Happy Summer....KEEP READING

WINNERS !   WINNERS!   WINNERS!

CONGRATULATIONS....to Julia and Dylan for winning the best story contest from our visiting Sunshine State Author,  Sherri Winston. Students in grades 3 and 4 were so inspired by her presentation and story writing sessions that she decided to have a contest. All students who wrote a story had their entries read by the author who gave personal notes on each one. Several others were selected as winners including Dorothy and Sole and the student authors received a Barnes & Noble gift certificate or signed copy of the book President of the Whole Fifth Grade.

In grade 1 students acted out the story entitled Mud Fairy by Amy Young,                                      after they heard the story. Some of them even used a real "Magic lit-up Wand" as they followed the story of Emmalina, the fairy who could not do anything right to earn her "wings". After many efforts, she finally was successful!

In grade 2, students finished their passport project by researching interesting facts about every continent. They used non-fiction books to find their facts, and their reward was to take their passports home with them after traveling all around the world collecting data. Good job, second graders!

Attention all library volunteers....you have worked very hard this year and the next two weeks are the hardest....as the library books are returned a lot of shelving and organizing will need to be done to get our wonderful collection ready for the next year. Some of the books need to be weeded or repaired and all of them need to be organized. Thank you in advance for helping with this big job..You are all so valuable. Please stop by the library before the end of the school year to get your thank you gift .

Thank you, Andi, for a great year....you have made it possible for us to have lots of dependable volunteers to help our library achieve success. You have given up so much time to be in the library and help in so many ways. We could not have done it without you...You are so appreciated and loved.

MAY HAPPENINGS....

                                                                                                   
                                                                                                        The ptarmigan is strange
                                                                                                        As strange as he can be
                                                                                                        Never sets on ptelephone poles
                                                                                                       Or roosts upon a ptree
                                                                                                       And the way he ptales pto spelling
                                                                                                       Is the strangest thing pto me.
                                                                                                             - Anonymous

In grades ALPHA-Grades 2 students voted for their favorite FRA Children's Book Award winner...The results of the state voting is in and the winner for 2012-2013 is:

Two Bobbies by Kirby Larson and Mary Nethery

Honor Titles:

The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School by Laura Murray
Memoirs of a Goldfish by Devin Scillian

VOTING, VOTING VOTING.......Thank you to the  91 Students and teachers in grades 3-5 who voted for their favorite 2012-2013 Sunshine State Young Reader's Award.  The winners were announced by the DEO (Department of Education) and they are:

The Familars by Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson ( Grades 3-5)
Lost in the River of Grass by Ginny Rorby (Grades 6-8)


Students in grade 1 made up their own story to go along with the picture they had chosen. Then they shared their stories with a partner. Next, they were put in groups of 4 to have their stories combined together. They sat in the front of the library classroom and shared their stories. What a remarkable job they did, too. Then they watched the story entitled Flotsam by David Wiesner and looked for their pictures in that story. They used their creativity, imagination, and  worked collaboratively.

In grade 2, students learned about the continent of Africa using maps, library books, and the Swahili language guides. Swahili developed along the east African coast and has its origins in Arabic (from north Africa). The word "Swahili" actually means "coast" in Arabic. Students also worked on their passports to write facts on all the continents. They earn a stamp for every fact and they are trying to finishing this project by the end of the school year to complete their passports. Keep up the good work second graders and you will achieve success!

Jr. K students were enchanted by the story entitled Chestnut by Constance W. McGeorge. A long time ago, in a city by the sea, there lived a horse named Chestnut. Chestnut works for Mr. Decker, pulling a delivery wagon. Everyday, people wait eagerly for Mr. Decker and Chestnut to arrive. One day, however, there is a problem....who will be the hero? Will the problem get solved? This classic children's story is a charming tribute to the hardworking horses of yesteryear.

