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We are 5 C's Learners!

3/20/2014

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Today 4th graders at Korn School played in the sandbox. No, we didn't bring sand into the library (although that might be fun). Our tech integration teacher and I shared a new app with them and let them figure it out. We talked with them about some C words: Creative, Critical thinking, Communication, Collaboration (P21.org poster) and the folks at Fablevision added Compassionate. We loved talking about thinking outside the box too! A final thought before students got to work was the idea of Failure - not giving up and trying again in a new way to solve the problem. We believe that these are key ideas for 21st century learners. 

We want students to use these 5 C's as we use the 3D printer from Makerbot in our library in the next weeks. Students will be using the Blokify app to create designs that we will print. We cannot wait to see what they create!

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Did you try the Hour of Code?

12/30/2013

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Students and teachers in Regional School District 13 showed a little courage and a LOT of excitement December 9-15 during Computer Science Education Week. Trying something new that most knew little or nothing about was a big challenge. But the Hour of Code was a huge success! 

Students and teachers in grades K-12 participated. Some used code.org to get to the Angry Bird/Zombie tutorial and learn some basic computational thinking. Some used iPad apps such as Kodable, Light-bot, Daisy the Dinosaur or Cargo-bot. However they did it, these newest coders loved it and wanted to do more. Watching kindergarteners, who, when asked if they thought they would be good at coding said, "NO!", grow big smiles on their faces and try again and again when they got stuck, was an absolute pleasure. Fourth graders jumped right in and helped each other when they were puzzled about what to do next. They were all building stamina and the ability to persevere, even when things got tougher. 

Teachers were taking risks here - big ones! It definitely made them feel better when they were reminded that they really didn't need to know what to do - the kids could do it! When teachers tried it, they LOVED it! Many confided that they became a little addicted themselves. 

The Hour of Code provided a way to show just how essential computational thinking and coding are for the future of these students. I think it truly helped teachers, who had little or no experience with coding, to understand students for whom this is a passion, a little better. I can't wait to see where this excitement takes us next!

Click HERE to see 6th grade coders on Channel 30 news.

Click HERE for article in The Town Times (see pages 14 & 19).

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International Dot Day 2013

9/9/2013

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We have our copy of The Dot by Peter Reynolds. The playdough has been purchased. The iPads are being updated with the Press Here! app and Colar app (for amazing 3D dots!) We have plans for paint too! Tomorrow is the first of my 2 Dot Days: first Brewster and Thursday at Korn. We are so excited! It is amazing to see the excitement, wonder, and fun that goes along with Dot Day. This year close to 1 million participants will be exploring how to "make their mark". 

In addition to our Dot Day at school, we will continue to be inspired as we connect the dots with schools from around the world. Check out the map below. Some will be old friends, but many will be new. We will share stories and things we did on Dot Day. Stay tuned for updates, pictures and more in the next week or 2.

How will you make your mark this year?

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I want to know more! What's in my professional library.

8/27/2013

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I have a burning desire to know and understand things. All kinds of things - so I read. A lot. That's a subject for another whole post. But I have been curious lately about what books people love - those books that as an educator, you just find yourself turning to over and over again for inspiration, ideas, and a desire to understand. Here are the ones I have been attached to in the last year or so. What others do you have that you cannot live without?




1) The Book Whisperer by D. Miller
2) Igniting a Passion for Reading by S. Layne
3) Readicide by K. Gallagher
4) Energize Research Reading and Writing by C. Lehman
5) Comprehension and Collaboration - Inquiry Circles in Action by S. Harvey and H. Daniels
6) Connecting Comprehension & Technology - S. Harvey, A. Goudvis, K. Muhtaris & K. Ziemke
7) What Readers Really Do by D. Barnhouse & V. Vinton
8) Summer reading - R. Allington
9) Book Love by P. Kittle
10) Notice and Note by K. Beers & R. Probst
11) The Daily Five by G. Boushey & J. Moser
12) The CAFE Book by G. Boushey & J. Moser
13) Real Revision - K. Messner
14) Mindset by C. Dweck
15) Teach Like a Champion by D. Lemov
16) Teach Like a Pirate by D. Burgess
17) Make Just One Change by Rothstein & Santana
18) The Reading Zone by N. Atwell
19) Invent to Learn by S. Libow & G. Stager
20) Children's Book-a-day Almanac by A. Silvey

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2nd Grade Creative Book Builders

8/22/2013

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Toward the end of the 12-13 school year, I talked with the 2nd graders at Brewster School about what they could share about their school since they were moving on to Korn next year. They had lots of ideas as you can imagine!

