Students in 3rd and 4th grade heard Maurice Sendak’s classic story, Where the Wild Things Are, read aloud in library classes this month, in preparation for the release of the new feature film. Students love the story of Max and his night of mischief, and joined the wild things in their roaring and gnashing of teeth. We used the book to remind students of the differences between fiction and nonfiction books, and followed up our reading with a search for nonfiction books that could tell us facts & information, rather than entertain us with stories.
4th graders will learn about a new genre each month, and for those learning about fantasy in October, Where the Wild Things Are provided the perfect opportunity to discuss elements of fantasy in fiction. Authors who take the realities of our lives (getting in trouble) and make them into something fantastic (a forest growing in place of the walls in Max’s room) spin magical tales that engage us with their strangeness.
We were fortunate to see two wonderful author presenters this month, hosted by the Teton County Library. Bill Wallace, author of more than 30 books for young people, spoke to 4th and 5th grade students on Tuesday, October 20th. Lucia Gonzalez, Cuban-American author and storyteller, captured the imaginations of our 3rd grade students with her unique performance in English and Spanish.
School is in full swing, and we’re checking out more books than ever. In September alone, more than 3,300 books were checked out!
Tagged: authors, fall, reading October 22, 2009
We’re fast approaching the end of April here at CES, and preparing for our annual library book fair! Students are always excited about a week of browsing the books, but this year we’re making READING the star of the show.
Scholastic’s theme this year, “Lights, Camera, Bookfair!” led us to a school-wide project idea. Students can choose to create a 1-2 minute video book talk, recommending a book that they’ve read and enjoyed. We’ll be publishing these videos on Buddy’s 4-1-1 and to a wider audience online! We’ll be adding videos this week and next week, as they’re recorded.
As a way of celebrating Read Across America, sponsored by the National Education Association, students will participate in a school-wide reading challenge from February 25-March 3. Every classroom in all grade levels will track the number of minutes students read outside of school, and report their reading totals to the library on the 3rd. The classes with the most minutes read at each grade level will receive a free book from the fair, as well as a book for their classroom library.
Stay tuned for more about our reading festivities! See you at the fair.
Book Fair Hours:
March 2: 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
March 3: 8 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. (Conferences held)
March 4: 8 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. (Conferences held)
March 5: 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Tagged: bookfair, event, reading February 18, 2009
Local author Christian Burch visited 5th grade students on October 14th and 15th to promote his new book and share some writing hints with our student authors. Burch’s new book, “Hit the Road, Manny” is a continuation of the characters introduced in “The Manny Files.” Burch based both books’ characters on real children he nannied in Jackson. Male + Nanny = Manny…get it?
Three 5th grade classes heard him read aloud each day, and asked him questions about the difference between fact & fiction in his books. Students were intrigued by which plot details really happened, and which were figments of the author’s imagination.
Burch shared his “3 Rules” for writing with aspiring 5th grade authors.
1. Write what you know.
2. Show, don’t tell. (Burch’s examples: “I walked into the classroom and the kids were talking.” vs. “I walked into the classroom and it was like monkey island.”)
3. Don’t be afraid to get feedback.
The third rule is something student writers grapple with as they navigate the revision process. Burch was sympathetic to students who feel rejected when they get many comments for improvements on their writing, but he encouraged them to keep working. According to the author, who frequently gets hundreds of edited pages back in the process of writing novels, revision is just “making writing the best that it can be, and it doesn’t mean that you’re bad at it.”
“Is it frustrating to get your story back so many times?” One student asked Burch.
“Yes,” he replied, “but it’s also fun. The hard part is writing it the first time.”
Tagged: "Christian Burch" writing reading November 13, 2008
Our library classes are off to a quick start this year, with eight third grade classrooms, and 6 classrooms in both 4th and 5th grades. Students are maximizing their book check-outs with books to take Accelerated Reader quizzes on as well as “choice books.” If you’re interested in finding out which titles in our library have quizzes, please check out the PDF lists on our “Readers @ Work” page.
This year’s Indian Paintbrush Award nominee list is quite exciting, and students have been clamoring to read 3 or more titles from the list so that they’ll be able to vote for their favorites in March 2009. We’ve ordered duplicate copies of the titles to help meet high demand.
So far in this year’s library classes we’ve discussed library policies & procedures, learned how fiction and nonfiction are organized, and practiced using the library’s online catalog (Infocentre) to look up a book. Our goal is to help students become independent library users.
