Weekend Reads

Arclight by Josin L. McQuein 

A fantasy novel that is the first in a series, Arclight is a thrilling fantasy novel that introduces readers to the Fade, terrifying monsters that live outside of the Light that protects those within it from the Dark. This fast-paced book is about Marina, the only person who has ever encountered the Fade and lived to tell the tale. The only problem is she has lost all recollection of who she is and how she managed to cross the wall and survive. She could be the key to humanity's survival, but she knows that the Fade will stop at nothing to reclaim her. 

Find it in Fiction under F MCQ

Arcady's Goal by  Eugene Yelchin

Arcady, a twelve-year-old boy living in Soviet Russia, soccer is more than just a game. It's his ticket to a better life. When Arcady's parents are declared enemies of the state, Arcady enters orphanage life. This tactic was one often used in Soviet Russia; destroying state enemies by destroying their families. Fortunately for Arcady, his talented soccer-playing earns him the attention of Ivan Ivanych, a kind man posing as an orphanage inspector. Impressed with Arcady's talents, Ivan adopts him and fosters his love of soccer. Although Arcady is the focus of this story, Yelchin infuses his novel with themes relating to the value of family and the importance of human rights. 

Find it in Fiction under F YEL

Andreo's Race by Pam Withers

Sixteen-year-old Andreo is a daredevil, rugged Ironman competitor who is used to competing in wild regions of the earth. Adopted from Bolivia by American parents, Andreo and his friend Raul (who was also adopted from Bolivia) begin to think that his adoption was less than legal. When Andreo and Raul travel to Bolivia for a competition, the boys decide to investigate their suspicions in order to understand where they came from and who they are. They don't realize, however, that their investigation into their own past will lead them on a dangerous and life-threatening journey.

Find it in Fiction under F WIT

Digital Resources: Google Classroom

In my first year of teaching, I joked with my students that as an English teacher I would probably be responsible for using a whole tree's worth of paper in a school year. While it was a bit of an exaggeration, I did hate to think about all of the resources printing uses. It's not just about paper - every time I wanted to change something I'd have to take the time to print a whole new set of handouts/assignments/whatevers, if students lost something or wanted to re-do something, I'd have to reprint or find someone else to run copies or watch my class, and collaboration could only happen in the classroom or when students were face-to-face. 

When our school became a Google Apps for Education school, I was most excited about the potential of Google Classroom. Although we had had the ability to digitially save and share materials through other means, the systems felt cumbersome for both the students and for me. Google Classroom is familiar and designed to look like the social media platforms kids and adults are already familiar with. 

This is the "landing page" of one of my Google Classrooms. Each assignment or announcement would have its own white box and attachments would be listed underneath, as seen above.

This is the student view of a turn-in page. Students add their materials then click
the blue "Turn In" button. It also lets teachers assign due dates and alerts
students that their submission is considered late once it's past the due date.

With Google Classroom, I would create my materials, set the sharing permission to "view only" and post it to my classroom as an assignment. When I post something from my own Drive, Classroom gives me the option to allow students to view the file, edit the file, or I can opt to make a copy for each student (which will then appear in their Drive). I found it easiest to post it as something students could view and then have the students go to the Edit menu and make their own copy. Once students had completed the assignment, they would go back to my classroom, click the title of the assignment, and turn it in for grading. I could post their grades in the same space. It made the entire process very efficient. 

This is the teacher view of an assignment page. Here teachers can
change the point value of an assignment and enter student grades.
Students are alerted when their assignment is graded and returned.

Google Classroom isn't as sophisticated as a full-blown LMS like Blackboard or Moodle, but for teachers interested in going paperless in an onground classroom or for doing some flipped instruction, it's a great (free!) option. Classrooms don't have to be limited just to formal or traditional "classes" either. I use a Classroom to communicate with my Student Council members and with the students in my mini research courses. 

Where: classroom.google.com

Cost: Free (note: this is only available to schools with Google Apps for Education suite)

What: Digital materials management, organization and distribution app

Students! Try Google Classroom if you...

