This is finally the official week of Pennekamp's Earth Day celebration, although in the library students have been hearing environmentally themed books throughout the month of April. Today (April 22) is Earth Day, which first took place way back in 1970 but has been consistently celebrated in the United States and elsewhere around the globe since 1990. The library has a superabundance of books promoting environmental awareness, so please come by if you'd like to pick up books for your family on any of the many topics that relate to Earth Day. Classes hearing about Earth Day in the library are kindergarten and grades 1, 2, 4, and 5. 

Grade 4 is continuing with guide words practice. Last week the students worked with the dictionary; this week is a little more challenging, as students are finding environmental topics in the encyclopedia, which requires not only using guide words but finding the correct volume of the encyclopedia as well. Congratulations to the first batch of winners of ice cream coupons, who were selected at random today during Mr. Romines's class visit.

Grade 3 is reviewing information literacy skills in preparation for state testing, and in accordance with the guidelines provided in the California Department of Education "Model School Library Standards."

May I again remind people of the Los Angeles Children's Film Festival, which is the coming two weekends. I'm hoping to make it up to Santa Monica for at least a couple of screenings!

The 5th-grade book club will meet on Friday, May 3, instead of this week. Several book club participants have asked for more time to read the book. The date of the meeting has no bearing on the due date of the students' book reports; please honor whatever due date your child's teacher has set.

The library will close at 1:30 on this Wednesday, as I must attend a districtwide meeting of library staff. Thanks for your understanding.

An exciting cultural event is coming up: The Los Angeles Children’s Film Festival will take place at the Aero Theatre from April 26 to May 5. The event is recommended for children aged 5 to 10, and of course their parents, too. Films from around the world will be shown, including big releases such as From Up on Poppy Hill, by Hayao Miyazaki and Goro Miyazaki (Japan); smaller films, including The Painting, in which paintings literally come to life (France), and Cinderella Moon, a very different telling of "Cinderella" based on the oldest version of the story (China); as well as programs composed of various short films. Come and explore the world of films made for children beyond what Hollywood has to offer. The Aero is a smaller old-fashioned theater and these films will no doubt sell out, so purchase your tickets beforehand!

This week in the library we continue with Earth Day themes. DK, kindergarten, 1st, 3rd, and 5th are hearing books about the natural world and our relationship to it.

DK and kindergarten are hearing books about insects and the rain forest, respectively, to support their in-class study of these topics. Grade 1 is looking at the differences between fiction and nonfiction, with reference to books about planting trees. (This fulfills CDE MSLS 1.3.g.) In addition to Earth Day on April 22, all fifty states celebrate Arbor Day around now—in California, it is observed for a whole week in March; in Maine, it’s not until May; but most states celebrate Arbor Day on the fourth Friday in April.) Grade 3 is considering the unexpected impact of the Chinese “Sparrow War,” as described in Sparrow Girl, by Sara Pennypacker. Grade 5 is hearing the very inspiring story of inventor William Kamkwamba, whose story is told in The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer. We will also watch the trailer for an upcoming film about Kamkwamba as well as a clip of  him giving a brief “Ted Talk.”

Grade 2 is either reviewing reference materials in preparation for the upcoming state testing (Fletcher & Smith), or hearing a "Cinderella" version in support of in-class work on fairy tales (Barney & Moriyama); whichever each class is hearing this week, we will do the alternative next week. Grade 4 has begun an activity to practice using guide words. This week the students are having a lot of fun looking up words in the dictionary and hoping to be the lucky winner of a free ice cream coupon! In the coming weeks they will work with the encyclopedia and the atlas.

The next book club book is Crunch, by Leslie Connor. Although I have sold out of the copies I had for purchase, the Manhattan Beach branch of the County of Los Angeles Public Library has plenty of copies to check out. Please ask for one at the reference desk. Thanks to {pages: a bookstore} for providing me with discounted copies. By the way, Tom Angleberger, author of the immensely and deservedly popular Origami Yoda books will be speaking at {pages} this Sunday. Advance tickets are required.

Please note the library will be closed Friday as I will be out of town. Sorry for the inconvenience.

I hope everyone had a nice spring break! We are beginning the "home stretch" of the school year, as we now go straight through until June without a lengthy vacation. Good luck, parents and students alike!

At this point in the year my thoughts turn to the upcoming STAR testing. This week tudents in grades 2 and 5 will review concepts relating to the use of books, especially reference books. These topics are also featured in the California Department of Education "Model Standards for School Libraries." More to the point, the information we will be discussing is simply important for students to know--the parts of a book, how to locate and use an index and glossary, the purpose of the five most-used reference books (dictionary, thesaurus, atlas, encyclopedia, and almanac), and how to use guide words to find things in many reference materials.

Other classes will be hearing stories about curricular topics: insects, for DK/TK; the rain forest, for kindergarten; endangered animals, for 3rd grade; and the Gold Rush, for 4th grade. Throughout the month of April students will be hearing books in honor of Earth Day, which is April 22. On the topic of animal conservation, grade 1 this week will hear Tarra & Bella: The Elephant and Dog Who Became Best Friends, by Carol Buckley.

Looking ahead, the library will be closed on April 19, as I must travel out-of-town that weekend. I apologize for the inconvenience and will make every effort to reschedule classes that usually come to library on Friday.