Friday, February 22, 2013
ERC Week #6 - EBooks on EbscoHost
Grade 9-10; CCRL1,2,3 (pg 38)
EBooks on EbscoHost is a great resource that could be used for English Lit classes. I'm not sure if classes still do this, but it used to be we all had to read the same book. Grapes of Wrath, in my case. I enjoyed it, others did not.
Taking into consideration that this database allows one check-out per person might be a good thing for the lesson I have in mind. It makes more work for teacher, student, and possibly school librarian, because a variety of titles will be needed for this assignment, not just 20 copies of the same title. Here is my lesson:
Teacher reviews what Cliff Notes titles are available in EbscoHost and compiles a list. Each student chooses three books from the list given by the teacher. There may be some overlap in choices, and that is okay. Before making a final choice on which title to read for the class, they are assigned to log in to the database and find Cliff Notes on the titles in which they are interested. If someone has a title checked out, they can just wait until it is available, or even work collaboratively with the student who has it checked out to review the title. Once they have reviewed all three Cliff Notes titles, they are assigned to write a summary of what the book is about, the theme etc (CCRL 1,2). They will also include their choice of which book they want to read in full and why the Cliff Notes helped them reach that decision.
CCRL 3 - Throughout the course of reading the full text of the book they have chosen, students will choose three characters and keep a diary addressing how those characters develop, interact with others etc. The final assignment at the end will not actually be a book report, but a character analysis.
Friday, February 15, 2013
ERC Week 4 ProQuest
CC.11-12.R.L.1 and SD.9.R.2.1
Assignment: Use ProQuest to find two full text, scholarly articles on a topic of your choice. Outline each article, noting similarities and differences in the information presented. Note what your level of understanding is of the topic after reading and outlining the article. Did the article help you to understand your chosen topic better, or do you feel more confused by what you learned?
This exercise is going to allow students to discover if they really understand the text of the journal articles they find in ProQuest. If, after reading and outlining, they find that their comprehension of the text is somewhat foggy, then that may be a clue to them to possibly change the topic they are researching. Analyzing and comprehending text are the focus of the above listed standards, and I think this exercise would cover that.
I'm not sure what else to go into on this one. I am purposely keeping this exercise specific to one standard. It is important for 11th and 12th graders to not only read material, but fully understand what they are reading in order to embark upon research projects that they will do for high school classes as well as college.
Assignment: Use ProQuest to find two full text, scholarly articles on a topic of your choice. Outline each article, noting similarities and differences in the information presented. Note what your level of understanding is of the topic after reading and outlining the article. Did the article help you to understand your chosen topic better, or do you feel more confused by what you learned?
This exercise is going to allow students to discover if they really understand the text of the journal articles they find in ProQuest. If, after reading and outlining, they find that their comprehension of the text is somewhat foggy, then that may be a clue to them to possibly change the topic they are researching. Analyzing and comprehending text are the focus of the above listed standards, and I think this exercise would cover that.
I'm not sure what else to go into on this one. I am purposely keeping this exercise specific to one standard. It is important for 11th and 12th graders to not only read material, but fully understand what they are reading in order to embark upon research projects that they will do for high school classes as well as college.
Friday, February 8, 2013
ERC Week 3
A rhyming title to start the post! I can already tell this lesson will be doubly beneficial, because not only will I tackle the Common Core part of it, but I am doing presentations at Capital University Center next week and SIRS Issues Researcher is one of the databases I cover, so this will be a good review.
I saw the Common Core Correlations tab at the top right away when I got into SIRS Issues Researcher. How great is that! Gun control is always a hot issue to be debated, even more so with recent happenings. I think I will use this in my presentations at CUC next week, and relate it to SD by highlighting the School Sentinel Bill (HB 1087) that is currently making its' way through the SD Legislature.
I am looking at the College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading, Writing and Speaking and Listening. This lesson is going to be for a 11th grade class. They will use this database to gather information for their projects on gun control. They will be able to look at articles, websites, etc from the database and determine the relevancy of the information to how they are presenting their argument (pro vs. con). For a listening exercise, I'm going to have them listen to the committee and floor debates on HB1087. Prior to listening, their group will have chosen whether they are a proponent of the legislation or an opponent, and then they will listen closely to those sides. They will then write their argument and as a group present it to the class, citing general information gleaned from the database and more specific arguments from committee and floor debate.
Who knows, I may even make them present it as if they were legislators on the House or Senate floor. I think this would be a fun one! Who wants to sign on?
I saw the Common Core Correlations tab at the top right away when I got into SIRS Issues Researcher. How great is that! Gun control is always a hot issue to be debated, even more so with recent happenings. I think I will use this in my presentations at CUC next week, and relate it to SD by highlighting the School Sentinel Bill (HB 1087) that is currently making its' way through the SD Legislature.
