HAPPY NEW YEAR IN THE MEDIA CENTER !

STUDENTS IN GRADES 1, 2 AND K are busy voting for their favorite FRA (Florida Reading Association) book for this year's contest. After their teachers read them 7 of the 8 selected books, Mrs. Smay read the last one. It was the true story by the #1 New York Times Bestselling author of Dewey entitled Dewey There's a Cat in the Library by Vicki Myron and Bret Witter. In this hilarious and heartwarming students learned the story when Dewey was found in the book drop of the public library on the coldest night of the year. He was just a tiny kitten-shivering and very very, dirty! Vicki the librarian takes him in, warms him up and decides then and there that he will be their library cat, naming him Dewey Readmore Books.
Some of the K classes also read the sequel entitled Dewey's Christmas at the Library.

Students in JK enjoyed hearing The Wild Christmas Reindeer by Jan Brett. After a few false starts, Teeka discovers the best way to get Santa's reindeer ready for Christmas Eve.

Third graders were learning about collective biographies and did a reader's theater on the book My Brothers' Flying Machine by Jane Yolen. This Parents' choice gold award book, provides a look at the lives of Orville and Wilbur Wright, as seen through the eyes of their younger sister, Katharine, who provided support and encouragement while they worked on their many inventions. Jane Yolen is the award-winning author of more than 200 books and her web site is www.janeyolen.com.

Alpha students enjoyed seeing and hearing the story entitled Gingerbread Friends by Jan Brett. Lonely Gingerbread Baby, having set out to find a friend, enters a bakery where he tries to talk to different cookies and other figures, but winds up leading a crowd back to his house on a chase similar to the one in the familiar tale.

DECEMBER DELIGHTS !

FIRST grade students 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. Did you know that a word was lost from the transmission when Neil Armstrong first stepped onto the moon's surface? No one knows why. What we were supposed to hear was:"That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."

SECOND grade students read Carolina's Gift, a story of Peru, which described the Sunday market in the colorful village of Pisac in the Andean highlands. The 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.


Students in K were introduced to author Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Jen Corace who have written Little Pea, Little Oink, and Little Hoot books. If you do not know these books you need to treat yourself and read one...just ask any K student if Little Oink liked to have a messy room or a clean one...Students also heard the story entitled Chickens Aren't The Only Ones by Ruth Heller which showed all the animals that lay eggs. Did you know that there are two mammals that lay eggs? They both live in Australia, too. Just ask a K student if you do not know.

Biography books were introduced to the students in grade 3 by reading several chapters of Knucklehead, an autobiography by Jon Scieszka, the author of The Stinky Cheese Man. These pages were filled with tall tales and mostly true stories about growing up Scieszka...a very funny and interesting person to read about. This remains one of the most popular choices in the biography section, too.

Students in Alpha and Jr. K were discussing author/illustrator, Jan Brett, who celebrated a birthday on December 1st. We celebrated along with her by reading Gingerbread Baby and The Mitten. She is one of the few authors I know that actually travels to do research throughly before writing and drawing her own books.

In fifth grade, students saw a video about Henry Winkler's new series of books about Hank Zipzer, the world's greatest underachiever. Henry Winkler is well known as an actor, producer, director, coauthor, public speaker, husband, father, brother, uncle, and godfather. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Stacey. They have three children named Jed, Zoe, and Max, and three dogs named Monty, Charlotte, and Linus. He is so proud of the Hank Zipzer series that he could scream-which he does sometimes, in his backyard!

NOVEMBER NOTES

WOW! WOW! WOW!

Here's to our heroes....DIONNE FAJARDO,ERIN ROSS, ANNE DOWLING, and ALL THE PARENT VOLUNTEERS who helped make our annual bookfair so successful.

A BIG THANK YOU to all the teachers, staff, parents, and students who supported this wonderful event with their visits and purchases...look in the mirror and the heroes are YOU!

While the book fair was in progress, lots of activity was happening in the library...
FIRST GRADERS experienced the thrill and history making of the first moon landing. They read out loud the book Man on the Moon by Anastasia Suen and discussed thrust, craters on the moon, Mike Collins, Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, the Columbia, and the Eagle. Next week they will do a reader's theater of this book and each will have a roll to act out. They also will see the actual footage of this great event on video streaming.

