Reading Without Walls Challenge

Students (and teachers! and parents!)  are being encouraged to participate in the Reading Without Walls Challenge.

To participate you can:

1) Read a book about a character who doesn't look like you or live like you

2) Read a book about a topic you don't know much about

3) Read a book in a format that you don't normally read for fun (a chapter book, a graphic novel, a book in verse, or an audio book)


What book are you going to read?

Illinois 2017 Monarch Winner!

The official 2017 Monarch winner has been announced...

Congratulations to Gaston!

Interested in seeing the full list of votes? Follow this link.

Disney 2017 Monarch Winner!

The votes are in! Second and third graders have voted for their absolute favorite Monarch nominees.

In third place with 39 votes...

In second place, tied with 45 votes each...

 

And in first place, eking out the win with 46 votes...

Drum roll please....

If your favorite title didn't win, don't despair. All votes were tallied and sent in to the state library association. Stay tuned for the official winner!

Monarch Award: Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas

This retelling of the Goldilocks story finds Goldy Luck visiting her next door neighbors, the pandas, on Chinese New Year. The pandas are not at home and trouble ensues.

Monarch Award: Families, Families, Families

Students loved this fun book about all different types of families represented by different animals. We talked and wrote about our own families. Then students decided what type of animal their family would be and drew family portraits.

Monarch Award: Gaston

Gaston is a bulldog raised in a family of poodles - who is about to meet a poodle raised in a family of bulldogs.

Monarch Award: Elizabeth, Queen of the Seas

This true story of Elizabeth the elephant seal was the inspiration for a research project. Second graders learned used our online database Pebble Go to learn more about seals.

Monarch Award: Ballet Cat

Second and third graders enjoyed this funny look at the friendship of Ballet Cat and Sparkle Pony.

Monarch Award: The Adventures of Beekle

Every year we make sure all second and third graders have read enough Monarch nominees (at least 5) to vote for their favorite in March.  Usually we read more than five because the books are so fabulous and give us the opportunity to learn about so many new things!  This year we started with the Caldecott winning book The Adventures of Beekle.  Students designed their own imaginary friends that reflect their personalities.

Illinois Student Choice Book Awards

Every year we are thrilled to participate in Illinois's Student Choice Book Awards.  In order to participate, students have to read a certain number of nominated titles in order to vote in February (the Rebecca Caudill) or March (the Bluestem or Monarch.)

All second and third grade classes at Disney are reading books from the Monarch nominee list.  There are some fabulous books this year!  As we read the books we also have lessons related to the books including research and writing responses.  We are keeping track of what we've read using a poster for each class.

Find this year's list of titles here.

The Bluestem Award is for 3rd-5th graders and opens up a world of chapter books.

Find this year's list of titles here.

The Rebecca Caudill is for 4th-8th graders and includes longer and more in-depth works.

Find this year's list of titles here.

Students have been hearing book talks about the nominated titles and have been practicing their note-taking skills as they write down what each book is about.  Students can check these books out from our library, the public library, or can even find them as e-books in both collections.  As they read these books, students can sign their names to the Bluestem and Caudill Hall of Fames in our library.

  

GRA: Yard Sale

This lovely Eve Bunting book inspired so many good conversations and so much empathy on the part of the first - third graders reading it.  The girl in the story is helping her family at a yard sale where they watch most of their things disappear in order to prepare for a move to a smaller place.

GRA: Twenty Yawns

Second and third graders found it impossible not to yawn themselves as we read Jane Smiley's Twenty Yawns for the Global Read Aloud!

We used Padlet to share ideas for what WE do when we're so tired at night and just can't sleep - just like the girl in the book.

Edwards's Class Twenty Yawns

Henry's Class Twenty YawnsKnerr's Class Twenty Yawns

GRA: The Reader

The third week of the Global Read Aloud found us reading Amy Hest's The Reader illustrated by Lauren Castillo.

Students decided what book they would have read if they were the reader in the book and shared their answers using the collaborative website Padlet.  Take a look at their answers through the links below.

Knerr's Class Padlet

Edwards and Harrison's Class Padlet

Patel's Class Padlet

Henry's Class Padlet

GRA: The Troublemaker

The second week of the Global Read Aloud focused on Lauren Castillo's book The Troublemaker which tells the story of a boy who gets in trouble for taking a toy that belongs to his sister.  Students who were really paying attention to what was going on in the background picked up on another troublemaker in the story!  We then discussed whether or not we would like to have a brother like the one in the book and why.

GRA: Nana in the City

During the first week of the Global Read Aloud, first-third graders read Lauren Castillo's Nana in the City.  The boy in this book is feeling nervous as he visits his Nana in the big scary city.  She makes him a red superhero cape to help him faces his fears.  Students came up with ideas of what their own superhero cape could help them do.

Global Read Aloud 2016

This year all of my 1st-5th grade classes are participating in the Global Read Aloud.  The idea of the Global Read Aloud is that kids all over the world are reading the same books during the same six week period.  Then their teachers and librarians are sharing what they are doing with the books using online connections.

This year's chosen picture book author/illustrator is Lauren Castillo.
Fourth and fifth graders are reading Roald Dahl's classic The BFG.  Great timing as in September we celebrated the 100th anniversary of Dahl's birth!


Follow the link to find out more:

The Global Read Aloud

Check back for more about what we've been learning and how we've been collaborating with other classes who are also participating in the Global Read Aloud.

And the winners are...Monarch Award

And the winners are in!

Disney's choices for the Monarch Award are

Third Place: The Dark by Lemony Snicket

Second Place: This is a Moose by Richard T. Morris

First Place: The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli

The winners for the state of Illinois are

Third Place: Lost Cat by C. Roger Mader

Second Place:   The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli

First Place: Breaking News: Bear Alert by David Biedrzycki

Book Spine Poetry Two

And a few more fabulous book spine poems:

Book Spine Poetry

April was National Poetry Month and we celebrated with one of my favorite poetry activities - book spine poetry.  To create book spine poetry you use the titles of books as they appear on book spines to create a stacked poem.   Students worked together in groups to look for titles that inspired them and then built poems off of them.  Take a look at some favorites created by Disney students:

The Monarch Award: What's It All About?

There's a lot of love for the Monarch Awards not just from me, but also from students.  Although all second and third graders picked a favorite when they voted, some students wanted to share their love for all of the Monarch nominees and the award itself when they made the electronic posters.