I'm stuck at home with my yearly bout of awful sore throat and a froggy or totally lost voice. Been wanting to update the blog for a while so this early afternoon one will be some miscellaneous library related stuff and then hopefully tomorrow or early next week I can write reviews of a couple of books some very kind people have sent me. Oh, and some I got from the library. And my poor Netgalley account ... loaded up the Nook before August's trip to the point where no person could have finished all of them and now they may never let me have free previews again!
Number 1: Pinterest
I am going to go all girly here but I totally <3 Pinterest. Should limit my time on the site but I find so many super cool ideas that I love! And the kids and other teachers end up loving! You can follow me here. It says Request an Invite but don't let that stop you. Only took maybe 30 minutes or so before I got my invite. Or comment here and I can "invite" you. Just to give you an idea of some of the things I've discovered, here are 10 of my favorite school or library related pins.
1) classroom norms
2) good readers printable posters
3) paint chip search terms (There are SO MANY COOL THINGS you can do with paint chips!)
4) super cool retro library posters
5) book cover buntings
6) voice level chart
7) genre flip chart (Just finished a series of multimedia presentations for 5th grade on genres. Will post later!)
8) copyright licenses for different clip art vendors (I do like that people care about this!)
9) organizer (Made it! Can now find more stuff! My desk is not so organized usually. :[)
10) infographic of new ed tech trends
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Stella Louella
It is long past time for another post ... so I thought I'd share an old favorite that I am reading with first grade this week. Just as sort of a reminder.
So the first reason we like this book is her name. It's just fun to say. The second reason, of course, is that at one time or another we've all been here. ACK! Where did I leave my library book? Is it in "beds or baskets or bathtubs? Tool boxes or toy boxes or cereal boxes?" (Not an exact quote but you get the idea.) And then it becomes funny to see just how many people she can convince to help her look for the book (and how long it takes the story listeners to figure out from clues dropped by the people she asks just WHAT book it was that she misplaced).
There is a happy ending to this one, though as any librarian knows many lost book stories do not end up with such a twist. Still. The kids like to start chanting along with the names of all the people helping Stella look for her book. And we get to have a good talk about always having a place to keep all important things, including library books.
So the first reason we like this book is her name. It's just fun to say. The second reason, of course, is that at one time or another we've all been here. ACK! Where did I leave my library book? Is it in "beds or baskets or bathtubs? Tool boxes or toy boxes or cereal boxes?" (Not an exact quote but you get the idea.) And then it becomes funny to see just how many people she can convince to help her look for the book (and how long it takes the story listeners to figure out from clues dropped by the people she asks just WHAT book it was that she misplaced).
There is a happy ending to this one, though as any librarian knows many lost book stories do not end up with such a twist. Still. The kids like to start chanting along with the names of all the people helping Stella look for her book. And we get to have a good talk about always having a place to keep all important things, including library books.
Monday, August 29, 2011
The Case of the Mistaken Identity: The Brixton Brothers, Book 1 by Mac BarnettMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This story is totally exaggerated and in places not particularly truly believable. BUT ... isn't that part of the fun of reading?
I listened to it while I was running (OK, and walking) on the treadmill at the gym so I can't stop and jot down all the funny lines about super ninja librarians and gumshoe detectives.
I also took this book around to a couple different fourth and fifth grade classes and read the scene aloud where Steve goes to check out his library book.
I PROMISE YOU ... you've never read such a cliffhanger book checkout scene. The waiting list for this book is now a mile long.
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Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Number Two
This one is for The Teacher's Funeral. I LOVE this book but can never quite get anyone else to love it as much as me. Can't convince my students to love historical fiction. Can convince them of just about any other genre. Will have to keep trying!
First of Book Trailers I've Made ... Two More to Come
One will be posted right after this one. And I'm still working on the other (never tried stop-motion before). But any constructive comments would be appreciated because I want them to be as good as possible before I "turn them in" to our director of Library Services. He picked me as one of the three (and only elementary teacher librarian) to sort of head this up districtwide and I don't want to disappoint.
10 for 10
Only these are not in order because hello, I could not order them. I love them all.
Piggie and Elephant. Ah, Piggie and Elephant. I enjoy all of them. A lot. But this one will always hold a special place in my heart. The amount and intensity of emotion Mo Willems can convey in an eyebrow or dot pupil.
This is always a hit read out loud.
This one is also another guaranteed hit. Maybe because the only accent I can do is a stereotypical cowboy twang and I can't help myself. It comes out every time I read this book.
Plus who doesn't love a Fairy Godcow?
Like a total dufus I collected Little Critter books before I ever even thought about going back to grad school to become a librarian. I was a secondary English/Spanish teaching major. I just ... I just really liked the little guy.
