Mrs. Hayes' Library and Media Page

Policies 

Accelerated Reader 

Accelerated Reader involves students taking a quiz after reading a book, and is a great way to hold students accountable for their reading practice. At the elementary level, we focus on getting the kids' reading levels to a place where they can handle most books with ease. This means being fairly rigid with book levels when they are emerging, and lightening up on that rigidity, as they become mature readers. By the time they get to the middle school, all focus is taken off of the book level--our goal is to get them to discover favorite authors and genres and become lifetime readers, not just "AR Readers." To learn more about "AR" please view the AR Presentation under the Presentation link. 

 

Library Rules:

Respect others by not disturbing them.

Respect library materials by taking good care of them, returning them on time, and keeping them in order.

Respect library staff by following their directions.

Student Check Out Policy:


All books are checked out for one week. Items may be renewed one time, unless there is a waiting list for it. Students with overdue books may not check out until the book is returned or paid for. No fines are charged for overdue books.

Checkout Limits:

K-1^st grade: 1 book at a time

2-5^th grade: 2 books at a time

Book Care:

Protect your books from rain with a plastic bag. If you do damage a book, bring it to the librarian to fix. Use a bookmark instead of "dog-earing" pages. Keep your library books away from pets and younger siblings. Handle pages carefully so you do not accidentally rip them.

Scheduled Library Time:

Students will come to the library twice a week. During the first time, we will work on library and information literacy skills, research, etc. The goal of this time is to help students become life-long readers and confident in their ability to find and utilize quality information in books, magazines, and electronic resources. Your child might participate in story times, reader's theater, responses to literature, and skill - building activities and games. The second day will be checkout day.

***Teachers may also send one or two students at a time for book check out or independent research, any time the library is open! 

                  Suggest Readings for Students

Kindergarten and First Grade

Frog and Toad series by Arnold Lobel
Clifford series by Norman Bridwell
Franklin series by Paulette Bourgeois
Henry and Mudge series by Cynthia Rylant
Books by Dr. Seuss
Little Bear series by Else Minarik
Curious George series by H.A. Rey

Second and Third Grade

<>Junie B. Jones series by Barbara Park
Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne
Books by Beverly Cleary
Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Bailey School Kids series by Debbie Dadey
American Girl series by Porter, Shaw, and Tripp
A to Z Mysteries by Ron Roy
Ghostville Elementary series by Marcia Thornton Jones
Books by Tomie de Paola
Books by Jan Brett 
  
 

Fourth and Fifth Grade

<>Brian series by Gary Paulsen
Hank the Cowdog series by John Erickson
Boxcar Children series by Gertrude Chandler Warner
Amber Brown series by Paula Danziger
Books by Matt Christopher
Books by James Howe
Amelia series by Marissa Moss
A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
Hank Zipzer series by Henry Winkler
The Anastasia series by Lois Lowry
Dear America series
Books by Andrew Clements

   HOW to Pick a Book thAt is Just Right for You!

Ask your friends..
        Find out what your friends are reading.  They may have some good ideas for you.

Ask your librarian or teacher...
       Librarians and teachers know a lot about books.  Ask for some suggestions.

Talk to your parents...
       Talk with your parents about different subjects and your interests.  Ask them to help you pick books that you may like.

Look the book over first...
       Examine the book before you start to read it.  Read the "blurb" (a funny word that means a short summary about the story) on the inside of the book's cover.  Look at the cover, pictures, and chapters.

Try the 5-finger test...
       If you think a book may be too hard for you try the 5-finger test.  Read the first page.  Put a finger on every word you don't know.  Keep the fingers on those words.  If you use all five fingers of one hand on one page, you might want to look for another book.

Find a favorite author...
       If you like a book by a certain author, you'll probably like other books by that same person.  Most authors have written more than one book.

Enjoy picture books...
       You're never too old to enjoy picture books.  They're fun at any age.

Don't worry about length...
       The length of a book has nothing to do with how good it is.  The most important thing is that you like the book.

