'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