Truthfully ... I don't even like cats. They make me sneeze and send my sister to the hospital for breathing treatments. But this little guy makes me smile. Actually, this one I really like to just play the CD. The author does such a funny job reading/singing the story.
OH MY GOODNESS. The story about cookies and self-control? That is the story of my life. Good ol' Frog and Toad. So simple and yet so giggle-worthy.
So this one is representing one that I remember as a kid. Arthur and his sister were fighting over their room. You would think for as many times as I remember reading that one I would 1)remember the title; and 2)have noticed that maybe it is no longer in print? I couldn't find it on B&N.com. But I read all of the Arthur books as a kid.
This one is my favorite, though again, I quite enjoy all of them. Does there have to be a reason? My tongue just likes to say "moose" and "muffin" in the same sentence. He's so tall and gangly.
Of course this is another case where really this is just representative of all of his books. But I loved this one as a kid. AND I love reading it out loud at school because this is the one book where kids can kneel instead of sitting "criss-cross, applesauce". I make 'em jump up every time the word "up" is read. (Or, sometimes, they do sit criss-cross and then just throw their arms up in the air. Depends on the class and how rowdy they might get jumping up and down.)
They are either really tired or really wound up by the time we're done. Teachers are either grateful for the spent energy or mad at me for the wound-up kiddos.
I LOVE the part where he talks about how his sister loves to look in the mirror but no matter how many times she does it her face will always look just like her rear end. Not always the part that makes the kids laugh the most but it's usually when myself or other teachers listening in get the giggles.
Newer one but I love it. Learning to read is such an exciting time. Kids really like the little dog and birdie. I like this one even more now because it's a favorite of my nephew and while I was just visiting him in Hawaii the recording of his Dad (my brother) reading it to him arrived from Afghanistan.
Piggie and Elephant. Ah, Piggie and Elephant. I enjoy all of them. A lot. But this one will always hold a special place in my heart. The amount and intensity of emotion Mo Willems can convey in an eyebrow or dot pupil.
This is always a hit read out loud.
This one is also another guaranteed hit. Maybe because the only accent I can do is a stereotypical cowboy twang and I can't help myself. It comes out every time I read this book.
Plus who doesn't love a Fairy Godcow?
Like a total dufus I collected Little Critter books before I ever even thought about going back to grad school to become a librarian. I was a secondary English/Spanish teaching major. I just ... I just really liked the little guy.
Truthfully ... I don't even like cats. They make me sneeze and send my sister to the hospital for breathing treatments. But this little guy makes me smile. Actually, this one I really like to just play the CD. The author does such a funny job reading/singing the story.
So this one is representing one that I remember as a kid. Arthur and his sister were fighting over their room. You would think for as many times as I remember reading that one I would 1)remember the title; and 2)have noticed that maybe it is no longer in print? I couldn't find it on B&N.com. But I read all of the Arthur books as a kid.
Of course this is another case where really this is just representative of all of his books. But I loved this one as a kid. AND I love reading it out loud at school because this is the one book where kids can kneel instead of sitting "criss-cross, applesauce". I make 'em jump up every time the word "up" is read. (Or, sometimes, they do sit criss-cross and then just throw their arms up in the air. Depends on the class and how rowdy they might get jumping up and down.)
They are either really tired or really wound up by the time we're done. Teachers are either grateful for the spent energy or mad at me for the wound-up kiddos.
I LOVE the part where he talks about how his sister loves to look in the mirror but no matter how many times she does it her face will always look just like her rear end. Not always the part that makes the kids laugh the most but it's usually when myself or other teachers listening in get the giggles.
Newer one but I love it. Learning to read is such an exciting time. Kids really like the little dog and birdie. I like this one even more now because it's a favorite of my nephew and while I was just visiting him in Hawaii the recording of his Dad (my brother) reading it to him arrived from Afghanistan.
Monday, August 8, 2011
I Am the Book by Lee Bennett HopkinsMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
FUN!
I think my favorite might have been A Poem Is by Jane Yolen. Or maybe Who's Rich by Naomi Shihab Nye. Or This Book by Avis Harley.
It's hard to decide.
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Mr. Duck Means Business by Tammi SauerMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
So and so "did not get the message."
"All the peace and quiet? It was gone."
Both made me laugh as I have been accused of being inflexible when I get frustrated when my library assistant is constantly pulled at unexpected times. Lighten up they say. Never mind that it doesn't just affect the one class it affects all the other classes after it that day.
See. I guess I haven't learned my lesson. ;] But Mr. Duck did.
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A Pirate's Guide to First Grade by James PrellerMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Oh, so clever. Practice with the pirate voice is a must for this read aloud.
Only one thing. I think it might have made more sense for this to be a little older book. Like maybe a second or third grade "Guide."
Not sure first day first graders would get the vocabulary.
That said, still loved it. Especially (slight spoiler ahead) the ending. That IS where treasure lies.
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ews
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