Doing the "Bookie-Lookie"

Our kindergarteners have begun selecting books from the shelves in the library! They have been learning that books in a library are organized and how important it is to put books back where they belong so they don't get lost in the collection. To help them do this, they are learning how to use shelf markers. It's really important that they remember to put the shelf marker in the spot where the book came from before removing the book from the shelf. We've been enjoying a fun song that helps them remember to do this. It's called the "Shelf Marker Song", which was written by Jackie Mims Hopkins, but the kids call it the "Bookie-Lookie"! If you have a kindergartener at home, ask him or her to sing it with you. It might sound silly, but they really love it and it really does help them remember what to do!

THE SHELF MARKER SONG

(sung to the tune of the Hokey Pokey)

You put your shelf marker in.
You pull a book right out.
You look through the pages to see what it's about.
You do the bookie-lookie to make sure the book's just right.
That's what it's all about!
You do the bookie-lookie! You do the bookie-lookie! You do the bookie-lookie! That's what it's all about!

ALL Ashaway students should be able to tell you what each student is doing correctly in these pictures!

’Twas Holiday Vacation

(Or: How to Keep Your Kids’ Minds Occupied and Your Home Intact Over the Holidays)

~Stacey Greene Wicksall

‘Twas holiday vacation for two whole weeks long,
And mommy and daddy wanted nothing to go wrong
The presents had been chosen by relatives with care,
In hopes it would save them from losing their hair!
But children were zipping and zooming about
“We’re bored, we’re bored!” they exclaimed in a shout,
So mommy looked at Daddy with a twinkle in her eye,
“I have a solution that money can’t buy!”
And bundling their children they decided to go
To the public library (in spite of the snow).
They pulled in the lot and opened the door
Creative Corner had begun with room for two more!
They heard a grand story about a mean, ugly Grinch
And created a craft; it was all such a cinch!
They beamed with pride over the things they had made,
Then dashed to the wall with the book shelves to raid.
“Look, here’s Junie B. and Artemis Fowl
These titles will keep us busy for a while!”
The parents let out great sighs of relief
Children reading books meant an end to their grief!
And back to their home they soon did travel
With a stack full of mysteries to soon unravel
So when this vacation at once came to an end,
They brought back the books they’d had out on lend.
When back at the school the kids they did chatter,
Of books they had read all about matter!
And the teacher exclaimed with the utmost delight,
“Joy over reading is a wonderful sight!
It will bring your learning to a commendable height,
So tell me the tales that you read before bed,
Or share that adventure still swirling in your head.
Reading is the best gift you gave to yourself,
Lasts longer and better than one from an elf.
I wish happy holidays to each one of you
And may you read many-a-book all the year through!”

We're Crazy about Clickers!

I am very excited to announce that our school now has a set of "clickers"! These electronic devices allow students to respond to a question by pressing a button. Their answers are recorded by the teacher's computer, and a special program keeps track of each student's response. Rather than calling on students to provide a verbal response to a question, the clickers allow every single student to respond (even the shy ones!). Plus, the clickers eliminate the problem of students answering a question based on a cue received from another student. Best of all, the computer program gives the teacher and the students immediate feedback. With one click, the correct answer is revealed along with information about how many students selected each possible response. This allows the teacher to review the answers with the class and re-teach as necessary. (And of course the students love them because they feel like they're on a game show!)

This is the very first week I've used them. These pictures are from Mrs. Breault's first grade class, but I have lots of ideas on how I can use them in the other grades, too! :)

Evaluating resources!

This week our fourth graders began learning about animal adaptations (physical or behavioral traits that help them to survive). Each student selected an animal to research, and in the library we discussed resources we might use to learn about them. We spent a lot of time talking about websites and how important it is to consider where the information is coming from. Wikipedia, for example, is a site that has many contributors who may or may not be posting accurate information. It's a place to go to get an overview of a topic, but not the best source for taking notes.

We visited a couple different websites that are terrific for research: Enchanted Learning and World Book Online. The students had time to visit each site and print any useful information that they found. We have a special project in mind for the students to share what they learned, but it's a surprise! (Thank you, Mrs. Steever, for sharing this idea with us!) I'll post some examples as soon as they're ready!

Quicksand doesn't have a bottom! Fiction or Nonfiction?

One of the things we focus on in second grade is the difference between fiction and nonfiction books. Tomie dePaola has written lots of both, and we explore a wide variety of his work. After reading The Quicksand Book, Mrs. Pearce's class formed teams and wrote statements about quicksand. Can you figure out which of the statements are fiction (not true) and which ones are nonfiction (fact)? Think carefully...they're trying to trick you! When you're ready, scroll down to the bottom of the post for the answers. Good luck!

1. Quicksand doesn't have a bottom.


2. If you struggle in quicksand you will sink more quickly.


3. Quicksand can be caused by a flood.


4. You can find quicksand in deserts.


5. If you lie on your back you can float in quicksand.


6. Quicksand is caused by underground caves.

ARE YOU READY FOR THE ANSWERS? SCROLL DOWN!

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The following statements were written by

Team Fiction. They are not true!

Quicksand doesn't have a bottom.
Quicksand can be caused by a flood.
Quicksand is caused by underground caves.

.

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The following statements were written by
Team Non Fiction. They are true!

If you struggle in quicksand you will sink more quickly!
You can find quicksand in deserts!
If you lie on your back you can float in quicksand!

Second Graders at Work!

All of our second graders have begun a research project about their current science unit, insects! Like all library research projects, we are following the steps as outlined in the "Big6" problem solving model. (You can learn more about that at http://www.big6.com/.) Each student has selected an insect to learn about and has written a question about it. They will also find information to answer some teacher questions. We brainstormed some sources of information we could use to find answers to our questions, and every student is starting off with a book at an appropriate reading level.

Next we learned about how to take good notes and avoid copying. To practice this all of the students participated in an activity called Fact Fragment Frenzy, which can be found at the wonderful website http://www.readwritethink.org/. Working with a partner, the students read a short passage about an animal and then dragged the important words to a notepad also on the screen. This process reinforces the idea that we only need to record the "treasure words" that answer our questions instead of copying down everything.

Next week the students will continue their research and explore multiple sources for information, including another of my favorite websites, Enchanted Learning!

Project Highlight: All-Day Kindergarten!

For the past few weeks, Mrs. Koukas has been bringing her class to the library to work on a special project. In class they've been creating an "All About Me" book to incorporate skills from math, language arts, and social studies. Their books will include pages about their families and activities they like as well as information about where they live. In the library the students used Microsoft Paint to create drawings of their homes. Mrs. Koukas encouraged them to think about what shapes could be used to create their pictures, and I did a lesson on how to use the program. What fast learners! In no time they were switching colors and brushes, using the "paint bucket" to fill shapes, and using "Ctrl+Shift+N" to clear the screen. Then I imported their creations to another Microsoft program called PhotoStory. This program enables the students to type a sentence about their homes onto their drawings and then they can record their voices as they read aloud what they've written! When all the students are done recording, we'll be able to play back our movie on the SmartBoard!