A Celebration of Imagination!

PHEW!  Another wonderfully successful book fair week has come to an end.  A HUGE thank you to all the parents who worked so tirelessly to make these wonderful events come alive!!  I saw students' eyes light up when they found the perfect book, friends happily sharing with each other what they discovered, and loads of people enjoying the free ice cream and activities at the Ice Cream Social last night.  (I'll be going through pictures this weekend, so another blog entry all about these festivities will follow!)

Just a few of the students whose writing is displayed on our bulletin board.  You can read some of the contest entries below.  Great work, everyone!

Also exciting was the announcement yesterday morning of the "Reading Oasis" winner!  To promote the book fair and the joys of reading, I challenged our students to describe their own reading oasis.  If you could read anywhere, where would it be?  (Read all about the contest by clicking here.)  Students from all grades participated, and I'm happy to share some of their imaginative creations with you!

*Contest Winner!*  

My Reading Oasis by Halina, grade 4

      My Reading Oasis is in my woods on a floating chair that gently flies down a pretty trail.  You can hear the birds singing, crickets chirping and the wind blowing.  In the spring, you can see flowers blooming and plants sprouting.  You can smell the fresh air.  The trees and leaves shade you from the sun.  You go on in the chair for a while then you gently stop.  In the chair, you go up in a big sunny open spot with a little shade.  You are up as high as the top of the trees.  You can feel the wind blowing and feel the warmth of the sun.  You can still hear the birds singing, crickets chirping and the wind blowing.  You can see the ground underneath you and all the animals with their young ones.  It is a great spot to read.
    When you're ready to move on after reading you will push a button on the arm rest of the chair and the chair will start moving.  The chair will start heading straight toward a tree house at the top of the trees, next to a few bird nests.  The tree house has a few windows and three rooms.  A button on the wall of the tree house removes the roof so that you have sunlight and natural noises.  The first room has four chairs, a table and three book shelves.  In the second room there is a hammock.  The third room is a snack room with a refrigerator, a soda fountain, an ice cream machine and bins of candy on shelves.

My Reading Oasis by Nathan C., grade 4

My reading oasis would be

at the top of a tree

That would be the perfect place for me.

I would hear birds chirping

and hear bugs buzzing.

I would feel wind blowing,

and feel the feeling of that one comfortable branch.

I would smell tree sap

and smell pollen and nectar

dropping from flower to flower.

That would be my reading oasis.

My Reading Oasis by Sadie, grade K

My Reading Oasis by Erikah, grade 3

     My reading oasis is under the sea so it would be quiet and I would be a mermaid.  Also, I love fish so I would be a smart, happy and fun mermaid.  In addition, I would read many interesting fish books.  Next, I hope I'm not shark bait!  Furthermore, under the sea would be calm, peaceful and relaxing.  Lastly, under the sea would be my reading oasis!
     And my reading oasis would be a beautiful place.  Then I could do read-alouds with the little fishies.  I wonder what I will eat down in the ocean.  That is my reading oasis.

My Reading Oasis by Zoe, grade 1

     My reading oasis is Unicorn World.  Unicorn World has lots of rainbows, flowers and of course unicorns, lots of unicorns.  My favorite part of Unicorn World is that it never rains and is always sunny.  The sun shines so much that unicorn world sparkles.
     There are also lots of grand castles where happiness is all around and Unicorn World is very colorful, too.
     This is why I chose Unicorn World as my reading oasis.  

My Reading Oasis by Ella, grade 2

My reading oasis is in an undersea castle.  It would be made out of books.  I would read every day morning to night.  I turn into a mermaid every time I walk into my castle.  My castle is rainbow and there are rainbow whirlpools that spit out books.  I use the ink from my octopus for my writing pens.  My reading glasses are made out of sea glass.  All my fish friends can talk.  They live in my castle.  I would smell the fresh sea and hear the waves crashing.  Come visit me in my oasis!

