May 7-11 2012

Students were busy as usual in the library! Last week our kindergartners read what is fast becoming a classic, Martha Speaks by Susan Meddaugh. A quick poll of students found that just as many knew Martha from her books as from her PBS series. I like both. We shared the story and considered just why Martha's family might have felt a bit peeved at some of Martha's remarks and observations...have you felt a bit Martha ever? After a sincere discussion students put together their own bowl of alphabet soup with paper and little bits of paper letters. 1st graders read the first two chapters of Mr Putter and Tabby Fly the Plane. This is another wonderful series about unusual friendships. At one point Mr Putter laments that toys are only for children, and our students had a great conversation about this remark, and we even added it to our exit ticket discussion. An exit ticket discussion is simply students responding to a question using a post it. This is a great way to bring everyone into the conversation, and to share... 2nd graders began Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days...a fantastic book with not just a little humor in it! I kept the cover art hidden, so that students could listen to the description of Dr Silverfish, the author of the so called Perfect Person handbook, and then create their own picture. Students shared their creations, then got a kick out of seeing the illustrator, Tom Huffman's version on the cover! 3rd grade was in the midst of the NJAsk tests, and so this week we relaxed at library and caught up on reading Phineas Blasts Off! 4th and 5th graders began exploring Ebscohos's KidSearch, and online database of journal articles, encyclopedia entires, and even an online dictionary. We investigated the options for searching, considered how to narrow or broaded our search results, and found the citation. Beginning June 1st library check out will cease, so our activities and shared stories will increase!