What's Happening at the BSS Library?

Because it has been difficult lately for many people to access books, I have been gathering read alouds here on my " Virtual Library ." I will be updating these pages, so check back often!

Click on the image below and choose an activity that you are interested in! Clicking on the links will bring you to different slides or websites. You can make the slides larger by entering full screen mode (click on the square next to the gear at the bottom of the slide). You can always click the "Go Back Home" button to return to the main menu. Have fun!

I thought that this book would be a nice send off as the students head off into summer vacation.  It's a simple and sweet story about the things we hope for those that we love. I hope that everyone has a fantastic summer!

I love how the character in this story is so creative and perseverant, and how she learns from her mistakes.  She has a vision of a project she'd like to create, but she can't get it right.  She tries over and over, and almost quits. The way she thinks and grows is so important in the creative process, and is a great introduction to STEM and other projects.

My three children loved to listen to stories when they were younger.  They are between the ages of 19 and 24 now, but still enjoy reading.  Jessica, my youngest daughter, asked if she could be a guest reader on my blog.  I was more than happy to oblige! She chose to read The Very Impatient Caterpillar by Ross Burach, which I thought was a great choice with many students learning about butterflies and hatching their own at home. Enjoy!

The book Hair Love is based on an animated film by former NFL player, Matthew Cherry. It's a wonderful story about a father helping his daughter fix her hair because it is a very special day. After listening to my read aloud, click on the image below to watch the animated film the book was based on. It won an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film this year!

There are many Three Little Pig stories out there, but this one is quite different! There is a Voice that comes out of nowhere, and why are the pigs so pale? It is a very fun story.

My favorite part of this book is looking at all the popular picture books scattered throughout the main character's room.  He has books all over the floor and on shelves, and I liked trying to read what each title was.  This is a very funny story!

Jack is a great new beginner reading series! Here is Too Many Jacks by Mac Barnett and Greg Pizzoli.

Hello BSS Students and Families, As we transition into online learning, I have been gathering links to ebooks, audiobooks, and other virtual activities that students can use at home. I've gathered these resources onto my Online Resources   page so take a look!  I have also created pages for: Read Alouds by Mrs. Ferguson Author's Websites and Social Media Pages Weekly Library Choice Board (choices of activities to try, will be changed every week) March Book Madness Voting (to vote for BSS students' favorite picture book) View the Pages section of this blog to see other material too! Feel free to comment on any of the posts to let me know what you enjoyed or if you have questions.  You can also email me with any photos or your child learning at home so we can post to the BSS social media pages. I will be having virtual Zoom office hours on Wednesdays at 11:30 (information will be provided by the classroom teachers on either Seesaw or Google Classroom)....

Here are two stories about Memorial Day, which is a day we honor all members of the U. S. Military who have died. I also recommend watching the video from an episode of Reading Rainbow , in which Maya Lin is interviewed.  Lin is the architect of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which is featured in the story The Wall . Memorial Day Surprise The Wall by Eve Bunting

The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers is a great book to talk about persuasive writing.  Everything these two creators have written/illustrated are HUGE hits!

No, David! by David Shannon Here is a another book in our Final Four of Picture Books. This book is a classic!

We Don't Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins is one of the books in our Final Four!

It seems like everyone loves Mo Willems, and for good reason! His stories are so much fun and make us laugh. This story is very popular with students! I hope you enjoy it. There is also a sequel called Sam, the Most Scaredy-Cat Kid in the Whole World. Click the box on the bottom right corner for fullscreen.

Overdrive has an app for students called Sora, and the company is giving our school free access to some of their ebooks and audiobooks until June 30th.  Here's how to access them: Visit this link:  https://soraapp.com/library/ blesssacma .  (There is also a Sora app you could download.) For Grades 3-8 and for faculty: Where it says Select your School, choose "Google (Grades 3+)." Then click on the green button that says "Sign in Using Google Grades 3+." You will then log in with the same credentials that you do for your BSS Google account. For Grades PreK-2: Where it says Select Your School, choose "User ID." I will be sending you your usernames and passwords.  You will enter your username where it says "Library Card," and then click the green Sign In button. Once you are logged in, you can browse ebooks and audiobooks.  There are some great ebooks and/or audiobook chapter books like Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, In...

Click the tool in the right corner for full screen. Jan Thomas writes some really funny books! I really enjoyed The Doghouse, A Birthday for Cow, and Rhyming Dust Bunnies.  Here is another silly one called The Easter Bunny's Assistant.  There is even instructions for decorating hard boiled Easter eggs at the end of the story.  It might be fun to try it!

Click the tool in the right corner for full screen. Because today is Palm Sunday, it seemed fitting that I read Humphrey's First Palm Sunday by Carol Heyer.  Some students might remember Heyer's other story called Humphrey's First Christmas .  In that story, Humphrey gives baby Jesus his only possession--his blanket--as Jesus is lying in the chilly manger.  I wish you all a blessed Easter! View more of Mrs. Ferguson's read alouds here.

BSS Library Choice Board #1 Please select at least one of these (hopefully fun!) activities to complete this week. Please comment below or email me if you have questions, if you'd like to share a photo or a description of what you chose, or if you just want to say, “Hi!”  Choice #1- Read a Book! Read a book you have at your house or an ebook from the list of online resources I posted. Or listen to my read aloud of Mrs. Roopy is Loopy from the My Weird School series here . Check out the list of " Amazing Ways to Read ," and challenge yourself to try as many of these ideas as possible! Choice #2- Wonderopolis Wonderopolis answers all your burning questions! Read one of the Wonders of the Day and then click the Test Your Knowledge button to see how much you remember. What are you wondering? Add your question on the Wonderopolis site here . Choice #3- Write a Book Review Search for a book you loved from the BSS Librar...

Here is a read aloud of Q is for Duck by Mary Elting and Michael Folsom, with illustrations by Jack Kent.  It is a book of riddles where the authors write a letter and an animal. The animal name doesn't start with that letter, but the letter does begin a word that is related to the animal in some way. Just because what you guess isn't what the author wrote, it doesn't mean that your answer is wrong! It's just different. I hope you enjoy it! Click the tool in the right corner of the video to view in full screen. I think it would be fun if you could create your own letter riddles! Be sure to share them in the comments or email them to Mrs. Ferguson!