As posted in the previous blog update, there has been a lot of mention of the Youth Media Awards during the past few weeks in all library classes. http://ilovelibraries.org/booklovers/youth-media-awards

With the primary grades the award focus is on the illustrations. This is made possible with the Caldecott Medal as well as the King Illustrator Award. The King Award also is great for our studies on Martin Luther King, Jr. and sliding into February which is also Black or African American History Month. In the older grades, study is more about the writing. There is the Newbery Medal for writing and the King Author Award, which takes us right into February. When Fourth Grade begins to study inventions, I will cover the Sibert Award which is given for nonfiction books.

In addition to awards, in the primary grades, there is still lots of seasonal stories about winter, and special days such as Groundhog Day, owls, Chinese New Year, and National Dental Month among others. The focal point of library classes in Fourth and Fifth Grade  continues to be about locating information, historical fiction, and using resources and information for academic and leisure pursuits.