Signal Mountain Middle High School Library Media Center
SMMHS LMC
Empowering students to be critical thinkers, enthusiastic readers,
skillful researchers, and ethical users of information. October 1, 2015
Volume 3, Issue 2
SMMHS Library/Media Center Mission: The SMMHS library/media center is committed to equipping the school community with 21st Century skills in order that they may have a positive impact on their community, country, and world.
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Parents, Teachers, and Students! I hope the year has started off well for all of you. The library, as usual, has been hopping! We just completed our Scholastic Book Fair which was a great success! Thank you to all of you who participated! As we move into Fall, I wanted to introduce you to some new titles you might want to explore. See the back page for some great seasonal works for readers of all ages! I’ve also described a new tech tool you need to know so you can keep an eye on your kids this holiday! Ginger Kirchmyer, MLIS National Board Certified Teacher SMMHS Librarian
Go Eagles!
The SMMHS library is increasing our online presence to accommodate our patrons. Every afternoon at 2:30 we post a book trailer on Twitter and Facebook as well as advertising library events and programs, on Pinterest you’ll find resources for students, parents, AND teachers — everything from book recommendations and effective study tools to classroom organizing strategies and bulletin board ideas! Here’s how you can stay informed: *************************** Follow me on Twitter @GingerKirchmyer Find and Follow us on Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/ginjatheninja/ Like and Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/smmhsmediacenter
Library Hours 7:15-2:30 daily Lunch—we’re open for HS w/ a pass, but no food please! During class—just have a pass and sign in!
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Directed Studies: See Ms. K for a pass
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How to Create Your Own Instagram Account Are you still putting this off ? You shouldn’t! Read the article to the right to find out why, but don’t put it off. It’s really easy and just another app on your phone or device. Just go to the appropriate “store” (Apple, Google Play Store, or Windows Phone Store). Select Instagram, & tap to install. Once the download is complete, tap to sign up. You can sign up with either an email address or your Facebook account. You’ll select a user name and password and then it will help you find friends. From your favorite author, to your friends, and even your favorite celebrity, it’s easy to start following others.
Top 10 Reasons You Should Join Instagram 10 Surprising Ways to Use Instagram in the Classroom
You may already know that Instagram is now more popular than Twitter, with 400 million users world wide. Why the popularity, and why would I encourage you to have an account? Chances are your child already uses it, and it’s a great way to monitor their online habits, and although there are many social networking platforms to choose from, kids gravitate toward those least used by their parents and grandparents, who are still primarily using Facebook (Instagram’s owner). New to Instagram? It’s essentially a social network platform that allows users to post photos and enhance those photos with some pretty cool filters. Born in 2010, it looks like it’s here to stay, and like Facebook, your followers can like and/or comment on photos. In today’s fast-paced social media world, users don’t want to read! Instagram allows members to convey emotion, ideas, and even thoughts with just one creatively enhanced photo. Photos show personality, which is especially important in branding. Instagram allows users to post videos as well. Most tweens and teens use it to stay connected with friends, but it also can be a huge help in sharing classroom assignments and schedules. Teachers can use Instagram as a progressive classroom tool by setting up a classroom account. See the link for the top ten ways to use Instagram in the classroom (left) & bring this popular social networking tool to your room.
A Read with a “Bite”!
T Check out the SMMHS Library Website! We’re open 24/7/365!
MS Directed Studies Library Roatation Schedule, click here!
NEWSLETTER SIGN-UP:
Click the title (above) to get signed up for this year’s LMC (Library Media Center)
hrill seeking this October? Looking for a chilling scare beyond trick-or-treating? Try a gothic novel and let your imagination run wild. From the earliest classic The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole that began the movement in the 18th century, these fiction tales combine mystery, horror, and romance, leaving readers with a chilling tale. The movement continued with Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and Bram Stoker’s Dracula and The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe. The Bronte sisters capitalized on the romance piece in their classic works Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. Click on the link at the bottom of the page for an extensive list of some popular & current gothic reads. The list is divided by Classics, Young Adult (YA) for grades 9—12, Middle Grades (MG) grades 6—8, & for little ones the list contains some picture books and early readers. Popular titles include The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron, the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer, Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, and The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey. Looking for a graphic novel for your reluctant reader, try Miss Peregrines’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs is fun! A favorite modern gothic author, Sonia Gensler, visited SMMHS this month & spoke with our creative writing & 8th/9th grade Language Arts classes. Be sure to check out her novels The Revenant, The Dark Between, and Ghostlight. Not into gothic fiction? Maybe you’d like crime fiction, one of the fastest growing genres of literature. Local author, George Hudson, professor at Chatt State and dual enrollment teacher for our students just released his second novel, New Moon Murders (edited by yours truly) . His books (the first is titled Purple Haze) can be ordered on Amazon, or you can pick one up to be autographed in December at our Barnes & Noble Bookfair! Be sure to stop by the library to find exactly the thrill or haunt you’re seeking this Halloween!!
A Gothic Reading List