Our first grade students just finished a collaboration project in library, art, and the classroom and it was so much fun! First, we read the book The Wolf in the Snow in the library. This wordless picture book by Matthew Cordell is about a girl in a snowstorm who finds a lost wolf pup. After returning the pup to it's pack, she gets tired and lost. The wolves surround and protect her until her father comes. It's a beautiful, Caldecott Award winning book and is lots of fun to retell. After reading the book in the library, the students made stick puppets of the girl and the wolf in art class with Mrs. Ryan. They also practiced retelling the story in the classroom. Finally, these past two weeks we recorded students retelling the story using the puppets. Some of the students recorded their stories in art class in front of a snowy background that they made. Other students recorded in the library in front of a green screen (we then put the snowy background in behind the students).
Every year, on February 1st, we celebrate World Read Aloud Day! While it's important to read aloud to students EVERY day, this special day is a celebration of reading with others all around the world. To celebrate reading and this special day, many authors volunteer their time to offer FREE Skype sessions with teachers and librarians around the world. Author Kate Messner does a fabulous job of organizing a list of authors and making it available to educators. This year in our library, Harrison students were lucky to be able to connect with others in several different ways! First graders Skyped with author Julie Segal-Walters! Julie told us about the eight things that writers need (including cozy socks!!) and she read to us her book This is Not a Normal Animal Book. Junior high students Skyped with author Brooks Benjamin! Brooks led the students in a short activity that showed our students how to find fun ideas for writing stories and answered student questions. Kindergarten students Skyped with Mrs. Loesch's kindergarten students in Lake Zurich. Mrs. Loesch and I read two Elephant & Piggie books aloud together: Can I Play Too? and My Friend is Sad. It was so fun reading books together! Several of our fourth grade students had the opportunity to listen to four different authors talk during a Facebook live event hosted by Scholastic. Peter Reynolds, Ross Burach, Carmen Deedy, and Sayantani DasGupta each talked about reading and read aloud from one of their books. Peter Reynolds has a new book coming out soon, Say Something, and it's definitely a book to order!! Finally, several of our third grade students listened to Rosie Revere Engineer read aloud from one of the astronauts on the space station (not live, but still cool!). It was an AMAZING day connecting with others and celebrating a love of reading!!
The Harrison School library was so fortunate to receive funding from DonorsChoose to purchase a tabletop puppet theater, new puppets, a flannel board, and felt sets!!
Over a year ago, I brought in a homemade puppet theater made out of a foam tri-fold presentation board for our students to use during makerspace time. We also had homemade puppets (paper and popsicle sticks) and cheap ones from the dollar spot at Target. Puppets are perfect for elementary school library makerspaces because students are "creating" stories. These two pictures below are the old, homemade materials.
I quickly noticed how much students LOVED creating stories with the puppets! Almost every time the makerspace was open, the puppets were in use. This puppet center was used so much by our students, that the homemade theater began to fall apart. So, I decided to write a DonorsChoose grant to purchase real, sturdy materials. Thanks to our supporters, our project was funded in less than two months!
When the materials first arrived in early January, they were immediately added to our library makerspace center. As each class has had the opportunity to visit the makerspace, students eyes lit up when they saw the new puppet theater! The puppet/flannelboard center is now our most popular makerspace center because students are so excited to create stories with the puppets. Since receiving the materials, students have been busy re-creating popular fairy tales and traditional stories such as Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Students are also telling their own original stories. Since there are always multiple students using the materials at the same time, they are learning how to collaborate when telling the stories, which is an important skill to learn. Besides collaboration, students are also learning communication skills and retelling/storytelling skills that will hopefully transfer into other academic areas such as reading (comprehension) and writing.
In the coming months, our younger students will use the puppets and flannel board to practice retelling the books that we read aloud during library time. When students retell stories, they are learning comprehension skills, literary elements, vocabulary, and so much more. Using puppets to practice retelling is a very fun, engaging way to practice this skill. We could not do this without generous donations from the DonorsChoose community!
This week, Harrison was so lucky to have author Candace Fleming visit our school!
Candace writes a variety of books including picture books, fiction books, and nonfiction books. Candace gave four different presentations at Harrison and each one was engaging and full of tips for young writers. She told us that her two most important writing tools are her eyes and her ears. She looks for "story seeds" everywhere she goes and she writes them in a notebook/journal. She also showed our students how many rough drafts it takes to write a book and encouraged students to not get discouraged when teachers suggest edits.
