European News brought to you by 6th Grade Students!

Please click the following picture to see the slide show! 

4th Graders Explored South America through the Inquiry Process (Connect - Wonder - Investigate - Construct - Express - Reflect)!

Please click the following picture to see the slideshow!

Country Posters created by 4th grade students

The 4th grade students were placed into triads and each group chose a country in South America to research. Some of them were able to make connections to the countries they were researching.  

They wondered about things they wanted to learn about their chosen country and learned to conduct an investigation.  They collected information from the CultureGrams database.  After taking notes about the capital, population, sports, clothing, etc. of their country on a graphic organizer, students learned how to construct a poster on their country using Google Drawing. Students worked hard in groups to design country posters including important information about their countries.

Finally, students learned how to convert their Google Drawings into Google Slides so that their slides can be made into a slide show.  Student triads expressed what they learned about their country in front of the whole group. What a wonderful experience!

2nd Graders Learned about Africa through Research!

Please click the map of Africa to see the slide show!

                   
Second grade students paired up and chose African countries to research.  Then, they accessed the CultureGrams database through the Forest Road Library Website.  

They leaned how to navigate the database and found the information they needed such as government, food, currency, religion, population, etc. of their chosen countries. They took notes on graphic organizers.  Then, each pair learned how to create a Google Slide, inserting a background, pictures and some important information about the country.

                                  So proud of their first Google Slides!

Listen to the authors of 2016 Caldecott and Newbery Medal Winners!

Please click HERE to listen to the authors of 2016 award winners

2016 Caldecott Medal Winner

Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear, illustrated by  Sophie Blackall, written by Lindsay Mattick and published by Little, Brown and Company, an division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

Finding Winnie is an incredible account of the friendship and love shared between a soldier and the real bear who inspired Winnie-the-Pooh. Blackall beautifully interprets this multi-dimensional family story through her distinctive Chinese ink and watercolor art, capturing intimate and historical details perfect for a child’s eye. 

“Children will be enchanted by Winnie’s journey from the forests of Canada to the pages of the Hundred Acre Wood. Blackall offers a tour-de-force of visual storytelling,” said Caldecott Medal Committee Chair Rachel G. Payne.

2016 Newbery Medal Winner

Last Stop on Market Street, written by Matt de la Peña, illustrated by Christian Robinson and published by G. P. Putnam’s Sons, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) LLC.

CJ’s journey with his Nana is not just a simple bus ride; it is a multi-sensory experience through which he discovers that beautiful music, nature and people surround him.  CJ’s questions are familiar, and Nana answers him with gentle wisdom.  Right up until their arrival at the last stop on Market Street, Nana guides CJ to become “a better witness for what’s beautiful.”

“Read it aloud to someone. The use of language to elicit questions, to spark imagination and to make us laugh is at its best when spoken,” said Newbery Medal Committee Chair Ernie J. Cox.

To learn more about the Caldecott and Newbery honor books, please click the following link:

http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/caldecottmedal/caldecottmedal

Guinness World Records SEE IT 3D!

                                                                  

The GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS SEE IT 3D app gives the readers the chance to pose next to the tallest man ever! 

Just download the free app and scan the cover or the pages of the book that carry an Augmented Reality Alert icon.

My New Year's Resolutions - Slide Presentation

Please click the following picture to see New Year's Resolutions created by Mr. Onorato's 6th grade class. 

Happy New Year!

New Year's Resolutions - Slide Presentation

Please click the following slide to see New Year's Resolutions created by Mr. Lesser's 4th grade students. 

Winter Poems - Slide Presentation

Please click the following slide to enjoy the winter poems created by Mrs. Bartell's 5th grade class.

Someone Else's Shoes - Developing Empathy

Paired up with a classmate, a sixth grade student is telling his partner about his situation based upon a character card. Then, his partner is practicing being empathetic as she was listening to his story. 

American Education Week Presentation

Mr. Lesser's 4th Grade students presented their Native American Project using Google Slides during American Education Week (November 18, 2015).

Reader's Theatre - A Fun and Effective Technique for Building Students' Fluency

Third grade students are performing with Reader's Theatre scripts for Johnny Appleseed.   

  

                                   

       Fourth grade students are participating in Reader's Theatre with the scripts for 

Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story.

Gr. 3 students learned how to find information online using Destiny and KidRex

KidRex - Kid friendly Search Engine

                   Destiny OPAC (Online Public Access Catalog)

Kindergarten students are writing about how they can be good citizens.

It's a Fact: School Libraries Work!!!

John Schumacher November 11th, 2015

Librarians and libraries play a crucial role in schools. Across the country, the data is proof that a credentialed school librarian, collaboration and co-teaching, access to technology and large collection size all elevate student learning.

Here are highlights from the report:

1. When school librarian staffing is reduced, achievement in ELA suffers. A School Library Journal analysis found states that gained school librarian positions between 2005 and 2009 experienced larger increases and no decreases in National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) reading scores for 4th grade, while states that lost school librarians experienced smaller increases or decreases in reading scores.
2. Librarians play an integral role in teaching and supporting 21st-century skills. A South Carolina study commissioned by the South Carolina Association of School Librarians revealed that students were more likely to show strengths and less likely to show weaknesses on writing standards if their school libraries were staffed with a full-time librarian plus a full or part-time assistant.
3. Support of school librarians and libraries from school and district leaders is key. In fact, recent research has shown a strong relationship between test scores and the degree to which the principal values and supports the library media program. A research paper from Marietta, GA, details short and long term recommendations for school leaders to support and enhance student learning through high-quality library programs and certified staff.

Why Picture Books Are Important by Kathryn Otoshi

                                               

Here within the protective, nurturing folds of a children’s picturebook, our youngest member of the human race can ask questions about the challenges of life. Through our story’s characters -

 a tattered stuffed bear who is afraid of the dark; a tin soldier who has lost his way; or an outcast giant who finds acceptance through a little girl – our children learn about fear, separation, and exclusion, as well as courage, love  and hope.

Picture books are not only for our youngest readers. Teachers, parents, counselors, educators and organizations use them to engage, inspire, and motivate their audiences. We utilize story and metaphor to help explain big issues, like bullying, self-esteem, blended families, sibling rivalry and empathy. Stories allow us to experience different perspectives, outcomes, problems and unexpected solutions.

Regular story readings help us bond with our children. We, as adults, can immediately capture our youngster’s rapt attention by holding up a picture book in the air and calling out, “Storytime!” From our comfortable armchair we can quietly initiate our questions, while remaining the objective Reader of the Book. To read the rest of the article, please visit

 http://picturebookmonth.com/2015/11/why-picture-books-are-important-by-kathryn-otoshi/