Massachusetts Children's Book Award Raffle

The excitement builds as we get a little closer to the announcement of the 2014 Winner of the Massachusetts Children's Book Award.  Students have been reading books from the 25 nominated titles and have been completing "Reader Response" sheets for each book that they read in order to earn raffle tickets to win several prizes.  The more you read, the greater your chances of winning!  Prizes include a "Sweet Reads" gift basket, an "Out of this World" gift basket, the 2014 Guinness World Book of Records and TEN drawings to win $10 in Scholastic Dollars to be spent at the Spring Scholastic Book Fair!  Take a look at some of the prizes!

Front view of Sweet Reads Gift Basket

Back View of Sweet Reads Gift Basket

Front View of Out of This World Gift Basket

Back View of Out of This World Gift Baskct

2014 Guinness World Records

Ten Dollars in Scholastic Dollars (10 drawings)

New Suggestion Box

 A new suggestion box has been placed in the library so that students may write down the titles and series they would like to see in the library collection.  So far, I have received over 40 very insightful suggestions that I will certainly consider!  This is a great way for students to voice what they like to read while keeping me informed of their current reading interests!

Sixth Grade December Library Happenings

Sixth graders continued exploring information seeking strategies in order to choose the best, most appropriate information source. They examined several free online reference tools including Information Please and used its online almanac, atlas, dictionary, encyclopedia and thesaurus to answer several questions about the city of Philadelphia.  This lesson was also a great exercise in scanning for information by looking for relevant keywords within the text.

Here are some great FREE online reference tools!

It's a Dewey Decimal December!

This month, third graders were introduced to how nonfiction books are organized.  We read The Library Gingerbread Man by Dotti Enderle to learn about the 10 Dewey classes.  Third graders then created a library gingerbread person to represent one of the Dewey classes.  I was so impressed by how creative they were!

Fourth graders read Do you Know Dewey? by Brian Cleary.  They then began to work on creating a Wordle for a chosen Dewey class.  Students also explored Dewey games and activities on the iPad and viewed a dynamite Dewey Rap!

Click here to listen to the Dewey Rap!

Fifth graders reinforced their knowledge of the Dewey Decimal System with the help of Lemony Snicket and The Series of Unfortunate Events.  The plot in the twelfth book, titled The Penultimate Peril, actually involves a hotel that is organized by the Dewey Decimal System!  We read an excerpt from the book, which sparked much interest in the series.  Students then completed some fun activities involving the alliterative titles in the series while learning more about the Dewey Decimal System.  Needless to say, many books by Lemony Snicket were immediately checked-out! 

November Library Centers

Bookmark Center

 

Cookbook Center

  

Game Center

Great November Read-Alouds

Third graders read Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet; a biography about Tony Sarg, creator of the balloons we look forward to seeing every year at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  This winner of the Sibert Award for nonfiction, has a multitude of cross-curricular connections; including history and STEM connections while highlighting the themes of dedication and perseverance.

Fourth graders read How Many Days to America? A Thanksgiving Story by Eve Bunting.  This, again, connects to their study of immigration.  We discussed the various reasons for immigration and also practiced making inferences throughout the book.  We looked at a map and tried to determine what country the characters in the book were immigrating from based on clues from the text and illustrations.

Fifth graders read Thank You, Sarah:  The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving by Laurie Halse Anderson; a book about Sarah Hale and her relentless battle to get Thanksgiving declared a national holiday.  We discussed the difference between topic and theme and listed common themes we often see in the books we read.  After reading this book, fifth graders all agreed that the prevailing theme was perseverance and standing up for what you believe!

Sixth graders read An Outlaw Thanksgiving by Emily Arnold McCully, a great example of historical fiction about one girl's encounter with Butch Cassidy and his outlaw gang.  We learned about primary information sources and actually examined an old wanted poster of Butch Cassidy!

Third Grade November Library Happenings

This month, third graders learned about biography call numbers and learned how the biography section of the library is organized.  We read several biographies including one about Benjamin Franklin.  Students then wrote down two facts that they learned from the read-aloud.  

Sixth Grade October Library Happenings

This month, sixth graders focused on the first two steps of the Big6 Research Model.  We talked about "task definition" and discussed various ways to narrow a topic.  We practiced using the "encyclopedia method" whereby students utilized an inverted triangle graphic organizer and the Encyclopedia Britannica database to narrow a topic. We also talked about "information seeking strategies" and how some information sources are better than others when solving information problems.  We practiced by playing a Reference Relay game whereby teams of students had to match the best information source to answer various questions. They had a great time while learning all about reference sources of information.

This month, sixth graders also enjoyed reading The Widow's Broom by the Caldecott winning author and illustrator Chris Van Allsburg.  They always enjoy searching for the bull terrier named Fritz hidden in the illustrations of all of his books!

Fifth Grade October Library Happenings

This month, fifth graders utilized the Encyclopedia Britannica database to complete a timeline on an early European explorer of their choice.  They learned what a "citation" is and learned how to retrieve it right from the database!  How easy is that!  Make sure to visit the links tab on the library catalog for links to all statewide databases. Click on the icon below to view one of the many valuable resources offered jointly through the Massachusetts Library System and Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. 

