I found some great new keyboarding sites that I thought you would like to use as you practice your keyboarding skills. Pick a different one each day (or stick with your favorite) and see how quickly you can improve your typing skills. You’ll be a pro in no time! Be sure to leave me a comment and tell which one is your favorite!
Greetings, Elementary West students! I’m so glad to be back at school with you this year. I’m so sorry that I had to miss the first week of school, but as most you know, I had to take care of my mom while she was sick in the hospital. But, I’m back now, and it has been so nice to see all of you again, and to get to meet my new second graders.
I hope that you all had a wonderful summer break. I spent a lot of time with my family, I taught a bunch of computer classes to teachers, and I read LOTS of great books. 
What did you do that was fun this summer? Did you get a chance to read any books?
I wanted to share a new website that I found. It’s called Children’s Books Forever, and it has several picture books that you can read for free online! All you need is a computer with Internet access. I hope you enjoy the stories.
Be sure to leave a comment telling me about your summer and let me know what you think of this website.
Mrs. Matzat
December always makes me think of winter, but today, I heard a very different “winter” tale. We have a wonderful book in our library called Winter’s Tail: How One Little Dolphin Learned to Swim Again. It is the story of a dolphin named Winter who lost her tail when she got caught in a crab trap in the ocean. Some scientists developed a new tale for Winter so that she could live and grow to become an adult dolphin! This is such an amazing story. If you love books about animals, you’ve got to check out Winter’s Tail from our library media center.
There is a great website that goes along with the book. It has pictures, videos, and activities all about Winter. Take some time to explore the website.
Don’t forget to let me know what you think of the book if you read it, and let me know what you think of the website.
Your library lady,
Mrs. Matzat
In 1897, eight-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon wrote a letter to the editor of the New York Sun newspaper, asking if there really was a Santa Claus. The editor promptly replied, assuring her that yes, indeed, there is a Santa. This is one of the most famous news stories in history. Macy’s department store has created a way for kids to help other kids based on this story. They are donating $1.00 for every letter that is written to Santa and put in their mailbox at their store! The goal is to raise one million dollars for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, who provides wishes for kids who have life-threatening illnesses.
Let’s help them reach their goal! Write a letter to Santa using this great online tool. In your letter, persuade Santa that you should be on the Nice List. Also, be sure to let him know your Christmas wishes. When you finish, let me know so I can help you print your letter.
Just so you know, there will be a TV special on CBS on December 17 at 7:00 p.m. based on the Virginia story.
Your library lady,
Mrs. Matzat
Many of you are familiar with C. S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia series and have enjoyed watching the movie versions of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, and Prince Caspian. But did you know that before they were movies, they were books! The movie version of the third book, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is opening in theaters on December 10. Before you go see the movie, you might want to read the book. I have the whole series in the library, so come check them out!
While you are waiting for the movie and book, check out the Narnia movie website. It has lots of interesting activities to explore, and it has a preview of the new movie.
Be sure to let me know what you think of the site. I’d also like to know which of the stories is your favorite!
Your library lady,
Mrs. Matzat
Last week we started talking about Internet safety. Here’s a great site to help you learn more about being safe online. Check out the website, and then let me know what you think are the most important things to remember to be safe when you are online.
Your library lady,
Mrs. Matzat
I found a great new site that I just had to share with you! It’s called My StoryMaker, and it lets you make your own online story book that you can print and save to share with others. The tool helps you select the characters, setting, plot, and more for your book. Here’s what the site creators say about My StoryMaker:
“Can a lion share a cupcake with an astronaut? What happens when a pirate meets a fox in the woods? You have the power to decide — meeting new characters, going on great adventures and creating your very own story along the way.
My StoryMaker lets you control characters and objects – and creates sentences for you! Once you are done with your story, you can print it out. You cannot go back and edit a story once you have ended it but, if you click “yes” when asked to share it with others, you can print it out again by entering the magic number it gives you in the box on the right.”
One thing to note is that they only save your stories online for 1 month, so if you want to keep a copy, be sure to save the .pdf file that prints to your computer. I can show you how to do that when you visit the LMC.
Check out My StoryMaker, create your own story, and let me know what you think about this site. I can’t wait to hear from you!
Click here to create your story
Click here to log in and view a saved story (remember, it will only save for 1 month)
Your library lady,
Mrs. Matzat