December Newsletter
Content
WMS LIBRARY
WMS Library Times
V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 3 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 1
TOP 10 BOOKS FOR STUDENTS IN NOVEMBER
1. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
2. The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan
Issue Number Three: Happy Reading!
Tis the season. A time to give and receive gifts, to express our gratitude and thanks, a time to share with friends and family, and a time for reading. You probably won’t be too surprised if I tell you that I’ve always associated this time of year with reading. The winter break is a time to catch up on that stack of books that’s been staring at me from my nightstand. What’s better than a fire and a book when the weather outside is frightful? I’ve been doing a lot of professional research lately on reading and the impact that reading has on cognition and academic performance. The research is unequivocal. Reading well is one of the most important academic skills that we can develop. If we shirk reading, we do so at great peril. Reading makes you smarter and develops the brain in ways that can not be matched by anything else. The National Assessment of Educational Progress test results from last year show stagnant reading scores for fourth graders and eighth graders. Only 34 percent of our students perform at or above proficient level in reading. That’s up from 29 percent in 1992, but, to my way of thinking, it’s not nearly good enough. Research confirms that American students don’t read as well as they should. Part of the issue is that pleasure reading has decreased to its lowest level ever not only among students as reported by the NEA but in all age groups. With all of this in mind, expect me to be nagging you more in the future as our building’s advocate for reading (especially pleasure reading). I’ll be sending out facts, statistics, ideas about reading and how we can encourage better and more reading among our students. I hope you’ll join me fighting the good fight. You can find old issues of the newsletter here. http:// westfieldmiddlepolicies.blogspot.com/
3. The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan 4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling 5. The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
6. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness 7. Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks 8. Football Hero by Tim Green 9. Plague: A Gone Novel by Michael Grant 10. Wake by Lisa McMann
What I’m Reading Now
The book opens in a village in Sweden. All but a few of the village’s residents have been massacred. The discovery of the crime leads a district judge from a neighboring town to begin investigating the crime. This investigation is sparked by her realization that she is distantly related to some of the victims of the crime. If you liked the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, I would recommend this one. As I write this, I’m getting ready to read Neil Postman’s 1985 classic Amusing Ourselves to Death. Postman wrote the book about the state of public discourse and public affairs in an age dominated by media that demands short soundbites. Rather than becoming outdated, his warnings and predictions seem to be confirmed in our current time. I’ll let you know if it’s any good.
PAGE
2
Professional Resources
New Additions Okay, I don’t actually have this one yet. I’ve just put it on my wishlist. The author discusses the ways in which school is detrimental to developing a love of reading in our students. I want this for obvious reasons. I’ll let you know when I get a copy in if you are interested. You Must Read This! Reading Reasons—This is by the same author as Readicide, but we have this one on the shelf. The author gives 9 reasons to read well and then presents lessons to help build skills. My favorite reason is that reading is hard but “hard” is necessary for students. I couldn’t agree more. If it was easy everybody would do it. Did You Know? You can transfer magazines, newpapers, and blogs to your e-reader for free (Nook, Kindle, etc...) using free software called Calibre. You can download the software at this website. This is totally legal as they are just taking content that is available online and converting it to formats suitable for e-readers. It is fantastic. The software also helps to organize your e-books and shop for new ones.
Events-December
“You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.” ― Ray Bradbury
12/9-12/21—Scholastic Warehouse Book Sale 12/22 Winter Break Begins Be prepared for an announcement about a special holiday activity in the library. More information will be sent by e-mail.
WMS
LIBRARY
TIMES
VOLUME
1,
ISSUE
3
PAGE
3
Curriculum Connection
Here are some things in the library that you may find useful for your class.
Social Studies Africans Thought of It: This book chronicles different contributions that Africans have made to civilization. Math The Book of Numbers: This book is great! It introduces the reader to several famous mathematicians and concepts in the history of math.
Related Arts Architectural Excellence: 500 Iconic Buildings. If you are even remotely interested in architecture this is the book for you. Great photos of each buildings and short descriptions detailing the architectural qualities of each building. Science If you have an engineering or building component the new Lego Ideas Book may come in handy. Some of the projects require some very specialized pieces, but not all of them.
Language Arts I just got the National Book Award winning book Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai. The novel, told in verse, is about a 10-year old immigrant from Vietnam who flees from the war to Alabama.
Technobrarian
Conduit Mobile http://mobile.conduit.com/ This is a website that walks you through step by step to create an app for mobile phones. The app is compatible with Android, iPhone, Blackberry etc… I used this site to create an app for the Summer Rocks program here at the schools. It’s pretty easy to use, but it has some bugs still being worked out of it. Pixton http://www.pixton.com This is a website that allows you to create your own comic strips. The site does require you to create a user name to log in, but I could see it being useful as a tool to present a lesson in a unique way.
The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool . -William Shakespeare, As You Like It
DVD
Why not make some popcorn and get the family together for a movie. Some of the DVDs that we have on the shelf can no longer be viewed in class with the prohibition of PG-13 movies, but you can still check them out and take them home to the family. Here’s a list if you are interested:
Lord of the Rings: We have all three of the movies.
Sahara: Starring Matthew McConaughey, Steve Zahn and Penelope Cruz.
Stardust: Starring Robert DeNiro and Michelle Pfeiffer
Harry Potter: Some are PG and some are PG-13.
