Tag Archives: Weekly Storytime

Apr. 30 – May 11, 2012 Read-a-Louds

For the next 2 weeks we will be looking at fiction and nonfiction, specifically “Twin Texts”. “Teachers who use fiction and nonfiction trade books together may be rewarded with students who are excited about learning. Twin Texts help teachers encourage the enjoyment of reading while capitalizing on students’ fascination of facts” (Deanne Camp, The Reading Teacher, Feb 2000).We will also be simultaneously looking at “narrative nonfiction”; nonfiction material told in a story format.

The first book we will read is About Hummingbirds by Cathryn Sill, a nonfiction guide to hummingbirds.

The week after, we will read a fiction story about hummingbirds, The Little Hummingbird by Michael Nicoll, for grades 1 – 3, and Little Green by Keith Baker for the Kindergarteners.

Apr. 23 – 27, 2012 Read-a-Louds

HAPPY EARTH DAY!

This week we will be talking about how to take care of the Earth. Author Todd Parr has an excellent message: “Every one of us can help protect the Earth and make it feel good. Remember: if we take care of it, it will take care of us.” The Kindergarteners and Grade 1’s will be reading Todd Parr’s, The Earth Book.

All other classes will be reading The Busy Beaver by Nicholas Oldland. The beaver is not very environmental, and he chews down many trees; will he learn to mend his ways when a tree falls on him?

Apr. 16 – 20, 2012 Read-a-Louds

This week we will be continuing with the story from last week: Escaping Titanic: A Young Girl’s True Story of Survival, by Marybeth Lorbiecki. We will learn about how and why the Titanic sank, and learn how the survivors were rescued by another ship, the Carpathia.

The Kindergarteners and the Grade 1’s will enjoy another new “Elephant & Piggie” book by Mo Willems: Elephants Cannot Dance! This story has a great message about being yourself.

Apr. 9-13, 2012 Read-a-Louds

THE TITANIC SINKS! APRIL 15, 1912 at 2:20 am

This week the Intermediate classes will be discussing the historical significance of the Titanic disaster, 100 years ago. We will be reading a survivor’s account of the terrible tragedy. Escaping Titanic: A Young Girl’s True Story of Survival, by Marybeth Lorbiecki, tells the story of 12-year-old Ruth Becker. Since this is a longer picturebook, we will be reading it in two parts: the first part this week, and the remainder next week.

 

There are many excellent websites about the Titanic. Click here for a list.

 

 

Kindergarteners and Grade 1 students will be reading the new Robert Munsch book, It’s My Room! This is a humorous story about a boy who finally gets his own room, but relatives keep coming over to visit.

We Share Everything!

Feb. 27 – Mar. 2, 2012 Read-a-Louds

This week is all about friendship and preventing bullying. Wednesday, Feb. 29th is Pink Shirt Day, when people will be wearing pink to support the message of “Bullying Stops Here!” To go along with anti-bullying week, all classes will be reading a story about friendship. The Kindergarteners will be reading The Crayon Box That Talked by Shane DeRolf, a story about working together and accepting differences.

The primary classes will be reading One of Us by Peggy Moss. Roberta goes to her first day at a new school and tries to fit in with many different groups of children. 

 

 

Finally, the intermediate classes will be reading Bird Child by Nan Forler. This is a story about being a bystander and watching someone get bullied.

Feb. 20 – 24, 2012 Read-a-Louds

Continuing with the theme of Black History Month, and tolerance, all Primary classes with be reading Chocolate Me! by Taye Diggs. In this story, an African-American little boy is teased about the colour of his skin and his hair. He feels like he doesn’t belong, and the other boys say rude things to him. But when he realizes that his skin colour is “like velvet fudge frosting” and his hair is like “cotton candy…soft to the touch”, he begins to accept his appearance.

Still looking at historical fiction, Ms. Hull’s class will be reading 2 books about African-Americans: Underground and We March, both by Shane W. Evans. Underground is about the infamous Underground Railway that helped many slaves escape to freedom, and We March is set in the 1960’s during the Civil Rights Movement in America. It is set during the time of Martin Luther King Jr.’s historic “I Have a Dream” speech. Listen and watch here.

Feb. 13 – 17, 2012 Read-A-Louds

This week we celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 14th.

The library schedule is back to normal. This week the Kindergarteners will be reading Big Hugs, Little Hugs by Felicia Bond. Grades 1 – 3 will be reading Snowy Valentine by David Petersen. Find out how David produced the beautiful images for the story here.


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Read-a-Louds Jan 9 – 13

In anticipation of Lunar New Year (Monday, January 23rd), this week we will be reading a legend from Japan: I Am Tama, Lucky Cat by Wendy Henrichs. The story tells about the origins of the beckoning cat and how it came to be a symbol of good luck.

 

Grades K to 1 will be reading an Elephant & Piggie Book, I Broke My Trunk! This hilarious book by Mo Willems is the latest in the series. 

 

 

Read-a-Louds Jan 3 – 6

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

 

Welcome back after the Winter Break! This week we will be reading a couple of books. For K to 1, we will be reading Robert Munsch’s new book Give Me Back My Dad! This story is a result of an online poll that Scholastic held last Fall – students were given 3 different storylines, and the one with the most votes would be the story that Robert Munsch would write. This book contains the winning storyline, and true to Munsch’s writing style, is quite funny!

 

 

 

 

For grades 2 to 7 students (who visit the library for story-time), we will be reading a traditional French-Canadian folktale, The Flying Canoe, retold by Eric A. Kimmel.

This folktale has many versions, and has been altered since it was first published in the late 1800’s. The original publication had the story taking place on New Year’s Eve instead of Christmas Eve, and the main characters were loggers instead of voyageurs. The sinister element of the story has been toned down to make the story suitable for younger students; in the original story, it is El Diablo who visits the loggers and offers them a ride in the canoe back to their homes for New Year’s Eve. Grades 6 and 7 students will be comparing the original story to this newer version.

Read-a-Louds Nov 28 – Dec 2

During this week, Primary classes will either be reading Stars by Mary Lyn Ray or will have guest readers from Division 3 (French Imm. grade 6/7). Guest readers from Division 3 will be reading their own creations – fractured fairy tales. Fractured fairy tales are based on traditional fairy tales, but they contain many differences: the plot, characters, setting or viewpoint can be different, among many other elements.

Stars, illustrated beautifully by Marla Frazee, “explores the wonder of stars, whether they are in the night sky, on a plant as a promise of fruit to come, or in one’s pocket for those days when one does not feel shiny.”

 

For info on Division 3’s fractured fairy tales, stay tuned…