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Library Messages from Miss Walker
August A library should be a wonderful place to visit. One of my goals for each year is to continute designing a welcoming web page that will assist you in finding the resources that you may need to make your library visit a pleasant, informative one. Stay tuned for changes! Each year provides a new, exciting adventure! One of the most important lessons during the first week of school is to learn about behavior in libraries. I have adapted different behavioral strategies over the years, some are from Harry Wong, noted educator. One theme I have found success with is: Give Me Five! 1. Eyes on Speaker 2. QUIET! 3. Be still 4. Hands free 5. Listen
RULES 1. Follow directions. 2. Raise your hand. 3. Stay at your seat. 4. Keep hands, feet, and objects to yourself. 5. Watch what you say...no teasing.
Some of the younger classes are shown the following sites and discuss library book care:
I also like to take the opportunity to introduce (or re-introduce) myself to the students. They wanted to know what my dog looked like, so I looked up a site about shelties and told them Sheba looks like a miniature collie. September We have two assistants to help out. Mrs. Gunzelman is at M.R.Reiter, and Mrs. Stamps is at Grandview. They are both very excited to be here. Look for them to help you when I am traveling between schools every day. M.R.Reiter has a collection that mostly reflects kindergarten, first and second grade interests. Grandview mostly reflects third, fourth and fifth grade interests. As we are always working on bringing new materials into the libraries, the libraries are an evolving “work in progress.” There's always something interesting happening here.
September is the American Library Association's National Library Card Sign-up Month! Some of the younger classes have visited the Morrisville Branch of the Bucks County Library System: Morrisville Free Library Association. Check out their web-site to see all of the wonderful items they have to offer you!
Students may begin taking books out of the library. The general rules to follow are: K-2nd graders may take out one library book; 3rd-5th graders may take out two books (preferably one fiction/chapter book and one non-fiction). Exceptions may be made if a classroom teacher has a project which requires that extra resources are checked out. There currently is no fee for late books. However, students are asked to return their books in a timely manner so that other students have the chance to see the books. If a book is lost or damaged, students are asked to cover the cost of the book so that a replacement or similar item may be purchased. October During some lessons, I may introduce some web sites as an introduction to a particular author or theme. If you click on the "Author Studies" link to the left, you will be able to view the sites of authors and/or illustrators that we have been (or will be) studying. Please check back often, as this is a "work in progress" and things will constantly be changing. The following are some of the persons studied so far by some of the classes: Chris Van Allsburg, Marc Brown, Beverly Cleary, Tomie DePaola, Leo Lionni, Arnold Lobel, Robert Munsch, and Peggy Parish. Happy reading! In October, we learn about the National Hispanic Heritage Month (mid-September through mid-October) and are interested to hear that Hispanic Heritage covers peoples originally from Spain and later on from places like Learn about Hispanic Heritage:
November In November, we learn about the Native American Indian Heritage Month. Both libraries have some interesting tales about American Indians. We think it is important to become more aware of different cultures. Learn about Native American History:
In Mid-November, we celebrate the National Education Association's American Education Week and all of the wonderful services that our public schools provide! Thanks go to everyone who works together to provide a great education for our children! We certainly have many opportunities to use our library books to explore our world! December At this time of the year, students are usually getting excited about the holidays. We usually try to give the students a broad overview of the celebrations that many cultures enjoy, including Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa. Our society has been changing, and we can now see the reasons for understanding each others' cultures in order to relate better with each other. January Happy New Year! We began the month by learning about some of the Presidents of the United States! We celebrate the birthdates of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. We also learn about Martin Luther King, Jr. Learn about Presidents:
Learn about Martin Luther King, Jr.:
February During February's Black History Month, students learn about Martin Luther King as well as various other African Americans who made a difference in our world. The older students have some interesting discussions about ways we can all make the world a better, more caring and loving place. Some Famous African Americans that we can learn life-lessons from are:
I want to mention a new book I used this year with the students: Jazz on a Saturday Night by Leo and Diane Dillon. The book explained how jazz music developed primarily in New Orleans, and this book talked about some famous African American jazz musicians: Miles Davis (Trumpet), Max Roach (Drums), Charlie Parker (Alto Saxophone), John Coltrane (Tenor and Soprano Saxophone), Thelonious Monk (Piano), Stanley Clarke (Acoustic and Electric Bass), and Ella Fitzgerald (Voice). It was fun to read the story as well as incorporate music into the lesson (there was a CD that went with the book). The students enjoyed hearing the Jazz music.
Read Across America! Both schools enjoy spending quiet time reading while wearing red and white striped hats in honor of Dr. Seuss's birthday. Students enjoy purchasing candy fishes and donated the proceeds to the libraries. "Visit" Dr. Seuss:
For Women's History Month, the third through fifth graders participate in a contest to answer questions about famous women in history. The Women's "Wall of Fame" is a good place to start when trying to find out answers. Kindergarten through second grade students hear stories about real women who have made a difference. Students draw pictures and write about a special woman in each student's life. Students design flowers to be used for Ladybird Johnson's Flower Garden. The pictures, stories, and flowers are displayed for all to admire! Some famous women to discover: April April's Career Month is always fun in the library since third, fourth, and fifth grade students have the chance to consider their personal interests and match up their skills with jobs that the students could pursue in their studies. Kindergarten students listen to stories depicting people in various jobs. First and second graders pair-share while learning about jobs they can do. Then, they write and illustrate the job they just read about. Students have a chance to guess what jobs the teachers had before they became teachers. It is fun to see the many experiences that teachers bring to their jobs in Morrisville! Classes enjoy learning about what some of their parents do when their parents visit the schools and give talks during our Career Week. The following are some web-sites that will help students explore careers more and to see what people do in their jobs:
Did you know that April is the School Library Media Month? During the month, we consider how libraries contribute to our literacy. The Keystone State Reading Association has designated April as Families and Reading Month. Click on the title for some helpful information.
May The Children's Book Council has moved the Children's Book Week to May! May is Asian Pacific Heritage Month. June
YEAR-LONG MISCELLANEOUS ACTIVITIES Classes learn about different types of literary genres. Fairy Tales:
Tall Tales:
"Why Tales."
Elementary Specialists Elementary Specialists |
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