News From the Library--September 28, 2009

Choosing books for K-6 grade students

This week in the Library we spent quite a bit of time talking about how to look books up in our catalog and how to choose the right book. I noticed last year and this year that we have had fourth and fifth graders carrying around copies of Stephanie Meyer's very popular Twilight Series. To be honest, I was bothered. I'm not for censoring books or telling students they can't read a certain book. Instead, I try to guide them to books that are not only at or slightly above their reading level but also, most importantly, books that have age appropriate content and are stories they can comprehend. While the Twilight series might be fine in a middle school and high school school library, I don't think it's appropriate elementary age children.

Busy parents sometimes don't have time to read the books their children are reading but there are some great ways to find out the appropriateness of a book. One of the easiest is to go on amazon.com and see if there is a review by Booklist or School Library Journal. For example, the reviews of the book Twilight clearly state that they are for grades 9 and up. Another new website that has a search feature by age and grade level is Jacket Flap . A Book and A Hug is another great one that can give parents suggestions about books at appropriate age levels. There are several more to your right in the links section of this blog.

Choosing the right book is a skill and we do work on that in our library lessons. This week grades 3-5 learned again about the "5 finger rule" to check for words they don't understand or can't read, and also how to look at the summary of the book on the jacket flap or on the back of the book to see if the book would appeal to them. Then they practiced reading the first couple of pages to see if the writer had "hooked" them into the story. We also reviewed how to search for books by author, title, or subject in our online catalog.

Grade 1--This week first graders heard the charming story Fletcher and the Falling Leaves by Julia Rawlinson. Fletcher is a sweet little fox who tries to rescue falling leaves only to find that the tree is really okay, especially when it is transformed into beauty with the first snow.

Grade 2--Is it fiction or non-fiction??? Second graders saw a Keynote presentation on the differences between fiction and non-fiction and then we played a game of "Bookworm Says..." Each student was given a command--Bookworm says,"Find a fiction book!" or "Find a non-fiction book!" and they chose from an array of books on our main library table. We had a lot of fun and then when they checked out their book of choice for this week they had to tell me whether it was fiction or non-fiction.

Kindgergarten will start library next week when they stay in the afternoon and Sixth graders missed library this week but had an adventurous week at AstroCamp.

Welcome Back 2009!

Welcome Back to the Library!

We’ve had a great first two weeks of library classes! Each class had time to refresh their memories about the rules of the library and then time to check out books.

To make our review of library rules a little more fun this year, I put questions about library rules on index cards and put them in our “top hat.” Students took turns pulling a card out of the hat and reading the question. Then I gave the answer and we discussed the reason for each library rule.

In K-3 we read a new addition to our Library collection, Goldisocks and the Three Libearians by Jackie Mims Hopkins. It was a charming way to introduce some of our rules and also gave students a good way to determine if a book is “not to hard,” “not too easy,” but “just right.”

Just so everyone is on the “proverbial same page” our check out rules are:

* K- one book for one week. If a K student forgets to return their book on their Library day, they can “save” a book to check out when the original book is returned.

* 1—one book for one week (until January when the Bookworm Club begins. At that time it will change to 2 books for 1 week).

* 2—two books for two weeks

* 3—three books for two weeks

* 4—four books for two weeks

* 5—five books for two weeks

* 6—six books for two weeks

Additional books may be checked out for classroom assignments.

Books can be renewed up to 5 times and need not be physically returned to renew. We can do it on the computer.

You can find lots of additional information on the Library Web Page at: http://www.coldspringschool.net/Classrooms/jpedersen/Mrs.-Pedersen.html

My goal this year is to strike a balance between the wonders of technology and the wonders of books. It’s sometimes easy to get sidetracked by technology so we’re going to work on keeping that balance between our fantastic library collection and those wonderful technological tools at our fingertips.

And as some of you know, my name changed over the summer (to one that coincidentally better matches the library!) If you have any questions about the Library program, please feel free to email me at: jreid@coldspringschool.net. Library hours are Monday, Wednesday, & Friday 8:00 to 3:30.

Here’s to another great year!

~Mrs. Reid

News From the Library--June 1, 2009

Have a great summer!

This has been quite a year....we started the year with a huge wildfire (in which I lost my home) and ended the year with another one! But through it all we prevailed and the sense of community both here at Cold Spring School and in Santa Barbara has uplifted all of us who were affected. Now it's time to "close the book" on this school year and take a nice relaxing break during the summer.

