These Hands

I "wonder" what These Hands have to do with bread?

See if your students can re-tell this story.

Next Stop, London!

This week we are traveling to London to explore the London Zoo and the famous bear Winnie the Pooh.  In this Caldecott award winning book, Finding Winnie by, Lindsay Mattick, the author tells the story of her great Grandfather.  A veterinarian in WWI, who bought a bear cub from a trapper at a train station, later he takes the bear to the London Zoo.  That bear becomes the inspiration for the famous character Winnie the Pooh, written by A.A. Milne. 

Waiting for the Biblioburro by Monica Brown

Earlier in January we traveled to South America to explore the libraries there.  Did you know that libraries travel by donkey in Colombian villages? Neither did our students.  We talked about how dedicated this real life librarian, Luis Soriano Bohorquez, was to bring books to the students.  Watch the clip below and see how different things are for the students in this village. 

This book also gave us the opportunity to explore different reading strategies.  For example, students can sound out a word, look at the pictures for clues, chunk up a word or look for context clues.  Some of the words in this book were in spanish, it was impressive to watch our students use all of these strategies to decode the words.  

Mrs. Mercer

She Stood For Freedom

This week in the media center we are discussing the civil rights movement.  Having just observed the Martin Luther King Holiday, I felt like it was a good time to introduce an amazing american named Joan Trumpauer Mulholland.  Pictured here with her son and Author of the book we are reading this week. Check out her story by clicking on the above link.

It is my hope that all of us will stand up for what is right because it is the right thing to do.

Mrs. Mercer

World Book Online and ebooks

Did you know that you have access to World Book Online and 2,500 ebooks? 

The button to the right will get you there. Here are the instructions for home use. This is a service Meadow Elementary provides for our students. Please use this responsibly so we can continue to bring it to you for free.

Grateful in November

Oh how I love fall!
It's the perfect time of year to cuddle up with a great book and read.

This month we are staying a little closer to home, we have been traveling a lot in the Library.  I know the kids are anxious to tell me all about their family traditions for the holidays.  

One of my family traditions is to wake up and watch the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade. As a little girl, I can remember watching the parade with my sisters. I wanted to go to New York and actually be on the parade route. Maybe one day I will make it there. 

Here are the 2 books we will be exploring as we stay a little closer to home and celebrate our families.  



This is the true story of a man named Tony Sarg. Mr. Sarg was a puppeteer and a marionette man. He was the creator of the balloons that fly over the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade.  With fantastic illustrations this book tells the story of a boy with a desire to dream big and achieve great things.  A very inspiring book, and a student favorite.



Travel with us to the beautiful city of New York,  and listen to the sounds of the city.  A young boy travels on a bus with his grandmother and learns valuable life lessons along the way.  He learns to serve others and the importance of community.  I am loving the feedback I am getting from teachers on this one.  This story has the potential to spark many valuable life lessons in class as well in your homes.

I am grateful for the opportunity to serve your students. I hope you celebrate this Thanksgiving with family and friends.

Mrs. Mercer

A nice reminder

Can you see the resemblance? 

 

                                                                                               

  Do you know Edwina the Emu? She really wants to find a job to support her soon to hatch eggs. She searches and tries out many jobs.  Edwina tries to be a ballerina, a chimney sweep, and finally a waitress.  I found this cute drawing of "Beky the Emu" today when I got to work. 

Thank you Eva Lau.

Eva reminded me of all the positions I have had in my 9 years at Meadow Elementary. While I have never been a ballerina or a chimney sweep, I have had 6 positions at Meadow.  My favorite of all of them has been the Media Specialist. In the library I get to encourage a love of reading, but more than that, I get to see each student once a week. I get to know all 740 Meadow students in an environment that is like no other place in our school. It is truly an honor to work with your students and see the progress each one makes in their ability to become lifelong learners.  

Mrs. Mercer

(aka. Beky the Emu)