Booktalking using active listening sheet

This format of having students accountable for listening during booktalks came out of NYCSLA’s wonderful presentation by Sonja Cole. Students listen, reflect and write down 3 words to describe the book, and then rate all the books that were presented in the booktalking session. Great format and this year (2010-11) I will work on growing their vocabulary about books.
This is a 4th grade example:

Nonfiction unit and notetaking

Here are some notes a student took on Puerto Rico while watching a video on Safari Montage. They loved this activity, and can be adapted to students with little language skills by asking them to draw instead and giving them all topics from a pre-selected list.

Intro to the Library’s online catalog

Here are some of the responses to the question, “What is an online catalog?”

Imaginative Stories

We started the 2009-10 year reading about the imagination and great reading habits of Grace in Amazing Grace. We followed up by reading the exciting North African Bedoin folktale of Rimonah of the Flashing Sword. Then I played The Rage of Hercules, retold (I edited out the really scary part) by Odds Bodkin and interpreted in ASL by Sarah. We loved all these stories and it gave us good reasons to hit the 398.2 section!