Website Review: MapStory

MAPSTORY is an online tool for creating local, regional, and global scale maps.

The MapStories website contains hundreds of maps to explore. Conduct a search or explore categories such as geopolitics and human settlement. Users can become part of the online community and contribute data and stories to existing projects. Students can also combine narrative elements that include images, text, and video to explain how and why changes happen in specific locations in their own projects. The maps can be connected with social media including Twitter and Facebook.

Librarians will find that students enjoy exploring existing maps along with creating their own. Use this tool in geography lessons along with map-related activities in science and social studies.

To visit the website, go to https://mapstory.org/.

Book Review: Black Panther The Young Prince

BLACK PANTHER THE YOUNG PRINCE by Ronald L. Smith tells the origin story of this popular superhero.

Twelve-year old T’Challa is a young prince living in the hidden African nation of Wakanda. When he and his friend M’Baku are sent to a private academy in Chicago, T’Challa soon learns that his experiences have not prepared him for life in America. To protect his friends, he must face evil and become a hero.

Of particular interest is how the author deals with T’Challa’s conflicting emotions related to America’s history of racial inequality and African heritage.

Librarians will find this book to be a popular extension of the Black Panther universe. Feature this engaging fantasy adventure along with other recently released Marvel superhero origin stories.

Published by Disney-Hyperion on January 2, 2018. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Website Review: TimelinesJS

TIMELINEJS is an easy-to-use tool for building timelines.

TimelineJS is an open-source resource for creating professional-quality, interactive timelines. Users create a Google spreadsheet including short narratives and visuals. The images and videos from social media sites can be incorporated into the timelines. Users then provide the URL of the spreadsheet at the Timeline website. It’s then transformed into a timeline.

Librarians will find this an excellent way to teach both Google spreadsheets and the basics of building timelines. This tool can be applied to content across the curriculum.

To visit the website, go to https://timeline.knightlab.com.

Website Review: Library of Congress: Free Sets

FREE TO USE AND REUSE SETS from the Library of Congress provide dozens of useful teaching and learning resources.

The Library of Congress contains millions of digital objects. Their free sets of materials makes it easy to locate useful content based on themes. Because the materials have no known copyright or are copyright cleared, they can be used by students in products such as web-based reports and presentations.

This section of the Library of Congress website currently contains over a dozen collections on themes such as dogs, classic children’s books, travel posters, and holidays.

Librarians will find this theme-based resource to be useful in introducing primary source documents. Of particularly note is the set called “Your Favorites” from Flickr.

To visit the website, go to https://www.loc.gov/free-to-use/.

Website Review: TED-Ed Series

TED-ED Series are connected videos exploring educational topic across the curriculum.

The TED-Ed Series provides a quick way to locate nearly 50 educational video collections. For instance, Periodic Videos contains 118 videos focusing on topics relating to science and the periodic table. Users click on an element for a lesson and video. The series titled The Way We Think explores nearly 100 topics related to psychology, sociology, thinking, and learning. The Mysteries of Vernacular explores dozens of odd and interesting words.

Librarians will find this website to be an excellent way to seek out useful videos for the K-12 curriculum. Browse through the sets of videos and connect them with the communications, STEM, and social science curriculum.

To visit the website, go to https://ed.ted.com/series.

Book Review: Silent Days, Silent Dreams

SILENT DAYS, SILENT DREAMS by Allen Say tells the compelling true story of a talented and unusual artist.

James Castle was born deaf and never learned to read, write, or speak. Despite his challenges, Castle found peace in drawing. Say tells the extraordinary story of this artist’s life through vivid drawings and concise text.

Librarians will find this amazing story to be an excellent addition to the biography collection. Weave the title into discussions about the challenges people overcome to follow their passion.

Published by Scholastic. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Digital Spotlight: National Baseball Hall of Fame

The NATIONAL BASEBALL HALL OF FAME website contains a growing digital collection of photos, audio, video, and text.

Contents: Users can browse thousands of items related to the history of baseball. In addition to using the search tool, users can also browse collections including 3-D artifacts, cartoons, oral histories, scrapbooks, photo archives, World Series materials, and more.

Classroom Connections: Librarians will find this website to be a fun way to introduce digital collections. Share the website as part of a display that includes both fiction and nonfiction books about baseball.

