:Mrs. Kozaka’s Library Blog

Hey Kids!

I know that you’ve heard me talking about writing citations.  But what does that mean? I have written a song to tell you about the importance of Good Citations.

Here are the lyrics so that you can sing along with me:

Good Citations, by Mrs. Kozaka

I love to look for information

And the way it makes me learn, and think and grow.

I learn from somebody else’s work

So good citations are what I need to show.

(Chorus)

I’m writing down good citations

For all of my information

I’m writing down good citations

For all of my information

Good, good, good, good citations

For all of my information

Good, good, good, good citations

For all of my information

I won’t plagiarize;

I’ll give credit when it’s due.

Cite the where, when, and who ‘cause

It’s the legal thing to do.

(Repeat chorus)

That was fun! Say, how did you know the tune to sing along to?  Does it sound like a song you have heard before?

What do I need to do to let my audience know where I found the information that inspired my song?

That’s right! I need a good citation.  Let’s work on one together.

Remember, whenever you use someone else’s information you need to write a Good Citation!

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The Small School Library is excited to announce that artist and educator Marek Bennett will be visiting our school February 3 – 5, 2010.

You may be asking, “Who is Marek Bennett?” Click on this sentence to visit his website and read his short biography. When you are finished, press the back button to return to this page.

During his visit, Marek Bennett will be working with classes to discuss comics and explore the art of cartooning. Are you wondering why we will be learning about comics in school? Click on this sentence to see Marek’s comic strip “Why Comics.”  When you are finished, press the back button to return to this page.

Don’t worry! Drawing cartoons and creating comics is really pretty simple. On his webpage titled “Why Comics,” Marek defines most comics as cartoon drawings put in order to tell a story or express an idea.

Sounds easy, right? Inspired to give it a try? Click on this sentence to see Marek’s comic strip called “How to Create Comics.” When you are finished, press the back button to return to this page.

Now it’s your turn! Grab some paper and a pencil, or try online at www.makebeliefscomix.com

Citation:  Marek’s Blog. www.MarekBennett.com. January 28, 2010. Online.

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“In the span of a few pages, Vila whisks the reader from New York’s Native American roots through its various manifestations to its modern scope. The bright, detailed illustrations, coupled with the spare text, invite the reader to linger in each layer of one of the world’s great cities.” -From the 2009-2010 Chickadee Award booklet

South Portland was first settled in 1630, and was made a town on March 15, 1895. (South Portland, Maine. Wikipedia. January 25, 2010. Online.)

What do you think South Portland looked like to the first visitors? How has the city transformed over the last few hundred years?

Visit the Maine Memory Network and view photographs and images of South Portland between 1832-1975 to see for yourself!

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    During the months of November and December, all schools in South Portland are participating in a community read of Greg Mortenson’s Three Cups of Tea. This inspiring story is available in three versions: adult, young reader’s edition, and the picture book Listen to the Wind.

Three Cups of Tea tells how Greg Mortenson went to central Asia in 1993 to climb a mountain, and dedicated the next 16 years to building schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Library, in collaboration with teachers and school staff, has designed meaningful programming around this story for K-5 students.

 Throughout the grades and classrooms, students and teachers are curious to explore the many themes of Greg’s story.  Please share your questions and comments about what you are learning.

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Summer is certainly a time to relax and enjoy the great outdoors, but it is also a great time to read.  In fact, students who read during their summer vacation are much less likely to experience the dreaded “summer slide.”  This happens when students, who have worked hard all school year to develop their reading skills, forget to practice and lose some of what they have learned.

During library classes throughout the school year students have also practiced some helpful strategies for choosing “just right” books.  These strategies include: pursuing personal interests, following favorite authors, exploring literary genres, and getting hooked on series.  In addition, students have learned how to browse bookshelves and carefully examine books to decide if they are interesting to them.  A student may recognize the author, make predictions based on the title, do a picture walk, find a summary, or read a page using the five finger rule.   These are sure-fire methods for finding great books to read.

As you can see, the students in the South Portland elementary schools are ready and able to make personal decisions of what to read this summer.  To guide their choices, the library department has also created some summer reading lists.  Please feel free to download or print these lists and use them to Super Charge Your Summer with Books!

