I do l
ove a bit of historical fiction but there is so much out there it is hard to know were to begin.
I have put together a powerpoint that you should find useful.
If there are any titles that you would like to see added to the power point or added to the library let me know.
Remember the check the catalogue first to see what we have already.
Take care,
Mrs Baird
If there was ever a word that would elicit a series of groans from any class, it’s study.
We all know that in order to do well in a subject we have to put the work in and that involves studying.
There are lots of study skills packages out there telling you that they are the “right” way to study- anyone who starts off telling you that fails to take in to account the needs of individual pupils.
Flexibility and finding your own way are essential components of studying. As you may know the library advocates the Ex-PLORE method – Plan, Locate, Organise, Represent and Evaluate. This is because Ex-PLORE is flexible and you can work within it at almost every level of study – right up to PHD.
Before you start anything you should PLAN – you probably wont but trust me it will save you time in the long run and isn’t that worth it?
One area of planning is simply how to set up your page before you start working. The more organised you are at this stage the easier everything else will be.
What does it look like? The example below is nice and basic but what you will see is that it keeps all your information on the one page – no more tabbing between sources and bibliographies and the original question – it is all on one page.
I like this system because it is flexible and it allow you to make up study pages that make sense to you and reflect the needs of the topic and or the question and its super simple.
For the example left I would have added in an extra space for sources but that’s the librarian in me.
You can make a page more specific to suit your needs. As shown below
You can see that the notes sections has been further split to include specific sections using more headings. Perhaps this reflects the original question or perhaps simply what the student needs to know for the final exam.
Think about what you need and section off your work accordingly and if you do it from the start you can even copy your sheets and cut them up to make revision notes.
https://handypdf.com/cat/cornell-notes-template
If you follow the link in the heading- it will give you more information and a simple web search will give you lots of options to choose from or you can make your own.
As the name suggests all this started with a lecturer; Walter Pauk at Cornell University so thanks to him for this simple, effective and flexibly system. ( see folks cite your sources!)
Top tips from Mrs Baird
Make the sheets colour co-ordinated either for each subject or each topic.
Make sure you number your sheets.
If you are filling in your sheets offline – take photos and upload them – just in case.
Take care and let me know how you get on.
If you are studying World War 2 or even if you are simply interested in the time period. Why not have a look at this power point? There are lots of resources out there and it can often be hard to find good ones. I have included some of the best available from the library.
Do you have a favourite book, graphic novel or even moie that you think should be included? Let me know and I will add it in.
Historical fiction is one of my favourite genres, often dealing with very difficult issues, it can get you into the mindset of another place and time and develop empathy and understanding.
Take care,
Mrs Baird
Looking for more Space information – take a look here
Did you know?
NASA astronaut Mike Massimino missed pizza so much he ordered some on his way back to Earth.
Joke:
What is an astronauts favourite key on the keyboard?
The space bar!
Feel free to use the powerpoint to read around your Civil Rights topic.
Do you have any books your think I should add in?
What movies might you include?
What song did you find the most inspiring?
Let me know and I can add in your ideas.
Take care, Mrs Baird
Jack is a footballer and his dream is to play for his country but there is a war going on. Everyone is calling footballers cowards so Jack has no choice but to join the army.
Jack joins the footballer battalion so that maybe he might be able to play again. He does play again and manages to play in a cup game and eventually fulfils his dream and plays and scores for England.
This is a good book because it makes the reader think about the war but also creates a happy atmosphere by saying jack scores for England. The writes used changes of mood to do this – the book is also emotional as Jack’s friends die in the war.
I would recommend this book because it has a very good story and shows you two different parts of the main character’s life. jack is a very determined character and also quite helpful. At the beginning he is quite selfish. I think the lesson from this book is you should never give up hope.
![I Am Thunder by [Khan, Muhammad]](https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51Bz7Jmq3vL.jpg)
Recently I have read the book ” I am Thunder” by Mohammed Khan. I read this book In Modern Studies as we had a book box filled with books specially chosen by our librarian. I can tell you now this book has changed the way I look at reading. It was the best book I had ever read without exaggeration.
This book is about 15-year-old Muzna who wants to become a writer but her controlling parents who have extreme views on culture want her to become a doctor. She is forced to leave school as her best friend is shamed in a scandal, however, she realises that bullies and repulsive people are always there. Muzna stands up for herself but there are prejudices everywhere. Tables are turned when the unpopular and confident Arif show an interest in her. he has a secret with an extreme view of religion. Will Myzna stay quiet and listen to her parents or stand up and agree with Arif?
I really liked this book as I have witnessed cultures forcing decisions on people and this book shows how wrong it is.
I really recommend this book as it is eye-opening and shows the reality of our world.
5 stars
Here is your t-shirt template – right click and copy.
Paste this into a publisher document. You will probably need to make it a bit bigger. But remember don’t go over the lines or you might chop off an arm!
Save your document as libraryT. Then you can use the catalogue to make your alternations!
Any problem – see Mrs Baird!
Recently I have been asked by a HUGE number parents, teachers and pupils about how to go about finding the right book.
Obviously asking me is always the best option but for those days when I am working elsewhere or those things called weekends and holidays who can you turn to?
There is no magic wand but there are web sites that can help!
Try:
Achuka: www.achuka.co.uk/blog/
Book Buzz: www.booktrust.org.uk/books/bookfinder/
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/
SBT: www.scottishbooktrust.com/
Guardian Books: www.theguardian.com/books
Books For Keeps: http://booksforkeeps.co.uk/
Love4Reading: www.lovereading4kids.co.uk/
Common sense media: www.commonsensemedia.org/website-lists
Then see if we have it:
https://capitadiscovery.co.uk/eastrenfrewshire/
Remember to edit by location
Top tips:
Pick more than one book or even create a reading list online
Don’t like it – don’t keep reading – plenty more books out there
Five finger rule – find five words on the first page you don’t understand – perhaps the book is too hard.. for now
We don’t have it and you want to read it? Tell me and then tell me again and keep telling me till I buy it!
Librarian recommendation are ALWAYS the best,
Mrs Baird
There is so much in the news about fake information that it’s hard to know where to begin.
Let’s start with twitter.
How to spot fake twitter accounts.
1.Check out the profile for authenticity
Does the URL match the name? If not, then it’s most likely been created by a bot and not to be trusted. If you tweet under your own name then at least there is some level of accountability if not then the tweeter can say and post whatever they like until blocked.
2.But who are you really?
How lazy would you have to be not to put a biography into twitter? Honestly, it’s about 3 lines long! No Bio? It’s more likely to be a fake account.
3.Pretty pictures
Does the account only ever use stock images? Then it is MORE LIKELY to be a fake especially if the account had been on the go for a while.
4.All alone?
Are they only tweeting and never replying? It’s called SOCIAL media for a reason kids. If they are not playing the game then the tweets are more likely to be computer generated.
5.Super popular super-fast?
Check when the account was set up, and if they have a suspiciously large number of followers then they are likely to be untrustworthy.
Twitter is great for communications and competitions and networking but when it stops being fun – you stop!
Always remember to keep yourself safe and report anything that you are unhappy with, don’t engage with trolls (it’s like reasoning with a toddler!) and always remember you have the power to walk away; go read a book for example!
Look out for the next in the series when I will be telling you why YouTube is not all babies on skateboards!
