Walker Book Talk

To the Book Fair...and Beyond

2011-10-01T09:29:00.000-07:00

Hooray! Our fall book fair is on the way and there are some major changes coming. For the first time ever, you are allowed to order books on line! So if the adults at home haven't had the time to come in and shop or if you have friends and relatives in other cities and states who might love the chance to buy you a book - Check out the online book fair and don't forget to visit the classroom wish list page!

Why I Read...

2011-09-19T12:27:00.000-07:00

I Read by Richard Peck

I read because one life isn’t enough, and in the pages of a book I can be anybody;
I read because the words that build the story become mine, to build my life;
I read not for happy  endings but for new beginnings; I’m just beginning myself, and I wouldn’t mind a map;
I read because I have friends who don’t, and young though they are, they’re beginning to run out of material;
I read because every journey begins at the library, and it’s time for me to start packing;
I read because one of these days I’m going  to get out of this town, and I’m going to  go everywhere and meet  everyone, and I want  to be ready.”

–Richard Peck, author , Zihuatanejo, Mexico,  1990

Your turn. Why do you read?

Chronicles of Harris Burdick

2011-09-15T20:59:00.000-07:00

This is one I'm waiting for eagerly. Won't be here until November sometime but it will be worth the wait!

Heroes of Olympus

2011-09-15T20:31:00.000-07:00

The second installment in Rick Riordan's Heroes of Olympus series is scheduled to come out October 4th. We've already ordered our copies of Throne of Fire, but if you can't wait until next month, click here for a sneak peek at the first chapter!

Target Books for Schools

2011-09-07T13:13:00.001-07:00

Target Rocks! Thanks to Julia Richards for submitting our name to Target's Books for Schools program. They have generously awarded us $500 in books from the First Book Marketplace. If you see the Richards kids on campus, Colt, Caleb and Paris, be sure to give them a big thanks!

We appreciate all that Walker families do to encourage the love of reading in our kiddos.

More book trailers from Mr. Miller's 5th graders

2011-09-07T12:24:00.000-07:00

Click here to check out a trailer for The Orange Outlaw and here for The Unwilling Umpire. These are both great books from Ron Roy's A to Z Mysteries series.

5th grade Book trailer

2011-08-30T07:17:00.000-07:00

Click here to see the first student created book trailer of the year. Thanks to Mr. Miller's 5th graders for starting us off and producing such great work!

Here we go...

2011-08-15T09:57:00.000-07:00

Classes start coming to the library today and I am so excited to have the library full of kiddos again! We have a lot of new books to start the year with so make sure you take some time to browse around when you come in. We're open before school at 7:20 and after school until 2:30. Check with me about what days we're open for your grade at lunch. Can't wait to see you!

2011-08-09T11:13:00.001-07:00

Working hard to get the library ready....

More Harry Potter!

2011-06-23T11:59:00.001-07:00

JK Rowling is setting up a website called "Pottermore" that will include background and information about the series and characters that has never been shared before. The first 1,000,000 visitors get access on July 31st, otherwise you have to wait until October. It's a great time to read or reread one of the best series ever!

Click here for an article abou the site or here to see the Pottermore home page.

Why should you go to the public library this summer?

2011-05-31T17:28:00.000-07:00

Follow this link to find out why some very famous authors (including Dr. Seuss) think the library is such an awesome place. Then go visit your public library and find reasons of your own!

2011 Spring Relay Winners

2011-05-31T14:05:00.000-07:00

Almost left this year without posting the winners of our Spring Fiction Relay Race. Every team did a fabulous job and the times across the board were phenomenal. Can't wait to see what this year's fourth graders do next year! The top 5 teams were:

1. V/F: Reyna, Madison, Thoa, Justin, Sapphire and Natalie (35.16 seconds per book)
2. Cisco: Austin, Alex F., Quinlin, Angie, Adel, Alex V., Leonella, Briana (35.37 seconds per book)
3. V/F: Claire, Shanice, Mo, Jennifer, Diego (35.7 seconds per book)
4. Shivers: Devin, Georgie, Roman, Jayce, Sierra, Erik, Shivam (36.85 seconds per book)
5. Roberts: AnaKaren, Shelby, Justice, Darrell, Destinee, Nicole, Javier (38.25 seconds per book)

Congratulations to everyone who participated! We'll have our fall race shortly after school begins so spend some time at the public library to keep your Dewey knowledge fresh!

Summer!

2011-05-26T07:41:00.000-07:00

What an amazing year I had! I want to thank everyone for all their hard work this year at Walker. We made a lot of changes in the library this year and I hope you all had as much fun as I did. We will miss our 5th graders going on to junior high but expect you to come back and visit often. Enjoy your summer and keep reading. Below are links to the summer reading programs we discussed in class:

Pima County Public Library
http://www.library.pima.gov/about/news/?id=3375

Barnes and Noble
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/summerreading/

I'll keep posting over the summer so watch this spot for news and info. See you next year!

2010-2011 Top Checkouts

2011-05-26T07:34:00.000-07:00

No real surprises on our top checkouts this year, but I think our Bone series will make it to the top 5 next year.

Top Chapter Books:
1. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Ugly Truth
2. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
3. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Greg Heffley's Journal
4. Franny K. Stein series
5. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series

Top Picture Books:
1. Up (from the Disney/Pixar movie)
2. Goldilicious
3, 4 &5. Spongebob Books

The top books from the Dewey section are a variety of I Spy books and Garfield books.

New Diary of a Wimpy Kid

2011-04-29T13:16:00.000-07:00

It's coming in November! I bet you'll be able to pre-order it at the book fair. This is not the actual title or cover but we do know the book will involve the Heffly's being snowed in. Also, watch for an updated Do-It-Yourself book to be released mid-May.

Underneath My Bed by Marissa

2011-04-25T14:40:00.000-07:00

When the lights go out, I pull the covers over my head.
Afraid that something is hiding underneath my bed.
I'm worried that those big claws will drag me down
or that those big teeth will chomp me up.
I'm shivering and shaking,
a bead of sweat is going down my head.
My closet door is closed
and underneath my bed, my mom said she checked.
But I still fear it will grab me by the neck.
I want it to be morning.
I want the sky to be blue.
But I'll just have to wait.
I have no idea what to do!
I close my eyes and pray for the best.
Now I'm hoping I can get some rest.

Poems by Shelby

2011-04-25T14:39:00.001-07:00

Poetic ability
Of a writer
Even when on paper or
Memory

Reading is a thing that stays with you.
Reading is something that trends.
Reading is something you never know
can be one of your greatest friends.

Reversible Verse by Anakaren

2011-04-25T14:35:00.001-07:00

As the wind moves the tree,
leaves begin to fall.
The wind rustles and howls
with the tree.
It's finally fall
and the wind is free.

It's finally fall
and the wind is free.
The tree howls and rustles
with the wind.
Leaves begin to fall
as the wind moves the tree.

Haiku by Rachel

2011-04-25T14:33:00.000-07:00

Drinking hot cocoa.
Playing in the flaky wind.
White across the land.

Dolphins' seawings shine.
I love how they swim so fast.
They zip through the sea.