I am looking at the College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading, Writing and Speaking and Listening. This lesson is going to be for a 11th grade class. They will use this database to gather information for their projects on gun control. They will be able to look at articles, websites, etc from the database and determine the relevancy of the information to how they are presenting their argument (pro vs. con). For a listening exercise, I'm going to have them listen to the committee and floor debates on HB1087. Prior to listening, their group will have chosen whether they are a proponent of the legislation or an opponent, and then they will listen closely to those sides. They will then write their argument and as a group present it to the class, citing general information gleaned from the database and more specific arguments from committee and floor debate.
Who knows, I may even make them present it as if they were legislators on the House or Senate floor. I think this would be a fun one! Who wants to sign on?
Friday, February 1, 2013
ERC Week 2
I logged in to do a practice test. Even though a person may not actually be practicing for a purpose, these are great (especially math) to give your brain some exercise because we all know that is important. My one "aargh" moment was that part 2 of my exercise wanted me to browse the e-books from the homepage. I went up to the top and moused over the words LearningExpressLibrary figuring that would be my ticket home, and nothing. Further playing revealed that I had to mouse over the "rary" in LearningExpressLibrary, then I could click and go home. Seems a little odd. Anyway, moving on...
For the exercise, since the elementary section does not have a large selection of ebooks at this time, I went for the middle school area, which has a ton of great resources. I am going to look at Multiple Literacies, Standard 2: The student will read, view, listen, speak and write to investigate, explore, create and communicate for academic and personal growth.
I am going to use the following: Reading, Grammar, and Writing in 15 minutes a day. I'm not going to have students read these cover to cover. Instead, I would pick out sections from each that might complement each other. I like the practice exercises in each book and the reading selections seem like a good fit for the age group. I think the three of these could be used at the beginning of a unit so students can get practice on parts of speech, proper grammar, and the "how to" of essay writing. Looking at 2.5.4 and 2.5.5, I could find some SD reading materials (online, physical, and digital historical items) to incorporate into the essay writing part of the assignment.
For the exercise, since the elementary section does not have a large selection of ebooks at this time, I went for the middle school area, which has a ton of great resources. I am going to look at Multiple Literacies, Standard 2: The student will read, view, listen, speak and write to investigate, explore, create and communicate for academic and personal growth.
I am going to use the following: Reading, Grammar, and Writing in 15 minutes a day. I'm not going to have students read these cover to cover. Instead, I would pick out sections from each that might complement each other. I like the practice exercises in each book and the reading selections seem like a good fit for the age group. I think the three of these could be used at the beginning of a unit so students can get practice on parts of speech, proper grammar, and the "how to" of essay writing. Looking at 2.5.4 and 2.5.5, I could find some SD reading materials (online, physical, and digital historical items) to incorporate into the essay writing part of the assignment.
Friday, January 25, 2013
Electronic Resources Challenge Week 1
It has been so long since I blogged, the look of blogger changed and I had to figure out what to click to start composing a post.
Even though I am mostly doing the Common Core Connections, I still looked at the exercises in the Advanced version. Because I have a 4th grader, I decided to look through the "Science Projects" section in World Book Kids thinking that everyone seems to do volcanoes, but there must be something different.
I got some great ideas, especially those under the 'science you can use' section. I wouldn't mind trying the popcorn one or the battery one. However, I have a very "green" spouse, so I can just see him freaking out about wasting batteries in the name of science.
Since I am trying to really learn as much as I can about the Common Core, I am focusing on that part of the challenge. Already I am being forced (which is why I signed up) to look at the standards and pages of the SDSL site and DOE site which will help me to understand and find resources about CC.
The standard I chose is Reading Standards for Informational Text Grade K-5. Or, more specifically, SD 4.R, 4.W, and 4 LVS. For Grade 4 students, they should now be reading and trying to understand text as well as be able to explain what the story or article is about to another person (student, parent, etc). If they don't know the meaning of something, they should know how to look up the word (WB makes this easy). Since my son has just begun to study South Dakota, I would use the South Dakota section of WB. As I read through the standards, hoping I understand them correctly as I am not a classroom teacher, I envision a project where students in a 4th grade class team up, and choose a certain aspect of SD to study using the information in WB. Since WB links to other sources (magazine articles, books to read, websites, etc) this offers students the opportunity to read and compare. The final project (helping develop their skills in working with other students) will be to use WB Timeline and create their own timeline of their SD topic, using words, visuals, etc and present and explain that to the class.
Even though I am mostly doing the Common Core Connections, I still looked at the exercises in the Advanced version. Because I have a 4th grader, I decided to look through the "Science Projects" section in World Book Kids thinking that everyone seems to do volcanoes, but there must be something different.
I got some great ideas, especially those under the 'science you can use' section. I wouldn't mind trying the popcorn one or the battery one. However, I have a very "green" spouse, so I can just see him freaking out about wasting batteries in the name of science.
Since I am trying to really learn as much as I can about the Common Core, I am focusing on that part of the challenge. Already I am being forced (which is why I signed up) to look at the standards and pages of the SDSL site and DOE site which will help me to understand and find resources about CC.
