Library Media Center

Our Region 15 Author-Illustrator Program affords an excellent opportunity to hear "the story behind the story" from prominent writers and illustrators of children and young adult literature. 

Thanks to the support and generosity of our elementary PTOs, the Region 15 Library Media Specialists host an author or illustrator to visit all four elementary schools in Region 15. Our visits are in person or hosted virtually and 

We are very fortunate to have had a variety of talented and wonderful presenters!

What is a Nutmeg Nominated Book?

A committee of librarians, teachers and students meet on a regular basis to read and decide on their favorite ten books to be nominated for the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award.  

There are Intermediate Nutmeg books intended for students in grades 4-6 and Elementary Nutmeg books for students in grades 2-4. 

Students who read at least two Nutmeg nominated books can vote for their favorite in May of that school year.

Grade 5 Nutmeg Book Bowl

The Nutmeg Book Bowl is a voluntary reading project for students in grade 5.  Students form teams of 3-5 students and as a team read all ten Nutmeg nominated books (Connecticut's book award).  Students work together to complete graphic organizers and take a group test.  The four highest scoring teams will advance to the Nutmeg Book Bowl. 

The Nutmeg Book Bowl will consist of judges asking teams questions related to each of the ten books.  There will be one final winning team.  All students who took the group test will take part in a celebration of all their hard work this spring. 

A core function of public libraries is to facilitate open access to information and ideas!

Have you been to your public library lately? There is a lot more to the library these days than just books. 

Middlebury Public Library

Southbury Public Library

Bibliomation (Search over 40 public libraries in Connecticut)

Waterbury Silas Bronson Library

iCONN CT Digital Library

State of Connecticut Library

Reading during the summer time is so much fun! Below you will find links to the Governor's Reading Challenge, additional resources, as well as a list of great summertime reading for your grade level. Click on the grade that you are going into this fall. And Happy Reading! 

R15 ELEMENTARY SUMMER READING WEBSITE

 

Wondering Something?  Look no further!

Wonderopolis

Online Encyclopedia: Britannica School and Image Quest

Connecticut State Digital Library

The State of Connecticut has made available a rich array of electronic information databases, free for residents in CT. Use your Public Library Card number to access the CT Digital Library from home.

• CT State Digital Library Resources for Elementary Schools (ICONN)

Great Databases for Research

• Discovery Education Google Sign In (teachers and students in grades 2-5 with Google accounts, use this link)
• Pebble Go
• Pebble Go Next
• ScienceFlix
• FreedomFlix
• TrueFlix
• BrainPop Jr.
• BrainPop

Using Primary Sources on the Web

• Library of Congress
• World Digital Library - See artifacts and materials from libraries and museums around the world.
• The Learning Page for the Library of Congress American Memory Collection- A collection of historical photographs, maps, prints, documents, sound recordings and film. 

Animals

• World Wildlife Fund
• Animal Diversity Web - An online encyclopedia with information on just about every animal group within the animal kingdom.
• Endangered Species Guide - Animal Planet
• ESpecies Fact Sheets - Fact sheets of endangered animals sorted by continent and type.

Almanacs 

• Almanac from Fact Monster
• The Old Farmer's Almanac

Biographical Resources

• Biography.Com - 20,000 short biographies
• Famous Americans

Atlases and Maps

• World Atlas Outline Maps and Map Tests - Outline maps for any country in the world and a series of map quizzes to test your geography skills.
• Historical Atlas of the 20th Century - Click on maps, graphs, and charts to learn more about 20th Century history.
• Atlapedia Online

News

• Dogo News
• Newsela-Non-fiction literacy and current events articles for kids
• Online News Hour Extra (PBS)

Dictionaries

• Word Central
• Merriam-Webster Online
• Visuwords - Graphical dictionary that shows word meaning and how it relates to other words.
• Rhyme Zone - Rhyming dictionary and thesaurus
• Word Spy - Learn the definitions of some new words.
• Forvo - Learn the pronunciations for words in dozens of languages.
• Wordsmyth - pronounces words, gives definitions, lists synonyms, related words, and roots. 

Images

Here are a few resources you can use to find pictures for school related projects. Be sure to give credit to your source!

• Discovery Education
•  Pics4Learning - Copyright friendly image library of free, safe-to-use images for teachers and students.

Search Engines

• Ask for Kids - Allows you to narrow/expand your search easily.  Click on binoculars for sneak peek.
• SweetSearch 
• Kid Rex
• KidzSearch
• Google SafeSearch for Kids 

Creative Commons 

• Creative Commons Search - search for text, images, video, and music that fall under creative commons.