Week 12

This week we read books in honor of Thanksgiving. Here are some of the titles we shared.    

Thanks for Thanksgiving by Julie Markes

Read to: CDC, Pre-K, and Kinder

Turkey Trouble by Wendi Silvano

Read to: CDC, Pre-K, Kinder, Primer, 1st, and 2nd Grade 

Thanksgiving Day by Anne Rockwell

Read to: Primer, 1st and 2nd Grade 

Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet

Read to: 3rd and 4th Grade

To get into the holiday spirit I decided to share Thanksgiving books with all of the classes this week. In some classes we had discussions about the first Thanksgiving or shared what we were thankful for, and in others we talked about what would be a good disguise for a turkey who is trying to get out of being eaten for Thanksgiving dinner (the storyline in Turkey Trouble)! 

With 3rd and 4th Grade I shared one of this year's Texas Bluebonnet nominated books, Balloons Over Broadway. It is a biography about Tony Sarg and how he created the Macy's Day Parade. It is an awesome book and I felt like it was a perfect time to share it.      

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! 

Week 11

We had another great week in the Lower School Library! Here are a few things we've been up to.

Jobs People Do and Clothesline Clues to Jobs People Do by Kathryn Heling and Deborah Hambrook

Both read to: Pre-K 

Skills: Discussing jobs people do 

Pre-K started their unit on jobs people do, so I thought it would be appropriate to share these books with them in the library. In their classes they heard from a real firefighter and decided what occupation they want to study as a group. When we read these two books they were very knowledgeable already about many jobs that people do and they didn't hesitate to tell me what they wanted to be when they grow up. It was a fun and informative sharing time!  

Cindy Moo by Lori Mortenson

Read to: CDC, Kinder, and Primer 

Skills: Elements of Fiction Stories: Characters and Setting

Our CDC, Kinder, and Primer students read this super book. We reviewed what it means for a book to be fiction and discussed characters and setting. I love this book because Cindy Moo overhears the nursery rhyme "Hey Diddle Diddle" and she wonders if she can really jump over the moon like the cow in the rhyme! It is a great story to talk about the elements of fiction, but also to discuss what kind of character Cindy Moo is. The kids quickly caught on that she was a cow with perseverance and she was not going to give up until she succeeded.      

Davy Crockett Saves the World by Rosalyn Schanzer

Read to: Second Grade

Skills: Continuing our study of tall tales

In second grade we continued discussing and sharing tall tales, which they are studying as part of their Texas unit. I wanted to share this book about Davy Crockett because it is a hoot! We reminded ourselves what makes a tall tale, and this one covers them all. We discussed who Davy Crockett was and how he became one of America's best known folk heroes. The kids were able to easily pick out the larger than life details and exaggerations that made this a true tall tale. After our story time they all wanted to check out more books about Davy Crockett. To me that equals a successful lesson!

Week 10

Wow, I can't believe we already completed our 10th week of school! Here is what we were up to in the Lower School Library.

Dewey There's a Cat in the Library! By Vicki Myron

and   

Cat Secrets by Jef Czekaj

Read to CDC and Pre-K

Skills/Theme: Feline Friends and discuss words that rhyme 

We decided to have a theme for our story time this week and it was Feline Friends!  We read the two books above and talked about our own feline friends. I learned that not many of our kiddos have pet cats. Many said they had dogs, other types of pets, or that they were not yet old enough to have a pet. Good to know! We still had a good time reading these two stories and we wondered what it would be like to have our own library cat in our library? After reading, we recited and sang two poems called, Five Little Kittens and The Kitten and had a fun time finding words that rhymed.       

Chalk by Bill Thomson

Read to Kindergarten and Primer

Skills: Making Predictions 

In Kindergarten we read the book, Chalk and discussed what readers do when they make predictions. Chalk is a perfect book for practicing this skill because it is wordless. This means the children get to use the pictures to tell what they think is happening in the story and practice making predictions of what will happen next. This story is a must if you have never seen it before. The kids quickly picked up on the clues from the pictures and we had fun guessing what would happen next.  This story would also lend itself well to a writing unit if older readers wanted to write a new ending to the story or to continue the story. The possibilities are endless! 

Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox: The Great Pancake Adventure by Matt Luckhurst

Read to 2nd Grade

Skills: Tall Tales

In second grade during flexible library time we began their unit on Texas. So during their library time, the teachers asked if I could share some tall tales with the students. We first learned what a tall tale is and then we read this great book!  It is a humorous twist on the classic tale, but the twist is that Paul and Babe love pancakes. Throughout the story they travel all around in search of a pancake treasure. While they travel they not only shape the American landscape, but they also come to understand that they can't only eat pancakes and that it is important to eat a balanced diet. The kids loved it and quickly caught on to why this was a tall tale (Paul and Babe weren't really taller than the mountains and they didn't really shape the American landscape etc ). They also understood the lesson and were well aware that one cannot only eat pancakes! Ha! We will continue to discuss and share more tall tales with the second grade next week.

Fernando's Gift by Douglas Keister

Read to 3rd Grade

Skills: Features of a Personal Narrative 

In 3rd grade they are wrapping up their personal narrative writing unit so I decided to share one more example of one. As I discussed in an earlier post, a personal narrative can be about an important event, person, or place. This particular book is about a special place. It tells all about Fernando's home in the rain forest of Costa Rica. It is important to him because it is where he lives with his family, but it is also in danger as trees are being cut down. I think it is important to read texts such as these to the students before and during the writing process because it is a great way for them to see examples of similar writing, to discuss what they liked about the writing, and to get some ideas for their own writing. I am excited to read their own personal narratives when they are done with this unit. 

               

Week 9

This week we celebrated Halloween in the Lower School Library. Here are some of the fun books we shared!  

The Monster Who Lost His Mean by Tiffany Strelitz Haber

and 

Can you Make a Scary Face? by Jan Thomas

Read to CDC, Pre-K, and Kinder 

Lesson: Inspired by Halloween we wanted to see if we could make our own scary face! This is a super fun read and has the kids moving and having fun! 

Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds

and 

Scaredy-Cat Splat! By Rob Scotton

Read to: Primer, 1st, and 2nd Grades

Lesson: Enjoy some fun Halloween stories!  

Two new stories to our library and so popular they are rarely available! So I decided I would share them with the Primer, 1st and 2nd grade classes so that everyone could have a chance to enjoy them!  

The Hallo-wiener by Dav Pilkey

Read to: 3rd and 4th Grade

A very funny Halloween book! The kids always get a kick out of the Hallo-wiener and they never seem to get tired of it. 

 I hope you all had a super Halloween!  

Week 8

"Oh, No!" By Candace Fleming

Read to: Pre-K, Kinder, and Primer

Skills: Retelling the order of events using sequencing words 

This week we decided to use our new puppet theatre and perform a puppet show to the story, "Oh, No!" by Candace Fleming.  The kids loved it. We had to change the story slightly because we were short on one of the animals in the story, but the kids did not seem to notice. Ms. Hagen was my puppet master while I read the slightly altered script. We really do make an awesome team! Before the lesson we discussed sequencing words and told the children to do their best listening so they could help us retell the story. After the performance we asked for helpers to tell us the order of the events that occurred. They did a super job and could pretty much remember the entire story step by step!       

In first grade this week they were done with their Nocturnal animal reports and they invited me to come see them present them to the class. I was so impressed by the wonderful reports that they wrote. They were informative and they did a great job reading them out loud. They also created their animal and stuffed it to look 3D. Boy were they cute and really well done! That evening the entire grade level came back to school and once it was dark out they were to hunt the school grounds to find their animal! The teachers had hid them all around (in that particular animals most likely habitat)  and put glow in the dark tape on them. So before the hunt the kids were handed flashlights and they were ready to go find their animal. How cool is that? I am sure they had fun! 

"Twister" by Darlene Bailey Beard

Read to: 3rd Grade

Skills: Example of a personal narrative 

In 3rd grade they are beginning to write personal narratives in their classes. We discussed that when writing one of the best ways to get a feel for how to write on a certain topic is to read and look at examples of how other writers have written them. These are called mentor texts. Together we read, "Twister" by Darlene Bailey Beard. I had to borrow this book as we currently don't have it in our collection, but it is a super example of an important or scary event that most likely occurred in the author's life. It is filled with great details, imagery, and dialogue. It also begins with a super hook which we discussed is important in order to grab your reader right from the beginning. I hope to read a few more examples of personal narratives with them soon to continue to give them some good writing ideas. 

I hope everyone had a great week! Until next time, Happy Halloween!      

Week 7

The Little Red Hen by Barry Downard

Read to: Pre-K

Skills: Elements of a Folktale

This week with Pre-K we continued discussing different types of stories. Last week we read and talked about nursery rhymes, so this week we read a folktale. This is one of my favorites. I love that the animals throughout the story are dressed in clothes and doing things like playing pool and sunbathing, so that is why they are too busy to help the little red hen. The kids also caught on quickly that one must do their share of the work in order to benefit from the final product. Yay!         