Alpha children helped find the treasure while reading Max & Ruby's Treasure Hunt by Rosemary Wells. A sudden thunderstorm ruins Max and Ruby's outdoor tea party! What can they and their friends Louise and Liy do indoors on a rainy day? Grandma has the answer. She sets up a treasure hunt with a mysterious secret box at the end of a string of amazing clues.

In 3rd grade students used a non-fiction book about Sharks to answer questions using all parts of the book. They worked with a partner to problem solve and learned a lot about sharks that they did not know before. Using the table of contents, charts, bold-face type, glossary, captions, illustrations, copyright page,  title page, and index they proved that research can be fun as well as challenging.

 NATIONAL BIKE MONTH
              NATIONAL PHYSICAL FITNESS MONTH
                       GET CAUGHT READING MONTH
                                 BE KIND TO ANIMALS WEEK (MAY 5-11)




Volunteers, volunteers, volunteers.....we have seen so many wonderful volunteers since school started in the new year. Thanks to the hard work and very flexible schedule of  Andi Mullins. I am very thankful for the new "MAY LOOK" in the library thanks to all the wonderful other volunteers who decorated and pulled the new author books. You are all so appreciated and loved by the children and especially by the librarians. 

      THE GREATEST ADVENTURE

The greatest adventure is what lies ahead.
Today and tomorrow are yet to be said.
The chances, the changes are all yours to make.
The mold of your life is in your hands to break.
           (from THE HOBBIT,  by J.R.R. Tolkien)


Books without words was the focus for students in grade 1. Using their imaginations and the pictures to form the story, students enjoyed Tuesday, Art & Max, Free Fall, 7 Sector 7 all by David Wiesner and  Chalk by Bill Thomson. In Chalk, three children go to the park on a rainy day and find a bag of chalk...You will not believe the magic that begins when they begin to draw.

Students in grade 2 chose an Asian book and by using a check list they needed to locate all the parts of the book including maps, charts, time lines, fun facts, recipes, author information, table of contents, glossary, index, internet sites, useful addresses bibliography, boldface type, and pictures. They shared their findings as well as interesting facts to their classmates.

Mrs. Smay also showed the students how to make a book come alive with augmented reality using the app Aurasma. She showed the students how to access and use the app, too. They were delighted to see the flames coming out of the oven, the school of fish swimming on the pages and the dragon scene on this video below. This is a great way to add a special feature to a wonderful book..

Spots and stripes on Earth's creatures, give each animal unique features and by taking a closer look, the readers in Jr. K discovered Lots of Spots by Lois Ehlert. 

Do you know the alphabet ?....well in Kelly Bingham's book entitled Z is for Moose the students in Alpha class learned why the title was chosen for this outstanding book. It is a book about friendship, hurt feelings and choices as well as an alphabet book.

Students in grade 3 worked with Atlases and Almanacs to find out when they would need to use them. They also compared what information each type of reference book contains.

 


Volunteers, volunteers, volunteers.....we have seen so many wonderful volunteers since school started in the new year. Thanks to the hard work and very flexible schedule of  Andi Mullins. I am very thankful for the new "APRIL LOOK" in the library thanks to all the wonderful other volunteers who decorated and pulled the new author books. You are all so appreciated and loved by the children and especially by the librarians.

APRIL ARRIVES IN THE MEDIA CENTER

                    THE WISE OLD OWL

A wise old owl sat in an oak, 
The more he heard the less he spoke,
The less he spoke the more he heard.
Why aren't we all like that wise old bird?

Happy National Library Week - April 14-20

One way students in grades 3-5 will be celebrating is by voting for their favorite Sunshine State book.

Students in grade 2 acted out the book The Five Chinese Brothers by Claire Huchet Bishop. They picked out their part, and using props recreated the story in their own words. Everyone enjoyed this way of appreciating literature and realizing how each country has tales that are told and retold over the generations. A comparison of the different versions of this popular book was also discussed.

