Word Wall

The DRMS Literacy Team is promoting school-wide student literacy and vocabulary-building skills through various programs and strategies to be implemented this year. One of these initiatives is the presence of active Word Walls in classrooms throughout the school. These visual respresentations of classroom vocabulary encourage students to use appropriate subject-specific terms in class. Students become active participants as they use these terms and contribute new words to the wall throughout the school year.

The media center word wall contains a variety of meda-related words that pertain to both literacy and research. Do you know what these words mean?

-Ms. Z

Hey, look! It's the Library Lady!

Such was the exclamation I heard this week out on the football field during our first fire drill of the new school year. :-) This enthusiastic young man was one of the first 6th graders to be introduced to the media center this week. On Monday, student media center orientations began with a frenzy! Sixth grade students were the focus the first part of this week, followed by 7th and 8th graders. By the end of next week, EVERY track 1, 2, and 3 student will have visited the media center and most will leave with their first armful of literary goodies of the 2010-2011 school year.

We approach student media center orientation differently each year . . . tweaking the format from the previous year and making an informative, yet succinct presentation. Sixth graders are watching a 15-minute VoiceThread presentation featuring DRMS students in various sections of the media center, showing items for check-out, and demonstrating procedures to follow during your visit. Students then explore the media center as they discover exciting titles to check out.

Seventh and eighth graders will take an online media program survey. Questions pertain to students' previous experiences during the research process, reading preferences, and use of Web 2.0 tools. This data is used during decision-making process by the library media staff throughout the school year. Students will then check out books for the very first time this school year.

The most important part of library orientation is allowing students time to explore for reading materials that interest them. This is a valuable time that allows me to have individual conversations with students about their reading, students interact with each other and excitedly share favorite titles and authors, and students discover new materials of interest as they browse books on display.

All teams will visit the media center every three weeks to return and check out library materials. During future visits, I will share books with students through booktalking, share information on book awards and reading contests, and highlight online reading tools that foster reading appreciation.

-Ms. Z

Exiting a Research Project

Assessment plays a crucial role in the learning and teaching of our students. Many people think of the words "test" or "quiz" when they here the term "assessment." These are two examples of assessments, but in the media center, we gauge student understanding through less formal means, such as student reflections and surveys.

Ms. C's 8th grade Language Arts students are completing their Holocaust research paper project. Students began their time in the media center with a research lesson I provided, which included strategies for evaluating online resources and methods for organizing research findings. Last week, students spent several days using print and electronic resources to find specific information on their topic. To gauge student understanding of the research process, I created an exit research survey that all students completed using our online survey tool, Zoomerang. Students answered the following questions:

1. Which resource contained the best information on your topic?
2. How helpful were the colored Source Notes sheets for taking notes?
3. Why is it important to evaluate websites for research?
4. Did you use your broad and narrow search terms to find information?
5. Was the online project Weebly helpful to you?
6. Describe your strengths in your research process.
7. Describe your weaknesses and explain how you could make them strengths in the future.

The answers to these questions provide valuable feedback for me and Ms. C. We will use these results to improve student learning in future assignments, and I will use the data in preparing future researching projects with other teachers. For example, 88% of students found the online Weebly project page to be useful. Ms. C and I thought it was a valuable way to organize the project resources and this student data solidifies that assumption. Student responses to question #4 provide important feedback in the instruction of using broad and narrow search terms. Only 64% of students used them in their research, which is shows a weakness in my instruction of helping students develop appropriate search strategies. The open-ended responses in questions 6 and 7 allowed students to have a voice and describe their strengths and weaknesses. This reflective piece was beneficial to the student, who paused to think about his or her individual project, and is valuable to me and Ms. C as we look for responses that will improve our future instruction.

Instead of just watching students leave after their last day of researching in the media center, provide a tool for them to "exit the project" by gathering information that will help students in the future. This assessment data provides valuable feedback!

-Ms. Z

What are you reading this summer?

