Galileo for Research

Below you will see two ways to utilize Galileo for a good start on research:

1) Accessing the RESEARCH STARTER from the main search page.

2) Accessing ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA directly from the list of databases.

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1) To access RESEARCH STARTER, type your topic in the search box:

If there is a RESEARCH STARTER for your topic, it will be the first result. 

Next, try this........

2)To go directly to ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA, go to the Galileo home page and choose "Browse by Type":

Next, choose "Encyclopedias" from the list:

Choose either Middle or High School Encyclopedia. HS will give more info and Middle is geared to middle reading comprehension. Explore both if you like.

Once you enter your search topic see the side bar for further reliable sources.

Digital Tips December 2017

Galileo Refresher, Ctrl+Z, Ctrl+Y and Hamburger Menus.

All-New Reading Bowl

THE 1st ANNUAL

ANCS READING BOWL

&

PANCAKE BRUNCH!!!!

Saturday, January 20

Middle Campus Library

9-11am

After years of deliberation, I want to have our students and families involved in an event that is more interesting, creative and fun than what we have done in the past. Our reading selections will continue with books from the Georgia Children’s Book Award Nominees - and for all 25 listed, no matter the grade level. I am super excited about our new “bowl” and hope STUDENTS AND FAMILIES will join us in this day to celebrate the joy of reading. And pancakes.

• For Students AND Families
• Jeopardy-Style Trivia
• Prizes
• Book Discussion
• PANCAKES!!!

Meetings will be held by grade level during Fridays at lunch. Participants may eat lunch in the media center to read and brainstorm or work on a book talk, book trailer or jackdaw.

Students will create at least one of the following, but may do as many as wanted for multiple titles. These will be shared as a displays/presentations on that Saturday:

• Book Talk: A good book talk usually lasts 1-2 minutes. Your job is to SELL the viewer on why they should read the book - like an advertisement. No spoilers. Search online for examples.
• Book Trailer: 1-2 minute video creation about a book. Similar to movie trailers. No spoilers. Search online for examples.
• Jackdaw (Ms. L’s favorite): A jackdaw (also a bird in the crow family that likes shiny objects) is a collection of artifacts and items that represent what happened in a book - household objects, maps, photos, recipes, timelines - even music playing that might evoke that period. For our jackdaws you will need to provide 5-10 items and label them with how they relate to the story. There are not many good examples of this project online. Ms. Linahan will bring an example to a Friday lunch.

**Interested students and families should sign up with Ms. Linahan in the library or at tlinahan@atlncs.org

Digital Tips November 2017

Today's tips include Chromebook screenshots, thesaurus.com and the "askew" Google Easter egg!! (*a digital Easter egg is an inside joke or hidden feature)

Digital Tips - Oct 2017

Fine-tune Google search by news and time and using the stopwatch/timer.

APS Cyber Secuity Poster Contest

Details are HERE!



See Ms. Linahan if you have additional questions.

Digital Tips - Sep 2017

See search tips on "quotations", the minus (-) sign and calculator!

Reading Bowl 2017-18

You can find a link to the official Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl (HRRB) informational page in one of the tabs above, but for specific ANCS info, read on.

Students must commit to reading at least 5 of the 20 books. Once finished with a book, students will need to submit 5 trivia questions to Ms. Linahan.

We will meet for practice on Monday afternoons from 4:00-4:45 in the library. During this time, we will read, discuss the books and create and practice trivia questions. If a student is unable to attend practice because of schedule conflicts, notify Ms. Linahan and we can work something out - however, each team member should try to make it at least 1 team practice per month before the meet in January. The team will utilize Google Classroom and shared files to keep track of our trivia practice. 

The team will consist of 5 players and 5 alternates. The selection of players/alternates will be based on:

The number of books read.
The number of practices attended.
The amount of work you put into trivia creation and practice.

Here is a list of the HRRB books for this year.

Summer Reading and Math 2017

See our summer reading here!

Here is the summer and math handout.

Book #1: Read at least one of the four required book options
Book #2: Read at least one of the other four required book options, the suggested reads or one of your own choice (must be a grade level book).

Please note, this list includes suggested grade ranges. A few books may be more appropriate for 7th or 8th graders. Links to more thorough reviews are provided. It is up to the family to decide.

Also, Amazon links are included for informational purposes. Books may be previewed, and other editorial reviews are available on this site. We encourage you to shop Little Shop of Stories and Barnes & Noble Edgewood, or utilize your neighborhood library, too.

Any questions, please ask.

tlinahan@atlncs.org

Fact Checking

With "fake news" being the big news while I try to teach our kids how to search smarter, I was thrilled to hear about Google's new search tool. It is a feature to alert users of news stories that have been fact-checked by independent organizations like Politifact or Snopes. It is a useful way to verify if what you are reading has been verified as true or not.

In my excitement, I immediately searched Google for one of my all-time favorite urban legends, The Kentucky Fried Rat. Unfortunately, no fact-check tags popped up at the the top of my search. Instantly suspicious, I did some fact-checking research to be sure this Google feature was not fake news itself. What I learned was while this tag certainly doesn't apply to every search, it will apply to more relevant, widely viewed news articles. It will be interesting to see how this develops over time as more fact checks from different sources come into play.

For now, this is what you can expect when you see a fact-checked tag:

Recent "news" that some well-meaning Facebook friends urgently shared.

And for you informed reading pleasure, add a shortcut or bookmark to this Snopes category. All the latest fact-checks at your fingertips! (And, no, Malia Obama was not expelled from Harvard.)

http://www.snopes.com/category/facts/

GA Children's Book Award Nominees (and new Reading Bowl List!!)

It is always exciting to see what our Reading Bowl books for the next year will be, and it looks like we have a great crop to sow!

http://gcba.coe.uga.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/2017-18-Gr4-8-Top20.pdf

Digital Literacy - SNAPCHAT

Today in AGP we talked about Snapchat, the current number one social media platform among our students (via random sampling).

As adults, we must navigate the slippery slope of technology development while keeping our young people informed and safe. The Snapchat Safety Center is a good place to review their policies and find other resources in helping teach kids social etiquette, personal security and the responsibility and accountability that comes with this tool.

Essay Contest - Deadline March 14

This essay contest, hosted by Scholastic Books and Major League Baseball (MLB) invites diverse students in grades 4-9 to write about overcoming diversity. 

Per the website: "Write an essay about a barrier that you have faced. Explain how you used one or more of Jackie Robinson's nine values—citizenship, commitment, courage, determination, excellence, integrity, justice, persistence, and teamwork—to face this barrier."

For more details, speak to Ms. Linahan. 

Final entries must be typed and saved as a pdf and will be uploaded by Ms. Linahan. 

1. Write an essay about a barrier that you have faced. Explain how you faced this
barrier by using one or more of Jackie Robinson’s Nine Values:

• Citizenship
• Commitment
• Courage

• Determination
• Excellence
• Integrity

• Justice
• Persistence
• Teamwork

2. On each entry, include the following information:

• student’s name
• student’s grade
• teacher's name
• school name
• school city/state

3. Limit one entry per student. All essays must be factual and based on the 

student's real-life experience. Fictional stories will be disqualified.

4.  Word Count Requirements:

• Grades 4–6: 200 to 750 words
• Grades 7–9: 500 to 1,400 words