The standard I chose is Reading Standards for Informational Text Grade K-5. Or, more specifically, SD 4.R, 4.W, and 4 LVS. For Grade 4 students, they should now be reading and trying to understand text as well as be able to explain what the story or article is about to another person (student, parent, etc). If they don't know the meaning of something, they should know how to look up the word (WB makes this easy). Since my son has just begun to study South Dakota, I would use the South Dakota section of WB. As I read through the standards, hoping I understand them correctly as I am not a classroom teacher, I envision a project where students in a 4th grade class team up, and choose a certain aspect of SD to study using the information in WB. Since WB links to other sources (magazine articles, books to read, websites, etc) this offers students the opportunity to read and compare. The final project (helping develop their skills in working with other students) will be to use WB Timeline and create their own timeline of their SD topic, using words, visuals, etc and present and explain that to the class.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Some SD history titles
I enjoy a good mystery, but I spend most of my reading time with a good non-fiction book. Most of those non-fiction books migrate toward history. World War II history is a favorite subject, but being from South Dakota, I really enjoy any SD history book I can pick up.
I am currently reading two such books, Six by Marc Rasmussen and The long, hard winter of 1880-81 by Dan L. White.
Six is the story of the Claremont Honkers six man football team. They reached national fame between 1947-1953 under coach Bill Welsh by recording a record of 61 consecutive wins. This is not just the story of the sports team, however. It is also the story of Bill Welsh and the family tragedy that landed them in tiny Claremont, SD. It is also the story of small town SD and the importance of sports in bringing communities together. Sadly, the Claremont school closed in 1970 and all that remains is a stone arch where the school once stood. 2010 census figures list Claremont with a population of 127. But in the heyday of six man SD football in the 40's and 50's, this was the place to be.
The 2010-2011 winter was a tough, long winter for a lot of people in SD, but reading The long, hard winter of 1880-81 made last winter seem like a breeze. Winter 1880 started with an early blizzard on October 15 in Dakota Territory and other states throughout the region, and over the course of the next seven months, settlers endured blizzard after blizzard in their sod homes and shanties. The railroads closed due to the deep, deep snow and supplies dwindled. When the winter finally ended, floods the likes of nothing we saw last summer inundated areas along the Missouri. The book highlights the floods that occurred in the Vermillion and Yankton areas of the state, and had me shaking my head with disbelief at the chaos and destruction that ensued.
Both of these books are less than 200 pages and are a great look into South Dakota's past.
I am currently reading two such books, Six by Marc Rasmussen and The long, hard winter of 1880-81 by Dan L. White.
Six is the story of the Claremont Honkers six man football team. They reached national fame between 1947-1953 under coach Bill Welsh by recording a record of 61 consecutive wins. This is not just the story of the sports team, however. It is also the story of Bill Welsh and the family tragedy that landed them in tiny Claremont, SD. It is also the story of small town SD and the importance of sports in bringing communities together. Sadly, the Claremont school closed in 1970 and all that remains is a stone arch where the school once stood. 2010 census figures list Claremont with a population of 127. But in the heyday of six man SD football in the 40's and 50's, this was the place to be.
The 2010-2011 winter was a tough, long winter for a lot of people in SD, but reading The long, hard winter of 1880-81 made last winter seem like a breeze. Winter 1880 started with an early blizzard on October 15 in Dakota Territory and other states throughout the region, and over the course of the next seven months, settlers endured blizzard after blizzard in their sod homes and shanties. The railroads closed due to the deep, deep snow and supplies dwindled. When the winter finally ended, floods the likes of nothing we saw last summer inundated areas along the Missouri. The book highlights the floods that occurred in the Vermillion and Yankton areas of the state, and had me shaking my head with disbelief at the chaos and destruction that ensued.
Both of these books are less than 200 pages and are a great look into South Dakota's past.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
2012 Legislative Session is here
I used to blog a lot more than I currently do, so I thought I might try to make more of an effort this year.
The 2012 Legislative Session began yesterday and I always enjoy the heightened activity when the lawmakers are in town. This year won't be as painful with budget cuts as it was in 2011, and state employees may actually get that raise this year.
The 2012 Legislative Session began yesterday and I always enjoy the heightened activity when the lawmakers are in town. This year won't be as painful with budget cuts as it was in 2011, and state employees may actually get that raise this year.
After many years trying, the SD State Library finally has a bill up for consideration. SB 5 seeks to update SD statutes to include digital publications in an effective
state publications library distribution program. Our current law dates back to 1974 and there is no mention of digital publications. The current law also requires state government agencies to send 13 copies of any agency publication meant for public distribution to the state library. We are hoping to reduce the number of copies needed, which will reduce the burden on state agencies as well as result in cost savings. You can follow the bill at http://legis.state.sd.us/sessions/2012/index.aspx Just search for SB 5.
The SD Library Association Legislative Reception takes place tomorrow evening from 5-7 pm at Rawlins Municipal Library here in Pierre. I hope to see many librarians and legislators there.
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