Nobel Prize Winners!

winner of a Nobel Prize in Botany!

Today was "Dress Like a Scientist Day" in honor of our Reading Week theme, Experiment With a Good Book!  Our students came up with some wonderful costumes, and we were truly impressed by all the effort and creativity on display!  Here are just a few of our "Nobel Prize" winners.  Enjoy!

winner of a Nobel Prize in Excellence for his portrayal of an entomologist!  (Are those real bugs in there??)

This second grader won a Nobel Prize for Creativity.  She's dressed as a "fashionologist"!

winner of a Nobel Prize for Geology!

winner of a Nobel Prize for Chemistry!  (Yes, that's a "lab rat" peeking out of her pocket!)

winner of a Nobel Prize for Phlebotomy!

winner of a Nobel Prize for Robotic Science!

Right after taking the picture above, this student said, "The results are in...this is definitely the best class!"  :)

winner of a Nobel Prize for Wildlife Biology!

winners of a Nobel Prize for Research!

This last group really went "above and beyond"!  All four of these fourth graders spent some time learning about something new as part of their costumes and were able to tell me about their topics.  Great job, girls!!!

Dress Like a Scientist!

What image comes to mind when you read the word SCIENTIST?  

Do you picture someone in a white lab coat holding a glass beaker? 

There are all kinds of scientists who don't work in a laboratory.  For example:

• An astronomer studies stars, planets and galaxies.
• A botanist specializes in plants.
• An entomologist studies insects.
• A herpetologist studies reptiles and amphibians. 
• An ichthyologist studies fish. 
• A vulcanologist studies volcanoes. 
• An ornithologist studies birds. 
• An archeologist studies ancient civilizations. 
• A geologist specializes in the history of Earth.
• A geographer studies Earth's surface.
• A zoologist studies animals.
• A marine biologist studies ocean plants and animals.
• A meteorologist studies weather and climate.
• A microbiologist studies microscopic plants and animals.
• A paleontologist specializes in fossils.
• A seismologist studies earthquakes.
• A speleologist studies caves.

The above list is based on one found at factmonster.com

  

These students found titles that interested them in the enormous "We're Mad About Science!" book display in the library.

During library class this week we’ll be exploring all sorts of books about scientists and what they study.  This coming Monday is the beginning of Reading Week and the theme is "Experiment With a Good Book".  I want to make sure they're ready for Tuesday, which is Dress Like a Scientist Day! 

After viewing all of the students' costumes, Mrs. Bartkiewicz and I will be awarding selected students with prize certificates.  For example The Nobel Prize for Research (for going above and beyond to research a particular scientist or type of scientist and wearing a costume that demonstrates that knowledge) and The Nobel Prize for Creativity (for creating a costume that is especially unique and interesting)!

Here are some links for you to explore to get some more ideas:

Scientists From A-Z lists a different kind of scientist for each letter of the alphabet along with a link to another website for further exploration!

Learn about inventors and scientists at Kids.gov

"Famous Scientist Facts" at Science Kids

Just for fun, try out some of the "Science Games" at PBS KIDS

Yes, students may also dress as a fictional scientist!

First Graders Rejoice!

Why are the first graders rejoicing?  Because today they were allowed to take home two library books instead of just one!

We recently read Goldie Socks and the Three Libearians by Jackie Mims Hopkins.  This fun retelling of the story of Goldilocks introduces the students to the "Five Finger Rule".  This is a method the students can use to find a book that's not too hard, not too easy, but juuuuuust right!  I believe that, as students explore the library collection, they will be encouraged to use and strengthen their reading skills.  

The Five Finger Rule

1)  Choose a book and read the first page or two

2)  Put one finger up for every word you don’t know

3)  If five (or none) of your fingers go up while reading, choose another book.

4)  If only two or three fingers go up, you’ve found a 
     “just right” book!

              

 

As part of the Information Literacy Standards, students are also encouraged to pursue information related to their personal interests (standard #4).  These books, including such non-fiction favorites as dinosaurs, pets, and sharks, are often filled with beautiful and engaging pictures.  While they might be above the student’s reading level, they encourage children to appreciate that books are a source of information and entertainment.  

Now, first grade students will be able to select two books: an “easy reader” and a free choice. Hopefully, this will lead our students to becoming better readers while still allowing them the freedom to explore the wide variety of materials that the library has to offer!

In our library, an orange sticker on the spine means that the book is an "Easy Reader".  It might be a good choice for students in grades K-2 who are learning to read on their own.  This student is looking for a book that is "just right" for her!

Oh, the Places THEY Will Go!

 Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

Sunday was Dr. Seuss's birthday, so on Monday we celebrated with a fabulous display created by our reading specialist, Mrs. Bartkiewicz!  It was filled with paper balloons created by the students that shared what they wanted to be when they grew up.  Throughout the day she read selections from the book Oh, The Places You'll Go and invited a class down to our foyer to hang up their work.

All week long I've seen both students and grown-ups stopping by the bulletin board to view the students' creations.  Below are just a few of them for you to enjoy!  (Click on any picture to make it larger!)

Some students had so much to say that they didn't even have room for an illustration!  These fourth graders have some terrific plans for their futures:   

When I grow up I want to have a very successful  life and a nice family.  Also I would appreciate a whole bunch of money and a well paying job.  In addition I want a very nice house.  -Nick F.

When I grow up I want to work at the Rhode Island State House.  I know this because I've met Govnor Chaffee twice already and I decided it was worth it.  I also want to have a couple pets like a German shepherd and a cat.  -Halina

When I grow up I will explore Arizona.  I will climb mountains and explore the painted desert.  I would see many ruins and it would be very fun.  -Everett

When I grow up I want to be an author and live in New York.  I also want to get married and write a best seller or Newbery winner.  It would also be cool to travel to London.  -Eleanore

When I grow up I want to be a vet because my aunt Anna is one too.  I want to be just like her when I grow up.  I love her so much and she loves me, too.  I love my whole family.  -Patience

The Many Phases of Research - Part 2!

Four very proud illustrators!

Back in December I wrote about a moon research project that my first graders were working on.  (You can click here to see that post!)  Well, we took a hiatus from that project while my student teacher, Miss Anderson, planned her own activities to share with the students during her time at Ashaway.  Miss Anderson has now moved on to an exciting new adventure, but before she left we put together the students' work into a PowerPoint presentation I could share with them this week!

A hard copy of their presentations will be bound into a book to be enjoyed in the library, but during class the students were able to see their illustrations projected onto the SmartBoard. 

Click here to view the presentation made by Mrs. Breault's class!

Click here to view the presentation made by Miss Mooney's class!

Communities Project

My third grade students have been working on a special project to learn about the four different types of communities: cities, suburbs, towns and farming towns.  All of them were assigned to one of these four groups.  To begin, we watched a video about communities and discussed the attributes of each one.  As part of this exploration I created a SmartBoard sorting activity.


To help the students visualize how the locations of each type of community are related to each other, I had four students stand various distances apart.  "Suburb" was right next to "city", "town" was next to "suburb" but farther away from "city", and "rural" was sent to the the far side of the room!  :)

The students explored what made their group's community the same or different from the other kinds.  After many meetings taking notes, each student wrote about one characteristic of their group's community and found a picture online that helped to illustrate this information.  Finally, we imported their pictures into a PhotoStory and the students recorded their voices to narrate the pictures.

The students enjoyed recording their voices into the computer with the special headphone microphone!

Miss Anderson did an enormous amount of work on this project while she was here!

The whole third grade came down to the library this morning to enjoy watching the four different PhotoStory presentations.  I'm happy to report that their teachers were impressed!  :)

Hello from Miss Anderson!

Hi friends! My name is Miss Anderson and I have the pleasure of student teaching with Mrs. Mann this winter! I am from upstate NY, currently getting my Masters in Library Science from URI. I have had so much fun getting to know the students and teachers at Ashaway School,  and I am so excited to continue teaching and learning here!

Miss Anderson with one of her favorite authors, Sarah Dessen!

With the Kindergartners, I have started a Gingerbread Man unit along with their classroom teachers. The first week we read a traditional retelling by Eric Kimmel. The second week, we read The Gingerbread Girl by Lisa Campbell Ernst.

We talked about the problem and solution in the story and then drew pictures depicting it!

 

 

We will be reading more fun retellings of the Gingerbread Man story in the next coming weeks, including an ebook and the Jan Brett favorite, Gingerbread Baby.

With the 1st grade, I've been reading Eric Carle books and doing some creative activities. The first week we read The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and students wrote about the main idea and two key details. Then, in writing with their classroom teachers, they retold the story, making sure the events were in order.

We've also read The Very Busy Spider and A House for Hermit Crab so far. After reading A House for Hermit Crab, students drew their own hermit crab shell based on the illustration from the story.

The classes blew me away with their amazing, detailed pictures. Here are a few:

Friends had so much fun drawing their shells! We love Eric Carle! 

In the coming weeks, I will be continuing to have fun with the K and 1st grades, along with the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th!  Come stop by the library to say hi! 

~Miss Anderson