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District

Library

Welcome to the Kamiak Library

Digital Resources:
Our digital resources are always available! Click on the links below or the buttons to the right to access our databases and tools. For a list of user names and passwords for off-site use, click here.

 


STUDENT PASSWORDS: Use the link on the bottom of the Student Portal for pw changes (or just click here: Student PW Change Link). If you are locked out of your account or can't remember your password, come to the library or email Mrs. Schwenn for assistance.  

 


Pam Schwenn, Teacher Librarian & Computer Specialist
SchwennPL@mukilteo.wednet.edu
Library Hours: 6:45 -3:30 (Events beyond our control require the library to close early on some days.)
We are closed during staff meetings, occasional lunches, and after school on Fridays.

 

Staff Technical Support
Copyright and Fair Use Guideline
Hover Cam Manual

Staff Menu of Library Services

    • English Novel checkout is scheduled through Christine Thayer. Please contact her in advance.
    • If your students need a book you can send up to five students at a time with a pass. If you are sending more than five, please contact the Library to check our availability.
    • If your entire class needs to check out, please see Pam to sign up on the library calendar.
  • We do have other equipment for “Teacher Checkout Only.” Your students are welcome to use the equipment with your guided supervision. These items include:

    • 1 digital camcorder and 1 digital camera
    • 3 Av Carts with DVD/VHS + projectors and speakers
    • 1 laptop/projector/speaker cart.
    • Our library catalog offers a feature for building a book list as well as a website list that your students can use to do research. We can also pull books on carts for your students so you can use them in the library or have them checked out for class use. 
    • Need a Webpage of high quality links for research on a topic? Set up an appointment with Pam and we will create a list of valuable websites for your students.
    • Need a lesson on specific databases or search strategies within the database? Set up an appointment with Pam and she will be happy to guide your students to research effectively.
  • We offer the following lessons to help your students

    • Library Orientation (These are the rules; here are the tools.)
    • Book Talks throughout the year
    • Utilizing the Destiny Library Catalog (adding reviews, holds, searching, accessing resource lists)
    • Using Mukilteo School District Databases and eBooks
    • Web Evaluation and digital citizenship
    • Copyright and fair use, digital images, video, music and other sources
    • Research Strategies and Note Taking (Plagiarism, Quoting, Summarizing, and Paraphrasing)
    • On-line Citations and Bibliographies
  • If there is something that you do not see, please see Pam to collaborate and plan!

     

    Do you need a book or a DVD that would help make your teaching world easier? Do you know of a new series or a specific author that your students would love? Do you need to be trained on a piece of equipment, software, or webpage? Please contact Pam with your requests.

     

    Planning ahead to schedule a library space will ensure you get what you need when you need it.

     

    Planning ahead for a collaborative lesson will give Pam the proper time to gather or build the materials needed for a successful lesson for your students.

     

    If you need advice on copyright, policy and procedure, book challenges, or IMC materials, come and see Pam.

     

For passwords for off-site use, click here: KHS Online Resources & Passwords

Frequently Asked Questions

    • Fiction
    • Non-fiction
    • Reference books
    • Audio books
    • Electronic resources for reports
    • Computers
    • Magazines
    • Student supplies
    • Helpful Library staff
  • Find great books to read for fun and school, do homework, get help with research, use a computer for school work, find high quality web resources, print an assignment and get instruction and support with technology.

  • Monday through Thursday 6:45 AM-3:30 PM
    Fridays 6:45 AM-1:00 PM

    Any occasional changes to our schedule will be posted on the entrance door to the Library.

    • Respect people, property and learning

    • No food or beverages, but water is okay

    • Quietly doing school work, reading, using computers, and meeting friends or academic coaches to study are all great reasons to go to the library

  • The limit is ten items for three weeks.

    We recommend that you check out only as many as you can keep track of.

  • All items are due in three (3) weeks.

     

  • If you have a late book your account is frozen and you cannot check out additional items until it is brought current.

    If a book is lost you will be charged the replacement cost.

    If you need financial assistance please see the Library staff. Yearbooks will be held until all fines are paid.

  • No, only teachers check out videos and DVDs

  • “All use of the system must be in support of education and research and consistent with the mission of the District.”

