The Homework Help Center is comprised of dedicated volunteers and staff who provide general homework guidance and support to grades K – 12. The Center does not take reservations for one-on-one sessions: it is walk-in only. Interested parents or guardians can contact Pickerington Main Homework Help Center Coordinator, Erikka Sawdey, at 614-837-4104 ext. 248, or at esawdey@pickeringtonlibrary.org, for additional information.
Pickerington Main Homework Help Center Hours
Monday-Thursday, 2:30-6:30 p.m.
Sycamore Plaza Homework Help Center Hours
Monday-Thursday, 2:30-6 p.m.
Holiday Closures (both locations):
Spring Break: Closed March 18 through March 21
Last Day for 2018-19 School Year: Thursday, May 16
The Pickerington Main Homework Help Center was dedicated in memory of Mary Ann Kirkby, and was made possible by the generosity of the Reynoldsburg-Pickerington Rotary Club, the Friends of the Pickerington Public Library, and the family of Mary Ann Kirkby.
Recommended Resources
InfOhio Access for Students: Login is required
See Pickerington Main Homework Help Center Coordinator Erikka Sawdey for login information.
Foreign Languages
Learn new languages and review vocabulary with these databases and websites:
- Mango: Pickerington Public Library card is required. Remote access is available.
- Duolingo
- Memrise
- Conjuguemos
Writing Resources
Find great topics, cite your sources, and enhance your research papers:
- Newsbank: Pickerington Public Library card is required. Remote access is available.
- NY Times: Topics for persuasive papers
- E-Reading Worksheets: Topics for persuasive papers
- Purdue Owl: Citation help
- Study.com
- Online Etymology Dictionary: Discover word origins!
Math Help
Get real world math help, explanations that make sense, and some free calculators at:
- Khan Academy
- Purplemath
- Thirteen: Why do you need to learn *insert math topic here*? Find out at this site!
- Desmos
- Meta-Calculator
- Math Is Fun
- Mathpickle
- National Library for Virtual Manipulatives
- Calculus Workshop (most pages do not require subscription to view!)
- Regents Prep
- Engage NY
- GeoGebra
- Good Calculators
Reading resources
Need help tracking your reading? Practicing comprehension? Or do you just need a new book recommendation? Try:
- NoveList: Pickerington Public Library card is required. Remote access is available.
- Newsela: Read today’s news at your lexile level (or in Spanish)
- Biblionasium
- Reading Rockets
- What Should I Read Next?
- Rewordify: Simplify text to make it easier to read
Primary Resources
These are great resources if you need a personal account of history or a credible resource from a witness of an event.
- American Archive: A curated online museum of resources
- Chronicling America: A collection of American newspapers
- Digital Public Library of America
- Library of Congress
- Library of Congress Screening Room (Historic video)
- National Archives
- Newberry Library of Chicago: Focuses on the Midwest, but has some national and international topics.
- Smithsonian Learning Lab: Everything the Smithsonian Institute has to offer, online and fun to use!
- Teaching with Primary Sources Network: For teachers. A free account is required.
- World Digital Library: Dive deep into world history with almost 20,000 documents.
- Public Domain Project: Audio, video, and even 3-D model files, free for use
Science
If you need help with your science work or you just want to learn something cool about the world around you, visit:
- Facts On File: Science Online Pickerington Public Library card is required. Remote access is available.
- World Wide Metric (Conversions made easy!)
- Fact Monster
- NASA
- Aspire Astrophysics
Spelling Sites
Spelling is FUN-damental! Practice your words and learn new ones at:
Coding
Have you caught the coding bug? Program amazing creations with these sites:
Resources through PLSD
Here are links to some resources your teacher might require you to use:
Required Reading Resources
The books below are some of the required reading titles for grades 9-12 at Pickerington Local School District. These are additional resources to help you understand and relate to these literary works as you read them in class.
Any book:
1984 (George Orwell):
Animal Farm (George Orwell):
Anthem (Ayn Rand):
Autobiography of Malcolm X (Alex Haley):
- About Alex Haley
- About Malcolm X
- Black Panthers
- Nation of Islam (US History)
- Nation of Islam (Washington Post)
Beowulf (Anonymous):
Black Boy (Richard Wright):
The Bluest Eye (Toni Morrison):
Brave New World (Aldous Huxley):
Childhood’s End (Arthur C. Clarke):
The Crucible:
- About Arthur Miller
- Various Sources on the Salem Witch Trials:
- Various Sources on McCarthyism:
Cry, the Beloved Country (Alan Paton):
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Mark Haddon):
- Autism
- First person perspective (and 2nd and 3rd for reference!)
