The Media Center Quarterly, Vol 1
Read, Renew, Return, Repeat!
What Have Your Students Been Learning?
Every class in each grade level has some activities in common--everyone exchanges books and everyone gets read the SC Picture Book Award Nominees, but each grade level also has some specific skills to work on over the course of the year. In the first nine weeks, we focus on the library which includes where materials are and how to take care of them.
All the K4 and K5 classes have been working hard on learning library procedures and how to take good care of a book. Every class, we we sing our Settle Down for Storytime Song (which, if youtube is working, you can hear above), sit on our carpet squares, review the parts of a book and read two picture books. In between, we take our Go Noodle stretch breaks to get our wiggles out, and then afterwards, we watch a library video while we choose a new book to take home. Some of the things we've learned this nine week are how kindergartners sit during storytime, how to turn our pages carefully, to keep our books safe in our library reading bags, and that we have to return our books to get new ones! We've also been learning about fiction vs nonfiction, which will help us understand how books in the library are organized. Second nine weeks, we'll experience our first book fair, learn some programming concepts during Hour of Code and practice choosing books from the shelves using shelf markers!
First grade is a transitional year, so first graders have been reviewing a lot of the same information that kindergartners are learning for the first time. First grade classes are very similar to kindergarten, but a little bit longer, so, along with book exchange and our read alouds, we have more time for a lesson. They are building up to having free range within the library and free choice at the shelves, so we've been working on scaffolding their library skills so they'll be ready to find the materials they want, use their shelf markers and check out using the computers independently.
Second grade has been really excited with the freedom to choose any books they want to read, so now that we've reviewed the basics of library organization and shelf markers, we'll be introducing the concepts of just right and just because books. Although we do not level the books in the library, we do teach students how to recognize books that are at a good reading level for them, and encourage them to chose at least one book that is just right for them, as well as books that they check out "just because." Many times, it is those "just because" books that inspire children to stretch beyond what they thought they could do and reach new goals!
Third graders are also working on choosing just right books, and, along with Fourth and Fifth graders, are taking a more in depth look at how the library is organized. That's right--it's Dewey Decimal System time! All upper elementary students should be able to explain the two most important features of the DDS--nonfiction is organized by topic or subject and every topic has a number. If they know the number, they can find anything they need, all in the same place! Fourth and Fifth grades also learned about all the amazing new SC Children's Book Award nominees, and got to enter their names into a raffle to be the first to check them out, and were able to sign up for the Battle of the Books competition taking place in the spring.
South Carolina Picture and Children's Book Awards
This is a really exciting book award program in South Carolina! Every year, a committee of librarians, teachers, parents and kids reads around 125 (children's) or 200 (picture) books published in the last year and meets four times a year to vote on the best 20. Those lists are published and the winner in each category is chosen by students across South Carolina. Students must read a certain number off the list in order to vote, but the votes are sent in to the SC Association of School Librarians (SCASL) where they are tallied and the winning books are announced at the SCASL conference in March every year. This is one of my favorite book awards because the winners aren't chosen by a group of 'experts" but by kids for kids. All of our students read and vote on the Picture Book Award nominees, and you can follow the voting progress through the year on the bulletin board outside the library, while 3rd-5th hear book talks on the Children's Book Award nominees and have the opportunity to check them out and then vote if they have read at least five of them. The nominee lists were placed in your boxes earlier this year and if you're looking for an easy way to stay current with children's lit or find some amazing new authors, try some of the choices on those lists!
CBA Book Trailers, if you have more time and want to hear a teaser summary of the book:
Book Fair is coming!
The Fall Book Fair will be here next week and I know that week can be as challenging as it is exciting! I will do my best to make it as easy as possible on y'all, and I appreciate y'all's cooperation and flexibility! The fair will be open for shopping in the mornings from 8am-11am, and then from 130pm-dismissal, plus we will have two family events: Tues. all day until 6pm and Thurs. 7am-9am. Please do not send kindergarten or first grade students without an adult!
Students may also be bringing in donations for All For Books, which is a fundraiser Scholastic runs as part of the Book Fair. We get to keep whatever students donate to buy books for students or teachers or the library, and Scholastic will match those donations and buy books for a charity organization, so we get to do good works on a global level by doing some good works in our own community! You can either put those donations in my box, or in the bin on my desk.
Hour of Code
It's almost time for Hour of Code, a celebration of computer science in education that takes place world wide every year in December. Keep your fingers crossed for some exciting news--there's a chance instead of programming on our devices this year, we'll be programming Sphero Bots, but I'm waiting to hear for sure!
Great Tool for Research!
Speaking of research, we will be working on research projects after winter break, but if you would like me to come to your classroom before then, please just let me know!
Fun in the Library!
The 2nd Annual Pumpkin Book Character Decorating Competition was a huge success this year with even more amazing entries! Next year, I'm hoping for even more and am excited to rename it the EBES Storybook Pumpkin Patch. We had over 50 incredible pumpkins ranging from Pete the Cat to Harry Potter. I hope everyone was able to come see them before the explosions happened! Our overall winner was Emery Grey with Where the Wild Things Are--she wrapped her pumpkin in a feather boa to simulate fur--creative and effective! Every participant in the contest will get a free book and certificate, and our winners will also get certificates to the book fair.
Fourth Grade Pumpkins
First Grade Pumpkins
Third Grade Pumpkins
Charlotte Evans, Your Friendly Neighborhood School Librarian
Email: cevans@rhmail.org
Website: http://ea.rock-hill.k12.sc.us/
Location: 242 Ebenezer Avenue, Rock Hill, SC, United States
Phone: (803) 981-1444
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EbenezerAvenueLeadershipAcademy
Twitter: @CEvansLibrarian