Hello Morley families and welcome! Come take a virtual look in our library and explore.

When Kindergarten to grade 2 students come to the library, they often choose from a selection of age-appropriate books displayed on tables. Grade 3 to grade 7 students are encouraged to choose a variety of books from different areas in the library.

There are six main types of books in the library:

1. Leveled Books
2. Picture Books
3. Short Chapter Books
4. Novels
5. Graphic Novels
6. Non-Fiction

Students: scroll down and show your families some of your favourite types of books. There are questions for you to answer as you look!

Leveled Books

Leveled Books  allow students to more easily pick books close to their reading level.  They are great for beginner readers through to independent readers. Leveled books in book bags are borrowed by readers who benefit from a gradual progression from one level to the next.

If this is one of your favourite types of books: Why do you like them? Do you have any favourite characters? How do the pictures help you understand the story?

Picture Books

Picture books come in a wide range of reading levels and offer humour, fantasy, adventure and more! Many of our newer picture books help support our students’ social-emotional learning in areas of self-esteem, kindness, perseverance etc.

If this is one of your favourite types of books: why do you like them? Do you have a favourite author? Do you prefer stories that make you laugh or stories that take you on an adventure or stories that seem real?

Short Chapter Books

Short Chapter Books are great for students transitioning from picture books to novels. They are short novels with larger font and pictures to help students understand the text.

If this is one of your favourite types of books: why do you like them? Do you have a favourite series? Do you prefer chapter books with lots of pictures or just a few? What helps you understand new words in these books?

Novels

There are hundreds of different novels for independent readers. Genres include historical fiction, science-fiction, fantasy, adventure, mystery, humorous, realistic fiction and more.  Some novels include pictures; however many are text-only.

If this is one of your favourite types of books: why do you like them? Do you have a favourite series or a favourite genre? Have you ever watched a movie based on a novel AND read the novel? Which did you prefer and why?

Graphic Novels

Graphic novels (aka comics) offer readers fun stories, biographies and illustrated versions of popular novels and classics. They are enjoyed by our beginner readers to our most advanced readers at Morley.  They are especially helpful for our ELL students or any student who needs picture support to understand the story.

If this is one of your favourite types of books: why do you like them? Do you have a favourite series? How do aspects of the pictures (ex. facial expressions) really make the story come alive? Is there a story you’d like to see made into a graphic novel (maybe a story from a show or movie you’ve seen)?

Non-Fiction (Information) Books

We have thousands of information books in our library.  Some  of these books are used to support the curriculum  in science, social studies and English.  In addition, we have many high-interest books about sports, video-games, cooking etc.

If this is one of your favourite types of books: why do you like them? What do you like to learn about?  Do you like to read information books from the first page to the last or do you read them another way? Do you use any special text features such as the Table of Contents, index or captions to help you find the information you’re interested in?

You are at the end of the library tour. Thanks for visiting and keep on READING!!!

Please return your library books to the school! You will not need to enter the building. Just place your library books in the box labelled “library books” at the front entrance of the school, then ring the doorbell. Someone will come and collect the books. We are answering the doorbell May 26 – June 5 (closed weekends), 8:00 am – 3:30 pm.

If you would like to know the titles of the books that need to be returned, please email allyson.yee@burnabyschools.ca. Don’t forget to include your child’s name and division.

Do you miss going to our school Library? I sure do!

I’m sorry to say that Morley’s library will stay closed for the month of June, I will only be in there to scan and shelve returned books.

With both school and public libraries closed, we are reminded how lucky we are here in Burnaby, during normal times, with free access to so many books! There are millions of children around the world who do not have libraries in their neighborhoods or villages. Nor do they have access to online stories like we do.  So in these unusual times with the libraries closed, let’s think about how we can be appreciative and creative about reading and sharing stories! This week’s read-aloud below shows a very interesting way of sharing library books, inspired by a true story from Columbia!

There are some books in the library that I just can’t keep on the shelf for very long, they are just so popular! The authors  of this week’s stories really know how to write a story that makes kids laugh.

