I have been searching for different ideas for my Makerspaces Meets Genius Hour program for next year, and decided to tryout book folding with a deselected library book. I love the idea of crafting and creating with books that are no longer in the collection, and book folding is only one of many projects on Pinterest. Don't let my excitement fool you though. This took me longer than I would have imagined, and that is with me skipping some of the tedious measuring. I am crazy happy with the end product, and I believe the older elementary kids would be successful. Since this project would require more time than most, I will likely make this a take and create project. I can't wait to see the kids' creations!
My fourth grade students just finished up a biography unit. We read Stand Straight Ella Kate, The Quite Contrary Man, and learned about Helen Keller. To encourage reading of biographies, I decided to introduce students to "Bookfaces". It is a social media trend where book lovers take a picture of themselves blending into the cover of a book to promote literacy. My fourth grade students were so excited about it, so I thought why stop at fourth grade and biographies. To spread the love, all students can participate in bookfaces with any genre of book. If they post it on Instagram with the hashtag #caldwellbookfaces and tag @caldwelllibrary, they just may become a feature in the next caldwelllibrary Instagram post! Pictured: Miranda, J. Thomas, and Lizzie
In my kindergarten class, I had a student ask where the dinosaur books are shelved. We walked over together. Me: What is your favorite dinosaur? Him: Tyrannosaurus Me: If we can't find a Tyrannosaurus book, what is your second favorite? Him: Velociraptor Look at that sweet face! We found a book with both of his favorites!
In the library, 4th grade students have been learning about point of view and perspective with a tie in to previous lessons on cyber bullying. Their culminating activity was to collaborate with their peers in planning and creating a GoPro video. They were to script a day in the life of a victim of bullying, One scene had to include cyber bullying, and the final scene had to include an act of kindness. Using the head strap mount for the GoPro, gave the video a first person point of view. They had so much fun doing this, so check out the results of their hard work! Thank you, Kodi, for editing the videos.
We are in our second year of the Read It Forward program. Last year, we kicked off RIF with the book Wonder. Several books were released within our school, and even more throughout the district. We purposefully chose a well developed story about kindness that would appeal to many age groups. After reading the book, readers are encouraged to sign the book and read it forward by giving it to someone else to read.
This afternoon, I will pass along this well loved treasure to another. For more about Read It Forward and about this year's books Hero and Enemy Pie click here.
Once a week, I teach enrichment activities with a group of second grade students. Over the last several weeks, we have been using Made With Code to create some crazy fun projects.
This week in the library, students in 4th and 5th grades will hear book talks and watching book trailers for books nominated for the Charlie May Simon Book Award. Students are encouraged to participate by reading three or more nominated books and voting for their favorite in the spring.
Boys love nonfiction! They are drawn to those informational books that are about whatever they are interested in at the moment whether it be military machines, snakes, origami... However, boys read fiction too!
There is not a one size fits all list of "boy books", but there are some series that I see boys check out again and again. Not all of them, or even most of them, would I consider great literary works that will become classics. But, introducing great works is only a small part of my job. More important, is that I help develop life long readers. Kids, boys and girls, that love to read! I asked some 5th grade boys to grab two books in the library. In one hand, is a book that they loved to read when they were younger. In the other, is their current favorite book.
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