Halloween in the Library!

Ms. Bruce reads from A Tale Dark and Grimm

Halloween festivities kicked off Monday, Oct. 24 and finished on Halloween itself.  Every day at 10:00 a.m, the Middle School Nook was packed with students who came to hear stories that are inexplicable, spooky, and just plain fun.

They learned about the Curse of King Tut's Tomb. They heard The Golden Arm and The Hitchhiker from Lynne Brunelle's Campout: The Ultimate Kids' Guide.  They were read to from Adam Gidwitz' A Tale Dark and Grimm, which tells the real (and bloody) stories behind the fairy tales we know.  They heard a segment from Sid Fleischman's Escape! The Story of the Great Houdini.

Halloween Monday we finished with a classic: Two stories from Alvin Schwartz' Scary Stories to Tell In The Dark series.

Ms. Clarke reads a campfire story

One student listened in silence, her eyes growing larger and larger, to Schwartz' tale High Beams.  At the story's end, she gave a shudder and declared, "that story was so CREEPY!"
 

   

Students examine the Mysteries display board

The fun began with a Mystery-themed display. Students lifted flaps on the board to reveal questions and quotes from classic mysteries.
































Here are some of our Halloween favorites:

When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead
Who is sending Miranda strange notes and instructions?
"The trip is a difficult one.  I will not be myself when I reach you." - p. 60



 




 The London Eye Mystery, by Siobhan Dowd
How can someone go for a ride on a Ferris wheel...
...and not get off?
"He defied the law of gravity.  He went up, but he didn't come down.  Which means Newton got it wrong." - p. 62

 





The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
Who will solve the mystery laid out in Samuel W. Westing's will, thereby inheriting the fortune?
"Who were these people?... They were mothers and fathers and children.  A dressmaker, a secretary, an inventor, a doctor, a judge.  And, oh yes, one was a bookie, one was a burglar, one was a bomber, and one was a mistake." - p. 6




Check out more in Destiny: click "Resource Lists", then "READING - Mysteries" or "READING - Halloween"

BCS Storytelling Festival 2011

Not even a wintry forecast of icy rain and snow could keep the Egyptian deities away from their scheduled appearance at Berkeley Carroll's 12th annual Storytelling Festival this past Saturday, February 5th, at 181 Lincoln Place. This year's event evolved from a collaboration between the Library and Theater departments and featured student run workshops, an original showcase of work performed by fifth and sixth grade students under the direction of Carolyn Giles, the Head of the Theater department, and an interactive performance by master storyteller Tammy Hall.


For students, the process behind their work began with an in depth character analysis followed by questions and extended research. Fifth graders performed monologues they wrote about an Egyptian god of their choice, which stemmed from their study of ancient Egypt in their history classes. Sixth graders presented two Midrash stories entitled: "Hotel Jacob" and "Eyewitness Sheep". Midrash is a new take on an old story based on stories from the Torah. Students explored the stories of Jacob and Esau along with Leah and Rachel and asked themselves: What would I do if I were in their shoes? They wrote monologues and from those, scripts were created.



Tammy Hall returned to Berkeley Carroll and shared several of her favorite stories that reminded her of her childhood growing up in the woods of Tennessee listening to her father tell stories. Audience members became active participants in moving the tale along. Tammy urged the audience to listen closely to their family storytellers, to ask questions and record them so that future generations can continue to stand on the shoulders of the storytellers and ancestors that came before them, honor them and create their own version of those stories to pass on.

Storytelling At Break Time

Middle schoolers enjoyed another round of stories during morning break told by Ms. Mermelstein. Among them The Worm Story and The Stick Woman, originating from such diverse places as Japan and South Africa.
The common thread: you get to draw when telling the story.
Inspired by the drawings, several students eagerly shared the story versions they knew. The take away: some tales to share with family and friends, along with tips on how to create a drawing story using words, rhythms and gestures.

A Tale Inspired By Halloween

With Halloween just around the corner, students gathered in the Middle School Reading Nook at break time to hear Ms. Mermelstein tell a story. They were treated to a creepy story about a woman, a dog and a murderer followed by an improvised version of The Little Witch and the Jack O' Lantern House, a cutting and folding story which follows a little witch on a romp through the woods. When it starts to rain, she quickly realizes that she needs a house but not just any old house. After some clever cutting and folding, the result: a pumpkin dwelling, custom made, especially for her!