Interactive read-alouds for this month included Miro in the Kingdom of the Sun: an Incan folktale by Jane Kurtz which connects to the fifth grade study of ancient empires.  We also read Heckedy Peg by Audrey Wood.  Students discussed what makes a story a folktale or fairy tale and then identified elements in both books.

Fourth Grade October Library Happenings

Fourth graders discussed the elements of tall tales and read Johnny Appleseed by Steven Kellogg.  This was a great way to kick off our unit on apple pumpkin research.  Students used print and electronic reference sources to learn about these plentiful fall fruits.  To connect to the fourth graders study of immigration, we also read Shy Mama's Halloween by Anne Broyles.

Third Grade October Library Happenings

Third graders have continued to work at centers to learn about the electronic catalog and parts of a book.  This month, we also began to learn about library organization.  We read Alpha Betti by Carlene Morton to learn about how the fiction section of the library is organized.  We also utilized the iPads to play a fun game called Shelver in order to practice putting fiction call numbers in order.

To connect to the third grade study of life cycles, we read Pumpkin Jack by Will Hubbell.

Sixth Grade September Library Happenings

Sixth graders reviewed library routines, rules, and expected behavior by playing our fun "Librarian True or False" game.  We read The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore and discussed how books and stories can help us work through problems.  We also made text-to-text connections with the story and discussed the meaning of the word "allegory."  Most recently, we reviewed the steps in the Big6 Research Process and sang a fun song to help us remember the steps. We talked about "getting lost in hyperlink land" and how important it is to have a plan in place when conducting research!

Watch the Academy Award Winning animated video of The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore!

Fifth Grade September Library Happenings

Fifth graders have reviewed library routines, policies, and expected behavior with our much anticipated "Librarian True or False" Game. We discussed the life-changing role libraries and books have played in people's lives by reading Ron's Big Mission; a very touching story about Ron McNair, one of the astronauts on the space shuttle Challenger.  We also discussed the meaning of the old proverb "Give a man a fish, he eats for a day, teach a man to fish he eats for a lifetime" and how important it is to learn "how to learn"! To reinforce this message, we read Our Librarian Won't Tell Us Anything; a story about a librarian who teaches her students "how to find answers" instead of just giving them the answers.

Fourth Grade September Library Happenings

Fourth graders have been busy reviewing library etiquette and routines.  We also read the following books to highlight the role of libraries and the importance of reading.  They were especially intrigued by The Boy Who Was Raised by Librarians by Carla Morris.  In order to reinforce the idea that there is a book for everyone, we read Miss Malarkey Leaves No Reader Behind.  We also practiced making inferences by reading The Wednesday Surprise by Eve Bunting; one of my all time favorite books about a little girl named Anna who teaches her grandma to read.

Choosing Just Right Books

Third graders recently learned how to choose "just right books" with these great read-alouds!  We read Goldie Socks and the Three Libearians and practiced the "five finger rule."  We also talked about interest and purpose when choosing books and demonstrated how to find a "good fit" book by comparing it to buying shoes!  We then read Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts!

 

Third Grade September Library Happenings

This month, students in third grade have been busy learning about library etiquette and choosing just right books. We enjoyed a fun read-aloud about book care guidelines titled "Never Let a Ghost Borrow Your Library Book". Some students designed their own "Library Secret Service" glasses depicting a book care rule.

Keep books in a special place like on a book shelf!

Don't fold the pages!  Use a bookmark!

Be careful not to leave your book outside in the rain!

Don't let little brothers or sisters eat your book!

Don't let your dog eat your book!

Welcome Back Howe-Manning Huskies!

Welcome back staff and students! So far this school year, we have checked-out an incredible 1,317 books! Yowza! The library is definitely operating at full swing! I am very much looking forward to my second year working at the Howe-Manning. We have some great events planned for the school year. To name a few, we have the MCBA Program and Raffle for students in grades 4-6, the Great Howe-Manning Book Swap, the Scholastic Book Fair, and fieldtrips to the Flint Public Library. Make sure to visit this blog to get details on all that is going on at the library!

6th Grade Summer Reading List

Below is the summer reading list along with instructions for Howe-Manning students entering 6th grade:

6th Gr Instructions by hmlibrary

6th Gr Projects by hmlibrary

6th Gr Summer Reading by hmlibrary

5th Grade Summer Reading List

Below is the summer reading list along with instructions for Howe-Manning students entering fifth grade:

5th Gr Summer Reading by hmlibrary

Howe-Manning Students Visit the Flint!

Throughout the month of June, Howe-Manning students in Grades 3-5 took a walk over to the Flint Public Library.  Once there, students got a tour of the children's room, learned about the summer reading program, and had the opportunity to check-out books.  A great big thank you to Melissa Gaspar (Director), Lisa Rundquist (Children's Librarian) and Miss Elizabeth, Miss Darcy, and Mr. Justin who juggled their busy schedules and even opened early on several occasions to accommodate our visits! Also, many thanks to our parent chaperones! The children had a great time!