Monday, April 29, 2024

Cover One book-repair machine



Using Scholastic Dollars from the Scholastic Book Fair, our parents’ group purchased the “Cover One,” a loose-page book repair machine, for our school library.
https://youtu.be/EtRK_Oy8v7M

Friday, April 26, 2024

The Graham Cracker Plot, by Shelley Tougas



Each Friday that school is in session, I share the link to a read-aloud preview of a book from SRCSA library. The “First-chapter Friday” selection for April 26, 2024 is The Graham Cracker Plot, by Shelley Tougas.

Wednesday, April 24, 2024

Death by Chocolate : Little Fitz and Ziggy



Vaudeville performer Little Fitz and his ventriloquist’s puppet “Ziggy” are characters from a murder-mystery dinner party game called “Death by Chocolate.” I got to choose my character, and I wanted to be Little Fitz. I watched a video by Jeff Dunham where he explained how to do ventriloquism and I got a cat puppet to be my “Ziggy.” Here is a pre-game exchange, getting into character. To be true to Ziggy as required by the game, I had to portray Ziggy as a bit of a jerk. It was a lot of fun, and I think I might keep going, keep having fun with it.
https://youtu.be/Soy_p4Rr-Oc

Friday, April 19, 2024

Rez Dogs, by Joseph Bruchac



Each Friday that school is in session, I share the link to a read-aloud preview of a book from SRCSA library. The “First-chapter Friday” selection for April 19, 2024 is Rez Dogs, by Joseph Bruchac.

Thursday, April 18, 2024

‘Big words’ don’t need apology



The narrator of a story I was reading, apologized for using “large words.” But I am autistic and using “big words” is part of who I am. In the past I was teased and ridiculed for having a large vocabulary and, when I read that passage, it seemed like the narrator had internalized being shamed for their vocabulary. I want to push back against the idea that people should apologize or feel at all ashamed for using “big words.”
https://youtu.be/9aIABl34AHg

Monday, April 15, 2024

Let’s build a Community of Readers (2024)



“When children see the adults around them using reading and writing in their everyday lives, they’re more likely to become readers and writers themselves.” — How to Create a Literate Home: Young Child and Kindergartener, PBS Kids, March 26, 2012. I created flyers for colleagues to display a book that they are currently reading. My design is based on one by Andrea Trudeau. https://youtu.be/9agrAN5Nbts

Sunday, April 14, 2024

Sunday, April 7, 2024

Book-Talk : Paige Not Found, by Jen Wilde



During Autism Acceptance Month, April 2024, I am reading Paige Not Found by Jen Wilde. It features a protagonist who is autistic and nonbinary, who learns that a chip was planted in her brain without her consent. As a reader and librarian who is autistic and nonbinary, I feel visible through reading a book that features a main character who is so like me.
https://youtu.be/n0fWnuBqZu4

Friday, April 5, 2024

The Crossover, by Kwame Alexander



Each Friday that school is in session, I share the link to a read-aloud preview of a book from SRCSA library. The “First-chapter Friday” selection for April 5, 2024 is The Crossover, by Kwame Alexander.

Ellen Outside the Lines, by A.J. Sass (eBook preview)



Presenting ... First-chapter Friday, the eBook edition, beginning with Ellen Outside the Lines by A.J. Sass: Read via the Libby app, checked out through San Francisco Public Library. I will preview another eBook on the first Friday of each month, or on first and third Fridays if available content warrants it. Each eBook will be available from an area library.

Tuesday, April 2, 2024

May 3 : Last day for student check-out

Hello, everybody! The end-of-school-year will be here before we know it. The last date for student check-out will be Friday, May 3. Please encourage students to check at home and in the classroom, and return any library books that they still have. And teachers, please check your shelves for materials checked out from the library.