Back to School... Back to Business!

Time to get "Crack-a-lackin!"  

(That's from a movie."Madagascar" with my favorite zebra, Marty!)

BACK TO SCHOOOOOOOOOL!  

YEA! BRING IT!

I hope you guys are excited, and ready to show how AWESOME you are this year.

We, the teachers and staff have BIG PLANS for you this year.  Her's some beginning of the year inspiration for you...

Welcome back!

Oh yea, we can't start school without KID PRESIDENT!!

Summertime...

Got anything COOL happening this HOT summer?  

KMS Summer Reading begins July 5th!

                                        

Just DO IT!

We are open Tuesday and Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to Noon all throughout the month of July. 

Come join us for book checkout, reading, disussions, scavenger hunts, art, crafts, journaling, and so much more.

July 5th ...BRING IT!

Minute to Win It Competitions! Would You Rather Games

From March Madness to April Craziness!

From March Madness to April Craziness!

March Madness resulted in the book "Divergent" being crowned KMS Book of the Year, with several of our students being crowned victorious.

 

 Grand prize winner with over 450 points!! Woot, Woot!

 

Runners up with over 400 points!

This was fun, so we are keeping the craziness going!

Read 3 for Me!

Read any 3 books before May 26th and you can 

win free books, prizes, and gift cards.

You may pick how you show Mrs. Beckham you have read your books. Here are some suggestions.

On your phone,  create a 30 second book video

Make a 30 second music video promoting your book.

Write 5 quotes from your book.

Create a poster
Take a quiz on bookadventure.com

Brting in an object that symbolizes a character, setting, etc.

Or how about you just talk to me about it!

Want a bookmark to remind you to read? Come pick one up in the library!

March Madness... Isn't just for basketball!

March Madness and the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament is infamous, but someday March Madness Battle of the Books will have just as much acclaim, if I have anything to do with it!

So, for the First Annual KMS March Madness Book Tournament, we picked the top 32 books that have been checked out of the school library over the past year and a half to reflect all the books the 7th and 8th grade students have been reading. Now, we have to match them up tournament style and vote for our favorites!  Check out our bracketology!  You can even vote for YOUR favorite.

http://freeonlinesurveys.com/s/rZxd1iPR

NC Battle of the Books... NOT just the North Carolina BOB competition

N.C. Battle of the Books

 is on my agenda every year, in fact, every week. 

27 books 

to 

read, 

discuss, 

and 

practice 

quiz-bowl style competition every year in March 

That's enough to keep most kids busy for the entire school year, but then North Carolina ALSO has a competition for the best book of the year... Students vote in March for their favorite of the 10 selected each year.  "Counting By 7's" ( on our Bob List this year) won for 2015.

       North Carolina School Library Media Association Young Adult Book Award

                                             

This year's Middle School nominees: (only 1 is BoB list, "Crossover")

1. Anybody Shining by Frances O'Roark Dowell, Atheneum Books for Young Readers (October 7, 2014)
2. Blue Birds by Caroline Starr Rose, G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers (March 10, 2015) {replaces The End by Michael Hopf}
3. The Crossover by Kwame Alexander,  HMH Books for Young Readers, 2014
4. The President Has Been Shot by James Swanson, Scholastic Inc, 2013**
5. The Flame of Olympus by Kate O'Hearn, Aladdin, 2013
6. The Port Chicago 50 by by Steve Sheinkin, Roaring Brook Press (January 21, 2014)
7. Rule of Three by Eric Walters, Square Fish (January 20, 2015)
8. Secret Hum of a Daisy by Tracy Holczer, Putnam Juvenile (2014)
9. The Troubles of Johnny Cannon by Isaiah Campbell, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (October 14, 2014)
10. What I Came to Tell You by Tommy Hays, EgmontUSA, 2013

So, what are you reading?

Controversial Picture Book... You decide!

  Scholastic removes a controversial picture book from its lineup... Read all about it!

            

Click Here for School Library Journal Article

          If we use this book as a conversation starter about injustice, inequality, history and the process and need for us to learn from our past, then this piece of literature has served an important role in the educational process.          However, if this book is read and no discussion occurs, no questions are answered, have we perpetuated the injustices of the past?

        

How about a Book and a Movie

       I have been told by every ELA teacher in America that you are supposed to read the book BEFORE you watch the movie. Well, sometimes I just have to break that rule : )  I enjoy reading the book AFTER I have seen the movie and then challenging myself to figure out what the movie directors did WRONG.  Seriously, I do a much better job of catching the details of the story when I am not trying so hard to create all the visuals on my own. 

So, THIS LIBRARIAN doesn't mind if you watch the movie FIRST and THEN read the book! Anyone want to go to the movies? I hear there are some awesome ones coming out this year : )

http://bzfd.it/22NiCDP