Last week in the library we celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month. We talked about how lucky we are to live in a country where we benefit from so many different cultures and all the things we can learn from each other. I wanted to share some stories from Hispanic cultures so I read the 2nd-5th grades the book "Dona Flor". The book is a tall tale about a giant woman with a big heart and we used it as a springboard to discuss what makes a story a tall tale. The kids identified parts of the story that fit our definition of a tall tale and I encouraged the authors in the group to try their hands at crafting their own tall tale.
The Kinders and 1st graders heard two stories out of Joe Hayes' book "Tell Me a Cuento". This is a collection of stories that originated in Spanish speaking countries and which Hayes translated into English. The children heard "Mariposa, Mariposa" and "No Way, Jose". Both stories required the children to participate in the story and they did a great job of helping me. Ask your child who "La Mariposa" is and what their job was in each story.
We also kicked off a Hispanic Heritage themed raffle. Any child who brings in the names of 2 Hispanic people and a description of what they have contributed to the world will get an entry into a raffle. Each name is added to our Hispanic Heritage Month bulletin board so children can contribute to educating their schoolmates. At the end of Hispanic Heritage Month, October 15th, I will draw one name from each grade to choose from the library treasure chest.
I'd like to give a special thanks to Mrs. Kurlander's class for coming in at lunchtime and helping create our Hispanic Heritage bulletin board. They did a great job and I love having their work on display.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
The week my voice gave out!
The universe tried to send me a message this week and I lost most of my voice Thursday and the rest of it on Friday. Thanks to everyone who put up with my squeaking and a special thanks to Mary W. and Mr. Berg for jumping in midstory and finishing up when my voice gave out. I seem to be on the mend so here's hoping Monday things are close to normal.
Most of the 4th graders and all the 5th graders participated in a library relay race this week. They split into teams of three and each team was responsible for finding a list of books using only the call numbers. This was a continuation of the lesson we did a few weeks ago where they put themselves in shelf order using call numbers. It proved a bit more challenging to actually apply their knowledge of alphabetical order to locating books on the shelves but they were certainly up for the challenge. The kids did a great job, we had some fun and hopefully learned a little something along the way. Winning times are posted in the previous message.
3rd graders heard "The Three Questions" by Jon J. Muth. This is kind of a deep thinking book which tries to impart the importance of being present in the moment, the importance of those closest to you and the value in being kind to those around you. We didn't have much discussion after recapping the moral of the story but I hope the book is something they'll reflect on later.
1st and 2nd graders, as well as a couple Kinder classes, heard "Max's Words" by Kate Banks. We used this book to talk a bit about the importance of words and how whole stories can be created and changed simply be changing the order of words. Max is a little boy who collects words so before reading the book I let the children share some of the things that they collect. We had everything from rocks to snowglobes to money!
Next week we'll be celebrating Hispanic Heritage and will kick off a new contest. Hopefully I will be in full voice for all of it. Have a great week!
Most of the 4th graders and all the 5th graders participated in a library relay race this week. They split into teams of three and each team was responsible for finding a list of books using only the call numbers. This was a continuation of the lesson we did a few weeks ago where they put themselves in shelf order using call numbers. It proved a bit more challenging to actually apply their knowledge of alphabetical order to locating books on the shelves but they were certainly up for the challenge. The kids did a great job, we had some fun and hopefully learned a little something along the way. Winning times are posted in the previous message.
3rd graders heard "The Three Questions" by Jon J. Muth. This is kind of a deep thinking book which tries to impart the importance of being present in the moment, the importance of those closest to you and the value in being kind to those around you. We didn't have much discussion after recapping the moral of the story but I hope the book is something they'll reflect on later.
1st and 2nd graders, as well as a couple Kinder classes, heard "Max's Words" by Kate Banks. We used this book to talk a bit about the importance of words and how whole stories can be created and changed simply be changing the order of words. Max is a little boy who collects words so before reading the book I let the children share some of the things that they collect. We had everything from rocks to snowglobes to money!
Next week we'll be celebrating Hispanic Heritage and will kick off a new contest. Hopefully I will be in full voice for all of it. Have a great week!
Saturday, September 19, 2009
1st Annual Library Relay Results (Fiction)
Fastest Group Time:
4th grade
Wick group #2 - 2:40
Moore group #2 - 2:43
Wick group #3 - 3:51
4th grade
Wick group #2 - 2:40
Moore group #2 - 2:43
Wick group #3 - 3:51
5th grade
VF group #1 - 1:54
Milton group #2 - 2:42
Wick group #3 - 2:55
Fastest Class Time:
4th grade
Wick - 12:15
5th grade
VF - 9:02
Fastest Group Average:
VF # 1 (4/5 grade) 28.5 seconds per book
Wick #2 (4th grade) 32 seconds per book
Moore#2 (4th grade) 32.6 seconds per book
Fastest Class Average:
VF (4/5 grade) 45.17 seconds per book
Wick (4th grade) 49 seconds per book
Smith (5th grade) 50.17 seconds per book
Congratulations to everyone who participated!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Kinders checked out books!
Last week was a big week for the Kinders. They heard "The Shelf Elf" by Jackie Mims Hopkins to review all the library lessons they learned last month and then they (finally) got to check out books. The books will be kept in their classrooms at first until the teachers decide the kiddos are ready to take them home. They all did a great job following directions and using their shelf markers and I was proud of each and everyone of them.
