April and May in the Library
What's Happening?
Pre-Kindergarten Classes
Mrs. Burkhardt's Pre-Kindergarten classes are doing a fantastic job returning their books and choosing new ones to share with their families each week! These 4- and 5-year-olds are so excited to come to the library and are polite and considerate when they visit. They are well on their way to becoming wonderful users of the Warrensburg libraries!
Kindergarten Classes - April
If you look in the library at Warrensburg Elementary, you won't see children running around, crawling through the shelves, and throwing books. You WILL see students using their walking feet and inside voices. The Kindergarteners are on a mission to help our library's Shelf Elf, Skoob, earn the Golden Shelf Award. To do this, they're choosing to use their library manners, learning how to care for books, and helping to keep our library clean and neat. Students are also learning which books will help us to learn new facts (dictionaries, atlases, nonfiction, and fiction)! Some of the books we've read to learn about the library are listed below.
Kindergarten Classes - May
In May, Kindergarten Classes will continue to learn how to use computers and will be introduced to databases to help them research. These 5 and 6-year-olds will become experts at using PebbleGo, which they'll use to learn facts and read nonfiction about different animals. They'll use new research skills, including pulling out the main idea, and taking notes to learn as much as they can about their different animals.
Mrs. Wick's 1st Grade Class
The pros are back at it! Mrs. Wick's class started the year out visiting the library to work on the computers way back in September. Fast forward to May, and they've become whizzes at logging onto the computer and using the library's website. This month, they'll be using their skills to do research different animals in PebbleGo. The research process will be scaffolded for them as they are instructed on how to focus on the main idea, and take notes on a graphic organizer. Their final project will be an informational piece that will describe their animals and show how much they've learned.
Mrs. Backus's 3rd Grade Class
Mrs. Backus's 3rd Grade Class is working hard on their China Brochures. They have completed all of their research using World Book Student Database, and are now typing up their brochures in Microsoft Publisher. If you're planning on taking a vacation this summer, check in with one of these students to see if China would be a good trip for you!
Mrs. Ciccarelli and Mrs. Petronis's 3rd Grade Class
After having already successfully completed two technology projects (their biography project using dipity.com and their biomes project using the databases), these third graders are back in the computer lab to create mini booklets in Microsoft Publisher. They'll be learning about Matter in their classroom during their science lessons and will develop content for their books. In the computer lab, these third-graders will learn how to create professional-looking booklets to display their knowledge.
Mrs. McTague's 6th Grade English Classes
Mrs. McTague's 6th Grade English classes have been writing poetry throughout the year. As a culmination to this year's poetry project, students will be heading to the computer lab to publish their work using Web 2.0 tools. Check back soon to take a look at their final work.
6th Grade Classes
The 6th graders will be 7th graders in a matter of months and will be up at the Jr./Sr. High School! To get them ready for it, 6th graders now have the opportunity to check out Kindles to take home with them. They need a permission slip (click here to print one out) signed by their parent/guardian before they may borrow one. Students may select a book from hundreds of e-books available to Warrensburg students and may use the Kindle for 2 weeks at a time. So far, students are loving them!
New Non-Fiction Titles in the Library for Common Core Standards
The library has tons of new Non-Fiction books this year to support the Common Core Standards. Take a look at some of them below and stop by the library to check one out!
- City Fish, Country Fish by Mary M. Cerullo - Habitats, Fish, Oceans
- Seeds, Bees, Butterflies, and More! Poems for Two Voices - Insects, Poetry, Plants
- Bessie Smith and the Night Riders - Biography, History
- A Strange Place to Call Home: The World's Most Dangerous Habitats & The Animals That Call Them Home - Habitats, Animals
- The Royal Treasure Measure - Math, Measurement
- A Rock is Lively - Rocks, Minerals
- It Jes' Happened: When Bill Taylor Started to Draw - Art, History, Biography
- Citizen Scientists: Be a Part of Scientific Discovery from Your Own Backyard - Science, Animals, Birds, Butterflies
End of the Year Reminders
Books: It's hard to believe, but the end of the year is quickly approaching! If your child has borrowed a book from the Warrensburg Elementary Library that you are having difficulty finding, please contact Ms. Reddy or Mrs. Reynolds in the library.
Summer Reading Programs: Information about different local summer reading programs will be coming home with your child in early June and will be posted here as soon as it becomes available. Summer Reading Programs are a great way to keep your child engaged and learning throughout the summer.