I'm a Bucket Filler

According to author, Carol McCloud's book Have You Filled a Bucket Today? we all have an invisible bucket that we carry around.  The amount of happiness in the bucket all depends on how we treat others and how others treat us.  This week first and second graders learned that we all have the option of being a "bucket filler" :-) or a "bucket dipper" :-(  We can easily fill someone's bucket by saying positive things and making them feel HAPPY! When you are a bucket filler, everyone is happy.  However, if you are mean to others or bully others then their buckets become empty very quick and so does your own bucket.
By the end of the story we all decided that we want to be a "bucket filler".  We will give out lots of compliments so we can fill our friends' buckets as well as our own. 

NO ONE WANTS TO BE A "BUCKET DIPPER!


WE WANT TO BE BUCKET FILLERS!

Books and Blogging

The after school program is in full effect and some lucky 4th and 5th graders are having their book club sessions in the library.  Each student was given their own copy of one of their favorite books, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever.  We are reading sections of the book together and discussing all of the crazy events happening in the main character's (Greg Heffeley) life.  We are also sharing our discussions on our Book Club Blog.  If you want to see what we think about all of Greg Heffley's antics just go to our blog called OUR POINT OF VIEW  You can click on as a guest at the bottom of the list and type in the word Guest as the password.  Once you are in the website just click on someone's blog page and see what they have written.

Class 1-3 Share Frog Facts

First Graders shared some facts about how frogs grow.  Take a closer look below .
Just click on it to zoom in.

Did You Know Frogs Have Tails?

Fogs have tails? Yes they do, but only for a short time.  Class 1-3 learned a few facts about frogs from a non-fiction book called How a Frog Grows by Celia Benton.  After charting information they already knew about frogs students listened to the story and together we added some new information they learned about how frogs grow.  They talked about the frogs laying eggs in the water and tadpoles coming out of the eggs.  They learned how the tadpole's tail shrinks as their front and hind legs grow.  Before the students left the library they had to write about two facts they they wanted to share with each other and added an illustration of their new knowledge.  After this lesson they will never see a frog the same way again.

Biographies in the Library

Do you know how to find our biographies?  It's really simple. This week a few 4th and 5th grade classes came into the library and browsed through several biographies.  In groups they discussed what all of the biographies have in common.  Naturally, they explained that biographies are books written about important figures in the past and/or present.  They identified the table of contents and some students even found timelines in the biographies.  All of these features can help anyone research important figures, but just as important is knowing where biographies can be found in the library.

Students learned that the call number on the spine labels of our biography books all start with the capital B.  It is then followed by the last name of the person the biography is about.  Since our books are in alphabetical order on the shelves it should be really easy to find what you are looking for.  All of our biographies are shelved together, just look for the BIOGRAPHIES sign.

If you are interested in seeing what we have on our catalog just click on the OPAC link above and click on Resource List under the Catalog tab.

New Year, New Books

The new year has brought us three boxes full of new books.  In those boxes are some of the books that  students and staff have requested this past school year.  After looking at the list of books you requested I browsed through some professional book review sources, like Booklist and School Library Journal and placed order #1.  Could your favorite books be in there?  Come to the library soon and check out our "New Books" display.  I am currently in the process of creating the second book list before placing our final order for this school year.  If you still do not see your favorite books in the library go to the link above Gifs.cc - Gifs and Animations for your website, freecalled "REQUEST A BOOK"  It only takes a minute to add your title to the list.

Making a Snowman

Winter is almost here and class K-4 had a great time talking about some of their favorite things to do when it snows.  They talked about having snowball fights, making snow angels and building snowmen.  I read All you Need for a Snowman by Alice Schertle and then the students showed me they know how to follow directions.  They were able to complete a "Making a Snowman" worksheet in which they had to listen to my directions as I requested that they draw different items on 3 different snowmen.   All of their snowmen pictures were hung up on the bulletin board so everyone could see how well they can follow directions.  Afterward, they had the chance to use the Smartboard to create a virtual snowman at the Build a Snowman website. Click Here and give it a try.

Holiday Celebrations

Class 1-3 has been learning about different cultures and the traditions they follow when they celebrate specific holidays.  Ms. Isaacs has taught her class about Christmas and Hannukah and today they learned about Kwanzaa in the library. They listened to a uniquely written book called Celebrate Kwanzaa with Boots and her Kittens by Alma Flor Ada.  In this story there is an African American family all set to celebrate Kwanzaa when they realize their cat is missing. Throughout this fictional story we are taught about the 7 principles of Kwanzaa in an entertaining way.  At the very end of the book there is an informative section about Kwanzaa as well.  After reading the story the students compared the different holidays.