SECOND GRADERS were introduced to the Festivals of theWorld book series. This set of informational books introduces young readers to the festivals and cultures of some of the most fascinating countries in the world. Easy, step-by-step instructions for creating a craft and preparing a food item add to the fun and provide the basics for a do-it-yourself festival.
They also read a true story from Colombia, entitled Biblioburro by Jeanette Winter. This biography is based on the inspiring life of Luis Soriano and his devoted burro team who travel far and wide to bring treasured books to eager children in the remote villages of rural Colombia.
Since the students are studying South America, this fit right along with their current curriculum.
Luis started with a collection of 70 books in the year 2000 and it has grown to over 4,800, mostly from donations. Now the Biblioburro travels to the hills every weekend. Three hundred people, more or less, look forward to borrowing the books Luis brings. A small corner of the world is enriched.....all because of one person.

FIFTH GRADE STUDENTS discussed the Newbery Medal winner Betsy Byars, who is the author of many books dealing with the realistic problems of today's young people. All of her books deal with children placed in difficult situations. She won the Newbery Medal for The Summer of the Swans, the story of a girl named Sara and her retarded brother, Charlie. All of her books were on display for the students who also saw a video interview of her explaining how she uses characters in her works.
Congratulations to Sam. Kayelin. Michelle, Caya, Kim and Chayton for their book commercials and skits. All fifth graders are invited to present one during the entire year.

THIRD GRADE STUDENTS worked with their partners and searched the non-fiction shelves to find books located in all 10 categories of the Dewey Decimal System. They wrote down call numbers, authors names and discussed with their partners the subject of each book they selected. They did an awesome job with this lesson and were rewarded a million dollar reader scratch 'n sniff bookmark...Way to Go third graders!

KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS discussed characters, setting, photographer, several different ways to eat eggs, fiction, and non-fiction books as they heard two farm stories this week. One was entitled Tillie Lays An Egg by Terry Golson, an adventure of a hen who does not want to wait her turn to lay her eggs and does not want to stay cooped up all day. The students had fun locating some of the unlikeliest of places at the Little Pond Farm where Tillie lays her eggs.
The second story entitled The Fox and the Hen by Eric Battut took them on an adventure with Henrietta Hen who lays her first egg and trades it to the crafty Red Fox who offers her a tasty, juicy worm. When Henrietta finds out that her egg is destined for Fox's table, Henrietta and her friends must find a way to get the precious egg back. The students compared both books and discussed the terms fiction and non-fiction. Just ask any K student to explain the difference to you.

In Jr. K students discussed imagination as they heard the story entitled Little Library Mouse by Stephanie Lisa Tara. At closing time a key locks the library, and unlocks the dreams of a little mouse who waits in the shadows. Skipping, sliding, down the pages of books-he steps inside magical stories, inviting readers to come along for the ride. Witty verse and fantastical illustrations celebrate the joys of reading in this tale with innovative charm.

The Alpha students discussed the seasons of the year and to celebrate the author's November 9th birthday enjoyed Lois Ehlert's book Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf. They also went on an adventure with the famous turtle character, Franklin in Franklin's Library Book by Sharon Jennings.

"A BOUNTY OF BOOKS"

HAPPY NOVEMBER!

Have you ever gone food shopping with your child? In first grade students discovered a new grocery store in The Witches' Supermarket by Susan Meddaugh. If you want to know some of the things they sell, just ask your child...or stop by and check out the book yourself.

Everyone has heard of Cinderella...but have you ever heard of Cinderella Skeleton by Robert D. San Souci? The students in second grade listened to this version and made comparisons. They also played a "matching bone" contest and earned a scratch and sniff bookmark.

Students in K discussed trick-or-treating before hearing the story entitled Ghost and Pete by Dayle Ann Dodds. In this book, Pete and his new friend Ghost go out on Halloween, but Ghost can't remember what to say. After the lesson they discussed the lessons learned which involved manners and sharing. They also left the library with a bouncy ghost decoration to color and remind them of this story.

In celebration of Steven Kellogg's birthday, October 26, the students in Jr. K saw a display of his wonderful books and heard The Mystery of the Flying Orange Pumpkin. They used their prediction skills to solve this mystery, too.

Third graders worked with partners to locate books in all 10 categories of the Dewey Decimal System. They saw an i-movie about the different sections and then set off to work. Other information they needed was the call number, author's name, and a description of the subject matter of the books. By working together cooperative learning took place and they had fun, especially when the reward was a mystery scratch & sniff book mark...Who knows how dirt smells??

Alpha students enjoyed the story of Anancy and the Haunted House by Richardo Keens-Douglas. Anancy, in this "haunted house" tale, is at times generous and greedy, foolish but wise, and both timid and brave. He teaches us that there is strength in numbers.

The annual SHORECREST BOOK FAIR will be held in the Student Activity Center & Theater Lobby on Nov.8- Nov.11. See you there!

