News From The Library--April 27, 2009

Congratulations to our Battle Team 2009!

On Thursday, April 23, our great group of fifth grade students attended the Santa Barbara County Battle of the Books at our County Schools Auditorium. These dedicated readers started reading the list of 30 books as early as last summer and then met in the Library every Tuesday at lunch since January to practice the Battle questions. Once at the Battle, they were put on teams with children from all over the Country of Santa Barbara and spent the morning "battling" away answering questions about the 30 books. Greg Trine, the author of one of the Battle Books--The Great Cape Caper--was on hand to ask the final Battle questions. This is such a great program to recognize our fantastic readers!

In the Library this week....

Kindergarten--Poor Mr. Greely---he dreams of planting a vegetable garden only to have it ravaged every night by three (very cute) little bunnies. Finally after building wall after wall and still finding the bunnies inside his garden, he realizes the best way to solve the problem was to not make it a problem at all and to share his bounty with the bunnies. Muncha, Muncha, Muncha by Candace Fleming is not only fun, but a great way to introduce prepositions to kindergarteners.

First Grade--Henry had a messy room, a very messy room. It was so messy that when he finally decided to clean it, the news media came! When the fish, and the racoons, and the fleas, and even a green, scaly thing finally were cleaned out he at last had a clean room. But when he tried to sleep that night he found it too clean. Just when he was worried he never be able to be comfortable in his room again, he hears the window open and one by one his old friends return, each bring back a little of the mess until Henry is comfortable at last. The Day Henry Cleaned His Room by Sarah Wilson is a great read as first graders can really relate to Henry and his dilemma.

Second Grade and Third Grade--This week we had fun learning about reference books in our Library. After looking at each type of book, we played "Name That Book," a game designed in a Keynote presentation in which students are given clues about each of the different reference books and have to name the correct book. Then each student is given a "scenario" posing a reference question and they have to identify the book in which they would find the information needed.

Fourth Grade--no library this week due to assemblies

Fifth Grade--Fifth Grade played a more advanced version of "Name That Book" as a review of reference books.

Sixth Grade--Sixth graders started their research on a god or goddess this week. They learned how to use a social bookmarking site called del.icio.us in which I had posted websites they could use for their research. They will continue researching next week and then begin writing their blog post for the project they are doing in collaboration with art.

News From the Library--April 20, 2009

Wacky Wikis

Fifth Graders posted to their wiki pages this week and had a good time finding wacky facts from a variety of sources. The purpose of this lesson was for them to experiment with the wiki environment and learn to post safely and to insert pictures. In future weeks, we will collaborate using one wiki page. It's hard to tell what new web applications will be available in the future but I feel it's important for students to understand how to work safely in the Web 2.0 world. Whether or not wikis will be the application of choice for them even next year, the important part of using this technology is to be open to its possibilities and to always approach it in a safe and ethical way.

Also in the library....

Kindergarten--If you have a cat, then you can relate to Night Cat by Margaret Beames. Oliver the cat wants to stay out all night, chasing moths and exploring the garden at night but when it starts raining, he changes his mind and howls to be let in. The illustrations in this books are magical and really give the almost spooky sense of the garden at night.

First Grade--Dieter Wiesmuller's book, In the Blink of an Eye is a great inteactive story. Each page shows the eye of an animal and gives clues as to its identity. First graders loved trying to guess each one. This is a great book to use to teach prediction and using context.

Second Grade--Second graders learned how to use guide words in the dictionary this week using their own copy of a dictionary page. We circled guide words and then found a word that was drawn out of our hat. Even though we have great online dictionaries now, it's important for students to know how to navigate a print dictionary.

Third Grade--Continuing the story of the little orphan, Sweetness, we read the sequel of Saving Sweetness--Raising Sweetness by Diane Stanley. The sheriff and the orphans are struggling along eating pickle pie and mashed potatoes with raisins until a letter arrives. Sweetness figures it out and sends a return letter. And who should arrive but the sheriff's long lost love, Miss Lucy! After a proposal and a wedding there is no more tunafish soup!

