Library Media Connection Newsletter

Explore Our World…Visit Our Media Center

2022-23 Laurel ES Library Media Connection Newsletters

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Laurel Library Media Connection - June 2023

1)  Books Due Back to the Library - Please have students and staff return all library books as soon as possible so that I can close out all library accounts.  Thanks so much for working on this with me. 

2)  Prince George's County Memorial Library System

     a) PGCPS teachers and staff can get library access even when they don't live in the County. If you haven't signed up already and would like to find information here: https://www.pgcmls.info/library-card-services-413

     b) The Library has wonderful resources for kids, reading lists, online check out and information for students.  Click the below links for information:

          Library Kids Information Page

        https://www.pgcmls.info/kids

          Digital Collections Catalog

          https://ww1.pgcmls.info/online-resources-432

3) 2022 ALSC Summer Reading Lists - ALSC's (Association for LIbrary Service to Children) Quicklists Consulting Committee has compiled lists to keep children engaged in reading throughout the summer. Four Summer Reading book lists are available for Birth-Preschool, K-2nd, 3rd- 5th and 6th-8th grade students.  

Click the link for more information: https://www.ala.org/alsc/publications-resources/book-lists/2022-summer-reading-list

4)  Destiny Online Library: Don't forget that our Destiny Online Library is available 24/7/365.  

To log in:

     1) Click on: http://destiny.pgcps.org/

     2) Log into system: Use your PGCPS credentials

      3) You will see Home and Catalog Tabs

               a) Home Tab: Offers Online resources, Ebooks, and Teacher Resources

Laurel Library Media Connection - May 2023

1)  Spring Book Fair:

    a) Book Fair Preview (5/11 or 5/12): Classroom teachers have a 20 minute block to preview the book fair.  Students can write down book titles and prices (don't forget to include tax).  Sign up for a time that works for your class.  There are 26 time slots, one for each class. 

     b) Book Fair: Book Fair will be scheduled during Library Media Classes during the week of May 15, mostly during Library Media Classes.  Find the schedule on the Today board and I emailed it to classroom teachers. 

2)  We have much to celebrate in May including Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Jewish American Heritage Month and Cinco de Mayo.

Check around the Media Center for book displays to celebrate amazing cultures and traditions from all around the world. 

See below for teaching/learning online resources: 

     a) Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Information:

          GOV Website: https://asianpacificheritage.gov/ 

     b) Jewish American Heritage Month Information:

        GOV Website: https://www.jewishheritagemonth.gov/

     c) Information about Cinco de Mayo: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Cinco-de-Mayo   

3)  Library Media Lessons:

• Book Check Out for Grades 1-5

• Story Time and Read Alouds - Exploring Books from the Library Media Center.

• Visual Artwork of Eric Carle to support learning in visual art classes.

• Arts Integration Self-Portrait Projects.

• Lower Grades -  Explore visual artwork, artist biographies and digital visual art tools.  Explore sections of the library and the Destiny Online Library.  

• Upper Grades - Explore visual artwork, artist biographies and digital artwork resources in our Destiny Online Library.  Explore sections of the library and the Destiny Online Library.  

4)  All library books are due to the library by May 22nd for the end of year close out. Don't forget that there are many Ebooks and online resources through our Destiny Online Library that are available 24/7/365.

5)  Media Center Online Library Resources in Destiny

     1) Click on: http://destiny.pgcps.org/

     2) Log into system: Use your PGCPS credentials.

      3) You will see Home and Catalog Tabs.

               a) Click Home Tab: Offers Online educational resources, Ebooks, and resources for Teachers.

Laurel Library Media Connection - April 2023

1) April is National School Library Month, National Poetry Month and Earth Day is April 22nd.  Check around the Media Center for book displays about libraries & librarians, research techniques & reading, poetry, Earth Day, and how to help save our environment.

2)  Earth Day 2022 Resources: Find helpful teaching and learning resources about Earth Day:

    a) Earth Day Education Resources Library: https://www.earthday.org/education-resource-library/

     b) Britannica Digital Learning Lessons and Activities: https://britannicalearn.com/blog/earth-day-activities/

    c) Project Learning Tree: https://www.plt.org/educator-tips/earth-day-activities

    d) PGCPS Lesson Ideas and Activities: https://www.pgcps.org/offices/building-services/recycling/recycling-lessons-activities-and-resources

3) Public Library Resources: Don't forget that as a PGCPS teacher and/or staff member you can access many helpful resources through the library including language lessons, online and physical books, access to music and films, and a multitude of digital resources.

