National Spelling Bee - Who Won? [Secret Contest Alert!]

The finals of the National Spelling Bee are appointment television for me and my friends ... the 2013 contest airs tonight on ESPN at 8 p.m. It's been bumped up from ESPN2!

Anyone who leaves a note in my mailbox by the last day of school with the name of the winner gets to pick a free book from the donation box.

Fun fact from their web site: XANTHOPHYLL is the word Laura Ingalls Wilder misspelled in an 1880s community spelling match. Read more about it in Little House on the Prairie.

And one of my favorite clips from a past contest:

Free Rice!

Did you know that you can help feed people in need, while having fun AND learning stuff? Check out Freerice.com. You can quiz yourself on a variety of topics, from vocabulary to math to French to geography.

Dictionary Kites

Second graders have been working on their dictionary skills, including alphabetization and guide words. They put these skills to work creating dictionary kites - the body includes a word, its definition, and an illustration; the tail includes the page number, guide words, and part of speech.

Kids Reading Across RI

The KIDS Reading Across Rhode Island program encourages students across the state in grades 4 through 6 to read the same book, and engage in community discussions and programs.

This year’s selection is Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai. On Saturday, June 1, a kickoff celebration at the State House will include crafts, games, and a free copy of the book (one per family) while supplies last. Ha will speak at 2:30 p.m.

Visit the OLIS web site for more information.

Night and Day

I read The Dark by Lemony Snicket to Grade 1. It's on a lot of Caldecott-buzz lists, and is illustrated by Jon Klassen, who received both the official Caldecott AND an Honor this year.

After discussing why some of us are afraid of the dark, we agreed that our imaginations are usually much worse than anything that might actually befall us ... except for one boy who hurt himself while crossing a room in the dark after his mom had rearranged the furniture.

Then we talked about the differences between the sky during the day and at night. Here are some of the students' illustrations:

Abiyoyo, Abiyoyo

I remember being introduced to a ton of great books via the Reading Rainbow TV show. One such title is Abiyoyo, a South African lullaby adapted by none other than Pete Seeger. I shared it with the kindergartners, who enjoyed singing along. ZOOP!