Death of a Salesman (Arthur Miller):
Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury):
Farewell, My Lovely (Raymond Chandler):
The Fault In Our Stars (John Green):
For Whom the Bell Tolls (Ernest Hemingway):
Frankenstein (Mary Shelley):
The Freedom Writer’s Diary (Erin Gruwell):
- About Erin Gruwell
- Official Curriculum Guide
- Curriculum for Film
- Miep Gies
- Print Resource: Freedom Writer’s Diary Teacher’s Guide, by Erin Gruwell
- Print Resource: Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank
Funny in Farsi (Firoozeh Dumas):
The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald):
- About F. Scott Fitzgerald
- Digital History of the ’20s
- History Channel: The ’20s
- NEA Big Read
- TES Resources
Heart of Darkness (Joseph Conrad):
The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter (Carson McCullers):
The Help (Kathryn Stockett):
- About Kathryn Stockett
- Domestic Race Relations 1960s
- The Maid Narratives
- Domestic Workers in the 1960s
The Hours (Michael Cunningham):
- About Michael Cunningham
- Virginia Woolf
- Gender Issues in the 1920’s regarding Virginia Woolf
- Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West
- Themes of Mrs. Dalloway
- Print Resource: Mrs. Dalloway, by Virginia Woolf
In the Time of the Butterflies (Julia Alvarez):
- About Julia Alvarez
- Dominican Republic
- The Mirabal Sisters
Into the Wild (Jon Krakauer):
- About Jon Krakauer
- Devil’s Thumb, Alaska
- Jack London
- Henry David Thoreau and Walden
- Neurotoxins and Chris McCandless
- Transcendentalism
The Joy Luck Club (Amy Tan):
Jude the Obscure (Thomas Hardy):
Kaffir Boy (Mark Mathabane):
- About Mark Mathabane
- Apartheid
- Nelson Mandela
- Albert Lutuli’s Nobel Prize
- Umkhonto WeSizwe, the armed wing of the African National Conference
- Anti-Pass Campaigns
Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini):
The Last Lecture (Randy Pausch):
Light In August (William Faulkner):
Looking for Alaska (John Green):
Mrs. Dalloway (Virginia Woolf):
- See “The Hours (Michael Cunningham)” above for resources
Of Mice and Men (John Steinbeck):
Persepolis (Marjane Satrapi):
- About Marjane Satrapi
- Iranian Revolution
- Print Resource: Persepolis 2, by Marjane Satrapi
- Print Resource: Embroideries, by Marjane Satrapi
Pygmalion (George Bernard Shaw):
- About G. Bernard Shaw
- E-book Copy (in case you lose yours)
- A comparison of Pygmalion and My Fair Lady
- The Pygmalion Effect
A Raisin in the Sun (Lorraine Hansberry):
- About Lorraine Hansberry (also some great resources for the book)
- Digital Copy of the Play
- Harlem by Langston Hughes
- Langston Hughes
Rebecca (Daphne Du Maurier):
- About Daphne Du Maurier
- Themes of Rebecca
- 1940 Hitchcock film adaptation
- Print Resource: Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison (narrator remains anonymous due to cultural restrictions)
- Print Resource: Jane Unlimited, by Kristin Cashore (read-alike)
Revolver (Marcus Sedgwick):
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (Tom Stoppard):
The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd):
Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen R. Covey):
- About Stephen R. Covey
- Extra resources for the book
- Print Resource: How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie
Sunrise Over Fallujah (Walter Dean Myers):
- Iraq War
- Military Diversity
- Civil Affairs Officer
- Print Resource: Fallen Angels, by Walter Dean Myers. This book precedes Sunrise Over Fallujah.
Their Eyes Were Watching God (Zora Neale Hurston):
- About Zora Neale Hurston
- Interview: Growing Up Black in the 1930’s
- Harlem Renaissance Primary Resources
- Harlem Renaissance
To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee):
- About Harper Lee
- Southern Liberalism and Atticus Finch
- Southern Race Relations
- Emmitt Till
- Jim Crow Laws
- NEA Big Read
- Print Resource: Go Set A Watchmen, by Harper Lee
Tuesdays With Morrie (Mitch Albom):
- About Mitch Albom
- ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis)
- Nightline interview with Professor Morrie Schwartz
The Turn of the Screw (Henry James):
Waiting for Godot (Samuel Beckett):
- About Samuel Beckett
- Themes of Waiting for Godot
- Print Resource: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, by Tom Stoppard
Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte):
Open Educational Resources
Open Educational Resources (OER) are freely accessible and openly licensed learning tools that are great for reinforcing concepts, gaining new knowledge, or continuing lifelong learning. These are just some of the hundreds of OERs available so you never have to stop learning!
Free college classes through reputable universities:
Open Course Workshops through MIT
Carnegie Mellon University Open Learning Initiative
Math curriculum for teachers:
General studies for your own learning enjoyment:
Digital Public Library of America
Full textbooks used in some of the top universities:
K-12 curricular tools for use at school or at home:
HHC Class Offerings
The following classes are available at the Pickerington Main Library Homework Help Center for students:
ACT-SAT Prep Class
ACT-SAT Prep Classes will be held on the following dates at the Sycamore Plaza Library Homework Help Center. Registration opens one month before each class date:
- Thursday, January 31, 2019: Register here
- Thursday, April 4, 2019: Registration opens March 4
- Thursday May 16, 2019: Registration opens April 16
How to Write a Great Essay Class
How to Write a Great Essay will be held on the following dates at the Sycamore Plaza Library Homework Help Center. Registration opens one month before each class date:
- Thursday, February 21, 2019: Register here
- Thursday, April 25, 2019
Volunteer for the HHC
For teens and adults who are interested in volunteering in the Homework Help Center, please fill out the volunteer application and indicate which afternoon you are available and willing to commit. Volunteer hours for the Homework Help Center are Monday-Thursday, 2:30-6:30 p.m. Commitment is ongoing through the school year. Training is provided.
Please note that the library’s volunteer criteria apply: see the guidelines for volunteer applications on the library’s Volunteers page.
Book Buddies
Book Buddies is a program held at Pickerington Main for students in grades K-3.
Every Monday and Wednesday, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., bring your child in for a 20-minute session and one of our dedicated volunteers will work with them to improve their reading comprehension and fluency. No appointment is necessary. We look forward to improving your child’s literacy and helping to create lifelong readers.