Swift Specialty School's Virtual Library

New Web Page!!!

2011-09-06T09:33:00.001-05:00

The Swift Library Web Page has moved. New information, links, and updates will now be hosted at http://swift-library.wikispaces.com .

Great Chicago Stories

2011-05-16T13:36:00.004-05:00

Swift's 3rd graders are learning all about the history of Chicago. One great resource to explore is the Chicago History Museum's website which includes "Great Chicago Stories". Click on the picture to visit this page:

4th Grade State Links

2011-04-15T08:39:00.003-05:00

Ms. Mazzone's Class is learning about the States. They will be using the following links:

1. Sheppard Software games and quizzes

2. National Geographic's Geospy Game

3. Conquer the States Quiz Game

4. FunBrain Where Is That Geography Game

7/8 BOB Practice quiz

2011-03-30T13:43:00.003-05:00

Please click on the picture to take the practice author quiz. Good luck!

Doreen Cronin Author Study

2011-03-02T11:23:00.001-06:00

The 2nd grade at Swift is reading Doreen Cronin's funny and entertaining books. Click Image below to read a digital version of Click Clack Moo:

Betsy Lewin's books: Betsy Lewin is the ILLUSTRATOR of Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type. You can also watch a video of her discussing her work here.

Battle of the Books digital titles.

2011-02-10T13:34:00.004-06:00

4-6th grade will be reading

7-8th grade will be reading

7th Grade Night John Resources

2011-02-10T10:24:00.000-06:00

Students reading the novel Nightjohn by Gary Paulsen will be accessing the followng link to learn more about the experience of the characters in the novel:

Scholastic's Undergournd Railroad

Primary Computer Skills

2010-11-15T10:55:00.000-06:00

4th Grade Science Website

2010-11-10T14:05:00.004-06:00

Click on the picture to visit K2 Bite-Size:

Or Click on this picture to visit the Food Chain Game:

Additional Websites:

Simple Machines

Science Interactives

Looking At Webpages

2010-10-26T08:55:00.000-05:00

CLICK IMAGES BELOW TO VISIT WEBSITE:

1.

2.

All about Animals

2010-10-21T12:12:00.000-05:00

1. National Geographic Creature Feature

2. ASPCA's Animal Land

3. Animal Corner

More Science Fair Help

2010-09-29T14:38:00.002-05:00

In addition to the databases provided by the Chicago Public Schools (see the list to the right), if you have a Chicago Public Library card you have access to even more databases! Click on the links below to use The World Book Encyclopedia, The New Book of Popular Science, Science Online, and other magazine and newspaper databases thanks to the Chicago Public Library!

Online Research: Especially for Kids

Online Research: Especially for Teens

Science Fair Help

2010-09-26T10:20:00.001-05:00

As our upper-grade students and teachers gear up for this year's science fair, I thought I would list some helpful websites to aid in selecting your topic and constructing your project. Good luck!

Science Buddies - A one-stop-shop guide to preparing a science project. Wonderful tutorials on every step of the process.

Science Fair Central - Help with your science project.

Exploratorium - A fantastic website with hands-on activities, online exhibits, articles, videos, and more.

Welcome back to School!

2010-09-07T09:08:00.001-05:00

Please click on the link to take the back to school survey.

https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dE0wQ2JjRURnbTM3NkdSZnozajQwMHc6MA

Computer Skills for Kids.

2010-06-08T09:40:00.002-05:00

1. ABC-Ya

2. Funschool: Lightning Librarian

3. Storyline Online

End-Of-The-Year Survey.

2010-06-07T21:53:00.004-05:00

Please take a minute to fill out this online survey about the Swift Library Program. All of opinions will help me make improvements for next year. Thanks!

Just click on the picture:

Memorial Day Scavenger Hunt

2010-05-16T09:35:00.000-05:00

http://www.mrsoshouse.com/ext/maycivics.html

Online Benchmark Assessment

2010-04-26T09:49:00.001-05:00

http://cim.cps.k12.il.us

Swift Family Survey

2010-04-20T11:39:00.001-05:00

Please click the link below to access the survey:

http://cpsparent.nisurvey.com

Dissecting a Sheep's Heart

2010-04-15T13:50:00.000-05:00

Follow this link:

http://www.gwc.maricopa.edu/class/bio202/cyberheart/anthrt.htm

Looking for information on the Internet.

2010-03-17T11:37:00.002-05:00

Follow this link and answer the questions on a separate sheet of paper.

