One World, Many Stories!

Happy summer, everyone!  I just wanted to remind you all of the summer reading program, going on now at your local public library!  It's free to sign up, and children can earn prizes by keeping track of the books that they read.  You should also stop by or call to find out what fun programs are being offered over the summer...all for FREE!

During the last week of school, the Ashaway School students designed some beautiful bookmarks, and I brought them all to the Ashaway Free Library.  They are now proudly on display on the circulation desk.  I challenged them to create a design that goes with the summer reading theme, One World, Many Stories.  Anyone who visits the library is welcome to take one.  Please stop in to see their work and pick up one for yourself!

Our students' bookmarks are on display at the Ashaway Free Library!

Zoo You Know Who I Am?

A few weeks ago I wrote about the first graders' zoo research project, which they conducted with the help of their fourth grade research buddies.  In the past, the first graders would use the information they recorded to write a report, but this year we decided to try something new!  Mrs. Ward, librarian at Richmond School, has her first graders use their research to write clues for a project she calls Zoo You Know Who I Am?  We had our first graders write their clues during the school day, and a group of fourth graders volunteered to stay after school to turn them into PowerPoint presentations. 

On Thursday the entire first grade came to the library to use the SmartBoard for our Zoo Am I? game show!  Each time the first grader tapped the board a new clue would appear, and the presenter would choose a student to make a guess.  Mrs. Austin even brought a prize box for the winners!

If you'd like to try out a game for yourself, here they are!

Mrs. Gigliotti's Class

Mrs. Campbell's Class

Mrs. Breault's/Mrs. Austin's Class

Finding a New Perspective!

Earlier this year, fourth grade teacher Mrs. Ornburn and I received a CCIP grant (the Chariho Community Innovative Projects Fund) to purchase four Flip video cameras.  At long last, an idea we mapped out months ago became a reality!

As always, her students researched a lighthouse and built a model.  This year, however, they filmed their models from different perspectives to answer questions such as: “How would the lighthouse look from your own point of view while standing at its base?  If you were a bird flying over it?  If you were the captain of a ship many miles out at sea?”  In the library we brainstormed a list of different perspectives, and then the students chose one to film (either from the list or of their own devising).  

Not only did this activity give the students a hands-on approach to learning, but it also provided evidence of the students’ work even though the models have been taken home.  In addition, it supported my unit on perspective using the picture book illustrations of Chris Van Allsburg (a Rhode Island author), especially the story Two Bad Ants.  I hope you enjoy their video!

4th Grade Rooster Games!

On Wednesday, June 1st, our 4th graders participated in the Ashaway School Rooster Games!  They have been preparing for this since September!  That's when I challenged them to read at least 5 of the books nominated for the Rhode Island Children's Book Award.  I am thrilled to report that ALL of our fourth graders qualified to participate in the games, and we had a blast!

Special Thanks to Mrs. Young and Mrs. Ornburn for all their support; not only did they both read one of the nominated books to their classes, but they've also been very accommodating every time I've appeared at their doors to touch base with the students.  Thanks also to our fabulous P.T.O. who provided the funds to purchase the "Champion Reader" medals and also the pizza for our afternoon celebration!  Thanks to all the moms who spent Wednesday morning in charge of a team...it couldn't have happened without you!  And finally, thanks to Mrs. Steever, librarian at Chariho Middle School, who so kindly shares all the games that she creates and who is always happy to offer her experience and support as needed!

These students earned a Champion Reader medal by reading all 20 books on the list!

Multiple Choice & Short Answers Round - Each team records their answer on a marker board before holding them up for all to see.

Team Red: Winners of the 2011 Rooster Games!

Object Round - matching the titles of the books to objects that represent them

First Lines Round - matching the title of each book to the very first sentence from each story

Creativity Round - Each team selects a book on which to base a performance.  This team created a skit from Tricking the Tallyman.

"No Time for TV" Winners!

