JANUARY JOYS!

JANUARY 'S FAMOUS PEOPLE

Betsy Ross - Jan. 1, 1752 - According to legend, creator of the first American flag under instructions from George Washington
Sir Isaac Newton - Jan. 4, 1643 - Discoverer of the law of universal gravitation and co-founder of calculus
Elvis Presley - Jan. 8, 1935 - American rock singer
Martin Luther King, Jr. - Jan. 15, 1929 -Civil rights leader; winner of 1964 Nobel Peace Prize
Benjamin Franklin - Jan. 17, 1706 - American statesman, inventor, diplomat, publisher, author, and scientist
Bessie Coleman - Jan. 26, 1893 -Black female aviator
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Jan. 27, 1756 -Composer of over 600 musical compositions
Franklin D. Roosevelt - Jan. 30, 1882 -32nd U. S. President, elected four times
Jackie Robinson - Jan. 31, 1919 - First black baseball player to enter the professional major leagues




AUTHOR VISIT

Award-winning author, Michael Patrick O'Neill will be visiting our school on Monday, February 1, 2010. His books are on display in the media center for you to view. The topics are all related to ocean life and since he takes his own photographs while diving, the illustrations are just remarkable. Please feel free to stop by and look at his work. We are all looking forward to his visit.

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Students in Grades Jr. K, K, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd spent their class lesson in the library reading the author's books and admiring the illustrations. They worked in teams to read all 6 titles and prepared some interesting questions for our guest on Monday.

In the Alpha class, the students heard the book The Birthday Box by Leslie Patricelli which was filled with imagination. Ask your child what you can do with a box?

Students are in for a wonderful week ahead as we celebrate reading. Our theme is Shorecrest Gets A "Charge" out of Reading. I am looking forward to Tuesday when your children dress up in their favorite book character outfits. Make sure they carry the book that they have picked to do this activity, so we all can learn about new book characters and the titles of those books. On Thursday I will be doing a Reader's Theater with an opossum themed book and can't wait to see the children in action.

HAPPY NEW YEAR in the media center!

January's Birthdays

January 2 - Isaac Asimov
3 - J.R.R. Tolkien
4 - Phyllis Reynold Naylor
6 - Carl Sandburg
9 - Clyde Robet Bulla
13 - Michael Bond
18 - A.A. Milne (Winnie the Pooh)
27 - Lewis Carroll
29 - Bill Peet (author & illustrator)
Rosemary Wells



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AUTHOR VISIT

Award-winning author, Michael Patrick O'Neill will be visiting our school on Monday, February 1, 2010. His books are on display in the media center for you to view. The topics are all related to ocean life and since he takes his own photographs while diving, the illustrations are just remarkable. Please feel free to stop by and look at his work. Order forms have been sent home and can be returned to your child's classroom teacher or to Mrs. Smay in the media center. We are all looking forward to his visit.

First graders started the year off with the story Listen to the Wind:the story of Dr. Greg & Three Cups of Tea.* This is the story of Greg Mortenson's first buiding project in Pakistan. It is one of the eight books students will read for this year's Florida Reading Association Children's Book Contest. After the students listen to all the titles, they vote for their favorite and receive several prizes. All the votes from the students in grades Alpha-Grade 2 will be sent to the Department of Education and we will find out in the spring what book is the winner. The author will receive an award based on the votes from the students who participated. This is the only contest which allows children to vote and their vote does count. I am so proud of our voters.
*The chronicle of his entire incredible experience, Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace...One School at a Time, has been a consistent New York Times bestseller and has sold over 1.2 million copies.

Third graders worked in teams and read the books by upcoming author Michael Patrick O'Neill. They each did an oral presentation to the rest of the class and stated a fact or two that they learned from their book. In this way the entire class learned valuable information from all the titles. They are now thinking about some interesting questions to ask the author when he visits our school on Feb. 1.

In the Alpha class students listened to the book Snow Friends by M. Christina Butler and Tina Macnaughton. It was about a bear, an otter, a rabbit, snowmen and the theme was friendship.

Kindergarteners also explored the books by Michael Patrick O'Neill by working in groups after listening to one of the titles. They are excited about meeting the person who actually took
all those beautiful, underwater photos.

In Jr. K. the students listened to the book Snow by Cynthia Rylant, which celebrates the beauty of a snowfall and its happy effects on children.

