Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

This week in library we welcomed March and took time 
to remember the birthday of a much loved author.  
March 2nd is the birthday of Dr. Seuss!

The Grade Ones enjoyed I Can Read with My Eyes Shut and then wrote their own poems about when, where and with whom they can read.



The Grade Twos demonstrated their ability to search our online library catalog for Dr. Seuss resources using title, author, subject and keyword search options.

If you are looking for fun Dr. Seuss activities and games, you can check out the following websites:

http://www.seussville.com/

http://www.randomhousekids.com/brand/dr-seuss/activities/

http://stayathomemoms.about.com/od/activitiesandfun/a/dr-seuss-activities.htm

Grade 1-2 Activity Wrap Up

Today was our last session of the art-literature connection club.  Twice a week, we have enjoyed a story and then experimented with art techniques and concepts.  

We explored dots, lines, shapes, size and colour before putting it all together to create a face in the style of Picasso.  Check out our funky faces above!

Battle of the Books Wraps Up

On Tuesday, we had our official Battle of the Books.  Since December, our students have been reading and thinking about the 10 selected books.  We had two practice competitions before the "real thing".  

It was close... so close that only one point separated the first, second and third place teams. 

Congratulations to Jason, Joseph, Luke and Sunny for winning the battle!

Infinity and Me

This week in library, we enjoyed Kate Hosford's Infinity and Me.  Infinity.... it is hard to wrap our brains around such a big idea.  Synonyms of infinity include everlasting, foreverness, eternity, and perpetuity.

What is endless, boundless, and limitlessness? 

How can we grasp unlimited time, space or quantity?

Click here to read what other children have to say about infinity.

Click here to browse Kate Hosford's website.

Whatever After

Are you ready for a new spin on some classic fairy tales?  Best-selling author Sarah Mlynowski has a new series out called Whatever After.  

Meet two normal kids, Abby and Jonah, with an unusual mirror in their basement.  It is a magic mirror that unexpectedly transports them into fairy tales.  Once there, Abby and Jonah accidentally mess up the tales.  If Snow White does not eat the poisoned apple, how can she will meet her prince?  The challenge is to fix the tales so that everyone has a happy ending and find a way home. 

Watch out for those plot twists though... When Cinderella breaks her foot, the glass slipper will not fit.... And when their friend Robin pricks her finger on the spinning wheel, Sleeping Beauty is wide awake! 

Action, adventure, fantasy and humor... These books have it all!

Click here to visit the Scholastic website to read Whatever After book excerpts, play a dress up game and learn more about the author of this new series.  

The Dictionary... Our Friend!

Oh dictionaries!

How much do we appreciate you?

You help us with...

Our spelling

Our understanding

Our pronounciation

Our grammar

Our syntax

Our thirst to learn more

You really are a good friend!

Oh the dic-dic-dictionary is very necessary

With the dic-dic-dictionary you’ll see

Yes you’ll really see that it’s extra - ordinary

How the dic-dic-dictionary fills your vocabulary a - z

Look inside if you’ve a mind to learn the answers first

It’s the perfect book you’ll find to quench your mental thirst

Oh the dic-dic-dictionary is very necessary

Try the dic-dic-dictionary you’ll see

Any word that you can cook up, you can look up, pick the book up

The dic-dic-dic-dic-dic-dic-dic-dic-dic-dic-dictionary

President's Day

In February, Americans pause to remember the birthdays of both Washington and Lincoln. President's Day is a federal holiday held on the third Monday of the month.  To learn more about this holiday you can click here.

To get a general idea of what is involved in election campaigns and politics, we enjoyed Doreen Cronin's Duck for President.  Grade 4 and 5 students then wrote a short opinion paragraph explaining whether or not they would like to be involved in politics.  Students were challenged to give at least three reasons with examples to support their opinion.

    

Happy Valentine's Day!

This week in library the focus was on friendship and caring for each other.  In Grade 1, we wrote a letter of appreciation to our parents.  In Grade 2, we brainstormed what love looks, feels, tastes and smells like.  In Grade 3, we wrote friendship recipes.

What ingredients would be in your recipe for friendship?

A  Recipe  for  Friendship

You will need:

©          a pinch of joy

©          1 handful of kindness

©          2 spoonfuls of gentleness

©          1 cup of sharing

©          a teaspoonful of helpfulness

©          3 heaped tablespoons of laughter

©          2 scoops of trust

©          a sprinkling of cheerfulness

© a dash of gratitude

©          buckets of love

Directions: Mix all these together. Stir well. Enjoy years of good friendships!

David M. Schwartz came to visit!

How long would it take to say thank you a million times?

We here at KIS Jeju were treated to excellent presentations by our visiting author Mr. David Schwartz.  We love how he combined reading, research, math, science and humor. Most importantly, we have been inspired to start wondering ourselves.  "If" really is a great math word... It lets you imagine anything!

 Mr. Schwartz at Cheonjiyeon Falls

A million places to read includes the Zen Restaurant on the south end of the island.

"Wondering is wonderful." 

"If you wonder, you will have great ideas."

 "One day you might take your wonderings and turn them into books!"

"What if you had a tongue like a chameleon?"

 "What if you could hop like a frog?"

"When I write, I try to give you pictures in your mind." 

"How long would it take to pop a million kernels of corn?" 

 "Wonderful is full of wonder."

"If you are going to count the zeros, try counting by three's."

Groundhog Day

This week in library, we took time to celebrate this February festival through song, art, videos, vocabulary challenges and by reading Gail Gibbon's Groundhog Day.

To learn more about Punxsutawney Phil, you can visit the official Groundhog Day website .

You can have fun singing the new song we learned called I am a Groundhog .

I have also included here an informational video about groundhogs... Enjoy!

The Never Girls

 Disney has an all  new early chapter book series out... The Never Girls by Kiki Thorpe. 

Readers are invited to join Kate, Mia, Lainey, and Gabby as they unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, find themselves transported to the land of the fairies.  There, in this enchanted world, they meet fairies, mermaids, royalty, and even Tinker bell herself! 

How will the four lost girls find their way back home though?  What adventures will they have before leaving this magical place? 

To learn more about this highly recommended series and author Kiki Thorpe, you can visit the Never Girls website.   There are pages of information, pictures and videos to explore.    Take the fairy talent quiz and try out some of the fun activities.

Happy Reading!