Building Leaders @ CR Library
One Book at a Time April 2016
2nd Graders Educate Families at their 2nd Grade Museum
Did you know that the Liberty Bell rang for freedom for the slaves?
Did you know Uncle Sam is based on a real man who was a meatpacker during the War of 1812?
Second graders spent the month of March learning all about this amazing country we live in. They kicked off the unit with Neil Diamond singing "Coming to America" and took a virtual tour of the United States with Google Earth Tour Builder on the chromebooks. Students then chose an area they would like to focus on in more depth, including holidays, famous Americans, landmarks, and symbols. Using both print and electronic resources, they took notes and then storyboarded out their ideas. Finally they designed a digital poster board with Discovery Education, including photographs, video clips and their own writing. On April 1st they presented their research to family members at the 2nd annual American Museum.
Mark Your Calendars & Plan to Visit the Fair!
We'll be having a groovy time all week as we encourage reading with amazing new books - there's something for everyone!
Plan to dress for the 60's on Groovy Tuesday and receive a fun tattoo!
Purchase a book for your teacher's classroom & we'll wrap it up and deliver it during Teacher Appreciation Week, May 2-6.
Book Fair profits will be used to purchase some fun new furniture for comfortable reading in the library, and add some new technology to our Library STEAMSpace.
We would appreciate donations of any 1960's decor you might have lying around! Students will be helping decorate the fair with their own creations and interpretations of the 60's. We could use donations of:
- neon colored paper/posterboard
- neon colored crayons or markers
What is STEAMSpace?
It's not the quiet sedate place you may remember from your childhood.
In fact, the library of day is often a noisy space filled with excited children who are engaged in a wide variety of activities, such as:
- 3D printing
- programming robots
- reading books
- listening to audiobooks
- researching on tablets
- learning how to code
- playing chess
- sharing a magazine
- helping shelve books
- building machines with Legos
- creating their own origami bookmarks
- reading an e-book
- and much much more
Libraries today are still filled with fabulous books, but they are so much more. We have risen to the challenge to help students, and families, navigate this ever-changing digital world. We are preparing learners for future careers that don't even exist now.
How do we do that?
By preparing them to be individuals that can learn anything, work with anyone, problem solve when it doesn't go right the first five times, think on their feet, and not be afraid to tinker & create new ideas and inventions that no one has ever thought of before.
That's where STEAMSpace comes in. Perhaps you've heard of Makerspaces, a place where people come to tinker and create. Maybe you are familiar with the STEM movement for providing education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Canyon Ridge Library is transforming our space to provide a STEAMSpace - a place where students can come to tinker, create & collaborate with an emphasis on Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Mathematics.
We've already started the transformation with the addition of a multitude of new learning opportunities, and special events such as "Seussabration" and "Monster Makerspace".
Fairy Tale STEAMSpace Activities for our Younger Learners
Can you help Jack escape the Giant with his own student-designed parachute?
Can you create an unbreakable chair for baby bear?
Can you build a house that the Big Bad Wolf cannot blow down, keeping our little piggy safe?
If you are kinder, first, or second grader, then you will have a chance to try!
Join us at the CR Library during the month of April as we celebrate Folk & Fairy tales with our own STEAMSpace activities. Be an engineer & collaborate with your peers as you save the day!
Helping Out Readers at our Sister School
"I am the Reading Coach at Ridgeview Elementary, your sister school. I am trying to help our kiddos get a hold of more books…many of them don’t have any at home and may have charges in the library preventing them from checking out more. I have created a Readbox so they have access to free books all the time and also host a “book swap” where students can bring a book from home and swap it out for a new one, (I start with a collection of books and toss any old nasty ones so they can get a new one). My hope was that maybe you could help us with books. I would really appreciate any help you could give us. We would appreciate books in both English and Spanish.
Thanks so much,
Michelle Montemayor"
Canyon Ridge Library
Email: whowk@neisd.net
Website: http://neisd.libguides.com/welcome_canyon_ridge_library
Location: 20522 Stone Oak Parkway, San Antonio, TX, United States
Phone: 2104071604
Twitter: @whowk