Summer is a great time to read and for this last post I have collected a number of links to reading lists. I think you'll find something for everyone! It will remain on this blog until September.

So relax, kick back with a lemonade, and read, read read!

~Mrs. Reid

Summer Reading Lists

www.bookwink.com
Video booktalks listed by grade level.

http://nancykeane.com/booktalks/5_8.htm.
Nancy Keane’s list of “Books of Interest to Grades 5-8”, with links to her booktalks on the titles.

Battle of the Books 2010 Reading list
These are the 30 books that 4-6th graders will read in order to participate in next year’s Battle of the Books.

2010 Battle of the Books list (pdf file)


abe books Children's Reading Lists
http://www.abebooks.com/docs/Browse/childrens-young-adult.shtml


Education World Reading Lists
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr244.shtml

The Horn Book Magazine Reading Lists
http://www.hbook.com/booklists/default.asp

100 Picture Books Everyone Should Know from the NY Public Library
http://kids.nypl.org/reading/recommended2.cfm?ListID=60

100 Favorite Children's Books from the NY Public Library
http://kids.nypl.org/reading/recommended2.cfm?ListID=61

BookHive
BookHive is a web site designed for children ages birth through twelve, their parents, teachers or anyone interested in reading about children's books. Providing reader's advisory service, this site contains hundreds of recommended book reviews in a variety of reading levels and interest areas. Parents may find special "parental notes" attached to some reviews that provide additional information about the book. Users can search for books by author, title, reading level, interest area, number of pages, and even favorite illustrator.
http://www.bookhive.org/

Books for Boys
http://www.talestoldtall.com/BooksforBoys.html

Big a, little a
This is a blog with a booklist of recommended Early readers that you can download as a pdf file
http://kidslitinformation.blogspot.com/2007/05/early-readers_04.html

Bank Street College Children's Library Summer Reading Lists K-8
http://streetcat.bankstreet.edu/children/booklists.html

I also have a some printed lists in the Library if you'd like to look at those. Please stop by anytime over the next two weeks.

News From the Library--May 25, 2009

Getting Ready for Summer

In the spirit of getting ready for summer, second graders loved hearing Margaret Mahy's hilarious book The Great White Man-Eating Shark. Norvin was a good actor and although plain, looked very much like a shark. In his desire to have the swimming cove all to himself, he used his acting skills and his sharkish appearance to scare everyone from the water. What he didn't count on was how convincing his performance was....even to a love starved lady shark who set her sights on him for her mate!

Also in the Library this week...

Kindergarten--Did you ever get the dates mixed up for and important event? Stanley Birdbaum was sure this Friday was Crazy Hair Day but instead it was School Picture Day!! When he shows up with his hair gelled and in colored spikes he hide in the bathroom. He's mortified until he is coaxed back to class and finds his classmates have all turned their hair into something crazy too so that he will fit in to the school picture. This charming story by Barney Saltzberg shows the power of friendship and making the best of a difficult situation.

First Grade--A few weeks ago we read Garth Pig and the Ice Cream Lady and at the end Mrs. Lupino was tossed into the river and not heard from again for a very long time. This week, first graders were very concerned when the piglets were left with a babysitter named, of all things, Mrs. Wolf in Mary Reyner's Mr. and Mrs. Pig's Evening Out. When Garth becomes the object of Mrs. Wolf's late night snack, the other piglets rally around to save him. And in the end, Mrs. Wolf is dumped into that same river again. Wonder where she'll show up next?

Second Grade--see opening post

Third Grade--What would you do if you could have any wish? Third graders pondered that while listening to Chris VanAllsburg's The Sweetest Fig. This book has a wonderful twist at the end and it was fun to whatch the children's faces as they got it. One of the best wishes we came up with was a sprinkler system in the sky to douse any future fires here in Santa Barbara!

Fourth Grade--no library this week due to our Spring Sing.

Fifth Grade--no library due to testing

Sixth Grade--Sixth graders finished and printed out their essays on their god or goddess. These will be only display with their ceramic plates during next week's Art Faire.

One more week of classes this year! I will post summer reading lists next week and those will remain on the blog during the summer.

