What do you want to read?

Dear CHS Students,

I will soon be ordering books for next year and I want to know what you want to read. We don't have a lot of money to spend, but there will be some new books here in the fall and I hope you will like a few of them. Please leave a comment and tell me what you want me to order. I can't guarantee I can, but I will take your recommendations seriously under consideration. Just click the little comment button below and leave your suggestion. Please sign or initial in case I need to ask you something.
Thank you very much! Mrs. H.
PS: The Cheetos photo was taken by my husband :-)

YouTube Copyright School

Do you know about copyright laws? This little video from YouTube clarifies what is legal or not.

April is National Poetry Month

Did you know April is National Poetry Month? I try to acknowledge this every year. Visit http://www.poets.org/ for good ways to celebrate. Today happens to be "Poem in your Pocket" day. This morning Randi Zodow picked up this poem on the library counter and shared with me how she really liked it.

I Am Not Yours

I am not yours, not lost in you,

Not lost, although I long to be

Lost as a candle lit at noon,

Lost as a snowflake in the sea.

You love me, and I find you still

A spirit beautiful and bright,

Yet I am I, who long to be

Lost as a light is lost in light.

Oh plunge me deep in love - put out

My senses, leave me deaf and blind,

Swept by the tempest of your love,

A taper in a rushing wind.

by Sara Teasdale

Read to children - Early childhood literacy

One early literacy skill every child needs to learn is book knowledge and appreciation. My granddaughter Siobhan is learning that now and I am anxious to help her in the future by reading to her whenever I can. Story times, checking books out and having lots of reading materials around the house are all things you can do to provide a literacy rich environment for children. Reading to children is one of the best things you can do for their future learning and we have many great resources available through the NCRL. Take a child to storytime or to the library to check out a book or read one of your favorite books to a child. It's fun and you'll both enjoy it!
To learn more about early literacy, click here.

Steampunk comes to CHS!

Have you read Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan or Behemoth yet? These two books in Westerfeld's newest trilogy proved to be great reads and I can't wait until the third, Goliath , comes out in October. Set in 1914 in Europe in an alternative reality, the protagonists Alek and Deryn take us on adventures completely unheard of before. I thought Westerfeld's two warring kingdoms, the Clankers and the Darwinists, were unique and imaginative. I think you'll love these books that have gotten rave reviews like this one from School Library Journal, "Full of nonstop action, this steampunk adventure is sure to become a classic." .

Something to think about . . .

I came upon this quote yesterday while I was looking through a book called Readicide. I thought the quote was really good, so I thought I would share it.

"You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them."

Bradbury, Ray on Books - Reading
Quote from Quotations Book

It is my job to help CHS students find good books to read and think about. So, help uphold, build, create and protect our culture, check out a book and READ!

Flocabulary and the 5 elements

I don't know if you ever have seen "The Week in Rap" by Flocabulary. Well here is another great Flocabulary video for all you English buffs out there. I can just see Mrs. Gemeinhart lovin' this, can't you?

Flocabulary - Five Things (Elements of a Short Story) from Flocabulary on Vimeo.