Learning Commons Lowdown
January/February 2016
January Highlights
Dancer Dilemmas
Tex Hill Spelling Bee
African American History Month - February 2016
Read-Aloud-a-Thon
This year’s Read-Aloud-a-Thon tied into themes of African American History Month by featuring award-winning author Jacqueline Woodson’s Brown Girl Dreaming, a poignant memoir in verse that shares the author’s childhood through the Civil Rights Movement.
Students signed up to read aloud individually or in pairs in 5-minute increments throughout the day. Each period was also punctuated with a special performance by fellow student actor Kimel Johnson, who mesmerized the audience with his dramatic renditions of two thematically connected poems, “Black Freedom” and “Colorblind,” which he previously performed at a fall speech competition.
This campuswide event is part of several programming activities sponsored by the Learning Commons in celebration of African American History Month.
See the images below for highlighted events!
"I Have a Dream" Clouds
Idea Lab Activity: Duct Tape Quilt or Kente Cloth Squares
Hip Hop Workshop!
LC Resource Spotlight: Nexus eReaders for Checkout!
The Learning Commons has Nexus eReaders available for checkout to students!
These devices are exclusively for downloading ebooks and audiobooks from OverDrive. The circulation period is 3 weeks, first come, first check out.
There is no technology parental permission form required; however, any loss or damage fees apply just as with lost or damaged books.
A student can check out up to 4 items from OverDrive at any given time...which means that a student could be reading 9 books at one time---5 print books from the LC and 4 digital books from OverDrive!
Help the LC WIN FREE MATCHING FUNDS for our Donors Choose Project!
CURRENTLY a company will pay for HALF the COSTS of this project if other donations reach 50%!
TIME IS RUNNING OUT! The project is open until April 9, 2016!
Please share our project link with the Tex Hill Community!
We are trying to raise $ to purchase 3 littleBits kits to explore the world of inventing through simple circuits.
The littleBits kits will allow the Idea Lab program to offer more hands-on creation experiences for our students who love technology and using their hands.
Through using littleBits in simple task-oriented makerspace stations, students will become inventors without realizing it, using problem-solving, trial-and-error and collaboration seamlessly in an interactive, fun way.
Idea Lab Request: Skinny Cardboard, Old Tech & Plastic Cup Lids!
- Take-Apart Tech Station
- Tiger Cardboard Challenge
- Upcycling crafts
If you have any of these kinds of items in your recycle bin or donation pile, send them into the LC as creative fodder for Idea Lab activities:
- "Skinny" cardboard (pasta/cereal boxes, etc.)
- regular corrugated cardboard (including coffee cup sleeves!)
- Any old/outdated or broken "tech" = cell phones, laptops, phones, keyboards, anything battery-operated or electronic
- Plastic coffee cup lids...if you go to Starbucks, save those lids!
Follow the Learning Commons on Twitter & Instagram!
Twitter: Follow @TexHillLC to stay informed about great resources, events and activities happening 24/7.
Instagram: Follow @TexHillLC to see a visual gallery of the LC's happenings in real time!
Learning Commons @Tex Hill MS
Email: tdiaz4@neisd.net
Website: http://neisd.libguides.com/welcome_hill_library
Location: 21314 Bulverde Road, San Antonio, TX, United States
Phone: 210.356.8004
Twitter: @TexHillLC