    If you have any questions about what is allowed on Library computers, please ask the Library staff.

Research Support

  • This information is offered to help Kamiak students experience success in writing in high school and beyond. When writing for an academic purpose it is important to understand, use and give credit for a variety of information.

     

    Checklist for Citations

    • I have effectively and responsibly quoted, paraphrased, and summarized.
    • My documentation is correctly formatted.
    • I have used a balanced and adequate number of relevant resources.
    • I have not plagiarized any of the material in this project.

     

    Document Sources: When and Why

    Use in-text documentation to cite a source whenever you:

    • use an original idea from one of your sources, whether you quote or paraphrase it
    • summarize original ideas from one of your sources
    • use factual information that is not common knowledge (Common knowledge is information that recurs in many sources. If you are not certain it is common knowledge, cite to be safe.)
    • quote directly from a source
    • use a date, fact, or statistic that might be disputed

     

    Usually only the author's last name and the page number OR, in the absence of an author, the title and the page number are given. Do not use the word “page” or any abbreviations. Page numbers may be omitted if the article is a one-page article or one in an encyclopedia arranged alphabetically. Page numbers may also be omitted when citing Web resources, which do not normally include paging.

     

    The purpose of this format is to give immediate source information without interrupting the flow of the paper. Usually parenthetical citations are placed at the end of a sentence, but they may be placed in the middle (see example 6). The academic world takes in-text documentation seriously. Inaccurate documentation is as serious as having no documentation at all.

     

    Rules for using in-text documentation

    1. Use the author's last name and give the page number in parentheses. Do not use “page” or abbreviations for page, just write the number. In most cases you will be citing one or two pages, leading your reader to a specific piece of information. Allow one space before the parentheses but none after it if a period follows.

      EX: Arthur Miller’s The Crucible “forces a revolution in our perception and definition of reality” (Martin 73).
    2. If you are using more than one book by the same author, give the last name, comma, the title, and the page.
      EX: Animal imagery conveys the primitive, uncontrolled rage that the peasants feel. One person “acquired a tigerish smear about the mouth” (Dickens, Tale of Two Cities 33-34).
    3. There is a relationship between your writing and how you compose your in-text documentation. If you identify the author and title in the text, you do not need to repeat that information. Simply present the page number in your citation.

      EX: In Understanding Why the Caged Bird Sings, Megna-Wallace notes that Angelou’s autobiography succeeds on two levels: “first, as a personal memoir . . . and second, as a representative narrative that exemplifies the struggle of many African American women against racial and sexual oppression” (10).
    4. If there is no author, give the title and the page number.
      EX: A number of critics feel that Hemingway’s journalistic style continued to influence writers through the end of the 20th century (“Hemingway Chronicle” 5).
    5. If you are quoting a direct quotation from a secondary source, you must identify it as such.

      EX: According to Arthur Miller, “It was not only McCarthyism that moved me, it was as though the whole country had been born anew, without a memory even of certain elemental decencies” (qtd. in Budick 74).
    6. If a quotation or information appears in the middle of your own idea, then insert the documentation immediately after the quotation.

      EX: Arthur’s Miller’s notion of a country “without memory of certain elemental decencies” (qtd. in Budick 74) resonates throughout The Crucible.
    7. If the quoted material exceeds two lines in your text, use a comma or colon after the last word of text, indent and type the quotation without quotation marks. The parenthetical citation follows the punctuation at the end of the last sentence of the quote.
    8. Web documents generally do not have fixed page numbers or any kind of section numbering. If your source lacks numbering, omit numbers from your in-text documentation and use only the main entry—author, or title, if there is no author—in parenthesis.

      Note: For a Web document, the page numbers of a printout should NOT be cited, because the pagination may vary in different printouts.

      EX: A recent CNN.com review noted that the book's purpose was “to teach cultures that are both different from and similar to world status quo” (Allen).

     

    Summarizing, Paraphrasing, and Quoting

    You can borrow from the works of other writers as you research. Good writers use three strategies—summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting—to blend source materials in with their own, while making sure their own voice is heard.

     

    Summarizing

    Summarizing involves putting the main idea(s) of one or several writers into your own words, including only the main point(s). Once again, it is necessary to attribute summarized ideas to the original source.

