CBS 42 One Class At a Time Grants

Are you in the market for a grant?

 

Alabama teachers can apply for a $1,000 grant for classroom supplies, software, or other "educational necessities online at CBS News online.

 

It is simple to fill out the application. It literally takes less than a planning period!

 

So, what do your students need to be successful? Good luck, everyone!

 

Need ideas?

 

Books for teen book clubs

 

Software for learning

 

Art Supplies

 

Technology

 

I-Pad or I-Pad mini

 

Digital Cameras

 

Easy Readers

 

Hip-Hop Genre Books

 

Common Core Books

 

 

 



Book Fair Idea

I have a wonderful book fair idea I wanted to share with you. Some of you may have a hard time getting adult visitors to your book fair, so I wanted to let you know what I have done that’s been very successful at our school.

Every year, our school hosts a “Grandparents Day.” Every student makes something for the grandparents to look at or to take home, and their work is displayed for the grandparents to view and dote over. We usually have some simple snacks with a banner welcoming them to our school. Students get to take their grandparents on a school tour to see their classroom, the lunchroom, gym, music room, art room, computer lab, and of course  the library! I almost always try to schedule my book fair week during the time we will be hosting “Grandparents Day.” I would just like to share that my sales for that day alone are sometimes in excess of $3,000. Grandparents love shopping and buying BOOKS for their grandchildren. I had one grandfather spend over $60 for one grandchild. His reply, “I don’t mind spending my money on something worthwhile, like books, for my grandson.”

Just a couple of tips: Make sure you can take credit cards/debit cards, and make sure you have plenty of adult helpers. You will need them! Good luck, and happy sales!

Pam McMickens

Oak Grove Elementary

 

 

 

A Constitution Website

With the recent Presidential election and speculation about Supreme Court appointees that could possibly be made during his tenure, it seems like information about the Constitution is more prominently taking a place in the news.

I had heard about the Hillsdale College offer to let any American citizen take a free on-line class on the Constitution, taught by their professors, but I wasn’t aware until last week that they also offer a website with the same information.  The U.S.Constitution: A Reader, found at www.constitutionreader.com , has the college’s core course on the Constitution. 

It also has digitized and searchable topics important to understanding American government, key debates from our Founding Fathers, the Progressives, and others, a database of quotes, and an illustrated timeline of American Constitutional history.

If you personally need brushing up on your knowledge of our Constitution, I found this to be a great resource.  I’ve just gotten into the first sections, but I have learned a lot (Did you know that Thomas Jefferson was only 33 when he wrote theDeclaration of Independence and that he wrote it in 17 days?)!   The website can be perused or studied at your own pace which makes it a great resource for those of us who don’t have a lot of extended periods of study/reading time.  These documents are rich text that will fit in well with our new standards in Alabama, too!  High School librarians, please share with your social studies teachers.  You all may want to save the website and do something with it next year for Constitution Day or use it to brush up on your personal knowledge!

(posted on behalf of Meg Brooke)

National Novel Writing Month

We had two students approach us about sponsoring a "write in" for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). We had advertised the event last year using posters around the library, but had no takers. These two students remembered the event and that it was in November and approached us.

Cheryl and I set up a NaNoWriMo writing area:

GHS Library

 

 

We also set up a display for the window for recruiting more participants.

 

We have had three meetings (9 students writing just to write, no grades) with students and spoke to 8 classes about participating. NaNoWriMo.org offers a library kit ($10.00 shipping) and a forum for Media Specialists.

                On day one (Nov. 1) we had six students visit the library to write (combined writing over 8000 words) and a freshmen studies teacher (along with 94 freshmen) implement a classroom project based on NaNoWriMo. He will be back on November 2^nd with 88 more freshmen.

                Often Cheryl and I feel that our students are consuming so much information, but not creating as much. NaNoWriMo provides an outlet for students to create any novel they want. If you want more information check out www.nanowrimo.org there is also a Young Writers Program (www.ywp.nanowrimo.org) that teachers can set up an online classroom to follow progress of students.

http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/about/hownanoworks

 

http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/about/whatisnano

I will leave you, future novelist and novel facilitators, with two quotes from the founder of NaNoWriMo:

“There's a book in you that only you can write.” 

“A novel rough draft is like bread dough; you need to beat the crap out of it for it to rise.” 

James Green

Gardendale High School

NaNoWriMo 2012 Participant

Collaborate with a Science Teacher!

Can you imagine how much you need to know to be a science teacher? It's an exciting subject and I love learning as I collaborate!

One of the ways I collaborate with science teachers is to send them links and ask them how I can help. Discovery Education is a great site to belong to. Regular e-mails come and I explore them when I have time. Here's what I found lately:

• Hands on Science Activities
• Siemens contest to win a science assemby
• Teacher Support Center
• New Hands on Science for K-3
• Teacher Refresh Videos

Here are two great websites that can help you collaborate with a science teacher:

www.discoveryeducation.com (for elementary schools - win an assembly by daily log ins)
www.siemensscienceday.com

So, start a conversation today and good luck!

What's on Your Library Webpage?

Doug Johnson posted an article in June with some great thoughts on what school librarians should consider essential content for our webpages. Great thoughts to consider as we kick off the 2012-2013 school year!

Is there anything you would add or take away from the list on Doug's site?

Link to article

Back to School Conferences

All school librarians should make plans to attend the summer conferences for your respective grade levels in the coming months. We've not had the opportunity to participate in these before, but it is exciting to hear that we will be attending the same professional development trainings as our teacher colleagues. There will be special library-specific strands for us at each one of the conferences, so we will have the opportunity to mix and mingle with teachers as well as grow in our own field. Winner, winner!

Elementary: July 26 at McAdory Elementary School

Middle and High: July 31 at Pleasant Grove High School