nook, Sony, other.
A. Most respondents said they would need to do more research before choosing one, but one person replied that she felt the Kindle 3 was the best as far as options and price point.
I found this information interesting and I hope you did too. I do not expect any of us will run out and buy e-readers, but now we know how others feel and have a few facts to back up our opinions.
Hope you have a good week and enjoy your vacation time.
Audrey
I know you are busy people, and I thank the few of you who were able to respond to my survey regarding the purchase and use of Kindles or other e-readers. Here are the results of the survey.
Q. Have you thought about purchasing e-readers for your library?
A. One out of five had considered it. One response said that there were so many things that were needed for the school, and e-readers were not at the top of the list.
Q. Do you see these as circulating items or for library use only?
A. Most responses said that they would be used in the library or in the school building only. One respondent said that at first they would be used in the library, but possibly checked out later, and another suggested that it might be library use for lower grades with upper grades allowed to check them out. One person commented that some special needs students might benefit from the use of e-readers which is why they had considered purchasing them.
Q. What are the pros and cons of e-readers in the library for check-out purposes as you see it?
A. Pros: lots of cool features that students can use, might entice the technophiles who view books as “a bit prehistoric”, the price of e-books is often cheaper.
Cons: loss of the device, not enough for everyone to check out, checkout system at the school is consistent, damage to the device, expensive, hard to monitor, unsure students would respect the cost of the device to take care of them, no guarantee that students would read, students would miss the feel of books and the joy of turning the page, would hate to see the world turn its back on actual books and go completely digital.
Q. How do you handle students who bring their personal Kindle to school? Do you supervise their reading? Are they allowed to play games on them at school?
A. None of the respondents were at schools that allowed electronic devices at their schools. No students had them or brought them to school. One teacher said that students would be discouraged from bringing them to school. Another said that she would monitor the reading just she monitors books brought from home. No games would be allowed at school.
Q. Do you or your teachers feel that monitoring e-readers might add an additional burden to your life?
A. No – 1; yes – 1; Probably – 1, Students will usually monitor themselves if presented with clear directions and you have a no tolerance policy – 1; Worry more about damage of the e-reader than regulating them - 1
Q. Are your families ready for this step? Do you think it would be a positive addition to your program?
A. One teacher said that many kids had them already and it could be a positive addition, one teacher said that it would not be either positive or negative but just something the school does. They have some families who would be happy to have their children learning another type of technology and some families who would feel it unnecessary. Two teachers said that it would be a great addition of cheaper books, but did not think the families were ready for this step. One teacher said they have families that really appreciate the school updates the technology and would be impressed that e-readers were available especially if it encouraged their student to read more.
Q. If you did decide to purchase e-readers for your school library, what would you see as the ideal ratio of students to e-readers?
A. Answers ranged from 1:1 (ideally); 1:2; 1:4. One idea was to have one or two in the library for younger students to use and then have one for every 3 or 4 students.
Q. Which e-reader would you consider purchasing and why? Kindle, Kindle Fire, Nook, Sony, other.
A. Most respondents said they would need to do more research before choosing one, but one person replied that she felt the Kindle 3 was the best as far as options and price point.
I found this information interesting and I hope you did too. I do not expect any of us will run out and buy e-readers, but now we know how others feel and have a few facts to back up our opinions.
Hope you have a good week and enjoy your vacation time.
Audrey
Conventions
Greetings!
Do you like to go to conferences and conventions? I happen to love it. I get to see some new ideas and come back energized to work. There’s something about getting around other educators that is revitalizing and inspiring even if you don’t make any major changes in your program. Sometimes it is nice to just get assurance that you are doing something worthwhile and productive in your classroom.
I have been asked what conferences would be worthwhile to attend. I have some ideas that may interest you.