Candace shared how she got her ideas for Oh No! (grades PK-1), Clever Jack Takes the Cake (grades 2-3), Strongheart: Wonder Dog of the Silver Screen (grades 4-5) and The Lincolns (grades 6-8).
Also with grades 6-8, Candace shared how primary sources can be exciting because they are like little mysteries full of useful information. Candace is such a good storyteller who could relate to students of all ages!
To get ready for the author visit, over the past few weeks we have been reading so many of her interesting books in the library. We've also had fun using her books to spark research and other fun projects. Students even used a couple of Mrs. Fleming's books in art with Mrs. Ryan! We are so fortunate to be able to bring in authors to Harrison School inspire our students and help develop a love of reading and reading!
I just finished reading a new chapter book that I think our students will LOVE! Ada Twist and the Perilous Pants is a fun story about a young scientist who loves to ask questions and try different experiments. In this book, Ada, is conducting experiments about air masses and gases when Uncle Ned happens to float by in his helium pants. When he suddenly floats away and gets caught in an whirlwind, can Ada, and her friends Rosie Revere and Iggy Peck, find a solution to help Uncle Ned return back to the ground? This shorter chapter book is filled with facts and science explanations that young readers will understand and it’s a great book to model questioning and scientific thinking. This book would make a great read aloud for grades 1-3. After reading this book, students could conduct their own experiments or start a question journal. Our students love the Ada Twist Scientist picture book and I can’t wait to introduce them to this new chapter book/series! Thank you #NetGalley and ABRAMS Kids for an ARC of this book (all opinions are my own).
At the end of each year, it's fun to look back at your reading journey to reflect on your favorite books of the year. I use Goodreads to set reading goals, create lists of books to read, and keep track of the books that I've read. In 2018, my goal was to read 70 books (not including picture books) and I crushed it by reading 94 books! Here are my favorite middle grade books read in 2018 (in no particular order).
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise is an amazing book full of interesting and diverse characters, adventure, beautiful language, words of wisdom, and heart. Coyote and her dad, Rodeo, lost the rest of their family to an accident five years ago and the two have been on the road in their school bus-home ever since. For Rodeo, looking back is too painful. When Coyote receives news that an important link to her mom and sisters back in their hometown is about to be lost forever, she’s in a race against time to get her dad to drive them across the country before it’s too late. The thing is, she has to do it without Rodeo knowing they are headed back to their hometown because going back there has always been a no-go for him. Similar to Joseph in Some Kind of Courage (also by Dan Gemeinhart),I love how Coyote and Rodeo show compassion and generosity throughout the book by helping others along the way. Dan Gemeinhart is such a good storyteller. His characters are interesting, the story moves quickly, and the language is rich. This book is full of happiness, sadness, love, courage, and hope and is now one of my all-time favorite books! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ebook copy of the ARC. I can’t wait to share this book with my students when it comes out in January, 2019!
The Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden The Benefits of Being an Octopus is a powerful book about poverty, abuse, and the influence that one caring teacher can have on her student! Zoey (seventh grader) struggles to balance taking care of her younger siblings with school and other life demands while also witnessing her mom struggle with an abusive relationship. When a caring teacher decides to take Zoey under her wing and convinces her to be on the debate team, Zoey begins to look at her life in a new way and becomes empowered with the skills that she needs to make positive changes in her family situation. This is such a well-written book and I couldn't put it down.
A Boy Called Bat by Elana K. Arnold Iloved Bat and his view of the world! Bat, a sweet boy who is on the autism spectrum, sets out to convince his veterinarian mom that he's up to the challenge of taking care of a baby skunk who needs rehabilitation. We’ve all had students like Bat and this story would make a great read aloud. I’m so glad it was chosen as a Global Read Aloud book and I look forward to reading more in the series!
Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart I LOVED this beautifully written book. This story has the power to open the eyes of readers to become more understanding and empathetic of those who are different. It also provides representation to middle grade readers who are transgender and those who have a mental illness. Lily struggles with bullies in school as she transitions from boy to girl while new student, Dunkin, struggles with the secret that he is bipolar. As their paths keep meeting, an unlikely friendship and bond emerges. While tough issues such as acceptance and bullying are presented, they are handled in a way that is hopeful and also in a way that is anchored with positive relationships (through friends and loved ones in the story).