Another great big thank you to all of our library volunteers. They have helped the children find books, return them, check them out and shelf them. We could not do these jobs without them. Jodi Gayoso has been working hard at keeping the busy times filled with parents. We do appreciate all of your help. WE LOVE YOU!!

HAPPY OCTOBER!!!

Students in Grade 1 shared books by Shel Silverstein (BD Sept. 25) and reviewed the life of Johnny Appleseed (BD-Sept 26). They also enjoyed the book entitled The Apple Doll by Elisa Kleven. In this story Lizzy is scared to start school, so she makes a doll out of an apple from her favorite tree to take with her on the first day and keep her company. Students were given instructions for making their own apple doll, if they would like to do so in the future.

In 2nd Grade students discussed folk tales, fairy tales, and tall tales. To honor Shel Silverstein's September birthday they read Runny Babbit, a billy sook. This book was completed before the author's death in 1999 and was a work in progress for over twenty years.

In Jr. K students heard the story entitled Library Mouse by Daniel Kirk who is both the author and the illustrator of this warmhearted tale about a library mouse who shares the joy of reading, and writing. In honor of Stan Berenstain's birthday on September 29 they also laughed as Mrs. Smay read them The Bike Lesson by Stan & Jan Berenstain.

Third graders and fifth graders enjoyed seeing the book trailers for this year's Sunshine State Young Reader's award program. If you'd like to view them just log onto www.booktrailersforreaders.com. Students need to read at least 3 titles by April 2011 to be eligible to vote. Order forms have been sent home for anyone who wishes to purchase any of the titles. All forms are due by October 6, 2010.

Another great big thank you to all of our library volunteers. They have helped the children find books, return them, check them out and shelf them. We could not do these jobs without them. Jodi Gayoso has been working hard at keeping the busy times filled with parents. We do appreciate all of your help. WE LOVE YOU!!

"FALL FOR OUR BOOKS"

Come visit the media center to see all the new displays of some of our October birthday authors.

In first grade the students read books 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 by Irene Kelly.
They were surprised to find out this epistolary story-a story told entirely in letters-was based on the true life of a stray 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.

Do you know Amber Brown? Well, if not, you can learn all about her and her many adventures by reading one of the many books on display about her in our media center. On Thursday, October 28, there will be a performance of "Amber Brown is not a Crayon" in the Janet Root Theater for grades 1-4. Why not read about her before you see the show?

Students in grades 3-6 are busy reading titles from this year's Sunshine Young Reader's Award books, but we have another contest for grades Alpha-2. It is also from the DOE (Department of Education). It is called the FRA (Florida Reading Association) Children's contest it began Friday, October 1 here at Shorecrest. A box with 7 books is being passed around to all the classes along with a schedule. After the students have heard all the stories in the box, their teachers will inform Mrs. Smay. She will then read the last book (#8) to them and give out the voting ballots. Students will color in or circle their favorite title from the eight. They will receive prizes for voting and in May 2011 the winning title and author will be announced. This is a state wide program so it will be fun to participate and see who the winner will be.

In K the students discussed fiction and non-fiction books after reading Woof:a Love Story by Sarah Weeks. Despite a language barrier, a dog and cat fall in love with the help of a buried trombone. They also saw a display of books by author James Marshall whose birthday was October 10.

Third graders reviewed how to use the computer to do library searches from their homes, classrooms or the library and then played a game call "WHO HAS THE ANSWER?" They each were given a library term or phrase that needed to be identified. They not only learned the terms, they had fun and each earned a scratch and sniff bookmark.

Fifth grade students had a lesson devoted Gary Paulsen, an author of more than 100 titles including picture books, mystery, historical fiction, science fiction, memoirs and semi-autobio-graphical novels, adventure tales, animal tale, nonfiction, and even humorous middle-grade fiction. Students saw this author in several interviews and examined many of his works. Many of Paulsen's books feature young teen boys, and even as he explores various genres, there are common themes that he returns to-survival, coming-of-age, war, the natural world and our relationship to it and more. His favorite book is Hatchet, a Newbery winner, which is about the author's own experiences as a boy. This is one author who should not be missed.

Alpha students laughed out loud while hearing A Mouse Told His Mother by Bethany Roberts. In this beautifully illustrated book a little mouse's imagination makes his bedtime an exciting adventure, as he takes a fantasy trip to catch crocodiles, ride bucking broncos, and sail where the
wind blows. It would also be a great bedtime story, especially for the child who just hates to go to bed.

Jr. K students discussed fiction and non-fiction books and the topic of the lesson was lions. They enjoyed listening to the Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen which is about a lion who starts visiting the local library but runs into trouble as he tries to both obey the rules and help his librarian friend. This book is illustrated by Kevin Hawkes and willl be a favorite for anyone who loves libraries and knows that they are special, magical places, where everyone is welcome and anything seems possible.

