Grades PreK3-1
Guiding Question: How do we behave in the library? What are the correct library procedures we follow?
To answer these questions, we played "I'm a Librarian!" Students took turns wearing reading glasses and acting like a librarian and then acting like a library patron. Students acted out skits of good and bad library behavior. They loved scolding each other for actions like leaving books on the floor, and loved praising each other for actions like returning unwanted books on the "return" cart and saying "please" and "thank you."
Grade PreK 3, PreK, Kindergarten
Highly detailed illustrations by Steven Kellog make this picture book a winner. We talk about what "details" are and pause along the way to notice lots of interesting details in each picture as we read the story. After reading, we sing the song together!
Bear's friends help him stay awake for Christmas this year so he doesn't sleep through all of the fun. They string popcorn, find a Christmas tree, bake fruitcake to introduce bear to all of their holiday traditions. Even though he wants to doze off, bear stays up! Will he be able to stay up to see Santa? This is a warm story about friendship and the fun of celebrating Christmas.
Grade 1:
This funny story is about a duck who's on his way to find Santa. Before starting out, he dons a red and white cap and coat. As he walks along, all of the other animals stop to ask for their Christmas wishes. The turtle wants a race car, the squirrel wants cases of nuts and a shovel...speech bubbles allow the characters' voices to shine through. Finally, the duck bumps into the real Santa, and he finds himself caring less about his own wishes and more about the wishes of his friends. Funny story with a great message.
Grade 2
Guiding Questions: What are the two parts of a story's setting? (Place and Time) How do we find information in an atlas?
We are continuing with our study of continents, this time reading a story set in South America. Students continued to practice finding information in an atlas by using the index and their skimming and scanning skills.
A logger is instructed to cut down a great Kapok tree in the Amazon rain forest. But before he completes the task, he falls asleep. While sleeping, many creatures who live in the tree speak to him and try to convince him not to cut the tree down. With so many animals, birds, bugs, and amphibians' well-being at stake, we hope he will take their advice. Gorgeous illustrations make this a particularly special book about conserving the earth's resources.
Grade 3
Students each practiced using the table of contents, glossary, index, and headings to learn about their developing country. Each child has a book from the Q&A series to use for the research project. We took notes from the book and wrote the bibliographic information using our "easy citation" forms.
Grades 4 and 5 are using their library class sessions as a reading workshop. Student have time to browse for books, read silently, practice their information-seeking strategies, and conference with their teacher.
