We just received a new shipment of books in the media center. This was a small shipment, but there’s more to come. Listen to my podcast to hear about some of the titles we received. Just click on the link, scroll down to the bottom of the Barrow Media Center webpage, and click “play” on our Gcast podcast. Enjoy!
Are You Up for the Challenge?
In this week’s purple folders at Barrow, students will receive a sheet for a reading challenge over spring break. We are challenging students, teachers, and even parents to read 300 minutes during spring break. Time starts on Friday March 6 and runs through Sunday March 15. Students, teachers, and parents who bring back completed sheets on March 16th, 17th, or 18th will receive a star on our walk of fame in the media center. The walk of fame is part of this year’s book fair theme, Lights! Camera! Read! Students who complete the challenge will be entered into a drawing to receive a $10 book fair gift certificate. We hope everyone will take the challenge. Let’s see how much we can read over spring break! Don’t forget to stop by and check out some books before the break.
The Graveyard Book
The winner of the 2009 Newbery Award is The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, author of Coraline. After reading Coraline and seeing the stunning movie, I just couldn’t wait to read The Graveyard Book. Luckily, I discovered from a friend that Neil Gaiman has a special treat on his website. He did a book tour a few months ago and read a chapter at each stop on his tour. Visit his website to hear him read The Graveyard Book in its entirety.
Immigration Simulation
The fifth grade teachers led an immigration simulation today in the media center. Students each became an immigrant and journeyed to Ellis Island where they went through a series of stations before being allowed into the country. Participants were very involved with their characters and roles. Watch a short video clip by clicking here.
Immigration Projects
This week 5th grade has been coming to the media center to learn about software called Photo Story. This program lets students create a video that contains photos, text, music, and speech to tell a story. Fifth grade is currently learning about immigration. Each student has developed a story about an immigrant. They are telling the immigrant’s story using Photo Story. On Friday, students will participate in an immigration simulation. The Photo Story projects will also be shared. The Barrow Media Center has been excited to be a part of this great learning opportunity.
A New Blog
The third grade at Barrow is learning about blogging and how to use blogs to promote and review books. Today, I did my first lesson with a third grade class and we wrote a book review together about Sweet Tooth, one of the GA Book Award nominees. We posted this review in our circulation system and it’s not posted on third grade’s book review blog. I invite all of you to check out and subscribe to the new third grade book blog. It will have lots of activity in the coming days and weeks.
Reviews Now Available
We are excited to announce that students can now post reviews of the books that they read by using the review feature in our online catalog. Writing reviews is a great way to practice response to literature writing. It also provides valuable feedback to other students on the books that are in our media center. It will take a long time to build our list of reviews, but if you want to write one, see Mr. Plemmons for more assistance. Classes are currently coming to learn about and practice this feature. If you feel ready to give it a try at home….visit our card catalog.
- Click on David C. Barrow Elementary.
- Login with your username and password.
- Search for a book that you have read.
- Click the reviews tab.
- Click Add Review.
- Give the book a star rating and type your review (or copy and paste from a Word document)
- Click Save
- Now your review is sent to Mr. Plemmons for approval. Once approved it will appear in the card catalog with the book.
A New Obama Book is Here
Many of you have been asking for a book on our new president, Barack Obama. A new book just arrived today, and more will be arriving soon. The book we received today is called Barack Obama Son of Promise, Child of Hope by Nikki Grimes and illustrated by Bryan Collier.
From the cover: “Ever since Barack Obama was young, Hope has lived inside him. From the beaches of Hawaii to the streets of Chicago, from the jungles of Indonesia to the plains of Kenya, he has held on to Hope. Even as a boy, Barack knew he wasn’t quite like anybody else, but through his journeys he found the ability to listen to Hope and become what he was meant to be: a bridge to bring people together. ”
Stop by the media center and check it out today.
Persuasive Podcast
For the inauguration of Barack Obama, our students wrote persuasive letters about books that should be included in the White House library. The winning students had their books purchased and sent to the White House with their persuasive letter. You can listen to the students reading their letters by listening to our Gcast podcast at the bottom of the media center homepage.
