Check It Out

Okay, I have bugged them for months about reprinting. Have had friends on board and ta-dah!

It’s reprinted!! And mine is ordered (oh, I ordered one last time and got the WRONG size).  You can go to Threadless.com.

Happy Reading.

MsMac

Ahh, here it is the end of April and Silver Star is back on schedule.  The state assessment testing is complete except for a few make-up tests. The weather has been wonderful.

The end of April means May is here.  I try very hard not to think that I have only “___” more times with each class.  It does creep in. I panic and think, “oh no, I haven’t done this or this or this.”

Kindergarten will be hearing Stella Louella’s Runaway Book by Lisa Campbll Ernst and/or And the Dish Ran Away with the Spoon by the Steven sisters: Janet and Susan. Love these books. We will act them out a bit.  This will take the next two weeks when I swap books between the four classes.

First grade is continuing to explore nonfiction and its features. I like using the 500’s as that where most students are interested.

Second gradeis will investigate the children’s encyclopedia.

How to get third graders transitioning to other chapter books? Provide a spring reading challenge with a chance to vote on a favorite.  I am introducing several titles.

Fourth and fifth grade are a tad bit behind. The looks on their faces during the last two weeks said it all, worn out from thinking hard on the assessment tests.

I used the time to read to them (something they don’t get a lot of in library these days).   I read from  2008 Sasquatch Reading Award nominees and the Young Readers’ Choice 2008 nominees.  Have you read M.T. Anderson’s Whales on Stilts? Quirky but kids seemed engaged in the story. Of course, I always worry if guards shooting at the main characters (who are children) makes for a good read aloud.  I mean, in my head they see more violence on television on at the movies but would you hear about it if a teacher read that out loud. Seems like a double standard in a way.

So we will pick it up again, tall tales for the fourth graders and creating new shelf holders for the fifth graders.

I just received and email Robin Brande. I won chocolate. Oh, yum!  I also managed to write a poem a day at my personal blog, Deowriter.

Happy Reading.

MsMac

The young poets took photos for inspiration.  Here are some that they took, thanks to my new tech, Photo Story

poetryinmotion1.wmv

Here are poems from the remaining poets in the club.

Red
Flower
PrettyFlowers
Red flower
Smells like spring
They are quiet but bubble
They are sitting in a vase starting to grow
–Courtney, 4th Grade

The Glass Owl 

Its big, clear eyes
Glow in the daylight 
The other owls
Fly with their furry wings 
The sharp talons of the glass owl
Feels like something
Or someone
Scratched my face Hard 
After it lands back in the cupboard 
I walk away
–Hannah, 2nd Grade

I see a purple flower
In the springtime
I pick it up and I smell it
And I bring it in my house
And I say to my brother
“Oh what a beautiful day.  It is OK!”   
–Jasmin, 2nd Grade

Sunshine 

A flower as bright as sun
Telling me “good morning!”
With the petals of the flower 
-Jenna, 1st Grade

Yellow
Green
Clear vase
Two yellow flowers
They are sitting in the vase
The vase is as clear as a window
–Makayla, 3rd Grade

My New Baby

Small
Tiny
Growing like nature
In my mother’s stomach
Coming in August
–Sabrina, 3rd Grade

There the dragonfly sits
Still and alone
Stares at you with its
Big, beady eyes.
It leaves a shadow on the ground
Looks just like a miracle
But by the time you look at it
Twice
It’s gone
–Sophia, 4th Grade

Ferns surround
A silent fairy
Hidden from people
Another fairy
Sits surrounded by
Blue-violet petals.
–Tasha, 4th Grade

The Library Flower

Red
Green
Pretty flower
In the library
I love the pretty look
I love the way the leaves flop gently
–McKenzie, 3rd Grade

Aren’t these delightful?  It is April 27. Three days left of National Poetry Week. I have written 27 poems for the month and am within 3 of accomplishing my goal to write a poem a day.  You can read my poems at Deo Writer.

Happy Reading.

MsMac

I can’t figure out how to do the embedding of my daemon. Go here and see if it fits me: 

 http://www.goldencompassmovie.com/?30374

Family Library Night is not new. What is new is a way to present activities in the library. This short clip is about our “Read to Jessie the Dog.”  Jessie is a golden retriever therapy dog. She visit libraries , schools along with hospitals.  Jessie and her owner, Joyce come to Silver Star on the first and third Wednesday of the month during school.  Students sign up to read to Jessie.

jessie-the-library-dog.wmv

 I hope that Jessie will continue to visit Silver Star next year. She is a great addition to our evenings.

Hopefully you will see more slides or video clips here at “Check It Out” in the future.  That’s what’s new this Wednesday.

Happy Reading,

MsMac

What book would like to re-read or have re-read and tell me why?

This is this week’s question. 

Ethan, 4th grade would re-read Monkey Island by Paula Fox because this kids tries to find his mom and he survives in the city.

The Gordon Korman series, On the Run and Kidnappedare a hit with Igor, 4th grade. he has gotten tips in what to do if he is in that situation. He also liked the fun and adventure of the books. 

Shredderman: Secret Identityby Wendelin Van Draanen is a hit for re-read by several kids. Samson, 5th grade, says he likes mysteries and have liked them since he was five years old.  Zachery, 4th grade likes the secret agent factor and taking photos with the backpack.

Cassi, 5th grade, would re-read Holes by Louis Sachar. She like the use of flashbacks in the story.

Connor, 3rd  grade,  likes Strega Nonaby Tomie De Paola for the lesson it teaches.