4)  Laurel ES Student Technology Virtual Reference Page: Find educational resources and websites for our students here: https://sites.google.com/a/pgcps.org/laurel-elementary-school-media-center/student-technology-virtual-reference-page  

Laurel Library Media Connection - March 2023

1) Resources for Teaching and Learning - Women's History Month:

     a) Find helpful resources on the Federal Government Official Women's History Month web page here: https://womenshistorymonth.gov/ 

     b) Infoplease Women's History Month: https://www.infoplease.com/womens-history-month

     c) National Geographic Kids Women's History Page: https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/womens-history-month 

    d) Library of Congress -  Women's History Resources: https://www.loc.gov/collections/?q=womens+history+

    e) Check around the Library Media Center for Women's History Month Book Displays.

2)  E-Books featuring biographies of famous women including Rosa Parks, Malala Yousafzai, Harriet Tubman, Amelia Earhart, and Melinda Gates that include related educational videos, activities, project activities and more.  Trueflix e-books can be used at the same time by the entire class or can be used individually.  See below for directions to access our school Library Catalog.  Go to 4b -->EBOOKS -->TRUEFLIX-->Biographies-->Rosa Parks ( or --> any biography name)

3) Check out  fantastic Read Across America Day Resources that can be used all year long here: https://www.readacrossamerica.org/ 

4) Lesson Content for Library Media Classes:

Book Check Out for Grades 1-5

Completing Lesson Unit:

PreK-K: Fiction Book Series and Author Studies

First Grade: Navigating the library

Second Grade: Exploring Biographies

Grades 3-5: Non-fiction biography studies

Exploring our Library Media Bitmoji Classroom (all grades)

Beginning Lesson Unit:

Introduction to visual art resources, learn about artist biographies and visual art tools in our Laurel Library, Bitmoji classroom and Destiny Online Library.

Lower Grades -  Explore visual artwork, artist biographies and Introduction to digital visual art tools.

Upper Grades - Explore visual artwork, artist biographies and learn about digital artwork resources in our Destiny Online Library.

5) Accessing our Media Center Online Library Catalog

     1) Click on: http://destiny.pgcps.org/

     2) Log into system: Use your PGCPS credentials.

      3) You will see Home and Catalog Tabs.

               a) Home Tab: Offers Online resources, Encyclopedias, Ebooks, and Student & Teacher Resources.

Laurel Library Media Connection - February 2023

1) Book Displays for February: Check around the Media Center for book displays about African American history, culture, and arts to highlight African American History Month and I hope to see you in the Media Center soon!

2) Resources for Teaching and Learning:

     a) African American History Resources from the National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/news/topics/african-american-history

     b) National Museum of African American History & Culture Student Page: https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/students

      c) National Museum of African American History & Culture Educator Page: https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/educators

3)  Our new Library Media Lesson Unit will focus on: 

• Book Check Out for Grades 1-5

• Explore Books in the Library and Online: 

  • Story Time and Read Alouds - Exploring Books from the Library Media Center

    • PreK-K: Fiction Book Series and Author Studies

    • Grades 1: Navigating the library

    • Grade 2: Biographies in the library

    • Grades 3-5: Non-fiction biography studies

    • African American History Books and Resources (all grades).

• Exploring our Library Media Bitmoji Classroom (all grades).

4) TrueFlix Ebooks featuring biographies including Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through Trueflix.  Find related educational videos, activities, project activities and more.  Trueflix Ebooks can be used at the same time by the entire class or can be used individually.  See below for directions to access our school Library Catalog.  Go to 4b -->EBOOKS -->TRUEFLIX-->Biographies-->Rosa Parks ( or -->Martin Luther King Jr.)

5) Accessing our Media Center Online Library Catalog

     1) Click on: http://destiny.pgcps.org/

     2) Log into system: Use your PGCPS Credentials

      3) You will see Home and Catalog Tabs

               a) Home Tab: Offers Online resources, Ebooks, and Teacher Resources

               b) Catalog Tab: Search for books that we have in the Media Center, see if they are available and check your account. 

