Best Books – Mrs. Rossi's Library Tech Page!

Curriculum, Environment, Local Authors, New Non-fiction, Reading and Library Advocacy, Scholastic Book Fair

Downtime in the Winter? Not here!

Posted on January 15, 2025January 25, 2025 by lisafairbanksrossi

After a fun-filled end of 2024, we’ve started out the first quarter of 2025 by creating New Year’s Resolutions, learning about Spokane author Kelly Milner Halls as we get ready for her visit on January 21. And this week, we are researching Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. If he were still alive, he would be 96 on Wednesday, January 15.

Me in my work clothes being in charge of a few school events and making uncessary updates to compelling lessons…probably running late.

We have 20 of Kelly’s 50 published books for elementary and middle school readers.

Cozy Up to Reading: A Pacific Northwest Wonderland

Join us on the evening of January 21, right after the Martin Luther King holiday, for a fun and creative celebration of reading and writing! We’re calling it “Cozy Up to Reading: A Pacific Northwest Wonderland.” Fingers crossed for a light dusting of snow—not enough to make the roads tricky, but just enough to invite everyone into the warmth of storytelling. (Cold weather is perfect for our theme!)

We’re thrilled to host two incredible guests:

Jennifer Lebrett, a Spokane Tribal member, will share the story of Salmon Boy, a legend of the Sechelt People. According to fifth-grade teacher Kristen Labrie, “Salmon are a vital part of Native culture, especially here in Spokane. The Spokane Tribe relied heavily on salmon for survival, gathering annually at Spokane Falls to witness the salmon’s return to spawn. Salmon Boy teaches the importance of protecting these incredible creatures.” Mrs. Labrie’s class is currently raising salmon eggs in a freshwater tank, and attendees will get to meet the baby salmon while hearing this remarkable story.
Kelly Milner Halls, an award-winning author known for her fascinating books on dinosaurs, life-saving animals, and paranormal phenomena, will spend the day inspiring our students with her craft. She describes herself as “the kid who asked too many questions” and writes thoughtful non fiction to help other curious kids get answers. She’ll join us in the evening to share her passion for smart storytelling with young audiences.

The evening will also feature:

Hands-on activities like creating texture books and bookmarks.
A bookwalk with exciting prizes.

We can’t wait to celebrate with you—mark your calendar and cozy up to an unforgettable night of reading, storytelling, and creativity!

And due to popular demand, the Scholastic Book fair is coming in exactly a month! We’ll be holding it during parent teacher conferences, with the first 1.5 days dedicated to students creating book wishlists and purchasing. It will be open to the public the afternoon of February 12, just after school lets out on the half day (first day of parent teacher conferences) It will run until 5:30pm. We will run the fair noon-7:30pm on February 13 and 8am-12noon on Friday February 14. The theme? For the LOVE of Reading, because Valentines Day 💞

See? That is why I’m moving briskly and wearing my best hat and carrying a briefcase. Running a school library is serious business! And I love it.

Awesome Apps, Curriculum, Reading and Library Advocacy

Stop Summer Slide 📚

Posted on June 14, 2024July 6, 2024 by lisafairbanksrossi

I’m not talking about avoiding a hot slide to protect your backside. Although you probably should do that, too. The “Summer Slide” is the “tendency for children to lose some of the academic gains they had made during the previous school year. Research has shown that children experience significant learning loss over the summer.” (Tacoma Public Library)

There are so many online resources for my avid readers who may finish books before it’s convenient to get to a brick and mortar library! All you need is a device and, in some cases, a library account or a password. I will give you all that I know about!

Here are links to our Midway Elementary databases. Pebble Go (1st-3rd graders LOVE researching their favorite people and places) username is Midway1 and password is school. The password for Gale is “goldfinch.”

All you need to access our collection of 85 eBooks is your student’s username and password to sign in to Destiny. Below is a instructional video explaining two methods of signing in. ⬇️

Unite for Literacy is a collection of open access ebooks (no passwords needed!) for Kindergarten and first grades. Or younger! Books will narrate for non-readers.

To access the summer schedule and check out items from 4 digital catalogs, create a Spokane County Library account and visit their digital library at this link.

