"At the moment that we persuade a child, any child, to cross that threshold, that magic threshold into a library, we change their lives forever, for the better." ~Barack Obama (from a speech to the American Library Association June 25, 2005)

2010 Summer Reading List - Incoming 5th & 6th Grade Students 2010 Summer Reading List - Incoming 7th & 8th Grade Students As a THANK YOU to parents, students, staff and community members for supporting our school and its fundraiser events throughout the school year, we are having a BUY ONE - GET ONE FREE BOOK FAIR during the last week of May. Buy any book at the book fair and get a book of your choice from the 2010 Summmer Reading List FREE! American colonies: Ms. Valley's American Colonies. Bill of Rights Project: Ms. Valley's Bill of Rights web page. Bully Game: An interactive game. Author & Illustrator Websites: A list of author and illustrator websites. Best Online Reference Sites: Citation Maker: Here is a great tool for interactively citing your book, online database, WWW, and lots of other types of sources! Citation Maker by EasyBib: Interactive bibliography composer. Citing electronic sources: How to cite electronic sources using the MLA Style. Cite those sources: An interactive tutorial that explains copyright, fair use, public domain, and answers other copyright questions. It is fun and easy to understand! Citing Sources - Plagiarism: A quick review of plagiarism. Citing Sources MLA Style: Examples and instructions on how to cite books, dictionaries, encyclopedias, magazine articles, newspapers, essays, poems, short stories, online sources, and web sites MLA Style by the University of Minnesota. Copyright Detectives: Taking the mystery out of copyright Copyright in detail: Copyright laws, etc. Copyright Basics: A PowerPoint presentation on copyright basics. Guide to the Internet: Just getting started with E-mail, WWW, FTP, etc. Google Lit Trip for Middle GradesUsing Google Earth, discover where places within the story are. Graphic Organizer: Venn diagram, story maps, persuasion map, goal-reasons web, timeline, and lots of charts. iCONN.orgThrough iCONN, a core level of information resources including secured access to licensed databases is available to every citizen in Connecticut. In addition, specialized research information is available to students and faculty. Information Literacy: Online resources for librarians and teachers focusing on information literacy and research skills. Includes the Big6, evaluating information, evaluating websites, and lesson plans for learning and teaching with the Internet. Internet Public Library: Online library for kids. Internet Safety Guide Libriarian help: Ask a librarian for help online. Librarian's Internet Index: Websites selected and organized by librarians. My teacher hates me: Really? Note-taking: Ms. Valley's Note-taking PowerPoint Plagiarism: Ms. Valley's plagiarism web page. Research Wizard: Full of tutorials and wizards for learning to research and evaluate. The Bellsouth Digital project: A project-based learning activity where students video taped interviews with veterans from WWII and the Korean Wars. National Educational Techynology Standards for Students Privacy-What's the big deal? Protect Your Online Privacy: EFF's Top 12 Ways to Protect Your Online Privacy explains how to configure hardware and software to best protect privacy. Privacy Information Center: includes the latest and archived news about Internet privacy. Privacy-Frequently Asked Questions about the Children's Online Privacy: Protection Rule clarifies the U.S. Federal Trade Commission rule for protecting the privacy of children online, including how it affects schools and libraries. Privacy - Kidz: developed by U.S. Federal Trade Commission, explains rules for protecting children's privacy online and provides information about the 1998 Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. Privacy Seal Program: TRUSTe provides information on the Children Privacy Seal Program, which endorses and provides a seal of approval for Web sites that protect the privacy of children online. Privacy-Common Concerns: Practice safe computing Searching Online: Searching by keyword & subject KidsClick Weekly Reader for Teens: Blogs, games and contests for teenagers. Website Evaluation: Ms. Vally's website evaluation page. Website Evaluation PPT: Ms. Valley's PowerPoint on website evaluation. Websites Eval Criteria 700+ Great , developed by the American Library Association, describes how children's librarians evaluate Web sites for children's use. Website Evaluation: An interactive tutorial on how to evaluate websites. Writing book reviews: How to write a book review. Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy Writing paragraphs: How to write a paragraph and topic sentence.

Ms. Valley's Recommendations Tales from the Brothers Grimm and the Sisters Weird Interest Level: 4 - 8 Grade Level Equivalent: 5.9 Lexile® measure: 920L Genre: Fairytale About This Book: Gr 4-8 A different take on traditional icons of virtue and evil. In the course of retelling some popular fairy tales, Vande Velde challenges readers' notions of good, bad, and ugly by examining the stock characters' motivations and often recasting them in a different light. Needless to say, these role reversals affect very different outcomes to the familiar, if slightly fractured, story lines. For example, kindhearted Rumpelstiltzkin wins the heroine away from the vain, self-important king, and the Frog Prince, once restored to his princely stature, rejects the haughty princess and goes home to the goose girl. To say nothing of the demonic twins Hansel and Gretel, who have done in one mother and are ready to take on another. Modern references and sensibilities, such as those in the ``And Now a Word from Our Sponsor'' and ``PG-13,'' add to the humor (often the gallows variety). Entertaining and provocative, these selections make good read-alouds and can be used to spark discussion or creative writing exercises. Review by ‘Luann Toth, School Library Journal Erak's ransom (Ranger's Apprentice series, book #7) Interest Level: 6 - 8 Grade Level Equivalent: 6.4 Lexile® measure: 870L DRA: 60 Genre: Adventure Fables, Folk Tales and Myths Fantasy Themes: Courage and Honor Friends and Friendship Leadership and Responsibility Loyalty Pride and Self-Esteem About This Book: Book 7, the latest adventure in the Ranger's Apprentice series, chronologically takes place after Book 4. Soon to conclude his apprenticeship and become a ranger, young Will joins Halt, Gilan, Horace, Evanlyn, and Svengal on a perilous mission to free their friend Erak, who has been captured by the Arridians and held for ransom. The vaguely Middle Eastern desert setting provides new challenges, new allies, and new foes for the Araluens and their Skandian friends. Bringing together many favorite characters for a grand adventure, this book delivers both excitement and quiet good times.--Phelan, Carolyn Booklist