Spirit Night Dinner May 3rd!

Support WCES Enhancement Teachers by eating at City Barbeque on Tuesday, May 3rd!

See What Hatched in West Clayton's Library!

Kindergarten Story Sequencing

Awesome Tech Tools!

Quizizz: Multiplayer Quizzes (every student needs a device)

Plickers: Only needs one device, must get the app

Quiettube: Takes all of the commercials and comments out of Youtube videos

Safeshare.tv: Works like Quiettube, only you paste the url in the website

Screencastify: Works on Chromebooks, saves directly to your drive

Screencastomatic: Doesn’t require an account, can only be used on a desktop

About the Capstone Project

Hello! Thank you for visiting my Capstone Portfolio for the MLIS program with a school library concentration from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. I created this blog last year as a new high school Media Coordinator, and will use it in the future at my new elementary school! The purpose of this Capstone Portfolio is to showcase my achievements in coursework and professional development while in the program. In the panel on the right, you will find 9 Student Learning Outcome links. Each link contains an artifact(s) from various experiences and courses over the last three years along with a reflection statement. You will also see my five year professional development plan, a professional values statement, resume, and goals written for the NC School Library Media Coordinator Standards. I'd love to hear from you with thoughts, questions, or even ideas for future collaborations!

"You're never too old, too wacky, too wild, to pick up a book and read to a child." -Dr. Seuss

Teacher-Librarian Roles

Samantha Lam: Understanding Audience Assignment - Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires

2014 Notable Children's Books

Each year a committee of the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) identifies the best of the best in children's books. Below is the list for 2014.  Enjoy!

Younger Readers: Grades PreK-2^nd
Alphablock. Franceschelli, Christopher. Illus. by Peskimo. Appleseed/Abrams
Ball. Sullivan, Mary. Illus. by the author. Houghton
The Bathing Costume, or, the Worst Vacation of My Life. Moundlic, Charlotte. Illus. by the Olivier Tallec. Trans. by Claudia Zoe Bedrick. Enchanted Lion
Benjamin Bear in “Bright Ideas!” Coudray, Philippe. Illus. by the author. TOON
A Big Guy Took My Ball! Willems, Mo. Illus. by the author. Disney/Hyperion
Building Our House. Bean, Jonathan. Illus. by the author. Farrar
Bully. Seeger, Laura Vaccaro. Illus. by the author. Roaring Brook/Neal Porter
Count the Monkeys. Barnett, Mac. Illus. by Kevin Cornell. Disney/Hyperion

The Dark. Snicket, Lemony. Illus. by Jon Klassen. Little, Brown

The Day the Crayons Quit. Daywalt, Drew. Illus. by Oliver Jeffers. Philomel

Deep in the Sahara. Cunnane, Kelly. Illus. by Hoda Hadadi. Random/Schwartz & Wade

Eat Like a Bear. Sayre, April Pulley. Illus. by Steve Jenkins. Holt

Exclamation Mark. Rosenthal, Amy Krouse. Illus. by Tom Lichtenheld. Scholastic

Flight of the Honey Bee. Huber, Raymond. Illus. by Brian Lovelock. Candlewick

Flora and the Flamingo. Idle, Molly Schaar. Illus. by the author. Chronicle

Fraidyzoo. Heder, Thyra. Illus. by the author. Abrams

Little Santa. Agee, Jon. Illus. by the author. Dial

Locomotive. Floca, Brian. Illus. by the author. Atheneum

Lulu and the Dog from the Sea. McKay, Hilary. Illus. by Priscilla Lamont. Whitman

Maria Had a Little Llama/María tenía una Ilamita pequeña. Dominguez, Angela. Illus. by the author. Holt

Martin & Mahalia: His Words, Her Song. Pinkney, Andrea Davis. Illus. by Brian Pinkney. Little, Brown

Mitchell Goes Bowling. Durand, Hallie. Illus. by Tony Fucile. Candlewick

Moo! LaRochelle, David. Illus. by Mike Wohnoutka. Walker

Mr. Tiger Goes Wild. Brown, Peter. Illus. by the author. Little, Brown

Mr. Wuffles! Wiesner, David. Illus. by the author. Clarion

My Father’s Arms Are a Boat. Lunde, Stein Erik. Illus. by Øyvind Torseter. Trans. by Kari Dickson. Enchanted Lion

My Happy Life. Lagercrantz, Rose. Illus. by Eva Eriksson. Gecko

Nelson Mandela. Nelson, Kadir. Illus. by the author. HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen

Niño Wrestles the World. Morales, Yuyi. Illus. by the author. Roaring Brook/Neal Porter

Old Mikamba Had a Farm. Isadora, Rachel. Illus. by the author. Penguin/Nancy Paulsen          

