Friday, November 19, 2010

Business As Usual

The IMC is definitely back to business as usual. The computers have been in used by 8th grade science and social studies. There has been 7th grade book checkout. And the librarians are franticly preparing the 2011 Rebecca Caudill nominated books for checkout.

Even though next week is very short the IMC will be busy. The 8th grade social studies classes will continue their research on various political systems and philosophies. 6th grade Reading classes will be introduced to the new Caudill nominees through a booktalk of all twenty books and make their first selection for their next book report. All 6th graders will participate in the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award, a statewide program where students in grades 4-8 vote for the winner. To be eligible to vote in February each 6th grader will read at least 3 of the nominated books. The IMC has multiple copies of each title so that there are enough books for every student to have one at a time. I have read all twenty and predict that voting this time will center around two fantastic nominees -- Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. While all 20 books are great stories, these two have already captured the interest of most of our students in any grade.

Friday, November 5, 2010

Open for Business

It felt good to be open for library business this week. Students were able to checkout and return books again. The IMC was open before school (Tuesdays - Fridays) and at study for students to read or work on school projects. And now for the best news --
In celebration of National Gaming Day, November 13th, the IMC will launch its Computer Games Day on Friday, November 12th. Starting that Friday and continuing on school Fridays through the rest of the school year, the IMC will open its CD-ROM game library for students during study. Students can individually or with a partner enjoy games like Jeopardy, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Wheel of Fortune, The Sims, SIM City, Clue, and Battleship. We also have many CD-ROMs from the Tycoon series (Rollercoaster, Monopoly, School, Zoo, etc.), the Zoombini series, and sports like NBA Live, Madden Football, and more. A complete list of possibilities will be posted in the IMC by next Thursday. Study teachers will be provided with special passes for Computer Game Days. While the beginning of each study period is a bit wild as the students select their game and get their computers going, it is amazing how focused everyone becomes once the gaming starts. Visitors are always welcome to observe our gamers at work!