This Week in the Library: December 14-18

It's Winter Break! Enjoy the time off and don't forget to read!  Here's what we did in classes this week:

Primary Classes (K-3):  We read "Creature Features" by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page from our Washington Children's Choice Picture Book Award nominee poster.  This non-fiction book looks as some of the unusual features (ears, eyes, noses, etc.) found on various animals.  There is even more information about the animals in the end matter.  Vocabulary words: snout, unfurl, intimidating, burrow.

Grade 4: We continued our unit on digital citizenship.  We looked at two situations where students created passwords.  We decided if they were good passwords and how they could make them stronger.

Grades 5 & 6:  We took our Reading Superhero personalities from the past weeks and looked for reading suggestions from the "A Book and A Hug" website.

Professional:  Continued reading books to be reviewed for Puget Sound Council review group. Assisted with technology troubleshooting.  Cataloged magazines and prepared donated books for cataloging.

This Week in the Library: December 7-11

Here's what we did this week in the Sherwood Library!

Primary Classes (K-3):  We read "The Cat, the Dog, Little Red, the Exploding Eggs, the Wolf, and Grandma" by Diane and Christyan Fox." from our Washington Children's Choice Picture Book Award nominee poster.  This hilarious book is dialogue between the cat and the dog who are discussing the Red Riding Hood story.  The dog has many questions about the story.  Vocabulary words: endpaper, village, hypnotize, axe.  Related Links:  Book Trailer (YouTube - may be blocked at school)

Grade 4: We began our unit on digital citizenship.  The first lessons deal with passwords.  We discussed various ways people keep their belongings safe (both offline and online).

Grades 5 & 6:  We took the results of the reading superhero survey from last week and read the descriptions of the various reading superhero personalities. We then reflected on whether the description fit us or not.

Professional:  Attended the December meeting of the Puget Sound Council book review group.  I renewed my membership in this organization for 2016!  I assisted with the deployment of Chromebooks in intermediate classrooms (and a couple 3rd grade classes) and shifted computers/carts so that all classrooms in the school maintained a 2 student per 1 computer ratio.

Hour of Code

Some classrooms are participating in the Hour of Code this week.  If your classroom isn't, you can still do it on your own!  Here's the link:  HOUR OF CODE

This Week in the Library: November 30 - December 4

Wow! Our first full week in the library in a long time!  We're getting back to normal routines as we head toward Winter Break.  Here's what we did in classes:

Primary Classes (K-3):  We read "Big Bad Bubble" by Adam Rubin from our Washington Children's Choice Picture Book Award nominee list.  This funny book looks at the monsters of La La Land as they learn that their fear of bubble is unfounded.  We discussed why they were afraid and how they might overcome other fears in the future.  The author presented the simple lesson of "don't believe everything you hear."  Vocabulary words: disappear, reappear, feeding frenzy.  Related Links:   Book Trailer (YouTube - may be blocked @ school)  Homemade Bubble Mixture

Grade 4: We did a pre-assessment for an upcoming unit on digital citizenship.  I'll use the data to adjust lessons to maximize our library class time.

Grades 5 & 6:  We completed a reading interest survey to determine our reading superhero personas.  Next time we'll look at the personas and decide if they match us or not.  These will also be used as I introduce our 2016 Best Books.

Professional:  A busy week: troubleshooting technology in classrooms and the library, preparing data for the upcoming Chromebook deployment, preparing books earned from the book fair to enter our library catalog.  Pulled gingerbread books for the first grade and found books for new ELL students.  I also distributed the team copies of 3rd grade reading challenge books to teachers and collected survey forms to return to Sno-Isle Libraries.  Handed out WCCPBA packets to primary teachers so they can begin reading 2016 nominees with their students.  Completed reading "Irrepressible Reformer: A Biography of Melvil Dewey" by Wayne Wiegand.