Savvy Students
Wyman Library Newsletter - June 2019
End of Year - 2018-19
Can you believe another year has passed? I am sure you are even more amazed than I am at how quickly our students are growing. Each passing year they gain more knowledge and expertise as they become young ladies and gentlemen. Before I wish you all a happy summer, one last look back at third trimester accomplishments.
Kindergarten Fun
Kindergarten students love listening to stories and acting out plays in library. They also enjoy using GoNoodle and other dance videos that let students get up and move. Along with improving listening skills, students have learned to differentiate between fiction and nonfiction texts. They have begun coding using Koadable and Code.org. They are stretching their mental muscles as they learn new skills and are ready for first grade.
Project Based Learning
1st Grade Research Projects
First grade students used PebbleGo to research animals. They recorded facts about the way their animal looks, its' habitat, food, and a fun fact. They shared their "wow" facts, recording audio clips on SeeSaw, along with a photo of their drawing of the animal. They also learned about citing sources to give credit for the information. More first grade research examples are found on my library website here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0IpwZ11UZM
Second Grade Stop Motion
Second graders researched facts from nonfiction books, then created short, stop motion videos using MyCreate on iPads in the library. I was thrilled this year to be able to set up three iPad stations in library, with funds I received from Highlander Institute for my participation in a two year Fuse Fellow program. More second grade projects are on the library page here.
3rd Grade Book Interviews
Third grade students chose a book they recently finished reading, and answered questions about the book on a Google Doc. They worked with a partner who interviewed them about the book. We used SeeSaw, a digital portfolio platform, to share the interviews with parents. The students did a fantastic job. Just check out the two cuties above who are showcased for their great interviewing skills!
4th Grade Biography Riddles
Fourth grade students created interactive riddles using ThingLink. The students researched famous figures and took notes on a Google Doc in Google Classroom. They had to learn how to accept edits from the teacher, create a Works Cited section using EasyBib to give credit to the book they used, and save images to Google Drive. More riddles are showcased on my library website here.
5th Grade Internet Safety Group Projects
Fifth grade students finished a big project in June. See the example to Olivia's group project linked above. They collaborated in groups, each student had a job in the group (writer, researcher, techie, and artist). Through extensive research, groups became experts on an Internet Safety topic, such as Cyber Security, Copyright Laws and Intellectual Property, Scams and Hoaxes, Cyber-bullying and Internet Predators. They worked together gathering information on a shared document, then created a presentation to teach the rest of the class. Students shared their presentations using Screencastify, then uploaded them to FlipGrid (sceenshot below) so all 5th grade students could learn from and comment on the presentations. Students had the choice of creating a Google Slide, a Prezi, a Powtoon, or an Adobe Voice presentation.
Home Connection
Learning a second language is an excellent way to increase language and communication skills. Research even suggests that it can improve your cognitive abilities and lessen your chance of suffering from dementia. So, you are never too old to begin. Try these great free apps and learn along with your child, Duolingo and Mango Languages. Access Mango through askri.org, which makes Mango free to all Rhode Island residents.
Tara Castro - Library Media Specialist
Have a safe and happy summer. I intend to spend time relaxing, exercising, reading and spending time learning new ways to engage and challenge my students.
Website: https://mrscastroslibrary.weebly.com/
Twitter: @MrsCastro2
"Perhaps no place in any community is so totally democratic as the town library. The only entrance requirement is interest." Lady Bird Johnson
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/library