NoveList adds 5 new "appeal" terms

Five Fast Appeal Term Searches to explore 

http://4la.co/DDMP2

NoveList (in EBSCO) has added some new terms: "Big and Bold", Photographic, Cartoony, Inventive, Colorful.

"What makes readers love books? Appeals are a key component, especially when it comes to kids. Consider using appeal terms to help target your searches – you'll quickly locate books kids will love! (Download and print out this helpful PDF for your easy reference.)

 

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Digital Life: Our Connected Culture - Video

Digital Culture Resources

http://www.commonsensemedia.org/videos/digital-life-our-connected-culture

Areas to think about when talking about digital citizenship: Privacy, Self-expression, Creative Work, Connected Culture. (A little dated already!)

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Digital Citizenship MOOC 2014

Navigate the issues connected with digital citizenship

http://www.jasonohler.com/wordpressii/

Jason Ohler offers a MOOC on digital citzenship

"A primary goal of this course is to address the overabundance of resources in the area of digital citizenship. In my thirty+ years in educational technology, I have never seen an area of interest grow so rapidly in so many directions. It is my hope that this course helps participants navigate a pathway through this area's many issues and resources. Toward that end, we look at digital citizenship in three parts, at three levels: Part I- The Big Picture, Part II- Tools and Resources, and Part III- Topics and Student Activities."

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K‐12 WebCHECK lesson plans

Check your sources!

http://mywebcheck.net/lessons/LessonPlanGuide.pdf

http://www.mywebcheck.net/start.php

"This collection of K‐12 WebCHECK lesson plans was created by more than 30 librarians nationwide who pilot tested the WebCHECK Web site evaluation instruments, integrating them into lessons for their students. The collection is organized in book-like format, by level and by general subject area for easy access. We hope you find these WebCHECK lesson plans useful in your libraries."  

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School Library Visits - in magazine form!

SLRC Photobook

http://issuu.com/gordon/docs/libraryvisitsd38

  

On a recent Pro-D day, Lauren and Judy visited a dozen or so libraries to capture the look and feel of "book places" in Richmond District. (The finished product was made using iPhoto's  album maker, compressed in Preview and uploaded to Issuu.com for sharing.) Enjoy!

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British Actors Read Poignant Poetry from World War I

Moving readings of WWI Poetry

http://www.openculture.com/2013/01/british_actors_read_poignant_poetry_from_world_war_i.html

"For Remembrance Day 2012, famous British actors were asked to recite First World War poetry. The video featured shows three actors reciting four poems by Rupert Brooke and Wilfred Owen (click the names of the actors for information about them and the titles of the poems for the full text):

• Sean Bean reads Wilfred Owen's  Anthem for Doomed Youth
• Gemma Arterton reads Wilfred Owen's  Arms and the Boy
• Sophie Okonedo reads Rupert Brooke's The Soldier
• Sean Bean reads Wilfred Owen's The Last Laugh
  

• Bonus material:

•                 A powerful poem by TE Hulme: Trenches: St Eloi
•                 Edward Thomas, Robert Frost and the road to war
•                 University of Oxford: First World War Poetry Digital Archive

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Using Inquiry in Education - Paper.li

A Daily Newsletter on Inquiry

http://paper.li/GlendaStewartS/1366809330

Glenda Stewart-Smith (twitter: @GlendaStewartS) has put together a Paper.li newsletter that collects and collates tweets related to "Inquiry in Education". You can subscribe and receive daily "paper delivery" to your mailbox. (Note: Paper.li compilations are a nice way to follow a twitterfeed on a topic that interests you!)

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Why Reading Fiction Builds Theory-of-Mind

"Why Fiction Does It Better"

https://eniaiometopopaideias.wordpress.com/2013/12/13/why-fiction-does-it-better/

It turns out that reading fiction may be a surer road to metacognitive development that vocab-heavy non-fiction. Read Liza Zunshine's take on the topic in this article from the Chronicle Review:

What do Peskin and Astington recommend for fostering constructive learning? Reading fiction. "Dramatic tension in stories is created when the various characters have disparate knowledge with regard to the action." ... It turns out that informational texts don't come close to containing the kind of metacognitive complexity so essential to fiction ...

