April is a big month in the library! During the month of April, classes are delighted with read-alouds from favorite children’s poets including Shel Silverstein, Jack Prelutsky, Alan Katz, Doug Florian and Robert Frost. We also celebrate National Library Week which takes place during April 10-16.
In honor of this week, K-1 students have begun a “book bracket challenge” with Ms. Maria Alegre! Similar to the sports brackets during March Madness, children are asked to close their eyes and vote on their favorite books in the library. The winner of the favorite Kindergarten book and the favorite First Grade book will be announced in May.
Second and Third grade students celebrated the 100th (!) birthday of beloved children’s book author, Beverly Cleary. Ms. Cleary is the author of famed novels including Ramona, Mouse and the Motorcycle, Henry Huggins and many more. She is also the creator of DEAR time, a time used in schools across the world where students (D)rop (E)verything (A)nd (R)ead! Students in grades 2-3 are also learning about the origins and history of libraries including how membership was limited to elite citizens only. Students are also learning information about illuminated texts created by the clergy, complimenting a project the third students will be working on in the following weeks.
While first graders learn to identify different call numbers (Picture Books, Biography, Non-Fiction), the third graders are using their iPads to explore the online library catalog with searches for specific authors, titles and keywords.
