...ERC Bookends...

 

At-Your-Service Bibliographic Instruction

How do I find articles on teaching ESL?

Where can I find my favorite children's picture books?

Does the ERC have manipulatives for use in early childhood classrooms?

I need to engage 8th graders in reading.... Does the ERC carry young adult novels with contemporary themes?

Where can I find music lesson plans?

We can help! Schedule your teacher education students' customized bibliographic instruction class at the ERC today!

To schedule your class for an ERC orientation, please call 745-4552 or 745-4659. Roxanne Myers Spencer, Ellen Micheletti, Gayle Novick, or any of our  helpful student workers look forward to assisting you!

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Teachers' Resources for National Poetry Month

Poetry and More with Shel Silverstein by Cheryl Potts
Shel Silverstein’s poems are universally popular with children.  This book give lesson plans and activities that use his poems as starting points.  The activities are geared to children in grades 2-5

The Eentsy, Weentsy spider:  Finger Plays and Action Rhymes by Joanna Cole and Stephanie Calmenson
Young children love fingerplays and verse.  This book gives lots of them for teachers to use in lessons or just for fun.

Fly With Poetry: An ABC of Poetry by Avis Harley
From A  for Acrostic to Z for Zooalphabet, this book gives a word relating to poetry and illustrates it with a poem.

Pass the Poetry Please by Lee Bennet Hopkins.
This book is crammed full of ideas for utilizing poetry in the classroom.  Each chapter also gives additional references for further study.

Staff Picks: Favorite Poetry Books for Kids!

Casey at the Bat, by Ernest Lawrence Thayer, illustrated by Christopher Bing
If any American poem can be called a true classic that appeals to all ages, this one is it.  This edition features illustrations by Christopher Bing done in sepia tones in the style of an old newspaper--very captivating!

The Highwayman, by Alfred Noyes, illustrated by Charles Keeping
"The Highwayman" is one of the most famous dramatic poems in English.  The illustrations in this edition won the Kate Greenaway medal.  The Highwayman lends itself very well to dramatic reading.  Try it--it will pique your students' sense of imagination!

Making Friends With Frankenstein: A Book of Monstrous Poems and Pictures, written and illustrated by Colin
McNaughton
These poems are silly, kind of gross, and side-splittingly funny.  The pictures compliment the text perfectly. Be prepared for groans and giggles when read aloud!  Fans of Shel Silverstein will absolutely love this book.

The Bad Child’s Book of Beasts, by Hillaire Belloc
Good poetry from an author best known as a historian.  All the poems are about animals, always a favorite topic with children. Some selections are short, some are long--all are unique and memorable.

A Child’s Garden Of Verses, by Robert Louis Stevenson, illustrated by Tasha Tudor
This is a true classic of children’s poetry, illustrated by a classic children's book illustrator. Parents, children, and grandparents will find something to treasure in this lovely collection--definitely a read for the whole family!

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Online Articles, Anyone?

WKU Libraries' homepage and TopperInfoPortal (TIP) are great resources on or off campus. If you are doing research for an online class, working from home or the office, or are interning this semester and won't have much of an opportunity to visit the WKU Libraries, you'll find TIP an invaluable resource.  Look up articles on our subscription databases; review our subject area research guides; search electronic journals; or search TopCat2000, the WKU Libraries online catalog. KYVL (Kentucky Virtual Libraries) databases or other subscription databases are accessible remotely with user ids and passwords. User IDs and passwords are available through the WKU  Libraries Reference Desk at 270-745-6125.  You must be a current student or faculty or  staff member. Your name and last four digits of your WKU ID number are required for remote access passwords.

This month, we searched the Kentucky Virtual Library, KYVL, available through WKU Libraries' TopperInfoPortal (http://www.wku.edu/Library/tip/), using the Arts & Humanities databases. We did an Advanced Keyword Search for "poetry" and "Children," and got more than 500 hits! Here are some highlights of our search, available in full text.

Greene, Grace. (2003, January/February). "Fiction and Poetry Honor Books." Horn Book Magazine, 79:1.

Manning, Maryann. (2003, February). A Poetic Awakening. Teaching PreK-8, 33:5.

Moore, Dorothy K. (2003, April). "Getting Personal with Poetry." Teaching PreK-8, 33:7.

Parker, Anne, and Nadain, Megan. (2002, December). "Poetry: Not just for April!" Teacher Librarian, 30:2.

Singer, Marilyn. (2003, January). "Nurturing Wonder."  School Library Journal, 49:1.

Eds.   (2003, February/March). "And Who Are You? Write a Bio-Poem." Writing, Teacher's Guide, 25:5.

This month's tip for TIP (http://www.wku.edu/Library/tip/), WKU Libraries TopperInfoPortal:  Check out the resources for Kids, Teens, and Parents, featuring local, regional, and national information. (http://www.wku.edu/Library/tip/kids.html)

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• Two coin-operated photocopiers are available for copying Reserve Readings and other materials.
• The ERC has 12 computers with access to TopCat and excellent resources through TIP, Western Kentucky Libraries' Topper InfoPortal (http://www.wku.edu/Library/tip/)
• The ERC has an Ellison machine with a large selection of dies
• Lamination services are available for posters and other special projects