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RWANDA March 18, 2009

Posted by Ms. Klemundt in Help with Assignments, Web Resources.
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For students in Ms. Boe’s Current Events class who are coming into the library on Friday and next Monday, I’ve gathered some sites to help you in your research. I know that each group is addressing a different aspect of the situation in Rwanda, so some of these sites may be more useful to some groups than to others.

You can try searching for Rwanda, but I also had good luck searching for Rwanda AND genocide as well as Rwanda AND genocide AND response. After you search, especially in the subscription databases, look at the left and right sides of the Results page for links to more information. The same is true when you click into an article or document. Most databases and some stand-alone websites will try to connect you with related information.

As always, library staff will be around to help, so feel free to ask. If you need the usernames and passwords for the subscription databases, pick up a blue sheet in the library.

Library of Congress Country Studies
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/cshome.html

CIA World Fact Book
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html

BBC News Country Profiles
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/country_profiles/default.stm

Christian Science Monitor
http://www.csmonitor.com

New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com

British Broadcasting Corporation
http://www.bbc.co.uk

African Union (formerly Organisation of African Unity)
http://www.africa-union.org

Amnesty International
http://www.amnesty.org

PBS FRONTLINE — Ghosts of Rwanda
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/ghosts/

Readers’ Guide Full Text Select
http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com/hww/

Current Issues : Reference Shelf Plus (section on Genocide)
http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com/hww/

FACTS.com Issues & Controversies
http://www.2facts.com

CQ Researcher
http://library.cqpress.com

Britannica Online
http://www.school.eb.com

NEW BOOKS IN THE LIBRARY March 11, 2009

Posted by Ms. Klemundt in New books in the Library, Reading Recommendations.
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The Boy in the Striped Pajamas : A Fable by John Boyne
Bored and lonely after his family moves from Berlin to a place called “Out-With” in 1942, Bruno, the son of a Nazi officer, befriends a boy in striped pajamas who lives behind a wire fence.  Find it on our shelves at FIC BOY.

The Rhino with Glue-On Shoes : And Other Surprising True Stories of Zoo Vets and Their Patients edited by Lucy H. Spelman and Ted Y. Mashima
From a root canal on a 3000-pound hippo to one doctor’s heartbreaking efforts to save a critically ill lemur, here are acts of rescue, kindness, and cross-disciplinary cooperation between zoo vets and other top scientists. If you’re addicted to Animal Planet, this is the book for you! Find it on our shelves at 636.089 RHI.

The Possibilities of Sainthood by Donna Freitas
While regularly petitioning the Vatican to make her the first living saint, 15-year-old Antonia Labella prays to assorted patron saints for everything from help with preparing the family’s fig tree for a Rhode Island winter to getting her first kiss from the right boy.  Find it on our shelves at FIC FRE.

All the People in the Bible : An A-Z Guide to the Saints, Scoundrels, and Other Characters in Scripture by Richard Losch
A comprehensive and fascinating reference work focusing on the lesser characters in the Bible.   Not only for assignments, this book is just fun to browse.  Find it on our shelves at 220.9 LOS

LESSON PLANNING SITES March 2, 2009

Posted by Ms. Klemundt in Faculty Resources.
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Here are some sites with ideas for lesson plans and other class activities.

New York Times Learning Network  (http://www.nytimes.com/learning/)
Along the left side there are “Connections” links for students. teachers, and parents.  The right side menu includes news quizzes, themed crossword puzzles, and Science Q&A.  In the center section, scroll down to “Explore the Learning Network by Subject” to find lesson plans and activities.  The Lesson Plan Archive allows you to search by keyword as well as limit by subject area and grade level.

PBS Teachers  (http://www.pbs.org/teachers/)
Click on your subject area in the “Standards-Based Resources” menu box on the left side.  Then select a grade range and a topic. You can further limit your results by the following categories:

Read Write Think  (http://readwritethink.org)
This site is sponsored by the International Reading Association but encompasses all curricular areas.  There are 4 main sections:

If you click on “Lessons” you can narrow your search by grade level, Literacy Strand, and Literacy Engagement.  The “Student Materials” section features interactive online tools for students to use as they engage in various activities.

National Education Association (http://www.nea.org/home/ToolsAndIdeas.html)
The NEA’s “Tools and Ideas” section has 4 subsections with practical ideas and information for daily classroom use:

Kathy Schrock’s Guide for Educators  (http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/)
This is one of the oldest sites with web resources for teachers.  Click on the “Lesson Plan Library” and then mouse-over your subject area to see the lesson plans.  Some subject areas definitely have more than others.  Most lesson plans connect to national standards.

Librarians’ Internet Index  (http://www.lii.org)
Drill down by clicking on the “Society and Social Science” category, then the “Education” link, and then the “K-12 Education” link.  Check out some of the other links in addition to “Lesson Plans.”

College of DuPage Speakers’ Bureau  (http://www.cod.edu/speakers/)
This site can link you up with active or retired faculty and staff who can speak on a variety of topics.

Illinois Humanities Council Road Scholars  (http://prairie.org/RoadScholars/)
Humanities-based programs by writers, poets, historians, scholars, and actors.  Check the right-side menu for programs arranged by broad subject area.

 

WHO AM I? March 2, 2009

Posted by Ms. Klemundt in Reading Recommendations.
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Although it was dumb luck, I happen to be reading 3 novels that each have, at their heart, a young woman trying to navigate two cultures while developing her own identity at the same time.  They are all very different stories — and worth picking up.

The first one I read was Born Confused by Tanjua Desai Hidier, which follows Indian-American Dimple Lala as she turns 17, negotiates her often hilarious (to the reader) relationship with her parents, and finds her best friend trying to hijack her cultural heritage.  Find it on our shelves at FIC DES.

The second novel was A Step from Heaven by An Na.  Young Ju emigrates to America from Korea as a little girl.  As she grows up, she experiences how the stress and struggle of establishing themselves in a new culture can take its toll on the entire family.  Find it on our shelves at FIC NA.

I’m just about to start the 3rd novel, Sofi Mendoza’s Guide to Getting Lost in Mexico by Malin Alegria.  In this novel, quintessential American teen, Sofi Mendoza, crosses the border to Mexico to party in Tijuana and then can’t get back.  She ends up stuck in a little Mexican village with family she’s never met.  Find it on our shelves at FIC ALE.