Mrs. D'Elia
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Posts by Mrs. D'Elia
Shelf Signs Thanks to Our Amazing PTO
01 week ago
This is almost the end of my second year as the School Librarian of the LTC at Pine Glen and I am finally getting around to the task of creating shelf signs for the collection. What? You say. You had no shelf signs? I know, I know, but I think you’ll agree that these were worth waiting for.
Not only did I want to provide signage for the collection but I also wanted to make sure that the signs were useful and meaningful to the students, not just to me. That meant clear, simple, and visual signs. After lots of consideration, I decided to ask the Pine Glen PTO to help me purchase a lot of white cardboard magazine holders. I created signs that include the Dewey subject, the Dewey number and images to match. Then I printed them and attached them on the back side of the magazine holder. Fortunately for me, there is plenty of room on the shelves for these sign holders.
I’ve only just begun labeling the shelves but I already have seen how much easier it is for even the youngest students to find what they are looking for and that is my ultimate goal: developing independent users of the library space and collection.
Thank you Pine Glen PTO for once again supporting the Pine Glen LTC with the vision of creating a friendly and inviting space and turning your kids into enthusiastic and effective library users.
Bam! Pow! It’s Our New Graphic Novel Collection
01 month ago
We love our little LTC (Library & Technology Center.) It has great books, a computer lab, a story throne, chromebooks, a handful of iPod Touches, a Wall of Awesome, a tower of cushions, and amazine volunteers. But the one thing we didn’t have was Graphic Novels. So we asked our super supportive PTO if they would fund a new collection.
And guess what? The PTO said yes!
Once they arrived (as you can see by the photos on the right) students have been exploring, reading, and enjoying the books in the new graphic novel collection.
But often I am asked many questions by parents and teachers about graphic novels. Here are the most frequent ones:
What are Graphic Novels?
Graphic novels are books written and illustrated in the style of a comic book that resembles a novel in length and narrative development.
Why Graphic Novels?
Graphic novels can dramatically help improve reading development for students struggling with language acquisition as the illustrations provide contextual clues. They are also a great way to reach reluctant readers!
But Do Graphic Novels Count as Real Reading?
The excellent graphic novels available today require readers to be actively engaged in the process of decoding and comprehending a range of literary devices which leads to the development of critical skills necessary to read more challenging works. Yes, they count as real reading.
So far, some of the students’ favorites are Lunch Lady, Babymouse, Amulet, Tintin, and Binky the Space Cat.
Thank you, PTO, once again for generously supporting the LTC and giving all the students of Pine Glen the opportunity to explore, read, and love graphic novels.
Celebrating Books, Reading & World Literacy
22 months ago
From March 1 through March 11 (extended due to snow days), Pine Glen celebrated Bookapalooza, a school-wide event that allowed us to share our love of reading and to support world literacy. It was a lot of work but even more fun!
First, it was important to promote Bookapalooza to our school community before the big week. I asked the Student Council if they would like to help and they were eager to get on board. These students came up with the name “Bookapalooza,” made posters to hang around the school, and helped me make Dr. Seuss goodie bags.
Students making posters
Stuffing Dr. Seuss Goodie Bags
Bookapalooza poster
“Make a Change With Your Change” poster
We kicked off Bookapalooza by celebrating Read Across America and Dr. Seuss’s 109th birthday on Friday, March 1. Ms. Smith’s first grade classroom made Dr. Seuss posters to hang around the school and Mrs. Visocchi helped to arrange for her Bridges senior volunteers to visit classrooms and read Dr. Seuss books to our students. The lunchroom served green eggs and ham and the Library & Technology Center handed out small goodie bags to all students (you never know when you’re going to need a Dr. Seuss bookmark!) Rumor had it that the Cat in the Hat showed up to do a little reading, too!
Lots of excitement (and silliness!)
First grade posters for Dr. Seuss’s birthday
Goodie Bags
Member of Mrs. Visocchi’s senior Bridges program reading Dr. Seuss
The Cat in the Hat made an appearance in First Grade
Then we turned our focus to world literacy by participating in a week long celebration of World Read Aloud Day, March 6. Our homerooms signed up to be Book Buddies with other homerooms so students could read picture books aloud to each other. It was so great to see older students reading to younger students and vice versa! The LTC had plenty of great read-alouds set aside so students could choose their favorites to read. I love seeing which books students chose especially those who wanted to share a book that they loved when they were younger.
