Library Staff

Ms. Lori Wallace

Library Media Specialist

Mrs. MaryAnn Fisher

Library Clerk

What's Happening in the Library?

January 2012

As we head into colder weather, what could be better than curling up with a great book from the Boght Hills Library? Students have 15 minutes each week to browse for those just right books!
As we ring in the New Year, students in all grades will listen to a variety of literature selections. Kindergarten will listen to readalouds connected to themes that students are working with in the classroom. First grade students will learn about the author/illustrator Kevin Henkes as we read a selection of his picture books. The second graders will share memories of the first day of kindergarten as we read portions of Ramona the Pest. In this book by Beverly Cleary, Ramona is off to kindergarten and things don’t work out quite as she expects.
In third grade, we are finishing two books by Mary Jane Auch. The main characters are third grade students who discover what can happen when they hypnotize a dog. After we complete I Was a Third Grade Spy, students will begin research on the U.S. Presidents. Students will use World Book Encyclopedia and an internet website to collect information. We will also read fiction and nonfiction books related to the Presidency. In December, fourth graders began a study of tall tales. These tales are filled with humor and wild exaggeration. Students are enjoying the adventures of characters such as Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, and Old Stormalong. In January, we will finish reading tall tales and students will create their own illustrated tall tale to share with the class.

Students in grade 5 completed research on four animals commonly found in fables, fairytales, and folktales. They will use their research to compare the animals in nature to their portrayal in literature. In January, we will finish our reading of this literature and students will do a project comparing the facts with the fiction. Students in sixth grade have been evaluating websites. Can your sixth grader tell you what “RADCAB” means? They should be able to describe several ways to determine the quality of a website. In January, we will share myths from a variety of cultures and compare them. After we have read a number of myths, students will create a coat-of-arms for a mythological character.

It is going to be a great 2012 at the Boght Hills Library. Happy New Year!

Lori Wallace
Librarian

Contact the Boght Hills Library

(518) 785-0222
 

Library Hours

8:05 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Students come to the library each week with their class for a variety of learning activities and book exchange.

The library is open for book return each morning from bus arrival time until the start of the school day.

Book Promotion/Literature

Students at all grade levels are exposed to a variety of literature:

• authors and illustrators

• award-winning books

• multicultural literature

• literary genres

• book talks

Research

The research objective is for students to become competent in the research process by using available and appropriate materials. While students in the primary grades may begin learning to research, all students in grades four, five and six are involved in a formal project.

During the research process, students:

• locate and select resources

• evaluate sources and information

• extract relevant information from sources

• cite sources

The research project is tied to the science or social studies curriculum for each grade, and is completed in collaboration with the classroom teacher.

Computer Literacy

Computer literacy is part of the library curriculum in grades four through six. Students are presented with information about:

• uses of the computer

• evaluation of Internet Web sites

• ethics, such as ownership of information

• computer history

Library Skills

Students learn library skills appropriate for each grade level, including searching for library materials on the public access catalog, and arrangement and location of library materials.

Book Care

Please encourage your child to find a special place for library books at home so that they don’t get damaged and are easy to locate each week. Damaged books returned to the library are most often due to a beverage spill in the backpack. I am asking all students to think of ways to keep their books safe and clean in their backpacks and elsewhere. I appreciate your efforts to reinforce this at home.

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