This blog is used to communicate with the St. Therese Catholic School community about activities in the library. Check back often to find photographs of students engaged in reading and learning in creative ways!
Julie Owen, Librarian
The Poetry Club met on Thursday, October 29, 2009, for some spooky fun. Several students brought Halloween-themed poetry to share. We focused on Edgar Allan Poe and his famous poem, "The Raven."
This site helps dissect the poetic language and difficult vocabulary.
We finished by exploring a website that has instant forms for poetry starters. Give it a try!
First grade students carefully gather prey snails and look for other creatures that live underneath the wood such as ants, spiders, roly-polys, and termites.
This is a small garden snail. Wolfsnails eat these and small slugs.
This small wolfsnail was wedged in the rim of a discarded bottle cap along with two garden snails.One first grade girl found 3 very small wolfsails during our field study on Thursday.
Students watch the snails after our snail-gathering adventure.
First graders at St. Therese Catholic School have been helping me care for and learn more about wolfsnails. I brought a large wolfsnail to school last week after my children found one at home. I knew that all of our students would want to see a live one because Sarah Campbell had visited our school last year to share her book Wolfsnail: A Backyard Predator with students during an author visit.
This time, we were able to read the book and watch a live wolfsnail in action. On Tuesday, the wolfsnail was busy hunting and eating small, garden snails for most of the day. I didn't have many more garden snails left, so I took the first grade class outside to look for some in the school yard. We looked under rubber tires on the playground, old planks up against the back of the gym, cement blocks in the grass, and a few rocks--no snails! Finally, we found a huge colony of snails under a wood pile behind the cafeteria. Wow! There were so many there that we gathered a handful.
The bright and keen eyes of two first graders found another, small wolfsnail and an empty wolfsnail shell. They are keeping the small wolfsnail in their classroom for study and observation. On Thursday, we went back out to the wood pile for more prey snails and found 3 more small wolfsnails. I wonder what other amazing creatures and plants surround our school and exist side by side with us as we learn each day?
While all students at St. Therese have recently visited the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, last week's wolfsnail study was a perfect reminder that there are many opportunities to learn about nature, ecosystems, and the environment around our own school yard. This experience has me thinking about some future possibilities to do just that. Stay tuned!
The third through sixth grade classes went on a field trip to the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science on Tuesday, October 20, 2009. The weather was perfect (not a cloud in the bright blue sky)! All classes were able to attend a hands-on session in the classrooms about reptiles. Cory Wright, and education specialist with the museum, shared turtles, snakes, and alligators with us. He knew a lot about the animals and was able to answer all of the great questions students posed to him. He also encouraged the students to get the most of their education so that they can find a job that allows them to get paid for doing something they love. Mr. Cory clearly loves his job. His enthusiasm is contagious!
Pete the gopher tortoise (in the first photo) was my favorite reptile, but I was amazed by them all. Even Mrs. Luke touched their scaly skins! All classes were able to tour the museum exhibits, and were required to fill out a scavenger hunt to direct their observations. The outside trails were also tempting, but we could not go too far down the bluff because the Pearl River had flooded. One entire observation deck, the newest one built, was under water.
Below is a slide show of my photos.
I left the field trip grateful for the opportunity to spend such a beautiful day learning with the children and teachers of St. Therese in such a quality museum and natural setting. Thank you, also, to all of the parents who accompanied us!
Clifford and Geronimo Stilton visited the St. Therese Book Fair on Thursday. Today is the last day for the fair, so stop by between 9:00 am and noon. Happy reading!
Go to the St. Therese Library Wish List to find out books that would make great gifts to the library. Books can be purchased and donated to the library for many reasons:
1. In honor of a student's birthday 2. In celebration of a student's special achievement 3. In memory of a loved one 4. In thanksgiving for a teacher or staff member
Any book purchased from this wish list and donated to the library will receive a special bookplate and have a note in the catalog record that displays each time book record is viewed!
