Week of August 19, 2024

Non-Fiction

What We Learned in the Library This Week: Non-Fiction Fun!

This week in the library, we delved into the wonderful world of non-fiction books. We learned that anything in the library that isn't fiction(like picture books or chapter books) is considered non-fiction. We have topics like dinosaurs, space, rocks and minerals, cooking, and animals. Students created drawings to illustrate their current interests.

At Home Activity:

To continue the fun at home, take some time to explore the books in your home together. Talk about which ones are fiction (stories) and which are non-fiction (informational). Many students at this age have a strong preference for one or the other. You can also visit the public library so your student can see that the books are organized in the very same way.

Reading@Home

Reading aloud to your child is a powerful way to spark their imagination, build vocabulary, and foster a lifelong love of learning. When you read together, you're not just sharing stories; you're helping them create a lifelong positive habit. As you read, your child is exposed to new words and concepts, which helps them develop language skills. Additionally, reading aloud can improve your child's attention span, concentration, and critical thinking abilities. And finally, it is a great way to bond with your child, while creating connection and facilitating conversation. Start by picking a regular, convenient time, such as just before bed, and make it distraction-free - i.e. no phones, smartwatches, or other electronics involved so your full attention can be on your child.

Be a Good Steward of Our Books

Bring your books home or leave them at school. Students are not required to bring their books home. The most important thing is to read at home. If they have access to books at home and are worried about forgetting or losing their library books, they are welcome to keep them in the classroom to read during school.
Read with your family. If your student brings library books home, please talk to your student about the books and read together. I will be sending out more information about this throughout the school year.
If you take the books home, find a safe place in your house to keep them. Please help your student find a safe place for the library books. This might be a special shelf, bin, or even in their backpack.
Make sure your water bottle is tightly closed in your backpack. I love that our students have reusable water bottles! Please help remind them to make sure the lid is tightly closed if it's in the main part of their backpack. They can always ask a teacher for help.
After school, leave your books in your backpack until you get home. I love when the students get excited about their library books; however, if your student attends an afterschool program or goes to a friend's house, they should wait until they get home to take the library books out of their backpack.

How to Identify Our Books

Here are some examples of our Winnona Park library bar codes. We still have a few "vintage" books that originally belonged to other elementary schools or have a "City Schools of Decatur" bar code. In addition, we have "Winnona Park Elementary School" stamped in the front and often the back of the books.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Ilene Zeff, Media Specialist

izeff@csdecatur.net