ALA – The American Library Association holds two major conventions each year. The Midwinter one is usually held someplace warm. This conference is popular because the Newbery, Caldecott, and other medal winners are revealed. The larger one is held in the summer months and is popular because the medal winners give a speech at a banquet. The attendance at these conventions is usually around 18,000 for the summer convention and about 9,000 at the Midwinter one. This convention is geared toward the librarian and more particularly, the public librarian rather than the school librarian. Of course there is plenty for a school librarian, but I did notice that as I walked around the exhibit hall, there were many free books for adults. Did I say ‘Free Books’? Yes, I did. I attended an ALA a few years ago and was amazed at the amount of books that were piled on tables just for the taking. Nearly all of the books were advanced reading copies and nearly all of them were not at all appropriate for a Seventh-day Adventist school library. I get a little thrill reading an advanced reading copy knowing that I am one of the first to read that book. Many of the exhibitors giving books away also have authors signing books. I picked up a copy of Jeff Shaara’s Gods and Generals for my husband and had Jeff sign the copy. For Free!
IRA – The International Reading Association holds one major convention each year held in North America either in the United States or Canada in early May. I believe there are years that they have had a convention in a more exotic place as well such as Australia. Attendees come from all over the world to this convention totaling about 16,000. The sessions are geared toward teachers and literacy. This is the convention that I prefer to attend over ALA. The exhibitors also bring in authors who are signing books. In order not to miss your favorite author, there is a small booklet listing the days, times, and booths where authors will be signing. It is advisable to arrive early and stand in line for some of the authors. At this convention, most of the books are for purchase, however, I noticed that in the last few years there have been quite a few more free copies available. At IRA there are so many sessions to choose from, you need to be quite selective. One year I decided to focus on a particular subject and went to a number of Reader’s Theatre sessions. Another year I focused on listening to authors speak. This is a convention where US attendees may also earn clock hours for attendance at sessions.
BER – The Bureau of Education and Research has excellent one-day workshops. I have attended a number of these and have thoroughly enjoyed each one. The workshops are small enough to receive personal attention and get answers to your questions, the presenters are qualified and entertaining and each attendee leaves with a book filled with the information that was presented during the day. I keep these and use them for reference.
Tips for a good convention:
1. Make out a schedule for yourself. I usually make this on a small card that can fit into my pocket. I list the time slot, room and the session title. I also list other options in case my first choice is filled when I arrive. That way I don’t waste as much time hunting for a second or third choice.
2. Wear a fanny pack. This keeps your arms free. If you must carry a purse, get a travel sized one or one with a long strap that can cross your body.
3. Join the organization. It is usually well worth the yearly dues in order to get lower convention rates. Members also receive other perks that may or may not intrigue you.
4. Wear comfortable shoes! You will be walking a lot.
5. Wear layers as some rooms may be chilly. I usually wear clothing I would wear for school and a lightweight sweater. I used to take a rolling canvas bag that can fold up, but those are no longer allowed at large conventions.
6. Have fun. Learn as much as you can.
I hope you have a great week.
Audrey
Do you like to go to conferences and conventions? I happen to love it. I get to see some new ideas and come back energized to work. There’s something about getting around other educators that is revitalizing and inspiring even if you don’t make any major changes in your program. Sometimes it is nice to just get assurance that you are doing something worthwhile and productive in your classroom.
I have been asked what conferences would be worthwhile to attend. I have some ideas that may interest you.
ALA – The American Library Association holds two major conventions each year. The Midwinter one is usually held someplace warm. This conference is popular because the Newbery, Caldecott, and other medal winners are revealed. The larger one is held in the summer months and is popular because the medal winners give a speech at a banquet. The attendance at these conventions is usually around 18,000 for the summer convention and about 9,000 at the Midwinter one. This convention is geared toward the librarian and more particularly, the public librarian rather than the school librarian. Of course there is plenty for a school librarian, but I did notice that as I walked around the exhibit hall, there were many free books for adults. Did I say ‘Free Books’? Yes, I did. I attended an ALA a few years ago and was amazed at the amount of books that were piled on tables just for the taking. Nearly all of the books were advanced reading copies and nearly all of them were not at all appropriate for a Seventh-day Adventist school library. I get a little thrill reading an advanced reading copy knowing that I am one of the first to read that book. Many of the exhibitors giving books away also have authors signing books. I picked up a copy of Jeff Shaara’s Gods and Generals for my husband and had Jeff sign the copy. For Free!
