Musical Bean Bags!

It's Back-to-School week and many middle and high school English classes are coming to choose new books! Whoo-hoo!

To follow our "Summer Reads" promotion, I wanted to do something with the song "Summer Breeze." It seemed like a version of "Musical Chairs" would work well.

I wanted the activity to...
1) Expose students to various high-interest titles
2) Build capacity for sustained reading
3) Practice book-choosing behaviors 
(read summary, read into the book, take some time!)

After Round 1: Two 'winners' (in red) chose books!

For this version of Musical Chairs, everyone always has a spot, but gradually people leave the game as they find a book they'd like to read longer. In each round, they have two books at their place to review and read for about 4-5 minutes. 

When the music is ON they dance around the area in one direction. When the music STOPS they sit at the nearest spot and read.

I needed 24 places to sit, one for each student, so I did 20 bean bags in parallel rows with two chairs on each end to 'contain' the scene. 

I didn't use only chairs because I felt students might choose to leave the game just to go sit in the bean bags. This way, if they decided to leave the game (yay, with a book!) they'd be choosing to leave their bean bag to go sit in a regular chair.

(I'm probably overthinking, but it's always all about the bean bags!)

Here's a slide with the directions. The Spotify logo clicks over to a "Summer Reads" playlist. 

This activity is super fun the first time, but probably not great to repeat over and over. Still, it was easy to set up, the kiddos enjoyed it, AND, best of all, many went home with one of the books I picked out!

Some details:
We played three rounds which allowed time for free-range browsing and checking out at the end.

When someone exited the game, I added another title to their spot from a backup stack, so the whole thing took 72 books (48 to start + another 24 as backup) plus more for other classes. 

I did the activity for all grades who wanted to come and pulled books of various levels within that age band (middle grade or young adult).

Titles at each spot were paired to be appealing to a boy or a girl. (In general, I find that girls read anything and boys don't usually choose "girly" covers).

Library Orientation as "Interval Training"

At the beginning of the year, grade 9 Foundations classes

Quick! Get those Deweys in order!

completed an "interval training" to learn about using the library. 

The goal: Work in teams to figure out all of the amazing ways the library and its services can help them during the year.

The other goal: No teacher talk!

Here's the doc with handouts for each station and an overview of the lesson. It's a full period (70 minutes) but could easily be broken up into several mini-lessons.

Students document each skill with smartphones and social media. If students don't have phones, they can borrow an iPad and use their email to send their evidence to me.

Skills covered: (links go to station directions)
Finding areas in the library
Finding call numbers
Dewey order & Library Website
Using the catalog
Library in Your Pocket (Installing Destiny and other apps)
Using Resource Lists & QR codes

This is LOUD and lots of fun. 

All you need to do is set up each station as far apart as possible with the directions and any materials needed. I told students "No questions. Read the directions!" and actually did have some groups do it all on their own correctly (!) 

Book Talk Tuesday: Back to School Blues?

Even though students are usually excited to start school, there may be some trepidation about the year ahead: the new teachers, new friends, new challenges. Here are some picture books to put in the hands of those youngsters (and their parents) who are feeling nervous.

Get Out of Bed! by Robert Munsch, illustrated by Alan and Lea Daniel

Amy won't wake up on the first day of school. Everyone in her family tries to shout and rustle her up, but it's just not working. How will they get her to school? Move her bed into the classroom, that's how! And so the events of the school day carry on around her, as she dozes through. What will happen on day 2? Her classmates have the last laugh - that's for sure! Cartoony watercolor illustrations and a repetitive story pattern make this fun for kindergarten through grade 2.

I Hate School, by Jeanne Willis, illustrated by Tony Ross
This funny story-in-rhyme is similar to the popular "Black Lagoon" series. Our main character hates school for the wildest possible reasons: the teacher is a "warty toad"  and children are fed "rabbit poo" at lunch. But the surprise ending here is not that she's making it all up...it's that she really likes it! This has a great bouncing beat, and expressive line-drawn watercolors add to the hilarity. Perfect for grades 1 through 3.