Fourth Grade--Mrs. Edwards' class heard John Henry by Lester Julius and we once again descontructed the tall tale in preparation for writing our own. (Mr. Orr's class attended the symphony this week)

Fifth Grade--see opening post

Sixth Grade--Sixth graders had a "scavenger hunt" for books this week. Each team of two had cards with call numbers on them and had to locate the books on the card. With strict rules for how to show their books, we had fun seeing who could follow them and finish first.

News From The Library--April 13, 2009

Jack is Back

When I was a child my father used to read Jack and the Beanstalk to me and I'll never forget the chilling way he said those "Fee, fi, fo, fums...." It both scared me and delighted me all at the same time. This week I read Steven Kellogg's version to the first graders and I'm happy to say I both scared and delighted them! The illustrations in this version are fantastic. As I read I took a peek at the faces before me and eyes were wide and mouths were open. There's nothing like a classic fairy tale to make you understand the power of a good story. And I think my dad would be proud of my "Fee, fi, fo, fums."

Also in the Library this week...

Kindergarten--Fidgeting is something kindergarteners are very good at and yet I don't think they really understood the meaning of the word until they heard Erica Silverman's charming story of a duck and a goose and their "freeze-in-place" content. Don't Fidget A Feather has all the characteristics of a great story....humor, drama, repetition, and a great ending. And even a moral--friendship is the greatest prize of all.

First Grade--see opening post

Second Grade--There's just something fun about Janet Stevens' book The Great Fuzz Frenzy. Those little prairie dogs, that fuzzy tennis ball, their wild desire to get some of that fuzz....and yet the story also shows how teamwork and friendship make the day.

Third Grade--Saving Sweetness by Diane Stanley is such fun to read aloud. The story is both funny and touching and dialect of the sherriff who narrates the tale adds so much to the experience. Little Sweetness is an orphan who decided to "hit the road" and the sherriff is sent to save her, only she ends up saving him. This is a great book to teach irony as often the words and the pictures tell a different story. Next week, we'll read the sequel, Raising Sweetness.

Fouth Grade--Continuing with our tall tales unit, we read the classic story of Paul Bunyan and students picked out all the hallmarks of a tall tale in this story. For the next several weeks we will read other tall tales and then students will write their own illustrated tall tale that will be posted on our research blog or wiki.

Fifth and Sixth Grade--To get those spring break minds warmed up again, we played Library Jeopardy this week.

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!

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.

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.

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.

News From the Library--March 2, 2009

Rockin' Reptiles by Stephanie Calmenson and Joanna Cole
A Book Review by Oakleigh and Olive

In the Library this week...

Kindergarten--To get ready for our celebration of Dr. Seuss' birthday on March 2, Kindergarteners heard Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose. I'm always amazed at how the language of a Dr. Seuss book enthralls the children and this time was no exception. Very little wiggling, lots of wide eyes when listening to this charming tale about a moose who above all must be nice to his guests.

First Grade--First graders heard our 3rd nominated California Young Reader Medal book, Hilda Must Be Dancing by Karma Wilson. Hilda the hippos passion for dancing is driving her fellow jungle mates crazy and it's not until she finds water ballet that things calm down--literally!

Second Grade--Mrs. Seeple's class heard The Perfect Nest by Catherine Friend and Mrs. Campbell's class chuckled along with Stanley's Wild Ride by Linda Bailey. (see previous posts for information about these two books)

Third Grade--Mrs. Villa's and Mrs. Lewis' classes both heard The Perfect Nest. Students are having fun "practicing" their voting and learning how to evaluate books according to their own personal tastes.

Our Battle of the Books lunch practice group is doing a fantastic job. The "Big Test" is scheduled for March 25 and the results will determine our team of five.

