Fall 2012 Library Statistics

Do you ever wonder what goes on in the Curtis Library?  Here is a peek at what we accomplished during the Fall Semester!  Looking forward to a busy Spring Semester!!  

It's Treat Tuesday!! Reading & Snacking!

It's my favorite day of the week!  The day where I share books and snacks! Thanks to Shannon Houghton for this great meme picture and Niki Barnes for the great idea!

I really didn't think I was going to get this in today, but I got a book order in and FINALLY got to read Chloe and the Lion by Mac Barnett and Adam Rex!  This book is HYSTERICAL and I know my students are going to LOVE it!!  In fact, I am scrapping what I had planned tomorrow and THIS is what I am reading to my 2nd and 3rd graders!  

I am pairing this fabulous book with my favorite snack of this time of year- Thin Mints!! (As a side note, I have decided that Girl Scout Cookies should not be sold so soon after New Year's Resolutions have been made! ;)

Back to the book! Chloe is lost in a forest and meets a lion (well she was SUPPOSE to meet a lion!), when the author of the book and the illustrator get into a little disagreement about parts of the book!  I was laughing out loud at this book.  Then I found the book trailer that made me laugh even more!  

What a way to end the night AND what a way to spend my day tomorrow!  Can't wait to share this book!  Happy Reading & Snacking!

Welcome Back! New Beginnings, New Opportunities

Students come back in the morning, and I feel like it is the first day of school all over again.  There is an excitement that surrounds new beginnings... changes we can make, goals we can set, and new books to recommend!  :)  To me, that is one of the best things about being in education-- all of the "new beginnings."  Whether it is the beginning of the week, the beginning of the month, the new six weeks, or the new year, we are given the opportunity to refresh and improve more than once, and I am thankful for that! 

This week I am looking forward to working with 4th-6th grade students on information literacy.  The students are working on reading informational text and researching various topics.  I will be discussing with them how to evaluate resources and where they can find valid, appropriate information related to their topics.  We will look at good sources and not so good sources, and learn how to tell the difference.

With the younger students, I will be sharing with them previous Caldecott winners in anticipation of the newest medal winner. The Caldecott Medal is awarded each year to the illustrator of the most distinguished picture book from that year.  Students will look at previous winners and analyze why the book was awarded the medal.   Then we will look at books published in 2012 that have the potential to win, and students will attempt to predict this year's winner. 

I will also share Kadir Nelson's I Have a Dream with some of my classes and let them talk about dreams they have for this school year. It will be a wonderful opportunity for goal setting! 

This is a beautifully illustrated book that enhances the famous speech by Dr. Marin Luther King, Jr.  I have been anxious to share this with the students since receiving it awhile back, and I hope that they will enjoy it as much as I did when I read the book.  

New beginnings, new opportunities to connect books and readers.  It is sure to be a wonderful week!  Happy Reading!

Holiday Reading

I love holidays for a variety of reasons: spending time with family, catching up on rest AND the time it gives me to read!!  This past week, I have been spending a lot (just ask my husband!) of time reading!  I finished my Goodreads Reading Challenge just in the nick of time (on December 31st!!) by reading a few new picture books I had brought home from school.  Here are some of the books I have enjoyed this week:

Brothers at Bat: The True Story of an Amazing All-Brother Baseball Team
by Audrey Vernick and Steven Salerno 

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed reading this book and learning about the Acerra family.  I've had this in my library for a few months and had seen talk of it through my Twitter PLN, so it was one I packed up to read during the holidays.  It is an easy to read book about this amazing family that consisted of 12 boys and four girls.  With 12 boys, who all loved playing baseball, it was a natural fit for them to form a baseball team.  I love reading a book and learning something new.  I didn't know that there were several family teams playing baseball around this same time.  Not only were the brothers great athletes, they also demonstrated good character.  Six of the brothers fought in World War II, and all six came back home.  This book is sure to be a favorite with baseball lovers, but is an enjoyable read for anyone!

Visit the Author's Website for more information about this remarkable family!

Twelve Kinds of Ice
 by Ellen Bryan Obed and Illustrated by Barbara McClintock

 If I could pick a theme for the books that I have read, without meaning to have a theme, it would seem it is FAMILY, which is very appropriate for this time of year when we are surrounded by family!  Twelve Kinds of Ice is a quiet, peaceful book about the coming of winter demonstrated by the thickening of ice.  Living in Texas, this is a book that allowed me to experience winter in a much different way than what I am accustomed to, which is a gift I am taking from this book.
As the first signs of ice appears, one family prepares for another wonderful winter when they will be able to eventually create their very own ice skating rink to share with their family and friends. This is when the "Perfect Ice" has finally arrived.  The joy that this family experiences each winter, waiting through the different phases of ice, helps the reader enjoy  the simpler things in life.  This book is a wonderful example of how to really see and appreciate all that nature has to offer.

