Okay, sixth graders... You will be studying rocks (and minerals) soon. This is the first day I've had a chance to really look at the book fair cases and I'm finding some very cool books in there! Do you know there are at least three different book kits that contain rock samples? Yes! I know! Real rocks! Metamorphic, Sedimentary, Igneous... all there. I especially find the "Deadly Rocks" kit intriguing. Samples include Tektite, Pyrite, Obsidian, Coal, Limestone, Halite, Granite, Selenite, Chalcopyrite. (I'm gonna really have to look at that last one. Chal-copyrite?) Ha! Why are those rocks deadly? You'll just have to look at the stories in that kit! Then, there's a kit called "Rock Stars" with Gypsum, Pumice, Raw Ruby, Shale, Magnetite. Did you know that Calcite bends light rays and makes objects invisible? 
Seventh and eighth graders wish they'd had these rock/mineral kits back when they were in Mrs. Noles' sixth grade science class. 
All language arts classes have visited the fair and now individuals shop with teacher permission. The book fair continues through Friday morning. Rock/Mineral kits: something I'd want if I were a sixth grader -- or someone (like me) who likes to hunt and collect rocks!
Til next time... 
--GS

Subtract 50 from the low number and add 100 to the high number. What does that mean? Well, that gives the leveled range for books in Lexile language for students who have tested on the Scholastic Reading Inventory.  (SRI is a research-based, adaptive assessment that measures reading skills and longitudinal progress from Kindergarten through college readiness. It can be administered in a group setting in around 30 minutes, up to three times per year.)
Today, Teacher Donna Smith and I are showing her students how to use the media center's website, Surpass Safari, and the Dewey Decimal System to search for books by Lexile Range. She created a "scavenger hunt" handout and I created a graphic guide to help students maneuver Surpass Safari. We used Plotagon avatars to talk to students on the Smart Board about the process, going over how to locate items in the media center. 
We also demonstrated the scanner on the Media 12 Station so students can scan ISBNs at Lexile.com on books they own -- or on books we own that do not have Lexile labels yet. Lexile is dynamic; new titles are added by Metametrics frequently. This information is updated automatically in Surpass and I scan to add labels to the top of book spines accordingly.
Students are using Mrs. Smith's handouts to get hands-on experience using the system. We hope this will help them the next time they visit the media center to search for books within a specific Lexile range. 
Walking around, I've taken note of a few titles they've written down. They don't know it yet, (shhhhhhhhh!) but I secretly placed a few prize notifications in some of the books they are about to search. They will get to choose from the Prize Box when they pull those books out and say, "I found it!"
Reading is so much fun!
Til next time... -- GSouth (with Donna Smith)


Click or scan the qr code for information on checking out -- and downloading -- digital books to personal digital reading devices.

Visual images are -- and have been -- important throughout the Ages. Images tell stories, promote businesses on billboards, advertise products on TV, websites and in retail stores. Primitive images in caves tell stories of how life used to be long ago. Today, in library media centers and book stores, images illustrate stories and cover books.  
Sometimes, a vendor will send the original book cover with the imprinted library-bound version. I never throw these away. Never! They are beautiful works of art and they entice readers to read. I revisited my book cover collection in the storage room this week to re-do the glass case near the media center's entrance. Some of these covers have been with me since the school opened in 2002. So, I dug down into the pile and pulled out Harry Potter, Larten Crepsley, M.C. Higgins and the Great and Powerful Oz. I visited Wayside School, the Little House on the Prairie, and Middle Earth. I felt a chill when I came across The Ghost in Room 11 and The House of Dies Drear. I worried again about the great coon dog, Sounder, and about White Fang, the half dog, half wolf. 
I will get to the glass case in a few days. After all, I like what's in there now: photos of last year's Shelf Managers in "shelf label poses." I laminated the old book covers and put them together with clear book tape. Then, in a Pinterest kind of frenzy, I decorated an ugly cart no one ever wants to borrow. I impressed myself so much that I created "Chair Talkers" (book covers taped to the back of the computer chairs). 
Of course, these spurts of creation came between checking in, checking out, answering questions, shelving books, updating shelf lists... and getting a scanner connected to a computer so students may scan ISBNs for Lexile codes on the books not yet labeled. (Thanks Mike Robbins, Technologist Extraordinaire!) And, I had to finish the script for the Plot on Plotagon for orientations. (Don't you just love Text To Speech -- TTS programs?) 
The photos are here. I'll keep you posted!
--# GS
"Images often function as information, but they are also aesthetic and creative objects that require additional levels of interpretation and analysis. Finding visual materials in text-based environments requires specific types of research skills." --ACRL Visual Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education

Did you know students may check out digital books on digital devices? Save this info to take advantage of this free service! Check out eBooks through the Follett Shelf. (More books are added to Follett Shelf each month.) 
To find the Follett Shelf, go to http://bravesread.net and click on Follett Shelf.
To download a digital book to a device:
1. Login to the Follett Shelf using the same format used to login to computers at school. (see below)
2. Check out a digital book.
3. Search for the Follett Enlight App and download it. (One time only)
4. Login to the Enlight App the same way as to the Follett Shelf.
5. Download the digital book that shows up in the “book bag” to the device.