Are responsible for a student organization

Need a way to distribute materials to a group

Teachers! Try Google Classroom if you...

Want to experiment with a paperless classroom

Need an easy way to share digital materials with absent students

Are sick of standing at the copier but still need to supply your students with handouts or assignments

Want to try grading assignments digitally

Makeshop Monday: Thin Man

Thin man is a small, stick-figure-esque man that comes in a variety of poses. This design was recently featured on Thingiverse and has over 20 documented prints, so your print should turn out well! One Thingiverse user (laird) described Thin Man as a "fun, easy print that's perfect for people new to 3d printing" If you have a few moments and would like to try to print something fun, try Thin Man!

The large picture features a close up of two Thin Men (Thin Mans?). The smaller pictures below allow you to preview the different Thin Men poses.

This picture features a user print of the different Thin Men. Printing something with so many documented prints means that this file will probably work for you as well.

Stop by the library Makeshop today to print Thin Man! You can find the files for this print here: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:798751. Feel free to try this one on your own, or you can ask Mrs. Hickman for help!

Weekend Reads

The Bullet Catch: Murder by Misadventure by Amy Axelrod and David Axelrod

Set in New York City in 1917, The Bullet Catch follows 14-year-old Leo as he fights to survive despite being an orphan. When Leo's orphanage burns down, he and his friends turn to a life of crime - they are very successful pickpockets, and Leo is the most talented of them all. Leo and his gang use Henry Houdini as their inspiration and their mentor. When life on the streets is no longer an option, Leo becomes an apprentice to the magician Franco Barzini. While Leo thinks that he's escaped his life of crime, he realizes that even people who seem to be on the right side of the law may be just as dangerous as the gang he left behind on the streets.

Find it in fiction under F AXE

Atlantia by Ally Condy

A new novel from the author of the Matched series, Atlantia is set at the bottom of the ocean in a walled city of the same name. Atlantia is inhabited by humans who require the protection of the walls and the oxygen that is circulated around them to survive. The story is told from the perspective of Rio, a recently orphaned daughter of the Minister of Atlantia and twin sister to Bay. Rio had dreamed of leaving Atlantia for the Above. The Above is a ruined place, with pollution and pain and a short life dedicated wholly to maintaining the Below, where people have a long life and happiness and time for leisure. Rio only decides to stay because her sister, Bay, had asked her to since this would separate the girls forever. So when Bay chooses the Above, Rio feels betrayed by her sister and trapped by her city. Rio struggles to understand her sister's decision, find her way in a city that she doesn't love and that doesn't understand her and to find answers to the mysteries that surround her city in order to save the lives of everyone who lives Below.

Find it in fiction under F CON

Vango by Timothée de Fombelle

Vango integrates lots of characters, locations across all of Europe and takes place from 1918 through 1934 (and not in chronological order). While it's not always an easy read, it is a very rewarding one. The novel begins in 1934, when Vango is just about to take his vows as a preist. When a gunshot interrupts the service, Vango finds himself a wanted man for a crime he did not commit. From there, de Fombelle takes us between locations and times to help us to get to know Vango and see how his life arrived at the point of impending preisthood and criminal suspicion. 

Find it in fiction under F DEF

Digital Resources: Thingiverse + Smithsonian X 3D

I am very new to the making movement, but I love that I can help students and teachers create the things they need for their classes or their life. The learning curve for the design software is pretty steep, though, so I wanted to find a way that students could print without having to go through the process of learning 3D design software (with the hope that once they started printing they would want to learn how to design once they "caught the bug"). 

This is the landing page for Thingiverse. They offer featured designs,
featured collections, and a free login that will allow you to
collect designs for future use.

Enter Thingiverse. If you have read my earlier Makeshop Monday blog posts, you will find posts about printing you can do and links to the files you will need to print those "things". All of these came from Thingiverse. Thingiverse is a web-based collection of files that users have designed and made available to users. Some of these "things" have been printed and some are just concepts, so it's worth checking out the details of the "thing" you would like to print to see if it's been printed and if there are any known issues found by other users. It is worth noting that this collection is not curated and much of it is untested, so be prepared for glitches. If you are already designing, Thingiverse is a way for you to share your designs with everyone - which is great if you are really proud of your work, or if you aren't sure how well your design will work and you are looking for feedback!

