Anne Frank Video

This video is from the Anne Frank Museum and is believed to be the only film image of Anne Frank. It was taken before she went into hiding.

Google Query

Google allows users to send a search query via their phone to 466453. You will receive a text message reply with the query results. Go ahead and try it - text "cubs" to 466453 and you will receive back the latest game score results. Standard text message rates apply.

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Summer Reading

Summer is approaching which means we have more free time to spend reading. Please check our Middle Schools' Summer Reading Suggestions wiki. You can find this link on our library homepage.

Mrs. Woods and I are signing off for the summer. Be sure to check on the Prairie Picks blog when you return to school in August. Enjoy your vacation!

Fun with Wordle

Try your hand at creating a word collage using Wordle @ www.wordle.net. Watch out, it's addictive! You provide the text and wordle will create the cloud.

Show what is important to you. Either paste in text on a topic that interests you or provide a URL to a Web site you like. Press "Go" and presto, you have created a word cloud. Tailor your cloud to your own tastes by changing the layout, color and font. Words that are used more frequently are more prominent in the cloud.

What a great site to use for an end of year project! Imagine creating a word cloud that represents what is important to a character you have read about or studied. Word clouds could represent a biome you may be studying in science. Think of how you could use this in your own life to express your individuality. Create collages for a bulletin board in your room. The uses are endless.

Gordon Korman

Gordon Korman visited the Chicago area last week and I had the pleasure of hearing him speak about his books. Not only was it inspiring, he was funny! Humor is a common thread through most of Korman's books, and that is what makes them so popular among middle school students.

Mr. Korman shared how he got his start in writing. During his second semester of seventh grade English in a Canadian school, he was told to write whatever he wanted and he had a semester to work on it. This piece turned into his first book titled This Can't Be Happening at MacDonald Hall. Korman had his book published by the time he was a freshman in high school. Since then he has written over 55 books!

No More Dead Dogs has been a popular choice with our middle school students. Wallace Wallace, the main character, expressed his honest opinion about the book he was assigned to read. He writes, "Old Shep, My Pal by Zach Paris is the most boring book I've read in my entire life. I did not have a favorite character. I hated everybody equally..." He goes on to tell his teacher that any book studied in school with a dog in it has the dog dying in the end. This lands Wallace Wallace in detention to rewrite his review. It just so happens that Wallace's detention was held where the school play rehearsals were occurring and the play chosen was Old Shep, My Pal. Wallace can't help himself; he finds himself as the director making drastic changes to the plot.

Korman's latest titles: Schooled, Swindle, The 39 Clues: One False Note

Soon to be released: Zoobreak - a sequel to Swindle

Pop - a young adult novel

Happy Earth Day!

Today is Earth Day - a day that we get to reflect on what we are doing to give back to a planet that gives us so much. Visit http://www.earthday.net/ and learn how YOU can personally make a difference all year long.