Another great big thank you to all of our library volunteers. They have helped the children find books, return them, check them out and shelf them. We could not do these jobs without them. Jodi Gayoso has been working hard at keeping the busy times filled with parents. We do appreciate all of your help. WE LOVE YOU!!

Coming soon...BOOK FAIR...the week of November 8 in the Janet Root Theatre Lobby and the Student Center. More details will be posted.

CELEBRATE SEPTEMBER

Students in Grade 1 viewed a display of books by author Jon Scieszka whose birthday was September 8. They saw copies of the Stinky Cheeseman, The Robot , and The Frog Prince Continued, which of just some of the famous titles. Then they listened and laughed to the story of Amelia Bedelia's First Day of School by Herman Parish.

The Shelf Elf and the Bookerpillar were the two new characters that students in grade 2 met during their library class. While reading The Shelf Elf Helps Out by Jackie Mims Hopkins students traveled through the library neighborhoods of the library. They learned where the books addresses are found and were introduced to the Dewey Decimal System.

In K students saw displays of three September authors: H. A. Rey, Tomie de Paola, and Robert McCloskey. In honor of their birthdays each was discussed and then students listened to Tomie de Paola's book entitled Strega Nona's Harvest.

Third graders were introduced to the Sunshine Young Reader's Award contest by seeing a slide show of all the previous winning titles. They also viewed book trailers of some of the titles from this year's list. Any student who reads at least three titles from this year's list will be eligible to vote for their favorite book. Later this month a list of all the books will be given out to students in grades 3-6 along with an order form from Inkwood Books.
Students will be able to purchase copies of the books at a 15% discount.

Jr. K students heard the story of Strega Nona by Tomie de Paola who celebrated his 76th birthday on September 15. Alpha students enjoyed Bill and Pete by this famous author, too.
Ask them what Bill used for a toothbrush in this hilarious adventure of the brave crocodile and his best friend Pete, a very special bird.

5th grade students were taught research skills used in searching for library books using the computer. Terms discussed included the branch, status, location for Caldecott, Newbery, Sunshine State winning books, author searches, title searches and keyword searches. Hopefully, with these new skills their time in the media center will be well used.

Last, but not least...another great big thank you to all of our library volunteers. They have helped the children find books, return them, check them out and shelf them. We could not do these jobs without them. Jodi Gayoso has been working hard at keeping the busy times filled with parents. We do appreciate all of your help. WE LOVE YOU!!

WELCOME.........
Back to the MediaCenter!!!


Parent volunteers have been learning how to help students find books, check-out books, and shelf books. We are very grateful to both Jodie Gayoso and Sydney Legakisfor all the time and effort they have put in to accomplish this training and scheduling. Thank you both so much and a big thank you to all our new library volunteers.

Students' library lessons started the week of August 30 and have been an orientation to the media center. They have been reacquainted with Mr. Dirty Hand and Mr. Clean Hand who have gone digital and are shown in iMovie form. Our theme for the year is "Score With Books...Read" and the media center is decorated in a sports motif.
Remember the media center hours are Mon.-Thurs. 7:30-5:00 and Fri. 7:30-3:15. See you soon!

MAY MEMORIES

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO:

May 1 - Mother Jones (Mary Harris Jones)
An American labor leader
May 6 - Robert E. Peary
Arctic explorer who led the first expedition to
try to reach the North Pole in 1909
May 7 - Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky
Composer
May 12 - Yogi Berra (Lawrence Peter Berra)
Baseball catcher; in Hall of Fame
May 14 - George Lucas
Filmmaker; creator of Star Wars
May 27 - Wild Bill Hickok
American frontiersman
Amelia Bloomer
Women's rights advocate who created
bloomers as an alternative to the restrictive
clothing of women during her time
Rachel Carson
Scientist and conservationist who raised concern about the effect of chemicals on the
environment
May 29 - John F. Kennedy
35th President of the U.S.

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Students in Grade 2 finished their last library lesson by telling me a story. They were given out numbers and shown a book without words entitled Museum Trip by Barbara Lehman. When I called out their number they looked at the pictures and told the story out loud. Everyone enjoyed this story about a boy who imagined himself inside some of the exhibits when he went on a field trip to a museum. They really were surprised when they saw the last page, too!

First grade students read aloud the story entitled Bear Feels Sick by Karma Wilson and then did a reader's theater of the the book. It is a story told in rhyme about forest animals who go to Bear's cave when he is too sick to play. They make him soup and keep him company and readers will enjoy the circle story ending.