IRA – The International Reading Association holds one major convention each year held in North America either in the United States or Canada in early May. I believe there are years that they have had a convention in a more exotic place as well such as Australia. Attendees come from all over the world to this convention totaling about 16,000. The sessions are geared toward teachers and literacy. This is the convention that I prefer to attend over ALA. The exhibitors also bring in authors who are signing books. In order not to miss your favorite author, there is a small booklet listing the days, times, and booths where authors will be signing. It is advisable to arrive early and stand in line for some of the authors. At this convention, most of the books are for purchase, however, I noticed that in the last few years there have been quite a few more free copies available. At IRA there are so many sessions to choose from, you need to be quite selective. One year I decided to focus on a particular subject and went to a number of Reader’s Theatre sessions. Another year I focused on listening to authors speak. This is a convention where US attendees may also earn clock hours for attendance at sessions.
BER – The Bureau of Education and Research has excellent one-day workshops. I have attended a number of these and have thoroughly enjoyed each one. The workshops are small enough to receive personal attention and get answers to your questions, the presenters are qualified and entertaining and each attendee leaves with a book filled with the information that was presented during the day. I keep these and use them for reference.
Tips for a good convention:
1. Make out a schedule for yourself. I usually make this on a small card that can fit into my pocket. I list the time slot, room and the session title. I also list other options in case my first choice is filled when I arrive. That way I don’t waste as much time hunting for a second or third choice.
2. Wear a fanny pack. This keeps your arms free. If you must carry a purse, get a travel sized one or one with a long strap that can cross your body.
3. Join the organization. It is usually well worth the yearly dues in order to get lower convention rates. Members also receive other perks that may or may not intrigue you.
4. Wear comfortable shoes! You will be walking a lot.
5. Wear layers as some rooms may be chilly. I usually wear clothing I would wear for school and a lightweight sweater. I used to take a rolling canvas bag that can fold up, but those are no longer allowed at large conventions.
6. Have fun. Learn as much as you can.
I hope you have a great week.
Audrey
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Kindle Survey
Greetings!
I belong to a group on Linked In for school librarians and one of the latest threads has been about Kindles or other e-readers and how other schools handle these in their libraries or if they even have Kindles in the library. It has been interesting to learn what other schools do with these e-readers. I’ve been wondering if it is worth getting some Kindles for my library and have been very interested in the pros and cons of the whole situation. I love learning from the experience of others so I don’t have to make their mistakes over and over.
What do you think about purchasing e-readers such as Kindle, Nook, or the Sony e-reader? Do you think it is a good idea, a bad idea, or are you indifferent? I would like your opinion on the following questions. Answer as many as you care to answer. I will compile your answers and give the statistics in a future email post.
1. Have you thought about purchasing e-readers for your library?
2. Do you see these as circulating items or for library use only?
3. What are the pros and cons of e-readers in the library for check-out purposes as you see it?
4. How do you handle students who bring their personal Kindle to school? Do you supervise their reading? Are they allowed to play games on them at school?
5. Do you or your teachers feel that monitoring e-readers might add an additional burden to your life?
6. Are your families ready for this step? Do you think it would be a positive addition to your program?
7. If you did decide to purchase e-readers for your school library, what would you see as the ideal ratio of students to e-readers?
8. Which e-reader would you consider purchasing and why? Kindle, Kindle Fire, Nook, Sony, other.
Thanks for any input you can give. I think it will be very interesting to learn how others feel about using e-readers in school.
I hope you have a great week. I’m looking forward to hearing from you.
Audrey
I belong to a group on Linked In for school librarians and one of the latest threads has been about Kindles or other e-readers and how other schools handle these in their libraries or if they even have Kindles in the library. It has been interesting to learn what other schools do with these e-readers. I’ve been wondering if it is worth getting some Kindles for my library and have been very interested in the pros and cons of the whole situation. I love learning from the experience of others so I don’t have to make their mistakes over and over.
What do you think about purchasing e-readers such as Kindle, Nook, or the Sony e-reader? Do you think it is a good idea, a bad idea, or are you indifferent? I would like your opinion on the following questions. Answer as many as you care to answer. I will compile your answers and give the statistics in a future email post.
