Halloween

Although we didn't do a Halloween library party this year, we are having a 'spooky' story this week by a New Zealand writer, Kyle Mewburn (one of our school favourites is, Kiss Kiss), we also have a cool Halloween pop-up book.

Check out the video clip below of The House on the Hill

And another cool clip of our pop-up book

Flashback to last year's Halloween celebration when we had eyeball cookies and all wore a Halloween wart

RED SHELVES

Have you checked out the books in our red shelving area recently?  This is where most of our 'series' books are, as well as easy readers and easier chapter books.  At the front of each series shelf is a small 'synopsis' (this gives you an idea about what the series is about), there is also a reading age guide - please note this is a guide only, and probably more useful to teachers than you!  Check out this area for all the usual popular series like Goosebumps, but also some new ones we have purchased this year like Babymouse.

We are famous

Posting a link here to a great article about things we have been doing in our library, written by Jeannie Skinner from National Library

Books to inspire maker space activities

Looking back at old photos from this year

I have downloaded lots of photos taken this year this morning, and found these photos from a class visit we did in Term 3 that was lots of fun with the Junior syndicate.

We read the Smallest Turtle by Lynley Dodd - The tale of a baby turtle and his journey down the beach to the sea.

Then we created these fantastic 3D turtles during our Library visit.  The students then took them back to class and wrote a story about the smallest Turtle.

Library class visit - Story

This week we have been reading a fabulous new book called Hippos Are Huge!  This book looks like a picture book, but it is full of Hippo facts so is really a Non Fiction book.

Did you know?
Hippos can bite a crocodile in half?
A baby Hippo at six months can weigh 500 pounds
A Hippo can hold it's breath for 5 minutes under water
When a Hippo yawns it means "stay away'

This was our favourite page in the book

We also watched this hilarious Hippo video.  We timed the Hippo fart at 10 seconds long!

STEM Challenge

This week we have taken inspiration from the internet and we have tested how strong an A4 piece of paper is.  Results of our testing were Square 6 Triangle 7 and Circle was 20!  I forgot to take pictures but here is a great video explaining the challenge we did.

Thanks Creek Side Learning for the idea!

Roald Dahl Day - Week 8 Term 2 2016

Last term we had the most fabulous Roald Day 3 day event. 

The senior classes did lots of research about Roald Dahl and created online timelines, we had quizzes, some Revolting Rhymes.  They created a wall version of a Roald Dahl poem and finished off the day watching The Witches with popcorn.  

The middle years focused on The Twits.  Over a week Whaea Marama read The Twits to 3 kids.  We then had a Twit Day.  We had a kahoot quiz which everyone aced, tug of war (aka Mrs Twit stretching), fabulous portraits of Mr and Mrs Twit were created, cold spaghetti eating contests, and we finished off the day with popcorn and the movie Matilda.

The junior syndicate focused on The Enormous Crocodile, which we read, then watched the story on youtube, we had pull the Crocodile's tail (aka tug of war), we made three types of crocodile art, had a kahoot quiz about The Enormous Crocodile (100%), sung our crocodile song and we finished off our day with popcorn, raro and the movie Matilda.

It was exhausting, but fabulous!

The Twits Quiz

The Enormous Crocodile Kahoot Quiz

OPAC

Have you guys been using our new library catalogue (OPAC) in your classrooms on your chromebooks yet?  If you haven't you are missing out!  Here you can check what books you have out, renew your books (have them out for longer so they don't become overdue).  You can review books, listen to audio books, and search for items in our digital library.  Ask your teacher for the link for OPAC.

Here is a video clip to show you how to use OPAC.

Can You Hear It?

This week we have looked at one of the paintings in the Can You Hear It? book which was put together by The Metropolitan Museum of Art.  

The painting we looked at was called 'Chrysanthemums'.  In this book, they have paired pieces of art with pieces of music that are of the same theme. In this case both the painting and the piece of music feature a bee.

We listened for the flute, clarinet and violin in the piece of music 'The Flight of the Bumblebee'.  Here is an orchestra playing this piece of music, you will be able to see the instruments we talked about and listened for when we listened to the CD.

PINTEREST BOARDS

We now have a pinterest account for Manaia View School Library.  You can find it here
Manaia View School Library Pinterest

At the moment we only have one board called Booktalks 2016 - these are the books I talk to you about during class visits.  I will also be creating more book boards, so keep checking our account...

BABYMOUSE BOOK

Oh my gosh, I am so excited to see that our new series Babymouse have arrived.  They will be on the shelves soon (red shelves, look for the Babymouse pocket).  These are the cutest, sweetest, funniest graphic novels.

Cute Pop Up Book Film - The Happy Duckling

It was such a miserable day today, we decided to have our story as a movie, check it out, it's so cool.  Room 7 and 17 enjoyed it.

