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All posts by tpretz
Important Dates to Remember
Elementary Library Summer Check Out 2015
Who can participate? Students and families who will be returning to ASIJ this fall.
What is it? Students and parents check out library books to take home over the summer.
When is it? June 8th, 9th, and 10th from 7:45 am – 3:15 pm.
How do I participate?
Step 1: All library materials (including all family checked out books) must be returned by Friday, May 29th.
Step 2: Complete the permission form below and return to the ES library by Tue., June 2nd.
Step 3: Come to the library to find your summer check-out books on June 8th, 9th, or 10th. If unaccompanied, students may only check out 5 books per day. Checkout limit is 25 books per student and 25 books on the family account.
Step 4: Return books to the library on student orientation day: Monday, August 24th.
eBook Opportunities
ES students have worldwide access to eBooks through our school subscription to Big Universe and TumbleBooks. Access to these books is free of charge. 
Please check the library blog for details on how to log in.
The digital books page is a password protected page. The password is: asij
QUESTIONS? Please call the elementary library at ext. 293 (Tammy, Carol or Bethany)
Sign below where appropriate and return to the library by Tuesday, June 2, 2015
You only need to return this form is you would like to check books out for the summer.
Summer Checkout Permission Slip
Parent Name : ________________________________________
Student Name : ___________________________ Class:_____
Student Name : ___________________________ Class:_____
By signing this I am stating that my child(ren) will be attending ASIJ next fall.
Parent Signature: _______________________________________
Recommended Summer Reading Lists – Click to Open.
Every Hero Needs A Story
Best of the Year & Great Reads
If You Liked…The Three Bears Sort Of
The Cat, the Dog, Little Red, the Exploding Eggs, the Wolf, and Grandma
by Diane Fox
This book was a sure fire hit when I read it book earlier this month during library class with second graders. Unfortunately, it didn’t make it onto next year’s Sakura Medal List.
This Week’s Read Alouds
Poetry Alive
Watch the videos below.
What do you notice?
What do you wonder?
Foul Shot by Edwin Hoey
Forest Walk by Kristine O’Connell George
No Breathing in Class by Michael Rosen
Catch a Little Rhyme by Eve Merriam
Early Memory by January Gill
Who Burns for the Perfection of Paper by Martín Espada
Analysis of Baseball by May Swenson
A Minor Bird by Robert Frost
After watching these videos, what ideas do you have for your own performances?
Tips for Poetry Performance by Renee M. LaTulippe
1) Score Your Poem: Create a roadmap for your performance.
2) Find Your Pace: Save your pauses for the punctuation not all of the line breaks.
3) Use Good Diction: Pronounce words clearly.
4) Be Natural & Have Fun!
More Tips for Poetry Performance
Films on Demand
Classroom Video – Films On Demand is new to the ASIJ Libraries. This site has thousands of educational videos that are available 24/7. These videos are also iPad friendly. A direct URL link can be found on the password protected database page of this blog.
(Please contact the elementary library staff for the database password.)
Who Wants to Grok?
Searching Just Got A Whole Lot Easier I was not familiar with InstaGrok, and I am excited to share this search engine with my readers. It is not your average search engine. My first search was “ducks”……then I tried “gnats”, “ponds” and finally “ecosystems”. Guess which grade level was inspiring my learning this weekend?
Who Needs Google, When You Can Grok? InstaGrok is better than any other search engine I have experimented with this year and it has a very different feel than any other search engine I have ever used. Not only is it interactive and engaging, but hopefully the journaling and pinning features of this search engine will help students who aren’t organized, better organize their thinking. There are a few added bonuses that I especially like because these features are evaluative in nature. The bibliographic component of InstaGrok allows students to see their sources and instantly evaluate their credibility. Students can also take a multiple-choice quiz to self-evaluate their reading comprehension for each search topic.
AccessibilityWith every search, students get an interactive visual map of their search, images, videos, plus written information in chunks they can read, a journaling option, bibliographic capabilities and MORE.
If you want to use the web-based version I have added InstaGrok to the homepage of Destiny under Search Engines. Plus, InstaGrok is a FREE app in the iTunes Store!
NEW Biographies
NEW Biography Resource List (click to open)
Amazing Author’s Visit with Kate Klise
“There’s A Secret to Writing Books”
Kate Klise was an entertaining and engaging presenter for students in Grades 3 – 5. She shared a few of her secrets to writing books and inspired young writers using anecdotal stories, read alouds, planning charts, photographs and student participation. Students even learned a few new planning strategies. The 1-1-1 strategy (character/problem/action) was introduced to Gr. 3 students. Students in Grades 4-5 learned about the planning circle used by screenwriters in Hollywood.
ASIJ ES LIBRARY 