Awards! Awards! Awards!
Today was a day full of awards in the world childre’s literature. Take a look at some of the award winners below. We have a few of the titles in our media center and I’m putting others from this list on our next book order.
Newbery Medal
“The Graveyard Book” by Neil Gaiman, HarperCollins Children’s Books
Newbery Honor Books
“The Underneath” by Kathi Appelt, illustrated by David Small, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing
“The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba’s Struggle for Freedom” by Margarita Engle, Henry Holt and Company, LLC
“Savvy” by Ingrid Law, Dial Books for Young Readers, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group in partnership with Walden Media, LLC
“After Tupac and D Foster” by Jacqueline Woodson, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, a division of Penguin Books for Young Readers
Caldecott Medal
“The House in the Night,” illustrated by Beth Krommes and written by Susan Marie Swanson, Houghton Mifflin Co.
Caldecott Honor Books
“A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever” by Marla Frazee, Harcourt, Inc.
“How I Learned Geography” by Uri Shulevitz, Farrar Straus Giroux
“A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams,” illustrated by Melissa Sweet and written by Jen Bryant, Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co
Belpré Author Award
“The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba’s Struggle for Freedom” by Margarita Engle, published by Henry Holt
Belpré Author Honor Books
“Just in Case” by Yuyi Morales, a Neal Porter Book published by Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing Holdings Limited Partnership
“Reaching Out” by Francisco Jiménez, Houghton Mifflin Co.
“The Storyteller’s Candle/La velita de los cuentos” by Lucia Gonzalez, illustrated by Lulu Delacre, Children’s Book Press
Belpré Illustrator Award
“Just in Case” by Yuyi Morales, a Neal Porter Book, published by Roaring Brook, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing Holdings Limited Partnership Press
Belpré Illustrator Honor Books
“Papa and Me” illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez, written by Arthur Dorros, Rayo, and imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
“The Storyteller’s Candle/La velita de los cuentos” illustrated by Lulu Delacre, written by Lucia Gonzalez, Children’s Book Press
Geisel Award
“Are You Ready to Play Outside?” written and illustrated by Mo Willems, Hyperion Books for Children, an imprint of Disney Book Group
Geisel Honor Books
“Chicken Said, ‘Cluck!’” written by Judyann Ackerman Grant, illustrated by Sue Truesdell, HarperCollins Children’s Books, a division of HarperCollins Publishers
“One Boy” written and illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger, a Neal Porter Book published by Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing Holdings Limited Partnership
“Stinky” written and illustrated by Eleanor Davis, The Little Lit Library, a division of RAW Junior, LLC
“Wolfsnail: A Backyard Predator” written by Sarah C. Campbell, photographs by Sarah C. Campbell and Richard P. Campbell, Boyds Mills Press
2009 Coretta Scott King (CSK) Illustrator Book winner: “The Blacker the Berry,” illustrated by Floyd Cooper, written by Joyce Carol Thomas. The book is published by Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
Three 2009 CSK Illustrator Honors:
“We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball” written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson, published by Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children, an imprint of Disney Book Group.
“Before John Was a Jazz Giant” by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Sean Qualls, published by Henry Holt and Company.
“The Moon Over Star” by Dianna Hutts Aston, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney, published by Dial Books for Young Readers, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group.
2009 CSK Author Book winner: “We Are the Ship: The Story of the Negro League Baseball,” written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson, published by Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children, an imprint of Disney Book Group.
Three 2009 CSK Author Book honors:
“The Blacker the Berry” by Joyce Carol Thomas, illustrated by Floyd Cooper, published by Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
“Keeping the Night Watch” by Hope Anita Smith, illustrated by E.B. Lewis, published by Henry Holt and Company.
“Becoming Billie Holiday” by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Floyd Cooper, published by Wordsong, an imprint of Boyds Mills Press, Inc.
2009 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award: Shadra Strickland, illustrator of “Bird,” written by Zetta Elliott, published by Lee & Low Books.
Expect the Miraculous 