Celebrating Balloons over Broadway!

On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, both fifth grade classes celebrated the book Balloons over Broadway by Melissa Sweet.  It's a beautifully illustrated biography about Tony Sarg and how he invented the balloons for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  After listening to the story, students were asked to create their own balloon based on any book at Upham Library.  They were given a balloon, tissue paper, sharpies and glue (so.... so much glue...!).

After an hour, we had a library filled these awesome creations (and so much glue!!!):

It's hour of code week!

Did you know it's hour of code week?!  Students from around the world try to spend at least an hour coding -- Upham is also participating!  Learn more at hourofcode.com.

Want to do it from home?  Check this site for activities or see the Upham Library's hour of code page.

PebbleGo database

In anticipation of a second grade classroom project, students from 2M and 2C reviewed the PebbleGo database in library.  PebbleGo is a kid-friendly database we are able to use through Wellesley Free Library.  You can access it at home using your own library card number-- just visit the database A-Z page and select "PebbleGo".

Students read through biography articles and determined why that person was important to history.

Massachusetts Children's Book Award

Our fifth graders have been busy reading books nominated for a Massachusetts Children's Book Award (MCBA).  The cool thing about this award is that it's not decided by teachers, librarians or any grown ups -- students around Massachusetts vote on the award winner.  The only stipulation is that voters have read at least five titles.  Upham fifth graders are required to read at least five (and one student has already read all 25 titles)!  There's plenty of time-- voting isn't until March.

For more information and to see which titles are nominated, check the MCBA blog.

Book covers are on display around the library.  After reading a title, students fill out a review form that we hang under each book cover.  Any student can flip through reviews to help decide what to read next.

Students in 5D and 5E are also having a friendly competition to see which class can read the most titles!  The winning class will receive a "free library" class with games and time to independently read.

How we celebrated Dot Day

Do you remember Dot Day from last year and what it means?  All library classes on Tuesday, September 18th, read the book and celebrated in different ways.

photo credit: http://www.thedotclub.org/dotday/

2C- again this year second grade students designed their own dots and we used a little iPad augmented reality (Quiver app) to view them:

Students enjoyed watching their creations pop up in 3D and start spinning!

4G- The Dot is a book about trying something new and not getting discouraged when it doesn't go as planned at first.  Fourth grade students wrote out suggestions for classmates to try something new-- on the reverse side of the index card, students designed their own dot.  We put them in a basket and pulled them out.  Would we try the new thing our classmate had suggested?  Why or why not?

A sampling of suggestions from 4G:

• get a dog
• eat a red hot chili pepper
• swim with dolphins
• get a dirt bike
• trying going snorkeling
• read Harry Potter
• eat 15 hamburgers in an hour
• try loving school

3W: Students again this year designed a dot inspired by a book that made a "mark" on them or had some kind of an impact:

When does your child have library?!

Curious when your child has library?  Our schedule is now posted to our library website: https://sites.google.com/a/wellesleyps.org/upham-library/about

Time to get caught reading!

Have you emailed me your "caught reading" photo yet?

Please email Ms. Cote a photo of yourself reading in a unique or unusual spot!  We will post your photo on our back to school bulletin board (NOT on the blog or social media).  Email photos to cotek@wellesleyps.org  I can't wait to see all your unusual reading spots!

Here's mine-- again this year, I took mine on Little Sebago Lake in Maine (with my daughter, Hannah):

Hannah wanted me to include hers too (reading, upside down, while swinging indoors):