What's Happening at the BSS Library?

The New York Times publishes photos intended for students to study and to question: What is going on in the photograph? What do you see that makes you say that?  Can you make a guess as to what the original caption attached to the photo was? What might the subjects of the photo be saying? What might be going on just outside the frame of the photograph? Students are encouraged to come up with questions they have about the photo in order to determine what the photo actually depicts. This activity allows student to use their questioning and inference skills, which are important when researching any topic.  Perhaps the photograph can spark a particular memory a student might have had, allowing for a personal connection to the image. I hope to use some of these photos to spark discussion and encourage deep level thinking. Shown above is a sample photo, and below is a link to information about this feature of the Times: https://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/09/07/how-to-teach-wit

I was excited to hear that this year's March Book Madness titles were announced! The theme for this year's selections is "Compelling Characters," so we can expect stories featuring unforgettable characters. Last year I read my classes all the picture books from the lists and we voted each week.  It was fun to see if our favorites made it to the next round. I've set up a March Madness page on my blog where I will update with activities we have done as well as voting results come March.  Check it out now to see which titles are on this year's lists! Last year it was Gaston vs. Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla in the picture book category finals, and A Night Divided vs. Pax in the Middle Grade Novel finals.  I wonder which books will make the 2018 finals! 2017 Picture Book winner! 2017 Middle Grade Novel winner!

Third graders were required to design a pumpkin and bring it in today, and they all look fabulous!

Third grade Battle of the Books participants met in the library today to divide up the book lists.  It was a good opportunity for the students to decide who will be reading which books, and I explained how students get stickers for their team posters.  For more information about how students earn stickers, visit my Battle of the Books page.  Also, I encouraged each student to set a goal for reading at least one book and completing a Summary Sheet for that book by Thanksgiving.  If they keep the pace and read one book a month they will have read the minimum requirement for their team.  I reminded them how it is important to be a good teammate and do their fair share of the work! Team posters are in the hallway outside the Library

During book checkout time, students are able to visit different centers as part of the Makerspace area of the library.  The centers revolve around building, creating, story retelling, and problem solving.  Students really seem to enjoy this new feature of the library! Some really nice bookmarks designed by first graders. The Tetris puzzle is a lot harder than it looks! These two did some great teamwork to create this cool helicopter! Press play! We talked about fairytales in Kindergarten and then they had a chance to recreate the story using felt. Students utilizing the EPIC book and audiobook app. Pretty neat creation using Magnetix! Artist at work. Very cool log cabins. These girls were all proud of their block towers!

I am loving all these book character pumpkins coming in! Students have worked really hard on these!