Cool Class - Dragons & Bats

This week the Special Education class have been visiting again, and this time we have had a program about flying 'things' - along with the stories to go with it all.  

 We read the book 'Where have all the Dragons gone?' and then made flying paper dragons.  We then tested their capabilities up and down the Library area, and Ms Frolich and Ms Squires had a Dragon Duel to see who could pull off the coolest acrobatics.  We decided it had to be a draw, although it was pretty close... Ms Frolich had hers somersaulting, and spiralling down. 

Here's the link for the Flying Dragon template with grateful thanks to Create in the Chaos website.  The kids loved it. 

https://www.createinthechaos.com/printable-flying-craft-dragon-paper-airplane/

 Then today – we read ‘Stella Luna’ – a story about a tiny baby fruit bat who lost her mum after an owl attack – and was taken care of by a bird mum, until she was reunited with her mother again.   

Afterwards - as today is also the International Day of the Bat (or Night of the Bat?) - we made Bat Finger Puppets and also Bat Rockets - which with a big puff of air could fly!  

'Read a New Book' Month

The month of September is 'Read a New Book' month - so now is the time to pick up that novel you have been eyeing off, or grab that DIY manual that you bought, and finish off that project, or even a technical manual to help you get the most out of that new gadget you bought.  

When you crack open the pages of a book, you find yourself caught up in a new world of events and characters - or just a world of  information.   The best books - yes, even instructional manuals, lead you through a storyscape that builds and shares with you the vision of the author, no matter if it is a world in a galaxy far, far away, or how to build your own 'whatever'.  (And we all need new 'whatevers'!)

Read a Book month is there to encourage you to read as many books as you can in your life - which translates to living MANY lives, learning new things and opening your mind up to new ideas and philosopies.  

How to celebrate??  Read, read and READ!  Read new books, try new authors, investigate new genres, learn new things and new ideas.  

As George R.R. Martin said in 'A Dance with Dragons' - "A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies.  The man who doesn't read lives only one"

Twitter Style Display

Another small display here in the Library, hopefully to generate a little interest in a few of the older books.  

The display covers most of the genres (and sizes) of books, so there is a fair choice for our students - whatever their criteria for choosing a book.


A couple of the reviews are from former students who have read and enjoyed the books and the rest we have provided. 


If any students who have read and enjoyed a book from here, would like to write up a small review, I would be very happy to add it to the display. 

Displays in the Library

Well, we're into week 2 of term 3 - where has the year gone??  It just seems to have flown by, maybe because of the strange new world that we seem to living in at the moment. 
It has definitely been a odd sort of time so far, but we are all still cruisin' along here.  

Currently we have a couple of new displays in the Library from some of the classes.  

There is one about Volcano's by Year  8 Science where they have made models of various parts of the volcano as well as presenting posters with the relevant information.

and .....  

One from Year 7-9 Science who have been working on the Rock Cycle.  They have made up posters with the information they have learned and these are all up on display.

Along with these, there is a small display of brand new Goosebumps books which have recycled around and become some of the most borrowed books again. These are currently being snapped up .. good thing I have extras to refill the display.

Welcome to 2020

Well, here we go - the start of 2020 and a whole new year of opportunities for books, and reading.  How awesome is that?  In truth, it's a whole new decade!!

I thought I would start this post off with a quick reminder of some of the services we offer and maybe you could let your students know as well - or better yet, introduce them to this blog so they can find out for themselves.  Maybe you could get them to write a Twitter book review on a book they have enjoyed, or write a report about their class activities .... after all the written word ROCKS, however it is used..

Yes - we do loan books out. We LOVE to loan books out. Loaning books out is our whole rationale. (And not just books, either) Of course, we do want them to come home at some point and can get a little upset if they don't.

• Looking for a particular book? Come and talk to us. We can organise an Inter-library-Loan or help you find where to purchase it.  
• Resources: Books, Magazines, iPad sets, Digital Cameras, Video Recorders, Computer Mice sets, Boxes of Headphones, Data Projectors, Teacher Reference, Web Cams........
• IWB area, and a bank of computers and laptops that are available to be booked for classes. The laptop trolley in B3/B4 is only to be used in the Library area, however.
• Help with research, proofreading of assignments, suggestions for books to read - we are your people.
• Library Skills Activities/Boolean searching
• A place to display your amazing class work.
• Collation of websites for subjects/classes
• Anything else?  If there is something that you think we can help with, just come and have a chat.  We have learned to be fairly good at pulling rabbits out of hats and we also like a challenge, most times anyway.  There are some days .....