On the Road to Mr. Mineo's
by Barbara O'Connor

This is a vividly told tale about the appearance of a one-legged pigeon in a sleepy little town and how it brings interest and excitement to an otherwise boring summer. 
Stella has longed for a dog to fill the empty dog house that sits in her front yard.  When she discovers the pigeon, she is happy to make it her pet instead of a dog.  She has to convince her timid friend Gerald to help her with this quest, which sometimes proves difficult.  She also must beat all the other townsfolk who have their sites set on the one-legged pigeon. 

This was in my TBR (to be read) stack for much too long, and I wish I had read it earlier!  I can't wait to pass it on to a reader when we get back to school! 



Drawing From Memory
by Caldecott Medal Winner Allen Say

Allen Say's memoir is full of information, photographs, and illustrations which show the reader what Say experienced while working to achieve his goal of becoming an artist. What the reader takes away is that setting goals and staying true to the course, regardless of others' thoughts, is important. "Let your dear child journey" is quoted a few times in the book, something that Say first heard from his mother. Amazingly, she sent him off on his own at the young age of 12, and he persevered  This book honors those who helped Say achieve his goals. 

One of my favorite books by Say is The Lost Lake about a boy and his dad who go camping one summer.  The boy has come to visit his father for the summer, and the father is so busy with work that he spends little time with his son.  One morning he surprises his son by telling him they are going camping at a lake that he camped by as a boy.  Although there are challenges getting to the lake, the special time the father and son spend together is just what they both needed.  

Having read the memoir, I wonder if there is some personal connection to the book and the distant relationship between the father and son. 

During this week I have read several other picture books and chapter books, and then finally I decided to make my goals for the new year.  I have set my reading goal for the Goodreads Challenge at 250 books (I read 150 books in 2012), with an additional goal to remember to put all of my books into Goodreads!  :)  My hope is that I will reach this goal quickly and easily and then adjust accordingly!  Happy New Year and Happy Reading!!

Monday Happenings

Today, 5th grade came to the library and I shared The Carpenter's Gift: A Christmas Tale About the Rockefeller Center Tree by David Rubel and illustrated by Jim LaMarche.  This is a beautifully illustrated story about Henry, a young boy growing up during the Great Depression.  His family struggled to make ends meet, but Henry "didn't complain, because it was nobody's fault."

On Christmas Eve, Henry's dad borrows a truck and takes Henry to cut trees to sell in New York City.  The day is a good day, made even better by the people they meet while selling the trees.  As Henry enjoys the moment, his dad talks to the men about the hard times they were facing.  These new friends come to help Henry and his family and make a lasting impression on Henry, one that stays with him through his life. 

The story comes full circle, and reminds us that "the best presents are the ones you don't expect."  The best gift for me was learning that the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is milled and used  by Habitat for Humanity each year to build a home in the area from which the tree came.  I loved reading the information about how the trees are found, as well as the additional information on Habitat for Humanity. 

Many of my 5th graders were unfamiliar with Habitat for Humanity, so this book created an opportunity for learning and discussing.  I found this short video on how the tree is milled, which was very interesting for the students:  Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Video

This book would make a wonderful addition to a holiday book collection!

Much to be Thankful For!

November has been a very busy month and one that helps me to realize all that I have to be thankful for as the librarian of Curtis Elementary! Our month started off with our author Skype visit with Laurel Snyder, and we are very thankful for the time she gave to our book club!  The students are still talking (bragging! :) ) about their visit and are already asking when our next book club will start! You can see by their faces that they were very connected to Snyder and listening to every word she was saying!


On Election Day, the students at Curtis were able to participate in the election process thanks to Mrs. Medlin, Mrs. McKenzie and Mrs. McKinney creating a "polling site" in the upstairs computer lab! Through library lessons, students learned about the election process and the importance of exercising your right to vote. With the upper grades, I shared non-fiction text and online resources related to voting and the president. Lower grades listened as I read My Teacher for President by Kay Winters and Duck for President  by Doreen Cronin to help them understand the job of the president. On voting day, students filled out voter's registration cards and went through the verification process, before casting their vote on an online ballot.  This was a great "real world" learning experience for the students!

