Friday, March 27, 2009

News From The Library--March 27,2009


Mrs. Piggle Wiggle

One of my favorite things to do in our Library is to introduce students to a book I loved as a child. And so it was this week with the third graders and Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, the classic by Betty MacDonald. There's something irresistible about a grown up with magical powers who really understands children and that describes Mrs. Piggle Wiggle perfectly. I read "The Radish Cure"--one of my favorites, having had two boys myself who were not fond of the bathtub. There's something reassuring in this age of computeres, video games, and DVDs in cars that children still love hearing a story written in 1947.

Also in the library this week..(we had short days because of parent conferences)

Kindergarten--Mrs. Sickafoose's class heard Cats, Cats, Cats by Leslea Newman and enjoyed the rhyming story of Mrs. Brown and her 60 (!) cats. Using a book with rhyme for this group is a great way of helping them with their auditory perception as well as honing their prediction skills.

First Grade--no library this week.

Second Grade--Another of my favorites as a child was Toads and Diamonds. This version, retold by Charlotte Huck and illustrated by Anita Lobel is always a hit and students do get the "moral" of the tale--kindness leads to riches in your life.

Third Grade--see opening post

Fourth Grade-- no library this week.

Fifth Grade--Fifth graders entered the wonderful world of wikis this week! We went to the Library Wiki and they each made their own folder. In future weeks they will post research.

Sixth Grade--In preparation for their study of Greek mythology in art, I read Persephone and the Pomegranate by Kris Waldherr. After Spring Break, 6th graders will start their Greek Mythology ceramics project and will begin researching their god or goddess in the library.

Have a great Spring Break! See you back here on April 13!

Sunday, March 22, 2009

New From The Library--March 23, 2009


What Does It Mean To Be A Digital Citizen?

Sixth graders did a great job of posting a comment on our Library Skills Blog on the subject of "Digital Citizenship." They answered the question, "What does it mean to be a digital citizen?" Understanding their place in the virtual world is extremely important and thinking about their behavior online in an ethical manner will help them make difficult decisions not only now but in their futures. Their responses were thoughtful and open the door to more discussion of this important topic. To read what they posted, please go to The Library Skills Blog, to the first post and click on comments.

Also in the Library this week...

Kindergarten--Kindergarteners loved Sandra Horning's The Giant Hug. This is the charming story of Owen who wants to send his granny a hug for her birthday. Not just a picture of a hug but a real one. The story shows how his idea made people happy all the way from coast to coast. It also gave students an idea of what's involved in mailing something--from a letter to a hug!

First Grade--Lily, in Kevin Henkes' books, is quite a character and she does have a mind of her own. In Lily's Big Day, she decides she will be the flower girl at her teacher's wedding. When she finds out his niece has been picked for the job she is crestfallen. But when asked to be the "assistant" to the flower girl, she takes the job with her usual gusto. And as it turns out, she does become the star of the wedding by doing something unselfish. Great little lessons in this book for students of this age.

Second Grade--Why would someone send a family one penguin a day for 365 days? In 365 Penguins by Jean Luc Fromental, the family struggles with the math until the mystery is finally solved. Students loved this book and the message about caring for endangered species and global warming was just right for them.

Third Grade--Mrs. Villa's class missed library because of an assembly and Mrs. Lewis' class heard their last California Young Reader Medal nominee, Hilda Must Be Dancing. They were the last class to vote for their favorite and we had the fun of counting all the ballots. And the winner for 2008-09 for Cold Spring School is....The Perfect Nest by Catherine Friend. Our votes will be sent to Sacramento next week to be counted with those of students from throughout the state. The results will be available to us in May.

Fourth Grade--We started our Tall Tales unit this week with a Keynote about the characteristics of a Tall Tale and a video of Swamp Angel by Anne Isaacs. Each week for the next several weeks, I will read a tall tale and then students will write and illustrate their own which will be posted to our Fourth Grade Wiki.

Fifth Grade--Miss McLaren's class played a great round of Library Jeopardy and then they were off to CIMI with Mrs. Pickles' class.

Sixth Grade--see opening post.

