Summer in the Library

One of the ideas I mentioned at my interview for my library position was that I wanted the library to be more open to the community.  One way I'm accomplishing this is having 4 open library dates this summer for parents and students to come in and hang out, check out books, and do an activity.  Taking it one step further, I decided to theme each day.  I also kept the same time, but picked different days during the week so hopefully if someone couldn't do Mondays, for example, they may be able to come to another day!

Knowing I would HAVE to do a Minecraft activity since those strategy guides are one of the most highly circulated books I have (besides Wimpy Kid!), I also picked Legos, since that is another theme very popular with students.  Gaining inspiration from Pinterest, I also included a super hero day and a spy day (just because I thought the spy obstacle course looked so cool!).

I created a flyer that went home the last week of school and was excited to hear that even some of the fifth graders were excited about the days, especially Minecraft.  I feel I'll have a lot of little ones at Lego Day, but we'll see.  I have no idea what the response will be - guess it depends on vacation schedules, babysitter/work schedules, etc.  I know my daughter will miss 2 of the days because of day camps she's attending (fortunately I scheduled it from 10-12 so no conflict getting her there!).

So there is a LOT out there for Lego activities.  Other than challenge cards, I really didn't need to create much.  The link to my Pinterest page on Legos is {here} in case you want to check it out.  I'll make sure to post pictures of each event!  Since this is my first time doing this, I'm sure some of it will be trial and error.  I have a feeling I'll have more ideas for my challenge cards, so I'll post those when I post the pictures.

However, I was inspired to create activities for the second date, "So You Want to Be a Spy?"  Students will fill out a badge, fingerprint themselves, crack a secret code, hunt for character silhouettes, and dust for fingerprints.  They'll also go through a "laser" obstacle course set up in one of the aisles. (Pinterest page on my summer themes {here})

If you're interested in seeing more, please click on the picture below.  I'm so excited and am already working on the next two dates/themes!

Sugar and Spice...Women in History

Ok, I know, it's not March.  However, one of the things I really wanted to do this year was Women's History Month.  I mean, we do so much with African American History Month, it seems like we're worn out by the time we get to March!  Our March this year was super busy - Dr. Seuss, Iditarod, a Guidance lesson, and something else (I can't remember - but it was jam packed!)....so it took me awhile but I was finally able to finish and now share my activity for Women's History Month.  (I'm such a dork, I already have a calendar printed out for next year detailing all the events I want to do each month so I won't miss out again!  That and take the time to make things this summer so I have to use them!!!  No excuses!!!).

Since my "Discover the Room" for Black History Month was so popular with my kiddos, I decided to do a similar activity with Women's History Month.  Using one of my favorite clip art artists, Educlips, I focused on some of the women she created in a bundle, which really gave a universal appeal!

So, in March, I'll be selecting some of these women to read about, having a display of their biographies, as well as other ladies, and having the students learn more about some of these courageous women!

If you'd like to check out more, click {here} to take you to the packet.

The Marshmallow Incident

Being in the library, I start to discover books that I didn't really know existed.  Granted, I have a summer reading list a mile long from all the interesting chapter books my older kids checked out.  However, my picture books are just as interesting!  Whether it's finding interesting ones by shelving, looking them up in Destiny.....I had to learn early on I couldn't teach everything! :)

One that I found I was unfamiliar with was Judi Barrett's The Marshmallow Incident.  This is the same author as Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and Pickles to Pittsburgh, so I thought it would be interesting to look at when I found it on the shelf.

The follow up activity actually came about because I needed an activity for my sub that week.  Since it was a Friday, we weren't checking out books (we repeat groups on Friday we've already seen during the week), so my sub needed something that would keep the kids engaged - not too hard, but not easily finished in 10 minutes!

So, I created a packet to go along with the story.  It's a great story, by the way, and you could actually use it with older students and pair it up with The Sneetches or The Peanut Butter Battle Book, both by Dr. Seuss.  It talks about how silly things can get when we disagree on things and don't respect others' differences.  I actually might use it as a companion book with my fifth graders next year when they study World War II and see if they can make a connection!

