Library
About our B.F. Day Library
Welcome to the B.F. Day Library!
For those of you new to the B.F. Day Family, welcome! My name is Jaimee Papineau (most students call me “Mrs. P.”) and I am a Reading Support Teacher (K-1) and Librarian for our wonderful community. This will be my 13th year at B.F. Day, and 25th year in education! I am in my third year of librarianship, with the goal of creating a warm, welcoming, supportive space for all students and families. The library is a place to learn more about ourselves, grow in our empathy for others, and expand our ability to be critical and informed thinkers. I can’t wait to share my enthusiasm for learning and reading with our students. My goal is to help nurture truly joyful and lifelong readers!
At the beginning of the school year we spent time reviewing library and book care rules and enjoying our first story of the year together. Part of being a responsible library user is setting up positive habits from the start. Thank you for helping your child find a consistent place in your home to keep library books and offering reminders to return them each week!
Reading at home is one of the MOST important ways you can connect with your child while also building strong foundational literacy skills. Thank you for cheering them on!
News from the Library
Happy New Year! We are back to a great start in the library. We’ve spent this week reviewing procedures and library vocabulary as well as enjoying cozy winter books.
For winter quarter, students will be exploring the following:
- PreK-1: choosing just-right books, identifying nonfiction areas of interest, all about facts, making predictions, book medals
- 2/3: alphabetizing and shelf order, what is a call number, using Destiny Discover, types of nonfiction
- 4/5: digital citizenship, evaluating online information, nonfiction shelf sequence, narrative nonfiction, Global Reading Challenge
We will continue talking about developing a “balanced reading diet.” There are benefits to reading all kinds of literature to grow our brains in different ways. This month’s library wish list focuses on high-interest, engaging nonfiction to help students with this goal. If you’d like to contribute, check it out on Amazon!
Global Reading Challenge
Next week begins our Global Reading Challenge team practice. Students in 4th and 5th grade who have chosen to participate will be put into teams of seven to answer questions about eight different books. We will practice weekly on Thursdays during lunch/recess. Our in- school competition will take place Tuesday, February 11. Students began reading the books all the way back in November and are SO excited to get started! We love Global Reading Challenge at B.F. Day! To read more about this program visit the Seattle Public Library.
To make our practices successful we need 3-4 parent volunteers to help quiz our teams.Check out this sign up if you have the availability to participate. You will need to be a cleared volunteer to attend as you’ll be directly working with students. Thank you in advance for your support! It makes a huge difference!
Questions…
Q: How do I help my emerging reader pick out books for practice, either at the library or the bookstore?
A: Did you know reading levels were actually created for teachers, not students? Each level corresponds with a skill set students need to read and comprehend the text. Many publishing companies try to put levels on their books with their own system of numbers and letters. Recently, with a greater focus on the science of reading and how students learn to read, companies are better aligning the text in the book to actual phonetic skills (aka, if you know short vowels and CVC words this book is a “good fit”), but it can all be very confusing!
There is a quick, easy way to match your child to a book called “The Five Finger Rule” from Scholastics Books. Here’s how it works: Your child opens a book to the first page. They read the page and hold up one finger for every word they don’t know or can’t pronounce.
The number of fingers they’re holding up by the end of the page tells them if the book is the right level:
- 0-1 fingers: It’s too easy.
- 2-3 fingers: It’s just right.
- 4-5 fingers: It’s too hard (or best read aloud with a buddy).
Two to three fingers is the sweet spot. If they’re holding up any more or less, that’s a clue that they should try to find another book if they’re reading independently. Clearly, this is a very simplified method, but at least it gives you a place to start. Check out the cited link for the full article.
Helpful Library Resources
Reading with Mrs. P.
How do I help my child with phonemic awareness?
What is phonemic awareness? This is the ability to manipulate individual sounds. In essence, it’s knowing the word “dog” is made up of the individual sounds /d/ /o/ /g/. Phonemic awareness and letter-sound knowledge are the two biggest indicators of how well a child will learn to read in the first two years of school. If students learn to play with sound, and then learn that letters go with those sounds, they have a better foundation in learning to read!
