DOT Day and MORE

Last week I celebrated Dot Day with the Kindergartners.  We started out reading and discussing"The Dot" by Peter H. Reynolds.


After We discussed what the words 'dot' and 'day' meant.  The students looked at a Google Map and we talked about what the word 'international' meant.  Some students shared stories about themselves or families traveling to some of the countries I pointed out.

This was only my second week with the students and their first time taking a book home, so I created a quick worksheet for them to create their very own dots and take home.  They absolutely LOVED creating their own dots and asked to create more.

To learn more about Dot Day go here: http://www.thedotclub.org/dotday/

First grade:

First grade read the story "Miss Brooks Loves Books: (and I Don't)" by Barbara Bottner.  If you have never read this book, you are missing something.  The librarian loves books and does many things such as dress up for reading time to let the kids know about her love for books.  When she asks the kids to choose a book they love and dress up for the class during Book Week, the main character and narrator cannot find a book she loves, she hates all books.  Then, she finds Shrek. 

Second grade:

Each year I start second grade out with "coloring the library". The students enjoy the activity.  They get a map and we color it section by section.  It takes at least two classes to describe the books in each section and color the map.  We end with the Reference Section and use a dictionary to define the word "variety".  We discuss the definition and how it applies to the library.  Once complete, students are required to select a variety of books when they are choosing books to take home.  While I hate to limit what they can and cannot take home, I like students to be introduced to different kinds of books and the library is the best place. 

We also break and read  "Stella Louella's Runaway Book" by Lisa Campbell Ernst

Third and Fourth Graders  continued their QR hunt.

**My post is 9 hours later than planned thanks to these guys**

Kevin Henkes LIVE!

Today was a special day for one of my second grade classes.  At 2pm EST, School Library Journal had a Live webcast with one of my favorite children's author's Kevin Henkes.  So, I scrapped my planned lesson, read "Owen", my favorite Henkes book, and we tuned in.

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He was entertaining, no surprise. While talking he showed pictures of himself and his family. He explained his inspiration which is great for young kids, and even showed and shared letter children had written to him. My students loved seeing what other students wrote to him.

Luckily they archived it.  head over to School Library Journal to check it out. http://www.slj.com/2013/07/webcasts/kevin-henkes-exclusive-webcast/

First Week

A BIG "Welcome Back" to the students.

Each year I hold off my major rules and procedures until week 2.  The students' classroom teacher and each specials teacher is inundating them with their own rules and procedures so I wait a week and go over my rules once they have settles in a little.  I understand one should set the expectations up front, but I do fun activities with my students the first day.

Kindergarten: I read "Read It, Don't Eat It" by Ian Schoenherr.

Many Kindergartners cannot sit for very long on the carpet and this is a quick fun read. We start with "Give Me Five" from Teachers Pay Teachers user D Conway in which I call 5 Finger Sitting. I focus on 5 Finger Sitting with my Kindergartners so I can refer to it as they progress through the grades.  We count off as they adjust themselves to be in proper position.

After the color a picture to hang on their  fridge so they can remember what day to bring their books back.

First Grade: I read "Never Let A Ghost Borrow Your Library Book" by Karan Casale

The students laugh although some of it is over their head. They complete one of the activities you can find in my packet found on Teachers Pay Teachers.  The students also go home with a bookmark.

Second Grade I will write about next week as they are still doing their activity.

Third and Fourth Graders are telling me the rules using QR codes.  You can read about it in an earlier post, here.  They are having a lot of fun!

One Year Giveaway WINNERS

It's been 1 year since I've started blogging.  But, in all honesty I have only been able to focus on it for the last 45 or so days.  Now, I can't imagine not being so involved.  I've already starting composing my first week back to school post. I can track many visitors and am ready to celebrate one year as well true dedication to keep the blog going.

As it seems tradition, with a one year anniversary, I am hosting my first giveaway. An anniversary and promise of dedication to my blog giveway.

There will be 3 winners chosen at random and 3 giftcards.

 S. Neal will receive a $10 to Teachers Pay Teachers

T. Robertson One winner will receive a $10 to Micheals

J. Osborne will receive a $10 to Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts (winners choice)

Winners will be chosen on Monday morning. Wouldn't that be a great way to wake up?