I thought the kids would enjoy the packet, and they did.  Some of it is kind of easy, but still fun to do (tracing a left hand and a right hand....trust me, it goes with the story), but some made them think a little, like sequencing parts and drawing scenes.  All in all, I got a great report from my sub, as well as a thumbs up from the kids when I returned!

If you're interested in seeing more, check it out {here} at TPT.  I'm more than happy to highlight a "lesser known" book and hope you can find it and use it with your students as well!

Inference Investigations and Main Idea Mysteries

Wow, this has been quite a year in the library!  I love my new position and am very happy that I'll get to do it all over again next year!

That being said, a lot of my "social media" has been neglected due to it as well as some family matters we've been going through.  With that being said, this summer's goal is to polish up some of the things I did in the library and, if I haven't told you about it already, will share with you on here!  Unfortunately, I'm down to a "dumb phone" since my Droid was left at a dr's office and hasn't shown up yet :( but its better than no phone at all, so I can't complain too much!  I must admit, though, I miss Google Calendar most of all.  Not that I can't access it from my laptop, but it was sooo nice to have on the go!  Funny that's what I missed, but like many of you, I become full time mom during the summer and need that schedule!!!

Back to school things, though!

One thing that my fourth and fifth grade teachers asked me to work on at the end of the year was main idea, context clues, and inferencing to help review for the state tests.  Knowing its the end of the year, that the kiddos were wild and crazy, I wanted to do something active that would engage them, but also be beneficial.

I had seen on Pinterest how people used Pixar movies to teach different comprehension strategies.  So, on two of my wiki pages for my students, we used movie clips (including this great detective series from Houghton Mifflin, although I never could find "part 2" to any of them).

I followed that up with an activity.  For context clues, we took the book, Baloney, by Jon Scieszka, and first watched a YouTube version of the read aloud.  Then, I had photocopied pages and made an "alien translator" for students to use to figure out what the alien words meant in the book.  For some of my more "active" classes, we did this orally, but believe it or not, it was the higher classes that took to the alien translator and groaned when we ran out of time to finish it!  (Always makes you feel good to plan an activity where the kids are sorry to leave it!!!).

Here is the what the alien translator looks like.  Click {here} to see more.  You can also check out the page I used for context clues, with the videos, {here}.

Our next lesson, the kids were begging for more video clips to watch, so we looked at videos {here} and {here} and then completed our follow up activity.  This was, as I told students, a use of their detective skills.  They were given 3 cards and had to figure out 1) what they had in common and 2) go look around the library for the answer card to write on their recording sheet.  It was a definite hit and the kids had a blast!  It was great for them to be up and moving around test time, when they had been sitting all day.  They were even willing to calm down with the main idea passages that I had cut up and had them put back together like puzzles.  (Click on the title page to see it on TPT).

So I taped the "dog" card in the library (since these were my older students, it was fun to hide them in tricky places!).  Students received a bag with the other 3 cards, wrote it on their recording sheet (below), and once they figure it out, they had to find the dog card!

I presented these to students cut up and in baggies.  They had to piece it together and put the main idea at the top.  If we had more time, and maybe another week in resource, we would've talked about how the main idea was really the topic sentence of the paragraph!

I have to admit, I was surprised and very pleased the kids were so into these activities!  It's a rough time of year to be a resource teacher apparently!  I remember last year with my classroom, we were doing a space unit at the end of the year to help "maintain control" as well as keep the students' interest.  My students really enjoyed the "Around the Room" type activities where they had to find answers throughout the library.  We did go over some ground rules (it's still the library - no running), but they loved being up and mobile.....AND I got a kudos from my principal for doing something meaningful but also very "kinesthetic."  Hee hee :)

So, as the summer goes along and I "fix up" the activities I created (but had no time to post about), I'll hopefully be seeing you more on here!  I'm actually kind of glad I waited so I can reflect on what worked, what didn't, etc. so I can get them ready to go for next year's crew! :)

Diving Into Some Books!

