With so many great books released in the last year, how about a look at a few that are historical fiction, like the Newbury Honor book Wolf Hollow? Readers will find themselves pulled into the story of Annabelle, Betty, and Toby; can we trust what we believe we've seen, and do we really know the people in our lives?
Other great historical fiction promoted throughout the year in the library include some newer titles along with some old favorites:
If you haven't read many historical fiction titles--or if you're eager to read some more--we're happy to help you with that next book to read!
Occasionally during the year we take the time to highlight new books or recommend old favorites using Pinterest. Both book trailers and cover images of K - 5 books are there if you're looking for something to read! Want to take a look? You can access the board by clicking in the caption below.
We are so fortunate to have access to a wide variety of databases from our area AEA, Heartland. Throughout the year, teachers and students alike use them for everything from pleasure reading to research to project creation support. Often, these databases become part of our library lessons, too.
Of course, BookFLIX and PebbleGO are wonderful listen-to-reading tools for our younger students, but both are quick research resources for all of our students. Throughout the year, the nonfiction materials in BookFLIX and the many available titles in PebbleGO support a number of students' projects.
Also supporting students' research needs were Britannica Online, MackinVia, and TrueFLIX. You can read about fourth and fifth grade students' projects and their use of databases HERE.
3rd graders use Britannica Online to gather information for a project.
A specific resource that we rely on for supporting videos is Learn360. We've watched everything from Franklin Loses a Book during our look at library expectations and book care with our K-2 students to The Curse of the Hope Diamond as fifth graders gained some background knowledge before the Iowa Children's Choice read aloud of Loot by Jude Watson. (You can read about the pre-reading activity HERE.)
4th graders gain background knowledge on Dash, an Iowa Children's Choice Award from 2016-2017.
As databases are updated and revised, we look forward to their continued use! Many projects await!
Using Destiny Quest is a big part of our library time with students. During check out at each session in the library, students can access Destiny Quest, log in, and do any number of things there.
Most often, students respond to friend requests and send other request themselves, sometimes making book recommendations when they do so. Students also add books to their virtual bookshelves, adding not only books they've read themselves, but also books they've enjoyed as read alouds.
Part of our library curriculum includes writing book reviews, and Destiny Quest--along with our online catalog--offer students an authentic audience for their writing. We take several library sessions to draft and revise our reviews, and slowly our online catalog has become a place where students can read peers' reviews and thoughts about books in the collection.
Many new books will greet students when they return in August. Want a sneek peek at a few of our favorites?
Popular author Gordon Korman's new book is realistic fiction and features Chase, who remembers nothing after falling from his roof. As he begins his school year, Chase comes to understand that the person he was before the fall isn't anything like the person he is now. Will the influence of his friends sway him to return to his juvenile delinquent/bullying ways? Or will he take the opportunity to restart and become a different person?
For fans of author Sharon Creech, she has a new realistic fiction book titled Moo that follows Reena and Luke as they try to settle into a new life in Maine.
You can see the trailer below:
The last featured title is also realistic fiction. The Courage Test by James Preller tells the story of Will and his father as they set out to follow parts of the historic Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Like Lewis and Clark, Will and his father meet a native American (who just happens to be his father's friend from college) and a girl who's been away from her family and is trying to reunite with them (like Sacagawea). Along the way readers see a new relationship develop between Will and his dad--a dad who has begun a new life after divorcing from Will's mom. As the two make their way to the Pacific Ocean, Will discovers he has his own challenges to face, just like Lewis and Clark.
Do one of these realistic fiction titles seem like a book you'd like to read this fall? Be sure to ask about them when school starts!
One of the tools we like to use in the library during lessons is QR codes. They're such a handy, easy, and convenient way for students to access information! Our Dallas Center Elementary students in Grades 3 - 5 started the year using QR codes in a scavenger hunt that provided beginning-of-the-year information for them. All around the library, students found and scanned QR codes to learn more.
Throughout the year, students use QR codes to access research-related websites, like PebbleGO, and near the end of the year, 1st graders used them to access book trailers.
CLICK HERE to access the blog post for this activity.
Stay tuned--students will likely use QR codes again in the coming school year!
The state award nominees for the coming 2017 - 2018 school year were announced earlier in the year. Our K-2 students will read and listen to the Iowa Goldfinch Awards:
And our Grades 3-5 students will read from and listen to the Iowa Children's Choice Award nominees:
Over the course of the coming school year, students are encouraged to read at least two of the nominees from their lists, and should they complete the reading by late February/early March, they will be eligible to vote for the building and state-wide winner. Feel free to read any of the books over the summer, and stay tuned for many activities related to these great books!
This year our Dallas Center Elementary students in Grades 3 - 5 started using Chromebooks in a 2:1 environment (2 students for every 1 device), and with the increased access came the use of Google Classroom in the library.
A few of the DC Elementary Library Google Classrooms
Every Grade 3 - 5 classroom had its own library Google Classroom where students could access everything from our library main page to that day's digital activity. Below are just some of the examples of how we used Google Classroom:
accessing and viewing book trailers related to state award books
accessing, completing, and turning in reading comprehension activities
using our library Symbaloo to find websites and databases for research
viewing teacher instructions or lessons
The ease with which students could access that day's work--and return to it as they liked--made all the difference. Assignments that covered several days of library classes became easier to manage, and students could easily see what resources to use to complete different tasks.
3rd grade mythology work and resources pushed out via Google Classroom.
Now that students in Grades 3 - 5 have used Google Classroom for a year, they likely will be able to return to school with a better understanding of how we'll use it in the library. What a great tool to manage classes, share resources and assignments, allow for technology integration, and engage students!
Now that we're officially on summer break, it's time to bring back the weekly themed blog post. This year it's "1-Thing Wednesday," and the focus will be on just one thing related to the library, the school year, or the tech world. To kick off the very first 1-Thing Wednesday, let's take a look at the summer reading programs at the local public libraries supporting our elementary schools.
Librarians from the Grimes Public Library spoke with students at Dallas Center Elementary about the summer reading program, and visiting the Grimes Public Library website will provide all kinds of information, as well as allow you to watch a promotional video:
The summer reading program began on Mon. June 5 and will run until the end of July. Here's what their website had to say about the summer reading program:
Live in Dallas Center and want to participate in the summer reading program there? They, too, kicked off their program early in June and are excited to sign up readers all summer long! If you're looking for a way to beat the heat, hang out with friends, or try something new to read, why not visit the public library near you and sign up!
