Grand View Elementary School Library
manhattan beach unified school district
Heidi snively - library RESOURCE specialist
310/546-8022 x5404
  • Home
    • Class Visit Schedule
    • Library Policies
    • Library Map
    • Our School
    • Our School District
    • Our Education Foundation
    • GV Library on Facebook
    • About Mrs. Snively
  • News & Events
    • New Books in the Library
    • Readathon Fundraiser
    • Super Literacy Quiz Bowl
    • CA Young Reader Medal
    • Monthly Highlights
  • Read-alouds
    • Read-Alouds 2024-25
    • Read-Alouds 2023-24
    • Read Alouds 2022-23
    • Read-Alouds 2021-22
    • Read-alouds 2020-21
    • Mrs. Snively Reads to You
    • Read-alouds 2019-20
    • Read-alouds 2018-19 Mar-Jun
    • Read-alouds 2018-19 Aug-Feb
    • Read-alouds 2017-18
    • Read-alouds 2016-17
    • Read-alouds 2015-16
    • Read-Alouds 2014-15
    • Read-Alouds 2013-14
    • Read-Alouds Archive
  • Resources
    • Discovery Education Video (password protected)
    • World Book Encyclopedia (password protected)
    • Encyclopedia Britannica (no password needed)
    • TeachingBooks.net (use with or without password)
    • California K-12 Online Content Project
    • Reading Lists
    • Student Resources
    • Parent/Teacher Resources
    • Resources for Library Colleagues
    • MBUSD Library Catalogs
    • CA Dept. of Ed. School Libraries Curriculum & Instruction
    • Articles about Reading Trends and More
  • Volunteers
  • CATALOG
Picture

Read-alouds and Presentations Week to Week by Grade Level 2017-18

Our students enjoy weekly visits for a presentation crafted to instill a love of reading, 
to enhance classroom lessons, and to inspire life-long learning.
Visits include checking out materials, practicing information literacy, and exercising digital citizenship.
Picture
battle of the books and summer reading lists

Week of June 11 - Presentations Only - Books or Lost Book Payments Due Now

Week of June 11 - TK - Just for Fun

Picture
Picture
Picture
But I Am an Alligator by Lauren Child. Charlie tries to talk his little sister, Lola, out of wearing her alligator costume all of the time.
Panda Pants by Jacqueline Davies. Reminiscent of Little Bear (Else Homelund Minarik, 1957) and his desire for "something to put on," a young panda tries to convince his father why he should be allowed to wear pants.
​
Can't Catch Me by John Hassett. A sassy ice cube escapes from the freezer and runs away to sea.
Activity Students use ice cubes to draw on colored construction paper.

Summer Reading Read just for the fun of it!

Week of June 11 - Kindergarten - Fun with Summer Reading

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Video Segment Driftwood Logs... Lemmings in Arctic Fox Food Chain Discovery Education Streaming Video (password protected)
Read the Book, Lemmings! by Ame Dyckman. A fox attempts to teach a trio of lemmings to read in order to save them from their habit of jumping off cliffs.
How to Read a Story by Kate Messner. Three steps that lead to the joy of reading: Find a story (a good one). Find a reading buddy (someone nice). Find a spot (a cozy one).
The Summer Nick Taught His Cats to Read by Curtis Manley. When Nick decides to teach his cats to read, Verne is very much interested, especially in books about mice and fish, but Stevenson wants nothing to do with the project--or does he?​
But Excuse Me that Is My Book by Lauren Child. Oh, no! Lola's favorite book is not on the shelf!
Summer Reading MBUSD recommended lists

Week of June 11 - First Grade - Happy Endings

Picture
Picture
Picture
PictureWoolbur masks with curled and twisted chenille stems halves in neon colors.
The Three Little Gators by Helen Ketteman. An adaptation of the traditional folktale in which three little gators each build a house in an east Texas swamp, hoping for protection from the Big-bottomed Boar.
A Well-Mannered Young Wolf by Jean Leroy. Sometimes good manners can backfire, as a young wolf discovers when he goes hunting alone in the forest for the first time.
Woolbur by Leslie Helakoski  Though sheep are famous for following the flock, Woolbur is one sheep who knows how to think for himself and make his own lifestyle choices. "Isn't that great!"
Summer Reading MBUSD recommended lists and America's Battle of the Books


Week of June 11 - Second Grade Battle of the Books Sampling

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Reading Competition New at Grand View in the Fall America's Battle of the Books is a national reading incentive program. Students read books from grade-level lists and come together to demonstrate their knowledge of the books they have read. Participation is voluntary. Want to get involved in organizing the competition? Email Nicole Shepley or Heidi Snively. Click here for the book lists Grand View will be using.
​Invisible Inkling by Emily Jenkins. When Hank runs into trouble in the form a of lunch-stealing bully, he finds an unlikely ally in an invisible refugee pumpkin-loving bandapat named Inkling.
Clementine by Sara Pennypacker. As Clementine says, "Spectacularful ideas are always sproinging up in my brain." All the better for readers who like to laugh. Reminiscent of both Ramona and Junie B. Jones, Clementine is an ingenuous third-grader with a talent for trouble and a good heart.

The Time Warp Trio: Knights of the Kitchen Table by Jon Scieszka. Adventure, comedy, and magic blend together as Joe, Sam, and Fred look through a mysterious book and find themselves in King Arthur's time being pursued by the evil Black Knight. 

Week of June 11 - Third Grade Battle of the Books Sampling

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Reading Competition New at Grand View in the Fall America's Battle of the Books is a national reading incentive program. Students read books from grade-level lists and come together to demonstrate their knowledge of the books they have read. Participation is voluntary. Want to get involved in organizing the competition? Email Nicole Shepley or Heidi Snively. Click here for the book lists Grand View will be using.
No Talking by Andrew Clements. A competition between the 5th grade boys and girls turns into a lesson on civil disobedience when the autocratic principal demands they end their silence.
Bunnicula, a Rabbit-Tale of Mystery by Deborah and James Howe. 
Though scoffed at by Harold the dog, Chester the cat tries to warn his human family that their foundling baby bunny must be a vampire.
Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary. 
Ramona meets lots of interesting people in kindergarten class, like Davy whom she keeps trying to kiss and Susan whose springy curls seem to ask to be pulled.
Library visits have ended for fourth and fifth grade... have a great summer!

Week of June 4 - Presentations Only - All Books Due for Inventory

Picture
LOST A BOOK?
While fines are not charged for materials returned late,
if a book is lost or damaged it must be paid for. See
 Library Policies.
Picture
TUESDAY JUNE 5
Library Volunteer Luncheon and Shelf Reading Project
11am to 2pm
Drop in for a bite and see the new book dedicated to each of you! Details

Week of June 4
TK - Fun with Sharing

Picture
How to Share with a Bear by Erik Pinder. Thomas builds a cave of pillows and blankets where he can read, but when he goes to get a flashlight, a young "bear" goes inside and nothing Thomas does discourages the bear from being near him.
Activity Craft a brown bag bear puppet similar to this, but drawn with felt pens, no paint or cut-out shapes.

Week of June 4
​Kindergarten - Fun with Cats and Kindness

Picture
Picture
Picture
Lost Cat by C. Roger Mader. Slipper the cat is mistakenly left behind in the commotion when the lady she has always lived with moves in with her daughter's family, so Slipper sets out to find someone new to adopt. 
The Cat Who Lost His Purr by Michele Coxon. 
Bootle the cat searches inside and outside for his lost purr and only retrieves it when his owners return.
I Like Your Buttons! by Sarah Lamstein. When a little girl compliments her teacher it starts a chain reaction of goodwill, good deeds, and thoughtfulness throughout the day.
June is Adopt-A-Shelter-Cat Month Click for info
Activity Create a bracelet made with buttons on pipe cleaners.

Week of June 4 - First Grade - Just for Fun

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Please, Mr. Panda by Steve Antony. What is the proper way to ask for a doughnut?
Tea Party Rules by Ame Dyckman. How much can one bear take, even for cookies? 
Princess Sparkle-Heart Gets a Makeover by Josh Schneider. A destroyed doll is made better than new.
The End by David LaRochelle. A princess starts a chain of events when she makes lemonade.
Activity Donut coloring sheet 

Week of June 4
​Second Grade
Summer Reading

Picture
Legend of Spud Murphy by Eoin Colfer. When their mother drops them off at the library several afternoons a week, nine-year-old William and his brother dread the overbearing librarian, but are surprised at what they discover. Part 4 of 4
​
Video The Potato Song

Week of June 4
​Third Grade
​Writing Fairy Tales

Picture
Picture
Picture
Also an Octopus by Maggie Tokuda-Hall. This picture book walks readers through the storytelling process by introducing key story elements, like a main character, a desire, an obstacle, and an ending.
Noodleheads See the Future by Tedd Arnold. Inspired by folktales about fools from around the world, brothers Mac and Mac Noodlehead exasperate Uncle Ziti, are fooled by their friend Meatball, and make a garden for their mother.
You Don't Want a Unicorn! by Ame Dyckman. It's fun to write about mythical creatures, but be careful what you wish for!
Library visits have ended for fourth and fifth grade... have a great summer!

Week of May 28 - Presentations Only - Student Check Outs Have Ended

Monday is Memorial Day. Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday Grades 1-5 are on minimum day schedule for Fountas & Pinnell reading assessments with shorter class visit times for 4th and 5th grade.

Week of May 28 - TK - Insects

Picture
Bubba and Trixie by Lisa Campbell Ernst. An adventuresome ladybug befriends an apprehensive caterpillar and helps him to enjoy life and be happy with what he is and with what he becomes.
Activity 
Students will decorate a foam or die-cut butterfly and a prepared ladybug friend to clothespin together.
Instructions 3D Paper Ladybug ​​
Picture

Week of May 28 - Kindergarten - Just for Fun

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
If Rocks Could Sing by Leslie McGuirk. Amazing rocks found on a stretch of beach comprise this unique alphabet book. 
Diary of a Wombat by Jackie French. A tongue-in-cheek account of a wombat's busy week; eating, sleeping, digging holes . . . and training her new neighbors to produce treats on demand.
Guess Again! by Mac Barnett. Flaps, fold-outs and fool-the-eye illustrations keep the reader guessing again, and again, and again.
Activity Question mark bookmark to color and cut.

Week of May 28
1st Grade
​China

Picture
The Story about Ping by Marjorie Flack. A little duck finds adventure on the Yangtze River when he is too late to return to his master's houseboat one evening.
Video Fishing in China with cormorants
Activity Students will fold a simple origami boat
Extension How to fold a boat

Week of May 28
​2nd Grade
​Summer Reading

Picture
Picture
Legend of Spud Murphy by Eoin Colfer.  When their mother drops them off at the library several afternoons a week, nine-year-old William and his brother dread the overbearing librarian, but are surprised at what they discover. Part 3 of 4
The Potato King by Christoph Niemann. A fictionalized account of how King Frederick of Prussia tricked his subjects into adopting the potato into their diet. The potato is the fourth largest food crop in the world today.
Activity Vegetables word search 
Recipe Potato Chip Cookies 

Week of May 28
3rd Grade
​Just for Fun

Picture
My Brother Louis Measures Worms and Other Louis Stories by Barbara Robinson. Mary Elizabeth relates the humorous misadventures of her brother Louis in this collection of short stories. This week: The Adoption of Albert.

Week of May 28
Fourth Grade - Celebrating Doughnut Day

Picture
Picture
The Hole Story of the Doughnut by Pat Miller. In 1847, 16-year-old Hanson Crockett Gregory was working in the kitchen of a ship called the Ivanhoe, where breakfast usually consisted of small cakes of fried dough. These gained the unfortunate nickname of "sinkers" from the crew, as their centers were often under-cooked and heavy with grease. One morning, Gregory had the idea to cut out the middles with the lid of can, so the dough would cook all the way through when fried. And like that, the hole in the doughnut was born.
Why Are Doughnut Boxes Pink? Los Angeles Times story 
Please, Mr. Panda by Steve Antony. What is the proper way to ask for a doughnut?
A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz. 
Hansel and Gretel walk out of their own story and into eight other classic Grimm-inspired tales as the siblings learn to take charge of their destinies and become the clever architects of their own happily ever after.
Video Book trailer

Week of May 28
Fifth Grade - Deep Doodles & Farewell

Picture
Picture
Deep Doodles. What do your doodles reveal about your character and your personality?
Picture
Summer Reading Entering sixth graders are required to read three titles from this list. When you order online from Pages by Thursday, May 31, your purchase will be delivered to the Grand View office for your convenience, and a portion of the sale will be donated to Manhattan Beach Middle School. 

Week of May 21
TK - Ladybugs

Picture
Picture
Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy by David Soman and Jacky Davis. Lulu and Sam know how to include some new friends when they play Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy, saving the playground from hairy monsters and big mean robots.
Activity Students embellish a prepared book with one red and one yellow page.

Week of May 21
​Kindergarten - Pets

Picture
Picture
The Grumpy Pets by Kristine A Lombardi. A cranky little boy learns that there is a perfect pet for everyone when he rejects a series of cute and playful candidates at the animal rescue shelter in favor of a grumpy puppy who might just be his ideal match.
Children Make Terrible Pets by Peter Brown. When a young bear discovers a boy lost in the woods, she asks her mother if she can have him as a pet, only to find him impossible to train.

Week of May 21
First Grade - Silkworms

Picture
Worm Gets a Job by Kathy Caple. Worm attempts various jobs for his animal friends so that he can buy painting supplies and enter the art contest.
Video Time lapse silkworms
Activity Students use crayons, scissors, tape to transform a red paper scooter handle into anything they like.

Week of May 21
Second Grade - Reading

Picture
Legend of Spud Murphy by Eoin Colfer.
​
When their mother drops them off at the library several afternoons a week, nine-year-old William and his brother dread the overbearing librarian, but are surprised at what they discover. Part 2 of 4

Week of May 21
​Third Grade - Just for Fun

Picture
My Brother Louis Measures Worms and Other Louis Stories by Barbara Robinson. Mary Elizabeth relates the humorous misadventures of her brother Louis in this collection of short stories. This week part 2 of 2: Louis at the Wheel.

Week of May 21
​Fourth Grade - Military Appreciation

Picture
Picture
Tucky Jo and Little Heart by Patricia Polacco. 
​
A fifteen-year-old soldier in World War II meets a sweet young girl in the Philippines who helps him remember what he is fighting for as he helps her and others of her village avoid starvation. Many years later she returns his kindness. Part 2 of 2.
Activity Students make a "Little Heart" bracelet with a pipe cleaner and pony beads.​
A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz. 
​
Hansel and Gretel walk out of their own story and into eight other classic Grimm-inspired tales as the siblings learn to take charge of their destinies and become the clever architects of their own happily ever after.
Video Book trailer

Week of May 21
Fifth Grade - Novel Study

Picture
Picture
The Van Gogh Cafe by Cynthia Rylant. The Cafe -- The Possum -- Lightning Strikes -- Magic Muffins -- The Star -- The Wayward Gull -- The Writer. The cafe has magic in its walls, causing strange and mysterious events to occur there. You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To sung by Dinah Shore is one example of how the quiet magic of the Van Gogh Cafe found its way into the Grand View Library. And what is the secret connection to Captain Underpants?

​Week of May 14
TK - At the Beach

Picture
Picture
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Shell! by Lucille Colandro. A seaside adaptation of the familiar rhyme about an old woman who swallows a fly, in which the lady in question swallows a shell, a crab, some sand, and many other puzzling items for a creative reason revealed at the end.
Activity 
Seashells coloring sheet

​Week of May 14
Kindergarten - At the Beach

Picture
Picture
Sneakers the Seaside Cat by Margaret Wise Brown. Through Sneakers children experience the sights, sounds, and smells of the ocean. Adapted from Sneakers: Seven Stories About a Cat by Margaret Wise Brown, originally published in 1955.
Activity 
Seashells coloring sheet

Week of May 14
First Grade - Getting Ready for Three Piggy Opera with Miss Radha

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Wolves by Emily Gravett. A young rabbit checks out a library book about wolves and learns much more about their behavior than he wanted to know.
Good Little Wolf by Nadia Shireen. When the Big Bad Wolf teases him about being good, Rolf tries to prove himself by howling at the moon and blowing down Little Pig's house.
My Lucky Day by Keiko Kasza. A crafty little pig comes knocking at the door of a hungry fox who soon realizes that getting dinner into the pot is harder than it seems.
Wolfie the Bunny by Anne Dyckman. 
When her parents find a baby wolf on their doorstep and decide to raise him as their own, Dot is certain he will eat them all up until a surprising encounter brings them closer together.
Activity The Three Little Pigs Coloring Sheet

Week of May 15
Second Grade

Summer Reading

Picture
Legend of Spud Murphy by Eoin Colfer. When their mother drops them off at the library several afternoons a week, nine-year-old William and his brother dread the overbearing librarian, but are surprised at what they discover. Part 1 of 4

Week of May 15
​Third Grade

Just for Fun

Picture
My Brother Louis Measures Worms and Other Louis Stories by Barbara Robinson. Mary Elizabeth relates the humorous misadventures of her brother Louis in this collection of short stories. This week part 1 of 2: Louis at the Wheel.