In other reading news, several 4th grade classes have visited the library for a “genre talk,” learning about realistic fiction. They were able to check out a realistic fiction novel & many have already completed a classroom project based on what they’ve read. Our next genre will be mystery!
Hard to believe it’s October already, and we’re just getting started! Local author Christian Burch will visit our 5th graders October 14th & 15th to promote his new book and talk about writing. All 3rd grade classes will travel to the Teton County Library to view the Arapaho photo dictionary exhibit “Netniintoonoo ‘The Place Where We Live’” in preparation for our 3rd grade research project on tribes of Native America.
Tagged: reading introduction 2008 October 13, 2008
Greg Mortenson; humanitarian, mountaineer, author and founder of the nonprofit Central Asia Institute, stopped by Colter Elementary to visit with 5th grade students on Wednesday, April 2nd. The Teton County Library hosted Mr. Mortenson’s visit to Jackson, and we were fortunate to see him after he presented at the Jackson Hole High School.
Colter’s 5th graders presented Mortenson with a symbolic $2,000 check for a previous donation students made to the nonprofit with funds from the 5th grade’s annual fall apple sale. An individual student gave Mortenson an additional check for $200 from his grandmother, who had read Three Cups of Tea and wanted to contribute to Mortenson’s cause. Two students spoke about the class’s reasons for contributing to the organization, saying: “We felt the best way to change the world is for kids to help kids.”
Mr. Mortenson asked students to think for a moment about things that we have in America that children in other countries around the world might not have. iPods, clean water, and schools were a few items mentioned. When he asked what other countries have that Americans might not have, students chimed in with the it’s-almost-spring-break inspired”warm weather,” and a more serious presence in many children’s lives; war.
Mr. Mortenson showed students a DVD narrated by his daughter, which explained a child-centered fund-raising effort called “Pennies for Peace.” She describes places “where a penny can buy a pencil, and enough pennies can build a school;” rural Pakistan and Afghanistan. Mortenson has started 55 schools in these areas, and his presence in our school was a quiet reminder to be globally conscious, and to take advantage of the benefits of education that we enjoy so freely in America.
Tagged: nonprofit author "Pennies for Peace" "Greg Mortenson" April 4, 2008
We had a great time celebrating literacy in the library during Read Across America 2008! When I sat down to count all of the names on the sign-in list for volunteers and guest readers, there were nearly 60 people to thank! Students in 18 classrooms welcomed guest readers from the community, and were excellent participants in read-alouds all week.
Here are a few of my favorite moments from the week’s activities!
Volunteer Firemen reading aloud with 4th graders.
Jackson’s Mayor, Mark Barron, reads about mad scientist Franny K. Stein.
Jackson Hole Men’s Moose Hockey players reading to 3rd grade students.
Summit High School students (2 of 18 throughout the week) show off their books.
Yikes! Stripes! for Mega Stripes Monday.
Tagged: "read across america" NEA celebration Reading "Guest re March 27, 2008
As our second trimester of school winds down, the library is winding up for an exciting week full of reading celebrations. March 3-6, we’ll join millions of other kids and adults who are “Reading Across America,” and go on a “Reading Road Trip” with our Scholastic book fair!
Read Across America (sponsored by the National Education Association) is observed on or around Dr. Seuss’s birthday (March 2nd) and is a sort of “pep rally” for reading. The CES library has invited guest readers from our community and school district to visit classrooms, read books aloud, and serve as “reading role models” for our students.
Special guests will include mayor Mark Barron, librarians Debbie Schlinger and Patty Rocha from the Teton County Library , members of the mens’ and womens’ Moose Hockey Teams, Brian Coe of the Jackson Fire Department, and students from Summit and Jackson Hole High Schools.
In addition to hosting these great readers, we’ll be holding the library’s spring book fair! Please come visit & shop during conferences, the evenings of March 4th and 5th to support literacy & learning with books! We’ll be here until 8:30 p.m. both evenings.
One resource parents may be interested in checking out comes from the NEA, and discusses tips for reading with 4-6th grade students. Reading is always a celebration in our library, but we’re thrilled to be able to share our enthusiasm with you and the broader JH community!
Tagged: "read across america" NEA celebration Reading February 20, 2008
The magic of fantasy on the pages of a book translates beautifully to action-filled movies. This holiday season, several new children’s books are coming soon to a theatre near you! Find them on the shelf first, and let us know which books you think were best on the big screen.
December 1, 2007