Good Dog by Dan Gemeinhart I love Dan Gemeinhart’s other books and this one was just as good. Recently deceased Brodie, the dog, can’t "move on" until he knows that his boy back at home is safe. In order to do this, he must find a way back to the boy again. Along the way to finding his boy, Brodie and his dog companions face many challenges. However, Brodie continually shows what it means to be a good friend and a good soul. This book has lots of action, danger, and sadness but it is also full of hope and love (and plenty of positive messages).
Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed Amal Unbound is a beautiful story about gender inequality, class, resistance, and hope. Amal loves school and dreams of one day becoming a teacher. When she's forced to stay home from school to take care of her siblings because she's the oldest daughter, she finds ways to continue learning. Then, one day, she has an unfortunate encounter with the son of the influential and corrupt landlord and she is forced to become his servant to work off a seemingly insurmountable debt. I love how Amal never stops fighting for her freedom and works to help others in her community.
Ellie May on Presidents' Day by Hillary Homzie Ellie May on President’s Day is a delightful story about a spirited girl who tries really hard to do the right things and impress her teacher in hopes that she will be chosen to be the flag holder. Unfortunately, her misunderstood actions often get her into trouble and she becomes sure that she won’t be picked. In the end, she learns the importance of honesty, but will it be too late? Ellie May is a likable character that children will relate to. The short chapters and frequent illustrations combine to make this an easy chapter book for younger readers. Diverse characters, facts about presidents, humor, and lots of teachable lessons make Ellie May on President’s Day the perfect read aloud. I’m looking forward to reading more Ellie May books in the series and sharing them with my students! Thank you, Hillary Homzie, for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book!
Knockout by K.A. Holt Great stand-alone sequel to House Arrest! Levi just wants to be a normal 7th grader but his family still treats him like the sick, preemie baby he used to be. When dad suggests he try playing a sport (not something mom would approve of), Levi picks the least likely sport and surprises everyone, including himself. I found myself rooting for Levi the whole way! Free verse is my favorite and the shape poems added interest. Excellent!
When Friendship Followed Me Home by Paul Griffin When Friendship Followed Me Home is a beautifully written story! This book is about the power of friendship, being there for others in a time of need, and how one chance encounter can alter things forever. Ben and Halley show us how to handle what life gives us with grace and a positive attitude. This story will stay with me for a long time!
Mighty Jack by Ben Hatke Mighty Jack is a fun, action-packed graphic novel loosely based on Jack and the Beanstalk! Jack is not looking forward to a boring summer filled with watching his little sister Maddy while his mom works. One day while at a flea market, Maddy, who almost never speaks, convinces Jack to trade his mother's car for some mysterious seeds. Soon, the seeds grow into a magical and dangerous forest that provide Jack, Maddy, and neighbor Lily with a summer full of adventure. Ben Hatke's illustrations are gorgeous, the characters are endearing, and this fantasy story is so much fun! Honorable mentions:
Battle of the Books! This week, we kicked off our Battle of the Books program with our kick-off assemblies! We will have three Battle of the Books levels this year: third grade, fourth/fifth grade, sixth-eighth grade. At our kick-off assemblies, we introduced the books for the year through booktalks and book trailers and explained the program to our students. For our 6-8th grade kick-off, we tried something new. Instead of simply booktalking the books, we played a Kahoot game and the students loved it! We created ten-word summaries, emoji summaries, or summary tweets of each book and then students had to guess which book the summary was for.
New this year, we now have many of the books available as ebooks and audiobooks. Here is a video that explains how to access the books.
It's so exciting to see so many students already reading the books! Several students have told me that they already finished one of the books and I think we will have an awesome Battle of the Books year!! Holiday Makerspace After checking out books this week, students were able to participate in a variety of different holiday makerspace activities. Students made holiday bookmarks, created Christmas cards to give to others, and folded fortune tellers that told "kindness" fortunes. One of the most popular activities was coding on the iPads. Students explored the Grinch Hour of Code and Google's Santa Tracker Code Lab. Both were easy to use and worked great on the iPads.
Rubik's Cubes For the past six weeks, we borrowed a set of 50 Rubik's Cubes from You Can Do the Cube. Students had so much fun solving one side of the cube to complete various mosaics!
The final week, we challenged students to try to learn how to solve the entire Rubik's Cube. Junior high students were invited to come to the library during their recess and Miss Mueller and I showed them how to do it. Several students were able to solve it and they were SO excited! We returned all 50 solved and were placed in a drawing to win a set to keep. Fingers crossed!!
