This will be my last post as the Librarian for Oak Grove School.
I want to thank all the parents who encouraged your kids to read, and all the teachers who taught them how.
It has been a wonderful run, and I will miss everybody. Lots!
Welcome to the Oak Grove School Library page. Our mission is to encourage a lifelong love of reading, and to teach all users to become effective information seekers. Research shows that reading to and with your children from an early age helps them become better readers. It's also fun! If you don't have a library card come on in and sign up for one. It's free.
Thursday, June 19, 2014
Thursday, June 5, 2014
Books Wanted
Last call to donate books for the summer vacation book give away.
Books for children in grades k-8 are needed, as long as they are in reasonably good shape. They can be brought to the office or directly to the library. I can even make out an estimate of value for tax purposes on school letterhead if you would like that.
The book give away will be next Tuesday for grades 5, 6, and on Friday for grades 2 and 3. K, 1, 2, and Jack's class will all happen the final week of school.
Thanks, in advance, for your donations.
Books for children in grades k-8 are needed, as long as they are in reasonably good shape. They can be brought to the office or directly to the library. I can even make out an estimate of value for tax purposes on school letterhead if you would like that.
The book give away will be next Tuesday for grades 5, 6, and on Friday for grades 2 and 3. K, 1, 2, and Jack's class will all happen the final week of school.
Thanks, in advance, for your donations.
Thursday, May 29, 2014
DCF Readers
DCF Readers and authors Linda Urban and Tanya Lee Stone
On Tuesday a small group of DCF readers went up to Randolph, Vermont to hear two authors who are on next year's Dorothy Canfield Fisher list speak about their books and their writing and then we went out for very large and very delicious ice cream cones at the Scoop Shop in Walpole. Yum.
This year, FIRST TIME EVER i n my 29 years at Oak Grove School, there were TWO students who read all 30 books on the list and received a gift basket of assorted candy plus a DCF book from next year's list. Go Nico and Jonah!
Thursday, May 15, 2014
New student pieces
Watch for newly published student pieces. Today's featured author is Kyleigh, a 5th grader, who wrote about some interesting facts she found on wolves. To get to her page click on her name on the right of this page. More to follow tomorrow. Keep checking back!
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Last Circulation Day
The last day for checking books out of the library this year will be on Friday May 23, so if you are still considering taking a few more books out to read with your kids at home, there's still time!
If you are a parent or community member and still have outstanding books, please return them soon.
Thanks!
If you are a parent or community member and still have outstanding books, please return them soon.
Thanks!
Monday, April 28, 2014
COLLECTING
It's not too early to start thinking about summer reading. Studies show consistently that the more reading one does, the better reader one becomes. In the spirit of keeping kids reading over the summer, I have put together an end-of-year book giveaway program. Students in all grades get to choose and keep a book for their own private library.
If you have any gently used books that your children have outgrown, I would be happy to put them in the end-of-year book giveaway. Please make sure, however, that the books are in decent shape.
You can drop them off at the school library, or even the front office. I will also be happy to write up an estimate of the value of your donation on school letterhead for tax purposes if that would be helpful.
Thanks so much, in advance!
Friday, April 25, 2014
2014 DCF Winner
And the winner is...
WONDER
BY
P.J. PALACIO
I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse.
This is how the book, Wonder, by P.J. Palacio opens,
and these are the words that August Pullman uses to describe his face. Born with a facial
difference that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream
school all August wants is to be treated as an ordinary kid, but his new 5th grade
classmates at Beecher Prep, can’t get past Auggie’s extraordinary face.
This book is an extraordinary read. One student at Oak Grove
said it was the "...best book he EVER read". Chosen as the Vermont
Reads book by the Vermont Humanities Council, I'll bet many other are agreeing
with our student.
Try it for yourself!
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Red Clover Winner!
For the past 10 weeks students in grades K-3 (and a small selection of 4th graders) have been reading books on this year's Vermont children's' choice list, aka The Red Clover books. Each year there are 10 new picture books to read and discuss and then the students get to vote on their favorite story.
The hands-down winner at Oak Grove this year was the World's Greatest Lion by Ralph Helfer. It is based on the true story of a lion cub that was rescued in Zambia after a close brush with death, and came to live on Ralph Helfer's Africa USA dance. There he was trained and ended up being featured in several Hollywood movies.
