The Reviews Are In!

A 5th grader logging into the OPAC

In our last blog entry we mentioned that our 5th graders have been learning all about the OPAC, or online library catalog.  While they learned how to do the basics last year, they are discovering all the extra features available now that they can log on with their own accounts.  One of these is writing their own book reviews for titles that appear in the library's collection!

5th graders learning how to use the OPAC in the library

The students have the option of awarding from one to five stars when they write their reviews.  The computer will then average all the reviews for a given book and display its "star rating" as part of the book's record.  Here are just a few of the books that our students have loved.  (These are all books that are nominees for the 2015 Rhode Island Children's Book Award!) 






The Mighty Miss Malone
9/12/2014 By Christian S.
"This book is definitely one of my favorites. The well-worded description made me want to keep reading on and on. I loved the way Christopher Paul Curtis told the story. Most of all, he did a great job putting himself in the characters' shoes. Top notch work."

Island: A Story of the Galapagos

9/11/2014 By Hannah M. 
"This book was so interesting! I think kids should read it if they are interested in history because they could learn about how islands form. There are also some amazing facts about how trees started growing and animals found homes. Great book."

Gaby, Lost and Found

9/11/2014 By Jaden F. 
"This book was amazing because Gaby volunteered at her local pet shelter. Also she went through a lot when her mom got deported. I felt so bad. Gaby also wrote profiles for the animals so they could get adopted. I totally recommend this book to you."






Rump
9/12/2014 By Lindsey P.
"I would say that this book is awesome. So many thrilling events are all happening. I loved how the characters acted. Lastly, I loved the way the book describes words/sentences."
 




All students are allowed to log into the OPAC to submit a book review.  Please encourage your middle school students to share their enthusiasm for books they've discovered on our shelves!

Welcome to the Chariho Middle School Blog

Welcome to the Chariho Middle School Library blog! Thank you for visiting.

Ms. Kelley & Ms. DeVito

September has been a busy month in the library! We are so excited to see the familiar faces of our 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th graders, and to welcome our new 5^th graders. Each 5^th grade class has been given a special orientation to the library to learn about all the library has to offer.

The fifth graders are not the only new faces in the library…we are pleased to welcome our new Library Media Specialist, Ms. DeVito. Ms. DeVito is delighted to be a part of such a lively and exciting school community. She looks forward to working with the students at CMS.

Ms. Kelley continues to enjoy her post as LMS at Chariho Middle School. She is thrilled to welcome the new 5^th graders to the library and continue working with all the energetic and eager students at CMS.

During the month of September we will be working with every 5^th grade class on OPAC, our online catalog. Students will learn how to identify call numbers, locate books in the library, put books on hold, narrow a search, renew books, access web resources through the catalog, access databases, write and post book reviews, and much more.

New to the Library:

Prefer reading your books digitally? You’re in luck! Ebooks have come to the CMS Library. At school, ebooks can be accessed through the Destiny Quest catalog, TumbleCloud, and Ebsco. Have an e-reader or tablet at home? Download the MackinVia app and download books for offline reading!

Check out the information below to learn more about how to access ebooks from our 3 providers:

Mackin

TumbleCloud

EbscoHost