I'm Not Going to School Today, by Robie H. Harris, illustrated by Jan Ormerod
A little boy gets all ready for his first day of school the night before, but when he realizes he'll be leaving his stuffed monkey behind, he decides not to go. He announces that he's not going to school the next morning, and lists off all of the little anxieties that many youngsters can connect with. His parents suggest bringing "Hank", his monkey, to school to help them both feel less alone. As he meets his teachers and enjoys the various first day activities, he decides that school is lots of fun. Realistic double-page illustrations and the emphasis on being at school for the first time ever make this a good choice for PreK and Kindergarten.

Little Brown Bear Won't Go to School, by Jane Dyer
Little Brown Bear decides that he doesn't need to go to school and that he'd be happier having a job instead. But as he goes to various places around town he discovers that he doesn't have the skills he needs to do the work. He can't write, so he can't take orders at the diner. He can't measure and cut, so he can't help the carpenter. Every place he tries ends up causing big problems. Poor little bear...where will he be most successful? At school!
Charming watercolors emphasize the caring nature of all of the animals in the town. This is good for Kindergarten and Grade 1.

Welcome to the Library!

Poster by Elise

Welcome to the Library!

This week, we're bursting with excitement about greeting returning students and welcoming new youngsters to our school. 

The goal for everyone this week is to get into the ES Library groove: enjoy a good read-aloud, dig the space, and check out some books.

Library Policies everyone needs to know
We're open from 8:00 - 4:30
Children can check out books any day, not just on their library class day.
Early childhood (PreK3 - Kindergarten) may take TWO books at a time.
Primary (gr. 1/2) may take FIVE books at a time.
Upper elementary (gr. 3, 4, 5) may take TEN books at a time.
All students may have a maximum of ten books at home. 
Parents may check out books with their own library account, TEN at a time.
Parents may use the two computers in the front of the library when available.
Children may use the library after school WHEN accompanied by a parent or tutor.

We're sending home more details about everything our library has to offer, including passwords for our licensed resources such as Tumblebooks for read-along digital stories and PebbleGO for research by emerging readers. 

Our library website is loaded with lots of free websites, educational games, and content-related extension activities. 

Boredom Busters, in order of importance:

Read

Play outside

Eat an apple

...and if all that's been done...

Play on the library website!

Welcome Back to School!

Welcome back! 

I hope everyone had a wonderful summer full of fun and READING!

A few students sent along pictures of themselves reading this summer. Students, there's still time to send in your photo (sducharme at aisb dot hu) to be included in our summer reading slideshow.

Our teachers and staff have been SO busy this week getting their classrooms ready and setting up their classroom libraries. I stole a few minutes of their day to snap a picture of them holding a favorite book. I didn't get around to everyone yet, so stay tuned for the final version, coming at the end of our first week!

And, finally...if you want to have our library news delivered directly to your facebook news feed, please "like" us at AISB ES Library. I post book reviews, parent news, and fun book-related links and apps there.

The Library? What's it good for?

Week 2

Guiding Question for all: "What good is a library anyway?" 

Our youngest students learned words such as: librarian, check-in, return, and borrow. Our older students learned about ways they can find books on their own.

Here's the run-down of what we read together this week.

PreK 3 & 4

It's Library Day, by Janet Morgan Stoek

This is an early childhood book that explains the basics of the library: how to get there, why we go, what we do there, and how much we love it! Simple illustrations and text make this an excellent entry point into a discussion of how the library connects us to the books we love.

I Like Books, by Anthony Browne

This simple book is a terrific way to give children an idea of the variety of books in the library. It's simple and clear. The monkey likes lots of kind of books: "funny books and scary books"..."comic books and coloring books." As he gives examples of the books he likes, we raise our hands to show which are our favorites. Sweet watercolor and pencil illustrations and a crisp clean layout make this a pleasing way to introduce children to the wonderful world of books.

Kindergarten

I.Q. Goes to the Library, by Mary Ann Fraser

I.Q. (a mouse) gets to go to the library to choose a book for the first time. He learns all about the wonders of the library (puppets! computers!) and learns how books are organized and how to take care of them. But what he really cares about is finding the funny book the librarian read so he can take it home. We're all cheering when he finally gets the book and takes it home to read "until his eyes water and his tail curls." 

Baby Bear's Books, by Jane Yolen

Baby Bear loves to be read to, anytime, anywhere - he loves books! When he wakes up, he asks his mom to read to him, when it's nap time he wants to hear a story, at dinner time, and bedtime, and all the while he's so excited about that cozy feeling of snuggling up with a book. This sweet story with adorable watercolor illustrations of the bear family and their woodland home is good modeling for our little ones to read, read, read!

