*Tip: To read the newsletter, scroll down the post to read about what is happening in all grade levels.
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At Braeside, we are so fortunate to get to meet so many different professionals in the field of writing and reading. Just a few weeks ago, we met Geoff Rodkey, a writer who has professional experience in writing so many different things: novels, screenplays, magazine articles, and more!
Take a look at the Visiting Authors page to see what we have in store for this year. You will see we have an upcoming storyteller visit from Donna Washington, as well as some writing workshops (Catherine Driscoll and Liesl Shurtliff), poetry workshops from Bill Buczinsky, and a connection to research and writing from author Valerie Bodden. It is sure to be a wonderful year of reading and writing!
Students in 5th grade have been researching the important people and events surrounding the time period of the American Revolution in both the classroom and the IMC. Students imagined a conversation between some of these important figures (John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and others), and wrote and recorded these conversations for a podcast. We hope you enjoy listening to our podcasts!
From Rebecca & Aria:
This is a podcast about Thomas Jefferson and John Adams at the time when they were disagreeing about how to form the new government of the United States of America. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were disagreeing about how they should have a president. John thought that they should have a big, strong, powerful president. While Tom, on the other hand, wanted a smart, thoughtful, quiet, cooperative, president. This is where they parted not to be reunited until later in their life.
From Eliza, Annie & Yael:
A conversation between Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and King George.
From Sophia, Summer & Abbie:
A conversation between John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin.
From Pierce, Andrew and Joshua:
A conversation between John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and a colonial Neutralist.
From Julia & Jill:
A conversation between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. As the new librarian at Braeside last year, I was unfamiliar with author visits. Sadly, not all schools have access to the resources needed for these visits, and the school I had worked at previously did not have the funding for them. Therefore, arranging and planning for author visits was something I had to learn about, and I was excited about the author possibilities and looking forward to seeing what an "author visit" was all about! Now, with this being my second year experiencing visits from authors, I have found that when I first started, I didn't really know the whole truth about what was involved. Yes, author visits are exciting--meeting an author, especially if you are familiar with the books, is quite a joyful moment. Before an author visit, we spend some time during library class reading books by the upcoming visiting author, to make the visit special for everyone. We might also take a look at the author's website, learning about the author's background, which also helps with thinking about questions we would like to ask. While all of these activities are worthwhile, what the author has to say about writing, inspiring us to be writers ourselves, is what I believe is the true gift from an author visit. Every year 4th and 5th grade students at Braeside participate in the Writers Conference (check out the new page on this website dedicated to Writers Conference information, if you are unfamiliar). And because it takes place annually, all Braeside students will particpate in this program, experiencing the process of a writer. Whenever an author visits, we must make sure we listen for that advice, those words of inspiration, the writing tips that we should immediately and actively put into our current practice. Last May, Rob Buyea, author of Because of the Mr. Terupt and its sequel, shared a great tip about thinking about your very first line. As a writer, you have you consider how you will grab the reader right from the beginning, and a great first line is the way to do that. This month, we have had two very special author visits. John Madormo, a screenwriter and author of the Charlie Collier mystery series, gave a workshop to the 4th and 5th grade students. His writing advice was about giving reasons to what happens in a story. A hero has to work and struggle through obstacles to succeed. Events that occur in a story must always be explained with valid reasons and explanation--events in a story can't be random or too convenient. Another author visit this month was from Adam Gidwitz, author of The Tale Dark & Grimm trilogy. As author visits often go, he was a joy to meet. He shared a retelling of the story Snow White, adding in his signature asides (which were, of course, hilarious), and it was thoroughly a unique and special storytelling experience. Adam was a great storyteller, and the students were beyond crazy about his visit ("best author visit EVER!" I heard many students say), but what I was the most thrilled about was when I heard kids make comments about how they now wanted to write something. They might have been thinking about what he said about writing down the story that related to the previous night's Lego adventure--when you thought you were simply playing, you were actually making up a story, similar to what Adam said about playing with GI Joes. Maybe students were thinking about something else Adam said, about writers finding inspiration by borrowing (or, more bluntly, "stealing") ideas from other writers, which is truly what all writers do, in some way or another. This is one of the big reasons for why reading helps you to become a better writer--reading results in new ideas and information that can be stored in your mind, which you can retrieve at any time when you want to write something. Reading something amazing can also motivate a person to write something similar. Case in point--how many of us wanted to rewrite or retell a fairy tale, just like Adam?
Let's always remember that with author visits, we are so excited to meet the people that create the books that we love, but most of all, we want to hear all of the things they can tell us about writing, since we are all writers ourselves. I would like to add that these author visits would not be possible without the generous funding provided by the Braeside PTO, and the 112 Foundation, both organizations that believe in the power and benefits of author visits. Thank you Braeside PTO and 112 Foundation! And a huge thank you to the many authors who have visited Braeside School! This Saturday, January 10th, is the official kick-off for iRead, the fantastic reading fundraiser for our 112 Foundation. The event takes place at the Highland Park Public Library from 9:00 am - 3:00 pm. Stop by the library to meet some authors, see live performances including storytelling, and hear some wonderful books read by your favorite teachers! As an added bonus, students can log an extra 30 minutes just for attending the event.
From 10:40 am - 11:20 am, come and see Mrs. Biegel and Mrs. Rossman read some fabulous stories. At 12:00 pm, Mr. LaCosse will be reading one of his personal favorite books, Mr. Maxwell's Mouse. For more information about the event, including a schedule, click here. Come and see the amazing storigami storyteller Christine Kallevig tell her stories while also creating origami. Her art form is called "storigami," where she folds large, over-sized paper as she tells her stories, surprising and delighting the audience with origami figures that relate to the stories. She will also be selling her books at the event. Come and see Christine at this year's Book Fair, on Thursday, November 20th at 6:45 pm.
Do you love poetry? Do you love to perform? Come out and join our first-ever Braeside Book Fair Poetry Slam!
Choose a favorite poem or write your own! Can't think of a poem? Visit the library to find some great ideas. Sign-up for the Poetry Slam in the library. It will take place from 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm on Wednesday, November 19th. Thanks for visiting the Braeside Library website!
This blog will be updated each month describing all of the activities and events happening in the library. Use the "Look for Books" page to find a link to the online catalog of our school collection. There will also be reviews for some great new books currently available. The "Visiting Authors" page has now been updated--take a look at the great authors that will be visiting this year, and find some links to their websites! The "Digital Sources" page has quick links to pre-selected online resources students will be using for research throughout the year. The main page also has links to our district subscription databases, such as World Book Online, and Britannica. Thanks again for visiting, and come back soon! Check back at this blog every month to see what is happening in the Braeside library! Scroll down on this post to read information about all grade levels. For this project, the Kindergarten classes read many different Frog and Toad stories. Next, we wrote our own Frog and Toad story, based on the characters by Arnold Lobel. The AM Kindergarten class wrote a story about toad getting stung by a bee, and the PM class wrote a story about Toad losing his library book. We then used two different apps on the iPad to create our film: Puppet Pals and iMovie. We hope you enjoy watching our films! |
AuthorHello! My name is Ms. Parker and I'm the librarian at Braeside School. A few of my favorite things to do: read books, drink tea, teach and learn in the library, go for a run outside on a super-hot summer day, paint animal murals, cook dinner with farm-fresh ingredients, daydream about the book I may write someday. Archives
February 2016
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