FAMOUS DECEMBER PEOPLE

DECEMBER 5 - BILL PICKETT
8 - ELI WHITNEY
10 - MARY NORTON
10 - EMILY DICKINSON
16 - BEETHOVEN
16 - JANE AUSTIN
18 - STEVEN SPIELBERG
21 - CHRIS EVERETT
25 - SIR ISAAC NEWTON
25 - CLARA BARTON
27 - LOUIS PASTEUR
28 - WOODROW WILSON
30 - TIGER WOODS

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Award-winning author, Michael Patrick O'Neill will be visiting our school on Monday, February 1, 2010. His books are on display in the media center for you to view. The topics are all related to ocean life and since he takes his own photographs while diving, the illustrations are just remarkable. Please feel free to stop by and look at his work. Order forms have been sent home and can be returned to your child's classroom teacher or to Mrs. Smay in the media center.
We are all looking forward to his visit.

Looking for a holiday book....stop by the media center to see our bookshelf filled with books about Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Ramadan, Christmas and more.

Second graders read Christmas Around the World by Emily Kelley to learn the different customs and traditions celebrated in Mexico, Iran, China, Sweden, Iraq, Spain, and Norway. They were also excited to explore the Festival of the World series which are informational books that introduce young readers to the festivals and cultures of some of the most fascinating countries in the world. Each volume is written in a lively style accompanied by striking photographs that encourage further study of our worldwide neighborhood. Easy, step-by-step instructions for creating a craft and preparing a food item add to the fun and provice the basics for a do -it-yourself festival.

First graders read Christmas Customs by Dennis Miller which provided answers to questions about what we do at Christmas time, and why. Using photographs and colorful illustrations, this book gave a fascinating glimpse of the background to our Christmas customs. Students learned about St. Lucia day in Sweden, the miracle of the poinsettia, the history of Christmas trees, the posadas celebration in Mexico, the legend of Sinterklaas from Spain and Befana from Italy.
They also saw the actual footage of the first moon landing to wrap up their lesson from last week on this subject. In addition, they also looked at pictures from Team Moon:How 400,000 people landed Apollo 11 on the Moon by Catherine Thimmesh, which depicts the dream and the challenge of this historical event.

Third graders performed a reader's theater on the life of John James Audubon and learned that he was the first to paint life-size images of birds and the first to show birds hunting, preening, fighting, and flying. His revolutionary paintings pleased two audiences: scientists, who were drawn to their accuracy, and ordinary people who simply enjoyed the beauty of his birds.
They also played a matching game about the different genres of books which included the following terms: memoir, biography, autobiography, informational, realistic fiction, fantasy, traditional literature, historical fiction and science fiction.

Alpha students viewed a display of Miss Spider books written and illustrated by David Kirk they listened to Little Miss Spider- A Christmas Wish. This charming tale has created a sparkling holiday story about generosity and compassion, and finding one's way home.

Kindergarten students listened to Bad Dog, Marley and A Very Marley Christmas by John Grogan. They loved the illustrations by Richard Cowdrey and laughed out loud several times.

Jr. K students were exposed to the series of books about Fluffy the guinea pig and enjoyed listening to Fluffy Saves Christmas by Kate McMullan.

HAPPY DECEMBER !!!

December Delights

1 - JAN BRETT'S BIRTHDAY
2 - WILLIAM WEGMAN'S "
5 - WALT DISNEY 'S "
9 - JEAN DE BRUNHOFF'S "
19 - EVE BUNTING'S "
22 - JERRY PINKNEY'S "
23 - AVI'S "
25 - ETH CLIFFORD'S "
30 - RUDYARD KIPLING'S "
30 - MERCER MAYER 'S "

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Award-winning author, Michael Patrick O'Neill will be visiting our school on Monday, February 1, 2010. His books are on display in the media center for you to view. The topics are all related to ocean life and since he takes his own photographs while diving, the illustrations are just remarkable. Please feel free to stop by and look at his work. Order forms have been sent home and can be returned to your child's classroom teacher or to Mrs. Smay in the media center.
We are all looking forward to his visit.

Second graders read Carolina's Gift, a story of Peru which described the Sunday market in the colorful village of Pisac in the Andean highlands.This village does not have a supermarket, so the people in Pisac and the surrounding towns depend on the weekly market for all their needs. They found out the descendants of the Inca Indians still keep their ancestor's ancient traditions alive today, including the Sunday market. Quechua is the language spoken at the market. Some of the farmers and artisans also speak Spanish, and some English. In fact, Peru has three national languages: Spanish, Quechua and Aymara. The students also practiced pronouncing 10 vocabulary words that might be spoken in Peru today.

