More 5th Grade WIN Group Book Trailers

With the success of a recent WIN Group Animoto book trailer, the next group of students also completed book trailers for three more books: Deep, Dark, and Dangerous by Mary Downing Hahn, Wild Life by Cynthia DeFelice, and The Candymakers by Wendy Mass.

Check it out!

Are You Visiting the Zoo Soon?

Is a trip to the Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines or the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha on your list of things to do this summer? If so, why not read a few zoo books to get ready for the trip! :) Check out this list from KC Edventures:

Fiction options include some traditional favorites like Curious George and Pinkalicious:

Feel like reading some nonfiction instead? How about Life-Size Zoo or Zoo by Gail Gibbons?

 Don't forget those books about individual animals. . .maybe gorillas in Goodnight, Gorilla or penguins in One Cool Friend or sharks in Seymour Simon's Sharks.

Enjoy your trip to the zoo--either in the "real world" or in your imagination as you read! :)

Happy Birthday, Frog & Toad!

In June 1970, two now-famous friends made their first appearance in children's literature--Frog & Toad:

The author, Arnold Lobel, and his family used to leave the city in the summertime and head to the lake for vacation. As a little boy, Lobel didn't like to be outside and was NOT a fan of the critters and bugs. His own son, however, loved to be outdoors, and on one particular trip to the lake, he and his son brought home a big ol' slimy frog and two depressing-looking toads. Later in the year, when Lobel was trying to figure out what to write about, he remembered the frog and toad and a classic was born! 

Lobel wrote three more Frog and Toad books, all of them featuring the happy-go-lucky Frog and his worry-wart friend toad:

In 2003, Lobel's daughter worked to bring Frog and Toad to the Broadway stage. The musical, A Year with Frog and Toad, was even nominated for three Tony Awards! The two actors who played Frog and Toad performed one of their songs at that year's Tony Awards--you can check it out below:

Still want to know more about Frog and Toad and the author Arnold Lobel? Click HERE to read more about them.

Graphic Novels Suggestions

Graphic novels are becoming more and more popular, and we're always eager to recommend titles to readers who are looking for these kinds of books. Check out this list below:

You can see the whole list HERE at PragmaticMom.com, and while the list says it's for "a 9-Year-Old Boy," these are great titles for all! Here are just three from the list:

This book by Jorge Aguirre tells the story of Claudette, a dragon slayer/tomboy who brings along her little brother Gaston (who wants to be a pastry chef) and her BFF Marie (who wants to be a princess) to slay the dragon that threatens her village. 

Dan Santat's story revolves around an aging superhero who decides he needs a sidekick. His own animal pets audition for the spot!

This book is the first in the Amulet series by Kazu Kibushi. In the story, Emily and her brother Navin must enter a strange world to rescue their mother.

If you haven't tried a graphic novel, why not pick one up today to see if you like it? Talk with your friends and classmates--chances are, they have read a graphic novel that they can recommend to you!

5th Graders Use Slide Rocket to Promote Books

Students in Mrs. Ellis' 5th grade small group have been meeting for several weeks to put together a Slide Rocket presentation to promote their favorite books.

• Step 1--Determine which books or authors to promote. This was a tough decision, as it required a bit of compromise as students worked in pairs or trios.
• Step 2--Find interesting, appropriate book trailers to promote the chosen books or authors. Again, a tough decision when YouTube trailers weren't always options for them to use. SchoolTube.com became another popular site to search, as did BookTrailersForReaders.com.
• Step 3--Play around on SlideRocket to see how to put together a presentation, and then have at it! Screen shots were all taken from Amazon.com or from iClipArt, our Iowa AEA Online go-to site for free clip art.

So here is the final project--take a look and maybe you'll find a book or author to try over the summer. Enjoy!

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!

5th Grade Small Group Work: Using VoiceThread

Throughout the year, 5th grade teachers have been sending a small group of students to work in the library during WIN time. This group created a VoiceThread presentation that recommends books based on a popular title or author. You can CLICK HERE to watch and listen to their presentation.

11 Great Books to Consider

The people at Parents Connect have created a Top 11 list of Great Reads for Preteens. Curious about who made the list? Check out some of the books below!

Want to know more? Visit their website and see how many you've read and enjoyed!