1. Have you thought about purchasing e-readers for your library?
2. Do you see these as circulating items or for library use only?
3. What are the pros and cons of e-readers in the library for check-out purposes as you see it?
4. How do you handle students who bring their personal Kindle to school? Do you supervise their reading? Are they allowed to play games on them at school?
5. Do you or your teachers feel that monitoring e-readers might add an additional burden to your life?
6. Are your families ready for this step? Do you think it would be a positive addition to your program?
7. If you did decide to purchase e-readers for your school library, what would you see as the ideal ratio of students to e-readers?
8. Which e-reader would you consider purchasing and why? Kindle, Kindle Fire, Nook, Sony, other.
Thanks for any input you can give. I think it will be very interesting to learn how others feel about using e-readers in school.
I hope you have a great week. I’m looking forward to hearing from you.
Audrey
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Dewey Decimal Lesson
Greetings!
I am teaching the Dewey Decimal Classification system to our students here during library classes. It is a bit of a challenge, since very few of them think it is important to know this information. Since nearly all libraries the students will go into during their school years uses Dewey, it is something that they will use again and again, but many think it is boring. My assistant, Joy Palmer, uses a great method with the Kindergarteners and a few years ago I started using her method, too. We use hand signals to help them remember the hundreds.
The Dewey Decimal System is arranged a little like a person growing up.
100’s - Who Am I? (Psychology)
Finger Motion: Hold up one finger and point to yourself.
When we are little, we think only of ourselves. The books in this section have information that a person might want to know about himself. Books on my thoughts or how I feel would be included in this section.
200’s – Who is My God? (Religion)
Finger Motion: Hold up two fingers and point up toward heaven.
As we grow a little older we start to wonder where everyone came from. These books explain the world and how it was created. Books on religions are located here. (Also books on Mythology, but we don’t usually include these in our lessons!)
300’s – Who is My Neighbor? (Social Studies)
Finger Motion: Hold up three fingers and sweep horizontally across the classroom including everyone.
Once you learn about other people, you want to find out more about others. What do they do and where do they live? Books on careers, jobs, holidays, folktales are located here. These books are all about the social world.
400’s – How Do I Communicate With My Neighbor? (Languages)
Finger Motion: Hold up four fingers and put them to your lips. I wiggle them because kids like movement.
Now that we know something about other people, we might want to communicate with them. We need to learn their language, so books on other languages are here.
500’s – Man Sees the Things God Made. (Pure Science)
Finger Motion: Hold up five fingers and sweep the room with your hand as you say “Everything God made.”
Books on science and nature are in this section. We learn about the heavens, the animals, and the world God made.
600’s – Man is Lazy and Learns “How To’ Use the Science and Nature information to Work for Him. (Applied Science/Technology)
Finger Motion: Hold palm of one hand flat and use your index finger on the other hand as you would a tool to twist back and forth on palm. You have the five fingers of one hand plus the finger of the other hand to make six fingers.
Books on cars, airplanes, building bridges and other things, caring for your health, books on diseases, cookbooks, caring for pets; all these subjects are in here. This section is the “How To” section. The animal books are in the Pure science section, but caring for them (How To) is in the Applied Science section.
700’s – Man Enjoys Leisure Time. (Fine Arts)
Finger Motion: Palm of one hand is flat and the other hand used Index and middle finger as legs walking on the palm.
Since Man has learned to use science to work for him, he now has time to enjoy things like sports, crafts, music, drawing, and other hobbies.
800’s – Man is Vain and Likes to Tell Stories About Himself. (Literature)
Finger Motion: I could not think of a motion for this one. I just hold up eight fingers and tell them the section has stories and poems in it.
900’s – Man Likes to Leave a Record of His Doings, Goings, and Comings. (History, Geography, and Biography)
Finger Motion: Hold your fingers as if around a ball creating a ‘globe’ for geography.
000’s – General Information. This includes books like encyclopedias, media, newspapers, and books that have a lot of general information such as question and answer books.