St Patrick's Day Trivia

8th grade Research

2010-02-18T08:53:00.000-06:00

8th Grade is studying musical genres. Use the links to get an overview of your topic:

1. Blues Music

2. Hip-Hop

Now that you have some information, you must also remember to record your sources in order to create a bibliography. Use this helpful tool as a source to make your bibliogrpahy:
Noodle Tools

ISAT Practice

2010-01-27T09:43:00.001-06:00

CLICK HERE:

http://metacat2.com/iltestlinks.html

7th Grade Research: Technology Links

2010-01-04T08:44:00.004-06:00

Number Devil Wiki-Project Tools

1. Access your wiki page here: Swift Library Wiki: (http://swiftlibrary.wikispaces.com)

2. Build your bibliography here: NoodleBib (http://www.noodletools.com/login.php)

3. Conduct research and find images you may use here: Britannica Online (http://school.eb.com/)

Safe Image Search Engines

-- Wikimedia Commons (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page)

-- Pics4Learning (http://www.pics4learning.com/)

Math Resources

A. Mathworld (http://mathworld.wolfram.com/)

B. Mathematics Archive (http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/)

C. Student Resource Center Jr. (http://find.galegroup.com/)

Number Devil: Research Technology

2009-12-21T09:01:00.000-06:00

1. What information must we include in a citation for a webpage? NoodleTools

2. Google Image vs. Britannica Online

3. What is fair use? More information on copyright laws.

4. Search engines for safe image searching: Wikimedia Commons, pics4learning

5. Let's put is all together on our Wiki Page.

7th Grade: Internet Searching Links

2009-12-07T08:25:00.000-06:00

Good morning! As we work through the powerpoint presentation on Internet searching, the following links will be helpful to you.

1. Google

2. Clusty

3. Think Quest: Vasco da Gama

4. BBC: Vasco da Gama

Battle of the Books: Digital Selections...

2009-12-01T15:38:00.000-06:00

Here are the two digital book selections our teams are reading for the big competition.

4-6 Grade: My Very Own Room

7-8 Grade: Going Back Home

7th Grade -- The Number Devil

2009-11-30T10:06:00.001-06:00

1. Noodle Tools Bibliography Maker

2. Swift Library Wiki Page

Home Row Practice

2009-11-16T10:48:00.000-06:00

1. Home Row Warm Up

2. Practice with G and H

3. sHiFt KeY

Computer Skills Practice

2009-11-16T08:59:00.000-06:00

1. Typing Warm-Up

2. Lightning Librarian

3. Painting

Harvest Festivals

2009-11-09T09:03:00.002-06:00

What is a Harvest Festival? How do we celebrate them? Do they all look the same? This week our upper-grades students will be investigating these questions using search engines and websites. They will then cite their sources using the Noodle Tools Bib-Maker

1. World Celebrations
2. www.clusty.com

Creating Graphs

2009-11-08T21:42:00.002-06:00

Swift 6th Graders are learn how to display sets of data in their math class. Below are three different resources they can use to generate their graphs.

1. Microsoft Excel - Microsoft Excel is part of the Microsoft Office software that is installed on the computer. This program allows you to enter in the data in a spreadsheet and then creates a graph based on your data. (Mr. Rogers will distribute directions in class.)

2. Create a Graph - This website from NCES allows you to select what type of graph you would like to display your data, determine your display, and then enter your data sets before it generates a colorful graph display for print.

3. Bar Graph Generator - This resource located on www.mrnussbaum.com allows you to select your items one at a time, enter the data and the color you wish to display, and then generates a graph for you.

Using the mouse and keyboard

2009-11-03T08:48:00.000-06:00

1. Practice Using the Mouse

2. Practice Using the Keyboard

Learn about the Computer

2009-11-02T12:11:00.000-06:00

1. Using the Mouse

2. Learning to type

3. Exploring the internet

Japanese Investigation

2009-10-14T23:19:00.002-05:00

Swift's 5th grade is exploring Japanese culture and history while they read the novel Sadako and the 1000 Paper Cranes. The following links may be useful as they begin their explorations:

1. Hiroshima: A Survivor's Story

2. Kids Web Japan

Home Row

2009-09-15T09:08:00.001-05:00

1.Practice with F and J

2.Dance Mat Typing

"Information Literacy for the Information Age"

2009-09-02T22:00:00.002-05:00

I am encouraging all or our Swift inquirers to explore this wonderful approach to the research process--The Big6™. Designed as a way to help students in their research endeavors, I felt that this would be very helpful for all of our research needs. According to the official website:

"Developed by educators Mike Eisenberg and Bob Berkowitz, the Big6™ is the most widely-known and widely-used approach to teaching information and technology skills in the world. The Big6™ is an information and technology literacy model and curriculum, implemented in thousands of schools - K through higher education. Some people call the Big6™ an information problem-solving strategy because with the Big6™, students are able to handle any problem, assignment, decision or task."