S. Neal

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A Sneak Peak

The kids come back Monday. To say I'm excited is one way to describe my emotions. Being with the students is one of my favorite parts of the job, especially after 3, yes 3 days, of professional development. So here is a little peak into my library and computer lab. 

Front door: (The owls say "Hoo" Read A Good Book This Summer?)

My new table signs and pencil boxes:

The library stage with my voice volume posters:

Part of the students' supply center. They also have the colored plastic shelves full of crayons, markers, and colored pencils. (Ignore the books they've been shelved since the photo was taken.)

Then onto my computer lab:

Bulletin board with a movie theme:

iPad rules board:

The same voice volume posters as in the library and my seating posters:

Last, my desk and teacher binder, the best it will look all year

Back to School Surprise!

Today I went back into school to start setting up the library and computer lab.  My first instinct was to turn on an iMac and stream some music.  Since the iMac was on, why not print everything I created this summer.  70+printed pages later, I of course need to laminate.  Up the hall, pages laminated, conversations had with other teachers, I came back into the library and see two boxes behind my circulation counter.  How could I have missed them? Two, amazing boxes, two great surprises to come back to school to.

Box/Surprise 1:

The graduating 8th grade class purchased and gifted a box full of books to the library.  New Books!


Box Surprise 2:

Last year I had requested 7 Nooks.  Four would have lower leveled readers and three would have chapter books for the third and fourth graders.  Although I heard I was approved for my purchase, when the end of the year came and I had not seen the Nooks, I assumed I would try again this year.  But wait... no... box number 2 had 7 Nooks and some beautiful covers to distinguish between the different levels. Now to teach the kids proper use and care before I let them take them home.

Back to School and QR Codes

While I do not head back to school until after Labor Day, I know many teachers around the country have started heading back this week.  Each year I wonder how to start the school year.

Being in the computer lab and the library my students have me each and every year.  The rules and procedures stay pretty much the same.  My problem is clear, how do I go over the rules and procedures with students who have now had me or two, three, for four years already and keep both of us interested.  In past years I have tried using a video.   The video was interesting to the students but I found myself wanting to stop it and expanding on what I already said in the video.  In younger grades I tried a PowerPoint game but the game took longer than expected and students were fixated on the score and not the content.

The last two years I had third graders create signs to hang around the library and act out parts of the rules and procedures.  The skits were adorable and humorous. While that seems to be the best method for that age, months later, each group only remembered their assigned rule or procedure.

Last year I tried QR codes with the fourth graders.  Using http://qrcode.kaywa.com/ I created QR codes and spread them around the computer lab and library.  In groups students used iPads and the app Scan to scan and read the rules and procedures. They wrote the rules on a worksheet that told them the locations of all the codes. The students learned what a QR code was and were encouraged to bring them in when they found them.  Students mostly brought in ads but I did get a Heinz Ketchup bottle and a Taco Bell wrapper. FUN.

This year I've learned.  Students will have a worksheet with questions like the one below.  (Theirs will not have the answers.)  Instead of just seeing the location of the code they have a question to answer. Instead of Kaywa, I used http://qrphoria.com/ to create my QR codes.  QRPhoria is an amazing site with a lot of options for customizing QR codes though it is still SIMPLE to use.  With technology, I often feel that is the key.  Keep it simple but make it look amazing.

First you choose the context you want to show once the QR code is scanned.

Next add the information. It may be text, contact information, a url, etc.

Then you get to choose a style.  There is the traditional QR code if that is what you want, but you can get more creative and have scribbles, tile work, or one of the 13 other styles. Here you pick colors too. 

::It is here I usually have my iPad or iPhone and I scan to make sure the QR code colors and style work easily for my students before moving on::

If you are not sure, QRPhoria will give you some ideas, so do not worry.

If you are trying to keep it simple skip down to save.

 The next step, encoding is for redundant data.  As the creator you must decide how much redundant data you want in your code. The lowest is L, which allows the code to be read even if 7% of it is unreadable. Then M at 15% and so on.

 If you have a certain look for your code you can draw and erase but I warn you, be careful!

Last SAVE! The size depends on how big you plan to make it.  I always save big, just in case.

As with last year I will use QR codes again for teaching the Dewey Decimal system and I hope to come up with more ideas throughout the year.

If my students were older they would have their own cell phones or iPads and I would put QR codes on the books leading to book trailers, author's websites, lists of new books to our library, and so much more.