Turns out that our Oak Grove students are right in step with everyone else, because Vermont kids from all around the state voted The World's Greatest Lion as this year's Red Clover Winner.
Give this heart-tugging story a read and then another one. There's lots to look at and lots to wonder about. I'm sure Zamba's movies can be found on netflix or other movie sources and more information about Zamba and Ralph Helfer can be found online. This is a story that sticks with you.
The hands-down winner at Oak Grove this year was the World's Greatest Lion by Ralph Helfer. It is based on the true story of a lion cub that was rescued in Zambia after a close brush with death, and came to live on Ralph Helfer's Africa USA dance. There he was trained and ended up being featured in several Hollywood movies.
Turns out that our Oak Grove students are right in step with everyone else, because Vermont kids from all around the state voted The World's Greatest Lion as this year's Red Clover Winner.
Give this heart-tugging story a read and then another one. There's lots to look at and lots to wonder about. I'm sure Zamba's movies can be found on netflix or other movie sources and more information about Zamba and Ralph Helfer can be found online. This is a story that sticks with you.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Student Stories
Students in my last 6 week skills block chose to write narratives. Some had their own ideas and others used a very cool writing tool called STORYMATIC. This is a box of situation and character cards. Students pulled two or three cards from each of the two categories and had to come up with a story that made use of all the cards.
These stories can be accessed by clicking on the students names on the right side of this page. Work from other sessions is also posted on their pages, with the newest being on top.. Feel free to read that as well.
Students in the last session were: Carter, Emma, Erick, Jonah, Margaret, Nick, Wyatt, Zola.
Enjoy!
These stories can be accessed by clicking on the students names on the right side of this page. Work from other sessions is also posted on their pages, with the newest being on top.. Feel free to read that as well.
Students in the last session were: Carter, Emma, Erick, Jonah, Margaret, Nick, Wyatt, Zola.
Enjoy!
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
NEW DCF list
The new DCF list for 2014/2015 has been posted on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher page. To view the list and to get a complete set of annotations click on https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B55N8oQex0aJQXh5dTR2YlRKNDQ/edit
We have ALL these books in the library. So if you want to get a head start on next year, come on in!
We have ALL these books in the library. So if you want to get a head start on next year, come on in!
Monday, March 31, 2014
Free Reading Online
Check out the Useful Sites tab on the right of this page. I have started to collect free reading and reading games sites. Check back often as I hope to add more on a regular basis, and if you have some you'd like to add, let me know!
Friday, March 28, 2014
Graphic Novels
Some people think that graphic novels are just comic books. Well, they ARE comics, but a great graphic novel is also a really great read with pictures that totally support the text. The can be funny stories, mysteries, tales of friendship, adventure, history, mythology...
We have a pretty good selection here in the library. Check out the 741.5 section and see what's there.
Here are a few of my top pix:
Retells in graphic novel format stories from Greek mythology about the exploits of Aphrodite, including her birth from the sea foam and her role in the Trojan War. We have other books in this amazing series.
In Kansas in the year 1937, eleven-year-old Jack Clark faces his share of ordinary challenges: local bullies, his father's failed expectations, a little sister with an eye for trouble. But he also has to deal with the effects of the Dust Bowl, including rising tensions in his small town and the spread of a shadowy illness.
Two roller-skating best friends--one tiny, one tall--share three comical adventures involving outrageously bright socks, an impromptu trek to the Andes, and a most unlikely marvelous companion.
From sixth grade through tenth, Raina copes with a variety of dental problems that affect her appearance and how she feels about herself. This book won the DCF award several years ago and is a GREAT read!
We have a pretty good selection here in the library. Check out the 741.5 section and see what's there.
Here are a few of my top pix:
Retells in graphic novel format stories from Greek mythology about the exploits of Aphrodite, including her birth from the sea foam and her role in the Trojan War. We have other books in this amazing series.
In Kansas in the year 1937, eleven-year-old Jack Clark faces his share of ordinary challenges: local bullies, his father's failed expectations, a little sister with an eye for trouble. But he also has to deal with the effects of the Dust Bowl, including rising tensions in his small town and the spread of a shadowy illness.
