FEBRUARY FUN IN THE MEDIA CENTER

WOW.. have been celebrating in the media center...Groundhog's Day, Chinese New Year, 100th Day of School, President's Day, and Grandparent's Day!

Besides book displays on all of these topics, in First Grade we enjoyed having a reader's theater play on the book entitled Substitute Groundhog by Pat Miller. This story is about a groundhog who interviews other animals to come out of his hole on Groundhog Day since he is too sick to perform his once-a- year job.

In Second Grade we discovered the facts about an Australian eucalyptus forest by reading Koala Country by Deborah Dennard. This is a story about a mother Koala and her joey who feed and observe the other animal inhabitants of their fragile eucalyptus forest home. Students interacting with the book by locating the many plants and animals that live in this area. Only 20% of the forests remain for the Koala bears to live and conservation measures were also discussed.

Fifth graders were introduced to the author Gordon Korman who has written more than fifty popular young adult and middle-grade novels. Some of his books include Schooled, No More Dead Dogs, the Island, Dive and Island series, On the Run series (Chasing the Falconers) and the 39 Clues. He lives with his family on Long Island and you can visit his website at www.gordonkorman.com.

K students enjoyed the story of Valentine's Day entitled Roses Are Pink, Your Feet Really Stink by Diane de Groat. This story is about Gilbert who brings a tin of homemade cookies and his original nice or nasty poems to school on Valentine's Day. The students learned several important lessons after discussing the behavior of the characters in this story.

In 3rd grade students were introduced to idioms (a group of words whose meaning cannot be understood from the meaning of the individual words; an expression, peculiar to a specific language, that cannot be translated literally ) by reading several books. Some of the books they read were There's a Frog in my Throat by Loreen Leedy and Pat Street, A Chocolate Moose for Dinner by Fred Gwynne, and Rugs Have Naps (But Never Take Them) by Charles Klasky.

Students in Jr K enjoyed the Valentine's Day story entitled How Spider Saved Valentine's Day by Robert Kraus. Once again Spider's cleverness and wit saves the day and everyone is surprised at the end of the book.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY AND A BIG THANK YOU again to all of our library volunteers. I am so grateful to Jodi Gayoso for making sure every week the library schedule is posted and coverage is available for all the classes. All of you are so appreciated and your efforts are making the students happy to visit the media center.

GOODBYE JANUARY-HELLO FEBRUARY!

Second graders studying about Australia and New Zealand delighted in hearing the true story of Shrek, the world's most famous sheep. It was written by the students of Tarras School in New Zealand after the hermit merino was found on Bendigo Station on April 15, 2004 by a woman shepherd Ann Scanlan. For six years Shrek evaded musterers in the magnificent central Otago high country of New Zealand. The solitude, intense summer heat and meters of snow in the winter were no match for the mighty "Shrek". He was blade-shorn in front of a world TV audience by Peter Casserly and is today living the life of a celebrity at Bendigo, continuing to raise money for cure kids. Shrek's charity of choice.www.curekids.org.nz

Everybody knows that a fairy earns her wings by being good at something important. Usually it's a dainty thing-like painting the colors on a rainbow or coaxing open the petals of a flower. First grade students learned all about Emmalina, who was not like other fairies when they heard the story entitled The Mud Fairy by Amy Young.
Emmalina was not like the other fairies. She'd rather run and jump and play in the mud. But in a world where being dainty seems the only way to succeed, this little mud fairy will prove that the most important thing of all is staying true to yourself.

Students in K enjoyed "acting out like farm animals" during their reader's theater of Book! Book! Book! by Deborah Brass. All the animals want is a great new book to read. But the librarian just can't seem to understand their requests. Only the hen knows exactly how to ask. But will she ever get her turn? Read this oinking, braying, bright, noisy book and find out! The author herself has one dog, three snapping turtles, one white dove, a rooster, and a hen on her farm in Bradford, New Hampshire. I am sure they have inspired her in this writing.

In Jr. K we talked about sleeping while enjoying the book entitled Please Don't Wake the Animals by Mary Batten. Did you know that cats sleep around 12 hours and some bats sleep almost 20 hours a day? Dolphins sleep while swimming-they take little naps by letting half of their brain sleep at a time totally about 8 hours. Do you know why most fish sleep with their eyes open? To find out more why not read this fascinating non-fiction book?

Alpha students learned all about vegetables and how they grow while listening to Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens. In this story about a lazy bear and a smart hare, students were exposed to the trickster tradition of beating hardship by using one's wits. This story has its roots in European folktales and the slave stories of the American South.

Last, but certainly not least, a BIG THANK YOU again to all of our library volunteers. I am so grateful to Jodi Gayoso for making sure every week the library schedule is posted and coverage is available for all the classes. All of you are so appreciated and your efforts are making the students happy to visit the media center.

JANUARY JOYS!!!

Students in grade 2 are studying Australia and they were introduced to the great selection of non-fiction books about that continent by reading Look What Came From Australia by Kevin Davis and Australia- Letters from Around the World series by Margot Richardson.

Do you remember the story of The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen? Well, the students in K heard another version by Sebastien Braun and did a comparison of both books. This much loved tale is brought to life in a simple retelling expecially for the very young. They even voted for their favorite and stated reasons to support their vote. This is a wonderful bedtime story, and an invaluable addition to every child's first library.

Third graders played the game, "Guess who's Knocking at my Door" after reading biography books of famous people. They gave 3 clues to the audience and 3 guesses were made before the name of the person behind the door was revealed. This is a great way to get to know the individuals from the books as well as a fun way to learn the biography section of the library. Of course, prizes were rewarded to all correct answers as well as to the studens who wrote up the 3 mystery questions. We sure have fun in our library and learn lots, too!

Fiction and non-fiction books were discussed with the Alpha students. After listening to Dog's Colorful Day:a messy story about colors and counting by Emma Dodd, by Emily Gravett, and Little Mouse Gets Ready by Jeff Smith, students decided what kind of books they were and discussed why. At check out time, some choose the non-fiction (tall shelves) books to take home.

Do you know the author Amy Krouse Rosenthal? If not, just ask a student in Jr. K to tell you about what Little Pea likes to eat, or what Little Oink likes to play. They listened to these two books during their library lesson and one of their teachers checked out Little Hoot to read to them in their classroom. They loved this author's twist on behavior....you need to read one real soon.

5th grade students will be meeting Dan Gutman and seeing a display of his many books during their lessons this month. Do you remember Honus Wagner? Did you know that his baseball card is the most sought after and one in poor condition can be worth $150,000-$200,000? It was one of 522 cards in a set produced by American Tobacco Company in 1909-10. The cards in this set are sometimes referred to as "white borders". This card is so valuable-legend has it- because Wagner was opposed to cigarette smoking and insisted the card be discontinued shortly after presses had begun to run. In 1996, a card in good condition sold for over a half a million dollars. About 60 are known to exist. Well, Dan Gutman's book Honus & Me is just one of his numerous fiction and nonfiction books for children of all ages up to about grade 6. Whether you love sports or not, you should give this author a chance

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!!