Learning in the Library

Days-of-the-week story structure

mrsmiliano — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:23:02 +0000

This week first graders explored the concept of using the days of the week as the structure of a story. Several stories that have that structure were shared: The Very Hungry Caterpillar, On Monday When It Rained, Chickens to the Rescue, Mrs. Honey’s Hat, and Cookie’s Week. After noting the main character(s), the daily actions, and with which day each story starts and ends, the children worked as a class to write a days-of-the-week story of their own. They determined the main character and the first day and then brainstormed actions for every day of the week. Mrs. Miliano recorded their ideas in quick sketches on a large chart and later transcribed the story. Next time they visit the library, Mrs. Sullivan’s students will illustrate their book, Gorilla’s Week. Mrs. Bemis’ first graders will add colorful drawings to their story, Supeboy’s Week. Both books are sure to be bestsellers so be on the look-out for them!

A good day for walking

mrsmiliano — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:20:32 +0000

This week’s kindergarten storytime featured two books about taking a walk. The first book, I Was Walking Down the Road by Sarah E. Barchas, is a simple story of girl who collects animals to be her pets. The children noticed the pairs of rhyming words on each page and participated in the reciting the refrain. The second book, How Do You Wokka-Wokka? by Elizabeth Bluemle, is very different. It features an urban setting and a multi-ethnic cast. The book is filled with movement, rhythm, and rhyme as it describes how individual children move. After reading that book, everyone took a “wokka-wokka” around the library, moving in all sorts of different ways!

Read for the Record

mrsmiliano — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:18:28 +0000

On October 8^th, classes that visited the library participated in an annual event called “Read for the Record.” It is sponsored by Jumpstart, an organization that promotes early literacy. Each year Jumpstart selects a picture book to be shared with as many children as possible all over the world on October 8th. This year 2,019,752 children heard the story The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle on the same day! Fifty-five CJL students were among the millions who enjoyed a great picture book and helped to set a world record at the same time!

Acorn cap estimation

mrsmiliano — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:16:47 +0000

The library competition for the week of November 16^th was an estimation contest featuring a jar full of acorn caps. Sixth grader Amber’s estimate of 134 acorn caps was the closest. There were 135 caps in all. Congratulations, Amber!

Which series do you like better?

mrsmiliano — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:56:57 +0000

After selecting new books during their weekly library visit, Miss Mallon’s second graders conducted surveys about popular

book series. First students selected graphs, each listing two different book series. Next they asked their peers which series they liked better. After obtaining eight or more opinions, the students interpreted their graphs. Here are the results:

More people like I Spy books more than Where’s Waldo? books.
More people prefer Mr. Putter and Tabby books to Rainbow Magic books.
More people chose Amelia Bedelia than Frog and Toad books.
Pigeon books are more popular than Black Lagoon books in Miss Mallon’s class.
In Miss Mallon’s class, Star Wars books are more popular than Bone books.
On one survey more people selected Ivy+Bean books over Junie B. Jones books, but when different people were polled, the results were the opposite!

Mrs. Sturtevant’s students conducted surveys during their book visit, too. Here are their results:

Like Miss Mallon’s class, most students prefer I Spy books to Where’s Waldo? books.
More students like Mr. Putter and Tabby books than Rainbow Magic books.
The Pigeon books are more popular than the Black Lagoon books.
Star Wars books are more popular than Bone books.
Unlike Miss Mallon’s class, more students in Mrs. Sturtevant’s class say they like Frog and Toad books better than Amelia Bedelia books.
More students chose Junie B. Jones books than Ivy + Bean books.
More students like Henry and Mudge books better than Max and Ruby books.
Arthur books are more popular than Biscuit books.

Investigating another author

mrsmiliano — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:05:21 +0000

First graders explored the work of author/illustrator Denise Fleming during their library visit this week. In both Barnyard Banter and In the Small, Small Pond,the children noticed the rhyming and bright, bold illustrations that are characteristic of Fleming’s books. As Mrs. Miliano read Buster, she pointed out how that picture book is divided into chapters. The final story she shared was Alphabet Under Construction. She used that book to introduce the special shelf where all the ABC books are kept in the library. Afterwards, the class “constructed” an alphabet by having each student decorate the first letter of his/her last name. The letters, covered with pom-poms, stickers, crayon, buttons, or Cheerios, will be used in an activity next week.

Every week has seven days…

mrsmiliano — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:00:24 +0000

The theme of kindergarten storytime was once again the days of the week. The children sang a song about the days of the week before hearing Mrs. Honey’s Hat by Pam Adams. In the story, Mrs. Honey wears a fabulous hat covered with feathers, flowers, cherries, lace, ribbon, and a shell. Every day, an animal removes an item from the hat and replaces it with something else. By the end of the week, Mrs. Honey’s hat is quite a sight to see! The children helped to retell the story using a straw hat and Velcro pieces representing all the traded items. Then they decorated newspaper hats with cut-outs of the original items on Mrs. Honey’s hat.

Which state is which?

mrsmiliano — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:58:35 +0000

Last week’s contest was a geography quiz. Contestants had to label Maine, Florida, Idaho, and Hawaii on a blank map of the United States. There were many correctly labeled maps, but only one winner, fifth grader Eva.

Justine jumped for this one

mrsmiliano — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 02:09:03 +0000

If you like monkeys and jumping on the bed, this is the book for you! The book I am talking about is Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed. It is a fiction book. The book is also a nursery rhyme book by Eileen Christelow. I can give you the first sentence. “It was bath time so five little monkey took a bath.” That’s what caught my attention. This book teaches children a lesson. If you want to know what the lesson is, you will have to read this book.

Linda-Mae recommends nonfiction

mrsmiliano — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 20:51:07 +0000

“OMG!” That’s what I would say if I saw the Titanic. I can see and read about the Titanic in Finding the Titanic. Go on an adventure with Robert D. Ballard, known as the author, and see the Titanic now. Read about the experience of a girl named Ruth Becer on her adventure on the Titanic and see the sadness of thousands of people who lost their love and kids! If you think I am kidding, try reading it yourself! Oh, and it’s not funny at all because tons of people lost their lives on that fateful day! So is you want to read Finding the Titanic, check it out in the library!