Language Arts Offerings
By Sandy Meagher

Online Extra: Parent Book Recommendations May 2007

As a librarian it is my job to support all curriculum. Language arts is a very strong part of elementary education. At times it is difficult to find exactly what teachers are looking for, but what I've found really helps is to ask teachers questions about what they are doing. I'll ask, "How are you using poetry this year?" and "What are you doing to teach antonyms, homonyms, sequence etc.?" I walk through the halls and read the bulletin boards. I ask students questions about what they are studying in writing and reading. I go to grade level meetings and curriculum meetings. Absorbing all of this makes me aware of the needs of teachers and students.

Library-based assignments
Time is so precious in our work day; every time we make a connection for a teacher or student it makes their work and learning so much more effective. Mrs. Dulay, a fifth-grade teacher, recently began a project with the following requirements:

1. Each group will be responsible for the listed items:
   • One 11" x 17" poster
   • One or more overheads for the concept to be taught.
   • Practice worksheet photocopied for entire class.
   • A quiz that you will give to the class.
   • One answer key, showing point values for questions.
2. Grades will be based on accuracy of information, meeting due dates, smoothness of presentation, appearance of all items and a spirit of teamwork with a group effort.
3. A group leader will be assigned and will report to me.
4. Please use all available resources for your topics.

Topics were alliteration, antonyms, main idea, metaphor, personification, simile, synonyms, verse, point of view, plot, problem/solution, rhyme, suffixes, prefixes, theme, etc.

Working with Mrs. Dulay and her students was such a pleasure. It was wonderful to see the students apply research strategies and use reference books, computer databases and teamwork to complete their assignments. Some print resources that I supplied were a set of books that included Synonyms and Antonyms by Ann Heinrichs (The Child's World, Inc., 2006, ISBN:1-592-96430-3) and Write Your Own Realistic Fiction Story by Tish Farrell (Compass Point Books, 2006, ISBN: 0-756-51642-0).

The end products of this assignment were awesome. Students' posters were beautiful and their presentations were so effective. What a great way to teach!

Perfectly punctuated
Writing crosses our curriculum, and sometimes we librarians and teachers think we all need a tape recorder that says, "Check your punctuation." A book on this topic that would be fun for students to share is The Perfect Pop-up Punctuation Book by Kate Petty and Jennie Maizels (Dutton, 2006, ISBN: 0-525-47772-1). This colorful, interactive book could be used as a model for groups of students to create their own pop-up books to display or present. Punctuation could turn out to be a lot of fun using this book.

More language arts selections
Younger students will enjoy hearing the following stories about kids having fun with and making stories from words they love: The Boy Who Loved Words by Roni Schotter (Schwartz & Wade, 2006, ISBN: 0-375-83601-2) and Max's Words by Kate Banks (Farrar Straus & Giroux, 2006, ISBN: 0-374-39949-2). Perhaps your students could make their own stories as the boys in these books do.

So many times the word "onomato-poeia" just stymies kids. Snow Sounds: An Onomatopoeic Story by David A. Johnson (Houghton Mifflin, 2006, ISBN: 0-618-47310-6) is an almost-wordless book that really captures the meaning with wonderful illustrations of sound words like vroom, swoosh, hush etc.

Often we tell students to write what they know or to tell about their environment. Responses received are not always what we are looking for. The book Kelly of Hazel Ridge by Robbyn Smith van Frankenhuyzen (Sleeping Bear Press, 2006, ISBN: 1-585-36268-9) teaches through story and beautiful language how to follow the teacher's directive to write a story about someone or something that's been very important in one's life. As Kelly walks her farm she sees animal habitats; she remembers being lost in the woods; her mind fills with images and the senses of nature around her, and we engage ourselves in a wonderful story based on "writing about what we know." This serves as a model for students to use with their own writing.

Students' summer reading suggestions
As we finish our school year, don't forget to engage children in reading during the summer. We always offer a huge list of suggested titles. This year I had classes of students nominate books kids should read: K-1-2 liked nonfiction books about snakes, trees, birds, animals, trucks and cars, as well as books containing jokes, riddles, poems, plays, fairy tales and fables. Grades 3-5 recommended the "Magic Tree House" series, fantasy, adventure, record books, jokes, cookbooks, animals, planets, science experiments, crafts, biographies, sports, cars, games and poems. It was fun to see all the different topics such as magic tricks, how to play golf, scrapbooking, animal tracks, hunting, fishing, swimming, water skiing. There were so many diverse interests from a very diverse group of readers.

I always mention to students that I like to talk to them when I see them during the summer, and that I love to know what they are doing and especially what they are reading. In the past I have run into students at the ice cream shop, library, baseball games, county fair, swimming pool, grocery store and shopping mall, and with a little encouragement, they do like to share what's happening in their lives. Of course, I always mention the free programs at our public library. Occasionally I have a grandchild along and ask the student what they recommend for Tess, Paul or Ann, and it's fun to hear them recommend some contemporary classics such as Eric Carle, Dr. Seuss, Beverly Cleary and Patricia Polacco. Of course I hope that I have made a difference to them in their reading journey, because I surely know they have made a big difference to me.

Online Extra: Parent Book Recommendations May 2007

Sandy Meagher is the Library Department Chairperson and School Librarian in the Wayne Highlands School District, Honesdale, PA.

May, 2007, Vol.37, No.8