LOL Librarian

Short Video - Knee to Knee in Action Having students share predictions during knee to knee is a great way to differentiate in the classroom and it helps teachers to quickly assess who is on track and who needs support. Check out this short and sweet video of these clever predictions by a Grade 1 class. Short and Sweet - Shortcuts! Students love shortcuts, especially when they are legitimate, they see them as a secret way to do things. This week for students who are practicing research skills I will focus on the ctrl or cmd F. Find is a super shortcut since it helps ESL, or any earlier reader, to find words in challenge text on a web page. For example if a student wants to inquire into 'What do red pandas eat?' they can search for the word food or eat to help find their answer.  Short list  Students also discovered that our library catalogue Destiny Quest can help them find relevant websites. Instead of 'googling' kangaroos and getting millions of sites, they can us

I'd give this week a thumbs up too. This week was all about talking. Across the grade levels, students worked on sharing what they know about books. Talking about books happens all around the school and in many different ways. In the library, younger elementary students sit 'knee-to-knee' to discuss question I ask during a read aloud and then they have to decide how to take turns sharing. The Danish folk tale 'Fat Cat' was a great way to have the students interact and read by chiming in to repetitive text. They thoroughly enjoyed their knee-to-knee chats and deciding what crazy thing the cat would eat next, and some students thought it would be a dog and others the entire universe. Chatting about prediction helps support our ESL students since other students help them out. With the older students I have the joy of sitting in on a couple of literature circles. They enjoy this time to take charge in discussions as a director or a story mapper and so on. Students are

Dots, dots, dots were spotted everywhere along the halls on Friday and students made their mark both with their fashion and on paper.  International Dot Day  is about a combination of students making their own mark in the world and sharing it with others, creation and connection. Written by Peter H. Reynolds 'The Dot' is a teacher favourite since his message rings clear and true, every person has the ability to be creative and to share their ideas. Confidence is key! The story 'The Dot' is a great resource in teaching students to identify the main idea or the author's message. This is a challenging analytical skill for children but Reynolds makes it clear through pictures and words. With international day swiftly approaching students were asked to create dots that were about themselves, to put themselves on a dot. The result will be one massive community dot that will be displayed for International Day, check out how our students have been creative and shared. Speak

Hand, Hand, Finger, Thumb by Dr. Seuss Children love rhymes, chanting and hearing their own voices. Predictable texts give them a chance to use their voice while enjoying being able to 'read'.  This 'magical memory reading' helps children develop a love of literature since they re-read vibrant quality literature again and again. Re-reading the same story helps our young readers to understand the structure of stories and they will bring stories to life, you often see children acting out them out. I will be reading some of these with the younger students and be encouraging them to take them home. Along a similar line of the power of predictability is the power of familiarity. Students who are new to independent reading love to consumer different series of books. Mystery is a great genre to read in a series. The young reader is familiar with the characters and settings and enjoy trying to problem solve and then move onto the next installment. Even as adults many of us en

What a week in the library! It flew by in a flurry of books and smiling new faces. We had good discussions about 'Sharing is Caring' when it comes to books and reminders to check under beds and in wardrobes for summer titles that haven't come back to the library. Eager hands reached for summer popular favourites such as the latest installment of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, but students were open-minded and willing to try something new. I'm a big believer in the power and the joy of reading nonfiction . And I'm going to encourage students to inquire into a variety of genres over the next month. When I was reading the paper on Saturday I stumbled across an inspirational article in the BBC news about ' Reading the World in 196 books '. The author Amy Morgan decided to read something from every country in 365 days. And it go me thinking, can this a happen in our school? Reading for pleasure is very important and exposure to a variety of texts helps develop comprehensi