Media Monthly
for middle school families
It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...
That would be...almost Winter Break, right? :) As you plan for your extended time with kids, don't forget that reading is not only a time-filler, but can be an amazing way to increase their critical thinking skills. If you want to talk to your kids about what they are reading, ask them what the story is about, but then also ask them questions like:
*Is this story similar any other story you've read?
*What have you wondered about as you've been reading?
*How might the story be different if YOU were the main character?
*Which character are you most similar to in the story?
As your students continue to develop their critical thinking skills, they will amaze you with their insights!!
You know her, right?
Ms. Kujawski recently blessed us with recommendations for some of her favorite books for middle schoolers. They can be found both on display in our Media Center and by following the link below to access our blog. If you click the link, look for the Animoto video. It's pretty cool!
Our New Middle School Read Aloud
Dark Life by Kat Falls is one exciting story! I just finished it this past weekend and I couldn't put it down! Your students are going to love it, too! I've pulled books that are similar to this one and put them on display. Let your students know so they can come check them out!
21st Century Skills
One of my jobs is to help your students gain and improve in their abilities to use digital technologies and information in ethical and effective ways. I've worked with a couple of middle school teachers already to help their students gain knowledge about the databases available to them. They are a GREAT source of information that is known to be credible and trustworthy. If your student is working at home on a research project, encourage him or her to use the ELM databases instead of Google or Wikipedia to find GOOD information. (It can also be found on our BLOG!)
Kindles are here!!
We have Kindle ebook readers that students can check out. We have some older ones and the new Fires, which have the lovely color touch-screen. The older ones have a greater number of books on them. If your student decides to check out a Kindle, please keep in the mind the following things:
*Kindles should be kept outside of backpacks - the screens are delicate and if they get hit by the edge of a textbook or lunchbox, they can be smashed.
*Kindles are checked out for one week.
*Kindles are for reading only. The games, apps and Internet have been turned off so they are not a distraction in class.
*I recently had a Kindle returned that had been set back to its factory defaults and all books erased. If something like this happens, your student will most likely not be allowed to check out a Kindle again.
*We hope the students really like reading using the Kindles and we'll be trying in the next year to get more ebooks on them!!
We're bloggin' along!
We wish you safe and happy holidays this year!
Contact us!
Elizabeth is here 7:15-1pm
Mary is here 8:30-3pm
Email: hsmsmediastaff@stanthony.k12.mn.us
Website: http://stanthonymediacenter.blogspot.com/
Location: 3303 33rd Ave NE, St. Anthony, MN
Phone: 612-706-1147