What We're Reading

Group IV Video blogs SK in 3B, SM in 3C, WS in 3R

2010-04-26T11:48:00.002-05:00

Group III Video blogs by KF in 3B, LC in 3C, LM in 3C, MB in 3R

2010-04-26T10:47:00.003-05:00

Group II Video Blogs by EG in 3C, IM in 3R, JR in 3B

2010-04-26T09:27:00.002-05:00

Group I Video Blogs by BO in 3S, CZ in3S and DT in 3B

2010-04-26T09:17:00.006-05:00

With a minimum of preparation, these student bravely recorded their blog posts using a Flip video camera.

What are you reading in April, 3rd Grade?

2010-04-06T08:56:00.000-05:00

This is the last blog we will be doing this year. You are invited to continue to share what you are reading if you want.

New books in the ES IMC

2010-03-16T10:01:00.000-05:00

We just added the contemporary American Girl books. These girls are Mia, Marisol, Chrissa, Nicki, Kailey, Lanie and Jess. In contrast to the girls in historical settings like Felicity or Julie, the new books focus on girls in the 21st century. I am looking forward to reading the books about Nicki who is the first trainer of a service dog.

What Are You Reading in March, 3rd Grade?

2010-03-16T07:59:00.001-05:00

We are now in the last quarter of our school year! Hard to believe that we are close to finishing our blogging for the year. Does that mean you have to stop blogging about what you are reading? OH NO! Please keep coming back to tell us about the books you have read.

What are you reading in February, 3rd Grade?

2010-02-04T14:44:00.000-06:00

Here it is - February! We've been recording what we are reading since last September (that's 6 months, gang) and each month you have been getting better. Our challenge this month is to try a new kind of recording: video. Write your post on a piece of paper, practice reading it until you almost have it memorized and we will have a camera for you to do the report on February 23rd during class. Are you up to it? By the way, we will only be showing the book and listening to your voice, so you don't have to worry about how you look on camera. While we are recording, some of you will be posting your comments in writing, so come prepared for that, too.

What Are You Reading in January, 3rd Grade?

2010-01-05T08:29:00.000-06:00

Welcome back to school! I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas break, got lots of sleep, played inside and out, read a little each day, and are rested as we start the second half of our school year.

So, what are you reading?

December Blogging

2009-12-02T07:40:00.000-06:00

December is short and filled with activities. We are all so busy that we aren't blogging this month but we will resume in January.

For those of you who would like a Christmas story, let me share this one with you from YouTube: "Mitch Albom reads "A Wish to be a Christmas Tree", a children's Christmas book written by Colleen Monroe and illustrated by Michael Glenn Monroe."

Merry Christmas.

What Are You Reading in November, Parents?

2009-11-02T13:28:00.004-06:00

It is a proven fact that you are a great influence on your child. In 1.57 minutes you can learn more:

What Are You Reading in November, 3rd Grade?

2009-11-02T09:07:00.003-06:00

We are getting ready to do our shopping, and so there will be lots of posts this month as we share more books that we are reading.

This month we are going to concentrate summarizing the story in three sentences. For example, I enjoyed reading a book called Ish to the kindergarten and first grade classes. My blog would look something like this:
                   In November I read Ish by Peter Reynolds. Ramon loves to
                   draw, but his brother Leon laughs at his drawings because
                   they don't look "real". Ramon is discouraged and decides
                   to stop drawing. However, his sister Marisol tells him his
                   drawings are "ish,"  which means they are close. Ramon
                   discovers he loves to draw tree-ish, flower-ish, and
                   other -ish pictures.

Library Shop coming November 24th

2009-10-23T08:26:00.002-05:00

Some of the items the students can purchase include beanie babies, Wimpy Kid books, drawing books, beads, toys, etc. The loot in the picture is just some of what will be available. There will be certificates for McDonald Happy Meals delivered in time for lunch, a popcorn & movie time for the class, a pizza lunch party for six, "Get Out of a Library Fine" card, "Read the Morning Announcements," plus more.

THE LAST DAY TO POST A COMMENT ON THE BLOG IS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17TH.

I need time to read your blogs and award stickers.

What are you reading in October, Parents?

2009-10-07T09:05:00.001-05:00

Parents are wonderful role models and you are heroes to your children. Part of letting them know that reading is important is to read yourself and let your children see you doing it! Of course reading together is important, too, but just sitting in an easy chair with a book for just a few minutes per day speaks volumes to your child.