The Big6™ model has six steps: 1. Task Definition; 2. Information Seeking Strategies; 3. Location and Access; 4. Use of Information; 5. Synthesis; and 6. Evaluation. It is not just useful for research projects, but can also help with homework assignments.

Check out the following links for more information and online tools:

Big6™ Home Page - Visit the Official Big6™ Home Page to get an overview of the process from its co-developer, Dr. Mike Eisenberg. You'll want to visit this site often to explore the wide range of resources for teaching and learning with the Big6™ around the world.

Big6™ Kids' Site - Part of the Big6™ Home Page, these pages lead kids through the 6 step information process. Specific sections for grades K-2, 3-6, and 7-12 are provided.

Big6™ Information Skills Guide - A quick and easy overview of the 6 steps, resources, and strategies provided by John Newberry Elementary's Library Media Center.

Ancient Olympic Cyber-Hunt

2009-05-04T10:04:00.007-05:00

The Ancient Olympic Games began as part of a religious festival in honor of ________________. Click Here

2. The ancient Olympic Games began in what year? _________________ Click Here

3. There was a separate festival for women in honor of ________________. Click Here

4. Ancient athletes competed as __________________ not as members of a national team. Click Here

5. What three categories of people could not participate in the Ancient Olympic games? Click Here

6. How many wrestling crowns did this competitor from ancient times win? ____________ Click Here

Arbor Day

2009-04-20T10:20:00.000-05:00

National Arbor Day is celebrated on the last Friday in April. Across the United States local Arbor days are held on dates best for tree planting. In some southern states, Arbor Day is held in January and February and in the northern U. S. as late as May. Arbor Day is celebrated in many countries around the world.

J. Sterling Morton is credited with being the founder of Arbor Day. Morton and his wife moved from Detroit in 1854 to the Nebraska territory. Morton started Nebraska’s first newspaper spreading the word about his love for trees.

In early 1872, J. Sterling Morton proposed a tree planting day to be called “Arbor Day” to the Nebraska State Board of Agriculture. The Board approved the first Arbor Day for April 10, 1872.

Click on the links to learn more about trees:

Primary Grades: The Secret Life of Trees

Upper Grades: Dr. Arbor Talks Trees

Earth Day

2009-04-19T10:08:00.003-05:00

Every April 22, people all over the world show how much they care about the planet on Earth Day. People join together to learn about the environment. They fight pollution and talk about how to save endangered species and habitats. When April 22 falls during the workweek, people usually observe Earth Day on the nearest weekend. Some communities observe Earth Week or even Earth Month every April.

1. Play some EARTH DAY GAMES
2. Learn how to Conserve with ENERGY HOGS
3. Explore more withGOVERNMENT EARTH LINKS

Valuable Resources

2009-03-09T07:36:00.003-05:00

1. Dance Mat Typing

2. Trivia Archer

3. News Quiz

Using the mouse and keyboard

2009-02-24T12:25:00.001-06:00

1. Alphabet

2. Matching

3. Lightning Librarian

4. Dance Mat Typing

Holiday Scavenger Hunt

2009-02-18T07:32:00.003-06:00

Click on the picture to access this fun inquiry into all things February:

Rock Websites for 4th Grade

2009-01-29T12:21:00.006-06:00

1. Rock Identification Key

2. Rocks for Kids

3. Rock Videos and Interactives

4. More Rock Links

Battle of the Books 2009

2009-01-27T15:30:00.002-06:00

All students participating in the Battle of the Books must read one of the electronic selections below. Just click on the link for your team and enjoy!

1. 4-6 Team: Black ear... Blonde Ear

2. 7-8 Team: 7-8: Tale of Sigismunda and Krpimir

Basic Computer Skills.