1. Think about the book...
          After you've read one book, and before you get another one, take a few minutes and think about the book you've just finished.  Did you like the story?  Did you like the people?  Was it funny?  Did it make you feel happy or sad?  Did it make you think? If you liked it, tell a friend about it!

What are we learning in the Library? 

Kindergarten

First Grade

Second Grade

Support Us! 

There are lots of ways to support our library and promote reading here at West Elementary Elementary.

Volunteer:

Help younger students select books, be a reading buddy, shelve, repair books, or help prepare lesson materials for teachers. You can volunteer on a regular schedule, or just as you find time.  Contact Mrs. Hayes at 423-586-1263 or email at shayes@hcboe.net

Read with your children

Book Collection: Donate your old books to our library.  Anything that's doesn't fit an elementary school collection will be traded at the used bookstore. 

Honor someone with a book

The West Elementary Adopt-a-Book Program is a wonderful way to donate new literature to the West Elementary Library while honoring a loved one in a truly distinctive manner.

Gift books can be purchased to celebrate a retirement, graduation, birthday or other milestone. Participation in the Adopt-a-Book Program also ensures that the library will continue to build its collection to support the education and reading interests of students.

A commemorative bookplate bearing the name of the person being honored/memorialized will be placed in each donated book. The library will notify the honoree of their gift, and the recipient will be given the opportunity to read the book before it is added to the library’s collection for all to enjoy. To begin the donation process, simply complete a gift book form and return it to the library. 

Book Awards & Other Book Lists See both award winners and the honor / second place books . (External Web sites open into a new window. Close new window to return to this page.)

