encouraging students to become competent 21st Century learners
Good secrets, bad secrets. Third grade discusses CONFIDENTIALITY after reading The Secret Olivia Told Me by N. Joy Awarded the ALA Coretta Scott King Honor, this book uses striking illustrations and poetry to catch the reader's attention and raise serious questions about secrecy. Does your child know that he or she can confide in you? ... Continue Reading →
Fifth Grade explored additional features of Destiny Quest today. Not only does Destiny Quest tell you what books are in and out of the library but also serves as a very useful search engine that students can use for research projects. "Drag and Drop," used to save resources for future use, intrigued fifth grade. Students... Continue Reading →
Get into the October Spirit! Come see what books the library has featured on this month's junior high display. The book highlighted for today is... What types of books do you like to read during October? Please share your suggestions and recommendations with us! Also, check to see if our library has them available for... Continue Reading →
Pumpkin Hill gets great giggles from second grade. Author Elizabeth Spurr uses literary devices, including alliteration and rhyming, to put smiles on her readers' faces and give their tongues a work-out. The story starts with one pernicious pumpkin that grows "plump, plump and plumper" and ends with the reason for roasting salty seeds on Halloween. ... Continue Reading →
A lesson in sibling relationships, money handling, and more is wrapped into one book that had first graders listening intently and offering their own tips on saving and spending money.Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday by Judith Viorst caught my eye because of the same author's book that many of us were fond... Continue Reading →
Fourth grade is learning about the life of John Newbery! Born to a farmer in England in 1713, Newbery would later learn the trade of a printer. This experience would serve him well when, in 1744, he and his wife and five children moved to London so that he could start his own publishing business. ... Continue Reading →
Photo courtesy of Ms. YanishThat adorable sentiment came from a second grader passing by the library moments after watching the space shuttle Endeavor fly over Pasadena and St. Philips. As you can see from the video, the entire school waited in the heat to live a truly historic moment in all our lives. While the... Continue Reading →
Two weeks ago I wrote about the new Destiny Quest app. You can read about it here Since writing that post I have figured out the ins and outs of reading eBooks on your mobile devices. Quest works with another app called Follett Shelf. Together you can check out eBooks on your iPad or tablet.... Continue Reading →
Coming soon to the SPAS Library!
There are many times when I am thankful for the fact that I have started using Twitter. When I first started tweeting it was with my personal account. It was just...ok! It wasn't until I started using it for the Falcon's Fables as a way to connect with my fellow teacher librarians that I starting... Continue Reading →
This just in! Wonder by R.J. Palacio is the breakout book of 2012 and we now have a copy in the library."August (Auggie) Pullman was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to a mainstream school- until now. He's about to enter fifth grade at Beacher Prep, and if you've ever been... Continue Reading →
The new databases are officially up and running. I have blogged about them quite a bit you can read about ABC CLEO Here and Proquest HERE. These subscription resources are truly amazing. In fact I believe they are vital to an education. Students must learn how to find reliable information beyond Google. Not that Google... Continue Reading →
The Falcon's Fables 