WMS LIBRARY
WMS Library Times
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TOP 10 BOOKS FOR STUDENTS IN OCTOBER
1. The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan 2. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie 3. Barry Bonds by Ross Bernstein 4. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins 5. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling 6. Holes by Louis Sachar 7. The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan 8. Matched by Ally Condie 9. No More Dead Dogs by Gordon Korman 10. The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan
Issue Number Two: Arts & Games
In 2008 the National Endowment for the Arts released a report detailing the state of Arts Education in this country and the impact this has on participation in arts programming. the group that historically has accounted for the largest share of audiences. The authors of the report correlate this decline in participation with the trend toward devaluing arts education in public schools. As the authors state in the report, A small but growing body of research has shown that arts education is associated with the development of dispositions and inclinations that scaffold learning in general, reaching well beyond the arts to a broad range of positive cognitive, social, and emotional outcomes. In other words, the benefits of arts education always outweigh the costs. On a lighter note, National Gaming Day is November 12. I would love to help you integrate a game into your classroom. We have games across the curriculum from science, social studies, art, math, etc
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The report reached pretty dismal conclusions. For the first time since 1982 arts participation declined for virtually all art forms, most strikingly the declines occurred for adults 45+,
What Im Reading Now
In 2004 the school board of Dover Pennsylvania voted to incorporate Intelligent Design into the science curriculum of the Dover High School. This decision was challenged by the science department of the school and angered many parents of students in the school who saw it as an attempt to teach religion to their children. The parents brought a lawsuit against the board which claimed that Intelligent Design is a scientific theory and not a religious doctrine. The matter would be settled by the judge. What makes the trial so fascinating is that both sides brought in their heavyweights. The trial became larger than merely deciding on the policy of one school board. The decision would have implications for all schools in this nation. This is an absorbing and wellwritten account of a modern Scopes Monkey Trial.
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Professional Resources
New Additions Okay, so its not really that new, but Im going to talk about Outliers anyway. The author of Blink and the Tipping Point, Gladwell tries to map out the blueprint for what successful people have in common with one another. He argues that there their lives follow an unexpected logic that is available to others. Interesting.
staff lounge of the library. We have things like Jodi Picoult, Mary Higgins Clark, Malcolm Gladwell, etc These books are not in the catalog, they are just there for your pleasure reading. If youre looking for a reOver this past weekend the public cent bestseller, you might radio show This American Life had a start here. hilarious program exploring the world of middle school.
You Must Read This! Not Much Just Chillin: The Hidden Lives of Middle SchoolersThis is a fascinating book that follows 5 children through a middle school in Maryland.
Did You Know? We have tons of adult fiction and non-fiction available to you in the
The Arts and Sciences, essential to the prosperity of the State and to the ornament of human life, have a primary claim to the encouragement of every lover of his country and mankind .
George Washington
Events-November
The Barnes & Noble book fair is coming on November 8th at 5pm to 7pm. Mark your calendar. November 12 is National Gaming Day. Visit the website and find out more here. I will be out on the 15th attending the Indiana Library Federation Conference where I will be performing in a readers theater performance of selections from the Young Hoosier Book Awards. November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). I will be participating trying to write a childrens book about a little bird that wants to be big. You can find out more about NaNoWriMo here. I will be writing a new blog post for the YALSA website The Hub on the 16th. The Hub is a good place to go if youre looking for resource in YA literature.
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Curriculum Connection
Here are some things in the library that you may find useful for your class.
Social Studies I love this new book we got called Americapedia: Taking the Dumb out of Freedom. This book is so much fun! Math The Mysterious Benedict Society: Mr. Benedicts Book of Perplexing Puzzles, Elusive Enigmas, and Curious Conundrums. This book is a companion to the YHBA selected novel.
Related Arts We have a whole series of music history books that explore different genres of popular music. Science The Fabric of the Cosmos by Brian Greene. The fantastic PBS series is based on this book. If you didnt watch the first episode find it online here. Language Arts I absolutely love the book Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick. Set in Alaska
during the gold rush, it is about a boy trapped in a cabin with his dead father who fell through the ice. A mysterious and threatening man shows up to claim gold that he says his father is hording. Great.
Technobrarian
You Are Not So Smart http://youarenotsosmart.com/ This is a really fun blog with articles about how we delude and deceive ourselves. Each post begins with a common misconception as follows: The Misconception: You celebrate diversity and respect others points of view. The Truth: You are driven to create and form groups and then believe others are wrong just because they are others. Animoto http://animoto.com/create
Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere. - Albert Einstein
Animoto is a cool website that allows you to create video slideshows from still images. You can add music and text. Might be a good one for projects using specific vocabulary terms or to making stories visual without having to check out a Mac lab.
Graphic Novels
I have a large and expanding collection of comics, graphic novels, and manga. These are great books, especially for reluctant readers. I thought I would highlight the diversity that we have by talking about a few favorite titles. that blends elements of reality with fantasy. The story is at times lighthearted and silly at other times dark and foreboding. Introducing Relativity: A Graphic Guide I have several nonfiction books presented in comic format. They do a great job of presenting very high concepts in a fun and engaging way. American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang This is a wonderful, complex graphic novel about a ChineseAmericans experience in an American high school.
Bone by Jeff Smith This is a classic graphic novel series
