Top 20 of 2019

In a Facebook librarian group I follow, someone posted their top 20 for the year and it got me thinking.  As I scrolled through the replies I thought for sure my list would be all Minecraft, Dogman, and Amulet. Much to my surprise, other books made the list! I think the difference is in requested books versus checked out books. Certain books circulate much faster (Ninjago with the kinders) than others (Minecraft handbooks with the 3rd graders, for example).

Lindsey Stoddard

We were so lucky to have author Lindsey Stoddard visit DBS yesterday!  She is the author of Just Like Jackie (a Dorothy Canfield Fisher book award nominee) and Right as Rain, both excellent YA novels based (in whole or in part) in Vermont. Lindsey spoke with 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. She told them how she finds inspiration, how she has fed and watered "seeds" from her past that then grew into novels, and how they should look to their own experiences for inspiration as well.  We even got a sneak peek at her newest book, coming out this summer. The kids were super excited. They had great questions and I now have a long reserve list for her books in the library. :) 

Thank you Lindsey for signing everything they threw at you and inspiring our budding authors!

Battle of the Books

This year's Battle of the Books is in full swing! Once again I'm doing brackets on the bulletin board.

5th grade

4th grade

The first round is to make a digital poster for your book.  Students used the website PosterMyWall.com to create posters that represented their books in tone and style. This week the students will vote on their favorites from each bracket set and we'll see who moves on to round two - book trailers!

VermontFest 2019

I had the great opportunity to attend Vita-Learn's VermontFest once again this year, thanks to a scholarship from VLSA!  VermontFest is a fantastic tech-ed conference held at the Killington Grand Resort each fall.  There are vendors and presenters from all over New England and I always leave with new ideas and inspiration.

This year's conference had two amazing keynote speakers: Dr. Nathan Lang-Raad and Dan Ryder.  Dr. Lang-Raad has an extensive list of accomplishments for a guy who looks way too young to have such a long list!  According to the Vita-Learn website, Dr. Lang-Raad is an "Author, Google Certified Educator, Microsoft Innovative Educator, 2016 Apple Teacher, Solution Tree Consultant, Chief Education Officer at WeVideo." He led sessions on instructional coaching and using WeVideo in the classroom, as well as delivered the keynote speech on the first day. He is relatively new to the New England area and has a brown bear story that will leave you in tears!

Dan Ryder, the keynote speaker for Day 2, is a "Success & Innovation Center Education Director
idea wrangler, design thinker, improviser,  author, and award winning educator
Apple Distinguished educator, NEA Foundation’s 2018 Horace Mann Award for Teaching Excellence, and Co-founder of education consultancy, Wicked Decent Learning."  He led sessions on design thinking and critical creativity.  We had fun using Play-Doh, Legos, action figures, and other manipulatives to explore ways we can help bring creativity and whimsy into the classroom. I walked away from his Design Thinking session with a clear plan for handling one of my trickier classes!  Dan's keynote had us all thinking about ways we can implement change within our own environments using creativity and fun.

While there I also got some podcasting questions answered during Joe Bertelloni's podcasting session, learned about new AR opportunities from Maureen Yoder and someone from CoSpaces. I ended Day 2 with Kelly McGee and Linda Mullin, both from Rutland Town School, talking about incorporating STEAM in the library (McGee) and using PLPs in kindergarten (Mullin).  I got to use a 3D pen to make a cool snowflake, learned that I'm not persistent enough finish a Breakout box, and had my mind blown by the success Mullin is having getting her kinders using PLPs. I'm eager to talk to my kinder teachers about and share some of Mullin's tips and templates.

Modeling creative solutions to tricky problems.

Representing books with Legos!  Can you guess what my book is?  (Creepy Carrots, by Aaron Reynolds and Peter Brown)

Making 3D snowflakes to tie-in with the book Snowflake Bentley, by Jacqueline Briggs Martin and Mary Azarian.

Once again I had an enjoyable and educational two days at VT Fest!  I'm already looking forward to going back again next year!

Fun with paper circuits.. or in this case ribbon circuits!

