This week was a bit more controlled and we had our first student check outs. I am a bit nervous but most of the kids seem excited and I have great back up from teachers on library policies. This week we are reading Frog on a Log? by Kes Gray and Jim Field and Count the Monkeys by Mac Barnett and Kevin Cornell.
I found this at the Scholastic warehouse sale last year and KNEW it would be a hit! Pretty pictures, bright colors and it was cheap, too! It gives funny rhyming examples and I am a sucker for rhyming books.... due to Julia Donaldson and all her splendor! http://www.scholastic.com/bookfairs/books/book-trailers/frog-log Click the link to watch the adorable book trailer from Scholastic!
And when I found Count the Monkeys in my library last year, I felt it would be a perfect read aloud for the younger grades. It keeps you surprised from page one and is fun for both the audience and reader to enjoy!
You will face many obstacles along the way, but the ending is worth waiting for!
When I hear people say trying to teach new kindergarten children is like trying to herd cats, I completely agree. Tiny, precious littles all over the place crawling, blurting and exploring every moment of every day! A book was gifted to me this summer that was meant for the first day of library with little learners. It is called "Read it, Don't Eat It!" by Ian Schoenherr. Before I could explain the procedures and how we treat our books, there was licking, there was picking, there was lots and lots of "ick-ing." The book goes about showing the way we treat our books with silly scenarios, bright pictures and fun animals. We finished class with a coloring page and may read this a few more times until we can complete class time without any tongue-to-book contact...
This will probably be one of my favorite posts because I am a total Potter fanatic! At a district meeting today, we were talking about how everyone has something they "nerd out" about....well that's Harry Potter for me! I wanted to do a fun theme this year and what's more fun than magic broomsticks and silly flavored jellybeans? I have been busy working on getting my room decorated before the kids come to school and it is starting to come together. Take a look and see details below!
One of my favorite details is for sure the library doors as the Platform 9 3/4. I used four sheets of butcher paper and hand-stamped the bricks from a mixture of red and brown paint with a sponge. The sign 9 3/4 is from a poster that I ordered off Amazon.
I didn't feature this cutie in the video, but I took this idea from Pinterest and just sort of made it my own since I wanted to keep the time and expenses low. The stickers I used really made it come to life, and while the directions may not completely be true, it is the perfect detail to the entry of my room.
This is definitely one of the coolest parts of the library! Every year I have a new quote on the counter and rather than a character's quote, this one by J.K. Rowling set the tone. I couldn't imagine a better thought to inspire young minds to want to read and create!
P.S. PROUD MOMENT - YES, I PAINTED THAT! :)
Since I am doing the first book as a read aloud with my upper grades, 4th - 6th, I wanted to involve them in Hogwarts activities to play along with. Each week, they will get a point to add to one of the Hogwarts houses. Red would mean they did excellent, blue well, yellow average, and green needs improvement. At the end of each quarter, I have a reward for each classroom, depending on how they scored in the houses. If Gryffindor wins, they get to have a "potions lesson" after checkout. I have several ideas brewing, but Pinterest also has many examples that I want to try as well. If Ravenclaw wins, they get to play "Potter Games" which consist of my Harry Potter classroomKahootz game and the Harry Potter Scholasticsite. If Hufflepuff wins, they get to have a "Butterbeer Float Party". You can find the recipe here. If Slytherin wins, they get to bring a treat from home to eat during class. I tried to make it the least fun so that they would be motivated to act responsibly and respectfully to earn the best reward!
In the video, you will see that in my "Potter Shoppe" I have Bertie Botts Beans, licorice wands, plastic Harry Potter glasses, Olivander's wands, soon -to-be-made chocolate frogs, Potter Pins (HP collectors pins), bookmarks and other Hogsmeade items. In the video, you will also see that I have a Gringott's container full of gold coins aka galleons. For perfect behavior, I will give out a galleon to the students and they can purchase those goodies from me. Example: Licorice Wand: 2 Galleons - Potter Pin: 5 Galleons, etc. making the less desired items less expensive and the higher interest items must be saved up and worked for. Lastly, these are just a few fun details that help set the stage for a magical adventure as we set out for Hogwarts this week!