Poems by Mrs. Roberts' 5th grade class

2011-04-25T14:28:00.001-07:00

My Summer Birthday
by Destinee

My summer birthday.
My dog wants to play.
I'm really hot.

I smile. I cry. I deny.
But the only thing I can't do
is lie.
By Anonymous

Roses are red.
Violets are blue.
Mr. Krabs loves money,
don't you?
Squidward is light green,
don't you think?
Patrick is pink
but he doesn't think.
Spongebob is a good fellow
when he's yellow.
"Puff, puff!: goes Ms. Puff
when she is teaching Squarepants.
Gary the snail is a mail
By Demetrius

Mrs. Kurlander's Diamante Poem

2011-04-22T13:09:00.000-07:00

Spaceships,
fast, big,
shining, speeding, riding,
ignition, astronaut, space, stars-
blasting, glittering, fascinating,
metallic, conical,
Rocket.

Poems from Mr. Miller's class

2011-04-22T11:30:00.000-07:00

John Lennon

A heart of gold
with a rainbow of peace.
A sweet smile full of love.
A neverending song playing in my heart.
The delicious scent of apple pie.
The poem to the world
on a bright sunny day.
Lastly,
the hero of my being
when I'm feeling down.

Flowers

Flowers are the life of the earth,
the strawberry field of music.
Flowers keep peace alive
in the hearts of hippies.
Flowers keep love alive
in the strain of violence.
Flowers keep safe from
the dark lights of time.
Flowers are love and peace.

More poems from Mr. Miller's class

2011-04-22T11:25:00.002-07:00

Warm

How do you get warm?
That is an easy question.
How you get warm is
getting in the blanket
with someone you love.
That's getting warm.
If you go outside in the hot sun
and if you relax right
under the sun,
that's how you get warm.
There are a million ways
to get warm
but I don't want to say
them all.
Just think about it and
you'll know more than me.
Does that answer the question?

Wind

Wind is what you need.
Wind is what you need to survive.
Wind surrounds us.
How wonderful!
Wind combines with the blue light sky.
How wonderful it is!
I think that is why the water comes with it.
To me, that is a sign of happiness.
What about you?
What does that mean?

Bad

I don't like my life.
I am May's slave.
I wish May was my slave
so I could have a life.
Instead, I clean her whole house.

Good

I remember when I was May's slave.
Now she is my slave.
I remember I was so mad and sad.
But now I am happy.
Now I can go to a party
and I can have friends and a family.

A Poem by Noah C. (Mr. Miller's class)

2011-04-22T11:25:00.001-07:00

Flowers are growing,
snow is melting,
spring is coming.

Mr. Miller's class poems

2011-04-22T11:21:00.000-07:00

We had a lot of variations on the classic "Roses are red, violets are blue..." poem. Most of these kids wanted to remain anonymous:

Some flowers are red,
some flowers are blue.
I sure am glad
to have a mother like you.

Roses are red,
violets are blue.
How I love
to sing with you.

Roses are red,
violets are blue.
Do you like bananas?
I do, too!

Roses are red,
violets are blue.
Bees are yellow
and black, too.

Clouds are white.
The sky is blue.
Stars are bright
and so are you.

Walls are white.
Books are bright.
Fuzzy things
like to fight.

Roses are red,
violets are blue.
How can I
be like you?
-To my sis Alicia
By Jeremy V.

Spiders: A Diamante Poem by Mrs. McCue's 2nd graders

2011-04-21T13:39:00.000-07:00

Spiders.
Scary, creepy,
crawling, eating, spinning.
Webs, legs, Black Widow, eyes.
Clicking, biting, sleeping,
hairy, black
Arachnids.

AIMS by Melody

2011-04-21T13:37:00.000-07:00

Aims test, we think you're so hard.
We study so hard with our flashcard.
It's done in a breeze,
we laugh and we tease,
until we see our report card.

Love: A Poem by Kelcie Bell

2011-04-21T13:36:00.000-07:00

When people meet the right one
they feel mushy inside.
Animals feel the same way, too.
Dogs love humans.
Cats like mice.
You know when you like
someone special.

Fall Haiku by Cooper

2011-04-21T13:34:00.000-07:00

Just let the leaves swipe.
Tall, brown trees say good-bye.
Crunch, crunch, crunch they go.

Haiku by Victor

2011-04-21T13:33:00.000-07:00

Snowmen are out there.
The snowy owl eats mice.
It's December now.

"Tree Root" by Jonathan

2011-04-21T13:31:00.000-07:00

How many times
have you fell on your knee
because of a root
that came from a tree?
I'm going to ask if
it can be cut down.
Listen, you tree,
you're making me frown.

A Poem by Karina C. and Clarissa N.

2011-04-21T13:29:00.000-07:00

There was a leprechaun
named Jamie
who had a baby.
She had a bottle
that had a friddle.
She fell on it
and broke her leg.

Haiku by Taylon

2011-04-21T13:27:00.000-07:00

Dodgeball, you hurt bad.
I hate you dodgeball. You hurt.
Just leave me alone.

A Poem by Ms. Kasen's 2nd graders

2011-04-19T15:23:00.000-07:00

Ms. Kasen's kids wrote a diamante poem during their library time to celebrate Poetry month. It was a collaborative effort and we had a lot of fun writing it! Enjoy!

Robots

by Ms. Kasen's class

Robots,

creepy, smart,

beeping, humming, dancing.

Spaceships, factories, transformers, metal-

marching, speaking, blinking,

bald, funny,

machines.

Mr. Popper's Penguins Movie

2011-04-13T11:26:00.000-07:00

Jim Carrey is starring in a movie version of Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater. Check the book out from the library and read it before you see it. Looks like it's going to be a good one!

New Dr. Seuss!

2011-04-08T07:33:00.001-07:00

The image above is from a new book of Dr. Seuss stories that will be out in December. It includes 7 stories that were published in magazines in the '50's but never appeared in book form. Click here to read an article about the new book!

Judy Moody Movie coming this summer

2011-04-06T20:22:00.000-07:00

All you fans of Judy Moody and her brother, Stink - get ready for the 1st every movie coming out this summer. Check out the trailer for Judy Moody and the Not So Bummer Summer:

Great news during Poetry Month

2011-04-04T15:12:00.000-07:00

Shel Silverstein's family is releasing a collection of never-before-seen poems and drawings in September. Can't wait!

New Book from Maurice Sendak

2011-03-30T19:15:00.000-07:00

It has been almost 30 years but Maurice Sendak, author of Where the Wild Things Are has a new book coming out! Bumble-Ardy debuts in September. We'll definitely need a copy for the library. Click here to read an article about the new book.

Walker School Rules!

2011-03-30T14:13:00.001-07:00

The latest from the video club and probably my favorite. Best viewed full screen.

2011-03-18T13:28:00.001-07:00

We LOVE the book fair!!!

Super Diaper Baby 2 - Finally!!

2011-03-16T20:00:00.000-07:00

The next installment of Super Diaper Baby is set to hit stores June 28th. Check out the video of Dav Pilkey drawing the cover:

2011-03-09T13:51:00.001-08:00

Buddy library class today! Mr. Moore's 4th graders hosted Mrs. Martinez's 1st graders. Fun!