These are all stories I have read in the library and they sure have been popular!  CLICK on the book and happy listening.

Here are some questions to think about as you listen to the story:

• What do you think makes these books so popular? Is it the word-choice, rhyming, storyline or illustrations? Or all of these things?
• Do the main characters change the way they think or feel in the story? If yes, why do you think that’s important?
• Do you have a favourite phrase or part of one of these stories? Why is it your favourite part?

INTERMEDIATE STUDENTS ON EPIC

I have started some collections based on books that have been super popular in the library.  Look at the titles below and click on a book cover to see a collection of similar books on EPIC! You will need an EPIC account to read these books.

Do you have any other book suggestions for these collections? I would love to hear your ideas! You can share in the comments or send me an email: allyson.yee@burnabyschools.ca

Hello Morley friends,

I hope you have been getting out for lots walks in our beautiful city lately! Walking outdoors is a safe way to keep our bodies and minds healthy, as long as we stay 2 metres away from others. It’s also a great way to enjoy the wildlife that live right here in Burnaby, especially the many species of birds.

You are not as likely to see the animals below but these animals also live in our city. Luckily bear sightings are especially rare near Morley (the bears tend to stay on Burnaby Mountain):

coyote             bear                 turtle               deer                   fish                             skunk

These photos are from the city of Burnaby Website, CLICK HERE to learn more about about Burnaby Wildlife and see the links below the story for organisations that work with urban (city) wildlife in B.C.

Below is a fun story about a bear who lives in a forest very close to an urban area. The story is called: The Bear Ate Your Sandwich. One day this bear ends up in the city and has a little adventure. Wait till you get to the end. . . you’re going to love the surprise! See below for some questions to think about:

Questions to think about:

• This is a funny story about a bear in the city, but having bears come close to our homes is not funny in real life. Can you think of some things we can do to prevent bears from coming close to our homes?
• Burnaby has a lot of park land and forests. Why is it important to have these protected areas for bears and other wild animals?
• At the end of this story you were probably surprised by the narrator (the one telling the story). Why was it a surprise?

Organisations that help wildlife in British Columbia:

WildSafe BC

Wildlife Rescue Association of BC

Stanley Park Ecology Society

Hello Morley friends! This week I thought it’d be fun to look at a couple of stories with illustrations that really make the story come to life. Illustrations are the pictures in books, and often they are as important as the words. Click on the book COVER to hear the story Grumpy Monkey read by author Suzanne Lang, illustrated by her husband Max Lang. Thanks to Max Lang’s marvelous illustrations, you really get a sense that Jim (the monkey) is in a super cranky mood!

If you want to hear another story featuring featuring a grumpy character (also with amazing illustrations) Click on the book COVER to hear Grampa Grumps, by Katrina Moore.

Here are some questions to think about after you’ve listened to the stories. I always love to hear your ideas, you can share them in the comments or send them to allyson.yee@burnabyschools.ca:

• Do you have a connection with one or both of these stories?
• Sometimes we are just grumpy like Jim and we don’t want to be cheered up, that’s okay. If you are feeling this way, what are some things you can do to stay safe and not take out your grumpiness on others?
• How do the illustrations (pictures) help us understand the way the characters are feeling?

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is another work of fiction that is so successful because of the pictures!

Here are some videos starring author Jeff Kinney. Watch Kinney draw and hear him talk about the process in the first video. In the second video Jeff Kinney answers questions about different characters, his favourite kids books, the popularity of the series and more!

Mother’s Day is on Sunday May 10th! Have you planned something special for Mom (or another special family member)? Maybe you could tidy a room in the house without being asked? Maybe you could draw a picture of a special memory you have together? Maybe you could give her a massage?

Primary and ELL students:

Below is the Story Llama Llama Red Pajama read by author Anna Dewdney. This story is a great reminder, during this pandemic, of how much your Mama loves you so much, even when she is busy or frustrated or not able to be with you. Maybe your Mom is trying to work from home and not always able to help you, or maybe your Mom is a little grumpier than usual because everyone is stuck inside a lot . . . just remember, no matter what, your Mama loves you so much! Below the youtube link are some questions for you to think about.

