Land and Water

A student about to circle Egypt on the map

All this week I've been telling my students about our "Reading Oasis" contest.  (Scroll down to my last blog entry for all the details, or click here.)  To help the students understand the theme, we spent some time learning what an oasis is and how the theme ties in with Ancient Egypt.  This was especially fitting for my fourth graders who have just started a science unit called "Land and Water"!

In the fourth grade classrooms, the teachers have been encouraging the students to make observations and inferences when looking at a photograph.  This activity really helps them to differentiate between what we see (observable facts) and what we might guess is true.  In library, I introduced the concept of what an oasis is by putting up a photograph and asking the students what they noticed.

The students observed that there were a lot of trees and plants growing around the water, and many buildings could be found right next to it. They inferred that this was because both plants and people need water to survive.

Then I put a satellite photograph of Egypt and the Nile River Valley onto the SmartBoard and invited the students to come up with some observations and inferences.  They worked in small groups at their tables, and many of the students went up to the board to point out details to their peers. (The students were amazed when I zoomed in and they saw that the long, wide "river" was actually vegetation and the water was just a thin ribbon in comparison!)

On Thursday, the fourth graders created their own "rivers"!  These students are allowing a small stream of water to flow across an area of soil before draining out a hole at the opposite end.  This experiment allows them to observe how the water affects the land.  After the entire bottle of water had finished draining away, they noticed that the water:

   * forms a path that bends, depending on obstacles
   * picks up and carries soil as it flows, and
   * sometimes "fans out" as it reaches the end of the land

Is it just me, or does that sound a lot like the Nile and the delta formed by its tributaries?  I love when I can connect my lesson in the library with what's happening in the classroom!  :)

Where's YOUR Reading Oasis?

Just use your imagination and 

share your idea, and YOU 

could be the Ashaway School 

"Float Pharaoh"!

The theme of the upcoming Scholastic Book Fair is “Reading Oasis”.  To promote the book fair and the joys of reading, we are challenging our students to describe their own reading oasis.  If you could read anywhere, where would it be?

All Ashaway School students are invited to write about their own “Reading Oasis”.  It could be a real place or completely fictional.  Be as descriptive as possible.  How would you feel when you’re there?  What would you see?  What might you hear?  What would you smell?  Use sensory details like these to help others imagine the place you’re describing!  Students could also explain why reading is important to them...why would you want to escape to your reading oasis?

One student will be selected from all who contributed to be the “Float Pharaoh” during the upcoming Westerly Columbus Day parade.  Volunteers are hard at work creating this year’s Ashaway School float, which will feature an Ancient Egyptian theme.   

A special seat (throne!) will be reserved for the winner of the “Reading Oasis” contest! 

Entries can be hand-written or typed.  (Younger students can dictate their stories to an older helper!) Illustrations are welcome but not necessary.   Please make sure the student’s name and class are included!

All entries must given to Mrs. Mann by 

Monday, September 30th 

(the first day of the book fair).   

As many as possible will be put on display the evening of our Scholastic Book Fair & Ice Cream Social on October 3rd (5:30-7:30)!  

We hope to see you there! 

Summer Reading SuperSTARS!

W-O-W!  I was completely amazed (and thoroughly delighted!) this week when I asked my fourth graders to raise a hand if they had read any of the "Rooster Books" over the summer.  Hands shot up all over the room!  I ended up with a long list of students who were ready to answer a question and earn a star for our reading poster.  By the end of the day there were 22 stars on the chart, and I hadn't even started signing books out to them yet!

All of these students have already earned at least one star!

The "Rooster Books" are the nominees for the Rhode Island Children's Book Award that I've acquired for Ashaway School.  All of our fourth graders are encouraged to read at least 5 of those books. When they do, they get to sign the poster that reads, "We're Going to the Rooster Games!"  (If you don't know about the Games, click here!)

This year, something happened that has never happened before: a student read enough books over the summer to actually start fourth grade being able to sign the poster!

Nathan read six of the Rooster Books over the summer and is the first to sign the poster!  Congratulations, Nathan!  :)

So Much To Do, So Little Time!

House too quiet?  Lonely without the sound of tramping feet?  Why not spend some time at Ashaway School helping in the library!  Here are just a FEW of the benefits you'll enjoy:

•     FREE parking!
•     FREE volunteer id badge!
•     FREE refreshment from our water bubbler!  (Ooo, so cold!)
•     Studies have shown that parents who volunteer in their children's school libraries are 50% more likely to graduate from an Ivy League school! *

* Studies haven't really shown that parents who volunteer in their children's school libraries are 50% more likely to graduate from an Ivy League school, but who's to say that it isn't true?

 There are LOTS of tasks that need to be done, including: getting new books ready to go on the shelves, repairing "hurt" books, preparing bibliographies and typing lists, signing books in/out, creating book displays, and helping out during library classes.  If you're interested, please send me an email at kmman@chariho.net.
 

Please note that all volunteers now need to have a background check completed every year.  You can find this form online by going to http://www.chariho.k12.ri.us/registration-forms and clicking on "background screening".

Thanks, and I hope to hear from you!  :)

These books have been processed and are ready to go home with students thanks to the time and effort donated by Mrs. Macaruso (pictured above with her daughters)!