Ah . . . summertime. The time of year when students prepare for some relaxful time outdoors and on vacation and a break from school. A time to catch up on those books you've been wanting to read all year. Reading outside by the pool or on the front porch during days of endless sunshine. Well, for our students and staff, summer is a very BUSY time of the school year! Our year-round school schedule has us ending a school year and beginning a new one in just a week and a half! This hectic pace may limit some of those summer reading plans, but I encourage all students and staff to escape into some great books this summer. I already have my summer reading plan in place . . . and I hope it will encourage you!

Included in my summer reading are two titles that have been recommended to me several times over. These adult fiction titles include, The Help by Kathryn Stockett and Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah. I usually alternate between adult fiction and books our students are reading. My "middle school summer reading assignment" is to read some of those "classic" titles that I should have read a long time ago, but have never made it to the top of my reading list. Some people would probably gasp at a few of the titles that I have yet to read, so that is why it is my goal this summer to read some of these titles.

I encourage you to pick up a title that has been recommended to you many times over, check out titles on a "best seller's" list, or re-read a book from your childhood you were particularly fond of. What will you be reading this summer?

-Ms. Z

Planning Offline

I've been working with Mrs. L's 8th grade Social Studies classes on their American Decades project. Students researched before track-out, using wonderful databases, such as SIRS, and immersed themselves in their chosen decade (1940s through 2000s). Pairs of students are now comparing their research findings with each other and deciding with information "makes the cut" for their final presentation to their classmates. Half of these partnerships will create a Powerpoint and the remaining students will create a VoiceThread. For both presentation types, some offline planning is necessary before creating slides on the computer. Ms. BC and I have been very proactive with this planning component with our students this year and it has proven to help them develop more quality end products. Some students see their offline work (we call it storyboarding) as a waste of time, when in fact, it actually takes less time for them to create a better quality presentation.

This picture shows an example of offline planning. Students use the rectangles to jot down the name of the picture file they will use to fill the space, along with the title or phrase that will appear on the slide. The lines underneath allow students to capture their "talking points," those words and phrases that will help guide their presentation as they talk to their peers. Students are reminded that THEY are the presentation. They are telling a story about their decade and the pictures and photographs help tell that story.

-Ms. Z

Speaking of Biomes . .

I've been collaborating with Ms. H's 6th grade science classes on a Biomes project over the past week. Students began the project by researching key characteristics of their Biome, such as climate, location, and plant and animal life. They used a variety of quality websites and online encyclopedias to capture the information and each found a picture of the Biome landscape and a plant or animal found in the region.

After several days of gathering information and sharing their findings with their group members, students were ready to talk about their biome using VoiceThread. I worked with 2 biome groups each period today in the media center. Students divided up their information amongst each group member and shared the photographs they each saved during their research process. Students logged into VoiceThread, uploaded and titled their photos, then each took turns speaking about the specifics of the desert or taiga or temperate forest or tundra. Some students had some initial "stage fright," but soon were very comfortable in front of the microphone. This will be an exciting way for students to share their research findings with others.

-Ms. Z

Igniting a Passion for Reading!

Yesterday, was our first official DEAR committee meeting (Drop Everything and Read). A group of interested teachers from various subject areas gathered in the media center for an hour Tuesday afternoon. We discussed our experiences with DEAR programs in other schools, ideas for how to implement at DRMS, and how to create a climate and culture for reading with our students and staff. Although, a school-wide DRMS DEAR program won't go into affect for at least 6 months, this committee of excited folks is already planning ways to showcase reading throughout the school. Teachers will be encouraged to share their own reading experiences with their students. Students will see more literacy-related displays and programs throughout the building to encourage reading. The DEAR committee will be reading, Igniting a Passion for Reading by Steven Layne, as a book study over the coming months. We're excited to incorporate ideas from the book into our own DEAR programming.

-Ms. Z

Newbery Club Excitement!

Within the past week, there's been a lot of buzz about the Mock Newbery Book Club! Two weeks ago, I met with an enthusiastic group of 8th grade club members. I knew these strong readers would be the best advocates to "get the word out" and help recruit new members to the club. These students split up into pairs, wrote out a script, and visited 6th grade homeroom classes to get the kids excited about being part of the Newbery Club. I held several informational meetings for all students interested in finding out the details. In total, over 35 students attended these meetings, with many returning their club applications within a day or two after the meeting.