2009-01-25T11:14:00.002-06:00

1. Make a Face

2. Finger-painting

3. Practice Using the Mouse

4. Sheep Jumping

Alphabetical Order

2009-01-24T11:07:00.000-06:00

Painting: CLICK HERE

Spanish Language Resources

2008-12-16T16:21:00.006-06:00

In order to supplement the new Spanish-language and bilingual editions to our library collection, I wanted to highlight some of our best online resources that are also available in Spanish. (Just click images below)

1. Britannica Online--Elementary Edition:

Select "Elementary" Edition. Enter your topic in the "Search" box and then select the article that best matches what you are looking for. To hear the words read aloud to you just turn on the "Audio Tool" or to see English words translated in Spanish just turn on the "Spanish Translator" tool. (Username: 6130, Password: 6130)

2. Enciclopedia Juvenil:

Now you can access all of the wonderful resources from Britannica entirely in Spanish. (Username: 6130, Password: 6130)

3. International Children's Library: This exciting online resource offers fully-illustrated books in over 50 different languages, including Spanish.

Mummy Maker

2008-12-04T12:56:00.000-06:00

MAKE A MUMMY

or

DISCOVERY MUMMY MAKER

Evaluating Website: Frogs

2008-12-04T08:50:00.000-06:00

Check out the following three websites about frogs. Which of them would be useful to you? Which of them would not? Why?

1. Michele's Frog Page

2. Exploratorium: Frogs

3. Froggyville

O Ambassadors

2008-12-01T09:56:00.002-06:00

The Swift O Ambassadors club, Swift Creates Change, is learning more about the program by exploring the following link:

O Ambassadors Student Page

O Ambassadors Regions

Spend some time reading and work to change the world!

Chess Links for 2nd and 3rd Grade

2008-11-26T13:17:00.000-06:00

CLICK PICTURE TO PLAY THE PAWN GAME:

Electoral Colleges

2008-10-27T08:58:00.004-05:00

The legal underpinnings of the Electoral College were written into the U.S. Constitution in 1787. Yet even after 200 years, and a number of elections that have been decided by the Electoral College rather than the popular vote, most Americans have no idea what the Electoral College actually does, or how, or when.

To win the presidency, a candidate will need to secure 270 of the total 538 electoral votes.

Using the Links Below:

1. Calculate the least number of states that a candidate must secure to win the presidency.

2. Calculate what configurations (if any) could end in a tie between 2 candidates

The Function of the Electoral College

The Electoral College Map

LEARN MORE

Researching with Databases

2008-10-05T23:24:00.004-05:00

Today your task is to complete a research task by using a fun data base called Kids InfoBits. Your task is to answer the question, "What is Columbus Day and why do we celebrate it?"

After you click on the image below you will have to enter 6130 as the password:

Keyboard Challenge

2008-09-29T13:43:00.003-05:00

CLICK HERE

Seach Factmonster.com: Click on Picture

2008-05-19T08:38:00.000-05:00

Medical Investigation...

2008-05-18T09:07:00.000-05:00

Click Here to Solve

Global Warming Links

2008-04-30T10:36:00.002-05:00

1. Global Warming Kids

2. Global Warming Challenge

3. Climate Change: Kids

4. Global Warming Basics

Northeast Magnet Cluster Writing Conference

2008-04-29T07:27:00.003-05:00

Our Swift middle-schoolers participated in this year's writing conference. Click on the the link below (or the picture) to read/see some of their great work:

Chicago Teen Writers

6th Grade Rainforest Links

2008-04-22T09:53:00.005-05:00

General Information

1. Rainforests: Mongabay.com

2. Biomes of the World: Rainforest

3. The Rainforest Biome

4. Exploring the Tropical Rainforest

5. Enchanted Learning: All About Rainforests

6. Rainforest Facts

7. How Rainforests Work

8. Passport to the Rainforest

9. Rainforest Education

10. Learning About Rainforests

Animals and Plants

1. Rainforest Animal Library

2. Blueplanet Biomes

3. Rainforest Live

4. Rainforest Animals

Rainforest Pictures

1. Photos of the World's Rainforests

Rainforest Natural Resources

1. Natural Resources

4th Grade Research

2008-04-16T10:44:00.003-05:00

Swift's 4th graders are exploring the branches of the US Government Using the Following Links:

1. Ben's Guide to the US Government

2. Kids.gov

3. Congress for Kids

Chicago Architecture

2008-04-14T13:41:00.007-05:00

Click on the links below to explore Chicago's wonderful buildings:

1. Great Buildings - Chicago

2. Chicago Architecture Info

3. A View On Cities - Chicago

4. Sky Scrapers Page

5. Chicago Traveler Panoramas

Cinquain Poems

2008-04-01T10:33:00.000-05:00

EXAMPLES HERE

Test Your Trivia Knowledge

2008-03-28T13:06:00.004-05:00

Play Trivia Archer

Black History Month Projects

2008-02-14T09:15:00.004-06:00

Swift's 7th graders are exploring Black History Month by researching a person, invention, event, or topic that is related to Black history in the United States. Start by exploring some of the links below or choosing from one of your teacher's suggested topics:

*Civil Rights, *Black Astronauts, *Kwanzaa, *Black Inventors, *Politicians, *Bus Boycotts, *LA Riots - Rodney King, *Constitutional Amendments, *Desegregation, *Seperate but Equal, *Greensboro Sit-Ins, *Black Athletes, *Civil Rights Activists, *Black Colleges in U.S., *Black Writers, *Underground Railroad, *Mowtown

Some helpful links:

1. Biography.com: Black History

2. Encyclopedia Britannica's Guide to Black History

3. History.com: Black History Facts

4. Infoplease.com: Black History Month

A Holiday Story about YOU!

2007-12-17T12:07:00.001-06:00

CLICK ON THE PICTURE:

Constitution Projects

2007-12-17T09:48:00.000-06:00

YOUR TASK: Research a topic related to the US Constitution. The topics are:
1. The Constitutional Convention
2. The Legislative Branch
3. The Executive Branch
4. The Judicial Branch
5. The Founding Fathers
6. The Reasons for the Constitution
7. The Amendments and Processes
8. The Stars and Stripes

YOUR PROCESS:
A. List keywords that will help you find information.
B. List places you will look for information
C. Read pages to pull information
D. Take notes to bring back to Art Class

A GOOD PLACE TO START:
Ben's Guide to the US Government

December Holidays

2007-12-17T08:56:00.000-06:00

YOUR TASK:

To find websites that discuss various holidays that occur in the month of December.

YOUR PROCESS:

1. To come up with various key words to use in your search.
2. Use subject directories and search engines to locate websites.
3. Gather information from those websites.

YOUR TOOLS:

Ask.com
Clusty.com
Kids Click
ALA Kid's Websites
Virtual Middle School Library

Researching Rhinos

2007-11-30T08:30:00.000-06:00

Use these resources to answer the questions on your handout:

1. Black Rhinoceros

2. Rhinoceros diagram

3. Black Rhino Facts

Inventions

2007-11-30T08:25:00.000-06:00

Use these websites to explore common inventions and when they were created:

1. Innovation Timeline

2. The history of toys

3. Famous Inventions: A to Z

Colonial Life in America

2007-11-29T07:32:00.000-06:00

Use the following links to help you research Colonial Life in America:

1. Colonial Life

2. Colonial Kids

3. Amusements in Colonial New England

4. Colonial Williamsburg: A great resource for all aspects of Colonial life in Williamsburg

5. Exploring Maryland's Roots

6. 13 Originals: Founding the American Colonies

Thanksgiving Fun

2007-11-20T12:18:00.001-06:00

Click on the links below to play some Thanksgiving games!

1. Turkey To Go

2. Thanksgiving Match Game

3. Turkey Hunt

4. Over The River

Find the Shapes!

2007-11-13T09:51:00.001-06:00

The Super3: Learning to research

2007-11-05T07:44:00.001-06:00

Today our primary students are learning how to solve problems using the Super3 steps to research.

1. Learn all about the the Super3 at this website.

2. Work through the research process here.

3. Learn about Penguins in order to make a plan to solve your problem.

4. A few more animal resources to explore.

Big6 Research Skills

2007-10-29T08:48:00.001-05:00

Today we are going to begin our work with the Big6 research process. By visiting the websites below, we will first pick a topic and subtopics, and then plan our approach to completing a research assignment.

1. Use ThinkTank to help you pick/develop your topic

2. Use this template to plan out your approach.

Don't forget to copy and paste your work into a word document!

Halloween Investigations

2007-10-26T11:43:00.000-05:00

Use ThinkTank to help you pick/develop your topic

1. Bats! Why you should care.

2. Creature Feature: Vampire Bats

3. Halloween Games

More Science Fair Resources

2007-10-17T08:29:00.000-05:00

As our Swift Scientists continue their experiments, here are some additional resources for them to use:

Science Project Guides This is a wonderful guide to help with getting through the entire process.