Friday, March 13, 2009

News From the Library--March 16, 2009


Art and Library Team Up for Endangered Animal Project



This week fourth graders finished their Endangered Animal Project--a collaboration between the Library and the Art Program at Cold Spring. Students picked an animal, researched its appearance, diet, habitat, and endangered status and then took their knowledge to the Art Room where they sketched their animal and then designed a ceramic plate and cup represeting it. When the ceramic pieces were fired, Mrs. Kaganoff, our art teacher, and I photographed them and put them together with their written research on both the Art Blog and the Library Research Blog. Students learned safe blogging skills as well as having the joy of seeing their work displayed for all to see. Take a few minutes to check out the two blogs and the students' fine work.


Also in the Library this week....

Kindgergarten--To get ready for Tuesday, we read Jeremy Bean's St. Patrick's Day by Alice Schertle. Poor Jeremy. All the best laid plans, but he forgets to wear great on St. Patrick's Day. Fearing the worst he hides in a closet at school until he's rescued by his kind principal who shares some of green with Jeremy.

First Grade-First graders heard their last California Young Reader Medal nominee--Uncle Peter's Amazing Chinese Wedding by Lenore Look and cast their ballots. After all classes have voted, we'll unveil this year's Cold Spring winner. Then the ballots will be sent to Sacramento and counted for the state winner. Results usually come in May.

Second Grade--Bats at the Beach by Brian Lies was their final CYRM book this week and they voted.

Third Grade--Mrs. Villa's class heard Uncle Peter's Amazing Chinese Wedding and voted, but Mrs. Lewis' class didn't have library this week due to the Talent Show. We'll read and vote next Friday.

Fourth Grade--Students got a chance to see all their work on the Art Blog and the Library Research Blog and also on Santa Barbara's new online newspaper Noozhawk. They feel they are famous!

Fifth Grade--Fifth Graders posted a comment on the Skills Blog about what it means to have "an ethical online presence." You can view their work at: http://csslibraryskills.blogspot.com Scroll down to the second lesson entitled "Assignment 08: Making a Comment on a Blog" and then click on Comments.

Sixth Grade--After viewing a Keynote presentation, Sixth graders discussed what "Digital Citizenship" is and how important it is to understand the effects of actions online. Next week, students will blog about what digital citizenship means to them.


Friday, March 06, 2009

News From The Library--March 9, 2008



A Prescient Voice


In honor of Dr. Seuss' Birthday, I read The Lorax to the sixth graders this week. I'm always surprised at how much these "older" students still love to be read to. Parents, don't forget that. Even though they are trying so hard to be sophisticated at this age, they are still children and benefit greatly for hearing someone read and even better spending a little special time with you.
Before I read the story, I explained that this book was published in 1971 and Dr. Seuss was sending a message not only to children but to adults as well. I challenged the students to find out later what the word "prescient" meant and how it related to Dr. Seuss and the Lorax. They enjoyed finding the definition and talking with me about the relation.

Also in the Library this week..

Kindergarten--In the fall we read Karma Wilson's Bear Snores On and talked about hibernation. This week in anticipation of spring, we read Bear Wants More, her charming sequel. That hungry bear eats so much when he wakes up that he can't fit into his cave anymore!

First Grade--First graders heard their fourth California Young Reader Medal nominee, Bats at the Beach by Brian Lies.

Second Grade--Mrs. Seeple's class heard Hilda Must Be Dancing by Karma Wilson and Mrs. Campbell's class heard The Perfect Nest by Catherine Friend.

Third Grade--Mrs. Villa's class heard Hilda Must Be Dancing and Mrs. Lewis' class heard Uncle Peter's Amazing Chinese Wedding by Lenore Look.

Fourth Grade--We worked with our atlases this week and compared facts about California with facts about two other states of their choice. This is a great lesson in which students have to research, locate specific information, record it, and then synthesize what they have learned in order to compare.

Fifth Grade--We started our two part lesson on Posting Comments on a Blog. This week they saw a Keynote presentation that explained blogs and then talked about what it means to have an ethical online presence. Next week they will actually post a comment on our Skills Blog in which they have to write about what that means.

Sixth Grade--see opening post.