Oxford Owl is a free e-book program that does require an account. It is London-based so read these words with a British accent:

“Oxford Owl for Home is our website for parents and carers. Here, you’ll find information about the primary curriculum along with tips and activities to help your child with reading, English, and maths at home.” (See? “Maths” Jolly Good.)

Read to earn UW Swag!

Participating students K-8 read at least 20 minutes a day on 30 separate days to earn a Husky reward and reading certificate. Offer open to all students, but perhaps most enjoyable for Husky fans! 🐾

#Barbie, Back to School, Curriculum, New Non-fiction, Reading and Library Advocacy, Taylor Swift

Welcome to the 2023-2024 School Year!

Posted on September 9, 2023September 11, 2023 by lisafairbanksrossi

Barbies, Taylor Swift and Dual Language offerings!

First, I’d like to share my Fall introduction video with you, which includes links to our Library expectations and the district-wide learning targets for each discipline. These learning targets have been collaboratively developed by myself and my nine colleagues over the past two years, and they are consistent across all Mead’s elementary schools. We’ve put a lot of effort into refining the language and goals to ensure they align with our educational mission

Fall Introduction Video

Let’s look at what’s happening in the library this year!

I went a little crazy with Barbie theme. But it’s a reflection of not only American society, but global demand and consumption. As of today the Barbie movie “has become the highest-growing movie of 2023 reaching $575.4 million domestically this week…It has already grossed $1.3 billion globally.” (Time.com)

Not that many of our students have actually seen the movie, (the intended audience being adults and teens) and that’s fine. Those who have, adored it, and usually had older siblings. But the display was carefully created by my 18-year-old daughter, who, with impressive imagination, played Barbie and Monster High with her twin sister for much longer than their peers. I played along with them of course, which is why I sobbed through much of the nostalgia-driven scenes. Also, my daughters are leaving me for college so I’m a little weepy anyway.

A great school or public library should always reflect not only the most high-quality traditional and contempory children’s book titles, but what is happening in popular culture, especially if it is a child-driven phenomenon. To be clear, I am not promoting the movie, I am promoting what Barbie (via Mattell) has done right: Representing the hopes and dreams of young children (both reasonable and seemingly unreachable goals!)

It’s been a long time since Dr. Jane Goodall was this young! My daughter’s hero.

There really IS a Sally Ride Barbie. These library displays coming soon..

We always had these Ruth Handler biographies but now they are featured prominently, as least temporarily

Aside from answering the question “Why all the Barbies?” and pointing out it’s a global phenomenon and a literature tie-in opportunity, and that I have Kens featured, too, I am not teaching about anything Barbie. I don’t have time and and it’s silly. Just fun.

I’ve also borrowed the theme from the other global phenomenon, Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” to promote our novel Section.

What I am teaching in the first few weeks is lots of academic and social expectations, a review of some of our wonderful new picture (“Everybody”) and science and fiction books. We also devote a lesson on the 22nd anniversary of 9/11 in the most age-appropriate manner

We are also gearing up for our first literature-centered monthly theme: Hispanic American History Month. In our library, we feature books and lessons from the following state or nationally recognized holidays:

September: Hispanic Heritage Month (9/15-10/15) , 9/11 Patriot Day. October: Bullying Prevention Month, International School Libraries Month, Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Media Literacy Week, Halloween. November: Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertes), America Indian & Alaska Native Heritage Month, Veteran’s Day, Diwali, Thanksgiving. December: Pearl Harbor Day of Rememberance, International Hour of Code, Christmas across the world, Hanukkah and other winter holidays. January: Martin Luther King Jr. Day. February: American Heart Month, Black History Month, Groundhog Day, Lunar New Year, Valentine’s Day. March: Women’s History Month, Read Across America, Pi Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter. April: Poetry Month, National Park Week, Earth Day. May: Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, International Harry Potter Day, Cinco de Mayo, Mother’s Day, Memorial Day. June: Great Outdoors Month, Pollinators Month, Father’s Day, Juneteeth.