Discover More Dinosaurs

Digging Up Dinosaurs by Aliki

Parts of both books read to Kinder and Primer
Skills: Features of Nonfiction texts

With Kinder and Primer we continued our discussion of different types of texts. This week we focused on Nonfiction texts.  We browsed through these two different books, looked at some of the different features of a nonfiction text, and read a few facts about dinosaurs. I shared these two because I wanted to emphasize that a book can still be nonfiction even if the pictures are drawn. This is sometimes a tough concept for kids to grasp. We then played a game where I passed out both fiction and nonfiction books and together with a partner they had to browse their book and tell the class if it was fiction or nonfiction and why. They did an excellent job with this and had fun with the game.      

Nocturnal Animal Research Project
Collaborative lesson with 1st grade

This week the first graders began working on their nocturnal animal project. The first grade teachers collaborated on this particular lesson because our library has some great research tools we wanted the kids to learn how to use. In class they each chose an animal they wanted to research. Then each class visited the library. Using our books and some of our databases such as Pebble Go, Facts 4 Me, and Encyclopedia Britannica, the kids found and took notes on four different questions about their animal. These questions included where the animal lived, what it ate, what it looked like, and cool facts about their animal. 

It was so neat to watch them be so curious about a topic. I can't wait to see their final product. Overall it was a great success!       

Finally with 3rd and 4th grade we reviewed how to access our library ebooks. Several of this years' Bluebonnet books are accessible as ebooks in our collection so I wanted to review this concept with them.  The kids love knowing that they have access to library books 24/7 and my hope is that they take advantage of it!       

Week 6

Mother Goose Picture Puzzles by Will Hillenbrand

Read to: Pre-K

Skills: Discuss and read a variety of nursery rhymes.  

This week was a busy week in the library! We started off with Pre-K learning all about nursery rhymes. They are currently reading them and discussing them in class, so I wanted to reinforce that learning in the library.  I shared several out of the book, Mother Goose Picture Puzzles by Will Hillenbrand. I like this book because throughout each rhyme it substitutes some of the words with pictures, so it is easy for the kids to read along with me. We got out our felt board and our cool nursery rhyme felt pieces and had fun matching the pieces to the rhyme.  

How do Dinosaurs Go to School? by Jane Yolen 

Read to: Kinder and Primer

Skills: Features of Fiction texts

With the Kinder and Primer classes we focused on the features of fiction texts. We discussed what fiction means and I modeled how one might decide if a book was fiction or not. We then read, How do Dinosaurs Go to School? by Jane Yolen. As we read, we asked questions about whether or not certain things could happen in real life. I think for the most part the children understood, but we will still review this concept several times throughout the year.     

How to pick a "Good Fit" Book

Discussed with 1st and 2nd Grade 

With the First and Second grade classes we focused on what it means to choose a "Good Fit" Book, and I modeled what that might look like using library books and a pretend scenario. We want our students to use the I PICK strategy and choose books that are right for them. They can do this by following the acronym of I PICK.  Often times kids are tempted to want to choose books that are really long or books that their friends are reading, but they sometimes forget to check and see if they are really interested in that topic or book, or if it is going to be a book that they will be able to read independently. However, I am also a big advocate for letting kids choose what they want to read even if sometimes that might mean that they choose a book that is too easy or a little challenging for them. My belief is if they are interested in the book or topic then that is what will keep them reading, and in my opinion that is the most important thing. 

Texas Bluebonnet Reading Program

Discussed with 3rd and 4th grade 

Finally, with the 3rd and 4th grade classes we began discussing the Texas Bluebonnet Reading Program.   

"The Texas Bluebonnet Program is a unique program that encourages reading for pleasure and is aimed at students in grades 3-6. Each year, 20 books are chosen as the “Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List” by the TBA selection committee.

If students read a minimum of five books from the current master list (or have the books read aloud to them), they have the opportunity to vote for their favorite title during the month of January each year. The author of the book receiving the most votes statewide is declared the winner of the Texas Bluebonnet Award."  http://www.txla.org/TBA-about

After discussing the details with the students I showed them a few book trailers to get them excited about reading some of the books, and let me tell you they were more than just excited! They were so ready to get started reading them that there wasn't a single Bluebonnet book left on the shelf at the end of the day!  There are so many great books this year so I can't wait to see which book will be the winner.