Students have a 3 week borrowing period while staff have a month. For most of the resources, we can adjust the loaning period for whatever is needed - at least till the end of term. However, this doesn't include the AV materials - that is a 1 week loan period only. Depending on what it is - Headphones, laptops, etc. are all due back at the end of the lesson. Students can borrow 2 items at a time and staff are pretty unlimited in borrowing.

One of my goals for this year is to attempt to make the library more relevant to the needs of the school. Hard call really, when I'm going up against the ingrained idea that Google can give you EVERYTHING!!  But I'm going to give it a shot anyway!  
So, now... some homework for you all.  Could you email or comment and give me some ideas on what you see as the purpose of the school library and my role in it?  I'd love to be able to make this a one-stop shop type of deal for everyone.

Below are a few quotes that I think sum up, to some degree anyway, my philosophy about libraries.  Enjoy!

"Google can bring you back 100,000 answers - a librarian can bring you back the RIGHT answer".   (Neil Gaiman)

"Libraries are full of ideas - which are perhaps the most dangerous and powerful of weapons".   (from the 'Throne of Glass')

and being a fan of Albert Einstein, how could I pass up this one?

"The only thing you absolutely HAVE to know, is the location of the Library"
(Albert Einstein)

Wishing you all a fantastic school year with lots of READING involved.  Now carry on being awesome.

Unusual Improbable Libraries

Libraries just don't seem to be dying out despite all the predictions otherwise.  In fact, they seem to be popping up everywhere in all sorts of places and styles.  

Check out the link below for some of the more 'improbable' libraries seen around the world. This has been taken from a book with the same title by English journalist Alex Johnson.  

It all goes to show that the Library is a very adaptable artefact that apparently has no intention of being killed off any time soon - and is a definite testament to peoples ideas and ingenuity.  

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/latenightlive/the-world%E2%80%99s-most-improbable-libraries/6483292

Enjoy the long weekend - only one more left in the year after this one so make the most of them. Judging by the weather, a good book or two and a great coffee or hot chocolate would probably be the way to go.

New Books in the Library

The cataloguing training may have paid off - as I have finally managed to successfully catalogue some books into our collection!  

We have on offer:

AFL: Amazing Footy Facts - this one has lots of snippets of information and trivia facts such as  - Which team holds the record for the highest score ever recorded in VFL/AFL history?  or Which player holds the record for kicking the most goals?  

Desert Lake: The story of Kati-Thanda - a gorgeous picture book that follows Lake Eyre over a season from dry to what happens when the rains come.  Beautiful illustrations and small amounts of writing.  

Edge of Extinction - "two hundred years ago dinosaurs were brought back from extinction - and they do NOT like to share.  They reclaimed the earth and humans were driven underground.  But ... they are not the most dangerous predators out there, it seems"

In the Realm of Dragons - this is a 'Choose your Own' adventure story, which are quite popular with some of the students.  In this one you find and care for some dragon eggs - but will you gain a powerful magical friend - or be cast into a dangerous world of fire and ice?  Your choice!

Skyfire: Book 1 - Seven young people enter the mysterious DARE awards - and WIN!! However, they are not prepared to be caught up in the events that follow.  Seven weird symbols pit them against a mastermind of terrifying power and they will be racing the clock to save the world.  If you could be a hero - would you DARE??

Have a wonderful weekend!

Holiday Break coming up!!

Thank you for all your resource returns, and patience with my grouchiness. 

Next term will see a new Library Management System in operation, which should be miles better than our poor 20 year system that battles along with us every week - so the start back will be BUSY!

Enjoy a lovely, relaxing break - and don't forget to include LOADS of recreational reading.  It lowers the blood pressure, calms the mind - and, well it's just good for you.  Snuggle up with a blanket, hot chocolate and just forget about everything for a while.  The real world will come knocking on your door soon enough, so make the most of it.