Midway Elementary has expanded its offerings with the addition of two classrooms dedicated to our district’s Dual Language program. As a result, we are delighted to introduce a fresh collection of resources, including bilingual and Spanish picture books, informative science materials, and captivating novels. The Dual Language program has made a significant investment in an extensive array of high-quality Spanish paperbacks, thoughtfully curated to align with the curriculum and cater to the interests of our kindergarten and first-grade students. This impressive inventory will be readily accessible in the library, classrooms, and our dedicated book room, enriching the language and literary experiences of our students across various settings.

Thank for for reading this long post! Have a great Fall.

Best Books, Reading and Library Advocacy, Scholastic Book Fair

Arctic Adventure Book Fair!

Posted on October 4, 2019January 22, 2020 by lisafairbanksrossi

You know librarians are some of the most likely people to hoard books? That’s why it’s a delight when we get to host temporary book stores in our libraries. They’re the beloved Scholastic Book Fairs!

I happen to be fortunate enough to have a school/neighborhood parent who LOVES putting on the book fair. And I mean PUT ON from the beginning; concept to Pinterest board posting to decoration to volunteer acquisition. The decor is extravagant and detailed and color coordinated and I keep it around for months after the sale.

The community shows up for their students, particularly during the Grandparents Day, which was yesterday and I manage the website and social media account so I get to take all kinds of photos. The sight of an older person leaning over to gently lead, or be led by their grandchild is beautiful.

The Scholastic Book Fair has so many great deals on paperback books, and an equal number of sparkly overpriced journals that draw the attention of young customers…particularly the young girls, and I work to divert the kids from the junk corner. I tell the kids to expect the items to last from 2 days to two weeks. I am constantly working to promote reading so why would that change in what is essentially a book store. I actually told one of my students today “I will not let you buy this chocolate calculator. ”

I already heard the complaints of a student who bought the mini chocolate calculator: “It doesn’t smell like chocolate, the keys are too small and it was overpriced.”

‘Yes,” I agreed, “that is a bummer.” You don’t go to a seafood restaurant and order spaghetti and meatballs. You don’t go to a book fair and buy cute office supplies.

Anyway, it’s been fun and I’ve been teaching outside of the library and leaving my water and laptop and books behind in random classrooms but it’s all worth it!! Thank you to Angela Wolverston for all of her time and creativity and time and more time and her n=husband who dressed up as Dogman and ran into walls and couldn’t fit through doorways. AND THANK YOU, FAMILIES, for coming! And getting books into children’s excited hands!

The book fair is usually the largest source of income for the library but during this budget shortfall year, it is the only one!

Happy New (School) Year!

schools first day of school — This picture book is WONDERFUL! By Adam Rex, the award-winning illustrator of *The Day the Crayons Quit.*

The Midway Sharks are a little younger this year, which means more malleable minds with which to develop a lifetime love of reading! Because our sixth graders moved to the Sixth Grade Center, we had extra classrooms which now house active, curious kindergarten and first graders! While it is more challenging to teach first graders how to sign in to Chromebooks (picture the GIF below, but a 6-year-old version.) it is delightful to hear them giggle and watch them marvel listening to a thoughtful, funny and rich picture book. (PS Reading aloud with different voices

is my favorite thing in the WORLD) We are learning how to hold, identify, categorize and generally take care of books and electronics, as well as take care of our classmates and communities by being good citizens in real life and online. Digital Citizenship is the main guideline for 4th grade, but I begin to touch on it early, as all of our young students now have access to online devices.

We are beginning to promote the upcoming book fair, which begins September 30. The book fairs are always very successful community events because our families value books, have a positive background with literacy and are engaged in their students’ activities and interests. And we all love a fun community event! As we did last year, our Grandparents morning celebration will coincide with the book fair this year, also, on Wednesday, October 1. Thank you for your support and partnership in raising readers and thoughtful digital citizens.

Arctic Adventure Book Fair — Coming to Midway September 30-October 3 (with a last-minute grab before school on Friday, Oct 4)

MIND-BLOWING NEW LIBRARY

I am spending today (my only day away from the new library since the doors were opened last week) so that I can figure out WHAT I’m going to teach, rather than obsessing about WHERE and HOW. It will be so amazing, but here are some realities that were different than I thought they would be! You will need to either grow another foot OR use the footstools we will be providing in order to access the fiction books on the top shelf. First, we tried to move the shelves down, but there was so much wasted space and we thought it would be more dangerous to trip over books than to stretch to reach them.

libraryb45 — We have sooooo much storage

library b43 — Wait. Are these in order?!