News From The Library--May 18, 2009

We had a quiet week at the Library as for several days we were still under an evacuation warning due to the Jesusita Fire. We are grateful to the amazing dedication of all the fire fighters who have been on the fire lines since May 5. As of Friday, the fire is almost completely controlled and we are looking forward to a calmer week ahead. Two major fires during this school year has been unbelievably stressful but we have all survived.

In the Library last week...

Kindergarten--Kindergarteners enjoyed The Egg by M.P. Robertson and had fun guessing what was in that enormous egg. The dragon was one of the top choices, along with dinosaur, elephant, and very big bird.

First Grade--What happens if you get lost in the Lost and Found? In Mark Teague's book of the same name, three students find themselves in the mysterious world of the Lost and Found bin and after finding lucky hats get back to school just in the nick of time. This was a fun way to remind students to start checking our own Lost and Found bin before the school year ends.

Second Grade--Margaret Mahy's book, The Three Legged Cat is just simply funny and this seemed like a good week to read it. Second graders laughed at the hat that became a cat and the cat that became a hat.

Third Grade--One of the most wonderful things about the late William Steig's books is his love of the language and his unflinching view that children should be exposed to its beauty. The Amazing Bone is peppered with what we like to call "ten dollar words" and students had fun figuring out what they meant by using contex clues.

Fourth Grade--Mrs. Edwards' class worked on their Tall Tales and Mr. Orr's class missed Library this week in order to have a make-up art class in preparation for our Art Faire.

Fifth Grade--Fifth grade missed library due to STAR testing.

Sixth Grader--Sixth graders wrote their essays about their god or goddess this week. These will be displayed with their ceramic plates during the Art Faire.

Good News (So Far)

Just a quick update....the fire is 70% contained and I am back in my home after four days of evacuation and our school was in session today. Weather played a big factor in helping firefighters get some control. Unfortunately sundowner winds are forecast for Tuesday through Thursday but not as strong as last week and there is a huge fire fighting presence still on the fire lines. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers, please.

Sad news from Santa Barbara Again--May 8,2009

Once again I have very sad news.....another fire. This one is threatening most of Santa Barbara extending from Goleta to Montectio. I am safe. I had to evacuate my new condo near downtown (where ironically I thought I'd be safe). I bought it after losing my house in November's fire and have been out since Wednesday. My school is closed and in an evacuation area.

No blogging for awhile. Please keep us in your prayers.

~Janet Pedersen

News From The Library--May 4, 2009

The Test is coming.....

Third graders and I tried to keep our sense of humor about the upcoming state testing slated to begin next week by reading Judy Finchler's hilarious book Testing Miss Malarkey. Oh those sharp #2 pencils, the upset stomachs, the teachers acting....well, acting a little crazy. These were things we could all relate to. But in the end we agreed, it was just a test. A good night's sleep, a good healthy breakfast (none of those PopTarts!), good listening skills, and yes, a sharp #2 pencil would be a great way to get started on those tests!

Also in the Library this week...

Kindergarten--Mucky Moose lives up to his name in Jonathan Allen's funny book about a moose who is so smelly he almost kills a wolf who wants to eat him for his dinner. Time after time, the wolf is felled by Mucky's odor until he finally gives up and becomes a guide dog for the blind! Kindergarteners love the idea of dirty wins the day!

First Grade--In Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens, a lazy bear gets taken advantage of again and again by a wily rabbit family. This is a great book to introduce "trickster" tales as well as work on spatial attributes of top, middle, and bottom. The format of the book lends itself so well to the subject and the students love the illustrations.

Second Grade--Another classic fairy tale captured the attention of second graders this week. Rumplestiltskin by Paul O. Zelinsky won a Caledecott honor for its beautiful illustrations and the best part of the story lies in its very strangness. As we discussed, why would the miller's daughter want to marry a king who had threatened to kill her if she didn't spin the straw into gold? And was Rumplestiltskin really all bad? Strange, that's for sure, but he did help her out. Once again, I love to see students completely enthralled with a classic.

Third Grade--see opening post

Fourth Grade--We read Pecos Bill by Steven Kellogg this week as our final Tall Tale. We also reviewed the elements of a tall tale and discussed how students will begin to write their own tall tale next week. Stay tuned for some amazing stories!

Fifth Grade--Fifth graders played Book Scavenger Hunt this week and located books in both fiction and non-fiction sections of the Library.

Sixth Grade--Sixth graders finished up their research about their god or goddess and next week will begin writing their essays.

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!