Have you ever found a library book years after it was due? Maybe one that belonged to your older brother or sister, or even (parents) from when you were in elementary school? It happens all the time... even to Ms. Claire!
My summer reading was full of mysteries written by Dorothy Sayers: they were funny and smart puzzlers with great characters. How was your summer reading? Let us know what you read this summer by leaving a comment below. Students, remember: just use your first name, and write your best.
Hi, my name is August. Did you know a bunch of races fought in the Revolution? Then you will really like the book Everybody's Revolution by Thomas Fleming. A slave came from the fields and worked for the American army. Days after he joined he went to a British fort. The British wanted him. But the British didn't know that he worked for the American army. so every night the British sent the slave to spy on on the Americans, but instead of spying he told the Americans the British plan. So if you want to learn more about the American Revolution visit your public library and look for Everybody's Revolution.
Hi, my name is Emma. Have you ever known of a baby that didn’t like his milk cold and didn’t like it hot and only drank it warm? Well then you’ll really like the book The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman. These are my personal favorite parts of the book. Peter only drank milk warm and Lucy only drank pink lemonade and if there was a lump in Mac’s oatmeal he would pour all of it on the unsuspecting cat so if you agree with me you should get this fantastic book The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman.
Hi! My name is Audrey. Have you ever heard a voice as big as a kettle drum? Well then you will really like the book Grandpa’s Song by Tony Johnston. Grandpa loves to sing. His voice is so deep the pictures shake when he sings. Grandpa’s choice of song is ok but when it comes to singing he makes the song come to life. In Grandpa’s Song Grandpa really experiments with all different voice levels. So if you want to know what happens in Grandpa’s Song you should go to your public library.
Hi, my name is Khalil. Have you ever heard of twenty waiters serving pizza for breakfast? Then you will love the book Pizza For Breakfast by Maryann Kovalski. In this book a small woman and a man make a pizza parlor. One customer did not pay. But he promised that he would have a lot of people and they would pay. What will happen? So the next time you see Pizza for Breakfast, read it!
Hi. My name is Tetsu. Have you ever seen a mixed-up chameleon? Well then you will really like the book The Mixed-Up Chameleon by Eric Carle. This is a story about a chameleon who turns into different kinds of animals. He looks funny like that. If you want to get this book just get it.
Touch the Poem by Arnold Adoff is a collection of poems and photographs about the pieces of our everyday lives, including bathtime, gardening, and lying down after a big meal. Kindergarten and first grade really enjoyed this collection of poems about things we all enjoy.
Second and third graders sat close up to see the concrete poems in A Poke in the I, collected by Paul Janeczko and illustrated by Chris Raschka. Concrete poems are poems that take the shape of an aspect of the poem, and we had a great time thinking about the shapes while listening to the words.
The third grade and first grade heard Verla Kay's Rough, Tough Charley, a poem-biography. Charley Parkhurst was a "rough, tough" 19th-century stagecoach driver who dressed and passed as a man until her death. Charley Parkhurst was also the inspiration for Pam Munoz Ryan's fictionalized biography, Riding Freedom. We had a great discussion about equal rights and gender stereotypes.
Third,fourth, and fifth graders also got to see and compare two very different versions of Lewis Carroll's classic Jabberwocky: one traditional version illustrated by Joel Stewart, and an exciting new re-imagined version illustrated by the awesome Christopher Myers.
In fourth and fifth grade, we've been loving Chess Rumble, a novel in verse by G. Neri. (Mr. Neri, we can't WAIT for your next book to come out!!)
All of Berkeley is in the midst of election fever... including the students of Emerson School! In March, K-3 students cast their votes for the book that they thought should win the California Young Reader Medal.
Now that Spring Break is over, the results are in!
He spoke to the students about his journey to becoming a writer, the process of writing ("read all the time!"), and how he gets his ideas for books. Before the visit, the third graders all read and reflected on some of his books in class and independently, and then prepared questions to ask. After his talk, Mr. Smith answered dozens of questions, from "What was your favorite prank in The War With Grandpa?" to "How old are your children now?" (As one of his children is now the parent of an Emerson student and sat in the audience, she could answer that one herself!) The third graders were brimming with excitement over meeting a real live author.
"How did you become an author?"
"He shook our hands!"
In conversation with students
A student illustration of a scene from The War With Grandpa.We began our first blogging day with a presentation about learning to comment on a blog.
Following the directions and guidelines we discussed, write a comment (2-3 sentences) about the following:
Students may read and vote for books in any and all categories, but they must read all the books nominated in a category to be eligible to vote. Students read the nominated books from July through March and vote for their favorite. Teachers and librarians introduce the nominees to students, often in exciting and innovative ways. They provide ballots for the students, compile vote totals, and submit results to the CYRM committee.
All CYRM ballots must be postmarked by April 1 of each year.
We will be voting from March 17-21.
The Giant Hug by Sandra Horning. Illustrated by Valeri Gorbachev. (Alfred A. Knopf, 2005)