What Are You Reading in October, 3rd Grade?

2009-10-06T14:27:00.001-05:00

Way to go, Third Grade! I am very proud of how well you did posting comments for September. This month please tell us what happened in your favorite part of the book.

Student recommendation

2009-09-11T08:30:00.000-05:00

I had a first grader excitedly tell me about I Ain't Gonna Paint No More by Karen Beaumont and illustrated by David Catrow. The rhyming verse follows the rhythm of the folk tune It Ain't Gonna Rain No More. The girl who showed me the book was especially excited about the illustrations (see page 28 for her favorite). JD in first grade and I recommend this book for your reading pleasure.

What Are You Reading in September, Parents?

2009-09-02T08:31:00.000-05:00

Parents, you are invited to tell us what you are reading. Are you reading newspapers, magazines, books, blogs, or something else? Please let us know. Students sign their blog with their initials so parents can sign their post with your child's initial and grade plus your relationship. Example: KK in 3Z's Mom (or Dad, or Grandma or Pawpa, etc.)

What Are You Reading in September, 3rd Grade?

2009-09-02T07:44:00.003-05:00

This is the starting point for our 2009-2010 blog. Students will be posting comments to share what they are reading. They will be earning stickers to use as bargaining chips to purchase gifts from the library shop.

So, 3rd grade, tell us what you are reading.

For parents: All about blogs

2009-09-01T12:36:00.004-05:00

This short video explains what blogs are and how they are used.

We will be using blogs to write annotations - quick ways to invite others to read.

This video was created by Lee LeFever of Common Craft, a great place for 3 minute technology videos. Many of the Common Craft videos can also be found on YouTube.

The parent letter for blogging, including the scoring rubric, can be found here (http://sites.google.com/a/tri-valley3.org/imc/3rd-grade-blogs)

Practice time - September 1 and 8

2009-09-01T08:17:00.004-05:00

Today is a practice run. All students are visiting the blogspot and all are going to post a sentence. Starting September 2nd we will be posting our annotations of books we have read. Watch what we read and maybe you will find a book you want to tell us about, too.

Back to School

2009-08-26T07:32:00.003-05:00

Third grade will trying something new this year: they will be earning stickers on their library cards when they submit a blog entry. I have asked them what kind of items they would like to buy with their stickers, and they wanted Nintendo DS games, movie tickets, DVDs. I said those were a little too pricey and I was thinking pencils, erasers, cans of pop, and books. So they have a wish list and I control the pocketbook, so we will see! We will have our sales in early December and late May.

Each student will have a chance to earn 5 stickers for a perfect annotation. Perfect means everything is spelled correctly, periods end sentences, capital letters start sentences, and the blog comment is coherent. The purpose of the blog is let other students know about books that might be of interest.

What are you reading? 2nd Grade answers

2009-03-31T13:07:00.002-05:00

Second grade students were given a chance to leave comments about the books they are reading. Remember use your initials, not your name, to sign your comment.

What are you reading? Teacher answers

2009-03-16T15:03:00.004-05:00

We asked the teachers to sign on and give us the title, author and a few words about their favorite children's books. Click on the comments to see what they wrote.

What are you reading? Parents answer.

2009-03-03T15:00:00.003-06:00

Parents, tell us what you are reading. Please identify yourself by initials and grade level, i.e. Ms. J., 3rd grade parent or Mr. P., 3rd grade grandparent.

I just finished reading a new book by James Paterson, Sunday's At Tiffany's, a love story about a lonely child who grows up to be a lonely woman. Can she find true love with her imaginary friend from childhood? Ms. K., 3rd grade librarian

What are you reading? 3rd Grade answers

2009-03-03T09:28:00.003-06:00

Tell us what you are reading. Include: Author, title, and your initials.

Weather Report!

2009-01-23T15:24:00.003-06:00

The week of January 12 started out cold, but bearable. The book fair was in the elementary library and all was being prepared for a Thursday open house. Thursday classes were moved so the students could buy books on Thursday. Then came the snow, about 5 inches of the fine white stuff that blew across the prairie and the highways and lanes and just about shut down central Illinois. It did indeed shut down school. Then the temperatures started falling to below zero air temps that with the wind chills were below -20 degrees. Too cold to stand out and wait for school buses. No school on Thursday or Friday! We had just six days of school before we had a snow break for three days and then a holiday for Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. Fortunately, we were able to keep the book fair through January 23rd so we were able to buy some good books for our own libraries.