Door Decorating Contest

2011-03-03T06:33:00.000-08:00

Click here to view a slide show of all the amazing doors that were decorated for Love of Reading month. Thank you Mr. Miller for putting this together for us !

Congratulations to our winning classes:

Kinder - Mrs. Powers for their No, David door
1st - Mrs. Wary/Miller for their Dogzilla door
2nd - Mrs. McCue for their James and the Giant Peach door
3rd - Mrs. Wright for their Escaping the Giant Wave door
4th - Mr. Moore for their Harry Potter door
5th - Mr. Miller for their Found door

2011-02-28T06:28:00.001-08:00

New beanbags!!

Attention Dav Pilkey Fans

2011-02-24T12:15:00.000-08:00

Super Diaper Baby 2 is coming out on June 28th. Check out the trailer:

Love of Reading Video

2011-02-23T09:26:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Mr. Miller for sharing this video about reading set to a Black Eyed Peas song. Very cool!

2011-02-07T06:25:00.001-08:00

It's love of reading month! Thanks to my 5th grade helpers for making a great bulletin board!

A Force Returns: Amulet Announces Sequel to 'Origami Yoda'

2011-01-21T11:08:00.000-08:00

If you liked The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, click below to read about the upcoming sequel Darth Paper Strikes Back:
A Force Returns: Amulet Announces Sequel to 'Origami Yoda'

And the winner is...

2011-01-20T06:55:00.000-08:00

The Newberry and Caldecott medals were given out last week. The Newberry medal is given by the American Library Association to the book that they feel was the best children's book of the year. The Caldecott medal is given for the best picture book of the year. The winners for 2010 are:

Newberry: Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool

Caldecott: A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip and Erin Stead

I don't have copies of either of these in the library just yet but I hope to soon . I had the opportunity to read Moon Over Manifest last weekend and I couldn't put it down. It was an amazing book and a wonderful choice to win the Newberry.

Peacebuilding in the Library

2011-01-13T17:48:00.000-08:00

In the wake of the tragedy on January 8th, Walker students are reminded of the power of kindness and peacebuilding. We have set up a bulletin board in the library reminding us of all the positive words and phrases we can use to encourage and uplift each other. The depth of our students' kindness and compassion continues to amaze and inspire me each day. Click the image above for a closer view.

1st week back

2011-01-13T17:41:00.000-08:00

Our first week back was time for library review and a little bit of silliness. All grades took some time to go over expectations regarding library behavior. Rather than me lecturing them about the rules, each K-3 class was responsible to educate each other about the rules. They did a great job remembering everything from shelf markers to returning books on time to whisper voices. After we went over the rules, we read a short, silly book called Charlie's Superhero Underpants by Paul Bright.

The 4th and 5th graders played a game called Who Has... Each child was given a card with a library related phrase followed by a question. The person with the first card read a question such as, "Who has how long you can keep your books after they're checked out?" and the person holding the card that read '2 weeks' would hold up their card and read the next question. We worked our way through the library rules as well as refreshing ourselves on library vocabulary. It was fun to see the kids help each other and work as a team to get through all the cards.

I'm looking forward to a wonderful 2nd semester with all the children!

Our Library Christmas Tree

2010-12-14T13:32:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the kids who decorated our tree this year. It looks beautiful!

Library Helpers

2010-12-13T14:16:00.000-08:00

I wanted to be sure to send a great big thank you to all the 4th and 5th graders who gave up one lunch recess a week in order to volunteer in the library. You all did a great job and helped make our library an even better place. Thanks for all your hard work:

Lindsey B. Natalie N. AnaKaren R.
Cooper H. Mason C. Tammy B.
Jenna C. Sara O. Jacob B.
Brianna G. Leonella C. Jeremy V.
Eddie E.

Happy Holidays

2010-12-13T14:11:00.000-08:00

It has been a fun December as we've geared up for the holidays and celebrated snow, toys, holidays and a very naughty, fat cat named Chester (ask your kids!). I hope all the Walker families have a wonderful, relaxing winter break and that you spend some time with those you love. I am grateful to get to work at such an amazing school with such an incredible student body and supportive coworkers. Enjoy your time off school, read lots of books and we'll see you all in the new year!

This week's hold shelf

2010-12-02T09:47:00.001-08:00

A snapshot of what's hot at the library right now.

Thanksgiving

2010-11-19T06:26:00.000-08:00

We will be celebrating being thankful this week and next in the library. All of the kids will hear Thanksgiving at the Tappletons' by Eileen Spinelli. This book is a great reminder that Thanksgiving is not really about food and fancy dinners but about family and friends. The Kinders also helped me read I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie by Alison Jackson. Ask them what the woman stuffed herself with and what happened to her at the end of the story. We had a lot of fun with this one!

Next week the older kids will be hearing 'Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving by Dav Pilkey, the author of the Captain Underpants series. This is a very short, very silly book and will be a fun book for our short week at school. 3rd graders will hear Thank You, Sarah by Laurie Halse Anderson, a true story about the woman who fought to make Thanksgiving a Federal holiday. The younger kids will hear A Turkey for Thanksgiving by Eve Bunting, This is the Turkey by Abby Levine and Gracias*Thanks by Pat Mora.

I hope you all have a restful and fun filled break. I am thankful for the opportunity to get to know each of your children. Happy Thanksgiving!

Elections and Veterans

2010-11-19T06:12:00.000-08:00

We kicked off November talking about elections and the importance of voting. Upper grades heard either Elizabeth Leads the Way by Tanya Lee Stone or I Could Do That by Linda Arms White. Both of these books are about the fight for women to get the right to vote. K-2 got to vote on what they wanted to read so some classes heard Duck for President by Doreen Cronin while others heard President Pennybaker by Kate Feiffer. I hope all of you went out and had your voices heard on Election Day.

We moved on to celebrating our nation's veterans by reading America's White Table by Margot Theis Raven. This is a powerful book and the 4th and 5th graders who heard it were very thoughtful about the service of our troops. The younger grades heard Quackenstein Hatches a Family by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen. This is a great book that led to a wonderful discussion about what makes a family. Ask your child how Quackenstein ended up with the family he wanted. The Kinders also heard The Perfect Nest by Catherine Friend. This is one of my favorite books to read aloud and is also a great example of how families are different.

Monsters!

2010-11-02T09:21:00.001-07:00

Last week in the library was devoted to monsters! In celebration of Halloween (for those who participate) and monsters (for those who don't) I read all of the classes I Need My Monster by Amanda Noll. This was a book I had on my wish list at the book fair and I was lucky enough to have 2 different families donate a copy. Thanks to the Brightenfields and the Browns for giving us a great read! Ms. Kasen and Ms. Bechman's class had already heard this story, because their teachers have excellent taste in books, so they heard Boris and Bella by Carolyn Crimi.

The Kinders also got to do a monster dance in the library this week. We practiced our best monster moves to If You're a Monster and You Know It. Ask your child to show you what monsters do! We finished up our Kinder program with the book Happy Halloween, Stinkyface by Lisa McCourt.

Hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween!

JK Rowling story outline

2010-10-21T20:16:00.001-07:00

This is the actual spreadsheet that JK Rowling used to plot Order of the Phoenix. Pretty cool to see her low tech way of outlining one of the greatest stories ever told! To see a bigger picture, click here . Thanks to 100 Scope Notes for the link.

Unpublished handwritten manuscript from Dr. Seuss

2010-10-21T19:44:00.000-07:00

This is pretty cool. Click here to see a newly discovered manuscript written, in part, by Dr. Seuss. Its a pretty cool look at his creative process. The blog, Booktryst, gives some great insight into exactly what you're seeing.

Welcome Back!!

2010-10-20T14:37:00.000-07:00

We had a busy couple of weeks in the library before fall break but now we're back and ready to go and I found some time to update our blog.

We had a great time the week before book fair learning about a genre called metafiction. Ask your child about metafiction and why those books can be so much fun. We read a book called Chester by Melanie Watt (and Chester). The kids loved this book and are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the sequel. The Kinders also heard Mr. Pusskins by Sam Lloyd. This was a book the school fell in love with last year so I wanted them to get a chance to hear it.

The following week was the book fair which many of you came and participated in. Instead of our normal routine during library time, we took each class through the book fair to allow them time to check out the selection. All the classes did a great job adjusting to our space constraints and helped to have another successful book fair. A special thanks to all the moms and dads who came and lent a hand during the book fair. And thanks to the Brightenfields, Browns and Lewis' for their generous donation of new books for the library!

Hope everyone is rested up and ready to go this week!

International Peace and Dancing - all in one week!

2010-09-27T08:35:00.000-07:00

It was a very interesting week in the library. The other kids had an opportunity to do some reflection and the younger kids got to let loose and DANCE!

The Kinders and 1st graders all heard Giraffes Can't Dance by Gils Andreae and Guy Parker-Rees. Then we danced to Jim Gill's List of Dances. We got to do the tall and the small and the hide and a bunch of other fun dances. We had such a good time, we did it twice in some classes. The kiddos did a great job of letting loose and having a little fun and then getting down to business when it was time for checking out books and quiet reading. Look for more dancing in the future!

The 2nd and 3rd graders read and discussed Zen Shorts by Jon J. Muth. This story includes three shorter stories that teach different lessons about happiness. The kids had to do some thinking and deciphering to figure out what the author was telling us and they did an amazing job with some challenging material. Ask your child what lessons we learned from Mr. Muth's book!

In celebration of the United Nations International Day of Peace, the 4th and 5th graders heard Feathers and Fools by Mem Fox. This is an amazing book with a powerful message and we read through it very slowly and discussed it all the way through. We had a lot of thoughtful conversation after the book in which we pondered questions like, "Is it possible to work for peace and prepare for war at the same time?" We also questioned what world peace would look like and if it brought it's own dangers. I'm always amazed at the depth of the kids' thoughts and I really enjoyed these discussions.

Next week we'll be talking about metafiction and the book fair which is coming up the first week in October.

Library Skills, Rattlesnakes & Floating Princesses

2010-09-17T11:47:00.000-07:00

For the last few weeks the Kinders have been learning about shelf markers, manners and book care and they finally were able to check out books and take them home. We read What Happened to Marion's Book by Brooke Berg and talked about how we would take care of our books once we got them home. Ask your child about my "No, No, Never" bag and remind them where the best place to keep their book is (their backpack). Please find out what day your child has library and make sure their book comes to school on that day so they can get a new book each week. Kinders also heard Dewey: There's a Cat in the Library by Vicki Myron and helped me read a fun story called The Prince Won't Go to Bed by Dayle Ann Dodds. Ask your child what the Prince said over and over.

The other grades all learned some library skills this month. 1st and 2nd graders had a lesson on ways that fiction and non-fiction books differ. To illustrate this point, we read The Gum Chewing Rattler by Joe Hayes and a non-fiction book about rattlesnakes. 3rd graders had a lesson on searching for books in the library using OPAC, our cataloging system, while 4th and 5th graders got their first look at our library wiki.

Kinder through 3rd grade heard Princess Hyacinth: The Surprising Tale of a Girl Who Floated by Florence Parry Heide. We had a lot of fun with this story and many of the kids shared where they would like to go if they could float (Vegas was a common answer?!). 1st -3rd graders also got to listen to Judy Schachner, the creator of Skippyjon Jones, read her latest book Lost in Spice. It was a nice break from me reading all the time and the kids seemed to enjoy the accents and the music that went along with the story.

Finally, the 4th and 5th graders practiced and performed in the second annual Library Fiction Relay race. It was noisy and busy and we had a great time with it! Results will be posted in this space soon.

And we're off...

2010-08-27T11:44:00.000-07:00

The library has been open for two weeks and I'm stunned at how quickly it has gone by. I'm very pleased with the classes this year and it's nice to be a returning librarian instead of the new kid on the block. It was a lot of fun seeing all the familiar faces this year and getting to know the new ones.

We spent last week getting reoriented in the library and going over the nuts and bolts and rules and regulations. The 1st graders got to hear The Shelf Elf by Jackie Mims Hopkins to remind them of library procedures while 2nd -5th had a shortened orientation before checking out books. The Kinders heard Splat the Cat by Rob Scotton, Manners at the Library by Carrie Finn and The New Bear at School by Carrie Weston. We also talked about the way to have good manners in the library and we sang a song called The People in the School. Ask your child if they can sing it for you (hint: it's the same tune as The Wheels on the Bus).

This week I introduced 3rd-5th graders to our "More Perfect Union" Bookshelf and we read Tico and the Golden Wings by Leo Lionni. The 4th and 5th graders had some time to discuss what a "perfect union" might look like and some of the 5th graders wrote down their thoughts so we could record them on the library Wiki.

The 2nd graders heard The Shelf Elf Helps Out by Jackie Mims Hopkins to familiarize themselves with all the different areas of the library. Ask your child what their favorite "neighborhood" is in the library. The 1st graders heard The New Bear at School and Goldisocks and the Three Libearians by Jackie Mims Hopkins. We talked about selecting books that are "just right" for them. Hopefully your kiddos can explain the Five Finger Rule to you!

Kinders got their first lesson in using shelf markers in preparation for checking out books. I was amazed at how well they caught on and how quickly they learned the different parts of a book. We sang the shelf marker song over and over again so ask them to teach it to you!

Welcome Back!

2010-08-12T20:08:00.000-07:00

Welcome back, Walker Wolves! School started yesterday and it is so nice to have the school full of kids again. I officially start seeing classes in the library on Monday the 16th and I am putting the finishing touches on the library.

We have a lot of fun things planned for this year so watch this space to find out what's happening in the library. I can't wait!

It's coming!

2010-07-29T20:56:00.001-07:00

The new Diary of a Wimpy Kid book "The Ugly Truth" is coming out November 9th!

Congratulations!!

