Monday, November 28, 2016

Coloring Books and Drawing Books

Greetings!

I am sure you are aware of the increase in popularity of coloring books. It seems that most magazines I get have a coloring page and coloring books for adults are everywhere. We have so much technology at our fingertips and I even find myself playing on my phone when I don’t really need to be on it. I can see how defaulting to a coloring book is something to do with my hands rather than playing on my phone.

Coloring books are not really ‘library materials’, but I bought one last year planning to make copies to hand out to the students. I read the copyright information and learned that I was not allowed to make copies, so decided to put it in the library and allow students to actually color in it! I have a note in the front that tells them they can color a page and when they are finished, they should put their name and the date in it. It has been relatively popular and is often checked out.

Some of the benefits of drawing and coloring include improved motor skills, stimulates creativity, better handwriting, improves focus and hand to eye coordination, stimulates self-expression, and helps stress relief.

Take a look in your library or classroom. Do you have any of the new coloring books or drawing books? If not, why not add some? You can bet that they will be checked out and used often.

Have a great week.

Audrey

Coloring Books and Drawing Books

Greetings!

I am sure you are aware of the increase in popularity of coloring books. It seems that most magazines I get have a coloring page and coloring books for adults are everywhere. We have so much technology at our fingertips and I even find myself playing on my phone when I don’t really need to be on it. I can see how defaulting to a coloring book is something to do with my hands rather than playing on my phone.

Coloring books are not really ‘library materials’, but I bought one last year planning to make copies to hand out to the students. I read the copyright information and learned that I was not allowed to make copies, so decided to put it in the library and allow students to actually color in it! I have a note in the front that tells them they can color a page and when they are finished, they should put their name and the date in it. It has been relatively popular and is often checked out.

Some of the benefits of drawing and coloring include improved motor skills, stimulates creativity, better handwriting, improves focus and hand to eye coordination, stimulates self-expression, and helps stress relief.

Take a look in your library or classroom. Do you have any of the new coloring books or drawing books? If not, why not add some? You can bet that they will be checked out and used often.

Have a great week.

Audrey

Monday, November 21, 2016

Hour of Code

Hello,

I have a very quick message for you this week. Mark in your lesson plans that December 5 – 9 is the week for Hour of Code. There are a lot of options for ‘games’ that help students learn coding. It would be good for you to play a bit on some of them and choose one or two for your students to do at school. I see four reasons for doing this.

1. Students can be overwhelmed with so many choices
2. Many students will try parts of this game and parts of that game and never really accomplish anything.
3. Students who are all working on the same program can help each other when needed.
4. Concerned parents can be assured that their student isn’t playing a violent game since the games have been handpicked by you for the school.

I noticed a few of the games that have names that suggest violence, but there are a lot of better options to choose from. Check out the website for more information.

I hope you all have a restful and relaxing Thanksgiving vacation.

Audrey

Monday, November 14, 2016

Washington Children's Choice Books

Greetings!

I have special activities for each level at our school. For the children in grades 1 and 2, I began reading select books from the Washington Children’s Choice Award list. I look over the current list and began selecting the books I want and crossing off the ones I don’t want. I read reviews on Amazon.com or GoodReads.com to get a pretty good idea of whether or not a book is right for our school and purchase the ones that look good. Most of the books are newer titles and we have found some real treasures over the years.

I started the Washington Children’s Choice program at Rogers in 2005 and we really enjoy it. During the library story time, I read one of the choices from the list. After reading all of the books, we have a voting day where each student votes for his or her favorite book. I line the books up and do a quick book talk to remind students of the story. Then each student gets a ballot and a pencil and they vote. I tally up the votes for each book and send our votes in. We also choose which one OUR school liked the best.

This year the list contains 20 books, and I have chosen 14 of them to read and keep at Rogers. I am going to share some of them with you and I may continue next week.

Grandma in Blue with Red Hat by Scott Menchin, pictures by Harry Bliss.
A young boy learns about what makes art special and is inspired to create his own masterpiece. Some children say that art is beautiful, it makes them laugh, it is different, it tells a story, and the boy connects all of these ideas with his grandmother who is beautiful, makes him laugh, is different, and tells a story, too. This is a sweet story about family and also includes some art, as well.

Elizabeth, Queen of the Seas by Lynne Cox, illustrated by Brian Floca.
This is the true story of an elephant seal that found her way to the river by Christchurch, New Zealand. She decided that that was where she belonged and even though she was relocated from the area, she returned again and again to live in her river in Christchurch. Finally, the town decided instead of trying to keep Elizabeth safe by relocating her, they would keep her safe by putting up a sign by the spot in the road where she liked to relax to keep motorists from harming her. The book also contains information about elephant seals and a website where you can find photos of the real Elizabeth, the elephant seal.

Job Wanted by Teresa Bateman, illustrated by Chris Sheban.
This is a fun little story about a dog who wants to get a job at the farm. The farmer says that dogs just eat and don’t give anything back, so no job. The dog asks if there is an opening for a cow. The farmer scratched his head and says, “Sure. But you’re not a cow.” The dog replies, “We’ll see about that. I’ll start work tomorrow.”
The next day the dog rounds up all the cattle in place for milking which saves the farmer a lot of time. Every day the dog does something to help the farmer and finally the farmer decided that there is one job opening that might work. The farm needs a good farm dog.

