Student Success 9-12
Wellness
Being a teenager can be hard—and when a pandemic disrupts your normal routines, it can get a lot harder. You may feel disappointed, depressed, and anxious about the future. How about connecting with other teens from around the state to share your feelings and compare experiences? Register for a virtual support group designed especially for 14-to-17-years-olds, hosted by our Stay Well counseling team.
- Sign up for one or more sessions at https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcpcu6rqDooGdJDuHvQba3_y1TJc0BH3XU2
- You’ll get a confirmation email with information to join the meeting.
- Be Kind to Your Mind.
- Call the Michigan Stay Well counseling line for free emotional support.
- Dial 1-888-535-6136 and press “8.”
- Remain on the line until you hear the prompt to speak with a Stay Well counselor.
- This service is free, confidential, and available 24/7. For more guidance on coping with pandemic-related distress, visit Michigan.gov/StayWell.
Art, Theater & Music
- Check it out at TADL! T
- Chicago Institute of Art – Highlights of various art styles W
- Smithsonian Museums – The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, with 19 museums and the National Zoo. W
- Google Arts and Culture – Google Arts & Culture is a non-profit initiative who’s mission is to preserve and bring the world’s art and culture online so it’s accessible to anyone, anywhere. W
Musical Equipment To Check Out - TADL Library of Things
Career Exploration
- Career Explorer – Take a free assessment to see where your interests lie. W
- Newton’s Road Career Investigator – Explore Northwest Michigan STEM careers. W
- Learning Express Career Exploration; Job & Career Accelerator – Learn about careers and prepare for exams. M
- ONet Interest Profiler – Helps you decide what kinds of careers you might want to explore. W
- Michigan Works! Going Pro Program – The need for professional trade talent has never been greater. These highly skilled individuals are in extraordinary demand for careers in healthcare, information technology, advanced manufacturing, construction and automotive. W
College Prep
- College Board – A mission-driven not-for-profit organization that connects students to college success. W
- Common App – The basic application to apply to the majority of colleges in the US. The deadline is November of the year prior to attending for early acceptance and February for general admissions at many universities and colleges. Check your college of interest early in the process as dates vary. W
- FAFSA – The basic application to apply for college financial aid. The deadline is June 30. It is a good idea to have your FAFSA completed by March as much of the financial aid has already been distributed by June. W
- Khan Academy Test Prep – SAT test prep. W
- Learning Express Test Prep – ACT, SAT, AP, PSAT, College Placement test prep. M
- College Wise – Downloadable e-books about writing your college essay, choosing your school, and more. W
- TADL – Books to assist with essays and college research T
Reading Lists
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound: Arts and Humanities
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound: History and Cultures
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound: Literature and Language Arts
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound: Science and Technology
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound: Social Sciences
- Assigned Reading College Edition
Computer Science, Coding, & Technology
We have a range of computers in the library to assist you with your work! You can access our desktop computers in Teen Services if you are 11-18 years old or Adult Services if you are 17 years old or older. You can check a laptop out from the Public Computing Center and use it anywhere in the building. Best of all, you can use your laptop and our Internet anywhere inside or outside the building in the parking lot.
- 3D Printing – If you can dream it you can print it at TADL!
- Telescope – Your parents can check it out at TADL!
- Learning Express – Computer Skills -Using a computer, Internet skills and Utilizing common programs M
- Newton’s Road – At home STEM learning and a connection hub to in person STEM opportunities. W
- The Khan Academy Computing – A homework center with a YouTube type format. W
- Instructables – Plans for making all sorts of things. W
- Digital citizenship & media Literacy
- NAMLE A definition of media literacy W
- Newslit Tools and strategies for increasing your media literacy. W
- Find out how its done with Get Bad News W
- Non-partisan fact checking web sites
- Factcheck.org W
- Politifact W
- Snopes W
English Literature
- Learning Express – English – Reading, Writing and VocabularyM
- Literary Reference Center – Includes over 14,000 short stories and 54,000+ poems. Covers information on thousands of authors and their works. Topics include: plot summaries, literary criticism, book reviews, novels, and author interviews. M
- Poetry Foundation – The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine, is an independent literary organization committed to a vigorous presence for poetry in our culture. It exists to discover and celebrate the best poetry and to place it before the largest possible audience. W
Need to read something with literary merit? Try an award winner!
