DEAR Drop Everything and Read

Monday October 26th is National School Library Day and Drop Everything and READ. Take 20 minutes today to stop all that you are doing and READ. Read for fun, enjoy a comic, read the newspaper or dive into a great novel. DEAR is a BC Teacher-Librarian Association event that celebrates the power of free reading, the joy of dropping everything around you and reading and the joy of literacy. #bctla_DEAR

World Book Online Kids - A Great Resource

What are databases? Databases are organized collections of sourced information. Databases help students find relevant reliable information that is age appropriate in reading level and content. SD#68 subscribes to two main databases World Book Online and EBSCO.

Gr. 3 students in Mrs. Kawaguchi’s class are studying planets and the Gr. 3’s in Mrs. MacDonald’s class are researching provinces.
Both classes are using World Book Online Kids for their research. This wonderful resource is colourful, interactive and full of great information at a Gr. 3 level. http://worldbookonline.com Students can access it at home using the password given in class.

Gr. 4 students in Ms. Burnham’s class are using World Book Online Kids for their explorers trading card project. Be sure to check out worldbookonline.

Week One With District Technology

Students working with Destiny

Each year our school district has technology (3 carts of 15 ipads, 2 carts of 18 laptops and more ipods) to share among the schools. To qualify for the technology each school interested has to submit a proposal on what they plan to do with the technology to enhance student learning.  As part of our commitment we also agree to share how we are doing in efforts to help others learn from us.

I thought the best way to share would be to write a weekly post.  Here is week 1.

April 14-20^th Week 1 with District Laptops

Week #1 - Introduction

Student working on Novellist k-8 part of our district database

The district technology, in our case, laptops, arrived Tuesday, April 7th . Students and staff were eager to get busy using these portable devices.  We spent the first week introducing or re-introducing students to the safety, protocol and expectations of using the laptops. We used library class time for this activity so our Gr. 4-6’s each used them for 40 min. /week. In addition our Gr. 6’s in the 6/7 split used them daily for a second block (40 min) throughout the week for their inquiry project.

General overview (instructions) of laptops with students:

·  hold upright (when using a laptop the more you jiggle it the more likely it is to become damaged or have a shorter shelf life)

·        place on a flat, safe surface when using it (table, floor)

·       be gentle with the lid/cover and keys (be patient when trying to access a site, it might take a while, don’t pound on the keys thinking it will work more quickly)

Enjoying learning with laptops

·       connect to SD68 wireless – PS
·       check power

·       share with your partner (no grabbing, pulling or jockeying for use)

·       Eyes up, lids down (when this is said, students pull laptops cover down ½ way if you go much beyond ½ way they will automatically shut off, eyes on speaker)

Students were assigned laptop partners and laptop #.  They will work with that partner and use that # laptop throughout. 

Day one lessons with our 4-7’s

Destiny:  http://destiny.sd68.bc.ca  (looked at destiny, students used it to find books, compile lists for projects and see if books were in the library)

Databases:  We reviewed our district databases and why we use them.

EBSCO – http://search.ebscohost.com (we looked at various databases within Ebsco such as novelist K-8 and Canadian Point of View)

World Book Online – http://worldbookonline.com (we looked at World Book online and students were given a scavenger hunt to find different features)

April 20, 2015 – PLC

We used the district laptops to work on databases and destiny.  Val reviewed the protocol for students so that teachers could be consistent with protocol in their classrooms. Val went over the sign out sheet and encouraged classes to sign laptops out for their classrooms.  Val offered to collaborate and co-teach units with the laptops.

Teachers worked in grade groupings to discover articles, databases, searchers that would best meet their needs. We discussed and worked on Destiny in depth, looking at book lists by theme, how to search books and the advantages of Destiny over Webcat.

Summary of week one

·       Students worked very well on laptops
·       The flexibility of the laptops allowed a small group of Gr. 6 students (10) to borrow the laptops and work on them independently both in the library and their classroom
·       Many students are familiar and comfortable using laptops 
·       Eyes up, lids down was very successful, students quickly got into a pattern that allowed them to explore then look up then go back to exploring
·       Students are really enjoying destiny and it is allowing them to be more independent in the library. Our library computer is so old that it was difficult to log on to anything during the time allotted.  The laptops allow quicker and more accessible access to destiny.
·       Most classes were comfortable putting laptops back in cart * be sure to assign a few students from each class to monitor and help with return of laptops to the cart (proper plugging in etc.)

