Read it, Don't Eat it! By Ian Schoenherr
Read to: CDC Multiage class
Skills: Book Care
I Took My Frog to the Library by Eric A. Kimmel
Read to: CDC Multiage Class
This week we began seeing the Child Development Center's multi-age class. They are a group of 3 and 4 year olds at our school and it was their first time visiting the library. We read books about what one does at the library as well as how to treat library books when we borrow them. We all had a great time.
Squirrel's New Year's Resolution by Pat Miller
Read to: Pre-K
Skills: Learn about making a resolution
With the Pre-K classes we discussed what it means to make a resolution. We read Squirrel's New Year's Resolution by Pat Miller and then shared resolutions that they will try to make for the new year.
Bubble Gum, Bubble Gum by Lisa Wheeler
Read to: Pre-K
Skills: Recall events from the story and practice sequencing
The next week we had a fun time reading a book all about bubble gum! Now this is a little older book, but it was a book that was brought to my attention again at a recent teacher training and it is so cute. Lots of animals continue to get stuck in icky bubble gum in the road, and when a truck is coming the animals chew and chew and blow a huge bubble to float away and out of the truck's way. It is a great story for acting out (which we did) and for remembering the events in the story and learning about sequencing.
One of the Pre-K classes acting out the story.
We then put the animals in the order that they got stuck on the board.
Even though this type of lesson can be a little more challenging with our younger students, I feel like they really benefit from hands on reading lessons such as these. So at times it can be a little chaotic, but it is always fun!
ABC Letters in the Library by Bonnie Farmer
Read to: Kinder
Skills: Understanding Alphabetical order and how our library is organized.
With our Kinder classes we are beginning to prepare them for when they will be able to go out to the main library to find and checkout books. So we began learning about how our library is organized, and we focused on the fiction section of our library this week. We read, ABC Letters in the Library by Bonnie Farmer to review the alphabet and we watched a quick video and played a game to better understand alphabetical order. The kids seemed to catch on quickly, and I know they are excited to soon be able to head out to the "big library!"
We're Going On a Book Hunt by Pat Miller
Read to: Kindergarten
Skills: Learning how to navigate the library
In Kindergarten we continued discussing all that we need to know to get ready to go into the big library to check out books. We read this book because it is very interactive and has lots of movements and motions to help kids remember how they behave, and what they do when they are in the library. As you can see it is based off of the book, We're going on a Bear Hunt by Helen Oxenbury, but this time it is the bears going on a book hunt. It discusses using shelf markers to mark our spot on the shelf when we are looking at a book, so that we know where it goes back, and how to choose "just right" books. It was fun acting out the story and hopefully it will help the kids remember key things when they are looking for and checking out library books.
Goldilocks and Just One Bear by Leigh Hodgkinson
Read to: First Grade
Skills: Fractured Fairy Tales
With first grade we reviewed what a fairy tale is and then discussed what a fractured fairy tale is, as they are currently learning about this in their classes. I decided to read this particular book with them because it is awesome! It is the story of a now grown up Baby Bear getting lost and "accidently" going into the now grown up Goldilock's apartment (In NYC). Of course, Baby Bear has no idea it is Goldilocks' apartment, but they soon discover each other and reconnect if you will. It is a great fractured fairy tale from a different point of view. After reading, it was fun for the kids to compare and contrast this story to the original one.
Pecos Bill Invents the Ten-Gallon Hat by Kevin Strauss
Read to: Second Grade
Skills: Tall Tales
Our second graders are currently learning all about Texas as well as tall tales, so I decided to share a tall tale with them with a Texas theme. We first learned all about what makes a tall tale and this story definitely fit the mold. I loved it because it was also about good old Pecos Bill and the ten gallon hat and at the end it gave a few facts about why cowboys wear some of the certain things that they do. A perfect book to read while the kids learn all about Texas!
Little Red Hot by Eric A. Kimmel
Read to: Second Grade
Skills: Fractured Fairy Tale with a Texas Twist
The following week I couldn't resist sharing this book as well. Still in keeping with the second grade Texas theme, I shared this fractured fairy tale. Essentially I did the same lesson with second grade as I did with the first graders with fractured fairy tales, but just used a different book. This is another great one to compare and contrast to the original story.
3rd and 4th Graders cast their vote!
Finally this week was Bluebonnet voting time for the third and fourth graders! Starting this fall the third and fourth graders had the opportunity to take part in the Texas Bluebonnet Award program. This program, developed by the Texas State Library Association, encourages reading for pleasure for students in grades 3-6 in hopes to expose children to excellent writers across several genres. Twenty titles are nominated by Texas teachers and librarians with the ultimate winner chosen by students in January. In order to be eligible to vote students must read a minimum of five books out of the twenty titles.
So this week we conducted our voting online and students voted for what book they felt should win the Texas Bluebonnet Award. The committee will announce the ultimate winner at the beginning of February and we can't wait to find out which book won. I will for sure keep you posted!
Here were some of our third and fourth grade students voting!
