LOL Librarian

I'd give this week a thumbs up too. This week was all about talking. Across the grade levels, students worked on sharing what they know about books. Talking about books happens all around the school and in many different ways. In the library, younger elementary students sit 'knee-to-knee' to discuss question I ask during a read aloud and then they have to decide how to take turns sharing. The Danish folk tale 'Fat Cat' was a great way to have the students interact and read by chiming in to repetitive text. They thoroughly enjoyed their knee-to-knee chats and deciding what crazy thing the cat would eat next, and some students thought it would be a dog and others the entire universe. Chatting about prediction helps support our ESL students since other students help them out. With the older students I have the joy of sitting in on a couple of literature circles. They enjoy this time to take charge in discussions as a director or a story mapper and so on. Students are ...

Hand, Hand, Finger, Thumb by Dr. Seuss Children love rhymes, chanting and hearing their own voices. Predictable texts give them a chance to use their voice while enjoying being able to 'read'.  This 'magical memory reading' helps children develop a love of literature since they re-read vibrant quality literature again and again. Re-reading the same story helps our young readers to understand the structure of stories and they will bring stories to life, you often see children acting out them out. I will be reading some of these with the younger students and be encouraging them to take them home. Along a similar line of the power of predictability is the power of familiarity. Students who are new to independent reading love to consumer different series of books. Mystery is a great genre to read in a series. The young reader is familiar with the characters and settings and enjoy trying to problem solve and then move onto the next installment. Even as adults many of us en...