RES Library Media Center News

Second graders have been researching, writing, illustrating, and posting blog entries about animals on the new RES Second Grade Animal Blog ! The scholars used the  PebbleGo.Com  research database to learn about animals. Then each scholar wrote the text for his or her blog entry, drew an illustration, and typed the text and added the illustration with the Blogger iPad app. The second graders focused on writing interesting "hooks" to draw readers' attention at the beginnings of their posts; using transition words at the beginning of sentences; writing conclusions at the ends of their posts; and citing PebbleGo as their source. The second graders had a great time with this short, focused research project, and they were very proud to share their work on the blog. The last few entries will be posted next week and after holiday break. Please leave comments on these posts if you see something interesting or surprising! Link to the blog: RES Second Grade Animal Blog

k Hour of Code 2015 at RES Here's a glimpse at Hour of Code computer science activities this week at RES, by the numbers! Number of grade levels that participated: 5 Number of classrooms that participated: 14 Number of RES students who learned about computer science through the Hour of Code program: 227 Number of lines of code (computer programming language) written by RES scholars: over 10,000 Number of students who have asked if they can keep learning to code after this week: too many to keep track of! Thank you to all the adults and especially all the scholars who made our first all school Hour of Code such a success! Scholars can continue their computer science learning at school and at home! Links to our activities from this week and many more coding resources can be found at this link or by clicking the "Coding Computer Science" tab at the top of the library blog.

November 2015 at the RES library, by the numbers Number of library books and other materials checked out by RES scholars, families, and staff: 1273 --  that's 80 per day in our three weeks of school this month Number of TumbleBooks electronic books read and listened to : 419 Number of scholar visits to the library:  over 700 (13 classes per week plus additional class visits plus individual visits) Number of scholars served by the librarian during lessons and visits in classrooms:  over 100 Number of fourth graders who researched "I Wonder" questions about space: 49 . Their answers, evidence, and sources are shown on the Space Wonder Posters in the photo above, now on display in the library along with space masks the fourth graders created in Mrs. Aucter's art classes

RES fourth graders have been learning about the solar system in their enrichment library classes. As their final project for this unit, each scholar has researched a "wonder" question of his or her choosing. Our young scientists wanted to learn more about the sun, the planets, black holes, and the stars! Once they completed their research, the fourth graders created "Wonder Posters" to share their questions, answers, evidence, and the sources they used along they way. Please visit the library to see the results of their research!

"Two books! Yahoo!" Kindergartners have spent the first 10 weeks of school exploring the picture book collection of the library and checking out picture books to take home and share with their families. Now they are beginning to visit different collections and to check out two books each week. This week we explored the early reader or "pink dot" collection, which includes books like The Cat in the Hat. Our early reader collection has lots of high interest books such as nonfiction "true books" about animals, space, and vehicles; Star Wars, LEGO, and Fancy Nancy stories; and comic book-style stories for new readers. As you can see from the picture the kindergartners were very happy to discover these books and also to take two books home every week!

RES fourth graders have been learning about the solar system in their enrichment library classes. As their final project for this unit, each scholar is researching a "wonder" question of his or her choosing. Our young scientists want to learn more about the sun, the planets, black holes, and the stars! The scholar above is researching the answer to her question, "How many stars are in the Milky Way?" When they have answered their questions, the fourth graders will be creating "Wonder Posters" to share their questions, answers, evidence, and the sources they used along they way. Stay tuned for updates on these great projects!

October 2015 at the RES library, by the numbers Number of library books and other materials checked out by RES scholars, families, and staff: 1900 --  that's  95 per day Number of scholar visits to the library:  over 1,000  (13 classes per week plus additional class visits plus individual visits) Number of scholars served by the librarian during lessons and visits in classrooms:  over 200 Number of fourth graders who learned about the rotation and revolution of the planets by creating moving models (see video still in the top photo above): 49 Number of new video book reviews added to our book review YouTube playlist : 10. These fabulous book reviews by RES scholars and staff can also be seen on the right side of the library blog

We are so happy to announce that 14 different video reviews of children's books have been featured on the RES Library blog so far this year! These reviews are a celebration of reading and great books. RES is a school of readers, and we are so proud to share our reading and our opinions with the world.   The first reviews were created by our principal, Michael Berry. Here's an example, his review of The Magic Thief by Sarah Prineas. RES scholars were so motivated they decided to create their own reviews! Here's one of several from fourth graders in Katie LeFrancois' class, a review of the Newbery Award winning book The Crossover by Sarah Prineas: We've even put together a YouTube playlist of all these great reviews. Looking for something new to read? Check on the right hand side of the library blog for the latest reviews and a link to the playlist. We can't wait to see how RES video book reviewing continues to unfold as the school year goes on!