During this same week, students learned about the sacrifices our service men and women make for us as we read America's White Table by Margot Theis Raven and illustrated by Mike Benny.  Student Council members then presented America's White Table to our visitors during our Veteran's Day Lunch.  At the beginning of each lunch period,  members shared the significance of each item set on the table.  It was a wonderful addition and was appreciated by the many veterans that attended the lunch. 

Next in our busy month was our visit by Troupe d' Jour and their Shakespeare presentation that was provided for all of our students by our wonderful PTA!  The presentations varied by grade level and consisted of Romeo and Juliet or The Tempest.  Audience members were brought up to participate in the performances and students were very excited about the presentation.  The performers not only shared information about Shakespeare and some of his plays, but also worked in science, social studies and many ELA TEKS that supported what students were learning in their classes!  The performers spent their lunch visiting with some of the Quest students who are focusing on Shakespeare during their time with Mrs. Cheshire, as well as shared "sword fighting" techniques with the afternoon library aides.  It was a fun and enriching day!

Our month is ending on a fabulous note, because right before our Thanksgiving break, we received a huge book order from our ATPE Foundation literacy grant that we were awarded last spring!  The grant was for adding new books to our nonfiction area which we were able to accomplish.  Teachers had input and were excited to see all of the new resources. Students who visited the library were also able to see the new books and definitely have their eyes on a few to check out when they get back!  I predict that one of the favorites with the students will be the new military and war books! 

I am thankful for all that November brought to the Curtis Elementary students and can't wait to see what December brings!  Oh, and I didn't even share about the Mystery Skypes we did!  Our Global Connections map has some new additions, but that will have to be another post!

Author Skype with Laurel Snyder

On Tuesday, students in the Curtis Book Club were able to Skype with the author of the book we have been reading, Bigger Than a Bread Box.  During the summer, author Laurel Snyder posted on Twitter that she would like to do Skype visits with students this fall. Bigger Than a Bread Box was being released in paperback in September, so I thought this would be a perfect book to read with the book club.  The book club, consisting of 5th and 6th graders, has met most every morning at 7:30, beginning October 1st and continuing through to November 6th, when we Skyped with Snyder.  Our fabulous PTA purchased the books for the book club, AND the author went by the book store to personalize the books!  The students were very excited about their signed copies of Bigger Than a Bread Box!
 
As we met and read each morning, the students would share questions and connections they were making with the characters and the events in the book.  On average, we would have 12-15 members of the book club each morning, some  bringing up their breakfast so that they wouldn't miss anything.
 
Finally, our day to meet the author arrived!  The students were in the library and ready to go, questions prepared for Snyder to answer.  She spent about 20 minutes sharing with the students about her childhood, her escape into books, and her goal to become a writer.  Snyder recounted how she submitted her first manuscript many times before it was finally accepted, talking to the students about not giving up, and how she learned from each rejection.

Students were able to come up and ask their questions of Ms. Snyder.  Some students asked about advice on becoming a writer, while others asked wonderful questions about aspects of the book.  I was so very proud of the students' questions!  You could tell they had connected with the book, and it was great to see their interactions with the author! 

This was such a fun way to spend our mornings!  Looking forward to the next book club!

Book Character Pumpkin Decorating

Curtis students and their families helped make our library a very festive place last week!  Students were encouraged to participate in the Book Character Pumpkin decorating contest and they came through in a BIG way!!  One after another, the pumpkins came in!  I couldn't believe my eyes; they were ALL so creative!!  Like these, for instance!! "Gruffalo" was brought in by a family who has recently relocated to Weatherford from Ireland! 

 

There were so many incredible entries that I was thankful I didn't have to judge!  Altogether, there were about 50 pumpkins.  I had encouraged "family participation" and it seems the families had a great time together creating their book character pumpkins.  One mom shared with me that she remembered doing this when she was in school and was excited to get to do this with her boys!  Here are their pumpkins, "Pete the Cat" and "Tin Man"!



 

This activity was a hit and we will certainly do this again next year!  Here are some more pumpkins!



 

 



 

 

 

And finally, because we called it a "contest" we had to pick winners... even though, quite honestly, they are were all FABULOUS!!

 



 

GREAT JOB, Curtis students & families!  Thanks for making the library a fun place to be during Halloween!   