Mother Reader, I found a Edward Tulane fan in Hallie, 5th grade. She loves the interesting story and thinks it is awesome. I am handing her Toys Go Out: Being the Adventures of a Knowledgeable Stingray, a Toughy Little Buffalo, and Someone Called Plastic by Emily Jenkins. Maybe I can get her to compare the two.

Jordan,  5th grade, wants to re-read Green Eggs and Hamby Dr. Seuss. He thinks the book conveys the message to try something before you say you don’t like it.  It is also a fabulous rhyming story in his mind.

A couple of teachers chimed in:

Mr Yates, 5th grade would re-read Lao Tzu Tao Te Ching .
Mr Baker has Myths to Live By  by Joseph Campbell on his re-read list.

My favorite this week?  From Kayla, 4th grade: She re-read Geronimo Stilton: The Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye because the “lady that checks out books picked it out for her.”  That would be my fabulous assistant, Mrs. Starr.

What’s on your nightstand?

Happy reading.

MsMac

The 13th Carnival of Children’s Literature is posted over at Jen Robinson’s.  There is an awful lot of good reading. 

Drama club had a rehearsal on Saturday. After the break, I asked them if they could go back in time, who would they like to be.  The answers ranged from a knight during King Arthur, being on the Oregon Trail, a person who worked in a lighthouse, now considered on of the gohosts to seven years ago when my father still lived with us.  The responses were fascinating.  Me? I would have liked to travel to the time when my great-grandfather worked on a three masted schooner.

I met up with my book club friends last night. We feasted on Cuban cuisine in honor of our book Waiting for Snow in Havana by Carloe Eire.  It is the first time in a while that all nine of us were in attendance. Great company, discussion, and food.

This week is week two of our state assessment tests. We will pick up from last week where we left off in our studies. I adjusted some classes because the look on their faces when as they came to the library said, “we need a break.”

Happy Reading.

MsMac

I facilitated an after school activity over the last month or so. Students from first through fourth grade stayed to write poetry.   We used cameras taking photos as inspiration.  A public poetry reading was held during Family Library Night this past Wednesday.  For this Friday and next, I will be sharing their poems.
Shadows
Cool
They’re clear
They follow you
Shadows come out with the sun
Shadows like to follow you like the sun 
-Courtney, 4th Grade

Green
Plant
With stems
I like them
Plant and green pretty too
They are nice
They are fun to us 
-Alison, 1st Grade

Two baby owls
With flowers right behind them.
Sitting togetherJust brother and sister
Listening to the sound
Of the wind rushing through the sky
In the light of the dawn. 
-Alyssa, 4th Grade

Leaves
Leaves green
Red is blossom
Petals that shine like glass
The flower reminds me of outside
In spring 
-Ashlyn, 1st Grade 

It’s raining softly
Through the sky
Not a word is spoken in the world 
-Clare, 1st Grade

People standing in the
Garden 
Four people standing
Near the Garden smelling
The one
Sweet smell
The End
-Connor, 3rd Grade

The Leaf Window 
I see a window through the leaves
Dirt window
Showing through  
-Denae, 3rd Grade

So fun. Stay tuned for next week. Happy Reading.

MsMac

Flotsamby David Wiesner.

How to follow up after weeks of reading to decide the Washington Children’s Choice Award? Read Flotsam, this year’s Caldecott Award.

I shy away from wordless books with library classes. Often too difficult to see the visual details.  Not with Flotsam, however. From the front jacket flap (which reads like a poem) to the back (great little bio and photo of the author), students were engaged in this book.

The book provides so many opportunities for discussion. A favorite of mine is the vocabulary. I grew up in southern California. I went to the “beach”. My cousins live at the “shore” in New Jersey (a favorite place of the author’s, the shore). In Oregon, we go to the “coast”.

The book begs to be lingered over with its many visual details.  I especially like the sense of time that Wiesner creates as the boy is waiting for the film to be developed.  The six segments are perfect for students to guess what is going on.  There is also the seven segments, later in the book, after the camera is thrown back into the water. Seven continents, seven days, or seven seas? Classes had fun speculating.

A student came up to me during book check-out.  “I found a flotsam at the coast this weekend,” said she.

So glad I decided to share this award book and not fear the wordless factor.

Happy Reading.

MsMac

This week’s “Tuesday Tidbits: What We Are Reading” is about the readers’ choice contest which have just finished up with tallying votes.  Silver Star participates in four events.

For Kindergarten through third grade, we participate in the Washington Children’s Choice Picture Book Award.  Students have twenty picture books read to them over the course of ten weeks.  They vote for their favorite book. Silver Star usually corresponds with the top five selected by the voting statewide.  Some years the titles may be in the top five but not in the same order. This year we did agreed with the state on the top two.

            Silver Star fourth and fifth graders have plenty of opportunities to participate in readers’ choice programs.  We sponsor both the Young Readers’ Choice Awards and Washington State Sasquatch Award. 

            This year, we narrowed the field for both contests by selecting four titles from each list and creating an Evergreen Reader’s Choice Award.  This brainchild was that our Pat Barber, librarian at Riverview Elementary

    I loved this take on the two contests. For the first time in many years, I was able to read all eight titles and then filled in the rest of the titles.   The participation of student readers went up. (More on getting reading contests to work this Thursday).  Silver Star was on the money for choosing the favorite book with the Evergreen Readers’ Choice.

    The sneaky part of all this is that not only could students vote for our district award but also the two bigger readers’ choice programs.  In addition, students read from the other titles as well so it was win-win for everyone.

Happy Reading.

MsMac