Librarian's Notes...
September 11, 2015
Grade Level News
Preschoolers meet with me in the library on Friday mornings. We share a book and then the children are allowed to check out a book from the library. We are working on sitting quietly while we enjoy the story and participating along with books that have rhymes or repeated parts. The kids have done a great job so far and are a true joy to have in the library! Please let me know if you have any questions!
Kindergarten News
Kindergarteners have been having a blast the last two weeks with library and technology time! We have been meeting in the library one day a week to share a fun story and to talk about we use the library. It is a lot to learn and to master and they are off to a great start. We work on sitting quietly during story time and are practicing using shelf markers (we call them our book buddies) to hold our spots on the shelves when selecting books to take home.
This week the Kindergarteners and I read Mr. Wiggle's Book by Paula M. Craig. In this book we meet the library bookworm and learn all about book care. The children did a great job of thinking about all the things that Mr. Wiggle's talks about and we all promised to take good care of the books we borrow. The children were then provided with a coloring sheet of Mr. Wiggle to take home that was to remind them of what they learned in class.
In the computer lab we practiced using the mouse a little while choosing books to listen to on Story Line Online. If you haven't heard of this website before I highly recommend it! it is a great place for kids to listen to great books being read aloud! The site is full of books that actors or actresses read and the kids get to see the illustrations and listen along.
First Grade News
First graders have been spending one day a week with me in the library and one day a week in the computer lab. This week we used the computer lab on Tuesday. We practiced opening Google Chrome and navigating to the websites we use link on our school website. From this spot the children are able to access any games or websites that they use at school from home. It would be a good idea to take a minute and show the children that they can do this from home, if you are able. The children then spent a few minutes practicing the home row keys using the program Dance Mat Typing. The kids just astound me at their ability and willingness to try something new and struggle through the learning process of a difficult skill such as typing! They did a great job!
In the library we are continuing to talk about the expectations of library time and are sharing in great conversations about reading. The kids love to share with me about what they are reading and I always open our time together asking them about what they read. Then we share a great story together, talk about the story and have spent some time talking about the organization of the library and using the library and it's materials responsibly.
This week we read Bears Don't Read by Emma Chichester Clark. What a great book! The children loved hearing about a bear who wanted to learn to read when he discovered a book in the forest and realized that each little word on the page meant something. Wonderful read and a great group of kids!
Second Grade News
This week the second graders met me in the computer lab on Tuesday and spent a lot of time practicing logging in and out of the computers. For some this was very frustrating and hard to do and for others it was frustrating because it was so boring. It is important that all of the children are able to get in and know how to exit when finished using the computers and by the end of the period it seemed that we were up and running. We will continue to practice this two to three times for the next couple times we meet to ensure that we are ready to move on to our technology instruction.
On Thursday we met in the library and talked about the Goldfinch Award Nominees for the 2015-2016 school year. This is a list of books for K-3 that were decided by teachers, parents and kids of Iowa to be the best of the best and we will vote on our favorite book in March. We began reading Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie by Julie Sternberg, it is the first in a trio of books, the second one Like Bug Juice on a Burger is on the Goldfinch Nominee list and we will read that together after this first one. The kids and I had some great discussion following the first few chapters of this book and we will enjoy this along with several other books from the current nominee list.
Third Grade News
Third grade worked in the computer lab on Tuesday this week and did much the same thing that second grade did. We practiced logging in and out of the computers in the lab using the generic password and username that is provided for students in our building. We also worked on expectations while in the lab and third grade were able to log into ABCya and play grade level games. This website is a great resource and is one that you should take a look at if you have the time. It can be accessed by our school website under websites we use.
In library time on Thursday we also talked about the Goldfinch Award Nominee list AND the Iowa Children's Choice Award list. Third graders are eligible to vote for both competitions. We began reading Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie by Julie Sternberg as well.
Fourth Grade News
Fourth graders spent time in the computer lab on Tuesday, during this time we practiced logging in and out of our accounts and talked about some goals and expectations we have for the coming school year. All fourth graders have gmail accounts set up through the school and the students will begin working with these accounts and learning to create documents through the google drive. This week students had a few minutes to play on ABCya after our conversation and practice.
In library we were able to watch some book trailers on the Iowa Children's Choice Award nominee books that were found online. The books were shortly introduced and we will be voting electronically next week using our gmail accounts to decide which of the books we will read together in library in the upcoming weeks.
Fifth Grade News
Fifth graders have been working hard this year already and have been practicing logging and out of Chrome books. The students then were able to check their school gmail accounts and follow a link provided by me to a new Typing program that our school is using called Typing Club. The students can practice online from any computer and I recommend that they do. In sixth grade they will be expected to use the ChromeBook they are provided at the Middle School to type assignments. We will be practicing at school but of course like any skill practice is how we learn and there will need to be additional times used from home if possible. Students have log in information on their planners for this program.
We did not have library time together this week as that is on Mondays. Next week we will be watching book trailers of the Iowa Children's Choice Award Nominees for the 2015-2016 school year.
Hope everyone has a great weekend and as always please contact me with any questions!
Jenny Brenner
Teacher Librarian, CCES
(319)828-4505 ext 1320