Dear Merton School Parents,

Listed below you will find a variety of links and fliers that can lead you toward resources to help your child build Information Fluency as well as the love of reading.  

I think it would be helpful for parents to:

1) Become familiar with our library catalog system called Destiny.

Within Destiny you can search for library books, online resources and websites reviewed by educators with the click of one button, the One Search button.  The One Search feature is available only on our Intermediate extension of Destiny.  Students 4th grade on up are recommended to use this resource.  However it is commonplace to just use Google to access information we need.  Please understand that while Google is a great tool, it is not the best tool to help your child find quality, educationally sound information for research purposes.  

2) Become familiar with our eBook resources: Tumblebooks, Bookflix, and eBooks through our Destiny system.  

Our library resources provided are primarily offered in print, however to offer various resources in various formats the above mentioned resources have been requested by teachers and students.  (Note:  Login information for Tumblebooks and Bookflix can be found on the library fliers.  There is no login necessary for our Destiny eBooks.  Destiny eBooks can be viewed on iPads and other devices that are wifi or 3G capable.)

3) Assist your child in finding the right books that interest him/her.  Visit: http://www.merton.k12.wi.us/faculty/WieczorekS/readingsuggestions.cfm

Additionally you could visit the various links below, as well as the Primary Authors/Series by Genre/Level document.

The Primary Authors/Series document may give a parent an idea of what books may be suggested for kids reading at a particular level.  The chart lists titles of series and authors with the call number (shelf location) and an estimated Lexile range.  This chart is to be used as a guideline only.  I placed books in a particular level based on Lexile, length, content, interest level, as well as the variety of books by the author or in series collection.   

My philosophy behind helping students pick out books is to allow freedom of choice by the individual.  Suggest additional titles for them, but never take a book out of a child’s hands.  In my opinion students should have a variety of books to enjoy, some that challenge them and some for fun.  It is important that the child have some books that a parent can read to the child, with the child or independent books that a child can read to the parent.  I strongly suggest a routine where you participate in the process of reading particularly at the Primary level.

If you have any questions about the Merton School LMC, please contact Mrs. Wieczorek.

Book Search

To help your child find books at his/her reading level on topics of interest please use the following resources:

• Destiny Quest, our library circ system: http://destiny.merton.k12.wi.us

Use Destiny Quest (a search screen within Destiny, our library system) to limit a search by grade level, genre, length of book, copyright date, etc.  This is the easiest and the best as it will target books available at our school library.  Please see this page for screen shots to guide you through this process.

• Scholastic Book Wizard: http://bookwizard.scholastic.com/tbw/homePage.do

Scholastic offers a free online book wizard to find books at a particular grade level, genre of interest, and suggests books similar to other books you have read.

• Badgerlink's Free NoveList K-8: http://www.badgerlink.net, select NoveList K-8. 

Badgerlink is a free resource for all people in WI, but requires a public library card for home access.  NoveList is a database within Badgerlink that provides a useful search to a variety of books all kids will love.

• Waukesha Public Libraries: http://www.cafelibraries.org links to all Waukesha County Public Libraries. 

Looking for a concrete list of books for a particular grade level?  Try Waukesha Public Library Lists by Grade Level and More

• Lexile.com "Find a Book" Search: This search tool allows you to compare the child’s Lexile reader measure with all of the books that have a Lexile text measure—more than 115,000 fiction and nonfiction titles on various subjects and at all developmental levels.

  “Find a Book” is the quickest and easiest way to search for books at a child’s Lexile level and/or grade level. Whether the child is reading for school or for pleasure, the book search utility will help that child build custom reading lists on the subjects that interest him or her the most. 

  Visit   http://www.lexile.com/m/uploads/Summer_Reading_Flyer.pdf for more information.

If these links aren't helpful, contact Mrs. Wieczorek for more tips & tricks.

For more reading ideas see Fun with Books.

Merton School Library Media Center Fliers

The Fliers below were shared at the Fall Open House.  You will find Merton LMC program offerings, descriptions of recommended resources, usernames/passwords to resources, ebook information and more.  Please print, place back to back, and fold.