On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein.  Berne, Jennifer Illus. by Vladimir Radunsky. Chronicle

Parrots Over Puerto Rico. Roth, Susan L. and Trumbore, Cindy. Illus. by Susan L. Roth. Lee & Low

Penny and Her Marble. Henkes, Kevin. Illus. by the author. Greenwillow

Robot, Go Bot! Rau, Dana Meachen. Illus. by Wook Jin Jung. Random

Take Me Out to the Yakyu. Meshon, Aaron. Illus. by the author. Atheneum

Ten Orange Pumpkins: A Counting Book. Savage, Stephen. Illus. by the author. Dial

Tito Puente: Mambo King/Rey del Mambo. Brown, Monica. Illus. by Rafael López. Rayo

The Tortoise & the Hare. Pinkney, Jerry. Illus. by the author. Little, Brown

Warning: Do Not Open This Book! Lehrhaupt, Adam. Illus. by Matthew Forsythe. Simon & Schuster

The Watermelon Seed. Pizzoli, Greg. Illus. by the author. Disney/Hyperion

Xander's Panda Party. Park, Linda Sue. Illus. by Matt Phelan. Clarion

The Year of Billy Miller. Henkes, Kevin. Illus. by the author. Greenwillow

2014 Notable Children's Books Middle Readers Grades 3-5

The Animal Book: A Collection of the Fastest, Fiercest, Toughest, Cleverest, Shyest--and Most Surprising--Animals on Earth. Jenkins, Steve. Illus. by the author. Houghton

Barbed Wire Baseball. Moss, Marissa. Illus. by Yuko Shimizu. Abrams

Battle Bunny. Scieszka, Jon and Barnett, Mac. Illus. by Matthew Myers. Simon & Schuster

Battling Boy. Pope, Paul. Illus. by the author. First Second

Better Nate Than Ever. Federle, Tim.  Simon & Schuster 

Bluffton: My Summers with Buster. Phelan, Matt. Illus. by the author. Candlewick

Bo at Ballard Creek. Hill, Kirkpatrick. Illus. by LeUyen Pham. Holt

The Boy on the Wooden Box: How the Impossible Became Possible...on Schindler's List. Leyson, Leon. illus. Atheneum

The Boy Who Loved Math: The Improbable Life of Paul Erdös. Heiligman, Deborah. Illus. by LeUyen Pham. Roaring Brook

Doll Bones. Black, Holly. Margaret K. McElderry

Eruption!:  Volcanoes and the Science of Saving Lives. Rusch, Elizabeth. Illus. by Tom Uhlman. Houghton

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library. Grabenstein, Chris.  Random

Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table. Martin, Jacqueline Briggs. Illus. by Eric-Shabazz Larkin. Readers to Eaters

Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures. DiCamillo, Kate. Illus. by K. G. Campbell. Candlewick

Gone Fishing: A Novel in Verse. Wissinger, Tamera Will. Illus. by Matthew Cordell. Houghton

The Great American Dust Bowl. Brown, Don. Illus. by the author. Houghton

How to Catch a Bogle. Jinks, Catherine. Illus. by Sarah Watts. Harcourt

Knock Knock : My Dad's Dream for Me. Beaty, Daniel. Illus. by Bryan Collier. Little Brown

The Lightning Dreamer: Cuba's Greatest Abolitionist. Engle, Margarita.  Harcourt

Lincoln's Grave Robbers. Sheinkin, Steve.  Scholastic

Look Up! Bird-Watching in Your Own Backyard. Cate, Annette LeBlanc. Illus. by the author. Candlewick

The Mad Potter: George E. Ohr, Eccentric Genius. Greenberg, Jan and Jordan, Sandra.  Roaring Brook/Neal Porter

Mister Orange. Matti, Truus. Illus. by Jenni Desmond. Trans. by Laura Watkinson. Enchanted Lion

Monster on the Hill. Harrell, Rob. Illus. by the author. Top Shelf 

P. S. Be Eleven. Williams-Garcia, Rita.  HarperCollins/Amistad 

Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote: A Migrant's Tale. Tonatiuh, Duncan. Illus. by the author. Abrams

Rooftoppers. Rundell, Katherine. Illus. by Terry Fan. Simon & Schuster 

Serafina's Promise: A Novel in Verse. Burg, Ann E.  Scholastic

Soldier Dog. Angus, Sam.  Feiwel and Friends 

A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin, Bryant, Jen. Illus. by Melissa Sweet. Knopf

Sugar. Rhodes, Jewell Parker.  Little, Brown 

Treasury of Egyptian Mythology. Napoli, Donna Jo. Illus. by Christina Balit. National Geographic

The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp. Appelt, Kathi. Atheneum 

The War within These Walls. Sax, Aline. Illus. by Caryl Strzelecki. Trans. by Laura Watkinson. Eerdmans

When Stravinsky Met Nijinsky: Two Artists, Their Ballet, and One Extraordinary Riot. Stringer, Lauren. Illus. by the author. Harcourt 

When the Beat Was Born: DJ Kool Herc and the Creation of Hip Hop. Hill, Laban Carrick. Illus. by Theodore Taylor III. Roaring Brook

Words with Wings. Grimes, Nikki.  Boyds Mills/WordSong

 

Love your library!

