Observant 1st Graders Investigate the Evidence!

In first grade we are reviewing how to take good care of our library books and why it's important to do so.  This week I handed out a pile of books that I had selected from the shelves and challenged the students to examine them for evidence of mishandling.  To help them "focus" on their task (and to make it more fun!) I gave each student a magnifying glass to use while making their observations.  Not only did they stay on task, but they did a remarkable job of identifying problems and predicting what might have caused them. (Plus, they made the connection between this activity and their practice of observing and predicting in science -- yay!)

At the conclusion of the lesson, I asked the class if they were surprised by what they saw.  I reminded them that all of the books had come straight off the shelves and not from the "hospital shelf" of books needing repair.  They were dismayed at all of the problems they found and confidently explained what students should do to keep library books safe from damage.  First on the list was always keep your library book in its "special place" whenever you're not using it!  Great job, first graders!

It's Going to be a SUPER Year!

Click for a larger view!

I was SUPER excited to find this fun bulletin board idea on Pinterest this summer, and Mrs. Mitkowski volunteered her time (and scrap booking supplies) to bring it to life!  (Thank you, Mrs. M!)  I adapted the original design to create an anti-bullying message of kindness, bravery and sticking up for your friends, and I love how it turned out! 


Inside the library I created a superhero book display to compliment the bulletin board.  I ordered a lot of new superhero books for the students to enjoy this year because there never seems to be enough to meet the demand!  (The display stretched out across the window sill and completely filled up the wire rack, but I waited too long to take the picture and this is all that was left!) 

I love hearing the students' enthusiastic cries when they spot a book that they are so excited to bring home from the library.  Whether it's a book about Spiderman, puppies, dirt bikes, or any one of the books populating our shelves, it's so gratifying to connect a child with book that results in an expression of pure joy. 

It's going to be a SUPER year!   :)

Summer Reading at Hopkinton Rec!

Mr. Ricci visited the first day of the program and snapped this picture!  :)

This summer marks the fifth consecutive year of the Hopkinton Recreation Summer Read Aloud Program!  The program invites Chariho staff members to volunteer an hour of their time to read aloud to the camp's participants.  (The reading program is also taking place in Charlestown!)  The students are so excited each week when they know one of the teachers who has shown up to read to them.  They never know from session to session who will be the day's "special guest stars"!

Like last year, I started off the first session by introducing the children to the available books with a short "book talk".  Then each child was allowed to select which reading group to join.  In the past we split them up by grade, but we've decided that it's even better to offer them a choice.  Not only did that increase their excitement, but it also introduced them to titles that they might decide to pick up and read on their own!   

This year's chapter book selections from the list of RICBA nominees!

We've got three groups who are each reading a chapter book selected from a list of books nominated for the Rhode Island Children’s Book Award (RICBA).  During the school year, students are encouraged to read at least three of the books from the list in order to vote for the winner.  In addition, several of the schools (including Ashaway) hold competitions called the Rooster Games based these nominees.  By selecting books from this list, the children participating in HopRec will already have one of these books completed by the end of the summer!  
I signed up to take the same group every week, and we are really enjoying RICBA nominee Legend of the Ghost Dog by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel.  Before I close the book at the end of each session, I read the first sentence or two from the next chapter as a teaser.  The author does an excellent job of building suspense; as I closed the book last week a student groaned, "Mrs. Mann, you're killing us!"   :)  I love that they're looking forward to continuing the story each week.

In addition to our three "chapter book" groups, I also bring along a bin of picture books with related activities.  Here's our own Mrs. Gray reading Sylvester and the Magic Pebble to a group of campers.  (That's one of her daughters on her lap!)

Some of the older readers have chosen to take more of an "independent study" approach.  I provide a bin of alternate selections for those who would like to browse a variety of offerings.  

This fifth grader discovered one of my own all-time favorites!

No matter which group a child joins, every one of them is spending an hour each week interacting with some excellent books.  It truly is a wonderful program, and I'm very proud to be a part of it.  My sincerest thanks go out to the fabulous staff at the camp who have been so accommodating in order to make it all possible and to the teachers who have volunteered to participate! So far this summer I've been joined by "special guest stars" Mrs. Potter, Mrs. Medina, and Mrs. Cherenzia from CMS as well as Mrs. Gray and Mrs. Pearce from Ashaway School!  Mrs. Pearce's daughter Bomina also came by and offered to read aloud to a group!  (Thanks, Bo!)

Look who's getting a jump on her summer reading requirement!

Rooster Games 2014!

Last Wednesday was the 6th Annual Ashaway School Rooster Games!  All of the students who read at least five of the books on the list of nominees for the Rhode Island Children's Book Award were invited to participate.  The seven teams (each a mix of boys and girls from both fourth grade classrooms) competed in a variety of games that were based on books from the list.

