The most wonderful time of the year!

It's Computer Science Education Week!   While it may not be what most people define as "the most wonderful time of the year," it's a pretty awesome week in the media center at Stough and in many libraries and computer labs across the country.  (You can read about how libraries are leading this movement here.)

Third, Fourth and Fifth grade students are spending their time in the media center learning the basics of writing computer code.   They are using activities designed by Code.org, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to computer science.  These activities naturally lead students to Collaborate, Communicate, think Critically, and Create, all of the "4 C's" of 21st Century learning.  

To try the activities we've been using, you can visit this page on the Stough Media site.   For additional Coding activities, you can visit the coding page in the technology section of the Stough Website.

When you can't reach the bookshelves...

... you learn to use eBooks!  Since the bookfair was in the media center last week, media classes met in the lab.  We were able to continue our focus on reading "for pleasure and personal growth" even though we didn't have physical books to read.  We read eBooks using Ebsco's eBook database provided on NC WiseOwl.  Students learned to search for nonfiction topics they wanted to read about and to browse for fiction books they may like to read.  Students were excited to discover books about topics such as the Titanic, gymnastics, monster trucks, the history of video games, and more!   All of our NC WiseOwl resources can be used at home.  Contact Mrs. Galvan (agalvan@wcpss.net) if you need the password.

Scholastic Book Fair!

Our main focus this fall for 3rd, 4th and 5th grades is reading for pleasure and personal growth.  What better way to celebrate that focus than with the arrival of our fall book fair?  Last week, students got a video preview of some of the great books they will find in the book fair.  I've had many students ask if I could play it again, so here is the link.  Just choose the one you want to watch (K-3rd or 4th-6th), and feel free to play it as many times as you would like!  

Here are some of the books highlighted in the 4th and 5th grade video:

Here are some of the books highlighted in the 3rd grade video:

And these books are just too good to miss!  (We'll just call them Mrs. Galvan's favorites!)  Pick them up if you haven't seen them!

Click here for more information about our book fair!   Be sure to join us for family night on Thursday, and don't miss the online auction!

Are you up for a challenge?

During their first "specials" visit to the library media center, Stough 3rd-, 4th- and 5th- graders  read Last Stop on Market Street by author Matt De La Peña and illustrator Christian Robinson.  This beautiful story about a boy and his Nana riding the city bus they ride every Sunday afternoon inspired us to talk about the people who bring out our best selves.   Many students said their parents -- moms and dads -- are the people who encourage them to be their best selves.  Others listed older brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, grandparents, and teachers.

This week, classes are being introduced to a variety of fiction books where the main character has an adult role model who brings out the best in him/her, and those books are already in high demand as we "raffle" them off at the end of each class.

Inspired by The Great Thanksgiving Listen, a project of StoryCorps, TED, NPR, ABC and the Library of Congress, I want to issue our students a challenge.   Though our students are too young to be official participants who submit interviews to StoryCorps, I believe they can still rise to the challenge.  They can use the Thanksgiving holiday to interview a special person in their lives -- someone who brings out the best in them.  So here's the challenge:

1. Choose an adult who encourages you to be your best self -- preferably someone you will see or talk with over the Thanksgiving holiday.  
2. Print out a copy of the Heart, Head, Hands and Feet graphic organizer.  (Or pick one up in the library media center!)  If you are printing at home, notice that you only need the 2nd page.
3. Over Thanksgiving break, interview the adult you chose.  Try to learn about the following:
• What does he/she love or love to do?   Record what you learn in the "Heart" of your organizer.
• What is the person's vision of the future?  What does the person imagine for the future?  Record this in the "thought bubble."
• What choices did the person make or what actions did he/she take to make his/her dreams come true?   Record this in the "Hands" and "Feet."
4. Turn in your final, neatly-written copy to Mrs. Galvan by Wednesday, December 2.  We will display your interviews during the family night at the book fair.  Also, everyone who participates will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win one of Mrs. Galvan's favorite books from the book fair! 

Enjoy your time with family and friends, and take the opportunity to learn from those special people in your lives!

Wrapping up our Global Read Aloud Experience

What a great time we've had in our K-2 library media classes participating in the 2015 Global Read Aloud.  We began our adventure in the last week of September/ first week of October learning about Amy Krouse Rosenthal and reading her book Chopsticks.  Since that week, we have read Duck! Rabbit, It's Not Fair, Exclamation Mark!, and The OK Book.

Through these weeks, we have been making connections with other classes across the country who have also been reading these books.  A few classes have had Skype and Google Hangout experiences with classes in Vermont and Illinois.  Most classes have shared to Padlet walls with classes across our school and all over the US and Canada.    We have had opportunities to follow Amy Krouse Rosenthal and illustrators Scott Magoon and Tom Lichtenheld on Twitter as they've answered questions about their books and their creative process.  Second grade students are still writing postcards to send to schools participating in a Global Read Aloud postcard exchange.  We've already received our first postcard from a school in Wisconsin!  Some of our kindergarten, first and second grade students have chosen to share their favorite book on this Padlet wall:

Created with Padlet

Participating in the Global Read Aloud has been a great experience.  We look forward to joining in the fun again next year!   

Kindergarten, first and second grade classes are beginning their rotation in technology classes starting tomorrow.  I still hope to see them often in the library checking out their favorite Amy Krouse Rosenthal books and all of the other great books they want to read this year!

More 2nd grade "Tweets"

2nd grade students are still writing "Tweets" predicting Amy Krouse Rosenthal's upcoming companion book to Spoon and Chopsticks.  You can see some of those in our

  Padlet.

Connecting through Global Read Aloud

Stough Kindergarten, first- and second-graders joined hundreds of thousands of students across the country and around the world as they began an author study of Amy Krouse Rosenthal with the Global Read Aloud project.   So far, all classes have read Chopsticks.   Today's classes were the first to begin Duck! Rabbit!

Today, Mr. Davila's 2nd grade class read Tweets from Amy Krouse Rosenthal and learned that she is working on a new book that will be a companion to Spoon and Chopsticks.  They decided to write "tweets" with their predictions and/or hopes about the new book's main character.

I'll be back tomorrow to share more 2nd grade predictions!

Celebrating International Dot Day 2015

Kindergarten, 1st- and 2nd-graders at Stough are celebrating International Dot Day in their Library Media classes this week.   Dot day (September 15th-ish) is set aside to celebrate the publication birthday of The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds -- a book that encourages us all to make our "mark" on the world in our own way.   

After reading The Dot on Bookflix, our 1st- and 2nd-grade students also read a few pages from Kid President's Guide to Being Awesome.  Students were challenged to join in on at least one of the following activities to celebrate the idea of "making your mark."  

• Create a card for a person who has made a difference in their lives.
• Create an award for a person who they know has made "a mark" on the world or on someone's life.
• Learn and write about a person who has made a mark on the world.  
• Write their own plan to "make a mark" using Kid President's challenge to "change the future.

Kindergarten students celebrated by reading the book (on Bookflix), moving to "The Dot Song," and coloring a special dot that we will use for some "iPad magic" next week using the ColAR Mix app.

We will continue with these activities next week and will read about a real person who has made a mark on the world.

Parents, if you would like information about how to access Bookflix at home with our school's subscription, feel free to email me!  agalvan@wcpss.net