Week of May 15
Fourth Grade

Military Appreciation

Picture
Tucky Jo and Little Heart by Patricia Polacco. 
​
A fifteen-year-old soldier in World War II meets a sweet young girl in the Philippines who helps him remember what he is fighting for as he helps her and others of her village avoid starvation. Many years later she returns his kindness. Part 1 of 2.
A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz. 
​
Hansel and Gretel walk out of their own story and into eight other classic Grimm-inspired tales as the siblings learn to take charge of their destinies and become the clever architects of their own happily ever after.
Video Book trailer

Week of May 14 - Fifth Grade - Novel Study

Picture
Picture
Picture
The Van Gogh Cafe by Cynthia Rylant. The Cafe -- The Possum -- Lightning Strikes -- Magic Muffins -- The Star -- The Wayward Gull -- The Writer. The cafe has magic in its walls, causing strange and mysterious events to occur there. You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To sung by Dinah Shore is one example of how the quiet magic of the Van Gogh Cafe found its way into the Grand View Library. And what is the secret connection to Captain Underpants?

Week of May 7
TK -  Honesty

Picture
That Is NOT a Good Idea! by Mo Willems. The world of Mo Willems is exactly what Children's Book Week is about: books that engage readers of all ages - pictures that invite second and third closer looks - stories that are fun and meaningful - books that beg for repeat readings!

Week of May 7
Kindergarten - Courage

Picture
​Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig. Sylvester the donkey finds a magic pebble that grants his every wish, but in a moment of fright he wishes he were a rock, and then cannot hold the pebble to wish himself back to normal again.

​Week of May 7
First Grade - Police Week

Picture
Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathman When Officer Buckle visits schools to give safety tips, his ho-hum presentation gets a shot of life after he is joined by a police dog named Gloria.
Video Discovery Education (password protected) John Lithgow narrates the book

Activity Students write/draw what they think MBPD officers enjoy doing on their day off. The drawings will be presented to MBPD.

Week of May 7 - Second Grade 
​Police Week Courage and Honesty

Picture
Picture
Antoinette by Kelly DiPucchio. The beloved puppies of Gaston are back, this time with Antoinette's story of self-discovery as she reveals that every dog has a gift to share. 
Betty Bunny Didn't Do It by Michael B. Kaplan. When Betty Bunny breaks a lamp, she blames it on the Tooth Fairy. “Is that the honest truth?” her mom asks. “It's an honest lie,” Betty Bunny replies proudly. Honest lies, white lies, crying wolf – how can a little bunny keep track of the right thing to do?

Week of May 7 - Third Grade
​Writing Fairy Tales

Picture
Picture
Elements of Fairy Tales Readwritethink.org
Videos Barbie Princess & the Pop Star and The Biker
Once Upon a Cool Motorcycle Dude by Kevin O'Malley. Cooperatively writing a fairy tale for school, a girl imagines a beautiful princess whose beloved ponies are being stolen by a giant, and a boy conjures up a muscular biker who will guard the last pony in exchange for gold.
Waking Beauty by Leah Wilcox. 
Prince Charming tries all sorts of silly ways to wake Sleeping Beauty before he learns how he is really supposed to wake her up.

Week of May 7
​Fourth Grade
Parody 

Picture
Picture
Picture
Definition of Parody literarydevices.com
Taking Tree by Shrill Travesty A selfish little boy takes advantage of a long-suffering tree who finally gives him just what he deserves in this parody of 
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein.
Video Eat It Weird Al Yankovic's music video parody of Michael Jackson's Beat It.
A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz. 
Hansel and Gretel walk out of their own story and into eight other classic Grimm-inspired tales as the siblings learn to take charge of their destinies and become the clever architects of their own happily ever after.
Video Book trailer

Week of May 7
​Fifth Grade
​Novel Study

Picture
Schooled by Gordon Korman. Although he knows a lot about Zen Buddhism, nothing has prepared home schooled Capricorn Anderson for an A-list bully, a popular girl, and middle school politics. The shifting points of view capture a pitch-perfect "fish out of water" story. ​
Video Schooled book trailer
Picture
Picture
Picture
Announced May 1

Week of April 30
TK & Kindergarten
​Screen Free Week

Picture
If... by Sarah Perry. 
​
Illustrations present such imaginative possibilities as worms with wheels, caterpillar toothpaste, and whales in outer space. 
Activity 
Jimmy Jet and his TV Set coloring sheet. A poem to recite and draw from Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein.

Week of April 30
First Grade
Screen Free Week

Picture
The Dragon in the Clock Box by M. Jean Craig. When Joshua says he has a dragon's egg his family plays along. Note: no electronic entertainment is visible and readers can see how family members spend their leisure time.
Activity Foldable boxes

Week of April 30
Second Grade
​Screen Free Week

Picture
Picture
Open this Little Book by Jesse Klausmeier. An imaginative exploration of the art of book making and a charming tale of friendship and the power of books. The special invitation at the end is the perfect lead-in for...
​
Emma Kate by Patricia Polacco. The best thing to play with is a huge imagination.
Activity Jimmy Jet and his TV Set coloring sheet. A poem to recite and draw from Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein.

Week of April 30
Third Grade
​Screen Free Week

Picture
Picture
Goodnight iPad by Ann Droyd. In this parody for the next generation, a family bids goodnight to their electronic gadgets before going to bed. 
When Charlie McButton Lost Power by Suzanne Collins. A boy who likes nothing but playing computer games is in trouble when the power goes out and his little sister has all of the batteries in the house.
Activity Color in last week's Spine Poems

Activity Jimmy Jet and his TV Set coloring sheet A poem to recite and draw from Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein.

Week of April 30
Fourth Grade
​Screen Free Week

Picture
Picture
If You Give a Mouse an iPhone by Ann Droyd. In this parody of the Laura Numeroff story, if you give a bored little mouse an iPhone he's likely to miss out on all the real fun going on around him.
A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz. 
Hansel and Gretel walk out of their own story and into eight other classic Grimm-inspired tales as the siblings learn to take charge of their destinies and become the clever architects of their own happily ever after.
Video Book trailer

Week of April 30
Fifth Grade
Novel Study

Picture
Schooled by Gordon Korman. Although he knows a lot about Zen Buddhism, nothing has prepared home schooled Capricorn Anderson for an A-list bully, a popular girl, and middle school politics. The shifting points of view capture a pitch-perfect "fish out of water" story. 
Picture

Week of April 23
​TK
"Ugly Ducklings"

Beloved Books

Picture
Little Bear (1957) Else Holmelund Minarek (1920-2012) worked as reporter before becoming a first grade teacher and recognizing the need for children's books with simple words. She wrote over 40 children's books during her lifetime. Little Bear was her first.

Week of April 23
Kindergarten

"Ugly Ducklings"
Loved Older Books

Picture
Petunia (1950) by Roger Duvoisin (1904-1980). When Petunia finds a book in the barnyard she believes she is wise because she carries it under her wing. But when her advice to the other animals goes all wrong she realizes that to be truly wise she must learn to read.
Take-home activity Ida and her chicks math manipulative.

Week of April 23
First Grade
"Ugly Ducklings"
​Beloved Older Books

Picture
Picture
Harry the Dirty Dog (1956) by Gene Zion (1913-1975). Harry is a white dog with black spots who loves everything . . . except baths. One day, before bath time, Harry runs away. By the time he returns home, Harry is so dirty he looks like a black dog with white spots and his family doesn't recognize him.
​A Dog Wearing Shoes (2015) by Sangmi Ko. Mini finds a dog and begs to keep him. Based on a true story. The author's niece once found a lost dog with 
shoes on, and after returning him to his owner, she adopted a dog named Ray. Sangmi lives and works in Seoul, South Korea, with two adopted dogs, White and Malti.
​
Author Visit 4/23 Juana Martinez-Neal discusses Alma and How She Got Her Name, which has autobiographical elements... "we are everyone that came before us, and at the same time we are uniquely ourselves." Order a book online from Pages Bookstore.

Week of April 23 - Second Grade - "Ugly Ducklings" Beloved Older Books and Poetry

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
The Outside Cat (1957) by Jane Thayer. Samuel wants to get inside. He finally does, only to discover that the family and cat who were living there have moved. Now Samuel wants out, but he’s trapped in an empty house. 
Six-Dinner Sid (1991) by Inga Moore. A clever cat lives with six families.
Won Ton : a Cat Tale Told in Haiku (2011) by Lee Wardlaw. A cat arrives at a shelter, arranges to go home with a good family, and settles in with them, all the while letting them know who is boss and, finally, sharing his real name.

Website poets.org A traditional Japanese haiku is a three-line poem with seventeen syllables, written in a 5/7/5 syllable count.
​
Author Visit 4/23 Juana Martinez-Neal discusses Alma and How She Got Her Name, which has autobiographical elements... "we are everyone that came before us, and at the same time we are uniquely ourselves." Order a book online from Pages Bookstore.

Week of April 23 - Third Grade - Poetry Month: Creating Book Spine Poems

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Book Spine Poems Print worksheet It’s fun! It’s easy! It makes a bit of a library mess! Oh, well! Select three to six books with titles that inspire your poetic fire. Stack the books flat, one on top of the other, so the spines are visible. Move the books around until you like the way it reads, top to bottom. Write the titles in the diagram the way you want the poem to read, top to bottom. Go over the titles with marker. Shade in each rectangle lightly with a different color crayon to create book spines.

Week of April 23 - Fourth Grade - Poetry Month: Black Out Poems from Weeded Books

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Black Out Poetry Choose a page from a discarded book and rip it out neatly. Find the poem by scanning the page and lightly underlining or boxing interesting words. Black out the rest of the page so only the poem is left. Alternatively, highlight the poem with a doodle..
Video How to: Black Out Poetry by Ariel Bisset (running time 5:37 stop at 4:13)

Week of April 23 - Fifth Grade - Poetry Month: Hidden Poems in Discarded Books

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Hidden Poetry Choose a page from a discarded book and rip it out neatly. Don't read the words on the page. Draw the outline of any object and then choose your words from within the object. Look for words that fit your drawing. You will be surprised when they seem to emerge like magic from the object you have drawn. Lightly underline the selected words with pencil. When you are sure of them, box them in. And now you can draw freely, filling in the details of your object.
Video Hidden Poems by Miriam Paternoster (running time 3:28)

​Week of April 16 - All Grades - Earth Week

Earth Day is an annual observance, held on April 22, to increase awareness of environmental issues. Millions of people worldwide gather to clean up litter, to protest threats to the environment, and to celebrate progress in reducing pollution. In 1969, U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson suggested that a day of environmental education be held on college campuses. The following year, the lawyer and environmentalist Denis Hayes (then a recent graduate of Stanford University) led hundreds of students in organizing the observance of Earth Day on April 22, 1970. About 20 million people participated in this celebration. The event helped to alert people to the dangers of pollution and fostered a new environmental movement. Also in 1970, Congress created the Environmental Protection Agency to set and enforce pollution standards, and passed the Clean Air Act which limits the amount of air pollution that cars, utilities, and industries could release. Other environmental laws soon followed. (Hayes, Denis. "Earth Day." World Book Student. World Book, 2016. Web. 18 Apr. 2016.)
The effort continues with Grades of Green, a grassroots organization that teaches kids about environmental stewardship that got its start at Grand View Elementary School in 2009. 
Video ABC7 Eyewitness News Manhattan Beach Students are Pros at Saving the Planet

Week of April 16 - TK and Kindergarten - Natural Resources

Picture
Picture
Picture
The Earth Book by Todd Parr. Students learn simple ways to take care of the planet. 
Video Paired with the animated Think Earth which shows the impact humans have on the environment and how to minimize it for a healthier planet. Define and discuss natural resources: paper, metal, glass, oil. 
Play My Garbology Game 
Coloring sheets
Composting... Life in the Slow Lane! 
Clean Storm Drains = Healthy Oceans!

Week of April 16 - First Grade - Recycling

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years by Stacy McAnulty. A simple story that joyfully introduces readers to key moments in the planet's life, from its formation over four billion years ago to the present and ends on a reflective note to encourage sharing, playing nice, and cleaning up.
​
Video Paired with the animated Recycle Rex. Rex and friends learn about recycling firsthand when the field where they play is in jeopardy of being turned into a landfill. Define and discuss 4 Rs + 1 (refuse) and how excessive packaging contributes to waste. 
Author Visit 4/23 Juana Martinez-Neal discusses Alma and How She Got Her Name, which has autobiographical elements... "we are everyone that came before us, and at the same time we are uniquely ourselves." Order a book online from Pages Bookstore.

Play My Garbology Game 
Coloring sheets
Composting... Life in the Slow Lane! 
Clean Storm Drains = Healthy Oceans!

Week of April 16 - Second Grade - Where Does Trash Go?

Picture
Picture
Picture
Clean Your Room, Harvey Moon! by Pat Cummings. When Harvey cleans his room by stuffing everything under the rug he learns that though out of sight may be out of mind, it is not good enough when it comes to finding a place for his things. Discuss over-consumption and how landfills are filling to capacity. 
Author Visit 4/23 Juana Martinez-Neal discusses Alma and How She Got Her Name, which has autobiographical elements... "we are everyone that came before us, and at the same time we are uniquely ourselves." Order a book online from Pages Bookstore.
Video clip Toys All Gone
Play My Garbology Game 
Coloring sheets
Composting... Life in the Slow Lane! 
Clean Storm Drains = Healthy Oceans!

Week of April 16 - Third Grade - Wetlands and Resources

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth by Oliver Jeffers. An uplifting, sweetly humorous observation about the importance of kindness, tolerance, and sharing.
Curriculum connection Ballona Wetlands field trip. Opening with a visit to a wetlands preserve, and invoking "7th generation" wisdom, Common Ground, the Water, Earth and Air We Share imparts the message of conservation and responsibility for our shared natural resources and respect for the environment. 
Play My Garbology Game 
Coloring sheets
Composting... Life in the Slow Lane! 
Clean Storm Drains = Healthy Oceans!

Week of April 16 - Fourth Grade - Toxic Waste Disposal

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Someday a Tree by Eve Bunting. A young girl, her parents, and their neighbors try to save an oak tree that has been poisoned by illegal hazardous waste dumping.
Video Big Yellow Taxi sung by Joni Mitchell. 
Play My Garbology Game 
Coloring sheets
Composting... Life in the Slow Lane! 
Clean Storm Drains = Healthy Oceans!

Week of April 16 - Fifth Grade - History of Earth Day & Novel Study

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Earth Day is an annual observance, held on April 22, to increase awareness of environmental issues. Millions of people worldwide gather to clean up litter, to protest threats to the environment, and to celebrate progress in reducing pollution. In 1969, U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson suggested that a day of environmental education be held on college campuses. The following year, the lawyer and environmentalist Denis Hayes (then a recent graduate of Stanford University) led hundreds of students in organizing the observance of Earth Day on April 22, 1970. About 20 million people participated in this celebration. The event helped to alert people to the dangers of pollution and fostered a new environmental movement. Also in 1970, Congress created the Environmental Protection Agency to set and enforce pollution standards, and passed the Clean Air Act which limits the amount of air pollution that cars, utilities, and industries could release. Other environmental laws soon followed. (Hayes, Denis. "Earth Day." World Book Student. World Book, 2016. Web. 18 Apr. 2016.)
The effort continues with Grades of Green, a grassroots organization that teaches kids about environmental stewardship that got its start at Grand View Elementary School in 2009. 
Earth Day by Linda Lowery. 
Tells the story of Earth Day 1970 and 1990 in the United States and the special activities planned to call global attention to the problems of pollution, environmental destruction, and waste of natural resource.
Discovery Education Streaming Video A Short History of Earth Day (password protected)

Video ABC7 Eyewitness News Manhattan Beach Students are Pros at Saving the Planet 
Play My Garbology Game 
Coloring sheets
Composting... Life in the Slow Lane! 
Clean Storm Drains = Healthy Oceans!

Week of April 9 
All Grades - Celebrating National School Library Month with Who's On First?!

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Who's on First?! With split second comedic timing Bud Abbott and Lou Costello bring their hilarious baseball routine to a new generation of delighted fans.
Script Who's on First?!
Video Who's on First?! 
Bonus Video "7 into 28" Lou Costello invents CGI math (chuckle-chuckle).
Local news report Extended Costello family in the Library The Beach Reporter (5/2/13)
Local news report Lou Costello's daughter in the Library Easy Reader (4/14/10) ​​

Week of April 9
First Grade - Baseball

Picture
Playing Right Field by Willy Welch. Although he is always chosen last and sent to play in right field where there is little action, and nothing much to do but watch the dandelions grow, a young boy has his moment of fame.
Video Right Field sung by Peter, Paul, and Mary (YouTube)

Week of April 9
Second Grade - Baseball

Picture
Batter Up Wombat by Helen Lester. An Australian wombat joins the Champs baseball team, and even though he is disastrously ignorant about the game, his innate talents save everyone when a tornado suddenly strikes.

