There is a new section on the media center webpage to highlight some of the new books that will be arriving soon. These are just a few of the books that have been ordered. Be sure to stop by in the first few weeks of school to see what’s new!
Meet a Local Author
Who knew that I have a Random House author living just down the street from me! In today’s Athens Banner Herald, I read about Winterville resident Donny Bailey Seagraves, author of Gone from these Woods. On her website and in the article, the book is described as one for middle readers, although I’ve read reviews that recommend it for grades 4-8.
The author will be reading excerpts of her book at the Winterville Library on Saturday July 25 from noon-2PM. She will also be at Borders bookstore on Sunday August 30 at 2PM. Her book has ties to Athens, Winterville, and Watkinsville. It is set in the 90s and is about a boy who accidentally kills his uncle on a hunting trip. The book also shows the boy’s struggles in dealing with this terrible incident.
I hope many of you will take advantage of these opportunities to meet and talk with a published author. If you go, post some comments about what you thought. More appearances by the author are listed on her calendar.
I’ll be posting more author appearances throughout the school year.
Become a Fan
Our media center now has a Facebook page. If you are a member of Facebook, you can become a fan by visiting this link.
I’m excited about having one more way of communicating news from our media center to our learning community. Spread the word and look for some exciting things coming up with our blog in the new school year.
What’s the Source?
I hope you are all continuing to have a great summer. Today, one of our favorite authors, Deborah Wiles, wrote on her blog about the difficulty of finding the sources for photographs. She also wrote about how it can be difficult to wait until the end of a piece of work to start tracking down all of the sources.
As we start to think about a new school year beginning, let’s explore ways of keeping track of the sources that we use for our research projects. If you already have a favorite way, post a comment and share what it is. I’m sure we’ll come up with some creative ways to create bibliographies throughout the year.
Be sure to check out Deborah Wiles’s blog post, too.
Visit a State Park
I hope you are all having a great summer. I’m busier than I expected to be, but I’m still finding time to read my stack of books that I showed everyone before the school year ended.
Today as I was visiting the Athens Regional Library’s webpage, I was reminded of a great resource that they have. You can check out a pass to visit any of GA’s state parks. All you need is your library card and a way to get to the park. Here are the details:
ParkPass Library Loan Program
Get out. Get dirty. Get fit.
With a valid library card you can borrow a Georgia State Parks Annual ParkPass and an individual Historic Sites Visitors Pass for up to 7 days. The ParkPass exempts you from paying the daily parking fee at state parks and the Historic Sites Visitors Pass exempts one visitor from admission fees to any state historic site in the state.
A copy of the Guide to Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites featuring descriptions, photos, directions and a map of all locations is included.
So take your family or yourself to a state park or historic site and see how much fun being outdoors can be. Come discover the treasures of Georgia in your own backyard.
For more information about this program, ask your librarian.
For more information about Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites visit http://www.GeorgiaStateParks.org.
For more information about outdoor activities and events visit http://www.GetOutdoorsGeorgia.org.
Summer Reading Recommendations
The teachers at Barrow have been thinking about great books for summer reading. They put together a list, which I’ve included in these posts. These books are not required reading, instead the list shows favorite books that are recommended by teachers as great books to enjoy over the summer. Check some of them out at your public library.