The Newbery Club will meet twice a month during their lunch period to discuss the 2010 books they're reading and review each title based on the Newbery Award criteria. For their first assignment, students are required to read an actual Newbery Award winner or honor book. They will go through the review process (by completing their green Reader Review sheet) to evaluate their book based on Newbery Award criteria to practice before reading and reviewing books from our club book collection.

Ms. PBC and I regularly read book review journals and indicate which titles would be appropriate "Newbery contenders." These titles are usually starred reviews, are written by authors who have already won awards or who are known for their quality children's literature, or are titles we have heard a "buzz" about. Yesterday, I picked up an order of 25 titles from our wonderful local independent bookstore, who were also kind enough to supply the club with advanced reader copies of upcoming titles for publication. What a treasure of wonderful titles to get the group started! I can't wait to share the collection with Newbery Club members next week at our first official meeting. The challenge will be in deciding which book to read first!

-Ms. Z

Earth Day

Today marked the 40th anniversary of Earth Day! In honor of this special event, teachers at our school were charged with going "paper free" for a whole day. Some teachers went all out by not using ANY paper, with students solely using overhead transparencies, computers for assignments, or activities outside that required them to move and learn. Others allowed students to use papers from recycling bins around the building or recycled newspapers for posters. The idea was to use no NEW paper all day today.

We had a paper-free day in the media center! Four 6th grade classes came through for book circulation. Since our card catalog is Internet-based, students look up books of interest online, then find them on the shelves. Our baskets of scrap paper and pencils located at each Search Station already met the requirements of the day, since we recycle extra worksheets and papers we don't need anymore to cut into scrap paper.

Mrs. C's classes used the computers all period and learned how to use NoodleTools, an online bibliography generator we subscribe to. Students already had their source information filled in on their Source Notes sheets from when they researched their Holocaust topic a few weeks ago. Today, they inputted their source information into NoodleTools and saved their entries as a bibliography in Microsoft Word. This program is amazing because it formats each student's entry with the correct MLA style, including correct placement of periods, commas, italicized words, etc. How I wish I had this resource when I was in school!

How did you celebrate Earth Day?

-Ms. Z

'Tis the Season!

'Tis the season for 8th grade research papers! Over the past month, I have collaborated with two 8th grade Language Arts teachers in the design and implementation of research paper projects for our students. Although the research process for each project was similar, the topics were very different.

Mrs. L's students each selected a "current issue" they did preliminary investigation on, chose a position, then found information from reliable resources that supported "their side." Student-selected topics included the death penalty, abortion, teen pregnancy, gun control, smoking laws, homeschooling, and eating disorders. During their first day of research in the media center, students wrote down several issues that peaked their interest, then browsed through library resources to "get to know" each issue better BEFORE committing to the one they found most intriguing. This proved to be a wonderful strategy, as students were truly researching something that interested them. Their research process was well-organized, as students used Source Notes sheets to gather bibliographic information, along with research notes from each source. Mrs. L and I required students to use a variety of source types - - 1 book, 1 encyclopedia, 1 Internet website, and 1 online encyclopedia database - - to ensure their research was well-rounded and they experienced researching in different source formats. After their media center research, students used their strongest research findings to organize their arguments into an argumentative research paper.

Mrs. C and I have worked together for the past several years each spring on a Holocaust research paper project, and refine the project each year to meet the needs of her current team of students. Each student selected a person, event, or place from the Holocaust and wrote an in-depth informational research paper on that topic. For this project, I taught a lesson on the day the project was introduced. Through my YOUR 8th Grade Research Project lesson, students learned how to evaluate websites, the specific resources to use for this project through their class Weebly (other wise known as "Project Central"), and a discussion and activity on parenthetical documentation. Students used these skills over the next 3 days as they utilized the entire class period to focus their research on a particular facet of the Holocaust and used print and electronic media center resources to paint a well-rounded picture of that topic.

Planning with teachers well before these projects began was the key to a successful research experience for our students. The teachers provided subject-area background information and project expectations in the classroom, while I provided the print and electronic tools students used to discover information on their topics that would support their research papers.