Featured Digital Objects:
Jackie Robinson https://goo.gl/Q8RAxy
Scrapbooks https://goo.gl/S1LtG3
Oral Histories https://goo.gl/oiSb1g

To visit the collection, go to https://collection.baseballhall.org/

Technology Review: Yiddish Book Center

The YIDDISH BOOK CENTER is a comprehensive website providing information about language, literature, and culture.

The website contains access to collections, information sources, educational programs, and more.

The Digital Library and Collections area provides over 11,000 titles including oral histories, lectures, audiobooks, and other materials in Yiddish. Of particular interest are 800 children’s literature titles.

The Language, Literature, and Culture section provides articles, podcast interviews, and short films.

Librarians will find this to be a useful resource for students interested in exploring Yiddish and modern Jewish literature and culture.

To visit the website, go to https://www.yiddishbookcenter.org/.

Technology Review: Endangered Archives Programme

The ENDANGERED ARCHIVES PROGRAMME from the British Library is a global project focusing on preservation of archival material.

Dozens of countries have participated in this project that helps preserve endangered historical materials. Grants are used to provide financial assistance. Users can access ten years of projects by year or by country. The collections include a wide variety of primary source documents including wills, contracts, correspondence, diaries, maps, and other materials.

Librarians will find this website to be a unique way to talk with students about the importance of preserving cultural heritage. Connect this website with a social studies project focusing on the culture of a particular country. Ask students to explore the digitized items from one of the dozens of countries represented in the project. Then, connect the primary source materials with the country’s history.

To visit the website, go to https://eap.bl.uk/.

Book Review: From Here to There

FROM HERE TO THERE: A BOOK OF MAZES TO WANDER AND EXPLORE by Sean C. Jackson is a stunning book that combines beautiful art with engaging puzzles.

This engaging book provides an excellent introduction to art, architecture, and 3-D puzzles along with dozens of engaging mazes to complete. The author's introduction includes background information about mazes in general and also the 3-dimensional approach taken by the author/illustrator. The variety of mazes and the illustrator's use of color add to the book's appeal.

Each maze contains a starting point, ending point, and name. While most of the mazes are single pages, a few are two-page spreads. The combination of rural and urban settings along with natural and human-made landscapes make the book particularly appealing.

Librarians will find this book to be a popular addition to the nonfiction collection. Young people will enjoy how the mazes seem to define gravity. When sharing the book with children show images of M.C. Escher and discuss this technique.

ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Digital Spotlight: Qatar Digital Library

QATAR DIGITAL LIBRARY is a free digital collection exploring the modern history and culture of the Gulf region.

Contents: Users can choose to explore the archives or read articles from experts. Exploring the archive provides access to over a million items. The expert articles can be filtered by topic, location, and time period. The See, Watch, Listen option provides a quick look at interesting topics. A list of popular topics is provided along with a search tool with filters.

Classroom Connections: Use this website as a starting point for an exploration of the Gulf region. Ask students to choose a topic, place, or time period of interest from the expert section to jumpstart their exploration.

Featured Digital Objects:
Introductory Articles https://goo.gl/BzsvhD
History of the English East India Company https://goo.gl/Ue7RnZ
Science and Medicine https://goo.gl/KwpWio

To visit the collection, go to https://www.qdl.qa/en.

Technology Review: Pixabay

PIXABAY provides access to over a million free images and videos available online.

Providing access to images and videos labeled with the Creative Commons CC0 license, this resource makes it easy to locate and use a wide range of resources.

Users can locate photos, vector graphics, illustrations, and videos. An advanced search option provides more detailed searching. Although the search results display sponsored images in addition to free materials, the sponsored images don’t distract from the free materials. Images can also be accessed by category such as animals or sports.

Students can access the visual resources through the website or download the app through the App Store or Google Play.

Librarians will find this to be an effective tool for students working on class projects. Although Google offers a similar search for free images, this resource provides different and additional results.

To explore the website, go to https://pixabay.com/.

Technology Review: 101 Videos

101 VIDEOS from National Geographic on YouTube explore natural and historical phenomena from around the world.

Containing nearly 60 short videos, this National Geographic series focuses on fascinating topics from around the world.

