[LM_NET] HIT: first days with 3rd, 4th, 5th graders (very Long)

[M S <drjesons@GMAIL.COM>]

On Fri, Aug 29, 2008 at 9:30 PM, M S <drjesons@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hello
>
> I just got a letter from my school district that I will be a librarian
> in the 3-5 grades school.
>
> All my experiences have been with kindergarten.
>
> I wanted to know for the first few days- (before I get to know the
> teachers, the curriculums, the administration, and before they turn on
> the computers (big problem),  etc)
>
> what should I do beside "laying out the rules" talk about "taking care
> of books)  ?
>
> I would like to start the lessons with some kind of fun activity and end it so
>
> what are some of the good picture books one may read to these grades ?
>
> are 5th graders too mature to use puppets with ?
>
> I also know that discipline is going to be difficult.
>
>
> If any of you have advices, Please write me.
>
> Madeleine Zember
> Hempstead School District Librarian
> Hempstead NY
> drjesons@gmail.com
>

Usually by 5th grade they have heard the "beginning of the year talk"
many times.  I like to make it a little more fun.  I am attaching my
version of Back -to School Jeopardy.  Please adapt it meet your needs
if you wish.  Good luck!
Back to School jeopardy.ppt
287K   View as HTML   View as slideshow   Download
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I am a new 3rd through 5th librarian this year.  Yesterday I saw all
of th 5th grades and next week I will see everyone else.  Since the
5th graders have already been in the library for two years, I didn't
have to do a lot with orientation.  I introduced myself and told them
a little bit about me.  I then read a funny poem from The Dog Ate My
Homework by Bruce Lansky.  I didn't have enough time with them to do a
read aloud, so I thought a poem would work well.  If I had more time I
would have read The Librarian from the Black Lagoon.

After reading the poem I went through my expectations for them in the
library, basically "the rules".  I then quickly reminded them about
where everything is, how many books they get and for how long, that I
want them to pick at least one "just right" book, and what to do
during drills and emergencies.

I let them know that I would be talking to them in later weeks about
our Reading Counts program (which I'm not looking forward to) and the
Caudill books for this year.  Then they browsed and checked out books.

I only had each class for half an hour.  I left about half of that for
browsing and check out.
Some classes were a little difficult to keep quiet and still, since it
was a Friday, but mostly they behaved well.

I will do a similar session with the fourth graders.  The third
graders will require much more introduction to the library.  I will
start by introducing myself, reading aloud to them (haven't decided
what yet, First Day Jitters maybe), talking about library rules, and
then giving them a tour of the library.  The tour is what I am most
concerned about since I have a small space.

I am going to see the third grade two weeks in a row for half an hour.
 I don't think they can take in information for much longer than that.
 I would say that puppets are still fine for third, but maybe not for
fourth and fifth.  They like humorous stories and poems, in my
experience
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For third grade, I get the bookmarks from Upstart that remind them how
to take care of books.  At the end of our time, I ask each child to
read the bookmark I hand to them. It helps reinforce how to take care
of the library's things.  I read a book the first weeks such as
"Goldilocks and the Three Libearians" or Stella Louella's Runaway Book
or Library Dragon.  Then I move into the Dewey Decimal system briefly.
I hand out cards with fiction call numbers and ask them to find the
book. The students love getting up for their turn.  The class helps by
saying hot or cold depending on how close the student is to the actual
book.  It also reinforces how to "keep your place" on the shelf when
browsing for books. We do dictionaries, thesauri, etc in the first
month or two.

For fourth grade, I read something with humor such as SkippyJon Jones
or "the Frog Prince continued".  Then fourth grade is spent learning
genres, introducing and using reference skills and internet searching.
I go through reference books one by one. Then I have a scavenger hunt
as a way of helping them understand when to go to what source.

For my fifth graders, puppets would be too young.  Chris Van Allsburg
is perfect!  They love The Stranger, The Sweetest Fig, etc.,  I always
use The Widows Broom at Halloween and it is always a huge hit.  For my
school, fifthe grade is all about reference skills.

Schlessinger Video has great library skills videos available thru
Library Video Company.
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 Going over rules, expectations and the OPAC is a great way to
introduce yourself to the students. I am in two 1-5 buildings in
Michigan and my general classes for my 3rd graders are the layout of
the library, introducing the OPAC and understanding the Dewey Decimal
system; 4th grade we work on research skills and methods including
encyclopedia searches; and my 5th graders we do a lot pre-research
lessons and then we actually incorporate the lessons into their major
research projects. I always review the OPAC with 4th and 5th at the
beginning of the year -- but I wait a couple of months before I
introduce it to my 3rd graders, they enjoy browsing the shelves.
Michigan also now has specific genres for each grade level so I work
with the teachers to assure the students are exposed to different
genres and how to identify them.
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Some great books I use:
 1st day Jitters
The Librarian from the Black Lagoon (don't show them the pictures,
have them draw their visualization of the librarian)
Library Lil
The Library Dragon (Discuss all the words that refer to "fire" in some way.)
I also do a library rule "millionaire" game so that the whole rule
thing is not as boring.
I used a "Do You Want to be Millionaire?" template and reworked it to fit
our library rules and info. Here is a link to the template.
http://jc-schools.net/TUTORIALS/PPT-GAMES/
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A suggestion for 3rd, 4th, & 5th grades would be a scavenger hunt.  I
list 10 things on a paper such as find a fiction book by an author
whose last name begins with "W" (for 3rd graders, you might make it
easier and just ask them to find a fiction book).  Or find a globe or
a computer monitor (I put a sticky note on the monitor so they don't
pick the monitor up, just the sticky note!)   Or a stuffed animal if
you have any in the library.  Or '"find the circulation desk".  I even
list "find a librarian" and I put a sticky note on me.  I make 4 or 5
different lists and then divide the class into 4 or 5 teams and they
search the library.  I warn them ahead of time that this not a race
and that they need to work together and that they may not find
everything which is okay.  After ten minutes or so, they return to
their respective tables and then each team is asked to share what they
found and what is missing.  It is chance to assess what they know
about different library terms and where items are located in the
library.
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My first lesson with my 5th graders is with a small suitcase
containing items. I am likening my job as a librarian with that of a
travel agent. We are going to discuss that "booking a trip" is like
reading a book. You don't always know where it will take you, so you
have to be prepared so you can make the most of it. I will pass out a
slip of paper with a picture of a suitcase on it to groups of 4-5
students.(6 images per page and cut apart - each class only needs one
sheet of paper total). They will brainstorm things they would have to
take on a trip, even if they didn't know where they were going. Each
group will share the most important item that was written on their
paper. Then I will present the items I think they need to make the
most of their reading "trip/experience/adventure") I put in a rubber
band to represent flexibility, a light bulb for imagination, glasses
with big eyes so they don't miss anything, a magnifying glass for
curiosity, a watch for time - enough to get the book/chapters read,
but also to keep track of it so they can fulfill obligations at home
or other places in time, a sponge to represent how easy it is to get
absorbed in a good book, etc. I'll also do a brief overview of
procedures each week they come, with one in particular as an emphasis.

