Recommended Title: "The Book with No Pictures" by B.J. Novak

I'm sure many parents are already familiar with this completely amazing book, but just in case you aren't aware - The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak is a delightful read-aloud that kids in North Andover are going crazy for! In fact, could it be the best read-aloud book EVER?!

Click on the picture to see this title in the Stevens Memorial Library catalog!

In our discussions about the Parts of a Book with the younger grades (more on this in a later post!), we talk about the "rules of a story" - i.e. that reading means "saying all the words on the page". The Book With No Pictures is all about this concept, and "tricks" grown-ups into reading silly words, sounds, and songs out loud!

Although many kids have read it before, a couple of classes were introduced to this title for the first time this week, and one kindergartner's reaction sums up the experience:

"I'm laughing so much I have tears coming out of my eyeballs!"

I'm working on getting at least one copy of this title for every elementary library; in the meantime, visit Stevens (or another local library) and pick up a copy today!

Recommendation Snapshot:

Ideal Audience: Preschool - 3rd grade.

Ideal Time of Day for Sharing: Anytime BUT bedtime! It's too silly!

Worth Owning?: Yes, but the novelty factor of reading it for the first time is part of the appeal.

Parent Enjoyment Level: On a scale from 1-10, this is easily an 11.

Scavenger Hunts; or, Navigating Our Library Space

The first few visits to the school library can be a little confusing, especially for little ones who may never have visited a library before. North Andover is lucky to have a wonderful library, the Stevens Memorial Library, that I'm sure many families have visited - but not every family. Therefore, the first time our students visit their school library, they might be feeling a lot of things:

• Anxious ("Will I make a mistake?" "This doesn't look like my classroom.")
• Overwhelmed ("Do I have to read all these books?!")
• Stubborn ("I don't like reading, and I won't like the library.")
• Excited ("We're out of class, this is just like recess!")

It's really important that we go over all the rules of using the school library at the start of the school year, just so every child is on the same page with regard to expectations. Once those rules are gone over (Lesson 1), we can move on to Lesson 2: Navigating Our Library Space.

Kindergarten - Grade 2

For the younger set, we have been reading "Alphabet Mystery" by Audrey Wood:

Click on the picture to see this title in the MVLC catalog!

We talk about what happens when the letters get jumbled up and out of order - it's no fun! 

Afterwards, we talk about how numbers are also in a special order, and to illustrate that, we sing Five Little Monkeys. 

BUT WAIT! It turns out that those little monkeys have scattered all over the library, and are hiding in the different sections! As a group, we quietly (so as not to startle the monkeys!) line up and march through the library space, pointing out the monkeys and the sections they're in. While most kindergarten/first grade teachers have expressed an interest in having students only check out picture books for the first few weeks, this exercise introduces the students to all the important places within the library. 

Grades 3-5

The older grades are (by and large) already familiar with the library space. However, what I've been noticing is that the older students know where the books are - "Diary of a Wimpy Kid is on this shelf!" - but not why the books are where they are. 

During our lesson, we go over the three basic call number labels, or "Secret Codes", for the books in the library:

E = "Everybody" or "Early Reader" - picture books & early readers

F/FIC = "Fiction" - chapter books

Numbers = Nonfiction 

I pose a challenge to the older grades to use what we've talked about, and what they already know about the books they're looking for, to find their books at check-out instead of using the catalog computers. This way, they can learn to recognize the important call number information so that when they do use the catalog, they know what all the call numbers mean and where they are.

Lastly, we break up into teams of two and do a quick Scavenger Hunt. The teams have to find a book representative of all the different sections in the library. One tricky one that's come up at the schools is Reference Books (i.e. books to "refer" to for a quick question, like a thesaurus, dictionary, or encyclopedia). We'll be getting better acquainted with these books as the year goes on, especially since in middle- and high-school students are expected to use reference books as research tools. 

That's all for now - stay tuned for more, Library Detectives!

September Review!

What a fantastically productive month we've had in the elementary schools! Here's what we've done so far:

Kindergarten through Second Grade

1. We read D.W.'s Library Card by Marc Brown!

Click the picture to find this book in the Stevens Memorial Library Catalog!

This is a great book that illustrates the way young kids learn to use libraries and library materials. D.W. learns how to get a library card, and how to take care of her library books. We use it in the library to talk about some anxieties younger kids might have about borrowing books - 

especially older books.  

2. We talked about what we already know about libraries!

I find sometimes younger children have expectations of the library experience that aren't necessarily in line with what actually happens in the library, so it's good to make sure we're all on the same page as we start out in the library together. For example, we talk about how some libraries have rules about how quiet you have to be, but that because our library is also a classroom, the same classroom rules apply: raise your hand, talk in a normal "inside" voice.

3. We learned "The Secret Code" for Picture Books

Part of the library program curriculum this year is talking about how to find books in the library. We introduce the concept of "the secret code of libraries" this week, and kids learn that Picture books are for EVERYBODY, so their secret code is the letter E!

4. We learned "The Watermelon Song"

This is my absolute favorite song to sing with younger children. I'll be including a YouTube video of it soon so you can sing it at home!

Third through Fifth Grade

1. We busted some "Library Myths"!

With the older grades, who may have had negative experiences in different libraries in the past, I think it's important to start out with a re-invigorated sense of excitement for libraries. We talk about some "myth-conceptions" that people have about libraries, and talk about whether they're true or false:

Myth #1: Librarians are old and mean and will yell at you. FALSE!

Myth #2: If you damage a book, you're banned forever. FALSE!

Myth #3: You must be super-duper quiet when you're in our library. FALSE!

*we talk a bit about how other libraries do follow that rule, but because we're a classroom as well,

we want to feel comfortable using normal inside voices. 

Myth #4: The library is JUST for books. FALSE!

Myth #5: All librarians love cats. TRUE!

2. We read The Librarian from the Black Lagoon by Mike Thaler

Click the picture to find this book in the Stevens Memorial Library catalog!

We use this book to start a discussion about the differences between fiction and nonfiction: how do you know this is fiction? What information is on the cover? The spine?

3. We took a look at That's Our Librarian by Ann Morris

Click the picture to find this book in the MVLC catalog!

Usually at this point in the lesson we just don't have time to read another book, so we look at That's Our Librarian and talk about the differences between this book (a nonfiction title) and the one we've just read: how can we tell this is fiction? What's the Dewey number for this title?

4. Exit Tickets

One way for me to gauge whether or not the students have absorbed the material we've been discussing is by passing out "exit tickets" at the end of the lesson. They are usually either multiple choice or open-ended questions, they are completely anonymous, and they aren't graded. I collect them, and analyze how many students were able to answer the question correctly - if too many kids don't quite understand the concept, I'll know to refresh and re-teach the next time they're in the library. So far, the average comprehension rate is a wonderful 93%!

See you in October, Library Detectives!

Hello, and Welcome!

Hello! Welcome to the newly-minted blog for the North Andover Public Schools Elementary Library Program!

Here you'll find all the information on what we're doing in the libraries in all five elementary schools - spoiler alert, it's so much more than just checking books in and out!

Librarian's Schedule:
Mondays - Franklin
Tuesdays - Thomson
Wednesdays - Kittredge
Thursdays - Atkinson
Fridays - Sargent

Library Media Specialist: Courtney Ahearn
Email: ahearnc@northandoverpublicschools.com
Twitter: NAPS_Librarian