 

Mystery Skypes

It has been a busy few weeks in the Curtis Library!  As you know, we just finished with our record-setting book fair!! Thanks to everyone for helping and shopping!!  Before our book fair however, we participated in two Mystery Skypes!  I had seen teachers and librarians tweeting about this on Twitter, and thought it would be a great experience for our students.  Turns out it was! The premise of a Mystery Skype is that two classes Skype, neither knowing where the other class is.  Through "yes" and "no" questions, they try to determine the location of the other class. The first class to participate was Mrs. Pitman's 5th graders who came into the library early one Tuesday morning.  The students brought with them maps and atlases to use during the Skype.  There were also laptops set up for students to use.  Mrs. Pitman and I had worked with the students to help them understand their responsibilities during the Skype.  Since this was our first time, our mystery class was kind enough to go first and they guessed our state within five questions!!  Way to go Mrs. Kilpatrick's class!  Then it was our turn!  We were definitely nervous, but through questioning and some deductive reasoning, Mrs. Pitman's class was able to guess Massachusettes as the location of Mrs. Kilpatrick's class!!

The Mystery Skype was so fun, I talked Mr. Prentice's first period class into doing a Mystery Skype that Friday.  I had seen another teacher looking for a class to connect with, so I went to Mr. Prentice, who had been working with his students on map skills during the first six weeks.  Mr. Prentice assigned jobs to his students and I prepared them for the format of the Skype visit.  Due to scheduling issues, the students had a "Lunch & Learn" and Skyped during their lunch period.

The Mystery Skype class asked their questions first, and were able to guess that we were located in Texas.  The students had been advised to be careful with accents and using "y'all"!!  :)  Then it was our turn!  Mr. Prentice's class used great questioning strategies and map skills to determine Mrs. Parisi's class was located in New York! 
Here is a video of the end of the Mystery Skype:

This was an engaging learning experience for both of these classes and something we hope to repeat in the near future.  I am sure that questioning techniques will improve the more the students participate, and what a great way to apply those map skills the students have been learning!  Thanks to both of these classes for representing Curtis Elementary so well! Two more locations have now been added to our Global Connections Map in the library!

Book Fair is Here!! October 15-19

We are very excited about our Fall Book Fair that is open all week 7:30-4:00! Family Night will be Tuesday, October 16th and the book fair will be open until 7:00 PM with a PTA meeting following!   This is a wonderful opportunity for families to purchase quality books at reasonable prices.  There are books for all ages, from preschool to adult!  Flyers were sent home with students last week, so check backpacks if you haven't seen one!  If you can't make it to the book fair in person, you can shop online at http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/curtislibrary Books will be shipped to our school, free of charge.
Come check out all the books at the Fall Book Fair in the Curtis Library!

International Dot Day Celebration

What a great week we had in the library, celebrating International Dot Day ALL WEEK LONG!!  Each grade level made their mark in a little different way, from bookmarks with Kinder to iMovies to Skype visits.  It was definitely a full week, and a wonderful way to start the year.  The celebration is centered around Peter H. Reynold's book, The Dot, which encourages creativity and making your mark, whatever your mark might be.  As I shared with the students, it is a little book with a big message!  In addition to library activities, students were also able to use computers, iPads, and iPod Touches to create dot art.  This week, the fun continues during art classes, when students will create dot masterpieces!  Here are some pictures from the week!


One way to Make Your Mark!



5th Grade Skypes with Wisconsin Students!



2nd Grade Skyping with Iowa students

3rd Grade Skypes with Florida students



1st Grade iPad Dot art



Welcome Back, Curtis Readers!

What a fabulous first week of school we had last week!  I was able to see most all students in grades 1-6 and get books into their hands!  It was wonderful having a library full of excited readers, and I can't wait to start seeing students on a regular basis.  Please refer to the LIBRARY INFORMATION page to see what day each class comes to the library. 

I had a lot of fun the first day of school, going around to see what each teacher had chosen for the First Read of the New Year!  Here are some of the pictures from the different grade levels!

I am looking forward to a GREAT year!!  Happy Reading!

Elections & Worms

True to my word, here are a couple of books that are PERFECT for my younger friends! The first book is Babymouse for President by Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm. Those of you who have followed the blog this summer will remember that I was lucky enough to meet these two at BooksmART in Dallas! I have been anxiously awaiting this new book, and it did not let me down. Babymouse has decided to run for student council president, and of course, her nemesis or rival, Felicia Furrypaws, is also running. At first, Babymouse has no direction with her campaign other than to win. She learns that making a lot of empty promises or trying to bribe voters won't get you very far. You will want to check this book out to see if Babymouse is able to win the election!  This will be a fun book to read as we prepare for the upcoming presidential election.  I know that I have some huge Babymouse fans at Curtis, and this book will be hard to keep on the shelf!