Laurel Library Media Connection - January 2023

1) Happy New Year!  Don't forget that you can access Ebooks in Destiny.  See instructions below and I hope you enjoy our books.

• Students and Staff have 24/7 access to Ebooks through our Destiny Online Library.

• Log into Destiny Online Library  http://destiny.pgcps.org/
    click the website link or on the computer in our Bitmoji Classroom
  2) Click on Log In arrow on the top right corner of the webpage.
  3) Log Into Destiny: Use your PGCPS credentials.
  4) Click on the Home tab and find the Ebooks on the left side of the screen.  

• Contact me if you have any questions or need password information reminders. 

2) Lesson Content for Library Media Classes

• Book check out for grades 1-5.

• Continuing learning from fiction and non-fiction books and resources about the Winter Season, Exploring Books in the Library and Online, Story Time and Read Alouds, and Exploring our Library Media Bitmoji Classroom resources (all grades).

• Lessons focusing on the legacy of Dr. Martin King Jr (all grades).

3) Explore our E-Book featuring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that includes related educational videos, activities, project activities and more.  Trueflix e-books can be used at the same time by the entire class or can be used individually.  See below for directions to access our school Library Catalog.  Go to 4b -->EBOOKS -->TRUEFLIX-->Biographies-->Martin Luther King Jr.

4) Accessing our Media Center Online Library Catalog

     1) Click on: http://destiny.pgcps.org/

     2) Log into system: Use your PGCPS credentials.

      3) You will see Home and Catalog Tabs

               a) Home Tab: Offers Online resources, Ebooks, Student and Teacher Resources.

Laurel Library Media Connection - December 2022

1) December Library Media Lessons will wrap up our Native American Heritage Month activities and focus on book check out.  

Starting December 5th lessons will focus on:

• Book check out for grades 1-5

• Exploring both fiction and non-fiction books and resources about the Winter Season, Exploring Books in the Library and Online, Story Time and Read Alouds, and Exploring our Library Media Bitmoji Classroom resources (all grades).

Featured Books Include: 

Fiction:

• “Hello, Snow!” written by Hope Vestergaard and illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott.

• Caldecott Medal award winning classic book titled “The Snowy Day” written and illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats.

• “Brave Irene” written and illustrated by William Steig.

• The "Snowmen" book series written by Caralyn Buehner and illustrated by Mark Buehner.

Non-Fiction: 

• “Snow” written by Helen Frost.

• “Snow” written by Grace Hansen.

• “Whiteout! A Book about Blizzards” written by Rick Thomas and Illustrated by Denise Shea.

2) Resources for Teaching and Learning:

     a) Teaching Tolerance Classroom Resources Website: https://www.tolerance.org/classroom-resources

     b) Learning Diversity Through Celebrated Holidays Learning Plan: https://www.tolerance.org/learning-plan/learning-diversity-through-celebrated-holidays

     c) Inclusive Non-holiday Teaching Resources for December: https://www.pre-kpages.com/non-holiday-themes-ideas-december/

3) Accessing our Destiny Online Library Catalog:

     1) Click on: http://destiny.pgcps.org/

     2) Log into system on the top right corner of the webpage: Use your PGCPS credentials

      3) You will see Home and Catalog Tabs

               a) Home Tab: Offers Online resources, Ebooks, and Teacher Resources

4)  I'm excited to announce that we received part of our yearly book order and I ordered books focused on diversity of cultures, stories from around the world, and biographies of amazing Hispanic leaders and artists like Cesar Chavez and Sonia Sotomayor.  Find books of various reading levels in each topic and see you in the Media Center soon!

Laurel Library Media Connection - November 2022

1) Book Fair runs from Monday, October 31 through Friday, November 4th and don't forget our Staff Store is Monday through Thursday after school.  Staff help is very much appreciated and I have posted times I need help on the ToDay board.  Also find more details about  our book fair on the ToDay board daily as well as on ClassDojo. Thank you for supporting our book fair and helping our students get books!

2) Native American Heritage Month:   

• Check out our Native American e-book series through TrueBooks and other online resources such as World Book and Culture Grams to support student learning and your teaching.