See you all back next term

Another Dystopian title added

It seems that stories about Dystopian societies are all the go with the teens at the moment .. Hunger Games, Divergent, Maze Runner and the like.

So to keep the readers of the school happy - we have a new title on the shelf and ready for loan - 'Matched' by Ally Condie.  This is the first in a trilogy and having read it myself, it is certainly a thought-provoking book.    

Imagine living in a world where everything is decided for you: what you eat, where you live, when you die, who you love, even which poems, stories and paintings are worth keeping. The Officials who run Cassia’s society leave nothing up to choice. It makes for a more equal and controlled world. A better world. A less cluttered world. A calmer and less complicated world.
But what happens when someone starts to question the choices made for them - and worse still, wants to make their own choices?

What do you do? How do you deal with it?

Four: A Divergent Collection

With the upcoming release of the second movie in this series, there is renewed interest in reading, or in some cases, re-reading this series.

New to our Library today is a short story collection focusing on 'Four' - one of the main characters in the series.  These stories take the reader back before the start of the 'Divergent' series, and give an insight into his motivations and plans. 

If anyone wants it - I will have to put it on hold for them ... as it has just been borrowed by a very excited student, who has left with a huge smile.  

Makes it all worthwhile, methinks!  

World Read Aloud Day 2016

If anyone is interested - February 24th is World Read Aloud Day.  This is a day to celebrate the power of words - and is about taking action to show the world that the right to be able to read and to write belongs to all people, whoever and wherever they may be.

World Read Aloud Day asks everyone to take part by grabbing a book, grabbing an audience, even if it is only one other person and reading aloud.  You have the right - use it!

Some other ideas to try could include:
*   Make bookmarks to hand out with information about the day
*   Ask someone from outside the school to come and read aloud to the class
*   Make posters about the day and put them up around the school 
*   Have a classroom discussion about the fact that worldwide at least 793 million people remain illiterate and why this is so bad.
*   Maybe each student could read aloud a paragraph from their silent reading books 

Make it a day to celebrate the power of words!

Digital FootPrints

Have you ever vaguely thought how 'convenient' it is that the ads that show up on the sidebar of your computer seem to be the sort of stuff that you are interested in?  Ever noticed that you don't ever really see anything other than your interests?  No?  Never thought about it?  Well, maybe you should.

The weblink below  takes you to a documentary about the web economy and privacy - or the lack of, mainly.  It is apparently personalised so everyone watching will have a slightly different experience depending on the computer they are on - and it hopes to make people think about privacy on the web, both theirs and others. Everything is driven by the almighty dollar, and how to separate us from our dollars.

Most of us have no real idea how we can be tracked by our mobile phone or how an advertising network operates, nor do we even really know how much information is being collected about us through our activities on the web. 

Check out the link below and see what you think.  
https://donottrack-doc.com/en/intro/

 And further to that, if anyone is interested, there is a book called 'The Filter Bubble' by Eli Pariser - which talks about how and when Google began customising results for it's users instead of giving a broadly popular result.  This quote from the author probably explains it clearer than I can.

"We’re used to thinking of the Internet like an enormous library, with services like Google providing a universal map. But that’s no longer really the case. Sites from Google and Facebook to Yahoo News and the New York Times are now increasingly personalized – based on your web history, they filter information to show you the stuff they think you want to see. That can be very different from what everyone else sees – or from what we need to see.
Your filter bubble is this unique, personal universe of information created just for you by this array of personalizing filters. It’s invisible and it’s becoming more and more difficult to escape."

Hmmm,  anyone else see the computers and the Internet taking over the world??  Or is that just me?? 
(Cue Twilight Zone music here) 

R.E.D. Book Awards

The RED Book Award is an initiative by Falkirk Council in Scotland to promote reading by raising awareness of new titles and encouraging teenagers to read, enjoy and debate (R.E.D) good books. This year is a celebration of 10 years, and ten secondary classes from different countries across the world were selected to participate with Falkirk schools. Students in Mrs Spina’s year 8/9 English class, in Tennant Creek, Northern Territory, were the lucky Australians chosen. 

