We've Been Busy!

It's been a long time since we've posted about our students' work and activities. What have we been doing? All sorts of things! Take a look!

Fourth and fifth graders are working on several things at once: accessing our AEA databases, reading nonfiction for main idea and details, and citing their sources. Eventually, their notetaking will lead to the creation of a Google Slides presentation.

Third graders have just wrapped up their look at mythology and myths from around the world using a Scholastic site.

Access the site HERE

Students read myths, identifying main characters, summarizing the plot, and determining the purpose of the myth.

Online catalog work is the focus for our second graders in the fourth quarter. Students learn about the visual and basic searches, then practice using the catalog to find books on the shelves.

First graders are busy using PebbleGO to browse for an animal of interest, then learn facts about their animal that they then combine with make-believe information. The facts, along with their added silliness pieces, come together in a storytelling activity on Flipgrid.

 Finally, kindergarteners take the last several cycles of the year to read and listen to a variety of themed books. For example, recently students read Diary of a Worm and Diary of a Spider, then created their own Diary... books featuring animals or objects of their choice.

Our year's not over yet--stay tuned for more work and activities!

Sneak Peek! I Survived: The American Revolution 1776

Do you love the I Survived series by Lauren Tarshis? With more than 12 titles in this popular series, chances are you've read at least one of them. The newest release is I Survived: The American Revolution 1776.

Scholastic has posted the first chapter on their website On Our Minds. CLICK HERE to read the first chapter.

You can also access the I Survived website when you CLICK HERE.

Be looking for the latest I Survived title in this series in our libraries to find out about the Revolutionary War and the author's take on it.

Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue--Our Revised 3rd Grade Myths & Legends Unit

Such great times in 3rd grade recently! Each spring in library classes we work with our 3rd grade teachers to address the reading standards regarding myths and legends. (That's our "something borrowed," as these aren't mentioned specifically in AASL library standards.) We began our work with Greek mythology, gaining background knowledge from Britannica Online articles related to different gods and goddesses.

Students used this handout in Google Classroom to record their work. We were looking for how the humans interacted with the gods and/or how the gods treated one another.

You can access the handout HERE.

We then read and shared different star stories using the TrueFLIX book Constellations, including the story about the constellation Scorpius.

A favorite assignment among third graders, designing their own constellation and creating the story behind it was next--our "something old." In this two-day activity, students plan their stories and stage a picture for their final projects. Students brainstorm possible constellations and stories using the handout below.

You can access the handout HERE.

Check out some of the students' work on their constellations and stories:

And now for our "something new"--a visit to Scholastic's website called Myths from Around the World. Again using Google Classroom, students accessed the site and read myths and legends of their choosing from a wide variety of cultures.

After reading myths and legends of their choice, students then accessed a world map on Google Maps--the "something new." Their work came full circle as we returned to our original conversation about the purpose of myths--to explain something in nature, to teach a lesson, or to celebrate a hero's story. On the map, students were to place a pin on the country from their reading and identify the purpose of the myth. You can see their work below:

Ahoy, Mateys! The Book Fair is Coming!

With conferences rapidly approaching, it's time to remind everyone that the Scholastic Book Fair is coming to your elementary school! All of our elementary libraries will host a book fair during the afternoons and evenings of conferences on Tues. Nov. 1 and Thurs. Nov. 3.

At Dallas Center Elementary, students have two contests in which they can participate during Book Fair week. When students visit the book fair during their library classes, they can guess the number of goldfish in the bowl. 

The student who comes closest to the actual number will win $10 in Scholastic Dollars to spend during the book fair, and the students whose guesses come in second and third place will each win a poster from the book fair.

Also at Dallas Center Elementary, students' classes are competing in a coin war to raise money for Scholastic's charity called All for Books, a group that donates books and resources to foundations that support children's literacy efforts. The All for Books contest will start Tues. Oct. 25 and wrap up on Tues. Nov. 1.

So gather all of those coins, mateys, and participate with your classmates. A popcorn party in the library awaits for the winning class!

Can't make it to the book fair? No worries! You can also shop our online book fair. Purchases will be sent to the school and delivered to your student. The Dallas Center Elementary online fair can be found by CLICKING HERE.

We hope to see you soon at conferences, and be sure to stop by your student's library to browse and shop the book fair!

The Final (New!) Harry Potter Cover

So, if you've been keeping track, the Harry Potter books are being re-released to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the publication of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. You can read about the new covers on this blog by CLICKING HERE. If you just want to see the covers, here you go! :)

Well, it's now time to reveal the final cover for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:

You might recognize Kazu Kibuishi's art style; he's the illustrator for the popular Amulet series. One thing that Kibuishi did when working on all 7 covers was think of how he could create another artwork piece. His idea? Create a picture when all books are side-by-side! Below is what you'll see when you line up the spines of all of the new paperbacks:

And if that wasn't cool already, he also added artwork to the boxed set--check it out!

Still haven't had enough of Harry Potter? Scholastic recently released a video trailer:

If you'd like to read more about the new covers and Scholastic's intent to release the images from the back covers from the books, you can read all of the details on Scholastic's official blog, On Our Minds. 

Two More Harry Potter Cover Reveals!

Still excited about the re-release of the Harry Potter books with their new covers by Amulet illustrator Kazu Kibushi? Two more covers were just released--check them out!

Read about it HERE.

Read about it HERE.

Did you miss the first two covers? Click HERE to read about Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, or you can read about Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone on this blog by clicking HERE.

Another New Harry Potter Cover Revealed

Earlier in the year, we learned that Scholastic was re-releasing the Harry Potter series with new cover art to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the release of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. (See this earlier blog post.) Today, the second new cover was revealed--take a look!

Just like the first new cover, the illustrator of the Amulet series, Kazu Kibuishi, is the creator of this second cover. On this new cover you can see the Burrow, the Weasleys' home, along with their flying Anglia.

So, are you a fan now that you've seen a couple of the new covers? Look for more cover reveals later this year! Click HERE so you can read more about this cover art and the release of later covers.

Scholastic Online Preview

Want to see previews for the new picture books, and fiction & nonfiction books coming from Scholastic this fall? Click HERE to watch the video, which features author interviews and book trailers for some of this fall's hottest titles. Can't wait to pick up your copies at the Fall Book Fairs? Stop by your public library this summer to get a head start--and let your friends know what great books are waiting for them, too!