Lowell Library Newsletter
October 2022 Roundup
October Curriculum
Digital learning and library classes begin their individual curriculums starting in October. Kindergarten to second grade talk about digital citizenship while online focusing on privacy and balance. We also explore some fun reads. Third and fourth grades logged into their keyboarding programs and begin working on increasing their speed and accuracy while typing. Third graders used the Massachusetts STEM week to begin their Lego robotics explorations to build and code a Mars rover. Fourth grade dove a bit deeper into digital citizenship to consider the trail their online usage leaves and what they can do to stay safe. Fifth grade started a big unit on the Internet looking at how and why the Internet was created and how information is transmitted.
What We Learned: October 2022
Kindergarten: We learned about:
- Safety in Our Online Neighborhoods
- Media Balance
- Literature Appreciation
- Pausing and Thinking Online
- How Technology Makes Us Feel
- Literature Appreciation
Second Grade: Learned about:
- We the Digital Citizens
- Home Row on a computer keyboard
- Bee Bots- Coding Robots
- Keyboarding Without Tears Introduction
- Rings of Responsibility: Digital Citizenship
- Lego WeDo Mars Rover Build and Code Project
Fourth Grade: Learned about:
- Keyboarding Without Tears Introduction
- Private and Personal Information: Digital Citizenship
- Our Online Tracks: Digital Citizenship
- Google Forms
- Writing a Formal Email
- What is the Internet?
Digital Citizenship K-5
What does the Internet look like? What do websites know about me? What are these feelings I have around using a device? Lowell students start in kindergarten learning about Digital Citizenship by looking at their online neighborhoods and how they can make good choices and stay safe online. Some topics span several grade levels, such as the difference between private and personal information, responsibly using information that others created, and taking a break when you feel overwhelmed. Fifth graders tackle a bigger topic as they consider the structure of the Internet and how that impacts their ability to keep information private.
Mindfulness Break: Salamander Yoga
Yoga + Salamander = a fun and relaxing mindfulness break.
Computer animated content creator Scratch Garden creates lots of fun educational videos for kids featuring Lowell favorite, Salamander. In Salamander Yoga kinds take a mind and body break with Salamander and his friends.
Please Return ANY Lowell Library Books You Find at Home!
- My child has a library book from before quarantine. What should I do with it? Please bring it back! There is no penalty for pre-quarantine books and I would love to have them back in the library so other kids can enjoy them.
- Will kids check out books this year? No, our library is still in storage and the number of books is limited. Kids will have a chance to enjoy books during library class this year which will, hopefully, inspire some ideas for outside reading.
- Where can we access the databases and encyclopedias? Use the Lowell Library website and under SEARCH find a list of the databases students have access to through the school.
- What will students learn without the library? Don't worry! I selected a lot of books to continue our read alouds each week. We will also take this time to explore more aspects of our digital learning curriculum such as digital citizenship and computers as tools.
J.R.Lowell Library
Email: kelly.mccollum@watertown.k12.ma.us
Website: http://lowelllibrary.com
Location: 175 Orchard Street, Watertown, MA, USA
Phone: 617.926.7770
Twitter: @jrlowellreads