Friday, February 27, 2015

2nd Grade Voicethread


Earth by Aryanna
 
One of our 2nd grade classes was working on planet research. They used teacher directed websites to write information on a graphic organizer. Then they typed it in a Google doc and created a picture using abcya paint. Then students narrated their pictures/stories on the website Voicethread. Click below to view them. Great job, second graders!

Click HERE!

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Project READ

Three years ago when I began this job, I started an initiative called Project READ. This program is designed for preschool students (mostly siblings of our students here) to Read, Eat, Activity, and Dress Up. This bi-monthly program each has a theme. This month was Llama Llama by Anna Dewdney. We did a sheet where you draw who you love, stamping animals at the zoo sheet where they had to decide which number it was, and made fuzzy llamas with brown yarn. Our last thing was the treat- a llama cupcake made by the preschoolers!


Battle of the Books at RHES

Friday, Feb 20 4th-6th graders competed in Battle of the Books! They read a total of 15 chapter books in teams of 3-4 and answered trivia question using the website Kahoot. We had 8 rounds of Battle with our 10 4th grade teams, 6 5th grade teams, and 2 6th grade teams. Then on Tuesday we had a final round for our top 4th, 5th, and 6th grade teams to determine an all-school champion. Congratulations to the grade level winners and our school champs, the Glitter Girls!

 We hope to see even more teams in competition next year!



Thursday, February 19, 2015

Best of the Battle Titles

I changed the Battle of the Books list for my students this year, and here are some of their favorites from the list:

Maniac Magee 
Spinelli, J.
Students have said to have your tissues ready. This story has been very emotional for many students who have read it and liked it.







The River
Paulsen, G.
This adventure book was sure to please! Many also checked out Hatchet afterwards.







The Wednesday Wars
Schmidt, Gary D.
Even though this book jumped from one place to the next, many students connected to it and Schmidt's writing. Next on the list for them is Okay for Now.

Friday, February 13, 2015

It's Battle Day!

Today is Park View Middle School's Battle of the Books competition! The "sweet 16" teams have been reading and memorizing since fall and today is the day to show their knowledge. They will compete in a bracket style competition with a double elimination (consolation round as well). Teams are here from 2nd-7th hour, can do homework, read, study, or play games together. Lunch is served to all. It's been an exciting event so far! Teams will be competing all day long :)
Good luck teams!

Monday, February 9, 2015

Where in Mukwonago am I?


This week, I am spending my time at Park View Middle School in Mukwonago doing what I call the "student teaching" of my library license. I have been taking classes for THREE years and this is finally my LAST one! I will be spending one week at this middle school and another at a different elementary working with librarians as a sponge to soak it all in. So far, I have been helping 7th graders create a Google slide about Native American culture which they will use to create a Movenote. This website (or app for Chromebooks) takes a power point or Google slides presentation and you can add narrative video using the built in webcam of the Chromebook. Students are at various stages in researching, creating a Google slide, and writing their script with a partner. It's great to see their skills in using Google docs, drive, and slides. All the hard work at the elementary level pays off! Plus as a bonus I got to see some of my former students who are all grown up as middle schoolers :) You can check out some completed Movenotes on the Park View library blog here.

Thursday, February 5, 2015

Battle of the Books

Battle of the Books is Friday, February 20th! Students in teams of 3-4 have been reading since November to be prepared for this trivia contest. The book list can be found on the Animoto video here and students have read all 15 books between their team members. Teams will come to the library and compete in the brackets. 3-4 teams will compete against others in their grade levels and then the 4th, 5th, and 6th grade champion teams will compete for the CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND!!
Usually I use this buzzer system and hand score, but this year we are using the website Kahoot where I set up 9 rounds of competition questions. Most of the questions were made up by myself and another teacher. Usually I participate in the WEMTA Battle of the Books state-wide (and use their question lists!) but this year I wasn't impressed by the book list. I thought it would be a hard sell for participation. So I blended their list with my own personal favorites. I have had more kids hooked on authors than ever! Carl Hiaasen, Gary Paulsen, and Gary D. Schmidt are a few favorites. I can't keep their books on the shelves!

Stay tuned for the winners!

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Internet Safety

Almost all grades are in full swing Internet Safety lessons. We focus on personal safety, netiquette, social networking, and posting. I use the websites Common Sense Media  and NetSmartz to modify a lot of lesson plans. In addition, I read part of the book above Bully by Patricia Polacco. Here are what we are talking about:

  • 6th: identity theft- be careful of phishing emails and bad links
  • 5th: digital footprint/tattoo- be careful what you put online; it will follow you!
  • 4th: post-test to see what we have learned
  • 3rd: tell a trusted adult if we need to; click here for the video
  • 2nd: appropriate websites using the stoplight: green-go, yellow-caution, red-stop and close
  • 1st: we are finishing up a Super 3 unit through reflection
  • K: we are learning how to use Chromebooks!