Grades 1 and 2 had another guiding question: "Do you think Mrs. Ducharme could be a library dragon?" 

Answer: Yes, she can.... if you RUN in the library! 

Grade 1

The Library Dragon, by Carmen Agra Deedy

Sunrise Elementary School has a dragon for a librarian. Whenever the kids come into the library she breathes fire on them! But when a little near-sighted girl comes in and starts READING out loud, even the dragon lady librarian's heart melts.

This is great as a read-aloud IF you create a super-mean voice for the library dragon.

Wild About Books, by Judy Sierra

In this story, a librarian drives her bookmobile (new concept there!) into a zoo. Imagine the fun that follows when all of the animals become 'wild' about books! This rhyming story is fun to read aloud because there are lots of details to talk about in the drawings and because many different types of books, characters, and titles are mentioned. For example, the otters "can't go to bed without their Harry Potters." Illustrations by Marc Brown add to the silliness.

Grade 2 

The Librarian From the Black Lagoon, by Mike Thaler (with DVD afterwards)

Everyone is deathly afraid of the school librarian - she's so evil, no one wants to go to the library. Creepy, heartless, and ugly as sin, Mrs. Beamster is a character we're not likely to forget. She's so mean, if she hears you whispering in the library you get LAMINATED. The DVD is even better, so we watch it after getting the gist of the story and it really comes alive for students.

Grade 3: A Peachy Project! 

Grade threes made "peach-grams" in preparation for a world-wide celebration of the publication of James and the Giant Peach, by Roald Dahl. 

We will send our peaches to third graders at the Van Meter School in Iowa. The students there have already sent theirs to us, and they should arrive soon! We hope our peaches will travel to five different schools in the US!

We will track our peaches, share photos, and "meet" our peachy friends via a shared blog created by the lead librarian of the project, Shannon Miller. 

While students cut and pasted their peach-grams, I read "Hairy Faces" from The Twits, by Dahl. Students listened for details that helped them visualize the gross and disgusting scene. Students are working on the reading strategy of visualization in their classrooms, reading Roald Dahl books with their teachers, and writing about Dahl.

Next week, students will practice reading their own "revolting" passages from various Dahl stories. PDF files of the passages are found on my wiki under "Authors."

Grade 4

Library Boot Camp! 

Three sessions to cover the basics of finding books. 

(That's 120 minutes total, soldier. Yes Ma'am!)

Session 1: Finding fiction

We used a Powerpoint presentation with a "quiz" to  identify the three types of fiction call numbers in our library. 

E = Everybody picture books

I = I-Can-Read beginning chapter books

jF/F = Junior Fiction chapter books.

Students practiced alphabetizing to the third letter, found books matching the three types of call numbers, and mastered identifying the three types of fiction books and their locations in our library. 

The powerpoint, quiz, and practice worksheet are found on my wiki under "How to Find Books."

Session 2: Destiny Quest basics. 

We reviewed some of the basic features of Destiny Quest: Resource Lists, helpful narrowing tools, the purpose of Title Peek, the "you might also like" feature, and "my list". Students applied why they had learned by using the catalog to answer several questions on this google form.

Session 3: Dewey!

We watched "Dewey Rap" to refresh our memory about the Dewey system. Then completed activities at two stations. At one, students practiced putting Dewey books in order using the online game Order in the Library. At the other, students practiced by using stacks of our own library books. Once they thought they were correct, they found the post-it notes in the back to check their answer.

Grade 5 will have their library boot camp next week. This week they used the library to browse for books and have reading workshop time with their teacher.

Welcome Back to School!

PreK 3, PreK 4, Kindergarten

Guiding Questions - Who is in our class? Who is our librarian? How do we know it's time to settle into our cozy story time?

Getting-to-know you song

I sing:

I'm Miss Sarah, I'm Miss Sarah

What's your name? What's your name?

(pause to hear name)

All sing:

Oh, his/her name is ____, Oh, his/her name is _____.

Super name! Super name! (thumbs up!)

(from Mailbox magazine, Fall 2011, Preschool issue, p. 33)

Settling into story time finger play:

Open and close hands...