	Alex Award http://www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists/alex For books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults, ages 12 through 18.
	Batchelder Award http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/literaryawds/batchelderaward/batchelderaward.htm The Mildred L. Batchelder Award goes to an outstanding children's book originally published in a foreign language in a foreign country, and subsequently translated into English and published in the United States. ALSC gives the award to encourage American publishers to seek out superior children's books abroad and to promote communication among the peoples of the world.
	Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards http://www.hbook.com/bghb/default.asp Awards for excellence in literature for children and young adults in three categories: Picture Book; Fiction and Poetry; and Nonfiction. Eligible books must be published in the United States, though they may be written or illustrated by citizens of any country.
	Caldecott Medal http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/literaryawds/caldecottmedal/caldecottmedal.htm The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.
	Coretta Scott King Award http://www.ala.org/ala/emiert/corettascottkingbookaward/corettascott.htm The Award commemorates the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and honors his widow, Coretta Scott King, for her courage and determination in continuing the work for peace and world brotherhood.
	Edgar Award http://www.mysterywriters.org/ The Edgar Allan Poe Awards® (the "Edgars®") are named after the Mystery Writers of America's patron saint, Edgar Allan Poe, and are awarded to authors of distinguished work in various categories of the mystery genre. Click to find past winners in certain categories.
	Hans Christian Andersen Awards http://www.ibby.org/index.php?id=273 Every other year IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People) presents the Hans Christian Andersen Awards to an author and an illustrator, living at the time of the nomination, whose complete works have made a lasting contribution to children's literature. Often called the "Little Nobel Prize", the Hans Christian Andersen Award is the highest international recognition given to an author and an illustrator of children's books. Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II of Denmark is the Patron of the Andersen Awards.
	John Steptoe Award for New Talent http://www.ala.org/ala/emiert/corettascottkingbookaward/cskpastwinners/newtalentaward/newtalentaward.htm The John Steptoe Award for New Talent, given to a black author and to a black illustrator for an outstanding book, is designed to bring visibility to a writer or artist at the beginning of his/her career as a published book creator.
	Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/literaryawds/wildermedal/wildermedal.htm Honors an author or illustrator whose books are published in the U.S. and have made a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children. The award was given every five years between 1960 and 1980; it is now given every three years.  Not a book list, but an author list!
	Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award http://www.pabook.libraries.psu.edu/activities/hopkins/ The  Lee Bennett Hopkins Award for Children's Poetry shall be granted annually to an anthology of poetry or a single volume poem published for children by a living American poet or anthologist. It shall be administered by The Pennsylvania Center for the Book and Penn State University Libraries.
	Margaret A. Edwards Award http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/booklistsawards/margaretaedwards/margaretedwards.htm The Margaret A. Edwards Award honors an author's lifetime achievement for writing books that have been popular over a period of time. It recognizes an author's work in helping adolescents become aware of themselves and addressing questions about their role and importance in relationships, society, and in the world.
	The Mythopoeic Awards http://www.mythsoc.org/awardwinners.html The Mythopoeic Awards are awarded annually by the Mythopoeic Society, which is dedicated to the study, discussion and enjoyment of fantasy and mythic literature. Click on the link and page down to "Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature" for youth titles.
	National Book Award http://www.nationalbook.org/nbawinners2000.html One of the nation's most prestigious literary prizes, the National Book Award is given by the National Book Foundation. The awards are given in four categories: fiction, non-fiction, poetry and "young people's literature", i.e., the award recognizes books for both adults and for young people.
	NCTE Award for Poetry for Children http://www.ncte.org/about/awards/sect/elem/106857.htm The National Council of Teachers of English honors a living American poet for his or her aggregate work for children ages 3-13. The award is presented by the Poetry Committee Chair every three years during the Books for Children Luncheon at the NCTE Annual Convention in November.
	New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books http://www.nytimes.com/pages/books/authors/index.html The New York Times Book Review releases its annual list of the best illustrated books for kids each November. This time around, the Times tapped as its judges Caldecott Medalist David Wiesner, Steven Heller of the School of Visual Arts, and Ellen Loughran, who teaches at the Pratt School of Information and Library Sciences. Click here for a slide show of the 2007 books.
	Newbery Medal http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/literaryawds/newberymedal/newberymedal.htm The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually  to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.
	Orbis Pictus Award Winners for Children's Non-fiction http://www.ncte.org/about/awards/sect/elem/106877.htm An award for non-fiction, "true" books that are written for children and young adults. Click on the link and page down to "Related Information"  for links to award winners in 1997 to 2003.
	Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12 http://www.nsta.org/ostbc These books were selected as outstanding science books by members of a book review panel appointed by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and assembled in cooperation with The Children's Book Council (CBC).
	Phoenix Award http://chla.wikispaces.com/Phoenix+Award Awarded annually to a book originally published in English twenty years previously which did not receive a major award at the time of its publication. The Phoenix Award is named after the fabled bird who rose from its ashes with renewed life and beauty. Phoenix books also rise from the ashes of neglect and obscurity and once again touch the imaginations and enrich the lives of those who read them.
	Printz Award http://www.ala.org/yalsa/printz The Michael L. Printz Award is an award for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature--a young adult version of the Newbery Award, if you will.
	Pura Belpré Awards http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/literaryawds/belpremedal/belprmedal.htm The Pura Belpré Awards recognizes a Latino or Latina writer or illustrator whose work celebrates the Latino culture in a children's book.
	Quick Picks http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/booklistsawards/quickpicks/quickpicksreluctant.htm Quick reads, mostly under 100 pages, to read just for fun.
	Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction http://www.scottodell.com/odellaward.html Scott O' Dell established this award to encourage new authors to write historical fiction. He believes such books help children to better understand the historical backdrop behind what has gone on in history. The award is presented to a children's or young adult book published in English by a U.S. publisher and set in the Americas.
	Sibert Medal http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/literaryawds/sibertmedal/Sibert_Medal.htm The Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award is awarded annually to the author of the most distinguished informational book published during the preceding year. The award is named in honor of Robert F. Sibert, the long-time President of Bound to Stay Bound Books, Inc.
	YALSA Best Books for Young Adults (BBYA) http://www.ala.org/ A general list of fiction and nonfiction titles selected for their appeal to the personal reading tastes of the young adult, ages 12 to 18.