Elementary Library

This is a School by John Schu (E SCH) A love letter to schools and the people who make up the communities within. Build community and establish classroom culture.

Discussion Prompts:

●​ What makes a school special? ●​ Looking at the cover, what do you notice about the school? ●​ Which character(s) from the book would you like to get to know better? What is it about them that makes you curious? ●​ How is this school similar to and different from your school? ●​ What are your favorite things about your school? If you could change one thing about your school, what would you change? ●​ In one scene in the book, a child accidentally breaks a fishbowl. Tell us about a time when you made a choice that you regretted later. What did you learn from that situation? ●​ “Some people see what we’re good at, and that helps us to know it, too.” What does this sentence from the book mean to you? ●​ What things make you feel welcomed at school? How do you make others feel welcomed? If you started attending a new school, what questions would you want answered before your first day? Discussion Prompts: ●​ Cover: Why do you think the narrator tells us not to bring a dragon to the library? ●​ There’s plenty of space in that library of mine…(double spread): What happened when the dragon tried to fit between the shelves? How should we move our bodies while walking in the library shelves? ●​ And then chances are her flame will ignite!...(double spread): What happened to the dragon’s books? What are some ways we can care for our books when they are in our backpacks, classrooms, or at home? ●​ After reading: Why is it important to respect our library space, furniture, and books? Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein (E STE) Little Red Chickens interrupts so often they can’t get through a bedtime story. A very funny text to teach the importance of respect during read-alouds. References to European fairy tales. Discussion Prompts: ●​ Cover: What do you notice on the cover? [Notice speech bubbles.] Dialog are the words characters in a book say. Why would David Ezra Stein choose to show dialog in speech bubbles? What does it mean to interrupt? What do you think is going to happen in this story? ●​ Chicken, you interrupted the story…(page) : How does Papa chicken feel when he is interrupted? How can you tell? Think about a time when you were interrupted. How did you feel? ●​ But chicken, we are out of stories…(page): What was the consequence of interrupting? Can you remember a time in your classroom or home when interrupting made you lose time and something positive? ●​ After reading: Why is interrupting during a read-aloud not a good idea? In our library you are allowed to ask questions and share your thoughts during read-alouds. But how 21 Do Not Bring Your Dragon to the Library by Julie Gassman (E GAS) Dragons cause nothing but trouble in the library. A funny story about library etiquette.