Notes from the Learning Commons
Fall 2023
News Literacy Resources
Are you having class discussions about current events? Do you hear your students sharing misinformation? When major events happen, misinformation is shared very quickly through social media. Help guide your students to be more aware of misinformation and propaganda by sharing the Learning Commons LibGuides listed below with them. We are also happy to provide a customized lesson to your classes.
Newspaper Subscriptions
NCHS New York Times Subscription
We have a subscription to the New York Times that all staff and students can access. You do need to activate it while on the D203 network, at NY Times Group Pass but once you do, you can either read it on your computer, or download the NYTimes app to your phone or other device to access the news 24/7. Stop by the LC if you need help activating your subscription, or if you would like for us to help get your class online.
News In Education Newspapers
While not quite as user friendly, you can access the daily issues of The Chicago Tribune, Naperville Sun and The Daily Herald, through the News in Education program. The user names and passwords can be found on the Learning Commons web page.
Halloween and el Día de los Muertos in the LC
We plan to have pumpkin decorating, Spooky Stories, el Día de los Muertos crafts, and other fall crafts in the Learning Commons during the weeks of 10/23 and 10/30. Stop by for some fun!
October is LGBTQ+ History Month
What is LGBTQ History Month?
In 1994, Rodney Wilson, a Missouri high school teacher, believed a month should be dedicated to the celebration and teaching of gay and lesbian history, and gathered other teachers and community leaders. They selected October because public schools are in session and existing traditions, such as Coming Out Day (October 11), occur that month.
Gay and Lesbian History Month was endorsed by GLAAD, the Human Rights Campaign, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the National Education Association and other national organizations. In 2006 Equality Forum assumed responsibility for providing content, promotion and resources for LGBT History Month. - LGBTHistoryMonth.com
The Special Themes and Topics LibGuide page for LGBTQ+ history month has more information.
November is Native American Heritage Month
Celebrate Native American Heritage Month with These Resources
November is National American Indian Heritage Month The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the rich ancestry and traditions of Native Americans.
More resources are on the NAHM page of the Special Themes LibGuide.
In order to promote a reading culture at NCHS, we are going to update the 'I'm Reading' posters. Please use this Google form to request a salutation for your last name. If you don't complete the form, we will use our best guess when creating your sign.
New Books in the LC!
How We Got By
When your world is upended, how do you react? Who do you become? New York Times columnists, illustrator Julia Rothman and writer Shaina Feinberg, seek answers to these questions and more in this gorgeously illustrated collection of sometimes heartbreaking, always illuminating first-person stories.
He/She/They: How We Talk About Gender and Why It Matters
An expert on gender identity, Schuyler Bailar, offers an essential, urgent guide that changes the conversation.
The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: What Everyone Needs to Know
No conflict in the world has lasted as long, generated as many news headlines, or incited as much controversy as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
None of This is True
When a famous podcaster interviews a stranger promising to divulge the story of a lifetime, secrets emerge that threaten to expose the truth of the lives they've both worked so hard to project and protect.
The Blackwoods
Told from multiple points of view, this novel follows Ardith and Hollis Blackwood as their lives are upended when their great-grandmother, legendary actress Blossom Blackwood, passes away, and family secrets emerge.
Tom Lake
Recalling the past at her daughters' request, Lara tells the story of a famous actor with whom she shared both a stage and a romance, which causes her daughters to examine their own lives and reconsider the world and everything they thought they knew.