So, I'm all set up and ready to go for our school's very first Buy One, Get One Scholastic Book Fair!  Since I have my first one from the Fall under my belt, I feel a lot more confident with this one!  Our past week of practicing matching the money amounts went so great!  My K and 1 students were more or less matching numbers, while my older ones were having fun running around the library on a scavenger hunt to find those same numbers to match up!  All in all, it was a success on all levels, and as I told my older ones (when I got the "do we have to do it?" comments), it was good practice for the coming week.  As soon as they started it, they had a lot of fun and I got a lot of "awws"  when I told them they had to stop for checkout. (You can see my earlier post about the "matching" game).

So, after my things were delivered on Tuesday, and I felt I had the utmost strength in NOT going through every box like it was Christmas, I had the idea to set up on Thursday afternoon to do a preview day on Friday.  The flyers that are sent home for the BOGO fair are small and not very detailed, and this way I figured the students could see what was here to buy.  After getting the blessing of my resource team, our Preview Day went really well (and I might do it for the Fall fair from now on) as each class got a "walking preview" of the Fair ("looking with our eyes, not our hands") either at the beginning of Resource or the end of their Resource time.  It also helped build excitement for the Fair with the kids.  My students, after their walk thru, were in our Story Room where we did our lesson on "fractured fairy tales" (Mo Willems style) to keep them engaged.

I wanted to do a theme this time and decided on "Diving Into Reading", where students created different sea creature crafts.  Fortunately for me, our Spring Break was at the perfect time so I could come in and decorate.  This past week, the kids really had some positive comments about how the library was decorated with their artwork!  I'm glad they got to see it before the cases and things were put up.

So, today, the Fair officially starts and I have a feeling I'll have kids outside the door for "Open Library Time" with eyes wide and money in hand!  Good thing I have my library helpers this time around (and I will definitely start that program earlier next year!).  My helpers (4th and 5th graders) are helping with little ones finding books as well as working "security" to make sure nothing gets pocketed without getting paid for!  They are most excited!

I also created gift certificates with an ocean theme for those of our students (nominated by staff) who might not have money to come to the fair and purchase a book.  These are ready to go and in envelopes in the teachers' mailboxes!

So of course I took pictures of the grand display today (before little hands start scavenging thru!) that I thought I'd share!  My fingers are crossed that this fair will go smoothly and each child will end up with at least one book to take home!

Buy One Get One: Preparing Students for Book Fair!

So our school is hosting our first Buy One, Get One Scholastic Book Fair.  Being that this is my second book fair of the year, AND my second one as a Library Media Specialist, I wanted to make sure my students were prepared to understand what this means!

I, at first, thought it would be a difficult concept for my little ones.  I wanted to create an activity that would help them understand the whole concept. Then, after putting up the posters around the school the week before Spring Break, with even my fifth graders asking what buy one/get one was (and when I told them, they were like COOL!), I realized it's an activity for each of my grades!

So, today I created this activity which is a "Around the Room/Library" type activity since the kids think ANY write the room/count the room/scavenger hunt is WAY COOL.  We haven't done one since February with African American History Month, so they're ready for a new one!  (I really need to create some more, like for Women's History Month, etc.  Summer to do list!).

I had racked my brain for different activities, not sure what I wanted to do, and then realized once I started creating, I actually had 4 activities in one!  Check it out!

Students need to match amounts, just like they would do with books at the book fair.  I'll be reading selections to do with money and responsibility this week, from Alexander Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday to The Go-Around Dollar to The Berenstain Bears and the Trouble with Money.  I try to read selections available in our library for students to check out, or I might have borrowed my family's Dave Ramsey Junior children's series! :)

 

Thinking I had Spring Break to come up with a "cool" activity for my kids, I spent the week before Spring Break with an Ocean Theme, having the kids create different crafts and learning about different species.  After all, it's my second book fair and I wanted to theme it somehow!  After Monday, I realized that I need to plan better and talk with the Art Teacher about having them do crafts in HER room that week, because lesson/book + craft + checkout did NOT equal enough time!

