It's Wednesday! What's happening in the AME Library?

 Our first ever AME Read-Aloud Marathon--that's what's happening in our library and throughout our learning community!

 

Starting Monday at 8am, we've had a read-aloud via a library Meet link at the top of EVERY hour of school!  Seven different read-alouds a day, concluding with our last story at 2p on Thursday.  Funny stories, holiday stories (Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa!), and stories that just make us happy have entertained students in class and at home who joined in the Meet.

Ms Margocs has read sometimes, but we've had guest readers, too.  RRISD Board Trustees Ms Harrison and Ms Vessa, Grisham Principal Ms Serna and Assistant Principal Mr Ferrero, and RRISD Library Services Director Ms Uselman all signed up to read for our AME learners.  Of course, we've had local celebrities scheduled, too--Ms Kaso, Ms Giannoules, Ms Jansen, Mr Barrow...and our own administrators, Ms Molina, Ms Headrick and Mr Partida.

Our Read-Aloud Marathon is a wonderful way for students across all grades and in both learning settings to share the experience of listening to great stories.  Thanks to all of our guest readers for helping us establish what could be a new tradition for the AME Library!

Have a safe and healthy Winter Break, Dillos!  Make time for some fun reading while you're away!

It's Monday! What are you reading?

My husband and I stayed in a little house in the woods this weekend, and it was stocked with a little library!

I skimmed through the how-to book on relaxing, noted the title of Getting Away to buy my own copy, and then read this Japanese folk tale that is similar to the Thumbelina story I grew up with:

Issun Boshi is the One-Inch Boy, loved by his parents, but with the universal urge to strike his own path when he grows up--still one inch tall as heads out into the world with his rice bowl and needle.  He encounters love and adventure in this tale with a happy ending. 

I was unfamiliar with the Little Gestalten imprint, but now am smitten with the illustrations and gorgeous binding.  I think I'll be adding a few of these books to my personal home library!

It's Monday, and I enjoyed a beautifully illustrated Japanese folk tale this weekend.  I'll be reading holiday and winter books all week for our first ever AME Read-Aloud Marathon!  What will you be reading this week?

It's Wednesday! What's happening in the AME Library?

 Research and reading is what's going on this week!

Fifth graders are beginning a research project.  On Monday Ms Margocs was invited to review relevant databases and online note taking tools.  We also discussed plagiarism and the possible consequences of copying and pasting into reports.

PreK is thinking about holiday traditions and feelings while listening to Christmas Cookies:  Bite-Size Holiday Lessons by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illustrated by Jane Dyer.

Kindergarteners are riding the streets along with Daisy in My Papi Has a Motorcycle by Isabel Quintero, illustrated by  Zeke Peña.

Daisy and her father ride together often, and Daisy is noticing the changes in her neighborhood and city, both happy and sad.  Ms Margocs gets to practice her Spanish a little while reading this book, too!

First through fifth graders have an off week during lesson time, so Ms Margocs has been "auctioning off" the new books we just received in the library.  It's fun after booktalking to see who is the most excited to check out a book!

Next week, we will have our first AME Read-Aloud Marathon!  We will have guest readers from our Westwood Learning Community, RRISD School Board, and our own campus sharing holiday, winter, and favorite stories at the top of each hour Monday through Thursday.  Read-alouds begin at 8a and the last one each day will be at 2p. Tune in any time to hear a story-link coming soon!

Thanks to everyone who supported our library program by shopping our Fall Online Scholastic Book Fair!  As soon as all the books are shipped out, we'll have the details of the funds raised.

One more week to go before Winter Break, Dillo readers!  

It's Monday! What are you reading?

 Winter winds are starting to blow, and it's been a tough year for all of us, so I tucked myself into bed last night with a grown-up book about taking care of ourselves--Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times, by Katherine May.

Katherine May begins by discussing milestone birthdays and the personal circumstances surrounding them--her husband's medical emergency, her decision to leave her job, depression, undiagnosed autism.  Her tone is matter-of-fact but not condescending.  By opening up about her troubles, she is inviting us to take stock of our own personal winters, and I am looking forward to reading more about the self-care that helped her weather those difficulties. 

I promised I'd share more holiday reading from our school library, so here are a few more suggestions:

I hope you have some favorite winter and holiday reading in your to-read pile!  

It's Monday, and I'm reading about self-care.  What is your favorite book that reminds you how to weather tough times?

It's Wednesday! What's happening in the AME Library?