Fourth Grade--In honor of Dr. Seuss' coming birthday we read The Lorax. I pointed out that the book was published in 1971 and we thought about how prescient Dr. Seuss was about the environmental problems we are now facing.

Fifth Grade--Fifth graders had a great time evaluating websites on our Skills Blog. They looked for accuracy, authority, and currency. No Northwest Tree Octopuses will be saved by these now saavy internet users!k

Sixth Grade--By popular request, we played a rousing game of Library Jeopardy this week!

News From the Library--February 20

In the Library this week....



Kindergarten--Kindergarteners chuckled over Keiko Kasza's My Lucky Day in which a wily pig outwits a fox and ends up with a bath, a dinner, and a massage instead of becoming dinner. We had a chance to discuss how different animals portray different characteristics in literature and this books turns those conventions on their heads!

First Grade--no library due to President's Day.

Second Grade--Second graders in Mrs. Seeple's class heard their second California Young Reader Medal Nominee, the hilarious Stanley's Ride by Linda Bailey and Mrs. Campbell's class heard My Uncle Peter's Amazing Chinese Wedding by Lenore Look. It's going to be a hard choice when voting day comes!

Third Grade--Mrs. Lewis' class loved the illustrations and the rhyming story in their third nominee, Bats at the Beach by Brian Lies. It was fun to imagine themselves as bats and how being at the beach would end at sunrise instead of sunset.

Fourth Grade--Mrs. Edwards' class really enjoyed pulling a topic from our hat and researching it the "old fashioned way" using our print version of the World Book Encyclopedia. After locating their subject, they wrote five complete sentences in their own words. Even though we have all our amazing technology at hand, it still seems important (and for them very enjoyable) to look at a book for information. Mr. Orr's class complete their endangered animal paragraphs which will be soon on our research blog along with pictures of their amazing endangered animal art project.

Fifth Grade--Mrs. Pickles class played a rousing game of Library Jeopardy this week. One team bet all their cards for a "daily double" and....oh, no......didn't know the answer. Good sports all they will remember in the future that the first name of the man who invented the number system for non-fiction books is......Melvil!

Sixth Grade--no library due to President's Day.

News From the Library--February 16, 2009

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Pee Wee Scouts--Blue Skies, French Fries by Judy Delton
A Book Review by Angel and Olive

In the Library this week...


Kindergarten--we had the privilege of watching the second and fifth graders perform on the drums after their drumming residency. What a treat!

First Grade--First graders loved the California Young Reader Medal nominee Stanley's Party (see previous posts for information on the book). It's going to be a hard choice. Three more books to go!

Second Grade--no library this week due to President's Day holiday.

Third Grade--Mrs. Villa's class heard their second California Young Reader Medal nominee, Bats at the Beach by Brian Lies. They loved the moody illustrations and the delightful text about family of bats and their nighttime visit to the beach.

Fourth Grade--Mrs. Edwards class heard one more book in honor of Black History Month--Nikki Giovanni's exquisite Rosa about the bravery of Rosa Parks. We reflected on the legacy of Mrs. Parks, especially in light of our recent presidential election.

Fifth Grade--Mrs. McLaren's class heard Freedom on the Menu by Carole Boston Weatherford.and we had a lively discussion about the bravery of the Greensboro five and how things have changed today. Mrs. Pickles class heard Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine and the best comment was the answer to a question by one student. He asked, "I wish there was a sequel to this book." Another student answered, "There is. We have an African American president today!"

Sixth Grade--Sixth Graders heard Riding to Washington by Gwenyth Swain. This is an interesting picture book for older readers and is told from the point of view of a white girl who rides on one of the buses to Washington D.C. to hear Martin Luther King's famous "I Have A Dream" speech. It gives a vivid picture of conditions in our country at that time and at the same time underscores that many white people supported the struggles of African Americans during the Civil Right's Movement.

News From the Library--February 9, 2008

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The Old Fashioned Mystery by Carolyn Keene
A Book Review by Olive and Oakleigh

In the Library this week....

