Friday Fun with Molly Lou Melon

Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon is a terrific read aloud book supporting themes of self esteem, believing in yourself, families, friendship, and dealing with bullies. Molly Lou's grandmother encourages Molly Lou to believe in herself and to appreciate and value the qualities that make Molly Lou the person she is. It is Molly Lou's strong sense of self that helps her to deal with a school bully and to earn the respect of her classmates and the bully too. Wonderful story. 

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Molly Lou Mellon Literature Resources: (see literature connection activities further down)

Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon Lesson Plan

Scholastic's Molly Lou's Special Qualities lesson plan and resources

Penguin's Read Aloud Activity Guide (various titles)



Have Fun, Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Molly Lou Melon sits in a room overflowing with toys and whoseywhatits of all kinds when her grandmother tells her that back in the old days she made her toys of things she found. Molly Lou soon discovers that using your imagination can be more exciting than any store bought toy. Then Gertie, a new neighbor moves in next door and Molly Lous overhears her telling her mother she is bored, bored, bored. Molly Lou invites Gertie over to play and introduces her to tin can phones, cardboard racecars and the beauty of skywatching.

Have Fun, Molly Lou Melon is a wonderful read aloud highlighting the power of using your imagination. Tie this read aloud in with making crafts from recycled materials, or items found in nature. Try the tin can phones, dolls made from twigs and flowers, cardboard racecars or robots and of course take a walking trip outdoors to lay back and watch the sky. You never know what you will see in the clouds.

Literature connection activities-crafts, recycle projects.

Recycle projects: Make a Paper Cup Phone to Talk to Your Friends

Materials

2 empty, clean paper or plastic cups
1 nail and hammer or ice pick (adult supervision is a must!)
10-20 feet of white cotton string, fishing line, or sewing thread (the shorter the line, the better the reception)

1. Take 2 paper or plastic cups
2. Turn the cups upside down with the bottom end facing up.
3. Use a nail or ice pick to punch a hole through the flat surface of the end of both cups (adults perform this step).
4. Measure out a length or string or sewing thread about 10-20 feet.
5. Thread one end of the string through one of the holes. Make a strong knot in the string on the inside of the cup, so that the string remains attached.. Repeat with the other cup and the other end of string. The two cups are now connected to each other.
6. Stretch the two cups apart until the string is taut or tight.
7. Speak into the mouth of the open end of your cup (Transmitter) while a friend holds an ear up to the opened end of her cup to listen (Receiver).

Optimizing a Tin Can Phone: Why it's better to use paper cups and sewing thread for tin cup phone project

This is What Book Love Looks Like

Student created projects based on books nominated for the 2012-2013 Texas Bluebonnet Award

This is what Book Love looks like

It's January and that means time is running out for students to complete reading at least five of the twenty books nominated for the Texas Bluebonnet Award. My students are also encouraged to create original works reflecting their understanding of their favorite books. Bluebonnet Projects can be anything a student can dream up-a poster, song, rap, poem, sculpture, game, quiz, performance or digital work. I will not turn down any project as long as it shows how the student connects to their reading. Encouraging my elementary and middle school students to express themselves creatively based on their book choices has been such a positive experience and has been a great way to replace the Accelerated Reader Program that our school district discontinued funding this year. I am amazed at the level of research that students have contributed towards their projects and have learned quite a bit myself from them. Having students create Bluebonnet Book Projects began as a simple way for me to determine if students were truly reading their books and comprehending the literature. Soon, kids were asking if they could make projects for other books as their need to express themselves grew. I just hope my poster board and supplies hold out. A bonus has been that I have been able to introduce students to many technology and mechanical skills. As you can see in the picture, the die cut machine presses have been very popular for creating letters for signs. My favorite part has been observing students working in small teams conferencing with each other and dividing up tasks. They read aloud to each other and discuss passages from the story. How beautiful is that? Keep in mind, this is all voluntary work. They are discovering the secret to loving books.

Visit our Bluebonnet Book Club wiki to see how we are connecting to the Texas Bluebonnet Books.

Learn more about the Texas Bluebonnet Award

What My Library Means to Me

Picture Book Month

Day 20 theme: Library

Early Childhood Development Center Library

What "MY" Library means to me.

I am thankful for being able to teach and share beautiful stories with people every day because I understand that books become part of  who we are as a person. Thus, it becomes a great responsibility of librarians to seek out and provide high quality literature for young minds to absorb and build upon. 

Home is an important word. A word that gives comfort and provides a person with a sense of belonging. This is what I want every student, teacher, parent, university student or professor, and community member to experience when they come to my library. It might sound a little selfish to call it "my library" when it most certainly belongs to everyone, yet I would wish everyone would think of it as their own too. A library is a home where a love of reading is shared and experienced. There is always someone ready to tell you about a book they find interesting, helpful, exciting, terrifying, informative or even funny. In my library, I encourage children to express themselves by creating book projects or activities. Here are a few that have recently been shared with me.

 BOOKS ARE THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF GREAT MINDS.

We support the GUYS READ book club and love it when our ECDC Train rolls in with new books. 

 

go to website

Many book projects are based on the Texas Bluebonnet Award nominees each year.

Here we are growing our own bluebonnets in the library

 I just love these student made  projects

 Just Being Audrey 

by Margaret Cardillo

Illustrated by Julia Denos 

 Just Being Audrey Resources, Activities, and Lesson Plans: 2012 Bluebonnet Book Club

Hot Diggity Dog: The History of the Hot Dog
by Adrienne Sylver
illustrated by Elwood H. Smith

 Hot Diggity Dog Resources from the TBA website

This Lion and the Mouse project was made by a first grade reluctant reader. Isn't it amazing?

I shared it with all my classes as a "How to Create a Book Project"

 

 My library brings in as much of the world as possible. November is Picture Book Month and we are having fun rabidly reading as many picture books as we can this month and keeping track. Kids who read five PBs this month will earn a Library Challenge badge.

November is also American Indian Heritage Month. Our school sits upon the settlement where the Karankawa Indians once lived. Below is a presentation piece created by our good friend Ernest Graywolf Salazar. He also made an incredible replica of the Alamo for us. Every other year, Ernest and his brother, Larry Running Turtle Salazar, visit our school to share information about their cultural heritage and demonstrate a spiritual drum circle. Our students appreciate this and the lessons really stick with them.

American Indian Heritage Month Resources

American Indian College Fund Resources

National Parks Service Resources

Karankawa Indians in Texas

Indian Nations of Texas