Classroom teachers + Library Media Specialists = powerful collaborative partnerships that enhance student learning!

-Ms. Z

Bookmark Contest a Big Hit! Two Winners!

Our student contest to design a bookmark for National Library Week was a big hit.

We had lots of entries and had a difficult time making a final selection. The Dolphin Readers

chose two wonderful entries to be used as bookmarks for NLW 2010. They are available for pick-up in the media center. Congratulations to the winners - Tierra and Jessilin in 7th grade.

The class that collects the most books WINS!

National Library Week runs April 12 – 16 and the DRMS media center is hosting a book drive to support the Literacy Council of Wake County. Students should start looking on their bookshelves, closets, attics, basements, etc. to gather books for donation. Here are the book drive details:

· Bring in books starting April 12 and ending on April 16.
· Place your donated books in the paper bag in your homeroom class.
· Bring in new or gently used books that are appropriate for children 5 & under.
· Books must meet the requirements to count toward your homeroom class total.
· The homeroom class that collects the most books wins a pizza party!

Help support this wonderful cause by sharing the love of reading with our community. We’ll see YOU in the media center!

-Ms. Z

Students LOVE contests!

April is a busy time of programming in the media center! We celebrate National Poetry Month and National Library Week in a BIG way, by holding special events and contests. Did I mention that our students LOVE contests?! Here are two opportunities students can take advantage of now:

Bookmark Contest:

Students can design an original bookmark that includes a character from a book. The drawing must be in pencil and finished in black ink. No color (as winning entries will be photocopied in black and white). Students can pick up a bookmark template from their homeroom teacher or from the special display in the media center. Entries should be turned in to the media center by Tuesday, April 6. Winning bookmarks will be available when students check out books during National Library Week in mid-April.

Poetry Contest:

Students can write an original one-page poem and submit it for this school-wide competition. Poems should be typed in an easy-to-read black font and no smaller than 12-point. Submissions are due to the media center by Friday, April 9. The top 10 poems will be posted in the Media Center during the second half of April when teachers and students can vote for their favorite.

-Ms. Z

What's a Weebly?

I just love the names of many of the Web 2.0 tools. Names like Voki, Toondoo, Blabberize, and Glogster immediately peak my curiosity and I want to know more about them. It often takes one or two teachers to step out ahead of the crowd to try a new Web 2.0 tool, then after others see the possibilities, a wave of educators are sure to give it a try. Such was the case for using Weebly. One of our most technologically savvy teachers worked with Ms. BC on a Human Body Systems project and posted website links, project tools, and student handouts together on one Weebly page. Students could access ALL resources for the project in one convenient place. It was truly "one stop shopping!" After Ms. BC and I shared this resource at a recent staff development session with DRMS staff, other teachers showed great excitement and I could almost see the ideas running through their heads as they pondered ways to use this fabulous tool with their own students. In the coming month, additional Weebly pages will be added to our Media Center Weebly site. Our Life Skills teacher and two eighth grade Language Arts teachers are using the tool to post research information and project handouts. Although I love this tool, I'm already thinking ahead to what the next "Weebly" will be? What clever names have yet to be used?

-Ms. Z

Baby Steps . . .

Ms. BC and I often set high goals for the media program, most of which seem impossible to reach when we begin envisioning new ways for the program to meet learning and teaching needs. Instead of being overwhelmed by what seems like an enormous task, we take baby steps toward the goal. Creating a timeline and working toward a goal in smaller steps makes it much more manageable and the media program thrives because of it! The whole "baby steps" concept reminds me of one of my favorite summer movies, What About Bob?. In the movie, Bill Murray's obsessive-compulsive character has many fears that almost cripple him from interacting with society. His doctor, played by Richard Dreyfus, tells him to take "baby steps" to approach the impossible feats that cause him so much fear. Of course, the context of this movie is much different than library media program implementation, but I love the concept of taking baby steps toward a goal. If the task seems too great, often people don't think they can accomplish it, so they don't even get started. It's all a journey . . . you may reach your goal or you may not. Through the journey, your goals may change as you discover "things you didn't know you didn't know" along the way. This is so exciting!