Back to School

2009-01-23T15:16:00.003-06:00

We are bacik to school the week of January 5th and reviewing how to behave and talking about the book fair the next week (January 12-16).

Kindergarten read a wonderful story called My Penguin, Osbert that points out some of the downsides of getting a pet for Christmas.

First grade started a new series by author Cynthia Rylant. We read Mr. Putter and Tabby Walked the Dog. We were introduced to senior citizens Mr. Putter and Mrs. Teaberry who live next door to each other, and to their pets the fine cat, Tabby and good dog, Zeke.

The Days Before Christmas

2008-12-10T13:10:00.001-06:00

Lots of things happening before Christmas: practice for the Christmas program, collecting for the Kid-To-Kid drive, making ornaments for the school tree, and lots of whispering about secrets. The second grade and the other half of the first grade got to enjoy the Sabuda pop-up books. I bought a set of his Christmas cards which appear in his book The Christmas Alphabet and sent each class a card. They enjoyed them.

May each of our readers have a Merry Christmas and let us know what you are reading.

Pop-Up Books by Robert Sabuda

2008-12-02T12:43:00.004-06:00

I love pop-up books! This week I shared three of my favorites with the kindergarten, and 1/2 of the first grade (the other 1/2 doesn't have class this week because of school improvement). We read Winter in White, Winter's Tale, and The Night Before Christmas. The students were fascinated by the paper engineering and how the objects jumped off the page. They especially thought the ending of A Winter's Tale was spectacular! Thank you, Mr. Sabuda, for your wonderful books.

The Night the Scary Beasties Popped Out of My Head

2008-11-19T09:00:00.000-06:00

Daniel is having trouble with nightmares. The scary beasties disturb his sleep and now he is going to fight back with his mighty pencil! He draws rescue animals and vehicles to help vanquish the enemy so he can sleep soundly...with paper and pencil beside his bed.

Kindergarten students laughed and cheered as Dan raced acrossed the pages to victory.

You Are My Sunshine by Holly Hobbie

2008-11-18T12:13:00.000-06:00

The two good friends are back in another story. Toot has the mopes and Puddle tries to cheer his friend up. Finally a thunderstorm hits Woodcock Pocket clearing the air and Toot's mopes.

The Pencil by Allan Ahlberg

2008-11-12T09:12:00.001-06:00

We have been working with shapes and learning how to use Kid Pix in kindergarten. This week we are branching out to read about drawing and we are starting with The Pencil by Allan Ahlberg, the story of a pencil and his drawings. The students thought Kitty was the best character because she added color.

I notice on the dedication that Mr. Ahlberg thanks David and Daniel. I wonder who these two are. Could they be David and Daniel Kamish? I will be doing more research on this idea.

A Present for Toot by Holly Hobbie

2008-11-11T12:16:00.003-06:00

Toot's birthday is coming and Puddle is shopping for something very special, but Toot won't give Puddle any clues as to what to buy. I notice the audience perks up when Tulip speaks because of the characterization I give the voice.

Toot & Puddle by Holly Hobbie

2008-11-04T12:06:00.000-06:00

Friendship is a precious commodity, and Toot & Puddle show us how friends can be themselves and still be friends.

The Little Old Lady Who Wasn't Afraid of Anything

2008-10-29T09:36:00.000-05:00

The Little Old Lady Who Wasn't Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams, illustrated by Megan Lloyd is a kindergarten favorite. The students enjoyed interacting with the story to clomp, wiggle, shake, clap, nod, and say "BOO!"

Halloween Stories

2008-10-28T12:13:00.003-05:00

Using Jan Pienkowski's Haunted House (1979) and Disney's Haunted Mansion (1994), I told the story of my haunted house. All the students in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade seemed to enjoy the stories. We also used a virtual pumpkin to make scary jack o'lanterns. (Thanks to Cub Pack 81 in New Jersey for hosting this site!)

What are you reading?

2008-10-21T13:08:00.000-05:00

Tell us what you are reading!

The Hallo-wiener by Dav Pilkey

2008-10-21T12:39:00.001-05:00

Today we read the last Dav Pilkey of the year. The Hallo-wiener is the story of Oscar, the wiener dog, and his Halloween.