Jurassic Park: Awesome!
WMS Library Times
V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 3 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 1
TOP 10 BOOKS FOR STUDENTS IN NOVEMBER
1. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
2. The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan
Issue Number Three: Happy Reading!
Tis the season. A time to give and receive gifts, to express our gratitude and thanks, a time to share with friends and family, and a time for reading. You probably won’t be too surprised if I tell you that I’ve always associated this time of year with reading. The winter break is a time to catch up on that stack of books that’s been staring at me from my nightstand. What’s better than a fire and a book when the weather outside is frightful? I’ve been doing a lot of professional research lately on reading and the impact that reading has on cognition and academic performance. The research is unequivocal. Reading well is one of the most important academic skills that we can develop. If we shirk reading, we do so at great peril. Reading makes you smarter and develops the brain in ways that can not be matched by anything else. The National Assessment of Educational Progress test results from last year show stagnant reading scores for fourth graders and eighth graders. Only 34 percent of our students perform at or above proficient level in reading. That’s up from 29 percent in 1992, but, to my way of thinking, it’s not nearly good enough. Research confirms that American students don’t read as well as they should. Part of the issue is that pleasure reading has decreased to its lowest level ever not only among students as reported by the NEA but in all age groups. With all of this in mind, expect me to be nagging you more in the future as our building’s advocate for reading (especially pleasure reading). I’ll be sending out facts, statistics, ideas about reading and how we can encourage better and more reading among our students. I hope you’ll join me fighting the good fight. You can find old issues of the newsletter here. http:// westfieldmiddlepolicies.blogspot.com/
3. The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan 4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling 5. The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
6. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness 7. Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks 8. Football Hero by Tim Green 9. Plague: A Gone Novel by Michael Grant 10. Wake by Lisa McMann
What I’m Reading Now
The book opens in a village in Sweden. All but a few of the village’s residents have been massacred. The discovery of the crime leads a district judge from a neighboring town to begin investigating the crime. This investigation is sparked by her realization that she is distantly related to some of the victims of the crime. If you liked the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, I would recommend this one. As I write this, I’m getting ready to read Neil Postman’s 1985 classic Amusing Ourselves to Death. Postman wrote the book about the state of public discourse and public affairs in an age dominated by media that demands short soundbites. Rather than becoming outdated, his warnings and predictions seem to be confirmed in our current time. I’ll let you know if it’s any good.
PAGE
2
Professional Resources
New Additions Okay, I don’t actually have this one yet. I’ve just put it on my wishlist. The author discusses the ways in which school is detrimental to developing a love of reading in our students. I want this for obvious reasons. I’ll let you know when I get a copy in if you are interested. You Must Read This! Reading Reasons—This is by the same author as Readicide, but we have this one on the shelf. The author gives 9 reasons to read well and then presents lessons to help build skills. My favorite reason is that reading is hard but “hard” is necessary for students. I couldn’t agree more. If it was easy everybody would do it. Did You Know? You can transfer magazines, newpapers, and blogs to your e-reader for free (Nook, Kindle, etc...) using free software called Calibre. You can download the software at this website. This is totally legal as they are just taking content that is available online and converting it to formats suitable for e-readers. It is fantastic. The software also helps to organize your e-books and shop for new ones.
Events-December
“You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.” ― Ray Bradbury
12/9-12/21—Scholastic Warehouse Book Sale 12/22 Winter Break Begins Be prepared for an announcement about a special holiday activity in the library. More information will be sent by e-mail.
WMS
LIBRARY
TIMES
VOLUME
1,
ISSUE
3
PAGE
3
Curriculum Connection
Here are some things in the library that you may find useful for your class.
Social Studies Africans Thought of It: This book chronicles different contributions that Africans have made to civilization. Math The Book of Numbers: This book is great! It introduces the reader to several famous mathematicians and concepts in the history of math.
Related Arts Architectural Excellence: 500 Iconic Buildings. If you are even remotely interested in architecture this is the book for you. Great photos of each buildings and short descriptions detailing the architectural qualities of each building. Science If you have an engineering or building component the new Lego Ideas Book may come in handy. Some of the projects require some very specialized pieces, but not all of them.
Language Arts I just got the National Book Award winning book Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai. The novel, told in verse, is about a 10-year old immigrant from Vietnam who flees from the war to Alabama.
Technobrarian
Conduit Mobile http://mobile.conduit.com/ This is a website that walks you through step by step to create an app for mobile phones. The app is compatible with Android, iPhone, Blackberry etc… I used this site to create an app for the Summer Rocks program here at the schools. It’s pretty easy to use, but it has some bugs still being worked out of it. Pixton http://www.pixton.com This is a website that allows you to create your own comic strips. The site does require you to create a user name to log in, but I could see it being useful as a tool to present a lesson in a unique way.
The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool . -William Shakespeare, As You Like It
DVD
Why not make some popcorn and get the family together for a movie. Some of the DVDs that we have on the shelf can no longer be viewed in class with the prohibition of PG-13 movies, but you can still check them out and take them home to the family. Here’s a list if you are interested:
Lord of the Rings: We have all three of the movies.
Sahara: Starring Matthew McConaughey, Steve Zahn and Penelope Cruz.
Stardust: Starring Robert DeNiro and Michelle Pfeiffer
Harry Potter: Some are PG and some are PG-13.
Jurassic Park: Awesome!