Story Mapping in the Library

This week we tried our hand at Story Mapping, every class so far has been amazing at this!  After I have read the story we think about all the different parts in a Story Map, Title, Characters, Setting, Problem, Solution and the Theme.  Here is an example from Room 7.  We will continue to do this throughout the term with our read aloud story in the library.

Autumn Leaves - Week 2 Term 2

Last week we had the best time with our class visits.  We talked about Autumn, read some amazing Autumn poems from Paula Green's book (she visited us last year), wrote a class poem and then created incredible leaf Hedgehogs and leaf faces

Photos from our Mobile Bus Visit - Last week of Term 1

Finally had a chance to put up a few photos of our visit to school with Glen from the Mobile Bus Library.  Such a fun day, songs, stories and of course the ROBOT!!!!  We will look to get him back another time as it was so much fun.

BEAST QUEST BOOKS COMING SOON

I just ordered a heap of Beast Quest books which will be on our new book shelf in the next week.

Click on the below link to create your own Beast Quest name.

Beast quest name generator

Here's Hank Series

We have two books of this funny series; Here's Hank, that have just arrived in the library this week.  Come and see Whaea Marama to add your name to the list to read them next.

This is the first book in the series.  Hank is a kid who doesn't try to be funny, but he somehow always makes the kids in his class laugh. He's pretty bad at memorizing stuff, and spelling is his worst subject. (But so are math and reading!) In the first book in this new series, Hank's class is putting on a play, and Hank wants the lead part: Aqua Fly. But he freezes in his audition and can only buzz like a fly. His teacher creates a special part for Hank, a silent bookmark. This may seem like an insignificant role, but when his enemy, Nick McKelty, freezes during the performance, it's up to Hank to save the play!

Hank is a kid who doesn't try to be funny, but he somehow always makes the kids in his class laugh. He's pretty bad at memorizing stuff, and spelling is his worst subject. (But so are math and reading!) In the second book in this new series, Hank has finally persuaded his dad to get the family a dog, and Hank couldn't be more excited! Mesmerized by a little wiener dog chasing his tail (making him look like a Cheerio) at the animal shelter, Hank declares him to be the new Zipzer dog. But when Cheerio gets loose in the park, Mr. Zipzer furiously announces that the dog must go. Can Hank convince his father that he wasn't the one who let Cheerio off his leash, or will he really lose his new pet and best friend?

Library Songs

Lately the Junior classes on their library visits have been learning a few fun circle time songs.  Here are a few of the ones we have been learning.

Five Little Hot Dogs

Hi My Name Is Joe - this is a favourite of room 9 - they are so good at singing this one with all of the actions!

Herman the Worm- I taught this one to Room 9 yesterday, they are so quick to learn the lyrics of new songs.  This video clip is fun.

NEW BOOKS IN OUR DIGITAL LIBRARY

I really enjoyed this book.  It's 1939 and Hitler is adored by many of the German people, including Georg.  He never questions what he is being taught by the Nazi's at school, until his English father is attacked in a pro-Nazi demonstration.  Georg is smuggled out of Germany and sent to live with his Aunt in London.  Here he has to think quickly on his feet and try to 'blend' in so that nobody suspects he is German.  Then the Blitz hits London and he is on the move again, this time on a war ship taking children to safety in Australia.  As Georg encounters people along his journey to safety, his thoughts about Nazi's, Germany and Hitler begin to change.  Will he ever find happiness and peace?  Well worth reading.

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Harriet Rowland is a New Zealand teenager, who after a snowboarding holiday, discovers she has a tumour on her knee.  As she fights her battle against cancer, she writes a blog, which eventually becomes a book.  This is her true story.  For those of you who loved The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.  You will enjoy this.  We also have this book in the library as a print version.

"This way I will NEVER have to get a job, learn how to cook more than two-minute noodles or do anything mildly productive. I never have to grow up and I can forever be a kid! Though my 'forever' is shorter than most, I don't mind. What I do mind is that I'm going to have to leave everyone I love behind." Harriet.

http://myexperienceofwalkingthedog.blogspot.co.nz/

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Harriet Manners knows a lot of things. 

She knows that a cat has 32 muscles in each ear, a "jiffy" lasts 1/100th of a second, and the average person laughs 15 times per day. What she isn't quite so sure about is why nobody at school seems to like her very much. So when she's spotted by a top model agent, Harriet grabs the chance to reinvent herself. Even if it means stealing her Best Friend's dream, incurring the wrath of her arch enemy Alexa, and repeatedly humiliating herself in front of the impossibly handsome supermodel Nick. Even if it means lying to the people she loves. 

