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”.
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.
1. First, create your citation in Noodletools.
2. Next, write an annotation:
Example: 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.).
Example: 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.
In total, an annotation is about 6-8 sentences.
Sample annotation:
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. The publisher, the Institute of Development Studies, is based at the University of Sussex, which helps lends it academic weight. The article discusses how male privilege exists in most societies, noting that the power associated with it is encouraged and rewarded by society. The author concludes that violence is a means of maintaining the power that men enjoy. This article is pertinent to my research as it demonstrates an understanding of power as a tool to attain and maintain privilege can be related to (the book’s) depiction of power, especially in the way that the (character)...
3. When you have finished all of your citations/annotations, go to "Print/Export" and select "Export to Google docs". This is what you should submit to your teacher as this has formatted everything in MLA format.
English III: Essential Questions in Literature
Essential Questions in Literature (updated 3-2020)
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→Mendillo→Essential Questions in Literature
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?
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”
ESBCO: Academic Search COMPLETE:
See the lesson plan/notes for main points:
5. Student practice: Students sign into accounts in NoodleTools, using your @amityschools.org Google account.
(Note: If you are new to the district, or did not sign on to NoodleTools in 2018-19 follow different instructions.)
- Sign in Google Drive first and find the NoodleTool app logo under the
- ...or log on to NoodleTools using your @amityschools.org Google sign-on.
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 judgement 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.
English III: Essential Questions in Literature L3
Essential Questions in Literature (updated 3-2020)
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→Mendillo→Essential Questions in Literature
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”
ESBCO: Academic Search COMPLETE:
See the lesson plan/notes for main points:
5. Student practice: Students sign into their Google Drive accounts, then click the apps button, scroll down until you find Noodletools and click on it. You may need to update your information (name of school and graduation year).
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. Student practice: Create an MANUAL citation for a database article.
Create a MANUAL citation for a database article.
7.a. Go to this article titled: "Confronting the ‘Mess’: Embracing Vulnerability to Amplify Students’ Voices", 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 Liberal Education is the name of a journal according to their website.
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. You can check the accuracy of your citation by looking at the MLA style guide HERE.
Reznik, Alexandra. "'Confronting the 'Mess'': Embracing Vulnerability to Amplify Students' Voices." Liberal Education, vol. 104, no. 2, Spring 2018, pp. 56-60. Academic Search Complete, search.ebscohost.com/ login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,sso&db=a9h&AN=130751855&site=ehost-live&custid=s9389921. Accessed 3 Mar. 2020.
A note about copy/paste citations available in databases:
Remember that databases are not always capable of interpreting information correctly, especially unusual author formats, or distinguishing magazines from other kinds of journals. It is recommended that you ALWAYS create your own citation, plugging in the information.
8. Discussion: Creating an Annotated Bibliography
What is 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.
The annotations included with each source will generally follow this format:
-Summary:
A summary includes an overview explaining what it is about.
-Assessment:
An assessment should be your judgement on the reliability of the source’s author/organization (credentials, expertise, trustworthy, etc.).
-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.
To create an annotated bibliography in Noodletools:
-After you have completed the fields for your citation, there is a box labeled “Annotation”. This is where you entered the necessary information for your annontation.
9. Student Practice:
Using the article titled: "Confronting the ‘Mess’: Embracing Vulnerability to Amplify Students’ Voices"article from the practice 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 judgement on the reliability of the source’s author/organization (credentials, expertise, trustworthy, etc.).
(For today you can use the librarians’ response.)
Alexandra Reznik is an assistant professor and Ph.D candidate currently at Chatham University. She has written many papers on a variety of topics over her career based on information from her website. It is impossible to verify all of her credentials, so we rely on the magazine having vetted her. The Liberal Education journal allows educators to write with the purpose of improving education. The articles found in the magazine contain “the latest research and the best thinking about liberal learning.” Therefore, it can be concluded that Alexandra Reznik and The Liberal Education are trustworthy and credible.
-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. Discussion:
Share samples, compare with teacher’s exemplar.
Alexandra Reznik is an assistant professor and Ph.D candidate currently at Chatham University. She has written many papers on a variety of topics over her career based on information from her website. It is impossible to verify all of her credentials, so we rely on the magazine having vetted her. The Liberal Education journal allows educators to write with the purpose of improving education. The articles found in the magazine contain “the latest research and the best thinking about liberal learning.” Therefore, it can be concluded that Alexandra Reznik and The Liberal Education are trustworthy and credible.
This article discusses how students are aware of the power dynamics that exist in college settings and that in order to deal with them, you must understand why they exist. The author shares her thoughts on how to amplify students’ voices rather than her own by acknowledging the power she has and relinquishing it to her own students.
This understanding of power as a tool to attain and maintain privilege can be related to (the book’s) depiction of power, especially in the way that the (character)...
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