Kindergarten--This week we followed the further adventures of Walter and William in Tedd Arnold's No More Water in the Tub. As well as being a fun tale, this story gives students lots of time to make predictions and to recognize rhyme. They also enjoyed coming up with further adventures for Walter and William.

First Grade--We started our annual California Young Reader Medal program this week with a reading of The Perfect Nest, written by Catherine Friend and illustrated by John Manders. This delightful book is the story of Jack, the cat, who has a fondness for omelets. He constructs the perfect nest in hopes of attracting a chicken to lay an egg. He gets the chicken (who speaks Spanish) and a duck (who speaks French) and a goose (who speaks...well...Texan) and between their fights over the nest and the hatching of the eggs, Jack ends up with three little friends instead of his omelet. We have four more books to read before students will vote for their favorite but this one is a favorite already.

Second Grade--Second graders in Mrs. Seeple's class heard California Young Reader Medal nominee, Uncle Peter's Amazing Chinese Wedding by Lenore Look and illustrated by Yumi Heo. This is a lovely story that combines the interesting customs of Chinese weddings and a little girls sadness at "losing" her favorite uncle. In the end, however she discovers she has gained an aunt. Mrs. Campbell's class heard Hilda Must Be Dancing by Karma Wilson and illustrated by Suzanne Watts. This delighful rhyming story shows how Hilda the Hippos dancing causes great trouble in the jungle until she finds water ballet.

Third Grade--Stanley the dog is back! After his party (Stanley's Party), he's been relegated to the back yard and in Stanley's Wild Ride by Linda Bailey and illustrated by Bill Slavin, he makes his escape and ends up on a skateboard! Students love this funny story and it also gives us a chance to talk about the literary device point of view as the book is told in Stanley's voice.

Fourth Grade--In honor of Black History Month, we read This Is the Dream by Diane Z. Shore and James Ransome. This amazing book is a brief history of the civil rights movement told in poetry and illustrated by Jessica Alexander with drawings and collages of real images. It gives students just the right amount of history and the illustrations are a springboard to discussion and questions. It was especially meaningful to read this book this year after our recent election.

Fifth Grade--Fifth graders worked with me on the first part of their web site evaluation project. Together we looked at two websites about the solar system and checked them for authority, accuracy, and currency. Next week they will evaluate two websites on their own.

Sixth Grade-Sixth graders really enjoyed finding the problems in some of the websites they evaulated this week. Using our Skills Blog lesson "When in Doubt, Doubt!", they looked at two different websites and followed our protocol for evaluation. They discovered websites that were appropriate to use for information and some that, well.....were just plain silly!

News From the Library--February 2, 2009

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Stonewords by Pamela J. Conrad
A Book Review by Detective McDolphin (aka Junia)

Also in the Library this week...

Kindergarten-Walter loves jumping on his bed but his father has said "for the millionth time"No Jumping on the Bed! Tedd Arnold's book of the same name never fails to delight kindergarteners. Is it the idea that Walter misbehaves or the hilarious results as he falls through floor after floor, or is it the possibility that it was all a dream??? In any event, this book is always a hit and students are looking forward to next week's sequel, No More Water in the Tub!

First Grade--First graders got to hear the book Butterfly Beach by Polly Caldwell Bokwaltert hat I also read to second graders last week. It's the story of our very own Butterfly Beach and how the butterflies stopped coming to winter there after houses and a hotel were built. But little by little they are comng back thanks to the efforts of all to re-create the enviorment they loved.

Second Grade--After reading Jacqueline Griggs Martin's excellent biography about Snowflake Bentley, second graders got the chance to see some of his photographs of snowflakes and also some beautiful current photgraphs of snowflakes. We all marveled at the wonderful and mysterious way they never repeat themselves.

