Just in Time for Halloween

Class 5-3 completed their "How To" projects just in time to share with other classes this Halloween.  After choosing a Halloween related topic, they were able to make some really attractive Powerpoint presentations.  During this project they learned how to use clip arts, audio clips, background designs and slide transitions to present  the audience with some basic steps in creating a variety of Halloween items.  Some students used the internet to research their projects and others used plain old imagination. Below you will find a couple of the completed projects.

Grade 4 Glogster Animal Project

Students in Ms. Desousa's 4th grade class have begun researching animal groups with Ms. Loomis.  After completing additional research in the library they are now ready to present what they have learned.  Each student has a special online space to create a very new type of presentation using a great 21st century tool called Glogster.

GlogsterEDU allows students to create their own online poster which displays the information they researched.  Today students have started to transfer their information onto their own personal Glog page by using text, photos, drawings, sounds, and/or videos.  Their final poster presentations will be completed by the beginning of next month so come back then to see what they have accomplished.

Supporting PreK Students

Through the Tools of the Mind program PreK students are learning how to actively engage in play by using real life environments, like the doctor's office and restaurants.  In the library I have tried to support what  they are learning in their class by reading stories about these environments.  This month Ms. Singleton's students are learning about restaurants so naturally I chose to read Manners at the Table by Carrie Finn.  Together we  created a list of good manners that should be used at a restaurant.  We also discuss all the different things we would find in a restaurant.   After learning about what belongs in a restaurant, PreK students used the "Nina Loves to Name Things" website to drag restaurant items into a box.  They were amazed to see how they were able to move the items just by using their finger.

Click Here to visit the website

Some Spooky-Funny, Funny-Spooky Halloween Stories

Los Gatos Black on Halloween by Marisa Montes is part of our bilingual collection of books.
On Halloween night the vampires, ghosts and all the Halloween characters are ready to attend the yearly Ball in the huge Haunted Hall up the hill.  They arise from the ground, fly on their brooms, and stagger across the cemetery just to dance to their favorite Halloween tunes.  As soon as the fun begins the knock on the puerta (door) has even the scariest looking characters stare at the door in fright.  You will never guess what los catos black (black cats), las brujas (witches), las momias (mummies), and even the esqueletos are most frightened of...Come to the library and find out?

Kindergarten students had the opportunity to meet Splat the Cat again in Rob Scotton's book Scaredy Cat, Splat.  This time Splat the Cat just wants to be the scariest cat at cat school on Halloween day, but he is just too much of a scaredy-cat.   He's afraid of a little spider and when his teacher tells the class a ghost story he jumps into the air and all the jack o' lanterns go flying.  When the lights go back on there is a scary looking, furry creature with a pumpkin head making the scariest sound.  Whooooo could it be?  The kindergarteners enjoyed this little Halloween story with a cheerful ending.

Halloween How To

Halloween will be here before you know it.  Do you know how to make a mummy costume, spooky cupcakes or even a witch's potion?  Ms. Sarjeant's 5th grade class has begun researching how to make Halloween related items.  The goal of their project is to take the bland old How To Report and create a much more exciting How To Powerpoint presentation.  Students are working in pairs and planning to include information they learned about their Halloween project.  Pretty soon their presentations will be shared with other classes visiting the library.  The scary deadline will be here on October 31st, Halloween Day! Be on the lookout for completed projects in a future posting.

The Librarian from the Black Lagoon Does Not Work Here

Author, Mike Thaler has a series of books called the Black Lagoon series.  Today 3rd grade students met the meanest librarian ever...The Librarian from the Black Lagoon, or so they thought.  Some scary rumors were going around in school that the librarian, Mrs. Beamster likes to laminate children who even whisper in the library. Could you imagine that?  Students also say that she doesn't let students do anything in the library.  The books are bolted to the shelves and she puts glue on the chairs to keep the children from wiggling around.  It doesn't sound like a very inviting place to be.  Will the students be surprised by what they see when they finally make a library visit and meet Mrs. Beamster?  You will have to come to library and check out The Librarian from the Black Lagoon yourself.  

Scary Mrs. Beamster, the Librarian