Thanks to the support of our wonderful PTO, this morning I was able to hand out TEN gift certificates for the Other Tiger bookstore in Westerly.  Each gift card is worth ten dollars!  The winner's names were drawn from the pile of "No Time for TV" contracts that were handed in this week, and I'm thrilled to say that it was a very big pile!!  More than half of our students participated in our challenge to "Exercise Your Body, Exercise Your Mind".  Last week I had a lot of students tell me about the activities they were enjoying with their friends and families, and I noticed that many arts and crafts books were gone from the shelves.  I hope that the week encouraged some people to discover a new favorite activity or to begin a family tradition!  (Game night, anyone?)

Research Buddies!

Our first graders have begun a research project in preparation for their field trip to the zoo!  After I confirmed with the zoo's curator that all the critters on my list were still on view, each student selected an animal to learn about.  Then I modeled for them how to take notes by looking for the "treasure" - or useful information - in each source.  In keeping with the theme, they imagined that they were pirates digging for gold.  (If you have a first grader, ask to hear an "Arrrrrg!"  They were very good at it!)  They will be using a variety of resources to find information including books, EnchantedLearning.com, and World Book Kids Online.

Some of our fourth graders were able to visit the library to assist the younger students with reading the material and to help them identify the useful information.  I emphasized that they were there to support and guide the first graders and to be careful not to end up doing the work for them!  The older students took their roles very seriously and, having just finished their own lighthouse research projects, did an outstanding job assisting with the tasks at hand.  I was amazed by how much the teams got done and look forward to continuing the project this week! 

We have NO TIME for TV!



Three 4th graders who not only participated in No TV Week last year but also went all seven days with NO screen time!  Great job!

This coming Monday, May 16th, will be the beginning of our school-wide "No Time for TV Week".  Over the years this program has evolved into "Exercise Your Body, Exercise Your Mind" (courtesy of Mrs. Reiser-Jones, the librarian at Charlestown Elementary School and former Charlestown PE/Health teacher Mrs. Fiske).  Over the course of the week, we are challenging students to think about how much time they spend in front of a screen (TV, video games, etc.) and to find a different activity to do instead (for example, oh, I don't know...how about...reading?  Heh heh). 

Students will get a prize for earning at least 100 points. They do this by keeping track of their activities (every 1/2 hour is worth 2 points) and by going an entire day with NO screen time (10 bonus points each day).  For more details, directions, and suggestions for activities, please refer to the sheet your child brought home this week.  You can also view it by clicking on the links below:

Exercise Your Body, Exercise Your Mind points tracker (page 1)
Exercise Your Body, Exercise Your Mind directions (page 2)

When introducing the program to students during library classes this week, I began with the question, "Is it okay to eat a candy bar once in a while?"  The students would of course chorus back, "Yes!"  Then I asked, "Is it okay to eat only candy all the time?"  Most of the students would respond, "No!"  (Naturally there was usually one student in each class who would gleefully say "yes" to that question, and even we adults might admit that we've indulged in the fantasy of calorie-free, nutritious junk food!)  When asked why it's not okay to eat only sweets, the students presented a long list of reasons: it would be bad for your teeth, you'd feel sick, you wouldn't have much energy, the extra calories can cause you to gain weight, your body wouldn't get the nutrients it needs.  As we transitioned to dicussing the rules and guidelines of No TV Week, I emphasized to the students that my message isn't that all TV and videogames are "bad", but too much of them prevents us from doing things that help to keep us mentally and physically fit.  Of course, understanding the message and putting it into practice are two very different things.  I hope you encourage your child to participate and take some time to enjoy some activities together!

Here are some links if you're looking for ideas for things to do!
http://www.insteadoftv.com/
http://www.parents.com/fun/activities/rainy-day/tv-free-activities/
http://www.ivillage.com/101-tv-free-alternatives/6-a-145059

And don't forget that the library has lots of books on drawing, crafts, cooking, foreign languages, and all sorts of other topics that can occupy a curious mind!  :)