Merry Christmas, Dragon

2008-10-14T11:05:00.003-05:00

We read our last Dragon this week, Dragon's Merry Christmas, by Dav Pilkey. Dragon makes a candy wreath, buys Christmas presents, and helps his neighbors celebrate the season.

Wing on a Flea: A Book About Shapes

2008-10-08T16:00:00.003-05:00

Ed Emberly wrote and illustrated this book showing how shapes like rectangles, triangles, and circles are all around us "if we just look and see." Using cut outs of two sizes of circles, rectangles, and triangles, the kindergarten students put together their own pictures. When they were done, had shared with others at their tables, the put the shapes in back into the middle of the table and made something else. Judging from the giggles and the patterns, a good time was had by all.

Dragon's Halloween by Dav Pilkey

2008-10-07T14:36:00.002-05:00

Dragon sets up his scary jack o' lantern, attends a Halloween party, and hears growling in the dark woods.

Recommend a Book

2008-09-30T14:34:00.001-05:00

Tell us what you are reading.

Dragon's Fat Cat by Dav Pilkey

2008-09-30T12:34:00.001-05:00

We enjoyed Dragon's Fat Cat by Dav Pilkey. Dragon rescues a fat cat from a snow storm, but soon encounters the unexpected problems of a new cat owner: how to train his cat, what to feed his cat, how to manage the yellow puddles.

Don't Bet Against Me

2008-09-27T16:42:00.003-05:00

The HS Library Lady writes: Don’t Bet Against Me is by Deanna Favre, wife of professional football player Brett Favre. Deanna talks about the obstacles and tragedies that she has faced and how she has gotten through her struggles. Her hardest fight has been with breast cancer. The support of faith, family and friends has kept her going strong. Check it out at the HS IMC.

A Book Fair

2008-09-19T10:16:00.002-05:00

This week I publicized our upcoming book fair. We have a selection of books coming from Scholastic Books. The books will arrive on Friday, September 19th and I will set up the fair. The official opening is Monday, September 22. Each of the classes will visit to hear a story or two and have time to browse. Parents are encouraged to visit, especially during the PTO Picnic in the Park on September 26. The fair will move from the library to the gym for that event.

Watch for comments from the students about the books they like. The signs and the video have already generated lots of excitement about the Dinosaur Cove series, and the kids were abuzz when a shots of Star Wars and Pokemon books lit up the screen.

Visit our book fair homepage.

A Love Story

2008-09-12T07:07:00.002-05:00

From the high school library lady: If you love a love story then Nicholas Sparks', The Choice, is the book for you. Neighbors Travis and Gabby meet because of Travis’s barking dog. After young love, marriage and family Travis is forced to make a choice that will affect him and his family for the rest of their lives.

Howard B. Wigglebottom Listens To His Heart

2008-09-10T09:39:00.002-05:00

In this week's installment of the Howard B. Wigglebottom, we learned that having heart is more than just the muscle that goes THUMP THUMP in our chest, it means doing things that make us happy.

Dictionaries and Reading

2008-09-09T13:24:00.002-05:00

Third grades heard the book The Yellow Star: the Legend of King Christian X of Denmark. Although no documentation has been found, the legend says the King and his subjects wore yellow stars to mask the Jews who were forced to wear the yellow stars during World War II.

Third graders listened to the book and wrote down words they didn't know or understand (i.e., stout, Danes, gentile, defiance, resistance) and then used the dictionary to read the definitions and check spelling.

Another Dav Pilkey Adventure

2008-09-09T11:49:00.002-05:00

We read Dragon Gets By this week in first grade. First graders enjoyed the morning mix-up of sleepy Dragon and the adventures in cleaning and of grocery shopping.

Kindergarten Reads Howard B. Wigglebottom

2008-09-05T09:29:00.002-05:00

Howard Binkow wrote a delightful book for kindergarteners called Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns to Listen. Howard is a young rabbit who doesn't listen to his teachers or friends as they try to warn him of hazards ahead. However, Howard B. Wigglebottom thinks about his actions during a time-out and tries to listen better.