The Michael L. Printz Award annually honors the best book written for teens, based entirely on its literary merit, each year. In addition, the Printz Committee names up to four honor books, which also represent the best writing in young adult literature. -ala.org/yalsa/printz
View All - Printz Award Winners
YALSA’s (Young Adult Library Services Association) Award for Excellence in Nonfiction honors the best nonfiction book published for young adults (ages 12-18) during a Nov. 1 – Oct. 31 publishing year. -ala.org/yalsa/nonfiction-award
View All - Nonfiction Award Winners
History
- Digital Public Library of America – Primary Resource Sets – DPLA is a public digital library of open primary sources, bringing the wealth of U.S. libraries, archives, and museums to your classroom and home. W
- Local History – Resources available at TADL T
- Michiganology – Archives of the State of Michigan, includes scholarly research on the history of Michigan W
- Our Documents – A collaborative effort of the National Archives, USA Freedom Corps, and National History Day. It has the “100 Milestone Documents of US History” all in one place.
- Smithsonian Museums – The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, with 19 museums and the National Zoo. W
- Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians – A brief history of the people of the Three Fires Confederacy, the Odawa (Ottawa) the Ojibwa (Chippewa) and Bodowadomi (Pottawatomi) people. W
- Black Freedom Struggle in the United States – Features select primary source documents related to critical people and events in African American history. For anyone interested in learning more about the foundation of ongoing racial injustice in the U.S. – and the fights against it. W
Languages
- Mango Languages – Learn a foreign language or perfect your English. T
- Recursos Para Hispanohablantes – Learning tools, career, and citizenship exam practice in Spanish. M
- Referencia Latina – Spanish-language resource. Covers academic and non-academic subjects. Offers content from reference books, general interest magazines, health reports, and other sources. Daily updates from a dozen newspapers from ten Latin American countries and more than 2,500 health reports. M
- Newspapers from around the globe
- Puerto Rico W
- Mexico W
- Ukraine W
- Japan W
- Canada (French) W
Math, & Science
- Learning Express Math & Science – Algebra, Functions, Geometry, Statistics, Science and more M
- Michigan Electronic Library Science – Applied Science, Earth Science, Life Science, Physical Science, Scientist, Space and Astronomy M
- Science Reference Center – Contains material from science encyclopedias, reference books, periodicals, and other sources. M
- .Chemistry Coach – General Chemistry & Organic Chemistry Study Guides, Exercises and Practice Tests. W
- The Khan Academy – The Khan Academy is a homework center on YouTube. W
- The Khan Academy – Biology W
- The Khan Academy – Chemistry W
Reading & Books
- Sign up for our year-round reading challenge!
- Overdrive – Ebooks and Audiobooks and Magazines T
- Read It! – Build reading skills M
- NoveList Plus – Find your next read M
- Ebooks – Provided by the Michigan Electronic Library M
2020 Best Fiction for Young Adults
Social Studies
- Learning Express – Social Studies – Tutorials, Tests, Ebooks and Flashcards M
- Opposing Viewpoints – Features contextual information and opinions on hundreds of today’s hottest social issues. M
- Race & Social Equity – A topics page featuring books and movies in the TADL collection. T
- Biography Reference Center – More than 450,000 biographies. M
- Points of View Reference Center – Presents multiple sides of over 400 issues. M
General Resources
- Michigan Electronic Library for Teens – All of Michigan’s resources for you in one spot. M
- Britannica School – Made for today’s digital classroom, Britannica School features differentiated instruction, allowing students to move easily to resources at different reading levels. M
- Explora – High School – Covers subjects such as art, history, sports, and music. Includes thousands of biographies and primary source documents. Also includes photos, maps, and flags. M
- School Center – From Learning Express Library. Multiple topics for all grades. M
- Access Video – Educational and documentary streaming video from a variety of sources. T
- Gale Virtual Reference – Reference books covering the following topics: education, environment, general reference (including employment, health and wellness, personal finance, and social skills), history, law, nation and world, religion, and science. M
- Varsity Tutors – Live online classes in various subjects. W
M = Michigan T = TADL W = website