We have gotten off to a great start this year!  Read more to find out what Grades K-5 have been up to in the Library.

September/October

 K-3

Students in Kindergarten through 3rd Grade have been working on learning and reviewing library and book terms as they read the 2010 Show-Me Readers.  These are a group of 10 picture books chosen by the Missouri Association of School Librarians and have fiction as well as nonfiction titles. Once we are finished reading all of the books, our students will vote on their favorite.  Votes are sent into the state so a state winner can be named.

In addition, students in the 2nd and 3rd Grades have been working with the dictionary.  We will revisit the dictionary and use of it several times during the school year.

4th Grade

The 4th Grades have reviewed the Dewey Decimal System and deciphered card catalog entries over the past 2 months. They have races against the clock each week to find books in the library shelves. We have taken some time to read as well - Abraham Lincoln's Sons and Listen to the Wind by Greg Mortenson. They will also work a bit with the dictionary and the encyclopedia in the coming weeks.

5th Grade

The 5th Grades have worked with the Almanac, reviewing keyword searching, and have been developing their research skills using lateral thinking puzzlers and a quick research project.  They have also worked to familiarize themselves with different resources.  They have begun going into the Computer Lab during Library so they can become more familiar with search engines, using keywords and the internet, and refining their search.  They will begin working on a paper for Social Studies soon using written and online sources.

 

 November/December

 

K-3

We are still reading the Show-Me Readers and have taken a detour once or twice to read holiday books.   In addition, students in the 2nd and 3rd Grades have worked with the dictionary, learning how to order guide words.  The 3rd Grade spent several classes with topics related to their Social Studies curriculum: Indian Sign Language and the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Have they tried out their new skills in Indian sign language on you?

4th

The 4th Grades continue to  look up the Word of the Week and have Shelf Races each week to find a specific book in the library. In addition, they spent one class learning how to look up topics in the almanac. We will come back to the almanac after Christmas break.  Recently, they have been using the almanac to compose questions about the state they are using in a slide presentation in Computer class. 

5th

Our 5th Grades have been diligently working on the paper they are writing about a signer of the Declaration of Independence.  Following an outline, each student is composing a one to two-page paper using one written and one internet source.  Each week, they receive feedback on what was done in the previous class. By the time we finish, everyone will hopefully have an idea of how to start a paper, do research on a topic, and type the paper using their own words.

 

Have a great Christmas holiday!

 

 

January/February

 

K-3

We only have a few more Show-Me Readers to read, and then we will VOTE!  In addition to the Show-Me books, we have read about snow (Snowflake Bentley), and the 3rd Grade had a short introduction to the Card Catalog system. 

4th

The 4th grades are SO excited! They are finally using the almanac each week.  They are answering a series of 28 questions, and it is like a treasure hunt each week.  Students must find the keyword in a question, look the keyword up in the index, and locate the answer to a question.  When they are finished, we will play Almania, a Jeopardy-like game using the almanac to answer the game questions. It is usually a very popular activity, and the 4th graders are eager to get to it.

5th

The 5th Grades FINALLY finished their papers on the Signers of the Declaration!  They are displayed on the walls outside their classrooms and look terrific.  After the papers were finished, students were given an introduction to the MLA system of formatting references used in a paper.  They will see alot of this system in the high school setting.  In addition, they have spent one class working on their Bill of Rights project and another hearing about life during Colonial times.

March/April

 

K-3

We have finished reading the Show-Me Readers!  Voting took place in early March, and students are eagerly awaiting the results from all over the state.  These results will be announced in mid-April at the conference held by the Missouri Association of School Librarians.  There were several favorites, but the one with the most votes was Owney the Mail-Pouch Pooch.  This story was based on the real-life experiences of a stray dog who became part of the U.S. Postal system in Albany, New York.  If you happen to visit the U.S. Postal Museum in Washington, D.C., you can see a statue of Owney, read his life story, and even see the real Owney wearing all of the medals he collected on his travels.  

Since voting, students in the 1st and 2nd Grades have been learning about tall tales and fairy tales. Our Kindergartners have been enjoying Show-Me Reader favorites from past years, and the 3rd grade has been learning about different genres and the use of reference materials in the library.

4th Grade

Both 4th Grades have been working diligently to answer all of the Almanac questions, and they are almost finished!  We will play Almania very soon.  They are becoming expert at searching out keywords and phrases to find the answers. 

5th Grade

Our 5th Grades have been doing a lot of researching lately.  After finishing a project about inventions, they have moved on to the Civil War. We are constructing an alphabet of the Civil War, and students have also been reading some fiction books about that time in history.

May

K-3

Voting results for the Show Me Reader award revealed that the winner is "Two Bobbies."  Our students enjoyed the true story of the cat and dog who became friends and helped each other survive following the disaster of Hurricane Katrina.  We finished the year by reading favorite Show Me readers from previous years as well as fairy tales and more.  Our third grade students tested their knowledge of library skills with a game - they did quite well!

4th

Both 4th grade classes enjoyed several class periods playing Almania, the "Jeopardy" styled game using the almanac and some very tough questions.  They are amazing!

5th

Students in the 5th grade classes finished up the year learning about the 20th century in Social Studies, and they spent some time in the library researching topics for their particular decades. We spent some classtime just reading, and they are looking forward to the opportunity summer offers to discover new books.