Welcome to the Plymouth Creek Media Center

Each week your child is welcome and encouraged to check out books during their weekly checkout time or during open book checkout times each day with teacher permission.

A student is responsible for the care and return of all books checked out under his/her account.

Students may keep their books for two weeks. If they would like to keep it longer books may be renewed.

These are some of the things we discuss in class about proper care of library books:

• Books should not be written in or colored on. Keep books away from younger children who could make marks in books.
• Always use a book mark. Do not turn down the corner of the page or use a paperclip, pencil, etc. to mark your place.
• Protect your book from moisture, food, pets and dirt. Be careful of water bottles, juice boxes, and markers in your backpack.

Some things for families to think about:

• To avoid drink or food damage, please consider having your child put library book(s) in a gallon size Ziploc bag in the backpack.
• Please report damage to the media center staff.
• If your book becomes four weeks overdue, it is considered lost and must be paid for at that time. If you find your book later we will happily refund your money.
• If a book is lost or damaged you will be asked to pay for it. If a lost or damaged book needs to be replaced, please do not purchase one from a store. There are more expenses included in the cost of replacing a book than just the cost of the book, and many of the books need to be "library bound."

Thank you for your help in making our library collection last for many years to come!

Hennepin County Libraries' Kid Links - Includes an option to search for books by grade level

Electronic Library of MN (ELM) - Electronic books from the State of Minnesota

A Book and A Hug - This site recommends great books for boys and girls of all ages.

The Brown Bookshelf - A group of authors and illustrators who came together to push awareness of the myriad of African American voices writing for young readers.

Caldecott Medal Winners & Honor Books
"The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of 19th century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.” (description from the ALA Caldecott Medal webpage

Common Sense Media - Recommendations by topic and age

Diverse Summer Reading List  - K-8 titles from Lee & Low, publisher of diverse resources "about everyone and for everyone."

Guys Read - Recommendations by children's book author Jon Scieszka

A Mighty Girl - ...Features over 4,000 girl-empowering books starring stellar Mighty Girl characters

My Weird School - A fun series for kids by Dan Gutman

Newbery Medal Winners & Honor Books
"The Newbery Medal was named for 18th century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children." (description from the ALA Newbery Medal webpage)

Scholastic Books - Recommendations by age

Series Books - A great list of books for all readers

Almanac
Kid-friendly almanac by Fact Monster

BrainPop Username and password required

Center for Civic Education Resources for September 17 - Constitution Day

Citation Machine Use this tool to help you to cite your sources for research.  "Being a responsible researcher requires keeping track of the sources that were used to help develop your research project, sharing the information you borrowed in an ethical way, and giving credit to the authors of the sources you used. Doing all of these things prevents plagiarism."

Constitution Center The National Constitution Center has resources for the classroom, including an interactive version of the U.S. Constitution.

Constitution Day Resources (Scholastic)

Culture Grams
Cultural Resources for Countries and States
Username and password required

CIA World Factbook
Provides information on history, people, government, economy and more for over 250 countries.

Dictionary / Thesaurus

Encyclopedia Britannica - Elementary

Encyclopedia Britannica - Learning Zone PK - 2

Explora Kids                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Elementary school-appropriate magazines, encyclopedias, dictionaries, and images.

FactCite - Biographies
Username and password required

Fact Monster
Find facts about thousands of topics.

50 States and Capital

Hennepin County Libraries

Minnesota Field Trip Library

MNopedia
The Minnesota Historical Society's online state encyclopedia. Research Minnesota's history.

Poetry4Kids
Online poetry site for kids

Rainforest Animals
Animals of the rainforest facts

ZoteroBib for citing your sources.
A bibliography tells where you got your information when researching.

Books and More
True or false? Answers questions about books.

Fiction or Nonfiction?
Learn and practice the difference between fiction and nonfiction books.

Reference Choice - 1
Choose the correct reference books to find information.

Reference Choice - 2
Identify the correct reference book to use.

Parts of a Book - 1
Four games to learn the parts of a book: flashcards, matching, concentration, and word search

Parts of a Book - 2
Play hangman to learn and practice the parts of a book.

Parts of a Book - 3
Even more hangman to learn (more difficult) parts of a book.

Library Word Scramble
Practice your knowledge of library terms and unscramble words.

Library Orientation
How well do you know your library? Test your skills!

Genres of Literature
Identify the correct genres (type) of literature.

Dewey Number Order
Put the Dewey numbers in order. If you are correct, a hidden picture will appear!

Dewey Decimal Practice
3 games for practicing the Dewey Decimal System : flashcards, matching and concentration.

Basic Dewey Decimal
Match the correct Dewey Decimal Number with the right subject.

Call Numbers and Sections of the Library
Match a book's "call number" (or address) with the "section" in the library where it belongs.

Call Number Order
Put the call numbers in the correct order. If you are correct, a hidden picture will appear!

Alphabet Book Game
(K-1st grade) Practice ABC Order

ABC Wack-A-Mole
Practice alphabetizing playing Wack-a-Mole

Media Curriculum