Lunch Time in the Library

It is wonderful to see so many children enjoying their lunch times in the library. From board games, to colouring, drawing, chess, jigsaws or just having a chat, the library is the place to be! All students are most welcome to join us every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday during second break.

Library Borrowing Term 4

Just a reminder that last Friday, October 10th was the last day for library borrowing. I ask that all library books be returned to the library this week, Week 6, in readiness for stocktake. Don’t forget to put the library books you are returning into your library bag! If you know a book is lost, please contact me by email mholley@arm.catholic.edu.au. Many thanks for your understanding in this matter.

Book Club

A very sincere “thank you” to all the families who have supported the library by purchasing books through Book Club. The credit points we have received because of your purchases have allowed me to obtain valuable resources for our library, so once again, thank you for your support. An enormous “thank you” also to our lovely Book Club Organiser, Mrs Galvin, and her wonderful helpers, Mrs Dewhurst and Mrs Westhorpe, who distribute the catalogues, order the books and distribute the books once they arrive - Book Club wouldn’t happen without them!

Catalogues for Issue 8, the last Book Club of the year, were distributed last week and are due back at school on the 25th of November. If you are ordering a book that is an intended gift, please identify this when ordering and we will hold it at school and notify you when it arrives. You will then be able to arrange a suitable time for collection.

Graphic Novels

So, have you had the opportunity to read one yet? Yes, I am talking about a graphic novel! Not sure what they are? Just ask the students in Stages 2 and 3, they do! Graphic novels are by far the most borrowed books in the library, I can’t keep them on the shelf and the reservation list just keeps getting longer!

But, despite their popularity, there is often a reluctance from some parents to encourage their children to read ‘graphic novels’ as they are not perceived as ‘real’ books. However, authors of ‘graphic novels’ require an excellent understanding of visual literary techniques and the skill required to tell a story in fewer words than a traditional story indeed requires expertise.

Alyssa from Omak Public Library in Washington writes:

"Graphic novels and manga allow people to enjoy a media that is both visually and intellectually appealing. This type of media has come a long way to appeal to more people, across gender, race, and age. It is a book with art. The other benefit with this sort of media is that it can help convey a message that isn’t weighed down with text. This allows people who might be reluctant to read to have a literary source that isn’t block text heavy but still promotes reading."

Scholastic advises:

"GRAPHIC NOVELS ARE EVERYWHERE!

No longer an underground movement appealing to a small following of enthusiasts, graphic novels have emerged as a growing segment of book publishing, and have become accepted by librarians and educators as mainstream literature for children and young adults—literature that powerfully motivates kids to read.

How do graphic novels promote literacy?

Motivation

Graphic novels powerfully attract and motivate kids to read. Many librarians have built up graphic novel collections and have seen circulation figures soar. School librarians and educators have reported outstanding success getting kids to read with graphic novels, citing particularly their popularity with discerning readers. At the same time, graphic novels with rich, complex plots and narrative structures can also be satisfying to advanced readers. Providing young people of all abilities with diverse reading materials, including graphic novels, can help them become lifelong readers.

Discerning readers

Graphic novels can be a way in for students who are difficult to reach through traditional texts. Even those deemed poor readers willingly and enthusiastically gravitate toward these books. Readers who are not interested in reading or who, despite being capable of reading, prefer gaming or watching media, can be pulled into a story by the visual elements of graphic novels.

Benefits to struggling readers, special-needs students, and English-language learners

Graphic novels can dramatically help improve reading development for students struggling with language acquisition for various reasons. For example, students requiring extra support may find that the illustrations provide contextual clues to the meaning of the written narrative. Graphic novels can also provide students on the autism spectrum with clues to emotional context they might miss when reading traditional text. English-language learners may be more motivated by graphic novels, which can help them acquire new vocabulary and increase English proficiency."

Should you wish to find out more the following link will take you to the Scholastic website

https://www.scholastic.com/content/dam/teachers/lesson-plans/18-19/Graphic-Novel-Discussion-Guide-2018.pdf

Reading at Home

Don't forget that your child has 24/7 access to reading material through SORA and World Book Online.

SORA

The students at St Joseph’s are able to access ebooks, audiobooks and magazines through SORA, the Armidale Diocese digital library. SORA has an extensive collection of ebooks, audiobooks and magazines for students of all ages.

Instructions for logging onto SORA are as follows:

Getting started with Sora

Sora - get free ebooks and audiobooks from your school.

Step 1: Install the SORA app from Apple App Store or Google Play Store, or soraapp.com.

Step 2: When in SORA, click on I have a setup code, then sign in.

The “setup” code is cenetau

Sign into your School – Select ACEN from the dropdown box.

Step 3: Browse the explore tab and borrow a book. Your book will open so you can start reading right away.

Step 4: Close the book and go to the shelf to see all your books. From there, you can:

Select Open book or Open audiobook to read or listen to the book.
Select Options to renew or return the book and more.

© 2020 OverDrive, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

You will need to use your school username and password to access this.

WORLD BOOK ONLINE

Our school has a subscription to World Book Online! This means you have FREE access to this wonderful resource from home or on the go with any internet-connected device. World Book Online may be accessed via the Oliver home page or by visiting the World Book website www.worldbookonline.com

World Book Online is a safe, trusted, 21st-century learning environment for students.

The World Book products our school has access to include:

Kids:

simple navigation
easy to read articles
translations
text to speech (with 10 voices)
educational games and activities
science experiments
a dictionary
an atlas
interactive maps
map outlines
a tool for comparing places or animals.

Student:

expansive reference database
multimedia library
games
behind the headlines
citation builder
research tools

Timelines:

over 650 timelines including Gold Rushes in Australia, Australian Prime Ministers, Cricket World Cup, Star Wars and Harry Potter. Edit or create your own timelines.

Our User ID: joseph2340

Password: joseph2340

Student Support

Mrs Emily Sullivan