Finger Motion: Hold up two fists (showing zero fingers) and say this is ‘General Junk’. You could use the term ‘General Information’, but the kids like the words ‘General Junk’ and they remember it which is the whole point.
This category has information that does not fit into just one Dewey number. For example, the encyclopedia has maps, history, science, biographies, and more. It can’t be cataloged into history because there is more than just history. Since there are so many kinds of information, it is cataloged in general information. Question and answer books also fit in this section. They have all kinds of information in them and there is no one place to catalog them, so they are general.
If you have computers available, older students may enjoy the Dewey quizzes I found online. After quiz one is done, then students can do a second and third one by clicking the links at the end of each quiz. The quizzes do not get more difficult with each quiz. http://breitlinks.com/deweychallenge/
This link helps students put Dewey books in the correct order. My Library Club members are really enjoying playing this. http://users.ece.utexas.edu/~valmstrum/s2s/utopia/library4/src/library4.html
I hope these ideas help you with teaching Dewey to your kids. If any of you or your students come up with a great idea for a hand motion for the 800’s, please let me know.
Have a great week.
Audrey
I am teaching the Dewey Decimal Classification system to our students here during library classes. It is a bit of a challenge, since very few of them think it is important to know this information. Since nearly all libraries the students will go into during their school years uses Dewey, it is something that they will use again and again, but many think it is boring. My assistant, Joy Palmer, uses a great method with the Kindergarteners and a few years ago I started using her method, too. We use hand signals to help them remember the hundreds.
The Dewey Decimal System is arranged a little like a person growing up.
100’s - Who Am I? (Psychology)
Finger Motion: Hold up one finger and point to yourself.
When we are little, we think only of ourselves. The books in this section have information that a person might want to know about himself. Books on my thoughts or how I feel would be included in this section.
200’s – Who is My God? (Religion)
Finger Motion: Hold up two fingers and point up toward heaven.
As we grow a little older we start to wonder where everyone came from. These books explain the world and how it was created. Books on religions are located here. (Also books on Mythology, but we don’t usually include these in our lessons!)
300’s – Who is My Neighbor? (Social Studies)
Finger Motion: Hold up three fingers and sweep horizontally across the classroom including everyone.
Once you learn about other people, you want to find out more about others. What do they do and where do they live? Books on careers, jobs, holidays, folktales are located here. These books are all about the social world.
400’s – How Do I Communicate With My Neighbor? (Languages)
Finger Motion: Hold up four fingers and put them to your lips. I wiggle them because kids like movement.
Now that we know something about other people, we might want to communicate with them. We need to learn their language, so books on other languages are here.
500’s – Man Sees the Things God Made. (Pure Science)
Finger Motion: Hold up five fingers and sweep the room with your hand as you say “Everything God made.”
Books on science and nature are in this section. We learn about the heavens, the animals, and the world God made.
600’s – Man is Lazy and Learns “How To’ Use the Science and Nature information to Work for Him. (Applied Science/Technology)
Finger Motion: Hold palm of one hand flat and use your index finger on the other hand as you would a tool to twist back and forth on palm. You have the five fingers of one hand plus the finger of the other hand to make six fingers.
Books on cars, airplanes, building bridges and other things, caring for your health, books on diseases, cookbooks, caring for pets; all these subjects are in here. This section is the “How To” section. The animal books are in the Pure science section, but caring for them (How To) is in the Applied Science section.
700’s – Man Enjoys Leisure Time. (Fine Arts)
Finger Motion: Palm of one hand is flat and the other hand used Index and middle finger as legs walking on the palm.
Since Man has learned to use science to work for him, he now has time to enjoy things like sports, crafts, music, drawing, and other hobbies.
800’s – Man is Vain and Likes to Tell Stories About Himself. (Literature)
Finger Motion: I could not think of a motion for this one. I just hold up eight fingers and tell them the section has stories and poems in it.
900’s – Man Likes to Leave a Record of His Doings, Goings, and Comings. (History, Geography, and Biography)
Finger Motion: Hold your fingers as if around a ball creating a ‘globe’ for geography.
000’s – General Information. This includes books like encyclopedias, media, newspapers, and books that have a lot of general information such as question and answer books.
