Learning in the USA

 Celebrating Constitution Day 2013 in the library this week. But first lets give a great big Thank you to the teachers that encourage today's youth, with this message from the Kids President.

                                                                You're Awesome!

This week in the library we read The U.S. Constitution by Kathy Allen and  We the Kids  by David Catrow. We then had a discussion about the 3 branches of government. We talked about some interesting facts like, who was our first President? Who is our President today? Where does our President live? How long ago was the Constitution written? First Grade friends also discussed how a law is passed. It was actually a really fun lesson and I think the kiddo's took a lot away. Talk to them and see what they can remember.

 

My Kindergarten friends made a list of rules and promises for their classroom. I absolutely loved hearing them talk about the rules they seemed to know them all. YEAH! We took those rules and we created a Classroom Constitution. The students, their teacher and Mr. H all signed the Constitutions. They will proudly be displayed in their rooms to remind all of us of the rules most valued in our classrooms by all.  See it here: +2 

First grade friends are creating a Family Constitution. They will work with their families to create goals for their families. They will define what what responsibilitiesand rights each family memeber has. They will show what the government of their family looks like. What freedoms will the citizens of their family have? I will post some of the family Constitutions as they come back next week.
See a sample of mine:

 I am so proud of the amazing job my friends did. I love being reminded just what kids can do. I see them shine everyday.  


 ****Our First Grade Sight Word Powerpoint is almost completed, see it soon!****
                                                                             
Our spotlight book was selected by Mrs. Hoffman Get out of Bed by Robert Munsch.
What will get sleepy Amy out of bed? Not her brother's yell. Not her father's stern command. Not even her mother's trick of standing Amy up on her feet! So they do the only thing they can--they tuck her back into bed! Amy's father picks up one end of the bed and Amy's mother and brother pick up the other. They lug it out the door, down the street, around the corner, through the school yard, and into the school. Amy's classmates spend the entire day trying to get sleeping Amy through her school activities.

Our Fact of The Week  was added by a first grade student who checked out this book Polar Bears.
When he returned it I asked him what interesting facts did he learn? This is what he shared.

What a great way to spend an afternoon.

I have had such a great response from students and adults alike, regarding my Fall Reading Challenge

This makes me so happy and makes my heart sing! This challenge is really getting people of all ages reading! :) 

In case you didn't see last weeks blog here is a list of the challenge book ideas for both students and adults. Kennedy Students:

1. Read a book written by an author you have never read before.

2. Read a book you already have at home but haven't gotten around to yet.

3. Read a book about a dog as the main character. (ex:Clifford's Manners)

4. Read  a book about a career you are interested in (Ex: Firefighters Fight Fires)

5. Read a book with a color word in the title. (ex: Red Are The Apples)

6. Read a book with a number word in the title.  (ex: The Three Little Pigs)

7. Read a Dr. Seuss Book

8. Read a holiday book (any holiday)

9. Read a book about the tooth fairy

10. Re-read a book you enjoy.

11.Read a book about the fall.

12. Read 3 books from three different genres (ex: Picture book, Mystery, Fairy tale)

Adult

1. Read a book written by an author you have never read before

2. Read a book you already have at home but haven't gotten around to yet:

3. Read a book written in the decade you were born

4. Read a book that takes place in the state/province you were born (Illinois)

5. Read a book titled The ____'s Daughter or The ____'s Wife

6. Read a book originally written in a language other than English

7. Read a book with a number in the title. It could be an actual digit or a number like "hundred" or "thousand." No arbitrary numbers allowed (several, few, many, ect.)

8. Read a book set during Christmas or another winter holiday

9. Read a book written by an author who shares your initials

10. Read a Pulitzer Prize winner or finalist for fiction.

11. Re-Read a book

12. Read three books from three different genres (one book for each genre)
Mystery/Thriller/Suspense

I finished my book from the Fall Book Challenge, I was reading by Cecelia Ahern Thanks for the Memories which qualified under number 2 as a book I had on hand. It was a really great story.  I give 3 out of 5 stars.

Here is a preview:

With her marriage already in pieces, Joyce Conway nearly lost everything else. But she survived the terrible accident that left her hospitalized--and now, inexplicably, she can remember faces she has never seen, cobblestone Parisian streets she's never visited. A sudden, overwhelming sense of deja vu has Joyce feeling as if her life is not her own and the mystery begins.

My next book choice for our Fall Reading Challenge is The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shafer. This book choice will qualify as a number one off my book list. I have never read from this author before. I have been wanting to read this book for over a year and just haven't gotten to it. Finally, I will start tonight.

Mrs. Pitts (in the office) and I representing our KU Jayhawks, love fall Fridays at school.

What an eventful week, with Constitution Day, The harvest moon and now officially it is fall! I have to post my fall bucket list because this is my favorite time of  year. I love snuggling up and reading but I do more than just read. I have many favorite things in the fall. How about you?

Nothing better than a hot cup of coffee and a good book on a fall day!

I will try to post pictures of my fall bucket list as I complete them and then some. I can't wait.

Feel free to share your Fall Bucket List or ideas I didn't mention. Would love to hear all about it.

I'm kind of excited to be sending off the first Slant box gift box this week. I think she will love it.

I want everything I included in this package. I have had so much fun meeting and chatting with these ladies! I will have to do this again. I will repost when they start a new sign up and I will reveal my gift box when it arrives. 

 

Hope you all had an amazing weekend.

Happy Reading,

Mrs. Shamhart