Peter and the Wolf

I found a great You Tube video entitled "Beatboxing Flute: Peter and the Wolf" which I shared with my library classes a while ago. I showed them the book we had in our library. We then listened to a very old Peter and the Wolf record-- yes, it was a real record... the trial was finding a real record player. After viewing the book and listening to the record, I took them to You Tube and we watched Beatboxing Flute: Peter and the Wolf. It was great. We were able to compare the book to the music and then the original music with the new beatboxing flute. 

If you click on the title of today's blog, it will link you to You Tube or you can type "Beatboxing Flute: Peter and the Wolf" into the You Tube gadget at the bottom (right side) of this blog.

It's Movie Time!

Any of these sound familiar?

• It's rainy day recess, and you think it would be nice to show a video to your class.
• Your kids have earned a movie for good behavior in class, so you decide to show a video at the end of the day.
• You have a substitute coming in, so you tell her to show a video to fill up some time blocks in the schedule.
• Your PTA is having a "Family Night" at school and decides to show a video as part of the evening's entertainment.

As educators, most of us have participated in these senerios, and all of these senerios are breaking the copyright law. Listed below are the Educational Criteria for educators and video presentations (Swank Motion Pictures, 2008):

1. A teacher or instructor is present.

2. The showing takes place in a classroom setting with only the enrolled students attending.

3. The movie is used as an essential part of the core, current curriculum being taught. (The instructor should be able to show how the use of the motion picture contributes to the overall course study and syllabus.)

4. The movie being used is a legitimate copy, not taped from a legitimate copy or taped from TV.

All of the above criteria must be met to insure proper copyright use. If we are to teach our children the rights and wrongs of copyright, it is important that we model these issues correctly in all aspects of teaching. 

For more information on this topic, click on the title of this link to take you to the U.S. Copyright Office.

And the Winner Is...

The 2009 Newbery Medal winner was announced today... The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. Along with this first place winner for outstanding children's literature were four honor books:

1. The Underneath by Kathy Appelt
   
2. The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom by Margarita Engle
   
3. Savy by Ingrid Law
   
4. After Tupac & D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson
   

The 2009 Caldecott Medal winner was also announced... The House in the Night illustrated by Beth Krommes. There were also three honor book awards announced for the most distinguished American picture books for children:

1. A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever written & illustrated by Marla Frazee
   
2. How I Learned Geography written & illustrated by Uri Shulevitz
   
3. A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams written by Jen Bryant and illustrated by Melissa Sweet
   

Click on the title of this blog for more information on these new award winners and other great award winning books.

Quest for the Perfect 10

In our library, I use a management system called "Quest for the Perfect 10." At the beginning of the school year, I discuss all 10 points on the form with every 3-6 grade class (grades k-2 use another format). From the moment classes walk into the library, they are "graded" on their behavior using this form. At the end of each library time, I quickly review what score they received and why. I then mark the score on the seating chart where I can view each week's perfomance. At the end of that specific library time, the Quest for the Perfect 10 slip is given to the teacher. When four 10s are received, the class then earns a "game time." Students play board games at this time, check out books, or both. At the end of the year, the class receiving the most total points (I do this for primary and intermediate) receives a free recess. This is a great way to keep track of each class's behavior.

Are You Smart Enough for a SmartBoard?

About 3 years ago, I purchased a SmartBoard with my library book fair funds (the board and sturdy stand came to just under $2,000). What a great investment! I really enjoy the creative, interactive lessons I am able to use with my board, and the kids love it. It takes a small amount of time to produce your interactive white board lessons, but once that is done, you are up and running with great, interactive lessons. I am in the process of learning more about SmartBoard's Senteo Student Response System as I just acquired a set of these for the library also. If you click on the title of this blog posting, you will be sent to SmartBoard's web site where I learned a lot about this great piece of technology through their 2-minute Tutorials. Check it out if you are new to interactive, white boards as these tutorials are very informative. The best way to learn more about your SmartBoard is to just "play" with it and explore. I am learning new things every week! Also, when you purchase a board, your students are able to download the SmartBoard software for free which enables them to create great, interactive lessons & reports that can then be brought back to school for assignments.

Help Wanted!

Kids love to help and be a part of the library. They enjoy taking responsibility. One way I reinforce this is to "hire" approximately 10 Library Helpers two times each school year. The first set of Library Helpers works October - January. The second group works February - May. Applications are set out for those who are interested in the positions upon which only 10 will be chosen. Forms must be signed by each applicant's parent and teacher before being turned into the library for consideration. After applicants are chosen, I meet with the group to review worker expectations and work schedules. Library Helpers do not miss any class time to perform their duties. These duties take place during 2-3 scheduled recess times each week. These jobs help the kids feel special as they return library passes to classrooms, check out books to library patrons, clean tables, organize shelves, and have free access to the library via a special library helper pass with attached ornamentation of some kind. Daily payment for performing their jobs is a small sucker. At the end of each bi-yearly session, a library party is held to celebrate all of the worker's efforts. The party usually consists of a free poster for each worker (collected from the previous book fair), book marks, root beer floats, a small bag of candy, and a literature-based movie.  

When I Grow Up I Want to Be President!

Today marks the inauguration day for the 44th president of our United States, and with this historical experience comes many teaching moments for our children. I chose to share So You Want to Be President, the 2001 Caldecott Medal Book awarded for best children's literature, with my kids this week. This book, for ages 8-12 years of age, has an interesting approach to lots of fun and interesting presidential facts from the past. There is also an appendix with dates and significant contributions from each of our, as of 2001, 41 presidents. It's a great book to reinforce the idea that anyone can grow up to be president.

Share the World with Your Children

If you click on the title of today's blog, you will be sent to a wonderful web site created by photojournalist Peter Menzel and former television producer Faith D'Aluisio. The books pictured above, Hungry Planet and Material World, are extraordinary books that reveal the world around us through vivid photography. These are both books that I highly recommend for your library as they use photography to tell the story how others in our world live. You can also purchase posters that go with the books and view power points that will enhance any social studies curriculum. I've posted a few reviews below:

"The world's kitchens open to Peter Menzel and Faith D'Aluisio... As always with this couple's terse, lively travelogues, politics and the world economy are never far from view." -New York Times

"While the photos are extraordinary- fine enough for stand-alone volume- it's the questions these photos ask that make this so gripping." -Publisher's Weekly

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

This week in the library, we are celebrating the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I am sharing the award winning book "Martin's Big Words" with the primary students. Grades 4 & 5 are viewing a video entitled "Martin Luther King, Jr. Day." The older students are listening to part of his "I have a dream" speech and reading part of a letter he wrote while being held in a Birmingham jail entitled "Why We Can't Wait." Prior to reading the letter, I discuss some of the more difficult words in the letter and their meaning via the Smart Board.

What's it like in our library?

I teach 21 35-minute classes (grades 1-6) and 2 20-minute classes (kindergarten) each week. the library is open for check out before school, during lunch recess, after school, and any "open" times in the schedule. Students are also able to use the library computers for research and classroom work.

Welcome to my first blog!

I'm completely new at this, but it is my hopes that I will improve with time... practice makes perfect, right? My goal in creating this blog is to be able to share successes, ideas, and "ah-ha" moments for the library or classroom. Please, take some time to explore.