     

    Summarized ideas are not necessarily presented in the same order as in the original source. Summaries are significantly shorter than the original and take a broad overview of the source material.

     

    Summarize when:

    • You want to establish background or offer an overview of a topic
    • You want to describe common knowledge (from several sources) about a topic
    • You want to determine the main ideas of a single source

     

    Paraphrasing

    Paraphrasing means rephrasing the words of an author, putting his/her thoughts in your own words. A paraphrase can be viewed as a “translation” of the original source. When you paraphrase, you rework the source’s ideas, words, phrases, and sentence structures with your own. Paraphrased text is often, but not always, slightly shorter than the original work. Like quotations, paraphrased material must be followed with in-text documentation and cited on the Works Cited page.

     

    Paraphrase when:

    • You plan to use information on your note cards and wish to avoid plagiarizing
    • You want to avoid overusing quotations
    • You want to use your own voice to present information
      Quotations are the exact words of an author, copied directly from the source word for word. Quotations must be cited!
      Use quotations when:
    • You want to add the power of an author’s words to support your argument
    • You want to disagree with an author’s argument
    • You want to highlight particularly eloquent or powerful phrases or passages
    • You are comparing and contrasting specific points of view
    • You want to note the important research that precedes your own

     

    SOURCE: Developed with Carol H. Rohrbach, K–12 Language Arts Coordinator, School District of Springfield Township, Erdenheim, PA.

     

    Weaving Quotes into Your Writing

     

    Effective writers use a variety of techniques to integrate quotations into their text.

     

    When you use a quote in your writing, consider:

    • What am I trying to say?
    • Can a passage from the text say it for me?
    • Have I explained the value of the quote?

     

    Avoid “overquoting.” It is important that your own voice is heard!

    Discuss the effectiveness of the following writing samples:

    Serious room for improvement:

    William Golding’s book Lord of the Flies is about kids stranded on an island. Some of the kids are good and some are bad. “Roger, with a sense of delirious abandonment, leaned all his weight on the lever” (Golding 180). So I ask you, what causes irresponsible behavior? Ralph is good, but Jack is bad.

    Room for improvement:

    There are bad kids on the island. One of them is Roger. He drops a boulder on Piggy and kills him. “Roger, with a sense of delirious abandonment, leaned all his weight on the lever” (Golding 180). This caused Piggy’s death.

    A possible revision:

    The truest form of wickedness on the island is evident in Roger. He demonstrates his true depravity when, “with a sense of delirious abandonment, [he] leaned all his weight on the lever” (Golding 180). Well aware of Piggy’s place beneath him, Roger willingly takes Piggy’s life.

    Another possible revision:

    Roger’s murder of Piggy clearly illustrates the depths children can sink to without appropriate supervision. As he stood high above Piggy on the mountain, “Roger, with a sense of delirious abandonment, leaned all his weight on the lever” (Golding 180). His willingness to welcome the moment with “delirious abandonment” clearly demonstrates the level of pleasure that Roger received by committing this horrific act.

  • Thesis Project Organizer

    What is a thesis statement?

    A Thesis Statement declares what you believe and what you intend to prove. A thesis statement provides the focus of your research. It is usually one or two sentences long and is typically located at the end of the beginning paragraph. Every point in your paper/project needs to support the thesis.

    A formula would be:
    Specific topic + Attitude/Angle/Argument = Thesis

    Create a thesis statement by selecting a topic, then developing an argument related to the topic.

    A thesis should be

    • Contestable—proposes an argument with which people could reasonably disagree.
    • Provocative—takes a stand and justifies the discussion you will present.
    • Coverable—could be adequately covered in the format of the project assigned.
    • Specific and focused—proves a point without discussing “everything in the world about…( the topic)
    • Provable—asserts your own conclusion based on solid evidence.

    A thesis should not

    • Be a simple statement of fact
    • Be a personal opinion based on emotion rather than fact
    • Have an obvious conclusion

    A thesis statement can be, and usually is, modified throughout the research process.

    • You must do a lot of background reading before you know enough about a subject to identify the key or essential questions.
    • You may not know where you stand on an issue until you have examined the evidence.
    • You will likely begin your research with a working, preliminary or tentative thesis which you will continue to refine until you are certain of where the evidence leads.
    • The evidence may lead you to a conclusion you didn’t think you’d reach.
    • It is perfectly okay to change your thesis!