First graders experienced the thrill and history making of the first moon landing. After reading the book Man on the Moon by Anastasia Suen they picked out their parts and performed a reader's theater of the book. They discussed the moon's phases , properties of the moon,
and learned about Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, the Eagle, and the Columbia.
"Neil Armstong" even wore an astronaut hat as he said his famous words. Did you know that a word was lost from the transmission when Neil first stepped onto the moon? No one knows why. What we were supposed to hear was: "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind"

Third graders read the story of John James Audubon this week in the book The Boy Who Drew Birds. They will be doing a reader's theater for their next lesson and now they know who was responsible for the innovative idea of banding a bird in North America.


Students in Alpa, K, and Jr. K. were studying about Jan Brett this week and they enjoyed some of her books including Gingerbread Baby, The Three Snow Bears, The Hat, and Hedgie Blasts Off. She is one of the few authors I know that actually travels to do research throughly before writing and drawing her own books.

"A BOUNTY OF BOOKS"

NOVEMBER'S FAMOUS PEOPLE

Daniel Boone - Frontiersman and explorer - Nov. 2, 1734
Mark Twain - (Samuel Clemens) author of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - Nov. 30, 1835
Jimi Hendrix - Innovative rock guitarist - November 27, 1942
Billy the Kid - Outlaw; his real name may have been Henry McCarty or William H. Bonney- Nov. 23, 1859
Robert Fulton - Inventor of the first practical and profitable steamboat - Nov. 14, 1765
Marie Curie - Won the Nobel Prize in 1903 with her husband for discovering radium - Nov. 7, 1867
Elizabeth Cady Stanton - American suffragist and women's rights advocate - Nov.12, 1812
Joe DiMaggio - Baseball Hall of Famer - November 25, 1914
Sir Winston Churchill - British statesmen who was Prime Minister during WWII

If you would like to read about any of the famous people above, stop by the media center and see the great display we have on their biographies.

In first grade the students read books written by child authors. They learned where the books from Raintree Publish a Book contest are located in the media center and also enjoyed hearing some. Hopefully these stories will assist them when they are writing their own adventures.

Second graders were traveling around the world when they were reading the story A Small Dog's Big Life: Around the World with Owney. They were very surprised to find out this epistolary story - a story told entirely in letters -was based on the true life of a stay dog named Owney, who actually lived with postal workers more than one hundred years ago. During his adventures he received tags from clerks all over the United States to commemorate his visit to their towns. The tags are now in an exhibit at the National Postal Museum, which is part of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.

Third graders were viewing different biographies this week in the media center and they did a reader's theater with My Brothers' Flying Machine (Wilbur, Orville, and Me) by Jane Yolen. They learned about Katharine Wright, who provided support and encouragement to her famous brothers while they worked on their many inventions. This book explain the events that led up to the December 17, 1903 flight in Kitty Hawk on the Outer Banks, which changed the world forever. They also found out how the hobble skirt became a fashion statement in the 1900's.

Alpha students were asked to make predictions for the outcome of the story they listened to entitled Little Panda by Renata Liwska. They were very creative with their answers and they were very good listeners.

Our book fair was a hugh success thanks to the wonderful volunteers who gave up their time and energy to plan, organize it and run it. Mary Ellen Howells and Jane Kratz did a fabulous job again this year and we are so appreciative. Many thanks to all who helped and all who shopped. Many teachers' wishes were granted thanks to the generous parents. The children were so thrilled with their treasures...and isn't it marvelous that those treasures are BOOKS !!!!

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NOVEMBER NOTES

NOVEMBER BIRTHDAYS (authors & illustrators)

November 9 - Lois Ehlert
11 - Peg Kehret
12 - Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
13 - Robert Louis Stevenson
14 - William Steig
14 - Astrid Lindgren
15 - Daniel Pinkwater
16 - Jean Fritz
21 - Elizabeth George Speare
24 - Gloria Houston
25 - P.D. Eastman
26 - Charles Schultz
27 - Kevin Henkes
28 - Ed Young
29 - Madeleine L'Engle
29 - Louisa May Alcott
29 - C. S. Lewis
30 - Margot Zemach
30 - Mark Twain
30 - Lucy Maud Montgomery
30 - Johnathan Swift

Stop by the media center to see our great book displays on all those authors.


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Students in grade 2 have been writing their own Tall Tales. After hearing all about these fun stories and how to write them, second graders have spent time in class creating their own stories. Mrs. Smay was very impressed with their wonderful imaginations, as they sat in the library's author chair and read them aloud. Their most recent lesson taught them about the many versions of Cinderella from all around the world. Did you know that our libray has more than 40 variations of this famous fairy tale? I wonder if they will be writing their own fairy tales next?

