I Spy

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Engineered Books

Ever heard this term before?  Most likely no, but chances are you have seen one of these books.  If you have enjoyed The Very Hungry Caterpillar or many of Eric Carle's other great works of art in book form, then you have experienced the joy of an engineered book.

 


Pop-up books make up a large portion of this kind of book, and over the past few weeks, our students have been learning how to handle these delicate materials.  We now have some beautiful examples of engineered books in our library collection, available for browsing while visiting the media center.  Student don white cotton gloves before exploring these treasures as a reminder to use gentle and careful hands.  

In addition to these amazing books, we have also added some how-to books to our collection that show readers, step-by-step, how to make their own stories jump to life through paper engineering.  Titles include:

The Pocket Paper Engineer, Volume I: Basic Forms: How to Make Pop-Ups Step-by-Step
The Pocket Paper Engineer, Volume 2: Platforms and Props: How to Make Pop-Ups Step-by-Step
Pop-Up: Everything You Need to Create Your Own Pop-Up Book
Elements Of Pop Up: A Pop Up Book For Aspiring Paper Engineers


Saturday, March 24, 2012

Calling All Poets (or those who would like to be...)

Have you noticed the tree silhouette near the entrance to the library?  This is our "Poet-Tree"!  We have a few winter haikus hanging on the branches at the moment, but most of the tree is bare.  National Poetry Month begins April 1st, and to celebrate this month properly, wouldn't it be great if we could fill our tree's branches with poems from our students?

Need some inspiration?  Scholastic has a great, interactive tool to get you started with four different kids of poetry:  haiku, limerick, cinquain, and free verse.  Feel free to print off your creations and add them to our "Poet-Tree".  Here's the link:  http://teacher.scholastic.com/writewit/poetry/poetry_engine.htm#






"Spring?"  
                                            
Flip-flops, sunglasses,
Vibrant blooms and warm breezes... 
Is this really March?
- by Ms. Longanecker

Let the paper folding begin!

Our 4th and 5th grade students began learning how to make origami paper cranes this week.  Many have said they would like to try making more cranes at home, but don't think they will be able to remember the directions.  Here's a site that may be helpful:  http://www.wikihow.com/Fold-a-Paper-Crane

As the cranes are brought into the media center, we will string them together and hang them on display until we reach our goal of 1,000 cranes.  Don't have origami paper, you say?  Stop by the circulation desk...we have a variety of sizes and patterns of paper to suit your needs!  Thanks to all who are contributing to our collection!


Monday, March 19, 2012

Before we had books...

How did people share stories with each other before we had books?  That was our topic du jour for the younger grades.  We realized that we share stories in many different ways:

  • Through music and songs;
  • with dance and movement;
  • using pictures and art, and
  • acting and telling, just to name a few.




We looked at examples of ancient cave drawings and thought about what messages the ancient people were sending to each other.  We then took advantage of the the beautiful spring weather to create some of our own drawings, using sidewalk chalk on the bricks in the courtyard.  Our theme was "A Day at Wolf Swamp Road School".  







Thursday, March 15, 2012

500 Books Read and Counting...


Many of you have noticed the footprints meandering across the library walls.  Each of those footprints represents another book read by a WSRS student.  We started this project at the beginning of our second term...and this week, we reached the 500 book milestone!  How many more books can our students read between now and the end of the year?  I would LOVE to see us break the 1,000 book milestone, and to that end, we have been adding many new titles to our catalog.  Be sure to check Destiny Quest regularly to see what great new reads are added each week!






Follow the trail around the room...


Monday, March 12, 2012

1,000 Paper Cranes and a Wish

Sunday, March 11, 2012 marked the one year anniversary of the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan.  Last year's fifth grade class learned that, in Japanese culture, if a person makes 1,000 paper cranes a wish will be granted.  We began folding and didn't stop until we had over 1,400 cranes.  A teacher from Japan, who was visiting Elms College last spring, came to our school and shared what this disaster meant for her hometown.  We sent her back to Japan with all the cranes and our best wishes for her and those from her hometown.

This year's fourth and fifth grade students would like to make another 1,000 paper cranes, this time to let those impacted by the quake and tsunami know that they have not been forgotten.  While making our paper cranes, we'll be reviewing some of what we have learned in geometry (What shapes are created when we make our folds and how do we know what these shapes are?).  We are also reading Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes to help us better understand the long-term impact of radiation exposure on people and our environment.




Spring Book Fair - Day 1

Many 'oohs' and 'ahhs" could be heard as students browsed the shelves of the Book Fair.  Don't be surprised if your child comes home with a sizable wish list!  An impressive selection, at least on Day 1.  Students who visited the library today, but didn't make their purchases, have created wish lists and may stop in to shop either after school each day this week or when their parents come in for conferences.  Hope to see you at the Fair!

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Spring Scholastic Book Fair

Looking for a few good reads to take along on your upcoming spring vacation?  You're in luck!  Next week is our annual Spring Scholastic Book Fair.  Students will be visiting the fair during their scheduled media center times, unless otherwise noted by your child's homeroom teacher.  You are also welcome to visit the book fair before or after your scheduled parent-teacher conference.  Hope to see you there!


Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Many Thanks

While we continue to add up all the contributions to the "Exercise the Right to Read" program, I can already tell you that this program has been a great success!  Students who participated are loving the opportunity to choose a book to be donated in their name and to be the first to check out the latest addition to our collection.  Click onto http://library.longmeadow.k12.ma.us/quest/servlet/presentquestform.do?site=204&alreadyValidated=true to see what's new.

I'm taking photos of students with their choices for a collage to be on display in the library.  Many thanks to all who supported this new program!

PLEASE NOTE:  If you would prefer your child not be photographed for this project, send me a quick note via email at klonganecker@longmeadow.k12.ma.us .  Thanks!
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