Library Links

"Content that might be of interest to Teacher-Librarians..."


11.1.13

Mysteries of Vernacular

Explore the etymology of individual words

Mysteries of Vernacular is a series of stop-motion videos created by NYC-based Myriapod Productions. Each clip explores the etymology of an individual word through a carefully animated book. The plan is to eventually animate 26 word stories, each of which takes nearly 80 hours to research, construct and animate. It would be fun for graphic arts students to try their hand at creating their own clips, by researching a word and perhaps using the NFB Pixstop app.

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Power Searching with Google

Take advantage of all Google's features

This course is taught by Dr. Dan Russell, a research scientist at Google.
His research demonstrates that while Google is really easy to start using, many people do not use it to its full advantage. Concepts presented here could be used with students in a class setting, or assigned as a self paced unit.

The course is composed of six classes:
  • How Google works
  • Extending what you know
  • Advanced techniques
  • Finding facts faster
  • Checking your facts
  • Putting it all together
Each class consists of five lessons, which includes a short video (with text transcript) followed by a hands-on activity to try the techniques discussed.


The "Favorite Poem" Project

Lessons that focus on appreciating poetry

The "Favorite Poem Project" seeks to encourage active, engaging poetry lessons that emphasize a direct, vocal connection to poems. The site also offers video clips of individual Americans reading and speaking personally about poems they love.

"The lessons focus on appreciating poetry—reading, discussing, and enjoying poems—rather than on the writing of original poetry. (If poetry is first presented in classrooms as something to seek out and enjoy, rather than something to pick apart, label and decipher, students are more likely to become interested in developing a deeper understanding of meaning in poems.)

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10.1.13

Sport Skill posters from "ThePhysicalEducator.com"

QR Skill Posters

ThePhysicalEducator.com has created a series of Skill Posters to help your students understand and master a variety of sport skills. The posters have been enhanced with QR Codes to add extra educational value to the resource.
The QR codes are linked to demo videos that review the skills being presented. These codes can be read using a variety of free iOS and Android apps.
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9.1.13

Using graphic poetry to teach comprehension and composition

Comprehending, Composing, and Celebrating Graphic Poetry
Kristine M. Calo

(From: Reading Teacher, Feb2011, Vol. 64 Issue 5, p351-357, 7p, )
You will need to log in to EBSCO ; see your teacher-librarian for the password.

The article discusses the use of graphic poetry to instruct students in comprehension and composition and examines the use of visual clues and images, which the author says helps motivate students to read and analyze poetry, as well as compose poetry themselves. The article then provides examples of how teachers can teach students about poetry using graphic poetry, including the use of reading response, questioning the writer, and creating opportunities for students to share their own work.

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Book Sculptures: The Full Set | Scottish Book Trust

Beautiful and anonymous book sculptures

"These beautiful paper scuptures were made by a mystery sculptor whose identity remains a secret, the same sculptor left a series of beautiful and anonymous sculptures around Edinburgh in 2011 - all of which celebrated the importance of libraries, words and ideas. The sculptures are currently being exhibited at the Scottish Poetry Library as part of the GiftED tour. All that is known about the sculptor is that she is female and that she believes passionately in the importance of libraries, books, words and ideas. Each sculpture bears a tag with a message about the importance of stories, books and reading.

(More views here.) (BBC video clip)

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Apprenticeship in Literacy (Second Edition) - Stenhouse Publishers

Setting up a balanced literacy program

Preview "Apprenticeship in Literacy" (Second Edition) by Linda Dorn and Tammy Jones on the Stenhouse Publishing site. [LINK]

"Since its publication in 1998, Apprenticeship in Literacy has become a teacher favorite, covering all aspects of a balanced literacy program in an integrated manner and showing how all components are differentiated to address the needs of diverse learners. An apprenticeship approach to literacy emphasizes the role of the teacher in providing demonstrations, engaging children, monitoring their understanding, providing timely support, and ultimately withdrawing that support as the child gains independence.

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7.1.13

Knowmia - Thousands of Video Lessons on Every Subject

Providing a wide range of video lessons

Knowmia is a "destination for learning" that features short video lessons from great teachers everywhere.

We help you to find what you need to succeed in school in a personal, affordable, and time-efficient way. By bringing together a wide range of video lessons and making it easy to find what you need, we help you with challenging topics, prepare you for an upcoming test or new course, and find the right teacher for your style of learning.

Knowmia's initial focus is on high school content but they plan to expand to other grade levels over time.

The content can also be browsed by subject subcategories.

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How to separate fact and fiction online | Video on TED.com

Markham Nolan shares the techniques he uses to verify information in real-time

By the end of this talk, there will be 864 more hours of video on YouTube and 2.5 million more photos on Facebook and Instagram. So how do we sort through the deluge? At the TEDSalon in London, Markham Nolan shares the investigative techniques he and his team use to verify information in real-time, to let you know if that Statue of Liberty image has been doctored or if that video leaked from Syria is legitimate.

(TEDSalon London Fall 2012)

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