Kindergarten Students Journey Through the Alphabet!

In library my Kindergarten students (K1 and K2) take a journey through the alphabet as they explore a variety of picture books from A-Z. Picture books are unique in that they combine art with stories and are an introduction to reading. Every picture tells a story and children get excited when they make connections with their world through the stories we read. I start our journey with a silly Dr. Seuss book, Dr. Seuss's ABC, to assess where the students are in their ability to sit and listen during a read aloud and their understanding of letters. Our last book of this project is The Alphabet Tree where students discover that “letters make words, words make sentences and sentences make stories.” During the school year your child will be introduced to over 26 books many of which they will cherish for years to come. Their culminating project is a book that captures all the books we’ve read during the year and other activities they’ve done in the library. The book is yours to keep! Check back on my blog to see what your child has been reading and read it with them. A great book can be read over and over again. Surprise your child by watching and singing this with them!

Second Graders Are Collectors!

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Orchard Gardens Second Graders already know quite a bit about having a collection. Prior to reading our first chapters of Donavan's Word Jar by MonaLisa DeGross we shared items that that we collect; rocks, shells, dolls, wrestler action figures, toy cars, teddy bears, marbles and more. We then met Donavan and his classmates who also collect things like marbles, buttons and stamps - but none of us were like Donavan, the main character of our story, who collects WORDS!

Inspired by the word NUTRITION on his morning cereal box, Donavan begins his journey of collecting words. In this unit, your child will enjoy increasing their vocabulary, learn basic research techniques and presentation skills as they share and discover the important world of collecting. Students may bring ONE item from their collection to class to share. Visit the Smithsonian Kids Collecting Site with your student to learn more about the value of collecting.

First Graders Journey to Mars!

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Ms. Miranda, Ms. Fowler, Ms. Quinn and Ms. Westa's students are traveling to the planet Mars with Ms. M. We begin our journey at Mariner Valley Elementary School where we meet Horus a new first grader. Horus is excited about first grade but that changes quickly as he find out that first grade is very different from Martiangarten (kindergarten). Horus is excited, sad, mad and finally happy! We talk about the different feelings Horus has about school and make connections with this character as we share our own thoughts and feelings about first grade.

During this unit students will be introduced to the solar system, the planet mars, the Mars space rover Curiosity, character traits and comparing fiction with non-fiction books. It will be quite a trip that forms the backdrop for books we write about ourselves. Stay tuned!

Introducing 7/8 Electives in Yearbook and Media

Both my 7/8 electives*, Yearbook and Media, started the school year by learning how to create a word cloud. Creating a word cloud is a great tool to activate prior knowledge, work on their vocabulary and get to know each other. Students had to use 25 or more words to describe themselves. All of our middle school students will be writing essays about themselves and will need to be able to answer the question, "What can you tell me about yourself?" when writing their high school essays, applying for their first job or on high school interviews. 100% of my students were able to create a word cloud!




What's Next? Our Clouds will inform the creation of a mixed-media All About Me Poster for media students and a Meet the Staff Poster for yearbook students. In Yearbook Elective students learn how to use the Yearbook Software as they design their poster. In the yearbook software students learn how to use borders, backgrounds, clip art, text and image nodes.





Students in my 7/8 grade Media Class work on combining a minimum  of 4 different media elements to make a poster about themselves. They use their word cloud, words they cut from a magazine, a picture of themselves that they did a special pose for and a pop culture person that inspires them.


*7/8 electives meet for 3 - 50 minute periods every week.


CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.6 & 8.6
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas efficiently as well as to interact and collaborate with others.

We End the Journey Trilogy with Return

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Return, the final book of the Journey Trilogy was released this past August and it did not disappoint. Mr. Cipriani's Class, like most of my classes that read the trilogy, devoured the opportunity to hold all three books, look for more details and practice telling the story themselves.

Sharing wordless picture books are an important part of our library class for new and emerging readers. Check out Reading Rockets for more information on Sharing Wordless Picture books. Also check out the book trailer for Return!

Our Reading Journey Continues with Quest!

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This week most of my K-2 classes continued with Book 2 in the Journey Trilogy -- Quest by Aaron Becker. The second book picks up right where the last book ended with the girl, the boy and their purple bird riding the bike they created. It starts to rain and they take cover under a bridge in the park. There is  a large wooden door - a secret door - under the bridge. Their quest begins when the orange King appears and asks for their help before he is taken away by the "evil soldiers aka bad guys!"
We discuss the meaning of a quest - a journey with a purpose! The kids "are searching for something like pirates search for treasure," says Kelmary. Enjoy the book trailer with your child, they will fill you in on all the details of the story!

