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The Smith Middle School
Library Media Center   Where it all comes together! Mission Statement | Upcoming Events | Mr. Landry's Winter Picks | Genre Lists | Research Help | Poems of the Winter | Academic Integrity Lesson | Independent Reading Unit
Library Mission Statement
District Library Mission Statement
The Library Media Department is committed to teaching the skills and providing the resources necessary for meeting the informational literacy needs of students and staff. The Library Media program develops effective and responsible users of ideas and information while promoting the enjoyment and importance of reading.
At Smith Middle School the Library Media Center staff strives to make our program the hub for a community of learners, students, teachers, parents and administrators. Our goal can only be achieved when three components* are in place: - Solid warehousing support
- Direct service to teachers and students, and
- Resource based teaching.
Solid warehousing support is simply keeping the collection current, relevant, and in order. Direct services to teachers and students is helping students and teachers find appropriate materials for their needs in the collection and checking out the materials for use. Most important of all, resource based teaching is skillfully using a wide variety of media: books, videos, web based resources, computer software, etc., to encourage reading for pleasure, to improve research skills, to analyze information for usefulness and veracity, to improve technology skills, to enhance cultural literacy and to individualize education for selected students. In a world of ever increasing access to information, the Smith Middle School Library Media Center's role is critical in producing productive, happy, and civic minded citizens.
*The three tiered model is taken from: Taxonomies of the School Library Media Program,David V. Loertscher, Libraries Unlimited, Inc.; Englewood, Colorado; 1988. TOP
Upcoming Events
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Mr. Landry's Winter Picks
Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac
Ned Begay is a 16 year old Navajo living on reservation when Pearl Harbor is attacked. Throughout his formal education on the reservation, Ned and his classmates were forbidden to speak their native language under penalty of punishment. You can imagine the young, Navajo males’ surprise when an immaculately dressed United States Marine officer came to the Navajo reservation to recruit them for a special communications unit based on their language. Ned is in the second wave of Navajos recruited. After his training, he serves in many Pacific campaigns including the attacks on Guam and Iwo Jima. Joseph Bruchac has done a great job creating a believable set of characters to put a human face on the facts he researched for this engaging story. Available in book format
Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements
Bobby Phillips describes himself as average. He tells his blind friend, Alicia, that he is the type of fifteen-year-old boy that no one takes a second look at and he often goes unnoticed by the popular kids in school. This is the way Bobby felt before the book begins, but now he knows he goes unnoticed because in the first page of the book, Bobby wakes up to discover that he is completely invisible. How did it happen and what can be done about it? This is the question that Bobby and a handful of people, including his parents, Alicia, and her parents, must answer if Bobby is ever going to live a normal life. Available in book format
Mississippi Trial, 1955 by Chris Crowe
Based on the true murder of Emmett Till, a 14 year old African American, that sparked the civil rights movement in Mississippi, Chris Crowe’s has created a cast of believable and well developed fictional characters in this book to help bring the infamous crime to life for the reader. Hiram, the 16 year old main character, has returned to Mississippi to visit his grandfather. A grandfather that he remembers fondly from his childhood in Mississippi despite the fact that his father, his grandfather’s son, moved his family out of Mississippi because of the grandfather’s “deep South” bigotry. Hiram meets Emmett Till on the train ride back to Mississippi. The next time Hiram and Emmett meet is on the banks of a river, but Hiram is not alone. He is fishing with R.C. Rydell, a redneck bully, in an attempt to rekindle their childhood friendship. After Emmett asks Hiram to share some of his lunch, R.C. puts Emmett in his place by sitting on his chest and stuffing pieces of freshly caught and cut catfish into his mouth and face. Days later with Hiram still shaken by the brutal hate that R.C. displayed toward another human being simply because of different skin color, Emmett Till’s mutilated body shows up. When Hiram and R.C. went home after the fishing trip Emmett Till had still been alive, now he was dead. Hiram discovers that R.C. has left town and the Town sheriff is asking Hiram questions about Emmett Till. Soon Hiram finds himself being summoned to testify in the murder trial. Available in book format.
Under the Same Sky by Cynthia DeFelice
Sunburned and exhausted after a day in the fields of his family’s upstate New York farm, head-strong and spoiled Joe realizes that he may not be getting the motorcycle he want as soon as he thought. Joe asked his parent for a motorcycle for his fourteenth birthday because he thought he deserved it. In response his father said, “Yes, if you earn the money working with the hired crew this summer.” Joe quickly realizes that he has a lot to learn from the Mexican migrant workers that his father hires every summer. Before this summer, Joe paid about as much attention to the Mexicans as an elephant may pay to a housefly. Now, he not only pays attention to the workers, but he resents Manuel, the sixteen-year-old crew boss, that has earned the respect and trust from Joe’s father. A respect and trust that Joe desperately seeks but cannot seem to earn. As the summer continues, Joe appreciates and earns the respect of the Mexican work crew and defends them against the bigotry shown by some local town people including his friends. Available in book format.