The first graders heard the story "Hunter's Best Friend at School" by Laura Malone Elliot and then we talked a bit about friendship. We discussed that being a best friend doesn't mean following along when your friends are making bad choice but it does mean that you help your friends be the best they can be. It was a fun story with a great message.
The 2nd graders heard "Chrysanthemum" by Kevin Henkes and we discussed how the behavior of the children in the book represented Peacebuilder behavior. We reinforced the Peacebuilder pledge and some children shared times when then had been teased about things they had no control over. It was a valuable discussion for everyone.
We had some extraordinary discussions in our 3rd-5th grade classes after we read the book "Those Shoes" by Maribeth Boelts. The kids shared times they had wanted something that they couldn't have. We talked about the importance of valuing what you do have rather than focusing on what you don't have. We talked about wanting things just because everyone else seems to have them and why it's a waste of time and energy to try to worry about having what others have. I appreciate the honesty and candor of all the children who contributed to the discussion.
A special thanks to Mr. Moore's 4th graders who served as my guinea pigs with the Shelf Finder Relay Race. The game proved to need a bit more planning but they were good sports about it.
The first graders heard the story "Hunter's Best Friend at School" by Laura Malone Elliot and then we talked a bit about friendship. We discussed that being a best friend doesn't mean following along when your friends are making bad choice but it does mean that you help your friends be the best they can be. It was a fun story with a great message.
The 2nd graders heard "Chrysanthemum" by Kevin Henkes and we discussed how the behavior of the children in the book represented Peacebuilder behavior. We reinforced the Peacebuilder pledge and some children shared times when then had been teased about things they had no control over. It was a valuable discussion for everyone.
We had some extraordinary discussions in our 3rd-5th grade classes after we read the book "Those Shoes" by Maribeth Boelts. The kids shared times they had wanted something that they couldn't have. We talked about the importance of valuing what you do have rather than focusing on what you don't have. We talked about wanting things just because everyone else seems to have them and why it's a waste of time and energy to try to worry about having what others have. I appreciate the honesty and candor of all the children who contributed to the discussion.
A special thanks to Mr. Moore's 4th graders who served as my guinea pigs with the Shelf Finder Relay Race. The game proved to need a bit more planning but they were good sports about it.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Library Games
Last week we did something a little different with the 3rd-5th graders. Instead of hearing a story, they played the Shelf Finder game. Each student got a card representing the call number of a Fiction book and their challenge was to put themselves in shelf order. This exercise was used to demonstrate how Fiction books are organized on the shelf and how locating a specific book is as simple as knowing alphabetical order. The game was a lot of fun and the most challenging part turned out to be finding a way to work together as a team. We'll do more of this type of activity as the year goes on.
1st and 2nd graders got a chance to hear Pinkalicious by Victoria and Elizabeth Kann this week and they all got a kick out of the book. I encourage you to check out the other books in the series at the public library because the kiddos really seem to enjoy them.
Kinders also heard Pinkalicious and did another round of practice with shelf markers. This week they used their shelf markers to choose a book and then they practiced standing in line and checking out. After spending a few minutes looking at their books at the library tables, they learned where and how to return their books to the library. They all did a great job and I feel they are more than ready to check books out of the library next week. The children will be keeping their books in the classroom at first so check with your child's teacher to find out when the books will be coming home.
Hope you all enjoy the long weekend and read lots of books!
1st and 2nd graders got a chance to hear Pinkalicious by Victoria and Elizabeth Kann this week and they all got a kick out of the book. I encourage you to check out the other books in the series at the public library because the kiddos really seem to enjoy them.
Kinders also heard Pinkalicious and did another round of practice with shelf markers. This week they used their shelf markers to choose a book and then they practiced standing in line and checking out. After spending a few minutes looking at their books at the library tables, they learned where and how to return their books to the library. They all did a great job and I feel they are more than ready to check books out of the library next week. The children will be keeping their books in the classroom at first so check with your child's teacher to find out when the books will be coming home.
Hope you all enjoy the long weekend and read lots of books!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Library Mouse and Pinkalicious
This week I had an opportunity to read "Library Mouse" by Daniel Kirk to the Kinders, 1st and 2nd graders. The Kinders also had a lesson on how to use shelf markers which included our Shelf Marker Song. They caught on quickly and seemed to have a lot of fun singing in the library. Ask your child if they can sing it for you! Each child got to practice individually using their shelf marker and they did a great job.
The 3rd - 5th graders heard "Pinkalicious" by Victoria and Elizabeth Kann. Some of the boys were a bit hesitant based on the title, the girl dressed like a fairy princess on the cover and the overall pinkness of the book but they everyone ended up enjoying it a great deal. If your child liked this story you may want to look at the public library for other titles in the series, including "Purplicious" and "Goldilicious".
The children continue to make great contributions to our Student Published Work section which is growing each week. Hopefully you'll have a chance to come by and view your child's published work sometime this year.
The 3rd - 5th graders heard "Pinkalicious" by Victoria and Elizabeth Kann. Some of the boys were a bit hesitant based on the title, the girl dressed like a fairy princess on the cover and the overall pinkness of the book but they everyone ended up enjoying it a great deal. If your child liked this story you may want to look at the public library for other titles in the series, including "Purplicious" and "Goldilicious".
The children continue to make great contributions to our Student Published Work section which is growing each week. Hopefully you'll have a chance to come by and view your child's published work sometime this year.
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