April Recap from the Library

 I know it's already May and I'm just doing a recap of April, but this year has been a little extra crazy! I have not been doing a great job at keeping up with my blog this year. 

Poetry 

We started the month with a poetry breakout. Our students here love ❤️ the Breakout boxes! They love the digital ones but they extra love getting to solve and open the physical boxes and locks. For this breakout, they worked in teams using clues with different types of poems, poetic devices, and figurative language. It was lots of fun and a good end of unit review for the 7th grade classes. 

Later in the month, some of the 7th grade classes came back to the library to create Blackout Poetry with discarded book pages. I was amazed at their creative creations!! 

Text Evidence

I was chatting with a 6th grade English teacher who brought up that her students needed some more practice with Text Evidence and writing SRQs for the STAAR test. I suggested we come up with a fun game or stations, and we ended up with a Scoot game where they went to different tables to read a short passage. They had to use the passage to answer questions and write an SRQ stating text evidence to answer questions. It was helpful to hold this scoot game in the library because there is more room to move around than in a middle school classroom. 

Historical Fiction

One of my favorite units that I get to collaborate with 8th grade teachers on is the historical fiction unit. It is one of my favorite genres, so it is really easy for me to book talk. We discuss what makes a book historical fiction, I do a few book talks, then students browse the tables where I have the books set out by time period. 

Every year I realize I need to purchase more books in other time periods besides holocaust. Do you every realize how many middle grade and YA historical fiction books are set in WW II and discuss the holocaust. I need some authors to write about some other time eras so I can up my collection. 

After choosing their book, students will read with historical lense, research the setting and time to determine if it is historically accurate, then present their findings. 

6th grade research 

Our school campus has recently been moving toward becoming an IB MYP school. Part of the requirement is to have a cross curricular unit in each grade level. Students have a summative assessment and must present their projects. The best part of IB is that the librarian is very involved! 

6th grade's unit has taken place all year long beginning with a grade level read and participating in the Global Read Aloud. 6th grade read the book THIRST which fit in perfectly with their unit over Water. Students were able to research the water crisis in Mumbai while reading the book. The second semester, English classes read the book LONG WALK TO WATER, which is set in another country, but again about water shortages. 

For the summative assessment, students must research a developing country, determine the challenge that country faces, and use the UN Sustainable Development Goals to find a solution. Students will create a video, comic strip, or poster to present their findings. 

I put together the directions, rubrics, and resources for them to use in a Wakelet. Each class came to the library for a review on how to use the resources and how to cite their sources. Students started their research with me and took Cornell Notes over their chosen developing country. 

Everybody on the Move

 April flew by, and it is going to be May next week! That means summer is sneaking up on us. Who else is ready??!!

April was a busy month in the library, as it should be since it's School Library Month. Second graders came in for research using our online encyclopedia for their Texas Performance Standards Project (TPSP). Since we are an academy with GT and Academically Advanced students, we use the TPSP to differentiate for our GT students. This gives them an opportunity to go through the inquiry process and create a professional quality project or task.

Second grade students are tasked with exploring daily activities and their impacts on physical fitness, and use what they have found to create a physical fitness plan, an original game or sport, an invention that creates a new piece of physical fitness equipment, or a new mode of personal transportation that increases the user’s physical activity on a daily basis.

So where does the library and online encyclopedia come in for that? The students had to come up with the questions they needed to know in order to complete their task. I taught them how to use search words to find the answers to their questions. Students also had books available to them, and we discussed using the table of contents, as well as the index, to help us find the information quickly.

These 2nd graders are designing new equipment to be used by gymnasts.

Students search for figurative language in poetry
while the timer ticks in the background. 

The third grade teachers approached me and asked me to help them with figurative language. It was perfect timing, because I had just come across these super cute figurative language mini-posters I planned on using for National Poetry Month. The teachers and I decided we would make the activity stations where the students had to get up and move. They asked me to focus on 5 types of figurative language: metaphors, simile, personification, onomatopoeia, and hyperbole. The students were getting confused with metaphors and similes. 

The great thing about collaborating with the librarian, is we have the books and supplies all ready when you bring the class in, which saves you time! I had the mini-posters set up at the tables, and since we were short on time, I had poems marked in the books that had the specific figurative language the students would be looking for. The most fun part was the timer I put on the screen. When the timer, or rocket, went off, the students had to move to the next station. At each station they read the type, definition, and example, then start searching and recording what they found. It was lots of fun.

Sometimes, the library turns into a volunteer tea room. :) We had a lovely breakfast and tea for our wonderful volunteers! These parents and grandparents are amazing, and bring so much to our school. 

