Towner Award for Informational Text

The Washington State Student Award for Informational Text

Third graders choose two books each week and their teachers insist one book is an informational non-fiction book. Non-fiction is a tricky term in the library. In class, teachers use it mean stories that are true or informational, but in the library non-fiction refers to any book that does not have a narrative form and a known author. This definition relegates fairy tales, poetry, and joke books to non-fiction. Clearly, these are not what teachers want when they tell their students to choose a non-fiction book. What they want their students reading is informational text.

Fortunately for all of us their is now a fine selection of new informational text titles to choose from. The Towner Award, now in its second year, provides students  with a list of ten fabulous information texts to read. Students in grades 2 -6 can vote in the spring for their favorite book. 

The first time winner was

.

I wonder which book will win this year? So far we've read...

 

The next title we'll read is also by Elizabeth Rusch.

Look here for the complete list.

CultureGrams and Primary Sources

"When used effectively, primary sources can open a world of possibilities in the classroom. When students have opportunities to approach sources as historians do, history becomes an art and a mystery — rather than a series of lifeless facts" http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/5316 

 
The second graders this year are delving into the study of buildings around the world with a focus on a different continent each month. In October they focused on Africa. As an educator and a curious traveler, I don't like how Africa is often spoken of as a country. It was important to me and the teacher, Mrs. MacIsaac, that students walk away with the knowledge that Africa is a diverse nation. During library time the first week in October, I used a lesson in Using Google Earth: Bring the World into your Classroom by Jo Bea Holt  that had students look at Africa and color in the land as it looked from space. This added depth to their conversations about materials used for traditional buildings.


 Many of our students are learning English and at the age of 7 resources for learning about the buildings of Africa were limited. I took at closer look at CultureGrams, the wonderful database I've used with 3 -5 graders for years, and discovered that the photo collections would be perfect for this study. Each country in Africa has a photo collection. With partners, students were able to select a variety of photos and fill the graphic organizer below.

 

We decided to use this graphic organizer over the traditional Library of Congress Primary Document Analysis Tool because we wanted the lesson to connect to their learning in the classroom. As they study about buildings in other continents, I'll teach them specifically about Primary Documents and how we can learn from photos.

The students were wildly engaged in the lessons. They had some deep and meaningful conversations about what types of buildings are a want or a need. Churches and Mosques were given much thought. Students saw skyscrapers, modern cities, traditional villages, dilapidated ghettos. All of those images led students to understand that all buildings in Africa do not look the same.

Washington Children's Choice Picture Book Award

Every year twenty picture books are nominated for the Washington Children's Choice Picture Book Award (WCCPBA). Children in grades K - 3 are invited to enjoy the stories and then vote on their favorite title in the spring.

I use these titles primarily with the first graders. They allow me to expose students to current and diverse titles that connect to the library in many ways.
This week first graders enjoyed the story Sophie's Squash which connected perfectly to their science unit on plant growth. It also made them giggle and think.

To take a look at all the nominees for 2015 award, click here.

So far we've read these three titles:

 If the students had to vote today, I'd say the winner would be Nugget and Fang. If teachers were allowed to vote, it might go to Sophie's Squash.

Shop the Book Fair

Our book fair will be in the school the week of October 20th. You can also shop for books online between October 12 and November 1. These purchase will be sent directly to the school once the online sale is closed.

Click here to shop.

September has been busy!

Welcome to the 2014-2015 school year. My second year here at Dearborn Park INTERNATIONAL school has gotten off to a great start. Below are some highlights:

Kindergarteners and First Graders are doing a great job at browsing the library and keeping the shelves tidy. I think it was reading:

that has lead to such fabulous library users.

Second graders have recently read

It matches architecture from around the world with similar children's toys. As second graders begin their international study of shelters around the world, this book peaked students' interest and will lead into research using Google Earth and CultureGrams. (More on those projects later, promise.)

Third Graders have jumped right into Non-Fiction and a mini research project on farm animals to support their understanding when they read Charlotte's Web together. Students will be using the PebbleGo animal database on iPads to skim for information and take notes. Thank you Seattle Schools for purchasing PebbleGo Animals this year. You can access PebbleGo at home. 

Ask me how if you need the password.

Fourth Graders have been focusing on reading Realistic Fiction and choosing books to hold their interests' throughout the week. Students in this grade have been checking out the most books in the school. They've upped the number of books they can have checked out from two to three and most mornings, there's at least a half a dozen students wanting to return the books they've read and check out new ones. They've discovered the writers Andrew Clements, Judy Blume, and Kate DiCamillo plus many more.

Fifth Graders have written rules for the library which are posted with their wonderful photos in the library. They've used WorldBook Online to do a little pirate research for International Talk Like a Pirate Day and have been introduced to the Young Readers' Choice Award.

Learn More about the Award Here

I am looking forward to introducing all of our wonderful students to delightful books and teaching them to become efficient and effective users of information. Please contact me with any questions you might have.

Looking for a Great book to read?

Below are links to websites with books to read online, watch and listen to online, or to find in paper from a library or bookstore. Keep reading!

Summer Reading Programs

Keep on reading at the library all summer long. Both Seattle Public Library and King County Library have summer programs that encourage learning and fun. Swing by your local branch to sign-up.

You'll receive a free book when you sign up at a Seattle Public .Library!

King County Libraries have learning events all summer long!

Stop the Achievement Gap in One Easy Step!

I just read this article and I want to share it with everyone who cares about children and their success.

One Equally Effective but Lower-Cost Option to Summer School by Richard L. Allington and Anne McGill-Franzen demonstrates the importance of children reading during the summer. That's it. If kids read self-selected books during the summer they don't lose ground.

"...children from low-income families reliably lose reading skills every summer while middle-class children actually gain a bit between June and September!...

• Reading growth did not differ between the two groups (rich and poor children) during the school year.
• By ninth grade, however, the reading achievement gap was about three years wide (ninth vs. sixth grade).
• Most of the reading achievement gap at ninth grade was due to the differential effects of summer vacation on children from families with different levels of wealth".

"Just improving poor children’s access to books they can read and want to read may seem too simple an idea for improving reading achievement. But the evidence is clear. When children from low-income families are given the opportunity to select books for summer reading they will read those books during the summer months."

 

 

Poem*in*Your*Pocket Day! A huge success!

On April 24th, we kicked off our first ever Poem in Your Pocket Day.

Prior to this day...

• All kindergartners practiced reciting/reading popular nursery rhymes and chose one to carry.
• First graders chose a poem with which they were already familiar to carry in their pockets.
• Students in grades 2-5 either copied a poem from a poetry book or wrote an original poem to carry.

On the big day...

• All the bus drivers recited a poem about a school bus  to all the students upon arriving at school. 
• First graders visited kindergarten classrooms to recite their poems.
• In music, first graders set their poems to rhythm with percussion instruments.
• Students who visit the resource room, wrote original haiku.
• "The parents/family members in the Family Room made poems about ice cream and positive ways to tell your child they are loved."
• At least one student memorized her poem to recite to the class.
• Poems were read amongst friends, recited to classes, and traded.

I heard rumors of "flash mob" poem recitations and poems being read in the lunchroom.

I'd say for a first ever event, Poem-in-your-Pocket Day was a huge success.