Hour of Code at South Atlanta High

Thursday, December 19th was our #hourofcode event at the South Atlanta High School Media Center. Students gathered in the lab to learn a bit of Javascript as they programmed a StarWars droid to pick up scrap metal. You can learn a bit of code yourself at www.code.org. Getting started is easy and there are a number of tutorials on the site to give you a working knowledge of the most popular coding language today. 

We were especially excited to have Black Men Code founder, Michael Street on hand to give a few pointers on how the language works. Look out for more coding introductions in the media center in 2016.

Poetry Out Loud Sign Up

Are you an aspiring actor or poet? Take a look at one of the winners of Poetry Out Loud.

Sign up to compete in our Poetry Out Loud competition on December 19th. You've got just under a month to perfect two poems. Good luck!

America's Next Top Maker

NanoWriMo and Native American History Month

November is a big month for libraries, and if we work together it can be a more than a countdown to Thanksgiving. November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and Native American Heritage Month.

The library will sponsor a Kick-off party for anyone interested in writing a novel during November on Thursday, November 5^th after school. We’ll have games, a few prizes and comradery. Creative writing can be a powerful force for expression and maintaining mental health in the face of stress.

Visit www.nanowrimo.org for more information.

Native American History can often be overlooked in the broader understanding of our country’s history, but November offers an opportunity for us to shine a light on these cultures. Here are a few resources to help you as you plan this month.

Websites:

A Cheyenne Odyssey (Interactive Site) - http://www.mission-us.org/pages/landing-mission-3

Treaties with the Native American Indian Nations (Online Exhibition)- http://www.nmai.si.edu/static/nationtonation/

DocsTeach: Native Americans in the National Archives - http://docsteach.org/home/native-americans

Articles:

Poverty Point: Preservation of a Prehistoric World Heritage Site - http://www.neh.gov/divisions/preservation/featured-project/poverty-point-preservation-prehistoric-world-heritage-site

Scholarships for Hispanic and Undocumented Students

Scholarships for Hispanic Students

Did you miss the scholarship workshop today at lunch? Have no fear! You can view the slides here and take a look at additional scholarships at the link. Here are the big takeaways:

• Private Universities have much more leeway in acceptance of international students so start there
• Essay scholarships usually don't have residency requirements. Seek them out and apply often.
• Visit the College and Career Center. They have much more information about where to apply and how to get money.

Should Americans Be Required to Learn a Second Language

Here are a few resources to get you started in writing your argumentative essay that answers:

"Should Americans Be Required to Learn a Second Language?"

Articles:

Bilingual Education Does Not Help Students - Opposing Viewpoints in Context

Bilingual Education Is Detrimental to Everyone

US Students Trail Global Peers in Foreign Language Learning

The United States Benefits from Multilingual Americans



Websites:

National Association of Bilingual Education

Videos:

The Advantages of Learning a Second Language

Works Cited:

Beale, Lewis. "US Students Trail Global Peers in Foreign Language Learning." Do Schools Prepare Students for a Global Economy? Ed. Judeen Bardos. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. At Issue. Rpt. from "U.S. Students Hurting in Foreign Languages." Miller-McCune 17 May 2010. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 5 Oct. 2015.

Collins, Greg. "Bilingual Education Does Not Help Students." Should the United States Be Multilingual? Ed. Amy Francis. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2011. At Issue. Rpt. from "Bilingual Consequences." Massachusetts Daily Collegian 5 Apr. 2007. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 5 Oct. 2015.

"National Association for Bilingual Education." Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Detroit: Gale, 2014. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 5 Oct. 2015.

"The Advantages Of Learning a Second Language." NYTimes.com Video Collection 2015. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 5 Oct. 2015.

Banned Books Week Read Out

Check out your very own Media Specialist reading a little James Baldwin to celebrate Banned Books Week. Remember, you always have the Freedom to Read in our media center and you can check out this title at any time.