Samantha reading to her Kindergarten Book Buddies
Devin loved reading his favorite childhood book to his Kindergarten Book Buddy
Brennan is enjoying being read to by his big sister Book Buddy, Shea
World Read Aloud Day is a worldwide event hosted by LitWorld.org that brings awareness to world literacy. There are 793,000 people in the world who are not literate.
World Read Aloud Day is about taking action to show the world that the right to read and write belongs to all people. World Read Aloud Day motivates children, teens, and adults worldwide to celebrate the power of words, especially those words that are shared from one person to another, and creates a community of readers advocating for every child’s right to a safe education and access to books and technology.
Pine Glen participated in World Read Aloud Day in a handful of ways. First, we Skyped with other classrooms in the United States, sharing a picture book and reading aloud to each other. The majority of the books we shared we read on the WeGiveBooks.org, a database of digital picture books that you can read online while supporting world literacy:
- We read One Cool Friend with Mrs. Lussier’s class in Connecticut,
- We read Bunny Days, Duck! Rabbit! and Mine-O-Saur with Ms. Broderick’s class in Massachusetts,
- We read Mine-O-Saur with Ms. Broderick’s class in Massachusetts AND Mr. Winner’s class in Maryland at the same time! (that was definitely a shining moment
- We read Same, Same but Different with Mr. Plemmons’s class in Georgia,
- We read Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons with Mrs. Schmidt’s class in Georgia and her students performed Reader’s Theater for us,
- We read Extra Yarn with Mrs. Potter’s class in Maine,
- We read One Cool Friend with Ms. Myles class in North Carolina,
- We read Bunny Days with Mrs. Hundt’s class in Wisconsin, and
- We read Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon with Mrs. Kaldenbergh’s class in Iowa.
Reading One Cool Friend with ours friends in North Carolina
Skyping and reading with Ms. Broderick in MA and Mr. Winner in MD at the same time!
Reading Same, Same but Different with Mr. Plemmons in GA
Pine Glen also decided to raise money for world literacy. We created the “Make a Change, With Your Change” Fundraiser (thank you, again, Student Council for such a great name!) After a week of collecting change, we raised $400.00! The LTC will donate this money to WeGiveBooks.org who, during the winter season, will give two books to a world literacy campaign for every $5.00 you donate. That means Pine Glen donated 160 books! Great effort to everyone who donated. Pine Glen definitely made a change with our change
Devin adder her change to the bottle
Finally, we ended Bookapalooze with “Dress Up as Your Favorite Book Character” Day. There were many great book characters spotted that day such as Percy Jackson, Pinkalicious, Skippyjon Jones, Harry Potter, Tintin, and Pippi Longstocking.
Pinkalicious
How many Things are there?
Paper Bag Princess
Tintin
Skippyjon Jones
Rendi from Starry River of the Sky
Percy Jackson
Pippi Longstocking
Even the Friday Faculty Breakfast got into the spirit!
Thank you, Pine Glen, for a memorable week of sharing our love for books and reading.
Bookapalooza Extended!
02 months ago
Bookapalooza Events Rescheduled!
Monday, March 11
“Dress Up As Your Favorite Book Character” Day
It must be a BOOK character.
Characters from TV shows or movies don’t count unless it was a book first!
Costumes should be appropriate for school; no weapons, swords, sticks, etc.
Costumes should not get in the way of learning.
Students can still bring their change in on Monday for the
“Make a Change with Your Change” Fundraiser.
Bookapalooza is Coming!
02 months ago
In honor of Dr. Seuss’s birthday, March 1, and World Read Aloud Day, March 6, Pine Glen is celebrating our very first Bookapalooza. (Thank you to the Pine Glen Student Council for such an awesome name!) Bookapalooza is a week long event focused around how much we love books and reading (see the planned events listed below.) It is also a great time to support efforts worldwide to increase literacy.
Celebrate by reading aloud, giving away a book, or taking action in any way you can to Read It Forward on behalf of the 793 million people who cannot read.
Imagine a world where everyone can read…