But, we got through it.  It gave me an excuse to get on Pinterest and get creative.  Plus, the kids LOVED learning about the different animals.  Now, I have a huge stack of sea creatures waiting to decorate the library!

So I wouldn't overload on one animal (we do have 744 students!), I split some of the grades up on their animals.

PreK/Special Needs:  Read Rainbow Fish and decorate a fish with foam stickers.  My older Autism class read about lobsters and created those (thanks to the 3 assistants who travel with them!).

Kindergarten:  Jellyfish and Sea Stars.

First Grade:  Crabs and Divers (because someone needs to explore the ocean depths!)

Second Grade:  Sea Turtles and Stingrays

Third Grade:  Octopus and Sea Horses/Dragons (I originally was going to do the swirly paint with them, then after trying to do a sample the weekend before realized a) too messy and b) took forever to dry!  They just colored templates I found and had a great time doing it!  Not too much opportunity to color in third, so they enjoyed it!).

Fourth Grade:  Sharks - they created "shark jaws" and of course, had to decorate and have "bloody teeth" and "gums" and some even had a fish caught in the teeth!

Fifth Grade:  Jellyfish - but we did recycled jellyfish, so a  little different than the K classes.

I hope to a) be better at posting (sorry, March!) and b) post pictures of the finished decorated bookfair.  I was supposed to use this week for Spring Break to start decorating and, well, between dr appointments, family trips, and one lazy day....oh, and getting caught up in reorganizing my nonfiction section (neverending task), it didn't quite get done!  

Read the Most From Coast to Coast and Read Across America Week

You'd think after a week of snow days, I'd be more prepared, but nope, here I am at school again on a Sunday trying to get things done!  Well, some of that includes copying and getting things ready for this Friday and next week, so I guess I have some excuse!

Nevertheless, this Friday, we are participating in Renaissance Learning's "Read the Most from Coast to Coast."  You can find out more on their website {here}.  That will be our kickoff for Read Across America week.  We're extending it a week because frankly, I want it to go back to the way it was when we did it several years ago when it was BIG.  Being the library media specialist and part of the correlate that is putting on the whole show, I find myself mostly in charge! :)  One of our committee members brought up a good point that while Dr. Seuss is fun for the younger crowd, the fourth and fifth graders see the whole thing as babyish, so we're doing "Read Across America" week instead of "Dr. Seuss Week."  Still, we're dressing up as favorite characters and other things during the week, having quotes announced each morning from authors, and highlighting different genres.  One of our members also made a "choice board" so teachers could fit what they could into the curriculum.  After a week of missed school, it should be well appreciated!

While I'm still getting together my centers, lessons, etc for the library, I do have something I wanted to share with you!  With the "Read the Most" with "Across America," I thought it would be cute to do an interactive poster/board.  While not an original idea (I saw something on Pinterest), I thought it would go well with a reading challenge to our teachers based on the # of pages read during class.  We're throwing in math and graphing to the mix and providing teachers with different templates to use (younger grades can use the hundreds chart while older grades can create bar graphs or line graphs).  We're lucky enough to have a poster maker in our school, so I'll be taking "orders" this week to what type of graphs each teacher wants!

I'm also going to make a poster of the USA with cute cars that count for each 100 pages read.  I googled and found that from VA Beach, VA to San Jose, CA is almost 3,000 miles (2,990 to be exact), so hence the 3,000 goal.  I'm hoping we'll exceed that!  So, please click on the link {here} to access this file on Google Drive.  I won't be uploading it to my store at this point and wanted to offer it as a freebie to my readers!

So, between Virginia Readers Choice and other reading challenges, I hope to be posting and sharing more soon! (The Iditarod is coming up and I am so psyched to do something in the library about it!!!).