The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney
Twelve-year-old Tom Ward is the seventh son of a seventh son. He is left handed. He sees the earth bound spirits of the dead and his Mam has taught him to read Greek. None of Tom’s traits, except his Mam, makes him any different than the previous 29 apprentices that served under the Spook. The Spook is a man as much needed as shunned in the English countryside because he keeps ghost, boggarts, witches and other supernatural forces in check so that people may live safely. After passing a trial to test his courage, Tom becomes the Spook’s apprentice. He is soon learning how to bind boggarts and recognize witches, but he fails to follow the Spook’s advice of avoiding girls with pointy shoes. Young and naïve, Tom promises Alice, a girl with the pointy shoes, that he will repay her for driving off a bunch of village bullies intent on robbing Tom. Tom’s promise leads to the release of an evil witch, Mother Malkin. Joseph Delaney has written a story that is a unique blend of the fantasy and the horror genres. This is Harry Potter and Joan Lowery Nixon all wrapped into one story. Available in Book format.
Ranger’s Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan
“I’m afraid he’s too small, my lord,” said Battlemaster Rodney to Baron Arald. Will turned red with embarrassment and anger as all his other fifteen year old friends, including his rival, Horace, is given apprenticeships under masters. Horace has been accepted to battleschool and Will is never going to hear the end of it. Even worse, if Will is not picked for any apprenticeship he will be sent to the fields to help grow food for the kingdom for the rest of his life. How can this be? Will is silent as a shadow. He can climb and he is brave. All skills which have been noticed by Halt, one of the King’s Rangers, and the Ranger most responsible for defeating Morgarath. Morgarath, the evil Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night, will not rest until he rules the Kingdom of Araluen. “A battle for the kingdom is destined to begin. A battle the likes of which Will cannot even imagine.” From the book’s cover. Also available in the Smith Library Media Center, the second book in the series: Ranger’s Apprentice: the Burning Bridge. Available in book format
The Life and Death of Crazy Horse by Russell Freedman
This easy to read biography of the Oglala Indian leader who refused to give in to the white man’s attempt to steal Native American land shows the reader a way of life that is lost to modern man. It is a lifestyle that was doomed from the moment that the European explorers discovered America. Russell Freedman does a masterful job of immersing the reader in the Oglala culture without telling the reader how to think about the Oglala traditions. Crazy Horse is seen as man who loves his people and freedom more than his own life. A life which General Custer and the U.S. Army could not take in battle, but, ironically, a life which is betrayed and taken by one of his own people. Available in book format
Flush by Carl Hiaasen
Noah and Abbey Underwood like their mom and dad, but their mom and dad may not be together much longer. Paine Underwood, Noah and Abbey’s dad, is in a county prison. He sank the Coral Queen, Dusty Muleman’s casino boat, because the boat’s septic tanks keep getting dumped into the Florida Keys. Paine Underwood sank the boat to shed light on the sickly pollution. Because he views his prison stay as a statement against pollution and corporate greed, Paine Underwood refuses to allow his wife to pay his bail, but this is putting a strain on their marriage. Noah and Abbey decide that they have to catch Dusty Muleman red handed in his illegal activity to save their father’s reputation and perhaps to keep their family together. Carl Hiaasen has written an action packed environmental thriller. Available in book format.
Inexcusable: A Novel by Chris Lynch
This book has been called the male version of Laurie Halse Anderson’s popular young adult novel, Speak. Keir is a good guy. Just ask him, he’ll tell you. When he cripples an opposing football player during a game, it was a clean hard hit. When he and his buddies nearly drown some underclass members of the swim team after forcing them to skinny-dip in the school pool, it was Keir playing a practical joke on some buddies. When Keir and some buddies get drunk and destroy a town statue, it was some boys blowing off some steam. When Keir does illegal drugs at a party, it was only for recreational use. Keir is a good guy. He couldn’t have date raped Gigi, the girl he adores. According to Diane P. Tuccillo in the November 2005 School Library Journal, “this finely crafted and thought-provoking page-turner carefully conveys that it is simply inexcusable to whitewash wrongs, and that those responsible should (and hopefully will) pay the price.”
Airborn by Kenneth Oppel
How is Matt, 15, linked to huge furry flying beasts with razor sharp claws? Well, like the beasts, Matt only feels truly alive when he is in the air. Luckily, he is a cabin boy aboard the luxury airship, Aurora. A year before Kate comes on board, Matt played a key role in the rescue of an old man in a crippled hot air balloon. The old man clutched his diary in which he described the flying beasts. Now his granddaughter, Kate, is out to prove that her grandfather was not crazy and that he did not die in vain. The only problem is Kate, Matt and all the passengers and crew of the Aurora will soon be in danger of dying when the ship is boarded by ruthless pirates and then the crippled Aurora unwittingly lands on the island serving as the pirates’ hideout. This is a fast paced action adventure story that readers will not want to put down. Available in Book format.
Click on ARCHIVES to see Mr. Landry's previous years' picks.
Genre ListsThe following lists have been created by Mr. Landry and all the books on the list can be found in the Smith Library Media Center. Click on the Genre list below to view the list.