Third Grade--Third graders watched the videos about internet safety--Faux Paws Adventures on the Internet and Faux Paws Meets the First Lady. These were an excellent springboard to our discussion of how to keep safe when online. For more tips and information for parents go to ikeepsafe.org This is a great website for both students and parents alike and very helpful when dealing with this very important subject.

Fourth Grade--Fourth graders worked in the atlases this week and found out some great facts about our state.

Fifth Grade--Fifth graders also worked in the atlases this week and compared California to two other states of their choosing. They looked at population, date of statehood, ranking in land area and population, and total land area.

Sixth Grade--Our internet was down on Monday so we turned it to our advantage and read and discussed the interesting picture book, Mrs. Marlowe's Mice by Frank Asch. As with the fifth grade last week, we had a great discussion about the historical metaphor in this book and the question of ambiguity.

Battle of the Books Meetings begin this week for grades 4-6!

News From The Library--January 26, 2009

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Encyclopedia Brown: House of Cards by Donald Sobol

A Video Review by Detective McDolphin (aka Kenna)

This was a short week in the Library because of Martin Luther King Day on Monday.

Kindergarten--We had lots of fun reading and looking at Lois Ehlert's book Snowballs and imagining all the creative ways we could make snowdads, snowmoms, snowboys, snowbabies, snowcats, and snowdogs. Of course we have to travel to the snow.....doesn't get quite cold enough here in Santa Barbara, but we can dream.

Second Grade--Thanks to a generous donation from the Goligoski family we have a great new book in our Library about our very own Butterfly Beach. Written by local author Polly Caldwell Bookwalter, Butterfly Beach, tells the history of one of our favorite spots and how the monarch butterflies used to winter there. But with the advent of roads, houses, and hotels they had to find another spot until the people began to replant the eucalyptus trees and native vegetation to bring them back. The illustrations in this book are wonderful and styled like mosaic tiles.

Third Grade--We all loved Traction Man by Mini Grey when we read it last year as part of the California Young Reader Medal Program. Well this week we had a treat--a sequel. Traction Man Meets Turbo Dog is done in the same graphic novel style and tells the story of how the faithful Scrubbing Brush gets thrown out (too unhygenic) and replaced with the battery operated Turbo Dog. Not the best idea as Turbo Dog is not quite up to the adventures of Traction Man. In the end, Scrubbing Brush saves the day. Confused? You kind of have to be there to get it.....or better yet, check out this book. It's a winner!

Fourth Grade--Fourth graders helped me preview a new DVD I bought called Faux Paws: Adventures on the Internet. I purchased it in order to teach lessons to second, third, and fourth graders about internet safety. The two videos cover excellent points about not revealing personal information online and how to deal with online bullying. Fourth graders gave the videos a resounding "two thumbs up." You can learn more about helping your child be safe online at iKeepSafe.org. There are great tips for parents concerning what you should know about your child's activities online and how to talk to your children about how important it is to be responsible online citizens.

Fifth Grade--In Mrs. Pickles' class, we had a chance to read Mrs. Marlowe's Mice by Frank and Devin Asch and as well as being really impressed with the visual style of the book, students discussed some "lofty" ideas. I challenged the students to figure out the historical metaphor in the book--the imprisonment of the Jews by the Nazis--and the discuss the concept of ambiguity--whether or not it is okay to sometimes break the rules. A lively discussion followed!

Stay tuned next week for more great video book reviews--Book Clubs are in full swing!

News From The Library--January 16, 2009

Happy Bookworms!

Book Clubs Have Started in the Library!

This week our ever popular Library Book Clubs have started and already we have some enthusiastic members! Grades 1-4 have special clubs and grades 5 and 6 will have the chance to do blog reviews this year.

The most important rule for all the clubs is to have fun reading! Books are chosen at a student’s independent reading level so that reading for the Book Clubs is a pleasurable and relaxing experience. This also builds confidence and fluency as the children have the opportunity to practice the reading skills they have learned in the classroom.

