Winding down the school year is definitely a misnomer for this time of year. Things rev up at the library, just as they do throughout the school. Many classrooms choose to come to the library to work on research projects as a culmination to the skills they've learned during the year.
MAPLE STREET
At the Maple Street School, fourth grade students came to the library to explore poetry. Since poetry is meant to be heard, students were invited to find a poem that they enjoyed, and to step up to the Poetry Pedestal to share it with classmates.
Several students stepped up again during the Arts and Science day, and read some poems as part of the lunch time entertainment. I was invited to read some environmentally themed stories (I chose
Michael Recycle Meets Litterbug Doug,
Herman and Marguerite an Earth Story,
Tops and Bottoms, and
The Trouble with Dragons); and principal Bill Carozza sang songs related to the books.
Later on in the month, fourth graders gathered facts on ocean animals to create PowerPoint presentations. Some of the fifth grade classes came in to research topics on Space and also Westward Expansion. Ancient Civilizations were the focus for sixth grade research.
HAROLD MARTIN
At the Harold Martin School, third grade students came in for a refresher lesson on using the library catalog to find animal resources for their biome research. While bugs were busy buzzing outside, second grade students were busy buzzing around the library, gathering information from nonfiction insect books. In the classroom, they made posters about their insects using the nonfiction text features they learned about earlier in the year (headings, diagrams, labels, captions, sidebars, etc.).
Moms are definitely unsung heroes, so instead of reading typical books about Mother's Day, first grade students heard stories about superheroes and also "small heroes doing quiet deeds." These stories included
Max by Bob Graham;
Dex: the Heart of a Hero by Caralyn Buehner; and
Atomic Ace: He's Just My Dad by Jeff Weigel. The following week, they heard stories about characters doing good deeds
(Rosie Sprout's Time to Shine by Allison Wortche), and characters who made a difference in their communities (
Wanda's Roses by Pat Brisson and
A Bus Called Heaven by Bob Graham). Hopefully, they got the message that it doesn't take a superhero to make the world a better place.
SUMMER CHECK OUT
This is the time of year that we try to round up resources that have been checked out during the school year. Once we have accounted for what's here and what's missing, we start letting things go out again for Summer Check Out. If students have returned all their materials from the school year, and return a permission form signed by a parent/guardian they may check out books for the summer.
Click here for more information and the permission form.
A variety of links related to
Summer Reading can be found here, including books that can be read online.
HOPKINTON TOWN LIBRARY SUMMER READING PROGRAM
We also collaborate with the Hopkinton Town Library to let students know about the summer programs that are offered there. You can find information about their
summer reading program here.
I frequently podcast with principal Bill Carozza. For more in depth information, listen to
Bill Carozza's HMS Podcast #42.
