"Listen up!" AUDIOBOOK LOVERS!

I am thrilled to announce we now have over 100 Audio Books on our Follett Shelf!

These books are free for MHS students and staff to download, so you can read without using up your data!  It is as simple as going to the eShelf, filtering by choosing audiobooks, and clicking on the one you want to check out. 

Students, download our Destiny Discover App (Instructions for Downloading our Brytewave App), use your MCS Google Account to sign in, and you're ready to go!

Here at MCS, Karima Moubarik, our MCS School Psychologist, was thrilled to learn about our audiobook collection, which is new this year, purchased from a grant won by our MHS Academic Brain Game Team.

English is Karima’s 4th Language (yes, 4th!); she speaks French, Arabic, and Moroccan and credits audiobooks as being a major help in her acquisition of our language, in addition to her high school and college instruction in English.  

In addition to testing, Karima works with students from pre-school through high school who have various disabilities, including cognitive and emotional, while also consulting with parents and teachers. Karima works with ESL students and hopes audiobooks will help them with pronunciation and expansion of their vocabulary.  The more they read, the more accurate grammar they acquire, she says. For ESL students who are immigrants, the phonetic instruction for English was not taught, so listening helps them with the correct pronunciations.  

Karima recommends audio books for all her students, especially for students who have attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder. Students who struggle with attention have a hard time completing tasks, academic or even household tasks, like cleaning a room.  Audiobooks can help them focus if they listen while doing those activities.  She also recommends this for students with specific reading disabilities.

For the general population, this is a way to find time to read.   Karima listens to audiobooks even while cleaning!  There are benefits of audiobooks for ALL READERS.  If you’re skeptical about trying one, you might be interested in the 9 Benefits of Audiobooks by Denise Drespling, a light-hearted and fun look that might encourage you to try one.

Remember you can download the books so you do NOT have to be connected to the Internet to listen.  In June, Karima will go to Morocco to visit family and is thrilled she won’t have to depend on the Internet.

If you’ve never tried one, now is the time!  Also, these books, as well as over 500 eBooks are available 24/7 and can be read through the summer.  Easy access is just waiting for you.  

Black History Month

As we near a 3-day weekend, remember we have over 500 books on our EBOOKS shelf. Check out the Brytewave App (directions) to read on any device, Apple or Android. 

Also, among the resources on this blog is our MHS Symbaloo  "webmix," which includes two links to Black History Webmixes compiled by other teachers.  There are many wonderful links from videos to lesson plans. See below.  To get to the MHS Symbaloo just click on the Symbaloo tab.

Capital Punishment Project (Owensby)

Here is a Capital Punishment Outline (Owensby) to help you in taking notes for Mrs. Owensby's Capital Punishment Debate Project.

Once you are signed in to Google Drive, Click on the link and go to File, Make a Copy.  Now you'll be able to copy and paste info into this outline.

Good Resource(s) Below:
Capital Punishment - Opposing Viewpoints in Context
Death Penalty Laws: State, Federal, and U.S. Military - Opposing Viewpoints in Context
A Continuing Conflict: A History of Capital Punishment in the United States - Opposing Viewpoints in Context

Lady Giant Basketball Senior Night 2016

So proud of our Lady Giants as they head into the Sectional!

The Changing Face of the Library Media Center

Welcome to the Marion High School Library Media Center!  While it is still a place to study or read quietly, it is also a creative space featuring our new iMac lab, which affords students the best of multi-media creation tools.  

Students in Mrs. Bush's AP World History class begin using Glogster for a research project. 

READ A BOOK ONLINE! We now have an eShelf  (Follett Shelf) with many of today's best sellers, in addition to many non-fiction resources perfect for research or multimedia projects. Just click on the tabs to explore the Library Catalog and Databases. See Mrs. Gardner or your teachers for passwords to Gale Power Search or Grolier Encyclopedia online. 

NEW BOOKS (The Good Old-Fashioned Kind)!  There is something special about the feel of a real book that you can hold in your hand.  We are continually getting  in new books  from best-selling thrillers to incredible stories of survival.  Life should not be so busy that you can't take a little time out for reading.  Make time to browse our collection.   

We are always looking to update our collection; please feel free to submit requests for books or DVD's.  Forms may be found in the Library Media Center. 

New Beginnings for MHS Library Media Center

"And all of a sudden, summer was over." This line from one of my favorite books kept coming to mind as I had my first official day as the new library media specialist for Marion High School. I am humbled and thrilled to be given the opportunity to work with students and faculty as we integrate 21st Century technology with the classics of yesterday and today - for educational purposes AND for enjoyment.  

Our number one goal will always be to increase student achievement, which means not only preparing them for high-stakes testing, but also for providing opportunities for them to learn the 21st Century skills, which include social, technological, and literacy skills that students need to be successful in our society.  

We are seeking to transform our newly renovated 'library' into a vibrant media center, "where reading is modeled and promoted as something joyful and pleasurable, instead of just instructional" (librarygirl.net).  In the coming weeks,  I will be seeking the input of teachers, administrators, students, and community members to collect innovative ideas for promoting and improving our library media center.  Plans include revamping our library website, and dynamic new ways of sharing and promoting books through Pinterest and Twitter.  Students will find a welcoming place of academic excellence, which encourages inquiry and critical thinking along with students' individual interests and creativity. It is with a Giant Pride that I begin this new journey!  Stay tuned!