Fourth graders had fun in the Jackson Library this week after enjoying the read aloud, Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs. We used a glossary, looked at context clues, made predictions, and folded a fortune teller.
Fortune Teller – in the Event Kit
Category: picture book lesson
Jackson Elementary second graders had fun with the silly story, The Book With No Pictures this week! They made up their own definitions of the nonsense words and drew pictures for the book! This activity is from Being Mrs. Barnes’ TPT store. I adapted her activity sheet to add made up words from the book El libro sin dibujos for the bilingual classes. Fun!
Our ‘Expert’ Alphabet Books
Posted in nonfiction lesson, and picture book lesson
In the fall, fifth graders had fun sharing their ‘expert knowledge’ on different topics by creating an alphabet book. Since I started taking guitar lessons on Zoom last July, I created a sample ‘book’ to use as a model and then also shared the book, Attack! Boss! Cheat Code! A Gamer’s Alphabet by Chris Barton. They had fun and we all learned so much!
Samples
Did you know? You can assign a Kahoot game to be played when students have time during remote learning? Did you know? Astronauts provide read alouds in space! Here’s the info:
Here’s an astronaut reading the book: If I Were an Astronaut.
Here’s how to play the asynchronous Kahoot game:
- Log in to your Kahoot account.
- Create the Kahoot
- Synchronous: Choose for virtual classrooms
- Asychronous: Choose for self-paced learning
- Choose the start end date time frame. Choose other settings. Make sure it says ‘Challenge’ instead of ‘Game’. Challenge means on their own time and Game is to play live.
6. Copy the URL to give to the kids.
Here’s the game I made for the kids to play to go with If I Were an Astronaut:
Fun with Hair
Posted in apps, and picture book lesson
Second graders had fun discussing hair in the Jackson Library after reading the Bluebonnet book, Crown. We discussed the vocabulary and main ideas in the story; from the history of the do-rag/durag to the theme of confidence. Then we discussed confidence and what that has to do with getting a haircut. Some kids created hair-dos using Toca Hair Salon during check out.
Taking Surveys
Posted in math, and picture book lesson
First graders in the Jackson Library learned how to take surveys after reading Groovy Joe: Ice Cream and Dinosaurs by Eric Litwin. After reading the story, the kids asked each other about favorite ice cream flavors and marked it on their paper using tally marks. Then we used Jersey Teacher’s Ice Cream pictograph sheet (TPT) to draw representations of the data. Finally, they listened to Groovy Joe songs during check out. Who knew graphing data could be so much fun in the library?
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In the library, fourth graders listened to the read aloud Strong to the Hoop by Coy, found the active verbs in a Seesaw activity I created, and wrote their own exciting introduction to a narrative. Several wrote about their recent aquarium field trip. Check it out!
Studying the Impact of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Posted in character education, holiday, picture book lesson, and Social Studies
Last week in the Jackson Library, fifth graders listened to the read aloud, Martin’s Big Words, and we discussed the impact those words had on America. Then they used Kally Miller’s Seesaw activity and the dates in the back of the book to sequence the major events in Dr. King’s life on a timeline. Finally, they wrote their own ‘I Have a Dream’ excerpts to convey ways they want the world to improve.
More of Kally Miller’s Seesaw activities here!
ANSWER KEY
I HAVE A DREAM SHORTENED POEM TEMPLATE
Context Clues with the Gingerbread Man
Posted in picture book lesson, and technology
Before the break second graders came to the Jackson Library to learn more about context clues. They used the words and pictures in The Gingerbread Man Loose on the Fire Truck to determine the meaning of unknown words. At the computer station, the kids learned more about the parts of a fire truck on Sparky‘s site and we listened to videos and songs which reminded us how to call 911 and to get outside if there is a fire.
Fire Truck Song Fire Safety HK Get Outside
Fun with Snow Bears
Posted in holiday, and picture book lesson
This week in the Jackson Library, second grade had fun with Aloo-ki and the Three Snow Bears. The Three Snow Bears is a Goldilocks and the Three Bears variant by Jan Brett. The kids found the story elements at the pocket chart, watched the story on video, and created their own snow bear puppet this week.