In Grade 3 students worked in groups of two or three to answer research questions from the book entitled Sharks by Beverly McMilland and John A. Musick. They used information from the title page, copyright page, table of contents, index, glossary and the text itself to complete the assignment. This exercise reinforced their research skills, reading for comprehension, and working productively with partners. After this experience, I feel confident they are ready for fourth grade.

Alpha students listened to two stories today entitled A Day With No Crayons by Elizabeth Rusch (Oregon Book Awards winner) and Not a Box by Antoinette Portis (Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Book). The first story was about a little girl who discovers all sorts of artistic possibilities when she has to go a day without crayons. The second story was dedicated to children everywhere sitting in cardboard boxes. Both were very imaginative and delighted the audience.

Kindergarten students learned the concept of bucket filling which is an effective metaphor for encouraging kind and considerate behavior and for teaching the benefits of positive relation-ships. The story entitled Have You Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud is a guide to daily happiness for kids and adults, too. Children need to be loved, but in addition they must also be taught how to love others. Children who learn how to express kindness and love lead happier lives. When you love and care about others and show that love with what you say and do, you feel good and you fill your own bucket too.

Have a restful, enjoyable summer....and please keep reading!!!!

FAMOUS APRIL PEOPLE

APRIL BIRTHDAYS

3 - JANE GOODALL - Anthropologist best known for her study of chimpanzees
4 - MAYA ANGELOU - Respected writer, educator and civil rights activist
5 - BOOKER T. WASHINGTON - Black leader and educator
7 - BILLIE HOLIDAY - Perhaps the greatest American jazz singer of all time
13 - THOMAS JEFFERSON - 3rd U. S. President, author of the Declaration of Independence
16 - KAREEM ABDUL JABBAR - Basketball Hall of Famer
21 - JOHN MUIR - Naturalist, conservationist and author

23 - WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE -Famous English poet and playwright

27 - CORETTA SCOTT KING - Civil rights leader, lecturer, and writer

"Our Votes Are In"

124 students from grades 3-6 took part in voting for their favorite Sunshine State Young Reader's Award book. Here are our results:

Grades 3-5 Grades 6

1st place - The Lemonade War All the Lovely Bad Ones
2nd place - Found Go Big or Go Home
3rd place - Punished Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet &
Schooled
Sometime in May the final state results will be posted and it will be very interesting to compare our top 3 choices to the entire state of Florida participants and compare the state winners. A big thank you to all the teachers, parents, and students who helped make this state reading program so successful another year. Shorecrest has been participating in this reading program for 22 years. GO CHARGERS!

Thirty-two students and 3 teachers were invited to attend a make your own ice cream sundae luncheon in honor of their accomplishments. They read 10 or more of the 15 books on this year's list and received certificates. Gold medals were awarded to anyone who read all the books on the list. Congratulations on a job well done! Reading is a sweet treat!

In Grade 2 students acted out one of the following books: The Five Chinese Brothers, The Six Chinese Brothers or The Seven Chinese Brothers. Some of the props used were Chinese hats, a Chinese umbrella, and stuffed fish. Everyone had a part and since they are studying Asia in their classrooms this lesson really fit right in.

First graders listened to the story Mr. Peabody's Apples by Madonna, which 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 Alpha enjoyed hearing the book entitled Guess Who, Baby Duck! by Amy Hest which was about a Baby Duck, sick with a cold on a rainy day, who is cheered up by her grandfather showing her family photographs.

In Jr. K students laughed as they heard the adventurous story of a girl and her dog who set out in their canoe one morning, only to be insistently joined by a series of animals, large and small. The book was entitled One-Dog Canoe by Mary Casanova.

Kindergarten students enjoyed seeing the illustrations and hearing the book entitled Ish by Peter H. Reynolds. It was the same book used for lower division teachers during one of our writer workshops. It opens ones eyes to something far more valuable than getting things just "right". Definitely written for all ages.
The author of Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, Judi Barrett also wrote The Marshmallow Incident, which is another humorous story about right- and - left handedness, marshmallows and medieval times. If you like to laugh out loud, this is the story for you.
We also continued reading Epossumondas books including the original one and Epossumondas Saves the Day. Children loved singing along whenever we read the "Sody Sallyraytus" part of the story. Just ask any K what it means and I am sure they will explain.

APRIL AUTHORS

SING HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO:

Hans Christian Andersen - April 2
Richard Peck - April 5
Beverly Cleary - April 12
Robert Lopshire - April 14
Barbara Park - April 21
Paula Fox - April 22
Patricia Reilly Giff - April 26
Lois Duncan - April 28


Students in Grades 3-6 voted for their favorite Sunshine State Book from this year's list. Voting took place in the media center from April 12-14. All students who had read 3 or more books were eligible to participate in this state reading contest. There were 124 voters and they received a pencil, sticker, and two bookmarks for participating. A big Thank You goes to all the teachers and students who helped make this state wide reading contest so successful.

