December News
Happy December Everyone!
I want to thank the Pine Hill Community for the wonderful response to the Library Book Fair last week. We have added over 200 new books to our collection and the enthusiastic response from the students is contagious! I’d like to especially thank the CSA’s Megan Hall and Anne Hovey for leading the effort this year. Please feel free to stop in and take a look at some of the new selections, if there are any still available!
This month’s focus in library class, in addition to sharing great books, has been research skills. In 4th and 5th grade we have been talking about being responsible with the information we use from books, the internet and other electronic resources. We talked about the importance of citing our sources even when we aren’t asked to do this. I also showed the class some tools they can use to keep track of their sources. Ms. Willis has also done this in Computer class. We spent some time looking at the “Pine Hill Read This” blog and I am encouraging students to take a few minutes to write a book review about a good book that they’ve read. There is a link to the blog on this site with complete instructions and information.
Third grade has looked at atlases and a beginning encyclopedia and will explore more encyclopedias and dictionaries and thesauruses over the next few weeks. As we look at each of these resources, we have been discussing the type of information that can be found in each. We will also be reading tall tales that connect to their study of the United States.
Second grade has continued to focus on using the electronic library catalog to find books they want to read. They are fast learners and so willing to help each other that they are making this process look easy. Our next step is to talk about how to find the books they want on the library shelves.
Next month the first graders will research a woodland mammal and create a slide to present their information. In library class they were introduced to a simple research process called The Super 3 in which students follow 3 main steps as they conduct their research – Plan, Do, and Review. We are all looking forward to this collaborative effort between the first grade teachers, Ms. Willis and me.
Finally, the kindergarten continues to work on literature appreciation. Distinguishing between fiction and non-fiction is part of the regular discussion. This month we read a couple of different versions of “The Three Little Pigs” and compared them. Our next step is to read a non-fiction book about pigs and list facts that we learn about pigs. Coming from a background as a fifth grade teacher, I was taken by surprise at just how smart kindergarteners are. The connections and ideas that they have about what we are doing amaze me!
As always, thank you to our highly supportive group of volunteers who help make the library program what it is! Please feel free to contact me via email, ryanl@doversherborn.org, or phone 508.528.6362 with questions and comments.