Challenges:

·       Two of the 18 laptops do not have internet connection
·       Students must save their work to a USB as the work is automatically erased when the laptop is shut down (this we knew from last year but a good reminder)

Our first week with laptops has been a success.  Students and staff are comfortable using them, we have a unified protocol that will be consistent among the school and databases will be used to help with future inquiry assignments.

 

A Long Walk To Water - Great book club!

Book Club: 

 

This week in book club we discussed A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park.  The story follows 11 year-old Salva as he and his classmates run from gunfire during the rebel’s war against the government in Southern Sudan in 1985.  A parallel story is told through the eyes of Nya, an 11 year-old girl in Southern Sudan in 2008.  Nya walks 8 hours each day to fetch water for her family. 

 

 

 

 

The stories follow Nya and Salva through unimaginable conditions and we see through the eyes of these young people the determination, perseverance and hope that allows them to move forward. A Long Walk to Water is based on a true story.  Our book club highly recommends this book.

 

The Lost Boys of Sudan 12 years later. 

60 minutes caught up with the boys.

 

A Long Walk to Water - interview with author Linda Sue Park

 

Salva's story

Water for Sudan - Salva Dut's non-profit organization building wells across Africa

Spring Break is a Great Time to READ!!!

Bookfest May 2^nd, Downtown Naniamo 

Bookfest 2015 will be held Saturday May 2^nd at the Diana Krall Plaza in downtown Nanaimo from 10 am – 3 pm.  Nine Canadian authors and illustrators will be giving workshops, signing books and sharing stories of how they became professional authors.  Presentations are for students in elementary school with authors specializing in different age ranges.  E.g. Mike Deas for 8 year olds and older.  Younger children can take part in preschool story time and a preschool puppet show.  You can sit and enjoy your lunch at the plaza while being entertained by the Stratford Hall School Taiko Drummers from Vancouver.  Check out more about Bookfest at http://www.bookfest.ca/

One of the books in The Seven Series

Spring Break – Read, Read, Read!!!

I can’t wait to spend some time reading this spring break. I hope you enjoy a great book over the holidays. I would love to hear what you are reading.

 

Chapters spring break activities – I was visiting Chapters this week, stocking up on books for our library J and heard about their spring break workshops. 

All workshops start at 11AM and are free! 

Monday Dr. Seuss

 
Tuesday Wimpy Kid

Wednesday Lego (be sure to phone ahead and book this one as they have limited numbers)

Thursday Disney

Friday Klutz

 

For more information stop in at Chapters or visit http://indigo.ca/marchbreak   

 

Have a safe and happy spring break.

Mrs. Martineau

Love Your School Library question for Thursday February 12, 2015

Question for Thursday 

Name two books written by author Emily Gravett? 

Hint: You may want to visit the library and check out the E section.

 

Bonus points:  Can you name all the Emily Gravett books we have in our library catalogue? 

You will want to check our  Destiny catalogue.

Good luck and have fun.  Drop your answers off in the library basket before the end of the day.

Daily prizes will be given for correct answers.  This will be through a draw.

A grand prize will also be awarded.

   Happy Reading.

 

Mrs. Martineau

Love Your School Library

February 14th is Love Your School Library Day in BC. How can you show your love?  All week, Mrs. Martineau is having library skill contests to show your love and celebrate literacy.
Tuesday's questions was ....
What is the name of the cataloguing system for non-fiction?  Answer The Dewey Decimal System
Nathan, Shiloh, Ben,  and    were our daily prize winners. 

Wednesday's question

 

Put the following books in library order

 

Harry Potter by JK Rowling

 

Starclimber by Kenneth Oppel

 

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

 

 

Complete your answer and drop it off, with your name, into the prize basket in the library.  Watch out for Thursday's question.  Students who get all three questions correct have a chance to win the Grand Prize a $20.00 Gift Certificate at Chapters.