Each grade level has a club and the “rules for membership” vary. Personalized bookmarks are given to members after they have read and reported on their first book. Following is a brief summary of the clubs. If you have any questions, please feel free to stop by the Library or email me. We’re off to a great start!

Grades 1 and 2 are the Bookworm Club. Members read books from our Easy and Beginning Reader section. After taking the book home, or keeping it in their desk at school, and reading the entire book, members make an appointment with Mrs. Pedersen to read their favorite page either before school, at any recess, after school, or during their library time. This year I’ll record their reading in a podcast format if they’d like so we can track their fluency improvement. Each time a book is finished it is entered on their “official” log and a sticker is awarded. After each 6 books are read, members can choose a special prize.

Grade 3 is the Red Dot Book Club, so named for the red dots on the spines of many books in our collection that are especially chosen for readers who are ready to read chapter books. After reading a “red dot book,” members write a book report or a do a multimedia project using their laptop and submit it to Mrs. Pedersen. After completing a book report or a project, members can choose a special prize.

Grade 4 is the Mystery Book Club and members choose from the wide array of mysteries in our Library. Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books are among the all time favorites for this club. To report on their books, members have several options. One is to write a book report or do a multimedia project on their laptop and turn it in to Mrs. Pedersen. One option (and one we are very excited about!) is to record a video report to be posted on our blog, Voices From the Inglenook. Students will use our stuffed animal dolphin as their avatar—named Dectective McDolphin for the club—or they can dress in one of our two Detective McDolphin costumes and perform their report. After completing a project, members can choose a special prize.

Grades 5 and 6 has an individualized book club in which students can read a particular genre or author and do a video review for our blog. Also, many of our 5th and 6th graders are participating in Battle of the Books.

Book Clubs are one of my favorite parts of being a librarian at Cold Spring! It’s such a joy to see students excited about reading.

Fifth and Sixth Grade--This week we began our unit on Website Evaluation entitled "When in Doubt, Doubt!" After viewing a Keynote, we had a discussion about what to look for in a good website including its authority, currency, purpose, and objectivity. In the next few weeks student will have a change to evalute actual website.

News From the Library--January 9, 2009

A Notable Book

To start off the new year, third and fourth grade classes heard The Quiltmaker's Gift written by Jeff Brumbeau and illustrated beautifully by Gail de Marcken. Although this might have made a great holiday read, it seemed almost better to read it this week when students were not quite so distracted by the anticiation of the holidays. This is a really lovely tale about the power of generosity and the rewards of giving. It's not a surprise that it won the Book of the Year Award from Books Plus. In addition to the book there is an interesting companion website you can find at: http://www.quiltmakersgift.com/ Don't miss this one! Better yet, get a copy now for next year's holidays. (Thank you, Goligoski family, for this wonderful addition to our collection.)


In the Library this week.... (we had a short week due to the inservice day on Monday)

Kindergarten--There is something about Helen Lester's Tacky the Penguin that just tickles the funny bone of kindergarten students. But underneath the humor is a sweet message about acceptance of those who might not act (or dress) the same as we do. After hearing a non-fiction book about penguins first, kindergarteners chuckled their way through Tacky's adventures with the rough and tough hunters.

Second Grade--As I told the students, I heard it was -50 degrees in Alaska this morning, and that seemed the perfect setting for reading charming book, Caralyn and Mark Buehner's Snowmen At Night. We also talked about parts of a book today and found especially interesting the dedication of this book to two surreptitious snowman shifters. What fun it is for students of this age to learn the meaning and use of such words as surreptitious!

Third and Fourth Grade--see opening post.

Fifth Grade--Nothing like a rousing game of Library Jeopardy to start off the new year with a bang. Fifth graders love this game and it's such a great way to learn the....shall be say.....less interesting aspects of library skills. The boys risked all with their daily double and squeaked by with a one point victory!

Next week we'll start our Library Book Clubs. Watch for future posts!

Moving Ahead

We are moving forward and recovering from the Tea Fire.....it's been quite a process. I will do regular blog posting again after the Winter Holidays but here are a few thoughts.