My Reading Oasis by Rosalie, grade 1

Land and Water

A student about to circle Egypt on the map

All this week I've been telling my students about our "Reading Oasis" contest.  (Scroll down to my last blog entry for all the details, or click here.)  To help the students understand the theme, we spent some time learning what an oasis is and how the theme ties in with Ancient Egypt.  This was especially fitting for my fourth graders who have just started a science unit called "Land and Water"!

In the fourth grade classrooms, the teachers have been encouraging the students to make observations and inferences when looking at a photograph.  This activity really helps them to differentiate between what we see (observable facts) and what we might guess is true.  In library, I introduced the concept of what an oasis is by putting up a photograph and asking the students what they noticed.

The students observed that there were a lot of trees and plants growing around the water, and many buildings could be found right next to it. They inferred that this was because both plants and people need water to survive.

Then I put a satellite photograph of Egypt and the Nile River Valley onto the SmartBoard and invited the students to come up with some observations and inferences.  They worked in small groups at their tables, and many of the students went up to the board to point out details to their peers. (The students were amazed when I zoomed in and they saw that the long, wide "river" was actually vegetation and the water was just a thin ribbon in comparison!)

On Thursday, the fourth graders created their own "rivers"!  These students are allowing a small stream of water to flow across an area of soil before draining out a hole at the opposite end.  This experiment allows them to observe how the water affects the land.  After the entire bottle of water had finished draining away, they noticed that the water:

   * forms a path that bends, depending on obstacles
   * picks up and carries soil as it flows, and
   * sometimes "fans out" as it reaches the end of the land

Is it just me, or does that sound a lot like the Nile and the delta formed by its tributaries?  I love when I can connect my lesson in the library with what's happening in the classroom!  :)

Where's YOUR Reading Oasis?

Just use your imagination and 

share your idea, and YOU 

could be the Ashaway School 

"Float Pharaoh"!

The theme of the upcoming Scholastic Book Fair is “Reading Oasis”.  To promote the book fair and the joys of reading, we are challenging our students to describe their own reading oasis.  If you could read anywhere, where would it be?

All Ashaway School students are invited to write about their own “Reading Oasis”.  It could be a real place or completely fictional.  Be as descriptive as possible.  How would you feel when you’re there?  What would you see?  What might you hear?  What would you smell?  Use sensory details like these to help others imagine the place you’re describing!  Students could also explain why reading is important to them...why would you want to escape to your reading oasis?

One student will be selected from all who contributed to be the “Float Pharaoh” during the upcoming Westerly Columbus Day parade.  Volunteers are hard at work creating this year’s Ashaway School float, which will feature an Ancient Egyptian theme.   

A special seat (throne!) will be reserved for the winner of the “Reading Oasis” contest! 

Entries can be hand-written or typed.  (Younger students can dictate their stories to an older helper!) Illustrations are welcome but not necessary.   Please make sure the student’s name and class are included!

All entries must given to Mrs. Mann by 

Monday, September 30th 

(the first day of the book fair).   

As many as possible will be put on display the evening of our Scholastic Book Fair & Ice Cream Social on October 3rd (5:30-7:30)!  

We hope to see you there! 

Summer Reading SuperSTARS!

W-O-W!  I was completely amazed (and thoroughly delighted!) this week when I asked my fourth graders to raise a hand if they had read any of the "Rooster Books" over the summer.  Hands shot up all over the room!  I ended up with a long list of students who were ready to answer a question and earn a star for our reading poster.  By the end of the day there were 22 stars on the chart, and I hadn't even started signing books out to them yet!

All of these students have already earned at least one star!

The "Rooster Books" are the nominees for the Rhode Island Children's Book Award that I've acquired for Ashaway School.  All of our fourth graders are encouraged to read at least 5 of those books. When they do, they get to sign the poster that reads, "We're Going to the Rooster Games!"  (If you don't know about the Games, click here!)

This year, something happened that has never happened before: a student read enough books over the summer to actually start fourth grade being able to sign the poster!

Nathan read six of the Rooster Books over the summer and is the first to sign the poster!  Congratulations, Nathan!  :)

So Much To Do, So Little Time!