Open Shut them

Open Shut them

Give a great big CLAP CLAP CLAP! (clap and sing loudly)

Open Shut them

Open Shut them

Lay them in your lap, lap, lap (tap lap and say each time more quietly)

PreK3 and PreK 4 stories

School, by Emily Arnold McCully

When Mama Mouse sees her children off to school, her littlest one sneaks off too - even though she's still too young. She takes an empty seat and listens to the math lesson, helps the teachers, and enjoys story time. But it quickly becomes clear that she's not ready for school the way the other mice are: she falls asleep! When Mama comes to pick her up she is SO happy to see her littlest mouse and we know that even though she's excited for school, it's not the right time yet. Those listening to the story make the connection: they ARE ready! The text is spare, keeping the focus on the emotions and making it easy for youngsters to follow. Full and double-page watercolors with no borders really bring us into the mouse world.

With this story, I use a little mouse stuffed animal to show "Bitty" sneaking away from home, into school, and other actions.

Kindergarten stories

Is Your Buffalo Ready for Kindergarten? by Audrey Vernick
This is a silly way to show that we ARE ready for kindergarten, or at least we're in MUCH better shape than this buffalo! He can't really use scissor, he's much larger than everyone else, and he makes a huge mess at painting time. Crayon and watercolor illustrations highlight the contrast between the buffalo and the perfectly well-adjusted children in the kindergarten class. 

Kindergarten Rocks! by Katie Davis

Dexter is pretty confident about entering kindergarten - at least he seems that way on the outside. But little clues along the way tell us that he's really not so sure. For example, his stuffed dog, Rufus, is "a bit scared" and worried he'll get lost. Who do we think is really worried: Rufus or Dexter? Dexter!

As he gets ready, he talks with his sister everything, and she assures him that everything will be fine. So it's a relief when we see him on the first day: fitting in, playing happily, and finding that even something like spilled milk is not a problem! The best part of his day? Going to the library, where he can "borrow a whole books all about shark guts or outer space and keep it practically forever." Yay!

After reading this story, I asked students if they'd like to meet the author/illustrator and they said YES! So, guess what? We WILL!

Grade 1 stories

Don't Be Silly Mrs. Millie!, by Judy Cox

The lucky students in this class have a teacher who keeps them on their toes and laughing all day long. At every transition, Mrs. Millie mis-speaks and the results are hilarious and encourage audience participation. She tells them, "Welcome, please come in and take off your GOATS." Her students correct her, "You mean our COATS!" Mrs. Millie says, "It's time to paint on the WEASEL" (No, Mrs. Millie, you mean the easle!)

Cartoony watercolor illustrations showing goats instead of coats, and a weasel instead of an easel make it even more silly. This is a great choice for grade 1+ since it gets everyone laughing and correcting the teacher.

How Do Dinosaurs Go to School?, by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague 

We might think that dinosaurs would be disruptive at school, and it's fun to imagine how they might cause big problems. Each illustration shows a different dino wreaking havoc in the building and supports the rhyming text that goes with it. For example, "When he gets to the school / does he roughhouse and punch? / Does he make a quick grab / for a classmate's packed lunch?"

But actually, these dinosaurs are MOST respectful and behave just as we'd like. They raise their hands, help others, and keep tidy desks! A fun way to introduce some classroom expectations and pique the interest of all of those dinosaur lovers out there!

Grade 2 stories

Go Home, Mrs. Beekman! by Ann Redsich Stampler

A promise is a promise, so when Emily's mom vows to stay with her at school for a million gazillion years, that's just what she plans to do. Even though Emily and her teacher are begging the mom to go, she stays true to her promise. When will Mrs. Beekman go home!? 

Grades 1+ will love Mrs. Beekman's ridiculous tricks to try to stay at school, but the message of not needing our parents during those first days is the one that sticks.

The Brand New Kid, by Katie Couric

This longer rhyming story makes a good reminder at the beginning of the year about the importance of including new students in a school. Here, a new boy is excluded at first, the main character and her friends finding him too different, too "weird" to invite to their lunch table and recess games. But when it becomes clear that he and his family are upset and worried about his lack of friends, the children make a change. They invite him to play dates, to school activities, and to join in group work. They discover that he's a perfectly delightful person - one they'd have missed knowing if they had continued to ostracize him.

