Every year the Kirkus publishes a Best Children's Book List. This year's list is found here. I found some wonderful books on the list. Maybe you will find some good suggestions too!
Sunday, November 25, 2012
The Best of 2012 With Kirkus Review
Every year the Kirkus publishes a Best Children's Book List. This year's list is found here. I found some wonderful books on the list. Maybe you will find some good suggestions too!
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Reading With Your Child
I am passionate about reading with your child. As a parent, I made a commitment to read with my children, but my four sons remember best and fondest the read-alouds with their dad. My husband had a favorite book that he loved to read to the boys: The Greatest Sandwich Ever. Now as young fathers, they have found copies of the book and are now reading it aloud to their children (and many other books too). Our youngest had a hearing loss until he had surgery to implant tubes in his ears. He loved for his father to read aloud because he could FEEL him read to him. He would cuddle up to his dad and the vibration of his deep voice would comfort Jordan.
As a grandmother, I have read-aloud sessions with my grandchildren. One regret I have is not continuing the read alouds past preschool and early elementary with my sons. My eldest granddaughter and I read some harder chapter books this summer and discussed some of the issues presented in the text. We had so much fun reading together that we have more books picked out to read.
The Reading Promise by Alice Ozma is about the reading relationship between a father and daughter that lasted nearly nine years. Alice and her father tackled hard books and hard times together through their reading journey. Here is their story from an article published in June, 2011.
The poster below describes 7 ways to build a better reader from birth to age five, but I think it can be applied to a child much older. "Good readers are made on the lap of a parent".
As a grandmother, I have read-aloud sessions with my grandchildren. One regret I have is not continuing the read alouds past preschool and early elementary with my sons. My eldest granddaughter and I read some harder chapter books this summer and discussed some of the issues presented in the text. We had so much fun reading together that we have more books picked out to read.
The Reading Promise by Alice Ozma is about the reading relationship between a father and daughter that lasted nearly nine years. Alice and her father tackled hard books and hard times together through their reading journey. Here is their story from an article published in June, 2011.
The poster below describes 7 ways to build a better reader from birth to age five, but I think it can be applied to a child much older. "Good readers are made on the lap of a parent".
Saturday, November 3, 2012
New York Times Best Illustrated Book List 2012
The NY Times Best Illustrated Book List 2012 has been announced. It is always a good list to follow. More lists will come in the next few weeks. For a good look at some of the books on the list, I have linked the posting of a blog I follow 100 Scope Notes. Author/illustrator Steve Jenkins has a new book on the list. I really like his outstanding nonfiction books. House Held Up by Trees looks fasinating too. The Horn Book website offers book reviews, opinions and news about books for children and young adults. One article I found particularly interesting "Absorbing Pictures and What They Say" by Barbara Bader, emphasizes the skill of "intellectual language of images."
Monday, October 22, 2012
Book Fair Success!
Thank you to each volunteer, parent, student, teacher, and grandparent who made the book fair a huge success! We had a great week, filled with books, sharing books, talking about books and best of all buying books! The best conversations to overhear are those discussions about books and authors. It is music to my ears to hear students recommending a book to a friend!
If you missed out on a book and would still like to purchase a book, please go to online book fair. You may go to scholastic.com/fair or click <here> for a link. Tanglewood Book Fair will be open until October 25 (Thursday), so you will need to make an online purchase this week. All the purchases will benefit Tanglewood library.
Once again, thank you for participating in our book fair. I would like to personally thank Angie Herdman, the PTA Book Fair Chair, for all her hard work in preparing, planning, setting up, cleaning up, and contacting the many volunteers who helped! Thank you, Angie!
If you missed out on a book and would still like to purchase a book, please go to online book fair. You may go to scholastic.com/fair or click <here> for a link. Tanglewood Book Fair will be open until October 25 (Thursday), so you will need to make an online purchase this week. All the purchases will benefit Tanglewood library.
Once again, thank you for participating in our book fair. I would like to personally thank Angie Herdman, the PTA Book Fair Chair, for all her hard work in preparing, planning, setting up, cleaning up, and contacting the many volunteers who helped! Thank you, Angie!
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Diane DeGroat is coming!
Monday, September 24, 2012
Fifth Graders - Note Taking
All fifth grade classes had a lesson today on note-taking using a graphic organizer. I used an example (rain forests) to demonstrate taking notes from one nonfiction book source. We discussed the importance of recording the bibliographic information for the sources that you use for note taking. This information will be needed for the Bibliography at the end of the report. We will talk about constructing a Bibliography next week when the fifth graders come to the library.
We have had lessons on: online databases, Internet sites, taking notes on a graphic organizer, and next week we will discuss Bibliographies. We are slowly moving through the process! Good luck, Tigers!