Thank you to all who have expressed your concern and sympathy. Our community at Cold Spring School has been wonderful. I am happy to be back in the Library and we are spending this week and next enjoying a variety of holiday stories and spending lots of quiet time reading by the fire.

To all families who lost library books in the fire, please don't worry about them. I am checking with students on an individual basis and we are clearing their records. I'll replace the books with library funds so please don't even think about this with all you have to do.

Here's to a peaceful holiday and New Year!

News From Santa Barbara

News From Santa Barbara

For those of you who might not know, we have suffered a catastrophe here in Santa Barbara. The good news is that our school is fine even though the fire started very close by. Sadly, I have lost my home and most of my possessions. I do however have some pictures of my children, my handmade Christmas ornaments, my car, my laptop....and most important my life. The community here is amazing and we will prevail. Many, many families in my school lost everything.

I probably won't be blogging for a while on a regular basis. But we'll be back as soon as we can.

News From the Library--November 10, 2008

Dissecting A Book

With scalpel (pencils) ready, fifth graders "dissected" some non-fiction books this week in order to learn how to find the information needed for a bibliography. With concerns about plagiarism increasing, knowing how to cite your sources has become an important skill. Students were given two books and they needed to dissect or find the title, author, publisher, publishing city, and copyright date. Next week, we'll use an online bibliography maker Citation Machine. (I wish that had been available when I wrote bibliographies...usually very late at night!)

Also in the Library this week....

Kindergarten--Time for a classic fairy tale this week and kindergarteners were transfixed by James Marshall's version of Red Riding Hood. I am always amazed how these classic tales capture children's attention even in this time of television, movies, and internet. We also talked about the fact that many of these tales were told to teach children an idea and everyone agreed that the moral of this tale was "Don't Talk to Strangers!"

First Grade--Keiko Kaska's My Lucky Day is the delightful story of a wily pig who outfoxes the fox and instead of being eaten for dinner gets the fox to give him a bath, dinner, dessert, and....a massage! First graders had a great time predicting who the pig was going to outwit next.

Second Grade--Do you ever wonder what your dog does when you go out? In Linda Bailey's Stanley's Party, Stanley the dog takes some tentative steps beginning with sitting on the couch but things progress until he has all the dogs in the neighborhood over for a wild party....on the one night his family comes home early! According to the author, dogs around the world are still talking about that party!

Third Grade--We played a rousing game of Name That Book and third graders are becoming very familiar with our reference materials--atlases, encyclopedias, almanacs, dictionaries, and thesauruses. At the end of our game I gave each student a scenario and they told me in which book they would find the necessary information.

Fourth Grade--We started writing our paragraph on an endangered animal this week. After doing research, students are going to write a paragraph to go with a photo of their endangered animal art project. Writing a topic sentence was our task for today and it's not easy to find that perfect hook and introduction to the topic. Next week we'll continue working on the body of the paragraph.

Fifth Grade--See opening post

Sixth Grade--We wrapped up our unit on the presidential elections by having groups explain why the candidate for which they wrote a resume would be the best for the job as president. A lively debate followed and we finished with a "straw vote." The results: Obama in the lead by 7 votes!

News From the Library--November 3, 2008

The Widow's Broom
by Chris Van Allsburg

This week third graders heard one of my favorite Halloween stories, The Widow's Broom by Chris Van Allsburg. It's a haunting tale, a great one to read aloud, as the suspense grows and grows and the ending challenges the listeners to see if they picked up the clues. As with all of Van Allsburg's work, the illustrations are evocative and unusual. In addition, there is a subtle but powerful message about prejudice and bullying. All in all, a great story to read aloud at this time of year.

Also in the library this week....

Kindgergarten--The rollicking verse in Julia Donaldson's Room on the Broom tickled the kindergarteners this week. This is a great little story about generosity and cooperation as well as just being a fun book to read at Halloween.

