Tag! A Collaborative First Grade Story

Miss Brooks' Story Nook by Barbara Bottner is one of this year's Red Clover nominees.  Using Miss Brooks' suggestions for writing a story, the First Graders worked together to write and illustrate Tag!.

Dorothy's Book Club -- Postponed

The next meeting of Dorothy's Book Club has been rescheduled for Dec 15th.  It was originally going to be held on Dec 1st, but as many of our book club members are participating in the EMES chorus performance at The State House this afternoon we thought it prudent to reschedule. 

New date and time:
Dec 15th
5:30 pm to 6:30 pm

Book:  The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher

INFLATE -- Happy Thanksgiving!

This 7 minute documentary shows the work that goes into inflating the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons and a glimpse at why people love it!

Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Award -- LOGO CONTEST!

From the VT Dept of Libraries website:

Students in grades 4 - 8 are invited to design a new logo for the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award program. The deadline for submissions is December 18, 2015.

Click the below link to access information about the contest.

http://libraries.vermont.gov/sites/libraries/files/CBEC/BookAwards/DCF/2015LogoContest.pdf

If you would like help submitting your design, please bring your work to Arlyn by Dec 15.

K-3 Literacy Night

Dear K-3 Families

We are hosting a K-3 Literacy Night on Nov 10th from 5 to 6:30 pm in the EMES Library.  Come learn how to play the Nonfiction Bingo Game and some strategies for Engaging Young Readers.

Dorothy's Club -- Tuesday night!

Dorothy’s Book Club

Nov. 3rd 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm

EMES Library

In Kate Milford's Greenglass House, an inn is unusually busy over the winter holidays -- a time of year when it expected to be empty. When a snowstorm traps all the guests at the inn, they begin to tell each other stories to pass the time. We will listen to these stories and think about what they may tell us about the true intentions of the unexpected guests. There is no reading requirement for this meeting of our book club. 

We will also serve a delightful snack.

All 4th through 6th grade students are invited to participate in Dorothy's Club.

Extra! Extra! Read All About it! Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge at EMES

Dear Families of K - 3rd Grade Students,

I am pleased to introduce the Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge.  We are fortunate to have such a rich picture book collection at EMES.  Picture books are books where the illustrations are as important (or sometimes more important than the words) to telling and understanding the story. While many readers think of picture books in terms of fiction, the EMES picture book collection includes many nonfiction titles too.  As a way of encouraging students and their families to explore nonfiction picture books together, we are launching the Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge.  Over the coming weeks we will introduce a Nonfiction Picture Book Bingo Card to students.  To win a prize, a reader needs to complete 5 squares in row on the Bingo Card.  5 in row can be diagonal, horizontal, or vertical.  To complete a square a reader needs to read 2 picture books in the category listed.  Remember -- reading a book with someone is still reading! 

Click here to open a printable version of the 2 sided Bingo Card.

The other part of this game that can be fun for families is to talk about what kind of book it is -- many nonfiction picture books can easily go into more than one category.  For example

The House that Jane Built: A Story about Jane Addams could go in the category “Person Who Made a Difference for Others” or it could go in “Important American.”  Once a student has completed 5 in a row, she/he should bring her/his card to the library for a small prize. Students are encouraged to play and win as many times as they can.  We will play Nonfiction Picture Book Bingo from Nov 1st through Dec 23rd.  Each library class in Nov and Dec will highlight a few Nonfiction Picture Book titles.  

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Thank you and Happy Reading!

It was a cold and stormy night....upcoming Dorothy's Club event on Nov 3rd

In Greenglass House visitors at an inn tell each other tales as a way to pass the time on stormy nights.  Greenglass House by Kate Milford is one this year's Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Award nominees.  Join us on November 3rd from 5:30 to 6:30 pm in the EMES Library to hear the stories the characters tell and ponder what the stories might mean about the various characters and what has truly brought them to the remote Greenglass House.

WeDo Robotics - Think, Design, Build, and Program!

Four teams of 3rd graders from Mrs. Fitch's class worked on a design challenge today using Lego WeDo Robotics.  These students had successfully built the Dancing Birds robot model in second grade and experimented with belts and pulleys using this model.  The Dancing Birds model has two birds balanced on gears connected to pulleys and a belt.  The model includes one motor that turns based on the student created program using the WeDo software.
Dancing Birds model:


Teams worked today on the following design challenge:

• Add a third bird to the robot that will spin (all 3 birds need to spin).  

• You can not add any more motors.

The teams spent some time drawing and planning. Not all teams are finished yet and most importantly the teams developed different solutions to the challenge. Here is a look at one team's success. If the video does not appear below -- use the link further down to open it.