We have had lessons on: online databases, Internet sites, taking notes on a graphic organizer, and next week we will discuss Bibliographies. We are slowly moving through the process! Good luck, Tigers!
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Fifth Graders Start History Fair Projects
Fifth Graders have many resources available to help with researching a topic for History Fair. There is a TAB at the top of this blog for RESEARCH. Click on the tab and links are provided to the databases with which the FWISD and the Education Service Center, Region XI subscribe. Since these are paid subscriptions, a username and a password are required. The students were given a handout with the usernames and passwords. If you forget, here is a hint to log-in to most of the databases: What is the name of our school? and What is our mascot?
I highly recommend Facts On File and Britannica for primary sources and general information. Images, videos, and previewed (and suggested) websites are given on a variety of subjects. Facts On File has an American History database.
During their library lesson this week, we discussed the difference between a database and the Internet. The database is a collection of data presented in a searchable, online format. Information is reviewed and published - therefore, trustworthy. On the other hand, the Internet is not organized and one search can bring millions of "hits". Anyone can publish information on the Internet and the information does not have to be reliable / true. Therefore, the teachers and I are recommending that databases be used unless the topic is obscur and a special website required. There is a list of approved websites in the History Fair packet. Remember to evaluate any website used in your project. Click <here> for a good evaluation tool.
Last week the fifth graders and I discussed Primary Sources and Secondary Sources. History Fair participates will need 1 - 2 Primary Sources and 2 - 5 Secondary Sources. (See History Fair packet for examples).
In the next few weeks we will discuss taking notes, writing bibliographies, and final products! Good luck, Tigers!
I highly recommend Facts On File and Britannica for primary sources and general information. Images, videos, and previewed (and suggested) websites are given on a variety of subjects. Facts On File has an American History database.
During their library lesson this week, we discussed the difference between a database and the Internet. The database is a collection of data presented in a searchable, online format. Information is reviewed and published - therefore, trustworthy. On the other hand, the Internet is not organized and one search can bring millions of "hits". Anyone can publish information on the Internet and the information does not have to be reliable / true. Therefore, the teachers and I are recommending that databases be used unless the topic is obscur and a special website required. There is a list of approved websites in the History Fair packet. Remember to evaluate any website used in your project. Click <here> for a good evaluation tool.
Last week the fifth graders and I discussed Primary Sources and Secondary Sources. History Fair participates will need 1 - 2 Primary Sources and 2 - 5 Secondary Sources. (See History Fair packet for examples).
In the next few weeks we will discuss taking notes, writing bibliographies, and final products! Good luck, Tigers!
Monday, September 3, 2012
Library Classes will start soon!
The first week of school flew by! Students are adjusting to the new schedules and the library schedule will start this week with grades 4 and 5 coming for library orientation and check out. The week of September 10, grades K - 3 will be coming to the library.
The theme for our first weeks in the library will be "The Library Is A Sweet Place!" I look forward to seeing you in the next two weeks!
I have updated the calendar (see below) to reflect the 2012 library schedule. For the first time in my twenty years as librarian at Tanglewood, there are not enough hours in the day to see all homerooms. Therefore, I have divided the schedule into Week A and Week B. I will see Kindergarten and First Grade every week so they can hear read-alouds, vocabulary, sentence structures, language, and become familiar with the library and books. Grades 2 and 3 will come one week; grades 4 and 5 will come another week - but there will be open checkout for grades 2 - 5 every day. Students who need an AR book will find the library open and available to check out another book!
Library volunteers are being organized and there are two meetings planned to coordinate the schedule (volunteers can choose to come to the meeting that is most convenient). One meeting is September 12 @ 2:15 - 3:00 and another meeting is scheduled for September 13 @ 8:15 - 9:00. The meeting will be short and provide volunteers with the opportunity to sign-up to help. We hope you will volunteer in the library this year!
The theme for our first weeks in the library will be "The Library Is A Sweet Place!" I look forward to seeing you in the next two weeks!
I have updated the calendar (see below) to reflect the 2012 library schedule. For the first time in my twenty years as librarian at Tanglewood, there are not enough hours in the day to see all homerooms. Therefore, I have divided the schedule into Week A and Week B. I will see Kindergarten and First Grade every week so they can hear read-alouds, vocabulary, sentence structures, language, and become familiar with the library and books. Grades 2 and 3 will come one week; grades 4 and 5 will come another week - but there will be open checkout for grades 2 - 5 every day. Students who need an AR book will find the library open and available to check out another book!
Library volunteers are being organized and there are two meetings planned to coordinate the schedule (volunteers can choose to come to the meeting that is most convenient). One meeting is September 12 @ 2:15 - 3:00 and another meeting is scheduled for September 13 @ 8:15 - 9:00. The meeting will be short and provide volunteers with the opportunity to sign-up to help. We hope you will volunteer in the library this year!
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