This is a model of Lincoln's Life Mask by Mills that is available
on Smithsonian X 3D

Smithsonian X 3D is a service provided by the Smithsonian that allows students to explore and print materials from the Smithsonian collection in 3 dimensions. The website promises to bring about "the end of 'do not touch'" by giving students ways to look at and inspect museum artifacts digitally or physically by enabling teachers to print versions of the artifacts for use in their classroom.

Thingiverse

Where: www.thingiverse.com

Cost: Free (login required to collect files for future printing or for uploading your own files)

What: (Uncurated) digital collection of 3D models/files ready for the 3D printer

Smithsonian X 3D

Where: http://3d.si.edu/

Cost: Free (login required to download printable files)

What: Web-based graphic design studio

Students! Try Thingiverse/Smithsonian X 3D if you...

Want to try 3D printing but aren't familiar with design software

Need to create visual aids for your next project

Want some inspiration or a base model to design from 

Would like to share your own designs with the world

Teachers! Try Thingiverse/Smithsonian X 3D if you...

Need models for an upcoming unit or lesson

Want to provide students with a way to explore museum artifacts more closely than they would be able to in person

Want to try 3D printing without the committment of learning how to use design software

Makeshop Monday: An Interview with Cody

Happy Monday! Today I wanted to introduce Cody Christy. Cody, a sophomore, has done a lot of 3D designing in Mr. White's class, so I asked him to share his experiences with 3D printing and design. Thanks to Cody for the interview (and Mr. White for arranging it!)

What do you make using the 3D printer?

Cody: I usually make really small things that are functional. The last thing I made was a money clip. I liked that I could customize it to fit whatever I wanted, so I made it bigger since the wallet I have that I wanted to replace was too thin. I also made a ring just to see how it turned out; I enjoyed the design part of that project more than my final product. Customizing for yourself is awesome - you can make it however you want it.

How do you DO that?

Cody: It depends on what I'm making. When I made the ring needed accurate dimensions since it needed to fit around my finger and I wanted it to be a certain width; other stuff like wall decorations you can kind of guess at what the dimensions should be since they don't really need to "fit" anything. 

What's your next project?

Cody: Maybe a bracelet, but I haven't yet decided.

Want to try something similar?

Cody: You start by getting ideas from thingiverse then modifying them so that they're customized to what you want. 

If you are interested in designing or customizing designs that can be generated using the 3D printer, see Mrs. Hickman in the library to get started!

Weekend Reads

Bystander by James Preller

Bystander begins with the protagonist, Eric Hayes, shooting a basketball by himself. He's the new kid - he and his mom just moved from Ohio to Long Island, NY - and he doesn't know anyone yet. He certainly doesn't know the name of the kid who comes running across the playground. This kid - curly-haired, not very athletic - is running for his life. When Eric looks more closely, he's covered in something dark red, and his clothes are torn. When the kid gets close enough, Eric asks him if it's blood, but the kid can't even respond to him before he takes off again. Moments later, four kids (Eric calls them the "hunters") come from the same direction as the boy. When Eric meets the "hunters" (all fellow seventh graders), he realizes that he can either make nice to make his life easier or take the hard road. But Eric learns that even taking the easy way out can have consequences.

Find it in F PRE

Taking Flight by Michaela DePrince

Born in Sierra Leone and orphaned at a young age, Michaela DePrince knows adversity. But it's also where she first fell in love with ballerinas. One day, while looking through the gate of her orphanage out to the town, a magazine came blowing across the street and hit her in the face. On the cover of that magazine was a white woman (which she'd never seen before) dressed in a tutu. DrPrince became obsessed with ballet. She loved to dance, and wanted to dance on her tippy-toes just like the woman on the magazine. Ballet became her life, and the difficulties she faced as a young child fed her passion. DePrince's story is at times heart-wrenching, but is always inspiring.