Have a safe and happy summer,

Mrs. Kozaka

2009 5th Grade Summer Reading List

2009 K-4 Summer Reading List (page 1)

2009 K-4 Summer Reading List (page 2)

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  The final Mainely Girls book club meeting of this school year is being held on Tuesday, June 9th.  At this time we will discuss the book “The Sisters Club” by Megan McDonald.  In this story, sisters Alex, Stevie, and Joey are spunky members of a family who is heavily involved in local acting groups.  According to Kirkus Reviews, “Using a combination of personal journals, family-life scripts, and first-person narratives from each sister’s point of view, McDonald paints the picture of an entirely normal family in a somewhat unusual line of work” (Kirkus Reviews, August 15, 2003).  Sounds like a fun read, huh?

Girls, please share some remarks about this book. 

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On Tuesday, January 27th, thirteen 5th grade girls met with me in the Small school library to kick off the start of our Girls’ Point of View book club.  This club, sponsored by the the nonprofit group Mainely Girls, encourages girls of all ages and abilities to read and discuss contemporary fiction that addresses the challenges and opportunities that they face. 

Our first book is Dillon, Dillon by Kate Banks.  The following is a summary:

During the summer that he turns ten years old, Dillon Dillon learns the surprising story behind his name and develops a relationship with three loons, living on the lake near his family’s New Hampshire cabin, that help him make sense of his life.

The Common Loons that are depicted in the story are fascinating birds, whose vocalizations haunt Dillon during his time at the lake.  Below are some links to audio recordings of Loon calls from the Science Behind Algonquin’s Animals website.

Yodel

Hoots

Wail

Tremolo

If you would like to learn more about the author, Kate Banks, please visit the MacMillan website.

Happy reading girls!  See you at our next meeting on Tuesday, February 24th.

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Books are excellent gifts, but are often difficult to select.  To make this process a little easier, here is a list of online resources to help you find the perfect books for young family members and friends.

The ALA’s 2008 Notable Children’s Books on Booklist Online

The New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books of 2008

Amazon’s Best Books of 2008: Editors’ Top 10: Picture Books

Amazon’s Best Books of 2008: Editors’ Top 10: Middle Reader

The Association for Library Service to Children’s Great Elementary Reads

The American Library Association’s 2008 Notable Children’s Videos

The American Library Association’s 2008 Notable Children’s Recordings

Happy reading, listening and viewing!  I hope you have a safe and enjoyable holiday season.

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  While we are still on the topic of voting, let me introduce the Maine Student Book Award!  Each year Maine students in 4th – 8th grade have the opportunity to participate in a state-wide vote for their favorite book published in the previous year.  A list of 41 popular titles is compiled by the MSBA committee in the spring, and participants are encouraged to read and review as many as possible until the ballots are collected the following year.  Dyer, Kaler and Small schools each own about 15 of the titles, but the books are rarely on the shelves!  So in order to properly introduce them, I have created PowerPoint slideshows of the books at each school.  The slides include summaries that have been copied from the MSBA 2008-2009 Reading List, as well as cover art images from the Follett Library Resources website.

Click on the appropriate file below to see the Maine Student Book Award titles available at your school.

Dyer-MSBA-Titles   

Kaler-MSBA-Titles                                              

Small-MSBA-Titles

 If you would like to know more about any of the titles on the 2008-2009 MSBA Reading List, including genres, summaries, and student reviews, visit the Maine Student Book Award website.  Happy reading!

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Thank you to everyone who participated in our Vote for Books election. The votes are in, and to all of our amazement, The Giant of Seville by Dan Andreasen won in all three schools!  At Dyer 82 of the 231 votes collected were for The Giant of Seville; at Kaler, 84 of the 222 votes; and at Small 93 of the 284 votes.

According to some of the students, this biography was popular because “the guy was so tall” and the townspeople were so kind to him.  Students who enjoy learning fun facts were fascinated by the photograph of the real-life giant, Martin Van Buren Bates, and his wife, both standing at nearly 8 feet tall.  Other students thought the exaggerated descriptions were funny, and the events were exciting.  While we enjoyed each book candidate, this book was definitely our favorite!

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