Suggestions from Kindergarten Teachers
The Paper Boy by Dav Pilkey
Whistle For Willy by Ezra Jack Keats
May I Bring A Friend? by Beatrice DeRegniers
The Mitten, The Hat by Jan Brett
When Sophie Gets Angry – Really, Really Angry by Molly Bang
Suggestions from First Grade Teachers
Noisy Nora by Rosemary Wells
What Game Shall We Play by Pat Hutchins
What will the Weather Be Like Today? by Paul Rogers
Stone Soup by Ann McGovern
Just Me and My Puppy by Mercer Mayer
Jillian Jiggs by P. Gilman
Ira Sleeps Over by Bernard Waber
Junie B. Jones..Series by Barbara Park
Magic Schoool Bus Series by Joanna Cole
Superfudge by Judy Blume
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
Two Under Par by Kevin Henkes
Gentle Ben by Walt Morey
Going Solo by Roald Dahl
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss
Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel
Honey I Love (poetry book) by Eloise Greenfield
The Chalk Box Kid (chapter book) by Clyde Robert Bulla
Suggestions from 2nd grade teachers
Skippyjon Jones and the Big Bones by Judy Schachner
Charlie Cook’s Favorite Book by Julia Donaldson
Third Grade Detectives: The Clue of the Left Handed Envelope by George E. Stanley
Diary of a Wimpy Kid- The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney
Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend by Melanie Watt
Suggestions from 3rd grade teachers
Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
The Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl
Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingles Wilder
Freckle Juice by Judy Blume
Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar
How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
Clementine by Sara Pennypacker (Battle of the Books selection)
The Report Card by Andrew Clements (Battle of the Books selection)
Henry Huggins by Beverly Cleary (Battle of the Books selection)
Suggestions by 4th grade teachers
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
A Long Way From Chicago: A Novel in Stories by Richard Peck
Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
The Liberation of Gabriel King by K.L. Going
The Christmas Rat by Avi (Battle of the Books selection)
Fourth Grade Rats by Jerry Spinelli (Battle of the Books selection)
Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder (Battle of the Books selection)
Suggestions by 5th grade teachers
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis
Esperanza Rising by Pamela Munoz
Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell
Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
Mixed up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech
The Watson’s Go to Birmingham – 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
And some recommended Authors:
Brian Jacques
Christopher Paul Curtis
Deborah Wiles
Gary Paulsen
Jean Craighead George
Katherine Paterson
Lois Lowry
Madeleine L’Engle
Mildred Taylor
Roald Dahl
Walter Dean Myers
What is Your Summer Reading Plan?
I’ve been working with students on making plans for summer reading. We’ve talked about the kinds of books we want to read, when we will read, how long we will read, what we need to create a reading atmosphere, and what we’ll do to make sure we’re understanding & enjoying our books. I’ve started my stack of books to read this summer, and I can’t wait to get started.
Today, Kim James from the Athens Regional Library came to talk about the summer reading program, Be Creative @ Your Library. I encourage all of you to visit your public library over the summer for some great books and fun book activities.
Summer is quickly approaching. So…what’s your summer reading plan? Leave a comment below and let us know books that you plan to read or any type of plan you have created for yourself to make sure you have a summer filled with reading.
5th Grade Skidaway Trip
The 5th grade just got back from a great trip to Skidaway Island to learn about GA’s Coast. While we were there, questions kept popping up from our students. I heard adults say numerous times that those questions would be great things to look up. What a great opportunity for us to learn about information literacy. As our year comes to a close, I encourage all of those students to keep asking those questions and searching for the answers in books, magazines, encyclopedias, databases, and the Internet. Here’s a video of our trip and some pictures from the journey.
5th Grade Poem in Your Pocket
As promised, here is a clip from the 5th grade’s poetry reading during Poem In Your Pocket Day. These students wrote some amazing poems and got up in front of the entire 5th grade to read them. Bravo!
Poem in My Pocket Day 2009
What a full day! Everywhere you turned today at Barrow, someone was sharing a poem. I saw custodians, secretaries, teachers, and students stopping one another in the hallways and sharing their poetry. The media center was very busy today with poetry readings all day. Students read poems that they wrote as well as favorite poems that they selected. I loved seeing somany students sit in front of their peers and share poetry. The end of the day was a special treat when the whole 5th grade came and shared their poetry. For 90 minutes, they shared. Everyone shared one poem and then a line formed for students to read more. We finally had to cut the line off so we could go home! Here are some pictures from our day in the media center and a few video clips. I hope to load a video of the great 5th grade poems tomorrow. What a great way to end National Poetry Month!
Also, check out our very own Ms. Olin, who wrote a poem just for today’s Poem In Your Pocket Day.
Expect the Miraculous 