2010-05-15T14:32:00.000-07:00

Last Friday we had our party to celebrate those 1st-5th graders who reached their 3rd goal in the Bookman's reading challenge! We had ice cream and played on the playground for about an hour. The kids seemed shocked that I knew how to play football and they taught me how to play Three Flags Up. Less surprising was the fact that I no longer know how to hula hoop and that I can be beat by a 1st grader in a foot race! It was so much fun and we ended our afternoon by raffling off two bicycles generously donated by the Masons. Congratulations on your new bikes to Madison M. from Mrs. V/F's class and Nicko H. from Mrs. Martinez's class! Thanks to all the staff members who helped make the party a success and, of course, to Mr. Lansa for letting us have some fun on the last Friday of the school year.

And the winner is....

2010-05-12T23:32:00.001-07:00

Walker students picked their favorite book of the 2009-2010 school year and the winner was......

Mr. Pusskins by Sam Lloyd.

A very close 2nd choice was The Secret Science Project that Almost Ate the School by Judy Sierra. Below is the list of winners:

1.Mr. Pusskins by Sam Lloyd
2.The Secret Science Project that Almost Ate the School by Judy Sierra
3. Pinkalicious by Victoria and Elizabeth Kann
4. Shivers in the Fridge by Fran Manushkin
5. Too Many Toys by David Shannon
6. Library Mouse by Daniel Kirk
7. Toughest Cowby by John Frank
8. Fiona's Luck by Teresa Bateman
9. Grace for President by Kelly DiPucchio

Summer Reading

2010-05-12T23:19:00.000-07:00

The Pima County Public Library program runs from May 27th - July 24th. The theme this year is "Make a Splash - Read!" The program is absolutely free. All you have to do is stop by the library anytime after May 27th and pick up a reading log for your child. They log the time they spend reading and earn prizes for their efforts. While your at the library - this would be a great time to get your child a library card if they don't already have one! For more information on this program, check out the library link: http://www.library.pima.gov/about/news/?id=2481.

Barnes and Noble also has a reading program this summer. Their kickoff is on May 29th at the Foothills Mall location. Kids can pick up their reading logs and track the books they read. Once they read 8 books, Barnes and Noble will give them a free book! For details, see their link:
http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/event/3042231

Please help your kids take advantage of these great opportunities to get rewarded for reading. My hope for each of them is that they start off next year reading even better than they do at the end of this school year. The only way to accomplish that is to read, read, read!

Finishing Up the Year

2010-05-12T23:06:00.001-07:00

The last two weeks in the library were a little less structured than usual (OK - a lot less structured!). The 1st week of May, the Kinder through 3rd graders all heard the story Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad Book by Lauren Child. This book was generously donated by Mrs. Roberts, one of Walker's wonderful substitute teachers. This was the story of a boy who fell into a book. We got to see what might happen if a boy wandered through a book of fairy tales. It seems the boy hadn't treated his book particularly well and he was not very well received by the characters in the book. Ask your child how the boy got his revenge on Goldilocks.

The 4th and 5th graders had a review of the sections in the library and the different call numbers in each section. Then they did a team building exercise to test their understanding of how non-fiction books are ordered on the shelves. This was in preparation for the Library Relay we did the following week. Each class was divided into teams of 4 and each team had a list of 10 questions they had to answer. This required them to find materials in each section of the library and to use the computer for assistance. It was so much fun to sit back and watch the different ways each team accomplished their goal. I was very pleased to see how much they had learned this year about finding their own books and I think they gained a little confidence in getting around the library. The kids had a blast and several classes said it was the most fun they had in the library all year! It was a great way to end the year.

The rest of the grades heard a variety of stories including Everybody Needs a Rock by Byrd Baylor, A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever by Marla Frazee, Small Brown Dog with a Wet Pink Nose by Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen, Green as a Bean by Karla Kuskin and Hey Little Ant by Phillip M. Hoose. Our time together was a little noisier and we had a lot more time for discussion than usual and fit in with the end of the year mood that is upon us.

Next week we'll be watching a movie and saying our goodbyes for the year. I can't believe it's over so soon!

TV Turnoff Week & AYRA

2010-05-11T15:21:00.000-07:00

The last two weeks of April were busy ones in the library. We celebrated TV Turnoff Week and were thrilled to have so much participation. The kids were challenged to turn off their TV for as many days as they could during the week. Each day that they stayed away from TV they filled in a form, had their parents sign it and exchanged it for a prize at school the next day. Ask your children about our Big Blue Wall and how big it grew!

In the library this week we read many different stories to different grades. The younger kids heard Penny Lee and her TV by Glenn McCoy and The Day the TV Blew Up by Dan West. Some of them heard Library Lil by Suzanne Williams. This is a great tall tale about a woman who is determined to turn the people of her town into readers.

The older kids heard The Wretched Stone by Chris Van Allsburg. This is one of my favorite stories because the kids have to work to figure out the whole story. Mr. Van Allsburg never shows them this "wretched stone" so they must use their imagination and their personal experience to decide what the stone is. Ask your kids what they thought the stone was and how it compared to what I thought.

We also spent a little time in each class talking about things we could do besides watching tv. It was great to hear so many creative ways that children spend time unplugged.

The last week in April was our final week to check out books this year. We used the time to catch up on our Arizona Young Reader Award nominees so we could make sure all the classes had heard all the stories before voting next week. Some classes heard The Dark and Mud Puddle by one of my favorite authors, Robert Munsch. We also read Superdog by Caralyn Buehner and There's Nothing to Do on Mars by Chris Gall. Chris Gall is a new author/illustrator who produces some really visually interesting books. I think we'll hear a lot more from him in the future.

Next month we'll choose our favorite AYRA book, do our 2nd library relay and talk about summer reading!

Bookman's Reading Challenge Results

2010-04-15T12:02:00.000-07:00

Our school did an amazing job participating in the Bookman's Reading Challenge. While we did not win, we should still be incredibly proud of the effort of our students. Over a 3 month period they read 23,382 books! That is an average of 39 books per child!

Our top readers in each grade were:

Kinder - Matt from Mrs. Bermudez
1st - Valeria from Mrs. Llamas
2nd - Marco from Mrs. Kurlander
3rd - Tammy from Mrs. Kurlander
4th - Kaylani from Mr. Moore
5th - Fedra from Mrs. Smith

The top classes in each grade were:

Kinder - Bermudez
1st - Martinez
2nd - Kasen
2/3 - Kurlander
3rd - Brousseau
4th - Wick
5th - Smith

The top classes schoolwide were:

1. Bermudez
2. Smith
3. Kurlander
4. Powers
5. Martinez

Congratulations to everyone who participated! We hope you enjoyed your prizes and privileges and we are looking forward to our party later this year.

National Library Week and Poetry Month

2010-04-15T11:41:00.000-07:00

Last week in the library we celebrated National Library Week. Some of the classes heard The Library by Sarah Stewart and we discussed how fortunate we are to have libraries in our schools and public libraries where we can check out books without needing money. I encourage all parents to take the kids over to Nanini, or any other public library, to get a library card and borrow books. They have great storytimes and other free activities to keep our kids engaged and reading over the summer and all year long.

