In the March 28th blog titled Benson Village School's Research Database I shared the reasons for an online encyclopedia or research database. If students rather find and check their own information online there are a number of ways to do that.
One way is to use Snopes located at http://www.snopes.com/ which is specifically set up for checking validity of information.
This site can also be used to check email scams.
Monday, April 11, 2016
Monday, March 28, 2016
Benson Village School's Research Database
This year students have Scholastic's Go database for research needs. The web address is
http://auth.grolier.com/login/go_login_page.html?bffs=N.
This database can be accessed at home with the at-home login and password which both students and teachers have.
Once you are logged in you will see different tabs which present information at various reading levels. The tabs are Elementary School, Middle School, High School and Adults.
There is a citation for each article at the bottom of the page. If students choose to find their information through a search engine such as Google, Internet Explorer, Edge, or Firefox, there is Easy Bib, Citation Machine, and NoodleTools to create citations. Each citation application is free.
There are quite clear reasons for a paid database with the most important one being reliable information, Other important reasons include the citations already created, lesson plans included as well as videos, maps and other graphics.
For those students choosing other avenues for research information, the quality of the information will need to be evaluated. Kathy Schrock, a former school district Director of Technology, instructional technology specialist, a middle school, academic, museum, and a public library librarian offers question forms that lead the way to choosing reliable information. They can be found at her website: http://www.schrockguide.net/critical-evaluation.html.
http://auth.grolier.com/login/go_login_page.html?bffs=N.
This database can be accessed at home with the at-home login and password which both students and teachers have.
Once you are logged in you will see different tabs which present information at various reading levels. The tabs are Elementary School, Middle School, High School and Adults.
There is a citation for each article at the bottom of the page. If students choose to find their information through a search engine such as Google, Internet Explorer, Edge, or Firefox, there is Easy Bib, Citation Machine, and NoodleTools to create citations. Each citation application is free.
There are quite clear reasons for a paid database with the most important one being reliable information, Other important reasons include the citations already created, lesson plans included as well as videos, maps and other graphics.
For those students choosing other avenues for research information, the quality of the information will need to be evaluated. Kathy Schrock, a former school district Director of Technology, instructional technology specialist, a middle school, academic, museum, and a public library librarian offers question forms that lead the way to choosing reliable information. They can be found at her website: http://www.schrockguide.net/critical-evaluation.html.
Monday, February 22, 2016
January & February Notes of Interest
Have you ever noticed how many notable days there are in February? The February celebrations are numerous compared to the number in the month of January.
Here are days of note used for Library displays for January and February 2016:
January 1st - New Year's Day
January 18 - Martin Luther King Day
February 1 - National Freedom Day
February 2 - Groundhog Day
February 8 - Chinese New Year
February 9 - Mardi Gras
February 10 - Vermont Writes
February 11 - National Inventors Day
February 12 - Abraham Lincoln's Birthday
February 14 Valentine's Day
February 15 - President's Day
February 22 - George Washington's Birthday
February 29 - Leap Day which occurs once every four years
A wonderful book that gives students a look at holidays and celebrations around the world is
"Celebrations!" written by Barnabas and Anabel Kindersley The book is organized around the seasons with the celebrations and holidays within that season described from a child's perspective.
Children's Press an imprint of Scholastic Inc. publishes a wonderful series about holidays through their "Rookie Read About Holidays" series for preschool through third grade students. The celebrations are explained with historical background as well as "Fast Fact" text boxes.
Vermont Writes Day was celebrated on February 10. Here at Benson Village School everyone stopped what they were doing to spend 6 minutes writing. Students had the option of submitting their writing to the Young Writer's Project.
Wonderful books about the holidays abound and can be easily found at area libraries if you are looking to explain the significance of these celebrations with an exception of Leap Day. A quick search of the various bookstores such as Amazon and Albris saw a small selection.
Please stop by if you would like to see Benson Village School's library display of celebration books.