April was also School Librarian's Day, and I got so many hugs, treats,  and sweet cards from the amazing students! I am so blessed to work here! 

On another note, do you see those mismatched tables in the background? Well, soon I will have all matching chairs and tables!! I met with our furniture rep this past week, and together we picked out my furniture that should arrive within the month. This library is going to look amazing!!

Theme, Poetry, and Susan Stevens Crummel

This past week has been super busy in the Hillside library with all sorts of learning! When we return from the Thanksgiving break, we will have an author visit. We are very excited to have Susan Stevens Crummel visit with all grade levels.

My plan is to have a bulletin board displaying student work pertaining to Susan Stevens Crummel's books. With first grade this week, I read aloud the book PLAIDYPUS LOST.  The students loved the repeating text, and read it in chorus with me. After reading the story, the students created their own platypus. They designed the pajamas, and we added patches with pieces of scrapbook paper. I loved how they turned out, and can't wait for Susan Stevens Crummel to see all of their work.

Last week, a third grade teacher approached me and asked if she could bring her class in for a lesson over theme. They had covered the skill in class, but needed a little extra practice. I decided to use the picture books by Susan Stevens Crummel for the lesson. First, the teacher and I went over theme, and I made an anchor chart while we taught/reviewed. (I did not take a picture of my anchor chart, it was not pinterest worthy.)  We taught the students a great way to remember THEME is that it is THE MEssage that the author wants the reader to learn. The students then brainstormed some common themes we see in literature, such as perseverance, teamwork, honesty, and responsibility to name a few. 

I read aloud one of my favorite books, THE LITTLE RED PEN by Susan Stevens Crummel. The students loved the book, especially the pushpin AKA Señorita Chincheta. After reading the book, we brainstormed together the theme of the story. The students came up with "Teamwork, "Don't Be Lazy", and "Never Give Up".

Next, the students were paired up by their teacher, and I brought each pair a book by Crummel. Their job was to read the book and together decide what the theme was. They also had to include text evidence to prove their theme.  

As you can see from the picture our tables were missing, so we had to be flexible. Hillside had our Blue Ribbon celebration that day, so all of the library tables and chairs were being used for the celebration. We still work hard and learn in the library, even without chairs! 

Fourth grade has a unit over poetry this month, specifically figurative language this week. The fourth grade ELA teacher and I discussed a lesson together, and we decided to use the book 'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE THANKSGIVING by Dav Pilkey. The fourth graders all wanted to go down to the rug, so I read the book in our reading area to them. We then reviewed personification, simile, and metaphor. 

The assignment was to create a Popplet (www.popplet.com) and categorize the 3 types of figurative language from the poem. I did type out the poem for the students so they could have the text in front of them to find the examples. 

Whew! Just one more day until our Thanksgiving break!!

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Giggles and Eggs

We just had a four day week, which usually seems to creep by when we have a short week. However, things are a little different in the library. I saw 5 days worth of classes in only 4 days, and the day before a holiday is always BUSY! Everyone seems to want a brand new book before the long weekend. That's fine though, it makes the days go by fast, and I love that my students love to read so much.

Willems, Mo. NAKED MOLE RAT GETS
DRESSED. Disney-Hyperion, January 2009.

Lots of fun was had this past week, and lots of giggles in first grade and kindergarten! In my kinder classes, we have been doing an author study over Mo Willems. The students were very familiar with Piggy & Elephant, and the Pigeon. I decided I would introduce them to two other Mo Willems characters. Last week, I read KNUFFLE BUNNY FREE, and this week I introduced them to the hilarious NAKED MOLE RAT GETS DRESSED. We learned that there are three things you must know about naked mole rats:

1. They are a little bit rat.
2. They are a little bit mole.
3. They are all naked. 

My sweet kindergarteners nearly fell over laughing so hard. Next week, they will vote on their favorite Mo Willems book that we have read this year. 

First graders were introduced to the Texas 2x2 Reading List. We read MOTHER BRUCE by Ryan T. Higgins, which is about a grumpy bear that hates cute little animals, but loves eggs. Unfortunately some of his eggs hatch and he is mistaken for their mother. What is a bear to do? This is a silly, delightful story, with illustrations that complement the story. We laughed and laughed at the funny antics in this fun new book. 

Second grade made text-to-text connections with a poem and a nonfiction book. I chose a poem from THE POETRY FRIDAY ANTHOLOGY FOR CELEBRATIONS compiled by Sylvia Vardell & Janet Wong. Just two years ago, I was a student in Sylvia Vardell's poetry class where I learned about pairing poetry with books in the classroom and the library. If you do not have this book in your library, I highly recommend it! It contains fabulous poems, along with activities and picture books to pair with the poems.

