ELA Independent Reading
Find a Book in the Amity HS Library
Do you want to find a book in the Amity High School Library for a research project, or just to read for fun? Before you come in to browse our shelves, watch this video on how to search the library catalog,
How to Find a Book in the Library Catalog: 
Next, get your book.
eBooks and audioBooks:
Currently digital books are available from two sources starting at the library database page:
Get Book Recommendations
How to Find Book Recommendations Online:
YALSA Booklists: compiled by the American Association of School Libraries.
School Library Journal: Check under the tabs for Awards and Books to search
RJ Julia Independent Book Sellers: Staff recommendations for teens
Common Sense Media Teen Booklists: There are several different broad categories.
GoodReads Teen Booklists: A great little summary, plus tons of reader reviews.
Barnes and Noble for Teens: Take a look at the “Teens” list to see what’s hot.
You can always just Google “lists of books for teens”.
Allen: English III
Newspaper Editorials and Commentary (updated 2-2021)
Information literacy topics:
- Determining best sources
- Searching strategies for information
- Using technology tools
Objective: To identify the main characteristics of an Op-Ed and to distinguish how they differ from those of news reporting, and to search effectively for Op-Eds in databases.
AHS Learning Expectations:
- Academic-Writing: “Students will produce and distribute a variety of writing designed to entertain, inform, or argue, as well build and present knowledge derived from research.”
- Academic-Problem-solving: “Students will use appropriate tools strategically to solve problems.”
ISTE Student Standard
Knowledge Constructor - 3d: Students build knowledge by actively exploring real-world issues and problems, developing ideas and theories and pursuing answers and solutions.
1: What is an Op-Ed? (see Google Presentation)
2. Read this sample Op-Ed entitled “Teachers Should Get the Covid Vaccine First.”
3. Nature of an Op-Ed (see Google Presentation)
Distinguishing Characteristics of an Op-Ed or Opinion Piece
adapted from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard (How to Write)
(See full lesson plan)
4. How is an op-ed different from a news article? Class discussion, or Nearpod presentation.
5. Where to read Op-Eds online.
1. Free online editions: Many dailies have an online edition, which is freely available. They usually have an opinion section, which may or may not be the same as the print edition. In fact, it will usually have MORE opinion pieces from digital collaborators.
2. Digital newspaper subscriptions: These usually look like the print version, and you can often actually flip pages. We do not have any of these.
3. Database newspaper content: These are set up like regular databases. You can often see a list of all the articles from a particular date, or search by topic, keyword, author, etc.
6. Database newspaper content: “News and Newspapers” (from ProQuest)
Searching tips:
Click “Publications” to choose a newspaper.
Look under “W” for Wall Street Journal.
Choose a format (e.g. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition)
Just want to browse articles? Leave other search bar empty.
Advanced Search (notice that the search term that appears automatically limits searches to this publication)
Limit in “Document Type” to “Editorial” and/”Commentary”
Want to search a topic? Enter search terms.
Note: You can also limit by Document Type from the view of all your results.
7. Practice
Find “News and Newspapers” (from ProQuest) in the Amity Library Database list.
English III: Essential Questions in Literature
Essential Questions in Literature (updated 11-2018)
Information literacy topics:
-Determining best sources
-Searching strategies for information
-Communicating new knowledge
-Creating/Writing a research-based product
-Using technology tools
Find the activities for this class, at:
Amity website→High School→AHS Library Information Center
Find Online Stuff→By Subject→English→Class Projects→Allen→Database Searching and Producing an Annotated Bibliography
1. Objective:
To develop database searching techniques for investigating topics from multiple disciplines, in order to discuss these themes from essential questions and relate them to specific works of literature. To produce an annotated bibliography of relevant resources found.
2. Answer the question
In what other fields of study do professionals, writers, and thinkers write about these topics?
(possible answers, Psychology, Religion, Law, Sociology, Ethics, Art, etc.)
3. Presentation: Choosing the best resource and searching
Most complete database for journal articles:
Academic Search Complete
All Topics, All Formats, 9000 Academic Journals
Academic Search COMPLETE: From the publisher EBSCO, Academic Search Complete has the largest number of peer-reviewed academic journals (9000) of all our databases, through a wide range of academic disciplines, from the behavioral and technical sciences, through education, theatre, and many more. It includes some popular magazines as well as scholarly journals.