House too quiet?  Lonely without the sound of tramping feet?  Why not spend some time at Ashaway School helping in the library!  Here are just a FEW of the benefits you'll enjoy:

•     FREE parking!
•     FREE volunteer id badge!
•     FREE refreshment from our water bubbler!  (Ooo, so cold!)
•     Studies have shown that parents who volunteer in their children's school libraries are 50% more likely to graduate from an Ivy League school! *

* Studies haven't really shown that parents who volunteer in their children's school libraries are 50% more likely to graduate from an Ivy League school, but who's to say that it isn't true?

 There are LOTS of tasks that need to be done, including: getting new books ready to go on the shelves, repairing "hurt" books, preparing bibliographies and typing lists, signing books in/out, creating book displays, and helping out during library classes.  If you're interested, please send me an email at kmman@chariho.net.
 

Please note that all volunteers now need to have a background check completed every year.  You can find this form online by going to http://www.chariho.k12.ri.us/registration-forms and clicking on "background screening".

Thanks, and I hope to hear from you!  :)

These books have been processed and are ready to go home with students thanks to the time and effort donated by Mrs. Macaruso (pictured above with her daughters)!

Return of the Summer Readers!

The kids loved when the upstairs room was available and they could spread out on the mats!

2013 marks the fourth year of the Summer Read Aloud program!  Once again, thanks to the support of a  Chariho Community Innovative Projects Grant, we were able to purchase multiple copies of the books so the children could follow along with the adult reader.  To ensure the quality and long-term usefulness of the books, the titles were selected from a list of books nominated for the Rhode Island Children’s Book Award (RICBA).  These 20 books are nominated by a committee of educators and librarians based on their appeal and literary value for children. 

That is a LOT of books!

This summer we were especially excited to have enough money to buy multiple copies for the Read Aloud program and two complete sets of all 20 nominees (one each to be used at the Hopkinton and Charlestown Rec programs).  At the conclusion of summer, the books will be distributed to the elementary and middle school libraries which will give our students increased accessibility to the RICBA nominees!

At the beginning of the summer, project coordinator Brenda Medina and her husband, Larry, spent some time with me at Ashaway School to help get the books ready for use.  This year I designed a label to be placed in every book, and the two of them made sure that every book you see in the picture above received one.  I think we were all surprised by how long that one activity took!  (Did I mention that there were a lot of books??)

The label placed inside every book purchased with the grant money

Like last year, I started off the first session by introducing the children to the available books with a short "book talk".  Then each child was allowed to select which reading group to join.  In the past we split them up by grade, but we've decided that it's even better to offer them a choice.  Not only did that increase their excitement, but it also introduced them to titles that they might decide to pick up and read on their own!   All of the kids were invited to participate in our "Summer Reading Reach-Out" program, which allowed them to borrow books to bring home.  (Special thanks to Mrs. Collins, who was willing to take care of the record keeping!)  Many of my students bemoaned the long waiting lists at the public libraries and were really excited to "jump to the front" by borrowing one of the books provided by the grant money at their own HopRec! 

Tessa and Sam, right after finishing The Templeton Twins

To help them along their way to qualifying for the Rooster Games next spring, my group read the RICBA nominee The Templeton Twins Have an Idea.  Tessa and Sam (pictured above) were present for every single one of our reading sessions and will start fourth grade with a star on the "Rooster Games" chart.  As it so happens, they have something in common with the main characters from the book: they are also twins!  

To learn more about the program's background and goals, you can click on the following links:

Summer Reading blog entry - 2011

Summer Reading blog entry - 2012

 

The Rooster Games...continued!

 

Team Light Blue wished that they had had more time to practice and polish their skit for the Creativity Round during the Rooster Games last Wednesday, so one team member (Ella) took it upon herself to write out a script for her team to perform today after lunch!  It was really wonderful to see the motivation and excitement that was demonstrated by the students (with a special guest from Team Yellow).  Now that's what I call enthusiasm!!

All third grade students were given a list of the 2014 nominees for the Rhode Island Children's Book Award so they can start getting ready for next year's Rooster Games...it will be here before you know it!