Diving into research

Sixth grade, track 3 science students are deep into researching answers to their Great! inquiry questions. Students used computer resources last week and were introduced to media center books today. I think many of our tech-savvy students were surprised at how much information they could find in "old-fashioned" books! Students found detailed before and after photos of earthquake destruction, pictures of volcano eruptions and many charts and maps showing plate tectonic movement.

I spent each class period hopping from student to student as they explored media resources and gathered valuable information. This was the scene as I passed one row of shelves - - a collection of research tools left by two students in search of additional information. This month-and-a-half-long inquiry project will culminate in mid-October, when students will share their findings with their classmates and other DRMS 6th graders.

-Ms. Z

Special Collection

The DRMS media center recently received a monetary donation to purchase health-related library books in memory of our principal's sister, who recently passed away. Each book contains a special book plate dedicated to her memory.

Several titles from this special collection include Careers for Health Nuts, Rachael Ray Yum-O Family Cookbook, Your Ultimate Manual for Good Nutrition and Top 100 Health-Care Careers. This collection will be well-used by science, health and PE classes for years to come.

-Ms. Z

In memory of . . . .

In memory of September 11, 2001, several 8th grade classes completed a reflective project. Students viewed a 9/11 Memorial video, brainstormed their thoughts about the tragic events and developed interview questions to find out more information from an adult's thoughts and feelings from that important day in American history. (By the way, these 8th graders were only in 1st grade in September 2001.)

A visual portion of this lesson was the following word collage:

This was created using Wordle. Text from students' brainstorming sheets were entered into this online program. The larger the word = the more often it was written on students' papers. This visual representation serves as a powerful teaching tool that led to some dynamic and thought-provoking discussion. I learned a lot from these insightful 8th graders!

-Ms. Z

Voicethread and English Language Learners

On Tuesday, Mrs. Myers worked with Mrs. McTernan's English Language Learners class and helped them to use Voicethread to talk (in English) about the endangered species they had researched. Prior to class, Mrs. Myers had scanned in the photos the students had drawn and they became part of Voicethread as well. It was a very rewarding experience for the students and the teachers.

Shakespeare with a Twist

One of my favorite web pages belongs to the Bettendorf Public Library. While browsing through the web page I saw the words "Shakespeare Remakes." I thought it would be a great theme for this month's window display. After checking our collection for books that retold Shakespeare's tales, I discovered some very interesting titles.

The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt

On Wednesday afternoons seventh grader Holling Hoodhood must stay in Mrs. Baker's classroom while his classmates attend religious studies. Lessons about middle school life are learned while studying Shakespeare.

The True Prince by J.B. Cheaney

Newly apprenticed to Shakespeare's theatre company, Richard and Kit are drawn into a series of crimes involving the members of Queen Elizabeth's court.

Shakespeare's Scribe by Gary Blackwood

In plague ridden 1602 England, a fifteen-year-old orphan boy, who has become an apprentice actor, goes on the road with Shakespeare's troupe, and finds out more about his parents along the way.

Romiette and Julio by Sharon M. Draper

Romiette, an African-American girl, and Julio, a Hispanic boy discover that they attend the same high school after falling in love on the internet, but are harrassed by a gang whose members object to their dating.

Romeo and Juliet - Manga Shakespeare

A graphic novel adaptation of William Shakespeare's classic tragedy about Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet, two young people whose love for one another is doomed by the long-standing feud between their families.

-Mrs. V

Author Visit 21st Century Style

Author Kerry Madden, known for Gentle's Holler, Louisiana's Song and Jessie's Mountain, visited Ms. Stephens' language arts 8th grade/track 1 class today via a technological chat. Mrs. Madden graciously gave us a few minutes of her time, despite being under a tight deadline to edit her forthcoming book, a biography of Harper Lee.

You can visit Mrs. Madden's site online at www.kerrymadden.com .

Newbery Club is about to begin!

What: Newbery Club

When: Informational meetings Thursday, September 4 and September 11 during lunch periods

Where: DRMS Media Center

Who: 6th, 7th and 8th grade students are invited

Why? Because it's fun!

We've been busy behind the scenes preparing this year's collection of Newbery Club books. These are newly published (2008) titles that are exclusively available for Newbery Club members. Students can choose to read those books that most interest them, write a review of the book and determine if it's worthy of receiving the Newbery Medal. The REAL Newbery Medal is awarded in January, so there's still a lot of time to read some of these great contenders!

The DRMS media staff is reading along with students, and have already previewed several of these great titles. Waiting for Normal is our current favorite. Stay tuned for future reviews . . . .

-Ms. Z