BACK TO SCHOOL

Tomorrow is the big day,  students will be at school bright and early ready to start another year and so will the teachers.  I have spent quite a bit of time this summer preparing for the new school year.  The library has added many new books over the summer and I am anxious to get them into the students hands.  One of my boards in the Elementary Library is the Lorax asking " I mustache "What are you reading?"  I am looking forward to using my yellow mustache and telling about all of the wonderful books that I have read this summer.  My plan is to take pictures of the students (with the yellow mustache) and the book they just read and hang them around the library. I will post a picture soon.

I was fortunate enough to be chosen to be part of the Reboot 2014 group this summer.  This group has encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and try new experiences in my classroom.  We set goals for ourselves to help us grow as educators and leaders.  One of my goals is to share on a more regular basis.  So I hope to keep up on this blog and share what is happening in my K-4 Library.

Third Grade Studies the Dictionary!

One of our third grade library skills is to alphabetize and learn how to use a dictionary.  Each 3rd grade student received their own dictionary from a local service group, so this was a perfect time to practice our dictionary skills in the Library.  Each child wrote their own entry for the dictionary. They were to write their name, dividing it into syllables, then write their name phonetically,  then write 2 definitions that would describe them.  After we had all 120 entries, we made a life size dictionary that we hung in the hallway.  It was fun to see the students standing in the hallway, looking for their own name and reading about their friends.  We spent the next 2 class periods using our dictionary to answer questions such as: What are the guide words on page 4?  What is one definition of the entry Brock?  Does the entry Luis come between the guide words of Manuel and Taylor?  It was great hands on practice for the students.  Here are a few pictures of our dictionary unit. 

Creepy Carrots!

Kindergartners had a great time with the book "Creepy Carrots" by Aaron Reynolds.  This is a new book for our library and was a huge success.  This was one of our October books!

                      

 

We read the story, did a flannel board carrot poem and then each child created their own creepy carrot.  They turned out super cute.  Some had wiggley eyes, some had teeth and some didn't.   So as you walk into the library you are greeted by many carrots, and as you wander around there are creepy carrots everywhere.  Even the older students have had fun looking for the creepy carrots!

CHOOSE KIND!

Where has the time gone! It seems like school just began, yet Thanksgiving is right around the corner.  The Elementary Library has been as busy as usual.  Here is a quick look at what is happening in the library.  One of the themes in the library this year is "Choose Kind" from the book "Wonder" written by R.J. Palacio.  What a wonderful story as well as motto that all students need to remember.

Our outside cases include "Characters Welcome" and "Lasso up a Good Book".  After we celebrated Western day at the Elementary we realized how many good cowboy books that we needed to display.  Many students have commented on Woody being in the case HOWDY PARTNER!

4th Grade Speed Reviews

Years ago when I was at a Library conference I heard about an idea called "Speed Reviews".   This is where a student does a 1 minute book talk about the chapter book they just read.  The goal is to get other students interested in their book so they might want to check that book out. One of the benefits to a "Speed Review" is that the student only has to give the review to one person and not have to stand in front of the class, I think it makes the presenter more at ease.

The 4th graders were given 5-6 weeks to read a chapter book, write a detailed synopsis of the book and print the book cover and title to use as a visual aid.  The students only have 1 minute to try and "sell" their book to their friend.  As I walked around the room I was able to quickly tell which students finished their book and were able to tell about it.  I had quite a few quality speed reviews this year, just a different way to do a book report.

Dr Seuss Celebration

This year for Read Across America Day in March we celebrated by having the students play a "Cat in the Hat Guessing Game" on CNN (our weekly news show). We took pictures of staff at the Elementary (custodian, secretary, principal, special teachers, etc.)  that all students come into contact with.  The staff wore a cat in the hat hat and held a book over their face, so only their eyes were showing.  Then the class had to guess who the "Cat" was.  After turning their guesses into the library, they were given a stack of "Dr. Seuss" bookmarks to celebrate the day. Fun was had by all.

           







 Martin Luther King Day of Service


Today Crete Elementary celebrated Martin Luther King's Day of Service. It was a super neat experience for the school community.  We have been gathering canned food for 2 weeks to be donated to our local food bank. We also spent part of our afternoon tying fleece blankets to be given away to families in need. Our school came together at the end of the day to celebrate our service to others.  With 150 blankets spread on the gym floor, and 1480 cans of food towering in the center our school celebrated the gift of giving.  Each student was given a t-shirt in honor of MLK. I was proud to be part of such a giving school. Way to go Crete Elementary!