We also began our celebration of National Poetry Month in April. Different classes are hearing different poems including Hungry Mungry from Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein and Casey at the Bat adapted and illustrated by Christopher Bing. We also read a rhyming book called If I Built a Car by Chris Van Dusen. This book tied together poetry, imagination and creativity. We spent some time discussing what our cars would have or do if we were able to create our very own car. Ask your child what they would build if they could.

The older kids were also challenged to bring in a poem to share with their class. We had a few kids bring in poems this week and will continue next week. There is a bulletin board in the library where we are posting original poems the children have written so feel free to come in and see the work of our talented kids!

Imagination and Creativity

2010-04-15T08:58:00.000-07:00

We've been celebrating imagination and creativity for the last two weeks in the library. I've read a variety of books about imagination to the classes depending on their grade level including Not a Box by Antoinette Portis, The Red Chalk by Iris van der Heide, Orson Blasts Off by Raul Colon and Roxaboxen by Alice MacLerran. We talked about how you can never be bored if you have an imagination and how we can easily do without fancy toys and the newest video games if we learn to create our own worlds in which to play.

The following week we moved on to creativity and read many books including The Dot and Ish by Peter Reynolds, How to Paint the Portrait of a Bird by Jacques Prevert and I Ain't Gonna Paint No More by Karen Beaumont. We talked about the creative process and how there is no "right" process for drawing a picture or writing a poem. We also recognized how the hardest part of being creative is often the first step. The blank page can be frightening and we talked about how to make it less scary. Ask your children what the first step in the creative process is.

Grades 3-5 also got a lesson on using OPAC, which is our cataloging system. It was a first lesson for some and a refresher for others. We will cover this lesson each year so that the kids can go off to Junior High with the ability to be self sufficient in the library.

Have a great week!

Back to School

2010-03-29T08:14:00.000-07:00

Welcome back from Spring Break! I'm always excited to get back to school after a long break and I hope the students are ready, too.

This week in the library we will be reviewing library behaviors and expectations. I like to do this each quarter just to make sure everyone knows what my expectations are. After this review we will be reading Adios, Oscar by Peter Elwell. This is a book I got at our most recent book fair. It's a butterfly fable reminding the children that the only limitations on what they can do are those which they place on themselves. Ask your child how Oscar the butterfly was surprised and what he learned in the story.

We are wrapping up the Bookman's challenge this week and I will post final results once I've tallied everything up. The children have done an amazing job and should be extraordinarily proud of themselves!

Next week in the library 3rd-5th graders will get a library skills lesson on using our cataloging system while K-2 will be exploring the many things we can do with our imaginations.

Have a great week!

Happy Spring Break!

2010-03-21T21:50:00.000-07:00

I'm sure all the kids are excited about Spring Break (and maybe just a few of the teachers!). We've been busy in the last month leading up to our break with a lot of exciting things.

We started out celebrating President's Week with some classes by reading So You Want to be President? by Judith St. George which gives a lot of interesting facts about all of our previous presidents. Other classes heard Madam President by Lane Smith. This is a silly story of a little girl who walks around performing presidential duties in her daily life. A very tongue-in-cheek look at the presidency but some of the kids really enjoyed the humor.

We celebrated Rodeo Week last month by reading The Toughest Cowboy or How the Wild West was Tamed by John Frank. The 2nd-5th graders really enjoyed this because it was a little gross but very funny with a surprise twist. Ask your kids who tamed Grizz Brickbottom, the toughest cowboy in the west. The Kinders and 1st graders heard Wild West Bananza by Paul Frank. This book is a great cowboy story about how it's o.k. to be different from each other. We took a minute to notice all the neat ways that everyone in the room was different that day. I really love having these kinds of talks with the younger grades!

After Rodeo Days we moved on to St. Patrick's Day. While Fiona's Luck by Teresa Bateman is not really a St. Patrick's Day story, it does take place in Ireland and it features leprechauns at the center of the story. Again, the older kids seemed to like this story as it told of a battle of wits between the leprechaun king and a girl named Fiona in a quest for some good old Irish luck. The kids seemed really satisfied with the ending and seemed to agree with Fiona that brains will beat luck every time.

The Kinders and 1st graders heard Stanley's Wild Ride by Linda Bailey. This is one of my favorite books to read out loud especially because the children can participate. They howl along with Stanley and his dog friends and help make police siren noises. It's a great adventure story and we had a good time reading it.

The last week before Spring Break was the Book Fair which took place in the library. I didn't read to many of the classes because we spent time browsing the fair before checking out library books. It was a wonderful event and we sincerely thank all of our tireless parent volunteers who make it possible.

I'm eager to come back from break well rested and ready for the last quarter of this fantastic year together. Look for the end results of our Bookman's Reading Challenge, Poetry Month, TV Turnoff Week and a lot of library skills games to get our older kids ready for Junior High.

See you soon!

Last month in the library...

2010-02-15T07:43:00.000-08:00

We've been busy celebrating a lot of different things in the library. In honor of the science fair, all grades heard Judy Sierra's The Secret Science Project that Almost Ate the School. This was a big hit with all grades and I expect it to be a frontrunner when we vote for our favorite book in May.

The following week the 2nd-5th graders heard Help Me, Mr. Mutt by Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel. Mr. Mutt is an advice columnist for dogs with people problems and the kids seemed to enjoy the book a great deal. Especially the animosity between Mr. Mutt and The Queen. Ask your children who the queen was and what happened to her at the end of the book!
I talked with the Kinder and 1st graders about self esteem and read either I'm Gonna Like Me by Jamie Lee Curtis or I Like Myself by Karen Beaumont. The kids all shared something they thought they were good at or that they liked about themselves and we talked about how there aren't bad children, only bad choices.

We started out February celebrating black history month. The Kinder-3rd grade classes heard Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman. Grace is an African-American girl who wants to play Peter Pan in the school play but her friends tell her she can't because she is a girl and she is black. Ask your child how Grace's Nana helped her deal with these comments and how Grace felt by the end of the story. The 4th and 5th graders heard Step, Stomp and Stride byAndrea Davis Pinkney. This is a short biography of Sojourner Truth and the kids seemed impressed by the way she used her freedom to help others.

Last week, in the spirit of Valentine's Day and to kick off Love of Reading Month, all the classes heard Mr. Pusskins by Sam Lloyd. It was a quick read and even the older kids seemed to enjoy the story. It is a love story between a girl and her cat and kicked off a discussion about how lucky we are to have people in our lives to look out for us.

We have a lot coming up in the next month: Presiden't Day, Rodeo, Read Across America, Spring Book Fair just to name a few. I'm looking forward to it all!

Research Week

2010-01-21T12:41:00.000-08:00

The 3rd - 5th graders had a lesson last week on reference materials. We talked about 6 different types of reference materials, what each is used for and how they are organized. I showed them some of the reference books we have here in the library and also briefly explored online options they can use for research. The library page on the Walker website has a research link where the kids can check out some of the sites we visited during the presentation. This was a review for some of the kids but I think it was a subject that was worth revisiting.

K-2 heard either The Mitten by Jan Brett or A Stranger in The Woods by Carl R. Sams II & Jean Stoick or, in some cases, both. These were great stories with common themes including winter, animals and mittens. They are also both visually amazing books for different reasons and in different styles. The kids did a great job participating and looking for clues about what was coming up in the pictures. Ask your child who the stranger was and/or what happened to Nikki's mitten.