Holm, J.L., & Holm, M. (2012). Babymouse for President. New York: Random House


The next book I read was from the Marty McGuire series by Kate Messner & Brian Floca.  The first book is Marty McGuire, and I enjoyed reading it in May and then immediately passed it on to Mrs. Lemons to read to her class.  In this second book, Marty McGuire Digs Worms!  Marty & her best friend Annie work together on a class project for a competition that focuses on helping the earth.  After a failed attempt to make paper, Grandma Barb helps the girls with an idea to build a bench to hold worms for their cafeteria.  Marty is sure that the worms will take care of all the leftover food so there will be less trash.  She doesn't realize that the worms can't eat all of the leftovers for the whole school.  Her friends get upset with her when they can't put their food in the bin, and Marty is disappointed in how slowly the worms eat the food scraps.  Like Babymouse, Marty also has a "thorn in her side" in Veronica, one of her classmates.  Veronica is disgusted by Marty & Annie's project and thinks her petunia project is perfect!  Only time will tell if the worm bin wins the competition, and whether Marty has any friends left when it is all over.  If you haven't read Marty McGuire, start there, then check this book out!  It will be waiting for readers when school starts in August!

Messner, K. (2012). Marty McGuire digs worms! NewYork: Scholastic, Inc.

Bigger Than a Bread Box

I know I have spent more time recently sharing about middle grade books, and I promise I will share books for younger grades next, BUT I just finished this book and wanted to tell you about it!

What would you do if you had a magic bread box and anything you wished for that could fit in it would appear?  That is exactly what Rebecca has in the story Bigger Than a Bread Box by Laurel Snyder. 

When Rebecca's mom needs time to figure things out, away from Rebecca's dad, she packs up the car, with Rebecca and her little brother Lew, and they head to Atlanta, where Rebecca's Gran is waiting. Soon after arriving at Gran's, Rebecca discovers a bread box collection while hiding in the attic. As she is sitting there, she wishes she had a book. Looking in the last few bread boxes, she finds a book in a pretty, decorative one. Rebecca is drawn to the bread box and takes it with her to her room. Later, as she is in bed wishing for everything to be okay, wishing she was back home in Baltimore, she also wishes for gulls. You can imagine her surprise to find a couple of gulls in the bread box. Rebecca finds that anything she wishes for that can fit in the bread box, will suddenly appear. As she starts at her new school, she decides that wishing for a few things might make it easier to make friends. Eventually Rebecca begins to wonder where these items are actually coming from and realizes that by making some wishes, she is stealing. Throughout the story, you can feel the emotions that Rebecca is going through, from anger towards her mom, to insecurity about being at her new school, to sadness about missing her dad, to the love she feels towards her little brother, Lew.

It seems odd to describe a book with magic as "real" but that is exactly what you get with this book. This is a perfect read for 4th-6th grade students looking for a book about real life and magic all mixed up in one! Not to mention, the author, Laurel Snyder has volunteered to do a Skype visit with students at Curtis Elementary in the fall.  The book is in hardcover right now, but you could check it out from the Weatherford Public Library before school starts.  In September, the book will be released in paperback!

Snyder, L. (2011). Bigger than a bread box. New York: Random House.

Aliens & Bank Robbers!

I just finished two books that students in grades 4-6 are sure to want to read.  The first one is one of our new Texas Bluebonnet nominees, Aliens on Vacation by Clete Barrett Smith.  Scrub is sent to spend the summer with his grandmother while his parents are working.  He hasn't spent much time with her, so it is a little awkward at first.  His grandmother runs the Intergalactic Bed & Breakfast, which plays host to some rather strange visitors.  Whatever is going on here has the sheriff very interested!  He spends a lot of time driving by the inn, questioning Grandma about the tourists and threatening to shut down the bed & breakfast.  Scrub meets a friend, Amy, who is very curious about space, aliens and Grandma's bed & breakfast. This makes Scrub very nervous and he works hard to keep Amy from discovering just exactly what is going on at the Intergalactic Bed & Breakfast.  Pick up this book to read all about how Scrub spends the summer helping his grandmother cater to out of this world visitors!

.  The other book I read was Fake Mustache by Tom Angleberger.  You may recognize this name from another favorite, The Strange Case of Origami Yoda.  This story begins with 12 year-old Lenny loaning his friend Casper $10 to buy a fake mustache.  Lenny become suspicious when a short mustached "man" begins robbing banks,and Casper seems to be missing during these times.  When Fako Mustacho launches a campaign to take over the country, Lenny must figure out a way to stop this craziness.  Lenny teams up with Jodie O'Rodeo, a teen TV star, to save the world from this mad man.  Is he able to keep Fako from being successful in taking over the world?  You will have to read to find out!