Week of April 9
Third Grade - Baseball

Picture
Dad, Jackie, and Me by Myron Uhlberg. In Brooklyn, New York, in 1947, a boy learns about discrimination and tolerance as he and his deaf father share their enthusiasm over baseball and the Dodgers' first baseman, Jackie Robinson. Based on the author's experience growing up as a hearing child with deaf parents.

Week of April 9
Fourth Grade - Baseball

Picture
Picture
Picture
Brothers at Bat by Audrey Vernick. The Acerra family of Long Branch, New Jersey, formed their own semi-pro baseball team in the 1930s and became the longest-running all-brother team in history.
Video Click to watch the brothers in action 
​
Picture
Top left: Tony, Joe, Paul, Alfred, Charlie, Jimmy. Bottom left: Bobby, Billy, Freddie, Eddie, Bubbie, Louie. Circa 1950.

Week of April 9
Fifth Grade - Novel Study 

Picture
Schooled by Gordon Korman. 
​
Although he knows a lot about Zen Buddhism, nothing has prepared home schooled Capricorn Anderson for an A-list bully, a popular girl, and middle school politics. The shifting points of view capture a pitch-perfect "fish out of water" story. 

Mood Music SoundCloud EP Tommy Hessenius That Lucid Place
Activity Students record response to literature prompts using cursive writing.

(link to chart). Why Writing by Hand Could Make You Smarter, by William R. Klemm, Ph.D., Psychology Today, posted March 14, 2013.

Week of April 2 - Happy Spring Break!

Week of March 26
TK and Kindergarten
​The Alphabet

Picture
A Busy Creature's Day Eating! by Mo Willems. A raucous creature eats everything in sight from A to Z.
Activity Spring flowers coloring sheet

Week of March 26
First Grade
Annual Egg Drop

Picture
The Perfect Nest by Catherine Friend.
With hopes of making a delicious omelet, Jack builds a nest to catch a chicken, but ends up attracting more than the bird.
Activity Humpty Dumpty coloring sheet

Week of March 26
Second Grade
Egg Surprises

Picture
Mother Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins Bruce is a grumpy bear who likes no one and nothing but cooked eggs-- but then some eggs he was planning to boil hatch out and the goslings believe Bruce is their mother.
Images on The Dodo Orphaned animals adopted by a different species 
 
Activity Teddy bear coloring sheet

Week of March 26
Third Grade
​Women's History Month

Picture
Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine by Laurie Wallmark. Ada Lovelace (1815-1852) was fascinated by numbers as a child and is considered by many to be the mother of computer programming. In 1953, more than a century after her death, her notes on Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine were republished. The engine has now been recognized as an early model for a computer and her notes as a description of a computer and software. ​

Week of March 26
Fourth Grade
​Women's History Month

Picture
Picture
Julia Morgan Built a Castle By Celeste Davidson Mannis. An illustrated account of the first woman to graduate with a certificate of architecture from the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, and who became California's first licensed female architect. Julia Morgan (1872-1957) designed over 800 buildings, including Hearst Castle for W.R. Hearst.
Video Connections 
Building the Dream and Index of Buildings by Julia Morgan

Week of March 26 - Fifth Grade - Women's History Month and Having Grit

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
The Good Lion by Beryl Markham adapted by Don Brown. In 1936 Beryl Markham (1902-1986) became the first woman to fly solo east to west across the Atlantic (from England to Canada). "As a small girl, I was eaten by a lion." And so begins a true story from Beryl's girlhood.
Encyclopedia Article Beryl Markham World Book Online A brief biography about the famed aviatrix and horse trainer (password protected).
After the Fall: How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again by Dan Santat. Like Beryl Markham, Humpty Dumpty has grit and fortitude and though he is very afraid of climbing up again after falling off the wall, he is determined not to let fear stop him from being close to the birds. 
​
Activity Humpty Dumpty coloring sheet 

Week of March 19
All Grades - California Young Reader Medal Nominees, Picture Book Category & VOTE

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
About the California Young Reader Medal 
2017 Winners GV Library Book Contests
If You Plant a Seed by Kadir Nelson. While planting seeds two animals learn the value of kindness.
The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak. A silly read-aloud book that breaks "the fourth wall" by combining a deliberately image-free format with wacky nonsense text, goofy song lyrics, and more.

Week of March 19
First Grade
​All You Need is Love

Picture
Wag! by Patrick McDonnell. And speaking of kindness... love is really all it takes to make a better world.

Week of March 19
Second Grade
Dinosaurs

Picture
Kid Sheriff and the Terrible Toads by Bob Shea. Sheriff Ryan might only be seven years old, and he might not know much about roping. But he knows a lot about dinosaurs. And it turns out that knowing a thing or two about paleontology can come in handy when it comes to hoodwinking and rounding up a few no-good bandits.

Week of Mrch 19
Third Grade
Women's History Month

Picture
Queen of the Diamond by Emily Arnold McCully. Lizzie Murphy (1894-1964) was good at baseball. In fact, she was better than most of the boys. But she was a child in 1900, and back then baseball was not a game for girls.

Week of March 19
​Fourth Grade - Women's History Month

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Brave Girl by Michelle Markel. Describes how immigrant Clara Lemlich (1886-1982) fought against poor treatment of her fellow factory workers, leading the largest walkout of women workers in the country in 1909. There is still no separate entry in World Book for this heroic woman.
Article Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire 
World Book Online (password protected)
Video segment The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Discovery Education streaming video (password protected) about 2 minutes
Fourth Grade CYRM Voting Party Thursday, March 29 To qualify to vote in the intermediate novel category, students must read all three nominees and turn in this completed worksheet by Monday, March 26. Questions? Email [email protected] or call 310-546-8022 x5404.

Week of March 19
​Fifth Grade - Women's History Month

Picture
Picture
Miss Moore, NYPL, 1914
Picture
Manhattan Beach Public Library, 2015
Picture
GV Library, 2016
Miss Moore Thought Otherwise by Jan Pinborough. Once upon a time, American children couldn’t borrow library books. Reading wasn’t all that important for children, many thought. Luckily Miss Anne Carroll Moore (1871-1961) thought otherwise! This is the true story of how Miss Moore created the first children’s room at the New York Public Library, a bright, warm room filled with artwork, window seats, and most important of all, borrowing privileges to the world’s best children’s books in many different languages.
Fifth Grade CYRM Voting Party Tuesday, March 27 To qualify to vote in the intermediate novel category, students must read all three nominees and turn in this completed worksheet by Monday, March 26. Questions? Email [email protected] or call 310-546-8022 x5404.

Week of March 12
All Grades - California Young Reader Medal Nominees, Picture Book Category

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
About the California Young Reader Medal 
2017 Winners GV Library Book Contests
Night Animals by Gianna Marino. When an alarmed Possum, Skunk and Wolf hear the sounds of strange nighttime creatures, they are surprised by Bat's revelation that they are the very nocturnal animals they fear.
Gaston by Kelly DiPucchio. When Gaston (a bulldog born into a family of fancy poodles) and Antoinette (a poodle born into a family of rough and tumble bulldogs) meet in the park their family life is turned upside down.

Week of March 12
Third Grade - Women's History Month - Jane Addams

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
The House that Jane Built by Tanya Lee Stone. Details the life of social worker and activist Jane Addams (1860-1935). At a young age, Addams became aware that not all people had the advantages in life that she enjoyed, and she was determined to "find a way to fix the world."
Video segment Jane Addams Founds Hull House in Chicago Discovery Education streaming video (password protected) about 3 minutes (begin at :50)

Week of March 12
Fourth Grade - Women's History Month - Elizabeth Blackwell

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors? by Tanya Lee Stone. Describes the opposition Elizabeth Blackwell (1821-1910) faced while pursuing a medical education, and her pioneering medical career that opened doors for future generations of women. Blackwell was rejected by 28 medical schools before being accepted to Geneva College (now Hobart College) in New York. She was the first woman in the United States (1849) to earn a medical degree.
Fourth Grade CYRM Voting Party Thursday, March 29 To qualify to vote in the intermediate novel category, students must read all three nominees and turn in this completed worksheet by Monday, March 26. Questions? Email [email protected] or call 310-546-8022 x5404.

Week of March 12
Women's History Month - Hillary Rodham Clinton

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Hillary Rodham Clinton: Some Girls Are Born to Lead by Michelle Markel. Growing up in the 1950s meant coming of age in a "man's world," but not for Hillary Rodham. Outspoken, highly motivated, and interested in social causes, she went against period conventions against girls to become a lawyer. Married to Bill Clinton, she became First Lady when he became President and championed social welfare. She was a Senator for New York, Secretary of State, and --two times now-- a candidate for president of the United States. ​
Fifth Grade CYRM Voting Party Tuesday, March 27 To qualify to vote in the intermediate novel category, students must read all three nominees and turn in this completed worksheet by Monday, March 26. Questions? Email [email protected] or call 310-546-8022 x5404.

Week of March 5
All Grades - California Young Reader Medal Nominee, Picture Book Category

Picture
Picture
Picture
About the California Young Reader Medal 
2017 Winners GV Library Book Contests
The Snatchabook by Helen Docherty. In this lighthearted tribute to the love of reading, a rabbit catches a story-loving book thief who is swiping everyone's favorite bedtime tales.
Activity Students will draw a mixed up creature by combining parts of various animals in one being, i.e., the head of a whale, the body of a snake, the tale of a fish, etc.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

Week of March 5
First Grade
​A Bedtime Story

Picture
Good Night, Good Knight by Shelley Moore Thomas. A Good Knight helps three little dragons who are having trouble getting to sleep.

Week of March 5
Second Grade
​Dinosaurs

Picture
How Big Were Dinosaurs? by Lita Judge Dinosaurs are illustrated next to modern animals so comparisons can be made... from the tiniest Microraptor to the colossal Argentinosaurus.

Week of March 5
Third Grade
​Women's History Month

Picture
​Ruby's Wish by Shirin Yim Bridges In China, at a time when few girls are taught to read or write, Ruby dreams of going to the university with her brothers and male cousins.

Week of March 5 - Fourth and Fifth Grade
California Young Reader Medal - Picture Books for Older Readers

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Zenimura (center) flanked by Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth
Picture
Gila River, Arizona, Internment Camp
Barbed Wire Baseball by Marissa Moss. A true story set in a Japanese-American internment camp in World War II. As a young boy, Kenichi "Zeni" Zenimura (1900-1968) wanted to be a baseball player, even though everyone told him he was too small. He grew up to become a successful athlete, playing with Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. But when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, Zeni and his family were sent to one of several internment camps established in the U.S. for people of Japanese ancestry. Zeni brought the game of baseball to the camp, along with a sense of hope, and became known as the “Father of Japanese-American Baseball.”
CYRM Intermediate Novel Category: Dash, Ms. Rapscott's Girls, Pax. 
Students in 4th and 5th grade who have read all three nominated novels and fill out a qualifying worksheet (available for pick-up from the library) by Monday, March 26 are invited to a voting party in the library during their regular lunch time. Pizza and cookies will be provided. Fifth grade lunch date: Tuesday, March 27. Fourth grade lunch date: Thursday, March 29. Sorry, no make-ups if students are absent on those dates. Questions? Email [email protected]. 

Week of February 26
Thank You
Manhattan Beach
​Rotary Club Readers for
Helping Us Celebrate
​Read Across America Day!

Picture
Picture
Picture
Volunteer Donn Ennis
Picture
Working to end Polio worldwide
Picture
Operation Teddy Bear provides school supplies
Volunteers from the Manhattan Beach Rotary Club visit annually to read to our K-2 students. The visits not only give a boost to literacy and show our students the value of libraries, books, and reading, but also demonstrate to our young people the importance of community service.

Week of February 26 - TK-Second Grade
Rotary Club Volunteers Help Us Wish Dr. Seuss a Happy Birthday

Picture
TK AND KINDERGARTEN
Picture
FIRST GRADE
Picture
SECOND GRADE
TK AND KINDERGARTEN
Ten Apples Up On Top! by Dr. Seuss writing as Theo. LeSieg. A lion, tiger, and dog are balancing ten apples on their heads when two irritable bears start to chase them.
Activity Cat in the Hat coloring sheet 

Website Seussville

​FIRST GRADE
And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street
 by Dr. Seuss. Marco struggles to report truthfully to his father the events of his day, rather than embellish the dull sights in order to make for a more exciting tale. Published in 1937, this first book for children by Dr. Seuss was rejected by 27 publishers before being accepted by Vanguard Press.
​
Activity Create your Dr. Seuss name Students experiment with their names to create their own pseudonyms: Doctor + Middle Name and Abbreviation of First Name + Last Name spelled backwards.
Website Seussville
​
​SECOND GRADE
​
Oh Say Can You Say Di-no-saur? by Bonnie Worth. 
Curriculum connection: dinosaur research project Dr. Seuss's Cat in the Hat shows Sally and Dick how dinosaur fossils are excavated, assembled, and displayed in a museum.
Activity Create your Dr. Seuss name Students experiment with their names to create their own pseudonyms: Doctor + Middle Name and Abbreviation of First Name + Last Name spelled backwards.
Website Seussville

Week of February 26
Welcome Mr. Mackavoy,
County of Los Angeles Children's Services Librarian for
​Manhattan Beach

Picture
Picture

Week of February 26 - Third Grade
Celebrating Library Lovers Month with a Special COLAPUBLIB Student Card 

Picture
Picture
Picture
Richard Wright and the Library Card by William Miller. Though he knew there was power in the written word, it was difficult for author Richard Wright (1908-1960) to borrow books when he was a teenager because of Jim Crow laws in Memphis, Tennessee. 
Goin' Someplace Special by Patricia McKissack. In segregated Nashville, Tennessee, a girl braves a series of obstacles and indignities to get to one of the few integrated places in town -- the public library -- where a sign above the door proclaims "All Are Welcome." Nashville quietly integrated it's libraries in the late 1950s and this story stems from Patricia McKissack's (1944-2017) own childhood experiences.
Our Library by Eve Bunting. In a story that shows a community must be vigilant in keeping its libraries strong, a group of animal friends go to great lengths to make sure they will always have a library from which to borrow books.
Mr. Michael Mackavoy will introduce third graders to the resources available at the Manhattan Beach Public Library and will issue each a student library card that allows a few fine-free check outs. A letter explaining the student card will be send home to parents who may accept or decline the benefit at no obligation.

Week of February 26 - Fourth and Fifth Grade
California Young Reader Medal - Picture Books for Older Readers

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
California Young Reader Medal About
Video Book trailer 
The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus by Jen Bryant. Peter Mark Roget (1779-1869) was plagued by lifelong setbacks. His father died early; his mother was unstable. Frequent moves and pronounced shyness engendered solace in books. Partial to classifying his knowledge and experiences, Peter composed his first book of lists by age eight. He studied medicine in Scotland, eventually establishing a practice in London, and he worked on a book of word classifications, completing it in 1805 for his own reference. His Thesaurus, published in 1852 and nurtured by his descendants, has never gone out of print. And the title? Thesaurus means treasure house in Greek.
Activity While listening to the story, students will jot down vocabulary words they find intriguing. Choosing one or more, they will embellish a bookmark with the word(s).
  • FIFTH GRADE Schooled by Gordon Korman Book trailer Although he knows a lot about Zen Buddhism, nothing has prepared home schooled Capricorn Anderson for an A-list bully, a popular girl, and middle school politics. The shifting points of view capture a pitch-perfect "fish out of water" story. Students will listen during their bookmark activity.

Week of February 19 - No School

Julie Limbach Jones for Mrs. Snively February 12-15. Library Closed February 16.

