8th Grade: Submit Proposals for Offerings for MLK Assembly

Our assembly in honor of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is the 8th grade's opportunity to share their learning about their House Mentor and his messages.

Are you an 8th graders who is interested in participating in our assembly?

ELA teachers are sharing the link to the offering submissions page this week, or click here.

Please submit your proposal by the end of the school day on Wednesday, November 29th. 

If the form requests a draft, please see the appropriate teacher for help. We will notify students of the final assembly selections before winter vacation.

Francophone Countries

So, you are researching Francophone countries, or maybe regions in France.

Here are some resources that can get you started. Don't forget to use all of the GRAPES keywords that you learned in 6th grade!

• The library catalog:  Look up your country/region. Most books will be in the geography section (910's) or history-by-country section (940-972), but you will also find good information in cookbooks, science, architecture, arts, etc. Some books may be about multiple countries in a region and you will need to use the index or ToC to find yours. There are also some ebooks! Ask if you need the password to access those from your CB.

^--history-by-country, by continent--^

<--cookbooks | ^--geography 

• Webpath Express:  While you are in the library catalog, click on Webpath Express for a list of websites on your topic that are geared toward students k-12. Remember to try different keywords!

• Encyclopedia Britannica:  In addition to current information, the online editing of the encyclopedia also has trustworthy images and provides the citation, or bibliography, information.

• Other websites about countries:
• Ms. Williams's site (REGIONS OF FRANCE) |  Pays Francophones
• CIA World Factbook

When you are looking at a resource, remember to use strategic searching! If the website is about architecture in all of France, use ctrl-F (PC) or comnd-F (mac) to find the part of the page with your information.

Cite your sources! Give credit for information, including images!

Creature Feature Search Tips!

Congratulations 7th grade Scientists on a great opportunity to refresh your 6th grade Information Investigator skills!

You have a TOPIC:  Creatures of New England
You KNOW SOMETHING about the topic:  What are features that determine the type of creature
You have a QUESTION:  What are the features of my creature and how can it adapt further?

Let's talk KEYWORDS!
Think like the person who wrote the resource...

• Where will you use these? 
• Library catalog:  Not every topic in a book is always searchable in the library catalog. If you can't find the name of the creature itself, what other keywords might help you focus on your information?
• Book:  Is the entire book about your creature? A chapter? A page? Which is the easiest way to find the information you need: Table of Contents? Index? Looking through the pages in alphabetical order? Is it about the region and you need to find the creature, or about the creature and you need to find the region?
• Preselected website:  does it have a list of all of the creatures, or do I need to search for a larger category and then find it?
• Search engine:  Am I allowed to use these, or does my teacher want me to focus on ones that were selected?

What keywords should you make sure to include in your brainstorm?

1. The obvious keyword:  your creature! 
2. More general:  broader group 
3. Synonym:  latin name

8th grade booktalks

For rising 9th graders looking for a book recommendation, see here:

Summer Reading Ideas -- note that some of these are from Ms. Schmidt at WHS and many are not available at our school

Holocaust titles -- nonfiction and fiction from various perspectives and experiences

Information Investigators Classwork for Wednesday, March 8

Dear Black C Day Class,

Sorry that we aren't able to meet with you today.

We've put together a selection of activities for you to work on during today's class.

The assignments connect to learning about the Internet, using LARK as a member of our Global Community, and review -- both of vocabulary and of what we've done in class during our unit.

Next class, we will complete our resources, tools, and strategies summary sheet.

Here is the link. Please plug in your headphones and get started!

Read Without Walls for World Language Week! (and ALL OF MARCH!)

In honor of World Language Week, WMS presents a March project:


As we all have our own life experiences and circumstances, different books will qualify for different people. 

Here are some ideas to get you started!

Take a look at our library displays, check out any lists around the school, or go to the library catalog and search for fiction featuring....

• A place you've never been to -- near or far...
• A culture that is different than your own heritage...
• A family structure that is different than yours...
• An ability or learning profile that is different than yours...
• Choices other than the ones you have made...

Some lists are also posted within our catalog. Use cmd-F and RWW to find them.

Meet the challenge?

Find a "wall" to post to in our library or elsewhere in the building!

Start reading! We kick off in March!

The Reading Without Walls Challenge is a project of National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Gene Luen Yang. Images are cropped from http://geneyang.com/the-reading-without-walls-challenge and http://www.cbcbooks.org/reading-without-walls/

Last Day Wrap Up Assignment!

It's hard to believe that it's our last day of class!

Here's today's assignment:

1. Please open this link in a new tab so you can follow the directions below.
2. RENAME: Name it something useful -- maybe "Info Investigator summary My Name" or "Research Reminders My Name"
3. SHARE: sara_ravid@wayland.k12.ma.us (you can copy/paste that!) -- make sure you pick CAN EDIT
4. TABLE ROWS:  Add enough rows for each of the resources tools and strategies:
1. Britannica
2. Keywords
3. Ctrl-F / Cmnd-F
4. RAPT (Search engines,  Evaluating Websites, Wikipedia)
   
   

   readability

   
   

     response/answer

   
   

   author

   
   

   purpose

   
   

   time

5. Webpath Express
6. KidInfoBits and Student Resource Center (Invisible Web database w/newspapers and magazines)

Newest book awards!

This year's American Library Association Youth Media Awards were announced this week.

Here's a sampling. See the full list online!

Newbery 2017:

The Girl Who Drank the Moon, written by Kelly Barnhill

Honor books:  

• Freedom Over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their Lives and Dreams Brought to Life by Ashley Bryan, written and illustrated by Ashley Bryan (ordering!)
• The Inquisitor’s Tale: Or, The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog, written by Adam Gidwitz, illustrated by Hatem Aly (Also won Association of Jewish Libraries' Sydney Taylor Award)
• Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk

Caldecott Award 2017: 

Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, written and illustrated by Javaka Steptoe (also Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Book Award) (ordering!)

Coretta Scott King Author 2017: 

John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, March: Book Three, illustrated by Nate Powell 

(it swept many of the Teen Award categories as well!)

Coretta Scott King Author 2017 Honor 

AND

Schneider Family Award 2017, Middle:

"honor an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences"

Jason Reynolds:  As Brave as You

Awards to for authors' overall work during a career-to-date:

one of Dessen's books

edited by Naomi Shihab Nye

Grimes's 2016 book!

Edwards Award 2017:

Sarah Dessen 

"...recognizes an author's work in helping adolescents become aware of themselves and addressing questions about their role and importance in relationships, society, and in the world."

Arbuthnot lecture, 2018, will be delivered by Naomi Shihab Nye

Laura Ingalls Wilder Award Winner 2017:
Nikki Grimes

"substantial and lasting contributions to children's
literature"

What makes a book an "award winning" book?
Read these, and other award winners.
Do you agree or disagree?