    How will you find a thesis?

    • Interesting contrasts or comparisons or patterns emerging in the information
    • Something about the topic that surprises you
    • Ideas that make you wonder, Why?
    • Something an “expert” says that makes you respond, “No way! That can’t be right!” or “Yes, absolutely. I agree!”

    Try these five tests on your own tentative thesis

    • Does the thesis inspire a reasonable reader to ask, “How?” or “Why?”
    • Would a reasonable reader NOT respond with “Duh!” or “So what?” or “Gee, no kidding!” or “Who cares?”
    • Does the thesis avoid general phrasing and/or sweeping words such as “all” or ”none” or “every”?Also vague words like “interesting,” “negative”, “exciting,” or abstract words like “society”, “values”, or “culture”.
    • Does the thesis lead the reader toward the topic sentences (the subtopics needed to prove the thesis)?
    • Can the thesis be adequately developed in the required length of the paper or project?”

    Example of developing a thesis

    • Select a topic—for instance, television violence and children
    • Ask an interesting question: What are the effects of television violence on children?
    • Read through the research, revising as you learn, until you are able to determine a preliminary argument and take a focused stance—for instance, violence in television cartoons increases aggressive behavior in preschool children.
    • Remember, this argument is your “preliminary”, or “working”, thesis. As you read you may discover evidence that may change your stance. It is okay to revise your thesis.

    Create a list of questions to guide your research

    For example:

    • How many hours of cartoons does the average young child watch per week?
    • How do we identify a “violent” cartoon?
    • How do we define “aggressive behavior” in children?
    • Which types of cartoons are most violent?
    • Are there scientific research studies that have observed children before and after watching violent cartoons?
    • Which major groups are involved in investigating this question? Which might agree with my thesis?Which would not?

    Are these good thesis statements? Why or why not?

    • Terrorism is a huge problem in our modern society and it should not happen in a civilized world.
    • The causes of most wars are economic, social, and political and result from individual greed, desire for status or power.
    • The Simpsons is the greatest animated show in the history of television and covers issues of ethnicity, family and society.
    • Often dismissed because it is animated, The Simpsons treats ethnicity more powerfully than did the critically praised All in the Family.

    Additional Resources

  • The Internet provides massive amounts of information, some is useful and high quality and some of it is garbage. We know how to evaluate a book, magazine or other familiar print items. Electronic sources have special qualities that require thoughtful evaluation strategies.

    To evaluate information (especially on the Internet) you need to know

    • Who is the author? What makes them an expert?
    • What about the content, is the information is accurate?
    • When was the information created and/or updated?
    • Where is it located?
    • Why is the information useful? What is its purpose/bias? 

    Who is the author?

    Who is the Author? What are his/her credentials? Is he/she an authority you can trust on the subject? Is the author the creator of the information? If not, what are his/her sources? Can you defend this source to your teacher?

    Use Network Solutions to find who registered a site.Type the domain name in the search box and this web site gives you information about whom, when and where the site was registered. • Google the author to find out more about them.

    What about the content?

    Are you getting facts and accurate information? Is there spelling or grammatical errors? Is it verifiable? Is the information relevant, sound and detailed enough to be useful for your purpose? Can you defend this site to your teacher?

    When was it published?

    When was the information or site last updated? Is it current? Are your information needs time sensitive? Can you defend this site to your teacher?

    Where can you find it?

    This is easy, copy the URL into a word document and save it. If you plan to use the information you will need to find it again so you can cite the source.

    Why is the information useful, what is its purpose?

    Get in the habit of asking what the purpose of the web site is. Is the purpose to inform, entertain, sell, persuade and/or manipulate? Who is the intended audience? Is the page associated with an institution like a university or a non-profit organization? Is it well respected? Does the author’s affiliation with the organization appear to bias the information?

    • Scan the edges of the page for links to “About Us”, “Biography”, or “Background” or “Philosophy”
    • Scan the links within a site (drag your mouse over the link) to see where they go. A pattern of all internal links should be a red flag.
    • Find out who links into the site:
      • Copy the URL of the site you are evaluating. Go to Google site or Alta Vista.
      • Click in the search box and type link (do not forget the colon).
      • Paste the web address after the colon and click the search button.