But then I asked them to consider something new: audience. Who would they be sharing with and how did this change what kinds of things they would want to share? After much discussion, we figured out that there were 3 general categories of people with whom we would be sharing: new kindergarten students, faraway friends from the Skypes and connecting we do, and friends & family.

2nd grades thought that the new kindergarteners would want to know about where things were in our school - the lunchroom, the gym, the art room, music, library and who the teachers are. They thought faraway friends might be interested in what specials we have (important stuff to 7 and 8 year-olds). Friends and family would want to know about the favorite parts of Brewster. While some of these overlap - it was an interesting and important discussion to have with them.

First students planned out what they wanted to include - some used a storyboard and some sketched it out on paper.
We used the iPad app Creative Book Builder to create eBooks. It took a little longer than I thought to plan them out, so many of the books are not finished, but they are pretty neat! Students quickly became experts at adding photos, headings, captions, text, and a few even tried using a Table of Contents, since part of my goal was to have them include some of the informational text features we had explored this year.

Below are a few of the books we created. Please note, in order to see them, you must use an iPad or device that will read .epub. For more of our books, please visit the Student Work page.
The Brewster Encyclopedia (Cat iPad)

All about Brewster School (Ladybug iPad)

Facts About Brewster School (Lion iPad)

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Scribble Press for iPad is a hit!

2/29/2012

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eBooks anyone?  For Grade 2 students, they are just the thing to show what they have learned.  Much of January and early February was spent exploring nonfiction text features in their classroom and in the library.  Features such as headings, captions, index, glossary, types of print were investigated, all with the underlying question of, "How does this feature help me read and understand nonfiction?"  Students spent 1 library time learning about iPads and an app called Scribble Press.  Scribble Press allows you to create all kinds of eBooks. You can make your own or choose from many different topics already created. There is also an art section. We have found it very easy to use and the kids love it! The following 2 library times students worked in pairs to create eBooks by photographing and explaining various nonfiction text features.  We will then post the link to their books on our library web site for others to view and use.  It has been a big motivator for them to have these books published.  They do not want their work to be anything but their best.  A real bonus for me is when they tell me that they asked their parents to put Scribble Press on their iPad at home because they liked it so much. Links to their work coming soon!

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Authentic audience

2/23/2012

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How many times have I heard students complain, "But no one is going to read this anyway!"  In my many years as a 5th & 6th grade teacher and now as a teacher librarian, I have heard this echoed so many times.  It has given me a lot to think about and in these days with technology readily available, I am putting it to use to solve just that problem.  Working collaboratively with teachers in grades 2 and 4, along with our tech integration specialist, I am able to help kids see their work shared far beyond where they would ever have believed. 

As the students in 4th grade create web sites about a region of the United States, they are beginning to realize that what they have been learning about in language arts really means something now. "Are you being respectful to your reader when you don't use proper capitalization and punctuation?" I ask.  When they use 3 different shades of green on a green background, I tell them that if I came to their web site, I would click away immediately.  "Why?" they ask.  "Because it is too hard to read," I say.  And they nod and admit that it is true and change it to something more readable.
These same students are now willing to REVISE their work over and over, checking for even the slightest mistake, because they know that their audience is bigger than just one person. What a crucial lesson.

The 4th graders are completing a collaborative project about a Connecticut symbol or important figure.  They researched during library time, took their notes back to their classroom to create an expository piece with their teacher, and came back to the library to create podcasts using Garageband.  I have watched students rehearse over and over, making changes to their paragraphs until they sound just right, because they know they will have a larger audience.  These podcasts will be put into a Prezi and will be posted to the Student Work part of the library website.

Grade 2 students are also hard at work, but this time using iPads.  After learning about nonfiction and how the features of nonfiction can help you understand what you are reading, students are creating eBooks using a free app called Scribble Press. Working in pairs, they are photographing and describing different nonfiction features such as headings, indexes, captions, and more.  Then a link to their books will be posted on the Student Work section of the library web site.  Even developing a title for their book has really made them do some serious thinking.  What is this book about?  If someone reads your title, what are they going to think the book is about? They are taking their writing very seriously too - they understand that many people will be reading their books and they want to be proud of their work.

It has been fascinating observing these students.  They care.  A lot.  When given an authentic task, they have responded with effort that may not be seen when completing a worksheet. They are very proud of their work and can't wait to see it published.
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    Mrs. Lussier is a Library Media Specialist at Brewster and John Lyman Elementary Schools in Durham & Middlefield, CT.  I am passionate about getting kids reading (ok, everyone!), wondering, using technology and having FUN!
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