VRC Site of the Month: Health & Wellness Resource

Happy New Year! Like many people, you may have made a resolution to get healthy in the new year. Check out the Health & Wellness Resource site on the VRC.

The site contains magazines, journals, newspapers, definitions, directories, and information on: Fitness, Pregnancy, Medicine, Nutrition, Diseases, Public Health, Occupational Health and Safety, Alcohol and Drug abuse, Prescription Drugs, Herbal remedies, and alternative or complementary treatments.

Mr. Worthington- 8th gr. Comparing & Constrasting Presidents

President Roosevelt is considered, by many historians, to be one of the greatest presidents the United States has ever had. For this assignment, students will compare and contrast Teddy Roosevelt's presidency with that of another prominet president such as John F. Kennedy, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, etc.

Factors to consider are:

1. The role of the U.S. in world during the individual's presidency.
2. Leadership qualities of the person
3. Domestic iniatives
4. Economic climate of the country
5. General outlook of the country
6. Intangibles

Students will be conducting research in the Library Information Center.

Available Resources include:

• The Complete Book of U.S. Resources- REF DeG.
• Current Biography- 921 Bio
• SIRS Discoverer- See Notable People section

Information Literacy Standards:

Standard 2-The student who is information literate accesses information efficiently and effectively.

Matrix Helps Students Weigh Internet Research

eSchool News Report:

For anyone doing research online, the abundance of information available can be overwhelming--and so can the task of sifting out unreliable information. Now, a pair of researchers hopes to give students a method for assessing the reliability of material they find on the internet, whether it's in Wikipedia articles, YouTube videos, or blogs.

In a paper they recently presented at a teaching symposium, English professor Susan Miller-Cochran (North Carolina State U.) and Rochelle Rodrigo (Mesa Community College in Arizona), suggest that students be given a sort of checklist to explore as they consider online--and offline--texts.

The two main questions they encourage students to ask are: How does the information change over time--is it constantly updated and revised, or static? And, how has the information been reviewed?

The professors' published guideline is formatted as a matrix of questions aimed at helping students decipher what should be used in a research project and what should be ignored. The guide asks if sources are "continuously changeable through repeat performances or revisions," "reviewed by someone with authority or certification prior to publication," and "published and revised by the author." It also prompts students to question if the material was reviewed by other experts in the same profession.

Often, as in the case of Wikipedia, which has elements of peer review as well as self-publication, the answers can get murky. But Miller-Cochran says the end goal is for students to learn how to analyze texts without "pigeonholing the material based on where it was found."

*Although today's students are much more likely to begin their research online, Miller-Cochran said students still often perceive the articles, charts, and data found in books as more authoritative than online information.

VRC Site of the Month: SIRS Discoverer

SIRS Discoverer:
This site contains full-text articles and images from thousands of domestic and international publications appropriate for grades 1-9. It includes access to Current Events, World Almanac for Kids, Thesaurus, Dictionary, Encyclopedia, Maps of the World and an Educators' Resources.

You can also browse the following subjects:

• Animals
• Arts
• Cultures
• Countries
• Environment
• Health & Human Body
• History & Government
• Notable People
• Science
• Social Issues
• Sports
• Technology

Mr. Mutter- 8th gr.- The Science in Science Fiction

Students will select a science fiction novel from a pre-approved list. They will then conduct research and prepare a paper that separates science fiction from current science and examines the possibility for the future based on science trends. Ideas in the paper must be supported by scientific data and a minimum of 5 resources (including at least 2 book/periodical resources) must be cited.

Ms. Hatcher (LMS) will be working with the students on work citation and research sources throughout the project.

Information Literacy Standard(s):

Standard 1: The student who is information literate accesses information efficiently and effectively.

Mrs. Cadolino- 8th gr. Flowers for Algernon

Mrs. Cadolino's class is researching the pros and cons of animal testing as part of an assignment for the book "Flowers for Algernon." Ms. Hatcher (LMS) instructed the class in the use of following VRC databases: SIRS Discoverer and the Science Reference Center.

Suggested search terms for the assignment:

Cosmetic testing
Animal testing
Cosmetics industry
Animal experimentation
Commercial testing

Information Literacy Standard(s):

Standard 2: The student who is information literate evaluates information critically and competently.
Standard 9: The student who contributes positively to the learning community and to society is information literate and participates effectively in groups to pursue and generate information.

New Fiction Titles

New fiction books are in!!

Some available titles are:

Adventure:

• Snakehead by Anthony Horowitz

Contemporary:

• Three Days by Donna Jo Napoli
• The Unmaking of Duncan Veerick
• Small Steps by Sachar
• Stranded in Boringsville by Catherine Bateson

Fantasy:

• Brisingr by Christopher Paolini
• The Seer and the Sword by Victoria Hanley
• Fire Arrow by Edith Pattou
• The Wizard's Dilemna by Diane Duane
• Heir Apparent by Vivian Vande Velde
• Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

Historical Fiction:

• The Tears of the Salamander by Peter Dickinson
• Hush: An Irish Princess Tale by Donna Jo Napoli
• Dragon's Gate by Laurence Yep

Multicultural Fiction:

• Kampung Boy by Lat
• Bound by Donna Jo Napoli
• Parvana's Journey by Deborah Ellis

Science Fiction:

• The Secret Under My Skin by Janet McNaughton

Short Stories:

• The Midnight Library by Damien Graves

Information Literacy Standards:

Standard 5: The student who is an independant learner is information literate and appreciates literature and other creative expressions of information.