Link to video

Please note -- there are no directions for this 3 bird model. The student's reference in the video to the directions is to the 2 bird model directions.

Scenes from a Book Club

A group of EMES readers participated in the first meeting of Dorothy's Book Club on the evening of Oct 6th.  Students created illustrations of characters from the book The Fourteenth Goldfish.   Our readers also created a group posters showing likes and dislikes using goldfish cut outs.  And of course we also ate a variety of Goldfish crackers.     

Dorothy's Book Club Returns TONIGHT!

Dorothy's Book Club
Oct 6th 5:30 to 6:30 pm
EMES Library

4th through 8th Grade readers who have read or are reading The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer L. Holm are invited to join us for an evening of games, activities, and discussion about the book.  A light snack will also be served.  Looking forward to it!
- Arlyn and Mrs. Christy

Lunar Eclipse on Sunday

Where do you find books about space in the EMES Library?  Why the 500s of course!  Yes, that may be a slim excuse for posting this on the library site, but I told students about it this week and promised I would post information about the Supermoon Eclipse
Here are 2 videos from NASA with some information about this event and you can find more information on www.space.com with details on viewing time -- roughly between 9 and 11 on Sunday night.

Dorothy's Book Club is back!

Dorothy’s Book Club!

We invite EMES 4th through 6th grade readers and their families to join Dorothy’s Book Club.  Dorothy’s Book Club will read four books from the Dorothy Canfield Fisher (DCF) 30 Nominees.  In order to vote in April, students must have read at least five of the 30 nominees.  The Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award is for middle grade readers (VT students in 4th through 8th grade).

Readers club requirements:

• Students must have read the book (or be most of the way through the featured book).
• Family members do not have to read the book for students to be able to attend, but we encourage family reading.
• Readers can choose to attend all or some of the evening sessions.
• Each “Dorothy Evening” will include activities related to the book as well as  light refreshments.
• Please note that we have a few of the Dorothy titles available in audiobook.

Selected Titles from the 2015/2016 DCF List and Evenings

Tuesday, October 6th The Fourteenth Goldfish 5:30 to 6:30 pm	Tuesday, December 1st The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher 5:30 to 6:30 pm
Tuesday, January 26th Ice Dogs 5:30 to 6:30 pm	Tuesday, March 8th The Turtle of Oman 5:30 to 6:30 pm

April 5th -- Voting and Celebration! -- 5:30 to 6:30 pm

Dorothy's List on VPR!

Season 3 of Dorothy's List on VPR starts today!  Listen to VT Edition to hear the author of The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place and students at Morristown Elementary discuss the book.   This is one of several nominees from this year's Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Award that will be featured on VPR.  For more information on Dorothy's List go to
Click here

Dorothy's Club!

Dorothy's Book Club is back! For our book club this year, we will read several of this year's Dorothy Canfield Fisher nominees.

 Our first book is The Fourteenth Goldfish and our first meeting will be Oct 6th from 5:30 to 6:30

Red Clover BLTs

Red Clover BLTs for 4th and 5th Graders

(6th graders can come too!)

Do you miss the Red Clover Books?  Would you like to eat your lunch in the library and hear a great picture book?  If yes -- We invite you to join us for Red Clover Book Lunch Talks (BLTS)!

Here is how it works:  
Get your lunch and come to the library.  Settle in for a good book and some conversation.

Join us on Wednesday September 9th in the library at 4-5-6 lunch, 12:10-12:40 p.m. for our first BLT!

Our first book will be:  SHHH! We Have a Plan! by Chris Haughton

We look forward to BLTS with you!  - Arlyn and Mrs. Christy

Read and Win Program! at the Champlain Valley Fair

Dear EMES Families -
Are you headed to the Champlain Valley Fair?  Did your child read 3 or more books this summer? If the answer is yes, you can send me an email and I can give you a Read and Win ribbon that will entitle your child to a free book, a free ice cream, and a ride coupon.   Information was included in summer book bags.  Students who returned the form signed by a parent/guardian have already been given a ribbon. Contact me for a ribbon or if you have any questions. - Arlyn Bruccoli

Welcome Back!

You may notice that the website looks a little bit different.  While I did spend a lot of time with family and friends this summer, I also took a Google class.  I am working on updating the EMES Library website, please note that it is a work in progress.

I can't wait to see you all as our new school years starts.  We have some new books and of course all the rest of our great library collection is waiting to be read and reread by you!  Don't forget to bring your summer book bags back to school if you took out library books for summer reading.

Looking for a good book? Check out these book trailers!

Mr. Willard's class created book trailers to advertise some of their favorite books.  Students selected a book from our library to recommend that they had read.  They applied their understanding of copyright and learned to use image and audio databases. Students also worked up a storyboard of their trailer and then put that plan into action.  They created their scenes,added text, transitions, music, and edited their movies.