Second graders are enjoying this year's Red Clover books in the RES library. Named after Vermont's state flower, the Red Clover Award is Vermont's children's choice award for picture books. Every year, a group of teachers and librarians puts together a list of  10 fiction and nonfiction Red Clover books. Students who read or listen to at least five titles from the list get to vote on their favorite book. Their votes, along with votes from students all over the state, help choose the Red Clover Award winner. This week we are reading and discussing the true story  Elizabeth: Queen of the Seas  by Lynn Cox and Brian Floca. Check out this link from the Indianapolis Public Library for more information about Elizabeth the elephant seal, and also about the author who is a world famous long distance swimmer. More information about the Red Clover program and the rest of this year's reading list is available at the  Red Clover Website .  image from Amazon.com

Did you know that the RES library checks out audiobooks? These are books you can listen to, on CDS or Playaway MP3 players. Audiobooks are great for family listening, especially if you have a car trip coming up. Students in grades 2 and up as well as parents can check these out. You can see what audiobooks the library owns by visiting our online library catalog . Type "audiobook" in the search box and you will see a list of all the library's audiobooks. If you would like me to send home an audiobook with your child to try over fall break, just send me an email at beth.redford@cesuvt.org and let me know which one! The library now has three of the new Dorothy Canfield Fisher titles on CD audiobook: The Crossover , Nuts to You , and The Meaning of Maggie . We will be getting more titles as the year goes on. audiobook image from Microsoft Clip Art all book cover images from amazon.com

September 2015 at the RES library, by the numbers Number of library books and other materials checked out by RES scholars, families, and staff: 1,946 --  that's 93 per day Number of scholar visits to the library: over 1,200  (13 classes per week plus additional class visits plus individual visits) Most circulations of any title in the library: 17 for Should I Share My Ice Cream? by Mo Willems (we love Mr. Willems' books at RES) Number of kindergartners who checked out their very first library books: 34 Number of scholars who have learned to use our new self checkout station: 110 , and more scholars will be learning in October! Now these scholars can visit the library any time they need a new book, even if I am already teaching another class. -Mrs. Redford

Fourth graders are learning about the Solar System in their enrichment library classes. For this project, each scholar found a fabulous fact about one of the planets, quoted or paraphrased the information, and wrote a citation for his or her book. They created these posters with recitethis.com

  The RES library has a new self checkout station! Third and fourth graders have new library cards that they keep in their classrooms. They have learned to use the station and check out their own books.  Now they can come to the library any time and check out new books, even if I am out of the library or busy teaching a class. This means the library is accessible for the whole school day, every day, whenever our fantastic RES readers need new books. Second graders will be learning to use the self checkout station later this year as well. Did you know that family members can get accounts at the RES library? This is a great thing to do especially if your child is a new reader who may go through several "skinny books" in a week. Parents can get library cards and check out books at the self checkout station as well. Stop by the library and I will make you your own library card! - Beth Redford, RES Library Media Specialist

Beginning this week, we will be including Featured Book Reviews on the RES Library Blog. These video book reviews can be found in the upper right hand corner of the blog. Our first review is from our principal, Michael Berry. Mr. Berry reviewed the book A Splash of Red: the Life and Art of Horace Pippin. We will be featuring more reviews from Mr. Berry as well as other book lovers in the RES community! If you are interested in creating a video book review for the library blog, please let Mrs. Redford know. Happy reading!