The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan

2008-09-05T09:21:00.000-05:00

Book 4 in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series Percy Jackson isn’t expecting freshman orientation to be any fun. But when a mysterious mortal acquaintance appears on campus, followed by demon cheerleaders, things quickly move from bad to worse. In this latest installment of the blockbuster series, time is running out as war between the Olympians and the evil Titan lord Kronos draws near. Even the safe haven of Camp Half-Blood grows more vulnerable by the minute as Kronos’s army prepares to invade its once impenetrable borders. To stop the invasion, Percy and his demigod friends must set out on a quest through the Labyrinth–a sprawling underground world with stunning surprises at every turn. Full of humor and heart-pounding action. ~from the MS Library Lady

Check out A LONG WAY GONE by Ishmael Beah from the READ FOR A LIFETIME list

2008-09-05T09:12:00.000-05:00

Beah, now twenty-five years old, tells a riveting story: how at the age of twelve, he fled attacking rebels and wandered Sierra Leone, Africa rendered unrecognizable by violence. By thirteen, he'd been picked up by the government army, forced to be a soldier and found that he was capable of truly terrible acts. At 15 he is brought to a rehabilitation center sponsored by UNICEF and is on his way back to civilian life only to be caught up in the war again. ~from the HS library lady

First Grade is Reading Dav Pilkey

2008-09-05T09:02:00.002-05:00

Although the most successful of Dav Pilkey's books are the Captain Underpants series, the first grade have heard me read Dog Breath and A Friend for Dragon. The students learned a new word, halitosis, so they could enjoy the illustrations and the story better. In A Friend for Dragon they were introduced to the series of Dragon's Tales. While reading and discussing, we learned four important secrets of friendship:

A good friend is a good listener.
Good friends have things in common.
Good friends share.
good friends care about each other.

What We Are Reading

2008-08-25T14:43:00.003-05:00

Each week the library ladies will offer you some suggestions for reading. This week:

The HS Library Lady says: "I am currently reading the 4th book in the Stephenie Meyer Twilight series. It’s a modern day vampire, werewolf, and human story. Many interesting characters with special powers. I can’t put it down."

Our MS Library Lady recommends: Welcome back Middle Schoolers! I have over 50 new books so come to the IMC and check out the new book table. Some of the new titles are:

Quest by Angie Sage
Found by Margaret Haddix
Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan
Tunnels by Gordon
Swindle By Korman
Airman by Colfer

Come see me soon and start reading for your first bookreports!

And The ES Library Lady reports: "At the end of last year, I purchased picture books by Cornelia Funke, author of MS favorites such as Dragon Rider, Inkheart and The Thief Lord. One of the new picture books by Funke is Princess Pigsty, a story of a princess who doesn't want to be a princess and her father who loves her enough to let her try other things."

What are you reading? Hit the comment button to share.

Labor Day

2008-08-25T12:11:00.002-05:00

In 1882, Peter McGuire suggested: "Let us have, a festive day during which a parade through the streets of the city would permit public tribute to American Industry." (Detroit News, September 4, 1997). For many years cities and towns held Labor Day parades to celebrate workers across the nation. Now we view it as the last holiday of summer. A day for a last picnic, a last swim in the public pool, and we start to put away our summer clothes, school is back in session, and we look forward to cooler weather, turning leaves and harvest celebrations.

No matter how you celebrate this Labor Day, enjoy this Labor Day, Monday, September 1, 2008.

Suggested readings from our libraries:

Ansory, Mir Tamin (1999) Labor Day. Heinemann. 32 pp.
Scott, Geoffrey (1982) Labor Day. Carolrhoda. 48 pp.

Summer Olympics of 2008

2008-08-13T18:26:00.004-05:00

I watched the awesome opening ceremonies for the Olympics last week, and I have been following the record-breaking activities of swimmer Michael Phelps on the Bejing 2008 website as well as NBC-TV. There are books and magazines waiting in the schools when you return next week. Come in and have a look. We also have other sports books for your enjoyment. Until then, browse our online catalog.

Read For A LifeTime

2008-08-06T08:22:00.001-05:00

Illinois high school students are invited to join a reading club set up by the Illinois State Library. The program runs through the end of October to the first part of April. Students can choose which four of twenty-five books they would like to read. I have put together a page for my students to see all the titles. Have a look. If you would like to get involved, visit your high school library or media center for more information.

Welcome

2008-08-05T13:11:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my first attempt at blogging. I am a school library/media specialist in central Illinois. The purpose of this blog is to discuss what we are reading in our schools and I hope you will join in the conversation about what you are reading.

Rules:

Please refrain from using insulting, abusive, or other derogatory language on this blog.

Tell us what you are reading and if you would recommend it to others and why.

Please identify yourself by initials and grade/status. (i.e. I am KAK/teacher; you might be JQC/grade 6)