Illustrated with colored pencil and watercolors, the serious topic feels light and breezy here with bouncing rhyme and upbeat pictures. A difficult task made do-able!

Grades 3 and 4 

Getting to know you game

I pass around a roll of toilet paper and invite students to take as many squares as they might need. When everyone has their squares, I tell them that for each square they took we want to hear one fact about them. Some kiddos told us as many as 11 facts!

Smelly Locker: Silly Dilly School Songs, by Alan Katz 

Well-known tunes are set to lyrics about all the grim realities of school. for Grade 3 I sang: "School Vacation"

for Grade 4 I sang: "Smelly Locker" and "Passing Notes"

Each song is short enough to sing through a couple of times and is accompanied by suitably silly colored pencil illustrations. 

Grades 3+ will appreciate the humor of this one.

Here's a sample from "I am in the Lunchroom" (to the tune of I'm a Little Teapot)

I am in the lunchroom, 

boy, I'm starved!

Wonder what kind of food they've carved.

Chicken, fish, or meat loaf? 

Maybe pork?

IT'S so hard it snapped my fork!

Grade 5

Students checked out with their teacher this week.

EVERYONE had a chance to check out books this week!

Book Talk Tuesday: The Back to School Sillies

There's no better way to break the ice during the first week of school than by reading some silly picture books together. Here are three of my favorites, with a link to more back to school stories and some good choices for preschool here.

In the comments: What's your favorite back to school story?

Go Home, Mrs. Beekman! by Ann Redisch Stampler

A promise is a promise, so when Emily's mom vows to stay with her at school for a million gazillion years, that's just what she plans to do. Even though Emily and her teacher are begging the mom to go, she stays true to her promise. When will Mrs. Beekman go home!? 

Grades 1+ will love Mrs. Beekman's ridiculous tricks to try to stay at school, but the message of not needing our parents during those first days is the one that sticks.

Don't Be Silly, Mrs. Millie! by Judy Cox

The lucky students in this class have a teacher who keeps them on their toes and laughing all day long. At every transition, Mrs. Millie mis-speaks and the results are hilarious and encourage audience participation. She tells them, "Welcome, please come in and take off your GOATS." Her students correct her, "You mean our COATS!" Mrs. Millie says, "It's time to paint on the WEASEL" (No, Mrs. Millie, you mean the easle!)

Cartoony watercolor illustrations showing goats instead of coats, and a weasel instead of an easel make it even more silly. This is a great choice for grade 1+ since it gets everyone laughing and correcting the teacher.

Smelly Locker and other Silly Dilly School Songs,by Alan Katz

If you are up for singing and want to get kiddos giggling from the first day, this is a fun choice. Well-known tunes are set to lyrics about all the grim realities of school. Some favorites include "Heavy Backpack" (sung to "Oh Susanna"), "Passing Notes" (to "The Alphabet Song"), and "I Don't Want to do Homework" (to "Take me out to the ballgame"). 

Each song is short enough to sing through a couple of times and is accompanied by suitably silly colored pencil illustrations. 

Grades 3+ will appreciate the humor of this one.

Here's a sample from "I am in the Lunchroom" (to the tune of I'm a Little Teapot)

I am in the lunchroom, 

boy, I'm starved!

Wonder what kind of food they've carved.

Chicken, fish, or meat loaf? 

Maybe pork?

IT'S so hard it snapped my fork!

Welcome to the AISB Library

We're ready for the new year! Here's an overview of our spaces and some information about our policies.

Here's a slide show explaining the sections of the library and showing some of our beginning of year displays.

Check-out:

Early Childhood - 2 books at a time, max of 10 at home

Grade 1-2: five books at a time, max of 10 at home

Grade 3-5: ten books at a time, max of 10 at home

Returns after two weeks with unlimited renewals unless the title is requested by another.

No fines for overdues. Lost books are charged at the replacement rate at the end of the school year or if the child withdraws from the school early.

Classes

Grades PreK 3 through 2 have fixed library classes once per week.

Grades 3-5 have an "embedded librarian." This means their teacher may choose to come once per week for regular check-out, but that library skills and lessons are taught in collaboration with the teacher as part of classroom units.

Hours: 8:00 am - 4:30 pm

Students are not allowed to stay after school unless they are enrollled in an after-school activity. Students may use the library after school when accompanied by a parent or tutor.