Celebrate National Library Week - April 11-17 -This year's theme, Communities Thrive @ your library, reminds patrons that the library is the place where people of all backgrounds grow together.

Have you ever heard the story of The Five Chinese Brothers by Claire Huchet Bishop, or Six Chinese Brothers by Cheng Hou-tien, or The Seven Chinese Brothers by Margaret Mahy? Well, this week during their library lesson all the second graders read these famous folktales and were surprised to learn of the incredible powers they possessed. After reading the stories children also discussed the differences and similarities. They are very excited about acting out these stories during the next lesson, since they are currently studying Asia in their classrooms.

Sea turtles were the subject in the media center for students in Grade 1 since they will soon be studying a unit on the Ocean. Students listened to the musical telling of Follow the Moon by Sarah Weeks and read the International Reading Association Teachers' Choice Award Winner One Tiny Turtle by Nicola Davies. We also discussed the Caldecott Medal books and walked to the shelf in the media center where all the winning books are shelved. Students were very excited to see many of the titles they are already familiar with and hopefully they will venture on to read more of these beautifully illustrated children's stories.

In Alpha class students enjoyed listening to the Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Book entitled One Boy by Laura Vaccaro Seeger. With this innovative counting book about a lonely boy that also introduces the concept words within words, an award-winning author once again breaks new ground. Other books by Laura Vaccaro Seeger include The Hidden Alphabet, Lemons Are Not Red, Walter Was Worried, and Black? White! Day? Night! All were Child Magazine Best Books of the Year and ALA Notable Books. Her most recent books are Dog and Bear, winner of the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, and First the Egg, a Caldecott Honor Book, a Geisel Honor book and a New York Times Best Illustrated Book. All of these titles can be found in our Media Center...why not check one out?

In K students learned all about the book character Epossumondas, a type of tale called a noodlehead story. 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. Students heard Epossumondas Plays Possum by Coleen Salley, in which Mama warns her little "patootie" to stay away from the swamp. Other books about this endearing, diaper-clad, lovable possum include Epossumondas, and Epossumondas Saves the Day. Award-winning Janet Stevens does a remarkable job with the illustrations.

Jr. K students are still trying to figure out the mystery question "what is it", after hearing and seeing the New York Times bestseller story entitled Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal & Tom Lichtenheld. They will need to decide for themselves in this playful take on a classic visual puzzle, which proves that when it comes to ducks and rabbits and a few other things, it all depends on how you look at it.












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MARCH BIOGRAPHIES


March 2 - Sam Houston - One of the leaders of the fight for Texas independence.
March 3 - Alexander Graham Bell - Inventor of the telephone
March 6 - Michelangelo - Renaissance artist, perhaps most famous for his painting
of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel
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March 14 - Albert Einstein - Theoretical physicist who developed the theory of
relativity
March 16 - James Madison - 4th President of the U.S.
March 18 - Bonnie Blair - Olympic gold medalist in speed skating
March 19 - Wyatt Earp - Western lawman famous for his role in the gunfight at
the OK Corral
March 24 - Harry Houdini - Magician and escape artist, famous for his ability to
escape from locked restraints.
March 31 - Cesar Chavez - Labor leader of migrant farm workers.

Dear Parents,

The Lower School administration uses Online Community to communicate with our families. Dr. Bianco and Mrs. Weinman's letters and Lower Division reminders are posted on a Lower Division blog. This is the school administration's main form of communication, so EVERYONE should subscribe. In order to have access, you will need to subscribe to the Lower Division blog.

Directions:
First log into the Online Community. After logging into the Online Community, go to Community > Groups > Lower Division Group from the green menu bar. First, click on the icon "Join Group." Next, scroll down the page and click on the Subscribe button. This will send you e-mail alerts whenever I write a new blog post.

Celebrate National Library Week - April 11-17 -This year's theme, Communities Thrive @ your library, reminds patrons that the library is the place where people of all backgrounds grow together.

Students in Grade 2 are now studying Asia so they read Explore Asia by Bobbie Kalman & Rebecca Sjonger. They saw pictures of Maldives (the smallest county in Asia), stupas in Myanmar, which are special Buddhist buildings, China's Yangtze River( one of the longest rivers in the world), the Taj Mahal (the tomb of Mumatz Mahal built in the mid 1600s by Emperor Shah Jahan), the Great Wall of China (1,500 miles long with some walls over 2,00 years old), Mount Fuji (one of the most famous volcanoes on Earth located in Japan), and Tokyo where over 12 million people live.
They also saw a display of library books about Asia and several series were introduced. They included "Look What Cam From..", "Children of the World", "Count Your Way",
and "A Ticket to". They have lots of great book choices to learn about this huge continent.