Actual Projects from Gale Resource More ideas and explanations from the Gale Database.

Science Fair Help These are the links I posted a few weeks ago.

Internet Practice, Part Two

2007-10-16T10:21:00.000-05:00

1. Loony Tunes teach the Internet : After you click on the above link, select " Web Browsers" on the right side (next to the picture of the Frog) and then select "Browswer? What's a Browser?" and work through the first activity.

After you finish all of your work, you may spend a little bit of time exploring the library page or playing some games. Here are some links that are safe to check out at home and at school:

1. Ask for Kids -- Games

2. Games from Noggin

3. National Georgraphic for Kids -- Games

4. Online Games from the BBC

5. Sports Illustrated for Kids -- Games

6. Sesame Street Games

School Newspaper Links

2007-10-11T14:43:00.000-05:00

1. Teacher Tap Cool Newspapers

2. My School Journalism

The world of computers

2007-10-09T07:22:00.001-05:00

Our classes are exploring computers and the internet. This week we will be using the following websites:

1. Review some common computer terms

2. Learn about what to do on the Internet (Animation)

3. Practice moving around the Internet (beginning)

4. Learn about what to do on the Internet (advanced)

5. Learn more with Loony Tunes teach the Internet

Fifth Grade Explorers Project

2007-10-03T08:38:00.001-05:00

Our Swift 5th graders are learning about explorers. Below are three helpful tools to aid them (and you) in their research.

1. Research Paper Organizer: The Think Tank website helps you make an outline. First you select the kind of topic you are researching, then you choose from a list of things you want to include about your topic, and finally you print out your list and you are ready to go!

2. Taking notes: So now you have used your paper outline to gather sources, and you need to take notes in order to answer each question.

3. Bibliography maker: This helpful website may just be the coolest thing since sliced bread. Any research paper requires a bibliography, which you know is a list of the sources you use. This website lets you make an account (By just selecting a username and password), tells you what information to use, and finally makes your bibliography for you!

Happy researching!

Teaching Books

2007-09-20T22:40:00.001-05:00

This fabulous free resource can supplement any classroom literature discussion or book club exploration with just a touch of a button. Imagine being able to ask your favorite authors questions about how they came up with all of their ideas. Or perhaps you want to watch an award-winning illustrator create their visual masterpieces. Log on to TeachingBooks and you will have access to a wonderful array of reading guides, videos, and activities.

When you log on, just enter "cps" for the password and you are in!

Literacy Support: Between the Lions

2007-09-19T11:49:00.000-05:00

Visit this site: Between the Lions for a wealth of wonderful games that deal with letter order, word meaning, and phonemic awareness. There is also a great game about books in the library! Just play them in order or select the game from the scrolling picture menu on the left. Some great ones are:

Synonym Sam's Lab

Word Play

Gawain's World

Chicken Stacker

Have fun learning!

Literacy Support: Game Goo

2007-09-11T08:28:00.000-05:00

Earobics' website is another great tool for improving reading/decoding skills.

Click here to access Game Goo

Or visit the Parents/Teachers site here.

Literacy Support: Starfall

2007-09-09T20:54:00.001-05:00

Star Fall (Learn to Read) was conceived by Dr. Stephen Schutz, who as a child had difficulty learning to read. His son, Jared Schutz Polis, serves on the Colorado State Board of Education and adds his efforts into helping to make the Starfall program available to the world. The program was built by a team of teachers, graphic artists, and computer animators across the country led by Brandi Chase. Starfall is proud to make the Starfall program available on-line for free on the internet to the whole world.

The stories were written with special attention towards maintaining a simple, coherent, and engaging story line. Word recognition skills are reinforced through word family Phonic Games that teach phonemic awareness, comprehension, vocabulary building and spelling skills. Concept Movies introduce general reading concepts and function as incentive for reading.

Although geared toward primary students, it is a valuable resource for emergent readers at any level. A permanent link to Star Fall (Learn to Read) will now be placed under "Reading Links."

Reading on the Internet...

2007-09-05T19:33:00.000-05:00

Feel like listening to a story but there isn't anyone around to read to you? Well, now there is:

STORYLINE ONLINE

This site features many wonderful children's books read by famous screen actors. Just pick a book from the menu on the left, hit "Let's Read It" and sit back and enjoy.

