November 2013

Information Literacy Pre and Post tests

Posted on November 14, 2013 by webmaster

“Creating a community of avid readers, one video at a time^©“

Information Literacy Pre- and Post-Tests

Information literacy is an important part of Common Core and the concept of the so-called ‘new literacies‘ (see also New Literacies and the Common Core).

We will be developing several lessons plans to help you tie digital booktalk trailers into those requirements. In the meantime, we offer you some pre and post tests so you can estavblish a baseline with your students:

For Grades 3-5:

Pre-Post Test

Pre-Post Test Answer Key

For Grades 6-8:
Pretest
Post Test
Pre Test Answer Key
Post Test Answer Key

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For more information on Information Literacy, please visit our sister site.

Nikolas and Company

Posted on November 13, 2013 by webmaster

“Creating a community of avid readers, one video at a time^©“

Nikolas & Co: The Mermaid and Moon Forgotten
by Kevin McGill

A long time ago in a world not so far away…" Senior stagecoach driver, Yeri Willrow, leads a group of mysterious passengers through one of the most fog-ridden night of his prestigious career. What he thought would be a simple drive and drop quickly turns into an attack by foul-breath, red-eyed creatures. Yeri learns that his mysterious passengers are a family of automaton-legged merfolk, and he is their only hope from the creature most foul. "Sometime in the near future…" Fourteen-year-old Nick lives in a time when one can zip from country to country in mach-speed hovercars, extend their life indefinitely through cerebral downloads, and have every whim taken care of by their ever faithful nannydrone.

Lexile Level	Content Rating	Number of Pages	Genre	Date Published	ISBN Number
NP	Middle School	232	Adventure	2013	1470052911

Ten Miles Past Normal

Posted on November 13, 2013 by webmaster

“Creating a community of avid readers, one video at a time^©“

Ten Miles Past Normal
by Frances O’Roark Dowell

Janie Gorman strives to be a normal high school freshman, but the fact that she lives on a goat farm doesn’t help her much in her quest for “normal.” She hops on the school bus smelling of goat poop (thanks to her morning chore of milking the goats), and she eats lunch in the library, because none of her friends have the same lunch period as her. To make matters worse, Janie’s mom insists on writing an extremely embarrassing blog about “farm life.” None of these trials are made any easier by Janie’s knowledge that she was the one who recommended the move to the farm in the first place!

Lexile Level	Content Rating	Number of Pages	Genre	Date Published	ISBN Number
960L	High School	224	Comedy	2012	1416995862

Graphic Novels

Posted on November 12, 2013 by webmaster

“Creating a community of avid readers, one video at a time^©“

Graphic Novels

The following Set of Plans and supplemental materials were prepared by Dr. Sandra Agle. We have posted them here as an example of what can be done to integrate Digital Booktalk into the Common Core Curriculum. These may be used by K-12 teachers for instructional purposes only and are covered under Creative Commons license.

Dr. Agle has done extensive research into alternative methods to incorporate technology initiatives into the curriculum of Common Core Standards. She has been asked to present these strategies in several symposiums held across the state of Florida. One of the 10 lesson plans being discussed by Dr. Agle is Grades 4-8 Graphic Novels. She includes a lesson strategy to utilize website evaluation techniques to integrate knowledge and ideas by evaluating multiple sources of information in different media or formats – a Common Core standard.

Here are links to the lesson and supplemental materials:

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Digital Resources

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Book List

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Captain Awesome to the Rescue

Posted on November 12, 2013 by webmaster

Captain Awesome to the Rescue
by Stan Kirby

Eight-year-old Eugene McGillicudy is an imaginative boy who loves comic books and superheroes. Eugene also has his very own super secret superhero alter ego named Captain Awesome.

When the McGillicudy family relocates to a new town called Sunnyview, Eugene starts a new school, finds a best friend, and even finds time to defend his toys from his two-year-old little sister, Molly! Luckily for Sunnyview, Captain Awesome is there to protect the town (and the universe) from a hilarious cast of comical “bad guys.”

Lexile Level	Content Rating	Number of Pages	Genre	Date Published	ISBN Number
NP	Elementary School	128	Comedy	2012	01442435615

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Posted on November 10, 2013 by webmaster

Diary of a Wimpy Kid
by Jeff Kinney

Greg Heffley has always been in a hurry to grow up. But is getting older really all it’s cracked up to be?

Greg suddenly finds himself dealing with the pressures of boy-girl parties, increased responsibilities, and even the awkward changes that come with getting older-all without his best friend, Rowley, at his side. Can Greg make it through on his own? Or will he have to face the “ugly truth”?

Lexile Level	Content Rating	Number of Pages	Genre	Date Published	ISBN Number
970L	Middle School	224	Comedy	2010	0810984911