Monday, January 27, 2014

7th Grade Science Disease Brochure Projects

Recently the 7th grade science classes worked on their disease brochure projects. Mr. Jaspering and Ms. Bender asked students to learn about a disease of their choosing and present the information in a brochure format.


Using both print and non-print resources, students evaluated the information they'd like to include on their brochures. To make their searching time faster and easier online, students could access the MS Library Main Page to find links to valid, reliable, current websites to start their work. This is also where they could make a copy of the Google document to work from.

It was a busy day in the library and computer lab when work began, so Mrs. Ellis joined science classes in their classroom. 



One class period combined the two science classes to meet in the library. While it was pretty crowded--almost 50 students--everyone was able to work on a computer and start their brochures.

Sunday, January 12, 2014

A Librarian's Challenge

It's been a year of learning on Twitter, and recently Kathy Kaldenberg, the teacher librarian at Solon Community School District & someone I met through Twitter, forwarded a challenge for blogging:


So without further ado, let's begin with 11 random facts about Mrs. Ellis!
1.  I have an identical twin sister and we each have two children.

2.  On Jan. 3, 2014, I celebrated 20 (!) years of teaching!

3.  I was a saxophone player in high school & was in Pella's Jazz I, winning three straight Iowa Jazz Championships.

4.  I marched in both the 1988 Tournament of Roses Parade (with the Pella Marching Dutch) and the 1991 Tournament of Roses Parade (with the University of Iowa Marching Band).

5.  On average, I read 2 books per week in 2013.

6.  I played in Frankie Valli's back-up band when he played a concert near Sioux City, IA, in 1997.

7.  In August 2013, I finished my Masters degree in Library and Information Science. Now I have two Masters degrees; my first is a Masters in Education from Viterbo University in 2004. 

8.  My best friend is also named Sandy.

9.  I've been to 27 states and lived in four.

10.  I'll watch the movies "Shawshank Redemption" and "Dirty Dancing" any time they run on cable.

11.  I swooned like a school girl when I met author Chris Crutcher!


Kathy had these 11 questions for me to answer:

1.  Rate graphic novels on a scale of 1-10, with 1 representing "useless" and 10 representing "simply amazing."
I'd rate graphic novels pretty high, probably in the 8-ish range simply because I see how engaged reluctant or struggling readers are when they pick them up to read. They definitely should have a place in classrooms and on shelves!

2.  Which educational author do you disagree with the most?
Hmmm. . . this one is hard. Truly, I don't read a lot of educational authors with whom I disagree. Otherwise, why would I be reading them?

3.  E-reader or old fashioned paper?
Hands down, old fashioned paper! 

4.  What is your favorite comedy of all time?
On television I loved Murphy Brown back in the day! My favorite movie comedy is probably The Princess Bride.

5.  What would most surprise your high school classmates about you now?
I started spinning a flag when I was 12 years old, and with the exception of a two-year break, I am *still* doing it! They may have thought that I'd have given that up by now! In fact, I've been working at the same color guard camp since 1988!

6.  What member of your digital network has had the greatest impact on your professional growth?
I'm going to cheat a little on this one. . . instead of a specific person, I'm going to answer with a specific social media site--Twitter! It's been one year since I sent my first tweet, and I can't believe the impact it's had on my professional growth. I've followed and participated in different librarian chats; I've connected with wonderful teacher librarians both in Iowa and across the country; I've communicated with authors; and, I've gained technological support. Twitter has single-handedly changed how I teach and connect with others in my field!

7.  What is the first concert you ever went to?
My parents took my sister and me to see Chuck Mangione when we were 13 years old.

8.  What was your favorite children's book as a child or favorite to read as a parent?
Hands down, my fave as a child was The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf. My favorite to read to both of my daughters was Owl Babies by Martin Waddell.

9.  Songza, Spotify, Pandora, iTunes Radio, or something else?
Something else. . . I listen to my CDs, Sky.FM.com, and just the plain ol' radio.

10.  If you were a superhero, which one would you be?
No brainer--Wonder Woman! 

11.  If you could give your younger self advice, what would you say?
I suppose I could say something philosophical about education or finances or relationships, but really, I'd have told myself to be sure to know a great mechanic and it's *always* worth the money to hire movers!

Next, I need 11 bloggers who I believe deserve a little attention. I may cheat again and not include a full list of 11:
@sarahstaudt
@melissajkwhite (I know. . . this is a cheat since we blog together, but I wanted to include her!)
@alyssamcalhoun
@carolynvibbert
@myschoollibrary
@Book_Tasty
@librarianmissk

Should any of them take me up on the challenge, here are 11 questions for them to answer:
1.  What was a favorite moment from middle school?
2.  Which of your best traits would you hope to pass along to a child?
3.  Digital camera user or are you taking pictures on your phone?
4.  With what famous person, dead or alive, would you like to have dinner?
5.  What do you believe to be one of the biggest challenges facing students today?
6.  What movie or song remake is as good as or better than the original?
7.  What is the last book you read and thought, "That's hours of my life I won't get back."?
8.  Favorite vacation destination?
9.  Mac or PC user?
10.  What book have you read and re-read?
11.  What technology would you hate to be without?

So there you have it--challenge received, challenge answered! 

Thursday, January 2, 2014

New Displays

With the new year comes new library displays! Check it out!

A similar display was on Pinterest--that's where the basic idea came from--but our version includes specific titles based on our most circulated titles. Recognize any?

Looking for Monopoly favorites like Go to Jail or Free Parking? We have those versions on our Book-opoly, too!
Interested in seeing the whole game board? Just stop by the library to check it out. 

The second new display features winter or "snowy" titles, including the popular Trapped by Northrup and a new addition, Dogs of Winter by Pyron:

Like the poster says, there's "snow" better time to stop by to check out a book!

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Out with the Old & In with the New!

Happy New Year! With 2014 just a few hours old, let's take a quick look back at 2013 in the library:



Here's to a wonderful, healthy 2014 full of useful technology, meaningful research, & great stories! Stop by and see us in the library--we'd love to hear how things are going and help you with what you need! See you then. :)