Students enjoying the books

This week we received our lot of books. There are four different titles ‘Beneath’, ‘Inflicted’, ‘Salvaged’ and ‘Mind Blind’ all specifically chosen for 13 – 15 year olds. Students have already begun reading their first book in silent reading, and we have already had several requests to take the books home to continue reading!

Enjoyment and choice is at the heart of pupils’ experiences as well as the opportunity to develop listening and talking, reading and writing skills. 

Students with Dion

As participants, we have been teamed up with a sister school in Denny and we will be communicating and sharing our thoughts and views on the books. Some of our responsibilities as participants is to provide some fabric that represents us/Australia that will be added to a patchwork quilt that represents the selected schools and countries. Fortunately, after discussions with Mrs Boulter, she was able to organise our local artist Dion Beasley to provide a fabric piece featuring Dion’s Cheeky Dogs. Further to this, Dion very generously donated a copy of the book he illustrated ‘Too Many Cheeky Dogs’ for us to send to Scotland. Our librarian, Mrs Walsh is making a special bookplate and has also donated some other beautiful Australiana fabric featuring platypuses, kangaroos, koalas and Aboriginal artwork. Students in photography classes have also begun planning the visual images they wish to create and send, while others are planning a sleep over in order to Skype our new Scottish friends. 

If any blog readers have further suggestions or items to donate, please contact our wonderful librarian Shelagh Walsh, who first introduced us to the RED Book Awards.

It is a wonderful opportunity to read some fantastic short-listed books, as well as talk to students on the other side of the world. 

Massive thanks to Yvonne Manning and the Falkirk Council for including us in this exciting experience. 

Stay Tuned for book reviews and More!
(Guest Blogger this week is Mrs Spina)

Holiday break coming up.

Well, here we are - last day of Semester one - and it has been a busy one.  Everyone is ready for this break, staff and students.

Just a reminder to have all resources back at home in the Library for the 4 week break - both they and I will be much happier about that.

As a thought for the start of Semester Two, I came across a few special days....
On the 20th July, it will be Space Exploration Day, 30th July will be Paperback Book Day and the 1st Aug is World Wide Web Day.  The last one should be easy to celebrate - we just do what we always do, I guess.   

Chances are this is the kittens last day as they should go to their new homes during the holiday break - so anyone who wants a last cuddle, today is it. They would like to express their thanks for being so welcomed here.

Wishing you all a safe, enjoyable and relaxing break.  Make sure you include the time to curl up with a good coffee and an awesome book.  After all, recreational reading lowers the blood pressure and calms the mind.

Look forward to seeing you all in four weeks time to do this all over again. 

New Books ready to borrow

We have a few new books in the Library which are now catalogued and ready for loan.  Two of these are Picture Books, which may seem a little strange in a High School, but is often a less intimidating format for kids who are not overly confident in reading. These are viewed along the lines of comics and Graphic novels, which can then lead on to more 'mature' formats of reading. 

One is called 'My Country' and is by Ezekiel Kwaymullina and Sally Morgan and is described as a "vibrant, lyrical celebration of country".

The other is a brand new picture book just published, with the title of  'Chicken Clicking' and written by Jeanne Willis.  This is suggested as a "subtle introduction to responsible internet use." Taken from the blurb on the back; "One night Chick hops onto the farmer's computer and - CLICK - she's soon shopping for the whole farm!! But when she arranges to meet a friend she's made on online, Chick discovers all is not as it seems...."

The last item is a book written by Jack Heath and titled 'The Human Flytrap'  Obviously this fits the Horror Genre, and any doubts are removed by the cover itself with a crime style tape running across the back cover warning you that you are reading this at your risk. According to the blurb - "Josh lives in Axe falls - a town of mysterious disappearances, terrifying visions and unusual events.....What is really going on in Axe Falls? And will anyone survive long enough to find out?"

Come and have a look - and check out what else we have on the shelves while you are here.  Lots of new magazines to read as well, or you could borrow a board game to play, or challenge your mates to a chess game.

Latest Books in the Library

Just a quick post to let you know about two new books in the Library this week, already catalogued and ready for loan. 

The first title is a book that has been donated to the school by our Chief Minister and has been written by two local NT Historians who are based in Darwin.  The book is titled  'Battling: Territorians and their War" 
From the blurb on the back of the book:   This is the story of the Territorians war, of how  they battled for their country and then had to battle for the right to come home and rebuild their lives.  Eventually they triumphed and, out of the ashes of war, they created the modern Northern Territory. This book gives all Australians the chance to know and understand the human consequences of what happened to ordinary people during Australia's sternest test.