Week of February 12 - TK - Happy Valentine's Day

Picture
Picture
Picture
I Love Dogs! by Sue Stainton. Lazy dogs, crazy dogs, yappy dogs, happy dogs... and one very special dog.
Clifford's First Valentine's Day by Norman Bridwell. Emily Elizabeth describes all the Valentine fun that she and Clifford had when he was just a tiny puppy in her pocket.
Never Too Little to Love by Jeanne Willis. How can a tiny mouse get the kiss he needs?
At home activity: Heart Mouse Paper Craft Instructions

Week of February 12
Kindergarten - Valentine

Picture
Picture
Mr. Tanen's Ties by Maryann Cocca-Leffler. The principal at Lynnhurst Elementary School is well known for his colorful and unusual ties, but his boss orders him to stop wearing them until he learns to love them too, and ties a knot of another sort.
Activity: Necktie Craft Instructions

Week of February 12
First Grade - Valentine

Picture
Yuck, a Love Story by Don Gillmor. 
​Austin has a hard time admitting he likes his new neighbor, Amy, but when her birthday comes he goes to fantastic lengths to get her an unexpected present.
Video 
Small Talk "Kids on Valentine's Day: What's this Love Thing All About?" 
Activity Valentine's Day coloring sheet

Week of February 12
​Second Grade - Valentine

Picture
Video Zamami Island, Okinawa, Japan
​Shiro in Love by Wendy Tokuda. Shiro started as an unwanted pup left in a garbage dump, but after he was rescued he became famous in Japan.
Activity Valentine's Day coloring sheet

Week of February 12
​Third Grade
​Happy Valentine's Day

Picture
Martina the Beautiful Cockroach by Carmen Agra Deedy. When her grandmother advises lovely cockroach Martina to spill coffee on suitors to see their true personality revealed, the beautiful cockroach is in for a surprise.
Video 
Discovery Education (password protected) Cockroaches: Public Enemy Number 1
Activity Cockroach coloring sheet

Week of February 12
Fourth Grade
​Celebrating Love

Picture
The Case for Loving by Selina Alko. Children these days would be shocked to know that before 1967 they could not marry a person of a race different from their own. This is the story of Mildred and Richard Loving, an interracial couple who, in 1958, struggled with marriage laws. They fought the unfair laws and took their case all the way to the Supreme Court.
Video NBC Nightly News Report: the Loving Case (aired 2012)

Week of February 12
Fifth Grade
Valentine & Newbery

Picture
XO, Ox: A Love Story by Adam Rex. A hapless ox and a graceful gazelle share an affectionate correspondence initiated by the ox that transforms as the conceited gazelle is won over by the ox's hopelessly romantic overtures.
Picture
Balderdash! by Michelle Markle. A picture book chronicle of the life of children's book pioneer John Newbery describes how he imagined books filled with stories, science and games before becoming a celebrated author and publisher, changing the literary world forever.

Week of February 5
TK & K - The 100th Day

Picture
The Very Kind Rich Lady and Her One Hundred Dogs by Chinlun Lee. The very kind rich lady cares for 100 lucky dogs!
Video Will Zero the Hero visit Grand View on the 100th Day?
Activity Dog name coloring sheet

Week of February 5
1st Grade - Black History

Picture
Video Joan Baez sings at the March on Washington, 1963
We Shall Overcome by Debbie Levy. Traces the history of the inspiring anthem and explains how it has come to represent the right for equality and freedom around the world.
Video Joan Baez sings to President Obama, Feb., 2010 
Activity Have courage and be kind coloring sheet

Week of February 5
​2nd Grade - Black History

Picture
Video Rosa Parks Discovery Education 
​(password protected)
Rosa Parks by Lisbeth Kaiser. A brief biography of Rosa Parks, African American civil rights activist.
Activity Have courage and be kind coloring sheet

​Week of February 5 - Third Grade - Black History is American History

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson. Though a fence segregates a pre-Civil Rights Era town, two girls find a way to overcome the separation and become playmates.
Freedom Summer
 by Deborah Wiles. The friendship between two boys in 1964 underscores the bittersweet aftermath of the passage of the Civil Rights Act when, rather than opening swimming pools and other public spaces to African Americans, many towns and property owners boarded up the doors. The story ends with the promise of rights and freedoms yet to come.
Personal account. What happened when children from another neighborhood joined local children at Leapwood Avenue Elementary School when Mrs. Snively was in third grade.

Week of February 5 - Fourth Grade - Black History is American History

Picture
Light in the Darkness by Lesa Cline-Ransome. Risking a whipping if they are discovered, Rosa and her mama sneak away from their slave quarters during the night to a hidden location in a field where they learn to read and write in a pit school.
Picture
Words Set Me Free by Lesa Cline-Ransome. A biography of the early life of Frederick Douglass, one of the first leaders of the antislavery movement. Discusses how he spent his childhood as a slave on a plantation, was sold at the age of eight to Hugh and Sophia Auld in Baltimore, and explains that learning to read was the key to his freedom.

Week of February 5 - Fifth Grade - Black History is American History

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine. A fictionalized account of how in 1849 a Virginia slave escaped to freedom by shipping himself in a wooden crate to Philadelphia.
Video Greensboro Four Woolworth's Lunch Counter AwesomeStories.com February 1, 1960, four black college students sat a segregated lunch counter in Greensboro, NC. Their peaceful protest inspired other people to organize sit-ins throughout the South.
Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down by Andrea Davis Pinkney. Four young men who followed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s words of peaceful protest and dared to sit at a "whites only" lunch counter.
​
Schooled by Gordon Korman. Although he knows a lot about Zen Buddhism, nothing has prepared home schooled Capricorn Anderson for an A-list bully, a popular girl, and middle school politics. The shifting points of view capture a pitch-perfect "fish out of water" story.
Activity Journal responses to writing prompts will be written in cursive (link to chart). Why Writing by Hand Could Make You Smarter, by William R. Klemm, Ph.D., Psychology Today, posted March 14, 2013.

Week of January 29
​TK - Penguins

Picture
Picture
Video Penguins Walking on World Book Student (password protected)
Penguins by Mary King Hoff. The characteristics of penguins, where they live, how they care for their young, and their relationship with other animals.
Sergio Makes a Splash by Edel Rodriguez. Even though he loves water, Sergio the penguin is afraid to swim in the deep water until he learns how.
Activity Penguins coloring sheet

Week of January 29
Kindergarten - Penguins

Picture
Picture
Video Penguins Walking on World Book Student (password protected)
The Emperor's Egg by Martin Jenkins. Describes the parental behavior of Emperor penguins, focusing on how the male keeps the egg warm until it hatches and how the parents care for the chick after it is born.
Little Penguin's Tale by Audrey Wood. Searching for fun in his snowy polar world, Little Penguin dances with the gooney birds, cavorts at the Walrus Polar Club, and narrowly escapes being eaten by a whale.
Activity Penguins coloring sheet

Week of January 29
​First Grade - Groundhog Day

Picture
Picture
Picture
Video History of Groundhog Day Discovery Education (password protected) Find out the story behind Punxsutawney Phil and the history of Groundhog Day.
Brownie Groundhog and the February Fox by Susan Blackaby. Brownie is waiting for spring and meets a fox... will Brownie be able to talk her way out of becoming a mid-winter snack?
Activity 
Groundhog Coloring Sheet
At-Home Activity Ground Hog Pudding Cups Turn pudding, cookies, and simple trimmings into the cutest treat ever! ​

Week of January 29
Second Grade - Dinosaurs

Picture
Picture
Picture
Are the Dinosaurs Dead, Dad? by Julie Middleton. During a trip to the museum Dave keeps trying to get his dad's attention. The dinosaurs around him are springing to life!
What Happened to Patrick's Dinosaurs? by Carol Carrick. Patrick imagines that at one time dinosaurs were great friends of people and were responsible for building the world we enjoy today.
Video United Kingdom: Birds Related to Dinosaurs Discovery Education (password protected) Scientists study the link between modern birds and dinosaurs.
Dinosaur vs. Bedtime by Bob Shea. Roaar! Roaaaar! Nothing can stop him!
Activity Draw Bob Shea's dinosaur (hint: start with a sideways rounded heart shape)

Week of January 29
Third Grade - Curriculum Connection: Ballona Wetlands

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
​Wetlands by Andrew Donnelly. A brief intro to wetlands, their appearance, location, and plants and animals that live there.
Website Ballona Wetlands
Secret Place by Eve Bunting. A boy learns that the city with all its concrete and noise can also be a home for wildlife when he sees egrets, cinnamon teals, and mallard families nesting in a secret place between two walls.
Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey. Mother and Father Mallard search for the perfect home to raise their family in this Caldecott Award winner that illustrates the city of Boston in such detail that a police officer's shoe size can be observed.
Websites:
  • Google Earth Lit Trip
  • Ducklings on the Lake
  • Swan Boat History

Week of January 29
Fourth & Fifth Grade - California Young Reader Medal - Picture Books for Older Readers

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
California Young Reader Medal About
Definition Synesthesia
Video Kandinsky's art
The Noisy Paint Box by Barb Rosenstock.
 As a young boy, Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944) was given a paint box, and when he first mixed colors, he was amazed to find he could hear the colors he created. Throughout his early life, Kandinsky struggled to live as others expected but couldn't forget his exhilarating experiences with painting. Even after giving in and taking lessons, he was unable to suppress the need to create his own style of art and is recognized as one of the pioneers of abstract modern art.
Video Kandinsky Circle Art Lesson 
Activity Students create a four-square set of Kandinsky circles on black construction paper with oil pastels.
  • FIFTH GRADE Schooled by Gordon Korman Book trailer Although he knows a lot about Zen Buddhism, nothing has prepared home schooled Capricorn Anderson for an A-list bully, a popular girl, and middle school politics. The shifting points of view capture a pitch-perfect "fish out of water" story. Students will listen during their activity.

Week of January 22 - Curriculum Connection - Empathy & Kindness  
American Library Association Book and Media Awards Announced 2/12 8:00 a.m. MT 

Week of January 22 - TK
Caldecott Medal & Empathy/Kindness

Picture
Picture
A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka. Daisy learns a valuable lesson when her favorite ball is ruined by another dog. Caldecott Medal 2012
Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes. When Kitten mistakes the full moon for a bowl of milk, she ends up tired, wet, and hungry trying to reach it. Caldecott Medal 2005 
Activity Kitten and Daisy coloring sheet

Week of January 22 - Kindergarten
Caldecott Medal & Empathy/Kindness

Picture
Picture
My Friend Rabbit by Eric Rohmann. Something always seems to go wrong when Rabbit is around, but Mouse lets him play with his toy plane anyway because he is his good friend. Caldecott Medal 2003
Little Elliot, Big City by Mike Curato. A 
little elephant has a hard time reaching a cupcake counter until he meets Mouse, who is even smaller and they team up for success.
Activity My Friend Rabbit coloring sheet

Week of January 2 2
​First Grade
Caldecott Medal & Empathy/Kindness

Picture
Picture
Joseph Had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback. A very old overcoat is recycled numerous times into a variety of garments. Caldecott Medal 2000
First Grade Dropout by Audrey Vernick. When a young boy is completely embarrassed by a slip-of-the-tongue he vows to never return to school. Then his friend makes a mistake and the two learn it's OK to laugh at oneself.
At-Home Activity Sewing project

Bookmark for At-Home Activity Sewing project Link

Week of January 22
Second Grade - Empathy/Kindness
Welcoming Immigrants, Celebrating Heritage

Picture
Picture
My Name is Sangoel by Karen Williams. As a refugee from Sudan in Central Africa to the United States, a little boy is frustrated that no one can pronounce his name correctly until one day he finds a clever way to solve the problem.
Activity Students use a rebus to write their name

Jalapeno Bagels by Natasha Wing. Pablo wants to take a treat from his family's bakery to school to reflect his culture, but he has a hard time deciding between his mother's Mexican sweets and his father's Jewish treats.
Website Los Bagels, a multicultural bakery
Recipe Los Bagels Bakery Chango Bars

Bookmark Chango Bars Recipe Link

Week of January 22 - Third Grade
​Caldecott Medal & Empathy/Kindness

Picture
Picture
Arrow to the Sun by Gerald McDermott. An adaptation of the Pueblo Indian myth which explains how the spirit of the Lord of the Sun was brought to the world.Curriculum connection: Native Americans. Caldecott Medal 1975 
A Hat for Mrs. Goldman by Michelle Edwards. Making pom-poms to help Mrs. Goldman, who knits hats for everyone in the community, little Sophia is challenged to overcome her own limited crafting abilities when she discovers that Mrs. Goldman does not have a hat of her own.
Activity Arrow to the Sun bulletin board art

Week of January 22 - Fourth Grade
​Caldecott Medal & Empathy/Kindness

Picture
Picture
Video Olvera Street
Song of the Swallows
 by Leo Politi. A story of friendship between a little boy in the town of Capistrano and the gardener and bell-ringer at the Mission San Juan Capistrano as they welcome the swallows as they come flying in over the sea from Argentina on March 19, St. Joseph's Day. Caldecott Medal 1950
Video Will the Swallows Return to Capistrano? 
Ivan: the Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla by Katherine Applegate. K
nown as the Shopping Mall Gorilla, Ivan lived alone in a small cage for almost 30 years before he was finally relocated to the gorilla habitat at Zoo Atlanta in 1994 where he lived to the age of 50 (1962-2012).
Video Ivan at Zoo Atlanta 
Activity Song of the Swallows coloring sheet

Week of January 22 - Fifth Grade - Caldecott Medal & Empathy/Kindness & Novel Study 

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Last Stop on Market Street by Matt De La Pena. When his grandmother teaches him to look with a discerning eye and notice the wonders all around him , a young boy learns to appreciate the beauty in what he has and how he can contribute to his community. Newbery Medal, Caldecott Honor and Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Book Honor 2016
Activity Students will trace and embellish their hand prints for a kindness poster while listening to:

Schooled by Gordon Korman Although he knows a lot about Zen Buddhism, nothing has prepared home schooled Capricorn Anderson for an A-list bully, a popular girl, and middle school politics. The shifting points of view capture a pitch-perfect "fish out of water" story.
Activity Journal responses to writing prompts will be written in cursive (link to chart). Why Writing by Hand Could Make You Smarter, by William R. Klemm, Ph.D., Psychology Today, posted March 14, 2013. (journal activity suspended so hand prints can be completed)

Week of January 15
​Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (b. January 15, 1929 d. April 4, 1968) 
Video The Story of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Kid President

Week of January 15
TK and Kinder - MLK

Picture
Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King by Jean Marzollo. Focuses on highlights and accomplishments to help the very young appreciate Dr. King. 
Activity MLK coloring sheet

Week of January 15
First Grade - MLK

Picture
Young Martin Luther King, Jr. by David A. Adler. A simple biography of this great leader that emphasizes is dream of equal treatment for all Americans. 
​
Activity MLK coloring sheet

Week of January 15
​Second Grade - MLK

Picture
A Picture Book of Martin Luther King, Jr. by David A. Adler. A brief biography of civil rights leader whose philosophy and practice of nonviolent civil disobedience helped African-Americans win many battles for equal rights.
​
Activity MLK coloring sheet

Week of January 15 - Third Grade - MLK

Picture
Picture
Picture
My Brother Martin: A Sister Remembers by Christine King Farris. Growing up in the segregated South forced a very young Martin to learn a bitter lesson, and as a seven-year-old he embarked on a journey that would change the course of American history.
Strictly No Elephants by Lisa Mantchev Sweetly affirming, a boy and his unusual pet create a space where all are welcome.
The Smallest Girl in the Smallest Grade by Justin Roberts 
Sally McCabe is a very little girl who speaks out about the unkindness she sees, and people start to pay attention.
Activity MLK coloring sheet

Week of January 15
Fourth Grade - MLK

Picture
My Uncle Martin's Words for America by Angela Farris Watkins. ​The niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. recounts her uncle's work to promote racial equality and introduces key events during the civil rights era, focusing on key tenets of King's philosophy: freedom, justice, brotherhood and nonviolence.
​
Activity MLK coloring sheet

Week of January 15
Fourth & Fifth Grade - MLK

Picture
The Famous Speech. On August 28, 1963, the "I Have a Dream" speech was delivered to over 250,000 civil rights supporters from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The March was partly intended to show support for civil rights legislation proposed June 11th by President John F. Kennedy.
Video I Have a Dream
Picture
President Johnson Signs Civil Rights Act. Kennedy did not live to see the civil rights dream come true. The Civil Rights Act was signed by President Johnson on July 2, 1964. It outlawed major forms of discrimination against racial, ethnic, national and religious minorities, and women. It ended racial segregation in schools, the workplace, and public facilities.

Week of January 15
Fifth Grade - MLK

Picture
The Cart that Carried Martin by Eve Bunting. In an example of how focusing on a smaller element of a larger story can cut to the heart of its meaning, Eve Bunting tells the story of the cart borrowed from a junk store that carried the body of Martin Luther King, Jr. through the streets of Atlanta, Georgia, on the day of his funeral.
Continue Schooled with reflection on similarities and differences between MLK and Cap.
Audio 
All You Need Is Love.

Week of January 8 - TK
Happy Healthy New Year

Picture
Picture
Picture
Pigs Make Me Sneeze! by Mo Willems. Gerald believes he is allergic to his best friend Piggie and is concerned that he will need to stay away from his pal forever.
Farm Flu by Teresa Bateman. When the farm animals seem to catch the flu one after another, a young boy does his best to take care of them.
Be Who You Are! by Todd Parr. Encourages kids to be proud of what makes them unique, where they come from, and how they express themselves and see the world.
Activity Todd Parr coloring sheet

Week of January 8 - Kindergarten
Exploring Nonfiction

Picture
Exploring Nonfiction Materials Review the differences between fiction and nonfiction. Engage students in a discussion about subjects they like to learn about. Explain that nonfiction books are organized by subject. Students tour the nonfiction side of the library.
Activity Fiction and nonfiction worksheet

Week of January 8 - First Grade
Sending Thank You Notes

Picture
Picture
The Giant Hug by Sandra Horning. Owen sends a real hug to his Grandmother through the mail.
Video Mail Myself to You by Woody Guthrie (1912-1967) featured in a 2003 US Postal Service commercial.
Activity Using butcher paper, children will help each other trace the outline of their bodies.
At home extension 
Make a giant hug from wrapping paper.

