Monthly Archives: March 2009

Mar
31
2009

Thanks!

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Just back from vacation and I’ve had slews of kids come up to me and tell me not just where they went and what they did for spring break but also what they read. Nothing does a librarian’s heart better than hearing about how much a student loved a new book they discovered or an old favorite they returned to. My own daughter and I checked out the BFG by Roald Dahl and it’s one of our favorites now. Next up: Matilda (also by Dahl).

It’s a pleasure to know that library time at LREI is valued by the kids and that enthusiasm surely comes from home, where kids seem to have learned the importance of taking your imagination out for a spin with a good book.

So, thanks for loving reading, thanks for reading to your kids and thanks for sending their enjoyment of it in with them every day.

Mar
09
2009

4th Grade Angel Island Experiment

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Angel IslandAs part of the Fourth Grade immigration study, we read the book
The Dragon’s Child

, by Laurence and Kathleen Yep during the past few weeks in library. The students noticed the differences between the journey through Ellis Island and Angel Island. They were amazed that American citizens who were of Chinese ethnicity had to face questioning each and every time that they came into the country.

In an effort to have the children feel what it is like to be questioned, I took some of the actual tasks of people facing immigration through Angel Island, and administered them to the Fourth Grade.

The were first asked to draw a map of their block. Then they had to label all of the buildings/apartments/stores and list who lived inside, as well as the tenent’s jobs and whether or not they were pet owners. Next they had to list all family members going back three generations and provide birth, death, and marriage dates for all where applicable. Then they were asked to arrange all of the living relatives into households, and describe where they live…including the number of windows and exits in each dwelling.

The students reactions? They were stressed. They felt like they don’t know much about their neighborhoods. “We don’t know what we should know….this doesn’t feel good.”

I think the students were left with a lasting impression. They were asked to go home and talk to their grown-ups about the test. Think about it. Could you pass?

Mar
03
2009

Summer Reading Lists

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It’s not even quite spring yet, but your librarians are hard at work on summer reading lists for your children, which should be available at the Spring Book Fair.  The reading lists will include picture books, chapter books (for sharing and, for older students, independent reading) and books for emerging readers.  Here’s a short preview.

Hen Hears Gossip (picture book) by Megan McDonald and Joung Un Kim
Hen thinks she’s got the latest farm gossip, but as the story travels from animal to animal, no one can seem to keep it straight.

The Tale of Despereaux (chapter book) by Kate DiCamillo
An unusual mouse finds his own destiny amidst princesses, magic and treachery.  You may have enjoyed the movie, but the book has even more to offer.

Hi! Fly Guy (for emerging readers) by Tedd Arnold
Can a fly be a pet?  The Fly Guy has the surprising answer.

That’s just the barest taste of what the lists have in store.  Be on the lookout!