Reading Resources

Now Registering: Utah’s Online Library and Sora (Ed Tech Tuesdays Pick Five Series)

September 2019Josh Whiting

Our GSD Ed Tech Tuesdays professional development sessions for teachers continue in October 2019. Join us at the GEC on October 1, 2019 or at the TLC on October 15, 2019 to dig into two incredible digital libraries available to Granite students and teachers.

Utah’s Online Library is one of the best but most underutilized resources available to Utah teachers. We’ll explore many of the incredible resources for research and lesson design available in UOL.

If your or your students are looking for eBooks, our collection in Sora has many titles available. We’ll show you how to make the most of Sora.

Click here to sign up to attend this or other future GSD Ed Tech Tuesday ‘Pick Five’ Sessions.

Summer Reading and Learning 2019: Visit a Public Library

May 2019Josh Whiting

Looking for great resources for summer reading and summer learning? In this post series we round up programs and resources from Granite School District, community public libraries and organizations, and other resources from the web in general. Today we are featuring the upcoming summer programs and events of the public libraries in our community: the Salt Lake County Library, the Salt Lake City Public Library, and the Murray Library.

Summer Reading and Learning 2019: Sora, Granite’s Digital Library

May 2019Josh Whiting

Library Spotlight: Upland Terrace Elementary Students Announce 2019 Beehive Book Award Winners

May 2019Josh Whiting

Students from Upland Terrace Elementary announced the winners in the children’s categories of the Beehive Book Awards in this video which was published yesterday!

Granite Battle of the Books 2019-2020 Reading Lists

April 2019Josh Whiting

After sharing hints and clues all week, we are excited to publish the full Granite Battle of the Books 2019-2020 Reading Lists!

2019-2020 Granite Battle of the Books 3rd-4th Grade Book List

2019-2020 Granite Battle of the Books 3rd-4th Grade Book List (High Quality PDF for Printing)

Read or Listen to these books in Sora, Granite’s Digital Library (visit sora.edtech.fun for help using Sora)

Find these books in your school’s library with Destiny Discover (type in your school’s name, choose it from the list, and click “Browse as Guest”)

2019-2020 Granite Battle of the Books 5th-6th Grade Book List

2019-2020 Granite Battle of the Books 5th-6th Grade Book List (High Quality PDF for Printing)

Read or Listen to these books in Sora, Granite’s Digital Library (visit sora.edtech.fun for help using Sora)

Find these books in your school’s library with Destiny Discover (type in your school’s name, choose it from the list, and click “Browse as Guest”)

Highlights from the 2019 Granite Battle of the Books District Competition

March 2019Josh Whiting

From Granite Media: Best Books of 2018

January 2019Josh Whiting

Update 1/29/2019: ALA Youth Media Award Winners Added

On Granitemedia.org, our sister site where we focus on library resources and book reviews written by Granite students and staff, we are collecting links to lists of the “Best Books of 2018” and award winners. These lists come from professional library publications, teacher organizations, and general news organizations. We even have a few Granite-specific lists. School library staff use them to find more great books to add to library collections and recommend to students. You can check out the collection of lists as it currently stands below, but we will continue to update the post at http://bestbooks.edtech.fun throughout the season as more awards are announced or come to our attention. No matter your interests or focus you’re sure to find some new books for your “to-read” list.

Upcoming Event: 2019 District Battle of the Books Competition

January 2019Josh Whiting

Post Author: Nikki Gregerson, District Elementary Library Specialist. Originally shared on Granite Media, our library media program website.

As we begin to prepare for our school scrimmages and competitions, here is a look at some of the progress we have made with our Battle of the Books program this school year.

Students who want to participate in team competitions need to have read and passed off at least five books on their list by January 31, 2019. Students who have read five books are also eligible for special prizes and rewards. The district’s big annual prize drawing is done right before Winter Break and prizes are delivered to students and staff members at participating elementary schools. Check out some of the winners for this school year below!

Our District Battle of the Books competition will take place on Thursday, March 14 from 5:00 PM-7:30 PM at Jim Bridger Elementary. 5^th and 6^th graders will compete as teams in a family feud style competition that will test their knowledge of the 15 books on our list. If your school is interested in participating in the program for next year, but not exactly sure how it works, watching battles at our district competition is a really good way to get a sense of how it all works. Here is a quick breakdown of the sequence of events for that evening:

If you have questions about our Battle of the Books program, please contact Nikki Gregerson. Also, check out our highlights from the 2018 Granite Battle of the Books Competition.

New Books in Sora for Winter Break

December 2018Josh Whiting

Just in time for winter break we’ve added many new titles in Sora, Granite’s digital library for students and staff. Take some time to read and listen over the holidays. We have several new curated collections, including Best Books of 2018 and 2020 Beehive Hopefuls. Log in with your student number and password at https://soraapp.com or in the Sora mobile app and see what is available. (Visit sora.edtech.fun for more help with using Sora.)

Featured Resource: Sora, the New Reading App from OverDrive

September 2018Josh Whiting

Sora is a new reading and listening app from OverDrive and Granite School District. With Sora, students and staff can access a large collection of ebooks and audiobooks for independent, recreational, or teacher-assigned reading. Students can read or listen to these books using a Chromebook, desktop computer, or personal mobile device.