Mission & Vision

http://samanthalam.edu.glogster.com/lis-692-mission-vision

Visit with Congressman McIntyre

Students at Smithfield-Selma High School met with Congressman Mike McIntyre (NC-07) on October 28.  The Congressman spoke about his role as a senior member on both the Armed Services and Agriculture Committees and the importance of those committees in the daily lives of his constituents.  The presentation motivated the students to give back to their communities as the Congressman encouraged them to take responsibility for leadership in their school and beyond. The Congressman opened the floor briefly for questions and is seen here with student Emily Proctor who was asking about entrance to one of the service academies. 

JCS Technology Showcase!

After a month of preparing and planning for the showcase, I learned that no matter how busy I am in my office, I must make time to get out and into classrooms.  I believe teachers will be motivated to collaborate when they know their hard work will be validated.  I feel as if this opportunity allowed me to reap many personal and professional benefits.  First, it gave me a reason to reach out and collaborate with fellow teachers.  Not only was the collaboration a bonding experience for the students and me, but it also allowed me to form new friendships with the teachers.  It is my hope that these new alliances will continue to evolve into educational partnerships year after year.  I thoroughly enjoyed this experience!

1.      The first project I completed was with an 11^th and 12^th grade, Honors Discrete Math class taught by Dr. Polito.  The students analyzed data and applied probability concepts in order to solve problems.  Students then used Animoto to share their findings with each other.  See the link for an artifact from this class. http://animoto.com/play/Ws2cNZ05b56dSUImolPqDQ

Mohamed and Andrew: Probability Project

2.       The second group I worked with was a 9^th grade English Language Arts class taught by Ms. Pearce.  Students read selected short stories and analyzed character, plot, and theme. They then used Animoto to create short story 'trailers' to highlight the character development, plot line, and theme for their short stories.  I was the most hands-on with this class and really enjoyed the discussions that evolved from the story to the screen with the students.  See the link for an artifact from this class.  

http://animoto.com/play/MVwb2MWADjSHHlJlC0ocjw

The Lady or the Tiger? by Frank R. Stockton

3.        The third class I worked with was a 9^th and 10^th grade Biology class learning the phases of Mitosis. See the link for an artifact of Modeling Mitosis: http://animoto.com/play/1cWqSxOqjs6ayOmQdfQAeg

All in a Day's Work

The email said, as of 3 pm, the internet would be down for maintenance.  What a perfect way to end a busy day.  Our students had school wide testing in all grades today.  Guidance counselors and test coordinators were working madly to ensure students knew where they had to be, and teachers were prepared for a morning packed with instructions.  In between my hall duty of checking in on teachers, I thought I would use this opportunity to get some much needed tasks checked off my list.  Well, not all the tasks were big, but I thought I'd do a quick recap of all that I got accomplished...

Numbered 150 index cards for my principal to use during lunch, helped transfer 16 laptops from upstairs to downstairs, scanned and emailed four images to my Assistant Principal, re-shelved approximately thirty books, inventoried all of our "scary" books to be pulled for our Halloween display, entered three class sets of new text books into our system the good old fashioned cataloging way,  assetted two new computers, helped trouble shoot a classroom desktop that would not play a CD ROM, answered and sent numerous emails, collaborated and brainstormed tomorrow's lesson plan for our technology showcase, and helped carry drinks up for students surprising their teacher on her birthday!  As the day came to a close, it was nice to sit and reflect on the many things I have learned.  In conversation, a teacher told me she tries to think of the progress being made when things feel overwhelming-and that it's nice to feel needed.  What an optimistic outlook to have!   As I packed my bag to leave, I snapped this photo of my desk, all in a day's work!

Velkommen!

This week we said farewell to our foreign exchange students and teachers from Denmark.  In April, Smithfield-Selma High School students will be reunited with their Danish partners as they embark on an international voyage to their country! What an excellent way for our students to learn about diverse cultures and experience first hand the lives of others outside of our own country.  At our farewell party, both the Danish and American students-about fifty total, formed a circle in the media center.  They each took a turn to say one thing they learned from their experience here.  It was refreshing to see the range of emotions, smiles, and laughter the students gained from each other.  Hopefully this is only the beginning of a lifetime of learning and loving diversity and international affairs!