In 1st grade the students discussed the book written by Madonna entitled Mr. Peobody's Apples. This book was inspired by a nearly 300-year-old story that was told to her by her Kabbalah teacher. It is about the power of words, and how we must choose them carefully to avoid causing harm to

others.

Students in K were detectives as they listened to Winston the Book Wolf by Marni McGee and Ian Beck. They had to fill in the story web and answer Who? What? When? Where? Problem? Solution? 
In this story Winston the wolf has a very big appetite and his favorite thing to eat is a book! Can Winston learn that eating words is not the only way to enjoy them? Find out in this tasty morsel of a story.

In Alpha, students discussed inspiration after reading Hank Finds Inspiration by Craig Frazier. They discussed places, things, and events that give them inspiration. They really enjoyed the surprise ending, too.

Students in Jr. K followed the adventures of Little Mouse as she creates a painting which looks like three different things to her three friends, all of whom find themselves in it. They listened to the book entitled Little Mouse's Painting by Diane Wolkstein and illustrated by Maryjane Begin and found out about Little Mouse, Squirrel, Porcupine who have tea together and go for walks together. One day Little Mouse decides to do something all by herself...and that is when the fun begins....In this warm book about friendship, the talents of two major artists intertwine.

 Students in grade 3 worked in teams to find answers to research questions using encyclopedias. They learned how to use the index, figure out Key Words, locate the page and volume where the information was found and recorded it. Each team shared their findings with the entire class and every team found their answers....some teams even asked..."Can we do another one?"....proving that research can be fun....





  Volunteers, volunteers, volunteers.....we have seen so many wonderful volunteers since school started in the new year. Thanks to the hard work and very flexible schedule of  Andi Mullins. I am very thankful for the new "APRIL look" in the library thanks to all the wonderful other volunteers who decorated and pulled the new author books. You are all so appreciated and loved by the children, and especially by the librarian.

MARCH EVENTS.......

Our visiting author, Sherri Winston, will be returning to our school with her books. She will be signing them in front of the students who ordered one. If you are interested the cost is $7.50.  Please give your order to your child's teacher.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Students in grade 1 worked in groups to do research about famous American symbols. They learned facts about the flag, statue of liberty, bald eagle, Uncle Sam and the liberty bell. After using several sources to do their research each student taught their facts to the entire class. They became the teachers and they used the Elmo projector to teach their facts. Everyone had fun learning and everyone was "The Teacher".

In second grade the students worked on their facts for Australia to earn another stamp on their passport. Since their next continent to study is Asia, they read aloud several famous folkstories from that area. These included The Five Chinese Brothers by Claire Huchet Bishop and Kurt Wiese, The Six Chinese Brothers by Cheng Hou-tien and The Seven Chinese Brothers by Margaret Mahy. After reading these selections, the students made comparisons about the similarities as well as the differences in them. They will vote on the one they will act out for a reader's theater experience, but this time they will ad lib the script.

Students in K enjoyed listening to Horray for Reading Day by Margery Cuyler on their actual "drop everything and read outside day".  First grader Jessica, a big worrier, is especially afraid that she will make a mistake when she is reading in front of her class and parents on Reading Theater day, but after lots of practice reading to her dog Wiggles, she performs perfectly.

In Alpha, we played a game to see what the students knew about animals. Using Steve Jenkins' book entitled Biggest, Strongest, Fastest students learned the biggest land animal, the strongest animal for its size, the tallest animal, the biggest animal, the world's smallest mammal, the smallest bird, the world's longest animal, the largest kind of spider, the fastest animal, the slowest animal, the animal that gives the strongest shock, the biggest snake, the world's best jumper, and the animal that lives the longest.

JK students listened to a letter written by a city mouse (Mouserella) to her grandmother (grandmouse), who lives in the country in the book by David Ezra Stein, entitled Love Mouserella.
Students enjoyed the art work and photos all done by Mouserella.

 Author Sherri Winston does a creative writing activity with grades 3 and 4 on March 21, 2013.