The other title is one that was requested by a student, and is actually not yet available in Australia.  Yay us!!  It won't even be released for publication here till the beginning of April.

It is number 5, and is the final one in the Virals series, written by Kathy Reichs and is called 'Terminal'.  It concludes the story of Tory and her Virals pack as they battle against another pack - The Trinity - who appear to be stronger than they are and are intent on handing them over to a mysterious government agency.  One Pack, One Territory! Who will win?

Come in, have a look, borrow one - or a few.  Then maybe write me a review that I can post on here.  Easy as!

New Books here

Just to let you know that we have some new books available to be borrowed. 

One is called 'Tracy Tales' and is about the Darwin Business Community and how they survived the Great Cyclone. 

Also available for staff is a copy of 'Digital Photography Projects for the Classroom'.  This will be kept with the Teacher Resource materials in my office, if anyone is looking for it.

Following a request from a student, we now have the 'Maze Runner' trilogy here and ready for loan.  Apparently there is a fourth book in the series now as well so I will be looking for that as well. 

Also, just to let you know, the DVD of the 'Maze Runner' is also available for loan across at the Public Library along with loads of other titles, so it could be worth checking out what else they have to offer.  Drop in and say Hi to Kylie and Pam.

Library Display and Swimming Carnival

There is a display up in the Library with a selection of books to match, so come in, have a browse - maybe even borrow one, or a few. 
Many, many thanks to Carrie and Coralie for their help with this - you are both awesome!

Swimming carnival was the go for today - lots of red, green and blue happening everywhere. Wishing everyone good luck in being the winning team....though we all know it will be Stuart, of course.

Have a great weekend folks!

Picture Book Month

We have received some new books in the Library recently that people may be interested in.  One of them is 'Resist' by Sarah Crossan, which is the conclusion to the story started in 'Breathe'.  These are based on a future and dsytopian world, where all the trees have died out - or been chopped down - and what little oxygen is available is inside a dome, where you follow the rules or are put outside the dome to take your chance. 

There are also a couple of new Choose Your Own adventures: 'The Jungle of Doom' and the 'Desert of Dread' along with 'Vampire Hunter', so you have a choice of adventure or horror in this area.  As well, we have a couple of Interactive stories, which are basically the same style of book, but are about real life happenings.  We have one about the making of Facebook and another about Hurricane Katrina.

There are also some Shakespeare plays,  but in Graphic Novel format which is a different way of reading these classics. 

I would also like to share with you all that November is Picture Book Month. Personally speaking, I am a HUGE fan of Picture Books and there are many reasons to read them or to use them in your classes.  If a picture is worth a thousand words, what does that say about the power of a picture book?  And the world needs picture books. There’s nothing like turning the pages of a beautiful  picture book. They are not all Fiction either and are often a great way to share with kids - and their parents - little known facts.  (See the post a couple of weeks ago about the 'Lone Pine' picture book)
 
Please check out the link below.
http://picturebookmonth.com/

New Books in the Library

We have some new books available for loan in the Library.  There is a range of different titles that, hopefully, will appeal to a variety of people. Most of them are fiction books with a few non-fiction in the mix. Below is a brief review of a few of the books on display.

Computer Coding for kids:  Computer coding is firmly back on the agenda as a key skill for children to start learning. Computer Coding for Kids is a unique step-by-step guide, perfect for kids interested in computer programming and how computers work. 

Lone Pine:  A story not well known about the Lone Pine Battle at Gallipoli during World War One, is told through the tale of the pine tree which stands in the gardens at the War Memorial in Canberra. This is a Picture book and is based on a true story.

Animal heroes:    Animal Heroes is a collection of 21 short stories in which Anthony Hill remembers just a few of the many gallant dogs, horses, pigeons, donkeys, pets and mascots who have served with Australia's armed services from the First World War to the present day.

There are also a couple of 'Choose your Own' stories in both adventure and horror genres along with science fiction and sports titles as well. 

All worth a look, so come on in and see what we have to offer.