Here are days of note used for Library displays for January and February 2016:
January 1st - New Year's Day
January 18 - Martin Luther King Day
February 1 - National Freedom Day
February 2 - Groundhog Day
February 8 - Chinese New Year
February 9 - Mardi Gras
February 10 - Vermont Writes
February 11 - National Inventors Day
February 12 - Abraham Lincoln's Birthday
February 14 Valentine's Day
February 15 - President's Day
February 22 - George Washington's Birthday
February 29 - Leap Day which occurs once every four years
A wonderful book that gives students a look at holidays and celebrations around the world is
"Celebrations!" written by Barnabas and Anabel Kindersley The book is organized around the seasons with the celebrations and holidays within that season described from a child's perspective.
Children's Press an imprint of Scholastic Inc. publishes a wonderful series about holidays through their "Rookie Read About Holidays" series for preschool through third grade students. The celebrations are explained with historical background as well as "Fast Fact" text boxes.
Vermont Writes Day was celebrated on February 10. Here at Benson Village School everyone stopped what they were doing to spend 6 minutes writing. Students had the option of submitting their writing to the Young Writer's Project.
Wonderful books about the holidays abound and can be easily found at area libraries if you are looking to explain the significance of these celebrations with an exception of Leap Day. A quick search of the various bookstores such as Amazon and Albris saw a small selection.
Please stop by if you would like to see Benson Village School's library display of celebration books.
Monday, June 8, 2015
Winner of the 2014-2015 Red Clover Award
"The Day the Crayons Quit", written by Drew Daywalt, has won the Red Clover Award with 6,801 Vermont student votes. "Unicorn Thinks He Is Pretty Great", written by Bob Shea, came in second with 3,682 votes.
A list of those nominees as well as the 2015 - 2016 nominees can be found at the Red Clover website
at https://sites.google.com/site/redcloveraward20142015/home.
A list of those nominees as well as the 2015 - 2016 nominees can be found at the Red Clover website
at https://sites.google.com/site/redcloveraward20142015/home.
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Which 2014 - 2015 Red Clover book did Benson students choose as their favorite?
Of the 10 2014 - 2015 Red Clover Award Nominees Benson Village School students chose "The Mighty Lalouche" written by Matthew Olshan as their favorite book.
The Benson student vote tally has been sent off to Vermont Center for the Book to join other Vermont student votes for a state-wide tally. I will post the results to the state-wide vote as soon as the VT Center for the Book sends it out.
The Benson student vote tally has been sent off to Vermont Center for the Book to join other Vermont student votes for a state-wide tally. I will post the results to the state-wide vote as soon as the VT Center for the Book sends it out.
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Dorothy Canfield Fisher Nominee 2015 - 2016
The new Dorothy Canfield Fisher List is out with a new group of wonderful reads for students in Grades 4 through 8.
The list with appropriate grade level and annotations can be found at the Vermont Department of
Libraries.
http://libraries.vermont.gov/sites/libraries/files/CBEC/BookAwards/DCF/DCFMasterlist15-16.pdf
Dorothy Canfield Fisher Nominee 2015 - 2016
I Kill the Mockingbird - Paul Acampora
The Crossover - Kwame Alexander
The Night Gardener - Jonathan Auxier
El Deafo - Cece Bell
The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place - Julie Berry
The Madman of Piney Woods - Christopher Paul Curtis
The Badger Knight - Kathryn Erskine
Under the Egg - Laura Fitzgerald
There Will Be Bears - Ryan Gebhart
Absolutely Almost - Lisa Graff
Gabriel Finley and the Raven's Riddle - George Hagen
Hope Is a Ferris Wheel - Robin Herrera
The Fourteenth Goldfish - Jennifer L. Holm
The Mark of the Dragonfly - Jaleigh Johnson
Ice Dogs - Terry Lynn Johnson
The Art of Secrets - James Klise
The Actual & Truthful Adventures of Becky Thatcher - Jessica Lawson
The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher - Dana Alison Levy
Running Out of Night - Sharon Lovejoy
Rain Reign - Ann M. Martin
Greenglass House - Kate Milford
The Turtle of Oman - Naomi Shihab Nye
The Boundless - Kenneth Oppel
Nuts to You - Lynne Rae Perkins
No Summit Out of Sight - Jordan Romero
The Port Chicago 50 - Steve Sheinkin
Seven Stories Up - Laurel Snyder
The Meaning of Maggie - Megan Jean Sovern
The One Safe Place - Tania Unsworth
Unfriended - Rachel Vail
The list with appropriate grade level and annotations can be found at the Vermont Department of
Libraries.