You can find it in nonfiction under 792.80 DEP

Guys Read: True Stories edited by Jon Scieszka

Sometimes a novel is just too long. Short stories can be a nice break from following the long plots and many characters a novel tends to present. Guys Read: True Stories is an especially enjoyable collection as the stories are "100% amazing, 100% adventurous, 100% unbelievable - and 100% true". Each story is written by a different author, and recalls real life events and situations that seem unbelieveable but aren't. Even better, the stories are told in a variety of formats - essays, graphic novellas and poetry can all be found within these pages. If you are looking to read about some crazy things that actually happened to real people, check out Guys Read: True stories!

You can find it in nonfiction under 818.60 SCI

Digital Resources: Google Forms

When I started in the library, I thought about the systems I could use for all of the parts of my job. Many of them were digital - my card catalog, my ordering systems, my notes and task lists. One that wasn't was the method students used to sign in to the library if they were coming from a study hall. I decided to change that. I created a Google Form that collects all of the important information from a student via a Google Site I developed and puts it into a Google spreadsheet.

Google Forms are very easy to use. Like the other apps in the Google productivity suite, Google Forms are entirely accessed online and are stored in the Google Drive. Google Forms allows you to create a variety of question types (such as multiple choice, text response and checkboxes). Whenever you create a Google Form, Google automatically creates the corresponding spreadsheet where answers are collected. This spreadsheet is sortable, filterable and can be used the way any other spreadsheet is - it's just that the data entry is done for you by the form users.

The Library Check-In Form I developed.Note that not all questions must be required.

Originally I thought that my primary benefit would be not having to keep a stock of clean copies of the paper sign in sheet (easy enough to do, but not something I was ever good at). As I used the sheet, I realized that I had a way to connect with each one of my students every day. When I was a classroom teacher, I had a "Question of the Week" - open-ended opinion-seeking questions usually related (at least tangentally) to whatever instruction was happening in my classroom. When we read "Flowers for Algernon", I asked students about the value of an education or the nature of knowledge. Now, in the library, I use the questions to get a read on what the students think about the new library layout or to get a feel for what kind of programming I can develop to support what they want to learn more about (such as "What is something our community needs?" or "What kind of business would you start?"). I also developed a Google Form for a colleague who wanted to keep track of student usage of laptops from the cart assigned to her room. This form (embedded onto a Google Site) could be the first page students are directed to when they open their browser page. 

A screenshot from the Flubaroo user guide
(http://www.flubaroo.com/flubaroo-user-guide)

Google Forms is a quick and easy way to collect information you need. There are a few ways to share your form with your audience - sending a link, email or embedding. You can share the link for your form through Google Plus, Facebook or Twitter (buttons for these methods are provided in the dialogue box that opens when you click "Send Form"). Email is pretty straightforward - the form appears in their mailbox and can be completed directly within the message. Embedding is easiest to do on a Google Site (although certainly possible using other web page builders since Google provides you with HTML code when you select this option). 

There are also some tools that make Google Forms even more teacher-friendly. Flubaroo is an add-on that allows you to turn your Google Forms into quizzes that are automatically graded. Once the grading is complete, the scores are available for you to review, and you can then send students their score directly via email.

Students! Try Google Forms if you...

Would like to collect primary data for a project

Need to poll an audience over time for information

Teachers! Try Google Forms if you...

Want to digitize the assessment process

Need to collect information about your students (such as materials check out or sign in sheets)

Makeshop Monday: An Interview with Evan

Today, I'd like to introduce Evan. Evan has made many different objects in Tech Ed using the 3D printer. While some designers are exacting (and either customize a proven template or take measurements before printing), Evan takes a more freestyle approach. 

I wanted to feature Evan in part because, when we talked, he was just about to print his next project. I have included some pictures of his design as well as his project as it was being printed.

What's your next project?

Evan: I am making a salt shaker. I've also made things like a pen as a part of a problem solving assignment.

How do you DO that?

Evan: I just tried to think of what the dimensions of the salt shaker should be.

