October 2019
SPOTLIGHT ON: SCARY STORIES
October was the time for scary stories! Scary stories are always popular at Dedham Middle School. Students had a wide variety of books to choose from - supernatural, horror, ghost stories, and more!
MIDDLE SCHOOL MAYHEM
Middle School is SO tough. Come check out these books in the Library that help you deal with stress, help get over anxiety, or just learn more about someone like you that went though the ups and downs of middle school mayhem.
BROADWAY CLUB
Our school had its' first meetings of the Musical Theater/Broadway club. We learned about the structure of a musical, we watched lots of theater clips, we talked about our favorite shows, and we got up and played some Improv games.
If you'd like to join us for our next meeting, it will be on November 14, 2019 in the Library at 2:35.
NOODLETOOLS ACCOUNTS
Available to all DMS students & staff
Reminder: We have a district-approved subscription for NoodleTools, a student research management platform. All DMS students and staff already have accounts with NoodleTools. These accounts are connected to our Google accounts and should work seamlessly with all of our Google products (Docs, Sheets, Slides). NoodleTools is also connected to the Gale research databases used in our library, which should come in handy as you work on research projects.
To Access: Please log in with your school Gmail address OR connect directly from your Google Drive. Students can learn how to effectively use this tool during class visits to the library.
If you have specific questions, please see Ms. Morrison for help.
What can you do with NoodleTools?
Build accurate citations
Evaluate sources
Take and organize notes
Create outlines
Get personal help with difficult citations
Collaborate in real-time from anywhere
TEACHER COLLABORATION
DMS has a program for helping cite sources of information, and in October Dr. Pohlman's students got a refresher! Students chose a planet and researched its' characteristics to create a creature that could live on their planet. After using the Library LibGuides, the students learned how to make a NoodleTools account, set up a project folder and cite books, websites, and subscription databases. Students will continue to use NoodleTools all through high school whenever they are conducting research.
6th-grade Spanish students had their first research project of middle school in October. Students needed to investigate Day of the Dead. They had seven questions to answer including what an ofrenda is, what foods are eaten on Day of the Dead and what are the similarities and differences between Day of the Dead and Halloween. Students used a LibGuide to help them through the research process. Students used MyBib to cite their sources, as well Google to help them take organized notes.
BOOK REVIEWS
SCOUTS, SHANNON GREENLAND
Stranger Things meets The Goonies in this suspenseful yet heartwarming adventure story of a group of friends who set out to find a crashed meteor...but find mystery, danger, and fractures in their close relationships instead.
DOWN A DARK HALL, LOIS DUNCAN
Why does the exclusive boarding school Blackwood have only four students?
Kit walks the dark halls and feels a penetrating chill. What terror waits around the next corner?
CAST NO SHADOW, NICK TAPALANSKY
Greg has lived in Lancaster his whole life. The town's always had its quirks, and being born without a shadow means he's counted among them. When Greg discovers an old mansion in the woods just outside of town, he didn't expect to meet a smart, beautiful, funny, and...very dead teenage girl named Eleanor.
Yeah. He's in love with a ghost. And before he knows what's happening, Greg finds himself at the wrong end of a history lesson when the town's past, and his own, threaten to pull the two of them apart permanently!
FEELING STRESSED? READ A BOOK!
Researchers at the University of Sussex in England have recently proven that silent reading for as little as six minutes can reduce a person's stress level by up to 68%! Learn more about the study here. Need to relax? Stop by the library and borrow a book. We're happy to help you find just the right choice!