2015-2016 Dorothy Canfield Fisher reading list choice: No Summit out of Sight The yearly Dorothy Canfield Fisher reading program is beginning again at Richmond Elementary School!  We encourage grade 4 students at RES  to participate in this voluntary program by reading at least five books from this year's list, which is compiled by Vermont State Department of Libraries.  2015-2016 Dorothy Canfield Fisher Reading List These books are available to check out from the RES library, and also at the Richmond Free Library in the village. Fourth grade teachers will be reading one of the books on this year's list aloud to their classes:  No Summit Out of Sight  by Jordan Romero, the amazing autobiography of a teenager who climbed the seven highest mountains in the world. Grade 4 students who read or listen to at least 5 of the selected books from the list by early April, 2016 are eligible to vote for their favorite in the state-wide program. They will also receive an

We had a great first week of school in the RES Library Media Center! Wednesday the library doors opened and we showed off our new Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award books, and lots of other new reading: And then students started returning their summer library books! This scholar told me she read Cendrillon  by Robert San Souci "about a hundred times!" Our dedicated library volunteers checked in and put away over 1,100 summer books this week. We can't thank them enough for their help, which makes the summer library book program possible every year. Fourth graders got to work in their combined library enrichment classes, sharing what they already know about the planets in preparation for our solar system unit. And at the end of the day Friday, the library got a new self checkout station! Scholars will be able to visit the library and check out their books on a more flexible schedule this year, even when I'm teaching another class or working in the compute

second graders celebrating with their summer library books 2014-2015 at the RES library, by the numbers: Number of library books and other materials checked out by RES scholars, families, and staff : 18,003 Number of TumbleBooks electronic books read and listened to: 3,998 Number of uses of PebbleGo science and social studies electronic databases: 3,018 Number of scholar visits to the library: over  10,000 Number of summer library books in staff members' and students' hands for the summer: 2,013 ! Happy reading!  Thanks for a fantastic school year full of learning and joy! - Beth Redford, RES School Library Media Specialist

Children's librarian L.J. Kopf from the  Richmond Free Library  visited RES today to promote RFL's Summer Reading Program: Every Hero Has a Story  artwork by the hilarious Jarrett J. Krosoczka don't miss his website  www.studiojjk.com/ This fabulous  FREE  program provides reading records, prizes, activities, and an end of summer party to encourage children to read and maintain their literacy skills over the summer. All scholars received a bright pink information sheet to take home that explains more about the program. The Richmond Free Library is located at 201 Bridge Street in downtown Richmond. Please  visit their website  for more information about their hours and services. Happy summer reading!

Summer library book checkouts are beginning in the RES library media center! Scholars in kindergarten and grades one, two, and three will be able to check out up to 10 books from the library media center and take them home for the summer. Starting on Thursday, June 11, scholars will be bringing home “Carry Out a Good Book” bags with their summer library books. Each scholar will also get a note explaining the program and a list of books he or she has checked out for the summer. The books will be due back when school starts in the fall. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our school librarian, Mrs. Redford, at 434-2461 or  beth.redford@cesuvt.org

sharing a fourth grade Capstone  presentation with friends and family on May 13 May at the RES library, by the numbers: Number of library books and other materials checked out by RES scholars, families, and staff:  1,847  -- that's  92  per day in our 20 days of school this month Number of scholar visits to the library: over  1,000 Number of checkouts for our most popular book:  14  for Scaredy Squirrel Goes Camping Number of fourth grade Capstone presentations shared at our annual fourth grade Celebration of Learning on May 13: 47 . Please visit the ThinkCreateCollaborate blog for more information about the fourth graders and their amazing work this spring!

RES library volunteers donate over 20 hours a week of their time helping students find books, checking out materials, setting up displays, and reshelving the hundreds of books our students and teachers read and return every week. They also put in many extra hours at the beginning of every school year when students return several thousand summer library books. This year many new volunteers also came to the library to read with our kindergartners. Many thanks to these dedicated people who keep the library welcoming, attractive, and organized for our students: Susan Amidon Jen Cushman Heather Drury Berta Dumas Sherri Gouse Meghann Greenough Liz Halgas Adriana Hashinga Amy Ide Michael Marciel Meredith Monahan Jenn Poehlman Amanda Repp Evelyn Rolfe Renee Slattery Jackie Wintersteen Melissa Wolaver Students and staff from Camels Hump Middle School Officer Brett Lindemuth

First grade students at RES have started a unit in their library classes about communities around the world. The first book we shared was Chopsticks For My Noodle Soup by Susan E. Goodman, which is set in Malaysia. Students were especially interested in the similarities and differences between school in Richmond, Vermont and school in rural Malaysia: children in both schools learn reading, writing, and numbers, but the school cook in Malaysia sells unlimited candy to her students! In future weeks we will be sharing An Elephant in the Backyard by Richard Sobol (Thailand), Far North by Jan Reynolds (Scandinavia), and My Painted House, My Friendly Chicken, and Me by Maya Angelou (South Africa). Book cover images are from amazon.com