So . . . our recent baby steps led us down a path of great changes in the DRMS media center. We have been working on reorganizing various sections of the media center to make sure resources are the most accessible to students. As of yesterday, we no longer have a formal reference section! Our reference books are interfiled in nonfiction and biography and the true "Reference Collection," those materials which are most current, are our online resources. The next baby step in this project will be to move our Everybody and Spanish-language resources to an easy-to-access location in the middle of the media center. Our plan is to also add some comfy furniture to this section to encourage students to take materials off the shelf and browse for a bit.

What are your big goals? Start the journey one step at a time. . . . .

-Ms. Z

Emphasizing the Positive

Ms. BC and I are busy preparing for our upcoming presentations to DRMS staff and a concurrent session at the NCTIES conference held the first week of March. Going Google-Free: Providing Quality Student Research Tools is the title of our session. In preparation, it came to me that we aren't focusing on what students CAN'T use, but emphasizing what they CAN. Focusing on the quality, age-appropriate sources for research, such as those found on the NCWISEOwl databases, sponsored by the North Carolina Department of Instruction; highlighting quality organization websites, such as National Geographic, PBS, and Library of Congress; and using tools that organize information in an effective way for students to follow and gain new insights about their topic and curriculum they're learning in the classroom. THIS is what we are presenting about. The "Providing Quality Student Research Tools" portion of our presentation title is what the school library media center should be about. Ms. BC and I, as your school library media specialists, are our students' guide through the abundant resources available online. We want our students to use "the good stuff" when they research. Emphasize the positive!

-Ms. Z

Who doesn't love Dr. Seuss?

In preparation for Read Across America, we are having a contest. Students are to write a verse or two in the style of Dr. Seuss. They are to also draw a character to go along with the verse. The drawing and verse are due by Tuesday, February 23rd. We are looking forward to seeing the creativity that our students have and look forward to posting the winner.

Google-free research projects

Since the start of the new year, the DRMS media program is transitioning from a 100% accessible web for student research projects to a focused collection of research-appropriate electronic resources for student use. For years, we have encouraged students to use a variety of resources when completing their research projects. These include books, encyclopedias, online databases, and websites. Students have always searched for books within a pre-selected, educationally appropriate collection of research tools available in the DRMS media center. These resources are selected per the media program's Collection Development Plan, which focuses on updating resources to support the middle school Standard Course of Study and student recreational reading interests. Why would this be any different for our "online collection?" Well it has been. Historically, we have allowed students a fairly liberal access to computer resources. Students enter search terms into a Google search box and the result is often 100,000s of thousands of "hits," which include various types of search results, for students to choose from. Most students simply select from the first few hits that are found on the first page of results, regardless of the quality of these resources and if they actually provide the best information to support their research. Who is the creator of the site? When was it last updated? What organization sponsors the site? These are the evaluative skills we want students to gain while completing their middle school research projects.

So, the DRMS media specialists are trying a different approach. Since we selected EVERY book that's added to the physical print collection housed in the media center, why don't we select electronic resources, too? If we flood students with quality resources at the middle school level, including lessons on WHY these are research-appropriate sites, then students will "know what this looks like" when they get to high school and beyond.

We have worked with several classes who are utilizing pre-selected online encyclopedias and hand-picked website lists provided by the media specialist or classroom teacher. Students have been more focused on their research, less frustrated with their research findings, fewer student discipline issues, and greater teacher satisfaction with the quality of student research findings. Students are more focused on reading the text and answering their questions, than combing through the 100,000s of results they would encounter in an open-ended searching environment.

We are continuing to learn new things about the way students search for information and use resources to answer their questions. As with the research process, this is an evolving approach and we look forward to working with DRMS students on their information literacy journey.

-Ms. Z

2-Sentence Reviews

Our new group of Dolphin Readers began meeting a few weeks ago. This week, students worked on advertisements for this year's NCSLMA YA Book Award vote, which will occur during the month of March. Students were challenged to write a 2-sentence review of one of their favorite books from the list. Below are their efforts . . .