Click here to see the trailers!

End of the Year

Image url:
http://sd.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/i/please-return-your-library-books-5.png

Summer Reading!

Summer Book Bags will come next week with all participating EMES students.  Student have been excitedly selecting their summer books.  The EMES Library Staff are working to help students select a variety of books that they eager to read and that are accessible to them as readers.  Students also ask to take home a few books that their family members can read with them -- this may be a chapter book or non-fiction.  The 4th through 6th graders are clearing the 2015-16 DCF nominees of the shelves for summer reading too. The bag will also include programming information for surrounding libraries and a book recommendation reading challenge. So as you look forward to summer, ask yourself "What will I read this summer?"
- A

DCF Book Club May 14th -- a few highlights

Twenty-four 3rd through 6th graders met the 2015-2016 DCF Book Award nominees on the evening of May 14th. We watched a few book trailers and book talked about other books on the new list. EMES students also had a chance to look through many of the new DCF books. Thanks to Linda Urban for helping us out! Here are a few photos from the evening (note that rock, paper, skills, were needed to decide on who got to take a particular book). We had a grand time with our EMES DCF Readers at the final DCF Book Club for the school year.- Arlyn and Jenn Fitch

A Few New DCF Books -- Books Trailers

Boundless: Official Book Trailer

Ice Dogs: Official Book Trailer
Book Trailer for Greenglass House. Trailer uploaded by Christine Smith

Red Clover Winner Announced!

The winner of the Red Clover Award for 2015 is

The Day the Crayons Quit

by Drew Daywalt

The Day the Crayons Quit received 6,801 votes!

Click here to see the total vote tally for this year's Red Clover Book Award.

DCF Voting Results and Winner!

The Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award Winner is....

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein

Results for the ten books that received the most votes is below:

1st..................... Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein – 425

2nd (tied)...........Prisoner 88 by Leah Pileggi – 177

2nd (tied)............Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan - 177

3rd......................Golden Boy by Tara Sullivan – 149

4th.....................Doll Bones by Holly Black – 135

5th......................Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo – 126

6th......................The Adventures of a South Pole Pig by Chris Kurtz – 111

7th......................Boy on the Wooden Box by Leon Leyson – 102

8th (3 way tie)....Twerp by Mark Goldblatt – 97

8th (3 way tie) ...The Great Trouble by Deborah Hopkinson - 97

8th (3 way tie).....Far Far Away by Tom McNeal – 97

Picture Books Come Alive at EMES!

Join us for an evening of picture books, 

a reading challenge kick-off, and an art opening!

April 14th

A special night for Families of PK—3rd Grade Students*

Bring your EMES student and learn about our Spring Break Picture Book Reading Challenge!
Participants can check out 7 books for Spring Vacation.
See how many characters you recognize from the painting that is now hanging in our library. Painted by Arlyn F. Bruccoli (mother of the EMES Librarian).
Drop in anytime between 5 and 6:30 pm to celebrate National Library Week picture book style!

*Note: All EMES Students and Families are welcome to attend this event.

DCF Book Club: Battle of the Books! April 7th

The final DCF Readers' Club for the 2014-2015 List will be held on
April 7 from 5:30 to 6:30

This one is a Battle of the Books!
Battle objective is to convince others to read this book!

Students must have read ONE of the following four books to attend.
Counting by 7s
Prisoner 88
The President Has Been Shot
Flora and Ulysses

Students must be prepared to try to convince others to read that book!  If you have a copy of the book -- you may want to bring it.  Quotes could be helpful.

Note: On April 13 during 4-6 grade lunch we will play a game, vote, and share a special snack. Students must have read at least 5 of this year's nominees to be able to attend the DCF Celebration and vote.

So When is the Next DCF Readers' Club Night?

Many students have asked me, "When is the next DCf Readers' Club?"  and the answer is....
Feb 10th from 5:30 to 6:45 pm!

Our next book is
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library
by Chris Grabenstein

Mrs. Fitch and I are really excited about this DCF Readers' Club night and we promise games and a scavenger hunt.  We would also like to connect to the book by having a feast in the library.  Mrs. Fitch and I will supply pizza and are asking families to contribute some type of snack toward our feast. Snacks could include fresh veggies, dip, chips, fruit, cheese, crackers, beverages, and dessert items.

If you would like to contribute to our Mr. Lemoncello's Library feast, please email
abruccoli@u32.org

This evening is open to all students in Mrs. Christy's and Mrs. Fitch's homeroom, Mr. Willard's homeroom, 5th graders, and 6th graders who have read or are almost done reading Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library.