SPRING BREAK

It time for everyone to take a step back and enjoy Spring Break next week. When we come back April 2nd, there is a flurry of activity. 7th grade regular Reading classes are selecting any Fiction book for their next book report. I plan to do a book talk of some of our newest Fiction. 6th grade Reading classes are selecting Fiction books about people with disabilities. I will do a book talk to help with their selection. On the Research side, advanced 7th grade classes will start researching information about a controversial topic and I will introduce them to the many resources we have in print and online. This is the first fo several research projects starting after break.

EXCITING WEEK

This past week was busy with all the activities I mentioned in last week's blog. The greatest surprise of the week was during Miss Trefonas's class visit. As I was showing her students a number of Chinese and Chinese American fiction books to fit in with her China project, one girl jumped up excitedly at Millicent Min-Girl Genius by Laurence Yep. It turns out that she had read that book and its companion, Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time and loved them. That certainly got all the other students and Miss Trefonas excited about the books, too.

Looking to next week, the week before Spring Break, things are less hectic. IMC computers are reserved for 8th grade Science on Tuesday and for the regular 6th grade Language Arts classes on Wednesday and Thursday. Reference Tables are reserved for 6th grade Music on Monday to finish up their Composer Project. And on Friday Mrs. Boyer's 7th grade Language Arts classes are coming for a book talk and book checkout. Since Mrs Boyer is assigning a free choice fiction book, I will be highlighting new additions to the IMC collection in my book talk.

The highlight of the week for the entire district IMC staff was our presentation to the School Board Tuesday night. Using a PowerPoint slide show we showed the Board some of the wonderful things we have been able to do for and with the students of Center Cass District now that the libraries are fully staffed. It was a Thank You to the Board members for approving the increased staffing last school year. I am very proud of my team both in PowerPoint show that we created and in the work they have done this year.

BACK TO NORMAL

Now that the majority of ISAT testing is done (Only makeups for absent students is left.), the IMC schedule is returning to normal. While this past week was quiet due to the testing schedule and we did get some time to work on new books, next week shows more normal usage. The IMC computers will be shared by 6th grade Music, Consumer Ed., and 6th grade Advanced Reading. I will be giving book talks to the regular 8th grade LA classes on Holocaust books for their Diary of Anne Frank unit and on Chinese culture fiction books to our 5th grade visitors from Miss Trefonas's class.

GLAD THIS WEEK IS OVER!

This has been the busiest week in the IMC so far this year. The computers were in use everyday and nearly every period. Almost every Reading class come in for book checkout. I have done book talks on Accelerated Reader fiction books, Biographies and autobiographies, and themes for Romeo and Juliet. 

The 6th grade voted online through the I.P.A.C. for the 2013 Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award. By the way, the winner here at Lakeview was Smile by Rayna Telgemeier. Second place went to Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper, and in third place was Dark Life by Kat Falls. I sent all of Lakeview's results to the state committee for tabulation. By mid-March we should hear which book is the official winner.

Next week will be much calmer since the students are taking the ISAT tests. Perhaps Mrs. Wilson and I will have time to work on new books again.