Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Primary students have survived our arctic blasts with a study of polar bears and penguins, including a lively cyber-field trip via penguin cams in zoos around the country (and thanks to the book Plenty of Penguins by Sonia Black, we were able to identify them!).  And did you know polar bear skin is actually black, and that it eats hundreds of hamburgers worth of seals?  Predators always make for such interesting reading.

We have also been having a good time with all sorts of stories and videos celebrating Asia in time for the exciting Chinese New Year!  You can bring these books and the thrilling lion dance to life by attending any of the many free events around our great city!  Click here to find one near you, and here to learn the Chinese words and symbols that spread good will!

Third grade gets on the hobby horse!

It has been a delight to have the third grade share their hobby reports in honor of National Hobby Month. What a bevy of talented musicians, cooks, collectors, athletes and all-around-one-of-a-kind-kids! No matter how we spend our free time, the library has books and information to bolster our interests. The hobby reports will be used later to introduce the Dewey Decimal System, guiding us through the nonfiction section.

Other bigger assignments coming up in library: the 4th grade has a creative response project to culminate our Hans Christian Andersen unit. Children may turn it in as they finish, with February 20th being the last day it will be accepted. The 8th grade has a logo design assignment due in their media literacy notebooks, but time will be allotted in class to complete. The 5th grade will have a writing response to our award-winning serial read-aloud, The Wish Giver by Bill Brittain. Time and extra support will be allotted in class as well. The 6th grade will be starting their independent Author Studies around the corner in the spring, but fear not, a detailed rubric will be sent home, and we are meanwhile enjoying a full group analytical author study so the process is modeled.  Creativity plus critical thinking plus student support is our recipe for success in the library! 

Newbery and Caldecott Awards announced!

Congratulations to the winners of the American Library Association Youth Media Awards, some of the most prestigious prizes in children's literature (including the Newbery for most distinguished writing and the Caldecott for illustration). Check out all the winners here for a go-to list of youth literature excellence!  We always welcome any of these titles as donations to the library.  You can also click here to see your school librarian's personal picture book and nonfiction favorites of the past year!  So many books, so little time...