First Grade--In Diane deGroat's Trick or Treat Smell My Feet, Gilbert wishes that he could have a really unique Halloween costume. Well, his wish comes true but not in the way he expected. This story is a great one to show children how flexibility and "rolling with it" is a good idea....especially when you find yourself in your sister's ballerina tutu for Halloween by mistake!

Second Grade--Poor Dr. Pig. The sole surviving member of the Pig family made famous in that other story about the wolf finds himself friendless at Halloween. After several attempts at creating a friend in his lab, he finally creates a monster! Porkenstein!! Kathryn Lasky's book of the same name is a delightful tale of fairy tale revenge and true friendship and best of all, someone to go trick or treating with on Halloween!

Third Grade--see opening post.

Fourth Grade---In a great little folktale from Spain, Esteban and the Ghost, the main character bravely spends the night in a castle haunted by a ghost who robbed some robbers. This tale is both funny and scary--a great combination for reading aloud! Sibyl Hancock does a great job re-telling this tale and the illustrations by Dirk Zimmer add to the charm.

Fifth Grade--In preparation for their explorer reports, fifth graders learned how to access and use our great online resource, Encyclopedia Britannica Online.

Sixth Grade--Sixth graders finished their resumes of the presidential candidates this week. Next week (the day before the election) we'll discuss what they learned from making the want ad and the resume.

News From The Library--October 27, 2008

Happy Halloween!

Kindergarteners loved hearing Erica Silverman's book Big Pumpkin. There's something really wonderful in seeingthe little guy save the day--a message that certainly resonates with this group! After a witch has planted a pumpkin, it grows so large that she can't get it off the vine and a series of characters try one at a time to pluck that pumpkin. "Drat!" says the witch as each one fails until the little bat comes up with a plan using teamwork. In the end they all get that pumpkin pie they crave and the witch plants another seed so they can do it again next year. Kindergarteners love the patterns and repetitions, and the great message of this story.

Also in the Library this week....

First Grade--First graders heard A Pumpkin Story by Mariko Shinju--one of the most charming little books I have ever read. It chronicles the story of a man who uses pumpkins for everything! He starts small with bowls and cups for pumpkin soup, moves on the furniture (a pumpkin bath tub???) and ends up building a town and a hotel--all of pumpkins! The illustrations are simple but delightful and students love this story.

Second Grade---Mrs. Seeple's class heard one of my favorites for this time of year--A Job for Wittilda by Caralyn Buehner. Poor Wittilda has 47 cats and no job....until she applies as the delivery person for Dingaling Pizza. To get the job, she has to win the delivery race but just as things are going swimmngly for her she finds a little kitten stuck in a tree. Should she rescue it now and risk losing the job or come back later? Of course she gets the kitten and amazingly the job, too. Now 48 cats enjoy pizza for dinner every night!

Third Grade--Lane Smith's new book Madame President was a big hit with the third graders this week. With its quirky illustrations and humorous text, this book is a great way to introduce the duties of the President of the United States.

Fourth Grade--As a follow up to our lesson on plagiarism last week, fourth graders learned how to cite the website they used for their endangered animals research. After a break next week for Halloween stories, they will write their paragraph and cite their source. Then when their art project is finished it will all be posted on our Research Blog.

Fifth Grade--Fifth graders synthesized their research on spiders into a Comic Life page. The assignment was to "be the spider" and they wrote a first person narrative using the facts they found. We had visitors that day from Apple Computer and several school districts and our guests were very impressed with the skill level and creativity of the fifth graders.

Sixth Grade--After writing a want ad for president, sixth graders moved on this week to writing a resume for either Barack Obama or John McCain. To keep things even, they drew their candidates name from a hat and then used a sheet of information from VoteSmart.org to compose a resume using a template from the software Pages. Although some were disappointed to pick the candidate they didn't think they would support, in the end they realized that it was important to research the other candidate if for no better reason than to convince them of their original choice.