LMC in December

A lot happens in a school during the month of December.  Choir rehearsals, decorating, special activities, and dress up days are just a few.  Not to be outdone, the LMC is having a reading challenge this month.  I call it the Charity Challenge.

For each book a student reads, he or she can fill out a blank ornament (available at the LMC desk).  When they turn that ornament in, we will place it on our wall, and 25 cents will be donated to the Heifer International charity  (http://www.heifer.org).   With that money, we will -- hopefully -- be able to help a needy family become self-sustaining.

This challenge is based on the book Beatrice's Goat, which tells the story of how receiving one goat helped a family in Uganda afford to send their child to school.  Depending on how much reading the students are willing to do, maybe we can help Heifer International afford another goat.  The final count of ornaments will happen on Jan. 7.  Keep reading!

Ahhh, November...

It's snowing as I write this today.  It's a little early for snow here in Wisconsin, but the dreariness sort of suits the mood here at school.  We are deep into WKCE testing right now.  Stress is the word of the day, especially for any students who struggles with reading or processing.  So, what am I going to do to try and help lift the mood of the students and teachers?  I have new books to introduce!

It's amazing how excited kids still get when I have new books for them to look at.  Even in this technological age, many of the kids still love to hold a new book in their hands and page through it.  Part of it, I suppose, is sharing my excitement over the new titles.  We do the new book boogie walk over to the carts; then, I do a quick little booktalk for a few of the titles.  After that, the kids are free to browse through as they wish.  I wonder how I will promote new titles when I start adding ebooks??

Independent Reading Programs Starting in October

     I have been working with the classroom teachers to revamp and unify the independent reading programs for each grade.  We started by reviewing our goals.  What did we want this activity to accomplish?  We want kids to choose to read, to read for pleasure as well as for knowledge, and to find materials that they will finish.  It became clear that some of our previous practices, such as having parents sign off on the number of minutes read each day, weren't really accomplishing this, so we came up with new ideas.
     The fourth grade will have a different focus each trimester, so we can introduce them to as many genres, authors, and series as possible.  The fifth grade will emphasize setting goals and reading at least one book a month that covers a topic that matches what is being discussed in science or social studies.  Both grades will track the reading they are doing and will have opportunities each week to share their reading.  Some small prizes may be awarded, as well.
     A letter should be coming out from the classroom teachers with more details.  Both approaches are designed to allow students at different levels to reach their potential and still be part of the program.  I will also be celebrating some of our readers in the LMC with pictures and posters of books they recommend.  At home, we ask that time is provided for reading and talking about what is being read.  There is simply no better way to build interest and motivation than to share what we are reading, and we want to build that culture of reading in our school and at home.  I hope you will join us on our new reading adventures!

Welcome Back!

Welcome back to all students, staff and families!  Here at the Meadowview Intermediate Library Media Center (LMC), we are excited to start our new school year.   Mrs. Teresa Anderson has joined us as the new LMC secretary; she will be working here most mornings. 

We have a few other changes that will be happening as the year goes on.  iPad access to the catalog and eBooks are two of the biggest changes.  Students will learn that there is, indeed, an app for that!  We will also be working hard to gear instruction to the classroom curriculum.  Our goal is to help students make those connections between what goes on in the classroom and the outside world.   We will also be adding internet etiquette and safety lessons to the LMC skills classes.  We want our students to be safe, secure, and savvy online, so we will try to give them some tools for achieving that goal.

Finally, both Mrs. Anderson and I will be working on being more involved with students' independent reading.  We have already been discussing some ideas for how to provide our students with more opportunities to share what they read and to build reading motivation.

It will be a busy and productive year.  We look forward to working with all the students and staff here ate Meadowview Intermediate.  If you are ever in the building, feel free to stop in and visit.  We would love to see you!

Beginning of the End...

I cannot believe how time has flown!  It seems like we were at the semester break just a few days ago, but it is now almost May.  Time to begin thinking about the end of the school year.  Here are just a few announcements and reminders to get started.

• There will be a Buy One, Get One book fair in the LMC the week of May 14.  Notices will be sent home next week.  The LMC doesn't make any money off this fair, but it is a small way to thank those who have supported us during the year.
• Fifth graders have started their final research projects for LMC.  They will be in the notetaking phase soon...and that means they might have some homework from me!
• Fourth graders will be starting their final work with a Wisconsin-centered trivia search in the reference section.  They will have to sharpen their dictionary and encyclopedia skills to do well with this.
• All LMC materials are due back by May 15.  After that, students can take discarded books home to read.

That's enough to get started.  Hope the end of the year goes smoothly.

When the Students are Away...

So, just what do teachers do when they are in school, but the students have the day off?  Well, in our district, the teachers go to school!  So far today, we have learned about the effects of poverty and homelessness on our students and the upcoming referendum.  Now, we have broken into smaller groups for additional lessons.  The 4th and 5th grade teachers are in a workshop about setting up and using Wikis with our classes.  This should be interesting and kind of fun.  I have worked on a wiki before, but I have not set one up, so I am hoping to learn a lot.  One thing is certain -- I will share what I learn with the students.  Hope all the kids are enjoying their long weekend and staying warm!