Finger Motion: Hold up two fists (showing zero fingers) and say this is ‘General Junk’. You could use the term ‘General Information’, but the kids like the words ‘General Junk’ and they remember it which is the whole point.
This category has information that does not fit into just one Dewey number. For example, the encyclopedia has maps, history, science, biographies, and more. It can’t be cataloged into history because there is more than just history. Since there are so many kinds of information, it is cataloged in general information. Question and answer books also fit in this section. They have all kinds of information in them and there is no one place to catalog them, so they are general.
If you have computers available, older students may enjoy the Dewey quizzes I found online. After quiz one is done, then students can do a second and third one by clicking the links at the end of each quiz. The quizzes do not get more difficult with each quiz. http://breitlinks.com/deweychallenge/
This link helps students put Dewey books in the correct order. My Library Club members are really enjoying playing this. http://users.ece.utexas.edu/~valmstrum/s2s/utopia/library4/src/library4.html
I hope these ideas help you with teaching Dewey to your kids. If any of you or your students come up with a great idea for a hand motion for the 800’s, please let me know.
Have a great week.
Audrey
Monday, February 13, 2012
New Books
Happy Valentine’s Day!
You are probably busy with parties, Valentines, and kids with sugar rushes, so I thought I’d find a few new books that might interest you. Be warned; there is no theme to this list. I just picked some books that are new to my library that I thought would be good for yours, too.
I just got this book, Ellen’s Broom, about a Black family during Reconstruction. The parents, former slaves, had been married by jumping the broom and have learned that they now can be legally married. The whole family goes to the courthouse for the marriage ceremony and they take the broom along.
I found this series of books published by ABDO Publishing to help kids get a job over vacations or during the summers. It is the Cool Kid Jobs set from the checkerboard How-To Library. Each book is arranged the same way and has lots of good information such as making a plan, setting realistic goals, getting permission, making business cards, a flyer, and a customer agreement. Each of these is tailored toward the particular subject the book covers. Then there is other information specific to the subject.
The book for kids who like kids includes ideas of what kind of job they might like to do such as hosting a weekly play group or craft club, a helper for a busy family (someone to play with their kids so the parent can get something else done), a coach’s helper, or putting on a puppet show or a play. Lots of hints and ideas for being safe and successful on the job are also given.
Most elementary students don’t realize how much responsibility is involved in getting a job These books point this out for the kids in a way that is helpful, but not preachy like a parent might be. On the page that describes the play group activity the sidebar has these ideas for the student while they are on the job. 1. Plan indoor and outdoor activities for each session. Then you’ll be ready if it’s too cold or rainy to go outside. 2. Think about games you enjoyed playing when you were younger. Will those games work in the space you have? 3. Pay equal attention to all of the kids. 4. Make sure everyone plays fair and gets a turn. 5. Some kids may have special needs, so take that into consideration. 6. Look for books on kids’ games at the library.
Another book by ABDO Publishing is called “Super Simple Breakfasts” and all the breakfasts are easy and any recipe that needs cooking is done with a microwave and not an oven or stove. Cooking terms and measuring are described and pictured and an ingredient list is also included. If you have students who don’t always eat breakfast, this may be a way to encourage them.
I like the Breakfast in a Cone recipe. Mix cottage cheese, a little powdered sugar and chopped canned peaches together, put in a waffle cone bowl, top with a maraschino cherry and enjoy. The waffle sandwich looks like great recipe kids will like, too. Take two frozen waffles and toast them. Spread peanut butter on one half and top with sliced bananas. Spread jam on the other half and press the waffles together. Eat or wrap in aluminum foil for a ‘to-go’ breakfast.
“North” is the story of Arctic migration. This book included many animals that migrate every spring such as the gray whale, white cranes, wolves, and caribou. The watercolor illustrations by Patrick Benson are soft and realistic. It is appropriate for all ages.
Do you have any books by Deborah Hopkinson? She writes lots of historical picture books. ‘Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt’ and ‘Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek’ are two that may be in your libraries now. Her newest one is ‘A Boy Called Dickens’ about Charles Dickens’ childhood. As I was reading it, I realized that he probably wrote ‘Oliver Twist’ from experience.