Building phonemic awareness is all about playing with sound.
- Practice by….
- Saying the sounds in a simple word (/m/ /a/ /t/ for “mat,” /sh/ /o/ /p/ for “shop,”) and ask kids to put the sounds together to tell you the word.
- Do the opposite! Say a word, and have kids tell you the individual sounds in the word. Cash = /c/ /a/ /sh/.
- If kids struggle to do this out loud, you can use cars, figurines, coins, etc. to represent each sound.
- Have them move an object while saying each sound.
- Alternatively, kids can tap each sound by tapping a part of their arm or patting on their lap.
Having fun with sounds leads helps kids learn to read! ~ Mrs. Papineau
Seattle Public Library Resources
The Seattle Public Library (SPL) offers some AMAZING resources for students. The ability to check out audio and e-books can be a special treat. The Libby App can be downloaded onto your phone, iPad, home computer as an e-reader.
Here’s how to set it up your SPL account…visit the Seattle Public Library website at SPL.org and select on “my account.” Your library link number is 990000 (four zeroes) followed by your student’s 7-digit ID number to create a 13-digit number. The PIN is the month and date of your child’s birthday, 2 digits for the month and 2 digits for the day. So, a birthday of November 7 would be a PIN of 1107. From there you have access to the library collection and an array of resources including these below. I haven’t yet investigated Tutor.com, but it appears Seattle Public School students have access to Free Tutoring through this site! If anyone wants to give it a try and report back, go for it!
SPL Resources
- Libby App
- Download OverDrive’s Libby app for iOS or Android to check out e-books and e-audiobooks.
- BookFlix
- BookFlix pairs over 135 animated stories with real-world concepts to help new readers improve their skills in English and Spanish. Animated stories and interactive games keep kids engaged and help build vocabulary. Access BookFlix for free with your Library card.
- Hoopla
- Enjoy thousands of always-available digital comics and graphic novels in our Hoopla digital collection for free with your Library card. With Hoopla you can also access over 6,000 movies and TV shows, and 300,000 music albums.
- Tutor.com
- K – 12 students in Seattle can get free virtual tutoring from Tutor.com with a Library card or Library Link number.
How to Place a Book on Hold
View the helpful district How to Place an Online Library Hold or instructions on how to place a book on hold. Chinese, Spanish, Somali and Vietnamese translations available.
Learn more on the SPS Library Resources for SPS Students
Library Link
You already have your own account! Enjoy free access to carefully curated collections of e-books, animated picture books and non-fiction, as well as movies, graphic novels, research databases and much more.
Library Link is a partnership between The Seattle Public Library and Seattle Public Schools . It gives all K -12 students, teachers and staff access to SPL’s vast collection of online resources and books using their SPS student or teacher ID numbers — all SPS students and staff already have accounts created for them., You don’t need a SPL library card/account. Learn all about the wonders of Library Link
Reminders
A reminder to handle our books with clean hands, keep books away from pets/babies, keep books away from liquids (including Seattle rain), and return books on time. Books may be checked out for two weeks and may be renewed if students would like more time with them.
Students have a rotating library schedule. Please check with your classroom teacher regarding which day(s) your child has library.
Lost or Damaged Materials
In the event that a library item has been lost or damaged beyond reasonable use, we ask that families Pay for the book or Replace it with a new or gently used copy. Most titles can be found at your favorite local bookstore or online vendor.
We do our best to check the library shelves and talk with the student prior to sending out a notice. Your support in helping your child return their library books so that others may enjoy them next year is essential and most appreciated.
Parent Library Accounts
Yes, parents and guardians can create their own library accounts! Creating your own library account is a great way to support your child’s appetite for great books. Just stop by the library. *SPS school libraries do not charge late fees for overdue books.
Coming Soon! B.F. Day Library on Instagram
Our library Instagram page (@bfdayreaders) will be live soon and will have book reviews and updates about events for our students.