Behind the Book

This week we are featuring some hidden gems from Follett in an effort to "get students to read what they want - and how they want - to foster a lifelong love of reading." #AllBooksForAllKids

Do you love books and want to know more about them from the authors that write them? Follett's Behind the Book gives you that glimpse in short videos ranging in time from 3 minutes to 14 minutes. There are over 52 videos to take a look at. We linked the ones that are specific to young adult authors, but Follett also features elementary and middle-grade authors as well.  

First Chapter Fridays

Check out Follett's First Chapter Fridays! Looking for your next title, but don't know what to read? Over on Follett's First Chapter Fridays you can listen to authors read the first chapter of their books! Running time ranges from 4 minutes to over 30 minutes depending on the book title. All grade levels and interests are presented. Click here for titles specifically for high school students. 

Fragments: "This is a story that I have never told"

Submit your original poetry, short stories, essays, artwork, or photography on the theme below to win a prize and the chance to be published! Use the QR code to submit your piece. 

Deadline: Monday, April 4, 2022

Women's "Herstory" Month

This year for Women's History Month, student-teacher Mrs. Hirsch choose to feature graphic novels (illustrated texts) written by or about women. Check out our display. If you are looking for more titles, just ask!

Mepham High School Library Women's Herstory Month Display

Qball

We first saw Qball at ISTE 2019 and knew we had to have one for our students at Mepham High School. Qball is the fun throwable microphone ball that increases student engagement and ensures EVERY voice is heard! It was super easy to set up. It's squishy and soft, yet durable. We were concerned that you would hear a loud screeching noise when throwing the ball, but the Qball knows when to be quiet. It automatically mutes itself when being tossed and when it's idle. Take a look below at how it’s being used in Mrs. Tschan and Ms. Menachem US History class as they discuss the attack on Pearl Harbor. Since the introduction of the Qball in class, student engagement has gone up. Everyone wants a chance to use it. Student voice matters and we hear you!

Research in the Library

The Mepham High School library student teacher, Mrs. Hirsch has been teaching Mrs. Greco's 9th-grade classes as they begin their argumentative essays. She started by showing them how to search for articles using the database Gale in Context: Opposing Viewpoints. "Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints is the premier online resource covering today's hottest social issues, from capital punishment to immigration to marijuana." Students were able to browse topics and search for a theme of interest. Mrs. Hirsch showed the students how to search the database for articles, infographics, and more. She also introduced them to boolean search terms: AND, OR, and NOT. Mrs. Hirsch pointed out some features that will make their gathering of sources easier to manage, such as sending articles directly to their Google Drive and how to select, copy, and paste their MLA 9th Edition citation into a Google Doc.  

The lessons continued the following days with how to write an annotated bibliography and how to use Google Citations. This is one of many classes that come to the Mepham High School to perform research for papers and essays. Librarians are experts in showing students how to find the information they need. We also have resources online and hard copy to help students format and write their Works Cited pages. We are always here to help. Never hesitate to ask! 

Book Club Book #4

Mepham's Book Club will meet in the library after school on Wednesday, March 23rd to discuss The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. All students are welcome to attend this book club. Snacks will be provided.

About The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Between life and death there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices . . . Would you have done anything differently, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?