Welcome back from spring break! I hope everyone had a great time over the vacation. We are off again for one more day--this Friday, April 18, there is no school.
On display in the library this week and next are books having to do with Earth Day. Please come by and check them out! Earth Day is next Tuesday, April 22. It is an international event focused on caring for the environment.
This week TK will be hearing books about plants; K, about the rainforest; grade 1, about bees and honey; and grade 3, about a museum's effort to care for a featherless penguin. Grades 4 and 5 continue with their novels.
As always, we'll be doing some discussion and activities about our readalouds. Grades K and 1 will contrast the fiction readalouds with nonfiction books on the same topics. Grade 3 will do a "research methods quiz" to "win" a chance to watch a funny 2-minute video from the BBC that raises the question of internet reliability.
With grades 4 and 5 I have been working on our readaloud novels for a long time! Benefits have been exposure to some quality writing, discussions we have had regarding theme and character, anticipation and problem-solving about these books' engaging plots, and pure enjoyment--almost all the students really seem to look forward to hearing these books during library time.
If you have a fourth- or fifth-grader, you might find it interesting to ask your student about the book he or she is hearing during library time. For grade 4, the selection is When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead, which was awarded the Newbery Medal in 2010. Possible questions might be, Who is leaving the notes for Miranda? Is the "laughing man" important--why or why not? Does detail matter in this story? Is Miranda fair to her mom? Why doesn't Sal want to be Miranda's friend anymore?
For grade 5, the selection is Schooled, by Gordon Korman. What does your student think of Capricorn Anderson? Does this book make it seem likes it is hard to be an outsider, to be different? Will Cap return to his old life at Garland Farm or will he stay at Claverage Middle School? Are there any characters in the book that you admire? Although the book is meant to be funny, does it depict bullying in a realistic or thought-provoking way?
On display in the library this week and next are books having to do with Earth Day. Please come by and check them out! Earth Day is next Tuesday, April 22. It is an international event focused on caring for the environment.
This week TK will be hearing books about plants; K, about the rainforest; grade 1, about bees and honey; and grade 3, about a museum's effort to care for a featherless penguin. Grades 4 and 5 continue with their novels.
As always, we'll be doing some discussion and activities about our readalouds. Grades K and 1 will contrast the fiction readalouds with nonfiction books on the same topics. Grade 3 will do a "research methods quiz" to "win" a chance to watch a funny 2-minute video from the BBC that raises the question of internet reliability.
With grades 4 and 5 I have been working on our readaloud novels for a long time! Benefits have been exposure to some quality writing, discussions we have had regarding theme and character, anticipation and problem-solving about these books' engaging plots, and pure enjoyment--almost all the students really seem to look forward to hearing these books during library time.
If you have a fourth- or fifth-grader, you might find it interesting to ask your student about the book he or she is hearing during library time. For grade 4, the selection is When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead, which was awarded the Newbery Medal in 2010. Possible questions might be, Who is leaving the notes for Miranda? Is the "laughing man" important--why or why not? Does detail matter in this story? Is Miranda fair to her mom? Why doesn't Sal want to be Miranda's friend anymore?
For grade 5, the selection is Schooled, by Gordon Korman. What does your student think of Capricorn Anderson? Does this book make it seem likes it is hard to be an outsider, to be different? Will Cap return to his old life at Garland Farm or will he stay at Claverage Middle School? Are there any characters in the book that you admire? Although the book is meant to be funny, does it depict bullying in a realistic or thought-provoking way?
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