April 2016
Media Center News
National Poetry Month
This April marks the 20th anniversary of National Poetry Month, which was inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996. Over the years, National Poetry Month has become the largest literary celebration in the world with schools, publishers, libraries, booksellers, and poets celebrating poetry’s vital place in our culture. During the month of April, we celebrated poetry by displaying various poetry books from our collection.
Plant & Animal Cells WebQuest (Grade 4 Science)
Kathy Bradley and Rachel Rubinstein invited me into their two Google Classrooms (organized by homeroom number) where I linked interactive videos about cells (plants and animals). Students researched these topics by watching/listening to videos, exploring interactive sites, and answering essential questions.
The Circulatory System (Grade 4 Science)
A Google Slides Presentation was created by Erin Damji and myself for Jenna Atkinson's students to learn about the circulatory system. After watching/listening to videos, students labelled an illustration of the heart to show understanding of the material. They also reflected on specific exit questions that were created in order for Jenna to better plan for future lessons on this topic. This lesson was co-taught with Erin Damji.
Interactive Exploration of The Solar System (Grade 5 Science)
A Google Classroom was created for Mike Kelly's students to learn about Astronomy. Students researched the Sun, Earth, Moon System and the Solar System by watching/listening to videos, exploring interactive sites, and answering essential questions for each topic.
Multiples in Google Forms (Grade 4 Math)
A Google Form was created by Allison Griffith and myself for her students to learn about Multiples. After watching/listening to videos, students answered questions online in Forms to show understanding of the material. This lesson was co-taught with Allison Griffith after we both attended a workshop taught by Erin Damji.
Poetry Presentation (Grade 4 Literacy)
A Google Slides Presentation was created for Jen Metzinger, Jen Stevens and Steph Pereira's students to learn how to recognize figurative language in poetry. Students compared and contrasted two poems and created their own poems based on two reading response prompts.
Converting Measurements in Google Forms (Grade 6 Math)
A Google Form was created by Steph Kessaris and myself for students to learn about Converting Measurements. After watching/listening to videos, students will answer questions online in Forms to show understanding of the material. This lesson was co-taught with Steph Kessaris after we both attended a workshop taught by Erin Damji.
April Statistics
- Student visits outside of library class: 190
- Class visits for research (using the Chromebooks & Smartboard): 22
- Classes for book exchange: 34
- Circulation of Nooks: 5
*The Media Center was closed for the PARCC testing, which had moderately effected its April statistics.