In Mrs. Jaffe’s class, students are selecting sci-fi and fantasy books for their book report. I’ve uploaded the PDF of a list of books that I put together to suggest to students. The list contains a brief summary of what the books is about.

Sci-Fi:Fantasy Resource List PDF

This week the library got more than forty new books! We have new books about space, new science books, new biographies, and new fiction including the newest Big Nate book and The One an Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, which won the 2013 Newbery Award!

This week I introduced fifth graders to a variety of online resources that will help them find information for their expository writing project. I’ve uploaded the slides containing the links here in both a Power Point and PDF format.

Expository Writing PDF

Expository Writing Power Point

On Friday I tallied up all the Fox Hill votes for the MCBA book award. The winner for Massachusetts will be announced April 1st, but here are the top three books as voted by the Fox Hill Students.

Number one (by a landslide) was Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea.

 

Number two was The Candymakes by Wendy Mass.

 

Number three was My Life as a Book by Janet Tashjian and illustrated by Jake Tashjian.

Remember, these are just the top three books for Fox Hill, and not the MCBA winner. We’ll have to wait until April 1st to find out what book students across Massachusetts voted number one!

MCBA voting is this week for 4th and 5th grade. I have ballots on my desk. Please remember that you must have been maintaining your check list in your class folder and you must have read 5 MCBA books to get a ballot to vote!

Today we learned all about the elements of fiction and wrote about our favorite fictional characters. Here is the slide show to review. I’ve posted two versions – the Power Point slides and also a PDF.

 

Power Point Slides - Webb 2nd grade

PDF - Webb 2nd grade

This weekend I attended the MSLA conference in Sturbridge. MSLA stands for the Massachusetts School Library Association. This year, the keynote speaker was Jack Gantos, author of such books as Rotten Ralph, the Joey Pigza series, and the Newbury Award winning Dead End in Norvelt. Here are some highlights from the conference!

Here I am talking with Jack Gantos. He’s signing a book for Fox Hill!

Here is my friend Mrs. D’Elia talking to Jack Gantos. If you don’t know Mrs. D’Elia, she’s the librarian at Pine Glen!

Look for our signed copy of I Am Not Joey Pigza at the library!

Here’s a funny doodle that Jack Gantos made when he was in elementary or middle school. He showed this during his keynote speech and spoke about how he used his interesting and unique friends from his neighborhood as inspiration for the characters in his books.

I was able to get the new Grace Lin book, Dumpling Days, for the library. Not only that, I was lucky enough to meet Grace and she was kind enough to sign a book for us!

I was also fortunate enough to meet author Heidi E.Y. Stemple. She just collaborated with Jane Yolen and illustrator Rebecca Guay on a new book called Bad Girls – Sirens, Jezebels, Murderesses, Thieves, and Other Female Villains. The title pretty much says it all and this will make a great addition to our library, especially for Women’s History Month!

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! Next week we have February vacation, so be sure to stop in to get a great book before the break. It’s the perfect time to tackle that longer book that you’ve always found interesting, but haven’t had the time to read. We’ve also got lots of great arts and crafts books and drawing and painting books. They’ll help you get inspired and creative during the week off. Whether you’re traveling for a vacation or just staying home and taking it easy, I wish everyone a safe and fun February vacation!

I’d also like to give a huge thank you to the 4th graders who helped cut out hearts and decorate my door and windows. You’re awesome!

On April 6th, the Fox Hill PTO will be having their annual Spring Fling auction. This was great fun last year and I’m looking forward to attending again this year. It’s a great time and for a good cause, so please do try to attend! All the money raised from the acution will benefit the Fox Hill playground. Please check out the PTO site for more information and how to purchase a ticket for the event.

http://www.foxhillpto.org/2013-spring-fling-auction/

February is Black History Month and in the library we’ll be learning all about important African American and world leaders, activists, inventors, and voices for rights and change. Check out our display of books and we’ll also be learning from great resources such as our friends at BrainPop and Discovery Education! Thanks to the third graders for helping me get our posters for Black History Month hung up in the library windows!