Week of January 8 - Second Grade
Curriculum Connection: Heritage Project

Picture
Picture
Activity Students turn and talk about what single item they would choose to take to start a new life in a new country.
Miss Bridie Chose a Shovel 
by Leslie Connor. The shovel a young immigrant brings to America spades gardens, clears snow, plants seeds, and exemplifies how choices follow us through life. Students will think about what choice they would make in similar circumstances, and how that choice might impact a lifetime.
Website Dan Yaccarino
Videos Book trailer 1 and book trailer 2

All the Way to America by Dan Yaccarino. In a tale that honors those who helped make us who we are, a little shovel is passed down through four generations of the author's family.
Activity Discussion questions

Week of January 8
Third Grade - Happy Healthy New Year

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
The Busy Body Book by Lizzy Rockwell. Presents a children's fitness guide that explains how the bones, muscles, heart, and lungs work to keep the body healthy and strong
I Am Yoga by Susan Verde. An exploration of the world of yoga with empowering affirmations.
I Am Peace by Susan Verde. I
nvites children to discover their inner peace through an accessible mindfulness practice that helps the expression of feelings through communication, connecting with the earth and observing the natural world. And because a great way to achieve inner peace is with a good laugh...
Mouse in the House by John and Ann Hassett. When Nana Quimby is upset by the mouse in the house, Father gets an owl, which also upsets Nana, so Mother gets a dog ... until the family ends up with an elephant in the house! 

Week of January 8
Fourth and Fifth Grade - 2018 CYRM Intermediate Novel Nominees

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
About the California Young Reader Medal 
2017 Winners Grand View Library Book Contests
Dash by Kirby Larson. Mitsi is happy with her life in Seattle, with her family, her friends, her teacher, and, most of all, her dog, Dash. But after Pearl Harbor is bombed, Mitsi's Japanese American family is forced to leave Dash and everything they know behind for an internment camp. Readers will come to understand the hardships endured by Japanese American citizens that included the loss of property, friendships, and pets. Based on a true story.
Video Book trailer

Ms. Rapscott's Girls by Elise Primavera. "Attention Busy Parents! Great Rapscott School for Girls of Busy Parents has a unique curriculum designed solely for your daughter." For parents who are too busy to bring their daughters (which is all of them), a cardboard box is provided for mailing them to the school. This sets the tone for a story that fits neatly into the literary world of Mary Poppins and Nanny Piggins, where children are brought up to snuff by a caring, albeit odd and occasionally alarming, caretaker. Here the children are belligerent Bea, fact-filled Annabelle, nervous Fay, and lazy Mildred, and their teacher is Ms. Rapscott, a head-girl type who was once a child of busy parents herself and prefers a life so bracing that she lives in a lighthouse where the weather is always bad. How Ms. Rapscott pushes her charges beyond what they thought themselves capable of makes for a clever, highly amusing read with some sterling life lessons slipped in the cracks. Almost best of all are Primavera's fanciful pencil illustrations, featuring two of the most delightful (if silent) of the book's characters, Lewis and Clark, turtlenecked corgis that efficiently manage the girls and their hair-raising adventures.
Pax by Sara Pennypacker. In this fable-like tale, Peter, a motherless boy, is is forced to abandon his loyal companion Pax, an orphaned fox, when his father decides to join soldiers fighting an unnamed war. Peter's harsh father insists Pax must be left by the side of the road when he takes his son to his grandfather's house hundreds of miles away. When he runs away to find Pax, Peter must learn to trust a war veteran who is haunted by her ghosts of war. In one thread, secrets are revealed about Peter and the eccentric woman, while in another, the battles between warring humans inflict injury on woodland creatures, and are viewed through the eyes of Pax. 
Video Book trailer 

Lottery Students can enter their name in a drawing to check out one of the Grand View library copies of one of the nominees. Winners will be pulled next week. Students in 4th and 5th grade who read all three nominees and fill out a CYRM worksheet, are invited to the CYRM Novel Voting Party slated for Wednesday, March 28, in the Library during their regular lunch time. Pizza and cookies will be served.

December 22, 2017 - January 5, 2018 Winter Break
​SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL BEST BOOKS OF 2017
​Get Cozy with a Classic!  Season's Readings!  Feelin' Frosty? Chill with a Good Book!

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

Week of December 18 - Track Santa Claus with NORAD

Picture
Picture
Picture
NORAD What began as the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) became The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) in 1958 when the United States and Canada joined to take on the missions of aerospace warning, aerospace control, and maritime warning for North America. Aerospace warning includes the monitoring of man-made objects in space, and the detection, validation, and warning of attack against North America whether by aircraft, missiles, or space vehicles.
A Tradition Begins The tradition of tracking Santa began in 1955 after a Colorado Springs-based Sears Roebuck & Co. advertisement misprinted the telephone number for children to call Santa. Instead of reaching Santa, the phone number put kids through to the CONAD hotline. The Director of Operations at the time, Colonel Harry Shoup, had his staff check the radar for indications of Santa making his way south from the North Pole. Children who called were given updates on his location, and a tradition was born.
Activity Track Santa with NORAD and wreath coloring sheet

Week of December 18 - TK
Welcome Winter & Merry Christmas

Picture
Picture
The First Day of Winter by Denise Fleming. A cumulative story (and song) to warm up a cold winter day. Alive with swirling snow and lots of outdoor fun, the first ten days of winter bring special gifts for a special friend.
Click, Clack, Ho! Ho! Ho! by Doreen Cronin. As Farmer Brown prepares the house for Christmas, Duck tries to play Santa--but he gets stuck in the chimney, along with all the other animals who try to help.
​
Activity Track Santa with NORAD and wreath coloring sheet

Week of December 18 - Kindergarten
Welcome Winter & Merry Christmas

Picture
Picture
The First Day of Winter by Denise Fleming. A cumulative story (and song) to warm up a cold winter day. Alive with swirling snow and lots of outdoor fun, the first ten days of winter bring special gifts for a special friend.
Dragon's Merry Christmas by Dav Pilkey. Dragon has a merry time decorating a tree outdoors, making a candy wreath, and sharing his Christmas gifts with needy animals. See if you can spot the homage to Vincent Van Gogh.
​
Activity Track Santa with NORAD and wreath coloring sheet

Week of December 18 - First Grade
Welcome Winter & Merry Christmas

Picture
Picture
The First Day of Winter by Denise Fleming. A cumulative story (and song) to warm up a cold winter day. Alive with swirling snow and lots of outdoor fun, the first ten days of winter bring special gifts for a special friend.
​
Marvin's Best Christmas Present Ever by Katharine Paterson. Marvin makes a special Christmas present. He wants the wreath he made to last forever, but the pine boughs are turning dry and brown as winter turns to spring.
Activity Track Santa with NORAD and wreath coloring sheet

Week of December 18 - Second Grade
Merry Christmas

Picture
Picture
McDuff's New Friend by Rosemary Wells. On Christmas Eve, McDuff's persistent "woofing" leads to the rescue of Santa, whose sleigh has gotten stuck in the snow.
Little Santa by Jon Agee. Little Santa loves the North Pole. So, when his family decides to move to sunny Florida, Santa is miserable. Lucky for him, a blizzard foils their plans. The only way out of the house is up the chimney. Up goes Santa to look for help, and along the way he meets a reindeer, a large group of elves... and the rest is history! 
Video Song Santa Claus is Coming to Town

Activity Track Santa with NORAD and wreath coloring sheet

Week of December 18 - Third Grade
Merry Christmas

Picture
Picture
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson. The six mischievous Herdman kids lie, steal, and smoke cigars, and when they become involved in the local Christmas pageant, it becomes one of the most memorable Christmas plays the community has seen. ​
​
How Murray Saved Christmas by Mike Reiss. Up at the North Pole, Santa is unable to deliver presents one Christmas Eve.
Video Song Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Activity Track Santa with NORAD and wreath coloring sheet

Week of December 18 - Fourth Grade
Merry Christmas

Picture
Picture
Video Storm Surge Hurricane Katrina Discovery Education Streaming Video (password protected)
Cajun Night Before Christmas. A reading of a Cajun version in honor of the librarian from New Orleans who lost her entire collection in Hurricane Katrina, but not her optimistic outlook on life.
The Money We'll Save by Brock Cole. In nineteenth-century New York City, when Pa brings home a young turkey in hopes of saving money on their Christmas dinner, his family faces all sorts of trouble--and expense--in their tiny apartment.
Song Jingle Bells at the Beach

Activity Track Santa with NORAD and wreath coloring sheet

Week of December 18 - Fifth Grade - The Spirit of Christmas

Picture
Picture
Picture
December by Eve Bunting. ​A homeless family's luck changes after they help an old woman who has even less than they do at Christmas.
Video The Christmas Truce of 1914 from Oh! What a Lovely War running time 3:39
Shooting at the Stars by John Hendrix. On Christmas Eve during the trench warfare of WWI, in the bitter winter of 1914, a virtual miracle occurred. Enemies on both sides stopped fighting and began to sing Silent Night. On Christmas Day, enemy soldiers walked into the open ground between the trenches and shook hands. They exchanged biscuits and buttons and belts from their uniforms as souvenirs.
​Video Song I Believe in Father Christmas by Greg Lake

Activity Track Santa with NORAD and wreath coloring sheet

Week of December 11
Kindergarten & TK
Happy Hanukkah

Picture
Sammy Spider's First Hanukkah by Sylvia A. Rouss. When the Shapiro family celebrates the eight nights of Hanukkah, Sammy Spider keeps his feet warm over the Menorah and yearns for a dreidel of his own.
Activity Happy Hanukkah coloring sheet

Week of December 11
First Grade
Happy Hanukkah

Picture
The Magic Dreidels by Eric A. Kimmel. When Jacob drops his new dreidel down the well a friendly goblin gives him magic dreidels that are stolen by the neighborhood busybody.
Activity Happy Hanukkah coloring sheet

Week of December 11
Second Grade
​Happy Hanukkah

Picture
Runaway Dreidel! by Leslea Newman. In this rhyming tale a family's preparations for Hanukkah are disrupted by a wildly spinning dreidel that no one can catch.
Ant and Honey Bee, a Pair of Friends in Winter by Megan McDonald. Ant isn't ready to hunker down. Will Honey Bee welcome an interruption of her peace and quiet?
Chapter 3 of 3.
Activity Happy Hanukkah coloring sheet

Week of December 11
Third Grade
​Happy Hanukkah

Picture
Hanukkah Bear by Eric A. Kimmel. At 97 years old, Bubba Brayna does not hear or see too well, so when old Bear wanders into her house she mistakes him for the rabbi and treats him to a delicious helping of potato latkes.
Activity Happy Hanukkah coloring sheet

Week of December 11
Fourth Grade
​Happy Hanukkah

Picture
Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins
by Eric Kimmel. A resourceful traveler must use his wits to outsmart a pack of ghoulish goblins if he wishes to celebrate a bright and cheery Hanukkah.
Activity Happy Hanukkah coloring sheet

Week of December 11
Fifth Grade
​Happy Hanukkah

Picture
Latkes and Applesauce by Fran Manushkin. When a blizzard leaves a family housebound one Hanukkah, they share what little food they have with some starving animals who later return the favor.
Picture
The Parakeet Named Dreidel by Isaac Bashevis Singer. When David and Mama and Papa are celebrating Hanukkah one frosty winter evening in Brooklyn, Papa sees a parakeet sitting on the window ledge and it becomes part of their family. Many years later, David is at a party one night and tells Dreidel's story--only to discover that a woman at the party owned the bird herself as a child.
Activity Happy Hanukkah coloring sheet

Week of December 4
TK - Bundle Up In Winter

Picture
Picture
Video Segment Animal Behavior (Owl Cam) Discovery Education Streaming Video (password protected)
Little Owl's Orange Scarf by Tatyana Feeney. Little Owl does not like his new orange scarf! Can he and his mom come up with a solution on how he can stay warm?
Video Owl Babies by Martin Waddell. 
Three baby owls worry when they awaken one night and find their mother gone.
Activity Draw Little Owl and his scarf on bookmark-sized paper.

Week of December 4
​Kindergarten - Winter Playtime

Picture
Picture
Snow Dance by Lezlie Evans. Two sisters perform a dance to make it snow and when it snows all through the night they bundle up and head outside for a busy day of angel making, snowball fights, and sledding.
Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner. After nighttime falls and everyone is asleep in their beds, a group of fun-loving snowmen jump into action and have their own bit of fun while no one is around to see.
Activity Carolers coloring sheet

Week of December 4
​First Grade - Winter Weather

Picture
Picture
The Blizzard of 1978. New England was hit by a nor'easter with hurricane-force winds approximately 86 mph with gusts up to 111 mph. A typical nor'easter brings steady snow for six to twelve hours, the Blizzard of '78 brought heavy snow for a full 33 hours. 
Blizzard by John Rocco After a massive blizzard, a boy becomes a hero when he manages to walk to the local store and bring supplies back to his neighborhood which has been snowed in for days. Based on the author's childhood experience.
Activity Carolers coloring sheet
At-home Activity Make a simple snow globe

Week of December 4
Second Grade - Winter Fun

Picture
Picture
Lemonade in Winter, a Book About Kids Counting Money by Emily Jenkins. Despite snow on the ground, icicles on window sills, and discouraging words from their parents, Pauline and her little brother, John-John, decide to open a lemonade stand.
Ant and Honey Bee, a Pair of Friends in Winter by Megan McDonald. Brrrr! The leaves are off the trees, and frost is on the ground. It's time for bugs to hunker down and hide out for the winter. But Ant isn't ready to hunker down. Will Honey Bee welcome an interruption of her peace and quiet? (Chapter 2)
Activity Carolers coloring sheet

Week of December 4
Third Grade - Curriculum Connection Reading for Information - Jane Goodall

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Me...Jane by Patrick McDonnell. Little Jane loves her stuffed animal, a chimpanzee named Jubilee, and carries him everywhere she goes. Mainly, they go outdoors, where they watch birds building their nests and squirrels chasing each other. Jane reads about animals in books and keeps a notebook of sketches, information, and puzzles. Feeling her kinship with all of nature, she often climbs her favorite tree and reads about another Jane, Tarzan's Jane. She dreams that one day she, too, will live in the African jungle and help the animals. And one day, she does. 
The Watcher: Jane Goodall's Life with the Chimps by Jeannette Winter. Goodall's passionate love of nature began in early childhood. As an adult, she moved to Tanzania, making the study and protection of the chimpanzees in the Gombe forest a focus of international fascination.
Video Segment Meet Jane Goodall. Discovery Education Streaming Video (password protected)

Dr. White by Jane Goodall Based on fact, Dr. White is a cute little dog who makes his own kind of hospital rounds visiting very sick children. A health inspector, horrified at this breach in sanitary practices, orders the dog out. Then the man's own daughter becomes ill, and Dr. White proves his worth.
Activity Carolers coloring sheet

Week of December 4
Fourth Grade - Curriculum Connection - Informational Writing

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
YouTube Video Slinky television commercial 1962
The Marvelous Thing that Came from a Spring by Gilbert Ford. The toy was conceived during WWII, when an engineer noticed a spring he'd been working on could "walk" from a shelf. It gained momentum as a pop culture icon when his wife named the toy and marketed it.
YouTube Video Human Slinky 
Activity Carolers coloring sheet
At Home Activity Make a paper slinky

Week of December 4
Fifth Grade - Curriculum Connection - Snowflakes

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Video Snowflake Bentley YouTube Slides with a quiet guitar enhance the reading.
Snow Flake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin. For almost half a century, Wilson Bentley caught and photographed thousands of snowflakes in his workshop at Jericho, Vermont, and made available to scientists and art instructors samples of his remarkable work

Snow Crystals by W. A. Bentley In 1931, the American Meteorological Society gathered together the best of these plus some slides of frost, glaze, sleet, soft hail, and dew on vegetation and on spider webs. Over 2,000 beautiful crystals reveal the wonder of nature's diversity in uniformity; no two are alike, yet all are based on a common hexagon.
Website snowflakebentley.com/bio 

The First Day of Winter by Denise Fleming. A cumulative story to warm up a cold winter day. Alive with swirling snow and lots of outdoor fun, the first ten days of winter bring special gifts for a special friend. Sing along with jingle bells.
Picture
Picture
Picture

Week of November 27 - TK - Welcome Winter Weather

Picture
Video Segment Snow Chick: a Penguin's Tale preview 
Penguin and Pinecone
 by Salina Yoon. Penguin finds a lost pine cone one day and an unlikely friendship blooms. Penguin discovers that love conquers distance and friendship grows stronger over time in this story of love and acceptance.
Close Reading Questions by Grace Nall on Author Website
1. Do the penguins love the forest? How can you tell?
2. Why do you think Pinecone dropped a pine cone in Penguin's sled?
3. Who do you think dropped the pine cone that penguin found on the first page? Why was it important to the story? Find the page(s) or text that supports your answer.
Activity Cut and decorate pine tree bookmarks from pre-folded paper demonstration video

Week of November 27 - Kindergarten - Welcome Winter Weather

Picture
Picture
Recess at 20 Below by Cindy Lou Aillaud. How cold does it have to be before Alaskan kids stay inside for recess? For many schools, if it is colder than 20 below zero, they stay indoors; otherwise, it's outside for frosty fun! ​​Compare and contrast with Grand View Kindergarten playground (center field at far right).
Live Video The Manhattan Beach Pier

Video Putting on Snow Clothes First graders show how quickly they can put on their snow clothes all by themselves.

