Ford Media Center

Rising Star of Rusty Nail: One of the Great Books for Book Munchers

  Our Book Munchers Club is about to begin another year. Ms. Taylor-Wong and Mrs. Harp are looking forward to working with  4th and 5th grade students interested in reading all of the Georgia Book Award nominated books in preparation for the Helen Ruffin Bowl in January.  For more information on the HRB go to http://www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/hrrb/ .

The Rising Star of Rusty Nail by Lesley M. M. Blume is a fun story about the town of Rusty Nail, MN and its quirky inhabitants.  The heroine of the story is ten-year-old Franny Hansen who has dreams of becoming a famous concert pianist.   The story begins with Franny and her best friend Sandy throwing water balloons at unsuspecting town folks.  Because of the trouble that follows, Franny comes to know the "commie" wife of the town's only lawyer.

Set in the early 1950's during the Cold War, The people of Rusty Nail are in a tizzy about the new Russian woman in town. Fearful that she is a Communist spy, the women of the town set out to get rid of the threat. Franny sees an opportunity in befriending the woman. She comes to learn that hard work pays off in more ways than she could have imagined and that people are not always what they seem.

QuizList Interactive

Some of you have asked me where to check for AR quizzes actually available  in our media center. Unfortunately, Destiny is not the best choice.  We have a great Internet site called QuizList Interactive where I upload the names of all the quizzes purchased for our media center.  You can access QuizList Interactive from the Ford Home Page by selecting the AR quizzes link which is the first link on the left side of the page. The link may also be found on this Blog and the home page of Destiny.

Below is the direct link to the site. Just copy and paste the following URL:

http://www.QuizList.net/search.aspx?id=4158

First Graders Learn the 5 Finger Rule for Selecting Books

First graders learned some great strategies for selecting a great book on their level from the story Goldisocks and the Three Libearians  by Jackie Mims Hopkins. Students in Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Hyde's class practiced looking for just right books!  We are using the five finger test this year to help students determine if a book is just right for them.

First, a student picks a book then makes a fist with one hand. Choosing two pages from the book, the student then reads and holds up a finger for every word not known. If five fingers are up after 2 pages the book is too difficult and another one is selected.  This is a good rule to follow at home as well. Happy reading!