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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