Bookman's Reading Challenge

2010-01-21T12:29:00.000-08:00

Walker Elementary is competing against 27 other schools to see which school can read the most books in 90 days. The winning school will receive $15,000 for their school!! All the kids should have reading challenge forms to record all the books they read from Jan. 6th - March 31st. They have to write down the title, author and the date they read the book and then have a parent or teacher initial their form. 1st - 5th graders have to write one sentence about an interesting part of the book and Kinders can either write a sentence themselves or draw a picture about the book. It's that simple! Any books you read to your child can be recorded as long as they write the sentence or draw the picture themselves and don't forget to record any books they read to their siblings and other people.

The kids have the chances to earn prizes, privileges and parties as they reach each level of their reading goals and they earn a chance to use the claw machine in the library to win some treats for every 4 books they read.

Many of the teachers are incorporating these challenge sheets in their homework but we need children to do their own independent reading to reach our goals. Please encourage your child to keep track of the books they read so they can help their school win the big prize!

If you have any questions about the challenge, please feel free to call, email or stop by the library so I can give you further details.

Thanks for all your efforts and Happy Reading!!

Happy New Year

2010-01-10T18:31:00.000-08:00

Welcome back Walker Wolves!

I'm so excited to begin the 2nd half of our school year together! I hope everyone is well rested after winter break and ready to have a great 2nd semester. We have a lot of fun things coming up this year including our Bookman's Reading Challenge, Love of Reading month, TV Turnoff Week and more library skills/reference games. I can't wait to share all these events with the students at Walker.

We spent our first week back recapping the rules and expectations in the library. The kids took the lead and told me what is expected in the library rather than me lecturing to them. They did a great job detailing the rules and procedures and I think the 2nd semester will be even better than the first! We finished up by reading Too Many Toys by David Shannon. This was a fun story that is one of our Amphi Young Reader nominees. Ask your children what turned out to be Spencer's favorite toy.

We're kicking off our Reading Challenge this week and the details are coming home with your child and will follow on this blog. Happy New Year to everyone and thanks for all you do to make Walker a great school!

More Holidays...

2009-12-04T13:23:00.000-08:00

During our short week before Thanksgiving we continued to read holiday stories. Kinders and 1st graders heard Clifford's Thanksgiving Visit by Norman Bridwell and I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie by Alison Jackson. We also sang about the things we are thankful for and each child had the opportunity to share their own thoughts. I was so proud of everyone for their thoughtful answers!

2nd graders heard 'Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving by Dav Pilkey. Mr. Pilkey is the author responsible for the Captain Underpants series so this was a rather silly look at Thanksgiving. Ask your child what the kids in the story did to rescue the turkeys.

3rd-5th graders heard Thank you, Sarah by Laurie Halse Anderson. This is the story of Sarah Hale, a remarkable women who is credited with saving Thanksgiving (among other things). Ask your child what Sarah accomplished and how long it took her to do it.

When we came back from break we moved right into our new holiday season. Kinders and 1st graders heard Merry Christmas, Curious George by Margret and H.A. Rey. Children who displayed great library behavior got to share their reading time with my Curious George stuffed animal.

2nd-5th graders heard A Wish for Wings that Work by Berkeley Breathed. This was a story about how easy it is to forget the gifts we have when we spend too much time focusing on what we don't have. Ask your child who Opus was, what he wished for and what he learned.

Have a great weekend!

Veteran's Day and Thanksgiving

2009-11-23T07:43:00.000-08:00

The week of November 9th, we had some great discussions about what freedom means and who we have to thank for the freedoms we sometimes take for granted. It was interesting to hear what the students at Walker thought it meant to be "free". We had some thoughtful discussions and, in some classes, skipped our story because the discussions were too good to stop. The others heard the story All Those Secrets of the World by Jane Yolen.

The younger grades heard Timothy and the Strong Pajamas by Viviane Schwarz. Ask your child what happened when Timothy's mother fixed his pajamas. It was a great story about the value of helping others. Other classes heard The Chicken of the Family by Mary Amato. This is a story about a little girl who is teased by her older sisters but ends up getting the best of them. Ask your child how Henrietta turned the tables on her sisters.

Last week we focused on Thanksgiving. The 3rd-5th graders heard Sarah Morton's Day by Kate Waters. It was fun to give the kids a glimpse of what life was like for Pilgrim children. It made the chores they are responsible for seem pretty easy by comparison!

1st and 2nd grade heard We Gather Together Now Please Get Lost by Diane DeGroat. This was a funny story about making the best of a bad situation and following directions. Ask your child what happened when Gilbert failed to do those things.

Kinders heard This is the Turkey by Abby Levine, A Turkey for Thanksgiving by Eve Bunting, and One Little, Two Little, Three Little Pilgrims by B.G. Hennessy. We also sang a song about our favorite Thanksgiving food. They did a great job participating and following library rules while still having a good time! Next week is a short week and we'll continue our Thanksgiving theme...

The last two weeks in the library...

2009-11-08T18:20:00.000-08:00

The week before Halloween I read a variety of stories to different classes depending on grade level and being respectful of those who do not participate in Halloween festivities. Depending on their class the children heard either One Halloween Night by Mark Teague, The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams, Minnie and Moo and the Haunted Sweater by Denys Cazet or Scared Silly by James Howe. They were all great stories and it was fun watching the kids figure out what was happening in each story before we got to the end.

Each Kinder class heard a second story which we had a lot of fun with. The book was a new one I'd purchased at the book fair called There was an Old Monster by Rebecca, Adrian and Ed Emberley. The book came with a CD that turned the story into a song and so after reading the book once, we turned on the CD, stood up and sang and danced along. We've got some real talent in our Kindergarten classes at Walker! It was a great opportunity to let the kids make a little noise in the library and burn off a little energy before lunch.

Last week, in celebration of election week, some of the classes heard Grace for President by Kelly DiPucchio. This was one of our AYRA nominated books and was a good introduction to the electoral system for some of the upper grades. It was also interesting to hear what the kids thought about the idea of a woman becoming president some day.

Other classes heard President Pennybaker by Kate Feiffer. This was a fun story that got the kids thinking about what it would be like to be President and whether they'd like the job or not.

Looking forward to the next few weeks of holidays and activities!

Welcome Back!

2009-10-27T14:59:00.001-07:00

I hope everyone had a fun and relaxing fall break! It was nice to have some time off but I hope everyone is back and ready to have a great 2nd quarter. I know I am!

Last week in the library we read another of our AYRA nominees, "Shivers in the Fridge" by Fran Manushkin. The Shivers are a family that live in a refrigerator and the kids had a good time trying to figure out just who they were and what was happening to them during the story. The ending was a surprise to every class but it was fun hearing the kids' imaginative guesses before I revealed the end. Ask your child who the Shivers were!

Mr. Miller's class was kind enough to contribute their class book called "The Important Book" to our Student Published Library. I read their book aloud to them last week and I was really impressed with their illustrations and how they were able to say so much in just a few lines of text. Great job to Mr. Miller's class and thanks for sharing your work! Check out their book in the library or on Mr. Miller's class page.