Link to PDF of article

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Discovering Your Voice Through Poetry - High School Lesson Plan

Gain confidence in student writing through original poetry

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/lessons_plans/discovering-voice-poetry-lesson-plan/

"This lesson plan introduces students to the poetry of Rafael Campo and helps students to find their own voice while gaining confidence in their writing through original poetry. This lesson plan has been created in partnership with the Poetry Foundation and the PBS NewsHour."

A quote from Billy Collins' "Introduction to Poetry":

"But all they want to do

is tie the poem to a chair with rope

and torture a confession out of it."

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Tom Standage "Writing on the Wall: Social Media - The First 2,000 Years"

"Social media is very old indeed."

A great antidote to the fear that social media is ruining us!

"In his book, Writing on the Wall, bestselling author Tom Standage draws on fascinating stories from ancient history to show that social media is very old indeed. He argues ancient practices can teach us about contemporary social media dilemmas."

Spark Interview (CBC)

http://www.cbc.ca/player/Radio/Spark/ID/2425606256/

"Talks at Google" (Presentation)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWJdwDJLwXs

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A Guide for Smarter Learning - Susan Close

Planning with an End in Mind - Lesson Organizer

http://www.smartlearning.ca/pdfs/Guide_SmarterLearning_hires.pdf

"Through the thoughtful interactions learners of all ages are taught to analyze and respond to challenging text. The practices teach learners how to engage in a close reading of text, first through whole-class work to gain understanding and develop deeper meaning, and then individually as learners mindfully apply their skills and knowledge to just-right texts during independent reading."

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Science supports theory reading makes us better human beings

Reading literary fiction enhances "theory of mind".

http://www.smh.com.au/comment/science-supports-theory-reading-makes-us-better-human-beings-20140105-30br1.html

Long live lit!

"Recently, a paper in the journal Science offered evidence that social skills are improved by reading fiction - specifically high-end stuff, the 19th-century Russians, the European modernists, the contemporary prestige names. The experiment found those who read extracts from literary novels, and then took tests measuring empathy, social perception, and emotional intelligence, did significantly better than other subjects who read serious nonfiction or genre fiction. Their basic finding was that reading literary fiction temporarily enhances what's known as theory of mind - the ability to imagine and understand the mental states of others."

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Moment to Moment - dealing with difficult behaviour

A positive framework for understanding student behaviours

http://www.stenhouse.com/shop/pc/viewprd.asp?idProduct=9749&r=sb140107b

"How do you deal with difficult classroom behavior? "Moment to Moment" by Joey Mandel gives you a positive framework for understanding student behaviors and linking them to social skill deficits. Includes a comprehensive class survey tool and 52 games and activities that target specific skills. (Preview the entire book online)

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Project-Based Learning vs. Problem-Based Learning vs. X-BL

What does PBL really mean?

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/pbl-vs-pbl-vs-xbl-john-larmer

John Larmer addresses this topic in the first of two posts on PBL. Read the full article on the Edutopia site.

"The two PBLs are really two sides of the same coin. What type of PBL you decide to call your, er . . . extended learning experience just depends on how you frame it. The bottom line is the same: both PBLs can powerfully engage and effectively teach your students!:

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Reading a Novel Changes the Brain, Study Shows | School Library Journal

Reading causes changes in brain function and structure

http://www.slj.com/2013/12/research/reading-a-novel-changes-the-brain-study-shows/#_

"Reading a novel appears to produce quantifiable changes in brain activity, according to an Emory University study published this month in the journal Brain Connectivity .... Although Berns notes that "it remains an open question for further study as to how lasting these effects are," his team confirms that the results suggest reading narrative stories definitely strengthens the language processing regions on our brains."

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