Week 7

Welcome back to a wonderful week at Maury!

This week, our preschool classes will be reading all about counting. We'll read:

Ten Apples Up on Top by Dr. Seuss

How Many Feet in the Bed by Dianne Johnston Hamm

Ten Black Dots by Donald Crews

One is a Drummer by Roseanne Thong

Pre-K students will be reading Make Way For Ducklings by Robert McCloskey. (More information is TBD.)

Last week, Kindergarten classes learned about the differences between fiction and nonfiction. This week, we'll build on that lesson, and talk about the fact that fiction and nonfiction are in separate sections of the library. We'll read Julius by Angela Johnson and Pigs by TBA.

First grade classes will learn about how the library is organized and why each book has one special place on the library shelf.

Second grade classes will build on last week's lesson about why the alphabet is so important in the library. We'll practice using alphabetical order.

This week, the third grade will talk about the differences in the way fiction books and nonfiction books are arranged in the library. Next week, we'll talk about how to find fiction books.

Fourth graders will be reviewing how to find fiction books and how a call number is used. We'll practice finding fiction books if we have time-if not, we'll continue this lesson next week.

The fifth grade will learn all about the Dewey Decimal System this week. We touched on it briefly last year in fourth grade, and this week we'll be expanding on that knowledge. We'll read What Marion Taught Willis by Brook Berg.

Week 4

This week, preschool classes are reading books about ducks. We'll read:

Little Quack by Lauren Thompson

Duck on a Bike by David Shannon

Mucky Duck by Sally Grindley

We'll also sing Five Little Ducks.

Pre-K classes are talking about imagination. We'll read:

Not a Box by Antoinette Portis

Alexander's Pretending Day by Bunny Crumpacker

We'll talk about all of the fun things we can think of to do with a box, and we'll draw pictures of them. If you'd like to continue this theme at home, you can read Not a Stick by Antoinette Portis.

Kindergarten classes are taking tours of the library and talking about all of the different areas. We'll read Mr. Wiggle's Library by Carol Thompson to help us with our tour. We'll also read selections from My Librarian is a Camel by Margriet Ruurs.

First and second grade classes are talking about choosing just-right books. We're reading Goldie Socks and the Three Libearians by Jackie Mims Hopkins. Ask your child to tell you about the Five-Finger Rule for choosing a just-right book.

Third grade will not visit the library this week due to the Friday professional development day.

Fourth and fifth grades are talking about using the library computers. We're learning the library computer rules and how to use the catalog.

Week 3

Welcome back after the long Labor Day weekend. I was so pleased to meet (or see again!) so many of you on Back to School Night.

This week, students in grades PK-5th will begin checking out books. We'll spend part of each class learning book checkout procedures, and students in K-5th will learn how to use shelf markers. Students use shelf markers to mark their place on the shelf before they remove a book. That way, if they decide to replace the book, the shelf marker shows them where to place it.

Preschool students are reading about mice this week. We will read:

If You Give A Mouse A Cookie by Laura Numeroff

Mouse Count by Ellen Stoll Walsh

Mouse Mess by Linnea Riley

The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear by Audrey Wood

We will sing Hickory Dickory Dock.

Pre-K students will read:

What Happened to Marion's Book? by Brook Berg

Kindergarten students will read:

What Happened to Marion's Book? by Brook Berg

First grade students will read:

Beverly Billingsley Borrows a Book by Alexander Stadler

Second grade students will read:

Stella Louella's Runaway Book by Lisa Campbell Ernst

Third and Fourth grade students will finish reading:

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Book by Lauren Child

Fifth grade students will not visit the library this week due to the Labor Day holiday.

Week 2

This week in the library, the Preschool and Pre-K are reading books about books! We're reviewing library procedures and talking about how to handle books carefully. The books we are reading are:

Preschool

Baby Bear's Books by Jane Yolen

B is for Books! by Annie Cobb

I Like Books by Anthony Browne

Max Goes to the Library by Adria Klein

Pre-K

Maybe a Bear Ate It! by Robie Harris

But Excuse Me That Is My Book by Lauren Child

Wild About Books by Judy Sierra

Kindergarten through fifth grades are talking about how we care for our books. We're learning that there are only three places a library book should be kept:

In our bookbags while we're at home,

In our desks while we're at school,

In our hands while we're reading.

We're also learning that books should be kept away from food, pets and younger siblings to keep them safe.

