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How to Create a Summer Reading List
Students must log in to a web-based version of the library catalog; Go to: http://libraries.houstonisd.org/ - then to Middle School and then to Fonville Middle School The main idea is for students to be able to: (1) create their own Summer Reading List that they can take to the Houston Public Library when your library is closed. (2) search the Alexandria OPAC using a variety of strategies and locate books they like to read and save this list of books so that it can be printed (3) check and verify that the titles they choose are also available in the Houston Public Library. Students may work on creating and editing their summer reading lists over weeks and even months if necessary. Once you are on your school’s online web-based catalog, students must click on log in: User name – student ID Password – student’s last name
See Login example below: Students can begin selecting titles for their summer reading lists by searching the catalog. Students can search by subject, author, or title to find interesting titles to add to their Summer Reading List. In the example below, you see that I have logged in and am searching for the word libraries and that I have checked “Help me find a book” so I can find a book on my Lexile level.
When “help me find a book checked”, Alexandria will only report back books on the reading level of the person logged in (50 above and 100 below). If the student is a very good reader, there may be some problems finding books that are both interesting and challenging enough. This would be more likely a problem in high schools. For example, a student who reads at the 1400 level may search and find nothing come up due to the high Lexile levels. It is probably not effective to include the “help me find a book search” for a student who is a top reader at the end of the Lexile spectrum unless he is eager to read Commentaries on Virgil (1330L)
Sample Search Strategies: Have students search: (1) favorite authors (2) by titles that they know they want to read (3) subjects that they are interested (4) include “help me find a book” along with the above searches Here is a sample search for a student (Sally Fields) who has a Lexile of 650 and wants to read about dogs. Notice that “help me find a book is checked”. Now she will click on subject. See below.
Seven books came up. They are all in the Lexile range of 550-700 which is within the zone for a 650 Lexile reader. Now each title can be looked at to determine whether or not the book is also at Houston Public Library. By clicking on the first record, Harry, the Dirty dog, you can determine if it is at Houston Public Library. See screen shot below. Under the title, it does not say available at the public library. Therefore this book should not be added to the Summer Reading List. The 2nd book, Henry Huggins is at the Houston Public Library. See below. Since it is available at the Houston Public Library, you can click the blue plus sign to add it to your basket.
When you click on the plus sign, you will see some options come in a box, choose Summer Reading List. In the example, below one item has been added to the Summer Reading List. Continue to search and add to the saved lists until you have a list of at least 10 books.
Students can change their minds and delete titles from a saved list by logging in, and clicking on the Summer Reading List. Click on the red x to delete a title. See below. When all students have completed their lists the librarian will Print all Summer Reading Lists at one time and distribute them to the students.
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