What should I read next?!

You know that sinking feeling that sets in when you've caught up with your favorite author's works and have to wait impatiently for the next one to come out? Or, even worse, your favorite author is no longer living? What to do? 


I spend a fair amount of my readers' advisory time comforting and coaxing die-hard fans of into trying something different. 


But if you need more reading suggestions and aren't able to rush to the nearest library for in-person help, here are some things you can do instead:

• Do a web search for the author, title or series plus "readalikes" or "read alikes." Very likely you'll get a number of results.
• Check out the database Novelist through the public library. It's full of fabulous suggestions!
• Take advantage of Seattle Public Library's Your Next 5 Books service. You describe what you like; their librarians generously suggest more reading matter!
• Goodreads is a social networking site for readers. Use it to keep track of your reading wish list, rate books you've read, and find more titles. I have an account where I put books on virtual shelves by genre and age level.
• There are also a number of websites designed to fill this role, such as YourNextRead, What Should I Read Next? and Whichbook.

Happy reading!

Great online sites for readers of all ages

I think the Internet has been fantastic for readers - not only are there now great book-related social networking sites for older readers and adult, like Goodreads and Shelfari, there are also engaging databases for younger children such as TumbleBook Library and Book (accessible with your public library card).

Want to explore some more? Check out a few of these Sites That Fuel a Love of Reading, most of which are free. There's something out there for everyone!

Exploring math through literature

A recent Wall Street Journal article, A Worksheet for Math-Phobic Parents, described the importance of the attitudes parents convey about math to their children - how many ways we can inadvertently undermine them or send the message that math is hard and not much fun. By contrast, incorporating talk about math into daily life will go a long way towards building both math skills and positive interest in math.

To that end, I wanted to share a few great math-related books and sites! Coincidentally a mom dropped by the library this morning to check out a book of math puzzles. Parents, you are welcome to use our school library as well - stop by and see what we've got!

Sites

• KCLS Homework Help pages for Mathematics - lots of high quality websites for K-12 pre-screened by librarians
• netTrekker - many great sites, including ones with math puzzles (see my Sharepoint or OWS teacher page for login instructions)

Books

• G is for Googol: A Math Alphabet Book by David M. Schwartz
• Mental Math Challenges by Michael L. Lobosco
• Counting on Frank by Rod Clement
• Amazing Math Projects You Can Build Yourself by Laszlo C. Bardos
• Math Curse by Jon Scieszka
• One Riddle, One Answer by Lauren Thompson
• Pepper's Journal: A Kitten's First Year by Stuart J. Murphy
• Super Sand Castle Saturday by Stuart J. Murphy

We have a new database!

Our suite of databases that includes Culturegrams and the ProQuest products (eLibrary, eLibrary Elementary & ProQuest) now also comes with World Conflicts Today. This database explores protracted, unresolved world conflicts that have global implications. Regions include Afghanistan, Basque Country (Spain and France), Chechnya, Colombia, Darfur and Sudan, Iraq, Jammu and Kashmir, Korean Peninsula, Northern Ireland, and the Palestinian Territories.

Log in as you would for Culturegrams. Check your class website, your child's library research project handouts, or email Ms. Simeon at "library @ ows dot org" (without the spaces!) if you don't have the login and password handy.

This database could not be more timely or more valuable for our older students and their families. Please take advantage of it as well as the others we subscribe to.

Summer brain stretchers!

A parent recently asked for some educational websites for her child to explore over the summer. I have hunted down a few - but can't resist sharing some more book titles as well (be sure to check out the summer reading list too)!

Remember all the great databases our school subscribes to (see the menu on the left). Explore the world through CultureGrams, with its tidbits of information about countries and states, audio files and more. As a child I loved lying around with volumes of the encyclopedia spread out before me. Today's kids can surf their way through World Book Online!

For more summer activities, click on labels such as “writing” and “online games” (from the "labels" menu on the left) to view previous blog entries.

Books:

• The Philosophers' Club by Christopher Phillips
• Smart-opedia: The Amazing Book About Everything by Eve Drobot
• Story puzzles (folklore riddles from around the world) collected in various volumes by George Shannon: True Lies, Stories to Solve, More Stories to Solve, etc.

Educational websites:

General:
KidSpace
The Problem Site

Logic:
Games for the Brain
Plastelina

Math:
Math Doodles
MathMovesU

Language:
Free Rice
Want to Write?

Research? Help!

When it comes to research, some people enjoy the thrill of the hunt, while others feel despair. I confess to being one of the former group and I hope I can persuade those of you who are not that it really can be quite enjoyable!

While there are many models for research, one that is particularly user friendly is the Big 6. These six simple steps will lead you systematically from your original question to a polished finished product.

Of course one of the major research questions people often have is where to look for information? Our school library subscribes to several useful databases (see details on the left) that provide safe, efficient access to information. Similarly, you can access many databases and websites screened for K-12 students via our local public library.

What about Wikipedia? It is very popular with many students and their parents, and it is a wonderful experiment in online collaboration as well as sometimes being a useful jumping off point. For example, Wikipedia's footnotes are often a good place to start your search. However, due to hoaxsters, human error and person bias it has its perils as compared to more traditional sources - as many journalists around the world recently learned to their chagrin!

Books remain a wonderful choice for research, particularly since using them -navigating a table of contents, index, etc. - teaches valuable skills about the organization of information that can sometimes be lost in an online environment. Many younger researchers with shakier keyboarding and spelling skills also find books easier to use.

So get out there and have fun researching!