The Library

Citationmachine.net is a useful tool to help you create a bibliography in the correct format.

When you use a DATABASE or ONLINE ENCYCLOPEDIA, you will find a link or citation labeled, “How to cite this article” or something similar. Be sure to use that in your bibliography!

Using Citation Machine to Create a Bibliography:

1. If you got information from a book, go to http://citationmachine.net/. On the left side of the page, click on MLA, then book, one author. Fill in the information, copy and paste your citation to your bibliography.

2. If you got information from a database (through the school or public library websites), find the MLA citation provided on the database. Copy and paste the citation to your bibliography.

3. If you got information from a free web site, go to http://citationmachine.net/. On the left side of the page, click on MLA, then Web Page. Fill in the information, copy and paste your citation to your bibliography. Write one or two sentences explaining why this site contains reliable information. (Free web sites must be annotated in your bibliography.)

Examples:
• The CIA Factbook site is reliable because it is written by a government agency with access to the most recent statistics from governments around the world. It is a .gov.
• The National Center for Disease Control site is reliable because it is written by an institution that specializes in information about diseases. It is a .gov.
• Defenders of Wildlife is a .org dedicated to protecting native species in their natural habitat. It was founded in 1947. Lots of donation pitches on the page but their list of accomplishments looks pretty solid.

When deciding if a website is reliable, consider these things:
• Who wrote it?
• What country or state does it come from?
• What type of site is it? .com? .org? .gov? .edu?
• What is the purpose of the site?
• Has it been recently updated?

Use your library card to go online to excellent resources (and check the online catalog for books).
Seattle Public Library resources :
Britannica Online Reference Center (preferable to Britannica Online for Kids, which is more elementary-level). This searches the actual Encyclopedia Britannica, which has an extensive article on Ancient Rome (the list of subheadings on the left allows you to move to specific sections).

Biography Resource Center: great for researching people

Literature Resource Center: great for any literary topic

Seattle Public Schools resources:
World Book gives general overview for many of the topics on the list, and articles like the one on Ancient Rome offer links to recommended websites and a list of recommended books.

IF YOU FIND A GREAT WEBSITE ON ANCIENT ROME, SHARE IT IN THE COMMENTS. (Remember to look for who wrote it, and consider how reliable the information is.)

Online databases are great resources for current facts on countries. You can use these through the Seattle Public Schools website.

World Book
CultureGrams
ABC-Clio World Geography

are all GREAT sources for country information.

At school:
Student Online Resources
You’ll see links to World Book, CultureGrams, and other databases.

At home/outside of school:
Some of the databases will require you to enter a username and password. Please request this from Ms. Amster-Burton in the library.

Seattle Public Library
The public library has MANY more great databases available through their website. You can use these from home or on public library computers.

Databases A to Z at Seattle Public Library

Grolier Online Passport is a great resource for information on countries.

Links marked with a blue library card symbol require your library card number and PIN to access. If you do not know your library card number and PIN, contact your local branch library.

SPS Student Resources These databases are freely available at school; see Ms. Amster-Burton for the password to use them from home.

Native American Recipes

More Online Resources

Guess Again: Mystery and Suspense! (YALSA Popular Paperbacks list)

Mysteries and Thrillers (Top Teen Reads, Seattle Public Library)

Edgar Award (Mystery Writers of America)
Search for winners in the Best Young Adult category.

Adult Mysteries for Teens (YALSA Popular Paperbacks list)

Now in the library:

Summer Ball by Mike Lupica

Harlem Summer by Walter Dean Myers

Pants on Fire by Meg Cabot

Jinx by Meg Cabot

Girl at Sea by Maureen Johnson (my new favorite author, says Ms. A-B)

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (latest in series)

Powers by Ursula LeGuin (latest in series)

Thief Queen’s Daughter by Elizabeth Haydon (sequel to The Floating Island)

Cover Up by John Feinstein (latest in series, this one at the Super Bowl)

Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli (sequel!)

Love is a Many Trousered Thing by Louise Rennison (latest in series)

Firestar’s Quest by Erin Hunter (one of the latest Warriors books)

Dragon and Thief by Timothy Zahn (first in Dragonback series)

And a few copies Harry Potter book is floating around. Yes, there are TWO new books by Meg Cabot–plus Avalon High, the graphic novel edition, is on order.

Look for new books from Scott Westerfeld, Robin McKinley, Libba Bray, Brian Jacques (new Redwall book!), Chris Crutcher, Anthony Horowitz (latest Alex Rider), and Tamora Pierce coming this fall.

Ancient China eMuseum from Minnesota State University

Ancient China Timeline

Travel China: Discovery Take a look at sections on Art, Architecture, and Ancient Chinese Currency

Legacy of Ancient China Great webquest from Baltimore Public Schools, with a page for each dynasty

These sites were found and recommended by Ms. Cohen’s second period class!

Erin Hunter (Warriors series)
Saturday, April 28, 11:00 am at University Book Store, Mill Creek
Saturday, April 28, 1:00 pm at University Book Store, Bellevue
Saturday, April 28, 4:00 pm at Secret Garden Books

More events:

Nancy Pearl (Book Lust, Book Crush)
Monday, April 30, 7:00 pm at Central Library

Rick Riordan (The Lightning Thief and sequels)
Tuesday, May 8, 7:00 pm at All for Kids Books and Music

Suzanne Collins (Gregor the Overlander series)
Monday, May 21, 7:00 pm at All for Kids Books and Music

Literature Resource Center
Click on Readers Resources, then Literature Resource Center
REQUIRES SPL LIBRARY CARD # and PIN
This is the premiere online source for literature. Thousands of biographical and critical essays, collected from respected reference books into an easily searchable database. After searching for your author, be sure to click the tab for “Literary Criticism, Articles, & Work Overviews.”

Proquest
No password required at school; from home, username is W001CSEATL password is WELCOME
Search using your author and title, clicking “Full text documents only.” Look for “Suggested Topics” and “Narrow Your Results” to focus within the thousands of search results you’ll get.

LitLinks
This publisher website lists dozens of authors, including Camus and Joyce, providing links to notable websites.

Yahoo! Directory on Authors
Links to assorted websites (of varying quality; check carefully). This link is to the alphabetical listing by authors’ last names.

A number of students have been reading the Royal Diaries series (international version of Dear America, so I ordered more titles, including these:

Lady of Palenque: flower of Bacal (F KIR)
“In 749, the Maya princess Green Jay, of the Kingdom of Bacal, writes in her diary about her arduous journey to Xukpip to meet King Fire Keeper, her future husband.”

Weetamoo: heart of the Pocassets (F SMI)
“The 1653-1654 diary of a fourteen-year-old Pocasset Indian girl, destined to become a leader of her tribe, describes how her life changes with the seasons, after a ritual fast she undertakes, and with her tribe’s interaction with the English “Coat-men” of the nearby Plymouth Colony.”

Kristina: the girl king (F MEY)
“Kristina, who became king–not queen–of Sweden when she was only a little girl, confides in her diary her feelings about her awkward relationship with her mother, her royal duties and responsiblities, and the people who surround her.”
Written by Carolyn Meyer, author of the Young Royals series.

Royal Diaries already in the WMS Library include Cleopatra: daughter of the Nile (F GRE), Jahanara, princess of princesses (F LAS), Nzingha: warrior queen of Matamba (F MCK), and Sondok, princess of the moon and stars (F HOL).

It is very, very difficult not to type Royal Dairies by accident.