Library Blog

Library (photos)

Summer Reading Library Nights

We have had a year-long program of books Opening Windows to Our World.  The theme continues with the summer reading library nights.  The student ideas come home with the summer reading information.  I hope your family can visit Hickory Point during the summer reading library nights!  Wednesdays 6:30-7:30pm from June 12-July 24th with the exception of July 3rd.  Here is the link to the sign.

Hickory Point Reading Cafe 

The second annual Hickory Point Reading Cafe was a big hit with the first and second grade students.  They tasted books and circled those that they liked on their menus that went home with them.  An excellent start to a summer reading plan.  Here are the links to the first and second grade reading menus.

At the beginning of May, we continued our poetry sharing, reading, and writing.  Then we turned our focus to counting down our library checkouts.  It is hard to stop checking out books but the students have done an excellent job returning their library books and making summer reading plans.  Although sad to stop checking out books, we happily discussed the Hickory Point Summer Reading Library Nights! The next opportunity to check out books, collect prize books, do crafts, play games, and use technology.

Second Grade

Additionally, the second graders studied informational books written and illustrated by Gail Gibbons.  They also learned about and explored the Caldecott Award and books.  Each January, the American Library Association selects the most distinguished illustrated children’s book, which received the Caldecott Medal.  A few runner up books receive the Caldecott Honor.  This award has been given out each year since 1938. Here is the link to the list of winning books.

First Grade

An author study of Leo Lionni captured the imaginations of first graders.  They astutely likened his illustrations to Eric Carle’s.  Book clubs ended this month with one last photo of tooth traditions around the world.

Kindergarten 

Kindergarten students learned more about Mo Willems through a short video of him and exploring his art and books other than Elephant & Piggie.  What a joy to hear the kindergarteners reading their books aloud.  They have grown so much this year.  We also learned Pebble Go on iPads and visited monuments and US Symbols amongst other databases on animals and science.

 

Kindergarten Technology (photos)

In computers, kindergartners created spring drawings in Wixie and created animals with layered colors like Eric Carle.  They have been practicing math, letters, skills, and simultaneously computer track pad talents.  Finally, we revisited Google Drive to showcase our knowledge about US symbols and monuments.

Happy reading and enjoy your summer,

Mrs. Heaser

Library (photos)

Did you know that April is National Poetry Month?  Naturally, poetry was the genre of the month.  Kindergarteners started the month with Eric Carle’s Animals, Animals, which is a poetry book illustrated by Eric Carle.  The first graders learned about Douglas Florian’s art and silly poetry that has facts.  Second graders started the month by reading poems in two voices with Mary Ann Hoberman’s You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You books.  From there, the kindergarteners learned about Eric Carle and his books via a short video during which Eric Carle spoke about his books, life, and art.  Watching him paint tissue paper and create an illustration were highlights along with him sharing his books and ideas behind his books.  Poetry rounded out the month for the first and second graders.  Kindergarteners enjoyed Eric Carle books.

The first graders also had a lesson about all the great beginning chapter book series we have in the library that are just right for their reading and ties into their classroom lessons about realistic fiction and characters in series.  I pointed out helpful signs with the characters’ pictures and gave them two-sided bookmarks to help them find the books in the library.  One side is realistic fiction series and the other is fiction with animals as the characters.

The second graders visited the library home webpage to see all the online resources that can be viewed from any computer connected to the internet.  We talked about this library blog, the online library catalog, and online resources which include Pebble Go, National Geographic Kids, BrainPop Jr, and Tumblebooks and Tumble Math.  Those last two resources the Northbrook Public Library generously shares with our students.  All of the usernames and login information for these resources is on a bright yellow bookmark that hopefully your student shared with you.

Kindergarten Tech (photos)

I set it up a project in Google Slides to draw on similarities with Wixie shapes and color fills.  The students could move and change the shapes and sizes and colors.  Many students created robots and each is wonderfully unique.  Students then returned to Wixie for a science related project about push and pull.  Finally, they are thinking and drawing spring.  Students can share your projects with you by logging in to Google or Wixie.

First Grade Book Club (photos)

Our new first grade book club groups learned about lost teeth traditions from around the world.

Second Grade Book Club (photos)

Our third and final second grade book club group is reading books to open windows to our world and enjoying sharing and talking about them.

Enjoy the photos and happy reading,

Mrs. Heaser

Library News Mar 2019

 

 

Library (photos)

March was filled with discussions about Dr. Seuss and his books for Kindergarteners.  We also played a game and shared our ideas about books we read or planned to read over spring break.  First graders listened to and discussed fantasy books.  For example, we shared books with Tacky the Penguin, Franklin the turtle, and Arthur the aardvark.  We visited the picture book section of the library to highlight the signs with the character pictures that make finding these books a breeze.  Our genre of the month was fantasy for all grades.  The second graders also had science fiction books pulled for their ease of finding and reading.  The second graders focused on learning how to search the online library catalog by title, author, subject, series, and keyword.  They are very excited to earn their licenses to drive the online catalog!  

