Welcome, Monarchs!

Monarch fever is about to overtake Maury, and the library is getting in on the fun. I was so excited this year when I learned that special subject classes would be getting their own monarchs this year. Last year, I was able to observe monarchs in the classrooms, but there's nothing like having an up-close view.

And you need to get up close right now. The larvae are so tiny, you really have to search to find them on the milkweed. They arrived in the library pretty late today, so none of the students have seen them yet. I know they'll be as thrilled as I am! I'm trying to pick the perfect names for these little guys--when I figure it out, I'll let you know. Until then, here are some pictures of the new residents of the Maury library.

Home Sweet Home.

Larva #1

Larva #2

Larva #3

I ordered some additional books about
monarchs. They arrived just in time.

Pre-K Comes to the Library

This week Pre-K students in Mrs. Spurlock's and Mrs. Mitchell's classes came to the library for the first time this year. (Because of the Monday holiday, Mrs. Timmons' class will have their first library visit next week.) We read some great books about libraries, and the students had a chance to get their hands on some books! We started with our board book collection this week, and they did such a great job treating the books gently that we'll move on to some of our more delicate books next week. Take a look at our avid Pre-K bibliophiles!

I'm looking forward to a great year in the library with Pre-K!

Friday Focus: Books about School (Picture Book Edition)

It’s been a great first week at Maury. I’ve seen almost all of the students in the library already, and I can’t wait for the weeks ahead. For the theme of first edition of the Friday Focus this year, school was a natural choice. All of these great books are available in the Maury library. Come by to check them out!

The Teacher from the Black Lagoon by Mike Thaler
This is one of a series, and I actually read The Librarian from the Black Lagoon to my first grade classes this week. In this book, a student is very worried about going to school. He imagines his teacher, Mrs. Green, as a scary monster who terrorizes children. When he meets her, he’s happy to learn that she’s not a monster at all. This one is funny, but probably best for students in grades 1 and up since it could be a bit scary.

It’s My School by Sally Grindley
It’s Alice’s first day of Kindergarten, and her brother Tom is not happy to have her at his school. “It’s my school,” he tells her angrily. Then Tom sees another child take Alice’s toy on the playground and rushes to his sister’s defense. Tom handles the playground issue politely, so he serves as a good model for older siblings who might watch out for their younger brothers and sisters. This is a great book for families in this situation.

I Am Too Absolutely Small For School by Lauren Child
Children may already be familiar with Charlie and Lola from the TV show, and their books are a huge hit in our library as well. In this book, Lola’s declares that she is too small to go to school, and it’s up to Charlie to convince her otherwise. Charlie describes all of the fun things that will happen at school, and Lola finally decides to go to keep her imaginary friend, Soren Lorenson, company. This is great for kids who are a little nervous to start school.

Froggy Goes to School by Jonathan London
The Froggy books are a little formulaic, but that’s what makes them so fun to read aloud. Kids learn quickly what’s coming next, and will happily chime in with a well-placed “Whaaaat?” In this book, Froggy accidentally goes to school in his underwear, happily waking up to discover that it was all a dream.

I.Q., It’s Time by Mary Ann Fraser
I.Q., the class mouse, wants to make something special for Parents’ Night. But he keeps getting called away to help the class with their schoolwork! Will he be able to finish in time? This is a great choice for kids who are learning to tell time.

I'll be back next week with some great chapter books about school.

Fun Facts about Maury's Library

Welcome back to school! In honor of our first week back at Maury, I thought I'd share some interesting facts about the library. I am really looking forward to great times in the library this year!

• All classes share library time with Ms. Sweeney every week.
• We were renovated in 2007 by the School Libraries Project of the Capitol Hill Community Foundation.
• Parents can check books out from Maury's library! Ask Ms. Sweeney for a parent borrower application.
• We have an exciting reading program every year. Three years ago, the theme was dragons and volcanoes. Two years ago, the theme was crayons. Last year, the theme was Jumanji. Stay tuned-we're announcing this year's theme at the end of September!
• We are a Reading is Fundamental school. Three times a year, every Maury student receives a free book provided by RIF.
• We have an Amazon wishlist.
• We have 7,353 titles in the library. We have 7,807 books in the library. You can search our library catalog by going here and selecting Maury Elementary.
• Ms. Sweeney has been the librarian at Maury since 2007. She has a Masters degree in Library Science from The Catholic University of America and a Bachelor's degree in Public Relations/Communications from Elizabethtown College.