Students in Grade 1 told the story of a wordless book using their own words. The book's title was Rainstorm by Barbara Lehman and they were very creative and used their imaginations to retell an adventurous story by seeing this wordless picture book.


Students in Grades 3-6 will be voting for their favorite Sunshine State Book from this year's list in April. Voting will take place in the media center from April 12-14. All students who have read 3 or more books are eligible to participate in this state reading contest.

In Alpha the children enjoyed Who Made This Cake? by Chihiro Nakagawa. The author and illustrator used their imaginations to show how a cake was made using earth moving machinery for a little boy's birthday.

CALDECOTT MEDAL BOOKS were the theme for K classes this week. Children were shown the chart of the gold medal winners and walked to the bookshelf in the media center where all those gold medal and silver medal honor books are shelved. We then read this year's winner The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney and enjoyed the illustrations as well as the story. Size does not matter and no matter how small one is they are important and can be helful to others. Others books read during the class were Red Sings from Treetops-a year in colors by Joyce Sidman and All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon.

Jr. K students laughed as they enjoyed Anna Dewdney's Llama Llama Mad at Mama. They also saw pictures of real llamas so they could relate more to the story as well as two other books entitled Llama Llama Red Pajama, and Llama Llama Misses Mama by the same author.

HAPPY APRIL FOOL'S DAY!!!!

MARCH BIRTHDAYS

March 2 - Theodore Geisel, Dr. Seuss
March 5 - Mem Fox
March 8 - Robert Sabuda
March 10 - Jack Kent
March 11 - Ezra Jack Keats
Wanda Gag
March 12 - Virginia Hamilton
March 14 - Marguerite de Angeli
March 16 - Sid Fleischman
March 20 - Lois Lowry
March 22 - Randolph Caldecott
March 25 - Linda Sue Park
Kate DiCamillo
March 26 - Jerry Pallota
Robert Frost
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Students in Grade 2 study the continents of the world so in our library lesson we traveled to Australia and New Zealand. Using a map to locate the southern island of New Zealand they read the true story of Shrek:the Famous Hermit Sheep of Tarras written by the Tarros School Students. While visiting there this winter break I found out about this famous hermit merino sheep who ran away from Bendigo Station in Tarras, Central Otago, New Zealand and was not found until April 15, 2004 6 years later. During that time he was blinded by his great woolen coat and his heavy coat was preventing him from moving. There were times he could not even get up without a struggle. Shrek was carrying 25kg of fine merino wool and gave up 22kg for a charity to help Cure Kids. He was blade shorn in front of a world TV audience by Peter Casserly on April 28, 2004.

Students in Grade 1 learned about American symbols and their meanings of our nation through a series of books in our library. The set includes the following topics:
The Alamo, The American Flag, The Bald Eagle ,The Confederate Flag,The Constitution, The Declaration of Independence, Ellis Island, Independence Hall ,The Jefferson Memorial, The Liberty Bell, The Lincoln Memorial, Mount Rushmore, The National Anthem, The Pledge of Allegiance, The Statue of Liberty, Uncle Sam, The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, The Washington Monument, and The White House

While studying the Statue of Liberty students also learned about Roman Numerals. Stop by our media center to check out one or more books in this series.

How do you read a book without words? Just ask any student in Grade 3. This week they told their class the story of The Silver Pony by Lynd Ward - a wordless book. It was so interesting to see how each class told this beautiful tale. They sure had a chance to not only use their imaginations, but also to practice their oral presentation skills.

Leprechauns were the big discussion in Alpha and in one Jr. K class this week. Using props we discussed what the they looked like, four leaf clovers, pots of gold and St. Patrick's Day. They also listened to the story entitled Lucky O'Leprechaun written and illustrated by Jana Dillon. In fact after hearing this story some of the children told me they were going to look for leprechauns over their spring break. I wish them lots of Irish luck, too.

Students in K and in one Jr. K heard the story Listen to the Wind by Greg Mortenson so they could vote in the Florida Reading Association Children's Book Award program. It is a picture book based on the adult New York Times Bestseller, Three Cups of Tea and one of the 8 books in this year's contest.


Whatever you do and however you spend it....have a wonderful, safe, and enjoyable spring break!