Volunteers, volunteers, volunteers.....we have seen so many wonderful volunteers since school started in the new year. Thanks to the hard work and very flexible schedule of  Andi Mullins. I am very thankful for the new "March look" in the library thanks to all the wonderful other volunteers who decorated and pulled the new author books. You are all so appreciated and loved by the children, and especially by the librarian.

MARCH... INTO THE MEDIA CENTER

            ODE TO SPRING

O spring, O spring,                                                 
You wonderful thing!
O spring, O spring, O spring!                      
O spring, O spring,
When the birdies sing
I feel like a king,
O spring! 

by Walter R. Brooks

        GUESS WHO IS COMING TO VISIT SHORECREST ???

Sherri Winston, SSYRA author of President of the Whole Fifth Grade,  ONE OF THIS YEAR'S FLORIDA SUNSHINE STATE YOUNG READER'S AWARD BOOKS, combined two of her childhood favorites to create her book -- cupcakes and cash! Like a lot of kids, at 10, Winston was an intrepid little planner whose allowance was never quite large enough to live the dream. In her book, she develops a personality in Brianna Justice, who figures out how to have her cupcake and eat it, too. Winston spent over twenty years as a newspaper reporter, columnist and sports writer. She currently lives in Orlando with her two daughters, four cats, two turtles, and plays nanny for her nephew's shih tzu.

**********AUTHOR VISIT   -   Thursday, March 21 to help us celebrate READING WEEK !!!!*****************

 


Students in grade 2 learned all about Shrek, the famous Hermit Sheep of Tarros. This is based on a true story set in Tarras, New Zealand by the students of Tarras School. The story, written through a child's eyes, covers Shrek's start in life at Bendigo station, his journey to the mountains above, finding a cave and making it home, and finally his discovery and road to fame. Shrek was found on Bendigo Station on April 15, 2004, by a woman shepherd Ann Scanlan and was carried to safety by Daniel Devine. For six years Shrek evaded musters in the magnificent Central Otago high country of New Zealand and his picture below shows what he looked like when he was finally found.

In first grade, the students found out what happens when a house decides to take a vacation.

While the Petersons are away, their house decides to take a trip to the sea to watch the "Dance of the Sunlight," despite some groaning from the chimney and the basement's refusal to rise to the occasion. Read House Takes a Vacation by Jacqueline Davies to find out exactly what happened>

Vote for your favorite fossil or skeleton. There is a display made by Cian MacCarthy and Mrs. Smay.

In Alpha class, the students listened to Don't Spill the Beans by Ian Schoenherr. In this story, a bear tries hard to keep a birthday surprise a secret.

Jr. K students listened to Bandit's Surprise by Karen Rostoker-Gruber and found out that when Michelle brings home a new kitten, Bandit is not at all pleased to share his home and water dish, and absolutely refuses to share his favorite toy mouse called Fuzzy Mouse. Will these two cats ever reach a purr-fect friendship??

 

In K students enjoyed the noodlehead story entitled Epossumondas by Coleen Salley. Mishaps occur but are not caused deliberately. The humor is gentle and silly. The plot may be highly improbable,but not impossible-it could happen. This is a retelling of a classic tale in which a well-intentioned young possum continually takes his mother's instructions much too literally.  

Students in grade 3 worked with a partner to do a biography lesson. They are playing " Guess Who Is Knocking At the Door". After reading their biography book, they make up 3 factual questions that are clues to who they read about. In this "game" students try to guess  "WHO" the biography is about. Prizes are given out to the participants and the players who guess the correct person. By the end of the game every student should learn about someone they did not know before.

Volunteers, volunteers, volunteers.....we have seen so many wonderful volunteers since school started in the new year. Thanks to the hard work and very flexible schedule of  Andi Mullins. I am very thankful for the new "March look" in the library thanks to all the wonderful other volunteers who decorated and pulled the new author books. You are all so appreciated and loved by the children, and especially by the librarian.