Grandparents and Specials Friends Enjoy time in the Story Room

There is always so much excitement on Grandparent's Day. There is  mutual excitement between students, grandparents and special friends. Faculty and staff are also excited and a little nervous because we all want it to be an amazing day. 
Pre K, and two of my second grade classes spent time in the Story Room on Grandparents Day. It was great to see and hear the adults reflect on their school experiences and compare their experience to the amazing opportunities presented to students here at Wheeler. 
My Pre K group shared a story and craft with their grandparents. It was great to see the grandparents jump right into the fun of listening and creating. 

My second grade classes have been working on writing and illustrating their own fables. They shared their fables with their grandparents and or special friend. 

Battle of the Books

On Thursday evening, April 28, 2018, 4th graders from Wheeler and Hamilton, Lincoln, Gordon, and St. Michael's all gathered to participate in the 29th Battle of the Books.  The students have been reading since Winter Break from the 2018 Battle of the Books List.  The list consists of a wide variety of 30 books  and each child must read at least 10.  The night of the Battle the 4th graders answer questions about the books with their teammates which include kids from each of the other schools.  Each school also presents a cheer. As always, Wheeler and Hamilton kids created this fun and dynamic cheer from scratch.   For those of you who have never attended a Battle you would not believe the energy and excitement that fills the auditorium.  This year, one of the questions asked the kids to identify the song which explains why a character named Jeremiah was nicknamed Frog.  The answer prompted to the audience to spontaneously sing out, "Jeremiah was a bullfrog.  Was a good friend of mine..."  What a fun night! (video credit: Jon Green)

Love Rocks Make Their Way to the Library!

If you are like me you have seen the cool and creative love rocks all over campus. Lower School students are always excited to find a love rock and often times they want to keep it. They are easily persuaded to plant the love rock somewhere else so that another student may find it. Recently Nursery students came into the library via the elevator. They stepped out of the elevator so excited because someone had placed a love rock in the elevator. It was not long before the love rocks found their way into the corners and shelves of the story room. During a book checkout a Pre K student was excited to find a love rick near the book she wanted. The entire class admired it and then made the decision to plant it on a different shelf. There is only one love rock remaining in the library. I am sure the rest have found other homes!

3rd grade is trying something new!

This week the 3rd grade is finishing their state top ten lists.  They spent weeks finding interesting facts and turned those details into convincing reasons to visit their states.  In the past, the kids presented their speeches at a podium in front of the class.  This year, we used an online video software called FlipGrid to film their state lists.  At first, some of the students felt a little nervous about recording themselves, but after a couple of practice runs, they turned into master film-makers! The software allows them to easily record, pause filming and delete mistakes.  They have created amazing final presentations.  Not only are these students having fun recording themselves, but it seems that using FlipGrid motivates
them to take ownership of their projects.  I have seen greater engagement and investment in the presentation of their speeches than in previous years.  After they finish their videos, the students will  record video reflections about their research process, how they organized their facts, and how they felt about their final products.

News from the Story Room!!

The story room is a space on our campus designed for our youngest members of the community. If you have ever been in the story room you know that the chairs are small and comfy. The tables are small and round. The story time area is beautifully designed with bright colors and a cozy rug. 

Since our return from spring break we have created Open Hours in the Story Room specifically for students in early childhood. During open hours students are given opportunities to explore materials and objects and ultimately create their own structures, crafts and designs. In effort to boost early literacy, students are introduced to new books in the library and various collections in the library. The goal is for students to bring these books home to share and read with their families.

Spring Into Reading

March is always an exciting time of year! It is the light at the end of the winter tunnel and  the promise of spring's return. For the Wheeler and Hamilton School, March offers a time to relax and press the reset button. What better way to relax then with a book? We know many of you will go on vacations, enjoy stay-cations, finish up a major project, or complete an outstanding goal. We hope all of this can happen with a book by your side!
We have created a suggested list of books for the youngest members in our community (Early Childhood) to enjoy over spring break. All of these titles can be found in the Lower School Library.

Suggested List for Early Childhood

Youth Media Awards Announced Feb. 12th

On Feb. 12, 2018 this year's Youth Media Awards were announced.  Check out this video (from Booklist)  for a quick look at the winners.  We have many on display in the Lower School Library.  We are in the process of purchasing the ones we don't have.  Enjoy!

 You can find the full list of titles here.

Top Books for the Month of February

Here are the books we are highlighting for the month of February! All of these titles are brand new!

Mid Year Library Reflection

Each year, as a library department, we reflect on the first half of the year to see what impact our programs have on student learning and to ensure that we are responsive to the needs of our community.  We spent the first semester specifically focusing on " inquiry, search and research, project based learning, working collaboratively when we can (or in solo effort)" across all three divisions in an effort to further student centered learning.  Take a look at our Mid Year Reflection SY 17/18 to see examples of projects and student work. 

Mock Caldecott

Every year the second grade classes participate in a Mock Caldecott. The Caldecott Award is given every year to the best picture book published in the preceding year. Librarians around the world are selected to be on a committee that selects one winner and three to four runners up. The second grade students have become a committee. They have spent the months of December and January reading approximately sixteen to twenty books.
Next week the second graders will select their winner and two runners up. Then we will wait patiently for the Youth Media Awards to be announced on February twelfth. The actual Caldecott winner will be announced on that date. It will be fun for students to compare their mock winners to the actual winners.
Check out this libguide to look at past winners and our Mock Caldecott book list. The winners for this year will be posted on the libguide on February twelfth.

4th Grade Fun with FlipGrid

Ms. O'Hara's class was kind enough to be the guinea pig for trying out FlipGrid.  FlipGrid is a fun video tool that we decided to use as a way for kids to keep track of the books they read for the Battle of the Books.  Each child creates a one minute video that includes a brief summary and their opinions about the book.  After they post their completed video, their classmates  can record a video comment.  The kids are having so much fun.    They look forward to showing their work to their parents on Wheeler Day. 

Welcome Back!

For most people the start of the New Year represents a new beginning, a fresh start or the opportunity to try something new. In the Prescott Lower School Library the New Year represents something different. Students, faculty and staff come back energized and ready to take on the second half of the school year. The New Year for us is more like the last quarter of a Superbowl game.

The Librarians are gearing up for the Rooster Games in February and the Battle of the Books in April. Additionally a lot of new research is beginning and major projects have to be completed all with the help of the library. Librarians; we are up for the challenge.  

As the year goes on we will share class highlights, major events and of course new books that have been added to the collection.

Happy New Year from all of us here in the Lower School Library.

Give The Gift of Reading

We have just published our annual department winter reading list. We have included the list here and 2 quick videos of the titles Charlene and I recommended for the list. Enjoy!