Reading Week 2019: A Universe of Stories!

Reading Week 2019:

"A Universe of Stories!"

We enjoyed another amazing week celebrating readers and reading!  Events were planned for every day of the week, and we had a blast!  One of my favorite activities involved our students creating bookmarks to donate to the Ashaway Free Library.  ❤️

Students in every class were given a blank bookmark to decorate which included the library's hours.  At the end of the week, a big of group of the kids met me at our local public library to present them to the director, Miss Heather! 

 

 

The bookmarks are on display at the circulation desk for members of the community to choose from!  "A Universe of Stories" was our school's Reading Week theme, and it will also be Ashaway Free Library's theme for their summer reading program.  We hope that, by participating in this project, our students will be encouraged to visit the library themselves to see their bookmarks and experience this wonderful community resource.  (If you haven't stopped by recently, you should definitely visit and see their incredible new program space!) 

This student visited the library recently and found her own bookmark!

Do stop by the library soon!  In the meantime, here are some examples of the incredible designs our students created.  Enjoy!!

(Click any image below to enlarge!) 

 

 

  

 

 

 

Screencastify in Action!

Earlier this school year I participated in an online class called "Screencasting 101".  Offered by the wonderful Chariho tech fellows Jess Geremia and Rene Rosivach, I learned a lot about how to use webcasts in my classes.  I had already experimented with creating my own to use as part of my lessons, but now I was inspired to introduce my students to this resource!

As part of a unit review of Internet basics, each of my fourth graders focused on a related vocabulary word and created a Google slide that would teach another student its meaning.  Then each student was challenged to create their own screencast to present what they learned.

This is the first year I've had a class set of Chromebooks housed in the library, and the students made excellent use them! 

I got the idea for the "recording studio" boxes from Miss DeVito, librarian at Chariho Middle School.  Each box is lined with foam that we recycled from packaging received in the technology department!

Recycled packing foam helps screen out some of the background noise when recording.

A paper pocket in the bottom of each recording box stores an index card that lists some handy Screencastify keyboard shortcuts!

Students put a red cup on top of the recording box as a way of saying, "Recording in Progress! Do Not Disturb!"

To see some examples of student-created screencasts, please click on the links below!

Click here to watch Genevieve's screencast about copyright!

Click here to watch Hazel's screencast about the word "legal"!

Click here to watch Noelle's screencast about plagiarism!

Click here to watch Sawyer's screencast about plagiarism!

Click here to watch Nola's screencast about copyright!