Fourth grade scholars at RES have been participating in a once a week class, co-taught by teacher-librarian Beth Redford and enrichment teacher Darcie Rankin. The class focuses on digital literacy, critical thinking, research skills, and interest driven projects. Scholars’ culminating activities were independent, interest driven research projects. Each scholar self selected a topic and designed a Capstone Project to share his or her interests and knowledge. Fourth graders and their families and friends gathered on Wednesday, May 13 to share their Capstone Projects and celebrate their learning. We hope you enjoy this video from our Celebration. Digital versions of many of the projects are available at the links below: Mrs. Berliner's Class Capstone Presentations Ms. Erickson's Class Capstone Presentations Ms. Senning's Class Capstone Presentations Thank you very much to all the adult experts and volunteers who assisted our scholars! And congratulatio

For the last four months, RES fourth graders have been planning, researching, and preparing presentations as part of their Capstone Projects for enrichment library class. The scholars have showed amazing creativity in how they choose to present the information they have learned. Here are just a few examples! Some students created videos:    Writing a Tellegami video about dinosaur extinction While others wrote movies or plays: rehearsing a play about a pop singer Created Google Presentations (don't miss the embedded greenscreen video):  Or wrote and illustrated comic strips: All the fourth grade scholars will be presenting their Capstone Projects at their Capstone Celebration, Wednesday, May 13 at 5:30 p.m. All projects will be posted on the ThinkCreateCollaborate blog next week!

The Day the Crayons Quit  by Drew Daywalt, illustrated by Oliver Jeffers. Yes, the top Red Clover Book choice of RES students also got the most votes all across Vermont. Click here for a list of the Red Clover Award-winning books from previous years . image from amazon.com

Running a book center about The Flying Beaver Brothers books April at the RES library, by the numbers: Number of library books and other materials checked out by RES scholars, families, and staff: 1,511 -- that's 89 per day in our 17 days of school this month Number of scholar visits to the library: over 850 Number of checkouts for our most popular book: 13 for The Minecraft Construction Handbook Number of second graders who ran "Book Centers" to persuade their classmates to try their favorite books: 30 . The rest of the second graders will be running their book centers in May Number of fourth graders who read or listened to at least 5 books from the 2014-2015 Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award reading list: 22 . This is a voluntary program for fourth through eighth graders which involves a LOT of reading during the school year, and we are very proud of all of our scholars who participated!

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein! Yes, the top DCF Book choice of RES students also got the most votes all across Vermont. Click here for a list of the DCF Book Award winners since the program began in 1957. image from amazon.com

This week RES fourth grade scholars completed their participation in the annual Dorothy Canfield Fisher (DCF) Award reading program. Every year, Vermont scholars in grades four through eight who participate in this program read titles from a list of new books. Each scholar who reads or listens to at least five titles on the list can vote on his or her favorite book. At RES, fourth graders who read at least five books on the current DCF list  also receive invitations to a lunchtime pizza party in the RES library. When RES fourth graders voted for their favorite DCF book, the winner was: Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Libary by Chris Grabenstein We would like to recognize the following fourth graders who read or listened to at least five DCF books this year: Hannah Agran Eric Bissell Grace Clark Madeleine Clark Audrie Coffin William DeBay Tess Drury Kaitlin Ford Cara Gagliardi Sophia Garavan Lily Gouse Kennedy Jensen Shaina Keough Lily Korczykowski Kelsey

February at the RES library, by the numbers: Number of library books and other materials checked out by RES scholars, families, and staff: 1,388 -- that's 93 per day.  Number of scholar visits to the library: over 700 during our three weeks of school in February (15 classes per week plus individual visits)   March at the RES library, by the numbers: Number of library books and other materials checked out by RES scholars, families, and staff: 1,795 -- that's 90 per day.  Number of scholar visits to the library: over 1,000 Number of RES first and second graders who read, listened to, evaluated, and voted on Red Clover books: 100  Number of fourth graders working on independent Capstone research projects: 50 . We can't wait to see the results!