Trimester 1 - Website Notes
What a FUN first trimester we have had in the library!
Returning students enjoyed seeing updates made to the library since last school year
while new students have been loving this different part of the school.
To begin the school year, students participated in library orientation…activities that introduced students to the library and its purpose, understanding our library rules, routines and expectations, as well as how to care for books. Taking time at the start of the year to establish these library introductions, routines and expectations, allows us to spend the remainder of the trimester focusing on additional activities and lessons, supporting our library standards.
Another beginning of the year activity for students included learning the parts of a book.
Serving as a quick weekly review and a precursor to reading books here in the library, we identify the various parts of a book including: front cover, back cover, spine, call number, barcode, title page, author, illustrator, publisher, copyright date and dedication page.
Getting to know the layout of the library was also something students worked on this trimester. Students learned why libraries are organized this way including alphabetical call numbers on fiction books and dewey decimal numbers on nonfiction spines. We have been
learning the differences between these types of texts, including the author’s purpose for writing a fiction book (to entertain us) and a nonfiction book (to teach us).
Through stories read aloud, students have been working on their comprehension skills and identifying several story elements in fictional stories including: main characters, setting, problem, solution, events. We are continually working on making predictions and inferences using text clues and supplying evidence from the text to support our statements and ideas. Making connections to other books we have read or personal experiences is another skill we have been working on. Each week, after listening to a story and participating in a whole group lesson, students participate in a follow up activity that relates to our lesson and comprehension/story skills we are targeting.
Students are working on making independent book selections each week that are of interest to them. During book selection time, students are using their knowledge of the library organization including how fiction (alphabetical by last name) versus nonfiction (dewey decimal system) books are shelved in libraries.
I am looking forward to continuing to grow your child’s love for reading
throughout the rest of the year.
Trimester 2 ~ In the Library
Trimester two brought a big, exciting change to our library! Our fiction section has been reorganized by genre, making it so much easier for our young readers to find books they love. Now, we have sections like 'Sports,' 'Seasons,' and 'Around the World,' ‘Horses’, etc. Organizing by topic instead of author’s last names has made it much easier for our young students to navigate the library shelves and independently locate books on a fiction topic that is of interest to them. Students quickly mastered this new system and are thrilled to independently use the genres to discover books that match their interests. It's wonderful to see them so engaged and excited about reading!"
Trimester two was filled with rich learning experiences! Each grade spent a few weeks at the start of the trimester focusing on fiction books and their story elements. Students learned that fiction books have to be read from the beginning to end because the story won’t make sense if it is read out of order. The story elements we studied include: characters, setting, problem, solution, event. Kinders worked together to orally identify the story events. First grade worked hard on retelling the story events, both orally and written, focusing on what happened in the beginning, middle and end, including the problem and solution. Second grade practiced, both orally and written, retelling the story with details and transitional words such as first, next, then, after that, last. Following our study or fictional story events, students noticed and made comparisons between fiction and nonfiction books. Students understand that fiction books are read for entertainment, while nonfiction books are to inform or teach us. Another big noticing is that non fiction books can be read out of order, using the table of contents to move ahead to different sections of the book. During trimester three, students will become experts on identifying parts of our nonfiction books and how we can use those parts to better understand what the author is teaching us. We also spent time this trimester studying biographies and autobiographies and using these types of texts to enrich our understanding of Civil Rights Day and Presidents Day. Taylor Swift and Tom Brady continue to be our leading biographies, always being borrowed from the library! :)
March has become a big reading month at Centre School. We kicked the month off with a school-wide reading challenge. If students were able to read 1000 books by the end of the month, our two principals would receive pies in their faces at our March 28th All School Meeting. We have kept track of the number of books read by adding 100 book images to squares around the school. We either have some very devoted readers or kiddos that really want to see their principals pied, because we surpassed our goal by hundreds of books read by our students!! Other fun reading themed events that occurred during the month of March were our Guest Reader Day, Character Day and our Author Visit with Marty Kelley. Marty Kelley is a very talented NH author and illustrator. Our students particularly appreciated his books about boogers and farts and other gross things! Be sure to visit our school’s facebook page to enjoy many photos from these March reading events.
Looking forward to continuing to work with your kiddo during trimester three,
nurturing their love of reading and expanding their book knowledge.