Each three to seven minute segment explores a different topic. Recent programs include Ancient Rome, Ancient Egypt and The Protestant Reformation. Science topics include Climate, Lunar Eclipse, the Sun, and the Human Body.

Librarians will find this series provides an excellent introduction to key topics from the curriculum. Mine the resource for history and science topics. Suggest that teachers use the videos as springboards to classroom activities. Or, use each video at a library learning station to draw attention to nonfiction books connected with the theme.

To visit the website, go to https://goo.gl/GMEkKQ.

Book Review: Hey, Baby!

HEY, BABY! by Stephanie Warren Drimmer introduces children to a collection of pictures, poems, and stories exploring animal babies.

From mountains and plains to oceans and seas, each of the eight chapters explores animal babies from a different region of the world. Anecdotes and short stories are told through poems, folktales, short narratives, and descriptive passages along with fact boxes and high-quality photographs. The book concludes with a map, additional resources, and an index.

Librarians will find this adorable collection to be popular with children of all ages. Parents would find this coffee-table sized book useful for short, bedtime reading, while teachers could use excerpts for information reading activities. The index provides easy access to particular animals for students doing reports on animal babies.

Published by National Geographic Children’s Books, an imprint of Random House on November 14, 2017. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Website Review: SolveMe Mobiles

SOLVEME MOBILES provide a fun and engaging way to explore math and problem-solving.

Designed to support algebraic reasoning, this interactive experience presents users with colorful puzzles that help algebra and pre-algebra students strengthen their skills at solving equations for unknown values.

The project contains two sections: play and build.

The Play section asks users to imagine a hanging sculpture. Participants can explore three levels of built-in puzzles, share their own puzzles, list saved puzzles, and like favorites. A variety of tools are available including an electronic hand, pencil, and eraser.

The Build section provides tools so users can create their own mobiles by selecting and placing shapes of specific colors. These puzzles can be saved and shared. The website also provides information for parents and teachers.

Librarians will find this appealing website to be a fun addition to the library along with the math classroom. Consider building the interactive activity into a learning station or maker space featuring books and manipulatives to explore math puzzles.

To learn more, go to http://solveme.edc.org/mobiles/.

App Review: Truss Me!

TRUSS ME! from Scientific Monkey is an inexpensive app that teaches students to design structures.

Available at both the App Store and Google Play, this physics-based simulation experience helps users learn how truss structures work through fun interactive experiences. The program applies state-of-the-art techniques used by aerospace, mechanically and civil engineers to simulate real-world designs.

Librarians will find that this fun app provides an excellent introduction to the physics of truss structures. Combine the app with a maker space area that provides hands-on materials for trying out designs. Also, incorporate it into the STEAM program in the engineering area.

To learn more, go to http://www.scientificmonkey.com.

Technology Review: Anchor

ANCHOR is an app and website for creating podcasts.

This free resource allows users to record high-quality audio programs, then easily share their work. Available in both the App Store and at Google Play, this podcasting tool is also available in a web-based format. Although a sign-in is required, the resource is free for both short and long form audios.

Librarians will find this to be a useful tool for teachers and students wishing to create their own podcasts. Use it across content areas for engaging audio projects.

To learn more about the app, go to https://anchor.fm/

Book Review: The Witch Boy

THE WITCH BOY by Molly Ostertag is a middle-grade graphic fantasy about magic and individual differences.

Aster has grown up in a world where girls learn magic and boys become shape-shifters. As he reaches maturity, Aster realizes that he wants to learn magic even though it’s forbidden in his society. Encouragement from an outsider, helps him gain the courage to trust himself and face his fears.

Librarians will be drawn to messages of inclusion and courage. Middle-grade children will enjoy the high-quality color illustrations and fast-paced story. Use the absorbing story, world-building, and well-developed characters to draw in new graphic novel readers.

Published by Graphix, an imprint of Scholastic on October 31, 2017. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Website Review: Making North America

MAKING NORTH AMERICA is an interactive map from NOVA that explores geological sites across the continent.

Designed for grades 6-12, this interactive tool involves students in geology and history through an interactive experience.

The project begins with an introduction video, then users can choose the explore, expedition, or water options.

The Explore section asks users to click on a map to explore geological sites or experience a video sky tour. Within each area, users follow geologists as they explore geological features.

The Expedition section contain three treks that ask users to search for clues about how North American was formed. The treks begin with a video, then involve students in engaging activities that involve clicking, dragging, and making choices.