- Nonfiction
- Biographies
- Historical Fiction
- Mysteries
- Science Fiction
- Adventure
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Research Help
 The Connecticut Digital Library, Iconn, is a state funded database with a wealth of information. I suggest middle school students link to individual databases from the Iconn homepage:
Depending on the requirements of your project choose from The Discovering Collection, History resource Center: U.S., or History resource Center: World
If you are in need of biographical information, you can scroll down on the "link to individual databases" page and choose Wilson's Biographies Plus.
Click on ICONN to see the Connecticut Digital Library.
The Smith Middle School Library Media Center also offers students, parents and staff three subscription databases: Culturegrams , ABC-Clio Social Studies and Science Online .
- Culturegrams offers current reliable information on countries around the world including maps, flags, history, economy, education, and customs. You can even hear a given country's national anthem and view native recipes. This database is available on campus and remotely from home. Students please stop by the library or ask your teacher for the username and password to access this database from home. Click on Culturegrams to see the database.
- ABC-Clio Social Studies offers reliable research information for both world and U.S. history students and teachers including articles, maps, videoclips, photographs, and primary sources. This database is available on campus and remotely from home. Students please stop by the library or ask your teacher for the username and password to access this database from home. Click on ABC-CLIO Social Studies to see the database.
- MC Digital Science offers reliable research information for your science research needs. This database is available on campus and remotely from home. Students please stop by the library or ask your teacher for the username and password to access this database from home. Click on MC Digital Science to see the database.
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 | Poem of the Winter | |
Before the Rain Turns Silver
Before the rain turns silver,
The ground
Is smothered in a tattered blanket,
Choked brown grass
Through dirty, crusty snow shows
And inside dark houses
Depression grows
Gray,
Gray,
Gray!
Before the rain turns silver,
And the green grass grows
So barefoot boys and girls can
Feel leafy blades tickle toes,
Ice covers the lakes,
But skates stay in their boxes
Because unfinished
Homework remains.
Before the rain turns silver,
We must be
Immersed in
Winter sorrows
To realize
Spring joys.
Poem by: Mr. John Landry
 Academic Integrity LessonDear Parent/Guardian, In the information age, students who know how to find, interpret, and use information well will be prepared to enter society as productive citizens. All educators at Smith Middle School strive to help students become independent learners and critical thinkers. Nowhere in the school is the science of information retrieval more used than the library media center. This year, with the support of the Smith administrators and the classroom teachers, I will be conducting lessons on academic integrity to ALL Smith students.
With great amounts of information, comes great responsibility.
The lesson will focus on the proper way to use information. It will cover topics such as quoting sources, paraphrasing sources, copyright laws, plagiarism, “fair use”, and citing sources. The lesson will apply to all types of media with some extra attention given to the World Wide Web and the “cut and paste” mentality. All seventh grade students at Smith will get this lesson in the Fall. Students in the eighth grade will get a lesson on web site evaluation in the Spring. Parents, please ask your son/s or daughter/s what they learned about academic integrity or web site evaluation from Mr. Landry and ask them to share their notes from the lesson with you. Thank you for your continuing support for Glastonbury Public Education.
Sincerely,
John Landry, Library Media Specialist To see the PowerPoint presentation used during Mr. Landry's lesson and a copy of the notes students will be asked to fill out, you may open the two attachments found at the bottom of this schoolnotes.com site. To view the vocabulary words and their definitions for the academic integrity unit, click on the flashcards at the top of this schoolnotes.com site.
To view a self directed comprehensive tutorial for Google click below.
 Independent Reading UnitDear Parent/Guardian, Your child is about to begin an independent reading unit in his/her English class. In this unit, students will choose one of eight titles to read, to discuss, and to relate to their lives. Your son’s/daughter’s English teacher will coordinate all assignments and activities related to the book of choice, so why am I writing this letter? As a former English teacher, I struggled with those students who were turned off to reading because they felt that books were overanalyzed in English class and they were not given a choice in books to read. When I tried to respond to this understandable student sentiment, I was faced with a daunting and overwhelming task. How does a classroom teacher conduct meaningful class activities when twenty-five to thirty students are reading twenty-five to thirty separate titles? Now, as a library media specialist, I am enabling the English teacher to give his/her students choice, eight titles, while keeping the task of teaching the titles manageable. Logistically, it is much easier for a teacher to create activities for multiple titles in one classroom when three to five students per class are reading the same title. As a professional in the field of young adult literature, I have carefully chosen the eight titles for this unit. The factors I took into consideration when selecting the books were: - the range of reading abilities of the student population;
- the need for non-fiction as well as fiction titles;
- the need for titles of interest for both male and female students;
- the need for books with an optimistic ending;
- the need for books that display tolerance for all cultures; and
- finally, the need for themes that will help adolescents understand the complexities of their lives.
Parents, the ultimate goal of this unit is to instill a love for reading in our students. You are a powerful ally in this cause. Please take an interest in what your child is reading and model good reading habits. Thank you for your continuing support for Glastonbury Public Education.
Sincerely,
John Landry, Library Media Specialist To read more information about the independent reading unit including reviews of the titles in the unit click HERE.
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