Reading Counts Store

My absolute favorite week of the quarter, especially the first quarter. I only have my lower level prizes out because MOST kids don't have more than 25 points at this point. But, I do have one that is at almost 400 and another that has made it over 100. I love the first store because those kids that have not yet been motivated to take RC tests now have a little push when they see their friends getting prizes.
I have bins with each points levels (5, 10, 15, 25, 50, 100, and as the year gets on I have 200, 300, 400, and 500 too). The kids get to spend their points just like at a real store. I mark the points as used in SAM and that is that. I make the lowest point value 5 because I want them to have put a little itty bit of effort in before getting a prize. They like this because they get to choose the prizes the like instead of having one handed to them.

Book 12 of 15

As I was reading this book I could put in the voice of most 5th grade girls I know. There is nothing Brianna Justice wants to do more than follow in her hero's footsteps. Miss Delicious attended the same elementary school as Brianna and attributes it to her success owning her own cupcake business and having a TV show. Brianna is now running to be the 5th grade class president and has her plans thwarted when a new girl, Jasmine Moon, enters the race. Will she push the limits to win the election? Will she be able to stay herself in order to win?

Book 11 of 15

This book takes place during the Vietnam War and Space Race. It is about a little girl, Tamara, who is mostly misunderstood by the adults in her neighborhood. Muscle Man McGinty has moved into her best friends house and she cannot forgive him for it. But, does Muscle Man have reasons for being the way he is? Will Tamara bother to take the time to find out?

Book 10 of 15

This book may just have my vote. Isabelle lives in a town that has not seen sunshine since the day she was dropped on a doorstep in Runny Cove (formerly known as Sunny Cove). All the citizens of Runny Cove are dependant on Mr. Supreme's umbrella factory to live and they are working in horrible conditions.
One day she has a chance to leave Runny Cove and meet the family that she has been yearning for for 10 years. Her plan is to meet them and have them help her find a way to save her friends. Will it work? Will her family go for it? Read on to find out :)

This Week in Media

Pre-K and Kindergarten

The little ones will be learning about the parts of a book and the jobs of people who create them. We will be reading Ook the Book and using it to model the various parts of a book (cover, spine, pages, title, and call number). The students will then go to tables with various books on them and work together (using my newly learned Kagan structures, YAY) to point out the parts of a book to one another.
Ask your Pre-K or Kindergartner to name the parts of a book for you!!!




First Grade
First graders will be learning the same concept, but in a different way. They are going to play a game to reinforce these concepts (that they learned last year). Again, using a Kagan structure, the students are each going to have a card with a question about the parts of a book, author, illustrator, fiction, or nonfiction. They will then be doing "Quiz, Quiz, Trade" to get as much reinforcement as they need.
When first graders get home they should be able to tell you the parts of a book, what the author and illustrator do, and the difference between fiction and nonfiction books!

Second, Third, and Fourth Grades

I will be reading The Shelf Elf to the second, third, and fourth graders. I have read this book to them every year, but it reinforces the need to keep our library neat and in order. When I am done reading the book, instead of me asking the students questions, they will be asking each other, using the "Quiz, Quiz, Trade" method. When they get done with this lesson they should have a better understanding of where books belong in the library and what the shelves should look like.


Fifth Grade
The fifth graders, for the next couple weeks, are going to be working on becoming more responsible Internet users. They will be completing a webquest (http://www.saskschools.ca/~ischool/tisdale/integrated/wysiwyg/students.htm) in groups of 2 or 3. At the end of the webquest they will be giving me a list of rules to use to determine whether or not a website is reliable for accurate information.

Have a great week!!!

Book 9 of 15... As I sit at soccer practice

I finished Attack of the Fluffy Bunnies while sitting and watching a soccer practice. It was an interesting story about a brother and sister (twins) who were dropped off at camp by their parents. As camp started odd things started to happen that they were blamed for. So, in their search for the truth they discovered an alien species of Fluffy Bunnies who eat sweets and hypnotize people to take over their bodies.