Battle of the Books Competition

Today our 4th and 5th grade Battle of the Books team competed and placed 5th in the district semi-finals. These young readers dedicated 6 months to prepare by reading from the list of 18 books chosen by the state committee. They discussed their thoughts in weekly practices, logged in to the MyBobTeam website to quiz themselves, battled each other in anticipation of the big day, and learned more about themselves as readers in the spirit of competition. Each student challenged himself/herself and grew as a result of our time together. 

I am so proud of the way our team conducted themselves today-- they were wonderful competitors who displayed good sportsmanship and great attitudes. Well done, manatees! 

Team members give final words of encouragement before the competition.

Hanging out before rounds of play begin.

Ready for Battle!

My colleague, Mrs. Calhoun, from Sandy Ridge--they were the reading ninjas!

Kaeshad's shirt says it all...

The boys take 1!

The boys take 2!

The girls :)

This is how we felt after 11 rounds of competition! 

We can't wait to start reading for next year!!

Black History Living Museum

Last Friday 30 of our students acted as notable African Americans during our Black History Month luncheon. Actors performed at the luncheon for students and families in 30 minute shifts. We were visited by Jackie Robinson, Eloise Greenfield, Harriet Powers, Oprah Winfrey, Serena Williams, Jim Kelly, and Carl Brashear--just to name a few! Our actors were courageous, professional, and impressive! Thanks to all the families who were so supportive of our young actors. They shared a wealth of knowledge about important people who have contributed so much to our world.
 

 I gave students a research guide to help them focus their research and then organize it into a speech. Students worked on writing their speeches in first person and practicing it out loud at home.

During our dress rehearsal, we gave students feedback on their presentation via a rubric (thanks to Mrs. Childress and Mrs. van Orsouw for helping!). The rubric gave each student feedback on eye contact, speaking clearly, preparation, pace, and voice projection.

 

Great job, manatees! Your hard word taught us so much!

Author Visit with Carole Boston Weatherford

On Wednesday , February 19th, we hosted our Author of the Month, Carole Boston Weatherford, in the Media Center. All students had the opportunity to meet Ms. Weatherford and hear her poetry and stories. She gave students several pieces of advice throughout the day. To be successful at something students need to have Perseverance, be Practical, Preparation, and Practice!

 4th and 5th grade students learned about the importance of family tradition, oral history, and honoring the struggles of our ancestors through the poetry of Remember the Bridge: Poems of a People. 

Harrison holds a rain stick

2nd and 3rd grade students listened to and sang poetry from Sidewalk Chalk: Poems of the City. Ms. Weatherford talked to students about the book-making process and revealed that she is always working on a book! She also shared her poem Before John Was a Jazz Giant (about famous NC musician, John Coltrane) and reminded students that the seed for who they will be as a grown up sprouts in their childhood. 

K/1 kids had fun with call and response poetry--especially the poem from the book Jazz Baby.

All students had the chance to ask questions after each performance. One student asked Ms. Weatherford what inspires her to write poetry and she replied, "I am able to hear words in my head--I have a gift for that." A few of her favorite authors are Langston Hughes and Dr. Seuss. 

Dozens of students purchased one of Ms. Weatherford's books and participated in a book signing. 

A team of 2nd, 4th, and 5th grade reporters from our newspaper spent time interviewing Ms. Weatherford. We can't wait to read their article!

After her visit, students were lining up to check out one of Ms. Weatherford's books to share with their famlies. Students and teachers really enjoyed meeting our Author of the Month! Thank you, Ms. Weatherford, for inspiring our students and encouraging them to follow their dreams and connect with their past. 

Future Computer Scientists

Mrs. Roach and I embarked on a new adventure with her 5th graders today. Over the next few months the students will be learning how to code. Today's lesson was an introduction to computer science and why this field is vital in our world, present and future. To illustrate this point, we watched this short video about the importance of coding:

We also discussed how learning how to code requires critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, team work, and creativity! Many students offered ideas for how they would like to help the world through computer science: develop open-source software to teach people how to read; create a simulation for people to experience what it's like to live in another culture; and create solar powered technology. 

We ended the lesson by reviewing binary code, a coding system using the binary digits 0 and 1 to represent a letter, digit, or other character in a computer. Computers have their own language just like humans do! :)

We challenged students to code their initials and then to think about how many boxes would be needed to code their first, middle, and last names. 

Next week, we will introduce students to the Hour of Code and they will have a chance to write their first lines of code on the computer!