4. Presentation:
Essential Question: Why do people seek power?
Searching strategy, search term “power, violence”
ESBCO: Academic Search COMPLETE:
See the lesson plan/notes for main points:
5. Sign into accounts in NoodleTools, using @amityschools.org Google access.
(Students who have not set up accounts this 2018-19 school year can use these NoodleTools sign-up instructions.)
Go to the NoodleTools log-in screen.
Enter your @amityschools.org Google account email.
Click “Sign In with Google”.
Re-enter your Amity Google account email, and your Google password.
6. Create a project to begin citations.
6.a. Click on “New Project”.
6.b. Enter a “Project Title”.
6.c. Choose “MLA” style (for this Art class), and click the “Advanced” citation level for full functionality. Click “Submit”.
6.d. Write a “Research Question” (think of something related to your topic).
6.e. Write a “Thesis” statement. This is the statement or question you will prove or discuss.
6.f. Click the “Projects” tab to view your project list.
6.g. Click on the name of your project to open it.
6.h. Click on the “Sources” tab. You are now ready to cite a source.
7. Create a MANUAL citation for a database article.
7.a. Go to this article titled: "Male Engagement in Deconstructing Institutional Violence in Kenya", from the EBSCO publishing company’s database Academic Search Complete.
7.b. Back in NoodleTools, from the Sources tab, click on “Create a New Citation”.
7.c. Answer the question “Where is it?”. Once again choose “Database”.
7.d. Answer the question “WHAT is it?”. Choose “Journal” because even though we limited by magazine and newspaper, when we look up this publication, IDS Bulletin, it is actually a peer-reviewed online journal.
7.e. Start filling in as much information as you can, copying from the article:
-Name of database: find it
-URL: find the "permalink" on the right, because it does not change.
-DOI (Direct Object Identifier)
-Name of database: find it
-Database accession number: find it
-Most recent date of access: (today) Technically, not required by MLA 8, but you can include it.
-Author: find it
-Article title: find it
-Pages: find it
-Name of journal: find it
-Volume: find it
-Issue: find it
-Publication date: find it
-Series: there is none listed
7.f. Click “Submit”.
7.g. Compare your finished citation to the citation below.
Otieno, Phil Erick. "Male Engagement in Deconstructing Institutional Violence in Kenya." IDS Bulletin, vol. 45, no. 1, Jan. 2014, pp. 61-68. Academic Search Complete, doi:10.1111/1759-5436.12069. Accessed 5 Dec. 2018.
8. Create an Annotated Bibliography
An annotated bibliography is a list of sources, arranged like a works cited/bibliography, in which each source has explanatory text after it. Look at this sample from OWL Purdue.
There are 2 ways to create an annotated bibliography in Noodletools.
-After you have entered the necessary information for citation, click save & add annotation
OR
-Insert your annotation under the dropdown on the right under “Options” and select “Edit annotation.”
9. Write an annotation:
Using the article titled: "Male Engagement in Deconstructing Institutional Violence in Kenya",article from citation about Power, write an annotation, addressing the following criteria.
Include:
-Summary:
A summary includes an overview explaining what it is about.
-Assessment:
An assessment should be your judgment on the reliability of the source’s author/organization (credentials, expertise, trustworthy, etc.).
(For today you can use the librarians’ response.)
Phil Erick Otieno, who attended the University of Nairobi, is Executive Director of a non-profit organization in Kenya, though it is impossible to verify his credentials, so we rely on the journal having vetting him. The IDS Bulletin presents itself as a peer-reviewed journal, though it is not listed as such in Ulrich Web, a subscription service that vets academic journals. Its publisher, the Institute of Development Studies, is based at the University of Sussex, which helps lends it academic weight.
-Reflection:
A reflection should discuss in what way is the source relevant and how the source can be used to cite evidence that supports your essential question.
10. Share samples, compare with teacher’s exemplar.
New York Times Replica Edition
What is it?
An electronic version of the real New York Times that:
How do you access the New York Times Replica?
→ Google search “Amity Library”→
(tab) Find Online Stuff→By Database→New York Times Replica Edition
How do you navigate the New York Times Replica