Two roller-skating best friends--one tiny, one tall--share three comical adventures involving outrageously bright socks, an impromptu trek to the Andes, and a most unlikely marvelous companion.
From sixth grade through tenth, Raina copes with a variety of dental problems that affect her appearance and how she feels about herself. This book won the DCF award several years ago and is a GREAT read!
Friday, March 21, 2014
MORE!!!
The give-away cart is getting very full. There are lots of well-loved titles and books with tons of interesting information, biographies, a few picture books, some chapter books. Stop by during conference time or school sing and take a book or two away with you. The cart is right outside the library.
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Parrots Over Puerto Rico
by Susan Roth and Cindy Trumbore
collages by Susan Roth
The first thing you notice about this
book is that there is no title on the cover. It is a bold display of
three bright parrots, a collage of cut paper so textured you can
practically feel the feathers, almost imagine the birds flying off
the page.
When you open the book, the orientation
is lengthwise, giving an impression of height and depth, perfect for
the setting of this story of near extinction. You can sit with the
parrots in the treetops, soar with them in the blue green sky, get a
bird's eye view of village life in 5000 BCE.
This book chronicles the birds' demise,
from their original habitat, to them being hunted for food, given as
gifts to royalty, battling against red-tailed hawks, and then fighting for survival against other
predators brought to the island by settlers. They lost their homes
to people who needed the trees to build their own dwellings and kept being edged out bit by bit. In
5000 BCE there were hundreds of thousands of them. By 1967 only 24
remained.
This is their story as well as the
story of bringing them back, and a short history of Puerto Rico, to
boot, all in one gorgeous, small, readable and engrossing book. There
is an afterward about the Puerto Rican Parrot Recovery Program, a
timeline of Puerto Rican History and the parrots, an extensive
bibliography, and pictures you could look at forever.
What more could you want in a book?
Available in the library!
DCF Voting Coming Soon!
Students in grades 4-6 have been reading books from the 2013/14 Dorothy Canfield Fisher Childrens Choice Award list. These books are available from the school library and the public library as well as bookstores. You can get this year's list by clicking on the bibliography link on the right (annotations are also available from this link). AND you can get next year's list too! It's not too early to start reading those books, and not too late to read this year's.
Any student who reads 5 or more books from the list is eligible to vote. They can read online (many of the books are available on the District Follett Shelf), can hear audio versions of the book, or can be read to at home (many titles make GREAT family read-alouds).
Voting will be during the week of April.
Some of MY personal favorites are:
Any student who reads 5 or more books from the list is eligible to vote. They can read online (many of the books are available on the District Follett Shelf), can hear audio versions of the book, or can be read to at home (many titles make GREAT family read-alouds).
Voting will be during the week of April.
Some of MY personal favorites are:
The One and Only Ivan
Shadow and Bone
One for the Murphys
Same Sun Here
May B
Little Dog Lost
Bomb
Temple Grandin
Fourmile
Liar and Spy
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Book Suggestions and donations
If you have a title that you think would be good for the Oak Grove Library to have, please let me know. Donations are also accepted, with many thanks. Books that are copies of ones we already have will be put in the end of year give away.
You can contact me at andra_horton@wsesu.org or drop books off in the front office.
Thanks, in advance!
You can contact me at andra_horton@wsesu.org or drop books off in the front office.
Thanks, in advance!
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Seed Dreams
Snow
you say? A foot or so? Why let it get you down? There's always room
to dream about a warm and fertile garden, seeds and shoots, and
flowers and fruit. Here are a few books to stir those dreams up. All available at the school library.
A
Seed is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston: beautiful drawings to linger
over, as well as information about the life cycle of plants.
The
Gardening Book by Jane Bull: tons of information on what can grow in
your vegetable garden and how to do it
Packet of Seeds by Deborah Hopkinson: When a pioneer family moves
west the mother misses home so much that she will not even name the
new baby until her daughter thinks of just the right thing to cheer
her up.
And
then it's Spring by Julie Fogliano: Simple text reveals the
anticipation of a boy who, having planted seeds while everything
around is brown, fears that something has gone wrong until, at last,
the world turns green.
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