Kindergarten Tech (photos)

In March, the kindergarteners learned about Google Drive and Google Slides.  I created a file for them to use for three lessons: making a snowman with shapes, matching colors with color words, and creating a robot. The students created such imaginative snowmen.  I hope that they share them with you. The accompanying sentences included happy, fun, melting, falling, baby, and smiling snowmen.  Enjoy!

First Grade Book Club (photos)

Enjoy the March photos of the first graders learning about losing teeth traditions from around the world.  Every three weeks we have a new group of first graders reading, sharing, and learning about what children do with lost teeth in countries around the world.

Second Grade Book Club (photos)

As our second book club group of second graders completed, their final book work was “published” on this bulletin board.  It will go home as the third and final book club completes its work.  In the photos, our third book club group is selecting books to read.  The books all share the theme of Opening Windows to the World.

Celebrity Moment (photos)

Children’s book author Mac Barnett sent a very nice note along with an autographed copy of his new book Circle.  The note was thanking me for setting up school visits for him in the area.  I am touched and feel honored.  Someday I hope that he can visit Hickory Point school.

 

 

 

What wonderful times we have had this month in the library!  Here is a list of some of our special events that inspired reading.  Please enjoy the photos.

Library photos highlighting February library activities 

• 100th day
• Valentine’s Day
• Monarch voting (click here to see results for our school)
• Read Across America week inspired by Dr. Seuss included guest readers Click here for photos.
  • Announcement help from each second grade classroom
• First grade book club photos
• Second grade book club photos
• Auction Indoor Recess Games for K, 1, and 2 students plus three friends. Click here for some photos of our active games.

Thank you to all the parents who have generously offered to volunteer in the library.  We appreciate your gifts of time to make an even stronger library program for our students.

Kindergarten Tech (photos)

• 100th day
• Counting 1-100 games
• Base Tens and Ones
• Learning Wixie stickers and backgrounds and reviewing text boxes to create sentences about the pictures created.

Happy reading,

Mrs. Heaser

First Grade Book Club (photos)

The first grade book club is based on the book Throw Your Tooth on the Roof: Tooth Traditions from Around the World by Selby Beeler.  Each student read and shared a fascinating tooth tradition from a different country.  We had a great discussion. Then they enjoyed reading a book about that country and delighted in sharing the details with each other.  Can you see the very loose tooth in the smile of one of the first graders?

 

Second Grade Book Club (photos)

The second group of the second grade book club has started.   We have compared the book Same, Same but Different by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw to other books with themes designed to Open Windows to Our World. This week students took their first books home to read and reflect how the book opens windows to our world.  I am looking forward to sharing ideas next week.

 

Library (photos)

As we returned from winter break, we shared our reading over break or how we are going to show our respectful, responsible, and kind behavior in the library.  It was a great time of reflection and review.  I always love to hear what books students are reading and how they plan to take care of the library and books they take home.  Each week I have been reminding students of the Six Flags Great America reading deadline, which is Wednesday, February 6th.  Hopefully, each student will meet the goal they set for his/her self.  All these snowy and cold days are great reading opportunities!

Monarch Voting is about three weeks away so we have been reading, discussing, and encouraging students to think about which Monarch book with get their vote.

Kindergarten has been showing great BAARK behavior as they are selecting books to check out from the shelves.  The browser carts are still available to them.  We toured and opened the fiction section first and then the nonfiction section.  They are choosing books of which they can see the cover.  I am reminding them to look inside the book and put it back if it is not the book they want.  So now they are selecting books from all over the library.  We have been reading and discussing the Monarch books during library.

In addition to reading and discussing the Monarch books in the library, first graders have focussed on the genre of the month, which is informational nonfiction.  We have toured part of the nonfiction section to highlight ideas for the students to check out.  

Second graders are finishing their landform research.  We plan to wrap up by discussing and reviewing why we cite sources during research and when to use an encyclopedia (print and online), a nonfiction book, and an atlas.   As teams finish their research, they are reading Monarch books.  I shared my hope that every second grader will be eligible to vote for their favorite Monarch book.  They have to have read or heard at least five of the twenty Monarch books to be able to vote.

You will see in the photos a great variety of reading that students enjoy.  Sometimes more than one student wants the same book and we encourage problem solving.  You will see some photos of rock, paper, scissors as students resolve the conflict in a fair way.  When needed, I facilitate.  I am always seeking ways to encourage positive and kind behavior as well as respectful and responsible actions.

 

Kindergarten Tech (photos)

Kindergarteners started the month by finishing their winter drawings in Wixie.  We then learned some new games from abcya.com  to practice our letters and math skills.  From a computer skills perspective, students sometimes need to use the trackpad rather than the touch screen.  We continue to grow our expertise with both.  We are working our way to games that will celebrate counting to one hundred in honor of the 100th day of school.  Each week I typically teach three new games for the students to try and then have them select a game that they know if there is time.  Enjoy the photos that highlight their work.  Should you want to view your student’s Wixie creations, students can log in at any time.

 

Happy reading and I hope that your family is cozy warm,

Mrs. Heaser