Lucas Library
2015-2016 Year-End-Report
Lucas Library Program - Every Student, Every Week
It has been a terrific year of literature and learning in the Lucas Library! Please take a moment to enjoy a brief recount of some pretty spectacular growth! The first part of this report shows some relevant library statistics, followed by a brief summation of learning by grade level. Be sure to note links to summer reading opportunities as well. Also, take a peek at the slideshows of student work and author events on our Library web page: www.edline.net/pages/robert_lucas_es/library Click on "Slideshows" under "Contents" on the right hand side.
Here are a few library usage statistics for the 2015-2016 school year.
Our kindergartners have come so far! They began the year learning how to care for books and now choose their own books from the shelves with a shelf stick. Students compared and contrasted different ways of telling the same folktales, learning how the setting can affect parts of the tale but leave us with the same lesson. In the fall, they learned parts of a book (cover, spine, title page, etc.) and now can name key parts of a nonfiction book (table of contents, headings, captions, labels, index, glossary). They can even show you where to find both fiction and nonfiction in the library! They learned how illustrations enhance a story during our Caldecott unit, and used technology to create their own illustrations in imitation of the book Stuck by Oliver Jeffers. They have begun checking out a just-right read every day (dot book) and are becoming enthusiastic readers! I hope our students will enjoy many books over the summer at the Iowa City Public Library.
1st Grade
First graders had a great year expanding on the basics of genres they learned in kindergarten. They checked out daily just-right reads (dot books) as well as their regular library books. The students loved our Read Around the World Unit, which allowed them to hear folktales from all over the world. After a review of fiction and nonfiction genres, the students enjoyed learning about two types of fiction: realistic and fantasy. They had so much fun going to BuildYourWildSelf.com to create their own realistic and fantasy characters. Now that our students are really making strides in reading independently, it is so important that they continue reading every day! I hope to run into you at the Iowa City Public Library this summer!
Links for 1st Grade
2nd Grade
Wow! Our second graders were so busy learning in the library! They now know how call numbers help us find things in the library and where the 3 letters on the bottom part of a call number come from (go ahead - ask your 2nd grader to do the dances for you!). They expanded their knowledge of folktales to learn about several types of folktales (cumulative, trickster, fables, noodlehead, pourquoi tales, and more!) and what makes folktales special (characters who are wise/foolish or good/evil, a setting that is not clear, and a theme or message for the audience). They also learned about biographies, what makes biography call numbers WEIRD, and even tried their hand at making art in the style of Henri Matisse's cut paper. They experienced a lot of poetry too, and ended the year by writing their own haiku, typing it into Power Point, and adding an image from iClipArt. We had such fun! Be sure to keep reading every day all summer long!
Links for 2nd Grade
A favorite biography about Henri Matisse
A Native American folktale that was good for some laughs!
We love ridiculous poetry!
3rd and 4th Grade Visiting Author
Newbery Honor Book, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
The third semi-autobiographical story of Grace Lin's family visit to Taiwan.
Thank you, Hills Bank, for our awesome T-shirts!
3rd & 4th Grade
Even after Grace Lin's visit, our third and fourth grade students kept busy in the library! They practiced using the library catalog to find books they'd like to read, then used the call numbers to help them locate the books. They spent several weeks reading for the Optimist Good Reader program, during which they learned about the genres of biography, poetry, realistic fiction, fantasy, historical fiction, folklore, and nonfiction as well as award-winning books. The final trimester was spent working on independent research projects in a collaborative effort between the classroom teachers and the library. Third graders learned about an animal of their choice, and they created Power Point presentations to show off their learning. Fourth grade students researched one of the 50 states and are holding a State Fair during the last week of school. Be sure to click on the slideshow links below to view their hard work!
3rd and 4th Grade Links
The Jean Gerig Award
Jean Gerig was the Lucas librarian for 9 years before her untimely death due to cancer. Every year the 5-6 grade students have the opportunity to read about 8 titles and vote for their favorite. The winner is announced the last week of school. This year's nominees are...
Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff
Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate
You Can't See the Elephants by Susan Kreller, Translated by Elizabeth Gaffney
Until I Find Julian by Patricia Reilly Giff
A Night Divided by Jennifer Nielsen
Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin
Stella by Starlight by Sharon Draper
Our 2016 Jean Gerig Award Winner is The War that Saved my Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley.
5th - 6th Grade
Our 5-6 grade students practiced keyboarding during library class times for several weeks this fall. 5th grade then applied their keyboarding skills while learning the basics of Microsoft Word (changing fonts, including the size and color; centering text; changing text alignment; using bullets and numbered lists; adding images). 6th grade learned Word last year, so this year they learned how to upload Word documents into Google Docs as well as create new Google documents. The 6th grade teachers used Google Docs and Google Classroom almost exclusively for classwork. Both grades did a full research project this year, which was a collaborative effort between the classroom teachers and the library staff. 5th grade researched an issue and wrote a persuasive speech with the assistance of the Speak-Up volunteers from Elder Learning Services. 6th grade research prepared them for the science fair. Most of the actual research was done with the classroom teachers, while our focus in the library was on choosing appropriate and reliable sources of information and creating bibliography citations in correct format. Both grades spent several library classes learning how to create a bibliography citation for a book and for a website. Though I can't say it was their favorite unit of study, they did learn a lot about creating bibliographies, the most important lesson being that Easybib.com is a great tool, but the students are responsible for making sure the information Easybib comes up with is correct! It was a busy year, and the skills they learned will be used throughout their academic career and life.