---OR---

Visit the International Children's Library

The site includes digital books from all over the world--perfect for both our Primary and Middle Year's readers. They are a great way to learn about and experience other world cultures. Not all of them are written in English, but they are all worth taking some time to explore. (Because sometimes pictures are worth thousands of words!!!)

You can begin by either clicking "Read Books" in the upper left hand corner or try to search with the Simple Search or Location Search options in the middle of the page. The "Read Books" link provides you with a list of all the various search options--including "Advanced", "Keyword", and "Award-winning Books" along with the main options: Simple Search and Location Search.

Simple Search takes you to a page where you can first select the language of the book you'd like to find. Then just use the buttons all around the middle to specify what color you want your book to be, what age-level you would prefer, how long of a selection you want to find, or what types of characters you want to be featured inside of your story.

Location Search takes you to a picture of the globe and an arrow. Just simply click on the arrow to spin the globe, and then select the country from which you would like to read a book. Once you make a selection you may choose ways to View, Sort, and Locate your results.

Take some time to explore these wonderful resources. Happy reading!

Choose Your Own Book!

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Here are a few suggestions for deciding what book to read:

1. Ask for Recommendations
What are your friends' favorite books? What about your teachers? Word of mouth about a good book always spreads quickly. Also check award lists and book reviews.

2. Pick a book by one of your favorite Authors.
If you liked a book by a particular author, you may want to try another by that person. Some examples include JK Rowling (Harry Potter), Marc Brown (Arthur books), or Eric Carle (The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Brown Bear Brown Bear, Mister Seahorse...)

3. Choose by Genre or Subject.
What kinds of books do you like? It may help to select by...

Suject: History, Mystery, Adventure, Travel, Animal Stories, Fairy Tales....

Genre: Fiction-Mystery, Fantasy, Folklore, Mythology, Historical, Adventure
NonFiction-Pets, Wildlife, Astronomy, Technology, Cooking, Science, Biographies

4. Cover
Some people say that "You can't judge a book by its cover," but we do it all the time. A catchy title and good illustrations may draw our attention, but we can also learn a lot of information by inspecting a book's cover:
--Read what is written on the back of the book, as well as the inside book flap.
--What else did the author write?
--Did this book receive an award?
--When was this book written? This may or may not be important, but sometimes finding the most current edition can be helpful.

5. Check the Reading Level
Open your book to the middle and begin reading:

--The book is too EASY if...
You can read it very fast.
There are no challenging words.
You finish quickly.

--The book is too HARD if...
You find lots of challenging words...several you cannot figure out.
You have to read and reread keep up with the story.
Some parts do not make sense to you.

--The book is JUST RIGHT if...
You read a little slowly at times.
You can figure out even the most challenging words.
You can think about the story while reading.
You are enjoy what you read and want to continue.

The most important thing to remember when selecting a book is to KEEP LOOKING. You may need to read a few books before you find that special one just for you. Finding a good book is like finding a best friend.

Meet Your Library.

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Your library is a valuable resource.

It is a good place to hear stories.

And it is a cozy place to learn.

But it is also a good place to conduct your own investigations into the world around you. Your library is organized into several sections to help you find exactly what you are looking for:

The "Easy" section is filled with picture books for beginning readers. These titles are marked with an "E" and alphabetized by the author's last name.

The "Fiction" section includes more advanced chapter books. These stories are imagined by their authors, sometimes based upon real people and events and sometimes not at all. These titles are marked with an "F" or "FIC" followed by the first three letters of the author's last name. Just like the "Easy" books, "Fiction" is shelved in alphabetical order by the author's last name.

The "Nonfiction" section features books all about the world around us. These titles are filled with facts and are a very valuable research tool for investigating subjects you may be learning about in your classroom. The "Nonfiction" section is categorized using the Dewey Decimal System. Every book is assigned a number that tells you what that book is about. For example, any book with a 500 is about a science topic while a book with a 200 deals with religion.

The "Reference" section is a very important stop on any research quest. Filled with Encyclopedias, almanacs, dictionaries, and subject guides, this is a great place to learn more about almost any topic.

Hope to see you soon!

Welcome Back!

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Today is the first day of school for all of our Swift scholars. We have an exciting year ahead of us filled with many new things to learn. To help support all of that learning, the Library has spent the summer cleaning house and re-organzing. Be sure to stop by the second floor and check it out. Have a wonderful year and keep reading!