I, Fly: The Buzz About Flies and How Awesome They Are by Bridget Heos, illustrated by Jennifer Plecas.
The illustrations are cartoonish which may lead you to believe that this is just a made up story, but this book is about real information about flies and their life cycle. Of course, this is from the fly’s viewpoint, so he talks about the adorable little maggots, but I actually learned something about flies while reading this.

A Perfectly Messed-up Story written and illustrated by Patrick Mcdonnell.
This is the story of Louie who goes skipping merrily along until he comes to a blotch of jelly on the page. The illustrations are drawings, but the jelly looks like it was photographed and actually appears to be real jelly. Then a blotch of peanut butter is plopped in the story, fingerprints, orange juice, and crayons markings. All of these ruin Louie’s story and he feels like he is just a messy old book that will end up in some garage sale.
This is a great book to read and then talk about the proper care of books.

I’m New Here written and illustrated by Anne Sibley O’Brien.
Imagine what it would feel like to go to school somewhere where you don’t know the language, or the customs, or have any friends. This book opens with a page that says, “I am new here.” A little girl is standing there and a speech balloon says, “Class, this is Maria.” We are introduced in the same way to Jin, and Fatimah. The children each remember what school was like back home.
Back home I knew the language. Here there are new words. I can’t understand them.
Back home I could read and write. Here there are new letters.
Back home I was part of the class. I knew just what to do. Here there are new ways. I cannot find my place.
Here I am alone. Here I am confused. Here I am sad.
Then the story continues as each child learns to speak the language, write the new words, and learning the new ways of their new school. Slowly, but surely they begin to make friends, find their place, and fit in. The book ends with the positive feelings of “Here there are new beginnings. Here there is a place for me. Here is a new home.”
If you have students that are new to your school from another country, this simple story may help your students understand what it is like to be new at a school.

Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear by Lindsay Mattick, illustrated by Sophie Blackall.
You might think this is about Winnie-the-Pooh, but it actually begins before that. Harry Colebourn is a veterinarian who is going to war in 1914 to care for the horses. He sees a cub and rescues her from a trapper and names her Winnie after his hometown of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Winnie becomes the mascot of the regiment until she is too big to move out with them. Harry takes her to the London Zoo and leaves her there. Winnie has a good life and is very popular with all the people who come to see here, but one little boy especially, falls in love with her. His name is Christopher Robin Milne and he names his stuffed bear, Winnie-the-Pooh.
The author is the great granddaughter of Harry Colebourn and is telling her family story in this book. Photos of Winnie and Harry, and even Christopher Robin are included which adds greatly to the story. This book won the 2016 Caldecott Medal.

I hope you fine something here that you will love to add to your library. Have a great week.
Audrey

Monday, November 7, 2016

Reading Aloud Hints

Greetings,

I love to read aloud to groups of children. I will blow my own horn here since most of you have not met me and do not know my strengths. This is one of my strengths. I am an excellent oral reader. Over the years I have heard many people read aloud and I have come to the realization that few of them are excellent oral readers. If you are an excellent oral reader, then you are probably doing all the things I will be talking about. Congratulations! You could just stop reading right here. However, if you continue reading, you could help me and add any tips I may have missed.

When reading aloud to children (or anyone) choose a book that you like. You will enjoy it more and therefore will be more involved and read it better.

First, read the book through. Look for hard words and learn to pronounce them correctly. Also, learn what the word means and be able to explain it to the age you are reading. If not, you may be a bit embarrassed when a first grader asks, “What does ‘miry clay’ mean? For me it is something that I know intuitively, but I need some time to come up with the descriptive words that a young child would understand better. If I have to stop and stumble around, I feel a bit foolish that I can’t explain it right away. So, to avoid this, look it up ahead of time and find a description for children to understand. Write it on a small post-it and stick it in the book right by the word. If no one asks, give the explanation anyway. Just imagine how brilliant you will appear to the children! “Our teachers knows all the words in the dictionary!” If you don’t have time, keep a dictionary beside you. When asked for a meaning, say, “Let’s look it up and see what the dictionary says.” Now you are modeling good reading skills. When we see a word we don’t know, we stop and look it up. It adds to the story. Again, you still look brilliant.

Second, use your voice to add interest.
Think of it as a performance, since that really is what it is. No one wants to hear a monotone voice reading. As you read, watch for different punctuation marks that indicate pauses, breaks, excitement, questions, and so forth. Use your voice to show these things. If the character whispers, you whisper. If the character is yelling, raise your voice. If the character is crying, show that in your voice. If the character is very young, change your voice to mimic that. Speak somewhat higher and a little childishly. If a man is talking, lower your voice a bit. I’m sure you get the idea.

Third, set a timer and then read the book aloud. This accomplishes two things. It lets you know how much time you will need to actually read the book. If you know ahead of time that you won’t be able to finish the story in one sitting, you can find a good place to stop. Also, it is good practice for the words and phrases that might be problematic, and good practice to use your voice to add interest to the story.

You are the model for the children in your classroom. If you don’t use expression in your reading, how can you expect them to do it? They need to hear it from you.
I hope there is something here that has been helpful to you. Good luck in your reading.


Have a great week!

Audrey

PS. Food for thought. What do you think you (and I) might do to improve your oral Bible reading? We tend to have a particular way we read the Bible because we have heard it read that way all our lives. However, it can be a little boring. What can we do to help change this idea?