I think using manipulatives is a good idea for the students at this
age, but puppets might be insulting. I am going to use Power point
presentations I have developed and/or borrowed from my classmates
throughout the year. We are going to play Jeopardy and do some
scavenger hunts. I think kids need to be constructively active. This
will help alleviate most discipline issues. If they don't conduct
themselves appropriately they won't participate in the hunts,
Jeopardy, etc. I am using the AASL Standards and the Texas ELA TEKS
(Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills) as a reference for what
skills/concepts need to be addressed at each grade level.
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I highly recommend Judy Freeman's book, _More Books Kids Will Sit
Still For_.  The first hundred pages or so contain a wonderful amount
of information and ideas for library lessons and curriculum.  She's
written three books of this type, but I think the second one ("More
books ...") is the best place to start.  She has so many good ideas, I
use her stuff all the time.  I ended up buying her books, but they are
in my public library so I'm sure you could find them easily. Good luck
with your switch, it sounds a bit overwhelming now but I think you'll
enjoy the older kids.  You'll see that you're able to do broader &
deeper work with them and they are able to interact with you in some
more interesting ways than the kindergartners
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I have made a bag full of things about me so students will get to know
b/c I am new to my school.  And in that bag I had some of my favorite
books and read one of those.  Most of the grade levels have enjoyed
this even a 5th grade class.
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My 5th graders were most upset I was reading Knuffle Bunny and Knuffle
Bunny too to my kindergarten.  So I read it to the fifth grade - they
so got the humor and the illustrations.  Mo Willems has a great
website (http://www.mowillems.com)that I downloaded and printed
activities for them.   I also let the students have "free choice"
books, meaning they could get books from anywhere in the media center,
except of course, reference.
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One thing I did when I was new to grade 3-5 was play a game called
"get to know me."  I came up with several things I wanted to tell the
kids about myself and then made some fake things.  I wrote them on
index cards and passed them out so that each student had a card.  I
had them read the statement on the card and then the class had to
decide if they thought it was true (thumbs up) or false (thumbs own).
It helps if you have some fun and surprising facts.  I also had
pictures to prove some of my statements.

Some examples I used:

Mrs. Smith  was in the Air Force (true).
Mrs. Smith knows how to fly a plane (false).
Mrs  Smith was a cheerleader (false)
Mrs. Smith once had to rescued from her home in dump truck (true).

As a follow up, you can either have the students tell something about
themselves that is either true or false, or you can have them write a
sentence telling something true about themselves and you try to guess
who wrote what.

My plan for discussing rules is different this year.  I have three
rules - Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Ready to Learn.  I call them
my 3 R's.  In the past I've talked with the kids about what those
rules mean and how they really cover everything from talking to
returning books on time.  This year, I'm going to have the 4th and 5th
graders write blog entries about what these rules mean and how they
apply to the library.
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am a media specialist that serves students in grades 3rd-5th.  We use
Accelerated Reader so I also explain to the students how to find a
book on their level by looking at the reading level, using the five
finger rule, or asking me for help.  As far as picture books are
concerned, my students enjoy The Library by Sarah Stewart.
Your fifth graders will not be too thrilled watching you use a puppet
but you may be surprised at what kind of show they are willing to
present as a group to the class.  Of course, you may want to begin the
project with showing them the keys to having a successful puppet show.
Discipline will not be difficult if you begin implementing a
discipline plan---I have one if you'd like to take a look at it.  You
must have set consequences and follow through with them. Also, give a
copy of it to the teachers and let them know how much you appreciate
their support.
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I don't have them now for scheduled classes, but when I did I always
read a picture book to them.  I would not do puppets with 4th or 5th
grade.  That could create discipline problems and they try to prove
they are too cool for that.

I found that my 5th graders loved to be read to.  They can appreciate
books with deeper plot or subtle humor.  We always had fun.

I always started the year with something like The Library Dragon for
3rd grade, Librarian from the Black Lagoon for 4th and maybe Richard
Wright's Library Card or Tomas and the Library Lady for 5th.  Just the
general library theme.  Then discussion of rules and book
responsibility.

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I strongly suggest reading Harry Wong's book The First Days of School.

You'll want to go with much longer books, computer skills, research,
OPAC etc. as you are getting them ready for middle and high school and
all the work they will have in the future. Think of yourself a
building them a strong foundation for the future.

Madeleine Zember
Hempstead School District NY
drjesons@gmail.com

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