Battle of the Books sign ups

Sign ups for the Battle of the Books begins on January 4th. Find three friends--read--and sign up! Don't miss the fun.

(We don't use swords--just our knowledge of the books. But the action is still fast and furious!)

The Green Glass Sea by Henry

Henry's book project provides some of the details of the story The Green Glass Sea by Ellen Klages. We can imagine what it would have been like to look out at the desert turned to glass.

The 25ers

Congratulations to Christopher and Luke who completed all 25 books this week!

Abby Takes a Stand by Piper

Piper's diorama shows Abby and her friend enjoying milkshakes at the Monkey Bar.

The Big Field by Thomas

Thomas created a replica of the ball field in The Big Field using craft foam as his book project.

Our first student 25 reader!

Congratulations to Jarod for reading all 25 nominated books! This is quite an accomplishment and shows stamina, perseverance and determination. Nice reading, Jarod!

Swindle by Riley

Riley has created a detailed diorama showing the break- in scene from Gordon Korman's Swindle. He has carefully included the main characters demonstrating their skills as the action unfolds. Be sure to stop by the library to get a look at this wonderful book project!

The Ballad of Elijah by Dylan

Mr. Mahler's MCBA passport

Mr. Mahler created a passport to record each MCBA book he read and the date. He finished his first book on June 1 and his 25th on September 14! Each page is carefully hand stamped.

The London Eye Mystery by Dylan

Dylan's book project was a paper model of the London Eye. It included the main characters Kat and Ted and the warehouse. The London Eye even spins!

Abby Takes a Stand by Anna

Anna's summary:

The main characters are Abby, her mom, Jake, Jake's girl friend, Abby's friend.

Abby was telling her grandkids what happened to her in the past. I think Abby had 4 or 3 grand kids. It was very hard for Abby and her friend and Abby's mom. One day Abby and her mom were finally eaitng at the Monkey Place. She was black and black people where not treated well by white people. Abby and her family and friends went to sit ins.

Off and Running!

Well, the first three days of MCBA 2010 have been crazy! Over 300 books have been recorded in the three classes, which reflects the reading students did over the summer and early fall. WOW! Lots of children have already qualified with 5 books. This is going to be fun!

2010 Kick off November 4th

This year's MCBA program will officially get under way this Wednesday, November 4th. A special assembly for grades 4-6 will take place in the library at 9 a.m. Let the Wild Reading Begin!

Mr. Mahler Does it Again!

For the fourth consecutive year, principal Mahler has read all 25 MCBA books!
Congratulations!

Our First 25 Reader!

The first reader has completed the entire MCBA list-----our kindergarten teacher Nancy Birtwell! Congatulations Ms. Birtwell!

Thanks for spreading the excitement of reading in our school.

Happy New School Year!

We have just completed our first 8 days of school, and it feels great to be back. Many students participated in the wonderful summer reading program offered by our public library the M.N. Spear. Many read on their own, and a whole bunch started working on the MCBA list. Yeah!

I'm really excited about the upgrades that were installed on our library catalog over the summer. It is interactive, visual and fun to use. It really brings the school library right into your home.

Check it out---do a search for MCBA 2010 and place a hold...right from home.

No 25 readers to report, but both Ms. Birtwell and Mr. Mahler are at 24! I'm still making my way slowly through Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat.

Here's to a great year of reading!

Good summer reading

I've finished my 20th MCBA book! The list has made for some good summer reading--Simon Bloom was a pleasant surprise, and I really liked Out of Patience. I've got a list started of ideas for Books in Action, too.

I wonder how many students have read 5 already or if any students have read all 25... Mr. Mahler??? (He always beats me!)

I'm really looking forward to seeing all my readers back in the library on August 26!

g = 9.8 m/s2 = 32.2 ft/s2

Gravity? Do you need the formula for the Earth's gravitational pull? You may if you pick up

Simon Bloom: The Gravity Keeper by Michael Reisman. A fun sci-fi thriller with plenty of physics thrown in. Enjoy!

MCBA Log

Keep track of all your MCBA reading. Print out our MCBA log:

The Green Glass Sea

This is my first book trailer! Let me know what you think.

Elijah of Buxton

Found

Gordon Korman

Did you know Gordon Korman is one of Mr. G's favorite authors? Check out how he got interested in writing-

The New List is Here!

The 2009-2010 MCBA master list has been released!

The list contains a range of genres and reading levels and it will be easy to find some new favorites. Get ready for some terrific summer reading!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Battle of the Books

Congratulations to the 6th grade team of Bram, Jamie, Jorden and Ruby this year's SES BOTB Champs. They displayed nerves of steel and a deep and thorough knowledge of the books as they eeked out a victory from a strong 5th grade team in a sudden-death overtime.