The poem I chose was titled BREAK AN EGG by Stephanie Hemphill. I paired the poem with the nonfiction book, CHICKENS AREN'T THE ONLY ONES by Ruth Heller. It teaches about animals, besides chickens that lay eggs. The students made connections between the poem and the book, then they made text-to-self connections and discussed ways that they use eggs for their Easter celebrations.

I cannot believe that we are already to the end of March! Where did this year go? Next week, I will be assisting in monitoring the STAAR test for our 4th and 5th graders. Before we know it, this school year will have ended and I will have survived my first year as a librarian! 

BROWN GIRL DREAMING by Jacqueline Woodson

Woodson, Jacqueline.  2014. BROWN GIRL DREAMING. New York, NY: Nancy Paulsen Books. ISBN 9780399252518


Brown Girl Dreaming is a collection of free verse poems written by the African American poet, Jacqueline Woodson. The poems are memoirs of her life as she grew up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, in both the North and the South. Each poem fits together to give the reader a glance into Woodson's childhood as she tries to find where she fits in. As a child, she spent half of her years in the North where she was teased for being a Jehovah's Witness, meaning she followed rules many of her friends didn't understand. The other half of each year was spent in the South with her grandparents, where she was teased for her funny way of speaking. Woodson was compared by teachers to her highly intelligent sister, but Woodson had trouble reading. Through the poems, the reader sees Woodson grow and become more aware of the Civil Rights Movement. She also finds support through her family and realizes her love of stories and writing.

This book, written in free verse poetry, will appeal to many ages of readers. Children, especially middle grades, will enjoy reading the story of Jacqueline and will be able to relate to her experiences. Adults, as well, will relate to the experiences in the elegant poems, and will appreciate the situation and time. Each poem stirs up emotions in the reader, and are beautifully written. Full of imagery, the reader is able to 'step' into Jacqueline's life. This true life memoir has the ability to encourage children and young adults of any race who are struggling with school, be it academics or socially.

Spotlight Poem

on paper

The first time I write my full name

Jacqueline Amanda Woodson

without anybody's help
on a clean white page in my composition notebook,
    I know

if I wanted to

I could write anything. 

Letter's becoming words, words gathering meaning, 
    becoming
thoughts outside my head

becoming sentences

written by

                      Jacqueline Amanda Woodson

Excerpt from BROWN GIRL DREAMING by Jacqueline Woodson

The above poem is one of my favorites from the book because it shows the passion that Jacqueline has for writing.  There is also a poem titled "Composition Notebook" in which Woodson describes with beautiful imagery the way her first composition notebook smells, feels, and looks. "Hard not to smile as I held it, felt the breeze as I fanned the pages" (Woodson 2014, p. 154). The poets use of imagery allows the reader to experience in their minds the things that Jacqueline experienced growing up. 

The first pages of the book includes a family tree of the Woodson family and the Irby family.  The Irby family is Jacqueline's mom's side of the family, and the grandparents that she visited each summer in Greenville, South Carolina. In the conclusion of the book are actual photographs of Jacqueline's family. I found myself wanting to know more about each character at the end of the book. 

Activities for the Classroom

There are many teaching ideas and ways to share this book with your students, particularly grades 4 - 8.  During a unit over the Civil Rights Movement, this book would be a great extension. The first poem in the book, titled "February 12, 1963", has references to sit ins and marching for freedom. Begin your lesson or unit with this poem, along with some top news stories from 1963. 

Throughout the book, Jacqueline Woodson speaks of her composition notebook. This notebook is a significant object throughout the book and Woodson's childhood. Allow students to discuss a significant object in their life, and how this object impacts their life and says about themselves. 

Follow up with some of Jacqueline Woodson's pictures books that are set in the 1960s and compare them to Woodson's memoir, BROWN GIRL DREAMING.  Following is a list of Woodson's picture books that would tie in wonderfully with this book.

Woodson, Jacqueline. 2001. THE OTHER SIDE. illustrated by E.B. Lewis. New York, NY: Putnam Juvenile. ISBN 9780399231162

Woodson, Jacqueline. 2013. THIS IS THE ROPE. illustrated by James Ransome. New York, NY: Nancy Paulen Books. ISBN 9780399239861

Awards for BROWN GIRL DREAMING

National Book Award for Young People's Literature, 2014
Newbery Honor, 2015
Sibert Honor, 2015
Coretta Scott King Award for Author, 2015