2012 Book Drive

SGA is holding a December 2012 Book Drive for the Asheville Prison Books Program. Asheville's Prison Books Program is an all-volunteer run, secular, collective, which has distributed free literature to indigent inmates throughout the Southeastern United States since 1999. Prison Books is dedicated to offering men and women behind bars the opportunity for self-empowerment, education, and entertainment that reading provides.

Please let your (homeroom) students know the following information about the book drive, and feel free to bring in some of your own old books to help the cause:

1)      Bring as many books as you have to the media center, and make sure you know how many you have when you drop them off!

2)      When you drop your books off, talk to a librarian so you can write down your name.

3)      You may bring books, magazines, comics, etc. of any genre (educational, fiction, nonfiction, biographies, children’s, cooking, art, etc.)

4)      Good condition/un-marked books are needed (preferably), due to the restrictions of many correctional facilities.

5)      Prison Books has the highest demand for dictionaries and legal-aid books.

6)      Ask your family and friends if they have any books they’ve already read.

7)      All of your support to this local non-profit is greatly appreciated!

8)      The AHS homeroom that brings the most books will win a yummy prize (including the teacher)!

For more information, visit http://www.main.nc.us/prisonbooks/

How to access our eBooks

One of the perks of eBooks is that the whole class can read them at once on their laptops. We have purchased hundreds of eBooks, mostly reference, from Gale and Follett. The can be searched in the Catalog. The Gale eBooks can be found through the Powersearch widget on the Media Center home page. A student can download a book to read offline, just beware, if they download the rest of the class can't access that book during the download period. For further instruction on eBooks or simply to find out the password contact the Media Center.

Librarians and Test Scores

Yes, it's true: "Access to a full-time school librarian increases student test scores, closes the achievement gap, and improves writing skills, according to a new study of Pennsylvania public schools..." 

Check out the details in this School Library Journal article, and let us know when we can work with you and your students in some of the following ways:

Would you like your students to use PhotoStory, Google Docs, GoogleEarth, or powerpoint more effectively (such as annotated, non-linear use or Dos and Don’ts) as well as other technology tools?  We will provide class instruction and follow up with individual assistance as needed.

Want your class to create a GoogleEarth LitTrip, or something similar?  We can help them make a meaningful, practical project they and others can use.

Need instruction for your students on web tools like Animoto, Wordle, Wallwisher, Discovery UnitedStreaming, or other web-based tools?  We will teach your class how to use these tools effectively.

Have a topic you want to do something different with?  Let us know and we can provide you with some ideas and resources.

Know exactly what you want to do, but want to know what resources are available?  We can let you know what books, database options, and reliable web sites are available.  We can also instruct your students on how to get the most out of these resources to increase time-on-task, and provide individual assistance as needed while they are working on the project.

Want your students to receive a lesson in evaluating web sites or finding the best, most reliable sites for their project?  We can do that.

How about Digital Literacy and Citizenship?  We can do that as well. 

Would YOU like to know how to use a particular tool mentioned here?  We can show you how. 

Please provide a minimum of 3 days notice for best results.

New Arrivals for Teachers

Viva La Causa is a documentary about migrant workers and their struggle for social justice under the leadership of activist Cesar Chavez. It tells the story of their non-violent victory gaining farmworkers rights. The dvds include a teachers guide and meet content standards for Social Studies and Language Arts (9-12).

Bullied  is also a Teaching Tolerance documentary produced by Southern Poverty Law Center. It is the story of a  "student, a school and a case that made history." "It tells the story of a young gay man who took a stand against the bullying he experienced in school. It is designed to create empathy for victems and to encourage others to take action." It comes with a viewer's guide and ideas to incorporate it into the classroom.