The Watch section provides complete videos of three NOVA episodes: origins, life, and humans.

Librarians will find this to be an excellent addition to the earth science program. The visual and interactive features will keep students actively engaged in learning. Divide a class into three teams each exploring a different trek. Then, ask them to come together and share their experience.

To visit the resource, go to http://www.pbs.org/…/nova/assets/swf/1/explore-north-america.

Website Review: Scholastic Student Activities

STUDENT ACTIVITIES from Scholastic has been providing high-quality web and whiteboard activities for decades.

Hundreds of activities are available across disciplines. Activities are organized by grade level (PreK-K, 1-2, 3-5, 6-8). Categories include games, computer lab, interactive whiteboard, listen and read, and writing activities. While many of the activities are associated with Scholastic products such as books, most can be used without special supplies.

Librarians will find endless ideas for the K-8 curriculum. Mine this website for classroom connections. Of particular note are the “listen and read” activities.

To visit the website, go to https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/student-activities/.

Website Review: Games

GAMES from the National Museums Scotland contains dozens of interactive games for children focusing on topics from history to science.

While some of the games have educational value such as building a wind farm and designing a clinical trial, others are simply for fun such as monkey business lunch.

Librarians will want to mine this website for curriculum related games. For instance, Morse Code for the STEM curriculum and Discover Ancient Egypt for the history curriculum.

To visit the website, go to https://www.nms.ac.uk/explore?type=13119.

Book Review: Disappeared

DISAPPEARED by Francisco X. Stork tells the powerful story of siblings navigating a world of kidnapping and crime in Juarez, Mexico.

When her best friend is kidnapped, Sara uses her skills as a journalist to attract attention to her friend’s case despite death threats to herself and her family. At the same time, Sara’s brother Emiliano faces the question of whether to take the easy path into the world of crime or work hard to establish a legal business. Stork’s well-developed characters and authentic situations will draw young adults into this suspenseful story.

Librarians will find this to be a popular addition to the growing number of thoughtful, coming-of-age novels focusing on timely issues related to crime and politics along the American-Mexican border. Although the setting is different than Stork’s other novels, fans will quickly become immersed in this fast-paced thriller.

Published on September 26, 2017 by Arthur A. Levine, an imprint of Scholastic. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Website Review: Chicago Project

THE CHICAGO PROJECT is an interactive, immersive project exploring Chicago’s history.

Incorporating photo, film, and sound elements, this website currently shares four stories. The Century of Progress project is a virtual reality experience connected with the 1933 World’s Fair. The Valentine’s Day Massacre uses photos and documents to bring an historical site to life through virtual reality. The Eastland Disaster explores a famous ship disaster through historical photos and newsreel film in an augmented and virtual reality environment. Finally, the Spaces project examines famous architectural photography.

Librarians will find this website serves multiple uses. First, it provides an excellent example of virtual reality, augmented reality, and multimedia. Second, it provides a fascinating way to explore history.

To visit the website, go to http://chicago00.org.

Digital Spotlight: Pioneering Women of American Architecture

PIONEERING WOMEN OF AMERICAN ARCHITECTURE profiles fifty women how have made significant contributions to architecture in America.

Contents: The easy-to-access collection is organized alphabetically by last name, chronologically by lifetimes, and pictorially through architectural drawings and photographs. Each entry includes background information, a well-researched biographical article, illustrations depicting the architect and her work, and a bibliography.

Classroom Connections: Teachers will find that high-quality articles to be useful for informational reading activities. Consider using the collection while studying pioneering woman across disciplines.

Featured Digital Objects:
Van Rensselaer https://goo.gl/J1UYGo
Huxtable https://goo.gl/CEJUnD
Maxman https://goo.gl/Qpn5vx

To visit the collection, go to https://pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/

Digital Spotlight: Shakespeare Documented

SHAKESPEARE DOCUMENTED is a comprehensive online exhibition documenting items published during his lifetime.

Contents: A collaboration among the Bodleian Libraries, British Library, Shakespeare Trust, UK National Archives, and others, this collection includes nearly 500 primary source materials, this online project shares manuscripts that refer to Shakespeare during his lifetime, books printed during his lifetime, Stationers’ Register entries, printed editions of works, and documents connected to family members.