Week of November 27 - First Grade
Welcome Winter Feasting

Picture
The Wolf, the Duck, and the Mouse by Mac Barnett. When a mouse is swallowed by a wolf, he learns that a duck devoured earlier has set up a table to enjoy the food the gluttonous predator eats.
Activity Rainbow food choices coloring sheet

Week of November 27 - Second Grade
Welcome Winter Weather

Picture
Picture
What Do Bees Do in Winter? Find out at Wonderopolis.org
Winter Bees & Other Poems of the Cold
 by Joyce Sidman Bees, moose, beavers, snakes, and more... discover how animals stay alive in the wintertime and learn about their secret lives happening under the snow.
Ant and Honey Bee, a Pair of Friends in Winter by Megan McDonald Brrrr! The leaves are off the trees, and frost is on the ground. It's time for bugs to hunker down and hide out for the winter. But Ant isn't ready to hunker down. Will Honey Bee welcome an interruption of her peace and quiet? (Chapter 1 of 3)
Connection What do you do differently when the weather turns colder?
Video Extremely Epic Blanket Fort
Fun Stuff Honey Bears Coloring Sheet and Busy as a Bee Activity Sheet ​

Week of November 27 - Third Grade - Welcome Winter Handicrafts

Picture
Picture
Knit Your Bit by Deborah Hopkinson. When his teacher suggests that the class participate in a knitting bee in Central Park to knit clothing for the troops, Mikey and his friends roll their eyes--knitting is for girls! But when the girls turn it into a competition, the boys just have to meet the challenge. Based on a real "Knit-In" in 1918.
Leave Me Alone! by Vera Bosgol. Cold weather is approaching, and sweaters must be knit for Granny's many children and grandchildren. Unfortunately, those young ones are enchanted with those balls of yarn as playthings. They skip rope, play ball, and leave the old woman quite exasperated.

Week of November 27
Fourth Grade - Biography

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Odd Boy Out by Don Brown. Albert was a peculiar baby with a big head. When he was older he hit his sister, bothered his teachers, and didn't have many friends. In the midst of all this, he was fascinated with solving puzzles and scientific problems. The ideas Albert Einstein (1879-1955) came up with during his childhood as an odd boy were destined to change what we understand about the world around us.
Video N Is a Number: a Portrait of Paul Erdos (trailer)

The Boy Who Loved Math by Deborah Heiligman. At the age of four Paul Erdos (1913-1996) could ask you when you were born and then calculate the number of seconds you had been alive in his head. But he didn't learn to butter his own bread until he turned twenty!
Website A Magical Answer to an 80-Year-Old Puzzle. Terence Tao, now a math professor at UCLA, was a youngster when he met Erdos.
Having an Erdos Number Paul Erdos published papers with 507 coauthors. In the mathematics community those 507 people have the coveted distinction of having an Erdos number of 1, meaning that they wrote a paper with Erdos himself. Someone who published a paper with one of his coauthors is said to have an Erdos number of 2, and an Erdos number of 3 means that someone wrote a paper with someone who wrote a paper with someone who worked with Erdos. Albert Einstein’s Erdos number was 2. The highest known Erdos number is 15; this excludes non mathematicians, who all have an Erdos number of infinity.
Activity Tessellation art with worksheet and video demonstration.
At Home Activity Paul Erdos International Math Challenge

Week of November 27 - Fifth Grade - Celebrating Picture Books and Novel Study

Picture
Picture
Picture
The Skunk by Mac Barnett. A man is followed by a skunk until the tables are turned in this simple yet sophisticated look at relationships.
Video Schooled book trailer

Schooled. Although he knows a lot about Zen Buddhism, nothing has prepared home schooled Capricorn Anderson for an A-list bully, a popular girl, and middle school politics. The shifting points of view capture a pitch-perfect "fish out of water" story.
Activity Journal responses to writing prompts about Schooled will be written in cursive. Why Writing by Hand Could Make You Smarter, by William R. Klemm, Ph.D., Psychology Today, posted March 14, 2013

Week of November 20 - Happy Thanksgiving

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
MBUSD schools are closed this week. Wishing you a Thanksgiving Holiday filled with good times, delicious food, and sweet memories. 

 Week of November 13 - TK - Thanksgiving Gratitude and Food Fun

Picture
Thanks for Thanksgiving by Julie Markes. At Thanksgiving time, children express their gratitude for the people and things in their lives.
Activity 
Thanksgiving coloring sheet
Picture
The Beastly Feast by Bruce Goldstone. All sorts of animals bring a variety of foods to share: bears bring pears, parrots bring carrots, mosquitoes bring burritos, mice bring rice, and so on!

​Week of November 13 - Kindergarten - Thanksgiving History and Food Fun

Picture
A Short History of Thanksgiving by Sally Lee. A brief overview of the early traditions which have led to our present-day celebrations.
Picture
The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson. A clever mouse uses the threat of a terrifying creature to keep from being eaten by a fox, an owl, and a snake-- only to have to outwit that creature as well.
Activity Gruffalo Crumble recipe and coloring sheet

​Week of November 13 - First Grade - Change Over Time and Step-by-Step Writing

Picture
A Fine Dessert by Emily Jenkins. Shows how food, technology, and families have changed throughout American history. Four families, in four cities, over four centuries, make the same dessert: Blackberry Fool. 1710 in Lyme, England. 1810 in Charleston, SC. 1910 in Boston, MA. Present day in San Diego, CA.
Activity Blackberry Fool recipe and coloring sheet 
Video Author/illustrator interview and recipe
Picture
Time for Cranberries by Lisl H. Detlefsen. A little boy helps his parents harvest cranberries on their family farm step by step: from flooding the field to preparing the vines for the picking machine to delivering the fruit to the receiving station.
Activity 
Cranberry Pie recipe and coloring sheet

Week of November 13 - Second Grade - National Monuments and Harvest Time

Picture
One More Acorn by Don Freeman. As winter nears, Earl the Squirrel searches for the acorns he stashed in the parks of Washington, D.C. Iconic author/illustrator Don Freeman began this story in 1963. His son completed it with help from an illustrator almost 50 years later.
Video Washington, D.C., tour
Picture
The Ugly Pumpkin by Dave Horowitz. A lonely, oddly-shaped pumpkin is sad that no one chose him for Halloween, but he soon discovers where he belongs.
Activity 
Thanksgiving coloring sheet

Week of November 13 - Third Grade - Thanksgiving Traditions

Picture
Tony Sarg (1880-1942)
Picture
Picture
Felix the Cat 1927
Picture
Superman 1945
Father of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Revealed by Stephen Brower. A brief biography of Tony Sarg
Balloons over Broadway
 by Melissa Sweet. The story of puppeteer Tony Sarg, the man who first invented the helium balloons that have become the trademark of the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
After World War I, Sarg moved to New York City and quickly gained a reputation as a practical joker, the life of the party and a tireless worker. In his various ventures, the designer, inventor and illustrator worked on cartoons, children’s books, mechanical toys, advertising and of course, window displays and balloons.
Thanksgiving Day Parade History and Balloons of Today. social.macys.com/parade 
Activity Thanksgiving coloring sheet 

Week of November 13 - Fourth Grade
Thanksgiving History

Picture
Picture
Thanksgiving Is... by Gail Gibbons. Provides information about the origins and meaning of Thanksgiving in America, and describes many of the symbols and traditions associated with the holiday, including feasts and parades.
Website. The National Women's History Museum provides a brief biography of Sarah J. Hale (b. NH 1788-d. PA 1879

Thank You, Sarah by Laurie Halse Anderson Relates how Sarah Hale, a magazine editor and author, persuaded President Lincoln to transform Thanksgiving Day into a national holiday. 
Video. Mary Had a Little Lamb

Mary Had a Little Lamp by Jack Lechner Mary has a little lamp that she takes everywhere. One day Mary heads off to summer camp without her bendy-necked lamp and discovers that life without a lamp isn't so bad.
​
Activity Thanksgiving coloring sheet

Week of November 13 - Fifth Grade
Thanksgiving Gratitude and Novel Study

Picture
Picture
Gratitude There is increasing research behind the importance of the value of gratitude -- its nature, its causes, and the potential consequences for health and mental/emotional well-being. See: Principal Message, Gator Gazette, November 13, 2016 issue
All My Treasures: A Book of Joy by Jo Witek. A little girl learns that life’s most precious treasures cannot be contained in a box in this story about the immateriality of happiness that reminds us to take pleasure in everyday moments.
​
Video Schooled book trailer
Schooled. Although he knows a lot about Zen Buddhism, nothing has prepared home schooled Capricorn Anderson for an A-list bully, a popular girl, and middle school politics. The shifting points of view capture a pitch-perfect "fish out of water" story.
Activity Using cursive writing, students will express gratitude to a former teacher or other adult on campus. Why Writing by Hand Could Make You Smarter, by William R. Klemm, Ph.D., Psychology Today, posted March 14, 2013

Week of November 6
Kindergarten & TK
​Self Awareness

Picture
I'm Bored by Michael Ian Black. When a bored girl meets a potato who finds children tedious, she tries to prove him wrong by demonstrating all of the things they can do.
​Activity Students draw a potato bookmark.

Week of November 6
First Grade
​Patience

Picture
Betty Bunny Loves Chocolate Cake by Michael B. Kaplan. Betty Bunny likes chocolate cake so much that she claims she will marry it one day, and she has trouble learning to wait patiently until she can have her next taste.
Video A little girl mixes and bakes chocolate cake in a cup
Activity Patience mandala coloring sheet

Week of November 6
Second Grade
Letter Writing

Picture
Corduroy Writes a Letter by Don Freeman. When Lisa notices that her favorite cookies have fewer sprinkles, her mother suggests that she write a letter to the bakery.
Activity After viewing the samples, students write a kind note of appreciation on a Teddy Bear to be included with Halloween candy for troops and first responders.

Week of November 6
Third Grade
​Curriculum Connection: Navajo and Veterans Day

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Navajo Code Talkers by Andrew Santella. The Navajo language is ideally suited to be an unbreakable code. When WWII ended, the Code Talker program was kept a military secret for decades. It was many years before the Code Talkers could be honored for their service.
Video American Indian World War II Heroes Discovery Education Streaming (password protected).
Website Navajocodetalkers.org | Historical Perspective Page (begin 30 seconds in).
Website Nativevillage.org displays a dictionary of Code Talker terms.
Music Video Code Talkers by Jack Gladstone

Week of November 6
Fourth Grade
Honoring Canine ​Veterans

Picture
Dogs on Duty by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent. When the news broke of the raid on Osama Bin Laden's compound, the SEAL team member that stole the show was a highly trained canine companion.
Video A salute to military working dogs.

Week of November 6
Fifth Grade
Honoring Canine Veterans

Picture
Picture
Hey, Boy by Benjamin Strouse. The unfaltering love between a boy and his pet.
Nubs by Major Brian Dennis. 
A true story of a feral dog in war-torn Iraq who is befriended by an American Marine, then embarks on a treacherous journey to find him when the man is stationed seventy miles away.
Video WFLA News Channel 8 Iraqi dog rescued.
Recommended Reading  Letters from Wolfie by Pattie Sherlock, Saving Zasha by Randi G. Barrow, and Cracker! The Best Dog in Vietnam by Cynthia Kadohata.

Illustrator Kim Smith Visits Grand View 1st and 2nd Graders November 3 8:30 a.m. 

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Sponsored by {pages} a bookstore October 19 was the deadline to order books to be signed at the event. ONLINE or PAPER FORM 
Spooky Story Time October 28 10:30 a.m. at {pages} with Denise Doyen, author of "The Pomegranate Witch." Details

Week of October 30
TK - Picture Book Month and Fall Leaves

Picture
Picture
November is Picture Book Month Details
I'm Bored by Michael Ian Black. When a bored girl meets a potato who finds children tedious, she tries to prove him wrong by demonstrating all of the things they can do.
​Activity Students will draw a potato bookmark.
Video Leaves | Discovery Education Streaming Video (password protected)
Fall Leaves Fall! by Zoe Hall. 
When fall comes, two children enjoy catching the falling leaves, stomping on them, kicking them, jumping in piles of them, and using them to make pictures. Includes a description of how leaves change through the year.
Activity Students will make crayon leaf rubbings.

Week of October 30
Kindergarten - Picture Book Month & Fall

Picture
Picture
November is Picture Book Month Details
Matthew A. B. C. 
by Peter Catalanotto. Mrs. Tuttle has 25 children in her Kindergarten class and though they are all named Matthew they are all unique. When a new boy joins the class, it is obvious he is the perfect 26th student!
​Video Leaves | Discovery Education Streaming Video (password protected)
Fall Leaves Fall! by Zoe Hall. 
When fall comes, two children enjoy catching the falling leaves, stomping on them, kicking them, jumping in piles of them, and using them to make pictures. Includes a description of how leaves change through the year.
Activity Students will make crayon leaf rubbings.

Week of October 30
​First Grade - Change Over Time

Picture
Picture
November is Picture Book Month Details
​As an Oak Tree Grows by G. Brian Karas. Relays the events of 200 years from the perspective of an oak tree, showing how much the world can change... even while some things hardly seem to change at all.
My Leaf Book by Monica Wellington. Able to identify various trees by the shapes of their leaves, a young girl visits a park in the autumn to collect fallen leaves and pastes her collection into her own leaf book.
At Home Activity Show students an example of a leaf book and leaf rubbings.

Week of October 30
​Second Grade - Picture Book Month

Picture
Picture
November is Picture Book Month Details
Video M Is for Musk Oxen | Discovery Education Streaming Video (password protected)
A Is for Musk Ox 
by Erin Cabatingan. Musk Ox takes over an alphabet book, explaining to Zebra why almost every letter can be used to describe musk oxen.

Week of October 30 - Third Grade
​Curriculum Connection - Weaving

Picture
Picture
November is Picture Book Month Details
The Goat in the Rug by Charles L. Blood and Martin Link.
​
Geraldine, a goat, describes each step as she and her Navajo friend make a rug, from the hair clipping and carding to the dyeing and actual weaving.

Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett. Annabelle lives in a black-and-white world, so imagine her surprise when she finds a box filled with yarn of every color. She makes herself a sweater, but after she finishes, she finds that she has extra yarn left over. After knitting a sweater for her dog, her classmates, bunnies and bears, she still has extra yarn.
Video Dallas Yarn Bombers All you need is yarn... All you need is yarn... All you need is yarn, yarn... Yarn is all you need...
Activity Finger knitting | YouTube video

Week of October 30 - Fourth Grade
Thematic Connection to Tiger Rising

Picture
Picture
November is Picture Book Month Details
​The Tiger Rising by Kate Di Camillo. In this classroom read-aloud, Eleven-year-old Rob Horton finds a caged tiger in the woods behind the hotel where he lives with his father, and must decide what to do with his discovery. The twin themes of freedom and responsibility echo in Clara.
Clara by Emily Arnold McCully.  In 1741, Captain Van der Meer sailed to India and returned to Holland with a "mythical beast," an orphaned, one-year-old rhinoceros named Clara. Van der Meer grew to love his new friend, who rewarded his kindness with affection and trust. He took her throughout Europe, where even royal heads of state came to see her. As she grew, the problem of raising money to feed her became more challenging, but Van der Meer persisted, and they traveled together for 17 years, until Clara's death. Students will compare and contrast the two stories.

