This week, in addition to FAIR testing, I've been introducing our third graders to the SSYRA challenge. I love seeing them so excited about reading and this statewide program, in particular. The SSYRA challenge is our library's most popular reading incentive program. We promote the SSYRA challenge the entire year and it culminates in a special celebration in the springtime. We also included many wonderful new books in to our booktalk portion of the lesson. Students, please view the gallery below to review some of the new titles we discussed.
We're already super-busy in the media center! Just yesterday, we had more than 150 students visit the library on pass. I'm so happy because the students seem to like the space theme, and we're all eagerly awaiting the release of Star Wars 7 in December. Orientation lessons for students in grades 3 through 5 ended with book talks for the titles included in the gallery below. We added close to 300 books to the collection this month but Isle of the Lost by Melissa De La Pena has proven to be the title for which everyone is clamoring. I definitely need to buy more copies of that one! Next week, I'll read You're Finally Here! by Melanie Watt to the second graders. It's one of my favorite lessons of the entire year and I look forward to it all summer. I'm going to share a new book with the firsties titled First Grade Dropout by Audrey Vernick. I learned about that title on Twitter, so I have high hopes that they will love it. The kinders have already visited the library for their first lesson. We read Chu's First Day of School by Neil Gaiman and Panda Kindergarten by J. Ryder. I love hearing their sweet, little voices laughing-out-loud when Chu reveals his special "talent". Happy New Year, everyone! |