This year the students surprised me by arriving for the games wearing fabulous rooster hats that they had secretly made in class.  Aren't they terrific??

It was a really fun morning, and it couldn't have happened without the support of our fourth grade teachers, our parent volunteers, and our Ashaway School P.T.O.  My sincerest thanks go out to them all!

These students earned "Champion Reader" medals for reading every RICBA book I bought from the list!

Team Light Blue earns a point during the Multiple Choice Round

Working together to identify the title of a book during the Illustration Round

A student matches the title of a book to its opening sentence during the First Lines Round

Team Red acts out a scene from a book during the Creativity Round

This year we had a tie for first place...a four-way tie!  Teams White, Light Blue, Green and Yellow were the winners of this year's Rooster Games.  But, of course, all of the students who participated had a fun morning and got to enjoy a pizza party at the end of the day.  I'd call that a "win-win"!  :)

Yum!  Thanks, P.T.O.!

These Kids Had "No Time for TV"!

No Time for TV Week ended on Sunday, May 25th.  All last week students brought back their papers to show how many points they earned by exercising their minds and bodies, and there were a LOT of them!  This year, I saw a 33% increase in participation over last year's number!!  WOW!  In addition, over 50% of the students who participated in the program didn't have any screen time for the entire 7 days!  (By comparison, last year that number was about 25%.)  I'll be handing out the prizes for earning at least 100 points this week, and today I got to announce the winners of the $10 gift certificates for Scholastic Books.

This year's lucky winners have some shopping to do!

While the deadline has passed for being included in the drawing, I will continue to accept participation forms from those who earned at least 100 points.  These students will be allowed to select something special from the library "prize basket" next week!

Thanks all to all the families who participated and supported their children during the week!  I am also grateful for the sponsorship of our wonderful Ashaway School PTO, who provides the funds for the gift certificates and other prizes!  

Get Weaned from the Screen!

The original "PlayStation"!

It's almost "No Time for TV Week" at Ashaway School!  All of the details about how the program works can be found by clicking on the links below.  Each student will receive a copy at school but you are welcome to print another copy if you need it:

Contract page 1

Contract page 2

Click here to see a sample contract all filled out!

I'm going over the guidelines with every class this week.  After explaining how the form works and what they need to do to earn a prize, I spend some time answering questions.  Most of the questions, as always, start with the words "What if...?"  For example:

"What if our teacher shows a video during class, or we need to look up a book on the computer?"  
(That's okay; it says on the form that screen time spent on required schoolwork won't count.)  

"What if my brother isn't doing it and turns on the TV?"
(We brainstorm together what some options might be: going to another room, inviting your brother to do a different activity with you, or even trying to convince your brother -- or better yet, the whole family! -- to participate with you!)

"What if someone has the TV on and I'm walking by the room and I see it?"
(Yep, I get this one over and over, every single year.   The answer is basically "keep walking!")

Then there are all the questions that begin with "What about...?"  These used to be easier to answer.  For example:

"What about watching a DVD?  What about watching a video on YouTube?"
(Well, since you'd need a screen to watch it, that would count as "screen time"!)

"What about playing a game on an iPad?"
(That would also be "screen time"!)

"What about watching an educational TV show?"
(Nice try.  I do know that some TV programs can be educational, but there are plenty of other options for learning something new!)

"What about Wii Fit?"
(That would also be "screen time".  As one of the PE teachers put it, "There's a big difference between swinging your arms around in front of a television and going to a park to play tennis!")


What it all comes down to, I explain, is that No Time for TV Week is all about choices.  It's about taking one single week to really think about how much time we spend in front of a screen.  I stress that my message isn't that TV, video games, and computers are inherently bad.  It's just that too much isn't good for you.  I always use the candy analogy: a piece now and then won't hurt you, but eating it all the time in place of better choices isn't healthy!  That's why Ashaway adopted a program for "No TV Week" in which kids earn points for engaging in a variety of activities that will exercise the mind and body!

"Look, Ma! No commercials!"

And that brings us to the more recent "What abouts" that I've been hearing.  Things like:
"What about reading a book on my Kindle?"
"What about listening to music on my iPod?"
"What about using a Playaway to hear a story?  That has a screen..."

Once upon a time, I would've responded without giving it much thought; like the "educational television", I'd point out that there are plenty of other options to choose from.  But lately I've been thinking a lot harder about it.  In many households today, the way folks listen to music is on devices with screens.  I removed the dozens of audio cassettes in the library several years ago because they simply didn't circulate anymore.  Kids went from being excited about taking them home to complaining that they didn't have the equipment to play them on.  Recently I started asking my students if they have an iPad or e-reader, and I was shocked by the number of hands that went up.  And now I'm hearing multiple students tell me about the book they downloaded to read at home.