Weekend Reads

Flash Point by Nancy Kress

Fame, fortune and glamour - it's nothing Amy Kent ever wanted, but she's willing to take all of this on and more in order to provide for her family. After the Collapse (an event that destroyed the world's economic structure), people were desperate for jobs, and the divide between the haves and the have-nots was immeasurable. On top of these dire circumstances, Amy's Gran was very ill and unable to afford medication and Amy's sister, Kaylie, was getting into trouble with the law. So when TLN, a television network, offered Amy a chance to be on a game show that offered the income and stability her family so desperately needed, Amy took it. Where it took her, though, was nowhere she expected to go. 

Find it in Fiction under F KRE

City of Savages by Lee Kelly

This book tries to do a lot of things. Set in post-World War ThreeManhattan, Skyler (Sky) and Pheonix (Phee) Miller are essentially prisoners of war. When World War III broke out, the island of Manhattan was one of the first targets hit by the Chinese government. The people of Manhattan are corralled and one of their own leaders, Rolladin, is made their warden. Rolladin rules violently and with an iron fist. Sky and Phee, along with their mother Sarah, live  in Rolladin's camp (known as "the Park") in the winter and migrate to live independently in the summer on Wall Street. Sky and Phee are very different - Sky is intuitive and emotional, while Phee is strategic and pragmatic. The story is told from the perspective of both girls - the characters trade off chapters. The beginning of the story sees the family face a lot of very swift changes - they migrate back to the park, Phee ends up fighting in a street fight to celebrate the survival of the camp, the girls find a journal that promises to reveal the history of the war and the camp, and there are mysterious strangers on the outskirts of camp. Add this to the shifting narrators, and it can feel like a lot to keep track of, but Kelly does a good job of juggling all of these elements into a compelling story. 

You can find it in Fiction under F KEL

Chocolate by Kay Frydenborg

When we think of chocolate, we tend to think of cookies, cakes and candy bars. Chocolate is a food with a long history and some surprising science, and Frydenborg fills her readers in about both. She also includes pictures of chocolate in its various states, which goes beyond the dark brown sweets we are used to. She even includes a few recipes to try out if reading about all of this chocolate makes you hungry! This book has everything you could want to know about one of the world's most popular treats, so be sure to check it out!

You can find it in Nonfiction under 338.76 FRY

Digital Resources: Newsela

We live in an age of a 24-hour news cycle. Not only can anyone can find the news (if they have internet access and access to a search engine or social media), but anyone can contribute to the reporting of news (if they have internet access and a device that allows them to type a post or record images or video). CNN even has a feature called iReport, encouraging news consumers to become news producers. This is reflective of the time we live in - consumers becoming producers (and is also something I strive to support my students in as well)

It puts the English language arts teacher in a bit of a tough situation. While these voices are valuable, it is difficult to ask students to find information that they can rely upon to give them the whole story that is also easily accessible for their reading level. All of this comes at a time when teachers are emphasizing the nonfiction text more and more (thanks either to shifting best practices or Common Core requirements). Newsela aims to help teachers find the resources they need that fit their curricular needs while also differentiating so that students of all ages and reading abilities can access high-quality nonfiction texts.

In many ways, Newsela looks like any other news website. The home page has a variety of headlines accompanied by photographs, there are different sections (such as War & Peace, Science, Kids) and the page is divided into top stories, latest news, featured text sets, most loved, editor's picks and most annotated. What sets Newsela apart, however, are a few features that both teachers and students will find valuable.

First of all, all Newsela stories are available at different Lexile levels. For those of you who don't know, a Lexile is a measurement of readability. The lower the Lexile score, the easier the piece is to read (think simpler vocabulary and sentence structures). Conversely, pieces with higher Lexile scores present information in a more complex way. Essentially, Newsela presents the same content at varying levels of complexity. This is a pretty powerful tool for differentiation.

This is a sample of a Newsela article. The Lexile controls are in the toolbar in the side; otherwise the article looks similar to what you might find on a non-leveled news source.

While all of these elements are great for both teachers and students to use, Newsela also has a subscription services that does more than just provide reliable news articles at different reading levels. At the free level, there are multiple new articles provided each day at five different reading levels, anyone can access thousands of previously-published articles, students can take quizzes on the articles they have read, teachers can assign articles with just one click and articles are free of advertisements.

