WLPCS Library Newsletter
News and updates Q1 2015-2016
MLA resources
Q1 Classes
The library has been busy this quarter, seeing over 65 periods of research instruction! Here were some of the topics we covered in Q1.
- NoodleTools
- Using DCPL databases
- Annotated bibliographies
- Five rules for avoiding plagiarism
- Library scavenger hunt
- Writing strong research questions using Bloom's taxonomy and a question brainstormer
- Books for the College Bound list book talks
- Choosing a "just-right" book
Book Tasting Returns!
Research Instruction Corner: Annotated Bibliographies
Looking for a short research assignment to teach in your classes to help students select more reliable web sources and practice citation? Want your students to undertake research in a shorter time frame than a traditional paper? Consider an annotated bibliography assignment! In this assignment, students create an MLA Works Cited list and write a short paragraph summarizing, assessing and reflecting on each source. Here are some planning materials to help you get started.
- Sample annotated bibliography
- Annotated bibliography writing instructions
- Annotated bibliography rubric
If you'd like additional support planning this kind of assignment for your classes, please contact Ms. Hamm!
New library books in Q1
Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard #1: The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan
In Rick Riordan's latest book, he takes on Norse mythology, telling the story of Magnus Chase, cousin of Annabeth. Magnus awakens on his 16th birthday to find out an exciting and terrible secret -- he is the son of a Norse god with an important destiny.
Orpheus and the Underworld by Yvan Pommaux
This graphic novel retells the myth of Orpheus's journey through the underworld to reclaim his wife Eurydice after she dies on their wedding night. The index includes a character list with descriptions for increased comprehension.
The Way Home Looks Now by Wendy Wan-Long Shang
Peter Lee and his family have always loved baseball. After his brother's death devastates their family, he hopes that the game they love can bring his broken family back together.
Another Day by David Levithan
Rhiannon is falling in love with A day by day -- which is a problem because she already has a boyfriend. Still, she can't help trying to figure out how to see A each day, even when A isn't always the same person. The follow-up novel to Levithan's successful Every Day, Another Day is sure to please fans of the first book.
Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
Simon Snow was never a great Chosen One. He can just never get anything right, according to Baz, his roommate at Watford School of Magicks. Fans of Rowell's Fangirl will be thrilled to read a full-length Simon Snow novel -- the very ones that inspired Cath's fandom.
These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly
Jo, a society girl in New York City in the late 1800s, ought to be most concerned with her graduation from finishing school and finding a rich husband. Her dreams, however, are bigger. She'd like to be a reporter just like Nellie Bly. When her father seemingly commits suicide, Jo has her chance to prove his death isn't all it appears to be.
Tiny Pretty Things by Dhonielle Clayton and Sona Charaipotra
Gigi, Bette, and June all want the same thing -- to be the prima ballerina in their competitive ballet boarding school. When the competition gets tough, what will each do to be the best?
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Marie-Laure, a blind girl, flees Paris with her father during the Nazi's WWII invasion and goes to her great-uncle's home in Saint-Malo. Werner is a gifted German radio repair technician from a young age, so he is enlisted into the Hitler Youth. As he comes to Saint-Malo because of the war, his story and Marie-Laure's come together in a moving tale of the human spirit and survival.