FAMOUS FEBRUARY PEOPLE

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Feb. 1 - Langston Huges - U.S. author and poet of the Harlem Renaissance
Feb. 3 - Elizabeth Blackwell - First U.S. female to receive a medical degree.
Feb. 4 - Rosa Parks - Civil rights leader
Feb. 4 - Charles Lindbergh - First aviator to fly solo non-stop over the Atlantic from New York to Paris in 1927.
Feb. 6 - Bob Marley - Influential reggae musician.
Feb. 6 - Babe Ruth (George Herman Ruth) - Baseball Hall of Famer
Feb. 11 - Thomas A. Edison - Prolific inventor of the electric light bulb, phonograph, and
much more.
Feb. 12 - Abraham Lincoln - 16th U.S. President, who led the Union during the Civil War and
issued the Emancipation Proclamation
Feb. 15 - Galileo Galilei - Physicist and astronomer
Feb. 27 - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow- American poet; author of "The Song of Hiawatha"
and "Paul Revere's Ride"

Students in grade 1 practiced their speaking and presentation skills this week by reading and acting out the book Pink! by Lynne Rickards. The story is based on the life of a penguin when he suddenly turns the color pink. When he is teased in school he decides to leave the South Pole to live with the flamingos in Africa. The theme of the story is about dealing with being differenent i and being accepted by others. After hearing the book read and seeing the illustrations on the board using Elmo, students picked out their parts for the reader's theater from the Mr. Potato Head container. Students were encouraged to "act" out their script and they did an excellent job, too!

Guess Who Is Knocking At the Door?
That was the theme for the library lessons with the students in third grade. They read small biography books and wrote 3 clues for their person. Students had to guess the person based on these clues. They all learned about people they did not know in a fun way.

Students in Alpha are learning all about dinosaurs so in their library lesson they heard the book entitled World of Dinosaurs. They learned about Diplodocus, Allosaurus, Stegosaurus, Tyrannosaurus, Ankylosaurus, Maiasaura, Velociraptor, and Triceratops.

In Jr.K the students were fascinated with all the valuable information they learned about animals from a new book entitled Never Smile at a Monkey: and 17 Other Important things toRemember by Steve Jenkins. It was filled with facts about dangerous animals that are not commonly thought to be harmful to humans. Just ask some of the students to tell you one thing they learned and I think you will be impressed.

Now Available in Our Media Center

New 2010 Caldecott Medal books (* winner )

*The Lion and the Mouse - Jerry Pinkney
Red Sing frm Treetops : a year in colors - Joyce Sidman
All the World - Liz Garton Scanlon

New 2010 John Newbery Medal books (*winner)

* When you Reach Me - Rebecca Stead
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate - Jacqueline Kelly
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon - Grace Lin
Claudette Colvin : Twice Toward Justice - Phillip M. Hoose

FEBRUARY'S FAVORITE AUTHORS

Jerry Spinelli - February 1st
Joan Lowery Nixon - " 3
David Wiesner - " 5
Laura Ingalls Wilder - " 7
Charles Dickens - " 7
Jules Verne - " 8
Jane Yolen - " 11
Judy Blume - " 12
Louis Slobodkin - " 19
C. S. Adler - " 23
Wilhelm Carl Grimm - " 23
Cynthia Voigt _ " 25

Lemony Snicket - " 28


There are book displays in the media center on these author's works so please stop by.

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Michael Patrick O'Neill

We all enjoyed the author's visit on Monday, February 1st and are looking forward to his new book this spring entitled Wild Waters. He spoke with grades Alpha through Grade 5 and several 8th Grade students interviewed him after his presentations. He stressed how important it is to stay focused in school and try your best in all subject areas. He explained how important math and science is every time he dives and language arts helps him to write books. Every student was amazed at his photographs and he explained how important it is to have patience and perserverance since it may take several years to photograph some of the species found in his books.

Guess Who Is Knocking At the Door?

That was the theme for the library lessons with the students in third grade. They read small biography books and wrote 3 clues for their person. Students had to guess the person based on these clues. They all learned about people they did not know in a fun way.

Second graders heard the story Listen to the Wind by Greg Mortenson so they could vote in the Florida Reading Association Children's Book Award program. It is a picture book based on the adult New York Times Bestseller, Three Cups of Tea and one of the 8 books in this year's contest.
In First grade students heard Valentine books in preparation for the holiday. One was entitled Roses Are Pink, Your Feet Really Stink by Diane deGroat, and the other was Fluffy's Valentine's Day by Kate McMullan.

Alpha students heard Little Mouse's Big Valentine by Thacher Hurd. The theme of he book was about sharing, caring and making new friends.

Students in K heard one of the stories from the Spider series entitled How Spider Saved Valentine's Day by Robert Kraus.