Week of October 30 - Fifth Grade
Learning Resilience from Picture Books

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
November is Picture Book Month Details
Video Segment The Red Balloon by Albert LaMorisse, 1956 (running time 4:03 minutes)
My Red Balloon by Kazuaki Yamada. A little girl begins a happy bus outing with her beautiful red balloon. But when the balloon suddenly flies away, the bus driver and a passenger bear gallantly help follow the balloon. A wild chase begins and along the way a rabbit, a polar bear, a penguin, and a giraffe all join in to help as they follow the wayward balloon. And when a bird pecks the balloon with its beak, the result makes all their effort seem in vain, but the little girl’s new friends once again come to the rescue with just the right words of comfort.
It's Tough to Lose Your Balloon by Jarrett J. Krosoczka. 
A series of short vignettes shows how kids can make the most out of a bad situation when they look at life with a positive attitude.
The Happy Hocky Family by Lane Smith. A humorous look at the activities of various members of the Hocky family -- a family that may have TOO positive of an outlook on life.
​Video Schooled book trailer

Schooled. Although he knows a lot about Zen Buddhism, nothing has prepared home schooled Capricorn Anderson for an A-list bully, a popular girl, and middle school politics. The shifting points of view capture a pitch-perfect "fish out of water" story.
​
Activity Journal responses to writing prompts about Schooled will be written in cursive. Why Writing by Hand Could Make You Smarter, by William R. Klemm, Ph.D., Psychology Today, posted March 14, 2013

Week of October 23
TK - Witches

Picture
Picture
Two Little Witches: a Halloween Counting Story by Harriet Ziefert. Count ten trick-or-treaters on a Halloween night and watch them disappear at the spooky old house.
​
Halloween Bugs by David A. Carter. Behind each spooky door lurks a different Halloween pop-up surprise....Trick-or-treating becomes spine-tingling fun with the ghostly, ghouly Bugs inside! 
Activity Cat on pumpkin coloring sheet

It's HOT! HOT!! HOT!!! this Week

Cool off with this "Dogs in Pools" video compilation on YouTube 

Week of October 23
​Kindergarten - Witches

Picture
Picture
Excuse Me... Are You a Witch? by Emily Horn. Herbert doesn't have a home but he loves visiting the library where it's warm and there are lots of good books to read.
Taffy Finds a Halloween Witch by Donna Lugg Pape. Taffy is a little orange cat who wishes to be a black cat in order to be good enough for a witch to take home and love.
Activity Cat on pumpkin coloring sheet

Week of October 23
First Grade - Skeletons

Picture
Just a Minute by Yuyi Morales. 
​When Senor Calavera comes calling on Grandma Beetle, she forestalls him by performing a series of tasks that result in her own birthday party.

Activity Draw Pinky the cat step-by-step

Week of October 23
Second Grade - Creepy Tales

Picture
Picture
Picture
Ambient music The Invaders by Jerry Goldsmith
Creepy Carrots! by Aaron Reynolds. Jasper Rabbit cannot resist pulling tasty carrots to munch out of Crackenhopper Field each time he passes by, until he starts thinking there are creepy carrots everywhere. ​
Creepy Pair of Underwear! by Aaron Reynolds. Jasper is frightened by his underpants.
Activity Make a creepy carrot bookmark with orange and green paper and creepy stand-up underwear with a folded half sheet of green paper.
Video The illustrator explains his inspiration

Week of October 23
Third Grade - Ghosts

Picture
Picture
Leo : a Ghost Story by Mac Barnett. Leo is a friendly house ghost--but when a family moves into his house, and tries to get rid of him, he leaves and roams the city looking for a friend.
Video YouTube Cracking ice cubes out of a tray
Cold Feet by Cynthia DeFelice. When Willie McPhee, the finest bagpiper in all of Scotland, falls on hard times and is in danger of freezing, he takes a pair of boots from a man who --he thinks-- no longer needs them. Now though his feet are warm, something worse than freezing lies ahead.
Video YouTube Highland bagpiper in the snow 

Activity Cat on pumpkin coloring sheet

Week of October 23
Fourth Grade - Halloween Customs & Symbols

Picture
Picture
The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury. When young Pipkin becomes ill and is whisked away into the mysterious darkness of the Halloween tree, his friends must race through space and time to save him. With a peculiar old man named Moundshroud to guide them, the kids encounter the many earlier manifestations of the holiday known as Halloween. Run time 1 hour 10 minutes. Resume at minute 52:31 for the conclusion.

Week of October 23
Fifth Grade - Creepy Fun & Novel Study

Picture
Picture
Picture
Ambient music The Invaders by Jerry Goldsmith
Creepy Pair of Underwear! by Aaron Reynolds. Jasper is frightened by his underpants.
Activity Make creepy stand-up underwear with a folded half sheet of green paper.
Video Schooled book trailer
​Schooled by Gordon Korman. Although he knows a lot about Zen Buddhism, nothing has prepared home schooled Capricorn Anderson for an A-list bully, a popular girl, and middle school politics. The shifting points of view capture a pitch-perfect "fish out of water" story.
​
Activity Journal responses to writing prompts about Schooled will be written in cursive. Why Writing by Hand Could Make You Smarter, by William R. Klemm, Ph.D., Psychology Today, posted March 14, 2013

Week of October 23
All Grades

Picture
Picture
Video Dogs in Pools. Think of these happy, splashy pups when the hot weather is getting to you.
Playing time 1:33

Week of October 16
TK - Pumpkins

Picture
Picture
It's Pumpkin Time! by Zoe Hall. A brother and sister plant and tend their own pumpkin patch so they will have jack-o-lanterns for Halloween.
​How Big Could Your Pumpkin Grow? by Wendell Minor. With increasing absurdity as pumpkins grow bigger and bigger still, giant pumpkins decorate American landmarks.
Activity Pumpkin bead bracelet

Week of October 16
Kindergarten - Pumpkins

Picture
Pumpkin Heads! by Wendell Minor. Pumpkin heads and jack-o-lanterns abound when Halloween rolls around.
Coloring sheet Pumpkins

Week of October 16 - First Grade - Black Cats

Picture
Picture
Picture
Night's Nice by Barbara and Ed Emberley. A little kitty (can you spot him?) explores the wonders of nighttime.
Moonlight the Halloween Cat by Cynthia Rylant. One special night of the year for one special cat.
Max the Brave by Ed Vere. 
Max, a brave, fearless kitten who prefers a superhero cape to cutesy bows, chases mice. There's just one little problem: he doesn't know what a mouse looks like.
Coloring sheet A purr-fect Halloween

Week of October 16 - Second Grade
Scary Stories

Picture
Picture
A Not Scary Story About Big Scary Things by C.K. Williams. This unusual monster story shows that confidence and courage can tame our fears.
I Want to Be in a Scary Story by Sean Taylor. Monster wants to be the star of a scary story, but scary stories can be very scary...especially for their characters! 
Coloring sheet A purr-fect Halloween

Week of October 16 - Third Grade
Scary Things

Picture
Picture
The Fun Book of Scary Stuff by Emily Jenkins. A little boy makes his dogs' hair stand on end by telling them about all the things that scare him.
My Teacher Is a Monster! by Peter Brown. Bobby has the worst teacher. She's loud, she yells, and if you throw paper airplanes, she won't allow you to enjoy recess. She is a monster! But over the course of one day, Bobby learns that monsters are not always what they seem.
Activity Folding and flying paper airplanes

Week of October 16 - Fourth Grade
Halloween Traditions and Symbols

Picture
Picture
The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury. When young Pipkin becomes ill and is whisked away into the mysterious darkness of the Halloween tree, his friends must race through space and time to save him. With a peculiar old man named Moundshroud to guide them, the kids encounter the many earlier manifestations of the holiday known as Halloween. Run time 1 hour 10 minutes. Resume at minute 32:07

Week of October 16 - Fifth Grade
Creepy Things & Novel Study

Picture
Picture
Picture
Shapes by Miriam Schlein. Lots of things are round, and lots more are square, but people and animals are never exactly round or square.
Video Library Facebook page
Published in 1952, this book was deleted from collection. It's illustrations are disturbingly eerie. Thanks to GVPTA, we enjoy new books!
Video Schooled book trailer
​Schooled by Gordon Korman. Although he knows a lot about Zen Buddhism, nothing has prepared home schooled Capricorn Anderson for an A-list bully, a popular girl, and middle school politics. The shifting points of view capture a pitch-perfect "fish out of water" story.
​
Activity Journal responses to writing prompts about Schooled will be written in cursive. Why Writing by Hand Could Make You Smarter, by William R. Klemm, Ph.D., Psychology Today, posted March 14, 2013

Week of October 9 - TK - Fears

Picture
Picture
The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams. A little old lady must deal with a pumpkin head, a tall black hat, and other spooky objects that follow her through the dark woods.
Can You Make a Scary Face? by Jan Thomas. A ladybug invites us to play a game of Let's Pretend.
Activity Draw scary face bookmarks for display in the office

Week of October 9 - Kindergarten - Fears

Picture
Picture
What Was I Scared Of? by Dr. Seuss. A traveler is terrorized by an empty pair of pants in this silly, slightly spooky story that also delivers a lesson about tolerance.
Can You Make a Scary Face? by Jan Thomas. A ladybug invites us to play a game of Let's Pretend.
Activity Draw scary face bookmarks

At-home activity Make glow-in-the-dark slime

Week of October 9 - First Grade
Hispanic Heritage Month

Picture
Picture
Video Segment Tortillas Discovery Education Streaming Video (password protected)
The Tortilla Factory by Gary Paulsen. 
Shows a cycle of life--from seed to plant to tortilla, as workers till the soil, operate factory machinery, and drive the trucks that deliver the tortillas back into the hands that will plant the yellow seeds.
Tiny Tortilla by Arlene Williams. Juan Carlos discovers that with patience and the right touch he can transform a tiny ball of special tortilla dough into unexpected shapes.
Coloring Sheet Tortilla Elephant Ears Recipe 

Week of October 9 - Second Grade
​Monsters

Picture
Picture
Picture
One Hungry Monster by Susan Heyboer O'Keefe. A small boy tries to control ten insatiable monsters demanding food and creating chaos throughout the house at bedtime.
Coloring sheet Applesauce Cinnamon Oat Muffin Recipe
Just Dessert by Polly Powell. In the middle of the night a young girl encounters a few scares on her way to an extra piece of cake.
There's a Wocket in My Pocket by Dr. Seuss. A boy tells of a whole houseful of unusual creatures.

Week of October 9 
Third Grade - Reading for Info & Info Lit

Picture
Picture
I, Fly the Buzz About Flies and How Awesome They Are by Bridget Heos. Last week we learned about spiders and this week the humble fly gets equal time. Flies go through metamorphosis just like butterflies, and when flies eat solid food they throw up on it first!
​
Show What You Know Quiz Part 3 This online worksheet will allow students to demonstrate a basic understanding of how to look up materials and locate them in the library.
Using the Catalog Demonstration of the online catalog using the example of author Shel Silverstein.

Week of October 9
​4th - Halloween

Picture
The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury. When young Pipkin becomes ill and is whisked away into the mysterious darkness of the Halloween tree, his friends must race through space and time to save him. With a peculiar old man named Moundshroud to guide them, the kids encounter the many earlier manifestations of the holiday known as Halloween. Run time 1 hour 10 minutes. Play to minute 32:07

Week of October 9 - 5th
Novel Study & Cursive

Picture
YouTube Improving Your Cursive Handwriting
Video Schooled book trailer
​Schooled by Gordon Korman. Although he knows a lot about Zen Buddhism, nothing has prepared home schooled Capricorn Anderson for an A-list bully, a popular girl, and middle school politics. The shifting points of view capture a pitch-perfect "fish out of water" story.
Activity Journal responses to writing prompts about Schooled will be written in cursive. Why Writing by Hand Could Make You Smarter, by William R. Klemm, Ph.D., Psychology Today, posted March 14, 2013.

Week of October 2 - TK - Spiders

Picture
Picture
NHM Spider Pavilion 9/17-11/26
Aaaarrgghh! by Lydia Monks. A clever spider is lonely and longs to become a family pet!
Song There's a Spider On the Floor, On the Floor with rings
Activity Draw spider bookmarks
Extend Natural History Museum Spider Pavilion 9/17-11/26

Week of October 2 - Kindergarten - Spiders

Picture
Picture
NHM Spider Pavilion 9/111/26
The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle. The farm animals try to divert a spider from spinning her web, but she persists and produces a thing of both beauty and usefulness.
Song There's a Spider On the Floor, On the Floor
Activity 
The Very Busy Spider coloring sheet 
Extend The Natural History Museum Spider Pavilion 9/17-11/26

Week of October 2
First Grade - Scarecrows

Picture
Picture
The Little Scarecrow Boy by Margaret Wise Brown. Early one morning, a little scarecrow whose father warns him that he is not fierce enough to frighten a crow goes out into the cornfield alone.
Activity Scarecrow coloring sheet 

Video Segment Intelligent Crows Discovery Education Streaming Video (password protected)
Clever Crow by Cynthia DeFelice.
 Emma outwits a crafty crow, but the wily bird (who just can't resist shiny objects) tricks her right back!
Activity Make b
ookmarks with stir sticks and aluminum foil.

Week of October 2
Second Grade - Monsters

Picture
Picture
When a Monster is Born by Sean Taylor What happens when the monster comes to school, eats the principal, wanders into town, and falls in love? He becomes the parent of a baby monster, who may grow up to be an under-your-bed monster in this circular tale of possibilities.
Quit Calling Me a Monster! by Jory John. A little monster resents being labeled as a monster.

Activity Trace hand print bookmarks from monster-green paper. Embellish with pointy fingernails before cutting out.

Week of October 2 - Third Grade - Reading for Information: Spiders & Info Literacy

Picture
Picture
Picture
NHM Spider Pavilion 9/17-11/26
​Spinning Spiders by Melvin Berger. Describes the characteristics of spiders and the methods they use to trap their prey in webs.
I'm Trying to Love Spiders by Bethany Barton. A humorous introduction to spiders.
At Home Activity String figures such as Running Dog 
​Extend The Natural History Museum Spider Pavilion 9/17-11/26 

SMART Exchange Sort nonfiction call numbers into correct Dewey order.
Show What You Know Quiz Part 2 This online worksheet will allow students to demonstrate a basic understanding of how to look up materials and locate them in the library.

Week of October 2 - Fourth Grade - The Sinister Side of Reading

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
The Ink Drinker by Eric Sanvoisin. A strange breed of vampire sucks the black blood of literature and changes a book-hating boy...forever.
The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury. When Pipkin becomes ill and is whisked away into the mysterious darkness of the Halloween tree, his friends must race through space and time to save him. With a peculiar old man named Moundshroud to guide them, the kids encounter the earlier manifestations of the holiday known as Halloween. Shown in three parts (total run time 1 hour 10 minutes). Trailer today.

Week of October 2 - Fifth Grade - Response to Literature Journals - Cursive Practice

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
My Hippie Grandmother by Reeve Lindbergh. Flower Power Forever! A tie-dyed grandmother has a cat named Woodstock, a guitar-strumming boyfriend, an organic garden, and a very proud granddaughter in this ode to free spirits of all generations.
Schooled by Gordon Korman. Although he knows a lot about Zen Buddhism, nothing has prepared home schooled Capricorn Anderson for an A-list bully, a popular girl, and middle school politics. The shifting points of view capture a pitch-perfect "fish out of water" story.
Video Schooled book trailer
Bunny Cakes by Rosemary Wells. Max wants super-special ingredients for the birthday cake he's making for Grandma, but the grocer cannot read Max's handwriting.
YouTube Improving Your Cursive Handwriting
Activity Students journal responses to writing prompts about Schooled will be written in cursive.

Week of September 25
TK -  Apples

Picture
Picture
One Red Apple by Harriet Ziefert. Chronicles the life cycle of an apple: from fruit growing on the tree, to market, to picnic, to seed, to sapling and tree, and finally to a new apple. A joyful introduction to the amazing and delectable way the earth provides food.
Little Mouse's Big Secret by Eric Battut. Little Mouse has found a delicious-looking apple and doesn't want to share a bite. So he buries it, and no matter how many of his friends ask what he hid, Little Mouse won't tell.  But when a tree sprouts from the seeds of the fruit, there are enough apples for everyone-and Little Mouse realizes some secrets are even better when they're shared.
Activity Apple bracelet made with a green pipe cleaner and red pony beads.

Week of September 25
​Kindergarten - Apples

Picture
Our Apple Tree by Gorel Kristina Naslund. A whimsical look at the life cycle of the apple tree. Two sprites guide the tree from spring, when the apple tree blossoms, through summer, when the fruit grows, to fall and the harvest. ​​
Activity Fall leaves coloring sheet

Week of September 25
​First Grade - Apples

Picture
The Apple Doll by Elisa Kleven. Lizzy's best friend in all seasons is her apple tree. When school starts, Lizzy sees how her apple tree can help her overcome her shyness and make new friends.
At-home activity Apple doll

Week of September 25
​Second Grade - Apples

Picture
Picture
Applesauce Season by Eden Ross Lipson. Describes a family's applesauce-making ritual: the buying, peeling, cooking and stirring; the wait for the sauce to cool and the first taste.
Coloring sheet Recipe 
​

Week of September 25
Third Grade - Reading for Information

Picture
Picture
Give Bees a Chance by Bethany Barton Besides making yummy honey, they help plants grow fruits and vegetables.
Show What You Know Quiz Part 1 This online worksheet will allow students to demonstrate a basic understanding of how to look up materials and locate them in the library.
Video Dewey Rap A fun, silly way to learn about the Dewey Decimal System.