So where does that leave us with the questions above?  Personally, I'd say that all three would count toward earning points.  After all, both reading and listening to music are listed under "exercise the mind", and I always tell students that having a book read to them is a wonderful way to spend some time.  It's unlikely the child is going to pull up music on an iPod and then stare at the screen as the seconds count off.  Same goes for the Playaway.  (Maybe they close their eyes and listen, build a new creation with Legos, or perhaps even clean their rooms!  Yeah, I know...but you can tell them that it does help chore time go faster.  I can't imagine doing housework without a Podcast to listen to.)

Ultimately, when it comes to all the "What ifs" and "What abouts" I tell the students to ask the adult who will be signing the form at the end of the week.  I leave it up to the parents and guardians to make the final call on what "counts" and what doesn't.  After all, I would've earned quite a few checks for the time I've spent writing this blog entry, if it's okay that I typed it on the computer instead of on paper!  (And yes, the television was off!)

Just for fun, try playing No Time for TV Bingo!

Click on the links below to print!

Bingo board #1

Bingo board #2 

Bingo board #3

Chariho's First Elementary Poetry Slam!

Wednesday, April 30th was the first-ever Chariho Elementary Poetry Slam!  Nearly half of all participants were from Ashaway School, so we were very well represented!  I'm so proud of the students who not only followed through on penning an original poem, but also for courageously taking the stage to share their work in front of an audience.  It was a wonderful evening and my thanks go out to all who helped to make it happen!!

 

All of the students who participated were presented with a medal and personal "poetry slam" notebook before leaving the stage.  They were so proud!  Several students showed me the notes and some new poem ideas they had written before they had even left the building!

           When I Dream                                       Mermaids

          by Lilly, Grade 2                              by Erika, Grade 1

Planets                                                               Mermaids

I know there's 8                                    Beautiful  Colorful  Dressing

Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars                  Collecting  Swimming

Saturn and Jupiter                                  Meeting a prince to marry

Uranus and Neptune                                            Princess

When I close my eyes

I'm in outer space                            

Floating, flying                         Sugar is Sweet        

Stars all around                       by Madelyn, Grade K        

I hop on an asteroid                Sugar is Sweet        

And shoot past the sun            So are lollipops

A space explorer                    So is the Easter Bunny's jellybeans        

That's who I am                      So are you!

When I dream

Summer
by Zoe Coscia, Grade 1

The bees are in the trees.

The trees have lots of leaves.

I like to go to the beach to swim in the wide, wide sea.

I like to ride my bike

In the warm sun's light.

When the breeze is swaying I like to fly my kite.

When the sun goes down,

And the moon comes up,

I like to go to the park to see the 

Fireworks light up.

At night when I am sleeping

And the owls and crickets are awake

I hear them peep and hoot so that's the sounds 

They make.

Summer is sunny, warm and bright

When the sun is sunny I feel just right

Winter is not my most favorite season because I can't

Wear flip flops that is one of my favorite reasons

I Just Love Summer!

I Twirl My Hair
By Isabella, Grade 2
I put my hand in my bangs
and I twirl my hair around
I twirl them when I'm up in the air
or here on the ground
I twirl my hair when I'm nervous, scared, or stressed
I twirl my hair when I'm looking at my spelling test
I do it because it's fun
It makes me feel better
when it is raining and there is no sun
when I twirl my hair
it forms a fancy knot
when I twirl only a bit of hair
it kinda looks like a frizzy dot
I twirl my hair when I'm happy or sad
I twirl my hair if my day is good or bad
I twirl my hair fast or slow
I thought you should know

Homework is Not Fun                                 
By Nathan, Grade 4   

Home is not fun,
But I always get it done.
I don't like it when it takes so long,
And neither when I get it wrong.
  
I would rather read a book,
Paint a picture, or be a cook.
I would rather put a worm on a hook
And go fishing on Sunday,
But oh no, here comes Monday!

Homework is not fun,
But I always get it done.

Homework is FUN!

By Curtis, Grade 4

I think homework is fun

I get excited when I'm done

I like to do my math

I like to know my facts

I read books every night

Science and adventures are what I like

But, I often forget to log

I guess my brain was in a fog

But, that's okay,

It doesn't really matter anyway.

The important thing to say

Is that I learned what I needed to today.

Thanks go out to Mr. Gencarelli, principal of Hope Valley School.  He did a terrific job organizing this event, plus he made an excellent stage hand!  :)