Week of January 30:

This Scavenger Hunt was designed to increase student awareness of all the resources within the Cobb Virtual Library.  This is an independent activity--students may search during free time at school with their teacher's permission or use these resources at home.  Passwords are required at home, and bookmarks with password information have been distributed to all students.  Extras are available in the Media Center. 
Answers can be written on any type of paper, but MUST contain the student's name!!    Turn your answers in to the Scavenger Hunt boxes in the Media Center by the end of the day each Thursday.
One winner per question will be drawn on air each Friday morning, and the winner will choose from a selection of new Scholastic books. 
 Watch for a new question every Monday on WSTR Morning Announcements! 

First and Second Grade Question:

This week you will use Pebble Go--Biographies to answer these 2 questions about the Sports Star--Jackie Robinson. 
What state was Jackie born in,_____________and in what year________?

Third, Fourth and Fifth Grade Question:

This week you will use World Book Kids to answer these 2 questions about, the Statue of Liberty.

The statue is of a woman carrying a tablet with what date on it? ______________   The statue was a gift to the United States from what country?______________

Fifth Grade - As an extension to what students are learning in the classroom, our lesson this week focuses on World War I and the events that led up to the Great Depression.  Using a timeline with key events, people and programs of the era, students will use World Book Student online to answer questions about these topics.  World Book Student is a valuable database within the Cobb Virtual Library, and provides students with a wealth of accurate, age-appropriate, information that includes primary sources, videos, maps, and graphs.

Fourth Grade - Following their unit on European Explorers, students will use the website 'Explorers A to Z' to answer questions about various explorers.  However, this website contains a lot of 'misinformation', and was designed by a group of teachers to teach students that just because a website looks credible, does not mean that it is credible!  Once they begin to realize that things don't look right, we discuss how at their age, it isn't always easy to evaluate the accuracy of a website.  Using such resources as the Cobb Virtual Library and Destiny Web Path Express, offer students sources for accurate, age-appropriate information

Third Grade - Response to Literature - After reading 'The Great Kapok Tree', by Lynne Cherry and 'The Giving Tree' by Shel Silverstein, students discuss plot, character, setting, and the author's purpose in writing the story.  They also look for text connections--either to themselves, the world, or to another text.  Both books are beautifully written and have thought provoking messages!

This year, in order to accomodate the schedules in the classrooms, we are using a rotational schedule here in the Media Center.  One week our Kindergarten through 2nd grade classes come in for lessons, and 3rd through 5th come in on the alternate week.  Kindergarten classes come every week (they need lots of practice!), and all grades are welcome to sign up for a checkout visit on the week they don't have a lesson scheduled.  The Media Center is open throughout the school day for individual checkout. 

Kindergarten students checked out their first books last week!  We hope you have enjoyed sharing their first book with them!  If they insisted on putting it in their backpack after reading it, give them a pat on the back.  During our lessons on book care, we encouraged them to keep their library book in their bookbags when not reading it to keep them safe from pets and little brothers and sisters!  It also means the book is ready to come back to school to be traded for a new book!  They were all so excited to choose their first book--we're excited to see them again this week to get a new book!

First Grade students will be learning the elements of a story....characters, plot, and setting.  A Smartboard lesson will walk them through the elements of the 'Three Little Pigs', and then we will read 'As the Plot Chickens'--a very cute story by Herm and Mary Jane Auch--who love to write books with all variety of poultry as characters.  The main character is a hen named Henrietta who loves to read books but is discouraged from doing so at the library (she is a hen of course!)--so she decides to write her own book!  It's the perfect story to demonstrate the story elements in a very whimsical and entertaining way!

Second Grade students will finish out their unit on the Cherokee Indians with a couple of tales from Cherokee folklore. In 'The First Strawberries', we are reminded of the importance of friendship and respect.  Respect and honor are also the theme in 'Grandmother Spider Brings the Sun'. 

Students in grades 3 - 5 are learning how to use the computer to search for a book that is just right for them. 

 You may hear your students talk about Quizlist Interactive.  This search tool is available both at home and at school, and allows students to search for books that have an accompanying Accelerated Reader test. It allows you to search by several criteria including title, author, subject, reading level and points.  One very useful feature for parents is the Interest Level of the book.  If you have a student in the younger grades that reads above their grade level, you can limit the searches to 'lower grade' interest level, which will filter out books that are written for middle and high school students. Students are able to create personalized lists of books they would like to read--these lists even include the location in the library where they would find them!

 The Destiny Library Catalog contains the records of ALL books in the Media Center---whether or not they are Accelerated Reader.  Students have been instructed on the features of Destiny Classic, and the more colorful Destiny Quest.  Each version has its own unique features, and students have been encouraged to explore both to select their own personal favorite!  All of these programs allow the students to determine their own criteria for choosing a book that is just right for them!

Visit the Media Center link on the Nicholson Home Page to access these programs.

Many of us depend on search engines like Google when we are seeking information.  They are great sites for adults, but present many  challenges for students.  Most of the content is not at their reading level, may not be an accurate match to what they are seeking, and there is no guarantee of the website's validity or appropriateness.

Those problems are solved when using WebPath Express, a search engine created just for students.  It can be accessed within the Destiny Library Catalog, using eitherthe 'WebPath Express' link located in the left hand menu under the Catalog tab or under the 'web sites' tab on Destiny Quest.  Destiny Quest is an updated version of Destiny whose colorful interface is very appealing to students.  Either version of Destiny is easily accessed from home by clicking on the Media Center link of the Nicholson home page.

    These sites are selected by educators for their accuracy, relevance and objectivity.  Each result even has recommendations as to which grade levels it is most appropriate for.  Next time your student needs to locate information, give it a try! There are also lots of fun websites too, so encourage your children to use Destiny when 'surfing' on the Web!

We hope everyone had a very relaxing summer, with plenty of time to just sit back, relax and read!  The Media Center will open for student orientation and checkout beginning on August 22.  We are looking forward to meeting our new students and welcoming back returning Nicholson Stars!  Students will attend an orientation session with their classes  prior to checking out books. 

Please welcome Mrs. Lori Edwards to the Media Center this year!  Mrs. Edwards has been a para-professional at Nicholson for a number of years, and we are happy she will now be joining the Media Center staff!

Accelerated Reader
With their teacher's permission, students in grades 2 through 5 may begin taking Accelerated Reader quizzes on Monday, Aug.22.  This would be a great time to take a test on books that were read over the summer!  As a kick-off for our reading incentive program, students will receive a key chain with a 'paw' charm.  This will remind them to 'Paws for Reading'  Students will earn points as they take Accelerated Reader quizzes,  and when they reach their grade level point goals, will earn additional charms to add to their key chain.  For more information on our Accelerated Reader Program, you can go to the Accelerated Reader link on the Nicholson website. 

Summer Reading Logs
If you kept a Reading Log of books you read over the summer, please be sure to turn them into your child's teacher by Friday, August 26.  Students who turn in their reading logs will be invited take part in a Reading Celebration in September.   Additional reading logs can be downloaded here.  Download Summer Reading Log 2011