 Eeek!  Our Online Fall Scholastic Book Fair will be coming to an end this Sunday!

If you haven't had a chance to shop the virtual 360 fair or the online store, you still have time.  

Link to homepage:  https://www.scholastic.com/bf/armadillobookfair

My apologies for the broken links to teacher wishlists last week; they are working now!

Link to wishlists:  https://tinyurl.com/yysa8huq

Meanwhile, in the library...our latest book orders have arrived!  

Our board books, supplied by our generous RRISD PIE Grant:

We also received several new series and continuations of favorite series and books (Ms Moss has dibs on a copy of Class Act, the sequel to the Newbery Award winning/ Bluebonnet Award nominee New Kid) using our district-provided book budget:

And, of course, holiday books are now on display--Ms Moss had fun decorating!

Our read-alouds this week:

PreK is practicing picture-walking to help Ms Margocs tell the story from the almost-wordless book, Wolf in the Snow by Matthew Cordell.  It is a Caldecott Medal winner.

Kindergarten through second grades are listening to a twisted fairy tale Armadillo Readers' Choice book, Once Upon a Goat:

Third through fifth grades are dipping into the Hour of Code, thinking about future careers and trying their hand at Lightbot, Dance Party, AI in the Ocean, and Scratch coding games.

We have a special event coming up during the last week of school before break--read all about it in next week's library update!  Until then, keep on reading, Dillos!

It's Monday! What are you reading?

 Welcome back from Thanksgiving Break, Dillo Readers!  I hope you enjoyed some fun reading time during the holiday.  I read some grown-up reading and started thinking about my favorite winter holiday books.

Sometimes we need a quiet holiday book before drifting off to sleep.  Here are three that can be found on our library shelves:

(I love to read this one by the light of the Christmas tree!)

(If you can find the animated movie of The Snowman, even better!)

(Maybe not-so-quiet, but a great story!)

It's Monday, and I'm ready for some holiday reading!  The weather is getting colder this week--perfect for snuggling in with a good book.  What are your favorite wintry stories?  I'll share some more seasonal books from our library next week!

It's Wednesday! What's happening in the AME Library?

 We are getting ready for our online 

Fall Scholastic Book Fair!

Families will be able to shop from thousands of books, delivered to your door.  If you buy $25 worth of books, shipping is free!  There will even be a virtual Book Fair with 360 degree views to walk through--we're really looking forward to that!

Proceeds from the Book Fair help fund supplies and books for the library, like this new book cart we just bought to house our incoming collection of PreK boardbooks.

Please consider shopping for our teachers' wishlists!  They would love some new books for their classroom libraries.  There's a wishlist for the school library, too, for books to give to students in need.

Click here for the Book Fair Homepage:  https://www.scholastic.com/bf/armadillobookfair

Click here for Teacher Wishlists: https://tinyurl.com/yysa8huq

Our Fall Scholastic Book Fair runs from November 23rd through December 6th--just in time for holiday gifts!

Read-alouds and lessons this week:

PreK has been talking about identifying and managing anger, so we're reading Fergal and the Bad Temper by Robert Starling.

Kindergarten classes are studying animal characteristics.  I Am a Tiger is a silly story about a mouse who insists he's a tiger, raccoon is a caterpillar, snake is a banana...we're giggling as we discuss the true characteristics!  Written by Karl Newson, illustrated by Ross Collins:

Second graders are reviewing story elements with The Panda Problem by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by Scott Magoon.  What do you do when your main character doesn't have a problem to overcome?  You make one up!

Third through fifth graders are learning about the limiters in our online catalog, to narrow down their searches for good-fit books.  We can limit our findings by genre, material type, reading levels, and publication years.

We are off for Thanksgiving Break next week--stay healthy, shop the Book Fair, and spend some time reading!

It's Monday! What are you reading?

 

I did a search for "Thanksgiving" in our online catalog last night--there were 59 results!  Books and eBooks, fiction and nonfiction, picture and chapter books.  We have many of these on display in the library, ready to check out this week before Thanksgiving Break.

I have a collection of Thanksgiving and gratitude books on my own shelf at home, from when my own children were little.  Here are my favorites:

(I'm rereading this one for my own benefit, as I clean and declutter my home.)

(I love the joy and diversity in this book!)

(Multigenerational and the frustrations of being the youngest)

And last, a reminder of the details of the season in New England:

(A leaf-peeping trip is on my bucket list!)

It's Monday, and I'm revisiting some of my favorite Thanksgiving books!  What's on your seasonal reading pile?