Spirit Week!

I must admit, I really enjoyed all of the "Spirit" I witnessed at school last week.  Since I'm a newbie, I wasn't sure what to expect, but the students really left an impression on me.  So much, that I felt the need to participate! One of the many things I love about my job is that it keeps me young-at-heart! 

Teaching, collaborating, listening, observing, laughing, and talking with teenagers daily, gives a rejuvenated sense of energy that I enjoy so much! I can honestly say that I wake up every morning and look forward to the day's work that lies ahead of me! Here are some fun photos of me joining in on the festivities of our Circus Themed Spirit Week! GO Spartans!

I love Animoto! (and students do too!)

Animoto Project

Here is the link to a project I did with a 9th grade Biology class this week.  The students loved learning the tools of Animoto.  This project was simply an introduction of what Animoto can do.  The students had only 30 minutes to upload images and publish a short video.  I was very proud of their accomplishments given their lack of experience and time constraint!

Constitution Week!

September 16th-20th 2013

Banned Books Week!

SSS Media Center: Banned Books Week 2013

Celebrating the Freedom to Read: September 22-27, 2013

What is "Banned Books Week" anyways?

 It's a time to bring awareness to the issue of Censorship. 

What is Censorship?

 "Censorship is the suppression of ideas and information that certain persons- individuals, groups, or government officials-find objectionable or dangerous." 

-American Library Association (ALA)

Typically challenges are motivated out of a wish to shield young people from sexually explicit content or offensive language.  While this is important, the ALA's "Library Bill of Rights" explains that, "Librarians and governing bodies should maintain that parents and only parents have the right and the responsibility to restrict the access of their children and only their children to library resources."

"Censorship by librarians of constitutionally protected speech, whether for protection or for any other reason, violates the First Amendment." -American Library Association

Banned Books That Shaped America:

http://www.bannedbooksweek.org/censorship/bannedbooksthatshapedamerica

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain, 1884

The first ban of Mark Twain’s American classic in Concord, MA in 1885 called it “trash and suitable only for the slums.” Objections to the book have evolved, but only marginally. Twain’s book is one of the most-challenged of all time and is frequently challenged even today because of its frequent use of the word “nigger.” Otherwise it is alleged the book is “racially insensitive,” “oppressive,” and “perpetuates racism.”

Beloved, Toni Morrison, 1987

Again and again, this Pulitzer-prize winning novel by perhaps the most influential African-American writer of all time is assigned to high school English students. And again and again, parental complaints are lodged against the book because of its violence, sexual content and discussion of bestiality.

Catch-22, Joseph Heller, 1961

A school board in Strongsville, OH refused to allow the book to be taught in high school English classrooms in 1972. It also refused to consider Cat’s Cradle as a substitute text and removed both books from the school library. The issue eventually led to a 1976 District Court ruling overturning the ban in Minarcini v. Strongsville. 

The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger, 1951

Young Holden, favorite child of the censor. Frequently removed from classrooms and school libraries because it is “unacceptable,” “obscene,” “blasphemous,” “negative,” “foul,” “filthy,” and “undermines morality.” And to think Holden always thought “people never notice anything.” 

Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury, 1953

Rather than ban the book about book-banning outright, Venado Middle school in Irvine, CA utilized an expurgated version of the text in which all the “hells” and “damns” were blacked out. Other complaints have said the book went against objectors religious beliefs. The book’s author, Ray Bradbury, died this year. 

For Whom the Bell Tolls, Ernest Hemingway, 1940

Shortly after its publication the U.S. Post Office, which purpose was in part to monitor and censor distribution of media and texts, declared the book nonmailable. In the 1970s, eight Turkish booksellers were tried for “spreading propaganda unfavorable to the state” because they had published and distributed the text. This wasn’t Hemingway’s only banned book – A Farewell to Arms and Across the River and Into the Trees were also censored domestically and abroad in Ireland, South Africa, Germany and Italy.

To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee, 1960

Harper Lee’s great American tome stands as proof positive that the censorious impulse is alive and well in our country, even today. For some educators, the Pulitzer-prize winning book is one of the greatest texts teens can study in an American literature class. Others have called it a degrading, profane and racist work that “promotes white supremacy.” 

Uncle Tom's Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe, 1852

Like Huck Finn, Of Mice and Men and Gone With the Wind, the contextual, historically and culturally accurate depiction of the treatment of Black slaves in the United States has rankled would-be censors. 

Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak, 1963

Sendak’s work is beloved by children in the generations since its publication and has captured the collective imagination. Many parents and librarians, however, did much hand-wringing over the dark and disturbing nature of the story. They also wrung their hands over the baby’s penis drawn in In the Night Kitchen.