The Ultimate Concoction

Here's a recipe for success:

Take 
One part School Library Month 
add 
Two parts National Poetry Month
sprinkle liberally with
Three parts Poem in your Pocket Day 

 ...and 

...let the creative juices flow...


...or not...as the case may be...

Acrostic

Poetry

Reading
In

Library

Student poetry to follow...in the next post...thank goodness!

Watch. Connect. Read. and Vote!

Today we Skyped with the truly awesome school librarian, Mr. Schu and a new Skype school librarian friend from Iowa, Kathy.

Mr. Schu's first grade students informed our two classrooms of students about a contest that Mr. Schu is having.  You can read all about the contest and see the amazing things he is doing in his library on his blog, Watch. Connect. Read.

Basically the contest involves voting for the book character who will be Mr. Schu's Road Trip Mascot and join him on his travels this summer. Which book character do you think deserves a vacation?

Here's an Animoto of the candidates that Mr. Schu created: 



Already know who you want to vote for? Use this link: Vote for the Road Trip Mascot.

Need more information? Visit the links below!  Check the books out from your local library.

Penny 
Penny and Her Song by Kevin Henkes

Lucille Beatrice Bear 
You Will Be My Friend by Peter Brown

Rocket
Rocket Learns to Read and Rocket Writes a Story by Tad Hills

Chicken Butt 
Chicken Butt! by Erica Perl

Ivan
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

Fly Guy
Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold

Pete the Cat
Pete the Cat by Eric Litwin

Peter
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

Otis
Otis by Loren Long

Are your ready now?

Vote for the Road Trip Mascot.

Plant a Kiss...and plant this and this...

I read Plant a Kiss with my 2nd graders.


This book is written by the wonderful Amy Krouse Rosenthal and illustrated by the equally wonderful Peter H. Reynolds.


Here's a Book Trailer that you can use with your students. I read the book; we discussed what they thought the book was about; and, then I showed the book trailer.  

This is slightly backwards, but here's why: the synopsis of the book at the end of the trailer helped start the discussion about what other things a person might plant. 

I think "hugs" was the first suggestion in every class.  Other popular ideas were: friendship, peace, love, joy and fun.  Some interesting ideas came up, such as: dreams, creativity and hope.  Cool things to plant indeed.

After brainstorming ideas as a group, they set off to plant something...

My library is a garden of hope!

Four Comments on Fourth Stall

Let the conversation begin!

Browsing has become a contact sport...

Well, contact in a very loose sense...as in... making contact with books!


After last week's lesson-less plan, I witnessed a number of students playing with book titles and making book spine poems while browsing!


Here's one:

Reading - A World of Wonders - A World of Words

Sitting Down for the Power of Story

We are starting our Civil Rights Movement exploration with the fourth grade students.


With today's fourth grade class I read, Sit-In: How Four friends Stood Up by Sitting Down by Andrea Davis Pinkney and illustrated by Brian Pinkney. Here's a great interview from Barnes and Noble Books with the two of them.

I decided to write Reading is Power and The Power of Story on the board. 

I asked the students of they could name the author whom we had studies and who said these words.In every class a few students made the connection to Patricia McKissack. I asked them to keep those words in mind while we read Sit-In. They sat engaged and intent throughout the reading of this book.  (That's the power of a great story!)

The discussion was very interesting.  This book is so rich, both in content and visually, it needs more than one reading.  We'll be coming back to it next week. I also want to show them the pictures fomr my visit to the Woolworths and then to the museum which now occupies the space.  You can read about it on this blog post: Standing Up and Sitting In.

Here's a quick look at some initial reactions by students.
 

The Power of These Words...

World Read Aloud Day keeps on giving.
 
I was handed a 

very-well-folded

piece of paper 

 

by a student.  

I couldn't open it 

because I had my classes.

Later, 

when I was cleaning out 

my pockets

of the day's mementos

There it was,

in my back pocket, 

waiting for me.

A Poem-ish

A Poem in My Pocket 

based on

one of the writing prompts 

from 

World Read Aloud Day.

Check it out
(The poem is typed out below.)

Here it is:

Now

There comes a time
when we have to shed our fear
that time is now.

There comes a time
when in small places
close to home
-so close and so small
that they cannot be seen-
the individual person is called to give
hope to others
that time is now.

There comes a time
when without concerned citizens
action to uphold human rights
close to home,
we shall look in vain for progress
in the larger world,
that time is now.

When
after all
do human rights begin?

Now.