I met with members of Steves Elementary staff to look at the new Worldbook on-line (3 different versions: kids, Middle school and advanced) as well as some of the EBSCO host magazine databases the district is subscribed to (in particular Novelist). These are services that all Richmond District students and teachers have access to, providing a reliable source of web-based information. While it is important to teach kids how to Google effectively, it is also a good idea to point out the many fact-checked databases they have at their finger-tips. (As an aside, students can also access this information from home with a school code and password, or via RPL with their card number.)
Here's a link to the handout I brought to the session. It explains some of the features of WB on-line.
Novelist and Novelist K-8, are databases accessible using EBSCO. They give reviews of novels, provide suggested reading lists and in some cases teacher activities. Worth checking out to build your reading program. Here's the description from the service:
NoveList K-8 allows you to discover the fiction titles that are popular with young readers as well as titles to use in your classroom. The NoveList Learning Center provides a complete introduction to the product and shows you how to use NoveList to meet the reading needs of your students. NoveList K-8 contains materials for all K-8 grade levels and includes picture books, children's "chapter" books and young adult titles. Updated monthly, NoveList K-8 is your starting place for learning about the books that you and your students need and will want to read!
Students and teachers can get to WB and EBSCO via the eLibrary link that can be found on the District Library directory page. (Follow the links to "databases".) You can also look under the "Visual " tab on your local Destiny library catalog. (Go to your own library, click on "Visual" and then "eResources".) Your teacher-librarians can be a great help in brainstorming ways to incorporate these resources into instruction.