Class Outline

Class Web Site: http://www.msmmedia.org

Class Blog: http://msmsmedia.blogspot.com/

You can help your child succeed by reading with them everyday. You are always welcome to attend our class. Please also visit my website (listed above). Select “F” for more family information or go to your child’s grade level for more resources…they will show you! Read my class blog to get weekly updates.

Class Description: Library Media is an exploratory hands-on course that is designed to help students become proficient users and consumers of information and provide additional access to reading especially for pleasure. Activities in the library include Read Aloud sessions and literacy events that relate to our instructional focus and enhance each grades curriculum. Our students learn how to find and borrow books, use the computer to support their learning and present and communicate their ideas to their peers.

Why Read?

The more you read, the more you know.

The more you know, the smarter you grow.

The smarter you grow, the stronger your voice,

When speaking your mind or making your choice.

                                                   by Anonymous

Class Goals:The goal of the school library media program is to support our students in becoming life-long readers and users of information who contribute positively to our world. Through our library media curriculum we hope to foster a love of reading and build skills that enable every student to become an independent learner who is a socially responsible user and consumer of information and ready for college and career.

Class Organization: Students attend Library Media class once a week for 50 minutes for the entire school year. (K1 students attend Library Media 2x per week this year). ALL students receive a Boston Public Library card for use at OGPS and ALL Boston Public Libraries. The library at OGPS is a real library and we are part of the Metro Boston Library Network.

Sample Learning Objectives:

Literary Appreciation:

&Students will be able to name authors and name their own favorite books.

&Students will be able to make predictions about books they are going to read.

&Students will be able to identify detail in stories they read.

&Students will be able to retell stories in their own words.

Information Literacy Skills:

&Students will be able to locate, borrow and return books.

&Students will be able to identify the main parts of a book and distinguish between fiction and non-fiction.

&Beginning in Grade 2, students will be able to use beginning steps in research for finding, organizing and presenting information.

Lifelong Learning and Social Responsibility:

&Students will be able to request materials based on personal interest.

&Students will be able to demonstrate library etiquette (i.e. speaking quietly and basic book care)

&Students will be able to work independently. 

Assessment/Grading Policy:

Class Participation, transitions and effort: 30%

Class Work: 70%

Class Participation and Expectations:

The class participation grade includes following the OGPS Scholarguidelines:

An OGPS student works hard by:

1. Following instructions the first time and getting to work promptly.
2. Participating appropriately in classroom routines, activities and discussions.
3. Being prepared.

An OGPS student shows respect by:

1. Having eyes on the speaker or board or materials and having a calm body.
2. Being silent while others are speaking.
3. Listening to and following instructions.

An OGPS student is responsible by:

1. Using school appropriate language.
2. Using appropriate tone and manners.
3. Using appropriate words to ask for things and calling each other by name. 

Typical Class Structure:

Introduction & whole group DO NOW: Team Builder, Library Poem - 5 minutes

Read Aloud: 10-15 minutes

Multimedia: 5 minutes or less; May feature the letter of the day, music or video that illustrates fiction or nonfiction theme or story

Activity: 10-15 minutes

Choice: Computer, centers “Imagination Stations” and check out: 10-15 minutes

«  Choice in library is critical to the development of an independent learner. Activities and “choices” are carefully developed to help the student learn to make wise choices with their time.

«  Book Check Out - Students may check out a book during choice time if they have returned their last book.

Special Events:  Products completed in library media class may be part of Art Month Festivals. We will also have one Scholastic Book Sale, dates to be determined.

A Samplingof K-2 Class Projects for 2016-2017:

Class work is stored in the library and parents are welcome to view the materials.

K0/K1/K2 - Students will take a journey through the alphabet as they explore a variety of picture books from A-Z. Starting with Ten Apples Up on Top and ending with The Alphabet Tree where they discover that “letters make words” students will be introduced to over 30 books many of which they will cherish for years to come. Their culminating project is a book that captures every book and activity they’ve done in the class.

Grade 1 – Students will begin by reading two series as an introduction to chapter books, First Graders From Mars and Mercy Watson and then create their own Chapter Book that has several chapters about a character modeled after them.

Grade 2 – Students in grade 2 will read several chapter books, including Donovan’s Word Jar and do their first library research project based on collections.

7/8 Media and 7/8 Yearbook – Students in Media and/or Yearbook will do advanced media projects including creation of The Lion’s Den, our school literary journal, The Pride, our school yearbook and assorted media projects.