Raffle

2009-10-27T14:54:00.000-07:00

To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, 3rd - 5th graders had the opportunity to win some small prizes. Children who turned in the names of two Hispanic people that had contributed something to the country or the world gained an entry into a raffle. One winner was drawn from each grade and the winners got to choose from the library treasure chest. Congratulations to Jordan Vella (5th), Ani Rodriguez (4th), and Kimberlee Hernandez (3rd) for being chosen for their grade!

A big thanks to all the children who participated. The people they submitted were posted on our Hispanic Heritage Bulletin board and it was nice to see the kids contributing to their own learning and sharing their knowledge with their fellow students. Great job everyone!

Book Fair

2009-10-13T09:26:00.001-07:00

Last week in the library was all about the book fair. All the classes had an opportunity to walk through the fair during their library time before they checked out books. It was fun to see so many of the kids come back with their parents and make some great book selections. I was glad I had the opportunity to meet so many parents and I had some great conversations about books.

I wanted to extend my thanks to those families who purchased books and donated them to the library. Due to budget constraints, the proceeds from the book fair will be our only new books in the library this year so those donations are vital. If you're interested in making your own contribution, watch Notes Home for future donation opportunities!

I owe a big thanks to the PTO and all the wonderful parent volunteers who were crucial in making this book fair a success. I enjoyed getting to know everyone and having company in the library for a change! A special thanks to Jen Scofield, Jen Landis and Clifford the Big Red Dog for going above and beyond in all their efforts.

Have a fun and safe fall break and read lots of great books!

Banned Book Week

2009-10-05T10:50:00.000-07:00

Last week we celebrated Banned Book Week and used the opportunity to talk to the kids about their responsibilities as free people who read freely. We discussed the efforts of a few to ban books such as Harry Potter, Captain Underpants, James and the Giant Peach, Charlotte's Web and many more. We discussed how most of these efforts are made out of a genuine concern for the welfare of children but that their parents are the only ones who can decide what books are appropriate for them. I had planned to read the 3rd - 5th graders "The Lorax" by Dr. Seuss because it is a book that has been challenged by the lumber industry but the children were such active participants in our discussion that we never got to the book. Hopefully, they all left the library with an appreciation for their access to great books and a respect for the responsibilities they have to be critical readers.

K-2 classes heard "Sylvester and the Magic Pebble" by William Steig. This is a book that has been challenged before but I didn't talk much about Banned Book Week with this younger group. I only mentioned how fortunate we were to have such great books to read. The children did a great job making predictions about the story and then sharing how they would've changed the story if they had been Sylvester. Ask your child to tell you what they would've wished for if they were facing Sylvester's problem.

A special thank you to Amy Martinez for loaning me her Sylvester Reading Buddy. The kids were surprised and delighted by his special trick and it added some fun to our story. Thanks, Amy!

Next week is Book Fair...See you then!

Hispanic Heritage

2009-09-29T09:41:00.000-07:00

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.

The week my voice gave out!

2009-09-20T13:23:00.000-07:00

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!

1st Annual Library Relay Results (Fiction)

2009-09-19T09:45:00.001-07:00

Fastest Group Time:
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!

Kinders checked out books!

2009-09-15T09:56:00.000-07:00

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.

Library Games

2009-09-06T14:43:00.000-07:00

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!

Library Mouse and Pinkalicious

2009-09-01T14:41:00.000-07:00

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.

Last week in the library...

2009-08-23T15:16:00.001-07:00

The Kinders had a lesson on book care. We talked about some places we should never take our books and the best place to keep them when we're not reading. Ask your child to tell you how they will make sure their books stay out of the book hospital. We also read "What Happened to Marion's Book" by Brook Berg and "Mr. Wiggle's Book" by Paula M. Craig to reinforce those lessons. They are doing a great job so far this year in the library.

I read "Goldisocks and the Three Libearians" to the 1st graders and we discussed how to check out books that are "just right" for them. Ask your children about the 5 finger rule and how they use it to select books. Many 1st graders came in during lunch on Friday to check out new books for the weekend and they did a great job using shelf markers and making good choices!

Unlike 1st grade, 2nd graders are allowed to check out books from anywhere in the library. I read them "The Shelf Elf Helps Out" by Jackie Mims Hopkins to introduce them to many of the different types of books we have in the library. I showed them a selection of books from each "neighborhood" and encouraged them to explore the library to find books they are excited to read.

3rd - 5th graders heard "The Library Mouse" by Daniel Kirk. I used this story to introduce a Student Published Work section of the library. I encouraged the children to contribute their original writing to the library where it will be put into inventory for others to read and check out. I have already received 8 submissions and hope to have at least some of them available on Monday. I was thrilled at the kids' interest in this venture and hope to have quite a collection by the end of the year.

All of the Above by Shelley Pearsall

2009-08-19T07:15:00.000-07:00

I just read this book yesterday and it was a really great read. It's the story of a group of kids who get together to work on a math project and how it changes their lives. The story is told from several different viewpoints, adults and children, so we get to see how different characters are dealing with the same situations. All the characters have different backgrounds and are really well developed. Best suited for readers at the fifth grade level but could be a great story for the class to read together. Let me know what you think!

1st week of school!

2009-08-16T18:53:00.000-07:00

I met with each class for the first time last week and it was wonderful to see how excited all the students are about reading! The Kinders and I talked a bit about library manners and behavior and then spent some time looking at a selection of picture books. They all did a wonderful job sharing and using their library voices. Afterwards we read Maisy Goes to the Library by Lucy Cousins. It was a very successful first trip to the library.

The first graders heard The Shelf Elf by Jackie Mims Hopkins which we used as a review of library behavior and library procedures. The children were then allowed to check out two books, one of which had to be a Rookie Reader. Individual classroom teachers decided whether the children would bring their books home so check with your teacher to find out the status of your child's class. If your child did bring books home, please help them remember to bring them back on library day!

2nd through 5th graders received a short orientation about the library and then were allowed to reacquaint themselves with the library and select books to bring home. They made some great selections and I look forward to seeing them all again next week.

Some 1st and 2nd graders also made their first visit to the library during lunch recess on Friday. I was pleased with the turnout and thrilled with their behavior and hope to see many more of them as the year goes on.

All in all, I achieved my goals of getting books in the hands of the 1st - 5th graders and introducing the Kinders to our library. It was a wonderful first week at Walker.

Welcome!

2009-08-16T16:47:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Walker Library blog for the 2009-2010 school year. I'll be using this blog as a way to keep parents informed of what we're doing in the library as well as offering book recommendations from myself and (hopefully) the students. I've asked all the children to let me know when they've read something wonderful and I will be asking those who are willing to share that information here on the blog.

We have some great new books to share this year and I will be reading all the current Amphi Young Reader nominees during storytimes. We will also be incorporating lessons on library skills for all grades and will celebrate many special occasions such as Banned Book Week and Love of Reading. I'm looking forward to getting to know all the students and parents at Walker Elementary and enjoying a fun year of reading and learning together.