I hope you have seen a few books that interest you. If you have any subjects or age levels that you would like suggestions for, let me know. I really love spending other people’s money!
Have a great week,
Audrey
You are probably busy with parties, Valentines, and kids with sugar rushes, so I thought I’d find a few new books that might interest you. Be warned; there is no theme to this list. I just picked some books that are new to my library that I thought would be good for yours, too.
I just got this book, Ellen’s Broom, about a Black family during Reconstruction. The parents, former slaves, had been married by jumping the broom and have learned that they now can be legally married. The whole family goes to the courthouse for the marriage ceremony and they take the broom along.
I found this series of books published by ABDO Publishing to help kids get a job over vacations or during the summers. It is the Cool Kid Jobs set from the checkerboard How-To Library. Each book is arranged the same way and has lots of good information such as making a plan, setting realistic goals, getting permission, making business cards, a flyer, and a customer agreement. Each of these is tailored toward the particular subject the book covers. Then there is other information specific to the subject.
The book for kids who like kids includes ideas of what kind of job they might like to do such as hosting a weekly play group or craft club, a helper for a busy family (someone to play with their kids so the parent can get something else done), a coach’s helper, or putting on a puppet show or a play. Lots of hints and ideas for being safe and successful on the job are also given.
Most elementary students don’t realize how much responsibility is involved in getting a job These books point this out for the kids in a way that is helpful, but not preachy like a parent might be. On the page that describes the play group activity the sidebar has these ideas for the student while they are on the job. 1. Plan indoor and outdoor activities for each session. Then you’ll be ready if it’s too cold or rainy to go outside. 2. Think about games you enjoyed playing when you were younger. Will those games work in the space you have? 3. Pay equal attention to all of the kids. 4. Make sure everyone plays fair and gets a turn. 5. Some kids may have special needs, so take that into consideration. 6. Look for books on kids’ games at the library.
Another book by ABDO Publishing is called “Super Simple Breakfasts” and all the breakfasts are easy and any recipe that needs cooking is done with a microwave and not an oven or stove. Cooking terms and measuring are described and pictured and an ingredient list is also included. If you have students who don’t always eat breakfast, this may be a way to encourage them.
I like the Breakfast in a Cone recipe. Mix cottage cheese, a little powdered sugar and chopped canned peaches together, put in a waffle cone bowl, top with a maraschino cherry and enjoy. The waffle sandwich looks like great recipe kids will like, too. Take two frozen waffles and toast them. Spread peanut butter on one half and top with sliced bananas. Spread jam on the other half and press the waffles together. Eat or wrap in aluminum foil for a ‘to-go’ breakfast.
“North” is the story of Arctic migration. This book included many animals that migrate every spring such as the gray whale, white cranes, wolves, and caribou. The watercolor illustrations by Patrick Benson are soft and realistic. It is appropriate for all ages.
Do you have any books by Deborah Hopkinson? She writes lots of historical picture books. ‘Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt’ and ‘Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek’ are two that may be in your libraries now. Her newest one is ‘A Boy Called Dickens’ about Charles Dickens’ childhood. As I was reading it, I realized that he probably wrote ‘Oliver Twist’ from experience.
I hope you have seen a few books that interest you. If you have any subjects or age levels that you would like suggestions for, let me know. I really love spending other people’s money!
Have a great week,
Audrey
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Religious Fiction
Greetings!
A couple of years ago I got a question regarding religious fiction and where best to place it in the library. It can be argued that it is religious, therefore it should go in the 200’s or it is fiction and should go in the 813’s.
First let’s define ‘religious fiction’. We have Bible stories about people from the Old and New Testaments such as Joseph, Dahveed, Mary and Martha, and others. Our ABC stores are full of titles like these and they are very interesting to read. I call these books Bible Biographies.
Religious Fiction could also be a story with a religious bent such as “If Tomorrow Comes” by Glen Robinson, or “Project Sunlight” by June Strong. Beverly Lewis writes stories about the Amish people with a religious undertone, and other writers such as Nancy Rue, Jeanette Oke, and Kay D. Rizzo also could be included in this category. I believe this kind of religious fiction should be cataloged as 813 since they are stories.