We will have painstakingly specific, nitpicky rules and practice regarding these stepstools!!

We will have access to a STEM area for group work, which will give you access not only to traditional maker tools like Keva Planks, Strawbees, and Lego, but also to old favorite robots like Ozobots and Finch, but also Dash & Dot! We will have brand new Chromebooks and a classroom set of iPads to expand your capacity to explore and create. We will also have books about Stop Gap animation. Why else have thousands of lego mini figures?!

I absolutely would not have had this library as ready as it is without the rock star library paras from our crosstown buddy schools, Brentwood, Colbert, Meadow Ridge, Mountainside and Prairie View. Your expertise was vital! Becky Swenson, Gaylene Johnson and Mary Lawson spent three days each!!!

See you next week. I can’t reveal any more. I have a lot more work to do….

~Mrs. Rossi

Awesome Apps, Best Books

Newbery and Kahoot!

Posted on January 18, 2016July 21, 2016 by lisafairbanksrossi

We’ve been spending this literature award season (Yes, it’s award season in libraries just like in Hollywood, but authors don’t tend to have glamorous parties to celebrate their achievements.) We focused on the 2015 Newbery winner, Kwame Alexander’s Crossover.

In the primary grades, we talked about the most recent Caldecott winner ( The Adventures of Beekle, the Unimaginary Friend) and I explained to everyone that generally only intermediate grades get to enjoy the Newbery winners, as they are chapter books or err on the side of YA, since this is the kind of breadth necessary to deliver the kind of emotional and social goals the Newbery committee has for its nominated books. But then, BOOM! The Newbery committee, in a major shift from their normal MO, selected a picture book as the 2016 Newbery winner. What?!

The Last Stop On Market Street, by Matt de la Peña~ the first Latino Newbery winner, btw~ is a lovely book, but honestly, it’s no Giver or Tale of Despeareaux. Still it’s worth having in any collection. It was also a Caldecott Honor book, thanks to Christian Robonson’s sweet illustrations. Here’s the publisher’s synopsis: “Every Sunday after church, CJ and his grandma ride the bus across town. But today, CJ wonders why they don’t own a car like his friend Colby. Why doesn’t he have an iPod like the boys on the bus? How come they always have to get off in the dirty part of town? Each question is met with an encouraging answer from grandma, who helps him see the beauty—and fun—in their routine and the world around them.” But what excited the kids more than any reading or historical lesson (I know, shocker) was the quiz i gave them through an interactive platform called “KAHOOT IT” I took nine questions and they raced aganist each other to choose the best answer. It was such a loud success that I honestly don’t know if I can play it in library. It sets a very high volume precedent which is hard to bounce back from. You need other players to try it out, but you totally should. Start at https://play.kahoot.it/

Awesome Apps, Best Books, traditional topics, non-traditional teaching, writing

On Creating a Creepy “Voice”

Posted on November 1, 2015July 21, 2016 by lisafairbanksrossi

This Halloween week was about scary stories: both reading them and writing them. We (4-6th graders) used Storybird (www.storybird.com) and searched “creepy” artwork, then started writing! Here’s a quick synopsis via “book trailer” of “The Graveyard Book” narrated by Author Neil Gaiman (also author of “Coraline”):

https://youtu.be/P_UUVwTaemk

Also, here’s a link to an excerpt I read from the first chapter of “The Graveyard Book.” http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/books/chapters/chapter-graveyard-book.html?_r=0I

I read it with a flashlight under my face and played creepy music. Then we wrote!!

Here’s our targets by the end of the next two weeks which I have slated for the young Stephen Kings to complete their projects:

I can … use a variety of technology tools to organize and present data and information.

I can … create an original response to a writing prompt and establish a tone appropriate to the task.
Check out the book (the real physical copy; all the Mead elementary schools should have it! And read it with a flashlight under your chin!(P.S. Grade 3 classes did a screen-time study after a reading of Goodnight Ipad and first and second graders worked on National Geographic Online–the Halloween games section 🙂