Leprechauns in the Library?

This week, 1st graders had a chance to go on a leprechaun hunt in the library. They were split into groups and given sets of clues. The clues led them around the library, each clue leading to another clue, and ultimately, to a prize for each group! The leprechauns left behind stickers and dum-dum suckers in secret locations. 

This was a fun activity, but also a great way to use our reading and listening skills, problem solving strategies, and our navigation skills in the library. By doing the activity, students were able to remember where the fiction section is, where the nonfiction section is, where certain books with favorite characters are located, etc. 

When God Made You

I have been participating in a program called Blogging for Books. I receive free books to review. I read them and blog about them! This has been a fun new way to add books to our library collection and to provide feedback to authors and publishers. One drawback to the Blogging for Books site is that there aren't always a lot of children's books to choose from, so that has been a bit limiting. 

This month, the book I received to review is called When God Made You by Matthew Paul Turner, illustrated by David Catrow. Some sixth grade students and I worked together to read the book and submit a review for Blogging for Books.

The students loved the inspirational message of the story. They said it made them feel special and important. Henry said, "It makes you feel like you can make a difference in the world." Elena said, "It was so truthful, about how God loves you and made you unique." Students enjoyed the vibrant illustrations and the whimsical animals and birds. 

The students found parts of the story to be a bit repetitive, and said that this would make a good bedtime story because it is rhyming and soothing. They said that it seemed to be for an audience younger than them. They said they'd recommend for toddlers through early elementary school. 

We thought the book was uplifting with a good message and fun artwork. 

Book of the Week: Draw 50 Sea Creatures

Welcome back to the 2017-2018 school year! We have been having so much fun in the library that we haven't had as much time to update the blog. One of the new endeavors the library is participating in is receiving preview books. We have been receiving some books from publishers and the students have been providing feedback! This is a fun way for students to share their ideas about books with audiences outside of the school. 

We received the book Draw 50 Sea Creatures from Blogging for Books. We have many of the "Draw 50" books and the students love them! The students will be very excited to draw sharks, stingrays, dolphins, and more. The book gives step-by-step directions for drawing each creature. When I've asked kids about the other "Draw 50" books, they've said the directions are easy to follow and make drawing fun!
We look forward to using this in our library!

Letters to Authors

Apologies for not updating more recently. We've been so busy around here! Recently, the third graders wrote letters to their favorite authors. We haven't done this activity in previous years, and I'm glad we did this year. This was a great activity. Students learned how to write a friendly letter, how to address an envelope, how to search for an author's address, and learned that many publishing companies are in New York. 

They wrote letters to Raina Telgemeier, Jeff Kinney, Tom Watson, and Rachel Renee Russell, to name a few! 

Life-Size Leaders

February was Black History Month, and as a research project, middle school students selected an African American leader to research. They learned about the leader's early life, career, achievements, later life, and more. We used books, as well as online databases and websites, for research. This was a good opportunity to discuss credible resources, avoiding plagiarism, and note-taking skills. After taking notes, students wrote a paper about their leader, and created a "life size" model of the person. We put them up in the hallway, and they've been really popular! Students love to stop in the hallway and look at them, and read about the lives of these leaders. 

Blind Date with a Book

Sorry for the lack of updates lately. We've been busy! On Valentine's Day, students participated in a "Blind Date with a Book." It was really fun. Here's how it worked: I wrapped up some books in plain brown paper and wrote the book's barcode on the outside. I also wrote what the book was "seeking" for a reader. Then I set up the wrapped books on a "Blind Date" table with balloons, a sign, and a heart plaque. 

The kids thought it was funny, but most importantly, they were excited to check out books. 

Book of the Week: This Journal Belongs to Ratchet

This review brought to you by Sylvia. 

Are you looking for a great book? Well you've found one. This Journal Belongs to Ratchet by Nancy Cavanuagh is great for readers 8-12. It's an amazing story about a girl named Ratchet who thinks that she has a pretty bad life. No mom, no friends, and a crazy dad. This book is an example of epistolary writing, where you use different formats of writing and letters to tell a story. Ratchet and her dad work on cars together, her dad is a mechanic and an environmentalist. His caring about the environment gets him community service. He gets in trouble again and has to pick up garbage on the side of the road. All in saving Moss Tree Park. Ratchet decides to help too, but soon more trouble comes. What will happen next? Will Ratchet ever be normal? Find out in This Journal Belongs to Ratchet.