As Harriet veers from one couture disaster to the next with the help of her overly enthusiastic father and her uber-geeky stalker, Toby, she begins to realise that the world of fashion doesn't seem to like her any more than the real world did. 

And as her old life starts to fall apart, the question is: will Harriet be able to transform herself before she ruins everything?

MINECRAFT novels

 In the library now

I have order a few Minecraft novels that can be issued.  These are already proving popular, so you won't find them on the shelf.  Come and see me and I'll put your name down for them.

The Clash of the Creepers 

When Steve's friends Max, Lucy, and Henry get their hands on a map with the location of the legendary Mine Mountain, Steve questions if the map is a fake. Going to this fabled mountain, rumoured to contain an endless supply of diamonds, is every treasure hunter s dream. Many believe the mountain doesn't exist, and although Steve is doubtful about the map s authenticity, the gang convinces Steve and Kyra to embark on a journey to find this magical mountain. On their trip, Steve and his friends stumble upon a town filled with friendly folk. While there, they meet other treasure hunters who are also searching for Mine Mountain. As the group joins forces with their new treasure hunter friends, creepers attack them. The closer they get to the famed mine, the more creepers appear. The group doesn't know if this is the work of a griefer or if the creepers are trying to hide something. Will they stop the creeper attack? Will they get the diamonds? And should Steve and his friends trust these new treasure hunters?

The Mystery of the Griefers Mark

Steve is back and ready for more adventures! But this time the excitement lands closer to home. While walking home from the village, Steve is surprised to hear a loud "BOOM!" When he returns home, he finds his wheat farm destroyed and a huge crater where the wheat once grew. And his diamond sword is missing! Steve believes it s the act of a griefer with a lot of TNT. Devastated, Steve wants to rebuild and find his sword, but with his wheat destroyed, he must call on old friends to help him. All together again, Lucy, Max, and Henry tell harrowing stories of their treasure hunts and conquests, and Steve discusses his strategy for rebuilding. They all go to sleep, excited to begin their plans; but when they wake up, Henry is missing! Looking for Henry in the village, two of Steve s neighbours, Kyra and Adam, have been targeted as well: Kyra s barn was flooded with lava, and Adam s friend Thomas is missing too! Who is the griefer terrorizing Steve and the villagers? And how will Steve find the resources to rebuild his prosperous farm? With suspicion circulating and no answers to be found, Steve finds himself wrongly suspected of these crimes and so he must discover who the mischievous griefer is before something even worse happens."

The Quest for the Diamond Sword

Steve lives on a wheat farm. He has everything he needs to live in the Minecraft world: a bed, a house, and food. Steve likes to spend his mornings in the NCP village and trade his wheat for emeralds, armor, books, swords, and food. One morning, he finds that Zombies have attacked the villagers. The Zombies have also turned the village blacksmith into a Zombie, leaving Steve without a place to get swords. To protect himself and the few villagers that remain, Steve goes on a quest to mine for forty diamonds, which are the most powerful mineral in the Overworld. He wants to craft these diamonds into a diamond sword to shield him and the villagers from the Zombies. Far from his home, with night about to set in, Steve fears for his life. Nighttime is when users are most vulnerable in Minecraft. As he looks for shelter in a temple, he meets a trio of treasure hunters, Max, Lucy, and Henry, who are trying to unearth the treasure under the temple. Steve tells them of his master plan to mine for the most powerful mineral in the Overworld--the diamond. The treasure hunters are eager to join him. Facing treacherous mining conditions, a thunderstorm, and attacks from hostile mobs, these four friends question if it's better to be a single player than a multiplayer, as they try to watch out for each other and chase Steve's dream at the same time. Will Steve find the diamonds? Will his friends help or hinder the search? Should he trust his new treasure hunter friends? And will Steve get back in time to save the villagers?

Treasure Hunters in Trouble

Steve receives a distress call from his friends Max, Lucy, and Henry. They have found an abundance of treasure in a temple, but they can t get out! He immediately sets off for the desert to help his friends. Once Steve gets to them, they will all be rewarded with a supply of emeralds, gold ingots, and many other rare treasures. But saving his friends and helping them extract the treasure isn t as easy as he thinks it will be. He enlists the aid of a neighbor to help him on his quest. With his friend Kyra in tow, the two brave a trip through the nether, get stuck at sea, face hostile chicken jockeys, and become trapped in a cave filled with spiders. They have to find their way to their treasure hunter friends while battling hostile mobs in this tale about trickery and treasuring friendship. Will Steve be able to brave the nether and rescue his friends? And will anyone get to go home with chests full of treasure?

Tale of the Cursed Village - short graphic novel

While on his usual explorations, Steve comes across a village completely deserted, with the exception of one old man. After learning that the entire village was kidnapped by the Skeleton King, Steve goes on a quest to confront the evil leader and free the villagers!