At the PRO level, which is a paid service, gives teachers the ability to organize students into a class, monitor the students' individual and classwide results, and sort and filter performance data. All valuable, but also costly (about $18/student, according to a tweet from the company in February 2014).

Some features of the free vs. the PRO versions.

Where: www.newsela.com

Cost: Free (with paid upgrade)

What: News articles with customizable reading levels

Students! Try Newsela if you...

Need to find reliable information about a variety of topics

Want to learn more about important events 

Need easier-to-manage nonfiction texts

Teachers! Try Newsela if you...

Want to easily provide students with a set of reliable articles about a topic

Want to provide differentiated materials to your students (both high and low)

Need nonfiction resources for curricular or cross-curricular units of study

Shout out to Mrs. White and Mr. Minsinger for introducing me to Newsela! 

Makeshop Monday: Origami Rabbit

HOPPY spring! To celebrate the warmer days, the first flowers and general spring-y feeling in the air, think about printing this oragami-inspired rabbit!

This thing doesn't really "do" anything, but if you're looking for a little spring decoration for your locker or desk, this is a good option! 

You can find the file here http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:600429.  Once you know you'd like to print, come to the library makeshop, log in to the computer, download the file and the on-screen directions will take you from there! Happy making!

(Mrs. Hickman can help you print your Origami Rabbit if this is your first "thing" and you're not sure where to start!)

Weekend Reads

A Mango-Shaped Space by Wendy Mass

Wendy Mass's A Mango-Shaped Space tells the story of Mia Winchell. We first meet Mia in a prologue that is set in Mia's 3rd grade year. Mia is at the board and is struggling through a math problem. She is procrastinating (math isn't her best subject and she's not sure how to solve the problem in front of her) so she starts to use the colored chalk to put the numbers in to the "right" colors since that may make it easier to do the problem. When her teacher reprimands her and her fellow students start calling her "freak", Mia realizes for the first time that she's alone in the way she sees the world. This novel is funny and heartbreaking, and you will enjoy seeing Mia as she struggles to understand herself and comes to appreciate the very quality that made her feel so alone for so long.

Find it in Fiction under F MAS

The Witch's Boy by Kelly Barnhill

This beautifully written story is spare and sometimes harsh, but captivating at the same time. Barnhill uses extended exposition, and reveals facts about the characters, their lives and their relationships slowly, which can initially be a little frustrating, but ultimately helps to create mystery and suspense that she weaves through the rest of her tale. The story begins with an adventure. Ned and Tam, twin brothers and sons of the Sister Witch and her woodcutter husband, build a raft to get to the sea. The raft capsizes, killing Tam and gravely injuring Ned. The witch performs her magic to save Ned's life, but in this book magic is mischievous and always takes a toll on Sister Witch when she uses it. Readers also meet Áine, a girl Eventually, the bucolic and peaceful village where Ned now lives alone with his parents hosts a visit from the queen, along with a bandit who wants more than the coins out of the villagers pockets. This book is beautiful, haunting and supernatural.

Find it in Fiction under F BAR

The King of Sports by Gregg Easterbrook

For many people, fall means football. It's a game that brings communities together on Friday nights, and entire cities slow down when their team is playing. Gregg Easterbook sets out to understand the best and worst parts of the sport and the leagues that control it. While his investigation features an examination of the football program at Virginia Tech (thanks to extensive insider access to this program), he looks closely at both the NFL and the youth leagues in order to discuss what is right and wrong with football at all of the levels it is played. He traces the history (and taxpayer funding) of the Superdome and the New Orleans Saints, he critiques the policies and procedures of the NCAA, and he explains the back story of David Sills V, who was famously "discovered" at the age of thirteen. This behind-the-scenes coverage is interesting to all football fans - from players of all ages on the field, to superfans who never miss seeing their favorite high school, college and professional teams play, to the casual fan who catches a game here or there. 

You can find it in Nonfiction under 796.33 EAS