Classroom Connections: What makes this collection unique is the focus on his socio-economic status and profession during his lifetime. Use this collection to help students better understand Shakespeare’s daily life.

Featured Digital Objects:
Lawsuits https://goo.gl/uQCeR9
Personal Property https://goo.gl/n2EF4F
Contemporary Accounts https://goo.gl/3B5DDb

To visit the collection, go to http://shakespearedocumented.org/.

Book Review: Dog Man Series

DOG MAN is a new series of graphic novels for children by Dav Pilkey featuring a dog-headed police officer.

Like Captain Underpants who was created by George and Harold, Dog Man is an unusual superhero made by a pair of friends. In the first book, this “crime-biting canine” is created when a police officer and his police dog are combined to save both lives. The resulting new superhero has some quirks, but he quickly gets to work capturing criminals like Petey the Cat and other evil doers. Two additional books including Unleashed and A Tale of Two Kittens explore stories featuring evil Petey the Cat. The latest addition to the series introduces Dog Man’s new sidekick Cat Kid. Together they become an effective crime fighting team.

Librarians will find a huge following for this hilarious new series. With endless jokes focusing on the relationship between dogs and cats, this new series will appeal to pet lovers along with fans of Captain Underpants.

Published by Graphix, an imprint of Scholastic. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Website Review: Type Terms

TYPE TERMS is a website explaining terminology related to typography.

The website’s entry page displays the word “terminology” with active links for over a dozen key terms. Each link provides an animated visual and a definition. Users can then return to the menu or navigate forward or backward through additional terms.

Librarians will find this website an interesting addition to the computer science curriculum. Weave the website into a lesson focusing on word processing, page layout, and typography.

To visit the website, go to https://www.supremo.tv/typeterms/.

Website Review: Unfairy Tales

UNFAIRY TALES is a collection of animated stories exploring the plight of Syrian refugees.

Produced for UNICEF, the website contains three sections: Malak and the Boat, Mustafa Goes for a Walk, and The Story of Ivine and Pillow. In addition, videos show the children telling their stories.

Librarians will find this website to be useful in talking with children about issues regarding child refugees. Students will be particularly interested in how the children narrated the stories themselves.

To visit the website, go tohttps://www.unicef.org/em…/childrenonthemove/unfairytales/en.

Website Review: I Spy (with my Five Eyes)

I SPY (WITH MY FIVE EYES) is an interactive website documentary focusing on global privacy issues.

This engaging documentary explores the tensions among citizens, governments, and intelligence groups related to government surveillance. Specifically, it examines the Five Eyes Alliance surveillance program established during the Cold War that continues today. Each of the five interactive video chapters focuses a specific aspect of government surveillance such as cyberwarfare and the search for terrorists. Each video includes interactive elements such as embedded questions and additional content. Further information is also available.

Librarians will find this interactive documentary to be an effective way to teach high school students about global privacy issues. Social studies teachers will also be interested in weaving the content into their social issues and history curriculum.

To visit the website, go to http://ispydoc.com.

Book Review: Bizzy Mizz Lizzie

BIZZY MIZZ LIZZIE by David Shannon is a timely picture book that encourages children to “stop and smell the flowers”.

Bizzy Mizz Lizzie is so busy that she never stops to relax. When Mizz Lizzie’s over-scheduled life catches up with her, she learns a lesson about the importance of taking a break to enjoy the simple things in life.

Librarians will find this colorfully illustrated picture book to be useful in classrooms to address the importance of a balanced life. Pair it with a discussion about making choices.

Published by Scholastic on October 10, 2017. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Website Review: Black in History

BLACK IN HISTORY is a blog that highlights the accomplishments of influencers.

This attractive, and easy-to-use website features Black Americans from the past and present. Each entry includes a name, photo, overview, and short biographical sketch. An archive provides easy access to all the entries. Tags are used for each entry making the blog easy to search. In addition, readers can filter entries by subject such as medicine and music. Users are encouraged to submit their own entries.

Librarians will find this website to be a useful addition to Black History Month activities. However more importantly, it provides resources about influential Black Americans that can be woven into the history curriculum as a whole. Encourage children to write their own short entries and submit them to the blog.

To visit the website, go to http://blackinhistory.tumblr.com/.