Last week in the Jackson Library, kindergarteners made a fun groundhog puppet and first graders sequenced story events using the book, Mr. Groundhog Wants the Day Off. They read an interactive story about Groundhog Day at the computer station using the Starfall site.
Last week in the Jackson Library, first graders analyzed character traits and the motives of the characters in @bobshea ‘s Cheetah Can’t Lose picture book. As we read the book about Cheetah racing the kittens, we watched the little kittens snicker and Cheetah become more brazen with his bragging. The kids started putting velcro boxes on Cheetah’s feet, balloons in his hand, and sundaes in his mouth on the poster to think about what was really going on here. I think the visual poster in addition to reading the book helps them to conceptualize what is happening. After deducing that the kittens were trying to make Cheetah lose the race, we discussed the complex ending and why it ended that way. It was a great discussion on how to be a true friend and the characteristics of a friend. At the tables, the kids recalled the objects the kittens used to thwart Cheetah.
Last week in the Jackson Library, first grade analyzed a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. poem by Hilary Kiser. After discussing the meanings of the stanzas, we played a Kahoot! review game in pairs.
First grade celebrated the new year in the Jackson Library with Gail Piernas-Davenport’sShanté Keys and the New Year’s Peas. During the story, the kids matched the food eaten on New Year’s Day to the flag of the corresponding country in the story. We like how the people from whom Shanté asked to borrow peas were invited to dinner at the end. At the tables, the kids decorated their own fireworks and used the Quivervision app to pop virtual fireworks. Welcome, 2019!
Before the break, first graders had fun with the book, The Hair of Zoe Fleefenbacher Goes to School. They sequenced events during the story and made predictions about how what Zoe’s hair would do next. Then at the tables, they created wild hair for Zoe on a bookmark they could take home. During check out, we rotated iPads so they could play a fun crazy salon/barbershop game.
We had loads of fun today with The Wonky Donkey and first graders! We read the story and discussed the meaning of vocabulary words within it: wonky, lanky, cranky, stinky, winky, hanky-panky, honky-tonky, etc. Then we read it through again while playing the song (Scholastic.com). Craig Smith won an Apra award (Apra New Zealand Best Children’s Song of the Year) in 2009. At the tables, the kids had to draw their own wonky donkey and we listened to an animated retelling/song version by Alina Celeste. What fun!
Monster trucks, no literally, monsters driving trucks, invaded the library last week! We read Joy Keller’s fun book, Monster Trucks, and matched the specific monster with its truck: the ogre was in charge of the wrecking ball, the werewolf used the digging machine to dig up prehistoric bones, and the yeti ran the snowplow. The kids love this book! At the tables, they controlled their own trucks to build a house of their choosing with Sago Mini Trucks and Diggers. During check out, we watched Jon Scieszka’s Smash! Crash!
Second graders enjoyed a fun read aloud in the Jackson Library last week titled Monster Trouble by Lane Fredrickson and illustrated by Michael Robertson. We follow Winifred Schnitzel, a little girl who is not easily frightened but is annoyed by monsters interrupting her sleep. She devises several plans to deter them with one finally succeeding in the end. Great opportunities abound for students to use context and picture clues to determine the meaning of unknown words in this story. I like how the author created Winifred full of gumption and innovation and I like how the illustrator gives each monster personality and conveys a myriad of emotions Winifred has when dealing with her annoying visitors.
At the tables during check out, the kids enjoyed the interactive read aloud app, Even Monsters Get Sick.
Last week in the Jackson Library, first graders had fun with a new spooky story, Fright School, by Janet Lawler. There are excellent vocabulary words in the story, so I created an interactive poster with words and corresponding pictures. We used context and the fun illustrations to determine the meanings of the words. During check out, we had fun with Amanda Noll’s I Need My Monster interactive storybook app and no spooky library lesson would be complete without doing The Monster Shuffledance at the end!
words studied:scolds, seeping, relish, foul, clutch, quake, peer
Last week in the Jackson Elementary Library, first graders enjoyed a big-screen version of the Reynolds/Santat book, DUDE! First we read it through once, looking closely at the pictures. The second time we read it, the kids held up index cards with words around it:
Yay! Hey… Oh no! Ha! Guys…? Hello! What?
When they saw the picture that went with each ‘DUDE!’ they had to interpret the ‘DUDE!’ as one of the index card phrases. So when the animals saw the steep cliff rocks ahead when they were surfing, the kids would hold up ‘Oh no!’ as the translation for ‘DUDE!’ When two different answers emerged, we had a great discussion as to why both answers might be right. The kids LOVED this book! At the tables during check out, we had fun with Sago Ocean.