Both the 4th grade team and the Teachers did an excellent job,missing very few questions. It was a fine way to wrap up this year's MCBA program.

The Winning Class

Congratulations go out to Ms. Lobenstine's Grade 4, the winners in this year's participation points contest. With 100% MCBA participation, this was the little class that could. Their excitement and enjoyment of the books was wonderful to see. 

They are sending a strong team to the BOTB's final---will it be a 4th grade sweep?

Congratulations to the 5th grade who finished a close second. They did an excellent job reading and creating projects.

Thank you to all our readers.

The End is Near...

And so all good things must come to an end. 

All book projects and book points must be turned in by 8:45 a.m. Monday March 2, 2009. They must be on my desk by that time as it appears on the library clock.

In the event of a snow delay, they will be due 15 minutes after the start of school. In the event of a school closing they will be due at 8:45 a.m. on Tuesday morning. In the event the school is eaten by a giant book-hating monster....

Voting all day Monday in the library for students who have read 5 books.

Books in Action Permission slips due.

Battle of the Books SES Championship-Wednesday 9:00 a.m. in the library.

Grade 4 champs: Isola, Sage, Hannah and Sadie

Grade 5 champs: Chris, Emma, Nevin and Jarod

Grade 6 Champs: Jordan, Ruby, Bram and Jamie

Teacher Champs: Mr. Mahler, Ms. Mosher, Ms. Lobenstine, Mr. Goldman

Books in Action-Friday 5:45-8:15 Erving Elementary School

By invitation only.

Wow! What a week. A book lover's dream come true.

A Tasty Book Project

A Miracle on 49th Street represented in cake. YUM!

We had a wonderful visit with author Kathleen Duble on January 27th. She spoke for a full hour, sharing the stories behind her books. We learned her personal connection to The Sacrifice and pulled questions from a bubbling witch's cauldron (well, it didn't quite bubble, but we could imagine it.) Many students left the presentation wanting to become writers.

A dozen students joined Ms. Duble for lunch following her talk. There they learned her favorite book is Tuck Everlasting (currently being read in the 5th grade! )

It was an enjoyable morning with a talented author.

We need High Speed!!!

Many students have expressed  frustration that they can't access the blog because they either have no internet or dial-up at home. There still exists a digital divide in our state, which hopefully will be resolved soon. Students may use the library and computer lab to access the blog during free time.

Create a Bookmark

There has been such a nice response to Mr. Mahler's MCBA bookmarks, I wanted to share three more. Can you identify the books that inspired them?








This week, I'm challenging you to create a bookmark representing your favorite MCBA book.
Since this counts as a book project, each entry that meets the criteria will earn a point. One entry per student.
1. Your bookmark must include 3 things about the book (images, not words.)
2. No computer images of the book! Use drawings, collage, found objects, be creative.
3. On the back write the book title and your name.
4. Submit to Ms. Bernard by Thursday, January 22 at noon.

Have fun!

Battle of the Books

The Golden Book

2008 BOTB Champions

Sign-up for Battle of the Books is now taking place in the library. Four students per team, please. Students may begin writing questions at any time. Grade level tournaments will begin in February, with the school championship taking place the week of March 2nd. Rumor has it that Mr. Mahler may be pulling together a team of teachers this year! Complete rules and instructions are available in the library. Remember, participating in BOTB earns each team member a point, and the winning team earns possession of the "Golden Book." Plus it's a really fun way to use your knowledge of all the books you've read!

Kathleen Duble

Have you read The Sacrifice?
This somber tale of how the Salem Witch hysteria touched one family is spellbinding! MCBA author Kathleen Duble will be visiting SES on Tuesday, January 27th. She will speak with the 4-6th graders and then join a lucky group of students for lunch.
Want to win lunch with the author? Here's how----Read the book and then give your name to me. I'll choose 12 lucky readers who will enjoy lunch with Kathleen Duble and a chance to talk with her one on one. Last year's author lunch with Jeannie Birdsall was fabulous-don't miss out!
Check out her website at:
http://www.kathleenduble.com/

Book Projects

Book projects are a great way to expand your enjoyment of a book. They are a chance to be creative---a book project can take just about any form. It is also fun to share what you thought of a book with your classmates and friends.
Today's bonus point highlights a book project created by Mr. Mahler. He has created bookmarks for each of the 25 MCBA books. They are very cool! For a chance at a bonus point, identify the books for each of the book marks. Write the titles along with your name and place in the bonus basket by 9:00 a.m. on Thursday. I'll draw 2 correct answers for bonus points. Good Luck!