5th Grade Meeting on Oct. 20th - Circus Mirandus

Hello, readers!

5th graders will be meeting on Tuesday, October 20th at 8:00 AM in the Big Woods pod room to discuss Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley. If you would like to preview our discussion questions, you can find them here. What a fantastic discussion we will have about magic and believing and the importance of the "knots" that tie us together as human beings. Please remember to bring your book to the meeting. For more links related to Circus Mirandus, please visit the 5th grade page of this blog.

4th Grade Meets on Oct. 13 - The One and Only Ivan

Hello, readers!

 Our next meeting is for the 4th graders on Tuesday, October 13 at 8:00 in the Big Woods pod room. I can't wait to discuss the book we've read: The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. I can see this meeting being one full of debate and discussion about animals, humans, optimism, hope, and doing the right thing. I'm looking forward to it! Please remember to bring your book.

Preview the discussion questions here, and be sure to check out the Grade 4 page for more activities, articles, and links.

Until I see you again, happy reading!

3rd Graders Meet Next - Judy Moody Mood Martian

Third graders, are you ready to get in a mood? A Judy-Moody-Mood-Martian kind of mood? Our next meeting is on Tuesday, October 6 at 8:00 AM in the Big Woods pod room. Please remember to bring your copy of the book to the meeting.

In honor of Backwards Day, Judy Moody decides to turn that frown upside down, make lemonade out of lemons, and be nice to stinky little brothers. In fact, Judy double-dares herself to become Queen of the Good Mood, cool-as-a-cucumber neat freak for one whole entire week. But can she do it? When her combed hair, matching outfits, and good moods hang around for days, her friends begin to worry. Could this smiley Judy be an imposter?

To preview discussion questions, click here. Visit the grade 3 page for links to more activities, pictures, and videos related to this book.

Upcoming Meeting - Grade 2 and Discussion Questions

Good morning, readers! Just a reminder that 2nd graders will be meeting tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM to discuss Marvin Redpost: Why Pick on Me? We will meet in the Big Woods pod room (new location). Remember to bring your copy of the book to the meeting.

For a preview of the warm-up activities and discussion questions we'll be using, click here. We'll be working on this during the meeting, so there is no need to complete it before the meeting. However, if you would like to use the document to help activate your child's thinking about the book, feel free.

 I'm looking forward to a discussion filled with lots of laughs and a focus on problem-solving with our friends.

Happy reading!

All Books Have Arrived!

Great news! I was at the school today, and our box of books arrived. All 3rd and 4th graders have had their books distributed to the classroom teachers' mailboxes. Please ask your child if she or he has a copy of the book.

Happy reading!

Meeting Dates

2^nd grade meeting dates:

 Sept. 29, Oct. 27, Nov. 24, Jan. 12, Feb. 9, Mar. 15, Apr. 19, May 17 (celebration)

3^rd grade meeting dates:

 Oct. 6, Nov. 3, Dec. 1, Jan. 19, Feb. 23, Mar. 22, Apr. 26, May 17 (celebration)

4^th grade meeting dates:

 Oct. 13, Nov. 10, Dec. 8, Jan. 26, Mar. 1, Mar. 29, May 3, May 17 (celebration)

5^th grade meeting dates:

 Oct. 20, Nov. 17, Dec. 15, Feb. 2, Mar. 8, Apr. 12, May 10, May 17 (celebration)

Kick-Off Meeting Notes

What a fun morning we had getting to know each other and how the book club will work. Your child will have a yellow paper in his/her backpack with information about the book club and this website. If you need another copy, please let me know and I'll email you a copy.

2nd and 5th graders received their new books today. However, 3rd and 4th grade participants did not receive their books today as the books did not arrive yet. As soon as the books are here, I will put them in their teachers' mailboxes and the teachers will pass them along to the kids. I apologize for the delay.

Yearbook pictures will be taken this Thursday, September 24, at 12:00 (the transition between 2nd/3rd grade and 4th/5th grade lunch). We will meet in the Music Room for a quick whole-group snapshot, and they the kids will be off to recess (2nd/3rd grade) or lunch (4th/5th grade).

Last, we will meet in the Big Woods Pod room for all of our small-group meetings for the remainder of the year! This will be a great location for our book discussions.

Happy reading!