Learning Library Manners with the Shelf Elf!

Have you heard about Skoob, the library shelf elf?  My kindergarten students have been learning all about him in the book The Shelf Elf by Jackie Mims Hopkins.  His job is to help our students remember to use their library manners.  With Skoob's help, we've learned how to use shelf markers to keep the library neat and organized.  The book says, "Use a shelf marker, you can't go wrong; put books back where they belong!"  (The children really enjoy the book's rhyming reminders!)  I'm happy to report the students are more and more responsible each time they look for books on the shelves in the library.  Not only is it respectful to the other people who use the library, but they are also helping Skoob win the Golden Shelf Elf Award!

Of course, the children are always curious about him.  He's very shy and only comes out when no people are around.  He's really good at sewing (he used to work in a shoemaker's shop with his cousin, Skeeter), so he made a toy elf for us so we can see what he looks like and how tall he really is. Still, the children always have more questions for Skoob that the book doesn't answer, so we work together to write a letter to him.  (Miss Lambert's class wrote theirs last Wednesday, and Mrs. Smith's class will be writing theirs this week.)  I'm always interested to learn what each class wants to know about him, and I always learn something new when I read his responses!  I'll let you know what he told our students when he writes back!

Doing the "Bookie-Lookie" (part 2)

Last year I wrote about "The Shelf Marker Song" that I shared with my kindergarten classes.  (You can find the post by clicking here.)  I love how enthusiastic the students are when I share it with them, and this year I decided to add some verses to reinforce even more of the good habits I want them to practice! 

THE SHELF MARKER SONG 

Sung to the tune of the "Hokey-Pokey"

First Verse Written by Jackie Mims Hopkins

With Additional Verses by Mrs. Mann!  :)

You put your shelf marker in     (Pretend to put marker on shelf)

You take the book right out      (Pretend to take a book off shelf)

You open it up                         (Put hands together like book covers

To see what it’s about              and then open)

We do the bookie lookie                   (Pretend to turn pages 

To make sure the book’s just right        by the corners)

That’s what it’s all about!                        Clap, clap, clap

You put your book back in      (Replace book using 2 hands)

You take your marker out        (Pretend to remove marker)

You hold it just right                (Pretend to hold marker over tummy)

So the teacher doesn’t shout   (Wag a finger back and forth)

We do the bookie lookie          (Hold hand over eyes like a visor and look

For a book that is just right        back and forth like you’re searching)

That’s what it’s all about!           Clap, clap, clap

You put your book at your seat     (Pretend to put the book down)

You put your marker away         (Point to the teapot where they go)

We sure did have fun              (Point fingers and jiggle at the ceiling

In the library today!           like you're doing the "Hokey Pokey")

We did the bookie lookie and       (Pretend to “hug a book” and

We found a book that's right              twist back and forth)

That’s what it’s all about!                      Clap, clap, clap

 

You do the boooooookie lookie!    (Feet planted, wave arms above head &

You do the boooooookie lookie!      then slight crouch with hands on knees;

You do the boooooookie lookie!       repeat 3x)

That’s what it’s all about!               (Hands still on knees, swing hips)

My kindergarten classes were learning the song this week.  They aren't quite ready for Broadway, but they certainly had a lot of fun! 

First Grade is Fond of Fairy Tales!

To support a similar unit that happens in their classrooms, I've been sharing fairy tales with my first graders.  I'm happy to say that they are really enjoying the stories and have been learning a lot!  This week I read Jack and the Beanstalk and then showed them the five other versions our library owns.  I wasn't too surprised when every single one was signed out!  I also showed the students where the fairy tales live in the library, and lots of other titles were borrowed as well.

Our Fairy Tale Felt Board

In both the classroom and the library, the students have been learning the different elements of fairy tales.  To help them remember what we've discussed I display the "fairy tale felt board".  Each picture on the board represents something that I want the students to know.  If your child is in grade one or higher, see if he or she can explain what each picture refers to.  I'll put the answers below!

One thing I explain to the students is that fairy tales are just one type of folktale.  So everything we learn about folktales is also true of fairy tales! 

PICTURE - EXPLANATION

clock - Folktales are very, very old stories that have been around a very, very long time.
speech bubble - Folktales are passed down as part of an "oral tradition".  In other words, the stories are told over and over again and are passed down from generation to generation.  (They tend to change as they're retold, so we might discover lots of different versions of the same story.)
person - The person has a question mark because we don't know the name of the person who originally invented the story.  That's why the book version will usually say "retold by" the author.
letter "F"- The "F" stands for "fiction".
Earth - Folktales come from all around the world!

Many folktales, and fairy tales especially, also have these traits:
wand - magic!
crown - At least one character is royalty, such as a king, queen, prince or princess.
3 jewels on crown - There are often groups of threes (and sevens).

The first fairy tale we read together was Rumpelstiltskin, which is an excellent example of a classic fairy tale: there's magic (turning straw into gold), royalty (the greedy king), and many groups of three (3 rooms of straw, 3 turns of the spinning wheel each time, and 3 chances to guess his name).

I'm glad the students are enjoying these stories as much as I enjoy sharing them!

The Frog Prince, Sleeping Beauty and Rapunzel: three more classic fairy tales!