Book fair time!

Another book fair has come and gone.  As usual, the kids were thrilled, the fair did well, and I am exhausted! This year we had a different schedule and a special visitor. 

Parent conferences this year were on Monday and Tuesday, so I ran the book fair Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of one week, then Monday and Tuesday of the following, moving the fair down the lobby for parent conferences again.  It was a mental challenge to keep the schedule straight in my head and, based on the number of questions I got, in the heads of everyone else as well.  But we did it! 

We also had a visit from Clifford the Big Red Dog on the day before the fair. He joined a guest reader (Mrs. Giroux or Mr. D) and read stories to prek, kindergarten, and 1st grade.  Clifford was also kind enough to visiting the older kids upstairs for lots of hugs and smiles.

Now it's time to spend those Scholastic dollars!  

Banned Books Week

Each fall Banned Books Week rolls around and I never feel quite prepared for it.  This year will be different.  I've spent all weekend putting together a display and activities and, most importantly, words to have the discussion.

According to the American Library Association,

"Banned Books Week (September 22-28, 2019) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Typically held during the last week of September, it spotlights current and historical attempts to censor books in libraries and schools. It brings together the entire book community — librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types — in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular."

Every year books are challenged on the basis of gender, sex, language, racism, witchcraft, and many other topics. Libraries have a formal process for reviewing a book challenge and the American Library Association tries to document these events. Each year they publish lists of the most challenged and banned books and celebrate Banned Books Week in order to draw attention to the dangers of censorship. Libraries around the world participate in events and activities to bring awareness to these issues.


A challenge occurs when a person or organization attempts to remove or restrict materials or services based on content.  A ban occurs when the outcome of the challenge process results in the removal of the challenged materials or cancellation of the challenged services, based on their content.

For more information, visit the ALA's Banned & Challenged Books website and the Banned Books Week website.

Little Free Library

Guess what?!  I got a Little Free Library for DBS!  :)  I'm super excited.  I've wanted one for awhile and last spring I asked Mr. D if we could put one in front of school.  He loved the idea.  I was hoping to find a boy scout or someone to do it for free, but ended up asking an awesome DBS family who likes doing family projects.  They had a few kids graduate DBS and were excited to make a lasting project for the school.  I was thrilled!  I gave them free range on design and they ran with it.  The week before school started they were ready to install.

I love this family!  They are such an amazing asset to the community.

They even brought some books to get it started!

It has solar powered lights running along the inside of the roof. A very classy touch.

There is a website called LittleFreeLibrary.org that started the movement (as best I know) and maintains a map of locations. I went to registered our new addition and discovered that it's a trademarked name!  Of course! In order to use the name (which we obviously and clearly did!) and be listed on the map you have to pay a small fee and get a plaque.  Guess what I did ASAP?! :)  The plaque should be arriving in the mail any day now. 

During the first week of school I was talking to each of the classes about it and I was thrilled that so many kids had already found it and started getting books.  I love the expressions when I tell them that although it's called a "library" they can actually KEEP the books if they want to!  And add some of their own that they are done with.  The kids love it!  I'll check on it regularly and keep it stocked with books as well, just in case kiddos take books faster than they leave them. 
 

Seesaw

Dothan Brook School will be implementing the Seesaw platform in most grades next school year.  This is an amazing tool for students to take ownership of their learning, have access to authentic audiences, and better connect with families.  Last year we used it with 2nd and 3rd graders and they loved it. Students, teachers, and parents alike!

I spent this week taking the Seesaw Ambassador training so I can utilize the program in the library and support teachers throughout the building. I'm looking forward to sharing what I've learned and helping students share their learning as well.

Check out the following video for more information about Seesaw.

Three Little Pigs and First Grade

For the past few weeks in library, first graders have been studying different versions of The Three Little Pigs fairy tale.  We talked about when it was first written and how the variety of versions are similar and different.  The story was first written in the late 1800's by  James Halliwell-Phillipps, with a more popular version written several years later by Joseph Jacobs, crediting Halliwell-Phillipps.