Fifth Grade Helps Out

I had a few special guests in the library with Mrs. Timmons' PS/PK class today. Three of our fifth graders were on hand to help out, and our youngest students were so excited to have the "big kids" there to read to them. I couldn't resist grabbing my camera to snap a few pictures.

Second Grade Authors in the Library

Our second graders have been hard at work for the past few weeks in their classrooms, writing their own nonfiction books. They became experts on their topics, so Ms. Hanni, Ms. Mallaney and I wanted to share their hard work with the rest of the school. I created a special section in the library for student-created work, and we had a ribbon cutting ceremony today as we placed these new books in the library collection.

These books are available for all of our Maury library patrons, so stop by and take a look! (These books are made to be enjoyed in the library, not checked out.)

Ms. Hanni and Ms. Mallaney share information they
learned from their students' books.

Ms. Mallaney cuts the ribbon.

Ms. Mallaney listens as a student reads his book to her.

Engrossed in the books.

Ms. Bromley reads with students.

Students share interesting information.

Ms. Kennedy listens intently to the book.

A comfortable chair and a great read.

Fairy Tale Theatre

I spend lots of time reading to students. This week, it was my turn to be in the audience! Our Kindergarten students had a great time acting out fairy tales using puppets. I was so impressed by how well Mrs. Battle's and Ms. Vick's classes took to the role of storytellers. Fairy Tale Theatre will definitely become a regular part of the library!

Goldilocks awakes to find the three bears standing over her.

Pig #1

All three pigs together in the brick house, the wolf close behind.

This group made creative use of the table as a stage!

Look out for the Big Bad Wolf!

Do you have a poem in your pocket?

Today is Poem in Your Pocket Day! To celebrate the end of National Poetry Month, Maury students and staff carried poems in their pockets all day, and the halls rang with the sounds of verse.

Finding the perfect poem.

A fourth grade student shares her poem
with Ms. Nesper and Ms. Bomba.

Magical books!

I try very hard to introduce Maury students to great books that they will truly enjoy. I'm usually pretty successful. But every once in awhile, there is a book that captures student imaginations like no other.

Geraldine the Music Mouse by Leo Lionni is one such book. It's the story of a mouse who discovers music for the very first time. When I first read it to a Kindergarten class five years ago, a magical thing happened: every single child was completely engrossed in the book. No one fidgeted. No one asked to use the bathroom. Every child sat completely still until the story was finished, drinking it in with their eyes. This wasn't an isolated reaction. I've seen it happen over and over again. Every class has had the same reaction to this book. It's pretty amazing to watch.


Recently, I've found two more books that capture my students imagination in a similar way. George and the Dragon and its sequel, George, the Dragon and the Princess, both by Chris Wormell, have become hot commodities among the early childhood set. I read these books to them weeks ago, and since then they're always the first thing requested during book browsing time. Since I only have one copy of each book, the students do a great job of sharing so that all of their classmates have a chance to enjoy the book too.





Does your family have a favorite book that ignites your child's imagination? Share it in the comments!

Kindling a fire for reading!

Just before winter break, Maury was given six Kindles by the DCPS central office. Our fifth graders will be using the Kindles in a pilot this spring. They first got their hands on them two weeks ago, and last week they got a second chance to explore this exciting new technology. This week, six fifth graders will be able to use the Kindles in their classroom for the first time.

When I handed the Kindles to the fifth graders, they wasted no time in getting down to business.

Within minutes, they had all settled down with a great book. And they quickly showed me how tech-savvy they are—they already know more about how to use the Kindle than I do! When a student asked about turning the display sideways, I didn’t know if it could be done. Another fifth grader rushed to the rescue, showing him how to do it!

Stay tuned for more exciting news about our new Kindles. It’s going to be an exciting spring for our fifth grade!

Kindergarten takes the library home!

All year, our Kindergarten students have been choosing great books from the library and checking them out to the classroom. Last week, they chose books to take home for the very first time! We’ve spent the last few weeks learning all about how to care for library books at home, and these kids were ready to go!

When you see your favorite kindergartener, make sure you ask them about the three places their library books should be at all times:

In their cubby or seatpocket when they’re at school.

In their bookbag when they’re at home.

And in their hand if they’re reading it!

Here are some great photos of our Kindergarten classes choosing their very first library books to take home.