Leisl Shurtliff Visiting January 13th!

It's going to be a great spring semester, and we're starting off with a bang!  We are thrilled to host Leisl Shurtliff for an author visit on January 13th!

Leisl will be here for two performances where she will talk about her Texas Bluebonnet Award nominated title, Rump, and her new book, coming out in April, called Jack. Learn more information about these books on Leisl's website.

Our schedule for the 13th will be as follows:
11:30-12:15 lunch with students (more on that later)
12:15-12:30 set up for presentations
12:30-1:15 5th grade & Ms. Velasquez' classes
1:15-1:30 sign books
1:30-2:15 3rd grade, Mrs. Talley & Ms. Neely's classes
2:15-2:30 sign books

As you can see, Leisl will be available to sign books.  Preorders will be accepted at a discount rate, so plan ahead to get a book, and Leisl will be on hand to sign it here at school on the 13th.  If you do not submit a preorder, you are still welcome to purchase a book on 1/13 but will not receive the discounted rate Barnes & Noble has so graciously offered us.

Leisl has also agreed to eat lunch with a handful of lucky readers. 3rd-5th grade students who are interested in eating lunch with this author will need to have passed the Rump Bluebonnet quiz in the library by 1/9, and submit a one page persuasive letter giving the reasons why they should be chosen. 

Please welcome me in joining this celebrated author to our school.  This is sure to be a fascinating experience that will enrich the reading & writing lives of our students.  

2nd Grade Color Challenge Finishers

Mrs. Vetter and I congratulated 38 well-read 2nd graders at our Rainbow Challenge party today at lunch.  Students were challenged by the library and their teachers to read 8 books off a possible list.  3 different lists were developed according to reading level so that each student could feel successful.  We picked different kind of series, fiction and nonfiction, so that kids could be exposed to new genres, authors and subjects, in hopes that they'll be interested in more books afterwards. Once they read the 8 books, they got their photo taken to be aired on the morning announcements.

At today's party, we surprised the kids by reading one of next year's Texas Bluebonnet Award nominees, When the Beat Was Born by Laban Carrick Hill. It's a biography of hip hop's "grandfather," DJ Kool Herc.  Afterwards, we danced to one of his songs!  It was fun.

Next, we all got a special colorful necklace, a tasty treat, and a free book to keep at home forever!  The kids were super excited about these prizes, and they earned them.  We're so proud of their goal setting and goal reaching.  

Check out these photos of our decorations, the swag, and our amazing readers!

 For more information about the Color Challenge (or its former iteration, the Rainbow Reading Challenge) check out our other posts!

Happy reading, Eagles!

Danielle Book Club: Maze Runner

As you can imagine, I am in a LOT of book clubs. One of my very favorites though, is a group of 5th grade girls where I'm not the leader!  We're called the Danielle Book Club, after our friend Danielle who started the club but moved away a couple months ago. 

I don't have to collect books, help figure out which book we're reading next, decide when we're meeting, or anything. It's so nice to just be a participant once in a while.  We elected President Ava & Vice President Madison.

We read Maze Runner by James Dashner, and then some of us went to see the movie last week!  Check out Mackenzie, Mireia, and me outside of the theater.

Next we're reading Eye of Minds, also by James Dashner.

Winter Bookathon!

Well, Eagles, it's the last week before winter break.  We're busy making plans for our 18 day vacation- what are you going to read in those 18 days?

To encourage reading over break, we made some cute winter bookmark raffle tickets for you.  On Thursday, we will be drawing numbers on our morning news show to give out reading prizes!

Parents, please email photos of your student reading over winter break to Mrs. Fournier, Librarian, or your classroom teacher, or post them on the Forest North Facebook page!

Divya Srinivasan Author Visit Wrap Up

First Grade Students watch and Divya Srinivasan demonstrates how she writes and illustrates her picture books.

Special art made for us by Divya Srinivasan during her visit

We had a great visit with Divya Srinivasan yesterday. She spoke to us about the importance of revision, research, author's purpose, and having ideas ready to write. 

She showed us some photos of creatures from her books that showed up on her aunt's Critter Cam in NM.  I never knew owls took baths in ponds!  

She shared her writer's notebook with us, showed us the special software she uses for making her amazing books (and designed some special turtles for us!), and was kind enough to meet and sign books for many students!  Mrs. San Miguel, 1st grade teacher, said, "Thank you for bringing in the author today for the kids. What a great experience for them and us as well! I really appreciate all the hard work you put into the extra things you do!"

We have 6 of her books to share in our library, and she signed all of those too, so be sure to put a hold on one so you can take it home too.  

Mrs. Albin, Kindergarten teacher said of the visit, "Our students were enthralled to see an author and illustrator in action!  They were able to take what she said and make applications to their own writing in the classroom."

Kindergarten students watch and learn. 

Jasmyn gets her book signed by Divya Srinivasan.

Thanks so much for visiting us, Divya.  We learned a lot and had so much fun.

5th Grade Lunch Bunch Wrap Up

Have you ever done a simultaneous supertaster test with 35 fifth graders?  I have and it was awesome!

35 fifth graders stuck with me from October through December, meeting during lunch in the library twice a week to listen to the audiobook of Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead, a 2014-2015 Texas Bluebonnet Award nominee.  #txbluebonnetaward I really admire their persistence and willingness to stick to a goal and finish strong.  We loved the plot twists at the end.

On the last day, we did a taste test similar to the one in the book, but more an opposite, because instead of just a few people not tasting anything, most of us tasted nothing.  In the book, they tasted for PROP.  We tasted for the supertaster gene.  Check out these students right before they taste it!

It was a blast, guys.  Thanks so much for eating lunch with me in the library the past few months!

Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie

Mrs. Peyton, Counselor, and I led a Friendship Book Club with 2nd grade girls this fall.  We read Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie by Julie Sternberg.  

It's about a girl named Eleanor who is so sad because her babysitter, Bibi, has to move to Florida to take care of her sick father.  Eleanor and her family have a tough time getting used to Bibi's absence, and to Natalie, Eleanor's new babysiter.  Eleanor works through it though, and over time, grows to love Natalie too.  It's a funny, great book, with a couple sequels too! 

To celebrate finishing the book, our six participants were invited to make their own green felt pickle bookmark, and we tried pickles, cookies, and even pickle juice on a cookie!  Check out our syllabus on the photo for more information about this fun book club.