http://libraries.vermont.gov/sites/libraries/files/CBEC/BookAwards/DCF/DCFMasterlist15-16.pdf
Dorothy Canfield Fisher Nominee 2015 - 2016
I Kill the Mockingbird - Paul Acampora
The Crossover - Kwame Alexander
The Night Gardener - Jonathan Auxier
El Deafo - Cece Bell
The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place - Julie Berry
The Madman of Piney Woods - Christopher Paul Curtis
The Badger Knight - Kathryn Erskine
Under the Egg - Laura Fitzgerald
There Will Be Bears - Ryan Gebhart
Absolutely Almost - Lisa Graff
Gabriel Finley and the Raven's Riddle - George Hagen
Hope Is a Ferris Wheel - Robin Herrera
The Fourteenth Goldfish - Jennifer L. Holm
The Mark of the Dragonfly - Jaleigh Johnson
Ice Dogs - Terry Lynn Johnson
The Art of Secrets - James Klise
The Actual & Truthful Adventures of Becky Thatcher - Jessica Lawson
The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher - Dana Alison Levy
Running Out of Night - Sharon Lovejoy
Rain Reign - Ann M. Martin
Greenglass House - Kate Milford
The Turtle of Oman - Naomi Shihab Nye
The Boundless - Kenneth Oppel
Nuts to You - Lynne Rae Perkins
No Summit Out of Sight - Jordan Romero
The Port Chicago 50 - Steve Sheinkin
Seven Stories Up - Laurel Snyder
The Meaning of Maggie - Megan Jean Sovern
The One Safe Place - Tania Unsworth
Unfriended - Rachel Vail
Monday, March 30, 2015
2015 - 2016 Red Clover List
Red Clover Award : Nominees 2015-2016
Aylesworth, Jim. My Grandfather’s Coat. Illustrated by Barbara McClintock. Scholastic, 2014. (ISBN 978-0439925457)
Bottner, Barbara. Miss Brooks’ Story Nook (where tales are told and ogres are welcome). Illustrated by Michael Emberley. Knopf, 2014. (ISBN 978-0449813287)
Cox, Lynne. Elizabeth, Queen of the Seas. Illustrated by Brian Floca. Schwartz & Wade, 2014. (ISBN 978-0375858888)
Haughton, Chris. Shh! We Have a Plan. Candlewick, 2014. (ISBN 978-0763672935)
Janeczko, Paul B. Firefly July: A Year of Very Short Poems. Illustrated by Melissa Sweet. Candlewick, 2014. (ISBN 978-0763648428)
Kuhlmann, Torben. Lindbergh: The Tale of a Flying Mouse. Translated by Suzanne Levesque. NorthSouth, 2014. (ISBN 978-0735841673)Red Clover Award : Nominees 2015-2016
Rocco, John. Blizzard. Disney-Hyperion, 2014. (ISBN 978-1423178651)
Sidman, Joyce. Winter Bees and Other Poems of the Cold. Illustrated by Rick Allen. HMH, 2014. (ISBN 978-0547906508)
Sisson, Stephanie Roth. Star Stuff: Carl Sagan and the Mysteries of the Cosmos. Roaring Brook, 2014. (ISBN 978-1596439603)
Stein, David Ezra. I’m My Own Dog. Candlewick, 2014. (ISBN 978-0763661397)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)