Book Madness Nonfiction DVDs Links 'n Things New and Notable Books CultureGrams Review: Muddy Waters: The Story of Blues Legend Muddy Waters Review: The Many Reflections of Miss Jane Deming Contact Us |
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iCivics - Free online video games about how government works at different levels and in different branches. Lesson plans available. Games require Flash to run. The Best Books of 2017, According to Kids - Brightly, an online newsletter primarily for homeschool parents and parents of avid readers, has an excellent list of books recommended by children and preteens for their peers.
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New and Notable at the Library
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Caitlin Bergan Librarian /School Liaison (Grades K-8) cbergan@mchenrylibrary.org Jennifer Velasquez Bilingual Librarian jvelasquez@mchenrylibrary.org Lesley Jakacki Youth Services Manager ljakacki@mchenrylibrary.org
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Book Madness "Clash of the Genres" is coming!
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"Book Madness" Tournament returns February 1st with a new twist! In each quadrant, books from the same genre will duke it out until only one remains! Which books will represent their genres in the Final 4? And which genre will prove to be the best of all?
Students in 4th-8th grade will try to win the most points by correctly choosing the "winning pick" for each of the 31 match-ups associated with the tournament. All brackets must be turned in to the Questions Desk by Friday, February 16 by 5 pm!
Caitlin is available to come to your school for booktalks and instructions on how to fill out the brackets in late January or early February, and anyone can vote for their favorite book in each match-up for every round by voting online at www.mchenrylibrary.org.
Voting Dates Voting closes at 5:00 on the date listed for each round. Round 1 - Monday, February 12 thru Friday, February 16 Sweet 16 - Thursday, February 22 thru Wednesday, February 28 Elite Eight - Friday, March 2 thru Wednesday, March 7 Final Four - Friday, March 9 thru Wednesday, March 14 Championship - Friday, March 16 thru Wednesday, March 21 Winners will be announced March 23.
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Nonfiction DVD Collection
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Videos are a great way to introduce or reinforce information. The Library has hundreds of nonfiction DVDs to support your curriculum, available for a variety of ages and difficulty levels on many science, math, social studies, and literature topics. Videos like Bill Nye, National Geographic, Mythbusters, Wild Kratts, and more can support your lessons in ways that appeal to your students. Extended checkout times are available through our Classroom Checkout Program. Contact us with the topic, grade, and your contact info, and YS staff will gather appropriate resources and have it available for pick-up at the library. Is there a topic that you would like video support for that we don't have? Feel free to let us know and we will be on the lookout as we buy new materials! If interested, call us at 815-385-0036, email us, or contact us through our online form, and select "Books for Classrooms" from the drop-down subject menu.
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For up to date information about people and places, check out CultureGrams! CultureGrams has recent and reliable information for all US states and territories, all Canadian provinces, and over 200 countries all over the world! Students can get a quick overview of a country or state with maps, flags, symbols, and basic statistics all on the first page, or delve more deeply into the history and culture of the area through pictures, videos, interviews, recipes, and rich informational text. The interface is easy to use with students with clear headings and interactive maps. It's perfect for history and social studies projects. Do you need to teach your students about charts and infographics? As a new feature, CultureGrams added infographics on every country, giving you hundreds of examples to choose from to help boost your students' informational literacy. Discover CultureGrams for yourself by visiting our website at www.mchenrylibrary.org or feel free to contact your school librarian for more details on how to access this database in your classroom. We always love to hear your feedback on our featured databases or on how this database was used in your classroom.
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Audience: 2nd grade and up Black History Month in February and the Illinois Bicentennial year is a wonderful opportunity to introduce your students to Muddy Waters, the originator of the Chicago Blues style of music, through this new picture book biography. The story of Muddy’s life, from growing up in a Southern sharecropping family to moving, to Chicago with his dream of playing guitar, to the trials of being recognized for his music, plays out like a real-life blues song with sweet redemption at the end. Accompanying Muddy’s story are illustrations that combine watercolor, ink, and collage elements of newspaper headlines of the time to create a visual connection to Muddy’s story. The color palette of the illustrations also tell his story as the beginning of the story is awash with the soft warm colors of cotton and the southern sun but the darkness of racism and segregation settles is as Muddy’s story progresses. As life takes Muddy into the smokey blues clubs of Chicago the darkness lingers but is now punctuated by the energetic neon colors of urban life, electric guitars, and joy. One consistent throughout is the depiction of Muddy. As a child of the Mississippi Delta, he is outlined in a dirt-red color that reflects the soul of who he is and defines him throughout his life. The story of Muddy has many cross-curricular opportunities. Share with your students the innovative music of Muddy Waters and storytelling in music, talk about the history of segregation and racism that lead to the Great Migration and how art tells a story, but ultimately the story of perseverance and being true to one’s dream will stay with students.
Reviewed by Lesley
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Audience: 3rd-7th grade I will be the first to admit, I initially judged this book by its cover. I thought it would be a watered down story of traveling west with a plucky girl who defies expectations. I was delighted to be wrong and instead found an engaging historical novel, rich in voice and description. After her father dies in the Civil War, twelve-year-old Jane, her toddler half-brother, and her young step-mother don't have a lot of options. After a terrible time of working in a cloth factory, they sign up for an expedition to bring young women out to the male-dominated wilderness of Oregon Territory around Seattle. The story starts in New York, and follows Jane and the expedition around the southern tip of South America and up to Seattle. When they arrive, nothing is the way they were led to expect, but the family gets down to the work of life on the frontier and finds that this might suit their strengths better than the life they imagined. Jane is a genuinely interesting character, truly representative of her time period while still being a strong-willed girl who is accessible to a modern reader. Her thoughts and reactions, shown through the first person narration, bring the journey to life, and the vivid descriptions make the time period real. One of the most interesting themes of the book is the examination of women's roles at the time through different characters in different situations. It doesn't call out or lecture on the topic of gender roles, instead it shows them as they were, with all their pitfalls, and lets the reader come to their own conclusion. Hand this to readers interested in character-based stories, historical adventures, or tales about surviving in the wilderness. It would also make an interesting and entertaining class read aloud, especially as a contrast to something like the Little House books. Reviewed by Caitlin
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