    Google and AltaVista give you a list of sites that are linked into the site you are evaluating.

    Tip: if you get no results using the link command try shortening the web address. Look for the types of groups that link into your site. Decide if you trust them or have your doubts about their motives.

    What is the overall quality?

    Why is the information useful to you? Does it answer a question or help you solve a problem? Will it help you complete an assignment? Will your teacher be impressed?

    Hoax sites and Urban Legends

    You can check your ideas about hoax sites and questionable email messages at Snopes website and Truth or fiction

    Questionable (hoax?) sites

  • What is public domain?

    • Works in the public domain (PD) are those whose intellectual property rights have expired, have been forfeited or are inapplicable. Examples include the works of Shakespeare and Beethoven, The King James Bible, most of the early silent films, the formulae of Newtonian physics, and the patents on powered flight. The term is not normally applied to situations where the creator of a work retains residual rights, in which case use of the work is referred to as "under license" or "with permission". –Wikipedia definition
    • Music made prior to 1922 is PD, withholding sound recordings
    • Hard to determine PD for films because there are so many contributors, director, cinematographer, musicians etc.
    • Copyright Cornell
    • Public Domain Pictures
    • Public Domain Music List
    • Copyright

    Possible directions to finding copyright-free images on a Google search

    Google

    1. Go to Google
    2. Type in your image search (make sure you are under the image tab to do this search)
    3. Click on the gear icon in the upper right corner and go to Advanced Search
    4. Scroll down the Usage Rights and from the mini menu choose the label “free to use or share, even commercially.”
    5. Click on Advanced Search and you’ll have your images
    6. Just to be safe, cite where it was found. It is recommended to check and make sure the image does not have any copyrights. You can write to the owner if you can find one.

    Computer Hope

    Decent list of websites to use to ensure copyright free images.

    Where to find free stock photos

    Additional website available for finding copyright-free images

    Annotated list of PD image search websites

    Wikipedia

    This is my first endorsement of a Wikipedia website. This has images from places like the library of congress which is always PD. Some of the images provided might still have copyright issues so you need to read the given information below the image to make sure. The image search process is quite simple and it does come along with an original source and lets you know if it is PD or not.

    Flickr

    Used by your everyday person to upload their pictures. This site is also linked to the Commons and Getty Images which have PD photos.

    Morgue File

    This site has a smaller selection of free photos but is also connected to Getty Images. It calls itself a free photo archive but some are still under copyright. The picture selected will give an HTML that can be posted to give credit when using the picture.

    Unrestricted Stock

    This website is geared towards a student looking for multiple pictures/clip art. The images are placed into vector sets. When you look at a set there are multiple images in the same strain i.e. animals, shapes, human anatomy etc. Very good for students giving mini lessons to their peers on a specific subject, anything from History to Science.

    Free Digital Photos

    This is a great site full of specific subjects to search images by far. Some of the images are graphic instead of a real photograph. Only the smallest size of the image is free for download.

    USA

    This site has good image resources but does warn that not the full 100% of their pictures are PD. Once you search for a subject you must narrow the search to images by clicking on that work on the left hand side of the screen.

Resources

  • Common Sense Media

    K-12 Scope and Sequence of DC Lessons

    Web 2.0

    Internet Search Tips from KQED Mind Shift

    Web Evaluation

    Stanford Library's Nerd Squirrel Tips

    <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bZ122WakNDY" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

  • Animoto

    Video App for book trailers

    Khan Academy

    Free learn about anything site

    Photo Pin

    Free pictures

    Pics 4 Learning

    Free copyright images

    School Tube

    Videos from teachers and students

    Wordle

    Word Cloud Creator

  • College Bound Books to Read

    Good Reads list of college bound

    Diversity Books

    MTBA Book Trailers

    Novelist

    Find read-a-likes and ++++ Password for home at your Library

    Sno-Isle Teens

    Book lists, events, and more

  • Welcome to Mukilteo School District's Library Program

    Literacy is Power and Freedom

    The mission of the Mukilteo School District librarians is to ensure that all students and staff are effective users and producers of ideas, information and technology. This mission is accomplished by:

    Collaboration

    • A partnership with the school district, the principal, the teachers, the teacher-librarian and the community
    • Teacher and teacher-librarians cooperatively planning and implementing resource based units of study
    • Teaming with all staff and the community to promote reading through collaboratively developed programs

    Instruction

    • Integrating information literacy skills (the research process) into all subject areas and all grade levels.
    • Integrating instructional technology effectively when it increases student achievement and motivation
    • Aligning instruction with common core standards and assessments to increase student success

    Access

    • Providing access to materials in a variety of formats, both print and electronic at school and through the Internet.

    Please contact Gail Anderson at Kamiak for library and literacy information and support.

  • Archive of English sonnets and commentary: sonnets

    Online glossary of poetic terms: poeticbyway

    Poetry 180: A Poem a Day for HS Students loc-poetry

    Portal to literary criticism: vos

    Public library of poetic works: the other pages

    Slam poetry, spoken word and theater: poetry out loud

  • "How to Research" Video

    Login to Safari Montage to view these research videos

    12 Internet Search Tips

    KQED

    MSD Research Process Model

    The Big Skills "Big 6" is a process model of how people of all ages solve an information problem. From practice and study, we found that successful information problem-solving encompasses six stages with two sub-stages under each:

    1. Task Definition

    1. Define the information problem
    2. Identify information needed

    2. Information Seeking Strategies

    1. Determine all possible sources
    2. Select the best sources

    3. Location and Access

    1. Locate sources (intellectually and physically)
    2. Find information within sources

    4. Use of Information

    1. Engage (e.g., read, hear, view, touch)
    2. Extract relevant information

    5. Synthesis

    1. Organize from multiple sources
    2. Present the information

    6. Evaluation

    1. Judge the product (effectiveness)
    2. Judge the process (efficiency)

    Online Resources & Passwords

    Google Advanced Search Tips

    Help Students Ask Better Questions

    Noodle Tools & MLA (How to Link)

    Argumentative Essay Tips Video

    Primary Sources for Students

    Sources for Primary Sources are listed with tips for use

    Social Studies Handbook

    How to research and cite sources

    Social Studies Useful Web Links

    US History timeline website

    America's Best History Timeline

  • When searching the internet and other electronic resources, you will use keywords and a variety of search strategies. You have been practicing keyword searching in books for years; indexes are composed of keywords. The internet presents some challenges not found in book indexes, but with a few strategies and perservence your search can turn out well.

    Kamiak Library Databases

    • Easybib This citation/notebook app will help you create citations, print works cited pages, take notes and make outlines. Set up your account at school so you can use it at home.
    • Ebsco (mukilteo/student) Search Everything>Keywords in search box>narrow by date slider>Narrow by Subject (choose Show More). You can create an acoount to save your searches. You can store articles in Folders during your search and read them later. Tools include Cite
    • Kamiak E-Books & Opposing Viewpoints Password: kamiakhs You will find links to this collection of high quality reference books and thousands of articles on the Kamiak High School Library web page. Citations are available in each article and you can print, save or email the information you find.
    • Proquest Choose Full Text documents only. You can choose the box for Scholarly journals (college level information). Try your keyword(s) and mine your results for useful articles. From the results list you can narrow the search by topic suggestions or add keywords to your search to get more specific. The MLA citation is available when you click the Cite This link. You may need to choose MLA. (Phone App available.)

    General searching tips and strategies

    Think of unique words, names, abbreviations or acronyms that may relate to the topic. Use keywords of organizations or groups that might have web pages with information on your topic.

    Use quotation marks to search phrases; words will be together and in a certain order.

    Search within a specific site by typing site: in the search window (or using advanced search in Google and choosing "Search within a site or domain" earch within a specific file type by using doing an advanced search in Google and choosing "file type". Use the drop down menu to make your selection, for example, PowerPoint.

    Use Boolean operators to limit your search. (Different websites will treat these terms differently, so you may need to experiment to find what works at each site.)

    • AND or + before the word Use these to broaden your search.
    • OR use it if you want to include synonyms or other spellings in your search, thereby expanding your search.
    • NOT or  before the word. Use to exclude words from your search.