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
"When challenge comes, only the most resourceful and bright kids will complete the mystery. Can friendships survive the stress and complications of solving a mystery?" - Delia

"This is an adventurous tale about 4 kids with large brains that go on an adventure to stop a computerized chair. Can they stop the chair and it's creator?" - Amanda

"This is an exciting novel of kid power and how much children can do. Four gifted children go on a quest of friendship, danger, and bravery as they struggle to prevent an evil genius from unleashing his wrath upon the world." - Kelly

The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: 8th Grade Bites by Heather Brewer
"Tod gets a new teachers and his teacher knows that Tod is a vampire. It turns out that this teacher changes his life." - Elsa

"This book captures the imagination and makes you wonder about the differences, if any, between fact and fiction. This book is stellar." - Casey

Tunnels by Brian Williams and Roderick Gordon
"Tunnels is one of the best mystery books you'll ever read! The authors are marvelous writers that will keep you on the edge of your seat from first word to last." - Caroline

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
"This book is for students who like comedy and romance. It would be great for people who like books about boys, societies, and such!" - Tamaara

Battle of the Books Team

I would like to proudly announce the Battle of the Books team members for the school year 09-10.

Benie 2/8
Sam 1/8
Kevin 2/7
Jo 2/8
Charlotte 1/8
Thembi 4/7
Glorian 8/1

They have been working very hard and I am looking forward to working with them in preparing for the competition in March.

Top Newbery votes

Our 7th and 8th grade Newbery book clubs met last week to vote on which 2009 books they think should win the Newbery award and honor designations for the year. Students began meeting in August and have been busy reading a variety of fiction titles over the past few months. Several favorites began to surface during that time and students' preference were made official through our voting process last week. Included below are the results from student voting:

7th grade winners:

Newbery Club winner ~

The Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry

Honor titles ~

Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev

If the Witness Lied by Caroline Cooney

September Sisters by Jillian Cantor

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

8th grade winners:

Newbery Club winner ~

Wild Things by Clay Carmichael

Honor titles ~

Fortune's Folly by Deva Fagan

The Plague by Joanne Dahme

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

The actual Newbery medal and honor titles will be announced during the American Library Association's Mid-Winter Conference on Monday, January 18. Later that week, our Newbery Club will gather to discuss their choices and compare them to the winners. January is an exciting month for reading!

-Ms. Z

The importance of setting goals

There are so many exciting things happening in the DRMS media center! Many of these successful programs and activities are a direct result of the program goal planning the library media staff completed at the beginning of this school year. We created a timeline of various projects and tasks to complete, then regularly followed up on our progress on these goals during our weekly PLT meetings. We are thrilled with the many program accomplishments during the first half of this school year. Summer and fall 2009 highlights include:

· Implementing a meaningful and active student media center orientation, including gathering data from a student reading survey given to all 7th and 8th graders.
· Creation of the Dolphin Readers Book Club. Students helped with program planning, wrote book reviews, and shared media center information with their classmates.
· Ms. BC and I began a professional book study to stay current with library media trends and improve processes in the DRMS media program.
· Creation of a media center data wall.
· A trial period of extended media center hours one day a week to gauge the need for this type of service.
· Internet Safety parent program during fall school dance.
· Reconfigure library shelving for teachers to have easier access to materials.
· Interfiled the North Carolina collection into nonfiction so students will have greater access to resources.
· Full book inventory and AV equipment inventory of the school.

The remainder of this school year includes additional program goals to accomplish. A sample of winter and spring 2010 goals include:

· Regularly posting to this blog! We see this as a wonderfully accessible communication tool for students, staff, and parents to highlight how the library media program impacts learning and teaching.
· The implementation of a Google-Free Media Center has already taken place, although information regarding this change will continue through the rest of this school year. Look for articles specifically related to this idea in future blog posts!
· Continuing to shift shelving and move library materials to allow students and teachers easier access to resources. It’s important for students to find books for research projects more efficiently, so they can spend more time accessing the text, instead of physically hunting for resources.
· Read Across America, National Library Week, and Poetry Month will be co-planned by our Dolphin Reader group.
· The 2010-2011 Newbery Club will begin in April.

Happy New Year to you all!
-Ms. Z