Week of September 25
Fourth Grade - Water, Apples, Tolerance

Picture
Picture
Picture
Water Is Water by Miranda Paul. Highlights the various forms water takes throughout the year including autumn fog and rain, frozen ponds and falling snow, steam from cups of cocoa, and snow melt turning dirt to mud.
One Green Apple by Eve Bunting. It's hard to be the new kid in school, especially when you're from another country and don't know the language. But a field trip to an apple orchard helps Farah feel connected. 
Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson. What if you're cruel to someone and never get the chance to make it right? This deeply personal story takes us full circle back to water. As a lake is rippled when a stone is tossed, a cruelty has repercussions than can never be undone. ​
​Grant Opportunity. MBEF 2017-18 Clinton Family Social Inclusion Grant Application

Week of September 25
Fifth Grade - Banned and Challenged Books: Celebrating the Freedom to Read

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
A Book Worth Banning Is a Book Worth Reading A list of several titles that have been banned or challenged.
Video Puppet Book Banners A brief discussion about why the American Library Association supports and celebrates the freedom to read.
Little Red Riding Hood This adaptation of Little Red Riding Hood landed on the naughty list, though the illustrations merited a Caldecott Honor (1984).
Wolf in the Snow by Matthew Cordell When a wolf cub and a little girl are lost in a storm, kindness and cooperation save them. In the end, it's all about keeping an open mind.

Grant Opportunity. MBEF 2017-18 Clinton Family Social Inclusion Grant Application

Week of September 18
TK - 
Resilience 

Picture
Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin. Pete the cat loves the buttons on his shirt so much that he makes up a song about them, and even as the buttons pop off, one by one, he still finds a reason to sing.
Video Pete sings his song 
Activity Pete the Cat dot to dot

Week of September 18
​Kindergarten - 5 Senses

Picture
Picture
Livingstone Mouse by Pamela Duncan Edwards. An explorer mouse in search of China discovers that he must be careful to choose a new home that does not offend his sense of smell, sight, hearing, taste, or touch.

Week of September 18
First Grade - Books and Reading

Picture
Picture
I Am a Story by Dan Yaccarino. A celebration of the art of storytelling traces how it has evolved from cave paintings and the invention of the printing press to the digital technologies that inform and unite today's diverse world. Sharp eyes will take note of the starry transition from cave people to contemporary folk as astrological signs reappear as constellations, with a tiny red bird on each page to remind us that stories give flight to our imagination.
I Don't Like to Read by Nancy Carlson. Henry the mouse likes everything about first grade except reading, but with some extra help at school and home, he is delightfully surprised.
Activity Tiny Birds coloring sheet

Week of September 18
Second Grade - Empathy

Picture
A Letter to My Teacher by Deborah Hopkinson. Written as a thank you note to a cherished teacher, the ending brings the love of learning and teaching full circle.
Activity Students draw a picture of themselves with their teacher and write a note including a personality trait that they know their teacher will enjoy, and a behavior that they hope to improve during second grade.

Week of September 18
​Third Grade - Info Literacy

Picture
Video The Lure of the Library. Students learn the conceptual structure of the Dewey Decimal System and the content of the ten major sections. Supports students in developing research skills by showing the functions of the catalog and call numbers.
Activity Dewey Decimal Scavenger Hunt.

Week of September 18
​Fourth Grade

Local holiday. No school 9/21

Week of September 18
Fifth Grade - Making Your Mark

Picture
Picture
Red: a Crayon's Story by Michael Hall. An amusing but affecting story about staying true to oneself in this tale about a blue crayon in a red wrapper.
The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds. A delicate fable about the creative spirit in all of us.
Activity Students will personalize the cover of their journals with their dot.

Week of September 11 - TK
Self-Reliance

Picture
Picture
Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney. Baby llama creates bedtime drama!
Small Bunny's Blue Blanket by Tatyana Feeney. It's laundry day: will Small Bunny's blanket ever be the same? 
Activity Students will draw Small Bunny and his blanket on a card stock bookmark after being shown simple shapes and lines.

Week of September 11 - Kindergarten
​Making New Friends

Picture
Picture
Halibut Jackson by David Lucas. Because Halibut Jackson is so shy, he makes special outfits to blend in wherever he goes.
Video Camouflaged halibut

Take-home activity Wrapping paper camouflage fish. Bring yours back to school to be displayed in the library hall!

Week of September 11 - First Grade
Author Study & Responsibility

Picture
Picture
Picture
Waiting by Kevin Henkes. Waiting is a big part of childhood -- waiting in line, waiting to grow up, waiting for something special to happen.
Waiting is Not Easy by Mo Willems. 
Piggie tells Gerald she has a surprise for him, but it is not there yet so Gerald must be patient.
Where Are My Books? by Debbie Ridpath Ohi. A little boy finds that though he put his book back in its proper place, it turns up missing.

Week of September 11 - Second Grade
Finding the Next Favorite Book

Picture
Picture
Charlie Cook's Favorite Book by Julia Donaldson. A circular tale in which each new book character is reading about the next, beginning and ending with Charlie Cook.
A Library Book for Bear by Bonny Becker. Bear is quite certain he has all the books he will ever need right at home and there is no need to visit the library.

Week of September 11 - Third Grade
Information Literacy Part 2 of Six - The Dewey Decimal System

Picture
Picture
Picture
1: Website & Map -- 2: Dewey Decimal System -- 3: Video "The Lure of the Library" -- 4: Catalog Demonstration and Scavenger Hunt -- 5: Quiz Show What You Know Part 1 of 2 and Scavenger Hunt -- 6. Quiz Show What You Know Part 2 of 2 and Scavenger Hunt.
Students will earn the privilege of using the library computers by part 4 of the 6-part practicum designed to allow them to demonstrate their awareness of library procedures and their ability to execute simple catalog searches.
Website page Library map
Website page Dewey classification chart
PowerPoint The Caveman's Guide to the Dewey Decimal System created by Mount Erie Elementary School, Anacortes, Washington

Week of September 11 - Fourth Grade
Curriculum Connection - Seeds and Plants

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
A Seed is Sleepy by Diana Hutts Aston. A contemplative look at the world of plants full of rich descriptions, complex science concepts, and artful cursive writing.
Rooting for You by Susan Hood. One little seed is afraid to come out of his shell. There may be monsters out in the big world, and there are definitely obstacles!
The Pea Blossom by Amy Lowry Poole. A retelling of the poignant Hans Christian Andersen tale.
Little Pea by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. 
Little Pea hates eating candy for dinner, but his parents will not let him have his spinach dessert until he cleans his plate.

Week of September 11 - Fifth Grade
Making New Friends - Being a Forever Friend - Creating a World of Friendship

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
My New Friend Is So Fun! by Mo Willems. Gerald becomes convinced that Piggie has a new best friend and that he will be left out.
Big Mean Mike by Michelle Knudsen. Mike is proud to be the toughest dog in the neighborhood, so when tiny, fuzzy bunnies start showing up in his big, mean car he sees them only as a threat to his reputation. But they are SO adorable!
Tarra & Bella: the Elephant and Dog Who Became Best Friends by Carole Buckley. Proving that best friends come in all shapes and sizes, a lone elephant at a sanctuary in Tennessee befriends a stray dog.
Video Clip Tarra & Bella

Grant Opportunity. MBEF 2017-18 Clinton Family Social Inclusion Grant Application
Picture

Week of September 4 - Kindergarten & TK
​Proud to Be An American Assembly 9/11

Picture
Picture
America the Beautiful by Katherine Lee Bates. A photographic essay set to the words of the patriotic verse that was later set to music by Samuel Augustus Ward.
Video Music with lyrics

​The Peace Book by Todd Parr. An introduction to the meaning of peace and the importance of living in harmony with people of different cultures and backgrounds from all around the world.

Week of September 4 - First Grade
​Proud to Be an American Assembly 9/11

Picture
Picture
America the Beautiful by Katherine Lee Bates. A photographic essay set to the words of the patriotic verse that was later set to music by Samuel Augustus Ward.
Video Music with lyrics
​America Is... by Louise Borden. Celebrates the diversity of America, where millions of people from many different walks of life share the lakes, mountains, prairies, forests, and deserts that make up our great country.

Week of September 4 - Second Grade
​Proud to Be An American Assembly 9/11

Picture
Picture
America the Beautiful by Katherine Lee Bates. A photographic essay set to the words of the patriotic verse that was later set to music by Samuel Augustus Ward.
Video Music with lyrics 
We Came to America by Faith Ringgold. A celebration of America's diversity that explores the nation's unique blend of culture, history, ideas and determination.

Week of September 4 - Third Grade
​Proud to Be An American Assembly 9/11

Picture
Picture
America the Beautiful by Katherine Lee Bates. A photographic essay set to the words of the patriotic verse that was later set to music by Samuel Augustus Ward.
Video Music with lyrics 
Emma's Poem: the Voice of the Statue of Liberty by Linda Glaser. The inspirational story behind the famous poem that begins, "Give me your tired, your poor," that describes how the poem helped render the statue a defining symbol of America's ability to provide welcome and refuge.

Week of September 4 - Fourth Grade - ​Proud to Be An American Assembly 9/11

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
This Land Is Your Land by Woody Guthrie. Celebrates one of America's treasures, the folk song originally written to call attention to the plight of Americans hit hardest by the Depression of the 1930s and that honors America's beautiful geography, the diversity of its inhabitants, and the indomitable spirit of its people.
Video Music with lyrics

The Art of Freedom: How Artists See America by Bob Raczka. Focuses on diversity in the U.S. including farms and cities, baseball and jazz, hard work and sacrifice, native peoples and immigrants, ending with a final comment, "America is a work in progress," that brings history and art together.
If America Were a Village by David J. Smith. ​Presents a metaphor for the United States, simplifying it as a village of one hundred people in order to assist with understanding of ethnic origins, religions, family profiles, wealth, occupations, belongings, and other demographic details.
Only One Neighborhood by Marc Harshman. Looks at the individual buildings in one neighborhood and the variety of goods and people they hold, and shows a larger vision of the world as populated by many cities and countries--all united by a single wish for peace.

Week of September 4 - Fifth Grade - ​Proud to Be An American Assembly 9/11

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
The Man in the Red Bandanna by Honor Crowther Fagan. When Welles Crowther was a young boy, his father gave him a red bandanna, which he always carried with him. On September 11, 2001, Welles, his bandanna with him, performed enormous acts of heroism that saved numerous people from the upper floors of the World Trade Center South Tower.
September Roses by Jeanette Winter. Two sisters find a good use for the roses they have grown when their plane from South Africa is delayed by the events of September 11, 2001, causing them to miss a flower show.
14 Cows for America by Carmen Agra Deedy. In a reversal from the usual international aid story, a remote Maasai village in Kenya shows their sorrow and solidarity for America in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks by donating fourteen sacred cows.
Peace Begins with You by Katherine Scholes. Explains how and why peace has a place in our lives and discusses national, international and environmental issues, with suggestions for ways children can help protect peace.
Video What the World Needs Now Is Love Music by Burt Bacharach, lyrics by Hal David, and recorded by Jackie DeShannon, 1965.

Week of August 28
​TK & Kindergarten
​Fun in the Library

Picture
If You're Happy and You Know It
Is That Wise, Pig? by Jan Thomas.
 Mouse and Cow are making soup, but Pig keeps trying to add strange ingredients.
Itsy Bitsy Spider

Week of August 28
First Grade
Being Responsible

Picture
​Beverly Billingsly Borrows a Book by Alexander Stadler. 
​
Beverly loves her book so much that she forgets to return it on time. A lighthearted way to introduce 1st graders to the new privilege and responsibility of taking a book home to enjoy.

Week of August 28
​Second Grade
Finding the Perfect Book

Picture
Picture
​Goldie Socks and the Three Libearians by Jackie Mims Hopkins. Goldie chooses a "just right" book when she uses "the 5 finger rule" inside the cozy home of three bears.
Strategies Click for presentation tips from a blogger librarian.

Week of August 28
Third Grade
Information Literacy Part 1 of 6 - Library Website and Map

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Fall Is Not Easy by Marty Kelley. With new expectations to be met, fall can be a tough season for a lot of us.
1: Website & Map -- 2: Dewey Decimal System -- 3: Video "The Lure of the Library" -- 4: Catalog Demonstration and Scavenger Hunt -- 5: Quiz Show What You Know Part 1 of 2 and Scavenger Hunt -- 6. Quiz Show What You Know Part 2 of 2 and Scavenger Hunt.
Students will earn the privilege of using the library computers by part 4 of the 6-part practicum designed to allow them to demonstrate their awareness of library procedures and their ability to execute simple catalog searches.
Library Website 
Map of the Library 

Week of August 28
​Fourth and Fifth Grade
Review - Using the Resources at grandviewlibrary.info and in the Library

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Library Map. Review general layout.
Melvil Dewey (1851-1931). The education reformer and librarian who developed the organization system used in libraries around the world.
The Caveman's Guide to the Dewey Decimal System. Melvil Dewey divided all knowledge into ten basic categories by pretending to be a caveman thinking about the world.
Library Website. Visit grandviewlibrary.info and click around to explore the resources available 24/7. Children should be supervised by a responsible adult when using the Internet.
World Book Online. On site and remote access to this electronic encyclopedia resource is provided to Grand View families and staff by GVPTA. Email Mrs. Snively at [email protected] for the log-in ID and password.

Week of August 21
TK & Kindergarten -  Getting to Know Each Other

Picture
Picture
Picture
The Itsy-Bitsy Spider. A playful song to help us focus.
Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin. Pete the cat loves the buttons on his shirt so much that he makes up a song about them, and even as the buttons pop off, one by one, he still finds a reason to sing.
Video Pete sings this song.
If You're Happy and You Know It. A chance to sing and move.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes by Eric Litwin. Pete discovers the library, the playground, and lots of other cool places at school because wherever he goes...it's all good.
Video Pete sings this song.
My Bus by Byron Barton. Fun with grouping, number play, with a surprise ending.
Skidamarink. This ever-popular song was written in 1910 for a Broadway show.
Be a Grand View G.A.T.O.R. Simple guidelines for a great school year together.

Week of August 21
1st Grade - Back to School

Picture
School's First Day of School by Adam Rex. It's the first day of school at Frederick Douglass Elementary and everyone's just a little bit nervous, especially the school itself.
​
Be a Grand View G.A.T.O.R. Simple guidelines for a great school year together.

Week of August 21
​2nd Grade - Back to School

Picture
Ragweed's Farm Dog Handbook by Anne Vittur Kennedy. Ragweed blithely breaks all his own farm dog rules, collecting biscuits as he goes.
​
Be a Grand View G.A.T.O.R. Simple guidelines for a great school year together.

Week of August 21
​3rd Grade - Back to School

Picture
Rules of the House by Mac Barnett. When his sister breaks all the rules posted at their vacation cabin, rule-follower Ian Ian has a chance to get even.
​
Be a Grand View G.A.T.O.R. Simple guidelines for a great school year together.

Week of August 21
Fourth Grade - Friendship

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Side by Side by Rachel Bright. A celebration of friendship.
Oops, Pounce, Quick, Run! by Mike Twohy. When a bouncing ball wakes a sleeping mouse, it's just the beginning of an alphabet adventure and the beginning of an unexpected friendship.
How to Find Gold by Viviane Schwarz. An adventure-seeking girl and an amenable crocodile look for loot and find treasure, and more.
Be a Grand View G.A.T.O.R. Simple guidelines for a great school year together.
Audio and Lyrics You've Got a Friend by Carole King. A tribute to the enduring power of friendship to sustain us when the going gets tough.

Week of August 21
Fifth Grade - Your Final Year at Grand View... Good to the Very Last Crumb!

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Cookies by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. Demonstrates life lessons regarding managing day-to-day choices, problems, and situations in a young person's world.
One Smart Cookie by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. Defines empathy and more by using cookies to explain the concepts.
Be a Grand View G.A.T.O.R. Simple guidelines for a great school year together.
All in a Day by Cynthia Rylant. Captures the glories of a day and the possibilities it holds.
A Letter to My Teacher by Deborah Hopkinson. This story about someone who was once an exasperating student features an ending with a heartfelt twist.

Happy Summer Reading! Click for Reading Lists & the PTA Art Contest Entry Form

Picture
Entering Kindergarten
Picture
Entering 1st or 2nd Grade
Picture
Entering 3rd Grade
Picture
Entering 4th or 5th Grade
Picture
Summer Art Contest