Day of the Dead or Día de los Muertos—celebrates life 

5 Facts About the Day of the Dead

-Maria Anderson, Smithsonian Sparks October 30, 2016

1. It’s not the same as Halloween
2. It originated in Mexico and Central America
3. It’s a celebration of life, not death
4. The ofrenda is a central component
5. Flowers, butterflies and skulls are typically used as symbols

The Spirit of Tio Fernando / El espíritu de Tío Fernando A Day of the Dead Story / Una historia del Dia de los Muertos written by: Janice Levy Illustrated by: Morella Fuenmayor,

In this touching bilingual spanish/english book, we learned that The Day of the Dead is a time to remember people who have died, and whom we will always love. Nando and his mother honor the spirit of his favorite uncle on the Day of the Dead. Nando wonders how he will recognize his uncle’s spirit, but in the end he is reassured that Tio Fernando is happy because he has not been forgotten.

-https://www.booksource.com

We have been getting ready for Halloween by reading spooky, scary, and just plain fun Halloween stories!

Some of our favorite Halloween Stories:

It’s Raining Bats and Frogs by Rebecca Colby

The Widow’s Broom by Chris Van Allen

Creepy Carrots! By Aarob Reynolds

Room on the Broom Julia Donaldson

Frankencrayon by Michael Hall

3rd and 4th graders in Mrs. Perry’s Library class are sharing their love of reading with Maple and Hazel, our school goats! Each week, two students will take 10-15 minutes of their library class to read with the goats. Students learned the multiple meanings of the word, ruminate: 1. to go over in the mind repeatedly and often casually or slowly 2. to chew repeatedly for an extended period. We will be conducting more research on the care of goats and ruminants all year long.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ruminate

Ruminants: a type of herbivore animal that has a four-chamber stomach. They chew their food, regurgitate it back up, and then chew it again.

Welcome Back!

We have had a wonderful start to the new school year! Students have been orienting their way around the library. We have been talking about the Dewey Decimal system and how we organize Fiction and NonFiction books. Our TES library is a mix of genre organization, “bookstore method” better known as Genrefication, and Dewey Classification. For example, all of our graphic novels are on one metal shelf as are all our board books for new readers. We also have a high-interest shelf, filled with popular series such as: Dogman, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Stick Dog, Wings of Fire, and other popular series. To help student become more independent in their library, students successfully completed grade-appropriate Library Book Scavenger hunts like this one:

https://www.layers-of-learning.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Library-Scavenger-Hunt.pdf

Photo Credit:-booksourcebanter.com

Also, here are some Summer Reading Lists to help keep children engaged in reading throughout the summer!

The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC):

2023 Summer Reading Lists:

Birth – Pre-K PDF

Kindergarten – Grade 2 PDF

Grades 3 – 5 PDF

Grades 6 – 8 PDF

Have a wonderful summer!  

Can’t wait to see you in August and hear about your summer adventures and all the books you read!

Mary and Sir Earl

Worms, Yucky or Not Yucky?

Students read Yucky Worms by Vivian French and Illustrated by Jessica Ahlberg

Students have been raising seedlings in their classrooms and are getting ready to start gardening! Students shared lots of knowledge about worms and composting. After reading Vivian French’s book, Yucky Worms, students learned even more fun facts about how beneficial worms are to our environment!

Some  fun facts we learned about worms:

• Worms can live up to 22 years
• Worms have 5 hearts
• Worms have no eyes, they sense vibrations, light, and temperature through special organs in their skin
• The longest worm was found in South Africa, it was 22 feet long
• Baby worms hatch from a cocoon, smaller than a grain of rice
• There are 2,700 different kinds of worms
• Worm poop or castings are nutrient rich and help plants to grow
• Worm tunnels help to bring air into the soil and allow water to reach plants roots

Pezzettino by Leo Lionni

A classic fable about the search for identity, from Caldecott Honor winning picture book creator Leo Lionni. Pezzettino learns that he belongs to no one but himself a  joyous and satisfying conclusion to this beautiful mosaic style picture book.

“In Leo Lionni’s books, it is critical that the citizen not hoard his resources, it is critical that the artist not hoard his vision, but it is also important that the person not hoard himself. In Lionni’s books, the connection between one another is the most important thing we have. And it is by reaching out, grasping hands, that we build a better, more beautiful world, one we can all enjoy.” –Olivia Rutigliano

Students in K-2nd used Pattern Blocks to build imaginary characters to retell the story of Pezzetino.

Students in 1st-6th grade have been story mapping in Library Class with Ozobots!

We have been exploring 2 ways to code:

Completely screen-free with Color Codes, and more advanced block-based programming with Ozobot Blockly.

Students have been weaving textiles in Art class with looms they created from Popsicle sticks. In Spanish Class,  they have been studying world cultures. As an extension to these studies, students in grades 1st-6th read:

Abuela’s Weave By Omar S. Castañeda Illustrations by Enrique O. Sanchez.

A wonderful story about the relationship between a little girl (Esperanza) and her grandmother (Abuela). Together they weave traditional Mayan huilpes and textiles that they sell at the local market.

Drawing by: Olivia C.

Drawing by: Kyla O.

3 Ways to Encourage Your Child to Read

www.magicmurals.com

https://www.scholastic.com/parents/home.html

1. Provide access to a variety of books.

When children see that books are not just for bedtime, but for learning and exploring the world, they’ll begin a new journey toward exploring their many interests by selecting and reading a variety of books.

2. Let kids choose their own books.

Kids enjoy the books they choose themselves. Start by asking your child about their current interests, and encourage them to read more books with these topics.

3. Create fun rituals beyond read-aloud time.

There are several benefits of reading aloud with your child. However, more than 94 percent of parents save the read-aloud routine for bedtime, according to Scholastic’s Kids & Family Reading Report. Incorporate book discovery into other parts of the day, and your child will have more opportunities to reap the benefits of reading.

Looking for more tips? See all expert advice about establishing reading routines at home, including the benefits of reading to your child every night.

“3 Ways to Encourage Your Child to Read.” Scholastic, Scholastic Parents Staff, Oct. 2022, https://www.scholastic.com/parents/books-and-reading/raise-a-reader-blog/how-to-make-reading-fun.html.