Initial setup instructions to locate our ebooks:
To sign in to the Follett Digital Reader app, a user will need to know the web address (or URL) of their Follett Shelf
(e.g. https://wbb09959.follettshelf.com ) and their Follett Shelf username and password.
In the first box on the app sign in screen the http:// and the .Follett Shelf.com are already filled in; the user just needs to enter our specific site information (e.g. wbb09959) and then username and password and tap Login.

User name: firstnamelastname
PW: Library/Lunchroom #
Students may download digital books to their devices through the Follett Enlight app.

Today I'm at West Georgia RESA, meeting with library media specialists in our district. It's important for professionals to collaborate and RESA gives us a chance to network with each other. Like now, Jo Nase, of Moreland Elementary School, is talking about sharing information through social media. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, blogs are all important tools for library media specialists -- and other professionals -- to use to promote and relay information. 
Katie Thompson, of RESA, now talks about Google Docs (which I use all the tiime!). Google has become the "go to" resource for many of us because of how easy the tools are to implement and organize. I plan to use Google Docs to create a survey for our students about our media program. In particular, I want to know how the visual elements I've incorporated this year have impacted the program. Shelf manager labels? Get Caught Reading posters? Picturing America posters? I want to know what our students and staff members think. This tool will help me tally answers that I will use to reflect on the media program at HCMS. 
Teachers should remember that a Google document is a good way to track group and individual participation with students. Check history within the document to see who has made comments and changes to the group document. Documents can be easily shared through email and on the cloud. 

Right now, I'm liking Wiggio and Weebly for free tools. I'll post again soon. Promise! 

The West Georgia Regional Library is offering ebooks and audiobooks to patrons at no cost. If you own an electronic device (Kindle, Nook, iPad...) -- and have a PINES card with WGRL, you have access to many free digital books. To checkout an eBook or Audio Book, go to 
http://wgrl.net/ (A link is now on the media center's home page.)
On the right of the website page click on the eAudiobooks link. CREATE AN ACCOUNT or LOG IN. This is where you will register with your library card number. You must have a library card to sign up for an account.
Once this is done, you will have access to hundreds of titles in ebook and audio format!
I will be meeting with someone from WGRL in the next couple of weeks to discuss the best way to get this information to students and parents. I will be inviting media specialists from other schools in our system to attend. This is exciting news! As always, we are ... Dedicated. Determined. Digital!
--G

I have begun the task of putting Lexile measures on book spines in the media center. I am not color coding and I am not filing by reading levels. I am also not putting Lexile numbers beside or near Call Numbers. 
Students will see Lexile codes on top of book spines. I am putting a blank label on books that do not have a Lexile measure (simply to help me  in the process of this task). 
This is the time of year that I especially miss an assistant. 
While most of our books already have Lexile information on a label inside the front cover, the spine code will assist students who browse for reading levels without using the automated card catalog or the Lexile website to search for books within their Lexile range. (Students are able to search by reading range for Lexile and Accelerated Reader in Surpass Safari).
For other media specialists who may be interested labeling books for Lexile, I am including a document that shows step-by-step instructions. 
It is, however, extremely important for a student to know how to find a book using the automated card catalog. He should know that the Call Number is the very key to something called the Dewey Decimal System. A Call Number with FIC and three letters is linked to a book in the fiction section, which is filed alphabetically using the last names of the people who write books (who are called authors). A Call Number that begins with a number, like 921 and three letters, is a non-fiction book. The non-fiction section is filed in categories from 000 to 999 primarily and then by author last names. (921 WAR, 921 WAT... 976.8 BUR). 
According to Lexile.com, the Lexile code provides information about a book "that relates to its developmental appropriateness, reading difficulty, and common or intended usage." The two text characteristics that determine a Lexile measure are "Word Frequency" and "Sentence Length."
The Lexile codes are:

• AD: Adult Directed
• NC: Non-Conforming
• HL: High-Low
• IG: Illustrated Guide
• GN: Graphic Novel
• BR: Beginning Reading
• NP: Non-Prose

For information on Lexiles, go to http://Lexile.com. I have included a photo of books with Lexile spine codes in the document. 

Students always get excited when they see the Scholastic cases arrive for a book fair.  And, so do I! Four students and a couple of staff members helped me set up this time. I'm blessed to work with so many people who support all facets of the media program. Our students behave so well when they visit, too! 
Without an assistant this year, I knew I would need to be extra organized to make things work. The Google Documents I share with teachers and staff have helped tremendously. Our language arts teachers bring all classes by scheduling with me on the Book Fair Schedule. I share a screen shot of that with teachers so everyone knows when students are shopping by class. During the "in-between" times, teachers may send a few students to check out, quiz or shop if they have money. And, when I have a few minutes, I email overdues, print posters, check student requests on the Wish List for the current book order in progress..., charge eReaders, or write a sentence or two at a time on a blog post (like this one). 
Some of my co-workers and students helped set up and arrange tables and cases. A couple of staff members come in each day to help shelve books. As I told students during orientation, "You're all my assistants this year." 
The book fair is important to students, staff and parents. Families can connect with us by shopping with their children (online or in here). "Choice" is important to teenage readers and this event includes highly recommended titles from several genres. 
For information about our media programs, follow @bravesread on Twitter or like us on Facebook. Patrons who want to review a book (like Savannah M. did to receive a book fair discount), should stop by to retrieve their pass code for Surpass Safari.
--G