Did you know that there are books in the library that can help you learn math and language arts? Well, the third grade students had a lesson on these helpful books located in the 400 and 500 section of the library and they enjoyed them. There are great resources on learning parts of speech, idioms, figures of speech, similes, metaphors, geometry, and fractions. One math adventure series is the Sir Cumference books by Cindy Neuschwander which can help with many math concepts. Author Brian P. Cleary's books are very creatively written to reinforce and learn the parts of speech. Check out the display of these and many more like them in our media center.

READ AROUND THE WORLD - with Scholastic and Imagination Books during our annual book fair. Please mark your calendars and visit the Shorecrest Student Activity Center and the Theatre Lobby Nov. 9-12 where you will be able to purchase books for all age groups. There will also be teacher "wish lists" if you'd like to start your holiday shopping. Remember this book fair helps support programs for the entire school. Thank you in advance for your support.
A big thank you goes out to our volunteer parents who have signed up to work with Mary Ellen Howells and Jane Kratz to make this event happen. Without them we would not be able to have this event and I am very grateful and appreciative.

"FALL" FOR OUR BOOKS!!!

October Birthdays of Authors and Illustrators

Molly Cone - Oct. 3
Robert Lawson - Oct. 4
Donald J. Sobol - Oct. 4 (Encyclopedia Brown series)
David Shannon - Oct. 5 ("David" books)
Alice Dalgliesh - Oct. 7
Faith Ringgold - Oct. 8
James Marshall - Oct. 10
Robert San Souci - Oct. 10
Lois Lenski - Oct. 14
Ed Emberley - Oct. 19 (drawing books)
Crockett Johnson - Oct. 20 (Harold's purple crayon)
Marjorie Flack - Oct. 23
Steven Kellogg - Oct. 26
Katherine Paterson - Oct. 31

Do you know the book character "Jigsaw Jones"? On October 12, there will be a performance in the Janet Root Theatre at 1:00 p.m. for students in grades 1-4. There is a series of Jigsaw Jones mystery books in our media center. Why not check one out and read it before seeing the show?

Do you know the 10 categories of the Dewey Decimal System and where they are located? If you need a refresher course just ask any third grade student. They spent their class time this week working with partners, filling in their answer sheets to find books in all 10 locations. They did a great job working cooperatively, as well as finding the authors and call numbers for each answer. Mr. Dewey himself would be very proud of this group, as was I.

The fourth grade students and their teachers are now checking out their own books using the library scanner at the check out desk. They are so efficient and love having this responsibility. It is helping the students remember to return their overdue books and they are checking out more books than ever. Keep up the great work!

Books about friendship are also on display this month as well as our hugh selection of Halloween books. The Sunshine State books are very popular again this year and it will be exciting to see how many students will read at least 3 so they can vote in April. Keep reading!!!

New movies have been produced based on two children's books. Have you read Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett and Where the Wild Things Are, a Caldecott winning picture book by Maurice Sendak? If not, you can always check them out from the library. It is interesting to compare and discuss the movie to the book.

Are there really candy pumpkins in the media center???? Yes, and they are part of this month's guessing game. Simply estimate the number you think is in the container and put your guess in the box. Winners will be drawn at the end of the month. Anyone can enter once a day while visiting the media center.

Happy Reading!!!





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OCTOBER

FAMOUS OCTOBER PEOPLE

James Cook - October 27 - explorer of South Pacific

Pablo Picasso - October 25 - influential Spainish painter and sculptor
John Lennon - October 9 - Musician, member of the popular and influential Spainish singing group The Beatles
Eleanor Roosevelt - October 11 - The wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, she set many precedents as a First Lady. She fought for the rights of the underprivileged and racial minorities.
Robert H. Goddard - October 5 - Called "The Father of Modern Rocketry" - He launched the first liquid fueled rocket in Auburn, Maine in 1926.
Mahatma Gandhi - Oct. 2 - Political and spiritual leader of India, known for his advocacy of nonviolent resistance.
Mickey Mantle - Oct. 20 - Baseball Hall of Famer
Dwight D. Eisenhower - Oct. 14 - 34th U.S. President, Supreme Allied Commander for the invasion of Europe during WWII

If you want to learn more about the people mentioned above just stop by the media center and check out one of our biographies!

Sixth graders are eagerly reading books from their list of this year's Sunshine State books after listening to the book talk given to them in the theater. Anyone in grades 6-8 or older can check out one of the titles and after reading 3 books from this year's list would be eligible to vote in the spring.

