What we read Jan 12-16

Just a few of the books we read this week in the library!  The Kindergarteners are learning about Eric Carle.  The 2nd graders were studying books that were Caldecott Medal winners (A Sick Day for Amos McGee) and 1st and 3rd heard books that author Mac Barnett has written.  What a fun week in the library!

Why Students Should Choose Their Own Books

According to the book, Reading in the Wild, by Donalyn Miller:

It is important for students to self-select their own reading material because it:

• Allows students to value their decision-making ability
• Fosters their capacity to choose appropriate literature
• Gives them confidence and a feeling of ownership
• Improves reading achievement
• Encourages them in becoming lifelong readers  

page 46.

The First Week Back

We had a great first week back from Break.  We kept it slow this week and reminded the students of library procedures and allowed plenty of time for them to browse and check out books.

For the month of January, Kindergarten  classes will be studying author and illustrator Eric Carle.  We discussed his use of collage in his books and read Have You Seen My Cat? and then watched (and sang!) this video:




1st and 2nd are reviewing library procedures.  Second grade is also starting to study Caldecott Award winning books.  We'll be comparing and contrasting illustration in books that have won the award over the years.

3rd - 5th grade will be voting on their favorite Texas Bluebonnet book at the end of this month so we are discussing those books.   We are also discussing what it means to be a "wild reader" (based on Donalyn Miller's book, Reading in the Wild) and how we can become "wild readers".

A Visit From the Fort Worth Vaqueros

We had a blast in the library today!

Two players, and the coach, from the Fort Worth Vaqueros soccer team stopped by.  They read to the students, answered questions, and signed autographs.  They even played in a quick game of soccer with some students and teachers!  

It was a great experience for the students and a wonderful way for the community to be active in our school.

Having Fun in the Library

The past two weeks have been a lot of fun in my library (but really, everyday is fun when you work in a library!). 

We celebrated National Talk Like a Pirate Day (September 19) with a visit from some pirates via Google Hangout; we also connected with the other two elementary schools in my district so all the kids could participate.

After some pirate poetry, the students participated in an extension activity such as drawing themselves as a pirate:

 

This week, I received my books from DonorsChoose.   I asked for high interest, popular books for my library because I have over 800 students come through my library in a week.  I just can't keep these popular books on the shelves and I want my students to have every opportunity to read.  I am humbled that people have donated to my "cause" (encouraging my students to read) and very thankful.  This week my students and I will be writing thank you notes to our donors and I will take pictures of them reading our new books!

Why This Shelf Looks Good to Me!

This is one of the 

display shelves in my library.  

Looks good, doesn't it?!  

Let me tell you about this shelf.  

Steve is in charge of this shelf. 

For the uninitiated, Steve is the good guy from the game Minecraft.  (see Steve to the right).  

Steve likes to read and he wrote a quick, 3 sentence review of the book, The Gollywhopper Games by Jody Feldman.  He gave it 4 out of 5 stars.  He then placed the review and the book on this shelf.  Soon, 4th and 5th grade students noticed and asked if they could write their own reviews.  Of course!!  Once the review and the book go on display, the books are quickly checked out by other students who want to see if they agree with the book review.

That's why I'm happy this shelf is empty.  My students are taking the initiative to write a short book review and post it on the Steve Shelf.  Other students see that the book is interesting and they check it out! *doin my happy dance*

It's Coming Together!

I spent the week working in my library, specifically, genrefying the library.  With some help, I was able to get all of the Fiction section arranged by genre.  Here are some pics:

The signage indicates which genre you are looking at.  

This is the beginning of the Adventure section.

This is the beginning of Animal Stories.

This is the beginning of the Humor books.

     Sorting the Fiction books by genre has been a great way for me to get to know the collection in my library and to see some gaps in the collection that I need to start filling.  

     I think that genrefying the Fiction section will empower students.  They can now walk into the library and have a better idea of what kind of book to check out.  This also helps me guide them toward a genre (if you like Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, you might like Timmy Failure).  It's a way for students to feel like they are part of the library--no longer will they walk in, look at all the books, and ask, "What should I read?" or "Where are the scary books?"  I can now point to the Scary section.

I have worked in other libraries that have genrefied and it has been a huge success.  The students prefer the library laid out this way and they are quick to recommend books to other students, "I just finished Dragon Slayers Academy.  You should try that one."

I also started decorating the Reading Area:

I'm hoping that this will be a comfortable, relaxing space in the library where students and teachers can hang out and enjoy a book.