Big 6 Research Method

If you would like to learn more about the Big 6 research process that we are using in our school, you can stay up to date by browsing my Symbaloo on the Big 6.

Did you know...

that the brain experiences growth spurts throughout a person's life.  According to the work of Dr. Von Stultz, a psychologist and director of Bexar County juvenile probation, to the second growth spurt of the brain occurs during the ages of 10-13.  Guess what students - that means that you can control your own brain development!  The first growth spurt occurs when you are just a toddler and you are at the mercy of those around you.  BUT during the second growth spurt- you have the power and the ability to assist in your own brain development.

How will you take advantage of this second growth spurt?

What will you do to enhance your mind?  Will you read a book (yay books!), play a sports hone your art or music skills?  

Remember Gators the choice is yours!

It's a Google World

As classes have been visiting the media center the past two months, students have been completing a Google form survey concerning how they perform research for their classes.  Not surprising, the most prominent way students search for information is to "google" it.

Google is so commonplace that even small children understand the concept using the search engine to find information.  However, do you know the proper techniques to yield the greatest amount of information?

To help assist our students, I am providing some pointers to help your searches yield the best possible results.

• Remember that Google does not answer questions, but instead matches words.  Do not type a question into Google, use only relevant terms.  
• The more direct terms you use, the more direct results you will receive.  (Example:  apples vs. gala apples; wars of the world vs. World War II, gala apples and World War II will receive a more narrowed responses)  
• Use synonyms.  Do not be afraid to try searching for a term that means the same thing.  This can yield more results.  (Ex.  
• Sponsored websites often appear at the top of the page.  While these may provide information, remember that these are websites that paid for that location.  
• Quotations around sets of words will direct Google to look for those exact words in that exact order.
• Typing "site:" before a keyword and before a url (Ex:  site:almsmedia.blogspot.com)will search for results in that site.  
• Typing a minus sign (-) without a space  before any word will exclude any words that you do not want to appear in your search.  
• Things like spelling, capitalization, and punctuation do not matter while using Google.  If you do not know how to spell a word try out what you think.  Google will provide some choices.  
• Ever need a definition of a word.  Type define in front of a word and the meaning will appear in the search results.  

 I hope these basic tips will help you while searching for information.  Happy searching! 

Big 6

At Archer Lodge this year, we are focusing on the Big 6 research method.  Classes are being instructed individually in the library.

On the home screen of our catalog, is a link to a student guide that can provide assistance to any student that is working on completing an assignment. For your convenience I am also including it here:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/19jGFaMq8-Bs-FVqA_AAP6FRVf7UeTIV4GHtPFl4WoME/edit?usp=sharing

Students, if you ever are in need of help, please do not hesitate to come visit me.  The media center is open from 7:30-3:30.

Ghosts, yetis, and aliens- oh my

A lot of questionable activity occurring in the media center lately.  Ms. Taylor and Ms. Guy have joined me in the media center for a very special iRead grouplooking into mysterious figures and places.  Among the list are ghosts, yetis, the Bermuda Triangle, Atlantis and the Loch Ness monster.
Below is sampling of images from the day spent doing tabletop discussions on our subjects:

  Stay tuned for updates from this group as we complete our project.

Blog about Blogging

To Blog or not  to Blog....

That is the new question.  In the words of a now classic commercial - it is so easy a caveman can do it.  I remember the first blog that I created years ago that still exists somewhere out in cyberspace. I had to do a lot more work as far as creating and editing the blog.  Now one you can simply sign up for an account and start.  

Blogs in education

The ease and availability of creating and maintaining blogs have allowed for the use of blogs within the educational setting to grow.  Many teachers across the country and (most importantly to my main audience) at Archer Lodge Middle School are using blogs as a way for staff and students to communicate.  For teachers, using blogs provides a way to stay in touch with both students and parents with current classroom activity and events.  Blogs allow the opportunity to "create (sic) a digital filing cabinet for students to archive their work and, in effect, create (sic a space for an online portfolio" (Richardson, 2009, p. 22).  Imagine never having to worry about misplacing assignments because they are all in one space.   Also, as time is something there never seems to be enough of in the classroom, staff and students can respond to each other through blogs and comments and create a digital collaborative classroom that can be recorded for prosperity.  This proves to be the greatest asset of utilizing blogs in the school setting - a collaborative space that exists inside and outside of the school walls.  

As a media coordinator, I use this blog to provide updates to those in the Archer Lodge community of happenings in the media center.  I have also posted links to sites that may assist students and staff.  As this is my first year at this school, my blogs are limited on this site.  I plan to continue to add new and relevant information through the rest of the year that can assist current, future and pasts students and staff.    

If you are not currently utilizing blogs in your classroom or school, will you consider a classroom or library blog? If you are a member of the ALMS family, come visit me in the media center and I will help to you started.  

Works Cited

Richardson, W.  (2009).  Blogs, wikis, podcasts and other powerful web tools for classrooms. Corwin          Press:  Thousand Oaks, CA.  

6th grade science

Since returning from break students and staff have been busy!  The media center is now alive with one team's sixth grade science projects.  

Below is a collage of individual projects, so you can see the great job done by our sixth graders.    I apologize for not posting individuals of all projects, but my phone died in the process of taking photos.  I will post more later.  

Job well done guys!  I enjoyed helping some of you research and the final products!