Snowing Books!

With our first (real) snowfall of the season came another new shipment of books! Ms. Schmitt and I braved the chilly weather and trekked to the Scholastic warehouse sale. It was like being in book paradise!!!

Here are some of the new titles you can find at the West Middle Library Media Center:

Working in the Library Media Center

Here's an update about what we've been up to in the Library Media Center this month:

6th graders learned about the elements of a story using the mentor text "Little Red Riding Hood". We perfected our note-taking skills as we looked at what it takes to make a successful story. Students also are working on using PANDA to search for books more independently.

7th graders are learning more about how to select good books according to their interests. We talked about searching on the computer. Students have improved in using the Library catalog to search for books independently.

8th graders completed their research on the 13 original colonies. We're getting ready to have a mock town hall meeting in the Library Media Center (aka Independence Hall) in mid November. Students have also worked on a multi-genre research project using The Call of the Wild as a mentor text. Their creativity was superb!

Here are some pictures of the 8th graders doing research:

November means falling leaves, and NEW BOOKS!

"Your'e My Hero" Winner!

Congratulations to 8th grader Jay V.! Jay was chosen from 51 entries to receive this prize. Check back soon for more contest information.

You're My Hero! Contest

We have a new contest! Match the protagonists/heroes with their book titles. One lucky participant will win a copy of Rick Riordan's new book The Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero.You can get a copy of the contest entry form from your Comm. Arts teacher or from Mrs. R.

All entries are due OCTOBER 12. The winner will be announced on Oct. 13.

New Books!

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Weeding and New Section

Yesterday we weeded (got rid of) old books from the Arts section. There were some interesting books in there from when our school was a Junior High. Take a look:

 

Don't you feel the need to make a mobile or maybe some decoupage? Who even knows what those things are these days? 

Also, we have added a new section- the Everybody section! This morning I put together the new shelf, and by this afternoon, all of the books were on it. Hopefully we will be able to see our picture books better this way.

Constitution Week Sept. 12-17, 2010

Constitution Week is Sept. 12-17! This is a week designated for the remembrance of the signing of the Constitution and in recognition of the Americans who strive to uphold the duties and responsibilities of citizenship.

Check out these cool resources:

The Charters of Freedom 
Fun Activities and Games
Centuries of Citizenship: A Constitutional Timeline

Great Books at the Library:

Writing Contest

Do you have a talent for writing poetry or stories? Are you between the ages of 7-18 and have a public library card?

If so, you should enter "The Write Stuff" writing contest!
This year's topic is to write a poem, story, or memoir (nonfiction) between 250-500 words about the theme "If I Could Go Back in Time".

Click on the links for contest entry form, or go to the official rules.

Happy Writing!

Eoin Colfer @ St. Louis County Library

Eoin Colfer, the author of the Artemis Fowl series, will speak and sign autographs at the St. Louis County Headquarters on Friday, Sept. 17. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. You can even meet Artemis Fowl!

We've got the W.R.A.P. on Reading!

This year we've launched a new program to encourage reading in our school. We call it the West Reading Achievement Program (W.R.A.P.). Students have the opportunity to earn prizes, acknowledgment, and rewards for reading the current Mark Twain and Truman nominees.
After a student finishes one of these books, he/she will take an online quiz here: http://www.quia.com/profiles/kruzicka26
Oct. 29 is the first deadline (3 books). Get Reading!

The Winners....

Congratulations to the winners in our "Teachers' Favorite Books" competition! Sixth grader Molly T. won a copy of Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. Ms. Fox was our staff winner. Congratulations to both winners. Look for more contests soon!

Beginnings

It was hard to sleep last night just thinking about all of the exciting things happening at our school this year! Make sure you check out the bulletin board near the Media Center entrance! 

The contest to guess the WM staff member's favorite book ends on Aug. 24. The winner will receive a copy of Suzanne Collins's new book Mockingjay.

Have a great year!

Interview with Anthony Horowitz, author of Alex Rider series

Anthony Horowitz, author of the Alex Rider series, shares his thoughts about writing the about Alex Rider.

Welcome Back!

It's exciting to start another new school year here at West Middle! The building has been through some changes over the summer, and the Library Media Center is changing too!

Here are some of the exciting changes so far:

• We have a new Library Media Specialist!
• We have 20 new laptop computers to use in the Library Media Center!
• We have added many wonderful new books and resources!
• We have a BLOG! (Congrats, you found it!)

This year will be great! Keep checking the blog for book suggestions, video/audio clips, useful links, and exciting announcements. Happy Reading!