Worship stories or mission stories can also be religious fiction. You may also have religious stories such as “Guide’s Greatest Angel Stories”, or older story collections such as “The Green-eyed Monster” or “Mamma’s Bean Sweater”. (I loved both those books as a child.)
Where should you put these? Here is a suggestion for you. Put the Bible ‘biographies’ in 220.92. If you want Old Testament and New Testament stories separated, then put Old Testament stories in 221.92 and New Testament stories in 225.92. I would not bother separating these unless I had a lot of this kind of story or expected to add more as I was financially able.
Mission stories can be cataloged as 266. Collections of stories (the Guide stories and others) that aren’t mission stories go in 808.8. Devotional books belong in 242. If you have a lot of devotional books and wish to separate the devotional from the daily devotional books, daily devotional books are cataloged as 242.2. I would suggest keeping a few of the best devotionals and putting them all in 242.
In my blog, I have a post very similar to this one from September 2009 that you can also refer to for a little more explanation. Go to sdalibrarian.blogspot.com and click on 2009, then September and you will find it there.
So, where should you put religious fiction? I think the divisions I mentioned above and in my blog will best serve nearly all our SDA schools. When I go help a school catalog their library, I use those divisions. But, if you want to have all the Bible ‘biographies’ in the 813’s since they are stories, then feel free to catalog them there.
For a quick recap of this post:
220.92 Bible ‘Biographies’
OR 221.92 Old Testament stories
225.92 New Testament stories
242 Devotional books (242.2 - Daily devotionals, if desired)
266 Mission stories
813 Religious Fiction
I hope you have a great week.
Audrey
A couple of years ago I got a question regarding religious fiction and where best to place it in the library. It can be argued that it is religious, therefore it should go in the 200’s or it is fiction and should go in the 813’s.
First let’s define ‘religious fiction’. We have Bible stories about people from the Old and New Testaments such as Joseph, Dahveed, Mary and Martha, and others. Our ABC stores are full of titles like these and they are very interesting to read. I call these books Bible Biographies.
Religious Fiction could also be a story with a religious bent such as “If Tomorrow Comes” by Glen Robinson, or “Project Sunlight” by June Strong. Beverly Lewis writes stories about the Amish people with a religious undertone, and other writers such as Nancy Rue, Jeanette Oke, and Kay D. Rizzo also could be included in this category. I believe this kind of religious fiction should be cataloged as 813 since they are stories.
Worship stories or mission stories can also be religious fiction. You may also have religious stories such as “Guide’s Greatest Angel Stories”, or older story collections such as “The Green-eyed Monster” or “Mamma’s Bean Sweater”. (I loved both those books as a child.)
Where should you put these? Here is a suggestion for you. Put the Bible ‘biographies’ in 220.92. If you want Old Testament and New Testament stories separated, then put Old Testament stories in 221.92 and New Testament stories in 225.92. I would not bother separating these unless I had a lot of this kind of story or expected to add more as I was financially able.
Mission stories can be cataloged as 266. Collections of stories (the Guide stories and others) that aren’t mission stories go in 808.8. Devotional books belong in 242. If you have a lot of devotional books and wish to separate the devotional from the daily devotional books, daily devotional books are cataloged as 242.2. I would suggest keeping a few of the best devotionals and putting them all in 242.
In my blog, I have a post very similar to this one from September 2009 that you can also refer to for a little more explanation. Go to sdalibrarian.blogspot.com and click on 2009, then September and you will find it there.
So, where should you put religious fiction? I think the divisions I mentioned above and in my blog will best serve nearly all our SDA schools. When I go help a school catalog their library, I use those divisions. But, if you want to have all the Bible ‘biographies’ in the 813’s since they are stories, then feel free to catalog them there.
For a quick recap of this post:
220.92 Bible ‘Biographies’
OR 221.92 Old Testament stories
225.92 New Testament stories
242 Devotional books (242.2 - Daily devotionals, if desired)
266 Mission stories
813 Religious Fiction
I hope you have a great week.
Audrey
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