Sunshine State Reading on Vimeo. ( A special thank you to Christine Scoby for her time and effort in editing this production.)

Since "The Wind in the Willows" performance will take place on Wednesday, October 28 at 1:00 pm in the theatre for grades K-4, we have a display of Kenneth Grahame's famous novel in the media center. Be sure to stop by and see all the editions available for various ages.

In Alpha and Jr. K and K students are learning about fiction and non-fiction stories. They also have been reviewing the parts of books including authors, illustrators, covers, spines, and end pages.
First graders learned how to make a dried apple doll while enjoyed the story The Apple Doll by Elisa Kleven. They also discussed the many feelings one can have when starting school and the value of making new friends.



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MEDIA MEMO

Johnny Appleseed Day is September 26. Why not check out a biography book about this famous storybook character?

Author Stan Berenstain's birthday is September 29. There are many Berenstain bear books in our media center.

Come and visit our SPOOKTACULAR Halloween books!! Looking for a special book...come and see all the great ones we have in the media center this month.

Do you know the book character "Jigsaw Jones"? On October 12, there will be a performance in the Janet Root Theatre at 1:00 p.m. for students in grades 1-4. There is a series of Jigsaw Jones mystery books in our media center. Why not check one out and read it before seeing the show.

Teachers and students in grades 3, 4 and 5 were given a Sunshine State Young Reader's Award list of this year's 15 titles and heard a book talk in the theater about each one. They saw an iMovie on previous winning books and even cheered for their favorites. If they read at least 3 books from this year's list they will be eligible to vote in April. This is a reading program from the Department of Education and Shorecrest has been participating in it for 22 years. I am looking forward to many participates this year. Parents are more than welcome to read the books and vote in the spring, too.

The award-winning creator of the beloved Strega Nona series, as well as countless other classics Tomie dePaola's 75th birthday was September 15 and in Alpha we read Strega Nona. The Jr. K classes enjoyed Bill and Pete. In K we used the document camera and read The Art Lesson. Students saw pictures of him and a display of his many books is in the media center. We also are looking forward to his new book Strega Nona's Harvest which is on order and is a heart-warming story about the importance of sharing. If you would like to read some of the wonderful books by this beloved author and illustrator just stop by the media center and check some out.

Last, but not least ...another great big thank you to all of our library volunteers...they have helped our children check out 2,750 books since school started. They also have checked in and shelved over 1,524 books and renewed 96.....so you know they have been very busy and are very much appreciated.



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CELEBRATE SEPTEMBER!

We have lots of displays in the media center centering around the following people. Want to learn more about them or their books? Visit the library and check them out.

BIRTHDAYS OF

AUTHORS -ILLUSTRATORS-FAMOUS PEOPLE

3 - Aliki
4 - Syd Hoff
5 - Paul Fleischman
8 - Jon Scieszka
9 - Jack Prelutsky - our nation's first Children's Poet Laurate
13 - Roald Dahl - make everyday in September a Roald Dahl Day! See our calendar.
15 - Tomie dePaola
26 - Johnny Appleseed - (John Chapman)
27 - Paul Goble

Students in the K classes had quite an adventure searching for their missing Curious George. They found his books, a banana peel, and a clue from him in the media center. Then they were off on a quest to locate him. There are lots of books about his other adventures here in the library. Why not check one out?

Students in K-3 are helping us check out their books by putting the pink due date in the book's pocket themselves. Hopefully this hands on experience will help them remember when their books are due and also help them understand their responsibility when borrowing materials.
Students in grade 4 are checking out their own library books this year. They all seemed very excited to use the bar code reader and scan their names and their books.

A big thank you goes out to Sydney Legakis for chairing the library volunteers this year. Her hard work and precious time has paid off for all of us. We have many parents who are helping us in the media center this month and they are all so appreciated. They are checking out books, helping students find books and exploring the many treasures found in our library. Thank you so much to all of our wonderful parent volunteers. We love you!!!!

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WELCOME BACK!!!

We are so excited to see all the new books on display in the media center...the new Sunshine State books will be discussed in the coming weeks for grades 3-6. Authors celebrating birthdays this month are:

Matt Christopher August 16 Kevin Hawkes August 28
Will Hobbs August 22 Karen Hesse August 29
Patricia Beatty August 26 Donald Crews August 30

Students lessons in the month of August will be an orientation to the media center and they will get reacquainted with Mr. Dirty Hand and Mr. Clean Hand who have gone digital...and will be shown in iMovie form. Our theme for the year is "Explore New Worlds...Read". See you soon!

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