Kindergarten, First and Second grades are reading:

The Shelf Elf by Jackie Mims Hopkins

Third, Fourth and Fifth grades are reading:

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Book by Lauren Child

Last week, I had a question from a parent who asked if I always teach the same lessons to many grades. The answer is sometimes! This early in the year, I'm teaching many of the same skills to all of my classes--skills like library manners and book care. At this time of year, I'm more likely to teach similar lessons to many grades. Over the next few weeks, you'll see this become less common--but it does still happen occasionally.

Don't forget, tomorrow, September 1 is our first morning parent checkout. The library will be open to parents from 8:15-8:45 every Tuesday and Thursday. Parents may check out up to three books.

Important Library Information!

This afternoon I sent home a letter with important library information.  The letters were different based on the grade/age group, but here are the most important things that everyone should know:

School Supplies

I am requesting that each student bring in a box of tissues.  An optional supply is a package of baby wipes. Please label these items LIBRARY and place them in the box labeled Library School Supplies in the office or drop them by the library.

Book Checkout

Students in grades PK-5 will begin checking out books from the library in September.  Students in grades 1-5 will be taking their library books home.  Look for a library usage agreement to come home next week, to be signed by you and your child.  This will spell out the things your child is learning about how to care for library books, and I ask that you help reinforce these lessons.  This year I am also allowing parents to check out books from the library to share with your children at home.  The library will be open on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 8:15-8:45 for parents to visit with their child to check out books.  Students must be accompanied by a parent to visit the library at this time.   Parents may check out up to three books at a time.  This checkout time will begin on Tuesday, September 1, 2009.

Volunteers

I love my volunteers!  I always have tasks to be done, from cataloguing books to helping students find books to check out.  I also have special events a few times a year that involve a lot of volunteer energy.  If you’re interested in volunteering in the library, please email me at kate.sweeney@dc.gov or stop by the library to see me.  Most volunteer activities can be done on your own schedule, so if you know you’ll have a free hour every so often, I’d love to see you in the library!

Donations

Our library does accept donations of new and gently used books!  We have wish lists on Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com for titles we’d like to see in the library.  If you’d like to donate another book, please email me!  When you donate books to the library, we put a special bookplate inside the book to recognize your generosity.  We can also do memorial or honor gifts.  This makes a great birthday present for the child who has everything—a book in the library with his or her name inside!

 

I’m looking forward to meeting you all on Back to School Night, September 3.  Remember to stop by the library after you’ve met with your child’s teacher!

Week 1 - Welcome to the Library!

I'm gearing up for a great first week in the Maury library.  This week, all classes will be reading books about the library and learning library procedures.  We'll talk about why libraries are important and why we come to the library.  Here's a list of great books we'll be reading this week:

Preschool/Pre-K
Lola at the Library by Anna McQuinn
Book! Book! Book! by Deborah Bruss
Maisy Goes to the Library by Lucy Cousins
It's Library Day by Janet Morgan Stoeke

Kindergarten
Book! Book! Book! by Deborah Bruss
Carlo and the Really Nice Librarian by Jessica Spanyol

First, Second and Third Grades
Library Lil by Suzanne Williams

Fourth and Fifth Grades
Tomás and the Library Lady by Pat Mora

To continue this theme at home, here are some other great books dealing with libraries:
I Took My Frog to the Library by Eric Kimmel (PS-K)
Library Lion by Michelle Knudson (K-3rd)
The Boy who was Raised by Librarians by Carla Morris (3rd-5th)

Welcome back to a great new year!

Welcome back to a wonderful year at Maury Elementary!  I’m so excited to see all of the new faces, and all of our returning students.  This is going to be a great year in the library! 

We have a few changes this year.  First, of course, is this blog!  I hope to use this to communicate more effectively with you.  At the beginning of each week, I’ll post a summary of what your child will be doing in the library that week.  I’ll tell you which books we’ll be reading and the type of activities we’ll be doing.  In some cases, I may include additional books on the same topic that you can share with your child at home.

Please note, however, that the things I’m posting here are a plan, and plans can and do change!  The information I provide here is designed to give you a general idea of what we’ll be doing in the library, but keep in mind that if your child comes home talking about a slightly different day in the library, the plan may have been adjusted.

Comments are open on each post I make here, but I will be moderating the comments.  That means that I will read and approve each comment before it posts.  Also, please keep in mind that this blog is open to the Internet at large.  If you mention your child in your comment, please use his or her first name only.

I hope this blog will prove to be a useful tool, and I encourage you to check in here often!