After reading several versions of the story and retelling it, we started making our own stop motion version of the fairy tale.

Next week we'll finish the video and students will have a chance to make their own stop motion fairy tales.  I can't wait to see what they come up with!

Book Awards and Celebrations

The Red Clover and Dorothy Canfield Fisher book awards have been decided for the 2018/19 school year.

Students at DBS were on the mark with both awards!  For the Red Clover book award, The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors, by Drew Daywalt, won the vote at DBS and went on to win the state-wide vote as well.

This funny book explains the back story of these three great warriors and without fail every child starts playing the game as soon as the book is over.

The older kids were busy reading Dorothy Canfield Fisher book award nominees all year and when they got the chance to vote the results were a tie: Refugee and Ban This Book, both written by Alan Gratz!  When the votes were tallied across the state, Refugee took the win.

Refugee is a powerful story of three separate children, in three separate periods of time, escaping their dangerous homelands and seeking refuge in a safer place.

Sadly we can't go to the award ceremony this year, but I hosted a little celebration in the library for those who read and voted in the Dorothy Canfield Fisher award.  We had brownies, ice cream, and a fun Skype session with Terry Lynn Johnson, author of Falcon Wild!  She talked about falconing, mushing (dog sleds!), and her new book.  The kids had lots of great questions for her.

The 2019/20 list is out for both awards and the books are in.  I'm looking forward to sharing them with students next fall.

Shelf markers

This week kindergartners have been learning a "big kid skill" and loving it!  Earlier in the year they each decorated a paint stick in art class, then I added bar codes and called them shelf markers.  This week the kiddos learned how to use them. They were very responsible with them.

Dorothy's List on NPR

Did you know that NPR has a podcast series for kids called Dorothy's List?  Once a month they focus on one of the book from the Dorothy Canfield Fisher book award list.  They visit children in school to find out what they think of the book, what projects they're doing related to the book, and what questions they might have for the author. Then they ask the author!  This is a great introduction to the books and an engaging podcast series for kids and adults alike.  Check it out on NPR!

More real-world STEM

These kiddos finished two bookshelves and a book display!  Now they are moving on to an even trickier project -- creating shelves without instructions.  I love their enthusiasm!

Library / Spanish Collaboration

One of the Red Clover books this year has several Spanish words, so the Spanish teacher and I are taking advantage of that for a few collaborative lessons!  With second grade several weeks ago, and again this week with third (3U) we were able to co-teach the class. We met in the library with the kids in their spots. We started with the regular Spanish greeting, then I read The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet! while she wrote down the Spanish words on the board as we read.  We took breaks to discuss the words and add additional words based on the illustrations.  The kids pointed out things they already knew, in Spanish, from the book's illustrations.  It was a really engaging class.  I'm looking forward to finding more opportunities for collaboration.

Practical Learning

I used my Scholastic Book Fair dollars to get some new shelving units for the library.  They've been sitting around, unbuilt, for awhile now, so this week I decided to have my 5th grade STEM class put them together.  What a great decision!!  The kids are having a great time and I am amazed with the collaboration I'm seeing.  Talk about real life skills!  They self-selected groups and are working remarkably well together.  Today I heard one kid explaining a cam screw to another, who listened attentively then replied with, "Wow, cool." They are following directions, some of which are minimal at best and one set is written in Portuguese!  Fortunately it's also illustrated.  The kids have come across some problems, they've had to redo parts, and one group even had to take it all apart and start from scratch.  I've heard some frustrations, but no one has quit.  One girl, upon finding out they had to go backwards several steps, again, said, "I'M NOT DOING THIS AGAIN. I'M DONE!" but even as she was saying it, she started undoing her work and she proceeded to work with the rest of her group to fix the problem and carry on.  I didn't even have to intervene.  At the end of each class I ask if I should finish it for them or if they want to keep working on it, and I always get a resounding "We want to do it!"  So we tuck things out of the way and leave it until they come back again for their next STEM class.  I'm in no hurry to get them done.  In fact, with the effort I'm seeing from these kiddos, I'm tempted to buy more furniture!!  :)