CLICK HERE to hear Camila Cabello sing Llama Llama Red Pajama

CLICK HERE for a Sing-a-Long version of the story by Penguin Books USA

Here are some questions to think about after you listen to the story. As always, I would love to hear your responses:

• Is your Mom, or a special family member, showing her love when she is cooking a healthy meal for you? What other ways do Moms show that they love you?
• Sometimes we miss our Mom when we are at school or even when we’re in our bedroom at night. What are some ways you can make yourself feel better when you’re missing your Mom?
• Do you have a different connection to make to this story? If yes, what is it?

Intermediate Students:

If you are an EPIC! reader, check out these two books by Canadian authors who live right here in British Columbia! Both stories are about girls who have been separated from their mothers, resulting in feelings of abandonment. In both stories the girls are also given a chance to reconnect with their moms. These stories show how family relationships can be complicated, but support and love can come in many forms and through different ways.

Hello Morley friends! Did you know that April is National Poetry Month? As we enter this last week of April let’s enjoy some poetry together. If you are an EPIC book reader, you will find new collections of poetry in the BOOK LISTS tab above this post.

Below are four poetry videos.

For primary/ELL students: The first two videos are of Canadian poets reading their poems.

For intermediate students: the last two video clips are of American poet and children’s author Kwame Alexander.  Hear him BEATBOXING verse from his amazing novel The Crossover. Also, check out the interview where he talks about reading as a kid, writing poetry and much more.

Dennis Lee reciting Alligator Pie

Here are some questions for you to think about as you listen: Can you make a connection to something in one of the poems? Can you clap the rhythm to Alligator Pie? Did you hear some rhyming words in Alligator Pie?

Elizabeth Crocket reading Haiku poetry from her book

Intermediate Students

CLICK HERE for an excerpt from the Crossover

Earth Day is almost here. Will you be doing something with your family to celebrate this day?

BELOW are two fantastic read-aloud stories about taking care of our environment: the place where we live. Both stories are read by the authors themselves! Also below are some questions to think about during and after the stories. You can try responding to one or or all of them. I’d love to hear what you think! You can share your responses with me in the comments or email them to me: allyson.yee@burnabyschools.ca

For the Earth Book:

• Do you already do some of the things Todd Parr suggests we do to help the Earth? 
• What are some things that you haven’t tried before that you would like to try?
• Do you have some ideas that you think Todd should have included in his story?

For One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay & the Recycling Women of Gambia:

• Isatou Ceesay found a creative (and no cost) way to deal with the plastic bag problem in her village. . . can you think of another low/no cost way of solving this problem?
• When you make something old into something new you can call it ‘upcycling’ – can you think of a creative way to upcycle materials in your house that would otherwise be thrown out?
• We have garbage in the roads and forests here in Burnaby – what are some creative ways we could solve our problem here?

Story for primary students (kindergarten to grade 3):

The Earth Book by Todd Parr, read by Todd Parr!

Story for intermediate students (grade 4 to grade 7):

One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay & the Recycling Women of Gambia by Miranda Paul, read by Miranda Paul.

Watch Isatou Ceesay make recycled bags into purses:

Hi Morley Students!

I miss you all and I miss reading you stories so I have recorded one for you to hear! I love this book: the art work is amazing and the story is simple but beautifully written. If you stay to the end you’ll get to meet a very special guest (there’s a clue in the photo)!

Click the image above for a reading of “Nini Lost and Found”.

What connections can you make to the story? Have you ever lost something really important to you, and you were worried it was gone forever? Or have you ever been lost yourself and scared like Nini?

I would love to hear your connections! Please share in the comments or you can email me: allyson.yee@burnabyschools.ca

Also. . . please check out the ONLINE RESOURCES section above. There are some great links to online stories and educational games, all available for free.