• See below for helpful online resources for learning and teaching in the Destiny Library Catalog. Trueflix Ebooks can be accessed by your entire class at the same time to work on literacy, close reading techniques, and more.  You can also use E-books in your lesson plans.  See below for how to access Trueflix Ebooks (for students and teachers):

1. Log into Destiny Catalog using your e-mail username and password

2. Go to the Home Page (tab on the top of the page)

3. Click on the Ebooks section on the top left of the page

4. Click on Trueflix within the Ebooks text box

5. Click on American Indians tab

6. E-books about the Apache, Comanche, Inuit, Iroquois, Pueblo, and Sioux people are available for you and your students

7. E-books include book text, graphics, video, project ideas, activity center, and web links so students can research the subject further.

3) Resources for Teaching and Learning:

     a) Native American Heritage Month Official Website: https://nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov/ 

     b) Native American Heritage Month Teacher Page: https://nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov/for-teachers/ 

     c) NCAI Resources: http://www.ncai.org/initiatives/native-american-heritage-month 

     d) NCAI Youth Programs: http://www.ncai.org/native-youth

     e) National Museum of the American Indian: https://americanindian.si.edu/ 

     f) Native Knowledge 360:  https://americanindian.si.edu/nk360 

4) Accessing our Media Center Online Library Catalog

     1) Click on: http://destiny.pgcps.org/ then click on the Log In arrow on the top right corner of the screen

     2) Log into system: Use your PGCPS credentials.

      3) You will see Home and Catalog Tabs

               a) Home Tab: Offers Online resources, Ebooks, and Teacher Resources

Laurel Library Media Connection - October 2022

 1) LES Fall Book Fair - I am so pleased to remind you that our fall Scholastic Book Fair runs from October 31 - November 4, 2022 and student purchases can be made during their Library Media Classes.  I will give each class fliers to hand out to the students when I receive them from Scholastic.  Click the link for our Fall Book Fair website: https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/laurelelementaryschool 

2) Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15-October 15): Check out our online resources such as World Book and CultureGrams to support student learning and your teaching. See below for login instructions (number 4 on the below list) and let me know if you need support. 

3) Hispanic Heritage Month Online Resources and Information:

     a) National Hispanic Heritage Month Website: https://hispanicheritagemonth.gov/about/  

     b) Hispanic Heritage Month Exhibits and Collections at the Library of Congress: https://hispanicheritagemonth.gov/exhibits-and-collections/

     c) Handbook of Latin American Studies: https://hlasopac.loc.gov/?loclr=blogloc 

     d) Hispanic Heritage Month Official .gov Site for Teachers: https://www.hispanicheritagemonth.gov/for-teachers/

4) Student Book Check Out:  Student book check is weekly for students in grades 1-5.  Students have been asked to bring their books back to every Library Media class even if they have not finished their book so I can renew books for them and so students have an easier time keeping track of the books. 

5) Virtual Online Library and Databases: Did you know that all students and staff from our school can access our Destiny Online Library?  See below for information about how to log on.  Log on information is also on my website here: https://sites.google.com/a/pgcps.org/laurel-elementary-school-media-center/destiny-online-library

DESTINY ONLINE LIBRARY  

1) Click on: https://destiny.pgcps.org/

2) Login to the system: Use your PGCPS credentials. 

3) You will see Home and Catalog Tabs

     a) Home Tab: Offers Online resources, Ebooks, Student and Teacher Resources

     b) Catalog Tab: Search for books that we have in the Media Center, see if they are available and check your account.

Laurel Library Media Connection - September 2022

1) Media Center Website: I've updated our Laurel Elementary School Media Center website with helpful information for our school community.  You can find our website here: https://sites.google.com/a/pgcps.org/laurel-elementary-school-media-center/.  Note that the updates page and library media connection newsletter page will be updated throughout the year.

2) Virtual Online Library and Databases: Did you know that all students and staff from our school can access our Destiny Online Library?  See below for information about how to log on.  Log on information is also on my website here: https://sites.google.com/a/pgcps.org/laurel-elementary-school-media-center/destiny-online-library

3)  Destiny Online Library: Don't forget that our Destiny Online Library is available 24/7/365.  

To log in:

     1) Click on: http://destiny.pgcps.org/

     2) Log into system: Use your PGCPS Credentials

      3) You will see Home and Catalog Tabs

               a) Home Tab: Offers Online resources, Ebooks, and Teacher Resources

4)  Arts Opportunities with the Kennedy Center: Check out the Kennedy Center educational resources, information about field trips and professional development opportunities here:  https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/