everyone should make their own book award seal

sward2
Librarians and teachers are always sharing their favorite books, so much so it is hardly necessary to ask one for a recommendation, you will get a title sometime in a conversation. I thought it might be fun for librarians, teachers or students to create their own book award criteria and seal! Canva or google drawings make it very easy to customize and create one to match your personality.  You can be dignified like the Newbery, or get a little crazy with color and graphics after you research how other books are chosen for awards and make your own criteria.

Perhaps each class can do a collaborative book seal for books they enjoy. The library could feature their picks to help others find a great read. It’s nice for students to place their seal of approval on things, why not a book they love?

the ms. p book award

And…we can even make bookmarks with our seals and name some new books that deserve it! Maybe I should start with the old books that do… the possibilities are endless. I hope you see this seal all over bookstores this year, if not maybe on a bookmark or two? Happy reading, book reviewers.

the weather outside is frightful- sweater stuff

hueys-in-the-new-sweaterIt’s frigid outside and the kids are pretty darn tired of it by now. All the joy of Christmas has evaporated so now we have to just be cold and we only have Valentine’s Day to look forward to. Hey, expensive chocolate doesn’t cut it for many of us. To liven up the winter doldrums I always try to read about snowflakes and snowmen– and cozy sweaters aren’t too shabby either. Two books we enjoyed in January were Lester’s Dreadful Sweaters and The Hueys in The New Sweater.  Both are comical readings students enjoy but have plenty of discussion points to draw out some reflective conversations about friendship, fitting it vs. being yourself, and following your passion.

sweaters

Have students who are followers instead of leaders? The Hueys are all about being the same…until they aren’t. Lester also embraces things he loves and learns a lot about himself when he puts his foot down about his wardrobe.  We enjoyed making our own sweaters that stand out instead of blending in after reading these titles. We made both individual and group paper sweaters, I liked the group ones best.

readlearn

spiders and such

img_5610In October spooky subjects go well with the mood (and you don’t even have to mention the H word if you can’t). We read Time for Dinner on epic which featured a spider and then followed up with a nonfiction spider selection to discuss their body parts, parts of a food chain, and more. A google slide with predator and prey relationships for students to analyze was a quick wrap before we moved on.

Literary pursuits completed, we turned to singing songs and making finger print art. Because the library visit is not complete without music and MESS. ​If you’re going to sing a spider song, it’s fun to add different adjectives and change itsy bitsy up! Kids love singing about a giant, hairy spider instead, and then making one.

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google slide, click to make a copy